Operant Conditioning

Introduction Skinner brought about the concept of operant conditioning to elaborate the influence of the environment in determining an individual’s behavior. Skinner asserts that a particular behavior is a product of the expected consequence. Most of the time the behavior is a voluntary one but in some instances, operant conditioning can be used to modify involuntary behavior.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Operant Conditioning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Positive Reinforcement In the context of drivers slowing down once they see a police vehicle doing radar in their vicinity to avoid a speeding ticket, Skinners principle of operant conditioning applies. In this scenario, the police car acts as a positive reinforcement to the behavior of driving within the speed limit. Every time the speeding drivers see a police car they are forced to reduce their speed so as to avoid getting a speeding ticket. The police car doing radar ahead is the condition that acts in modifying the voluntary behavior of reducing the speed limit by the drivers. Every time the drivers come in the vicinity of a police car doing radar, their behavior is influenced and as such reduces their speed to avoid a speeding ticket. The overall reward comes in when the driver’s license is due and they are not required to undertake a driving test due to having received a speeding ticket. This reward reinforces good behavior among drivers and as such they will always drive within the speed limit to avoid a speeding ticket. The police in this case act as the positive reinforcement. Positive Punishment The issuance of a speeding ticket to those drivers found driving above the speeding limit acts as a positive punisher to reduce the tendency of drivers over speeding. According to Skinner’s principle of operant conditioning, positive punishment decreases the performance of an undesired behavior. Every time an unwanted behavior occurs, one receives a punishment and as such the punishment deters a repeat of the same behavior (Coon and Mitterer 234). In this scenario, once a driver receives a speeding ticket (positive punisher), he/she will be reluctant to drive over the speed limit (condition). The act of slowing down in the presence of a police car doing radar reduces the anticipated punishment and encourages driving within the speed limit.Advertising Looking for report on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Negative reinforcement Negative reinforcement is observed when an unpleasant condition is abolished or extinguished so as to augment the occurrence of a particular desired behavior. In this context, whenever there is no police car doing radar in the vicinity, there is an increased chance that the drivers will drive above the speeding limit. The absence of the police car is the negative reinforce for driving above the spe ed limit. In addition, the drivers will not be afraid of receiving any speeding ticket since the police will not be around to issue them. The absence of the police car will reinforce the behavior of driving above the speed limit. Negative Punishment Negative punishment is a concept of operant conditioning brought about by Skinner to explain the reduction in particular behaviors as a result of removal or denial of a particular condition. In this context, the withdrawal of ones driving license by the police and being banned to drive acts as a negative punishment to deter drivers from driving above the speed limit. Work Cited Coon, Dennis, and Mitterer, John. Psychology: A Journey. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2010. This report on Operant Conditioning was written and submitted by user Lexi House to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Operant Conditioning

Representation of men in Hard Times by Charles Dickens Essays

Representation of men in Hard Times by Charles Dickens Essays Representation of men in Hard Times by Charles Dickens Essay Representation of men in Hard Times by Charles Dickens Essay Essay Topic: Hard Times Your Analysis To Show How Dickens Represents Men In The Novel. The extract introduces Mr. Bounder to the reader. He is introduced as being a proud, arrogant, factual man, displaying his dominance and is used by Dickens to represent men in the novel. This idea of Bounders pride and dominance is not unexpected due to the stigmas of the era, men were generally considered to be better, more capable than women. His factual nature Is also typical as It represents the theme of fact and fancy that Dickens has used throughout the book. Firstly Dickens makes It clear that Bounder is successful through the use of the ascendancy list he was a rich man; banker, merchant, manufacturer and what not which shows his some of his accomplishments in life as well as how influential he was in industry. This could be interpreted to demonstrate the many pursuits that are available to men, and their dominance of the business world. Mr. Granddad Is also mentioned briefly in the extract as Bounders eminently practical friend using the motif to represent him. The multiple modifiers suggest that the nature of men is very sensible, factual and elastic. Dickens uses the appearance of Mr. Bounder to give the audience an impression of the representation of men throughout Hard Times. The reader is introduced to Bounder as a big loud man, with a stare and metallic laugh. This dramatic declarative uses a metaphor to show how Inhuman, or emotionless/ detached men and Bounder can be, the metallic laugh suggests a certain coldness and robotic nature. The multiple modifiers In great puffed head and forehead indicates the intelligence of Mr. Bounder while also suggesting that he may be big headed and full of himself. This view is supported by the simile a man with a pervading appearance on him of being inflated like a balloon showing that Bounder is over inflated, full of wind and self importance. Dickens describes that Bounder talks with a brassy speaking-trumpet of a voice-Walt this metaphor showing that he talks blasting out what he has to say. It also links to the Idiom blowing your own trumpet, again showing how full of himself this character Is. This is again demonstrated with the noun phrases coarse material, swelled veins stained skin, although these also illustrate how undesirable and horrible Bounder is. Dickens states that he had not much hair. One might have fancied he had talked it off. The dramatic declarative uses a metaphor to indicate that Bounder is always speaking In order to get his pollen across. Furthermore it suggests that his factual nature may grow rather boring. Bounders hair Is also said to be constantly blown about by his windy boastfulness this metaphor may suggest that half the things he says are not true, or exaggerated. Through the appearance of Mr. Bounder Dickens gives a very harsh view of men, it seems he represents them as being egotistical, and lull of self-importance, as well as being generally unpleasant. They are also however shown to be practical and pragmatic. Dickens also uses Bounders actions and behavior throughout the extract to represent men In Hard Times. Dickens states and adverb sufficiently vaunt show that Bounder felt that there was never enough said about him and his less desirable past. The verb proclaiming also suggests this, demonstrating pride and arrogance. Bounder is named the Bully of humility in a metaphor indicating that he tramples over honesty, discretion and humbleness, heartsickness that tend to portray fancy rather than facts. As Bounder talks, he takes a commanding position which to subdue Mrs. Grandkid. The verbs, commanding and subdue show how he is pushing her down and putting her in her place, they additionally demonstrate the different social standings of men and women, women are lower while men are dominant. In conclusion, Dickens has used the descriptions of Mr. Bounders appearance and actions to demonstrate his representations of men throughout Hard Times. Men are shown to be egotistical, factual and rather unpleasant throughout.

3 Tips to Write Your Stanford Roommate Essay

3 Tips to Write Your Stanford Roommate Essay SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you preparing your college application for Stanford University? If so, you’ve probably heard about theStanford roommate essay, which you must complete as part of your application.The Stanford roommate essay is a unique essay that asks every applicant to write a letter to their future roommate. In this article, we’ll talk about what the Stanford roommate essay is, show several Stanford roommate essay examples, and offer tips for making your response stand out from the thousands of other Stanford applicants. What Is the Stanford Roommate Essay? The Stanford roommate essay is one of the four essays you must write as part of your Stanford University college application. Let’s take a look at the actual text for this essay question: â€Å"Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate- and us- know you better.† The Stanford letter to roommate prompt has a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of 250 words. Other than that, there are no specific guidelines for how you should complete the question. What Is the Stanford Roommate Essay Question Asking (And Why)? Since Stanford doesn’t give any specific examples of what they’re looking for in responses to the Stanford roommate essay prompt, you might be wondering what you should write about for the question and why they’re asking in it the first place. The Stanford roommate essay is definitely unique - and you should take that as license to write about topics you otherwise wouldn’t in your college application. The admissions committee includes this prompt to get an idea of what you’re like with your peers, as well as how you’ll fit in with Stanford’s student body. This prompt is an opportunity to show a different side of you than the rest of your application. The question isn’t concerned with your plentiful extracurricular achievements or spotless academic record; rather, it’s asking about what you do after you’re finished studying or practicing. What do you like to do when you’re just relaxing? How you spend your free time? How do you interact with your peers? What are the quirks that make you, you? Asking this question gives the admissions committee a better picture of the whole you, rather than just the student who will be attending class. This essay question is a great opportunity to talk about unique aspects of your personality and interests that weren’t showcased on the rest of your application. If you have a special talent for, say, racking up quadra-kills in League of Legends, this essay is the time to share that. If you've always wanted to write about your love for video games, your Stanford roommate essay is the time and place to do so. Stanford Roommate Essay Examples, Analyzed Stanford roommate essays look very different than other types of college application essays. It’s not often that you read about a student’s aptitude for a frog impression or their addition to Bubble Trouble in a college essay. Let’s take a look at two different Stanford roommate essay examples (both of which resulted in admission to Stanford) and see what made them stand out. Stanford Roommate Essay Example #1 Dear Future Roommate, First things first: my Starburst is our Starburst. Feel free to grab some (but don't touch the lemon) off my desk whenever. I hope this works the other way around too. I have my own quirks as do most people. For starters, I can do a hyper-realistic frog impression. (Don't worry, I'll chase out any frogs that happen to hop inside.) Also, I prefer socks and sandals over sneakers because I like having a breeze around my toes. You'll often find me reading old issues of Model Airplane News or munching on weirdly delicious food combos such as strawberries and black pepper. I hum minor-key Bach fugues while studying but sing Disney songs in the shower. I can probably make you groan with terrible interdisciplinary science jokes. For example, what happens when a mosquito bites a mountain climber? Nothing; vectors cannot cross scalars. Beethoven is my jam and l often subconsciously start humming along to his symphonies. I may even start trumpeting "BAAA DAA DAA DUMMMM" when the brass comes in. If I start humming or trumpeting while you're studying for your o-chem final, tell me and I'll stop. If you don't mind biking out on 3AM donut runs (lemon cream filled is my favorite, by the way), we'll get along just fine. Here's to four years of groaning over p-sets and doing everything we can to keep fun alive, even if it appears to be on life support during finals week. This Stanford roommate essay example comes to us by way of Reddit user u/ChunkySpaghettiSauceChunkySpaghettiSauce wrote this essay as part of his 2016 Stanford application. He was accepted to Stanford. Let’s take a look at what makes this essay great. First of all, the writer includes very specific details that make him easily identifiable and relatable. After reading this essay, you get a great idea of what the student would be like as a roommate. You can picture him having an open bowl of Starburst on his desk and storing his bike at the foot of his bed. Above all, your Stanford roommate essay should paint a full picture of you as a person. This essay does an excellent job of describing the writer holistically; in addition to talking about his academic interests, it shows what he’s like after the problem sets are completed and the homework is turned in. The juxtaposition of the phrase â€Å"four years of groaning over p-sets† with â€Å"everything we can to keep fun alive† shows that the student will work hard, but also take part in the rest of Stanford’s campus life, too. The writer peppers in specific examples, such as his favorite flavor of donut, which add believability and personality to the essay. By the time you’re finished reading it, you get the feeling that this essay couldn’t have been written by anyone else but it’s original author. Want to get into Stanford or your personal top choice college? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Stanford Roommate Essay #2 TO MY FUTURE ROOMMATE: IF YOU HAVE EVER- l. Kidnapped your best friend at 3:00 a.m. with a bunch of buddies and taken him/her for an emergency milkshake run? 2. Made snow angels in the nude on the school ski trip when it’s 0 degrees outside? 3. Told tourists that if they â€Å"pee in the ocean,† they’ll attract great white sharks? 4. Re-enacted Monty Python and the Holy Grail in its entirety before your history class? 5. Taken apart your broken MP3 because you are sure that you can fix it? 6. In the middle of the summer, dressed up in all of your ski clothes, gone to the nearest 7-Eleven to buy ice blocks and joined your friends to slide down the nearest grassy hill, all the while complaining how cold it is? OR l. Memorized the first half of Whitman’s Song of Myself, because there was nothing better to do? 2. Spent three days arguing with your friends about the socio-political ramifications of the word â€Å"Chick?† 3. Stayed up until 5:00 a.m. because the conclusion of your English paper just wasn’t right? 4. Received a parking ticket because you had to respond to a piece of racist graffiti in a public bathroom? 5. Spent the entire day at a cafe re-reading a book by your favorite author? 6. When you were a second grader, explained to a classmate’s mother why you thought screaming at her kid was inappropriate while she threatened to spank you for being so insolent- THEN WE’RE GOING TO GET ALONG JUST FINE! This Stanford roommate essay example comes to us by way of a Huffington Post blog. You can tell right away that this essay isn’t your normal college application essay. The writer is playing around with structure, tone, and voice. The Stanford roommate essay is a great place to break from traditional essay rules. You don’t need five fleshed out paragraphs here. You can write in a way that feels authentic to you as an applicant. Remember, this essay is written to your roommate, not to your parents or your teachers. You talk differently to people your own age than you do to people of different ages. Your writing should reflect that. Another thing that this essay achieves is specificity. Each of the incidents that the writer describes are vivid and real. Instead of saying that he or she â€Å"works hard on an English paper,† the author describes staying up until 5:00 a.m. to correct the assignment. Instead of saying that he or she loves spending time with friends, the essay describes a specific incident that perfectly illustrates that point. Being specific adds authenticity to your work and fleshes you out as a person. Finally, the author does a masterful job of peppering in information about his or her habits as a student in a fun and playful way. For instance, the anecdote about taking apart the MP3 player indicates curiosity, a trait highly prized by the Stanford admissions committee. Similarly, the anecdote about staying up late to finish an English paper shows that the student works very hard and cares about grades and the quality of submitted assignments. Potential Topics for Your Stanford Roommate Essay We know what your Stanford letter to roommate essay shouldn’t be: a long-winded, formal recollection of your greatest achievements as a high school student.But what should you write about?Let’s take a look at potential topics for your Stanford roommate essay. #1: Your Unique Quirks Your Stanford roommate essay is a great time to show off your unique quirks. Do you do 30 pull-ups before going to bed each night? Meditate each morning? Always slightly undercook your cookies? Whatever the quirk, the Stanford roommate essay is a great place to share it. Bonus points if it’s funny! Don’t just think about the quirk itself, but the motivation behind it: do you do 30 pull-ups because you’re looking to increase your strength to try out for college intramural sports? Do you undercook your cookies because your grandma always did it that way? Adding that extra spin to the description helps to round you out and gives an extra opportunity to share about your interests and motivations. #2: Your Relationship With Your Peers The admissions committee wants to get a sense of how you’ll fit in on Stanford’s campus. Not just in the academic classes, but in the overall community as well. The Stanford roommate essay is a great place to share about your relationships with people your age. You can talk about how you interact with your classmates. Maybe you formed a relationship with another student who you always stayed late after band to practice with. Or maybe you formed a homework club with other students who also sucked at Latin. You can also talk about how you interact with your friends. You can share funny stories about ordering too much food while going out to eat or how you guys always get front row seats for the latest Marvel movie. Remember, the examples you pick should show that you’re a well-rounded and fun person. If the rest of your application talks all about your academic achievements, talk about something different in your Stanford roommate essay. #3: Your Favorite Things to Do Just for You The rest of your Stanford application will indicate your academic and extracurricular achievements. This essay is a great place to show what you do for you. Maybe you spend every Friday night building out a new board game or write fanfiction on Tumblr. Maybe you’re teaching yourself Photoshop or like watching YouTube videos about photographers. Maybe you read lots of fitness blogs and are chasing a new marathon PR, even if you don’t run track on your school’s team. Maybe you just watch a lot of Netflix. Whatever you like to do for fun, the Stanford roommate essay is a great place to share it. Talk about how you spend your down time and what you like to do to relax. Tips for Writing Your Stanford Roommate Essay While your Stanford letter to roommate essay can and should look different than the responses of your peers, there are certain tips you can keep in mind when completing the assignment to ensure that you produce the highest quality essay possible. #1: Be Specific Your Stanford roommate essay should paint a very specific and vivid portrait of who you are as a person. The point of a college essay is for the admissions committee to have the chance to get to know you beyond your test scores, grades, and honors. Your Stanford roommate essay is your opportunity to make yourself come alive for the essay readers and to present yourself as a fully fleshed out person. Don’t try to emulate what you think the committee wants to hear or try to act like someone you’re not. Stick to telling real stories about the person you really are, not who you think Stanford wants you to be. The more details you can add, the more real you’ll seem. #2: Be Real Don’t worry about sounding impressive in your Stanford roommate essay. The admissions committee isn’t expecting every student to spend their time Googling strategies for world peace or outlining their best-selling novel, unless that’s what you’re actually doing. Don’t try to make yourself seem more important than you actually are (unless, of course, you are spending hours outlining your best-selling novel). If you try to make things up to sound better, you’ll come across as phony and insincere. The admissions committee would much rather read about the real you - the one who spent 20 hours capturing every nearby creature in Pokemon Go - than a made-up person who you think the admissions committee wants to see. #3: Proofread It should almost go without saying, but you want to make sure your Stanford roommate essay is the strongest example of your work possible. Before you turn in your Stanford application, make sure to edit and proofread your essays. Your work should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Make sure to run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit. It’s a good idea to have someone else read your Stanford roommate essay, too. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend. Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure you haven’t missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it possibly can be. Remember, even though your Stanford roommate essay should be fun, it still needs to be well-written. What’s Next? Wondering what a good SAT score is?Check out our post on how to set your goal scorebased on the schools you want to get into. Wondering what you should do to make your application stand out even more?Check out thisguide to four amazing extracurricular activitiesand learn why they're so important to colleges. Trying to decide between taking community college classes and AP classes? Wondering which one looks better on college applications? Readour guide for a complete overview of both. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now:

Victimology and Alternatives to the Traditional Justice System Essay

Victimology and Alternatives to the Traditional Justice System - Essay Example And these values would soon drastically increase if nothing would be done about it (Raspberry, 2003). The current justice system is basically grounded on retributive values wherein justice determines the crime or violation, then enjoins the victim, offender and the community to reach solutions of "repair, reconciliation and assurance" (Zehr, 1990;Walker, 2000). Anthropologist Ruth Benedict states that the emphasis of using shame or guilt to control social activities could be a way of categorizing cultures. Some Asian cultures like China and Japan are considered shame cultures in contrast to European and modern American cultures like the US which is said to be "guilt-based." To illustrate, traditional Japanese and Ancient Greek society put more importance to the social consequences of "getting caught" than the feelings of guilt of the offender ("Shame," 2006). The violation of shared opinions and expected behaviors causing the feeling of shame has proved to be efficient in guiding society's behavior. Shame is used against relational aggression and is considered effective in marriage, family and church settings. Also, it is used in the workplace as a form of covert social control ("Shame," 2006). Shame is considered as a pillar of punishment. ... This overwhelming feeling could prevent a person from ever committing the same offense. Thus, on these premises, shaming is believed to be helpful in crime prevention ("Shame," 2006). Victimology Victimology is a multi-disciplinary field covering sociology, psychology, criminal justice, law and advocacy, which identifies and explains how certain factors such as lifestyle affect the incidence of a crime. To cite an example, a "streetwalker" prostitute is very vulnerable to various risks of attacks. There is high incidence of violent crime which often is unresolved involving these people. Victimology then, in this case, may study the social background, legal status of prostitutes, living conditions and risk factors among others ("Victimology," 2006). This provides a better understanding of why crimes are committed and particularly puts some responsibility on the victim rather than simply pointing the blame to the offender. Crime is influenced by a lot of factors and the science of victimology impart the idea that a crime committed doesn't entirely revolve around the offender and his/her motives but may also be triggered by the victim. Restorative Justice Due to incompetence of the current justice system, restorative justice which began evolving around 15 years ago is seen as one alternative (Walker, 2000). The concept, which is presently recognized in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, is coupled with different practices like conferencing, sentencing circles and victim-offender mediation scheme. The repair of the harm caused by the crime may be achieved by holding moderated meetings with the victims, offenders and other parties affected. This practice can be used in the justice system as a

Assignment - Assistive Technology Plan Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

- Assistive Technology Plan - Assignment Example Research ability is limited due to his physical disability, and his performance in social science and liberal arts courses is below average. He has a need for more physical activity, but it has proven difficult to make this happen. Due to his lack of involvement in extra-curricular activities, James has a hard time making and maintaining strong relationships with his peers. He is easily angered and frustrated at not being to participate in some everyday activities, yet he appears to be losing the desire to do so altogether as well. His physical skills continue to deteriorate, as he does not exhibit much physical exertion at all during the normal course of a day. James has two older brothers and a caring mother and father at home. All indications are that the family structure provides a nurturing environment that has contributed greatly to James’ successes to this point. The older brothers have always assisted with James when they can and they spend a great deal of time with hi m, while being permitted to carry on with their daily lives independent of the family as well. Goals of the AT Plan: The Assistive Technology Plan for James involves providing him with devices that will assist his researching and writing skills moving forward. In addition, some devices should be considered that encourage James to become more physically active and more socially involved. Finally, the AT Plan will not neglect his current strengths in the fields of math and science and, as such, will include devices aimed at furthering his interest and ability to excel in these disciplines (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2011). . Materials and Methods Potential Barriers/Missed Opportunities AT Solutions Example: Printed textbook or worksheets Student with a visual impairment has difficulty seeing small text. This student would benefit from using a text-to-speech program, such as Kurzweil 3000 (http://www.kurzweiledu.com/k12.html) so that text can be converted to files and read aloud t o the student.   Further, the student could benefit from having an electronic magnifier for text-based resources used in the learning environment (Beard, Carpenter, & Johnston, 2011, p. 75). 1.Lab reports and mathematical formulas   Because James has difficult with mobility, it is often difficult for him to manipulate lab reports and math formulas to see what is expected of him. A device that magnifies visual aids to the point it is more accessible to James would be beneficial to him as he strives to continue to develop his math and science skills. 2.Reading social science and liberal arts materials, particularly when doing research Because it is not only difficult for James to hold reading material for long periods of time, it is also cumbersome for him to read large amounts of material on the computer, microfilm, or via another medium. There are devices that convert text to voice. This could prove beneficial to James so that once he finds material relevant to a particular topi c he is interested in researching, he can better focus his attention by listening to the text and taking notes as needed. This would eliminate his need to try to manipulate texts, the computer, or papers to suit his physical limitations. 3.   Computer Typing It is quite labor intensive for James to type. In addition, it is even more difficult for him

How Happy could Gay Men be in a Homophobic Society such as Ours Essay Example for Free

How Happy could Gay Men be in a Homophobic Society such as Ours Essay Homosexuality is no longer an undisclosed idea amongst us, and their existence in our society is no longer a question to be raised. As we know, they enter the same shops we visit every now and then; they ride the same buses and subways we catch; they walk the same streets we tread everyday; they breathe the same air we do, all for one apparent reason: they are no less human than any of us in this society could possibly be. Despite the common knowledge we all have about the existence of these people who suddenly came out from the box, it still raises different reactions from the crowd of the so called â€Å"normal people†Ã¢â‚¬â€as the society itself may refer to it. While others have learned to accept the given fact that there is a possibility of alteration to the socially set standard of normality, such as this one on the area of gender, there are still some who just couldn’t practice the act of coexistence with these so called â€Å"new breeds. There are still people who religiously believe that the defiance of the â€Å"norm† such as crossing from one gender to another is absolutely unacceptable. Given this reality, a lot of attempts have been made to somehow sway these people out of their enclosed bubbles. Even media, one of the most influential elements in our society, took a step further by recognizing the existence of gays and lesbians in their projects themed after differe nt slices of life—like the top notching series Will Grace, and the award-winning movie Philadelphia. With people’s warm embrace with the idea in moving pictures, it seemed no far from the possibility that they could, one way or another, welcome the idea in reality with open arms; the only question remaining is: how wide open could these people extend their arms based on what their televisions feed them? According to Marisa Conolly on her article entitled Homosexuality on Television: The Heterosexualization of Will Grace in Print Media, despite the television show Will Grace’s attempt to promote the â€Å"normality† of the existence of gay men in the society, the show wasn’t able to fully liberate the misunderstood bunch. Intentionally or not, certain limitations have been set by the said show, leaving unnecessary provisions among viewers which they could refer to in terms of classifying homosexuality unacceptable and acceptable for the public’s eyes. Generally, Will, one of the main characters of the said show who happens to play a part of a supposed homosexual, was somehow portrayed in a heterosexual manner; his mere association with Grace, a straight female character, shades the scene to a different color. Their supposed friendship was brought into a different heterosexual border of relationship, wherein platonic is brought into a twisted romantic angle—somehow portraying him caught in between the certainty of homosexuality and the tendency to lean on heterosexuality. Unfortunately, their possible interest to sell is totally negating the promotion of the other, thus making it more complicated for the viewers whether to absorb him as a subtle gay who simply seeks recognition, or as a male, in the middle of an identity crisis, still clinging on the idealism of heterosexuality through tricky dramatization of his relationship with a straight woman. The same idea was raised in the film Philadelphia by Jonathan Demme. On the said movie, instead weighing through the inconsistency of the perceived representation of character, the viewers are simply being caught in the middle of a life and death situation. Instead of making their viewers understand the real score within the extent of reality that the film itself is providing, they are subconsciously redefining pity as a substitute for this understanding. They have misused the forthcoming of death to the gay persona’s advantage by playing on it as if saying: â€Å"Hey, I am dying now of AIDS, and I am gay. Now that I will be leaving this mortal place soon, will you please have the compassion of accepting me for who I really am? † Personally, I don’t think that this is the proper way of educating the people because it is basically misleading. Though the two groups are closely knitted by its constant reception of seclusion from the society, it is unfair to define being gay no different from having AIDS. Being gay is not a deadly viral disease like AIDS; it is simply a way of life that is, more often than not, being misunderstood. Upon watching the film, I was left caught at the vagueness of Denzel Washington’s character. I thought at first that he will be the one responsible to set free Tom Hanks’ character, but by the end of the film, my hopes were dropped on the floor. His supposed homophobia, which I first thought will be the vital element he has as one of the lead character, somehow got lost in the latter part of the story. The issue tackled dealt mainly on Hanks’ viral illness and how most people generally react to it—giving the homosexuality issue, which is more widespread in reality, a weak standpoint. The common ground between the two different portrayals of gay men stated above is its tendency to seek for conditions before actually opening the idea of acceptance. For television sitcom Will Grace, they sought for a subtle way to conform with the â€Å"norms† by partially heterosexualizing the gay character, while for the movie Philadelphia, they played with emotions, most specifically guilt, by bringing into their attention that death is an uneventful future for the character. Basically, in their own particular ways, they are always looking for certain loop holes to pull off gayness acceptable—meaning gayness itself defines no reason to stand on its own. In this case, their uncritical viewers tend to get accustomed in looking for such passages before they actually accept certain circumstances, which unfortunately not every gay man has. In the end, publication of ideas and slices of life such as these only implies that as time passed by the society is still keeping its doors closed to the recognition of homosexuality’s existence. Again it only shows the greatest weakness that any society has: a fear of the â€Å"unordinary. † They are not exactly liberation but rather a form of deception in order to switch the attention of the critical public regarding their claim for ample recognition to homosexuals. None of these moving images placed a dot at the end of the statement â€Å"we accept homosexuality†; instead, they only made the issue more complex than ever by adding up the condition â€Å"if and only if† to the said declaration. If the shows themselves couldn’t accept the fact that gay men exist, how could their viewers do? I could give credit for the attempt pull out gays and lesbians from their malicious-satirical stereotype of simply being unpleasant, loud and mischievous, but still, that doesn’t make it enough for me. Compassion may be the best way to seek approval, but seeking proofs out of the ordinary and passing it off as the best solution is nothing but a substandard achievement. Homosexuality isn’t actually an issue seeking for a special treatment; that will be way too much for a goal now that it couldn’t even reach the approval of being lined up on the average level. All gays and lesbians need is the chance to be treated in a normal way—no more and no less than how people accept heterosexuals—where in they are not shoved away as if they are infectious beasts. Since media started this crooked representation of homosexuality on screen in the first place, I believe that they will be the only one who could correct this. Next time they produce best selling stories about homosexuals on their reels, they should try taking away those â€Å"special cases† that tend to sensationalize their stories—like exploring Will’s manly side as a gay man and Hanks’ incurable illness. If they want to represent gay men as part of the normal sector in our society, then they could probably represent them as simple as being another friendly neighbor from the block without a semi-romantic relationship with a straight female, but rather a nonchalant relationship with another man, or a successful lawyer who need not die at the end of the story just to gain recognition for his success as a lawyer; instead, he could just be another lawyer who saved the day—roles as simple as that, just like most heterosexuals portray. In that way, it will seem to be more realistic and fair for these people who usually live under the shadow of our judgmental society.

Artificial Intelligence Essay -- Essays Papers

Artificial Intelligence Research Paper Genesis, creation, the very beginning; from his inception, man has endeavored to control, to name, to create ultimately in his own image as he was created from God. Man forges his own destiny from the coals of his imagination and the raw iron of his will to create. His tools have changed as time has passed, but his desire, his fire to create; to change his world has not. Time and technology can temper mans creativity, but the desire burns as strong today as ever. Art, literature, and technology; be it paint, paper or steel mans creativity is manifest in everything we do. The crowning jewel for man will be to pass on that spark with which he has been entrusted, robotics, genetic engineering, and their ilk have been trying to create new life from the raw tools with which man is so proficient. It can be said that as Prometheus took fire from the heavens to give to man, so shall man give fire of another kind, and be it biological or made from the cold steel and silicon gateways through which we now travel man will at last, have his legacy. There is a caveat however, with knowledge comes change, with creation comes difference, and with difference comes fear, hatred and discrimination. People have forever shunned that which they do not understand, that which is different from the face they see in the mirror in the morning. Since initial forays into the AI field in 1950 there have been philosophical as well as technical concerns. As technology advanced and the concept of a machine that â€Å"thinks† became more and more plausible the philosophy became more apparent. The basic problem we are confronted with is: Can machines think? In his book entitled Philosophical perspectives in artificial intelligence, Martin Ringle calls for â€Å" a logical and semantic analysis of the concepts of ‘thought’, ‘intelligence’, ‘consciousness’, and ‘machine’, rather than an empirical assessment of computer behaviour† (hjhjh,999,2000). Thusly from its birthing AI has been regarded as an unknown, a concept that by its very name challenges nearly every norm and convention we have as individuals and as a society. Thusly because of its inherent alien nature artificial life will be subject to the same prejudices as race, gender and religion, once it is integrated into society and assumes roles associated with humans. As we vent... ...eality—a paradigm in which both human and computer share a real physical space within which to make hand gestures, facial displays, body movements, and real physical objects that can be passed back and forth between the real and virtual world† Scholars have long been trying to quantify the actual differences between â€Å"brain† and â€Å"mind† as well as the degree to which psychology can be converted into a physical science. Society as an entity seems unwilling to make leaps of judgment or significant paradigm shifts dealing with such concepts. The realms of the physical and the more nebulous sciences of the mind must for the time being remain separate. Once we begin to mesh technology more closely with ourselves as humans we can begin to accept it as a part of ourselves and as a part of our society. While today we do not possess the technology to achieve a truly sentient machine we cannot because of that speculate too deeply as to the results of such an achievement. The image of a cold â€Å"Terminator† style robot or perhaps HAL from 2001 is perhaps the exact opposite of the eventual reality. We cannot form opinions without the proper grounding in science, philosophy and indeed, ourselves.

Corporate Governance Exam Paper

Games Directors play While analysing the Reality of Boardroom we say many games and tactics often employed by directors so that they don’t lose power. Some such games were alliance, coalition, lobbying, scaremongering, log rolling etc. Here also majority of BOD were near and dear ones of Bright so everybody chose to stay quiet about what is going on. Under-reserving Like we say in the HLL case under-reserving is a tactic used by firms but in the long run it cant stop companies from collapsing. Role of independent directors The question Are independent directors really independent has been topic of debate for ages.In the case the role played by independent directors is insignificant. Also it is questionable whether independent directors were present and in the number advised by law or not. Audit Committee The case talks about KPMG and the arguable role it played but what about the audit committee, was it existent, if so how was it functioning. Its composition and leadership nee ds attention. Manipulation Most of the cases of accounting frauds, falsifying records, deceiving shareholders and bankruptcy rest upon the manipulation of the balance sheet and the tactics used to fudge the data.Ex: Enron The company needs to take inspiration from firms like GSK, Infy, and tata which serve as examples of good CG. GSK * Chairman of board is independent director along with 5 others in in board. Transparency is valued Infosys * Creating wealth legally and ethically Tata * One of the giants and still fascinating governance * In sync with the values * Very elaborate code of conduct Board composition and structure One of the major flaw ways in the board structure is everyone was quiet about the rising storm dominated by power and status of Bright.There should be some independent directors with ability to question the acts and deeds and the following structures are recommended. European Two Tier model Shareholders Supervisory board Executive board Management Employees and staff The supervisory board overlooks functions of executive board and can question and alter the function This model is preferred over unitary board. Chinese model Here we see the presence of the state as a whole also takes society into account along with shareholders Board Leadership One of the major causes of the downfall was the role played by Bright.He was forceful and rigid and thus not a true leader. The features desired for a leader are: Integrity The ability to differentiate between right and wrong and govern in a manner that it is morally correct and sustainable Independence The board was like a dummy/puppet with no or very less degree of independence Intellect The creativity must not come out in form of manipulation and fraud but the betterment of the firm Character He must be ethical and strong character Personality A leader must be flexible and open to new ideas and suggestions. The personality is the holistic perspective.Communication skills, good listener, motivator e tc. Board level information Desired CG was not in place and there was no clear information pathway. The board did not check or authenticate the actions. Control systems The case clearly shows violation of many acts and laws. The board was not conforming to the supervisory work. The control system was not in place. Auditors at fault: In cases like Enron and worldcom it has been seen that the external auditors are able to flee away leaving the company in distress. Usually there are tie ups between management and auditors, some internal settlement that leads to uch actions. Role of internal audit committee is arguable. The company should have gone to auditors like Delloitte who are reliable and tested. Risks that should be considered – Financial risk. Operational, compliance, Business Four aspects of CG Internal control, risk management, behavioural governance, independence Sarbax – oxley act This is one of the landmark acts that came in 2002 after Enron and Worldcomm It says criminal and civil penalties for compliances and accounting frauds, certificate for internal audits and annual report is to submitted by all public and private listed companies.Also introduce PCAOBA (Public company accounting oversight board of America) Was criticized for high cost of compliance CG is a process by which companies are directed and controlled Many attempts have been made to define CG and this one by Cadbury is one of the most comprehensive . Cadbury’s definition – â€Å"Corporate governance is the system by which companies are directed and controlled. The boards of directors are responsible for the governance of their companies. The shareholder’s role in governance is to appoint the directors and the auditors to satisfy themselves that an appropriate governance structure is in place.The responsibilities of the board include setting the company’s strategic aims, providing the leadership to put them into effect, supervising the manageme nt of the business and reporting to shareholders on their stewardship. The board’s actions are subject to laws, regulations and the shareholders in general meeting. † Mike and Minnow: Corporate Governance is a process of governing and directing the performance of any company and the major actors involved are directors, management, society and shareholders CG is basically to overlook, monitor, control and direct the functioning of the management.For this we have BOD and the code of conduct. Some acts, laws and norms facilitate this process of governance. Scope from least to highest Society Media and Press Shareholders Regulatory bodies Contractual Stakeholders Auditors Governance and Management (Diagram) As it is clear that the scope of CG is very wide. It is crucial that CG is acceptable and answerable to many. Functions of the board Majorly there are four functions of the board depending upon the conformity to past or existing and the performance expected for future.Th e four functions are accountability, strategy formulation, supervising and monitoring and policy making Matrix The accountability along with monitoring and supervising is the conformance part i. e. to past or existing situation. The policy making and strategy formulation comes under the performance part with focus on future value. Usually it is seen that independent directors are forced to conformance because they only understand what is going on. Strategic Formulation * This is the most crucial step of governance There must be shared view according to which governance and management abide * It involves SWOT, PEST, Porter analysis and asking of crucial questions of long term strategic importance * It is important to have helicopter vision balanced of long and short term * San Tzu â€Å"Think the mind alike of your enemy† Policy making * This comes from the strategic formulation * Policies are rules, regulation and procedures that must be followed and abided Supervision & moni toring This is the conformance part to check that everything is happening as per the policies and rules or not Accountability * Accountability is to have proper system wherein respective people are accountable for any error or aberration * Only the top management is not accountable but usually is held responsible. Normative: How board thinks directors should spend their time How directors actually do spend their time Relation between functions Strategy formulation Policy making supervision and monitoring Accountability Roles: Agents and Stewards Agency theoryPrincipal shareholders contract with agents seek self interest It says that it is not possible that agents take care of other money with as much vigilance of vow. They seek personal interest and detrimental effect on shareholders Stewardship theory Owners chose and elect stewards(directors) who play the role of stewards Contrary to agency theory it says owners vest their trust in directors who act as stewards of shareholders mon ey. Along with the board the following roles are performed by the director Managing the board Managing the meeting Strategic leadership Cooperation between board and management Company’s face to publicBy means of all these functions and roles the board makes an effort towards fair and equitable distribution of profit, ethical governance of firm and deters any unethical behaviour It lays clear rules, norms, laws and code of conduct to facilitate governance Maxwell communication 1991 – Risky acquisition using pension funds leading to bankruptcy Bank of credit and commerce international Cadbury report 1992 – best practices suggested How to implement it? For a company to enter in stockmarket it has to that it follows Cadbury suggestions Corporate governance is directly related to market valuation of a company.Better managed companies are valued more. Enron failure 2001 – faulty accounting policies; creation of special purpose entities to conceal losses; exces sive executive compensation Worldcom 2002 – The BOD did not oppose the ambitious investment of Worldcom in fiber optic cables and infrastructure to become a market leader (a short term goal). This led to huge losses when the boom for dot com ended. Measures to check such scenarios * Make BOD accountable to stakeholders * Make changes in structure * Clearly explain the responsibilities of Board Make them active board – in giving a leadership to the company * Make the BOD to meet more frequently – listed company at least 4 times a year * Lay down an agenda about what must be discussed Placing constraints, checks on management power including the CEO Eg: SKF micro finance – CEO was sacked as he is no good There should be separation of position of chairman and CEO Ensuring a sound system of internal control and proper disclosure of financial information and executive compensation Auditors are continuing from 20 years Approaches to strengthen the CG 002 â€⠀œ there was a proposal to change companies act 1956 2012 – the bill was proposed in loksabha Very lengthy process to make a law But then one law for all companies reduces flexibility In 1998 CII appointed a committee under Rahul bajaj to create guidelines for cg which is only voluntary. Only 0. 1% adopted them. Voluntary Purely legal approach Cg code Code – a set of practices, guidelines which are expected to be followed by the companies 2 approaches for cg code 1) Principle based – lay down broad principles; comply or explain principles link it with listing.Make the companies which are not adopting explain why they are not adopting 2) Rule based approach – comply or get prosecuted; in extreme cases companies are delisted. But then the shareholders are effected. Rule based approach is rigidity. The companies will try to outsmart the rules if they are rigid. Eg: BJP chief Nitin Gadkari driver was shown as a director in a company. The directors get huge mo ney for just attending 4 meetings, so they agree with whatever the companies say to earn easy money or else they would be removed from the board.CG in India * The issue of CG has come up mainly in the wake up economic reforms characterized by liberalization, privitization and globalization. * The way foreign investments is CG * The last point in previous year * SEBI committee on CG headed by SHri Kumara Mangalam Birla submitted its report in Feb 2000 * Clause 49 in listing agreement with stock exchanges made it mandatory for companies to follow recommendations by Kumara M B committee * Then Naresh Chandra committee is appointed by the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Indian Code Inspired by Cadbury code, 1992 * CII code – 1998 (voluntary compliance could not make much difference) Implementation 2005 – all the companies above 3 crore revenues Audit committee * As an interface between the board and auditors atleast 3 members (NED) majority of independent dire ctors * Looks after all the activities related to auditors i. e. appointment of reappointement of auditors * Reviewing of internal reports * Audit committee must meet 4 times a year * Gap should not be more than 4 months Disclosures Management discussions and analysis report * Related party transactions * Remuneration to NEDs Clause 49 Case of satyam First biggest and most shocking scam involving †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Modus operandi of the scam * Super user login to some employees * Entering fake invoices * Boost revenues and profits * Falsified bank statements * Falsified interest income Role of board in satyam’s case Overlooking the reports The board said ok to all proposals by raju to direct funds to acquire lands in hyd Directors had a salary of rs 12 lakh annually

Formula 1 Constructor – Choose a Team – Ferrari

The resources, capabilities and attributes that are required for the success in Formula One (F1) can be looked on a number of dimensions taking into consideration the unique and fast paced context of Formula One. F1 is a highly competitive industry and based in a rapidly changing environment, which has been defined by Porter’s five forces (Appendix One). Key resources within F1 are both tangible and intangible and can be considered under the following broad categories: Physical Resources: The car and its components such as engines and chassis are vital resources but the technological advancement determines its ability to win races.Test Tracks are also vital physical resources both in the competitive context and in the ability to test cars, the location of such tracks may also be an important factor. Own testing and development equipment is also important for technological advancement and knowledge gain. Factories are also an important physical resource for constructors. Financ ial Resources: High start up costs and continued running costs involved with the sport, result in the need for high capital investment, for example a medium sized constructor needs ? 30-? 50 million capital investment as a basis for being competitive.The majority of team finance is generated through sponsorship – a lucrative sponsorship deal can help improve a team’s level of performance through cash injection alone. Fans are a huge resource for the sport as they act as a huge funding society for Formula One. At present tickets cost upwards of ? 330 per race and for VIP access ? 1700. Revenue is also provided by prize money from winning championship points and through shareholders within each constructor. Human Resources: Team Principles are an important aspect to every constructor.Initially, teams were managed by the founders themselves, but as time has moved on the emphasis has shifted to managers and their ability to run the team in a business manner. The intangible resource of their skills and knowledge is incredibly important in F1 due to the highly competitive environment. For success a team needs a certain level of experience and expertise, either built up over time or recruited from elsewhere. To gather this expertise is expensive and requires investment in personnel as well as technology. Such gains are provided by the knowledge from other important employees including designers, engineers and drivers. Another crucial factor is the motivation to carry-through the bright idea into detailed implementation† (Cross and Clayburn Cross). Drivers are a key human resource; important attributes of a driver include the ability to drive fast, think strategically while racing on the track, good communication skills, and motivational skills. Intellectual Capital: Although patents are not allowed in F1, other intellectual capital includes the constructors brand and reputation – largely used to gain finances. A key brand in F1 is the Maran ello Red used by Ferrari.Complex business systems are required by F1 teams for managing the large amount of data that flows in the organisation. These resources will not reach their potential purely from existence, the way in which they are managed, used or deployed is essential in understanding strategic capability. See Appendix Two for example of resources and the competencies gained. To be on the F1 grid and compete in the market, capabilities gained through the above resources must reach the threshold level. The F1 constructors generally function at the peak of resource utilisation and, therefore, manage resources very efficiently.Hence, almost every resource that becomes a capability for competitive advantage is converted into a competency for competitive advantage. Internal strategic capability allows for successful strategy and is required for survival and success (Johnson et al, 1998). To gain competitive advantage involves adjustment of capabilities, for example acquiring m ajor improvements and advancements in attributes such as technology and from the creation of new opportunities. Stretching and exploiting capabilities in such a way that competitors cannot imitate, results in them becoming a rarity and providing competitive advantage.Though such advantageous technological strategic capabilities have been required by constructors for competitive advantage, they have also become been a pivotal factor for the introduction of increased legislation designed to reduce uncertainty and increase competition, such as the introduction of generic tyres. The factors responsible for the success of the teams in their respective periods of dominance can be considered through analysis of the organisations core competencies, a form of competitive advantage which s usually a result of â€Å"collective learning processes† and are manifested in business and activities and processes. The core competencies are those unique capabilities, which usually span over mult iple products or markets. † (Hafeez 2002). Ferrari’s dominance in the mid 1970’s Much of Ferrari’s success during the period of the mid-1970’s can be attributed to the ability to build their race cars at the Maranello site without the need to outsource for component parts.This created centralisation of knowledge and expertise, thus the ability to transfer knowledge between departments without leakage. When Ferrari sold 40% of the company to Fiat, in 1969, providing huge cash injection thus acquiring the Fiorano test track allowing them to test the change in any aspect of the car on the track and observe real time results. This gave a competitive advantage through testing technology and making changes faster than their opponents. This led to the creation of a team dedicated to engine design and development.A much needed management discipline was also imposed upon the organisation with the appointment of Luca di Montezemolo as team principal in 1974. Luca restructured the management, added focus to the organisation, and enabled the team to reach its collective potential. Montezemolo defined strict areas of responsibility in order to reduce the amount of interference and internal politics. In 1973, along with the arrival of Mauro Forghieri as the technical director, Niki Lauda was recruited. He provided the team with driving skills and racing experience. McLaren’s domination in the late-1980sMcLaren’s domination can be attributed largely to the culture created under Ron Dennis’ leadership and the recruitment of personnel matching this culture. Dennis’ obsessive attention to detail coupled with John Barnard’s ‘technical excellence’ created an atmosphere where new ideas and innovations in technology could thrive. Consequently, McLaren differentiated themselves from other Formula One teams by taking bold steps into unchartered territories both in their strategy and their design of cars , for example by using carbon fibre instead of metal for the chassis of their successful MP4 car.Prahalad and Hamel (1989: Page 64) argue that gaining leadership in any given industry requires a ‘strategic intent’ to guide operational direction and its resource allocations. For example, when Canon sought to ‘beat Xerox’ in the photocopier industry, it was able to do so over a period of years by incrementally attacking all of Xerox’s ‘loose bricks’, the criteria left unfulfilled by its competitors. Similarly, Ron Dennis built an ‘intent’ of having the ‘smartest and the best presented car’ in Formula One despite the risks of failing in its races.This attitude evidently became entrenched in the whole organisation as the element of fear was removed, helping McLaren achieve success even after Barnard’s departure. Although many strategists argue that a company’s core competence cannot be derived from a s ingle person, Tampoe (1994: Page 69) argues that a leader with a personal core competence such as a ‘strong vision and enormous energy to expand’ can help an organisation sustain competitive advantage. Ron Dennis, with his perfectionism and ‘legendary’ marketing and management abilities, was considered by many the best manager in sports.McLaren’s core competence, therefore, appears to have been Ron Dennis’ vision and his skills through which McLaren won 15 out of 16 races in 1988. Tampoe’s (1994) model for ‘Market Survival Strategy’, shown below in Figure 1, explains how companies competing with their core competencies can gain higher competitive advantage. Figure 1: Tampoe (1994): Market Survival Strategy Patents Low High Profit Low Competitive Advantage High Competitor Response Hard Easy New Product Know How Sources of Market StrengthPrice Place Core Competence Tampoe (1994) shows that competing on the basis of lower cost s and technical know-how is easier for competitors to imitate. As patents are not allowed in F1, teams need to compete on the basis of their core competencies to sustain their competitive advantage. Dennis’ abilities could not be imitated or substituted by McLaren’s competitors as he achieved success by synthesising McLaren’s budget, designers, engine, drivers, and sponsors to create a perfect ‘overall package’.McLaren achieved success on the race track through an overall strategy that was invisible to its competitors. This included long term partnerships with sponsors such as Marlboro and TAG, a design team led by John Barnard, and possibly the best management in sports. These core competences are evident as Dennis applied them successfully in other areas including a marketing consultancy operation to help smaller teams find sponsors, while also launching the McLaren F1, the world’s most expensive and fastest road going car.McLaren’s sponsorship partnership with Marlboro cigarettes, lasting 22 years, was particularly helpful as Marlboro were responsible for Ron Dennis’ recruitment when McLaren were struggling against their competitors. Furthermore, McLaren’s relationship with Honda was a key reason for success as the engine makers had recently split from rival constructor Williams and had some of the most talented engineers and expertise. This relationship produced the MP4, Honda powered car which became the most reliable and fastest car on the track in 1988.William’s success in the mid-1990s Perhaps the most important factor in the success of Williams during this period was the relationship between Frank Williams, the founder and owner, and Patrick Head, the designer. The partnership provided the combination of â€Å"entrepreneurial energy and technical excellence needed to succeed in F1†. Williams’ autocratic and frugal approach, paired with Head’s ability to develop g ood ideas, led to the team becoming leader of the â€Å"technical revolution† during the 1990’s.This long standing relationship is unique to a sport where personnel changes frequently, and gave stability to the organisation leading the team to gain its competitive edge. Another key partnership leading to Williams’ success during this period was with the engine supplier Renault, lasting 10 years. Its success led to the development of the Williams FW15 and FW16 cars powered by the Renault V10 engine, still widely regarded to be the most technologically advanced car of the time. It assisted in the team winning 56% of their races between 1992 and 1994, as well as winning the constructors title in 3 consecutive years.Ferrari’s return to winning ways from 1999-2003 Since Ferrari’s success in the mid 1970’s, much change led to a move towards revamping the management, technical department and design development. Appointing British technical director John Barnard led to a change in attitude of the organisation as they were now prepared to imitate the British constructors with a base in Britain. Luca Di Montezemolo, team manager of Ferrari during their dominance in the mid 1970’s, returned as CEO in 1993 to restore Ferrari’s dominance. Jean Todt was appointed to handle the overall management of the team.After Barnard left in 1996 the role left was split up between Rory Bryne and Ross Brawn, and between them they built a new design department based in Italy. Ferrari entered into a commercial partnership in 1996 with tobacco company Marlboro. Phillip Morris, in charge of the Marlboro brand, agreed to pay for the team driver’s, Michael Schumacher’s, salary. They also made a contribution to Ferrari’s annual operating budget. In Schumacher, Ferrari had one of the best drivers in the business, who was able to lead them to success.Schumacher was not only a talented driver, but also a motivator with th e ability to communicate effectively with the team, demonstrated by learning Japanese to communicate with an engine technician recruited from Honda. The change in Ferrari as a constructor is evident. Jeremy Clarkson, a well know auto-journalist, documented this fact: ‘In the olden days they (Ferrari) used to build their cars with a lot of passion and enthusiasm. And then, on lap 3, as often as not, they would explode in a passionate and enthusiastic fireball.But a few years ago they started building their racing cars with science and math and since then, as we know, they’ve been top of the tree’. Reasons for failure Ferrari Ferrari, unlike other competitors in F1, made all parts of their car, including the engine, themselves. Although, this resulted in huge success during the mid 1970s, Ferrari’s uniqueness was also the reason behind their failure. Ferrari’s failure due to technological negligence can be explained using the Quantum Hypothesis: 1. Th e pursuit of efficiency increases internal consistency and cohesion. Ferrari had developed a unique engine-gearbox combination using their ‘flat-12’ engine and a transverse gearbox and applied it in their 312T series of F1 cars. Ferrari chose to develop this combination further and with this revolutionary configuration they were able to stay ahead of the competition from 1975 to 1979, winning the constructor’s title in 1975–1977 and 1979. 2. Overtime, configurations ‘change to adapt’ OR alternatively, match poorly with the environment as it changes (the overtly cohesive ones). * In 1980, new innovations in the aerodynamics brought the ‘ground effect’ revolution.This was developed by Lotus and quickly adopted by Williams and Brabham, but Ferrari was not able to adopt this new technology as their engine design was different. 3. Overtly cohesive configurations resist change for as long as possible. * When the ‘ground effectâ₠¬â„¢ technology was developed, Ferrari knew that their cars would not be competent enough to keep up. Instead of finding a way of incorporating the new technology in their current cars, they chose to concentrate on a longer term project of developing a V6 turbocharged engine.In essence, Ferrari made a crucial trade-off between the current and the future plans. 4. When such configurations change it tends to be sudden and relatively rapid (and often painful). * Although the change for Ferrari was neither sudden nor rapid, it was quite painful. When Ferrari did eventually come out with their new car sporting a V6 turbocharged engine and employing the ‘ground effect’ technology, it was perhaps too late. Ferrari was not able to win a single driver’s championship between 1980-1999, and didn’t win a constructor’s championship between 1984-1998.In Ferrari’s case, the flow of the stages of the Quantum Hypothesis can be easily seen. Ferrari was overtly cohesive and resisted change in 1978 when the ‘ground effect’ technology was developed. Enzo Ferrari’s autocratic leadership style lead to a political environment, causing rivalry and confusion. Good management is of paramount importance in any industrial context and this was proved by the turnaround in Ferrari’s fortunes achieved by Luca di Montezemolo’s restructuring. Furthermore, in 1977, Niki Lauda ended his partnership with Ferrari.This was a major blow for the team as Lauda had the ability to translate what he wanted in the car to the technical team. Reasons for failure McLaren McLaren’s main reason for failure came when Honda pulled out of F1 racing in 1992. Ron Dennis failed to respond to widespread speculation that Honda would be leaving. Due to such failure, Ayrton Senna left McLaren for Williams, taking with him his great ability to motivate designers with valuable feedback. McLaren seemed to have lost their focus on their carâ₠¬â„¢s design, evident in 1995 as both their drivers failed to fit in the new ? 0 million MP4/10, ultimately leading to Nigel Mansell’s departure. Other reasons for failure include the departure of John Barnard, whose presence was seen by many as the reason behind their developing dominance. Despite their poor relationship, the partnership between Dennis and Barnard had been highly successful and held potential for even greater success had it been sustained for a longer period. Another relationship problem leading to failure was the fierce rivalry between two highly competitive drivers, Prost and Senna.This could be attributed to the fact that, rather than applying the usual team ethics of having primary and secondary drivers to support each other, McLaren recruited two top drivers and did not give either driver ‘first’ priority. This left both drivers competing for top position, causing friction within the team even when it had the best car in the sport, the Hond a MP4. Notably, McLaren were able to sustain their success by substituting John Barnard with Gordon Murray, and McLaren’s success was not greatly affected by Prost and Senna’s conflict.Therefore arguable the only factor that led to their complete failure was the lack of a contingency plan for the departure of Honda. Reason for failure Williams The Williams team’s failures, like McLaren’s, show the bargaining power of engine suppliers and drivers, as well as talented designers in the F1 industry, proving to some extent that Ferrari had a degree of advantage by producing their own engines, despite the technical issues. In 1988, Honda’s departure from Williams, like their departure from McLaren left the team reliant on off-the-shelf engines, leading to the departure of their main driver, Nigel Mansell.The importance of a good driver was signified during the early 1990’s as Williams went from winning only two races in 1990 to dominating the race s in 1992 after the return of Nigel Mansell. However, the Williams team remained steadfast in their belief that the driver was not as important as the car’s design process, despite the valuable contributions a good driver can make towards this process. Placing a lack of importance on the driver, as well as the ‘masculine’ approach of Frank Williams led to many successful drivers leaving the team.Due to their technologically competitive car, Williams retained their constructor’s title in 1994 despite Ayrton Senna’s death. With only a more advanced car, Williams’ competitors were soon able to catch up as Benetton used the expertise of Ross Brawn, formerly a junior designer at Williams, to design a car replicating the innovations from Williams. There have been instances in Williams of their knowledge being transferred to competitors as their employees left to join other teams.This shows a fracture in the culture of the team with little sense of belonging. Furthermore, Renault, ambitious in becoming a top engine supplier in F1, had decided to supply Benetton with engines as well, and therefore, by pairing a similar car with a better driver in the form of Michael Schumacher, Benetton were able to break Williams’ three year domination period in the sport by leaving them with no unique competitive advantages. Proposed strategies for maintenance of dominance of each constructor Ferrari: The Crescendo Model of RejuvenationFerrari was a team driven by the ambitions of one man – Enzo Ferrari, when Luca di Montezemolo was appointed the opportunity to rejuvenate should have been taken due to several important signals: * Even after the considerable cash injection by Fiat, the team had not been able to perform very well. * Enzo considered the most important part of the car to be the engine almost neglecting the importance of other parts. * Enzo’s autocratic style of ‘divide and rule’ had created much confusion and rivalry within the team. There was a huge supply of talent at Ferrari and it had not always reached its collective potential, mainly due to Enzo’s management style. There was clearly the need to start a fresh and Montezemolo had this opportunity when he joined the team along with technical director, Mauro Forghieri, and a new team driver, Niki Lauda. Baden-Fuller and Stopford (1994) argue that the obvious thing to do at the start of a rejuvenation process is to establish measures that heighten the sense of urgency to deal with emergent problems before they become serious.Luca could see the problem, which is why he made some managerial changes in the way the departments interact, but was not able to make the problem evident on a broader scale. It can be argued that if Montezemolo had realised the team needed an organisational turn-around and would have started a rejuvenation process, using the Crescendo Model, the team could have started the 1974 season with an a lternative strategy and would have been able to sustain its period of dominance by adopting the ‘ground-effect’ technology in 1978.This process had to be initiated by Montezemolo as â€Å"Rejuvenating a mature organisation is impossible without commitment from the top† (Baden-Fuller & Stopford, 1994). This eventually took place, but at a much later stage in 1992 when Montezemolo was called back to Ferrari as a CEO, to take Ferrari to the top again. SECI – Strategic Knowledge Creation Recent work by Chou and Te (2004) sought to empirically test the roles of knowledge assets in the promotion of SECI outcomes, finding some support for hypotheses which asserts the presence of knowledge assets.For example organisational routines which can have a strong impact on certain SECI outcomes. Such a model can be transferable to Ferrari. In 1978, after the launch of the revolutionary ‘ground-effect’, Ferrari should have started a SECI (Strategic Knowledge C reation) within different departments, particularly in the engine development department. Discussion of the possible solutions to overcome the threat posed by the new ‘ground effect’ technology and the ways of quick implementation, without disrupting undergoing future developments was essential.The managerial implications of such knowledge in a new climate of learning and innovation required collaborative learning and task sharing. Vital questions such as: How great a threat does the new technology pose? should we adopt it? , and if so, in what context? needed to be considered. Ferrari should scrutinize their own motive force mechanism on the basis of defining its objectives, not only considering the intended results but also setting up colony incentive mechanisms to strengthen corporate cohesion. It must be realised that unlike competitive environment within the team, all members should strive towards the same goal, to win the races. Ferrari’s success is gained through their ‘team’ culture and therefore such knowledge transfer may be deemed easier to extract in this environment. The authors of this assignment argue that the transfer of SECI principals to Ferrari are suitable to not only change the team dynamics but also create knowledge that may be turned into suitable technology (Wei, 2007). Introduction of a Project OrientationFollowing the knowledge creation process, knowledge development is needed; it would benefit Ferrari to assign a small team of engineers to the same task – more like a project. The main advantage of adopting a project orientation in this matter is that with this method no major changes need to be introduced in the management of the team. If a separate team is assigned for this aim, then the current developments are not disrupted. This newly assigned project would come under the category of an ERD project (Exploratory R&D project) as the main objective would be to find a way to improve the current technology at Ferrari to remain competitive.The only possible conflict could be the common resources, solved by giving the project team a clear preference in the need to regain competitive edge, and the project team is dedicated solely to accomplish that objective. It is important to note the need for SECI and Logical Incrementalism within the project team as well. Quinn (1978) argues that ‘Logical Incrementalism allows organisational actors to modify the idea behind the reorganisation as more is learned’, hence, giving the option of developing a flexible platform for the project team to work on. McLaren:McLaren’s core competences, as mentioned earlier, lay in Ron Dennis’ management abilities as a leader and his success in fulfilling all necessary criteria to create a perfect ‘overall package’. McLaren had all the components, such as good designers, drivers, and sponsors required to sustain competitive advantage. According to Mintzberg (1978) , organisations need to have a ‘peripheral vision’ to achieve strategic learning not only from their competitors’ successes but also their failures. McLaren’s failure resulted from absence of a contingency plan and lack of strategic learning rom the Williams team, who suffered similar experiences with Honda’s departure. The Deliberate-Emergent Pendulum Due to Honda’s departure, McLaren’s intended strategy to compete in partnership with Honda as an engine supplier was unrealized in 1992. Although an emergent strategy did come about in a successful partnership with Mercedes, it was three years too late. McLaren had lost not only their dominance in F1 but also their main driver, Senna. Dennis could have sustained McLaren’s domination by planning prior to Honda’s departure, creating an emergent strategy involving a different engine supplier.This is demonstrated in Figure 2. Figure 2 Intended-realised strategies by Mintzberg ( 1978) Unrealized Strategy Emergent Strategy Realised Strategy Intended Strategy Deliberate Strategy McLaren’s partnership with Mercedes has been highly successful but could have been achieved earlier, avoiding the organisational inertia following Honda’s departure. Mercedes has made a substantial investment in McLaren, acquiring 40% equity, tying them into the alliance, showing that McLaren learnt from their experience with Honda by negotiating a more secure alliance.An approach that may have better managed McLaren’s success was the relationship between Barnard and Dennis which, despite its success, was not maintained. Ikujiro Nonaka (1998) writes about the concept of ‘Ba’, a shared place for emerging relationships. The space is described as being physical or mental or any combination of the two. The most important differentiator of ‘Ba’ from ordinary human interaction is the platform provided to enhance both individual and collective k nowledge.The relationship between team principle Ron Dennis and John Barnard provided an environment that would lend itself well to the creation and sharing of tacit knowledge. Williams: According to Voelpel et al. (2005) the Red Queen effect, as coined from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, is essentially: â€Å"a comfort trap† where â€Å"running harder is easier to do, it is of an analytic-benchmark nature, it shows short-term success and is less risky in the near horizon, but ultimately holds long term downfall. † The Red Queen effect illustrates that in Williams’ case the organisation walked into a dead-end which moved them faster to failure.They just worked harder to improve traditional industry and organisation success factors rather than looking outside their core competencies. The need for management at a strategic level was to be creative and come up with new strategies to challenge their core competencies. According to Voelpel et al. (2005) â€Å"reinventing old ways, will provide a wide range of options to choose from in dealing with the uncertainty of the environment. † Whilst the industry is a closed environment in terms of technological revolutions, continuous development will push industry boundaries and help keep the organisation on top.Had Williams analysed their business model, they could potentially have moved away from being design led (their core competency) to focus on areas of the organisation in need of improvement and development, whilst still making the technological advancements and improvements that led their dominance initially. Voelpel et al. (2005) provide a practical sense-testing tool for developing and adapting new business models to avoid the traps of the Red Queen principle. According to the theory, a comprehensive and cohesive understanding of a business model and its key elements can provide an important source of sustainable competitive advantage.Figure 2 shows that there are four se nse testing dimensions displayed as: business System infrastructure, technology, customers, and economics/profitability. By analysing the different components of their business model from the four elements, management can determine the feasible business models that possess acceptable success probabilities. Applying this tool would have helped to sustain Williams’ advantage by encouraging development of the organisation outside of their core competencies.Figure 3: Business Model Reinvention by Voelpel, S. (2005) With regards to a business model, a clear understanding of the nature of the business and its core competencies creates a situation where change and development can take place. The sense-testing tool helps companies grasp the concept of adapting and creating business models for strategic inflection, enabling managers to discern where competitive advantage could be achieved and eventually leading to the constructor prolonging their period of dominance.Williams’ c ompetitors imitated aspects of their race car design realising the advantages that a Renault powered engine had in gaining a competitive advantage. Barney (1991) suggests that a firm should aim to have â€Å"causal ambiguity when the link between the resources controlled by a firm and a firm’s sustained competitive advantage is not understood or understood only very imperfectly. † The competition should, in an ideal situation, find it difficult to duplicate a successful firm’s strategies through imitation of its resources, it should be impossible to know which resource is giving a constructor the advantage.According to Barney (1991), Williams’ competitive advantage was not sustained because their methods could be duplicated due to their competitors realising the link between the resource and its advantages enabling them to acquire the same resources taking away Williams’ competitive advantage. Knowledge Management When talking about Knowledge Manag ement (KM) Satyadas at al. (2001) argue that there are challenges in the â€Å"people† aspect of KM outlining several factors that make up these challenges. In the case of Williams, the most disruptive element of knowledge retention is the affinity and sense of attachment felt towards the organisation.A lot of talent departed Williams, which shows the lack of affinity towards the organisation held among the employees. â€Å"Concerns around intellectual capital in a highly competitive environment need to be balanced with social capital benefits. † (Satyadas et al. 2001). Perhaps Williams was not able to provide these social capital benefits which ties in with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Appendix Three), Williams might not have been able to satisfy the higher level needs and therefore, their employees tried to fulfil these needs with other teams.The suggested solution for Williams would be to modernise their management style and steer away from the current autocr atic style. There is a need for a more democratic management style – where the manager allows the employees to take part in decision-making: therefore everything is agreed by the majority, making the employees feel more valued and bringing a sense of belonging to the team. The Future Ferrari won 5 consecutive championships from 1999 – 2004. Schumacher played an important role towards Ferrari’s success.Hence he has been brought back as Jean Todt’s assistant linking to knowledge retention. In 2007, Ferrari returned to top form by winning both the drivers and constructors championship. McLaren has evolved as a business by applying their core competences in marketing and technical excellence successfully. They have gained finances from Abu Dhabi and Bahrain governments, along with sponsorship from Vodafone among others. McLaren has also developed an Electronic Control Unit that has been deemed mandatory by the FIA to be used by all other constructors for the 2008 season.Recent news speculates the retirement of Ron Dennis with Martin Whitmarsh, current CEO of McLaren, as his replacement (Appendix Four). It will be interesting to see if McLaren retain the successful culture created by Ron Dennis. In 2005, Williams had to rely on off-the-shelf engines once again, when BMW, their engine suppliers, created their own team. This shows that Williams failed to learn from their experiences with Honda and Renault, repeating the same mistake for the third time. This can be attributed to a lack of managerial focus and the inertia to change.While other teams are being managed by professionals, Williams has stuck with its orthodox ways, a major factor for Williams’ poor performance. In 2007, Williams ranked 4th in the constructor’s championship, no longer being a threat to McLaren and Ferrari. References Journals Baden-Fuller & Stopford (1994) The Crescendo Model of Rejuvenation from rejuventing the Mature Business. Harvard Business Scho ol Press [In MLQG: pp. 189] Barney, J. (1991) Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage, Journal of management, Volume 17. Constantinides, E. 2006) From strategy to e-strategy: Lessons from two success stories, handbook of business strategy, Emerald Group publishing limited. Cross, N. Clayburn Cross, A. (1996) Winning by design: the methods of Gordon Murray, racing car design, Design Studies, Volume 17, number 1. Hafeez, K. Zhang, Y. Malak, N. (2002) Core competence for sustainable competitive advantage: A structures methodology for identifying core competence. IEEE transactions on engineering management, Volume 49, Number 1. Hamel G and Prahalad C K, Strategic Intent, Harvard Business Review, Vol 67, No 3, 1989, pp 63-78.Heracleous, L. (2002) The contribution of a discursive view of understanding and managing organisational change, Strategic change, John Wiley and Sons Limited. Jenkins, M. And Floyd, S. (2001) Trajectories in the Evolution of Technology: A Multi-Level Stud y of Competition in Formula 1 Racing, Organization Studies, 22 (6) pp. 945-969 Lampel, J. , and Jha, P. P. (2004) Models of Project Orientation in multi-project organisations, The Wiley Project Management Resource Book, (eds: Pinto, J. K. and Morris, P. W. G. ) New York: Wiley. Nonaka, I. , & Konno, N. 1998) The Concept of Ba: Building a Foundation for Knowledge Creation, California Management Review (Spring) 40(3): 40-47. Quinn, B. (1980) Strategies for Change: Logical Incrementalism, Irwin, Homewood Ill. [In MLQG pp 10: Ch 1 and 5] Quinn, J. B. (1978) Strategic Change: Logical Incrementalism, Sloan Management Review, pp. 1-21 [In MLQG: pp. 183 ] Rice, J. & Rice, B. (2004) The Applicability of the SECI Model to Multi-Organisational Endeavors: An Integrative Review, International Journal of Organisational Behaviour, Vol. 9, Issue 8. Stalk, G. Evans, P. Shulman, L. E. 1990) Competing on capabilities: the new rules of corporate strategy, Harvard Business Review, 1992. Tampoe, M. (1994 ) Exploiting the core competences of your organisation, Long Range Planning, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 66-77. Voelpel, S. (2005) Escaping the Red Queen Effect in competitive strategy- how managers can change industry rules by sense-testing their business models, European Management Journal, Volume 23, Issue 1, P. 37-49. Wie, L. (2007) Reflection upon Present Competition-orientated Corporate Culture: in Knowledge Management Perspective, Wireless communications, Networking and Mobile Computing BooksIkujiro, N. & Hirotaka Takeuchi,(1995), The Knowledge-Creating Company; How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation, Oxford University Press, New York Johnson, G. , Scholes, K. , Whittington, R. (1998), Exploring Corporate Strategy, 7th Edition, Pearson Education Limited, Essex Mintzberg H, Lampel J, Quinn J B and Ghoshal S, The Strategy Process, Concepts Contexts Cases, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall, 2003. Appendix Appendix One: Porter’s five forces Threat of New Entrants: A n ew entrant to the Formula one industry faces many barriers. * High start up cost Excessive running cost (The total spending of all 11 teams in 2006 was estimated at $ 2. 9 billion) * High level of resources required, also act as a barrier for potential new entrants to the industry. * Certain level of experience and expertise is necessary which requires investment in personnel and technology * Sponsorships and a lucrative sponsorship deal can help improve a teams level of performance * The rules and regulation that exist regarding the design and construction of the car Bargaining Power of Buyers: The buyers in F1 enjoy high power.They play a vital role in the popularity of the sport as well as a considerable contribution to the funds for various teams. * Fans * Media * Sponsors Competitive Rivalry within the Industry: Formula One is, like any other sport, a highly competitive industry. Each constructor places emphasis in different capacities on a number of variables. * Engineers * Dr ivers * Management * Sponsorships * Designers * Technology Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The primary suppliers of F1 constructors have a lot of power. So much so that in a few instances, suppliers have been the cause of the end of the period of dominance of some constructors. Drivers * Engine manufacturers * Designers * Technical team Threat of Substitutes: All the other popular racing and sporting events can be considered to be a threat for F1 as they may take away resources such as money, drivers, sponsors, popularity, etc. from the F1 industry. * Soccer * Cricket * Olympics * Le Mans * BTCC * WRC * Moto GP Appendix Two: Resources and competencies gained Appendix Three: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Appendix Four: Speculation of Ron Dennis Leaving the McLaren Team Source: The Guardian, Monday March 3 2008, pp. 15 Appendix Five: MinutesMinutes were taken at every meeting since October, meetings took place either weekly or fortnightly depending on work load and no meetings wer e held over the Christmas vacation. Meeting 1- Pret a Manger Minutes 15th October 2007 * Introductions to the group * Confirmation of group members * Vanessa Barnes * Laura Bentley * Ankur Dawar * Aashir Agarwal * Saqib Munir * Joe Abernethy * 2 people were assigned (or chose depending on personal preferences) which company they would like to be responsible for initially researching. * Ankur and Aashir: Ferrari * Laura and Vanessa: Mclaren Joe and Saqib: Williams * Arranged a set time and day for the meetings: Tuesdays 11-1 * The task for the next meeting: * Each read the article * Print off background information about our particular company (from the website) * All think about how the questions could be answered Next meeting: Tuesday 16th October in the Library Meeting 2- Library Minutes 16th October 2007 * Group discussion of how the essay should be structured * Each member of the group gave feedback about their company and interpreted the competitive strategies adopted by each c ompany. * Question oneAttempt to answer it using the model of porters 5 forces to firstly analyse the general industry of formula one * On a large piece of paper- we mapped out all the key issues that need to be considered in each aspect of porters 5 forces model and related them to Ferrari, Williams and Mclaren. Tasks for next meeting * Each member has been assigned one of porters 5 forces discussed and the individual has to relate the discussion to the three companies and bring a copy of the written up notes for the next meeting. * Find any relevant information to your ‘force’ e. g. e-journals etcNext meeting: 23rd October 2007 in Library Meeting 3: Library Minutes 23rd October 2007 * Feedback to the group our individual pieces of work from last week and make key points for improvement * From the case study made a list of all the apparent resources, capabilities and attributes of formula one * Linked all of the information to the strategies of each constructor Resourc es * Capital Investment * Money * Manager * The car * Sponsorship * Research facilities * Raw materials Capabilities * Skills * Extensive driver training * Engineering * Design * Performance * Racing tactics Different strategies for every track Attributes * Technology * Corporate Identity * Design * Tactics * Strategy * Track knowledge * Constructors have different strategies for different tracks therefore the design of the car changes with the track Discussion of case study: Amazon * Read the article and picked out key points Things to do for next meeting * In our constructor groups, identify the resources capabilities and attributes of Ferrair, Mclaren and Williams Next meeting: 6th November: Bistro Study Area Meeting 4: Library Minutes: 6th November 2007 * Main emphasis of the meeting was on question 2 Divided the work up between the team: Ankur and Aashir: Ferarri success in the mid 1970’s Joe and Saqib: Mclaren and Honda 1980’s Vanessa and Laura: Williams 1990â₠¬â„¢s * Decided on the word counts for each section * Set deadlines for each section Next meeting: 20th November in Bistro Study Area Meeting 5- Bistro study area Minutes 20th November 2007 * Incorporate the crescendo model into the assignment, particularly in questions 2 and 3. Link this to logical incrementalism and how was it implemented? * The next task is to focus on question 3 and look at each F1 constructor and find their reasons for failure.Some of the problems were then discussed in the meeting: * Breakdown in relationships * Unreliability of technology * Alliances pulling out * Drivers leaving * Discuss the possible reasons for each of the above factors and then in our teams, produce a document which states the reasons for the failure of each F1 team. * Ferrari: Ankur and Aashir * Williams: Joe and Saqib * Mclaren: Vanessa and Laura * It is also important to consider why and how Ferrari have sustained success!! Tasks for next meeting * Each team member should be responsibl e for finding e-journals and bring at least one journal on competitive strategy to the meeting. Competitive advantage * Competitive Strategy * Formula One * Is it possible to get hold of any financial statements for any of the companies? * Conduct a PEST(LE) analysis of your particular team to go into the appendix of the assignment. Next meeting: Tuesday 4th December at 12pm in Bistro Study area. Meeting 6 in Library Minutes 4/12/2007 Tasks for after Christmas * Look at the reading list and pick an item each * Got through the lecture notes so far and highlight what needs to be included in the assignment. * Find 2/3 journals each on our selected topics: read, highlight and make notes. Highlight the reasons for failure for each constructor and type up (300 words) * Do a PEST analysis for each constructor E-journals to look at: Vanessa and Laura Porters 5 forces and the value chain Critique of Porters five forces Saqib and Joe Emergent, intended and realised strategies Ankur Resources and capabilities Aashir Focus differentiation Cresendo model Constructors to look at reasons for failure: Vanessa and Laura Mclaren Joe and Saqib Williams Ankur and Aashir Ferrari Next meeting: After Christmas meet 6th Feb due to exams Meeting 7 in library Minutes 6th Feb 2008 Discussion of previous work that has been done over Christmas * Identified the need for theory to now be integrated into the questions * Discussion of peer assessment- decided to give each other equal marks * Discussion of question 4 and the theory that needs to be built into it * Discussion of the basic strategies for each constructor Theory for question 4 * Growth strategies: Alliances Alliances with suppliers and sponsors To gain sponsors and get more money the company needs to pitch a strategy if they are not already achieving success. * Imposed strategiesThe constructor doesn’t want to do it but the environment imposes change: e. g. legislation * It is difficult to innovate due to the imposed limit ations on the industry * Quantum Hypothesis * Cresendo Model * Logical Incrementalism Used generally throughout Formula one, small changes being made all the time * Red queen principle After Ankur and Aashir have sent the first draft of question 4 to the group- we all need to go through it before the next meeting and have some improvements on it and things that we need to add to it. Tasks to be done for 8th Feb * Format question 1: Laura Type up the minutes: Laura * Put question 2 together from everyone’s answers for each constructor: Joe * Put question 3 together from the reasons for failure for each constructor: Saqib * Do a first draft of question 4 taking into account the notes and discussion that was produced today: Aashir and Ankur. * Send all questions to Vanessa, she will format the questions and make them into ‘one voice’. * All look at previous lecture notes and the review of semester 1 to see what else we need to include in the questions What needs to be in the Appendix? * Porters five forces model * Minutes Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs * Resources and the competencies gained Discussion of the unipart and Sony Case studies Next meeting: 22nd Feb Meeting 8 in Library Minutes 22/02/08 * Cutting down the word count from 7000- 5000 * Checking all theories used and adding any relevant material * Reading the Guardian news article and discussing it’s relevance Tasks to be done * Front cover of assignment: Aashir * Word count- cutting words out: Vanessa, Laura, Saqib, Joe, Aashir * Formatting: Laura * References: Laura * Proof reading: Laura * Printing: Aashir * Compile appendix: Aashir, Laura, Vanessa