Friday, September 6, 2019
Villagers remain upbeat despite tight cutbacks Essay Example for Free
Villagers remain upbeat despite tight cutbacks Essay Orange County – There was absolutely nothing left to do, 39 year-old Mr. Berger, an office clerk, decided to sell his latest model of LED television he just purchased the other year to a well-off friend, the economic crisis steeply increasing his weekly budget deficit. â€Å"I believe its the high spending we do everyday amid threats from financial meltdown thats taking its toll on us lately,†Mr. Berger said. It is no small irony that while unemployment rate has blown only 9. 5% of the population today against the 10% in the first quarter this year, the figure could not justify how some of the residents continue to lose their jobs. What may add insult to injury is the sharp decrease in prices of U. S. Imports from 0. 5 last month to 1. 3 today, outweighing the July 2009 1. 3% decline (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Mr. Berger is just part of the growing fraction of the figure promising to outnumber those working in a cozy office. Poking his way through a small, rough tenement just a few blocks from his house, he was looking for a viable job that could stand the present economic turmoil. The number of jobless persons for over 27 weeks remained at 6. 8 million, which covers 45. % of the total unemployed citizens all over the country while those who are working part-time involuntarily either because they could not find full-time employment or their working hours were reduced compose another 8. 6 million (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Taking advantage â€Å"I speculate some self-centered politicians are now using the economic crisis as their political tack to keep hold on power. The idea is simply that no single grou p is better equipped to release the plagues from Pandoras box and choke the very things it spawned than the most desperate gang in town. This time making itself the champion of economic crisis,†lamented Mr. Anderson. Mr. Anderson, 40, was forced to move his family to Mississippi and currently lives here on yet another mortgaged property, something he might lose again should the cutbacks realign sharply upward. It has a leaky roof, a clear sign the family is going through tough times. â€Å"I have no choice but to relocate again,†he said. History repeats itself The economy of the United States of America holds the highest rank in the world, its GDP being estimated to rich a nominal value of $14. 2 trillion last year. The US labor market has been attracting immigrants abroad and holds the largest number of migration rates streaming in. It has nested the biggest stock exchanges, thereby becoming one of the worlds most influential financial markets. But these facts did not prevent the history of the 1930s, the Great Depression, from repeating itself, this time with an equally forceful blow to different sectors. Fearing to see another Great Depression whipping the country, when the fangs of recession appeared to be a serious threat, the government sought many answers to solve economic problems. It took on a course of allowing consumers to spend more by exerting heavily itself or cutting taxes. It fostered rapid growth in the money supply, which also encouraged more spending. It can be recalled that economic woes brought on by the costs of the Vietnam conflict, major price increases, particularly for energy, created a strong fear of inflation. As a result, government put more concentration on controlling inflation than on combating recession by limiting spending and tightening credit. Economic crisis quickly creeps through different places, wherever financial stability gives its way, affecting a not so small portion of the population. The recession in the last two years might have been the worst since the Great Depression but there are no labor forecasts that have to do with the same fate employment suffered during those times. â€Å"Its a pain that we had to cut on our weekly budget and sacrifice our luxuries to prioritize our foremost needs. And were not alone on this, almost everyone in the neighborhood is feeling the effects of the crisis striking them,†Mrs. Cowell said. Mother to four, Mrs. Cowell, 41, had to stop sending Makky, her eldest, to school to give way to the others still studying in high school, an alarming scenario which led to an entirely different behavior acted by his eldest. This is just one of the fall-outs experienced by the family. Economists say the economy might start to flourish by third quarter of the year. However, quick make up of the employment rate may take place later by end of year, the setbacks having been too rough of late. Brian Fabbri, chief North American economist for BNP Paribas, said the efforts of the Obama administration to flood the economy with $800 billion and the buying up of credits along with shoring up of banks by the Federal Reserve may put an end to this. I believe the government can â€Å"I suspect Obama and some allies in Congress can prove themselves to be the powerhouse of stability in one of Americas most trying times, thus, preventing the country from sinking into the utter pits of despair. I hope he will do, having the public behind him,†Mr. Gardner, 42, said optimistically. â€Å"I would love to see nothing else but a government eager to pluck us out of the groveling depths of global financial meltdown,†he added. Mr. Gardner recalled how he has constantly been a victim of economic failure. He and his soft-spoken wife, Kelly, lived in Ireland for more than a decade only to witness the dwindling economy which forced everybody to go out and look for a greener pasture. â€Å"We felt like nothing awaits us in there, no other choice but to leave Ireland,†he exclaimed. If only the government would take radical reforms and slash in its superfluous spending, perhaps in less than a year the economy would begin to grow again steadily. But if this would remain unmitigated for the next months, it probably may not just end up in burying this country to the pits of despair, it may also lead to bitter strife between the government and the labor force ,†Mr. Gardner foretold. Still upbeat â€Å"With the rate of pace our government is taking on, I guess we can all do pitching in behind someone fired up by the passion of saving his country by restoring economic stability,†Mrs. Dolloy sh owed optimism. Though affected by the uneasiness associated with realigning home budgets and luxuries, Mrs. Dolloy continues to hold to what she has been hoping as a savior snail that would come someday in the form of stable economy, massive opening of full time jobs, and fairly low commodity prices. Today President Obama boasts that his country shows signs of getting back to its feet in just one year time after a major setback in the last two years.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Features of Information Technology
Features of Information Technology The Internet also known as the Net and is also a worldwide network of computers. It is made up of thousands of interconnected computer networks (a network is a group of computers connected together). A network in the Internet can be large (consisting of thousands of computers), medium (consisting of hundreds of computers) or small (consisting of just a few computers). Similarly, the computers in the network can be mainframes, minicomputers or microcomputers. All computers in the Internet cooperate and work together to provide a variety of useful services to the users. Computers in the Internet fall into two basic categories: host (servers) and terminals (browser). Users connect to the internet by subscribing to an Internet Service Provider commonly known as an (ISP). An ISP is an organisation that provides bandwidth services at some cost to clients who wish to have internet connections in their homes or offices. NetZero, ATT and Microsoft Network (MSN) are ISPs. Individuals also connect to the Internet through business firms, universities, or research centres that have designated Internet domains. Connection is done by: Traditional telephone lines and modem Broadband services which are provided by Digital subscriber line (DSL), cable satellite connections and T lines. T1 and T3 are international telephone standards for digital communications. They leased dedicated lines suitable for business or government agencies to secure guaranteed service levels. The Internet is based on the TCP/IP networking protocol suite. Every computer on the net is assigned a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. The Internet also consists of domain naming system which stands for DNS. The (DNS) converts IP addresses to domain names . Features that define the internet The World Wide Web (WWW) EMAIL NEWS TELNET File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Internet Relay Chat (IRC) The World Wide Web (WWW) The World Wide Web Know as WWW is part of the internet that supports hypertext documents allowing users to access and navigate different types of data. It is also a web document that is encoded with HTML tags. These HTML tags allow designers to link contents via hyperlinks. Every web page has an address which is a Uniform Resource Locator which stands for (URL). Currently the Web is viewed mainly as a tool for allowing access to a large amount of published information. EMAIL This is also known as Electronic Mail and it is the reason most people stay on the internet. With the inception of the email facility people can create, send and receive email messages to one another around the globe using an email program with an email account on the internet mail server. Email clients usually contain user interfaces to display and edit text. NEWS News is another major feature of the internet. It includes hundreds of newsgroup each newsgroup hosts discussion on a specific topic. A newsgroups name indicates its users special topic of interest such as clothes, shoes, food etc. When participating in a news program you need to have a news reader program that lets you read articles that have been posted on a news server. Articles can be posted for people to read and respond to. is the worlds biggest electronic discussion forum. It provides a way for messages to be sent among computers across the entire Internet. People from all over the world participate in discussions on thousands of specific areas of interest called newsgroups What is Telnet? The Telnet protocol is often thought of as simply providing a facility for remote logins to computer via the Internet. Telnet follows a Client / Server Model. You run a piece of software on your own PC (the client) to use the resources of a distant Server Computer (host computer) Some practical uses of Telnet include: Telnet is a Protocol that lets you use the power of the Internet to connect you to databases, library catalogs, and other information resources around the world. Telnet lets you connect directly to another computer on the Internet and run programs on the computer (provided you have access permission (Username and Password). Theoretically you have a lot of power at your fingertips. Your dumb terminal or very old PC can run programs on the worlds most powerful computers. How is the Internet governed? The Internet is a democratic setup. No single organization owns or manages all the resources in the Internet. Rather, it is collectively owned and managed by thousands of organizations from around the world. Each organization owns and manages its own network, but provides services to other networks as well as receives services from them. There is no master or slave relation in the Net all users have equal standing. The Internet data traffic is carried over transcontinental high-speed backbone networks that operate in a range of 45Mbps to 2.5 Gbps. Trunk lines are owned by long-distance telephone companies called Network Service Providers or by National Government. Local connection lines are owned by regional telephone and cable television companies in the United States that connect retail users in homes and business to internet. The regional networks lease access to Internet Service Providers (ISPs), private companies, and government institutions. Each organisation pays for its own networks and its own local Internet connection services, a part of which is paid to the long-distance trunk line. Individual internet users pays ISPs for using their services and they generally pay a flat subscription fee no matter how much or how little they use the internet. The internet is not owned by any state or organisation and it has no formal management. However the internet policies are established by a number of professional organisations and government bodies including the (IAB) Internet Architecture Board that helps define the overall structure of the NET, the Internet Corporation for assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), assigns IP addresses and the World Wide Web Consortium which sets Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) and other programming standards for the web. These organisations influence government agencies, network owners, ISPs and software developers with the goal of keeping the Internet operating. The Internet must also conform to the laws of the nation-states in which it operates as well as the technical infrastructure that exist within the nation-states.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Northern Californias Coastal Redwoods :: Essays Papers
Northern California's Coastal Redwoods ~A Brief Overview ~ "chain saw rising, whining out of a cut, falling thump of a log, limbed & bucked & loaded and where it spills over rocks as if another truck pulling back up the ridge, empty only there-- there was no hearing it only water and the rock where it turns the water singing the forest cut down and there only rock to hear it fall." GRAPH The average Redwood's life spans from around 800 to 1500 years. These anciet Redwoods were here when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, and 65 million years later we can now stroll through these living artifacts in coastal California. Typically people think that redwood forests are made up entirely of redwoods. But that isn't so--a healthy old-growth redwood forest is a mix of redwoods, deciduous trees, ferns, vines, flowers and wildlife. Giant redwoods are so tall, dense, and so crowded in the canopy, that some ground areas rarely see the sunlight, and little grows beneath these large giants. But whenever a tree does fall by Mother Nature or man, it leaves a gaping hole, that goes noticed. GRAPH Redwoods were named for the color of their bark and heartwood. These trees have a high resistance to fungus and diseases due to the high tanin content in the wood. The dense, fibrous bark has an even higher content, and acts as an insulator from periodic fires which have plagued the countryside for centuries. Though these trees are immense, they have delicate foliage. The needles are narrow and sharp-pointed, and combine to form feathery sprays. The cones are an inch long and typically contain fourteen to twenty-four seeds. The older trees offspring sprout form their parents' roots in order to take advantage of the established root system. GRAPH
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Newari Social and Cultural Connections to the Weather and Climate :: Nepal Religion Culture Essays Papers
Newari Social and Cultural Connections to the Weather and Climate The Newari people incorporate different aspects of the weather and climate of Kathmandu Valley into their daily lives. One of the most prevalent ways the weather and climate affects their lives is through religious practices and beliefs. The Newari people, who practice Buddhism and Hinduism, are very religious and traditional people, and not a month goes by that there isn't some special festival that is being celebrated by them. Three of these important festivals revolve around the role climate and weather play in the lives of the people. Gunla Dharma, which is celebrated during a month from the middle of August to the middle of September, is a holy Buddhist month. During Gunla Dharma, the people are required to visit a number of monasteries, shrines and other prayer courtyards. This festival takes place during the monsoon season, which would generally be a hindrance to the people, but they are mandated to make these pilgrimages no matter what the weather is and how hard it might be raining. Gathan Mugah is another festival that takes place in August, and is based off of Nepal's monsoon season. Since the farmers are very busy working the fields and tending crops during the rainy season, they often donÕt have the time to clean their homes or even bathe. During Gathan Mugah, which is known as the festival of cleaning, everyone in Kathmandu Valley cleans out their homes from corner to corner, fumigates the houses by burning incense to get rid of insects, does their laundry, bathes, and throws out the old toys of children. The most important festival of the year is also one that deals mainly with the weather and climate of Kathmandu Valley. Yanya Punhi is the festival of Indra, who is the god of rain and heaven. He is worshipped for bearing good weather on Kathmandu Valley and, subsequently, providing a good crop for the people. Each of these festivals is attributed to the weather of Nepal, and is extremely important to the culture of t he Newari people. The Newari peopleÕs adaptation to the weather and climate of Nepal is also obvious in their food and clothing choices.
Monday, September 2, 2019
The Great Pyramid Essay -- essays research papers
Outline     Thesis Statement: The Great Pyramid is a mystery to the modern age, even though its purpose, uses, history, and condition have challenged explorers for centuries it will always be considered one of the greatest wonders of the world. 1.     Why was the Great Pyramid built? A.     Who built the Great Pyramid? B.     Why was it built? C.     Comparative theories. 2.     What was the Great Pyramid used for? A.     Religious uses. B.     Astronomical uses. C.     Environmental uses. 3.     How was the Great Pyramid built? A.     Workers. B.     Dimensions. C.     Surrounding community. Why the Great Pyramid of Giza was built is a question that has been challenging archeologists, philosophers, and historians for hundreds of years. What we do know is that the Egyptians built it during the fourth dynasty under the rule of King Khufu in the area known as Giza. (i) The amount of people that it took to build such a massive structure has been the subject of dispute for hundreds of years. The Greek historian Herodotus believed that it took one hundred thousand workers over a twenty-year period to build the great pyramid, but recent archaeologists using modern calculations believe that the pyramid was built by four thousand primary laborers and sixteen to twenty thousand secondary workers but also over a twenty year time period. (ii)      There are many competing theories on why the great pyramid was built, none of them are definite but all of them are interesting. Many other pyramids have been built in the Middle East but none of the same stature. Other pyramids have been found to be burial chambers for various kings and pharaohs, but the Great Pyramid contained no burial remnants even though its essential design is the same as other pyramids, even containing special chambers for a king and a queen. (iii) Modern day scientists have discovered many interesting correlations between the location and dimensions of the Great Pyramid, that relate to the earth, the stars, and the seasons. (iv)      Several controversies have risen over the last hundred years about the reasons for the building of the Great Pyramid. Some theories believe that the Great Pyramid was built by or aided by alien beings because of the precise nature of its location and dimensions. While others believe that, the pyramid represented a symbol of ultimate power for t... ...tration along with metalworkers, joiners, painters, and draughtsmen because of various workshops found in the ruins. (xvi) It has been thought that feeding these armies of workers were extensive bakeries because bread mold from the same period has also been uncovered. (xvii) All these discoveries are the main reason why it is believed that this great giant of a structure was built out of national pride, by volunteers and not by slave labor as previously theorized. When one looks at the overall task and complexity of building this Great Pyramid, it certainly will always remain one of the greatest accomplishments of humankind. Bibliography 1. "Pyramid." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service. 27 Sep, 2003 . 2. â€Å"Egyptians.†British Broadcasting Service. 2003. British Broadcasting Service Interactive. 26 Sep, 2003 3. â€Å"Excavations at Giza 1988 – 1991.†University of Chicago. 1992. Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. 26 Sep, 2003 4. â€Å"Q&A with Dr. Kent Weeks.†The Learning Channel. 2003. The Learning Channel Online. 26 Sep, 2003 5. â€Å"Great Pyramid Facts and Statistics.†Egyptian Pyramids Index. 2001. Crystalinks. 27 Sep, 2003 The Great Pyramid Essay -- essays research papers Outline     Thesis Statement: The Great Pyramid is a mystery to the modern age, even though its purpose, uses, history, and condition have challenged explorers for centuries it will always be considered one of the greatest wonders of the world. 1.     Why was the Great Pyramid built? A.     Who built the Great Pyramid? B.     Why was it built? C.     Comparative theories. 2.     What was the Great Pyramid used for? A.     Religious uses. B.     Astronomical uses. C.     Environmental uses. 3.     How was the Great Pyramid built? A.     Workers. B.     Dimensions. C.     Surrounding community. Why the Great Pyramid of Giza was built is a question that has been challenging archeologists, philosophers, and historians for hundreds of years. What we do know is that the Egyptians built it during the fourth dynasty under the rule of King Khufu in the area known as Giza. (i) The amount of people that it took to build such a massive structure has been the subject of dispute for hundreds of years. The Greek historian Herodotus believed that it took one hundred thousand workers over a twenty-year period to build the great pyramid, but recent archaeologists using modern calculations believe that the pyramid was built by four thousand primary laborers and sixteen to twenty thousand secondary workers but also over a twenty year time period. (ii)      There are many competing theories on why the great pyramid was built, none of them are definite but all of them are interesting. Many other pyramids have been built in the Middle East but none of the same stature. Other pyramids have been found to be burial chambers for various kings and pharaohs, but the Great Pyramid contained no burial remnants even though its essential design is the same as other pyramids, even containing special chambers for a king and a queen. (iii) Modern day scientists have discovered many interesting correlations between the location and dimensions of the Great Pyramid, that relate to the earth, the stars, and the seasons. (iv)      Several controversies have risen over the last hundred years about the reasons for the building of the Great Pyramid. Some theories believe that the Great Pyramid was built by or aided by alien beings because of the precise nature of its location and dimensions. While others believe that, the pyramid represented a symbol of ultimate power for t... ...tration along with metalworkers, joiners, painters, and draughtsmen because of various workshops found in the ruins. (xvi) It has been thought that feeding these armies of workers were extensive bakeries because bread mold from the same period has also been uncovered. (xvii) All these discoveries are the main reason why it is believed that this great giant of a structure was built out of national pride, by volunteers and not by slave labor as previously theorized. When one looks at the overall task and complexity of building this Great Pyramid, it certainly will always remain one of the greatest accomplishments of humankind. Bibliography 1. "Pyramid." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service. 27 Sep, 2003 . 2. â€Å"Egyptians.†British Broadcasting Service. 2003. British Broadcasting Service Interactive. 26 Sep, 2003 3. â€Å"Excavations at Giza 1988 – 1991.†University of Chicago. 1992. Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. 26 Sep, 2003 4. â€Å"Q&A with Dr. Kent Weeks.†The Learning Channel. 2003. The Learning Channel Online. 26 Sep, 2003 5. â€Å"Great Pyramid Facts and Statistics.†Egyptian Pyramids Index. 2001. Crystalinks. 27 Sep, 2003
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Political Issues Relating to Immigration Essay
Reaction to the immigration problem in the United States is as diverse as the people living in the country. There are common public and political opinions on immigration; there is also factual information, which alters positions. The media plays a major role in how people react to the issue of immigration in the United States of America. There is a lot of news lately with a focus on immigration and undocumented persons in the United States. Illegal immigration has been present in the United States for a long time. The first law that the United States had against persons entering the United States was against convicts or prostitutes to enter the country. From 1892 to 1954 Ellis Island admitted over 12 million legal immigrants. Now the United States has quotas on how many can migrate to the country. Illegal immigration became more of a problem being looked at in the twentieth century. Then End Illegal Immigration group states, â€Å"Today, over one million immigrants enter our country per year, while illegal alien population rows by about five hounded thousand per year†(End Illegal Immigration, April, 2011). In May of 2011, the latest version of the DREAM Act was introduced. The DREAM Act was first introduced in March 2009. This act stands for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Acts. The Dream act would enact two major changes in current law. The first would permit some immigrant students who grew up in the United States to apply for temporary legal status and eventually obtain permanent legal status and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if they go to college or serve in the U.S. military. The second would eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition without regard to immigration status (National Immigration Law Center, 2011). Immigration has been a constant problem politically for elected officials. There cannot be mass deportations; we cannot control every inch of the United States borders. Presidents and Congress try their hardest to develop new ideas or to improve old ideas on how to get the border control situation unde r what it should be, under control. One article from US News states, â€Å"Why, then, have we had so many Latin Immigrants, many of the illegal? Because of the apparatus of state has proved weaker that market focus: The old INS (now the CIS) and the understaffed Border Patrol have been among our least competent federal bureaucracies. And because the family unification provisions of the 1965 act allowed legal immigrants to bring in not just young children but also other relatives (â€Å"chain migration†), and because the Fourteenth Amendment makes anyone born in the United States a citizen.†(Barone, 2007). Problems such as these could be avoided in the future. Due to this opinion, I am forced into seeing that America is forcing this problem of undocumented immigrants on itself. Many of the articles found are biased on this view. The subject is sensitive for those that are illegal immigrants as well as American persons. Most articles are biased and the majority is on the American side. An example, one article read called Adverse Impacts of Massive and Illegal immigration on the United States, Blondell states, â₠¬Å"Data has long been collected about the cost to American taxpayers from illegal immigration and the presence of low skilled immigrants (2008)†Statements like this are clearly on the side of the American people. For the most part, the author uses objective means to portray the undocumented immigrants. This article’s biasness does affect the view on how many see the undocumented immigrants. Due to the articles, some look at the immigrants as criminals, sometimes murderers, or as if they are lower than life and not worth our time. It is not fair to judge or be judged for the exact same thing the colonists came to America from England and what this country was founded. There are numerous issues revolving around undocumented immigrants being in the United States. One of the biggest concerns surrounds the fact that of the economic cost. Taxpayers see the cost as unnecessary and unjust and unfair. The many illegal immigrants put a major dent in taxpayer’s accounts when it comes to healthcare and education. The taxpayers put out approximately $15-$20 billion dollars per year to provide for illegal immigrants to have a better life in the United States. Many will argue that having the illegal immigrants pick our fruits, vegetables and work on the farms are keeping the cost of produce down due to the fact that wages paid are much lower than minimum wage. Blondell states â€Å"For every dollar spent, just 18 cents go to the farmer and one-third of the cost, or 6 cents, goes to the migrant laborer. Even if costs for farm workers increased 40 percent, the total increase in cost per household would be about $8 a year. A $1.80 head of lettuce would increase in price by at most, 10 cents. (2008). Another issue that is felt to stem from immigrants is crime. In reality they are breaking the law by crossing the border without the official papers. There are many other laws they are breaking if one sits back and thinks about it. They are evading taxes, working without permits, and faking identities. By this, using fraudulent identification cards, social security cards or driver’s licenses. There are also environmental issues surrounding this issue. These issues include poverty and language barriers. With the language barriers, it makes it very difficult to educate these people on the way of American people. As a manager, I would want my employees to be comfortable with everything around them. I would ask them if they were comfortable and what could be done to help the situation. I feel it is important for the staff to feel safe and comfortable in the environment that they come to everyday to make a living for themselves. I would also maker sure that no hurtful statements were said and not allow stereotyping. I would want my employees to get to know each other and be open with each other. I would encourage them to respect each other and the differences we all bring to the table. As much as we do not like it, illegal immigration is here and there does not seem to be to much being done to stop it. As a country, we should be open to change, but at some point we have to close the gaits and take care of what we already have here. References Barone, M. (2007). U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/070527/4barone.htm Blondell, J. (2008). Adverse impacts on massive and illegal immigration in the United States. The Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies, 33(3), 328-350. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/216799786?accountid=458 End Illegal Immigration. (April, 2011). History of Illegal Immigration in U.S. Retrieved from http://www.endillegalimmigration.com/history_of_Illegal_Immigration_in_US/ National Immigration Law Center. (2011, May). Dream Act: Summary. Retrieved from http://nilc.org/dreamsummary.html
Strategic Control
STRATEGIC CONTROL- ERIK TREFFTZ Strategic Control refers to the activity of analysis and surveillance of the Strategic Planning. Its main objective is to monitor and implement corrective measures when facing any kind of deviation in the original Strategy, after comparing it with the Strategic Standards, and thus granting the good-riddance of the company? s targets. It works through the establishment of reference points, rules, methods and devices that allow to measure the development efficiency and effectiveness of the Strategy in whatever concerns seizing its goals, and also allows a better comprehension of the periods of crisisIn other words, Strategic Control seeks to provide an answer to the following issues: 1. Whether the Strategy is being implemented as planned. Any possible failure in a company achieving its goals might be due to wrong performance from Operational and/or managerial personnel. The responsibility of regulating and correcting possible deviations in the course of the strategy. 2. If targets continue being valid. It is, Strategic Control is in charge of spotting any alteration in the behavior of external forces, and uncontrollable environment that require a change in the Corporative targets.Since environment is submitted to constant change, Opportunities and risks may arise that weren’t acknowledged when the original Corporative Strategy was conceived, and thus, the pertinent measures weren? t taken. For instance, a certain company provides a country with its products, but, all of a sudden, inner armed conflicts spark in that country, rendering it instable and dangerous. Under that conditions, the company might reconsider if it is still worth trading with this country, or perhaps it may regard abandoning transactions with it, thus, modifying its original targets. . Whether Outcomes of the Strategy are the expected or not. It means that Strategic Control also needs to verify whether the Strategy has been properly raised. Managerial and Operational personnel may have properly fulfilled their tasks to whatever concerns to the Strategy, but it may not have produced the desired outcomes. This might be due to the fact that the Strategy is not properly formulated. Strategic Control is in charge of re-formulating it so as to eventually achieve desired goals.Unlike conventional ways of Organizational Control, Strategic Control operates â€Å"a Posteriori†, which means that it is focused on the events that have already taken place, identifying past mistakes, and distributing responsibilities. Under no circumstances this kind of Control seeks to recover losses, but rather to acknowledge them, note them down, and develop the pertinent mechanisms to avoid them in future operations. This way of operating, nevertheless, may render negative repercussions on the very own internal engine of the enterprise.The tight surveillance exerted by those in charge of applying this Strategic Control, strictly girded to stiff itinerar ies generates a feeling of insecurity and fear within the staff. Another negative â€Å"side-effect†of Strategic Control is that the exhaustive scrutiny to which the company? s operations are subjected leads to a slower pace. The process of Strategic Control is subdivided into 3 steps: 1st: Measuring the performance of the Organization:Before Business managers can take any action concerning the future of the Enterprise, they need to dispose of any measure of its current performance. They perform so via the so-called Strategic Audit. This Audit consists in a series of exams that intend to evaluate the whole range of operations within any organizations which undergo a process of Strategic Planning. Its main target is to promote the development and integration of interrelated functions. It is, to ultimately enhance the enterprise? productivity. Its function is clearly represented in the following graphic, in which â€Å"t†stands for the variable â€Å"Time†. Stra tegic Audit provides managers with the tools necessary to perform their tasks as Strategic Controller, known as â€Å"Strategic Audit Measurement Methods†: Strategic audit is divided into three stages: 1st stage – Diagnosis: It implies reviewing key documents such as the strategic plan, organizational structure, operative plans, resource allocation plans, etc.Afterwards operational, financial and commercial results during a given period are analyzed and compared with the company? s standards so as to identify possible deviations and unnoticed newborn constants. The Diagnosis also provides the manager with vital knowledge about the division of labor, different positions of responsibility, and processes of decision-making, as well as psychic perceptions of the organizations from its members, and their attitudes towards it, (via Interviews, sets of fixed questions, etc. and also from relevant customers, so as to get an accurate picture of the brand image of the organizati on within the environment in which it operates. Posed in other terms, Diagnosis allows decision-makers to become fully aware of the intrinsic functioning processes of their companies, and the perception the rest of the world has of it, thus allowing them to perform an optimum control, and identify the functioning aspects of the strategy, eventually being able to formulate several hypothesis about problems and opportunities, and how to implement changes in their strategy. nd stage – Focus of the Analysis: This stage consists in applying the different hypothesis to the strategic problems and opportunities of improvement that shall arise and challenge the organization, via the analysis of specific issues, and identify interrelations and interdependence among components of the strategic system, and afterwards, reaching conclusions concerning weaknesses and deficiencies in the execution and / or the formulation of the Strategy. rd stage – Recommendations: 3. 1. Develop alte rnative ways of solving eventual problems and also of making profit out the opportunities that might arise, always taking into account potential costs, risks and compensations these measures may bring. 3. 2. Finally, the last step consists on developing concrete recommendations that will help to develop the right plan of action that will improve strategic results. 2nd: Comparing Organizational performance with pre-set standardsOnce pertinent measurement of the organizational performance has been done, top-managers shall compare them with current objectives and standards. Objectives are established in previous stages of the Strategic Planning, whereas standards may differ from one organization to another. Standards imply the desirable position concerning a certain aspect of the organizational strategy that the enterprise seeks to achieve. The most common standards, first adopted by the well-known General Electrics, and then implemented by almost each and every business during the 90? range from standards of profitability, of market-seizure, of productivity, standards of innovation and leadership, of staff development, of optimum staff attitudes, of public responsibility (of increasing importance nowadays), and finally standards of equilibrium between long-term and short-term objectives. 3rd: Implementing the proper corrective measures This implies a major change in the organizational operation that makes sure it will be able to seize its targets as efficiently and profitably as possible.Its complexity may vary from changing a product? s price, to renew the productive chain System, re-locating resources, improving the efficiency of the labor force, etc. The whole process of strategic control can be summed up as follows: Still, Strategic Control needs to take into account the following variables so as to perform its activity correctly: Organization? s structure: Strategic Control needs to take into a high account the composition of the enterprise, to be able to i mplement an accurate overview and regulation over the Organization? strategy. If this structure is unknown, it is not possible to manage to comprehend its inner functioning, and therefore no control will be implemented properly. System of Values /Culture: The main values of the organization and its members, its culture may be a defining factor of the activities it may carry out, and therefore, it is necessary to come to a closer understanding of these cultural nuances, so as to be able to apply control properly. Information system: To perform right control over the company? becoming, it is necessary to dispose of an effective information system that allows managers to gather the sufficient amount of information that enables them to exert their task. Compensation system: As mentioned before, Strategic Control implies a tighter control upon organizational operations, and this directly results in an increase of the pressure to which staff is undergone. Therefore, a system of compensati on shall be established that makes it up to the personnel for the increased pressure. For instance, economic compensation, translated into higher wages.
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