Ge Matrix free essay sample

Gg General Electric screen matrix (the General Electric (GE) business screen) The GE screen matrix is essentially a derivation of the Boston Consulting Group’s Boston growth matrix. It was developed by McKinsey and Co. for General Electric as it had been recognized that the Boston Consulting Group matrix was not flexible enough to take broader issues into account. The GE matrix cross-references market attractiveness and business position using three criteria for each – high, medium and low. The market attractiveness considers variables relating to the market itself, including the rate of market growth, market size, potential barriers to entering the market, the number and size of competitors, the actual profit margins currently enjoyed, and the technological implications of involvement in the market. The business position criteria look at the business’s strengths and weaknesses in a variety of fields. These include its position in relation to its competitors, and the business’s ability to handle product research, development and ultimate production. We will write a custom essay sample on Ge Matrix or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It also considers how well placed the management is to deploy these resources. The matrix differs in its complexity compared with the Boston Consulting Group matrix. Superimposed on the basic diagram are a number of circles. These circles are of variable size (see Figure 22). The size of each represents the size of each market. Within each circle is a clearly defined segment which represents the business’s market share within that market. The larger the circle, the larger the market, and the larger the segment, the larger the market share. General environment The term ‘general environment’ refers to the broad macro-environment in which a business operates. Broadly speaking, it can be identified as having four key elements, as outlined in Table 10. 98 Key Concepts in Strategic Management Business position High Invest heavily for growth High Medium Invest selectively and build Low Develop for income Market attractiveness Medium Invest selectively and build Develop selectively for income Harvest or divest Figure 22 Low Develop selectively and build on strengths Harvest Divest The General Electric (GE) matrix Table 10 Elements of the general environment Political/legal Potential/actual changes in regulations/legislation Foreign trade regulations Environmental protection Changes in government (local/regional/national) Technological New development inside and outside the industry New product development Technological projects in the industry Industry (and government) spending on research and development G Economic GNP growth Finance/market trends Inflation Interest rates Money upply Employment/unemployment Energy issues Socio-cultural Population trends Age distribution Regional movement of population Demographics of the family Lifestyle Consumerism Geographical structure 99 The most rapid of these trends in the general environment are technological and political/legal. The slowest moving are the economic and the socio-cultural. Geographical structure The organizational structure of a major business could be based purely on geographical regions . This could reflect the following possibilities: †¢ †¢ †¢ that the market is sufficiently remote to warrant a replication of the organizational structure in its geographical region; that the factors of production are sufficiently attractive to set up a geographically-based structure; that the market requires specific support that can only be delivered in the geographical region and not from the remote central headquarters of the organization. Global area structure A global area structure configures the organization along the main areas (geographically) in which it operates. Typically, the globe would be split up into a series of general areas such that the business can assume that all functions can be carried out by a centralized headquarters within each region. The configuration may take the form depicted in Figure 23. Corporate HQ (in home country and serving home country Northern Europe Southern Europe and Near East Pacific region G Figure 23 A global area structure Global learning Global learning is a process by which a multinational organization ensures that skills and knowledge flow freely between the different parts of the business across the world, regardless of national boundaries. Global learning can take the following routes: 100 Key Concepts in Strategic Management †¢ †¢ †¢ from the home country to an overseas division or subsidiary; from an overseas division or subsidiary to another overseas division or subsidiary; from an overseas division or subsidiary to the home country. Global matrix structure A global matrix structure is essentially a horizontal differentiation along product divisions and geographical divisions. In other words, to visualize the organization structure, product groups are placed on a vertical axis and the foreign divisions are placed on a horizontal axis. It allows businesses to reduce costs by increasing efficiency, and to differentiate their activities with innovation and responsiveness. The feature of the global matrix structure is that there is dual decisionmaking responsibility, as there is both a divisional and an area hierarchy. The system is not without its problems, as many organizations consider this form of structure to be rather clumsy and bureaucratic. There is also the question of slow decision making and a lack of flexibility. Several international businesses have sought to overcome the problems by basing their organizational structure on wide networks with a shared culture and vision, and stressing that the informal structures are more important than the formal structure itself. These forms of organizational structure are known as flexible matrix structures. Egelhoff, W. G. , ‘Strategy and Structure in Multinational Corporations: a Revision of the Stopford and Wells Model’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 9 (1988), pp. 1–14. Global product group structure A global product group structure is a variant organizational structure which has product groups along a vertical axis and foreign (overseas) divisions, or business units, on a horizontal axis. The primary purpose of the product group structure is: G †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ to to to to to educe costs through increased efficiency; differentiate the organization’s areas of activity; utilize any innovations or technologies; improve customer service; increase the speed of responses. Typically, the structure would appear in the format shown in Figure 24. Global strategic alliances A global strategic alliance is usually formed by two or more organiza- Global strategic planning 101 Corporate HQ Product division A Product division B International div ision Japan India Brazil Figure 24 A global product group structure ions from different countries. Typically, this involves the allocation of resources from these businesses based in different countries, to a new project or venture which they seek to undertake, using cooperative methods and the pooling of expertise and experience. The purpose of global strategic alliances is to: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ create synergy; accomplish more than could be achieved had the businesses been operating independently; coordinate effort; gain and share technologies; gain entry into an overseas market. Major multinational businesses routinely enter into global strategic alliances as an integral part of their corporate strategy and the practice has become widespread in recent years. See also green-field investment. G Global strategic planning Global strategic planning aims to maximize global economies of scale and economies of scope, while at the same time incorporating the advantages of local responsiveness to customers in the countries in which the organization operates. 102 Key Concepts in Strategic Management There are three main steps towards achieving global strategic planning: †¢ †¢ The development of a core business strategy – which forms the basis of attempts to create a sustainable competitive advantage (a replica of what has been achieved in the home market). The internationalization of this core strategy – the adaptation of the core strategy to overseas markets, along with expansion as necessary. The globalization of the international core strateg y – which seeks to integrate the strategy in all of the countries in which the business operates. Yip, G. S. , Total Global Strategy: Managing for Worldwide Competitive Advantage. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2002. Global strategy A global strategy is often adopted by an international business in order to increase its profitability by taking advantage not only of cost reductions that come from experience curve effects, but also of economies based on the location of parts of its operations. Typically a global strategy will consider the best alternative areas in which to concentrate research and development, marketing or production, choosing the most beneficial location for each of these key operations. In essence a global strategy can be called a multi-domestic strategy, in as much as the international business seeks to maximize its worldwide performance through maximizing any local competitive advantages, revenues or profits it can achieve. Equally, global strategies seek to maximize performance through integration and a sharing of resources. Stonehouse, George, Hamill, Jim, Campbell, David and Purdie, Tony, Global and Transnational Business: Strategy and Management. New York: John Wiley, 2004. G Global web

The Role of Bushido in Modern Japan

The Role of Bushido in Modern Japan Bushido, or the way of the warrior, is commonly defined as the moral and behavioral code of the samurai. It is often considered a foundation stone of Japanese culture, both by Japanese people and by outside observers of the country. What are the components of bushido, when did they develop, and how are they applied in modern Japan? Controversial Origins of the Concept It is difficult to say exactly when bushido developed. Certainly, many of the basic ideas within bushido- loyalty to ones family and ones feudal lord (daimyo), personal honor, bravery and skill in battle, and courage in the face of death- have likely been important to samurai warriors for centuries. Amusingly, scholars of ancient and medieval Japan often dismiss bushido and call it a modern innovation from the Meiji and Showa eras. Meanwhile, scholars who study Meiji and Showa Japan direct readers to study ancient and medieval history to learn more about the origins of bushido. Both camps in this argument are right, in a way. The word bushido and others like it did not arise until after the Meiji Restoration- that ​is, after the samurai class was abolished. It is useless to look at ancient or medieval texts for any mention of bushido. On the other hand, as mentioned above, many of the concepts included in bushido were present in Tokugawa society. Basic values such as bravery and skill in battle are important to all warriors in all societies at all times, so presumably, even early samurai from the Kamakura period would have named those attributes as important. The Changing Modern Faces of Bushido In the lead-up to World War II, and throughout the war, the Japanese government pushed an ideology called imperial bushido on the citizens of Japan. It emphasized Japanese military spirit, honor, self-sacrifice, and unwavering, unquestioning loyalty to the nation and to the emperor.   When Japan suffered its crushing defeat in that war, and the people did not rise up as demanded by imperial bushido and fight to the last person in defense of their emperor, the concept of bushido seemed to be finished. In the post-war era, only a few die-hard nationalists used the term. Most Japanese were embarrassed by its connections with the cruelty, death, and excesses of World War II. It seemed like the way of the samurai had ended forever. However, beginning in the late 1970s, Japans economy began to boom. As the country grew into one of the major world economic powers in the 1980s, people within Japan and outside of it once again began to use the word bushido. At that time, it came to mean extreme hard work, loyalty to the company that one worked for, and devotion to quality and precision as a sign of personal honor. News organizations even reported on a sort of company-man seppuku, called karoshi, in which people literally worked themselves to death for their companies.   CEOs in the west and in other Asian countries started to urge their employees to read books touting corporate bushido, in an attempt to replicate Japans success. Samurai stories as applied to business, along with Sun Tzus  Art of War  from China, became best-sellers in the self-help category. When the Japanese economy slowed into stagflation in the 1990s, the meaning of bushido in the corporate world shifted once again. It began to signify the peoples brave and stoic response to the economic downturn. Outside of Japan, the corporate fascination with bushido quickly faded. Bushido in Sports Although corporate bushido is out of fashion, the term still crops up regularly in connection with sports in Japan.  Japanese baseball coaches refer to their players as samurai, and the international soccer (football) team is called Samurai Blue. In press conferences, the coaches and players regularly invoke bushido, which is now defined as hard work, fair play, and a fighting spirit. Perhaps nowhere is bushido more regularly mentioned than in the world of martial arts. Practitioners of judo, kendo, and other Japanese martial arts study what they consider to be the ancient principles of bushido as part of their practice (the antiquity of those ideals is debatable, of course, as mentioned above). Foreign martial artists who travel to Japan to study their sport usually are particularly devoted to an ahistorical, but very appealing, version of bushido as a traditional cultural value of Japan. Bushido and the Military The most controversial usage of the word bushido today is in realm of the Japanese military, and in political discussions around the military. Many Japanese citizens are pacifists, and deplore the use of rhetoric that once led their country into a catastrophic global war. However, as troops from Japans Self-Defense Forces increasingly deploy overseas, and conservative politicians call for increasing military power, the term bushido crops up more and more often. Given the history of the last century, military uses of this very militaristic terminology can only inflame relations with neighboring countries including South Korea, China, and the Philippines.   Sources Benesch, Oleg. Inventing the Way of the Samurai: Nationalism, Internationalism, and Bushido in Modern Japan, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.Marro, Nicolas. The Construction of a Modern Japanese Identity: A Comparison of Bushido and The Book of Tea,  The Monitor: Journal of International Studies, Vol. 17, Issue1 (Winter 2011).The Modern Re-invention of Bushido, Columbia University website, accessed August 30, 2015.

Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare Essay

Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare - Essay Example These plays also have personal education, renewal, and growth; hence one can learn ballot from them. The theme of faithfulness, love and appearance in conjunction with the reality cuts across the three plays. Different elements of these plays In Midsummer night dream, the subject matter is more inclined to acts of cruelty and betrayal. For instance, Lysander falls in love with another person and betrays Hermania; this brings about a fight as everyone is struggling to prove who is in real love. Seduction and persuading one to do what he or she is not intended to do is seen widely in this play, and so is competition. This is unnatural thus representing the dark side of passion. Satyr is usually seen as a form of characterization, in the sense that, they were seen as people who indulged in excessive drinking, immorality and broke traditional rules and taboos. In relating satyr to Midsummer night dream, one may realize that satyr may be classified as a comedy and a tragedy play whereas Midsummer night dream is only a comedy (Shakespeare 1590). The chorus is seen as the amusing effect of the satyr play as it illustrates the relation for the wanton, insolent, saucy and cowardly origin of satyrs. In a certain satiric drama, the costumes and attires were goats’ horns on the head, and they looked like half goats and half men, seen as goat deities of Doric type. Pastoral play is mostly seen as a way of art, nature, and life. This is an attitude linked with a combination of values instead of clear literary conventions.