Abbott Hospital Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Abbott Hospital Case - Essay Example A closer analysis of the various facts and figures presented in the study suggests that all the stakeholders were either not informed about the change or their feedback was not incorporated effectively. The fact that Sister Mary Theresa controlled almost all aspects of the pre-acquisition period suggests that the communication was not readily disseminated at all levels. Besides, the communication was relatively one-way with others just following the suit rather than raising the voice against the proposed acquisition. A key strategic issue in this was the lack of the effective human capital i.e. the resistance from the medical community and the doctors/staff working at the hospitals. Since the overall size of medical community at local level was relatively small therefore this can be a significant issue provided a limited availability of trained and skilled medical staff at the local level. It is also critical to note that the Mt. Mercy there is a clear lack of systems requirements as most of the orders and the strategic vision flows from the single source. Having a decentralized organizational structure can actually help an organization to share the responsibility while at the same time have more feedback before any decision is made. A key strategic issue while dealing with the change was that of creating a cohesive culture for both the hospitals. Due to relatively different strategies being adapted at these two hospitals, significant employee motivation issues emerged causing a decline in the revenue and profitability for the firm. It is evident that after the acquisition, the employees of the Abbott hospital are not considering themselves as part of the new organization. In order to achieve the economies of scale and to improve the efficiencies, it is critical that the organization must focus on developing a certain degree of

Is it free market or regulated financial systems that underpin Essay

Is it free market or regulated financial systems that underpin long-term economic success and effective corporate governance - Essay Example he financial system through restrictions, laws, requirements and guidelines aimed at influencing the economic outcome, protecting the consumers or environment as well as maintaining the integrity or stability of the financial system. The major problem is that any occurrence of financial crises has been perceived as a failure of the governments or other relevant institutions to apply the necessary regulatory control measures to avert such financial crises (Bernanke, 2000, p.21). On the other hand, the increased government involvement in matters of both market and financial systems regulation has been perceived as highhandedness on the part of the government, and thus criticized on the basis of stifling the free operation of the markets. Thus, either way, the law of unintended consequences always applies. The issue of the operation of the economy and the markets is a tricky one, due to the fact that a complete lack of control of the economic operations by the government makes economic crises more likely and severe in the future (Doepke and Schneider, 2010, p.72). Generally, government or formal regulation that is too heavy may stifle future financial efficiency, while at the same time hindering innovation (Meltzer, 2004, p.163). However, although free market is necessary for economic growth, many critics argue that it may not be sufficient condition for economic success and effective corporate governance. This paper seeks to critically compare the free market and the regulated market systems with a view to evaluating whether it is free market or regulated financial systems that underpin long-term economic success and effective corporate governance using the five major economies namely the USA, UK, Japan, Germany and China as case studies. There are a number of theories that have sought to explain the potential impacts of different financial systems on the overall long term economic success of a country and effective corporate governance. For example, the Theory of

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 19

Assignment Example Research limitations: This paper has a narrow focus (the inadequacy of American multinationals to adapt to expatriation) which is a limitation. By focusing only the failure of American business it could to some degree shows some bias in its conclusions. Practical Implications: In the case of expatriation of managerial staff it is important to take into consideration a wider frame of reference than purely technical skill and a good record. The successful American manager may not be successful elsewhere. And even if appropriate for the role he/she will need training and support in order to excel in their new role. Value to the Reader: The reader learns to see that in order for expatriation of managerial staff to be effective it is important for the entire organization to take a long term outlook and to create an expatriation programme. One which endeavours to select managers who have the coping skills required in expatriation and also to provide them with the required training and support. Finally the expatriate manager needs to be able to gain from the experience; they should not lose out by working abroad. It is this emphasize in particular which sets Japanese and European corporate cultures apart from the American ones. The American multinationals are reluctant to invest in expatriation programmes’ because of the mobile nature of the American workforce. Also because they have a more inward looking approach as companies the expatriate manager’s frequently find themselves losing out in their corporate career. The authors believe that this imbalance needs to be addressed in orde r for American multinationals to become more successful at expatriation. Design: This research begins with an overview of the resource-based view of multinational enterprizes.It then overviews some examples taken from Spanish multinationals; it makes

Is it free market or regulated financial systems that underpin Essay

Is it free market or regulated financial systems that underpin long-term economic success and effective corporate governance - Essay Example he financial system through restrictions, laws, requirements and guidelines aimed at influencing the economic outcome, protecting the consumers or environment as well as maintaining the integrity or stability of the financial system. The major problem is that any occurrence of financial crises has been perceived as a failure of the governments or other relevant institutions to apply the necessary regulatory control measures to avert such financial crises (Bernanke, 2000, p.21). On the other hand, the increased government involvement in matters of both market and financial systems regulation has been perceived as highhandedness on the part of the government, and thus criticized on the basis of stifling the free operation of the markets. Thus, either way, the law of unintended consequences always applies. The issue of the operation of the economy and the markets is a tricky one, due to the fact that a complete lack of control of the economic operations by the government makes economic crises more likely and severe in the future (Doepke and Schneider, 2010, p.72). Generally, government or formal regulation that is too heavy may stifle future financial efficiency, while at the same time hindering innovation (Meltzer, 2004, p.163). However, although free market is necessary for economic growth, many critics argue that it may not be sufficient condition for economic success and effective corporate governance. This paper seeks to critically compare the free market and the regulated market systems with a view to evaluating whether it is free market or regulated financial systems that underpin long-term economic success and effective corporate governance using the five major economies namely the USA, UK, Japan, Germany and China as case studies. There are a number of theories that have sought to explain the potential impacts of different financial systems on the overall long term economic success of a country and effective corporate governance. For example, the Theory of

Development of Chinese economic Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words

Development of Chinese economic - Dissertation Example Phenomenal growth of Chinese economy over years significantly affects the world economy due to its sheer size and wider domestic market. The stability in domestic economy is very important for the Chinese companies to embark on programs to promote its products internationally. Any slowdown in domestic economy will severely affect the companies’ ability to carry forward its mission in development of international brands. The negative image created by counterfeiting consumer products by Chinese companies in the international markets is just one of the main obstacles in developing international brands. â€Å"Whenever you hear about counterfeit merchandise, you almost always think about China (Strusiewicz, 2012). The top international brands of EU, Japan and US have been assiduously developed over years and founded on quality and corporate social responsibility with concerns for all the stakeholders including consumers. â€Å"As a member of the World Trade Organization, China be nefits from access to foreign markets. But relations with trading partners have been strained over China's huge trade surplus and the piracy of goods† (BBC, 2013). ... Chinese Companies and Development of Global Brands Contents 1.0 Introduction 3 1.1 Background 3 1.2 Objectives of the study 4 1.3 Research questions 4 2.0 Literature Review 5 2.1 Chinese exports, development of global brands and economy 5 2.2 Motivations for internationalization strategies 12 2.3 Internationalization strategies adopted by Chinese firms 17 2.4 Lack of Chinese global brands 22 2.5 Chinese economy and factors influencing competition and global markets 26 2.6 How Chinese can develop global brands 31 3.0 Methodology 35 4.0 Analysis and findings 37 5.0 Conclusion 41 6.0 References 43 7.0 Appendices 48 Internationalization of Chinese Companies and Development of Global Brands 1. Introduction 1.1 Introduction In the past 30 years, Chinese economic growth has become the world's third largest economy. Now China holds more than two trillion U.S. dollars of foreign exchange reserves, and has become the largest trading country and foreign direct investment destination. This proje ct analyzes the economic situation in China, its relationship to the development of global brands by Chinese companies and its impact on world markets. China is the world's third largest economy, currently accounting for about 5% of the world's GDP. However, the country consumes one-third of the world's coal, steel and cotton, as well as nearly half of the cement. Chinese coal consumption is more than sum total of the United States, India and Russia. Ten years ago, China was an oil exporting country, but now has become the world's third largest oil importer and the second largest oil consuming country. The growth of Chinese economy is very important from the global perspective due to its impact on world economy. Therefore, the main objectives of the proposed research are to study the status

Stages of Demographic Transition in Spain Between 1960-2008 Essay Example for Free

Stages of Demographic Transition in Spain Between 1960-2008 Essay This corresponds to the red square stated on the figure showing the demographic transition theory. At the start of the second phase the birth rate and the death rate are still high, but in this phase they will both decline to a lower level. The death rate starts declining earlier and it will decline faster than the birth rate. This will result in a remarkable growth in the population size during the second phase. A important factor for the decline of the death rate is the improvement in the standard of living. Other factors for this decline were improvement in health care and in hygiene. The decline in the birth rate during the second phase of the demographic transition theory is also a result of the improvements in the standard of living and in health care. The increase in prosperity resulted in a decline of the total fertility rate. Children were no longer needed to work in the industrial life to help their parents raise an income, and because of the improvements in health care, children were no longer needed to take care of their parents when they were old.

University Peer Selection and Influences of Social Support

University Peer Selection and Influences of Social Support Phase 1 – Peer selection and influence of perceived social support of university students: do connections matter? Background Perceived social support has been shown to be an important predictor of psychological disturbance where individuals are exposed to distressing stimuli such as earthquakes (Xu et al, 2013) and war (Besser Neira, 2012). Additionally, perceived social support has also been shown to an important predictor in school environments for academic achievement (Song et al, 2014), and other problematic behaviour indicators such as low self-esteem, adaptive skills and teacher reported social skills (Demaray Maleki, 2002) which are linked to educational advancement. Other studies have observed the origins of perceived social support for particular populations being an important factor. Chavajay (2013) found that international students felt great levels of social support came from fellow international students, and Zagenczyk et al (2010) found perceived organisational support (POS) of employees would be more like the nearest person they found to be influential. perceived social support is complex in nature, its links with human growth and prevention of psychological disturbance, but also how and where the sense of perceived social support transcends to and from can depend on the similarities of the people around them. Social network analysis considers the human in relation to others within the network, and it is shows the nature of their relationships that give rise to social phenomena found within the analysis of networks. This could be via structural effects such as reciprocity, centrality in the network and popularity, or it could be actor driven such as the tendency to behave in a certain manner, such as the case for friendships being linked to smoking behaviour (Mercken et al. 2012) or it could be levels of psychological phenomena (which are also characterised as behaviour) (Snjiders et al, 2010), or more commonly aspects of the self such as cultural indicators such as nationality, gender, race, sexuality and so on. Psychological research could develop into a new branch of social network analysis, the longitudinal actor-driven stochastic models (actor-driven stochastic model) as developed by Snijders et al. (2010) which can be used to validate social network phenomena variance with psychologi cal phenomena, such as perceived social support, by observing it longitudinally and use that information to model expectations on actor and network development while utilising Markov chain process to model the networks evolving structure. Rationale The rationale for exploring perceived social support with actor-driven stochastic model metholology can be found via a synthesis of some recent research in perceived social support. Besser Neira (2010), made inferences based on means that can no understand the individual in relation to their situation within a network. They discounted medium effect size change of attachment style across the length of their study, perhaps as a result of an inability to look at socialising factors, such as covariates of reciprocity and the tendencyofhomophily between dyads. When consideringZagenczyk et al. (2010) in conjunction with Besser Neira, they show that peer influence on perceived support options in an environment might be important, and therefore it is plausible to hypothesise that similar phenomena could change attachment style behaviours that Besser Neira observed. Zagenczyk and colleagues work was cross-sectional and used social network measures in a 2 step multivariate analysis, and the refore is unable to infer causality (a common criticism of social network analysis (Borgatti and colleagues)), although it shows that social network phenomena correlated with beliefs it does not show how these beliefs became over the life-cycle. When considering the origins of perceived social support within the university context Chavajay (2013) focused his attention on international students, in essence he focused his attention on a population with situational similarities and found that higher levels of perceived social support were reciprocated between these similar groups. Chavajay suggested that this may have been a result from a greater need to experience social support when entering a new culture, and this collective need amongst international students engenders greater levels of the perceived social support phenomena, but these inferences are subjective and have not been clarified with a qualitative investigation. Chavajays research describes the tendency for homophily wher e by similar populations naturally evolve denser and become more homogenous networks (Steglich et al. 2010) while Zagenczyk and colleagues research suggests structural factors such as centrality (as inferred by the importance advice ties which have a strong relationship with friendship ties and ties of structural equivalence) of certain individuals within proximate networks in organisations is indicative POS as POS emanate from advice ties of structural equivalence. If perceived social support or POS can be related to self-ordering phenomena as well as hierarchical network effects then research into this field can describe behavioural change via two distinct psycho-social roots. Psychology can utilise the actor-driven stochastic model to discover the relationships of perceived social support within categorical groups as well as through common mechanisms of friendship formation lime, reciprocity, homophily and transitive closure, i.e. researchers can combine agency and structure while modelling behaviour (perceived social support). The psychologist can analyse multiple data sets and generate a wide variety or multivariate and bivariate statistics, and to a degree infer time sequentiality when seeking causality. Research can combine active theory development through generating and comparing findings, and then control for alternative explanations while assessing uncertainties in inference Snijders et al. (2010). However, the model is assumption-intensive – the actor-driven stochastic model uses two functions to predict network evolution via microsteps. Firstly, rate function which depends on observation period, actor cocariates and network position, which combine to consider the speed and opportunity for change within the network, and secondly, the objective function which evaluates the actor decision to change a tie based on short-term goals following preferences, opportunities and constraints. These functions require network and behaviour parameter estimates to be used in order for the model to estimate network evolution, therefore good data and awareness of group context is important when carefully developing theory (Steglich et al. 2010). Investigations of human psychology, can benefit from interpersonal methodology such as the actor-driven stochastic model as the individual can be noticed within the context of their immediate relationships. Although, limitations to the model include traditional problems associated with effects that are distil in nature (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) – it can not explain the disappearance of a tie as a result of exo-system decisions in the wider environment, however as is traditional in the empirical method mechanisms are in place to resolve sample problems. However, since the researcher requires high levels of contextual understanding when using actor-driven stochastic model to understand phenomena, descriptive phenomenological investigation would be welcomed to help identify spurious relationships in quantitative data. In cases such as small pilot studies, when sample sizes are inadequate and where the aim is the learning of a new methodology Trafimow (2014) may argue that this links with the goals of qualitative inquiry. A researcher considering human intelligence of an alien culture is less likely to make valid measurements of intelligence if he basis them on personal experience. So when embarking on an exploratory phase of a research project Trafimow (2014) recommends using qualitative methods to find out the variables that matter and then to use empirical methods to quantify how much they matter. Another point to consider before implementing actor-driven stochastic model is its complexity. Not only must the researcher understand its core concepts and assumptions of the stochastic social network analysis, they also have to aquire the skills and knowledge to produce social-network panel data that fits the stochastic model. Additionally, the researcher must then be able to navigate and use RSiena, the program which runs inferential statistics and generates predicted network models in accordance with the statistics related to the actor-driven stochastic model (Snijders et al, 2010). With the level of complexity within such a psychological methodology, correctly measuring and validating perceived social support within the group context while correctly estimating parameters for ongoing theory development and model validation requires a 2 phase approach. Aims Phase 1 (MSc) To understand contemporary issues surrounding perceived social support Understand the ways social networks are analysed Understand perceived social support within the group context Develop valid panel data gathering forms for pilot study To understand practical psychological applications of actor-driven stochastic model To understand the relationship of peer selection and perceived social support Objectives Systematic Review of Literature: perceived social support perceived social support Measures Social Network Analysis actor-driven stochastic model Design Focus Group with Open Ended Questions on perceived social support Survey Focus Group on how they understand perceived social support Analyse and Evaluate Findings From Focus Group Compare Focus Group Findings with validated perceived social support questionnaires Build Panel Data Gathering Form Conduct Pilot Study using actor-driven stochastic model using RSiena Method This study is exploratory in nature and will be divided up into two parts. The first part will be qualitative and the second quantitative. Part 1: Participants For an exploratory qualitative exercise 8 – 15 will suffice to inform the evaluation of perceived social support. The group will be taken from a selected population university students that take part in a society and see each other on a regular basis. Prodecure Participants will be informed that they their information will be kept in strict confidentiality and that the session will be recorded for analysis. Participants will then be asked to complete a consent form before the focus group will begin. Focus group with open-ended questions The focus group will be structured around open-ended questions regarding the nature of perceived social support and how they understand it. An example could be â€Å"I wonder what comes to mind when you consider the support around you?† this would illicit the participants perceptions toward support and what kind of resources they see as available. Analysis This information will then be analysed using a content analysis method proposed by Berg (2007) and then used to validate existing self-report questionnaires such as Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, Farley, 1988) or the The 18-item Index of Sojourner Social Support Scale (Ong Ward, 2005), both of which were used on populations of university students. The validated survey questions will then be used as part of the panel data gathering form used in the quantitative analysis. Part 2: Participants The specification for the participants is that they will be in a reasonably dense network structure and therefore see each other on a regular basis and reciprocate within the group. Although the minimum amount of participants for the method for reliable results is n > 25 (Snijders et al, 2010) 8 – 15 participants will suffice to form the basis of a RSiena pilot study. Prodecure Participants will be informed that they their information will be kept in strict confidentiality and that the session will be recorded for analysis. Participants will then be asked to complete a consent form before the focus group will begin. Measures For the study to produce meaningful parameter estimates for modelling the data will be captured in 3 waves of fortnightly assessments. The participants will complete a self-report questionnaires providing panel data Friendship network. Students will be asked to identify up to 5 close friends within the group. Only friendships in which nominations are shown to reciprocate will be retained for analysis. Homophily. Students will be asked four indicators of homophily on socio-demographic characteristics: gender, race, university year and age. Perceived Social Support. Students will be asked a chosen number of indicators which reflect their perceived social support and make up a scale where internal consistency will be tested. The scores will then be divided up into meaningful ranges where by the participants can be catergorised. Analysis The analysis of the data will be consistent with the longigtudinal actor-based stochastic method as described by Snijders et al (2010). The analyses will be implemented with the Simulation Investigation for Empirical Network Analysis software program (Snijders et al. 2007). All changes in friendship ties and perceived social support scores observed between the final 2 measurements are modelled as the most probabilistic sequence of events that explain the total amount of observed changes. In this scenario there are two dependent variables, one describes perceived social support and one describes changes in friendship ties, and are modelled simultaneously with each other as dependent variables with each other. Within subjects effects can be measured with ANOVA where appropriate and parameter estimates for the actor-based model deemed to be statistically significant with a t-ratio obtained by dividing the unstandardised estimate by the standard error.  ­