A Conflict Case Study Analysis and Proposal

A destructive conflict was created by the parties involved in the case study 2 section 2 (Erbe, 2003) when they failed to recognize the sole purpose of a spiritual community. The spiritual community's sole purpose was to unite the members by leading them through a common belief and offering them any support they may require.The spiritual leader was charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the goals of the community were achieved. Instead of her using the powers bestowed to her to perform her role and the duties expected of her, she started to abuse these powers and instead of uniting the staff members and drawing them close to her, she scared them off. She started using her power to abuse and intimidate the subordinate staff in her office.This continued for such a long time that it became a ritual. It was in fact perceived that the spiritual leader's intention was to hurt those individuals she thought did not belong to her circle.The issue of a fired staff came at the time th e spiritual leader was also serving as the leader of the community. The spiritual leader's apparent abuse of power is said to have caused the occurrence of the incident.We can not conclusively say that the complaining group's accusations made against the leader are accurate as no face to face interview with the spiritual leader to get her side of the story and comment had yet been conducted. This implies that facts about the true motive behind the sacking of the staff member and whether bullying really is going on are still unknown.Besides, the complaining parties might be exaggerating in describing their accusations against the spiritual leader as there always is possibility of cognitive and perceptual distortions occurring where such issues are concerned. This calls for further investigation into the matter as it is necessary to establish the truth and also find out if the perceptual and distortion theories are present in the issue.It is important to note that the organization com prised of only women. However, the culture of the organization is more masculine than feminine. This is based on the on the way the leader executed her leadership responsibilities. Her expectations of the staff members were more rigid than what is normally expected of feminine organizations (Erbe, 2003).The leader created power and status, had matched experience to commanded attention and built ideas competitively which is characteristic of masculine organizations (Erbe. 2003). These leadership traits hence made the spiritual leader masculine as she did not exert the female leadership skills that are usually more dynamic.This caused her to conflict with the rest of the staff members as her version of leadership was not favourable with them (Erbe, 2003). Â   These differences in the way the leadership was handled caused the first phase of conflict which proceeded with time as in the escalating destructive conflict model created by Erbe.The conflict proceeded as members of the staff who were not in the leader's circle got scared of opposing her abuse and bullying. This resulted to repeated abuse by the leader as no one was able to stand up to her. This eventually triggered accumulation of ill feelings against the leader amongst the staff members.This was even made worse by the fact that the spiritual leader was not meeting the staff member's root expectation of her. Usually people expect spiritual leaders to be kind, fair, just and humane, this was however not so with this leader.The complaining group was later empowered when a law graduate entered the conflict and joined their side. She made them aware of heir legal rights which they did not know before. She explained to them that they could file a suite against the spiritual leader for abusing them.This was an empowerment to the complaining party as they got to know that there was a venue for them to air their grievances and concerns with the hope of getting help. More abuse from the leader were reported, for example there is an instance where she is said to have verbally abused a secretary who later went to seek counselling as she had been deeply hurt by the abuse.The peak of the conflict was experienced when one of the staff members was found with a gun. Violence which is known to be the ultimate manifestation of a conflict usually triggers destructive and undesired dynamics (Erbe, 2003).

Gucci Brief

GUCCI GROUP N. V. (A) [pic] BUSINESS BRIEF Gucci is one of the most glittering names in the luxury world. The trademark of red-and-green striped webbing & GG logo became known worldwide. Gucci have $3 billion in hand to expand their business. By keeping in view this case study I suggest that Gucci should move towards multi-branding. Because Desole was confident that Gucci’s creative team would be able to recreate its magic at YSL. And the future of Gucci really lies with multi-brand groups. Gucci faced the challenges from LVMH. LVMH considered adding Gucci to his stable of brands but balked at the asking price of $350 million. So, Gucci is not secure if Gucci not acquire the multi-brands than, any other company may acquire it. Gucci retained deep roots in Italy, and it was a remarkably international company, even before becoming a multi-brand group. Gucci’s core customer was a wealthy, somewhat conservative & older woman. These customers are fashion & style oriented customers. Style oriented customers are more brand loyal than fashion-concious customers. When Gucci start multi-branding these customers are ready to buy these products with the brand of GUCCI. Gucci acquired Sanofi Beaute, it split into two companies YSL ready-to-wear and accessories, & YSL Beaute which managed the fragrance & cosmetics brands. The Sanofi Beaute transactions transformed Gucci into a multi-brand group with $3 billion in cash. It shows that multi-branding is profitable for Gucci. Because when Gucci provide the shoes and cosmetics with their own brand after acquiring the already existing powerful brands of these products. Gucci’s customers are more willing to buy these products. The future of Gucci is secure with the multi-brand group. It increases the profitability and market share of Gucci.

Journal Entry

Wing evolution has been a highly debated topic in insects. Wings play a crucial role for insects since they are used to assist with collecting food, migration, fleeing from predators, and many other activities. There are three main theories that have been thoroughly researched to help explain the evolution of wings. These theories include the parental origin of wings, the tracheal gill theory, and the exit-endive theory. The parental origin of wings hypothesis states that wings developed from parental lobes.When insects fell on the ground, nobles first acted like a racquet so the insect can land swiftly on its feet and scurry away from predators. As nobles grew larger they developed from gliders into wings. The main evidence behind this theory is the presence of broad thoracic onto and wing like pornographic lobes on fossils Of Ephemerals, Plenipotentiary and Appropriate that show venation and articulation (Whitfield 324).The tracheal gill hypothesis postulates that wings developed f rom tracheae gills since both were thin, membranous and mobile. Gills first started off for being used for breathing in oxygen, then used as fins to promote locomotion, ND finally modified the spiracles which reduced water loss to permit gliding which eventually turned into flying. Wigglers supported this theory by stating that wings and legs could be found in the thorax if it was originated by exits (Whitfield 325).The exit-endive hypothesis proposes Koala-Peck's theory about wings developed from exits that were found on many leg bases of early insects. Later, it was found that those insects also had endives. This theory was us ported by the fact that wings are originated from a structural feature that already had the necessary muscles, tendons and appendages of insects. This was later proven by the dismissal of Montana's theory that insect's legs are different than other arthropods legs (Whitfield 326). Live that the exit-endive theory seems the most plausible since it is most lik ely that wings emerged from endives and exits since those features were already present in insects. Also this theory has the most support compared to the other two theories and there are not many who oppose this theory. For the tracheal gill hypothesis to be true, the invasion of land would have to happen twice to accommodate for both insects with wings and without wings, Journal Entry On the news there was a story about a new museum being opened up in the American South that depicts the belief in creationism instead of evolution. Basically, this museum depicts human beings being created by God alongside dinosaurs and does not recognize that the Earth is older than 10,000 years old. Many people are protesting the museum because they feel that it perpetuates a religious belief as science and that it cannot be considered truthful and shouldn’t be viewed as a museum. I feel that this article is important because it shows how different religions and cultures can clash and different viewpoints can cause conflict amongst people. This news story, that I saw on CNN, has a central theme revolving around the fact that religion and science can cause conflict in a community. This was very interesting because of the fact this is the first museum to depict creationism as a science and because it is making such an impact in the community, with so many people protesting it because they feel it shouldn’t be marketed as science but as religion. This is important because both religious and non-religious people need to live side by side in our communities and it raises questions about how this can happen in terms of their beliefs about creation versus evolution, and how this aspect can help shape each of us depending on our upbringing and personal beliefs. Journal Entry # 2 The article â€Å"Trial set to begin in Mississippi civil rights-era case† by Jerry Mitchell appeared the USA Today on May 24, 2007 and deals with the case of a man who is facing charges for killing two African-American teenagers in 1964. This is an interesting article because it shows how much different our culture is today from the culture of the civil rights-era United States. Back then, white men were not punished for killing blacks, but today our culture and society have changed enough that we can look to make the past right to make a better foundation for the future. In the past few years there has been a push in Mississippi to bring to justice former klansmen and other racists who killed civil rights workers and African-Americans during a time and in a place where discrimination was so abundant that no one would convict them. This case is one of these, and is an interesting look at how the justice system can be corrupt and yet, today, we can try to make things right. This is so important today because of the issue of racism that is still there below the surface in many instances. Journal Entry # 3 The article â€Å"Gold Star wives help a new generation of war widows† that appeared on CNN.com on May 26, 2007 is an interesting look at the way that our own suffering can be a basis for helping others in similar situations. The article deals with the social issue of war and how it affects not only the people in the midst of the war but the wives, husbands, and children that are left behind by the men and women who die in the war in Iraq. This article is about a woman named Marie Speer who lost her husband in WWII and how she founded this organization called Gold Star Wives, which was established to help war widows in many various ways, from friendship and compassion, to helping lobby for benefits for the wives and husbands of those lost in the war. This story is applicable to the real world because of how our culture has been affected by the war in Iraq and how society looks at this conflict and the people affected by it. This is interesting because it shows how Americans are coming together and using their own experiences to help others and try to bring them through the pain of loss and grief. This is so important today because of the loss of connection many of us have in relation to each other. For example, many people cannot connect with people of other generations but in this article it shows how a WWII war widow has so much in common with a widow of a soldier in Iraq. It shows how we can all connect with each other on some level, and this is important in a country that lacks that. Journal Entry # 4 On Glenn Beck there was a story about how Rev. Al Sharpton, who had just finished recently lobbying to get Don Imus fired for his racial remarks regarding the Rutgers basketball team, had said something discriminatory about Mitt Romney’s Mormon religion. This is an important issue because so many people can look at this and see that so many people have underlying racism or discrimination about other people’s race, ethnicity, or religion. This is an aspect of our culture that has shaped each of us, depending on where we grew up and who raised us, as well as what our own experiences have shown or taught us. The central theme of this news story is that sometimes we can see discrimination within others more than we can within ourselves and that this needs to be an issue that is raised to each of us when it comes to light. This is very interesting in one aspect because those who thought that the media made too much out of the comments by Imus could say that Sharpton had no right to complain because he then becomes embroiled in his own scandal, but others can look at it from a different perspective and say that comments about race and religion are completely different and shouldn’t be equally compared. This is so important in our politically correct society because it begs an answer to the question about what is discrimination and when does free speech cross the line, and how has society viewed free speech and political correctness. Journal Entry # 5 The article â€Å"The First Steps† by Alex Tresniowski, et al, appears in the May 7, 2007 issue of People Magazine and is a look at the healing process that is happening at the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia following the massacre that killed 33 students in Norris Hall on April 16th. This article is unlike many of the others because instead of dealing with the dark, brooding gunman or all of the mistakes and issues that led up to the shooting, it deals with how the students affected will take steps to heal and help create a better environment for all students on campus. This article was interesting to me because it was not just another doom and gloom article about the tragedy but point out what was being done right by the Virginia Tech students, faculty, and campus administrators to help the college heal. It was interesting to read the stories about these heroes and the terrible trauma that they went through during the massacre. It was also interesting to learn about how the community and society has come together to help create a safer environment at colleges and to help these students through the tragedy. Violence has become such a huge social problem in our society and this issue was made even more glaring by this particular school shooting. The article’s look at the counseling being offered, the changes in the college, and most especially the way that the community, parents, and students are all reaching out to each other as a means of healing is incredible. It also shows how they are hoping to eliminate loners and outcasts like the shooter by reaching out to their fellow classmates in need. Instead of dwelling on the bad, they are looking for something positive to come out of the tragedy.                Journal Entry Wing evolution has been a highly debated topic in insects. Wings play a crucial role for insects since they are used to assist with collecting food, migration, fleeing from predators, and many other activities. There are three main theories that have been thoroughly researched to help explain the evolution of wings. These theories include the parental origin of wings, the tracheal gill theory, and the exit-endive theory. The parental origin of wings hypothesis states that wings developed from parental lobes.When insects fell on the ground, nobles first acted like a racquet so the insect can land swiftly on its feet and scurry away from predators. As nobles grew larger they developed from gliders into wings. The main evidence behind this theory is the presence of broad thoracic onto and wing like pornographic lobes on fossils Of Ephemerals, Plenipotentiary and Appropriate that show venation and articulation (Whitfield 324).The tracheal gill hypothesis postulates that wings developed f rom tracheae gills since both were thin, membranous and mobile. Gills first started off for being used for breathing in oxygen, then used as fins to promote locomotion, ND finally modified the spiracles which reduced water loss to permit gliding which eventually turned into flying. Wigglers supported this theory by stating that wings and legs could be found in the thorax if it was originated by exits (Whitfield 325).The exit-endive hypothesis proposes Koala-Peck's theory about wings developed from exits that were found on many leg bases of early insects. Later, it was found that those insects also had endives. This theory was us ported by the fact that wings are originated from a structural feature that already had the necessary muscles, tendons and appendages of insects. This was later proven by the dismissal of Montana's theory that insect's legs are different than other arthropods legs (Whitfield 326). Live that the exit-endive theory seems the most plausible since it is most lik ely that wings emerged from endives and exits since those features were already present in insects. Also this theory has the most support compared to the other two theories and there are not many who oppose this theory. For the tracheal gill hypothesis to be true, the invasion of land would have to happen twice to accommodate for both insects with wings and without wings,

Dells Supply Chain Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dells Supply Chain Management - Case Study Example It also highlights the key issues or limitations of existing SCM process followed by Dell and recommends specific measures to prevent or overcome those limitations. Dell Inc ('Company') is a multinational technology company that offers a broad range of product categories, including computer desktop systems, servers and networking products, mobility products, software and peripherals and enhanced services. The Company has often been cited as one of the premier innovators in supply chain design and execution. Its demand-driven, outsourced operational model enabled it to achieve market domination, which then allowed it to dictate costs and standards to suppliers. This report is based on analysis of information available on the Company's website and publicly published reports. Supply chain management (SCM) is a comprehensive activity including management of the flow of materials, information, and funds across the entire supply chain, from suppliers to component producers to final assemblers to distributors, and ultimately to the consumer; including after-sales service and sales returns Johnson.(M. Eric & Pyke F. David 1999). In a global environment, firms have to deal with multiple suppliers and customers and are required to manage inventories in new and innovative ways. Various industrial researchers have stressed the importance of viewing SCM as an integrated system. With different methodologies of SCM implemented by various businesses in the same sector, it is more of a competition amongst the various methods of managing the supply chain for businesses, even those belonging to the same sector. SCM has generated much interest in recent years for a number of reasons. It has become crucial for businesses across sectors to realize that weak performance of one member of value chain could ultimately influence the profitability of the entire business. In this highly competitive business environment, cost of poor coordination between suppliers and customers can be extremely high. Especially in sectors characterized by fluctuating demand, a weak SCM can result in inefficient use of production, high transportation costs and high inventory costs. This cost increases as we move up the supply chain from consumer to distributor to producer, a phenomenon known as a 'Bullwhip Effect' (Johnson .M. Eric & Pyke F. David 1999). Similarly, an efficient SCM which is well integrated across the value chain of the business can provide a significant competitive advantage. On a broad level, supply chain management can be based on one of the two approaches; 'push approach' or 'pull approach'. The push system takes full benefit from economies of scale in production and input acquisition by producing optimal output size and then distributing to wholesalers and retailers (Papadakis 2002). On the other hand, pull approach is known for its adaptive efficiency and is applied by sectors where demand is highly volatile and technology is depreciated fast. According to the pull system, a value adding transformation takes place only after someone demands it, in a Just in Time (JIT) fashion, thereby inventory risk is minimized (Papadakis 2002). Dell has applied the pull system of supply chain mana

M4M4 Monoculture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

M4M4 Monoculture - Assignment Example Today, many of small nations and communities living along the coast lines are highly threatened as beaches once locked in Arctic permafrost continue to be released by melting ice, shoreline erosion, rise in sea levels and increased storm activity. According to Pilkey, Pilkey and Fraser (2011), Miami has been listed as one of the most threatened cities based on the value of property that could be destroyed by floods caused by a three-foot sea level rise. It is estimated that sea levels in some cities located along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts could rise up to 55 inches. In a particular, the sea levels could rise by 20 inches in Miami Beach while in Boston city the levels could hit the 38 inches mark. The following table represents some of the urban centers likely to be affected by rising sea levels across the globe. The population likely to be affected by rising sea levels in Miami is estimated to be above 5.2 million and is expected to increase due to the growing number of tourism activities in the city (Pilkey, Pilkey & Fraser, 2011). This city is fourth largest and also United States’ lowest city. For this reason, sea levels are expected to increase by 20 inches by 2020. Floods resulting from the rising levels are expected to disrupt water supply systems in the city leading to emergence of waterborne disease including cholera and typhoid among other complications. Floods also form breeding areas for mosquitoes leading to high prevalence of malaria and other conditions whose mosquitoes are the vectors. Boston city is current listed among several U.S coastal areas where more than 4.5 million people living along the coastal line are to be adversely affected by expected rise in sea levels (Green Peace Campaign, n.d). Such populations are likely to be completely displaced leading to public health complications associated with displaced persons

Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Paraphrase - Essay Example According to Gorbett and Pharr, flash point is defined as the â€Å"minimum temperature of a liquid at which sufficient vapor is given off to form an ignitable mixture with the air, near the surface of the liquid or within the visual used, as determined by the appropriate test procedure and apparatus† (2011, p.g., 310). In addition to this definition, NFPA classifications state that lamp oil, which is used for this experiment, is combustible and flash point will occur at temperature higher than 100 degrees F. To reach this point, the temperature of the flame needs to increase at a minimum of 5 degrees every minute. With these objectives in mind, the experiment was completed to determine the exact temperature when flash point would occur with lamp oil. Within this experiment, there were particular factors that were essential variables to completing this process. These pieces include the actual experiment ingredients as well as personal protective equipment or PPE. The necessary components of this experiment include the following: With the purpose and components of the closed cup flash point experiment established, this analysis can now provide the steps followed to garner the determined results in this process. The experiment was completed in the listed steps: This closed cup flash point experiment with lamp oil was completed by testing temperatures of flame beginning at 82 degrees F and ending at 167 degrees, which was the temperature when the oil finally did reach flash point. Before analyzing the results of the experiment, it is important to highlight that, as with nearly any scientific experiment, there was a potential for human error. In the context of this experiment, the human error could have occurred in the step which required the flame to increase by 5 degrees F each minute the lamp oil was being tested to determine flash point. Aside from this potential degree of human error, the

The importance of customer loyalty Literature review

The importance of customer loyalty - Literature review Example The study presents that every consumer desires to purchase a product from a brand that she/he perceives to have the best product features, images and of the best quality. It is these perceptions that bring about the products consumer loyalty. Brand loyalty begins with the purchase of the product for trials, and if the products quality is satisfactory, they become consistent in purchasing the product. Brand loyalty is the consumers repeated intention or behavior to continually repurchase the commodity. Brand loyalty is defined as the strength of preference towards a brand than other available options. Brand loyalty is determined through repeat buying and the sensitivity of the price. There are six conditions, which define brand loyalty. These conditions can be summarized as follows; the biased product purchase behavior expressed for a long duration, and the purchase has had influence in consumer’s decision making over other alternative product. True brand loyalty only exists wh en a customer have a high preference towards the brand and is only confirmed by the repetitive purchase of the product. This loyalty is said to be of considerable significance to the company. With brand loyalty, consumers are not affected by the increase of prices. There are two approaches used in defining the loyalty construct; first is the behavioral one which suggested that the loyalty of a brand is only expressed when there is repeat purchase of commodity overtime. The other approach is the attitudinal perspective, which assumes that loyalty of a brand is not necessarily determined by the consistency of its purchase, and that repetitive product purchase must be accompanied by positive attitude towards the behavior. Therefore, brand behavior is a function of both attitudes and the consumer behavior. Established consumers or those who are loyal to a brand are likely to continue buying from the company regardless of price fluctuations of the product (Wang and Sidek, 2008). Therefor e, it is indispensable for a company to establish a strong relationship with the consumer through marketing strategies such as packaging, advertising their products and producing commodities of the right quantity and quality whish are of satisfactory to the consumer (Chi, Yeh and Yang 2009). Factors influencing the customer loyalty To start with is the product quality judgment. Product quality judgment is categorized in to two sub groups namely a) perceived quality and b) objective quality. Perceived product quality is considered as the consumer’s consistency purchase of the product or the benefit of a product after evaluation. It has also been defined as the recognition of a product by the user. Objective quality has been defined as the orientation of the product (Akbar and Parves, 2009). The difference between these two types of quality is that objective quality standard is predesigned by a product whilst perceived quality standard is the influence by internal and external attributes of a product, which in turn affect the consumer’s products evaluation. It has also been pointed out that in objective quality; the consumers utilize their experience and knowledge to grade the products advantages, durability and satisfaction (Armstrong and Kotler, 2009). Perceived quality is also defined as a consumer judgment on the overall cumulative and advantages. It is argued that perceived quality