Revenues and Fair Values Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Revenues and Fair Values - Assignment Example Question 1, Part I: Outline the key requirements of IAS 18 Revenues IAS 18 prescribes the accounting treatment for revenue arising from certain types of transactions and events. It defines revenue as the gross inflow of economic benefits, such as cash, receivables, and other assets, arising from the ordinary operating activities of an enterprise, such as sales of goods or services, interest, royalties, and dividends (IAS 18 Â §7). Revenues are different from gains, a type of income which also represent increases in economic benefits but may not arise in the course of the ordinary activities of an enterprise. The key requirements of IAS 18 are reliability, recognition, and measurement of revenue. Revenue should be measured at the fair value of the consideration receivable (IAS 18 Â §9). An exchange for goods or services of a similar nature and value is not regarded as a transaction that generates revenue, which only applies to exchanges of dissimilar items (IAS 18 Â §12). IAS 18 has the following basic principles to guide accountants on the timing of revenue recognition: ï‚ § Significant risks and/or rewards of ownership are transferred to the buyer; ï‚ § No continuing involvement nor control associated with ownership; ï‚ § Amount of revenue can be measured reliably;

Muhammad & Hadith Essay Example for Free

Muhammad Hadith Essay Muhammad, whose name was taken from the Arabic word hamada which means â€Å"to praise, to glorify,† was born in Mecca, Western Arabia, in 570 CE to Abd bin Al-Muttalib and Amina bint Wahb. His parents were believed to be descendants of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian slave who mothered Abraham’s son, Ishmael. The story goes that Abraham fled to Mecca with Hagar and Ishmael after his wife, Sarah, also gave birth to a baby boy (Isaac) and became extremely jealous of Hagar and Ishmael. It was with the assistance of Ishmael that Abraham later built the Ka’bah, Islam’s holiest sanctuary, in Mecca. It is now the destination of pilgrims during the hajj (Fisher. 2005). Muhammad married at the age of twenty-five to Khadijah, a forty-year-old businesswoman who owned the caravans which he was managing at the time. His wife later became his main source of support when he was experiencing difficulties during the early years of his mission. Muhammad recounted an incident which happened when he was forty years old. As his story went, an angel appeared to him when he was in a cave in Mt. Hira during one of his spiritual retreats and told him to recite something. Because he was illiterate, he reportedly refused three times. However, the angel insisted and when Muhammad, at last, relented, the angel gave him the words that would later become the Qur’an’s first words. That was the first of a series of revelations, the exact words of which had been: Proclaim! (or Recite! ) In the name Of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created – Created man, out of A (mere) clot Of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord Is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (The use of) the Pen,- Taught man that Which he knew not (Fisher, 2005). That first revelation undoubtedly referred to the creation. It was followed by more revelations which occurred intermittently. Muhammad described the revelations as follows: â€Å"Revelation sometimes comes like the sound of a bell; that is the most painful way. When it ceases I have remembered what was said. Sometimes it is an angel who talks to me like a human, and I remember what he says. † Initially, Muhammad only shared what was revealed to him with his wife and the few people who believed him. However, after three years had elapsed, he was instructed to start preaching to the public what he had received from the revelations (Fisher, 2005). Although he succeeded in winning converts to Islam, his group was persecuted by the Qurayshites (the aristocrats) in spite of the protection provided by his influential uncle, and exiled to an isolated place where they were forced to eat the leaves of trees and the wild foods they could gather in order to survive. The persecution persisted even after his band of Muslim converts was allowed to go back to Mecca after three years. The darkest period in Muhammad’s life was when he turned fifty. It was called the â€Å"Year of Sorrows† because his wife and his uncle who was protecting him died. The Islamic tradition explained that it was approximately during that period of hardship that the â€Å"Night of Ascension† occurred. It was claimed to be the occasion when Muhammad was supposed to have ascended into heaven and met the earlier prophets like Adam, Abraham, and Jesus Christ in Divine proximity, observed what hell and paradise were, and was later blessed by the Divine Presence (Fisher, 2005). As a consequence of the persistent Qurayshite persecution that they experienced in Mecca, however, Muhammad and his Muslim followers decided to leave Mecca and head for Medina in 622 CE. Their migration, which was referred to as the hijrah, is now considered as the beginning of the Muslim era. (Risher, 2005).

Assertion of Indianness in Amish Tripathi’s Trilogy

Assertion of Indianness in Amish Tripathi’s Trilogy In the present times, with expanding globalisation, the world is getting closer. Prospects for Indian writings in English, in this scenario, have also expanded. English is gaining popularity and the same has become a language of upper and middle class Indians. Indian writings in English are not only popular among these classes of Indians but are also being read across the world. Contemporary Indian writers who write in English try their best to show themselves as much rooted as possible in Indian Culture and assert their Indianness. In this paper, we’ll analyse Amish Tripathi’s Shiva trilogy to explore his assertion of Indianness. Amish Tripathi is known for his mythological fiction writing in the era when other writers mostly highlight contemporary family values, moral values, customs, culture and many other aspects to emphasize Indianness in their writing, Amish Tripathi has chosen mythology to assert the Indianness. In this study, we will also look at Tripathi’s views regarding Indianness and see how far has he succeeded in asserting Indianness in his trilogy. Before we move ahead it is necessary to understand the concept of Indianness. India is a land of co-existing multiple cultures and traditions. U.S. Rukhaiyar and Amar Nath Prasad in Studies in Indian Poetry in English state that â€Å"Indianness is a particular, individualistic ‘life-attitude’ and ‘mode of perception’ † (149). They further quote Prof. V.K. Gokak who describes Indianness as â€Å"a composite awareness in the matter of race, milieu, language and religion† (149). Thus, Indianness can be considered as the summation of diverse cultures of India and ideology and ideals which composes India. Amish Tripathi’s first book of the trilogy, The Immortals of Meluha was published in 2010 followed by The Secret of the Nagas in 2011 and The Oath of Vayuputras in 2013. Tripathi appears to be a devotee of Shiva (S. Pandit). Although, during his youth he was an atheist but he returned to faith, when started writing these books (S. Babbar). He became religious to the extent to regard religion as a trope to define Indianness. Tripathi defines Indianness in Verve as follows: The Indianness of India lies in our religiosity. I wouldn’t restrict it to any particular religion, since we have practically every religion in the world existing within India. It is our attitude towards religion. Simply put, our deep religiosity defines the Indianness of India. Now, if his turning religious is only for getting a wider readership in India where majority of people are religious or if he truly felt it, is something we don’t know. But, certainly his trilogy occurs as a persuading text for our not-much-caring-about-religion youth to attract them to become religious. His first book begins at ‘Mansarovar Lake’ in Tibet in 1900 BC where Shiva is the chief of a tribe called ‘Gunas’. The story begins when Shiva along with his tribe decides to move to ‘Meluha’, an organised (read more cultured and prosperous) kingdom with facilities and comfort, to avoid attacks from a neighbouring tribe called ‘Pakratis’. Shiva meets the immortal Meluhans that follow the path set out by Ram and call themselves ‘Suryavanshis’. Soon on an occasion, Shiva drinks ‘Somras’ that gives Shiva a blue throat. There was a prophecy that Suryavanshis believed in. According to which the blue throated one, the ‘Neelkantha’ will gain them victory over their rivals, ‘Chandravanshis’ who have hired evil assassins, the ‘Nagas’ to attack and conquer Meluha. Shiva, there, also meets a beautiful girl named Sati and marries her. Sati is kidnapped by a Naga in front of Shiva. As a result, Shiva soon learns that ‘Chandravanshis’ are not the real evil and marches to the land of Nagas in search of evil in The Secret of the Nagas. That land of Nagas is shown as occupied by deformed beings. During his quest he meets Kali, sister of his wife Sati and Ganesh, the first son of Sati. In The Oath of Vayuputras Shiva gets to know about the ill effects of Somras. It has caused reduction in the water level of Saraswati River and the waste formed during the manufacture of Somras was put in the Tsangpo River, which has caused plague in a place called Branga. Also, the birth deformities of Nagas were caused by it. After learning that Meluha is the heart of producing Somras, Shiv attacks Meluha. He acquires ‘Pashupatiastra’ from Vayuputras, a tribe led by previous Mahadev, Rudra that avowed to support Neelkantha, and destroys Devagiri, the capital of Meluha. Amish Tripathi makes use of the ancient Indian mythology of Shiva, but blends it with fiction. According to A Glossary of Literary Terms by M. H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham, mythology â€Å"is a system of hereditary stories of ancient origin which were once believed to be true by a particular cultural group, and which served to explain why the world is as it is and things happen as they do, to provide a rationale for social customs and observances, and to establish the rules by which people conduct their lives.† Mythology may be considered to be history by a few people, but one could argue that it is fiction and therefore there is no single version of mythology. It is generally twisted and turned according to one’s belief. Indian Mythology, in the same way, provides a way of life for Indians. Tripathi refers to the mythology of Shiva that can be found in the epic called Shivpuran. Encyclopaedia Britannica provides glimpses of Shiva’s stature in Hindu or Indian culture as: Shiva, (Sanskrit: â€Å"Auspicious One†)†¦one of the main deities of Hinduism, whom Shaivas worship as the supreme god (Shaivism). Among his common epithets are Shambhu (â€Å"Benign†), Shankara (â€Å"Beneficent†), Mahesha (â€Å"Great Lord†), and Mahadeva (â€Å"Great God†)†¦Shiva is represented in a variety of forms: in a pacific mood with his consort Parvati and son Skanda, as the cosmic dancer (Nataraja), as a naked ascetic, as a mendicant beggar, as a yogi, and as the androgynous union of Shiva and his consort in one body, half-male and half-female (Ardhanarishvara). As Bhairava, he is often depicted as a Dalit (formerly called an untouchable) and accompanied by a dog. He is both the great ascetic and the master of fertility, and he is the master of both poison and medicine, through his ambivalent power over snakes. As Lord of Beasts (Pashupati), he is the benevolent herdsman—or, at times, the merciless slaughterer of the â₠¬Å"beasts† that are the human souls in his care. Tripathi takes up traditional Indian mythology, which is regarded as factual history by some especially religious ones and as fiction by others, and creates his own fiction. The story that Tripathi weaves is such that it includes major characters and events related to Shiva in the ancient Indian mythology but modifies the traditional narrative. The actions, the narrative, signs and codes of traditional mythology are changed to the extent that they â€Å"are reduced to names, vague references and symbols, while the poetic abilities of the author are hampered by religious sentiments† (Eric M. Gurevitch). Shiva although embodies the same power and same status but the manner in which events associated with him takes place are altered. Ganesh, traditionally believed to be Shiva’s own son is shown here as a child bore by Sati, Shiva’s wife, prior to their marriage. So what we can see is that Tripathi plays with traditional mythology that we know about. Also, Tripathi has shown his characters not as Gods but as humans. Shiva, Sati, Kali, Ganesh, Kartik, they are all there in human believable form unlike their projection in Vedas and Puranas where they had supernatural powers. Shiva is the chief of a Tibetan tribe and others also have human forms. However, these humans that Tripathi depicts are too perfect for being a human. For example, Shiva is always morally correct. His relationship with Sati is never shown as a relationship of passion that a human being might have. Therefore, we can say that the values that a traditional Shiva possess are not violated by Tripathi. He is a God-like person. Thus, we see a fine balance of Tripathi’s own imagination and traditional ancient Indian mythology. Since Mythology, on its own, has no rigid boundaries and could be moulded or transformed up to any stretch of imagination of writer himself, these novels provide an alternate mythology for the Indian reader. However, for a non- Indian reader who is not well acquainted with traditional mythology of India, this trilogy can serve as the only mythology of India. Tripathi in his novels has also tried to amalgamate ancient Indian mythology with recent history and contemporary reality. The relationship between Meluha, the land of Suryavanshi’s and Swadeep, the kingdom of Chandravanshi’s reminds the readers of the relationship between India and Pakistan. Chandravanshis constantly attacked Suryavanshis which is reminiscent of terrorist attacks by Pakistan (Eric .M. Gurevitch). Also, Pakistanis uphold the symbol of moon which again links it to the Chandravanshis, where ‘Chandra’ means moon. Although, Tripathi by showing that Chandravanshis are not the real evil is highlighting that Pakistanis may be misunderstood by Indians. One can also say that the tensions between Meluhans and Nagas replicates the tension between India and China or Indian government and the Northeastern Tribes of India. ‘Naga’ is an actual tribe in northeast India. The Nagas in the story are neglected, feared and looked at as enemy because of their abnormality. Kali and Ganesha were abandoned by Meluhans because they had an extra pair of hands and an animal head. Kali and Ganesh attacks Meluhans to assert their independence and to mark their identity. It resembles the strife that we constantly see between north-east Indians and rest of Indians because of their Mongoloid looks that are uncommon outside north-east India. Tripathi also brings in International tensions in his fiction. The picture of Meluhans producing toxic Somras that causes deformities in Nagas reminds us of World War II, where USA dropped Atom Bombs upon Japan that causes various deformities in Japanese of radiation affected areas till date. Another aspect that makes his mythological fiction in tune with contemporary world is the introduction of scientific dimension. When Shiva reaches Meluha for the first time he sees that Meluhans use modern equipment like showers etc. They also excel in medicine. And apart from this, they are advanced enough to produce Somras which is told to be a chemical compound, which if taken in undiluted form can be poisonous. Also, the two Asrtras, ‘Brahmastra’ and ‘Pashupatiastra’ mentioned in the books can be seen as a product of modern science. The Pashupatiastra is a missile (possibly nuclear fission missile) of Pashupati (another name of Lord Shiva in traditional Hindu Mythology), used to destroy specific targeted area, while the Brahmastra is a missile (possibly nuclear fusion missile) of Brahma which does not have a controlled effect. (Sreedharan 778) It is clear that Tripathi indulges in all the above aspects as he is aspiring for larger readership. New generations that are inclined towards science and the older ones that still holds on to mythology, both are attracted towards this amalgam that Tripathi has created. With this, he is reviving interest of young generation, which is overshadowed by scientific reasoning, in mythology by justifying mythology through science and warfare technology. This combination of science and mythology that Tripathi uses, makes his novels and the ideas that he infuses in them as more acceptable to the reader. Despite above, one cannot ignore his conspicuous argument that he is trying to show in his Trilogy about Indianness that we’ll see later in this paper. Furthermore, Tripathi also showcases Indian values, traditions and customs efficiently. Throughout the series, we see that there is commitment in each and every relationship portrayed. The relationship between Shiva and Sati is a strong bond which is not broken even when Shiva gets to know about Ganesha. Sati and Shiva both are equally respectful to each other. Similarly, Shiva is a true friend. He doesn’t let his position as a chief come between him and Bhadra. He always wonders â€Å"Why does he keeps forgetting that he has been my closest friend since childhood? My becoming the chief hasn’t really changed anything.† (The Immortals of Meluha 13) Apart from this Indian salutation of ‘Namaste’ is constantly used in the books along with the gesture of bowing down and touching somebody’s feet out of respect. Though Tripathi claims to assert Indianness through his trilogy, one needs to understand his notion of Indianness and his literary practice, which could be disappointing for some readers. Even though he expressed his version of Indianness in Verve referred above where he seems to believe that Indianness is defined by religiosity and all the religions evoke the idea of Indianness, but while writing this Trilogy, he completely ignored all other religions but Hinduism. This fact emphasizes that to become more Indian, Hinduism is the only way. Hinduism might be a way of life for majority of Indians, but Indian culture cannot be defined in terms of Hinduism only. Indian culture is a diverse cultural and is formed by different communities having different faiths. Also, what about those citizens of India that are non- religious. Are they not true Indians? By giving himself to a single faith, despite his claim of multiplicity of religious faith, Tripathi seems to be propagating Hinduism. Exc ept this, he takes all the right steps as he blends in all the other elements to make his trilogy acceptable for most readers spreading across all the age groups and nations. Thus, though it seems that Tripathi has been able to assert his version of Indianness by resorting to mythology, where he relates it to contemporary reality and also by showing traditions and customs practiced in India. But he definitely could not provide true idea of Indianness which embodies the idea of ‘unity in diversity’. He appears to believe that if one wants to be more Indian, then one should embrace his or her religiosity. According to this statement, he clearly seems to neglect the group of non- believers in India. However, even if we ignore the fact that he has neglected the group of non-believers in his ideology of Indianness, he by not involving other religious beliefs, has not been able to implement his ideology successfully in his works till date. Despite this approach, Tripathi has succeeded in garnering commercial success but he also apparently has succeeded in propagating Hinduism. Moreover, it is important to see that while writing this Trilogy, he has considered Hindu mythology as Indian mythology, which could possibly be because Hinduism is originated from India, while other religions like Christianity and Islam did not. Religions like Buddhism, Jainism or Sikhism have their roots in some way or the other in Hinduism. However, his considering Hindu mythology as Indian mythology led to ignoring all the other mythologies of India, even that of native tribal communities of India. He has neglected the diversity of Indian culture. And that is why it is difficult to say that Tripathi has been able to assert Indianness successfully and justly. We can still hope that he might include all those categories of so far neglected people in his upcoming works and will be able to present a more justified, true and acceptable picture of Indianness because Tripathi’s novels have a huge readership including young generation across the world. His representation of Indianness in a truer manner will help these readers to get a better and near to truth picture of India. Works Cited Abrams, M.H., Geoffrey Galt Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 10th ed. Delhi: Cengage Learning India Pvt Ltd, 2012. Print. Babbar, Sonakshi. â€Å"Writing changed me from an atheist to a Shiva bhakt: Amish Tripathi†. Hindustan Times 10 September 2011. Print. Gurevitch, Eric .M. â€Å"Implausible Deniability – Reading Amish Tripathi’s ‘Shiva’ Trilogy: Eric Gurevitch†. Kafila. 28 April 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. Pandit, Shruti. My books are Shiva’s blessings. The Times of India 12 June 2012. Print. Rukhaiyar, U.S., and Amar Nath Prasad. Studies in Indian Poetry in English. New Delhi: Sarup Sons, 2002. Print. â€Å"Shiva†. Encyclopaedia Britannica. n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. Sreedharan, M.S. Bharatiya Vigyan Manjusha. New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 2005. Print. Tripathi, Amish. The Immortals of Meluha. Chennai: Westland Ltd, 2010. Print. . The Secret of the Nagas. Chennai: Westland Ltd, 2011. Print. . The Oath of Vayuputras. Chennai: Westland Ltd, 2013. Print. â€Å"The Indianness of India†. Verve Volume 20, Issue 8, August 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

Confucius :: essays research papers

Confucius   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If our government was run for the people, and not for the enrichment of its rulers, the US would be a more tightly unified nation. Confucius stressed that a government be run for the well-being of the people, and if that was applied today, results would be outstanding. Confucius also said to put aside military conquests and to work for the good of the country. Applied today, that would really help our USA.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Confucius taught that government should be run for the well-being of the people. For that to happen, more power has to be given to state governments, in order to really suit the needs of the countries people. The government could narrow down on the struggles of each part of the country. I think they would find a good number of the struggles to be similar. Therefore, stated would work together in order to solve universal problems. For example, you could eliminate a problem in Olympia, Washington and Miami, Florida at the same time. Because of their similar problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another teaching of Confucius is to put aside military conquests and focus on the good of the country. The US definitely needs to do this. Every day on television we see poor, famined children persuading us to support their struggle. Them commercials should be outlawed. The commercials should be on the poor famined kids in the United States. We have our own poverty problem in our country. We should take care of that before we solve another countries problem. The U.S. has also money and military force in the middle east. Sure we get some valuable products from them, but we should solve our own problems before we decide to dive into the rebuilding of some foreign nation.

Management and Organization Essay -- Business, Scientific Management T

Introduction The management and organizational approaches that are used by various firms play a critical role in their performance. The adopted management approach is important due to the fact that it determines the efficiency with which activities are performed. The organizational structure of the firm on the other hand determines the delegation and application of authority. The organizational structure is developed by the management. The structure facilitates effective interaction among employees and helps in directing resources towards achieving the goals of the organization. The behavior of employees is also influenced by the management and organizational approach (Mullins 3). Thus a firm will only be successful if it adopts the best management and organizational approach. This paper will focus on analyzing two management approaches namely, scientific and bureaucratic theories of management. Scientific Management Theory This theory focuses on the analysis and synthesis of workflows. Its main objective is to improve efficiency within an organization. In order to achieve this objective, the theory proposes that scientific principles should be used in designing processes and managing workers. This theory was developed by â€Å"Fredrick Taylor in the 1880s and 1890s within the manufacturing industry† (Cook and Hunsacker 34). The theory was highly influential in the 1910s as the best management style. However, by 1920s it began to lose its popularity as new management ideas and concepts emerged. The modern organizational approaches and management styles borrow the following concepts from the scientific approach. The concepts include â€Å"logic, efficiency, mass production, rationalization, work ethic and standardization of best practi... ...ty. Finally, the two approaches adopt a top-down system of making decisions. This means that commands or directives are given by the top officials while the junior employees are expected to obey. By contrasting the two approaches, the following differences can be identified. While the scientific approach focuses on improving labor productivity, the bureaucratic system puts more emphasis on administrative efficiency. The scientific approach encourages the introduction of incentive schemes in order to motivate workers. The bureaucratic approach on the other hand places emphasis on the rights of the workers in order to motivate the employees. Finally, the bureaucratic approach considers employment as a life-long career. The scientific approach on the other hand leads to job loses as â€Å"knowledge is transferred from workers to workers and from worker to tools† (Dean 29)

Change models Essay

Scenario Planning: Supplementing Traditional Strategic Planning It is clear the rate of change in today’s work environments has been aggravating with more emphasis nowadays on smaller teams, incremental and rapid delivery, faster payback, and frequent project status reporting. This acceleration has instigated uncertainty that forced organisations to start supporting their strategic planning with a longer term perspective of planning called scenario planning or scenario thinking/analysis. Scenario †¦ Read More A Simple Method to Split a WordPress Post into Multiple Pages One of the most effective ways to increase the number of page views and decrease the bounce rate of your site is by splitting your long posts into several pages. In the first part of the article, you will learn in 2 steps how to split a post in WordPress using the codex function wp_link_pages() and the tag. In the second †¦ Read More Boosting Your WordPress Site’s Performance By Enabling GZIP Compression Ever heard of GZIP? It is a simple software application that compresses/decompresses files based on an algorithm named DEFLATE. It works by finding similar strings in a text file and replacing them temporarily to make the overall file size smaller which would drastically improve the performance of your website. The algorithm perfectly works with CSS and HTML filetypes which typically †¦ Read More Improving Quality of Project Estimation It is clear that estimating a project is important for the project manager to determine how long the project would take, to figure out how much the project would cost, to decide whether the project is worth doing, to measure variances against the baseline plan, and to take corrective actions. However some project managers nowadays tend to put minimum effort †¦ Read More Avoiding Common Pitfalls of High Performance Project Teams Previously in one of my earlier articles, I discussed the key qualities required for a project manager to be effective in building a high performance project team. Believe it or not, though high performance project teams can produce incredible outcomes, there still remain some serious pitfalls that project managers need to be aware of in order not to fall victims †¦ Read More Contract Management Must-Knows For Project Managers Contract management constitutes a major component of a project procurement system. Most work done nowadays on projects involves dealing with contracts or has a contractual nature. Although some companies have purchasing departments that specialize in procurement, one of the basic knowledge and skills of a project manager is to be able to read and manage contracts. This post basically discusses †¦ Read More Understanding And Managing Your Boss The idea of â€Å"managing your boss† may sound quite unusual for some managers, considering the widespread adoption of the traditional top down management  approach in most organizations. Even though talented and aggressive managers nowadays carefully control and administer their subordinates, services, and products, they might reveal, on the other hand, a passive stand with their bosses (Gabarro and Kotter 1993). †¦ Read More Changes in Project Management Processes Between PMBOK 4 And PMBOK 5 This post presents a tabulated s ummary of differences in the names, inputs, tools, and outputs of project management processes between PMBOK 4 and PMBOK 5. Note that terms in Red which exist in PMBOK 4 have been removed or replaced in PMBOK 5, terms in Blue have been newly added into PMBOK 5, and terms in Black have not †¦ Read More Critical Analysis of Porter’s Five Forces Model – Information Technology (IT) Industry In order to appropriately formulate their corporate strategies and distinctively compete in the market, organizations are in a need for a framework that would help them in understanding industry structure and in overcoming rivalry. This essay aims at discussing, analyzing, and criticizing Porter’s Five Forces model using a wide variety of academic literature. The first part introduces the model, discusses †¦ Read More Key Qualities For An Effective Project Manager This post describes key qualities needed for an effective project manager. It discusses the differences between leading and managing a project, explains the importance of managing stakeholders, describes how to gain influence by reciprocity, stresses on the significance of leading by example and managing by wandering around (MBWA), explores how to deal with the contradictory nature of work, and finally †¦ Read More 12345678910 Home ; Change Management ; Change Management Diagnostic Models – Case Study â€Å"Jamie’s Food Revolution† Change Management Diagnostic Models – Case Study â€Å"Jamie’s Food Revolution† April 14th, 2012 Leave a comment Go to comments This essay presents three different diagnostic models that serve as a change management guidance for organizations by helping them in considering what factors are important for this change and how these factors are interrelated together (Nadler and Tushman 1980). The main purpose of these models is to help in reducing the complexity of the change situation by identifying what change variables require attention by the organization, what sequence of activities to adopt in dealing with the change situation, and how the various organizational properties are interconnected (Ian Palmer 2009). The essay compares and contrasts Burke-Litwin, Six-Box Weisbord, and Congruence models, pinpoints their strengths and weaknesses, and then applies one of these models to the case study â€Å"Jamie’s Food Revolution†. The first organizational and causal model to be discussed is the Burke-Litwin model. The strength of this model lies on the fact that it consists of twelve key variables, at three different organizational levels (external environment, leadership, strategy, and culture at the total system level; structure, management practices, systems and climate at the group or work unit level; and tasks, motivation, needs, and values at the individual level)(Burke and Litwin 1992). The variables on the top have a stronger influence on systems than the bottom variables (Leadersphere 2008). The model is based on an open systems principle whereby it considers the external environment as an input and the organization performance as output with a bidirectional feedback between them (Jackie Alexander Di 2002). What makes this model unique is that it houses almost all of the variables considered in the 7-S, Six-Box Weisbord and Congruence models (Burke and Litwin 1992) and it also stresses on the point that changes can lead to transformational organization-wide (leadership, strategy, and mission) as well as internal transactional (management, structure, system, individual needs, tasks) dynamics which altogether affect individual and organization performance (Jackie Alexander Di 2002). Burke and Jackson (1991) demonstrated the scenario of a successful merge between two companies, SmithKline and Beecham, which concentrated on establishing a unique culture with a loose-tight behavioral leadership, and on adopting a customized Burke-Litwin model to increase its performance. This model however may impose some complexity in its usage. Dana (2004), in her study to apply this model to a quality management system, has limited her research to specific variables for this model because of the big amount of information required to be gathered on each variable. Also, a quantitative study done by Jackie Alexander Di (2002) on the model’s variables failed to reveal the hidden communication variable, which shows that this model may not foresee all organizational problems. The second model to be discussed is the one developed by David Nadler and Michael Tushman, the Congruence model. Like the Burke-Litwin model, the pragmatic Congruence model is based on the open system’s principle (input environment, transformation, output)(Nadler 1982) and deals with the organization as a whole dynamic and social system where the purpose lies in realizing the state of congruence among the various subparts or components of the organization (Nadler and Tushman 1980). The measure of organizational effectiveness depends on the total degree of congruence as a normative approach to ensure fit among these components (Hatton and Raymond 1994). Nevertheless adopting this model is dynamic (should be changed with time) and poses a lot of challenges including the management of political dynamics, the anxiety created by the change, and the control of the transition state (Nadler and Tushman 1989). Additionally, it requires special care to ensure appropriate fit between strategy and environmental conditions, as well as among the four organizational components (work, people, formal structures and process, and informal structures and processes). Burke ; Litwin (1992) state that the number of items to be matched for congruence is great and the Congruence model fails to provide a mechanism for determining which of these items are important and what level of congruence yields desirable results. For further help, several studies have presented major efforts to discuss strategies to attain the maximum congruence. Hatton and Raymond (1994) concluded with several postulates that describe how congruence can be achieved by interrelating together specific dimensions of these key variables (environment, strategy, technology, task, structure, and individual). Also, Nadler and Tushman (1989), in their view of organizations as political systems, posit that there is no general way for dealing with change. They stressed that managers should understand these political dynamics of change by diagnosing the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, developing a clear vision, creating energy within teams, and possessing active leadership, thus achieving the congruence between strategy and environmental conditions, as well as among the four organizational components.

Courage to Change

Courage to Change â€Å"In Balfour, where he landed early in the morning, he almost lost courage when he found out that nobody understood him. But at the hardware store a man- the same who had made him a present of the cap he was wearing-had made signs to him as if pitching sheaves, meanwhile talking to him, tentatively , in short monosyllables, apparently asking questions. / he thought that now he looked exactly like a Canadian. † (Frederick Philip Grove 21-22). Many people immigrate to other countries because they want a better life and future. However, it's often not an easy transition.Immigrants have to deal with problems such as the language barrier, discrimination, and alienation. In the story† The First Day of an Immigrant†, by Frederick Philip Grove, one of the characters named Niels Lindstedt, is an immigrant of Canada and faced similar problems when he moved. However, he was successful in overcoming the challenges of immigration because of his courage. Th is story demonstrates that immigrants cannot be afraid to work hard, make changes to fit in, and to seek help from others in order to be accepted into the society. When an immigrant arrives into a new place, one of the most difficult things is to find work.In order to look for a job, one has to be able to communicate with others. But as an immigrant, without knowledge of the local dialect, finding employers is rendered impossible. When Niels Lindstedt landed in Balfour, Manitoba, he only knew how to speak his native Swedish language. He almost lost courage as he was unable to talk to, or comprehend with others. But that didn't stop him from finding work. Niels Lindstedt began working on his own initiative when he saw the two men frantically lifting some load of bushel. He immediately set out to help them even though it was not his job.This sudden cause of action both confused and impressed Jim, the Scotsman. Jim was so impressed in fact that he relayed the presence of Niels to the b oss which eventually landed him the job. Niels Lindstedt is courageous as he volunteered himself without someone directing where he should work. Immigrants have to be brave in order for them to overcome challenges that could prevent them from achieving a better future. Immigrants make a lot of sacrifices in order to fit into their new home. In order for them to become part of society, they have to leave behind some of their beliefs and values.For instance, changing their appearance; to help adapt to the culture of their new country, immigrants usually have to exchange their traditional garments for those of what the general population wears. When you stand out as a foreigner, it might deter other people from working with you and wanting to talk to you. When Niels Lindstedt was dressed strangely â€Å"in a new suit of overalls, stiff with newness, his flaxen-haired head covered with a blue-denim cap† (Frederick Philip Grove 19), people judged him as â€Å"foreign and absurdâ €  (Frederick Philip Grove 19).His effort in trying to adapt himself to this new country seemed so obvious and unsuccessful because he tried too hard to look Canadian. This represents that he was not afraid to make changes although it did not necessarily work. Immigrants can sometimes feel lonely. When they go to a new country, they leave behind their friends and family and end up all alone. But there are people who can help. It's up to the immigrant to seek out these helpers and ask for their advice and take them into consideration.When Niels Lindstedt arrived in Balfour, Montreal, his plan was to look for work. There he met a hardware dealer and took the advice of changing his clothes because what he wore was unsuitable for working in the harvest field. This reveals that Niels is not afraid to make changes in how he appears and â€Å"he thought that now he looked exactly like a Canadian† (Frederick Philip Grove 22). The importance of acceptance by others is that you woul d not feel lonely and be left out. Soon the people around you become your friends or family that would accept you for who you are as an immigrant.Everyday people migrate into a new country to start a new life. Many immigrants face the same problems that Niels Lindstedt had to deal with when he immigrated into Canada. They encounter the problems of finding work and acceptance by others caused by not knowing the new language and not being able to communicate with people. Works Cited Grove Philip, Frederick. â€Å"The First Day of an Immigrant. † Making a Difference: Canadian Multicultural Literature in English. 2Nd ed. Ed. Smaro Kamboureli. Print.