Integration - Causal Chains and Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Integration - Causal Chains and Strategy - Essay Example Under the following section, each quadrant is briefly discussed, followed by their causal linkages and last part of this article provides a nine-step framework to develop such balanced scorecard system in technology-based organization. Analysis As mentioned-above balanced scorecard, system works based on four perspective such as organization capacity, internal processes, customers and financial perspective. Organizational capacity relates to the concept of increasing the capacity of the business such as production capacity, material capacity, project capacity, etc. In order to meet the demands from the customers, it is essential that the organization must have sufficient capacity to fulfill that order. Internal processes relates to the concept of how effectively the organization can perform a certain job or fulfill customer’s demand for instance. How departments are managed and integrated, how internal controls work together, etc. are the core issues highlighted through intern al processes. Third perspective solely relates to customers. Customers are most important stakeholders of any business such that their preferences, tastes, dispositions, likes and dislikes, etc. paly a profound role in developing the most adequate business strategies. From this perspective, the organization needs to assess the current demands of the customer, how to satisfy them, how to retain their loyalty, how to provide after-sales services to them, etc. are focused through this perspective. Last, but probably the most important perspective of a balanced scorecard is the financial perspective such that every organization needs to improve its financial performance and position. For this purpose, the organizations use financial ratio analysis as a technique of evaluating their performances. Some important financial ratios under this perspective include return on investment, return on assets, return on equity, net profit margin, etc. Challenges faced by Technology Organizations Befo re establishing the causal linkage between the balanced scorecard perspectives within the technology organizations, it is of crucial importance that the characteristics of technology organization are studies first. Technology organizations are the ones which can be differentiated from other organizations especially in terms of challenges that they face (Rohm and Moinoski, n.d.). Following are some of the typical challenges faced by the technology-based organizations: Their product cycles constantly and rapidly contract. They constantly have to recruit, retain and reward the best technology talent. These organizations have to make and communicate the timely and critical decisions relating to product development. They have to track the customer’s perspectives such that they have to track the customer’s featured demands and their corresponding models. They have to deal with disruptive technologies which can, not only wrap up the product but the entire business. Integratio n of Causal Chain Keeping in mind the above challenges that technology-based organizations face, the balanced scorecard system is developed through a strategy. The strategy can be referred as integration of causal chain between these four perspectives of balanced scorecard (BSI, 2007). This strategy aims at developing the organizational capacity first. The investment in organizational ca

My Trip to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island Essay Example for Free

My Trip to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island Essay This tourist location is nationally known. Thousands of people a year come to Mackinaw City to enjoy the view of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. They also come to drive across the five mile long Mackinaw Bridge. It is a small town with hotels on every street. As I first arrived into Mackinaw City I noticed the Mackinaw Bridge far off in the distance. The colors of the bridge were a pale peach color with a hint of pale yellow. The bridge was always visible from any part in Mackinaw City because of how big it was and how tall it stood. As I looked around I saw hundreds of hotels surrounding the roads. Going down the road hundreds of people were walking to places whether it was to go to get ice cream or to go to a small grocery store. Hotels were lined up on the shore of Lake Huron. Luckily, we were staying at one of those hotels. The people there were very nice and courteous. As we walked into our hotel room, which was on the third floor, the light from outside shined through the balcony doors. I walked out on the balcony and on my left you could see the Mackinaw Bridge clear as day and on he right you could see all the ferries headed to Mackinaw Island. After we got settled in we headed down to the beach. The water was freezing cold but it was still fun because every time a ferry passed by huge waves of water would travel up to the shore and crash into it. I was excited because the next morning we got to take a ferry under the Mackinaw Bridge and to Mackinaw Island. The ferry went fast and there was a lot of wind which made it colder than it actually was but it was still fun! As we got further away from Mackinaw City the more you see of it. It was a beautiful sight. As the ferry got closer to Mackinaw Island you could see more and more people walking around the island. There were no cars at all, all there was, was trolleys being pulled around by horses. Entering the island you notice the buildings are very historic and old. There were a ton of hills. The island is like one big circle. A small beach area was on the island and in the distance you could see the Mackinaw Bridge. As the sun was shining down on the island it make the lake glisten and it made it bluer than it would be if it was cloudy. The streets were filled with people riding bikes and getting on the trolleys. While you were on the island you could walk up a bunch of stairs up to Fort Mackinac. It is a historical landmark where the attack of 1812 happened. As you walk around Fort Mackinac you see a group of people reenacting the historical event that happened there. Being that far up on a hill, you could see all of Mackinaw Island. The sun made everything shine brighter. Going here was very relaxing and you werent worried about anything. It was like all that weight got lifted off your shoulders and you were free to have fun and do what made this a very memorable vacation for me, which I will never forget.

Allies For Freedom :: Essays Papers

Allies For Freedom Introduction The reason I choose â€Å"Allies For Freedom† is because I am very interested in slaves and how they gained their freedom. I also wanted to learn about the famous â€Å" john brown† and everything this man did to change history. This book looked interesting to me because it covers not only just john brown but also other allies for the slaves. I wanted to see the different views of the people during slavery. This book also interested me because I knew he was raised in Ohio and I thought to relate to his views from being born and raised in Ohio also. This is a very important subject in history. Slavery changed American history and how we view things today. This book helps us see and understand that not all people were for slavery and there were people willing to give or risk their lives to do something they believe in. the main person this book is about is john brown. To me he is a hero that opened up opportunities for many blacks and slaves. John brown was a main leader for abolitionist. He led Harpers Ferry with 21 men. They cut telegraph wires, and then made their attack. First the captured the federal armory and arsenal. Then the Hall’s Rifle Works, and supplier of weapons to the government. Then they got 60 citizens of the town and held them as hostages. Hoping that their slaves help them in the fight, but none did. Brown also led a murder of five proslavery men. He led many abolitionists like himself in the fight against slavery. Benjamin Quarles, the author of â€Å" allies for freedom†, was a noted author, editor, and historian, and the first African American to be published in what became the journal of American history. He has written many books on slavery and abolitionists. He tried, through his books and writings, to show the Declaration of Independence and the rights it gave to the blacks and slaves. Benjamin Quarles is a very experienced author. He has written many book and novels on the topic. I think that the purpose that the author was trying to give the reader was to inform and educate them about slavery and abolitionists. The author tells about john brown and how he stood up for slaves and the equality of all men. Benjamin Quarles points out all the problems about slavery and America during this time.

Consumer Theory and X1

: Hal R. Varian. Intermediate Microeconomics, A Modern Approach. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1 BUDGET CONSTRAINT Consumer theory —- how consumers buy their goods? Economists assume: consumers choose the best bundle of goods they can afford. Two aspects: —-Consumers choose the most preferred goods. —-They are limited by economic condition. The Budget Constraint Consumption bundles: ( , ): a list of numbers of goods and services. X = (x1, x2, †¦, xn,) In the case of two goods: good 1 and good 2. Bundle of goods: X = (x1, x2) Prices of goods: (p1, p2),The amount of money the consumer has to spend: m. The consumer’s affordable consumption bundles, (x1, x2) satisfy p1x1 + p2x2 ? m. —-The budget set of the consumer ( ) . good 2 m/p2 O m/p1 good 1 Two Goods Are Often Enough Composite good —-take x2 as everything else, the dollars spent on other goods. For example, x1: consumption of milk in quarts per month. The budget constraint will take t he form p1x1 + x2 ? m. The case of n goods Budget constraint: p1x1 + p2x2+†¦+ pnxn ? m. Properties of the Budget Set Budget line( ): p1x1 + p2x2 = m. Vertical intercept: m/p2Horizontal intercept: m/p1. Slope: – p1/p2 Economic interpretation of slope: For the bundle (x1, x2): p1x1 + p2x2 = m. After a change in bundle (? x1, ? x2): p1(x1+? x1) + p2(x2+? x2) = m. good 2 x2 ?x2 ?x1 O x1 good 1 Subtracting the first equation from the second gives p1? x1 + p2? x2 = 0. This gives The number of good 2 the consumer must give up when he increases his consumption of good 1 by 1 unit, and keeps the money spent unchanged. Opportunity cost of consuming good 1—- in order to consume more of good 1 you have to give up some consumption of good 2.Budget Line Changes How the budget line changes when prices and incomes change? Change in income Change in m results in a parallel shift of the budget line. Intercepts m/p2 and m/p1 will change. Slope – p1/p2 keeps unchanged. good 2 m/p2 O m/p1 good 1 Changes in prices Increasing p1 will not change the vertical intercept, but p1/p2 will become larger. good 2 m/p2 O m/p1 good 1 What happens to the budget line when we change the prices of good 1 and good 2 at the same time? Proportionally: (tp1)x1 + (tp2)x2 = m.What happens to the budget line when we change the prices of good 1 and good 2 and the consumers’ income at the same time? good 2 m/p2 O m/p1 good 1 Proportionally: (tp1)x1 + (tp2)x2 = tm. Some observations: If one price declines and all others stay the same, the consumer must be at least as well-off. If the consumer’s income increases and all prices remain the same, the consumer must be at least as well-off as at the lower income A perfectly balanced inflation cannot change anybody’s optimal choice. 2 PREFERENCES Consumer Preferences( Consumer ranks consumption bundles by his satisfaction from use of goods, irrelevant to the prices. The case of two goods Given any two consumption bund les, X=(x1, x2) and Y=(y1, y2), the consumer can rank them in one of three possible ways: (x1, x2) is strictly better than (y1, y2); (y1, y2) is strictly better than (x1, x2); (x1, x2) and (y1, y2) are indifferent. Two basic relations: [pic]: strictly preferred( ), (x1, x2) [pic] (y1, y2): the consumer strictly prefers (x1, x2) to (y1, y2). ~ : indifferent ( ) (x1, x2) ~ (y1, y2). he consumer is indifferent between (x1, x2) and (y1, y2). A composite relation: [pic]: weakly preferred ( ) (x1, x2) [pic](y1, y2): the consumer prefers (x1, x2) to (y1, y2) or is indifferent between (x1, x2) and (y1, y2). Assumptions about Preferences Axioms about consumer preference (weakly preference): Complete( ). Given any X-bundle and any Y-bundle, consumer can say that (x1, x2)[pic](y1, y2), or (y1, y2)[pic](x1, x2). Reflexive( ). Consumer should say that any bundle is at least as good as itself: (x1, x2)[pic](x1, x2). Transitive ( ).If a consumer feels that (x1, x2)[pic](y1, y2) and (y1, y2)[pic](z 1, z2) then he feels that (x1, x2)[pic](z1, z2). Indifference Curves Weakly preferred set: all of the consumption bundles that are weakly preferred to (x1, x2). Indifference curves( ): —-The boundary of weakly preferred set; Good 2 x2 O x1 Good 1 Further assumptions Well-behaved preferences( ): Monotonicity ( )—- more is better. If that x1 ( y1, x2 ( y2 and that x1 ( y1 , x2 ( y2 at least one hold, then (x1, x2) [pic] (y1, y2) —-indifference curves have negative slope.A indifference curve is the set of bundles for which the consumer is just indifferent to (x1, x2). Good 2 O Good 1 Convexity ( )—- averages are preferred to extremes. If (x1, x2) and (y1, y2) are indifferent, then the bundle ([pic]x1+[pic]y1, [pic]x2+[pic]y2) is strictly preferred to (x1, x2) and (y1, y2). —-indifference curves are convex. Good 2 O Good 1 Examples of preferences Perfect Substitutes( ) The consumer is willing to substitute one good for the other at a constant rate. Goo d 2 O Good 1Perfect Complements( ) Goods that are always consumed together in fixed proportions. Good 2 O Good 1 Discrete Goods( ) x1 : a discrete good that is only available in integer amounts. Suppose that x2 is money to be spent on other goods. Good 2 O Good 1 The Marginal Rate of Substitution Marginal rate of substitution (MRS, ): slope of an indifference curve. —- measures the rate at which the consumer is just willing to substitute one good for the other. MRS = [pic] Note: MRS is a negative number. Good 2 (x2O (x1 Good 1 The other form of MRS MRS =[pic] Good 2 x2 O x1 Good 1 Behavior of the Marginal Rate of Substitution Describe the indifference curves by the MRS. Perfect substitutes: the marginal rate of substitution is constant. Perfect complements: the MRS is either 0 or infinity, and nothing in between. In general case: Monotonicity: indifference curves must have a negative slope, i. e. negative MRS. Convex: the marginal rate of substitution decreases as we increase x1, —-diminishing MRS. ———————– [pic]

Money Is the Root of All Evil

Money is the root of all evil. Many of us grew up hearing that money is the root of all evil, but that is not really what scripture teaches us. Money is neither evil nor good. It is only what happens with money once it is in our hands that gives it qualities of either good or evil. Money can be many things, depending on how we relate to it. We need to understand the difference between a physical currency that is the basis for our lives and a material desire that is driven by greed. It is a fact that money makes the world go round and this is how we bargain for food, shelter, education, travel and just about everything in life has a price.Money is the reward for our work that allows us to enjoy the good things in life. It is the foundation for our social organizations and the donations to churches and charitable organizations that allows them to become established and function properly within our communities. From this point of view, money is not the evil; it is just a source of our s urvival. From the other hand, the love of money can destroys our lives. Not only money by themselves, but the desire of them. The greediness can destroy individuals, break up homes and even bring down nations.When the love of material possessions, social status and political power are the driving force behind our desire for money, we become rooted in evil. People can also make money there god. It depends on whether money is in control of the person or the person is in control of the money. It is clear, when money is in control of person it can make a lot of harm. To sum up, I should say that money is not evil, as I think. It's just the greed that's in the hearts of those who want it for needless riches and power that gives money the label of being evil.