The History of Nokia Essay Example for Free

The History of Nokia Essay The predecessors of the modern Nokia were the Nokia Company (Nokia Aktiebolag), Finnish Rubber Works Ltd (Suomen Gummitehdas Oy) and Finnish Cable Works Ltd (Suomen Kaapelitehdas Oy). [13] Nokias history started in 1865 when mining engineer Fredrik Idestam established a groundwood pulp mill on the banks of the Tammerkoski rapids in the town of Tampere, in southwestern Finland in the Russian Empire and started manufacturing paper. [14] In 1868, Idestam built a second mill near the town of Nokia, fifteen kilometres (nine miles) west of Tampere by the Nokianvirta river, which had better resources for hydropower production. 15] In 1871, Idestam, with the help of his close friend statesman Leo Mechelin, renamed and transformed his firm into a share company, thereby founding the Nokia Company, the name it is still known by today. [15] Toward the end of the 19th century, Mechelins wishes to expand into the electricity business were at first thwarted by Idestams opposition. However, Idestams retirement from the management of the company in 1896 allowed Mechelin to become the companys chairman (from 1898 until 1914) and sell most shareholders on his plans, thus realizing his vision. 15] In 1902, Nokia added electricity generation to its business activities. [14] Networking equipment A Nokia P30 In the 1970s, Nokia became more involved in the telecommunications industry by developing the Nokia DX 200, a digital switch for telephone exchanges. The DX 200 became the workhorse of the network equipment division. Its modular and flexible architecture enabled it to be developed into various switching products. [25] In 1984, development of a version of the exchange for the Nordic Mobile Telephony network was started. 26] For a while in the 1970s, Nokias network equipment production was separated into Telefenno, a company jointly owned by the parent corporation and by a company owned by the Finnish state. In 1987, the state sold its shares to Nokia and in 1992 the name was changed to Nokia Telecommunications. In the 1970s and 1980s, Nokia developed the Sanomalaitejarjestelma (Message device system), a digital, portable and encrypted text-based communications device for the Finnish Defence Forces. [27] The current main unit used by the Defence Forces is the Sanomalaite M/90 (SANLA M/90). 28] In 1998, Check Point established a partnership with Nokia, which bundled Check Points Software with Nokias computer Network Security Appliances. [29] Involvement in GSM Nokia was one of the key developers of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications),[35] the second-generation mobile technology which could carry data as well as voice traffic. NMT (Nordic Mobile Telephony), the worlds first mobile telephony standard that enabled international roaming, provided valuable experience for Nokia for its close participation in developing GSM, which was adopted in 1987 as the new European standard for digital mobile technology. 36][37] Nokia delivered its first GSM network to the Finnish operator Radiolinja in 1989. [38] The worlds first commercial GSM call was made on 1 July 1991 in Helsinki, Finland over a Nokia-supplied network, by then Prime Minister of Finland Harri Holkeri, using a prototype Nokia GSM phone. [38] In 1992, the first GSM phone, the Nokia 1011, was launched. [38][39] The model number refers to its launch date, 10 November. [39] The Nokia 1011 did not yet employ Nokias characteristic ringtone, the Nokia tune. It was introduced as a ringtone in 1994 with the Nokia 2100 series. 40] GSMs high-quality voice calls, easy international roaming and support for new services like text messaging (SMS) laid the foundations for a worldwide boom in mobile phone use. [38] GSM came to dominate the world of mobile telephony in the 1990s, in mid-2008 accounting for about three billion mobile telephone subscribers in the world, with more than 700 mobile operators across 218 countries and territories. New connection s are added at the rate of 15 per second, or 1. 3 million per day. [41] Challenges of growth  The Nokia House, Nokias head office located by the Gulf of Finland in Keilaniemi, Espoo, was constructed between 1995 and 1997. It is the workplace of more than 1,000 Nokia employees. [21] In the 1980s, during the era of its CEO Kari Kairamo, Nokia expanded into new fields, mostly by acquisitions. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the corporation ran into serious financial problems, a major reason being its heavy losses by the television manufacturing division and businesses that were just too diverse. [49] These problems, and a suspected total burnout, probably contributed to Kairamo taking his own life in 1988. After Kairamos death, Simo Vuorilehto became Nokias Chairman and CEO. In 1990–1993, Finland underwent severe economic depression,[50] which also struck Nokia. Under Vuorilehtos management, Nokia was severely overhauled. The company responded by streamlining its telecommunications divisions, and by divesting itself of the television and PC divisions. [51] Probably the most important strategic change in Nokias history was made in 1992, however, when the new CEO Jorma Ollila made a crucial strategic decision to concentrate solely on telecommunications. 23] Thus, during the rest of the 1990s, the rubber, cable and consumer electronics divisions were gradually sold as Nokia continued to divest itself of all of its non-telecommunications businesses. [23] As late as 1991, more than a quarter of Nokias turnover still came from sales in Finland. However, after the strategic change of 1992, Nokia saw a huge increase in sales to North America, South America and Asia. [52] The exploding worldwide popularity of mobile telephones, beyond even Nokias most optimistic predictions, caused a logistics crisis in the mid-1990s. 53] This prompted Nokia to overhaul its entire logistics operation. [54] By 1998, Nokias focus on telecommunications and its early investment in GSM technologies had made the company the worlds largest mobile phone manufacturer,[52] a position it would hold for the next 14 consecutive years until 2012. Between 1996 and 2001, Nokias turnover increased almost fivefold from 6. 5 billion euros to 31 billion euros. [52] Logistics continues to be one of Nokias major advantages over its rivals, along with greater economies of scale. [55][56] 2000 to present Product releases The Nokia 3310 sold between 2000 and 2003, is arguably one of the most well known mobile phones. Reduction in size of Nokia mobile phones Nokia launched its Nokia 1100 handset in 2003,[30] with over 200 million units shipped, was the best-selling mobile phone of all time and the worlds top-selling consumer electronics product. [57] Nokia was one of the first players in the mobile space to recognize that there was a market opportunity in combining a game console and a mobile phone (both of which many gamers were carrying in 2003) into the N-Gage. The N-Gage was a mobile phone and game console meant to lure gamers away from the Game Boy Advance, though it cost twice as much. [58] The N-Gage was not a success, and from 2007 and 2008, Nokia started to offer an N-Gage service on existing Symbian S60 smartphones to play games. Nokia Productions was the first ever mobile filmmaking project directed by Spike Lee. Work began in April 2008, and the film premiered in October 2008. [59] In 2009, the company announced a high-end Windows-based netbook called the Nokia Booklet 3G. 48] On 2 September 2009, Nokia launched two new music and social networking phones, the X6 and X3. [60] The Nokia X6 featured 32GB of on-board memory with a 3. 2 finger touch interface and comes with a music playback time of 35 hours. The Nokia X3 was the first series 40 Ovi Store-enabled device. The X3 was a music device that comes with stereo speakers, built-in FM radio, and a 3. 2 megapixel camera. In 2009, Nokia also unveiled the 7705 Twist, a phone sporting a square shape that swiveled open to reveal a full QWERTY keypad, featuring a 3 megapixel camera, web browsing, voice commands and weighting around 3. 4 ounces (98 g). [61] On 9 August 2012, Nokia launched for the Indian market two new Asha range of handsets equipped with cloud accelerated Nokia browser, helping users browse the Internet faster and lower their spend on data charges. [62] Symbian Symbian was Nokias main smartphone OS until 2011. In Q4 2004, Nokia released its first touch screen phone, the Nokia 7710. In September 2006, Nokia announced the Nokia N95, a Symbian-powered slider smartphone. It was released in February 2007 as the first phone with a 5-megapixel camera. It became hugely popular. A 8GB variant was released in October 2007. In November 2007, Nokia announced and released the Nokia N82, its first Nseries phone with Xenon flash. At the Nokia World conference in December 2007, Nokia announced their Comes With Music program: Nokia device buyers are to receive a year of complimentary access to music downloads. [63] The service became commercially available in the second half of 2008. The first Nseries device, the N90, utilised the older Symbian OS 8. 1 mobile operating system, as did the N70. Subsequently Nokia switched to using SymbianOS 9 for all later Nseries devices (except the N72, which was based on the N70). Newer Nseries devices incorporate newer revisions of SymbianOS 9 that include Feature Packs. The N800, N810, N900, N9 and N950 are as of April 2012 the only Nseries devices (therefore excluding Lumia devices) to not use Symbian OS. They use the Linux-based Maemo, except the N9, which uses MeeGo. [64] In 2008, Nokia released the Nokia E71 which was marketed to directly compete with the other BlackBerry-type devices offering a full qwerty keyboard and cheaper prices. Nokia stated that Maemo would be developed alongside Symbian. Maemo had since (Maemo 6 and beyond) merged with Intels Moblin, and became MeeGo. MeeGo was later canceled and a development is now continued under name Sailfish OS. [65] The Nokia N8, from September 2010, is the first device to function on the Symbian^3 mobile operating system. Nokia revealed that the N8 will be the last device in its flagship N-series devices to ship with Symbian OS. [66][67] Alliance with Microsoft The Nokia Lumia 920, Nokias current flagship device. On 11 February 2011, Nokias CEO Stephen Elop, a former head of Microsoft business division, unveiled a new strategic alliance with Microsoft, and announced it would replace Symbian and MeeGo with Microsofts Windows Phone operating system[69][70] except for mid-to-low-end devices, which would continue to run under Symbian. Nokia was also to invest into the Series 40 platform and release a single MeeGo product in 2011. [71] As part of the restructuring plan, Nokia planned to reduce spending on research and development, instead customising and enhancing the software line for Windows Phone 7. 72] Nokias applications and content store (Ovi) becomes integrated into the Windows Phone Store, and Nokia Maps is at the heart of Microsofts Bing and AdCenter. Microsoft provides developer tools to Nokia to replace the Qt framework, which is not supported by Windows Phone 7 devices. [73] Symbian became described by Elop as a franchise platform with Nokia planning to sell 150 million Symbian devices after the alliance was set up. MeeGo emphasis was on longer-term exploration, with plans to ship a MeeGo-related product later in 2012. Microsofts search engine, Bing was to become the search engine for all Nokia phones. Nokia also intended to get some level of customisation on WP7. [74] After this announcement, Nokias share price fell about 14%, its biggest drop since July 2009. [75] As Nokia was the largest mobile phone and smartphone manufacturer worldwide at the time,[76] it was suggested the alliance would make Microsofts Windows Phone 7 a stronger contender against Android and iOS. [73] Because previously increasing sales of Symbian smartphones began to fall rapidly in the beginning of 2011, Nokia was overtaken by Apple as the worlds biggest smartphone maker by volume in June 2011. 77] [78] In August 2011 Chris Weber, head of Nokias subsidiary in the U. S. , stated The reality is if we are not successful with Windows Phone, it doesnt matter what we do (elsewhere). He further added North America is a priority for Nokia ( ) because it is a key market for Microsoft. . [79] Nokia reported well above 1 million sales for its Lumia line up to 26 January 2012,[80][81] 2 million sales for the first quarter of 2012,[82] and 4 million for the second quarter of 2012. 83] In this quarter, Nokia only sold 600,000 smartphones (Symbian and Windows Phone 7) in North America. [84] For comparison, Nokia sold more than 30 million Symbian devices world-wide still in Q4 2010[85] and the Nokia N8 alone sold almost 4 million in its first quarter of sale. In Q2 2012, 26 million iPhones and 105 million Android phones have been shipped, but only 6. 8 million devices with Symbian and 5. 4 million with Windows Phone[86] While announcing an alliance with Groupon, Elop declared The competition is no t with other device manufacturers, its with Google. [87] European carriers have stated that Nokia Windows phones are not good enough to compete with Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phones, that they are overpriced for what is not an innovative product and that No one comes into the store and asks for a Windows phone. [88] In June 2012, Nokia chairman Risto Siilasmaa told journalists that Nokia had a back-up plan in the eventuality that Windows Phone failed to be sufficiently successful in the market. [89][90] On October 29, 2012, Nokia said its high-end Lumia 820 and 920 phones, which will run on Microsofts Windows Phone 8 software, will each first operators and retail outlets in some European markets including France and Britain and later in Russia and Germany as well as other select markets. [91] On December 5, 2012, Nokia introduced two new smartphones, the Lumia 620 and Lumia 920T. The 620 was released in January 2013. In January 2013, Nokia reported 6. 6 million smartphone sales for Q4 2012 consisting of 2. 2 million Symbian and 4. 4 million sales of Lumia devices (Windows Phone 7 and 8). [92] In North America, only 700,000 mobile phones have been sold including smartphones. In May 2013 Nokia released the Asha platform for its low-end borderline smartphone devices

HR Strategies That Google Has Implemented

HR Strategies That Google Has Implemented Management of human resources has become one of the most important business functions for any company in todays dynamic business environment. With the high level of competition and a multitude of options available to the employees, attrition rates have grown tremendously. Companies are struggling to attract and retain the best talent. Companies have started coming up with many innovative strategies to attract the best talent and keep them happy at the workplace. Google is one such company that has implemented non-conventional HR strategies and believes in providing maximum value to its employees. This report talks about the HR strategies that Google has implemented and what their ramifications have been. Also the reasons behind implementation of these strategies and the how they would help the company achieve its long term goals. This report also studies the unique working environment prevalent at Google and what keeps the employees motivated and committed to innovation. Also the very important role of hiring and retaining the best talent available in the market, performed by the HR machinery has also been discussed in this report. Introduction Google has a highly energetic and dynamic working environment. The employees, known as Googlers in popular jargon know how to work hard and at the same time have fun at the work place. The entire campus in Mountain view, CA exudes a lot of creative energy and dynamism. The office has a relaxed environment of a college campus with no compulsory dress code or daily formal meetings of any kind. The campus has the facilities for the employees to play games like beach volleyball, foosball, table tennis and many others. The employees are instilled with the belief that they are superior to the competition not just in terms of the money they earn but also in terms of their lifestyle and culture. They are taught to believe in values of teamwork and satisfaction through creative achievements. As a result of this culture, the employees also feel proud to be a part of the Google brand. Google has comprehensive HR policies that help employees grow both personally as well as professionally. People of many communities and ethnicities work in Google, who are all made to feel part of one big Google family. Also the employees have a firm belief that they are working for the best company in the world and the work they are doing be it either organizing information or creating advertisements is for the betterment of the society. The motto of the company is Dont be Evil and encourages the employees to strictly adhere to the ethical norms of the company. Google HR Policies: Critical and Theoretical Analysis Success of Google: Employee Motivation Theory Perspective Google encourages its employees to work on 70-20-10 rule where in the employees have to devote 70 % of their time to core search and advertising work, 20% on a project of their choice and 10 % on working on far-out ideas. The product innovations of Google Talk and Gmail have been a result of this kind of initiative. The business benefits of the 20 % off time are very limited as far as their core search and advertising businesses are concerned. However the HR department and the executives still continue to encourage the employees to go for these efforts to remain motivated and committed to innovation and novelty. The compensation policy of Google is highly rewarding with the employees getting salaries, bonuses and stock awards at regular time intervals. Google also encourages and rewards outstanding performance achievements amongst the employees. The Google premise has a big collegiate environment with many sporting facilities and other benefits that the employees can avail. The whole idea behind creating such an environment is that the employees feel very comfortable and easy working in the office and can be as creative as possible. In order for the employees to maintain work life balance, Google offers the employees flexible working hour options, work from home facility, telecommuting and a generous vacation policy. This combined with the TGIIF sessions that are held every Friday afternoon which is a get together within the company itself. The company has a strong code of conduct and encourages its employees to report any violation of policies and feel safe doing the same. The HR policies are all aimed at improving employee productivity. The offices are designed in such a way so as to provide color, lighting and a shared room to the employees. The employees are seated very close to each other and made to share offices, thus making knowledge sharing an essential part of the everyday culture at Google. On an average, each employee generates more than 1 million in revenue each year. This gives leverage to the Google employees and manager to try out new things, make mistakes and learn from their failures, which is again a great motivating factor for the employees to try out new stuff. So as a result any employee in the company has a chance to create a new product or a feature. Hiring Job Design Practices: The Organizational Perspective Google is considered by many employees to be the best place to work. The core strength of the company is its employees. All the benefits provided by the company help it in recruiting the top employees who are willing to spend their entire day at the work place itself. The entire HR policy of Google is based around hiring the best talent; make them work hard and long and manage to keep them at Google for a long time. Google also carries out various people programs in order to support the growing expansion of the Google workforce across different countries in the world. These programs are run to explain the many virtues of Google as an employer and also to deal with the cultural diversities of the workforce across the nations. Google has an innovative hiring strategy and hiring the right people is one of the core pillars of the HR policy of the company. The company has a centralized hiring team, comprising of specialists whose main endeavor is to identify the best talent in the market and retain them. The branding team of Google also plays a very important role in attracting the best of the professionals to work for Google. The candidates have to go through a tough screening process. Google uses an innovative recruiting tool that relies on algorithms to identify the potential talent rather than traditional ways of hiring like those based on academic grades, SAT scores, degree from well-known colleges, prior industry experience, interviews and subjective test results. This gives Google the power to identify and select the candidates on a more data driven approach. The whole idea behind this screening procedure is to evaluate the candidates on their innovative and dynamic skill and to check their ability to work in a flat organizational structure with small teams as present in Google, which is also referred to as Googleyness. This recruiting team is also well funded with 1 recruiter being provided for every 14 employees, which again makes it the best funded recruiting functions amongst the product based organizations in the country. Google has HR Business partners who perform the task of developing and implementing innovative programs and technology in place to identify and resolve end user issues across the company anywhere in the world. They collect and maintain important user data collected over an employees life cycle which is then used to find out important traits and trends of employee behaviors and identify the potentials problems. Google has quarterly hand holding sessions with the senior executives to celebrate the achievement of the previous quarter and set the agenda for the next quarter. However for those who are not comfortable of speaking up in a public forum, the company conducts regular surveys which are kept anonymous to understand the trends and identify the problem areas if there are an y. Googles Learning and Leadership Development (LLD) team innovative learning programs to identify and groom the companys existing talent. The managers perform the task of being life coaches and advise the young employees on a lot of aspects apart from work also. Google HR Policies: Practical Implications Employee Motivation Factors Google has got huge financial strength at its disposal. It spends a lot of money on providing its employees with a lot of benefits which are not comparable to any other company in the world. This makes it a highly motivating work place for any employee. Google has a very flat organizational structure where in the employees can go and talk to the executives and other team members and share their ideas and thoughts. Google has pushed very hard to remove the bureaucratic boundaries that normally exist in such a big company. This is also explains the fact as to why there is no dress code of the company and also no formal meeting structure that the employees need to follow. The young work force that the company has also proliferates such an environment. This is also one of the major reasons why so many talented young people want to work with Google. Google has been successful in building a brand over the years that has made it the most lucrative company to work, for the employees, not onl y in terms of compensation but also in terms of attaining ones creative pursuits. It has been constantly cited as one of the best companies to work for in the world in many surveys over a period of time. So for any other company to emulate the same feat would be a huge task both in terms of financial capability and also in terms of brand value. Hiring Job Design Practices The hiring process that Google follows is also very innovative and non-conventional. In a normal conventional company the process would involve interviews, academic background check, work experience in the industry and so on, but not in Google. Google has come up with a very innovative hiring procedure based on algorithms making the entire process of hiring very scientific and data driven. However there are criticisms for this kind of process also as it goes on for months and is very inconvenient for the applicants, but it has been very fruitful to Google from a business perspective as it has been able to hire the best of the talent from the industry. Such a long hiring cycle again might not be feasible for any other company in todays day and time. Also the applicants are ready to wait for months despite the inconvenience because working with Google is such a lucrative proposition in itself. However its difficult to imagine that the applicants would be ready to go through such a long and a tedious hiring cycle for any other company. Moreover it is not only the HR department that is involved in the hiring process in the case of Google; its the entire company that gets involved as the application first needs to be approved by the team that has the opening. So its the entire machinery of the company that is involved in the hiring process. Google can do this because of its flat organizational structure. Other companies however would have to remove the bureaucracy in their system and create small team structures in order to implement something on similar lines. Conclusion Google is one of those companies that puts its employees at the core of their strategy and looks at the long term benefits that they would bring to the shareholders and their peers. In fact, in 2008 when Google began cutting its employee perks, its employee productivity and stock prices both fell. This shows a direct correlation between gaining and retaining outstanding employees with innovative ideas and the overall company growth. The companys success has been based on the fact that they have been innovative, flexible and dynamic in their functions. Managing growth by keeping the same collegiate environment in the future will be essential to companys success. As Google grows in shape and size, the challenge for the company will be to maintain the same level creative activism and sense of empowerment amongst its employees. Google is having problems finding the right talent in its other offices worldwide especially in its South Asia operations. The employees must be encouraged to wor k in a more entrepreneurial manner and they must be provided adequate resources and finances for the same. Google is one of the few companies where in the employees know that they will be paid for their innovative efforts irrespective of the fact whether the product that they are working on, may or may not come out right. This is a highly motivational factor for the employees to remain committed to innovation. This is also an example how a HR strategy of a company is directly linked to its business strategy.

Resolving Conflicts And Possible Outcomes

Resolving Conflicts And Possible Outcomes There are many ways through which people can resolve conflicts between warring factions. These warring factions can be as few as two individuals, or they might be large people groups like countries. However, the ways of resolving conflicts do not all work in any one given situation? A person or groups of people ought to decide upon which the best way of resolving a given conflict is. A model of dual concern might be assumed where an individual tries to strike a balance between the concern he has for other people and the concern he has for himself. On the one hand he may choose to be assertive and have things done his way. On the other hand, he may choose to be empathetic, and do things according to the way the other person feels things ought to be done. When engaged in a conflicting situation, some people might decide to resolve the conflict by staying aloof of the problem (Bayazit Mannix., 2003). To these people staying aloof is the best way of letting things get resolved. They prefer no active participation in seeing to it that the situation is resolved. They do not care much about what other people feel in the circumstances. They do not think much about their personal feelings either. High conflict situations are not best resolved with this kind of approach, however, because things can easily run out of control. An example of such a situation is when a group of employees go on strike and the management sits back to see what might happen, without taking any active role in what is going on. The strike might escalate into such bad situations as burning of company assets by the disgruntled employees or even roughing up of the employers. A bad situation grows worse in that case, because the employees feel that the aloofness of the management does not address their concerns. The management, however, feels that the assertiveness of the employees ought to have been toned down. If consensus could be reached between the two parties it would be at the point where the management has taken an active role in addressing the employees grievances. The employees, on the other hand, ought not to be greatly aggrieved, seeing that at least their cries are being heard by a management that cares for them. It is rather unfortunate that a number of people who fall into this trap are the so called faithful. They let things be, and say to themselves and to others that things shall be sorted out by divine intervention (Van de Vliert Euwema, 1994). However, things ought to be done differently, because not everyone has the same beliefs or religious leanings. Many people sere different deities and some believe in a deity that asks them to help themselves before deity comes to their aid. Therefore, instead of their faith being a source of respite, it fuels the flames of conflict for some people. Another way of resolving conflict is by adorning a compromising attitude (Goldfien Robbennolt, 2007). Such an attitude says to oneself and to others that it is good to be fair to both sides of the conflict. Such people are ready to listen to the arguments on both sides and to yield a bit to the demands of the other side. They also expect the other side of the conflict to yield to some of their demands, hence being fair. In the case study above, for example, the employees would be expected to yield to some of the demands of management while the management also gives in to some of the demands of its employees. Ideally, not all demands from each side shall be met, but a balance can be struck wherein some of the wants from each side shall be addressed (Kolb Williams, 2010). Like in the previous case, the more assertive of the two groups will be expected to yield a bit, by being conciliatory. This will be expected of the employees who hold the management in ransom by their actions. Bein g fair would not see the employees flare up into a fracas situation of burning and looting. Being fair would also see the management taking an active role in the resolution of the conflict rather than sitting back and watching as situation change from bad to worse. Conflict does not have to be a bad thing or a nasty experience. Where there are two or more people interacting with different interests at heart, disagreements are inevitable. However, such disagreements might be a source for better understanding of each other and even greater cohesion. In the workplace scenario above, conflict might have arisen out of one employees obsession with letting the management know about everything that goes on while they are not being watched. The conflict of interests comes in with the other employees being opposed to close supervision. It is further aggravated by the fact that one of their peers would like to make a good name for oneself by making the rest of them look bad in the presence of their superiors. Solving such a conflict might require one to have high levels of assertiveness as well as empathy. With these traits he can easily cooperate with his contenders to reach an amicable solution to their conflict. Such an individual is not only interested in his own welfare but has a heightened interest in the welfare of the people he contends with, as well (Sternberg Dobson, 1987). He shall cooperate with the other people to find a solution with which they shall all be agreeable. His cooperation might tend to favor the side of the fellow employees, or it might be in favor of the management. However, what would a person caught in the middle of such a conflict do? Through discussion with both parties, people get to be aware of the points of views that their contenders have. In effect, they do not undermine the goals of each other. There are three possible outcomes to any conflict resolution endeavor. Each of these outcomes depends on how the conflict resolution exercise is carried out. In the first place, a conflict resolution exercise might work in favor of both sides concerned. Since both parties win in the end, this is called a win-win situation (Covey, 2004). The first type of conflict resolution that was mentioned in this dialogue would never amount to a win-win situation. Not both parties win in the end. This is because one of the parties stays aloof from the goings on of the resolution process. Since its stand is neither here nor there, it becomes rather difficult to tell whether things are going the way they should for this group of people. Whether they win or lose is not the issue for this group, but rather, they only want tranquility in the end. They want peace but they are not ready to work or to fight for it. Maybe, therefore, one might be right in assuming that when peace prevails in the end, then that is a win situation for the people who do not want to stand up for what they believe in. It may be rightly opined that these people are cowards who do not have enough spine with which to face up to other people, even though they might be transgressed against. A win-win result of conflict resolution is the best result that one can achieve. It results in greater cohesion among group members than before the conflict caused a rift between them. They also get to learn more about each others way of thinking and what things can cause them to be drawn apart. In future, they will not fear conflicting situations, but they would rather strive to keep away from those things that divide them. They will strive for those things that cause them to be drawn closer together as a single unit. The other result of a conflict resolution is where one side wins and the other loses. In such a case, no workable consensus has been reached. One side of the conflict is way too aggressive while the other is too empathetic. The aggressive side is bound to have its way over the empathetic side. Thus, the aggressive side wins while the empathetic side loses. This example of a scenario is called a win-lose (Covey, 2004) situation because one side wins while the other side loses. It would be likened to an employer-employee conflict situation in which the employee has a field day over the employer, with all the employees demands being met. The employers demands, on the other hand are not heeded to. Otherwise, the employer might be too high handed towards the employee. Following such a situation, the employer ends up sacking the employee for reasons such as insubordination. In the latter case, where neither the employer nor the employee wins in the argument between them, it is called a lose-lose situation (Covey, 2004). Neither the demands from the employer to be respected for the role he plays in the life of the employee, nor the demands of the employee are met in the end. Both the employer and the employee are losers in the conflict with which they were involved. In conclusion, this paper has addressed two types of conflict resolution and three possible outcomes of the same. To recap it all, first, there is conflict resolution wherein one side stands aloof from the proceedings while hoping that things will just work themselves out in the end. Secondly, there is the active participation on the one side of the conflict where one takes a very empathetic stand. The said person also does not forget his own needs in the process. Depending on how assertive or how empathetic a certain side of the conflict might be, there can be up to three possible outcomes to the effort of conflict resolution. A conflict can be solved very amicably, resulting in a win-win situation. It might be solved by one side stepping down from its demands, thereby being a win-lose situation. Otherwise, both sides of the conflict end up losing in the confusion.

Is an Aborted Baby Only Potential Life ? Essay -- Argumentative Persua

Is an Aborted Baby Only "Potential Life" ?    Simmons says in Personhood, the Bible, and the Abortion Debate:   The genetic definition of personhood confuses potentialities with actualities. Potentialities are certainly important but they do not have the same value as actualities. "An embryo is not a person but the possibility or the probability of there being a person many months or even years in the future," Charles Hartshorne has argued. "Obviously possibilities are important, but to blur the distinction between them and actualities is to darken counsel." The same point is made by John Stott in saying that the decision to abort for reasons of maternal health is "a choice between an actual human being and a potential human being." This sentiment prevails among millions in our country. What about abortion - does it kill a living human life or only a "potential" human life, as Simmons believes. Is it a matter of private morality, like deciding which church you're going to attend, or is it a matter of public morality - a matter of civil rights? If there's a victim involved, it's a civil rights issue. Is there a victim involved in abortion? There are many who say that there is not, that the preborn child is just a mass of tissue, a part of the woman's body. If this were the case, then no one would have any reason to oppose abortion any more than they would oppose tonsillectomies or appendectomies. But is that the case? Developments in the science of fetology have given us greater opportunities than ever to learn about the preborn. We know that the baby has a completely different circulatory system than the mother, and often a different blood type. He or she has a completely different genetic code. We know that by t... ..., Philadelphia: W.B. Sanders Co, 1954. Collins, V. J.   Principles of Anesthesiology. Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Fabiger, 1976. Hamlin, H. "Life or Death by EEG." Journal of the Amedos. Medical A's',, 1W12/84, p. 20. Hooker and Davenport. The Prenatal Origin of Behavior. Kansas: University of Kansas Press, 1952. Noonan, "The Experience of Pain, New Perspectives on Human Abortion." N.p.: A1etheia Books, 1981. p.213. Reinis, Stanislaw and Jerome M. Goldman. The Development of the Brain. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publishers, 1980. Rockwell, P.E.,M.D. Director of Anesthesiology, Leonard Hospital, Troy, NY, U.S. Supreme Court, Markle vs. Abele, 72-56, 72-730, 1972. P.11 The Silent Scream. Cleveland, OH: American Portrait Films, 1984. Tanner, J.M. and G.R. Taylor, Time-Life Books. Growth, New York: Life Science Life, 1965. p.64.

Catcher In The Rye :: essays research papers

CATCHER IN THE RYE The book, Catcher in the Rye, has been steeped in controversy since it was banned in America after its first publication. John Lennon’s assassin Mark Chapman, asked the former Beatle to sign a copy of the book earlier in the morning of the day he murdered Lennon. Police found the book in his possession upon apprehending the psychologically disturbed Chapman. However, the book itself contains nothing that might have lead Chapman to act as he did. It could have been just any book that he was reading the day he decided to kill John Lennon and as a result, it was the Catcher in the Rye, a book describing a nervous breakdown, that caused the media to speculate widely about the possible connection. This gave the book even more recognition. The character Holden Caulfield ponders the thoughts of death, accuses ordinary people of being phonies, and expresses his love for his sister through out the novel. So what is the book Catcher in the Rye really about? Superficially the story of a young man getting expelled from another school, the Catcher in the Rye is, in fact, a perceptive study of one individual’s understanding of his human condition. Holden Caulfield, a teenager growing up in 1950’s, New York, has been expelled from school for poor achievement once again. In an attempt to deal with this he leaves school a few days prior to the end of term, and goes to New York to take a vacation before returning to his parents’ inevitable irritation. Told as a monologue, the book describe Holden’s thoughts and activities over these few days, during which he describes a developing nervous breakdown. This was evident by his bouts of unexplained depression, impetuous spending and generally odd, erratic behavior, prior to his eventual nervous collapse. Some critics have argued that Holden’s character is erratic and unreliable, as he has many of the middle-class values that he claims to reject. Later on critics began to have praised the twisted humor of the main character. These critics have commented that the structure of the novel helps you understand Holden’s unstable state of mind. Alastair best remarked: "There is a hard, almost classical structure underneath Holden’s rambling narrativ. The style, too, appears effortless; yet one wonders how much labor went into those artfully rough-hewn sentences" (qtd. in Davis 318) A large field of critics took a positive view of the novel.

Aikido & Sport

Aikido is a martial art and a way of life from Japan which is a result of many years of research, practice and development. It is unique among Japanese martial arts because it emphasizes the importance of achieving complete mental calm and control of one's own body to master an opponent's attack.It is not only concerned with how to defeat an opponent but how to live our daily lives as well.It is also known for emphasizes the spiritual and philosophical development of its students.   Aikido offers specific benefits such as responsibility, respect, and confidence in training and in life. Aikido training consists of five parts: Tai, Ki, Toku, Chi and Joshiki.These five principles of aikido are found in every technique and method. Simultaneous development of these elements leads to ideal personal development.The first element of aikido training is bodily realization or Tai training. This comes foremost in the practice of martial arts. It aims to develop the physical aspect through the practice of the principle of oneness in techniques.This part of Aikido training is for all-around physical fitness, flexibility, and relaxation. Its purpose is to strengthen and purify our bodies. Through physical mastery, we gain the power in the breath of heaven and earth or â€Å"kokyuryoku.†The development of the body, is to help us carry out the activities we must do to be good people and help others in our society. We use it to live and help others. The stronger a person’s body is, the more things one can do and learn, thereby strengthening both mind and body.The second part of the Aikido training is Ki development or mental realization. Ki is the Japanese word for Life Force, which focuses around the development of energy and unification of mind and body through discipline. This discipline starts with learning to use physical energy correctly in the Aikido movements. With practice, agreement and synchronization of body andAikido  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2mind develops gr adually and the process of realization begins. Once self-confidence and awareness of being at one with the universe is increased, then fear loses its meaning, thus the start of true spiritual strength. The stronger the person’s ki, the stronger they will be physically, mentally and emotionally.The third focus of Aikido training is achieving moral and ethical realization. This places the principle of oneness with the universe into everyday living.The development of ethics is to help us become better social beings and to live harmoniously in society and nature. Thus all the trainings and teachings in Aikido should be incorporated to our daily lives to attain the path of truthfulness and thus attain oneness with the universe.The fourth focus of Aikido training is spiritual or wisdom realization, also called as Chi which means the development of wisdom through coming to know the truth of oneness. It is having the right intentions through right understanding. It means not having t o look for conflict but simply living Aikido not as a weapon but as a guide.The last principle of Aikido training is Joshi or Common sense development. It is often defined as the recognition of and respect for all living things. The nurturing of common sense is to help us to continuously learn as we live.With common sense, we would know how to act when we face a totally new situation or environment which would allow us to face the future without fear. The better our common sense, the easier it is to deal with uncommon things.The purpose of Aikido is not simply to teach defense. It is to develop oneself to become a better individual that will fit better in society, and consequently improving society itself. The self defense aspect is just an additional benefit of Aikido. The five principles of training lead to the most important functions of aikido which are spiritual discipline and physical mastery.Aikido  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4ReferencesDobson, T., & Miller V. (1993). Aikido in everyday life: Giving in to get your way. California: North Atlantic Books.Crane R., & Crane K. (1993). Aikido in training: A manual of traditional aikido practice and principles. Berlin, New Jersey: Cool Rain Productions.  Tohei, K. (1978). Ki in daily life. USA: Japan Publications.Mitsugi, S. (1989). The principles of aikido (Wellington, I. Ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala.Wildish, P. (1999). Principles of aikido: The only introduction you’ll ever need. USA: Thorsons.Stevens, J. (1999). Training with the master: Lessons with Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido. Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala.Homma, G. (1990). Aikido for Life. California: North Atlantic Books.

How Information Flows Within an Organization Essay

Information has to travel through different types of pathways in order to be received and used. Think of the pathways of information like the transit system. Information is loaded into systems by using input devices, like keyboards or touchscreens. After the information is imputed it is transferred to some type of storage medium, whether hard disk drive, RAM, or CD’s or DVD’s. Once this information is transferred it is then able to be accessed and used as long as the correct permissions are assigned. The storage allows for future access and the ability to retransmit the data to another device, by using the LAN, WAN, Internet or removable devices like flash drives or external hard drives. The ability to create and use information would not be possible without the hardware that allows the user to input the information they want others to read or use. It can go down to basic components like computers, keyboard, hard drives, etc. However, in conjunction with the hardware there has to be software which outputs the data so the user can read it. Once the data is read the user can create databases or upload the information to different locations like a cloud based server. Once again with the ability to do this would not be possible without special types of hardware that allows this. The hardware in reference is NIC cards, routers, switches, hub, etc. All of these things make it possible for information to be transmitted around the world. Of course to simply transmit data and information around the world could be a very simple thing, until you add in the steps necessary to protect the data. In my current job we do not use very much resources to transmit data or even  create it. However, a company that we work for uses networks and even special communication cables to transmit and receive data from different devices within the building we are working. Basically there are controllers that connect via a two or three conductor cable and which connects to devices mounted on air handler systems. These devices take in an enormous amount of complex data and regularly transmit the data to the controller which then relays the information to a computer that is on the mainframes network. This network allows the company the ability to have remote access to the controller which allows them to be able to change certain values in order to make the air handlers run more smoothly. Some of the data that is transferred include, outside air pressure, discharge air temp, return air temp, and there are even safety measures transmitting to ensure smooth operation. Once an alarm is triggered the device sends data to the controller which then relays the alarm to the computer which outputs the reason for the alarm and specifies what triggered the alarm. A technician can then go on the computer and adjust whatever values need adjusting to remove the alarm and resume proper operation. Without this network of devices and controllers and computers there would be no way for these issues to be resolved in a timely manner. Seeing how allot of the work we do is in Charlottes main healthcare system, by us not being able to have quick and painless connectivity many peoples wellbeing could be at risk. The one thing the company I work for makes sure of is security for their systems and networks. Although the physical network is not part of the company’s infrastructure it is protected from other people trying to access it because it is their equipment, cables, controllers, and devices. The hospitals have no access to these systems because one wrong value can be the difference between freezing temperatures or summer conditions in the building. The company, Johnson Controls, uses three different programs that have to be authenticated before access is granted. Firstly the technician has to slide their finger over the fingerprint scanner to access the computer that connects to the controllers. Seems like a correct finger scan would be all that’s necessary for accessing the system, however, the IT personnel decided to add two more layers of security due to the nature of their business. Secondly the technician has to scan their badge into a card  reader type of device that pops up a screen that greets the technician as a Johnson Control employee. Once again not enough security in the minds of Johnson Controls so the final security measure is an encrypted password, that if it is entered incorrectly starts the whole process over again. After talking with multiple technicians the consensus is that they cannot stand all the security measure, but they do understand the purpose. Perhaps the best measure the company has against potential invasions is that all the equipment they use from top to bottom is made by themselves. This ensures that only their employees are trained and permitted to use the equipment. Other people might look at the equipment and be dumbfounded due to the processes and certain protocols in place on how to use the equipment to access any information. Although I currently do not work in an environment that utilizes servers and multiple computers, I do see how information is passed through devices to controllers and finally to computers or networks. Even though there is multiple types of information the way it is used and flows follow the same path. Without hardware and software there would be no way to use and transmit the data. As the technology continues to change and become more advanced, I am sure the way information is used will change along with it.