Thursday, January 30, 2020

The Different International Markets Only Changing the Structures Essay Example for Free

The Different International Markets Only Changing the Structures Essay â€Å"How Ingvar Kamprad succeed to adapt the different international markets only changing the structures?† The evolution of Ikea’s organization structure changed through the years. First, it used to have an horizontal organization structure, with just one boss taking the decisions, Ingvar and the employees, manufacturing the products (Exhibit 1). Most businesses begin as simple structure with only two levels: the strategy apex and an operating level.(P79)This is an original Swedish model and it is normally used in small companies. A successful horizontal structure allows each employee to have and affirm his own perspective. Thus all the employees shape a society in their company. Eliminating the hierarchical structure deemphasizes the value of power, and accentuates the collaboration. It allows balancing the power in the structure. The first problem appeared in the 1970s:growth in the Swedish furniture market was stagnating. Kamprad felt it was time for IKEA to expand internationally. Refer to the theory from class, one of the reason why restructure is the growing of organizations.(P89) Then, the structure had to be adapted since the horizontal one was now too simple. That’s the reason why it evolved from the horizontal form to a more vertical way (Exhibit 2). As noted, vertical coordination rests on top-down command and control. (P59 )As in the horizontal one, the boss is situated at the top. However, the management was split up into two different â€Å"departments†: the Swedish and the European management. This division will be the base of the Ikea’s successful future. Dividing the management into these two segments, gave them the possibility to keep on going with the traditional Scandinavian culture; and on the other hand, improve and innovate in the European market. In the 1980s, Ikea wanted to start doing business not only in Europe but all over the world, in the USA, Canada and Asia, for instance. According to the knowledge we learnt from class,the reason why restructuring is that The environment shifts.(P89)At this time, the organization frame of Ikea had also got to be changed. In this case, the management was divided in geographical regions. Once this modification had been done, each Ikea store was able to satisfy the different consumer needs depending on the region they were located (Exhibit 3). Furthermore, between 1986 and 1990, Ingvar Kamprad elected Anders Moberg as a president; they did not have the same idea about the management and the structure, and that is the reason why the company structure changed into a new one. The leadership shift had an impact on the company’s management style.(case,P10)The environment shifts is also a reason of restructure.(P89) This new structure is divided into 3 levels: supervisory board (the top), executive board and staff. To our mind it is like Mintzbergs structural configurations: divisionalized form. Divisionalized form is based on centralization and different divisions in the same company. We can say that it is like the way of thinking of Anders Moberg, the president, because he is more committed to systematization (as refer in the case study page 10). From 2000, they opened more stores and they worked with a wider range of products, not just kitchen and garden products, but also office furniture and more traditional designs. This is the reason why new departments emerged, because of the need of specialized personnel. But the structure remain the same, this additional departments did not affect it. To sum up, we would like to highlight the importance of Ingvar for the Ikea Company, since all the decisions he made were fortunately the best ones he could have taken. Each decision was taken at the right time. Even with many difficulties, Ingvar Kamprad knew how to turn problems in opportunities, for instance with the Ikea launching in the worldwide markets. He was self-confident and believed in his company’s values and culture, and he never tried to change this but to improve it, through the combination of different types of organization structures. Many small companies may have Ikea as a reference; in the moment he wanted to enter to new markets (become international) it was forced to adapt its organization frame: evolving from a horizontal to a more vertical one. So that, we can conclude that if companies wanted to expand their business to new markets, it is necessary to change and adapt to what the moment requires. He opted to rely on traditional values ​​and strive to provide a better quality of life to consumers. The founder has always known how to analyse and follow the market surronding him. Each decision was taken at the right time. Even with many difficulties, Ingvar Kamprad has known how to turn problems in opportunities, for instance with the Ikea launching in the worldwide markets. Through this case study, we wanted to show that the current state of Ikea is thanks to Ingvar Kamprad. through this case, we wanted to show that it is the Man itself who made the corporation what it became. We also wanted to emphasize the fact that the structures change (very) quickly, thus, you must follow the market surrounding.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Princess Bride Research Paper -- essays research papers fc

The Princess Bride In the film, â€Å"The Princess Bride,† directed by Rob Reiner, it all begins with a Grandfather telling the story to his less than enthusiastic Grandson. The story opens in the country of Florin with Buttercup treating her â€Å"Farm Boy† not so well, â€Å"his name was Wesley, but she never called him that. â€Å"Very soon she realizes he loves her and she loves him in return. He sets off for America â€Å"to make his fortune across the sea.† She later finds out that he and his ship have been murdered by the Dread Pirate Roberts â€Å"who never leaves captives alive.† Scene: Humperdink castle, Prince Humperdink is announcing his bride-to-be and we find out it is the Princess Buttercup. She does not love him, but he â€Å"has the right to choose his bride.† Next Scene: Buttercup is riding her horse through the forest and comes across three strange looking men: one short, intelligent man (Vizzini), a Spaniard (Inigo), and a giant (Fezzik). They kidnap her and Vizzini reveals that he wants to start a war with the nearby country Guilder by murdering Buttercup and leaving her on the â€Å"Guilder frontier," even though Inigo and Fezzik are not too happy with the idea they follow their orders. They sail away on a ship, but soon realize they are being followed by a ship that is gaining on them. He also follows them to the Cliffs of Insanity. When they reach the top, Vizzini has Inigo stay behind to kill the man following them (the Man-in-Black) because he (Inigo) is a master swordsman. When the Man-in-Black reaches the top of the cliffs, Inigo reveals he wants revenge on a man with six fingers who killed his father. Inigo and the Man-in-Black find they have a mutual respect for each other, but they must duel and the Man-in-Black wi ns, but does not kill Inigo. Vizzini sees that the Man-in-Black is still following them, so he has Fezzik stay behind to kill him. They wrestle and again the Man-in-Black wins, but he does not kill Fezzik. Then he confronts Vizzini, they have a Battle of Wits, and of course the Man-in-Black wins again. From there, he grabs Buttercup and they run off. Meanwhile, Prince Humperdink has been following them with his friend Count Rugen. Back to the running of MIB (Man in Black) and Buttercup: Buttercup beli... ...ess than two hours. There are two types of people in this world: those who love â€Å"The Princess Bride† and those who have yet to see it. The acting is wonderful. The roles are typecast superbly, and the content has no political statements or current affair ties. The lack of ties will set this movie comfortably for years to come among the favorite of families everywhere. (dehm, Phantome Noire.) On the website, About.com, Ben Miller writes up a college student’s â€Å"Must See Movie† list. The Princess Bride ranks number twenty-six on that list. Another reason I think this movie is so incredibly wonderful is because it shows that no matter what obstacles two people face in life â€Å"True Love† will always prevail. Works Cited http://www.about.com http://www.dehm.com/movie/princess.html http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/boulevard/4355 http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/makeup/6353/princessbride.html http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/mansion/8382/main.html http://www.tough.net/eempje/princess.htm http://www.webring.org Martin, Mick, and Marsha Porter. Video Movie Guide 1999. New York: Ballantine Books, 1998. The Princess Bride. Dir. Rob Reiner. 20th Century Fox/Nelson Entertainment

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Deception Point Page 96

But he heard the explosion. 117 The West Wing was usually quiet at this hour, but the President's unexpected emergence in his bathrobe and slippers had rustled the aides and on-site staff out of their â€Å"day-timer beds† and on-site sleeping quarters. â€Å"I can't find her, Mr. President,† a young aide said, hurrying after him into the Oval Office. He had looked everywhere. â€Å"Ms. Tench is not answering her pager or cellphone.† The President looked exasperated. â€Å"Have you looked in the-â€Å" â€Å"She left the building, sir,† another aide announced, hurrying in. â€Å"She signed out about an hour ago. We think she may have gone to the NRO. One of the operators says she and Pickering were talking tonight.† â€Å"William Pickering?† The President sounded baffled. Tench and Pickering were anything but social. â€Å"Have you called him?† â€Å"He's not answering either, sir. NRO switchboard can't reach him. They say Pickering's cellphone isn't even ringing. It's like he's dropped off the face of the earth.† Herney stared at his aides for a moment and then walked to the bar and poured himself a bourbon. As he raised the glass to his lips, a Secret Serviceman hurried in. â€Å"Mr. President? I wasn't going to wake you, but you should be aware that there was a car bombing at the FDR Memorial tonight.† â€Å"What!† Herney almost dropped his drink. â€Å"When?† â€Å"An hour ago.† His face was grim. â€Å"And the FBI just identified the victim†¦ â€Å" 118 Delta-Three's foot screamed in pain. He felt himself floating through a muddled consciousness. Is this death? He tried to move but felt paralyzed, barely able to breathe. He saw only blurred shapes. His mind reeled back, recalling the explosion of the Crestliner out at sea, seeing the rage in Michael Tolland's eyes as the oceanographer stood over him, holding the explosive pole to his throat. Certainly Tolland killed me†¦ And yet the searing pain in Delta-Three's right foot told him he was very much alive. Slowly it came back. On hearing the explosion of the Crestliner, Tolland had let out a cry of anguished rage for his lost friend. Then, turning his ravaged eyes to Delta-Three, Tolland had arched as if preparing to ram the rod through Delta-Three's throat. But as he did, he seemed to hesitate, as if his own morality were holding him back. With brutal frustration and fury, Tolland yanked the rod away and drove his boot down on Delta-Three's tattered foot. The last thing Delta-Three remembered was vomiting in agony as his whole world drifted into a black delirium. Now he was coming to, with no idea how long he had been unconscious. He could feel his arms tied behind his back in a knot so tight it could only have been tied by a sailor. His legs were also bound, bent behind him and tied to his wrists, leaving him in an immobilized backward arch. He tried to call out, but no sound came. His mouth was stuffed with something. Delta-Three could not imagine what was going on. It was then he felt the cool breeze and saw the bright lights. He realized he was up on the Goya's main deck. He twisted to look for help and was met by a frightful sight, his own reflection-bulbous and misshapen in the reflective Plexiglas bubble of the Goya's deepwater submersible. The sub hung right in front of him, and Delta-Three realized he was lying on a giant trapdoor in the deck. This was not nearly as unsettling as the most obvious question. If I'm on deck†¦ then where is Delta-Two? Delta-Two had grown uneasy. Despite his partner's CrypTalk transmission claiming he was fine, the single gunshot had not been that of a machine gun. Obviously, Tolland or Rachel Sexton had fired a weapon. Delta-Two moved over to peer down the ramp where his partner had descended, and he saw blood. Weapon raised, he had descended belowdecks, where he followed the trail of blood along a catwalk to the bow of the ship. Here, the trail of blood had led him back up another ramp to the main deck. It was deserted. With growing wariness, Delta-Two had followed the long crimson smear along the sideboard deck back toward the rear of the ship, where it passed the opening to the original ramp he had descended. What the hell is going on? The smear seemed to travel in a giant circle. Moving cautiously, his gun trained ahead of him, Delta-Two passed the entrance to the laboratory section of the ship. The smear continued toward the stern deck. Carefully he swung wide, rounding the corner. His eye traced the trail. Then he saw it. Jesus Christ! Delta-Three was lying there-bound and gagged-dumped unceremoniously directly in front of the Goya's small submersible. Even from a distance, Delta-Two could see that his partner was missing a good portion of his right foot. Wary of a trap, Delta-Two raised his gun and moved forward. Delta-Three was writhing now, trying to speak. Ironically, the way the man had been bound-with his knees sharply bent behind him-was probably saving his life; the bleeding in his foot appeared to have slowed. As Delta-Two approached the submersible, he appreciated the rare luxury of being able to watch his own back; the entire deck of the ship was reflected in the sub's rounded cockpit dome. Delta-Two arrived at his struggling partner. He saw the warning in his eyes too late. The flash of silver came out of nowhere. One of the Triton's manipulator claws suddenly leaped forward and clamped down on Delta-Two's left thigh with crushing force. He tried to pull away, but the claw bore down. He screamed in pain, feeling a bone break. His eyes shot to the sub's cockpit. Peering through the reflection of the deck, Delta-Two could now see him, ensconced in the shadows of the Triton's interior. Michael Tolland was inside the sub, at the controls. Bad idea, Delta-Two seethed, blocking out his pain and shouldering his machine gun. He aimed up and to the left at Tolland's chest, only three feet away on the other side of the sub's Plexiglas dome. He pulled the trigger, and the gun roared. Wild with rage at having been tricked, Delta-Two held the trigger back until the last of his shells clattered to the deck and his gun clicked empty. Breathless, he dropped the weapon and glared at the shredded dome in front of him. â€Å"Dead!† the soldier hissed, straining to pull his leg from the clamp. As he twisted, the metal clamp severed his skin, opening a large gash. â€Å"Fuck!† He reached now for the CrypTalk on his belt. But as he raised it to his lips, a second robotic arm snapped open in front of him and lunged forward, clamping around his right arm. The CrypTalk fell to the deck. It was then that Delta-Two saw the ghost in the window before him. A pale visage leaning sideways and peering out through an unscathed edge of glass. Stunned, Delta-Two looked at the center of the dome and realized the bullets had not even come close to penetrating the thick shell. The dome was cratered with pockmarks. An instant later, the topside portal on the sub opened, and Michael Tolland emerged. He looked shaky but unscathed. Climbing down the aluminum gangway, Tolland stepped onto the deck and eyed his sub's destroyed dome window. â€Å"Ten thousand pounds per square inch,† Tolland said. â€Å"Looks like you need a bigger gun.† Inside the hydrolab, Rachel knew time was running out. She had heard the gunshots out on the deck and was praying that everything had happened exactly as Tolland had planned. She no longer cared who was behind the meteorite deception-the NASA administrator, Marjorie Tench, or the President himself-none of it mattered anymore. They will not get away with this. Whoever it is, the truth will be told. The wound on Rachel's arm had stopped bleeding, and the adrenaline coursing through her body had muted the pain and sharpened her focus. Finding a pen and paper, she scrawled a two-line message. The words were blunt and awkward, but eloquence was not a luxury she had time for at the moment. She added the note to the incriminating stack of papers in her hand-the GPR printout, images of Bathynomous giganteus, photos and articles regarding oceanic chondrules, an electron microscan printout. The meteorite was a fake, and this was the proof.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

The Transformation of Tom Joad in John Steinbeck’s The...

In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad is the protagonist. After serving four years in jail for murder, he is finally out on parole. When Tom is first introduced, he is portrayed as a negative character. Tom is stubborn and likes things to go his way. In the beginning of the novel Tom lives his life day by day, the future does concern him. Throughout the novel Tom develops from a man only interested in his own independent personal needs and desires to someone who is devoted to his family, and is willing to sacrifice his own personal comfort for their benefit. By the end of the novel Tom Joad transformed from a negative character into a positive character who cares about the future of his nation and the families that are†¦show more content†¦He only cares about getting his own way at the exact moment only cares about getting his way at that exact moment. Tom Joad lives his life with the â€Å"one foot before the other† type of attitude. The future does not concern him in the beginning of the novel. He does not think about the next day until the next day is there. He does this because he does not want to worry himself. He is afraid that if he becomes worried about his future, then he will become obsessed with it and will eventually be driven to insanity. As the novel went on, Tom realized that it was he that held his family together and provided the determination and support to keep going on. He possesses the skills and knowledge to make money on his own, but he decides to stay with his family and help them move along. The Joad family encounters many dilemmas where Tom has to make crucial decisions. Tom starts to realize what is best for his family’s future. At first, Tom only cared about himself and how he would succeed. Pretty soon, he has the same line of thinking as Preacher Jim Casy. â€Å"[sic] I’ll be ever’where-wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people ca n eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there† (Steinbeck 537). Tom is talking about how he wants to organize a strike like what Casy did. He believes that if everyone joins together, then the cops can not touch them. He forgot about what is best forShow MoreRelatedJohn Steinbeck s The Great Depression1405 Words   |  6 PagesThe historical masterpiece written by John Steinbeck portrays a story about a humble family who are forced to find jobs during the time of the Great depression. The characters are hopeful, as they pray for a pray for a brighter future. Steinbeck tries to demonstrate the strength of unity, and that working together will triumph anything that is done individually. Rather than sticking to their own beliefs, the characters are modeled by their environment. They have no choice but to seek help to beRead MoreCatcher In the Rye vs. Grapes of Wrath Essay1787 Words   |  8 Pagesis analyzed in The Catcher in the Rye and The Grapes of Wrath. 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