How Procter and Gamble Moved to Electronic Documents

The Business Problem P&G faced problems managing the vast amounts of paper required for a company that develops drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Regulatory issues, research and development (R&D), and potential litigation generate even more paper documents and files. As a result, P&G wanted to gain control of its company documents, reduce administrative oversight of its paper documents, reduce costs, accelerate R&D initiatives, and improve tracking and signature compliance. P&G decided to adopt an electronic document management system.When P&G moved to electronic documents, it had to ensure that it could authenticate digital signatures and build signing and storage processes into its daily workflow. Further, P&G’s legal department wanted to ensure that it had a legally enforceable signature on file. The IT Solution P&G turned to IT integrator Cardinal Solutions (www. cardinalsolutions. com) to implement Adobe LiveCycle Reader Extensions and Adobe LiveCycle PDF Gene rator (www. adobe. com), which would function with P&G’s eLab Notebook program.These software packages would manage, review, approve, and sign the huge volume of R&D information, including files created with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. P&G adopted the pharmaceutical industry’s Signatures and Authentication for Everyone (SAFE) BioPharma Association standard. This standard was established to help companies go paperless and still interact with regulatory authorities on a global scale. P&G’s initiative focused on implementing methods to manage digital signatures and creating a method to confirm the identity of the signer.The company’s IT and legal departments agreed that the standard met the company’s business needs and risk requirements. Instead of recording information from experiments in paper notebooks – along with numbering each page, signing it and having a witness sign it – researchers can now use word processing program s, spreadsheets, presentation software, and similar tools to generate project notes and other necessary documentation. After a researcher has collected all the data, LiveCycle PDG Generator creates a PDF document and prompts the person creating the file to add a digital signature.The system requires the use of a USB token for authentication. At that point, LiveCycle Reader Extensions embeds usage rights within the document. The Result Today, once a digital signature is added to a file, an auditor can immediately view the document and all activity related to the document. The auditor right-clicks on the signature and views the entire audit trail. The signature can also be appended as a last page of the file so that it can be shared externally when necessary, such as in a court of law.The system saves P&G time and money. Researchers no longer have to spend several hours per week archiving paper files from their experiments. In addition, P&G is able to quickly retrieve large volumes of data that may be needed for government regulators or business partners. P&G projects that it will achieve tens of millions of dollars in productivity gains by using the system. The typical employee will save approximately 30 minutes of signing and archiving time per week..

Equal Employment Opportunity

One of the key responsibilities of a human resource management professional is the management of diversity and equal employment opportunities within the organisation. Equal employment opportunity refers to the situation in which every individual has access to employment and its benefits. Equal employment opportunity (EEO) refers to the outcomes of human resource management policies and practices and employee and management behaviour. EEO is aimed at transforming an organisation; reviewing the processes associated with the creation and use of power by some groups; and implementation of new measures and policies which attempt to remove bias from procedures such as recruitment and promotion. Managing diversity accepts that the workforce consists of a diverse population of people, with visible and non-visible differences including sex, age, background, race, disability, personality, and work style. There has been a lot of debate recently about affirmative action (AA). Affirmative action (also known as positive action) is where organisations take special initiatives to redress perceived gender or ethnic imbalances in the workforce. At first, affirmative action aimed to eliminate racial imbalance in hiring policies; later it was extended to protect people of color, women, older people and people with disabilities. Equal opportunity laws ban discrimination. Affirmative action goes further by requiring employers to take â€Å"affirmative† steps to achieve a balanced representation of workers. Affirmative action may take many forms. One example would be providing special training solely for women. However, some people see affirmative action as an insult. Some people see affirmative action as assuming that they are not capable of success based on their own merits. This paper will examine whether affirmative action is an insult to women and any other member of an AA target group. The argument put forward for affirmative action is that it allows minority groups, who would otherwise be disadvantaged, to get to the starting line and to allow for a level ‘playing field†. Affirmative action is used as a tool to break the perceived injustice and discrimination of the past. In Australia, the Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986 requires the removal of direct and indirect discrimination through the application of the merit principle in employment policies. Contemporary writing puts forward the theory that managing diversity should be based on ‘no preferential treatment†. Although there is no specific quota system in the above Australian legislation , AA has in the past often been associated with the requirement to maintain certain quotas based on minority group representation. A move to ‘no preferential treatment† means that individuals are not given preference for employment based on specific group membership. Giving preferential treatment to a minority group is sometimes referred to as the ‘remedial action† AA. This means that whereas some people are benefiting by virtue of their group membership, other individuals are excluded, even though their developmental need might be as great. Singling out individuals based on a minority quality (sex, religion etc) can be seen to be an insult to that individual. This is particularly true if the individual has all the attributes and skills that would normally mean success. The impression given is not about fairness or equal opportunity, but rather about achieving numbers or targets. There is also ‘research that suggests that, as currently construed, affirmative action policy can thwart rather than promote workplace equity. The stigma associated with affirmative action can fuel rather than debunk stereotypical thinking and prejudiced attitudes†. Managing diversity should not focus on minority groups. Managing diversity should focus on the problems of the individual. It should focus on identifying what the individual needs in terms of development. Actions ought to be targeted on any individual who has a particular development need and not restricted to those who are members of a particular group. However, all of the above is idealistic. There has often been a realism in the marketplace that contrasts the above. In some respects, affirmative action has been a necessary tool to ensure that minority groups have representation in theorganisation. The goal has been not so much to achieve a quota or a target, but rather to force down the walls of discrimination that many organisations have had in the past. In this respect, affirmative action should not be seen as an insult to minority groups. For as some minorities may have all the skills necessary to gain a certain appointment or job, it is all but useless if the employer (or the person who makes the decision on who gets hired) has a bias against that person based on their minority attribute (whether that be sex, religion or what not). Women, in general, have been the main beneficiaries of affirmative action. The number of women entering the professions, including medicine, law and accounting, has increased substantially in 30 years. Women of all races have increased their share of professional positions in corporations, and it is arguable that there would be no women police officers, fire fighters, bus drivers or construction workers without affirmative action. Affirmative action is not an insult to women (or other minority groups), but rather a method to ensure that the glass ceilings that have implicitly existed in the workforce in the past are destroyed. Affirmative action does not mean that minority groups are employed simply based on minority attributes. Affirmative action means that employers make that extra effort to ensure that their organisation reflects the wider community. However, women have yet to achieve equality in the work place. There is still a large portion of the female workforce working in a narrow range of low-paying, low-status jobs. They are under-represented in many occupations. Up until the 1970s, there were few women in law schools; few opportunities to go outside of jobs traditionally reserved for women. Many women face invisible employment barriers that block access to advancement opportunities into higher-paying jobs with increased responsibilities. Some women are stuck in low-wage jobs with little or no opportunity to advance into supervisory or managerial positions. When women do obtain managerial jobs, they often are confined to specific departments with less authority and outside the track to upper-level, senior management jobs. These ‘glass ceiling† barriers prematurely halt the progress of women in the workplace and prevent them from developing their full potential and talents as workers. Affirmative action programs help to shatter the glass ceiling because they expand opportunities for qualified women and can lead to higher wages, more advancement opportunities, and improved financial security. One of the key responsibilities of a human resource management professional is the management of diversity and equal employment opportunities within the organisation. One method of ensuring equal opportunity within an organisation is by the use of affirmative action. Affirmative action is a policy to encourage equal opportunity and to level the playing field for groups of people who have been and are discriminated against. Affirmative action has been considered essential to assuring that jobs are genuinely and equally accessible to qualified persons, without regard to their sex, racial, or ethnic characteristics. Affirmative action was not established to punish any particular group or place people into positions they are not qualified for. It was established to involve everybody; to have the opportunities for economic, academic and social success accessible to everybody. It should not be regarded as an insult to women or other minority groups. Affirmative action does not mean that minority groups are employed simply based on minority attributes. Affirmative action means that employers make that extra effort to ensure that their organisation reflects the wider community. Affirmative action has been useful to society. Through equal opportunity programs, workplaces are much more diverse than several decades ago, because of the opportunities for seeing work and education have been expanded to include everyone. Affirmative action should not be regarded as an insult. It should be regarded as a tool and medium that ensures that suitably qualified people are provided with jobs, and not discriminated against based on a minority attribute.

Contemporary Retail Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Contemporary Retail Marketing - Research Paper Example The market will be segmented based on varied demographic factors and occupation of people residing in Whitechapel London, UK. In addition, the target customers will be the young group of people including both businesspersons and employed people. The rationale behind targeting these customers is that the services of corporate banking such as providing loans and financial services are highly demanded by this people group. Moreover, these sorts of target customers in the region prevail in a higher proportion as compared to others, which in turn will create better profitability position for the company in future.It is quite indispensable for Lloyds bank to adopt a sound strategy in order to attain the above-discussed objectives. This strategy will mainly include identifying the requirements as well as the demands of corporate banking services amid the young people residing at Whitechapel. Moreover, the strategy will also entail include appraising the services that are provided by the com petitors of the bank to the customers. In addition, the offerings of the company will be positioned in the target markets through making advertisements in newspaper and media. It is worth mentioning that the aspect of marketing mix will be organized through creating an effective distribution channel for the product or services that will be available to the customers in any situation. In relation to price, discounts may be provided on loans and new terms of payment will be introduced (Sharma, 2009, p. 122).

Video Games in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 22

Video Games in America - Research Paper Example These critics also argue that playing video games encourages violence and leads to addiction even though these allegations do not have any particular basis and evidence. Numerous research on if video games encourage violence has been unsatisfactory and has focused only on the short-term impact. During the periods when playing video games has become a commonplace occurrence in America; the rate of violent crimes has decreased by almost a half. If the games made people become violent, this tendency should be exhibited in the figures considering that half of the American people play either computer games or video games as demonstrated by the graph (Adam 2009). According to research, only three percent of people who play video games play alone as most of them engage in multi-player games in the same rooms or through online connections. It has also been suggested that gaming can be a topic of discussion for both children and adults which creates a foundation for friendships. This social attribute of gaming is demonstrated through teamwork and the sense of collaboration that is evident between the super players and their fans. The professional player's stream videos of their playing through online sites in order to assist other people who wish to play the games to learn and view various techniques. Video games are important in relieving stress as playing involves undivided attention.

The Development of the United States Government Research Paper

The Development of the United States Government - Research Paper Example In western Massachusetts, the peasants held rallies against the injustice of high taxes and impartial justice provided by the courts to the creditors (Waldrep and Bellesiles, 104). In September 1786 Daniel Shays and other neighboring influential led numerous hundred men in compelling the Supreme Court in Springfield to postpone. Shays guided a force of nearly 1,200 men in an assail (January 1787) on the federal armory at Springfield, which was revolted. Pursued by the armed force, on February 4 he was determinedly conquered at Petersham and escaped to Vermont. Accordingly, the Massachusetts legislature ratified laws lessening the monetary condition of debtors. Though small in extent and easily subdued, Shays’s deed became, for some, an influential argument for a well-built and conventional national government, in that way causing the progress for the Constitutional Convention (Shays’ Rebellion-United States History). The states in accepting the article of amalgamation which formed a government, wherein all legislative power was entrusted in a single house, had gone away from practically all of their ethnicity from government (Stidham, 1). On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates signed the constitution in the Assembly Room of Independence hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Jordan, 17). At that juncture the distribution of legislative power between the House of Lords and the House of Commons was judged to be a crucial element of the English structure; and, in all of the settlements excluding Pennsylvania, two houses had been expanded and were offered by the entire state constitutions excluding those of Pennsylvania and Georgia. Together Randolph’s and Pinckney’s strategies were commenced straight away after the association of the convention, offered for two houses’ and two days afterward the convention determined, exclusive of debate, Pennsylvania and no-one else voting against i t, supportive of such an allocation of legislative power. Soon after

RFID in the Context of Customer Services Research Paper

RFID in the Context of Customer Services - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that in the modern business world, there is a need for companies and firms to increase the quality of services they provide their customers or quality of goods and products they produce or manufacture. It is very hard for any company or a firm to regain popularity among their lost customers or improve their position in the market. To make a profit very often means to provide customers with better services. At the same time, a chosen marketing strategy of customers’ services improvement should be developed in compliance with the needs of the company; their assets, potential, set goals and many other internal and external factors. Moreover, with regards to a wide-spread nature of technological innovations, companies implement innovative technologies in customer services. In accordance with research conducted by†¦: â€Å"Technology does more than enable the creation of new or improved services. It may also impro ve consistent service standards of the company, and, what is more, important is to involve the customers in operations through self-service technology†. Therefore, the modern business world needs innovations. To keep pace with the globalized world every firm or company should meet new requirements and follow the developments of technologies. In order to appropriately introduce valuable innovative assets, it is relevant to assess their advantages and disadvantages. An individual-centered approach is high on the agenda in the modern business world. A customer is of crucial importance. The more customers the company has, the greater success comes.

The Spread of Buddhism and The Spread of Islam Essay

The Spread of Buddhism and The Spread of Islam - Essay Example One of the key elements that was prevalent in both Islam and Buddhism is the fact that both possessed a charismatic leader that propagated for their religions. George Bernard Shaw once said about Muhammad:  "He must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness".   Muhammad  was the most reviled figure in the history of the West from the 7th century until quite recent times. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was confident, poise, compassionate and had an amazing personality. One of the reasons why Muhammad is truly an influential figure ever witnessed by the mankind was due to the fact that he was a key prophet. In Islam, the tradition of prophethood is extremely vital (Staples 63). Yet, Muhammad was an astonishing leader in his community morally and intellectually. This is essential because he becomes a mo del for his followers. Muhammad was extremely kind-hearted, and had amazing character (Staples 65). Before Mohammad even achieved his prophethood, he was some illogical traditions that were barbaric. For example, Arab and Persian tribes had a tradition of burying their young daughters alive (Varisco 139). The reason was due to the mentality that girls were considered a burden in the family, while the young son can facilitate his dad in earning the daily bread. When Muhammad saw these cruel acts, he immediately put an end to it. Similarly, Buddha possessed similar capabilities that allow both individuals to propagate their message to a mass populous which needed a savior during their times. Buddha was an amazing character because he has struggled to achieve his salvation and adapted a lifestyle that few could tolerate. Both Buddhism and Islam ousted these illogical traditions and solidified a root foundation of justice that was so critical in those eras. For instance, when Muhammad w as born, the Arabian Peninsula was in chaos (Hart, 9). However, traditions such as burying young born girls alive, oppression and cruelty was prominent. Similarly, Buddha was born in a wealthy family but continues to severe signs of poverty that plagued society. Both Islam and Buddhism implemented reform in a manner that no other religions had the ability to do so. It was inevitable that Muhammad and Buddha both changed the political, economical, and social spheres in their respective societies. Without a doubt, Islam was reached due to theological factors for many reasons. First and foremost is the fact that Islam banished interest and alcohol. Alcohol was the main cash crop of Arab back in that era and was the root foundation for trade (Hart, 22). Moreover, merchants were not able to charge interest unjustifiable, which was detrimental to their business. The social movement of reform that Islam implemented was clearly a brilliant indication of an unforeseen change that would dynam ically modify the globe. Buddhism is a religion that teaches peace and is regarded to be one of the most common meeting grounds for all the Asian cultures. Unlike Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, Buddhism does not embrace the idea of divine holiness. The components that create Buddhism are critical as they embrace peace and allow individuals to reflect from within. Hence Buddhism is embraced my Asian cultures because it rejects diety, promotes

Company Analysis of T-mobile Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Company Analysis of T-mobile - Research Paper Example This year, the company acquired MetroPCS which was one of its rival companies (Coll 78). Anyone expects T-Mobile to be doing well in the market considering its investments and plans but this is not the case. In the recent past, the company has been experiencing a number of issues to the extent that spinning off looks a possibility. This situation was not expected considering how good the company was fairing in the market like the recent upgrade of its 3G wireless network, launching of new smartphines, hot marketing and its plans and strategies being of low-cost(Coll 102). Most analysts associate this situation with its parent company in Germany, Deutsche Telkom, which happens to be afraid of taking risks and is also conservative thus mirroring the operation of the company. Considering also the government owns 30% of the company, it controls the operation of the company restricting its operation (Coll 50). A good example is the latest case where the Deutsche Telkom considered a merger with its unit in US, explore an IPO or spin off, but the German carrier turned down the report (Coll 34). Despite the large number of customers T-Mobile enjoys in U.S, it reported a loss of approximately 77, 000 customers as its rivals the AT&T and Version gained millions of wireless customers (Coll 82). This implies that the company is not growing the way it is expected to. The millions of dollars that were invested in upgrading 3G network as well as its smartphones subsidies cannot be justified. Its network has also been regarded as being inferior in comparison to other wireless companies such as Sprint, Verizon and AT&

The Lost Generation’s Props Essay Example for Free

The Lost Generation’s Props Essay The significance of the Mr. In and Mr. Out scene toward the end of Fitzgerald’s May Day is that it reveals a last hurrah for Dean and Gordon. For Gordon especially, because he realizes that he will forever be married to Jewell and that suicide is his only escape from this life. The depression of this era, of Gordon not fulfilling his full potential as an artist (his excuse being that he needs to go to art school but doesn’t have enough money to go to art school). It is this idea of potential, of finding identity in post-war America (or in this case during the war) that Fitzgerald’s short story hinges upon. Either man attended Yale and had the best opportunities afforded to them, but their mutually exclusive hate for each other for ending up in the life they have now (their after Yale life, their, not in the war life). Either man’s drunken stupor, their â€Å"In Out† gag is a revelation of lack of identity. Faulkner’s writing style is very colloquial. He gives the reader a real taste of the character, a real dip into the character’s own mind, no matter how fragile, insane, or gritty their subjective reality may be. Hemingway’s language in Hills Like White Elephants is prosy in comparison (although both authors use adjectives with a certain flare). Hemingway’s writing is more obsessed about the environment. Hemingway also uses a fair amount of dialogue to juxtapose the natural elements of the setting of the story. Hemingway is caught up in the movement of things; the movement of the girl looking toward the horizon and the dualism of character and nature. Faulkner doesn’t juxtapose his characters with environment in this fashion, rather he juxtaposes action with characters. Fitzgerald’s character, Gordon Sterret, is a dark and ill man, both in composure and in spirit. Fitzgerald relays this characterization to the reader through use of Gordon’s actions (his continually getting drunk, especially in the presence of Edith whom he may have love, but whom he ultimately falters with). The main action being that he goes with Jewell against his judgment and Dean’s advice and in the end of the story, feeling as though he cannot control his actions and is a pawn of fate, he kills himself thereby exercising the only control over himself that he thinks he has; killing himself. Similar to this Laura’s character in Flowering Judas doesn’t present her will into her life. She allows Braggioni to try and seduce her, and even though she’s tired from her day and doesn’t much care for the man’s attention she doesn’t ask him to leave her alone. She remains proper with her social values as not wanting to offend anyone. This lack of control over her environment reflects Gordon’s own sentiments. Both Laura and Braggioni’s relationship and Gordon and Jewell’s relationship are similar. Jewell and Braggioni are forceful with their personalities on Gordon and Laura. Both endure their partners knowing that the world offers them nothing better, or that they themselves cannot find a way of escape. However, instead of killing herself as Gordon does, Laura inadvertently kills one of Braggioni’s adherents. Thus, she is labeled a murderer. In either case, Laura and Gordon are both characters that feel they are not in control of themselves or the events that occur around them, either a war, or a revolution. Works Cited The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Vol. II, ed. Lauter, et al (Vols. C, D, and E).

Ford Motor Company Essay Example for Free

Ford Motor Company Essay Ford Motor Company is the third largest automobile manufacturer in the world based on automobiles sold. Ford manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents (Datamonitor 4). Fords brands include Ford, Jaguar, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Mazda. Fords key products include passenger cars, trucks, busses and vans, sport utility vehicles, vehicle accessories, after-sales vehicle parts and products and extended repair service products. According to Fortune Magazine in 2007 Ford was the seventh ranked American-based company listed on the fortune 500 list, which was based on Fords global revenues in 2006 of 160. 1 billion. The companys success comes from its ability to focus on customer satisfaction and loyalty, anticipating and meeting changing customer needs, and delivering innovative products that exceed quality standards and are price friendly and also environmentally friendly. The financial stability of Ford and the long-term stability of our world are met by Fords strategy to lead with its products. Several key strategies are used by Ford that help to develop products that are of high quality, affordable to consumers and that are in high demand. These strategies include; continuous improvement of quality standards and customer satisfaction, adjusting to consumer demands by developing state-of-the-art technology that is cleaner and more fuel efficient, and delivering customer-focused innovations faster. If these strategies are implemented correctly Ford can overcome many or the driving forces that control competition in the automobile industry. Driving Forces Driving forces in an industry are the major causes that change the industry and the competitive condition of that industry. The main driving forces that significantly alter the automobile industry include; competition and globalization, new technology and innovations, changes in cost and efficiency, regulatory influences and government policy changes, and changes in societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles. Globalization is when automobile manufacturers offer their products internationally. One reason manufacturers do this is to increase sales in faster growing markets. Also production costs can be cut due to lower labor costs in markets around the world. Ford Motor Company is a strong believer in globalization; it manufactures vehicles in six continents across the world. Ford focuses on three primary types of emerging markets. The first market is developing countries such as China, India, and Brazil. The economies of these markets are growing and so is the need for products like automobiles. Ford realizes the amount of money consumers make in these developing countries and adjusts products to make them accessible to these consumers. In 2006, production capacity in China increased to 200,000 units (For a More Sustainable Future 7.) Also in 2006 Ford ranked second for customer satisfaction in India by J.D. Power Asia Pacific. The second emerging market Ford is focusing on is revitalizing economies such as Russia that are experiencing periods of growth after long periods of economic stagnation. The third emerging market Ford focuses on is high-growth niche market across the U.S. and Europe. Ford has developed and will continue to develop hybrid vehicles, advanced clean technology, and smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles that suit customers in a certain region or customers with different driving conditions. New technology and innovations is also a major driving force in the automobile industry. The ongoing change in technology alters the pattern of competition by attracting more buyers. Innovations in production techniques allow manufacturers to produce products faster, more efficiently and cleaner. Ford focuses its innovation on design, technology, safety, and the environment. Fords innovations are based on customer demands. Today more customers want environmentally friendly automobiles and better fuel-efficient cars. Ford has and is also developing more advanced technologies that are environmentally friendly. Examples include biofueled vehicles, hydrogen internal-combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cell  vehicles. Ford also has an innovative manufacturing process, which is cleaner for the environment and also saves money for the company. Ford uses fluids blended from vegetable oil during engine production rather than using mineral oil. The associated waste in engine building is the most environmentally damaging part of the process. Ford also has improved its efficiency by enforcing strict energy intensive operations, such as the generation of compressed air for handheld tools on the production line. Changes in cost and efficiency also drive change in the automobile industry. In the past few years material costs, labor costs, employee benefit costs and oil prices have all been increasing. One way that Ford is combating high oil prices is its use of a soy-derived foam. The average vehicle made today contains 30 pounds of foam made from petroleum products. Ford is making an effort to replace 40% of the petroleum-based foam with a soy-based foam. To fight against decreasing profit, rising labor costs and employee benefit costs Ford has been implementing elements of its Way Forward Plan. This plan was developed in 2006. The plan calls for reducing the number of Fords North American manufacturing employees by 25,000-30,000 and also plans to idle 16 North American manufacturing facilities (For a More Sustainable Future 34.) Also in 2006 health care expenses for U.S. Ford employees, retirees and their dependents were $3.1 billion (For a More Sustainable Future 35.) Even though Ford values its past and present employees, the company cannot keep up with the rising prices of health care. In 2006 Ford had required retired employees to support a higher portion of their health care benefits, and active employees were asked to increase their health care contributions. Also in 2006 Ford employees were offered to leave the company. To make it appealing to employees Ford offered eight different incentive packages. A couple of these packages included early retirement and an educational opportunity package where employees with at least one year of service were eligible for up to $15,000 in tuition reimbursement per year up to four years (For a More Sustainable Future 34.) Another driving force that alters the competitiveness in the automobile industry is regulatory influences and government policy changes. One example of a regulatory influence would be the governments Corporate Average Fuel  Economy (CAFÉ) requirement, which measures carbon dioxide emissions. Ford has met the requirement every year since the program was first introduced. Altering societal concerns, attitude, and lifestyles are major instigators of industry change. Growing consumer concerns towards environmental safety is a major driver of change in the automobile industry. Ford recognizes that manufacturing and operating automobiles have a significant impact on the environment. Ford has several initiatives to protect the environment. The first initiative includes developing advanced environmentally friendly vehicles. Ford was the first U.S. automaker to offer a full hybrid vehicle, which was also the first hybrid from any automaker in the SUV segment. The second initiative for Ford is to meet and exceed new clean air standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency. Reducing the environmental impact of our environment is Fords third initiative to protect the environment. Ford also aims to recycle and reuse materials by contracting with suppliers to attain environmental friendly parts and components. An example is Fords Fumes-to-Fuel technology. A plants painting operations are its largest source of air emissions. Ford has developed a process that uses paint fumes to generate electricity for its plant. The last initiative for Ford is conserving natural resources by taking part in global environmental programs to conserver energy and water. Fords developed a software program called WET that creates a facility-wide water balance to quantify individual uses of water and identify areas of opportunity. Safety is another concern that drives changes in automobile designs. Not only does Ford develop innovative safety technology the company also educates drivers. In 2003 Ford teamed up with the Highway Safety Association and a panel of safety experts to create a program called Driving Skills for Life. This program teaches teenagers develop the skills necessary for safe driving, beyond what they learn in standard driver education programs (For a More Sustainable Future 30.) Five Force Analysis Intensity of Rivalry Among Competitors The automobile industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world. The top competitors globally and domestically account for most of the industrys market share. In the United States there are three top competitors known as the Detroit Three, formerly known as the Big Three. General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and the Chrysler Group are the three companies that makeup the Detroit Three. According to Wards Automotive Reports in 2006 the Detroit Three brands accounted for 41.5% of passenger car sales in the United States; of this 41.5% market share, General Motors controlled 20.8%, Ford 14.1% and the Chrysler Group 6.6%. The Detroit Three market share is slowly dwindling due to globalization, which is another reason that leads to stronger rivalry among competitors (Autos Auto Parts Industry Survey 9.) In the United States, according to Wards Automotive Reports, the top three foreign competitors that are trying to take over the U.S. market include; Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. Ltd., and the Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. In 2006 Toyota, Honda, and Nissan accounted for 36.6% market share in the U.S. Individually Toyota controlled 18.7%, Honda 10.8% and Nissan 7.1% of the U.S. market share; in the truck category the Detroit Three brands account for 67% of Truck Sales in the U.S. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are the foreign companies trying to compete with the Detroit Three (Autos Auto Parts Industry Survey 9.) Lack of product differentiation is another factor that adds to the intense rivalry between competitors. Automobile manufactures products include cars, trucks and SUVs. Even though there is a lack of product differentiation within the automobile industry there are many things that a manufacturer can do to alter design and production that make a product standout from its competitors. The innovation of technology and production causes intense rivalry between competitors because if automakers want to sell make the most profit they need to develop innovative technology that is a step ahead of its competitors and meets the needs of consumers or they need to develop innovative production techniques that are more  efficient and cheaper compared to its competitors. Ford is known for its innovation throughout the years; one example would be the moving assembly line. This manufacturing technique allowed individual workers to stay stationary and perform the same task repeatedly on multiple vehicles that passed them, this technique allowed Ford to be more efficient by producing many more vehicles than its competitors. Threat of New Entrants Although the automobile industry has very strong rivalries among competitors the industry will not see many new entrants in the future. There are several reasons why there is a low threat of new entrants in the automobile industry. The automobile industry has reached economies of scale and to be successful in the industry new entrants must reach economies of scale. Manufacturers must mass-produce automobiles so that they are affordable to consumers. Another reason why there are very few new entrants in the automobile industry is the very high capital requirement. Manufacturing costs, research and development costs, start-up costs, and advertising and promotion costs are a few costs that require huge amounts of costs in order to be successful in the automobile industry. With rising oil prices, increase in employee benefit costs, higher healthcare costs and also rising steel prices the threat of new entrants will remain to stay very low in the automobile industry. The current situation of the Automobile industry and the U.S economy is another factor that will keep the threat of new entrants low. Rising gas prices, low consumer confidence and shrinking home values are all factors that are causing decreases in automobile sales. Strong brand preferences and high degrees of customer loyalty is another reason there are few new entrants in the automobile industry. It is hard for a new manufacturer to attract customers that have brand preferences and are loyal customers, unless the manufacturer has a huge advertising and sales promotion budget or offer price discounts, these two things decrease profit margin. Threat of Substitute Products The threat of substitute products is very weak in the automobile industry. Automobile transportation for people makes it easy and fast to get from place to place depending on the length of their trip. Walking, biking, and riding trains, planes or subways are all substitutes to automobiles. These substitutes depend on the location of the person. People that live and work in the city will probably either walk, bike, or take a subway to work in order to avoid traffic or to protect the environment. The threat of these substitutes will always be low because it is convenient to have a car and new innovations toward environmentally friendly automobiles. Bargaining Power of Suppliers and Buyers In the automobile industry the bargaining power of the supplier is weak. There are so many part manufactures in the industry to choose from it is easy for a company to switch from one to another giving supplier no leverage. The automobile part sector is so big that it is divided into four business units: original equipment manufacturers, replacement parts manufacturing, replacement parts distribution, and rubber fabricating. According to a press release by Ford, the company spends around $90 billion on parts from more than 2,500 suppliers. Compare to the bargaining power of suppliers the bargaining power of buyers is a lot higher. Automobile manufacturers make profit from the sales of its automobiles. This means that manufactures have to produce automobiles that meet consumer needs and standout from its competitors. This is why consumers have such a high bargaining power because if they do not like a certain automobile they can choose another automobile from a different manufacturer at a relatively low switching cost. Analyzing the bargaining power of supplier and buyers, identifying the threat of new entrants and substitute products, and also analyzing the intensity of rivalry among competitors will allow a company to assess the competitiveness of a certain industry. SWOT Analysis Ford is the worlds third largest automobile manufacturer, and their brands are sold domestically and internationally, which include Ford, Land Rover,  Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury, and Volvo. In 2006 Ford received 30th place in the BusinessWeek-Interbrand ranking of the top 100 global brands in 2006. Another one of Fords biggest strengths is its industry leading innovative technology which is shown through product design, safety and production. Fords large network base is a strength to the company. Ford manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. Ford is also a very ethical company. For years, Ford has supported families in need. Ford encourages its employees to take two workdays per year to volunteer at an approved nonprofit organization. Although Ford is very successful it does have weaknesses. One weakness would be the decline in its market share. According to DataMonitor, Fords overall market share in the US has declined from 21.1 % in 2002 to 17.1% in 2006. Competition, globalization, low consumer confidence, and high gas prices are all factors that contribute to Fords declining market share. Another weakness of Fords is its declining profitability. At the end of 2006 Ford recorded revenues of $160,123,000 million which was a 9.5 % decrease from 2005. The operating loss of the company during 2006 was $16,950,000 million compared to a operating loss of $1,550,000 million in 2005. This means Ford had a net loss of $12,613,000 million in 2006, compared to a net profit of $1,440,000 million in 2005 (Datamonitor 4.) The automobile industry is full of opportunities. High gas prices and environmental issues have caused manufacturers to develop innovative technology. Ford is developing several technologies that are environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient. These vehicles include; biofueled vehicles, hydrogen internal-combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Global demand is also an opportunity for Ford. Ford has developed strategies to bring its product to emerging markets like India, China and Brazil. The economies of these markets are continuing to grow along with its demand for automobiles. A major threat to Ford is its competition, which includes General Motors, the Chrysler group, Toyota, and Honda. Rising costs are also a major threat to Ford. Rising labor and employee benefit costs have forced Ford to reduce its  workforce and to close some of its vehicle assembly plants. The U.S. economy is also a threat to Ford. Consumer confidence is down due to rising oil prices and declining home values. The future of Ford and the automobile industry will continue to be worse in the near future if these threats continue. With rising costs and increased competition the U.S automobile industry does not look good. Industry sales are expected to decline in the future due to low consumer confidence, rising interest rates, and high gas prices. SUV and truck sales will decline the most due to the rising gas prices. There will be a higher demand for smaller cars that are fuel-efficient. The Detroit Three along with other U.S. manufacturers will increasingly focus its operations internationally to markets in Eastern-Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific where production costs are cheaper. Environmental friendly technology and manufacturing will also continue to rise because of the growing consumer interest in protecting our world. Works Cited Autos Auto Parts Industry Survey. Standard Poors June 2007: 28 18 April. 2008. For a More Sustainable Future. Ford Motor Company June 2007. 19 April. 2008 Ford Motor Company. Datamonitor Business Information Center Nov 2007. Campbell University Electronic Library., Buies Creek, NC. 18 April. 2008 Ford Motor Company. 2008. Ford Motor Company. 18 April 2008 Ford.com/. Gamble, John E., Strickland, A.J. III and Thompson, Arthur A. Jr. Crafting and Executing Strategy. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007. The North America Automotive Sectors. Mergent Oct 2007. Campbell University Electronic Library., Buies Creek, NC. 18 April. 2008

Migrant Life in Greece During the Economic Crisis

Migrant Life in Greece During the Economic Crisis Tsiori Maria Abstract For a long time Greece has been a country of emigration. Despite the ongoing economic downturn of recent years the country has turned into a host country for many migrants from Africa and Asia mainly as a gateway illegally, into the EU. Consequently, this migratory movement in this country has attracted a lot of academic interest as the issue is of vast importance to not only the EU but also the Greek government , Greek society and migrants alike. The aim of this work is to provide an in depth view of migrant life in Greece at present both through their eyes and from the perspective of the people their presence impacts upon. Migration to Greece through Turkey, especially has exploded recently and this thesis will explore the reasons migrants have ended up in Greece whilst in transit further west or the reasons they end up settling there and how the current economic climate of Greece itself is directly affecting migrant lives. It will investigate how much the migrants integrate into G reek culture or the extent of the formation of their own social networks within the country and whether this integration or lack thereof affects the air of xenophobia seemingly increasing as of late. Moreover , it will investigate how the Greek government is handling the issue , the related animosity from either side and the positive and negative aspects the migrants have on Greek society both in the immediate area and on a larger scale both economically and socially. Literature view The collection and review of relevant literature went on throughout course of the project and included both empirical and theoretical texts. As far as the former are concerned we reviewed the recent literature on the European emigration at times of crisis as well as academic texts which deal with issue of emigration and economic crises more broadly. A person occupying another country for over a year is defined as a long-term migrant by the EU, and a short-term migrant over three months but under a year (UN DESA 1998) with a clear distinction from tourism but the ultimate intentions of that movement of individuals may be unclear or may even evolve with time and give rise to the use of other definitions of migration as can be seen with seasonal migration. A major factor influencing human societies is that of migration and an ever increasing amount of investigation and analysis into this issue and the effects of it. It is by no means a new phenomenon with many large scale movements of people in history but especially with the improved ease of movement we definitely can recognize this time as the age of migration (Castles Miller, 2009) with some researchers citing that migration never ceases to finish (Schapendonk, 2011). One characteristic of modern day migration is that of irregular migration or illegal migrants as peoples moveme nts infringe upon host countries laws but the latter term reinforces the criminal nature of the act .Such activity can be seen in a major way in the area the Greek-Turkish borders where there exists a significant portal of entry into Europe (Schapendonk, 2011). Whether the migration process stops for individuals depends on the conditions of life the migrants find. It can be seen in the current literature, that investigations into migration highlight the effect that migration has but not the actual migration mechanism (Karczemski Boer, 2010). Furthermore, there exists numerous theories concerning migration internationally and contemporary research tends towards a multidisciplinary angle (Castles Miller, 2009) but there is a large proportion of analysis focusing on how social migrant networks integrate into migration and what part they play (Schapendonk, 2011; Koser Pinkerton, 2002; Spittel, 1998). Academics define these networks as sets of interpersonal ties that connect migrants, former migrants, and non-migrants in origin and destination areas through ties of kinship, friendship, and shared community origin (Gelderblom Adams, 227: 2006). The way in which migration is looked at has changed as Khalid Koser, a Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution says, We used to think of migration as a human security issue: protecting people and providing assistance. Now we clearly perceive-or misperceive-migration as a national security issue. And the risk of securitizing migration is that you risk legitimizing extraordinary responses. Furthermore the problem can be compounded by the demographic nature involved with the migration as former CFR Senior Fellow Charles Kupchan explains, The backdrop to this [migrant crisis] is the difficulty that many European countries have in integrating minorities into the social mainstream. Many of these immigrants are coming from Muslim countries, and the relationship between immigrant Muslim communities and the majority populations is not good. Kupchan also goes on to highlight the fact that geographically this problem has other factors involved too, Europe has historically embraced more ethnic than civic approaches to nationhood, unlike the United States, and that is part of the reason immigration is proving so difficult. Francesc Ortega, a professor of economics in New York conducted an investigation in 2013 into European migration and concluded that it is driven by financial needs and irregular migration is a product of poverty, The migratory pressures to Europe are something thats not going to go away.and the truth is there are very limited legal pathways to migrate to Europe. . . . Those two facts combined make smuggling very profitable. The pursuit for monetary reward by migrants does put pressure on the host nation as can be seen specifically with Greece as the number of jobs and the income has reduced for Greeks everywhere. Animosity towards migrants in Greece is on the rise and according to Anna Trianda fyllidou, attention to immigration as a growing threat to the cohesion of modern Greek society. In fact, racism is on the rise in society and politically with support for immigration constantly on the decline ( http://www.eliamep.gr/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/MIDAS-Policy-Paper-EN.pdf). From my opinion, the integration of immigrants appears to be a complex, multifaceted and contradictory process, touching several aspects of contemporary Greek society: politics and policy, economy and the labour market, geography and space, education and culture. Despite the exclusionary mechanisms that are still in place, immigrants do make a living in the host country and gradually become organic elements, turning Greece into a multicultural society. Outline of the chapters Currently the thesis consists of seven chapters. Chapter 1 will serve as an introduction to the issue and present the aim of the research and the significance of the topic in a contemporary sphere. The second chapter will look at the current policies of both the EU and the Greek government concerning irregular migration and will look at Greek migration elsewhere in the globe. Chapter 3 will focus on the entry point to the EU via the Greek-Turkish border and look at the reasons they are found to be there at that moment and what the conditions are like at these holding centers. It will feature points of view from both Greek citizens and migrants. It will include a number of interviews from both sides. Chapter 4 moves on to look at the migrants life-legal and illegal- in the period after the holding centers in various regions and snapshots of their lives as well as their hopes and desires for the future. It will pay particular attention to any racism and antimigrant feeling experienced by those interviewed. Chapter 5 will explore the social networks of the migrants in Greece and how they have developed and to what extent they have improved their lives. The sixth and final chapter will present the conclusions and suggest further areas of investigation including suggestions on political alterations to migrant policy specifically dealing with the Greek legislation. Methodology The methodology that I will use for this research will be a combination of a quantitative and qualitative approach, using interviews and statistics around the migrant and immigrant crisis in Greek life and in EU in general. It will include a field research also in some areas of Greece where they have refugees hotspots. I will interview a number of refugees and Greek citizens comparing their opinions. This sort of research tries to offer responses to inquiries like how or why. Furthermore I will include the political approaches of realism and feminism and liberalism. Also, my research will be exploratory and I will use the empirical method. Finally, it will conclude the foreign policies of Greece around immigration through the years. Bibliography Regarding the bibliography, the paper will be construct both in light of essential and secondary sources. At first it will include official archives from the EU and the UNHCR, (2012), Text of Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs ,European Union Councils decisions for the refugee crisis. Concerning the derivative sources, they will principally include scholastic interviews from refugees and Greek citizens in the areas of Greece, Local and international press coverage regarding the refugee crisis in Greece and in Europe (The Independent, BBC,Guardian,To Vima, Kathimerini ) some of them are listed below: Castles, S. Miller, J. (2009), The Age of Migration. New York: Palgrave McMillan Karczemski, M Boer, A. (2010) Post-Accession Migration: Polish migrants moving from Poland to The Hague, Radboud University, Nijmegen Koser, K. Pinkerton, C., (2002) The Social Networks of Asylum Seekers and the dissemination of information about countries of Asylum, Migration Research Unit, University College London Schapendonk, J. (2011), Turbulent Trajectories. Sub-Saharan African Migrants Heading North, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen

Social Promotion VS. Retention Essay -- Essays Papers

Social Promotion VS. Retention Abstract Social promotion and retention are used for various reasons. Retention is implemented when students have not met the general requirements to begin the next grade. The question that will be addressed is how do social promotion and retention differ? The overall meaning of both will be addressed to give the reader a better understanding of the two. Social promotion is the practice of promoting a student to the next grade level even if the minimum academic factors have not been satisfied. Retention is the approach that is most widely practiced. This is the retention of a grade to reinforce academics. The pros and cons, static’s, and drop out rates will be discussed. All of these factors will be addressed so that the reader can be aware of the opinions on the issues. This critical issue of Social Promotion and retention is a hard one to figure out. Exactly what is social promotion? Social Promotion is the practice of promoting students to the next grade level regardless of their academic progress. How serious id this issue? It is so serious that California, Delaware, South Carolina and Wisconsin have all passed laws forbidding the practice and in effect requiring schools to reinstate retention. What exactly is retention? It is the practice of holding back students to repeat a grade if they have not successfully met the requirements to go to the next grade level. This has been the practice of school systems for many years and The National Center for Education Static’s show that 16.8% of seniors have repeated at least one grade. The most frequently repeated grades were kindergarten through second. Does retention work? In the majority of studies done they... ...es to Help Students Succeed, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Kelly, Karen (1) Kelly, K. (1999). Retention vs. Social Promotion: Schools Search for Alternatives . Harvard Education Letter. Albany, NY. Ruldolph, Angela (1) Johnson, D. and A. Ruldolph (2001). Beyond Social Promotion and Retention-Five Startegies to Help Students Succeed, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Teachers, American Federation of (1) Teachers, A. F. o. (1997). Taking Responsibility for Ending Social Promotion: A Guide for Educators and State and Local Leaders. U.S. Department of Education. Thompson, Charles L. - Cunningham, Elizabeth K. (1) Thompson, C. L.-C., Elizabeth K. (200-12-00). Retention and Social Promotion: Research and Implications for Policy. ERIC Digest. New York. 161.

The Racial Bias of Capital Punishment in America Essay -- Argumentativ

The Racial Bias of Capital Punishment in America   Ã‚   Throughout history, minorities have been ill-represented in the criminal justice system, particularly in cases where the possible outcome is death.   In early America, blacks were lynched for the slightest violation of informal laws and many of these killings occured without any type of due process.   As the judicial system has matured, minorities have found better representation but it is not completely unbiased.   In the past twenty years strict controls have been implemented but the system still has symptoms of racial bias.   This racial bias was first recognized by the Supreme Court in   Fruman v. Georgia, 408 U.S.   238 (1972).   The Supreme Court Justices decide that the death penalty was being handed out unfairly and according to Gest (1996) the Supreme Court felt the death penalty was being imposed â€Å"freakishly' and ‘wantonly† and â€Å"most often on blacks.†Ã‚   Several years later in Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976), the Supreme Court decided, with efficient controls, the death penalty could be used constitutionally.   Yet, even with these various controls, the system does not effectively eliminate racial bias.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since Gregg v. Georgia the total   population of all 36 death rows has grown as has the number of judicial controls used by each state.   Of the 3,122 people on death row   41% are black while 48% are white (Gest, 1996, 41).   This figure may be acceptable at first glance but one must take into account the fact that only 12% of the U.S. population is black (Smolowe, 1991, 68).   Carolyn Snurkowski of the Florida attorney generals office believes that the disproportionate number of blacks on death row... ...nfined† (As cited in Lacayo, 1987, 80).   With great effort, the judicial controls can begin to battle the racial bias of Americas Judicial system but to completely eliminate such a bias, the people involved in the judicial process must learn to look past the race of the offender or the value of the victim, and instead focus on circumstances of the crime.    References    Gest, T.   (1986 Oct. 20).   Black-and-White Issue?   US News & World Report,   101 (16), 24-25.    Gest, T.   (1996 July 8).   A house without a blueprint.   US News & World Report, 121 (2), 41-42.    Lacayo, R.   (1987, May 4).   Clearing a Path to the Chair.   Time, 129 (18), 80.    Seligman, D.   (1994, September 5).   Uh oh! More Stats.   Fortune, 130 (5), 113-114.    Smolowe, J. (1991, April 29).   Race and the Death Penalty.   Time, 137 (17), 68-69.

Disadvantages of television Essay

TV viewing takes away the time that your child needs to develop important skills like language, creativity, motor, and social skills. These skills are developed in the kids’ first two years (a critical time for brain development) through play, exploration, and conversation. A kid’s language skills, for example, do not improve by passively listening to the TV. It is developed by interacting with people, when talking and listening is used in the context of real life. TV viewing numbs your kid’s mind as it prevents your child from exercising initiative, being intellectually challenged, thinking analytically, and using his imagination. TV viewing takes away time from reading and improving reading skills through practice. Kids who watch a lot of TV have trouble paying attention to teachers because they are accustomed to the fast-paced visual stimulation on TV. Kids who watch TV more than they talk to their family have a difficult time adjusting from being visual learners to aural learners (learning by listening). They also have shorter attention spans. School kids who watch too much TV also tend to work less on their homework. When doing homework with TV on the background, kids tend to retain less skill and information. When they lose sleep because of TV, they become less alert during the day, and this results in poor school performance. TV exposes your kid to negative influences, and promotes negative behavior. TV shows and commercials usually show violence, alcohol, drug use and sex in a positive light. The mind of your kid is like clay. It forms early impressions on what it sees, and these early impressions determine how he sees the world and affect his grown-up behavior. For instance, children who are more exposed to media violence behave more aggressively as kids and when they are older. Kids who watch too much TV are usually overweight, according to the American Medical Association. Kids often snack on junk food while watching TV. They are also influenced by commercials to consume unhealthy food. Also, they are not running, jumping, or doing activities that burn calories and increase metabolism. Obese kids, unless they change their habits, tend to  be obese when they become adults. TV watching also affects a child’s health and athletic ability. The more television a child watches, even in the first years of life, the more likely he is to be obese and less muscularly fit, according to a study by the University of Montreal. Even though your kid does not aspire to be a football star, his athletic abilities are important not only for physical health, but predicting how physically active he will be as an adult. Television further restricts an individual indulging in alternative activities such as reading, sports, religion, and active hobbies. Televisions depiction of horror, crime and violence further anaesthetises an individual from the real life problem. As television competes with other activities and experiences in a child’s life, parents role in providing alternatives are crucial. Moreover their own attitudes and beliefs both about television programmes and about life in general are important determinants of children’s response to television. Television may be a socialising force but it interacts in complex ways with all of the other forces in a child’s life to determine the patterns of socialisation for that child.

Collapse of the Ussr

Stephen Wears Assess the mall factors of the break-up of the soviet Union The break up and dissolution of the soviet union on the 25th December 1991 heralded the end of the Cold War. It ushered In what had been termed ‘the new world order', furthermore, it was suggested by Francis Fauvism to have signaled the end of history and the battle of ideas which had dominated much of the twentieth century (Huntington, 1996; 31). The ‘clash of civilizations' had already seen the demise of fascism as a credible force in 1945, the close of 1991 would see the end of communism in Europe.The relatively sudden collapse of the USSR has compelled winkers and analysts to seek answers as to why the world's second superpower could collapse so quickly and so utterly. Can it be attributed to one single catastrophic event, or is it far more appropriate to place blame on a number of contributing factors? The controversy surrounding the collapse of the USSR has been compared to the collapse of the Roman Empire among others and will also continue to be interpreted and reinterpreted for many years to come (Liqueur 1993; 387).This essay will look at some of the factors which lead to dissolution and assess the importance of each. The key issues that this essay will assess include the problem of he nationalities, the Geographer factor, economic problems, and the social and political upheavals caused by Perestroika and Glasnost. The Geographer factor must be viewed In the context of state of the country he Inherited from his predecessors coupled with the effects of Glasnost and Perestroika. It has been suggested that Glasnost and Perestroika played key roles in hastening the collapse of the world's second superpower.Glasnost (meaning openness) allowed people to see the flaws In the system and questions were raised as to whether or not communism had been good for Russia. Perestroika (meaning restructuring) also highlighted flaws in the lattice and bureaucratic system that could not be given a quick fix. The economic problems of the USSR have also been cited as a considerable factor in the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The command economy had stifled Innovation and its existence outside of the world economy had caused major problems. Further to this the USSR could not keep up with the military spending of the USA during the 1 sass.Competing against the military spending of the Reagan Administration as well as fighting a protracted war against the Munched in Afghanistan had all but exhausted the economy of the USSR. The nationalities provided a great problem for any ideas of national unity. It has been argued by Lord William Wallace that it would be very difficult for the European union evolve into a unified state because there is a lack of identity and little sense to shared history across the continent (Smith, 2005). This is the same problem facing attempts by soviet leaders to foster a single soviet nationality.The very same Issue had been faced by the Ts arist system before It. One of the few things the nationalities had in common was the centuries of Russian domination. Sitting on what 75 years before had been the Tsarist Russian Empire, the Soviet union faced same problem as had the Tsarist regime, namely the Incredibly republics of the USSR, was made up of many smaller semi-autonomous republics. Russians formed the biggest ethnic group at Just over 50%, followed by the Ukrainians with 15% of the total population. Other nationalities included Zebu; Biliousness; Khaki and Volta Attar among many others.The downfall of the Soviet Union gave an opportunity for peoples across the vast territory from Kampuchea to the Kola Peninsula to glamour for recognition (Dukes, 1998; 332). This suggests that the problem of the nationalities would continue to e a headache for the newly formed Russian Federation. The rise of nationalism added to the troubles faced by the Kremlin during the sass. The growth of the Transactions and Baltic Popular Front s had brought the problem of the nationalities to the fore when in 1989 the Red Army entered Tidbits to assist the Georgian authorities in putting down a rally.Soviet troops were also used to prop up the communist government of Azerbaijan under threat from nationalist forces (Chubbier, 2001; 195). The Baltic States did not Join the chorus of statements of sovereignty which had come from Astrakhan and Ukraine, this was because they regarded their incorporation into the USSR as an illegal act. They challenged the legality of the Molotov – Robertson pact of 1939 and achieved international support in the form of the American refusal to recognize the annexation of the region (Strayed, 1998; 152-153).The policy of Perestroika can be seen as the catalyst for the increase in nationalism as the planned restructuring of the USSR exposed fundamental flaws in the Soviet system. The policy of Glasnost also exposed corruption within the Caucasian and Central Asian republics, Geographer res ponded by replacing the Khaki Communist Party leader Sunken with a Russian. This caused a great deal of rioting in Almost (Strayed, 1998; 150-151). Further to the rise of popular front movements within the constituent republics, the Soviet Union was also facing a crisis with its East European satellites due in part to the policies of Glasnost and Perestroika.Glasnost and Perestroika are often cited as the most important factors in speeding the demise of the Soviet Union. Eric Hobbies claims that the only thing that made the soviet system work was the command structure of the party and the state which had been inherited from the days of Stalin (1995; 480). Once again it mimed that reform from the top was going to introduce fundamental change which was to be ultimately uncontrollable. Hobbies also suggests that ‘glasnost amounted to the disintegration of authority' and ‘perestroika amounted to the destruction of the old mechanisms which made the economy work' (1995; 483).P erestroika had to an extent legalized dissent, and groups in cities across the USSR began forming larger political groups known as ‘clubs of socially active citizens' (Chubbier, 2001; 190). This radical departure from the Soviet norm of suppressing membership of political parties other than the Communist Party was acclimated by the decision to stop arrests on the grounds of political activity. The release of political prisoners saw the growth of new organizations outside of the Soviet system, however by 1988 this opposition numbered Just a few thousand (Chubbier, 2001; 191).Glasnost played a major part in the unraveling of the Soviet Union. It brought forward into stark light the myriad of social problems which had 320-321). Part of glasnost and perestroika involved the relaxing of censorship of the press and other media. It was clear to Geographer that hard line censorship was a utile exercise given the increasing public access to western broadcasts, particularly in the after math of the Coherency disaster of 1986 (Acton, 1995; 320). It was recognized that reform of the economy and wider society could not happen under the current level of state censorship.Not even Lenin escaped criticism under glasnost, it was claimed that the October revolution had been an unmitigated disaster for Russia, leading the nation on a long road to nowhere (Acton, 1995; 323). Geographer and his policies of glasnost and perestroika soon faced serious problems with regards to implementation of the reforms. It seemed that Geographer was trying to do the impossible by marrying completely opposing concepts, ‘socialism with capitalism, totalitarianism with democracy'(Chubbier, 2001; 194). This was also known as the Geographer Factor.The Geographer Factor stems from the problem of the Soviet Union being too reliant on the top figure in government (Chubbier, 2001; 194). It was almost impossible to override the powers held by Geographer, even if it did mean following his lead to the destruction of the USSR. It can be argued that this same problem led to economic stagnation under Brethren and the less than successful schemes of Khrushchev. Regional fragmentation and the erosion of the USSR as a ‘political and economic empire' pushed the republics further towards secession, the communist parties in the Baltic States split from the main communist party of the Soviet Union (CUPS).This caused a wave of similar actions in other constituent republics and served to hasten the disintegration of the country. The process of demonstration initiated by Geographer set the Soviet Union on the course to oblivion for it allowed the republics to elect popular governments and vote to secede from the union via referendum. This most significant of these was the referendum held by Ukraine the results of which indicated the will of the people to leave the union. However this is at odds with the referendum set down by Geographer regarding the retention and reform of the USSR , which received overwhelming popular support.Nevertheless the simple fact that the largest republic in the USSR other than Russia had voted to leave the union could only have a catastrophic effect on the future of the country as a whole. Geographer had no choice but to accept these events, as there could be no return to Stalinist era of brutal suppression such as that en during the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. Geographer faced opposition to the introduction of restructuring and openness to the soviet system. The opposition came to a head in August of 1991, the central state bureaucracy made an attempt at regaining political control of the country (Chubbier, 2001; 193).A coup d'Â ©tat was launched in an attempt to reassert conservative values to the Soviet system. Geographer was put under house arrest in Crimea while attempts were made at reversing the damage done by perestroika. This however received no popular support from the public, prompting Boris Yielding to act to put a stop to the coup. Yielding, President of the Russian SF led a three day resistance movement which involved barricades being set up in central Moscow and around the ‘White House' to prevent the plotters from assuming power (Chubbier, 2001; 193).This proved to be Geographer's power almost completely eroded, a secret meeting of the leaders of the three main Slavic states declared that the USSR officially ceased to exist. Without a country to lead Geographer tendered his resignation on 25th December 1991. All but five signatures were present on the declaration of the end of the USSR. The Baltic tastes had long maintained their annexation was illegal, Georgia would sign later. The other noticeable absence was that of Mikhail Geographer (Chubbier, 2001 ; 194-195).This essay has given an assessment of the events leading to the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Although it cannot be said with any great certainty that any one factor was more influential than another, it must be noted that Gl asnost and Perestroika have not been too far away from any of the issues discussed here. The two flagship policies of Geographer had been intended to complement each other, in reality they had the opposite effect. Attempting to Join opposing concepts was a futile exercise which no doubt hastened the demise of the Soviet superpower.The problems faced by the Soviet government ran much deeper than appeared to the Soviet public. Years of economic stagnation and bureaucratic strangulation had left the Soviet Union a spent force by the late sass. Robert Strayed suggests that ‘tinkering with its fragile structures would send it [the USSR] spinning into oblivion' (1998; 88). One can't avoid this harrowing assessment being very similar to the assertion made by Doll Hitler shortly before launching Operation Barbarous, hat ‘one has only to kick in the door, and the whole rotten edifice will come crashing down'.Of course this was a statement of propaganda and should be viewed with t hat in mind. Ultimately the Soviet Union was broken by a series of intertwining events, both long term and short term, some more important than others but each playing a crucial role. Just as the USSR was established on the ruins of the Tsarist Empire, the newly formed Russian Federation is established on the ruins of the USSR, marked by the raising of the Russian Atrocious, watched by a small group of pro-communist supporters. List of References

Notes How Steinbeck develops the character of Curly’s wife Essay

Notes for controlled assessment: Examine how Steinbeck develops the character of Curly’s wife. INTRO. Develops through different themes and emotions through book. Introduced through males eyes negatively. Gives reader impression she is promiscuous and dangerous. ‘Tart, jailbait, tramp. First appearance in book describes her as flirtatious/temptress. As book progresses the views on the character change from initial perception. Tries to exert some power in the hierarchal structure on the ranch (Crooks). Above all is crying out for attention and company, loneliness seals fate. Themes in order: 1. No name/negative image. 2. Attractiveness/attention. 3. Loneliness. 4. Tragedy/victim/women in 1930s. 1. Introduced to the reader through the eyes/opinions of the males. Quote. Not once mentioned to have a name. Defined by her relationship, not an individual. No real meaning, existence no real identity. Disrespectful. Echo’s how women were treated in 1930s hierarchy (explain). No opinions/rights on matters; could’ve led to feelings of loneliness and victim of discrimination. Quote. Is above Crooks & uses that power. Quote. Sausages. Quote. Fashionable but described unattractive & negative. The way in which she talks. Quote. Portrayed as weak & delicate. Powerless. 2. Young. Probably doesn’t intentionally mean to come across as a tramp or tart. Bored, has nobody to talk to. Her sexuality, provocativeness & the way she portrays herself as a temptress leaves her considered dangerous. Attractiveness is her weapon, no use as no one likes her. Wears red. Quote. Red nails. Brazenness. Reminds reader of Weed & foreshadows things to come (death). In red when introduced and red when killed. Change of description at death. Quote. Sweet, young and innocence. Uses it for attention. Gets the wrong kind of attention. All because of loneliness. 3. From the start Steinbeck uses irony. Soledad/Spanish/solitude. Loneliness, isolation & seclusion how she feels. Quote. Wants company, lonely, doesn’t receive love and affection she needs/a young girl would want. Doesn’t understand why nobody will speak with her. Quote. Only female on the ranch. Demonstrates inner feelings, reader sympathises. Quote. In the end finally confides in someone, Lennie, leads to death. 4. Loneliness leads to her tragic death. Possible foreshadowing of death through loneliness- explain. Nobody will talk but then when Lennie does it results in her death Quote in a way putting her out of misery. Introduced as a girl quote no powerful presence from start, girl gives impression of vulnerability. Surrounded by all males/only female on ranch. Death that of tragedy as she tells of bright future promised quote felt betrayed by family to then settle with Curly. Women had no real career opportunities, heartbroken to end up a housewife like the rest, trying to live the ‘American Dream’ had hope and very nearly independence. CONC

Case Study Product Innovation at Bank of America

BANKING STRATEGIES Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America By Cindy Murray What ? nancial institutions can learn from inventions and innovations in other industries. owhere is innovation more essential to survival than in the banking industry. In the payments domain, for example, nonbank competitors less constrained by bank regulations and therefore more agile are changing the banking industry’s grip on the public perception of banks as the only trusted brand for holding and moving money. However, innovation is challenging for banks. Many products, like payments, are a commodity.A vast number of products and a complex infrastructure require continual upgrades to keep apace with technology advancements and comply with evolving regulations and security requirements. This article describes how Bank of America fosters a culture of innovation. Pivotal to an innovative culture is the direct engagement of clients in the innovation process. We highlight some of the ways that Bank of America achieves this. But ? rst we’ll look at the role of innovation process in building brand loyalty. N Build Brand Equity Through Progressive Transformation Change can occur by rede? ning a problem or rede? ing a solution. According to Robert Sternberg, a leading creativity expert,1 creativity is the ability to rede? ne a problem. Innovation can be viewed as the ability to rede? ne a solution. Successful innovation is a process over time—one that typically happens in increments rather than leaps. Rarely is a single innovation a game changer. In banking, 90 percent of innovation focuses on core competencies (that is, business-as-usual innovation), seven percent on game-changing innovation MAY–JUNE 2009 within core competencies and only three percent on leaps that signi? cantly shift the client experience.Outside of banking, an evolutionary approach to innovation is also the rule, not the exception. Continual improvements throughout a product’s life cycle build brand equity. Take the case of Nabisco’s Oreo cookie, the bestselling cookie in the United States. In 1912, Nabisco came up with the idea of two chocolate disks with cream ? lling in between. Since then it has released Double Stuff cookies with more ? lling; fudge-covered Oreos; holiday cookies, including Halloween and Christmas cookies; bite-sized Oreos for children; and reduced-fat Oreos. Oreos illustrate two important aspects of product innovation.First, Nabisco stayed close to its customers. It understood how needs varied among consumers and changed over time. The company developed its product to meet the needs of a continually broader set of consumers. Second, the example illustrates an incremental approach to innovation that focuses on advancing core products. The iPod was at once the next step in an evolutionary process and also a creative leap. This product integrated a number of capabilities in a portable device, but it was not the ? rst MP3 player. However, the concept of iTunes was a new business model that changed the way consumers could store and listen to music.The iPod was transformative, too, because it aligned with changing consumer behavior re? ected in trends of mobility and customization. Technology enabled a tipping point. Consumers were ready to embrace a leap. Cindy Murray is Head of Product Innovation at Bank of America. Contact her at cindy. [email  protected] com. COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW 35 Banking Strategies way that stays close to customers’ evolving needs. For example, through ethnographic research, we discovered a common practice among consumers of rounding up when writing checks. We took the idea of rounding up and turned it on its head—rede? ing Innovation is a process over time—an evolutionary the problem by associating payments with savings. path. An incremental approach to innovation mirrors How can we foster increased saving? With Keep the the gradual way in which people chan ge. Consumer Change, each time a customer pays using a Bank of behavior tends to change gradually. Successful innovation is customer driven. It gets as America check card, the bank rounds the payment close as possible to the customer’s current process. to the nearest dollar and transfers the extra change A deep understanding of how customers operate to the customer’s savings account. oday—and why they do what they do—gives inNow, instead of check writers rounding up, the sight into how to improve the process; how to create bank does it for them—but in a way that builds their a step forward for the customer. savings. The solution also facilitates increased use of Further, by directly engaging customers in the indebit cards, thereby supporting retailers’ efforts to novation process, they become deeply committed discourage check payments. It was also a timely soluto, and invested in, a solution, which took advantage tion’s evolutionary p ath. f evolving consumer beThis makes innovation a havior toward increased primary differentiator, ancard usage. Change can occur by rede? ning a other way of creating value Ethnographic research problem or rede? ning a solution. for customers by enriching has also been key to improvtheir experience and reining our electronic banking forcing loyalty over time. platform, CashPro, over Staying close to the customer is one of the most importime. For example, we designed an enhancement based tant attributes of a successful innovation process. on a typical client work ? ow for handling exceptions.By closely watching how 15 companies were posting their receivables, we identi? ed a common practice of Get Close to the Customer placing a sticky note on invoices when they did not match payment. Staff would then fax an invoice to At Bank of America, customers play a key role at the salesperson to inquire about the discrepancy. We every stage of the product innovation process. There incorporate d an electronic sticky note with email capaare a number of ways in which we directly engage bility in CashPro, so that clients could maintain their our customers throughout product development. ork-? ow process in the online environment. We use a range of formal techniques for idea generation. Formal techniques focus on gaining deepened client insight and are important when Amplify the we have limited information about an opportunity Voice of the Customer and the related customer need. Formal idea mining typically requires expertise through our internal innovation group or external specialized vendors. CashPro is a great example both of innovating in Ethnographic research is an important tool for increments to improve a product over time and of engenerating innovation ideas.Observation provides gaging clients in an evolutionary innovation process. insight into customer behavior and needs. ReturnWith CashPro, we established a customer advisory ing to the Oreo example, the idea for a bite-sized board, which has been closely involved in the prodcookie began to germinate when Nabisco researchers uct’s development. With CashPro, the innovation watched young children grapple with dunking the process becomes part of the client experience, thereby full-sized cookie in smaller cups. increasing customer satisfaction.For example, with Ethnographic research helps Bank of America CashPro, clients prefer self-service for upgrades. understand how to advance our core products in a They are fully vested in the change process. Engage Clients in the Evolutionary Path 36 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW MAY–JUNE 2009 Banking Strategies Our strategic client program, Treasury Exchange, At the other end of the spectrum, responsibility serves to amplify our voice of the customer research. for innovation can be centralized in a shared serClients are long-term program members in senior vice center.At Bank of America, we have dedicated treasury and/or ? nance roles within their o rganizastaff focused on game-changing innovations. At tions. They meet regularly—at frequencies varying the same time, our entire organization recognizes from once per quarter to yearly. The program enables the importance of ongoing process improvement participants to share insights on best practices and and enhancements. learn from each other, while helping us to better understand their challenges and needs. A detailed executive Work with Peers summary that identi? s key discussion themes helps pinpoint areas for deepening discussion and exploraTo maintain a competitive edge, banks increasingly tion. Conference calls exploring priority topics serve will look for ways to work with clients, technolas touch points between in-person meetings. ogy companies and other ? nancial institutions We also look to Treasury Exchange members to to combine strengths. For example, in May 2008, validate and ? esh out new product ideas and to Bank of America announced a partnership with provide validation at points in the product develWells Fargo called Pariter Solutions LLC.The opment cycle. Treasury 50-50 joint venture will Exchange members have operate the commercialsubmitted innovation ized ACH platform that ideas under the auspices will be leveraged by the An incremental approach to of the program. Customer two banks. The goal is to innovation mirrors the gradual way advisory boards and spegain economies of scale in which people change. cial client programs like and better position both Treasury Exchange augbanks to develop future ment our extensive voice products with a single of the customer research. nvestment in the underlying processing engine instead of duplicative investments. It’s a platform for growth and innovation. Cultivate a Culture of Innovation It’s important to be open to ideas from all sources. That’s part of cultivating a culture of innovation. At Bank of America, all associates are invited to collaborate in the innovation proce ss. For example, associates can submit their ideas online via IdeasZone, an internal intranet site. These ideas are funneled into the idea stream and receive equal attention within our innovation process.Collaborate with Technology Innovators In banking, technology is an enabler of innovation. Therefore, it’s important that banks collaborate with their technology providers. Bank of America’s collaboration with Microsoft is a great example of how we work with technology companies to develop innovative applications. Cash positioning and forecasting continue to be key client challenges. We spoke with clients to determine how they perform cash positioning and forecasting. Treasurers might use a treasury workstation, an Excel spreadsheet or a combination of tools.However, treasurers who rely on treasury workstations typically supplement their process with an Excel spreadsheet. Our research also con? rmed that many clients have dif? culty building a historical database of in formation for trend analysis to support forecasting. COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW Foster Employees There are different options for organizational structure to foster an innovative environment. At Google, it’s part of everyone’s job to innovate. There is a decentralized approach to innovation in which all employees are engaged and given incentives.It’s built into their objectives and re? ected in their salary increases and bonuses. MAY–JUNE 2009 37 Banking Strategies Bank of America worked with Microsoft to develop CashPro Accelerate. This tool accepts information feeds across all of a client’s bank accounts and automates the cash-positioning process. It also builds a historical database that clients can use for forecasting. Keep Moving Forward â€Å"I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. †Ã¢â‚¬â€Thomas Edison With an inventor’s mind-set, the idea of failure is a fallacy.Some who know best ha ve even looked at failures as a continual path forward. Besides being the still-unrivaled record holder of 1,093 U. S. patents, Thomas Edison broadened the concept of the invention to what’s known today as â€Å"innovationinvention,† R & D and commercialization. 3 Innovative companies ? nd ways to leverage new insights to keep moving forward. The creation of 3M Post-it notes is a classic story of turning failure on its head and using creativity to rede? ne a problem. Spencer Silver was working on developing a strong adhesive but invented a weak one instead.Silver’s colleague Arthur Fry came up with a novel application for the weak adhesive, which became the basis for Post-it notes—a new vehicle for communication—which Bank of America used in its CashPro innovation. Sometimes the leap is in how we look at things. Build a Brain Trust In a September 2008 issue of H ARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW, Ed Catmull, cofounder of Pixar and the president of Pixar and D isney Animation Studios, talked about how Pixar fosters collective creativity. One of Pixar ’s core operating principles is that, â€Å"We must stay close to innovations happening in the academic community. 2 It’s part of the company’s effort to eliminate boundaries between different disciplines. Earlier this year, Bank of America and MIT’s Media Laboratory announced the creation of the Center for Future Banking. Over the next ? ve years, Bank of America will contribute $3 million to $5 million annually. The center is a prototype for how business and academia can work together to invent the future of an entire industry. It will bring together researchers with radically different perspectives, including behavioral economists, social scientists, computer scientists, psychologists, designers and others.The goal is to trigger unexpected new ideas that lead to innovation leaps in banking. Test, Learn, Evolve This inventor mentality is at the heart of our test and-learn environment, in which we deploy an initial solution design to get ? rsthand feedback from clients on its usability and value. At this stage, the intent is to address any issues or opportunities in the next iteration of the design. The process enables us to evolve our product design before we get to the pilot stage. As an iterative process, the test-andlearn environment is a microcosm of the broader innovation process focused at a certain point in the development process.The Intelligent Cash Manager, a new end-to-end Bank of America solution, gives a live example of the test-and-learn approach. The solution concept germinated in a series of Treasury Exchange meetings, where clients identi? ed cash handling and deposit as a major pain point. It’s an ATM-like machine that counts cash, accepts it for deposit and provides safekeeping. An issue related to jamming surfaced in the test-and-learn environment, which will inform a solution redesign. MAY–JUNE 2009 Choose Winning Concepts Vetting ideas and building a business case are key steps in the innovation process.Bank of America uses a scoring technique as part of our process for vetting ideas. Scoring criteria include whether a concept matches to plan objectives, whether it has wide applicability, its level of innovativeness and complexity and the potential magnitude of its impact. At Bank of America, for example, out of 919 ideas received this year, 10 have been submitted for funding in 2009. Building a business case is a key step. An effective business case must describe the opportunity and its alignment with strategy and also describes the target client and market within the context of the competitive landscape.Finally, it outlines the proposed approach, the risk and the ? nancial opportunity. 38 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW Banking Strategies Storyboarding is a creative technique used in the early stage of ? lmmaking. Storyboarding can help speed time-to-market. By not building the entire p roduct—but rather using storyboards and prototypes in a test-and-learn environment—we retain ? exibility even as we move further into the product-development process. Flexibility enables us to prioritize the most important features and integrate feedback and new insights from customers.It helps us to make smart choices with our investment dollars as products take more tangible form. The Next Leap in the Innovation Process The ability to synthesize information into insights will be an increasingly important part of creating a valuable client experience—not only banks connecting to customers—but of customers connecting to each other for insight. Incubation and the cross-fertilization of ideas are important to the creative process. Bank of America is integrating online networking into its innovation process. For example, we are connecting participants in the Treasury Exchange program to an online forum.Our long-term vision is to link our various Treasury Exc hange client groups—which are based on industry, function and geography—into a clientcentric global collaborative network. We also plan to introduce online ideation as a way to collaborate with Treasury Exchange participants on innovation. More broadly, the idea of integrating social networking into the bank’s innovation process holds tremendous promise. With our consumer base of 59 million households, social networking can be a powerful tool for engaging customers ? rsthand in product development. hen the next step integrates multiple aspects to transform the end-to-end client experience. To cite an earlier example, the iPod integrates communication speed, mobility and storage capacity. All of these come together, along with consumer readiness for change and the introduction of the iTunes business model. Within the banking realm, clients increasingly want banking solutions to integrate into their flow—whether flow constitutes, for example, a mobile consu mer or the workflow related to a treasurer’s broader financial processes.The need to integrate payments in the broader customer experience will involve mobile technology in some form and the analysis of information to provide insight. For corporate customers, banks are already delivering time-sensitive information to personal digital assistants (PDAs) and cell phones. Information analysis and synthesis could help treasurers to improve broader ? nancial processes (for example, accounts payable or receivable), help optimize working capital and minimize cost and use payment information to deepen insight into customer behavior.We are already seeing merchants, for example, use consumer payment information to tailor coupons to a customer ’s buying preferences. Banks can deliver robust information to consumers, for example, to help them weigh product features and engage in ? nancial planning to evaluate a purchase within a desired spending budget. Perhaps, ultimately, clients will want to take their bank accounts with them, storing virtual money inside their mobile phones. Banks have an opportunity to reassert their unique role as the trusted brand in storing and moving money.Innovation will be critical to our success. What Might Be the Next Leap in Banking? Successful innovation continuously improves aspects of the customer’s experience. Leaps occur Endnotes 1 2 3 Professor at Tufts University; research focuses on creativity. How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity, HARVARD BUS. REV. , Sept. 2008, at 71. The Edison Papers, http://edison. rutgers. edu/biogrphy. htm. MAY–JUNE 2009 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW 39 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.