OP-ED columnist Joe Nicera Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Commentary reporter Joe Nicera - Research Paper Example Pamela Cantor’s research which depended on high destitution schools. All through his article, Nocera receives a useful and rambling tone so as to edify his perusers about the gravity of the results the impacts of neediness have on the instructive framework just as to spur them to manage this issue. As indicated by an article, high neediness schools take up about 40% of schools in urban communities however their normal scores are low contrasted with different schools. (Christine Armario, 2010). The article opens with the notice of Dr. Pamela Cantor’s discourse, named â€Å"Innovative Designs for steadily Low-Performing Schools†. It at that point proceeds onward to discuss how Dr. Cantor has contemplated the impacts of neediness on instruction. Nocera illuminates his crowd that â€Å"chaos reigned† in schools where there was a high destitution level. The educators were not prepared to carry request to confusion and the â€Å"most troublesome youngsters over whelmed the schools†. These schools are ordinarily populated by levels of racial minorities. (Mike Green, 2011). Obviously, these schools were working as schools ought to be. Nocera clarifies the discoveries of Dr. Cantor’s research so as to fabricate a base for the conversation about how to handle and dispense with these impacts in the more extended run. He proceeds to portray how the â€Å"Turnaround for Children† came to fruition as Dr. ... Neediness figures have gotten increasingly genuine since September 2011, when it was cited by the NY Times that around one out of five individuals in New York could be sorted as poor. (Sam Roberts, 2011). Roughly 50% of America’s kids live in high destitution areas as indicated by a registration done in 2011. (Lisa Lambert, 2011). A guide that portraying changes in destitution in the United States shows that neediness in America is turning into a rising pattern; where once in 2010 just 15.1% Americans were living beneath the line, today, after two years, that number is a lot higher. (Andy Hull, Nick McClellan and Troy Schneider, 2012). Turnaround has a significant impact in this issue since it is attempting to â€Å"bridge a significant divide† by confronting the issues high-neediness schools face â€Å"head-on† as opposed to steering clear of the real issue with them. Nocera then moves to a concise conversation of how this undertaking works and how it makes a â €Å"positive, restrained culture† by persuading the understudies about how they can exceed expectations in school and instruction when all is said in done. He proceeds to explain that despite the fact that this venture is of outrageous significance; it is still in its test organizes and is â€Å"relatively small†. Consequences of Turnaround’s endeavors in different schools have indicated that the schools that they had taken a shot at were on normal â€Å"calmer, more secure, in fact, more joyful places† in any case, they should work more on improving scholarly condition on the off chance that they need to accomplish better outcomes from this endeavor. Nocera moves towards the end of his article by referencing once more, Dr. Cantor’s discourse referenced first in the absolute starting point of his article. He clarifies how her discourse talked

A Review of The Dream Society Essay

It is difficult to discuss organizations and make them bid not exclusively to a specialty advertise yet to all individuals. Frequently, a book that discussions about business, advertising methodologies, and corporate culture is accepted to be unpredictable and in any event, exhausting sooner or later. This I accept makes Rolf Jensen’s innovatively composed book entitled The Dream Society: How the Coming Shift from Information to Imagination Will Transform Your Business a deviation from the intricate and hard to-comprehend picture of business books. The book is about the perceptible reality developing in today’s business pattern of how the stories and stories behind the items become basic factors that help the item sell. Jensen oversaw, in his canny book, to deliver an edifying examination of today’s business culture and foresee a modern bearing for organizations without losing his perusers in difficult to-get ideas and hard to-remember speculations. The book spins around the possibility that more than data, creative mind will be the greatest selling purpose of the items later on. As time advances and as rivalries among organizations become more tightly and increasingly significant, individuals become increasingly more intrigued on the accounts behind the item than simply the item itself. A book that expects to clarify the progression of the market is frequently considered an instructional book that offers tips and recommendations. The Dream Society is altogether different in light of the fact that it centers around the patterns and wonders that are detectable in the market however are not entirely obvious or not viewed twice. The book has promising worth since it set down realities alongside fascinating incidental data and tales that would not ordinarily show up in exhausting business books. Jensen’s work is unquestionably ready to catch the consideration of his perusers as he discusses how advertises today focus on the consumers’ passionate needs and how some effective organizations like Disney, Nike, and Rolex gracefully these requirements by using whatever stories they have that intrigue to people’s hearts. Jensen, a capable and educated researcher, sees how this pattern had gradually become the base of tremendous requests from these organizations and he examines how this advertising technique will resolvedly shape the eventual fate of business and corporate culture. Characterized under the â€Å"classic Dream Society logic†, these organizations are simply among the individuals who can comprehend that what the market needs are stories and claims on their enthusiastic side (Jensen, 2001, p. 3). Organizations known as the Dream Society are typically the ones who will have the option to command the business world later on the grounds that they could convey what the customers need. The Dream Society is really an indispensable bit of work that would identify with scholastic, sociological, and corporate issues. It rotates around the topic of what truly sells today. In view of the cautious research of the creator, it is apparent that society will focus on the narratives behind the items and would coordinate its utilization towards things or articles that intrigue to the heart. I felt that the writer needs the book to concentrate more on giving its perusers an outward point of view of the market since it describes from a cutting edge perspective, giving the real factors of today that are in accordance with a potential market. The creator iss ready to accomplish this through inconspicuous portrayals of individual encounters, investigation on how markets change and direct attributions to associations that utilize the consumers’ requirements for passionate fulfillment. I saw that in any event, when the creator is talking in the principal individual point of view, he never lose validity of the realities he is expressing. Likewise, regardless of handling an extremely delicate point, the book is really written in a basic way, composed altogether, and given a one of a kind sparkle by the interesting composing style of Jensen. These qualities certainly set out the book uniquely in contrast to the others. Jensen’s work advances to perusers in view of its shrewd and fascinating assault of helpful points. It handles realities about colossal organizations, yet in addition real factors about the individuals who work behind them. As indicated by the book, more than IQ, EQ is likewise similarly, if not on occasion, progressively significant in making an individual effective. The capacity to fabricate great connections regularly carries individuals to the top. Makes the book additionally engaging that it tends to a reality that is as of now being appreciated by half of the tremendous associations while the other half stays oblivious or willfully ignorant of it. Jensen’s work offers a fresher and progressively legitimate point of view of the change of organizations that ought not be ignored. In corporate culture, organizations that attention on being nearer to the passionate shortcomings of individuals ensure more help from these customers. The Dream Society additionally features how examples of overcoming adversity of organizations outperforming difficulties and chances become fundamental apparatuses in commanding the corporate culture. The Dream Society features the benefit of narrating and the treatment of feelings as item as a piece of things to come of organizations. Items that are bundled in an increasingly innovative manner can tap the feelings and backing of the purchasers. The author’s solid model in the early pieces of the book about purchasers needing to purchase eggs that are normally made regardless of whether they cost higher underline the contention that Jensen needs to introduce in this book buyers purchase with their souls and it will undoubtedly be like this for an exceptionally significant time-frame. Jensen’s work is a justifiable forecast for business changes in the coming decades however it neither offers ensures nor nitty gritty explicit strides of what entrepreneurs and corporate pioneers ought to do to make their make their organizations progressively effective. It just portrays the realities and what impacts the market however it couldn't be viewed as a guide or directional book. It is a simple, capricious, extremely instructive, and agreeable book to peruse that tends to real factors about the market and the corporate world, yet it could in any case not be delegated a manual on business and how organizations ought to be run. One of the book’s most innovative lines in portraying how a business is run is that â€Å"managing an organization implies arranging a dramatization, daily† (Jensen, 2001, p. 134). What's more, this dramatization, the technique of commercializing feelings, and narrating to interest the hearts of the individuals makes item sell. The Dream Society is unquestionably unique in relation to different business books I have experienced. The writer is clearly exceptionally gifted recorded as a hard copy as well as in making cautious investigation about the future course of the world’s advertise. Understanding the requirements of the buyers is one of the most fundamental principles in showcasing methodologies. Regardless of being eccentric, Jensen’s book should at present be viewed as a business book since it offers keen and significant realities about the likely fate of the market. Regardless of whether it is composed with effortlessness, this doesn't confine the significant exercises and real factors it offers to its perusers and makes it priceless to the universe of business and corporate culture. Reference Jensen, R. (2001). The Dream Society: How the Coming Shift from Information to Imagination will Transform Your Business. McGraw-Hill: New York

How to Use Comparisons and Contrast to Improve Your Essay Writing

How to Use Comparisons and Contrast to Improve Your Essay WritingMany students are often amazed when they find essay samples of compare and contrast which have so many similarities that they could be two different essays. You can't avoid that when you use this kind of technique for essay writing, but that's the result you're looking for in the first place. And the truth is, if you focus on the difference in each paragraph you can write then you'll achieve what you need to do.It might sound crazy, but you will see a certain paragraph in one or another essay sample of compare and contrast and think, 'It couldn't be one of my own essays.' That's not the case. Many college students never realize the similarities between essays and choose those too. This is a big mistake.Before you ever start writing that paragraph it is important to take a look at the main point of the entire essay, and in this case it is comparing the differences between each paragraph. Then, and only then, can you deci de if that particular paragraph is one of your own. This way you'll know immediately that you are following a formula when writing that paragraph.One more thing to keep in mind about compare and contrast is that you should always read the paragraph as well as the wordings. It may seem like you are just tossing them together because you are unsure of how to write a paragraph without one of them, but in reality it takes time and practice to learn how to do that. If you don't pay attention to the other elements of the essay you could end up with an essay that doesn't make sense, but at least it will make sense to the reader.When you are ready to start writing a paragraph of one of the examples, be sure to focus on the main point of the sentence and then take a look at the rest of the essay to compare and contrast. It's easy to miss a key point orcontrast because it's not in the sentence, but that's where you need to focus on the difference. Try to move the focus off of the main point o f the sentence and work it back towards the main paragraph.You will also want to focus on what the paragraph is about when you are comparing and contrasting one paragraph to the next. You may have the main idea for your paragraph in one of the examples, but the paragraph itself could use some editing. You can help that out by adding a sub-paragraph to the end of the paragraph that you are comparing and contrasting, or by making a note about that fact in the body of the paragraph itself.Try to take a look at the paragraph and the actual sentence as a whole, and pay attention to the main point. Remember that you can't be too careful when you are comparing and contrasting. Even if you have already been using the formula for years, the best way to learn how to write them is to get out there and start writing them for real and really pay attention to the differences.It's not easy to get good at the essay samples of compare and contrast, but if you spend enough time doing it you'll get be tter at it. With a little practice you'll be able to start thinking of these essays as your own.

Public Economics - 1471 Words

NUI, Galway | Public Economics Essay: With respect to inequality and poverty how does Ireland compare to other Western industrialized countries? | Padraig Mc Govern | | 08604070 | 3/9/2012 | Lecturer: Professor Eamon O Shea Course code: 4BCM1 Introduction The following essay will compare Ireland with respect to inequality and poverty to the United States and the United Kingdom. I will use the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in order to analyse their position in the world’s economy; identify how to measure poverty; the main reasons for poverty and inequality in these three countries; use graphs and references to illustrate my evidence; and then finally give a brief conclusion to my essay. Anyone who sets out to†¦show more content†¦Statistics for United Kingdom | 1. Population= 60,776,2382. Population Below Poverty Line= 17%3. Unemployment Rate= 2.9%4. Infant Mortality Rate (Deaths/1,000 Live Births)= 5.015. Literacy Rate (Age 15 And Over Can Read And Write)= 99%6. Life Expectancy (At Birth, In Years)= 78.77. GDP (US$ Millions)= 1,429,6658. GDP/Capita (US$)= 24,2819. # of Refugees= 200,03610. % of Population With Water Access= 100% | While approximately 35 million live in poverty in the United States. It is one of the top four countries with highest rates of child poverty, without government assistance. In 2005, 17.6% of American children lived in poverty. The U.S. has more poor people per capita than any other industrialized country, and children are the most affected demographic group. In the United States, 12 percent of the population live below the poverty line. Statistics of United States | 1. Population= 301,139,9472. Population Below Poverty Line= 12%3. Unemployment Rate= 4.8%4. Infant Mortality Rate (Deaths/1,000 Live Births)= 6.375. Literacy Rate (Age 15 And Over Can Read And Write)= 99%6. Life Expectancy (At Birth, In Years)= 787. GDP (US$ Millions)= 10,019,7008.Show MoreRelatedEconomic Databases Are Collections Of Economic Information That Inform The Public About Economic Growth Or Decline?1211 Words   |  5 PagesEconomic databases are collections of economic information that inform the public about important issues that show economic growth or decline. These databases are very diverse and specific ranging from unemployment statistics to construction spending. The data is then used to help calculate long term and short term growth and let people know about economic opportunities. This information can be compared to different countries to let one country know where they measure between other countries. MyRead MoreThe General Public s Ignorance Of Economics962 Words   |  4 Pagesversa—how much they as individuals can affect the economy. The general public’s ignorance of economics is extremely counterproductive because many problems in this country could be solved if everyone had a basic understanding of economic principles. However, economics can be difficult to understand, and therefore, people tend to avoid the topic whenever possible. In an effort to overcome the confusing nature of economics, Miranda, a twenty-two year old who works in retail and attends college in an effortRead MorePublic Expenditure and Economic Growth in India13502 Words   |  55 PagesPUBLIC EXPENDITURE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH WHAT IS PUBLIC EXPENDITURE? MEANING: Public expenditure refers to Government expenditure i.e. Government spending. It is incurred by Central, State and Local governments of a country. Spending by government , municipality, or any local authority. It covers things such as health, education or social services and is funded by tax revenue. It is one of the element that make up aggregate expenditure. 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Out of this, total external debt amounted to GH ¢57.8billion (43.4% of GDP) and domestic debt was GH ¢39.4billion (25.2% of GDP). That means, in nominal te rms, based on population projections by the Ghana Statistical Service; for every man, woman, and childRead MoreEffects Of Public Debt On Economic Growth1875 Words   |  8 PagesMost research has shown that the effects of public debt on economic growth differs across countries; depends on country-specific factors and institutions such as the level of fiscal imbalances, the level of debt sustainability, the level of financial deepening, macroeconomic stability, and political environment. In response to the financial and economic crisis of 2008/09, the accumulation of public debt and its effects on economic growth have received renewed attention among many economists and policyRead MoreThe Relationship Between Public Capital and Economic Activity 1233 Words   |  5 Pagesetc., had the majority explanatory power for productivity. The relationship between public capital and economic activity at the State level in the US was examined by Munnell (1990a, 1990b). In the initial analysis, public capital was found to have a considerable and positive impact on output even though the output elasticity was roughly one-half the size of the national estimate. In the following analysis, public capital was found to enhance the productivity of private capital, boost its rate ofRead MorePublic Economics1463 Words   |  6 PagesNUI, Galway | Public Economics Essay: With respect to inequality and poverty how does Ireland compare to other Western industrialized countries? | Padraig Mc Govern | | 08604070 | 3/9/2012 | Lecturer: Professor Eamon O Shea Course code: 4BCM1 Introduction The following essay will compare Ireland with respect to inequality and poverty to the United States and the United Kingdom. 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Should We Be Living Their Life Essay - 1507 Words

Life as we know it is changing and maybe not for the best. People are making life-changing decisions without a second thought every second of every day. Is this the way anyone should be living their life? (TRANSITION?) Many who have or currently work in restaurants and other places of business within the food industry are demanding higher compensations without knowing the negative repercussions that could arise and take effect. It was recently discovered that, in 2014, around 71% of Americans favored an increase in minimum wages, yet less than half knew or understood the positive and negative effects that came with higher wages (procon.org). That is a very striking statistic and goes to show that people need to be educated before making a decision that could ultimately change the rest of their lives. I used to be one. So, before filling out your ballot and checking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for the proposition to raise your state’s minimum wage that sounds so app ealing, take a minute to understand what you are choosing, you may be surprised what you learn. In the end, it is your decision and freedom of choice to support or oppose the increase, but I believe we should stand against raising the minimum wage for all except servers who receive the tipped minimum wage of $2.13. The federal minimum wage laws were first created on June 25, 1938 through the Department of Labor and signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This enacted the first $0.25Show MoreRelatedGod : Epicurus Shares With Us How One Should Go About Living A Life1091 Words   |  5 PagesIn his Letter To Menoeceus, Epicurus shares with us how one should go about living a blessed and pleasurable life. He states the is human nature to desire a life devoted to self pleasure. 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AccordingRead More Reflection Paper on Living in the Land of Promise Article1015 Words   |  5 Pageswondered what true happiness is? Or what is living in a Promised Land like? Or just wondering how can a priest live a happy life if they are to give up on a lot of things? Or have you ever wondered of your purpose on life? On why we are all here on Earth? I believe, each and every one of us, is living in this world with a purpose. It may be a great or a simple one but we are all called by God to fulfill certain tasks. And as we fulfill whatever that task is, we should always be ready to face all sorts ofRead MoreLiving Like Weasles1281 Words   |  6 Pageslearn something of mindlessness, something of the purity of living in the phy sical senses and the dignity of living without bias or motive.† In â€Å"Living Like Weasels†, the author Annie Dillard, encounters a weasel. Typically, in the animal kingdom a weasel is viewed as an unremarkable, and even disgusting animal. However, with the appearance of a weasel, Annie encounters a sort of revelation, or epiphany, about life and how it should be lived. In a particularly poignant quotation in paragraph 14Read MoreAntigone, Star Wars, and the Good Life1559 Words   |  6 PagesSophocles’s play Antigone promotes a good life that, through careful analysis, is very similar to the Stoic theory of the good life. Antigone is a story about the members of the ancient Theban aristocracy vying for control of themselves and others; however, in its core it contains an exploration of the good life, that is trying to investigate what values will allow one to get what they want out of life. A group of philosophers, also of Greek origin, produced a theory of this topic; this group ofRead MoreShould I Be Afraid Of Death?1126 Words   |  5 PagesPhilosophical Question at issue: Should I be afraid of death? Authors Thesis: During his passage, Epicurus tells us we have nothing to look forward to at death because when we die, there is nothing more. Authors Argument: Epicurus says that people need to start believing that death is nothing. He believes that death is the â€Å"privation of all awareness† (Epicurus, pg 103), the complete opposite of the meaning of good and evil, which is having awareness. Epicurus tells us that we must focus on the things thatRead MoreAnalysis Of Plato s The Apology 1198 Words   |  5 Pagesall that he should not go against his own beliefs. In his defense, Socrates claims that an â€Å"unexamined† life is not worth living. What he means by this is that living an unexamined life means living a life without any knowledge and wisdom. Plato’s â€Å"The Apology† emphasizes the importance of asking questions and seeking for the truth. â€Å"The greatest good of man is daily to converse about virtue, and all that concerning which you hear me examining myself and others, and that the life which is unexaminedRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living Analysis1465 Words   |  6 PagesIn order to talk about Socrates claim that the unexamined life is not worth living a person first has to understand the context that it was used in. In the Apology, Socrates used that phrase when he was in trial for corrupting the youth. The court was allowing him to counter their punishment of death and suggest a different punishment. After ruling out all other forms of punishment, Socrates says this and he is therefore, sentenced to death. 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We stress over little things that shouldn’’t even be stressed over, because what’’s going to change from the time you’’re stressing from the next day to the next? The problem won’’t go away or get better or worse either way. So why stress? Life is too short to not enjoy

Consumer Behaviour Notes - 4748 Words

Chapter 1 Read pages 4 – 6 and 22 for digital revolution Consumer behaviour is defined as the behaviour that consumers undertake in seeking, purchasing, using, evaluating and disposing of products and services that they expect will satisfy their personal needs. Personal and organisational consumers (page 9) The personal consumer buys good and services for his or her own use, for use by the whole household, for another member of the household or as a gift for a friend. In all these contexts, the goods are bought for final use by individuals, who are referred to as ‘end users’ or ‘ultimate consumers’. The organisational consumer includes profit and non-profit businesses, public sector agencies and institutions, all of which buy products,†¦show more content†¦Targeting is selecting one or more of the segments identified for the company to pursue. Positioning is developing a distinct image for the product or service in the mind of the consumer, an image that will differentiate the offering from competing ones and squarely communicate to consumers that the particular product or service will fulfil their needs better than competing brands. Chapter 2 Mass marketing is offering the same product and marketing mix to all consumers. Repositioning is accomplished by changing the promotional appeal, the distribution strategy or the price, based on the characteristics of a new segment or changing characteristics of the existing segment. Bases for segmentation page 35 onwards The first step in developing a segmentation strategy is to select the most appropriate base(s) on which to segment the market. Geographic segmentation – the market is divided by location (state, region, location, housing density, and climate). Demographic segmentation – refers to the identifiable and measureable statistics of a population (age, sex, marital status, income, occupation and education). Demographic information is often the most accessible and cost-effective way of identifying a target market. Demographic doesn’t define why. Psychological segmentation – focuses on the inner or psychological characteristics of consumers. It refers to intrinsic qualities of the individual consumer, and such consumerShow MoreRelatedExecutive Summary Example836 Words   |  4 Pagesconditions data limitations as not enough information is provided or enough detail i.e. monthly details not known results are based on past performances not present | subject matter methods of analysis Findings Conclusions Recommendations (note that conclusions and recommendations can be bulleted) Limitations of the report. | Excerpt from Woodward-Kron, R. 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(1994) studied the relationship between store atmosphere and the perception of merchandise quality and between store atmosphere and the perception of service quality. Ambient factors and social factors emerged as importantRead MoreThe Fragance Market and Perfume Industry792 Words   |  3 Pagesstate, the behaviour of consumers and governmental issues revolv ing around the perfume industry. In spite of the slow recovery from the 2008 recession, market value of fragrances have increased 25.6% over the last 5 years (Key Note, 2013, pp. 15). The buying power of consumers and household disposable income is strengthening in the UK, even though unemployment rates and inflation are rising. 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For the reason that companies use various marketing activitiesRead MoreConsumer Behavior Aspects of Ahmad Tea673 Words   |  3 Pageswill focus on the consumer behaviour aspects of the Ahmad business. Consumer behavior describes how consumers react to brands and specific marketing tactics. In the tea industry, consumers tend to be regular consumers and have high brand loyalty. There are a number of individual buyer factors that will be discussed in this paper. Internal influences on buyer behaviour Internal factors refer to the consumers ability to benefit from the product (Callahan, 2012). The consumer of tea seeks relaxationRead More2.7 Summary It would appear that fast fashion has had a detrimental effect on the role of the self1200 Words   |  5 Pageslessened consumers’ levels of attachment to items; this will be a point of research within this dissertation as convincing consumers to value their clothing would be the initial stage in adapting disposal behaviours. Consumer attitudes towards disposal are currently mostly divided between sending items to landfill or to the charity shop, these methods appear to have been chosen mostly out of convenience, (Birtwistle and Moore 2007) therefore the next stage to alter consumer behaviours would be to

Get Know About Future Workplace Challenges And Opportunities

Question: Discuss about the Future Workplace Challenges and Opportunities. Answer: Introduction Organizations in todays generation have been changing rapidly in terms of diversity, culture and competition. The human resource department of the company is constantly on its toes to combat with these changes by managing the workforce effectively and productively. The Human Resource Management plays an important role in building the strategy of the organization with changes in the workplace. Workplaces have to constantly emphasize on attracting and retaining the best talent in the industry, otherwise the competitors may outplay them in terms of strategic employment. There is an enormous increase in competition, locally and globally, therefore it is important that workplaces become more adaptable, resilient and also tend to get customer focused. An organization would be successful with the changes occurring by thoroughly understand the organization policies and be able to take key decisions with great responsibility. The HR of the company has the main role of focusing on the strategic personnel for retention and talent management. The HR of the company will become coaches, mentors, advisers, counselors and succession planners in order to motivate the employees and their loyalty. With continuous changes occurring in the workplace the HR also has to maintain the ethics, values and beliefs in the management of the workplace diversity. Workplace Diversity Josh Greenberg defines workplace diversity as various differences that exist among the people in an organization. Workplace diversity includes aspects more than variety of differences that exist among the people who work in place. The diversity explained includes the race, gender, age group, nationality, tenure, background, education etc. Diversity at a workplace involve mutual acceptance of the value that is placed on the differences among the people (Ouye, 2011). Diverse workforce has its set of advantages. They implement an effective diversity recruitment strategy. It provides a platform wherein people from various backgrounds can come together and work as a group. It is included in the companys employment policies and helps in achieving equality, as there is a fair process of hiring employees. For a company to achieve workplace diversity into its organization it is necessary that they have a workplace diversity program established. It should create equitable employment opportunities for all the employees (Chan, 1998). Workplaces of the future would face many changes that what it is in the present day. With advancements in technology there are changes that take place rapidly. The topic I have chosen for predicted future workplace changes is- Employees will use apps to manage their work and personal life. Employees using Apps As more and more organizations are going mobile in todays trend, the future workplace will have most of the employees using mobile apps for their professional and personal lives. With such technological advancement the executives and managers of the organization will require better and enhanced solutions to manage their field workers, their office staff and systems. Also the flow of communication should be accessible to all employees from top to bottom of the organization. Sharing of information should be made easier and available at all times. One of the most important challenges that the management of an organization would face with the employees using apps would be tracking them and providing them with up-to-date and real-time information across various platforms (Stanley, 2015). With the trend of using mobile phones going on rise it cannot be characterized as a trend but it has become a reality. Under the Workplace of the Future global survey conducted by Citrix, it was found that in the future of workplace each person would use about 6 devices to perform his/her work. Smartphone was a term that had been used for a long time. However the meaning has changed in the due course of time. The invention of Internet has made the smartphone even better. Litchfield in his article, Defining the Smartphone, had defined it as a device that engages in opening new apps using operating system, and is constantly connected to the internet (Litchfield 2010). He stated it rightly because only when the Internet is connected to the device will people be able to do various things. Workplaces are trending to show that more people have started using their smartphones. Forrester, a research company had estimated that by the year 2016, about 350 million employees who have a smartphone, and among 57% of these would be bringing their smartphones to work (Chen, 2012). Employees are using apps in their smartphones in order to manage their work and personal life in a better way. Smartphones have their own pros and cons. They have various implications the employees, on the HR and the leaders and managers. Employees are using mobile apps not only for managing their work but also for their personal lives. Apps are used on daily basis to engage into newer activities. Implications for Employees There is a constant use of mobile applications (apps) by employees in their personal and professional lives. It comes with challenges and opportunities for the employees. The employees would have to learn constantly to update their skills and knowledge with the growth of technology. The use of apps as technology is believed to increase the productivity at the workplace. The best use of apps by employees for their work includes micro-blogging platforms, wikis, social media, and instant messaging service. These tools help in sharing of information, enhancing their knowledge. These tools are secure and also provide a privacy concern, which is found suitable by employees in their work. Virtual office The technology has provided employees with a virtual office. The mobile applications provide a platform as a virtual office, wherein employees can take their office everywhere. For instance if an employee has to reach out somewhere in an emergency, he can still have an access to his work through mobile apps. By this way, he can conduct his/her office work from any place. There are e-mails, laptops, computers, etc. available everywhere. Just in time workers The employees are seeking greater ability to look after their families. Employees are seeking for opportunities where they could have greater flexibility in their work. Employees could become contact workers wherein they do not have to be loaded with full time work. This provides them with work-life balance. Employees could make use of apps that could help them in engaging in jobs that are not tedious and also easy to complete. Employment with choice The use of mobile apps has provided employees with a wide variety of choices. They have the choice to work from home or at the office set up. They have alternative work arrangements provided by their employers, which are non-traditional and also make them respond to market forces in a better manner. Wide range of Apps The employees are provided with a wide range of apps in todays time. They have ample choices, which makes the work more flexible, and reliable. Some of the apps that employees use for managing their work come in with features like time clock, tracking and status. Employees use apps for their personal lives for shopping like Grofers, Big Basket, Amazon, etc., dating purposes like Tinder, food services like Zomato and Swiggy etc. Implications on HR As the demography of the workforce composition changes, the level of motivation and expectations of the employees increase too. The use of apps by employees would bring an enormous change in what they would value the most. It is imperative for the HR to understand these changes. It could be the prestige, autonomy or compensation that the employees would be seeking. The use of mobile apps by employees also poses the challenge as they impact on the commercial, lifestyle and technological factors. For various advantages, the employers also choose to extend their arm in letting their employees to work from anywhere. It has provided the employees with a sense of freedom and flexibility, but has also lead to various challenges and risks. Practical Considerations With the higher usage of mobile apps by the employees, there is higher risk for monitoring the data protection. When the employees are office based, it is not risk-free. When an employee is physically present in an office and using the device provided by them, it is easier for the HR to have a track on the data that he is using (Kushel, 2016). A mobile workforce would create additional challenges for the HR to keep a check on them. Using mobile devices and other devices at other places like their home etc. would complicate the procedure of and process of employee management (TaylorWessing, 2013). There are some key issues that a HR has to consider when the employees would use apps for managing their work. Some of them are: To assess if the devices that are connected are secure compared to the computers provided at the office Undertake checks on a regular basis that the level of risks is under acceptable terms. Placing of specific systems that could detect the data that is browsed even for home-based devices for mobile employees In case the employees are given devices that are used by the company, whether there are proper policies that could prevent them from installing any apps for their own use. In case the company allows them to install any apps for their use, their legitimacy has to be crosschecked. Bring Your Own Device Concept (BYOD) Many organizations have a policy that allows their employees to bring their own device at workplace (Zielinski, 2012). The level of risks that are associated with this is substantially high. The major risk being that a third party could have an access into the corporates data. Clear communication messages should be provided to the employees before hand along with safeguard measures and procedures. On the other hand, the companies can also have a positive outlook on this by providing them with incentives (Merrell, 2012). However if the company is worried about the privacy of the companys data privacy then it could give their employees smartphone from themselves. Security reasons are the major concerns, which lead companies to take this step (Brodkin 2011). Therefore in the workplace of future the HR team would be more concerned on how to protect the data of the company with the devices that are used both employees either at office or when they are home based. Implication on Leaders and Managers An organization could successfully work if their leaders and managers can understand that their people know how, when and where to work. However the best way to help them with achieving higher performance would be by giving them choices. Therefore if the leaders and managers provide their employees with the choice of using apps for managing their work, it will provide them with a freedom to enhance their work. Adapting New Practices The leaders and managers of a company are people who lead the team of people in the direction to achieve the goals. With the increase in changes of work pattern, it is important and imperative that the leaders of a company adapt to accepting new practices. With the use of mobile apps, the employees could be scattered around geographically, therefore the leaders need to develop policies to manage them accordingly. Changing Culture With changing trends, it is imperative that the managers ensure that the culture of the company is maintained at all levels. In the advent of changes the most difficult part is changing the people. When people get used to one style of working, it is difficult to make them adapt to new things. In order to achieve this, the leaders should involve their employees in the planning process, which would help in assessing their feedback and their choice of work. Autonomy and Morale The use of smartphones at workplace would help in promoting autonomy and also boost the morale of the employees. When the employees use their own device it would have better lifestyle and technology enhanced. Knowledge Sharing Every organization has its flow of information in the organization. The leaders and managers of an organization primarily focus on how they could share information with their employees in the most accessible manner. Integrating more social network applications in the future workplace would attain higher knowledge sharing. One of the most popular knowledge sharing tools used today is Cloud Computing, which is hosted by other companies. Some of the sites are Facebook, YouTube, and Google Docs etc. (Anderson 2010). Conclusion Smartphones used in the future workplace would have potential benefits to the organization and employees by strengthening their relationships with others, autonomy, and enhancing knowledge sharing. These factors are important for the growth of the workplace of future. Their potential benefits would boost the morale of the employees, provide job satisfaction, and increase productivity. Smartphones would enable the people in the organization to become productive and profitable (Carayannis Clark, 2011). It could be a case of win-win situation if the employees, the HR and leaders and managers work together in progress. References List Anderson, J.Q Rainie, L. 2010. The future of cloud computing. Pew Researcher Centers Internet American Life Project, 1-3, viewed June 2010, from https://www.pewinternet.org/2010/06/11/the-future-of-cloud-computing/ Brodkin, J. 2011, Wells Fargo says no to smartphone and tablets, in Network (Online), 24 March 45-49. Carayannis, E.G., Clark, S. C., 2011, Do Smartphones make for better business? the Smartphone CEO Study, Journal for Knowledge Economy, 2(2), 201-233. Chan, Alvin, 2006 The Challenges of Human Resource Management, McGraw- Hill, viewed 14 July 2006, from https://work911.com/planningmaster/planningarticles/challengesofhrmgmt.htm Chen, B. X 2012, Get ready for 1 billion smartphones by 2016, The New York Times, viewed 07 March 2012, from https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/getready-for-1-billion-smartphones-by-2016-forrester-says/?_r=0 Kushel, Rachel, 2016, Does Use of Apps Lead to Violations of Workplace Policies, viewed 23 February 2016, from https://www.dataprivacyandsecurityinsider.com/2016/02/does-employees-use-of-apps-lead-to-violations-of-workplace-policies/ Litchfield, S. 2010. Defining the Smartphone, viewed July 16 2010, from https://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/Defining_the_Smartphone.php Stanley, Robert 2015, Mobile Apps in the Workforce, viewed July 9 2015, from https://www.clicksoftware.com/blog/mobile-apps-in-the-workforce-overcoming-challenges-to-reap-the-benefits-of-a-fully-mobile-workforce/ Ouye, Joe Aki, 2011, Five Trends that are dramatically changing work and workplace, 3-5, viewed September 2011, from https://www.knoll.com/media/18/144/WP_FiveTrends.pdf Merrell, Miller. J. 2012, The workplace engagement economy where HR and tech collide, Employment Relations Today, n.d, 1-9 TaylorWessing 2013, A mobile workforce, The HR and data protection challenges, viewed at 09 April 2013, from https://www.taylorwessing.com/globaldatahub/article_hr_dp_mobile.html Zielinski, D. 2012, Bring your own Device, HR Magazine, February 2012, 71-74

Mexican Drug Cartel (Many vs Few) Essay Example

Mexican Drug Cartel (Many vs Few) Essay Name Instructor Course Date We will write a custom essay sample on Mexican Drug Cartel (Many vs Few) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mexican Drug Cartel (Many vs Few) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mexican Drug Cartel (Many vs Few) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Mexican Drug Cartel The drugs problem is one of the primary issues facing the Mexican society in its political, economic, and cultural aspects. Mexico holds a tight grip on the $400 billion global illicit drug trade, with the country suffering economic losses of about $4.3 billion annually (Rios 1-2). At the center of this drug problem are the Mexican drug cartels, controlling the trade at the national and international levels. The debilitating effects of the illicit drug trade on Mexico indicate the need for discussions on the issue. The present study compares the nature of Mexican drug cartels to the meaning of cartel, before analyzing the rise of Mexican drug cartels and associated spikes in homicide rates. A discussion of whether it is better to have a few large cartels than several dozen smaller cartels then concludes the study. Cartel Definition: Comparison to Mexican Drug Cartels The business conceptualization of the term â€Å"cartel† is that it is a formal agreement between independent firms that are in the same or very similar areas of economic activity, undertaking a deliberate agreement among themselves to stifle competition (McGowan 30). In a cartel, the firms prefer collaboration to competition with one another. The items of the agreement include fixing of prices, determination of total industry output, and allocation of customers and market shares. Cartels usually emerge in oligopolistic economic sectors, where few manufacturers produce similar products and have to incur heavy costs to differentiate their products, which lead to reduced profit margins. Brux (255) cites examples of cartels as including OPEC and De Beers, operating in the oil and diamonds industry, respectively. Entry into the collusive agreement that typifies cartels represents a shift to a monopolistic market, which hinders competition, prevents new entrants, and may harm the c ustomer through changes in prices, supply, and quality. As a result, cartels have taken a negative overtone, attracting the interest of competition authorities. The Mexican drug cartels share a number of similarities and differences with the aforementioned definition of cartels. Most of the cartels began as federations of traffickers who consolidated their efforts to quash rivals and control drug trade in their territories (International Crisis Group 7). This arrival at an agreement to increase market power and turf allocation is similar to the concept of a cartel. However, other aspects of the Mexican drug cartels contradict the described definition. For instance, intra-cartel conflicts and warfare indicate that the agreement among the trafficker groups is not operational. The cartels are also unable to set prices, besides engaging in varied criminal activities including kidnapping, human smuggling, extortion, piracy, car robbery, oil theft, and weapons trafficking (8). These activities defy the concept of similar economic activity and indicate that the so-called Mexican drug cartels are more of transnational criminal organizations than tra ditional trade cartels. The consolidation of efforts and criminal inclinations makes the Mexican groups more of criminal cartels that do not obey all the expected aspects of normal business cartels. The Rise of Mexican Cartels: Link to Increase in Homicides in Mexico The drug trade industry in Mexico is about a century old, but has experienced its most significant growth within the last quarter of a century. Dean et al. (9) traces the spike in the role of Mexico in the international illicit drug trade to events in the 1980s. At the time, Colombia was the major player in the global drug trafficking trade. However, intense enforcement by the U.S. Coast Guard blocked the main route of transporting cocaine to the USA, which was through Florida using aircraft. The Colombian drug traders sought alternative routes, establishing alliances with Mexican traffickers. This is because Mexico emerged as the most appropriate point of entry for the Colombian drug trading organizations, offering a conduit to Texas and Southern California. The alliances involved payments made in kind, which gave the Mexican trafficking groups control of their own stock (Beittel 8). With their own stock, Mexican drug trading organizations gradually took over the drug trafficking bu siness, evolving from being mere couriers subcontracted by the Colombians to wholesalers who could source for their own stock by the 1990s. The political landscape of Mexico also allowed the rise of drug trade organizations in Mexico. During the 71-year reign of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that ended in 2,000, Mexico was under authoritarian, one-party rule. The PRI government entrenched drug trade in Mexico because the authorities tolerated and even protected drug production and trafficking in some regions. Dean et al. (8) argues that there was a working relationship between the PRI and drug trading organizations. The existing drug trading organizations then sought to collaborate in various alliances that would allow more control and territorial splits, leading to the generation of various cartels. Increased competition for control of the drug trade was the reason behind the intensification of existing cartels and springing up of new ones. The International Crisis Group (7) notes that the cash streaming into the Mexican narcotics business has led to the rapid rise in power of cartels in the 1990s and the 21st century. When the one party rule under PRI ended, denying existing cartels of the stability they once enjoyed, the cartels splintered even further. As a result, the last two decades have seen changes in the landscape of Mexican drug cartels, from a few large ones in the 1990s to involving many more players besides the large organizations. Part of the reason for splinters in drug cartels has been the crackdown by the government within the last decade, where the death of leaders has left ca rtels in disarray and confusion. Dean et al. (9) describes the changes in number and size of the drug cartels in Mexico over time. Mexico’s seven main drug cartels by 2006 were Sinaloa, Gulf, Tijuana/AFO, Juarez/CFO, Beltran Leyva, Los Zetas, and La Familia Michoacana (renamed Knights Templar). However, a closer analysis reveals that the Juarez cartel was once part of the Sinaloa group while Los Zetas is the formerly military wing of the Gulf cartel. The war on drug cartels has led to deaths such as those of the leaders of the Beltran Leyva cartel. As a result, neighboring groups have tried to move in into the territories left behind. Instances of confusion have led to the emergence of new cartels from realignments within existing trade groups and leaders, leading to cartels such as La Familia Michoacana. Rise in Cartel Power and Link to Homicides Today, the seven main cartels have fragmented into 9-20 with many reconfigurations continuing to unfold. The Mexican drug cartel landscape reveals two major groups, Sinaloa and Los Zetas, with the rest of the cartels and subsidiaries aligning between the two aforementioned cartels. The next in size and power after the two largest ones include Beltran Leyva, Knights Templar, and La Linea. The changes in configuration have acted alongside an increase in the stakes and government paramilitary efforts to disrupt the cartels in making the last decade witness a spike in homicides. In this case, the Mexican narcotics business boomed as Mexican drug cartels gained control of the global illicit drug trade industry, supplying up to 93% of all narcotics entering the USA (International Crisis Group 6). As the cartels started fighting for control in the 21st century, the money flowing into the industry enabled them to purchase weapons that are more powerful and pay specialist hit men. Within the same time, the Mexican government’s response to the drug problem has been through deployment of about 10,000 federal police officers and nearly 50,000 Mexican soldiers to fight the cartels (Dean et al. 10). The combination of these three factors has led to a spike in drug-related violence and homicides as captured in the following graphs. a b Figure 1: Estimates of drug-related violence for a) Baja California and b) Chihuahua states between 2000 and 2009, showing a spike in the violence in the latter part of the decade (Rios 8). The violence is either inter-cartel, entailing fights for control over territories and trafficking routes among various cartels, or intra-cartel, where violence erupts due to succession struggles (Gonzalez 72-73). There were an alarming 47,500 homicides between 2006 and 2011 related to Mexican drug cartels. In 2007 alone, there were 2,800 homicides, which more than doubled in 2008 and then increased by 40% in 2009. Between 2009 and 2010, drug cartel-related homicides increased by 60%, with 2011 recoding as much as 12,903 homicides by the third quarter of the year (Beittel 24-25). Figure 2: The drug cartel-related homicide trends between 2007 and 2011, showing an alarming spike arising from intra-cartel, inter-cartel, and government on cartel violence (Beittel 25). Few Large Cartels than Several Dozen Smaller Cartels According to Dean et al. (9), the government intervention on the Mexican drug cartel problem may follow two strategies that have different short-term and long-term implications. In the first approach, the government may target the largest drug alliances such as the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels. Disbanding the main drug cartels will result in their consumption by the smaller groups, none of which has the capacity to rise to the level of the destroyed cartels. This will lead to fragmentation of the large drug cartels, lessening the power of the groups taking part in drug trafficking. Alternatively, the government may target the smaller and weaker drug cartels, whose disbanding will free up territories for the largest drug cartels to occupy. The result will be two or three major drug cartels operational in Mexico. The two scenarios, few and powerful cartels, or many and weak cartels, have different implications on Mexico. As the evidence reviewed shows, the generation of numerous drug cartels has been accompanied by intensified violence and homicides. This is because destroying the large cartels creates situations for succession struggles, fallouts, and realignments. This observation explains the observed spike in violence after the fall of powerful cartels such as Beltran Leyva. Besides this immediate intensification in violence, the government will also have to face numerous and varied organizations that, albeit weak, will still pose a difficult challenge. On the other hand, targeting the smaller cartels does not create much room for intra-cartel and inter-cartel fighting. In this scenario, the short-term implications do not involve a spike in violence as would happen in the event of numerous small drug cartels. Further, the government is left with about two or three large cartels to fight. Although powerful, dealing with a few defined targets will prove easier than diffuse and diversified targets. As a result, a few large cartels are a better proposition for Mexico than several dozen smaller cartels, given the desirable decline in homicides and relative ease in addressing the problem when the government faces off with few, properly defined targets (Dean et al. 9). Governments in countries dealing with the problems of drugs and drug cartels continue facing great challenges in trying to eliminate the cartels. Some cartels are large and their presence is felt nationwide. In trying to eliminate the cartels, the authorities use different strategies. Some believe that eliminating the drug lord or king is an effective way since it is a sure way of scattering the cartel and disrupting its operations. While this may seem initially successful, it has often resulted to greater challenges for the authorities. Once the large cartel breaks up, the members form smaller groups within their regions of operation. These smaller groups are often worse compared to the larger ones. The smaller gangs are forced to carry out a higher number of violence and crimes, given that crime is their main form of income. The smaller cartels become more dangerous and violent, and ultimately end up committing more homicides. They fight amongst themselves and against other smaller cartels as they seek to control the trade. Some of them end up engaging in other criminal activities such as kidnappings and theft, in their quest to get more money. The smaller cartels end up producing higher homicide rates compared to the few large cartels. Historical Analysis of the Mexican Cartels The country’s administration has had an impact in determining the operation of the cartels. Some leaders have taken the initiative of fighting the drug cartels and of ending the drug menace in the country. There were fewer homicide rates experienced in the 1990s, under the leadership of President Ernesto Zedillo, between 1994 and 2000. The number of homicides reduced from 15,839 in 1994 to 10,737 in the year 2000. The next president Vicente Fox continued with this trend, and there was a general decline of homicide rates in his country between the year 2000 and 2006. The homicide rates in the year 2004 fell to 9,329. However, this decline was temporary as the homicide rates began increasing and they were 10,452 in 2006. The government took measures to reduce the drug cartels and to control the number of homicides at the time, and this reduced the number of homicides to 8,867 in the year 2007. Since then, the homicide rates have continued to increase and the number of homicides in the year 2011 was 27,213, a 24% annual increase (Molzahn Ferreira and Shirk 12-13). The high number of homicides in the country has surprised many people, especially as the government seems to have become more vocal in its declaration to fight the drug cartels in the country. The difference in the homicide rates experienced in the country can be attributed to the change in the cartel structure and composition, which came about because of the government’s efforts in fighting the cartels. When the government began its efforts of fighting the cartels in 1990s, it dealt with few cartels, albeit larger ones. The government’s efforts led to changes in structure and size of the cartels. There was internal conflict within the larger cartels, because the members could not agree on their leadership, and this led to the division of the larger cartels. The splinter groups did not have as much power or resources as the bigger cartels did. In addition, the smaller cartels continued disagreeing with each other as they sought control of different territories, and as t hey each sided with other cartel groups for protection purposes. These factors contributed to increased violence between the cartels. The smaller cartels used violence to get the resources they needed, and they fought with each other for territories. Therefore, instead of the government solving the problem of violence and increased homicide rates that were perpetrated by the larger cartels, it managed to increase the rates of violence in the country. The authorities have blamed drug trafficking and organized crime for the increased homicide rates in recent years. A high number of intentional homicides had characteristics such as the use of torture and dismemberment and the use of high-caliber automatic weapons, which are typical of organized crime groups. In addition, the crime groups used explicit messages (Molzahn Ferreira and Shirk 1). The number of kidnappings increased from 733 in 2006 to 1,344 in 2011, and many more kidnappings are usually not detected or reported (International Crisis Group 9). Oil theft has increased over the past few years. There has been an increase in theft of crude oil and refined oil. In 2012, petrol station owners reported that they were forced to buy oil from gangsters (International Crisis Group 9). Extortion is one of the common practices that have gradually evolved into the main form of crime for most cartels in Mexico. They demand for money from different kinds of businesses, and they have shot at many business people who have refused to pay what they ask for, killing many people and destroying property in the process (International Crisis Group 10). Another notable change experienced in recent homicide rates includes the shift in the distribution of the violence. Previously, many drug cartels concentrated their efforts in Mexico, and very few of them dared to venture beyond that. However, officials in the US have reported an increase in the number of Mexican drug cartels operating in the country. The cartels are no longer concentrated only in California and Texas as was previously the case, but they are now in the suburbs in different areas such as Chicago, and in other areas such as the rural areas of North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. In Mexico, cities that had previously low homicide rates began realizing an increase in homicides. For instance, in 2009, Monterrey recorded 22 homicides but this number increased to 179 the following year, and it reported a dramatic increase in homicide numbers, in 2011, recording 700 homicides that year. The homicide rates in Nuevo Laredo increased from 123 in 2011 to 288 in 2012. The city of Torreon also recorded an increase in homicide rates, reporting 462 homicides in 2012 up from 316 homicides reported in 2010 (Molzahn Ferreira and Shirk 27). The increased penetration of the drug cartels is a worrying problem because it shows the increased ability and capacity of the cartels. The increase in the homicide rates in 2008 is significant. The then new government of President Felipe Calderon in 2007 had taken measures to end drug cartels by targeting the drug lords. This saw a decline homicide rates in 2007. The fight against the cartels led to the capture or killing of twenty-five drug cartel bosses that were part of the most wanted list by the government. However, the measures were only temporary, and they produced greater negative consequences that anyone had imagined then as they resulted to a greater increase in homicide rates. This reflects the ineffectiveness of the strategy employed by the government. Killing the drug lords is only a temporary measure, and it only produces results immediately the drug lord dies or is apprehended because the cartels are disorganized at the time. However, the once large cartel of the drug lord segments into different groups and they continue with the violence and the murders. The confusion and destabilized nature of the larger cartels contributed towards increased rivalry between different gangs as well as between cartels and law enforcement officers, and it has led to turf wars between the different cartels. The killing or capture of the drug lords means that their troops do not have any other means of getting funds. This makes them turn to other means of sourcing funds, hence the increase in extortion rates, oil theft, and kidnappings. They have increased the rate of violence and reports of beheadings, killing of innocent bystanders, assassination of politicians and journalists and other people affiliated to them, mass murders, and public hanging of corpses have become common (Biettel 1). The use of violence by the cartels is deliberate, and they use to discipline the employees in the cartels, enforce their drug transactions, as a barrier to competitors and to coerce people. They also use violence when their bribery efforts fail to persuade the law enfo rcers towards letting them continue running their operations (Biettel 6-7). Structure of Mexican Cartels The structure and organization of the different cartels differ considerably. The cartels differ in size, internal organization, geographical reach, and power. The cartels change as time progresses depending on the competition they face and violence in the country. They also change because of the efforts of the security forces in the country. The cartels react fast, and they are quick to retaliate against the government. They are highly mobile, and they move their activities to different strategies and regions (Weintraub and Wood 10). Each cartel has a territory where it operates. There is increased tension and conflict when the cartels overlap each other’s territory, and this leads to turf wars among the cartels. This is because the cartels have to compete for the limited resources. The larger the cartels are the more powerful they are, and the more they seek to expand their territories. The cartels formed from the drug trafficking organization of 1980s and Miguel Felix Gallardo was responsible for the formation of many of the cartels. Gallardo founded the Guadalajara cartel and was involved in drug trafficking. His main control was in the Mexico-US border. He gave families their own territories to manage, and these families managed to increase their drug production as well as consolidate their territories. Many of the current drug cartels in the country are led by the third generation of these families. There are eight major operating drug cartels in the country, and they include Los Zetas, Gulf cartel, B eltran Leyva, La Familia, Juarez cartel, Sinaloa, Tijuana, and Los Negros cartel (Ai Camp 11). Although many of them have the leadership of individual families, they are often reorganizing, forming alliances and breaking them and fighting each other as they seek more control of the drugs in different regions. The cartels form alliances with each other, as a way of gaining more power and protecting themselves from each other (Ai Camp 12). Some cartels concentrate on trafficking of illicit drugs, and others are involved in other activities. Cartels may spread their operations to different areas of the country, but they have a specific region where they are concentrated. La Familia is concentrated on the west coast of the country, and some its main practices are extortions and kidnappings. The La Familia Cartel recently entered an alliance with the Gulf cartel making the rivalry between this alliance and the Beltran Leyva and the Los Zetas take on new significance in Mexico. This alliance led to turf wars between the gulf cartel and the Los Zetas. The Zetas have grown at a high proportion and they consist of former soldiers, erstwhile police, and gang members. It supports a cellular system, which enables members of the unit to rise in the ranks more quickly and gain more prominence and contr ol. The zetas have conducted most of the violence in Mexico including the murder of 72 migrants and dumping hundreds of bodies in mass graves (International Crisis Group 12). The Gulf cartel is based along the Texas border in the northeast corner. This cartel controls a large part of the country’s natural resources, political figures and financial transactions. The Beltran Leyva cartel had initially formed an alliance with Los Zetas. The security forces killed some leaders in Beltran Leyva, and this led to the weakening of the cartel. The Sinaloa cartel is also referred to as the pacific drug trafficking organization. It is in constant turf wars with different cartels including the Juarez cartel for control of the central and northwestern territories. It is also in constant turf wars with the gulf cartel over territory control in different regions of the country. The Tijuana cartel controls some routes in the Pacific Northwest. The area of concentration has led to constant conflicts and turf wars with the Sinaloa Cartel, which also controls a big part of the pacific region. The cartels change and restructure often for different reasons. Some of the m such as the Los Negroes and the los zetas were part of the gulf cartel, but they ventured out on their own. Others restructure because of the government’s efforts to end the presence of the larger control by weakening them. This has led to the decline in power of cartels such as the Tijuana cartel that have lost their top leadership (Ai Camp 12). The cartels begin by controlling their local communities. Gangs exist as insurgencies in failed communities or in selected neighborhoods. They dominate the political, economic, and social life of these regions. They collect taxes from the businesses operating in the regions. The gangs use different strategies to consolidate their presence in the region, such as bribing the local officials and the law enforcers of the particular region, attacking the police, and other acts of intimidation. They create a perception of the protection for the community. The goal of the cartels at this stage is to get a foundation to venture into other areas and expand their territories. As they seek to expand beyond their neighborhoods, the cartels battle for the state. They battle with other cartels as they seek to replace each other in their areas of dominance (Sullivan 17). Most of the turf wars between the different cartels begin because of the need to have more territorial control, especially after the larger cartels breakup and restructure for different reasons. The shift in the geographical trend of the violence realized reflects the nature of the battles between the different cartel groups. The Tijuana cartel faced competition from an affiliate of the Sinaloa cartel in northwestern Mexico, and this led to battles between the two groups, and in the process increased the homicide rates. The gulf cartel and the zetas battled in northeastern Mexico increasing the homicide rates in that region. The creation of splinter groups in the Beltran Leyva cartels and La Familia led to an increase in violence in central Mexico and a consequent increase in the homicide rates there (Molzahn Ferreira and Shirk 27). The cartel battles involve the public, the police, and the military (Sullivan 17). Many of the smaller groups are splinter groups from the more established groups. The larger groups have fragmented to as many as twenty different organizations. This has increased the number of small cartels, and the number of cartels in the region now falls between sixty to eighty cartels (Molzahn Ferreira and Shirk 10). With such a high number, it becomes increasingly hard for the government to fight the groups. Effectively dealing with several cartels would require the deployment of nationwide resources that is virtually impossible, as the Mexican Government cannot afford to fund the initiative. Nevertheless, it is comparatively simple for the state to eliminate the large cartels, as they are confined to a small area and dense in definite regions. The division of these cartels also generates further friction as the smaller factions fight for limited resources. This raises the level of disagreements and hostility between the cartels. Structural and operational differences among Mexican Cartels Smaller cartels wield little or no power to fight back against the government and to negotiate in corrupt deals at the national level. Nevertheless, they are highly influential in their local districts where their control and power is optimum. They are able to coerce the residents and business establishments operating in the districts under their jurisdiction. In most instances, the municipal authorities in the districts are members of the same cartel, and this provides the gangs with authority and leeway to coerce and terrorize the residents. Smaller cartels also have narrower networks and lesser financial ability when compared to large cartels. Consequently, they regularly engage in other criminal activities such as extortion and burglary but they are also known for kidnappings that provide them with income collected through ransom money. Larger cartels are more organized exhibiting a well-defined leadership structure. The bosses of these cartels possess a clear strategy concerning their narcotic and crime syndicates. Most of them have the dual objectives of increasing their areas of jurisdiction and maximizing their drug trade locally and internationally. For this reason, cartel leaders directly avoid any criminal activities other than drug trafficking, but constantly organize and fund efforts that seek to be in power and expansion of their areas of jurisdiction. A large number of violent acts take place when large cartels are interested in expanding into a different region or when one cartel marches into the territory of another cartel. Larger cartels possess the financial and military resources to enter in battle with the state law enforcers. However, most of them depend on bribing the corrupt government officials and they are able to continue with their activities without resulting to violence. On the other hand, recent reports show how smaller cartels constantly engage in battles with the authorities. They fight back every time the authorities take any measures to fight the cartels, such as killing of their leaders. Nowadays, the smaller cartels have become bolder, and they are now targeting politicians, the military, police officers, and other people in authority. Domestic conflicts happen mostly when cartels change their leadership because the former one was captured or killed by state law enforcers. Implications of US Interference in Mexican Cartels The Mexican government has cooperated with different stakeholders to assist in the fight against cartel activity and drug trade in Mexico. The state has focused most of its efforts in combating the drug cartels. Many people perceive drug cartels as the major cause of the troubles in Mexico. One of the governments’ efforts has been to seek assistance from the government of United States. The US has decided to help Mexico because the drug problem has become worse. Mexican drug cartels have found their way to the US and they have increased their trade there, The United States acknowledges its function in the Mexican drug trade and in the rise in the drug cartels for two reasons. First, the US is a ready market for most of the drugs that Mexico produces and secondly, most of the weapons used by the drug cartels in committing different acts of violence originate from the US. These two factors have contributed to the strengthening of the drug cartels in Mexico. . For a long time, the two countries have differed over whose responsibility it is to control the drug cartels. The US has constantly reiterated that Mexico is not doing enough to control the drug trade, and Mexico observes that the US is not able to control and prevent the trafficking of drugs across the US-Mexico border. However, both countries have realized the importance of cooperation when dealing with the problem, and they are no longer focused on who is to blame for the problem. The US faces a huge drug problem, and this continues to affect it economically and socially. It has to deal with many people who have become drug addicts and at the same time deal with many drug dealers in the country. This is because a large part of the drugs produced in Mexico reaches the United States. Drugs from Mexico have increased in the country, and this has necessitated the need for the US to cooperate with Mexico in fighting the drug cartels since this will eventually stop the trafficking of drugs in the country. The US has decided to help Mexico deal with the drug cartels because it has realized that it has helped in contributing to the increased violence and consequent homicides in Mexico. Many weapons that the drug cartels use are smuggled from the US to Mexico (Mercille 1639). The ease of availability of the weapons has strengthened the cartels, and it has made them more powerful, to the extent that they are able to fight with the government securities. The increase in the number of firearms in Mexico has increased their availability, and this has contributed to increased violence and homicide rates in the country. More than 80% of the firearms used by the drug cartels originate from the US (Mercille 1643). The NAFTA trade agreement permits free trade and passage of goods between the US and Mexico. Smugglers find it easy to transport the weapons across the border. The United States supports the agreement with the hope that it will promote Mexico’s economy and result in economic ref orms in Mexico. The US has, in the past, collaborated with the Mexican authorities to end the menace. For instance, it has provided troops, which have worked with the military in Mexico to fight the drug cartels. During the tenure of President George W. Bush, the US developed the Merida Initiative in 2007 to support the Mexican government’s efforts in fighting drug cartels. The US government pledged about $1.4billion in financial assistance to aid in eliminating the drug cartels. This Mexican government used the financial aid to instruct law enforcers and to acquire state-of-the-art military equipment such as fighter jets, surveillance equipment, and other combat materials (International Crisis Group 19) Analysts and scholars have had opposing views concerning United States’ support of the law enforcers and the government in battle against drug trade and cartels. This is because many corrupt officials work in the government and in law enforcement agencies. These fraudulent officials are accountable for committing human rights violations. Critics of United States’ efforts in Mexico argue that superior US authorities form part of the Mexican drug cartels as sponsors of the leaders who in turn perpetrate grave human rights violations. The US has deployed several security agencies in Mexico, including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), DEA, ATF, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Criminal Intelligence Agency (CIA). The US interferes with Mexico’s efforts of fighting the drug trade and fighting the drug cartels when it participates in corrupt practices. Evidence points towards corrupt immigration US officials who receive bribes and permit the drug trade to continue and flourish (Mercille 1643). Such negative involvement of the US government has sustained the drug and cartel problem within Mexico. Conclusion Mexico faces a pertinent economic, political, and social problem due to drugs, being the source country for some of the most powerful drug cartels that control the global illicit drugs trade. Although Mexican drug cartels do not fit into the concept of a business cartel perfectly, the consolidation of efforts to control territories and trafficking routes and fend off competition makes them criminal cartels. The landscape for Mexican drug cartels has changed over time in its composition, with the players realigning to form different numbers and sizes of cartels. Under the PRI one party rule, a few stable cartels remained powerful and controlled the trade. However, the 21st century has seen fragmentation into numerous cartels of different sizes and power, leading to intensified violence and spikes in homicide trends. Whereas smaller drug cartels have less power, they would exacerbate the homicide statistics and prove difficult to destroy. On the other hand, a few large cartels do not p ose as much risk of homicide spikes as their smaller counterparts, besides providing the government with defined targets. Ultimately, Mexico will fair better in the presence of two or three large cartels than several dozen smaller ones. Works Cited Ai Camp, Roderic. Mexico: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print Beittel, June S. â€Å"Mexico’s Drug Trafficking Organizations: Source and Scope of the Violence.† Congressional Research Service, 2013. Web. 21 May 2013. Brux, Jacqueline M. Economic Issues Policy. Mason: Thomson Higher Education, 2008. Print. Carpenter, G. Ted. Undermining Mexico’s Dangerous Drug Cartels. Cato Institute. 2011. Web. May 24, 2013. Castillo, C. Juan, Daniel Mejia and Pascual, Restrepo. Illegal Drug Markets and Violence in Mexico: The Causes beyond Calderon. February 2013. Web. May 24, 2013 Dean, William et al. â€Å"The War on Mexican Cartels Options for U.S. and Mexican Policy-Makers.† Institute of Politics. Harvard University, 2012. Web. 21 May 2013. Gonzalez, Francisco E. â€Å"Mexico’s Drug Wars Get Brutal.† Current History: A Journal of Contemporary World Affairs 108.715 (2009): 72-76. Print. International Crisis Group. Pena Nieto’s Challenge: Criminal Cartels and Rule of Law in Mexico. Latin America Report, 2013. Web. 21 May 2013. Leiken, S. Robert. Mexico’s Drug War. Center for the National Interest. 2012. Web. May 24, 2013. McGowan, Lee. The Antitrust Revolution in Europe: Exploring the European Commission’s Cartel Policy. Northamptom: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2010. Print. Mercille, Julien. â€Å"Violent Narco-Cartels or US Hegemony? The Political Economy of the ‘War on Drugs’ in Mexico.† Third World Quarterly 32.9 (2011): 1637-1653 Molzahn, Cory, Octavio R. Ferreira and David A. Shirk. Drug Violence in Mexico: Data Analysis through 2012. Trans-Border Institute. 2013. Web. May 24, 2013. Rios, Viridiana. Understanding Mexico’s Drug War. Harvard University, 2011. Web. 21 May 2013. Sullivan, P. John. From Drug Wars to Criminal Insurgency: Mexican Cartels, Criminal Enclaves and Criminal Insurgency in Mexico and Central America, and their implications for Global Security. 2012. Web. May 24, 2013 Weintraub, Sidney and Duncan Wood. Cooperative Mexican-U.S. Antinarcotics Efforts. Center for Strategic International Studies. August 2010. Web. May 24, 2013

Strategic Implications of Apple Ipad on Toll Brother Operations Essay Example

Strategic Implications of Apple Ipad on Toll Brother Operations Essay Example Strategic Implications of Apple Ipad on Toll Brother Operations Paper Strategic Implications of Apple Ipad on Toll Brother Operations Paper Essay Topic: O Brother Where Strategic Implications of Apple Pad on Toll Brother Operations Managerial Applications of Information Technology (lolls) BY Italy Abstract This paper explores the strategic Implications of supporting and implementing the Apple pad into Toll Brothers, Inc. Operations. The articles cited in this paper discuss the merits of the Apple pad, Toll Brothers operations, and the increasing place of the notebook com-putter in the workplace. The articles, however, do not intentionally support the arguments of one another, but rather serve as a basis of analysis of the rewrite of supporting the tech-oenology and implementing it into the equipment lifestyle program. Forrester (2008) jug-gets that the notebook computer is the future of workplace dynamics facilitating increased productivity, mobility, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction. Other articles suggest that the Apple pad could economically serve the role of notebook computer in enterprises. This analysis discusses these articles and makes recommendation to how the future of the equipment lifestyle program should be modified for future growth. Strategic Implications of Apple pad on Toll Brothers Operations Apple introduces the pad Apple introduces the pad and with it states Giber (2010) has officially become a media company. Media refers to all facets of mass communication from print to electronic affecting the way we receive news, communicate with family, friends, and coworkers, mar-get our products, and share Information. Capitalizing on success found with Its smart-phone, the phone, Apple has decided to expand its offering with the Pad, a product poss.-tooled to compete with notebook and laptops seeking to redefine the mobile computing ex-parlance. With Apple controlling 7% (and growing) f the enterprise smartened market and the similar platform shared by the Pad according to McLean (2010) this newest offer-ins prompts the need for an analysis of the strategic implications of implementing this technology into Toll Brothers operations. The pad just a new product for consumers; the company is targeting the new device at business users with features designed to make it attractive suggests McLean (2010). Ted Schedule, an analyst at Forrester Research, is quoted as stating that the pad most likely will enter the enterprise through the consumer door, much as the Phone did (Humble, 2010). Evidencing the emergence of Phones within corporate enterprise Humble (2010) notes that 20% of companies support Phones and that the requirements to accommodate and Implement the Pad are McLean (2010) supports Humbleness? similar In context to that of the phone. Assessment Day noting Tanat Apple silence Opinion 2. 0 NAS Marlene Its security profile, added Exchange support, and created mass congou-ration and deployment tools at the enterprise level. Moreover, with the release of the pad Apple has added further enterprise refinements such as file sharing and multiple file for-mat reading tit future features such as network printing and VP N forthcoming according to McLean (2010). McLean (2010) further notes that this foray into the enterprise market is being met with acceptance by corporate America with 70% of the Fortune 100 comma-nines now actively piloting or deploying support for phone (the same operating platform as the pad). This requires a proactive position by Toll Brothers to be aware of current position in the enterprise market, future ambitions, and address them head on as the technology enters into enterprise use through consumer hands. Toll Brothers an Innovative Company Toll Brothers, an innovative company, holds the title as the largest luxury home builder, has been building and selling residential product since 1967. Operating in the midst of a five-year recession, the company has watched its revenue decline from $6. 12 billion in fiscal year 2006 to $1. 76 billion for fiscal year 2009. This decline in revenue is attributed to reduced absorption of product into the marketplace causing a peak of 8,800 delivered units in fiscal year 2006 to fall to 3,000 residential units in fiscal year 2009. Fish-cal year 2010 projects to deliver between 2,100 and 2,750 units to market. Despite this De-cline Toll enjoys strong credit ratings from SP, and Fitch of EBB-, Bal, and EBB- respectively (Toll Brothers, 2010). In the face of a slow economy, Toll Brothers is stilled recognized as a good invest- meet by Wall Street. This is due to praise worthy navigation of its operations in the midst of a five year housing recession. Fueled by a buyer demographic that possesses an average PICO score of 751, higher median incomes, and greater net worth (Toll 2010) Toll has witnessed more resiliency against mortgage defaults on product they have developed compared to the industry. This statistic coupled with the power of their brand has pro-vided Toll with the leverage necessary to continue to develop product and restructure all of its capital to more favorable terms. In fact, Toll has no public debt maturing until 2013 thanks to these efforts (Toll 2010). Furthermore, Toll has continued the disposition of built product and undeveloped lots in vulnerable markets reducing its undeveloped lot in-venture to 31,743 for IQ 2010 the same level of inventory as 2000 before the boom-bust of the housing market (Toll 2010). This has allowed Toll to create the financial stability to theater the recession, create a more conservative production model, and increase market share over competitors. Toll continues to operate it primary business as a premier home-builder in all operational regions creating sustained demand for technology investment and support. In addition, its unique capital position and Advertorial TTY know street give It TTY to seek ways to Invest In new technology in an effort to increase efficiency and effectiveness of its mission. Current Operations Toll Brothers operates in 4 United States regions, encompassing 20 states and over 50 markets. Building in over 205 communities is accomplished by end-to-end AP-approach of residential development. End-to-end begins with the acquisition of the develop-moment site, site engineering, home design, construction, customization, financing, and sales. Toll facilitates this through a number of subsidiaries with SEES tasked with engineer-ins functions, Toll Architecture to introduce over 70 new home designs every year, Toll In-degraded to prefabricate building components for over 1 50 models and oversee local sub-contractors, Toll Sales to market, sell, and interface with buyers, and TAB Mortgage to originate retrogress (Toll 2010). Employing a mixed strategy of regional operations with centralized subsidiaries serving all regions requires technology coordination, integration, and extensive travel for a number of key team members. Homes constructed in the West coast receive prefabricated pieces from Toll Integrated located in Philadelphia, Virginia, and Indiana. Furthermore, Toll Integrated acts as the Construction Manager over subcontractors nationally. SEES is tasked with land entitlements nationally, while Toll architects is responsible for creating diverse product responding to local design tastes. The underpinnings and foundation for the successful interaction of the centralized subsidiaries and regional operations rests with robust IT infrastructure (Toll 2010). Toll employs Customer Management Systems (SMS), Supply Chain Management Systems (SCM), and Knowledge Management Systems (SMS) to eliminate redundancy in data and create consistency to allow for more efficient economies of scale, however, with a workforce that is as mobile as finding, implementing, and supporting the right mix of hardware to access these systems is always important and necessary. Certain invest-meets in video-conferencing have been dad to connect the four operational regions, however, the nature of the industry requires physical attendance to a number of functions related to the development process. Proposed Solutions As a function of a normal IT management strategy certain technologies exhaust there useful life and need to be replaced either due to wear and tear, obsoleteness, or other miscellaneous conditions. The useful life for a laptop averages 4-6 years with 5 considered the average (Gush 2004). As the equipment in use by our workforce approaches this threshold a review of what that equipment is replaced tit is ordinary and necessary to IT management. Proposed Solution #1 According to Forrester Consulting (2008) the workforce is becoming increasingly decentralized and enterprises encourage employees to work from home to increase me-people productivity, responsiveness, flexibility, efficiency, and both external and internal customer satisfaction. Therefore, shifting capital investment from desktop computers to notebook computers as a part of the equipment lifestyle program is responsive to the changing work place dynamic. Furthermore, this shift in Investment snouts Increase me-people proactively, responsiveness, Ana inclemency enervating faster results and increased customer satisfaction (Forrester 2008). Notebook users already comprise a notable percentage of enterprise users thus re- squiring previous investment in security solutions for VPN access, file sharing, and ex- change servers. In addition, certain legacy systems have already been designed with web interfaces using internet encryption standards. Therefore, whether entering the system by way of VPN or Web security concerns are mitigated under the standing IT plan (Forrester 2008). This solution while increasing the mobility of the workforce would require funding additional capital to the equipment lifestyle program as laptops can cost up to 40% more than desktops possessing the same components (Computer Buy 2007). Proposed Solution #2 According to Crux (2010) citing a Citric survey: 80% of pad purchases were for business use 84% of organizations will support personal pads; 50% expect their organize-actions to purchase them. 87% cited the primary application to be used on pad as productivity APS. 90% cited the largest benefit of the pad as an increased mobility to work re-mote, at home, or anywhere, 74% cited improved productivity. Forrester (2008) finds that Enterprises could stand to make further notebook in- vestments across all worker segments. Furthermore, Forrester (2008) finds that notebook computers represent almost 40% of enterprise PCs today and that productivity increases by 51 minutes per day compared to desktop users. Computer Buy (2007) finds that the downside to this investment rests with 40% cost increases to invest in a notebook over a desktop causing Capital Budgeting analysis to evaluate the two alternatives. The Apple pad could overcome the downside of notebook pricing given its low cost of investment. With pricing between $500-829 (pre-software) the pad is below most notebooks and below or comparable to desktop computers.