Situational Leadership Style

Introduction Leadership is described as the ability to motivate and make possible for others to realize shared goals. In the last century, several leadership styles and theories were formulated and analyzed (Bass Riggio, 2006). Currently, there is no single theory that is perfectly suited for all circumstances.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Situational Leadership Style specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Notably, the basic principles of leadership such as inspiring and directing others to realize shared goals underwent through little changes in the past decades. However, leadership context, complexity, and diversity in institutions progressed immensely in the last century (Bass Riggio, 2006). For situational leadership theory, leaders are required to exhibit unique leadership styles in different circumstances. Owing to its inherent flexibility, the advantages associated with this leadership theory overshadow its disadvantages. As such, this leadership theory is valid for both micro and macro economies and flexible to supporters at different expansion stages. This paper focuses on situational leadership style. In the paper, a brief overview, strengths, and weakness of the theory are highlighted. A brief overview of the theory Hersey and Blanchard formulated this type of leadership style in the year 1969 (Bass Riggio, 2006). This type of leadership was formulated with the help of Reddin’s 3-D management style theory. According to the two experts, the major responsibility of any situational leader is to become accustomed to their individual leadership style and satisfy the followers’ needs. To achieve the above, a situational leader should identify precisely the abilities and enthusiasms levels of his or her followers and lay down tasks, which are suitable with followers’ enthusiasms and abilities. With this leadership model, managers can choose from four leadership appr oaches. These approaches are characterised by combinations of task and relationship behaviour. The situational leadership approach model categorizes a mixture of task and relationship behaviors into four quadrants. A dissimilar leadership method is required in each quadrant. In the first quadrant, high task and low relationship, the telling style is very commanding since the manager creates many contributions and least amount of relationship behavior. Therefore, an autocratic leader would best depict this quadrant. In the second quadrant, high task and high relationship, the selling approach is also very commanding, however in a more influential behavior. Through this approach, the leader can offer substantial contributions towards task success and give emphasis to human relations.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the third quadrant, high relationship and low task, less co mmands and more collaboration between the managers and the supporters’ styles are eminent. The advice-giving and agreement subtypes of participative leaders are best depicted in this quadrant. In the fourth quadrant, low relationship and low task, the manager hands over accountability for a chore to a supporter and he or she is just kept informed of the advancement. As such, task behaviour entails employing one way of communication, delegating duties, and informing followers what is expected from them. Effective managers should know when to employ a high degree of task behaviour and when to employ a moderate degree of task behaviour depending on the circumstances (Bass Riggio, 2006). On the other hand, relationship behaviour requires a manager to employ two-way communication, listen, encourage, and involve supporters in decision-making processes. Just like in the task behaviour, effective managers should know when to employ a high degree of relationship behaviour and when to employ a moderate degree of relationship behaviour depending on the prevailing circumstances (Bass Riggio, 2006). As noted above, situational leadership style can be illustrated using four-squared matrix with distinctive phases. Based on this type of leadership style, an effective manager should be able to equalize the amount of direction given to building relationships, for the reason that individuals’ abilities and inspirations vary with time. For instance, a situational leader ought to equalize high technology and high touch to match with vibrant times. As such, they should be passionate, honest, effective communicators, and possess appropriate judgment capabilities. Equally, situational Leadership style requires leaders to be flexible and be able to become accustomed to different situations and characters. Strengths of situational leadership The basic strengths of this type of leadership style are that it is authoritative and flexible in nature (Srivastava, 2003). This implies that situational leadership style can indicate to the manager what to do under different circumstances and characters. For leaders, knowing who will perform a particular task and when it will be performed is very crucial for smooth operations. Given that leadership involves changes, this type of leadership style is suitable to varying situations. Usually, external and internal forces lead individuals, teams, and objectives vary.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Situational Leadership Style specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this regard, effective situational leaders should be able to tackle and respond to any kind of change. This implies that unlike other leadership styles, situational leadership style is distinct, applicable, and rational. For example, a new team member might exhibit great interest towards the project; however, he may not be perfectly skilled for the project. Such a member will require appropriate guidelines during his earlier days in the project. With time, the individual will master the project requirements hence little or no direction will be required. As time progresses, more motivation will be helpful when the individual develops some boredom towards the project as the task becomes monotonous and unchallenging. During this time, situational leaders should be able to re-evaluate task and relationship balances and implement appropriate direction and support. Another advantage of situational leadership style is that it is prescriptive (Srivastava, 2003). However, it should be noted that it is flexible enough to allow individuals to equalize the amount of direction with the support followers require based on their abilities and enthusiasms. As such, this type of leadership style acknowledges the uniqueness that exists among team members. In addition, situational leadership does not only values supporter’s strengths but also fosters and strives to improve o n his or her weakness. Currently, diversity in our institutions and societies requires leaders to adopt the 21st century’s methods of situational leadership approaches. Equally, the diversity has augmented and reinforced the groups. Additionally, situational leadership necessitates the leaders to be involved and understand the production and workers facets of the process for them to become accustomed to their individual behaviours. If a leader adopts situational leadership, he or she will be in touch with both the goal and the supporters seeking this goal. In this regard, it can be argued that situational leadership enhances connections. In addition, this type of leadership style has tolerated reasonable test of time. For instance, over the last five decades the model has been applied in several sectors such as military, businesses organisations, and educational setups. In most of these contexts, the model has been accepted and is currently being utilized to address several c hallenges (Bass Riggio, 2006). The incidental nature of situational leadership style is that it mandates leaders to adapt their own conduct whenever the circumstances vary. Every time the relation between the supporters and the tasks vary, this type of leadership style enables the leaders to readjust their behaviours and acts to satisfy the new state of affairs. Therefore, if a leader applies the approach in consecutive estimates, he or she will be able to re-examine the extent of supervision and help the supporters require all through the continuum.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The shortcomings of situational leadership One major disadvantage of this type of leadership style is that it necessitates sound judgments with regard to task’s acquaintance and human evaluation (Srivastava, 2003). In this regard, it should be noted that not all individuals possess the visualization, spirit, insight, power, persistence, or luck to lead in every circumstance regardless of their characters, abilities, or style. Therefore, wrong detection of the supporters’ abilities and enthusiasms to complete a specific chore may interrupt the team’s development and demoralize the followers’ sense of worth. Equally, undervaluing or overvaluing of the team’s enthusiasms or abilities is unfavourable to goal realization of the goal. On the other hand, if a leader misdiagnoses the readiness and loyalty of several team associates if could result in project breakdown. This implies that an effective situational leader should be educated appropriately in co gnitive and psychosocial expansion hypothesis and be vigilant to dissimilarities that exist among follower because of pressures from sex, age, educational and ethnic uniqueness. Similarly, situational leadership style necessitates the managers to have comprehensive knowledge of intellectual and developmental level of their supporters. In addition, the leadership style does not tackle crucial details such as the multifaceted factors affecting motivation. The model lacks appropriate tools for the managers to identify a group’s task skill or communal enthusiasms. In this context, It is not possible for a manager to be acquainted with all the members of bigger the groups and subsequently analyse the followers’ recommendations since the supporters’ behaviours are based on fewer personal information. In this regard, situational leadership is appropriately appropriate for small groups rather than big groups in a large institution. Since its development, situational lea dership style has been adopted by various organizations, numerous supporters, and by a variety of managers, with varying achievements. Despite this success, it should be noted that s few official researches have been carried out to ascertain the effectiveness of this leadership model compared to other leadership models (Bass Riggio, 2006). A last shortcoming associated with this style of leadership relates to the inherent prejudice in the leadership surveys that support the model (Srivastava, 2003). The queries in the survey hinder the interviewee from selecting an appropriate answer that supports the leadership style. However, despite these weaknesses it should be acknowledged that the situational leadership model is a helpful tool when adopted correctly. Conclusion In conclusion, there are four distinct types of situational leadership styles. These are directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating. Similarly, situational leadership can be generalized into three steps. These ste ps are identifying the crucial tasks, diagnosing members’ readiness level, and settling on matching leadership style. As illustrated above, the situational leadership model symbolizes an agreement of thinking about leadership behavior relative to group members. This leadership theory is valid for both micro and macro economies and flexible to supporters at different stages (Bass Riggio, 2006). Similarly, As such, skilled individuals require less specific direction compared to less skilled individuals. The model is helpful since it bases its principles on other details of leadership that give emphasis to the role of task and relationship behaviors. Because of this, it has demonstrated to be an effective basis of leadership training. Equally, the situational leadership approach supports common sense. Because of this, it is instinctively attractive. Leaders can gain from this model if they try to assess the willingness of their supporters before deciding on the appropriate lead ership style. In general, the model allows leaders to become accustomed to their individual leadership style and satisfy the followers’ needs. In spite of its impressive advantages, it should be noted that this leadership style has its shortcomings (Bass Riggio, 2006). For instance, situational leadership style necessitates sound judgments with regard to task’s knowledge and human evaluation. In this regard, it should be noted that not all individuals possess the visualization, spirit, insight, power, persistence, or luck to lead in every circumstance regardless of their characters, abilities, or style. Therefore, wrong detection of the supporters’ abilities and enthusiasms to complete a specific chore may interrupt the team’s development and demoralize the followers’ sense of worth. Equally, the leadership style lacks appropriate tools for the managers to identify a group’s task skill or communal enthusiasms. In this context, It is impossi ble for a manager to be acquainted with all the members of bigger the groups and subsequently analyze the followers’ recommendations since the supporters’ behaviours are based on fewer personal information. References Bass, B. M., Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Mahwah, N.J.: L . Erlbaum Associates. Srivastava, M. K. (2003). Transformational leadership. New Delhi: Macmillan India. This essay on Situational Leadership Style was written and submitted by user Elle Wood to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Araby

â€Å"What is going on around me; is my mind focused on reality or is it in an illusionary state?† When dealing with real situations, awareness is an important concept of life. Many times circumstances in life may have huge impacts on individuals and their lives. It could cause minds to escape reality and enter a different realm, which consists of illusions. In â€Å"Araby†, the main character displays the act of taking part in an illusion of conversing with a young lady whom he adores. He wishes to go to Araby, a bazaar in order to spend the day with her. However, as a result of his strong anticipation he fails to realize that in reality she never spoke to him. It is apparent that one should maintain a focus on reality rather than hoping for the best by getting lost in a world of illusions. Most of the time each morning, the character in â€Å"Araby† stares at the young lady across the street. He takes most of his time looking at her physical body and keeps her figure as an image in his head where ever he goes. Usually, when a person has a strong desire to meet someone, he will perhaps go out of his way and put effort. However, contrast to this idea, the character in â€Å"Araby†, does not take enough action to make that possible, instead he just wastes an enormous amount of time gazing. The character is stuck in his own little world of dreams because he has set up his mentality to focus on illusions rather than actual effort in reality. Speaking is another component needed not only to commence but also to perpetuate conversations in a relationship. Communication is the cornerstone of any relationship therefore; if a two people do not converse there is no such thing as a relationship. The character in â€Å"Araby† does not talk to the young lady whom he adores, rather, he just imagines what it would be like if he actually did speak to her and what she would say to him. Once again, it is apparent that the character is unaware of reality a... Free Essays on Araby Free Essays on Araby Essay â€Å"Araby† By: James Joyce In the short story â€Å"Araby† by James Joyce the theme that people think they really are in love when they really have no clue what love is, is present. The boy says that he is in love with his friend’s sister yet he doesn’t know a thing about her except for her usual habits and routines that he witness’s everyday. He doesn’t even know what love is; he says he is in love because the feeling he is has inside for Mangan’s sister is new to him. James Joyce uses these different contrasts on love to show us that people really have no clue what love is and just say they are because it makes them feel less afraid of love. The little boy in this story says he is madly in love with Mangan’s sister yet he doesn’t have the slightest clue about who she is and what she stands for. All he knows is what time she goes to school at, and that’s only because he stares at her door from the front parlour. â€Å" I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.† He’s never said a word to her outside the usual hi, or bye but this doesn’t mean anything. He doesn’t know anything about her except for her observable daily routine. How she walks to school everyday or how she calls out for her brother when they are playing together. He knows he’s foolish for being â€Å"in love† with her because he doesn’t know a thing about her and that she’s older than him and comes from a family of higher class than his. The only time the two really talk is when she asks him if he’s g oing to the bazaar, but he’s too caught up in her heavenly image that he doesn’t recall what he said to her except for the fact that he was going to buy her something. In the end he goes to the bazaar and he doesn’t know what to get her. This is an indication that he doesn’t really know who she is because if he did he’d have an idea of what she’... Free Essays on Araby â€Å"What is going on around me; is my mind focused on reality or is it in an illusionary state?† When dealing with real situations, awareness is an important concept of life. Many times circumstances in life may have huge impacts on individuals and their lives. It could cause minds to escape reality and enter a different realm, which consists of illusions. In â€Å"Araby†, the main character displays the act of taking part in an illusion of conversing with a young lady whom he adores. He wishes to go to Araby, a bazaar in order to spend the day with her. However, as a result of his strong anticipation he fails to realize that in reality she never spoke to him. It is apparent that one should maintain a focus on reality rather than hoping for the best by getting lost in a world of illusions. Most of the time each morning, the character in â€Å"Araby† stares at the young lady across the street. He takes most of his time looking at her physical body and keeps her figure as an image in his head where ever he goes. Usually, when a person has a strong desire to meet someone, he will perhaps go out of his way and put effort. However, contrast to this idea, the character in â€Å"Araby†, does not take enough action to make that possible, instead he just wastes an enormous amount of time gazing. The character is stuck in his own little world of dreams because he has set up his mentality to focus on illusions rather than actual effort in reality. Speaking is another component needed not only to commence but also to perpetuate conversations in a relationship. Communication is the cornerstone of any relationship therefore; if a two people do not converse there is no such thing as a relationship. The character in â€Å"Araby† does not talk to the young lady whom he adores, rather, he just imagines what it would be like if he actually did speak to her and what she would say to him. Once again, it is apparent that the character is unaware of reality a... Free Essays on Araby â€Å"What is going on around me; is my mind focused on reality or is it in an illusionary state?† When dealing with real situations, awareness is an important concept of life. Many times circumstances in life may have huge impacts on individuals and their lives. It could cause minds to escape reality and enter a different realm, which consists of illusions. In â€Å"Araby†, the main character displays the act of taking part in an illusion of conversing with a young lady whom he adores. He wishes to go to Araby, a bazaar in order to spend the day with her. However, as a result of his strong anticipation he fails to realize that in reality she never spoke to him. It is apparent that one should maintain a focus on reality rather than hoping for the best by getting lost in a world of illusions. Most of the time each morning, the character in â€Å"Araby† stares at the young lady across the street. He takes most of his time looking at her physical body and keeps her figure as an image in his head where ever he goes. Usually, when a person has a strong desire to meet someone, he will perhaps go out of his way and put effort. However, contrast to this idea, the character in â€Å"Araby†, does not take enough action to make that possible, instead he just wastes an enormous amount of time gazing. The character is stuck in his own little world of dreams because he has set up his mentality to focus on illusions rather than actual effort in reality. Speaking is another component needed not only to commence but also to perpetuate conversations in a relationship. Communication is the cornerstone of any relationship therefore; if a two people do not converse there is no such thing as a relationship. The character in â€Å"Araby† does not talk to the young lady whom he adores, rather, he just imagines what it would be like if he actually did speak to her and what she would say to him. Once again, it is apparent that the character is unaware of reality a... Free Essays on Araby Innocence to Experience In every person’s life there is a movement from a stage of innocence to a more mature and experience stage. That movement begins from the moment that he or she is brought into this world and ends when he or she dies. The movement from innocence to experience is triggered by events where he or she is forced to learn from his or her actions. Once they have learned the consequences of their actions and how to react to situations, that lesson will stick with them for the rest of their lives. They have gained more experience and, at the same time, lost a little of their innocence. That movement is demonstrated in â€Å"Araby,† written by James Joyce, with a young boy who seems to be a little naive an is going through things in his life that he does not quite understand yet. It is also shown in â€Å"A & P,† written by John Updike, through the eyes of a teenager named Sammy who seems to think using something else instead of his brain. In both of these stories certain events happen the these two characters that makes them more experience and think about life more maturely at the end. In â€Å"Araby,† the boy with no name seems to fall in love with his friend’s sister but never really tells her. When she steps outside, the boy’s â€Å"heart leaps† (Joyce 843), and he rushes so that he can follow her every morning. Maybe that is the way the boy is trying to impress her. 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While reading â€Å"Araby†, I thought back to my youth and found myself in similar situations as the boy. I can remember wandering through the neighborhood searching the abandon houses, finding articles that belonged to the previous tenants. We would linger into abandoned buildings and â€Å"explore† from basement to rooftop. We would find ourselves in trouble because of the dangers, yet we continued despite the warnings. One of us would be on the look out for parents and police. One sight of either would send us scattering for the metal yard looking for a hiding spot until the coast was clear. The boy’s adventures in the apartment buildings took him into the lives of the tenants. He often wondered about their habits and how they went about their day. He enjoyed finding their possessions and searching through them, looking for clues. I can remember avoiding girls that I had crushes on. I felt they would laugh if I spoke to them. When the opportunity p resented itself, I would find myself confused about what to say. I would become nervous, anxious and excited at the same time. Young boys go through a difficult time relating to girls. The girls seem so mature and out of our league at the time. They have grown past us and we are trying to play catch up. Youth can be exciting and emotionally draining at the same time. The boy and I had similar activities. I felt curious because I had to imagine the scene and the contents. I was curious about how old the boy was. I imagined him bei...

Citing references Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Citing references - Outline Example ents who prefer the traditional format (face-to-face) do so for several reasons, but they most commonly cite a preference for the instructor presence and the learning advantage of face-to-face interactions. There are various disadvantages of face-to-face learning despite the fact that it is still the most popular mode of learning. Some of these disadvantages stem from the need for there to be an instructor present in order for lectures to take place and this added to the cost of transport imposed on the students may limit their access to education. Although it is emphasized by many that face-to-face learning is preferable, it is still quite limited: For example, the learning outcomes of students in a traditional face-to-face system may be considered to be better than those of students learning in a distance learning system but the latter has the advantage of permitting greater access to education. The distance learning system has an advantage over the face-to-face system because it enables many people to have access to education at their own convenience. This system is currently used by adults who, because of their busy schedules, cannot attend lectures frequently and their best and fastest option is to do so online. It is to the advantage of these students for them to have distance learning that is easier for them to cope with: Factors that predispose undergraduates towards taking online classes were examined and it was found that the risk factors for non-completion of their degree prefer distance education courses since distance educations courses provide students with more convenient and flexible class schedules. The distance learning system also has some disadvantages which face-to-face learning does not. Distance learning does not require the presence of a professor or instructor and this leads to less interaction between them. Furthermore, it is very difficult for a student to gain a full understanding of what the instructor is saying because responses

Social Media Marketing Plan for Automotive Dealership Assignment

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Example Answers for Questions on Dells Supply Chain

Example Answers for Questions on Dells Supply Chain Supply chain is around the core business and controls information flow, logistics and capital flow (Tarantilis, 2008). It starts from the procurement of raw materials to intermediate products and final products, and the final product will be sales by the sales network to reach consumers. It is the whole functional network chain structure links suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers. It is not only a logistics chain, information chain and the capital chain connects provider and consumer, but also it is a value-added chain (Yao, 2008), and materials in the supply chain due to processing, packaging, transportation and other processes to increase their value, bringing income to the relevant enterprises. Identify and explain the components of the supply chain In general, the basic elements constitute the supply chain contains: suppliers: provide raw materials or parts and components to the manufacturer; manufacturers: that is the product manufacturing. It is the most important part of production, and it is responsible for production, development and after sales service; distribution company: agents that are set for products distribution to achieve the geographical scope; retailers: retailers sell product to consumers; logistics: specializes in providing logistics services to companies outside of the enterprise mentioned above. Wholesale, retail and logistics can also be referred to as circulation (Green Whitten, 2008). Why is managing the supply chain a very complex process? Explain the issues to be managed and the trade-offs to be made in its management. First, the supply chain is a complex, dynamic network. This network is composed by companies (or business) with different targets. This means that looking for specific supply chain management strategies for specific company will face enormous challenges (Riedel, 2009). Secondly, supply and demand often conflict in the marketing practice (Gundlach, et al. 2006). The difficulty lies in that before demand, manufacturers have to produce a certain level of production, which means that manufacturers must bear the enormous financial risk. Thirdly, supply chain systems change with time is also an important consideration. Even if the demand can be accurately forecasted (for example, long-term cooperation contract signed by both supply and demand), the planning process also need to consider the demand and cost parameters change in a period of time due to seasonal fluctuations, trends, advertising and promotions, pricing strategies of competitors and other factors. These needs and cost parameters which change over time make supply chain management strategies more difficult. In fact, the most effective supply chain management strategy is the one that can make the supply chain system to minimize operating costs and meet customer demand. Fourth, new problems in some new supply chain system are emerging and cannot be clearly explained in the life cycle of their products. For example, in high-tech industry, product life cycles are becoming shorter and shorter. On the other hand, in these industries, the rapid technological development and dazzling product innovation making the accurate prediction of demand for a particular product become more and more difficult. And ultimately lead to a number of the manufacturers price war, which not only reduces the value in their life cycle, but also shorts the product life cycle. In addition, in certain highly homogeneous product market, supply chain management may be the single most important factor to determine the success or failure. For example, in laptop computers and inkjet printers market, many manufacturers are taking the same OEM route or adopt the same suppliers of raw materials and the same technology, and in this case, the enterprises competition is the competition of brand marketing, cost and service, while cost and service levels are two key elements in a supply chain management. In short, supply chain management issues relates to many aspects of activities, from strategic level to the tactical level to operating level (Tsiakis, 2008). Strategic level relates decision-making which have long-term impact on the company, including the number of manufacturing plants and warehouses, layout and size of production capacity and material flow in the logistics network and decision-making of other aspects. Tactical decision-making generally include the procurement and production decisions, inventory policies and transportation strategies. The operating level contains the decision-making of daily activities, such as plans, estimates of stocking, arranging transportation routes, shipping and so on. There are some important issues in the management, such as: Reconfiguration of distribution network: this may be due to lease contract termination of the few existing warehouse or number change of the channel changes. Distribution strategy: in the supply chain management, distribution strategy is critical. Which strategy should be adopted? Direct transport strategy, distribution strategy classic or direct transport strategy? How many transfer points? Which strategy is more suitable for the majority of the enterprise in the supply chain? Supply chain integration and strategic partners: owning to the dynamics of the supply chain itself as well as conflicting objectives exist in enterprises with different nodes, supply chain integration is very difficult. Such questions as what information should be shared, how to share the information become the most critical issues. 4. Inventory control: Whether the terminal channel order quantity should be greater than, less than or equal to the demand forecast? In order to minimize inventory and storage costs, how many products should be set? 5. Product Design: When the product should be designed to reduce logistics costs or shorten the cycle of the supply chain; whether product design can compensate for the uncertainty of customer demand; in order to take advantage of new product design, what kind of changes should be done to supply chain? 6. Information technology and decision support systems: How to analyze and use data? What is the impact of Internet? What is the role of e-commerce? Whether information technology and decision support system can be the main tool of competitive advantage? 7. Customer value measurement: customer value is a measure of a companys contribution to its target customers. In different industries, what factors determine the customer value? How to measure customer value? In the supply chain, how information technology can be used to enhance the customer value? How supply chain management impact on customer value? Question 2 Map out Dell Supply Chain Suppliers Dell Manufacturing Customers The supply chain of Dell only includes customers, Dell and its suppliers. Supply chain map is shown above. This supply chain rules out the presence of middlemen (wholesalers, distributors and retailers) and it takes customer order directly from the hands of customers, and the omission of the link significantly reduces the cost of a variety of distribution channels (excluding the profits partition of middlemen), and the cost of products significantly decrease, which lays the foundation for Dells low-price competition (Dell returns such cost savings to the customer, so its products more competitive) Provide evidence of conflicting objectives in the supply chain The conflicting objectives in the supply chain in Dell are the manufacturing cost and its quality, cost and the speed reach customer. As the case study material says, Dellà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s manufacturing costs has continued surge. One of its divisionà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s directors, Tom Wilson, says that the increase recently in Level 5 manufacturing is marked in Dell. From the perspective of Dell, this cost will increase the cost to the overall manufacturing process. That way, Dell cannot be able to use advantages as Dell should for the lower cost structure of its contract manufactures. Instead, Dell has to rely more heavily on the 3rd-party integrators. That way, not only Dell get products with lower quality because they do not perform integration unit testing by using 3rd-party integrators, and the Dell also has some difficulties to foresee for the 3rd-party integrators about how much manufacturing capacity they should have to support the demand of De ll. There is also contradicting in the cost and the time. In Dell, customers can select the components when making an order, hence if Dell manufactures a fully completed product and transports it by shipping form the contract manufacturer in China to the customers living in the United States would be time-consuming, and if they manufacture a completed product and transport it by air, then it is cost-consuming. Therefore, for Dell, the contract manufacturers in China manufacture and transport half-assembled products by ship to its factories and once the order reaches and the components selected by the customer is ready, the factory assemble the components and manufacture a completed computer and deliver to consumers timely. What are the risks that rare or unexpected events pose in this supply chain? Although the supply chain of Dell only contains suppliers, Dell and customers, there are still some risks that exist in this supply chain and make the inability of Dell. For example, many issues will cause Dell cannot provides motherboards timely to contract manufacturers for L5 manufacturing. Chipset suppliers de-commit or supply issues. When chipset suppliers cannot provide qualified chipsets, it will disrupt the supply chain. And the data reveals that this reason takes up more than 60% in the manufacturing of L5. According to the data form Dellà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Worldwide Procurement organization, it accounts for 63.5% of expedites expenses. Quality/engineering issues. These issues will cause the motherboards with dysfunction and problems which need to be modified or substituted by a new supply. This will lead to an additional unexpected need for motherboards, and these parts of motherboards are not the part of the forecast. This reason accounts for 24.5% of expedites expense, following that of the chipset suppliersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ issues. Dell forecast accuracy. When the real need of customers is more than that of the forecast, Dell has to purchase extra chipsets, and if it does not to do so, it will take risk that it cannot meet the needs of customers. Generally, the time for manufacturing, assembling, testing and delivering a chipset is 13 weeks on average, and this time is long which makes it difficult for the chipset supplier to provide the additional chipsets to satisfy the need plan of Dell. This accounts for 8.3% of the expedite expenses. New product introduction. Since the need for newly developed PC products is changing fast and the development of the market is volatile, it is difficult to forecast, which may make an extra needs to air-transport more motherboards which are not required when the product is mature. At that time, the level of L6 manufacturing will not change and the need level keeps consistent. This changing demand can make the L5 manufacturing increase. That is, the motherboard-chassis assembly in the United States will increase to diminish the time to sale for a new developed product. This account for 3.8% of the expedite expenses.

Bmw Films

Decision Problem The primary issue faced by Jim McDowell is what to do for his next marketing campaign. He will need to decide what direction BMW will take in order to stay current in the target market and position the brand as the leader in the luxury car industry. A sub issue that Jim is facing is that in order for BMW to stand out compare to the competition, it must be at the forefront of the marketing trend. There is always pressure on innovative marketing campaigns as a bad campaign can lead to severe damage in the company image and reputation. Decision Alternatives There are a number of alternatives that Jim faces when deciding in what direction to move with the BMW marketing campaign. Develop more short films and build a big series out of it. Develop a full length movie for the theatres Do nothing to the existing campaign and move on to develop a new campaign To continue to use the existing BMW films plus developing a new campaign Creating new films on the heels of the original films plus developing a new campaign Develop a full length movie plus developing a new campaign In order to decide the best alternative it is important to look at some key decision criteria. In this case the important factors would be: delivery time, risk, cost, competitive advantage, ease of implementation. Analysis of Industry In the luxury car segment, BMW and Mercedes have stand strong against the strong competition from Japan like Acura, Lexus, Infiniti. In year 2001, BMW is second best luxury car seller, just behind Lexus amount the other ten major luxury brands. However, BMW only ranked 8th in media expenditures, which again proved the great success on their innovative campaign. In terms of customer loyalty, luxury brand customers do tend to stay among the top brands and are very loyal. There are always customers who switch from BMW to Mercedes or the other way around. Since BMW has the competitive advantage of a younger clientele, it is very important for BMW to create marketing campaign to young adult so they can look forward to own a BMW when they can afford one. Analysis of Company Evaluation of Alternatives Alternative #1, 2, and 3 should only be considered as a short term alternative that can achieve quick beneficial results with no long term prospects because all the alternatives evolve around the same film concept, which eventually will wear out and target audience will not be interested in it anymore. Alternative #4 takes into account with BMW’s long term goal, to be the leader in the industry with innovative campaigns. However, developing a new concept takes time and research before implementation, therefore some immediate alternatives needs to be done before the new campaign kicks in. Alternative #5, 6, or 7 will achieve that goal. Alternative #5 Introduce the BMW films to new markets that may have missed the online films during the campaign period will enable BMW to entice an entirely new segment. By showing the films throughother mediums, BMW will be able to reach a wider audience plus raising the brand awareness. Since this campaign is so successful and unique, BMW can also produce DVD and make itas a collectible item. This alternative is easy to implement, low cost to run, low risk as the campaign is already running with huge success with good reputation. However, other companies may copy the idea and there is a chance that BMW will lose its competitive advantage as the films are getting overly exposed to the original audiences that BMW targeted during the initial campaign period. Therefore, developing another campaign while this is running is necessary in order to achieve BMW’s long term marketing goal. Alternative #6 The other option would be to follow up with another series of films on the heels of the original films. BMW would want to keep the number of films low to try and blend them into the successful original films and not to market them as another series of short films. This alternative will require some time to prepare, and the cost will be much higher in comparison to Alternative #5, which will make it harder as BMW will need more resources in creating a new campaign at the same time. It is easy to implement as all the ground works are in place from the previous films. However, this alternative will have a higher risk than other options due to the high anticipation of BMW to produce high quality films. If any of the film receives negative feedbacks, BMW will risk losing out on the campaign inwhole, plus the reputation of the series. BMW will still keep its competitive advantage with this alternative as they are still the one who leads the marketing trend. Alternative #7 Creating a full length movie can be the next big campaignfor BMW. It is a new approach and will make the brand stand out of all others. The target audience is also much wider in comparison to the initial campaign. It will take a long time to implement, and not as easy as short films because a full length film is more complicated in terms of plot and production. The cost will also go veryhigh that may use up all of BMW’s resources in marketing. It is a two sided sword because if BMW is not placed enough in the film there is no difference in doing product placement in the James Bond movie series; meanwhile if BMW is overly exposed in the film it may create negative feedbacks as it will look like an hour long commercial. The interest level of audience will also be much lower in watching a long commercial than a short film. Decision Criteria Chart Here is the chart for the best 3 alternatives: (X? low score, XXX? high score) Recommendation Based on the analysis above it is evident that the appropriate course of action is to utilize the existing movies in the short term while developing a new full scale marketing plan in the background. By utilizing the existing films BMW will be able to quickly get to market films that they have already completed. They will ride the coat tails of the internet marketing, however by introducing the films to another target markets, BMW will hopefully build on the impact created by the original films. There is relatively low risk to this model because BMW has already invested in the films and by using different mediums to convey their message it is likely that an entirely new market segment will appreciate the films as the original audience did. Although the potential payback may not as great as some off the wall innovative idea, the concept behind releasing the films to a different audience should allow more time and resources to develop another new campaign. If there are enough resources, BMW can also consider creating 1 or 2 more films to avoid losing the competitive advantage toward the target audience. Bmw Films Decision Problem The primary issue faced by Jim McDowell is what to do for his next marketing campaign. He will need to decide what direction BMW will take in order to stay current in the target market and position the brand as the leader in the luxury car industry. A sub issue that Jim is facing is that in order for BMW to stand out compare to the competition, it must be at the forefront of the marketing trend. There is always pressure on innovative marketing campaigns as a bad campaign can lead to severe damage in the company image and reputation. Decision Alternatives There are a number of alternatives that Jim faces when deciding in what direction to move with the BMW marketing campaign. Develop more short films and build a big series out of it. Develop a full length movie for the theatres Do nothing to the existing campaign and move on to develop a new campaign To continue to use the existing BMW films plus developing a new campaign Creating new films on the heels of the original films plus developing a new campaign Develop a full length movie plus developing a new campaign In order to decide the best alternative it is important to look at some key decision criteria. In this case the important factors would be: delivery time, risk, cost, competitive advantage, ease of implementation. Analysis of Industry In the luxury car segment, BMW and Mercedes have stand strong against the strong competition from Japan like Acura, Lexus, Infiniti. In year 2001, BMW is second best luxury car seller, just behind Lexus amount the other ten major luxury brands. However, BMW only ranked 8th in media expenditures, which again proved the great success on their innovative campaign. In terms of customer loyalty, luxury brand customers do tend to stay among the top brands and are very loyal. There are always customers who switch from BMW to Mercedes or the other way around. Since BMW has the competitive advantage of a younger clientele, it is very important for BMW to create marketing campaign to young adult so they can look forward to own a BMW when they can afford one. Analysis of Company Evaluation of Alternatives Alternative #1, 2, and 3 should only be considered as a short term alternative that can achieve quick beneficial results with no long term prospects because all the alternatives evolve around the same film concept, which eventually will wear out and target audience will not be interested in it anymore. Alternative #4 takes into account with BMW’s long term goal, to be the leader in the industry with innovative campaigns. However, developing a new concept takes time and research before implementation, therefore some immediate alternatives needs to be done before the new campaign kicks in. Alternative #5, 6, or 7 will achieve that goal. Alternative #5 Introduce the BMW films to new markets that may have missed the online films during the campaign period will enable BMW to entice an entirely new segment. By showing the films throughother mediums, BMW will be able to reach a wider audience plus raising the brand awareness. Since this campaign is so successful and unique, BMW can also produce DVD and make itas a collectible item. This alternative is easy to implement, low cost to run, low risk as the campaign is already running with huge success with good reputation. However, other companies may copy the idea and there is a chance that BMW will lose its competitive advantage as the films are getting overly exposed to the original audiences that BMW targeted during the initial campaign period. Therefore, developing another campaign while this is running is necessary in order to achieve BMW’s long term marketing goal. Alternative #6 The other option would be to follow up with another series of films on the heels of the original films. BMW would want to keep the number of films low to try and blend them into the successful original films and not to market them as another series of short films. This alternative will require some time to prepare, and the cost will be much higher in comparison to Alternative #5, which will make it harder as BMW will need more resources in creating a new campaign at the same time. It is easy to implement as all the ground works are in place from the previous films. However, this alternative will have a higher risk than other options due to the high anticipation of BMW to produce high quality films. If any of the film receives negative feedbacks, BMW will risk losing out on the campaign inwhole, plus the reputation of the series. BMW will still keep its competitive advantage with this alternative as they are still the one who leads the marketing trend. Alternative #7 Creating a full length movie can be the next big campaignfor BMW. It is a new approach and will make the brand stand out of all others. The target audience is also much wider in comparison to the initial campaign. It will take a long time to implement, and not as easy as short films because a full length film is more complicated in terms of plot and production. The cost will also go veryhigh that may use up all of BMW’s resources in marketing. It is a two sided sword because if BMW is not placed enough in the film there is no difference in doing product placement in the James Bond movie series; meanwhile if BMW is overly exposed in the film it may create negative feedbacks as it will look like an hour long commercial. The interest level of audience will also be much lower in watching a long commercial than a short film. Decision Criteria Chart Here is the chart for the best 3 alternatives: (X? low score, XXX? high score) Recommendation Based on the analysis above it is evident that the appropriate course of action is to utilize the existing movies in the short term while developing a new full scale marketing plan in the background. By utilizing the existing films BMW will be able to quickly get to market films that they have already completed. They will ride the coat tails of the internet marketing, however by introducing the films to another target markets, BMW will hopefully build on the impact created by the original films. There is relatively low risk to this model because BMW has already invested in the films and by using different mediums to convey their message it is likely that an entirely new market segment will appreciate the films as the original audience did. Although the potential payback may not as great as some off the wall innovative idea, the concept behind releasing the films to a different audience should allow more time and resources to develop another new campaign. If there are enough resources, BMW can also consider creating 1 or 2 more films to avoid losing the competitive advantage toward the target audience.

Difference of Othello’s Behaviour in Act One and Act Two

English Literature – Othello How is Othello’s behaviour in Act Two different from his behaviour in Act One? How do you account for this change? What consequences do you think it will have? In Act One, Othello appeared to be in control of his emotions. When Brabantio confronts Othello, accusing him of stealing and raping his daughter Desdemona by means of witchcraft, Othello is calm and tells his men to stop the fighting.Although he is being accused of kidnapping and raping Desdemona, in which the person who commits the crime would be burnt to death, Othello shows that he is unafraid of danger, ready to risk everything for the woman he loves, and is able to command others despite facing the serious accusation. He is ready to face justice, and convince the Duke of Venice that he has done nothing wrong. This shows that he is brave and confident. When he speaks to the Duke, he speaks in a respectful manner.He also promises not to be distracted by Desdemona if he is allowed to bring her together to Cyprus. His manner and promise appears to us that he is a serious, sensible and rational person. However, he behaved differently in Act Two, when he arrives in Cyprus. His behaviour is sloppy. For example, he tells the people in Cyprus that, to celebrate the defeat of the Turkish fleet, they can ‘dance’, ‘make bonfires’, and ‘sport’, i. e. to have sex. He tells the people to have party time, giving license for people to behave as they like to.Unlike the serious person he appears to be in Act One, Othello seems to be overjoyed to meet his wife Desdemona in Cyprus safely and the defeat of the Turkish fleet, becoming irrational and insensitive to the people’s fear of another attack. When he comes ashore, meeting his wife, he is overjoyed, forgetting to announce the defeat of the Turkish fleet. He greets his wife, saying ‘O my fair warrior’, and kisses her several times. It appears that he has completely forgotten his promise, not to be distracted by Desdemona, to the Duke.Cassio and Iago, on another hand, have repeatedly refers to Desdemona as ‘general’s general’, and that she is ‘in charge’. This tells us that Othello is clearly distracted by his wife, preventing him from performing his duties, as observed by his lieutenant and ancient. In Act Two Scene Three, Othello admits he is not acting rationally and not performing his best. He says, â€Å"Now by heaven, my blood begins my safer guides to rule, and passion, having my best judgment collied, assays to lead the way. This tells us that Othello himself is conscious of what he is doing. He admits to acting irrationally, following his passion to rule. This shows that he is distracted by Desdemona, because only their love and marriage would lead to Othello’s overflow of passion. This may also show that Othello follows his heart, will and passion to act and rule. When Othello finds Cassio and Montano fighting, he asks Iago what has happened without confirming with others. He does not investigate thoroughly, as Iago has hidden some of the truth.He immediately takes Cassio off his office. This can be considered as an impulsive judgment. His change of behaviour in Act Two is due to the distraction from his wife Desdemona. Because of his newly-wedded wife presence, Othello is distracted and unable to perform his duties. He is led by his passion, which is affecting him because of his sexual interest in Desdemona and his joy to be reunited with her after the rough journey on the sea. Being away from Venice may also account for his change of behaviour.Since Othello remains below the Duke and Senators in Venice, he demonstrates respectful and brave manner, so that even the Duke calls him ‘valiant Othello’. However, in Cyprus, Othello becomes the person-in-command in the whole of Cyprus. The sudden swell in his authority and power may have contributed to his irratio nal judgments and actions. In Cyprus, Othello no longer has to act in the way he has promised the Duke. He can betray the Duke’s trust, because no one in Cyprus has the power or authority to stop him, or report him to the Duke back in Venice.He reveals his sloppy behaviour, and is clearly distracted by Desdemona’s presence, preventing him from acting rationally. With Othello’s change in behaviour, it may be easier for Iago to manipulate Othello and to carry out his plan to destroy Othello’s reputation. In Act Two, Othello reveals that he follows his passion to rule, and makes impulsive judgments without investigating thoroughly. Iago observes this, and therefore use Othello’s weakness to carry out his plan by telling Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful.Since Iago knows that Othello will not investigate thoroughly if he tells him that Desdemona has been sleeping with Cassio, it will increase Iago’s success in destroying Othello’ s reputation. Other people can use Desdemona as a means to get what they want from Othello, as she has a great influence on her husband. For example, Cassio, after losing his job, hires a band to serenade Desdemona. Cassio tries to appeal to Desdemona, so that she may help him persuade Othello to give Cassio back his job.This may result in a corrupted government, with people using tactics to win Desdemona’s favour, instead of getting the job using their own talents or strength. Lastly, since Othello acts according to his passion, Iago can, by manipulating Othello, remove those who are against him, or whose who disrespects and insults him, like Cassio who calls him ‘Honest Iago’. This will result in lack of talents and observant people in Othello’s government, because all those who are against or disrespectful to Iago can be easily removed by Iago. Therefore, Othello’s government will become corrupted.