Adapting Business to the Environment

Adapting Business to the Environment Success of every business depends on adapting itself to the environment within which it runs on. For e.g. if there is any change in government policies an organization has to change its internal policies accordingly that could be wages, taxes, working hours and so on. Changes in technology have replaced type writers to computers. All these external factors are beyond the control of a business, so all business organization have to adapt themselves to change in order to succeed. Hence understanding of various factors of Business environment is necessary. Business environment is categorized by two categories i.e. Micro Environment and Macro environment, Micro environment factors deals with internal factors like employees, Suppliers, Customers, Stakeholders, Media. Macro environment factors deals with external factors like technological (PESTEL forces), Economical, Political, Social, Legal and Environmental (Palmer and Hartley 2006). The above factors have direct or indirect influence on an organization. For e.g. Change in environmental norms have forced car manufacturers to come with a new technology which will keep pollution under control. Due to increased work stress some governments have eased working hours from nine to eight hours which in turn increases cost. Due to increased crimes on women new laws have been added for safety of women, women working in call center in night shifts needs to escort to her home by a security guard which means added cost to a business. If the value of domestic currency increases it will be difficult for export houses to match the prices with international competitor as the prices of raw material overseas might not have changed with the forex change. Change management is a structured approach to moving individuals, teams, and organisations from a current state to a desired future state. Change Management includes both organizational change management processes and individual change management models, which together are used to manage the people side of change. Stated simply, change management is a process for managing the people-side of change. (Referencing) Survival of fittest is not the criteria, it is one who adapts to change quickly is successful, before taking products or services to an end user it is imperative that an organization should have or must do their home work on existing business environment based on above factor, by doing so it will help an organization to formulate corporate strategy, marketing strategy sales strategy HR strategy, product development strategy and help the organization to be a part of value chain. Research conducted by McKinsey (LaClair, 2002) and by Prosci (Best Practices in Change Management report, 2007) has demonstrated a direct correlation between achieving the business objectives of a change and effectively managing the people side of that change. Proscis research with nearly 400 organizations showed that a project had five times the probability of meeting objectives if they implemented very good or excellent change management practices. Based on the PESTEL theory and Change management we will be discussing various challenges faced by an organisation. The company selected as a matter of this study is Barclays. In last five years Barclays had to deal with economic, social, legal and environmental challenges. It had to deal with Change management Organisation Description and Background Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employsÂÂ  more thanÂÂ  144,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for more than 48 million customers and clients worldwide (www.barclays.com). http://group.barclays.com Challenges faced by Barclays towards it Stakeholders Mainly in last 3 years Barclays faced lot of challenges due to recession. Barclays share value had dipped to the lowest which became a major concern for all stake holders. Last year, Barclays restructured its business model by merging corporate and investment banking together and leave retail and small business customers with the global retail bank. This made Barclays to focus more on retail banking. http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/barclays-shares-jump-as-investors-chew-over-idea-of-a-break-up-tele-5ad293816f03.html?x=0 Barclays always believes in its stakeholders by listening, responding and working in partnership which is also one of the main reason that the share price of Barclays grew at fast rate in spite of economic slowdown. Share prices of Barclays for last five years (guardian.co.uk) http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/barclay Credit risk impacts of a changing climate Change in weather may influence the business in more possible ways than imaginable. Hence, due consideration is given when assessing the credit risk while issuing credit to a business. Physical risks such as damage to fixed assets arising from storm, seismic activities; Supply chain deficits arising from scarcity of natural resources like water, changing patterns of customer needs due to change in extremes of temperatures. The annual average of Global surface temperature would inevitably rise by 2-4 degree centigrade by year 2100 (Source IPCC 2007) All these factors but not limited to effect the companys balance sheet in various ways like increase in costs, scarce raw materials etc, changes the business operations practices and conditions, Or may reduce or stimulate the demand of the product or services of the company in question. To redress the challenge Barclays developed collaboration with Acclimatize experts in the field of Climate Risk Management. The primary sector identified most affected by the changing climate were businesses that are dependent on massive fixed assets, such as energy, and sectors like chemical fertilizer, Pharmaceutical and tourism among many others. Hence it was imperative for Barclays to include Climate change as part of mainstream business planning and risk management. As audiences of these reports were from a non technical background, these reports were developed accordingly for different geographys and time horizons. This also helped Barclays to identify the opportunity presented by the climate change, like change in demands of product and services and early mover advantage, in addition to mitigating risks associated. This also helps understand and monitor the interests and needs of external stakeholders including Government regulators, insurance companies, and investors and competitor suppliers. This helped Barclays to reduce and at times eliminated the adaptation lag, in turn giving an edge over competitors, and better understanding of rapidly changing stakeholders position. Climate Proof projects at the inception phase by incorporating the adaptation measures that are robust in the face of climate change. Challenges on build internal capacity on adaptation This was achieved by raising awareness, developing a corporate understanding of climate risks, assigning responsibility for adaptation to staff and adopting a consistent approach. Involving and taking inputs from the staff for more acceptance and ownership. Some Geographical Locations are more vulnerable than others. E.g. Places that are already having very high temperature or very low temperatures (Permanent Frost Inhabitable) are at higher risks. Cities exhibiting Urban Heat Island effect (Frequent building of pool of hot air) exuberate high temperatures. Mean sea level rise, increased storms surge heights, wave heights, coastal flooding and erosion. Decreased seasonal precipitation, increased risks of drought, subsidence and wildfire. Water resources dependent on glaciers (those areas dependent on glacier melt are probably observing increases in water resources in the short term, as glaciers melt faster, but over time, the loss of glaciers will lead to decreases in water resource availability),Subsidence-prone soils. Regions with high rainfall, floodplains, Landslides and contaminated Environment land and water Areas at risk from tropical storms. Project Vietnam Barclays with partnership with CARE is implementing Change microfinance. The objective of the project is to establish a community managed savings and loan association. Target of this project is to help young people in urban and semi urban areas Despite of the economic boom in last 15 years there has been a very big population of disadvantaged youth in southern Vietnam, which suffers from the underlying cause of poverty and with high rate of rural-urban mobility there is lack of employment and opportunities, and poverty is prevailing on large scale. CARE and Barclays approach to the problem is to increase the understanding for significance of saving and improve their skill in managing household finance. This is aimed to benefit and reduce poverty among 10,000 venerable people, at least 50% of which are women and migrants through Group Savings and Loans. To appeal to the masses of the targeted populations the program is called Group saving and Loans GSLs. Other Key objectives To establish at least 500 GSLs to develop a culture of saving and community management and support To provide guidance for group members to aid them in developing business plans and making loan applications. These in use by International Labour Organization, German sustainable development agency GTZ and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry To build the capacity of the local partners, the Youth Union and the Womens Union, to encourage financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills among group members by providing training on business planning and household finance management. Manage and expand Group Savings and Loans. Support is also being provided to help to develop new financial products tailored to the needs of the groups, such as savings, loans and micro-insurance. Enhanced economic security through an improvement in financial inclusion. The promotion of entrepreneurship and support for livelihood opportunities for young people and their families. This is to be achieved through the development of a culture of savings, an increase in financial literacy and an improvement in entrepreneurial skills and general confidence in public, This has also helped CAREs local partners from an increased capacity in managing community-based microfinance. In addition, they are gaining experience in establishing microfinance services for young people and providing business and entrepreneurial training. Change management One of the examples of change management Barclays did was on communications, biggest challenge was how to communicate its restructuring plan to 45,000 employees, cause if the restructuring was not communicated in effective way it could lead to chaos and also lead to attrition. So Barclays came with a plane which included following, but to start off they adopted top three elements. Involve audience by engaging them To simplify the message to employees by informing what was important for the business Ensure all information was attributed to brand values and organizational priorities To Ensure face to face delivery plays a vital role Using appropriate communication channel Involving audience by engaging them If top level managers wanted to share information they used a newsletter format, but if there was any information which was very important they used a video or presentation on their internal website. To inculcate change successfully, Barclays involved its employees by taking their opinion by having open communication Simplifying the message Important challenges were communicating the most important objective of the business. Thorough understanding of the stuff which they are working on Work as team Giving high priority to customer, just the way we wanted to treat. Performance based promotions. Focus on Face-to-Face Delivery To share financial results CEO went on road show in which he asked questions and also addressed concerns that employees had. This presentation reiterated that change had been made and the communication between CEO and front line employees was progresses in smooth way. By following this change management in communication new leadership team joined hand together and concluded on one agenda, Employees were given the priority of tasks and number of miscommunication going across was reduced drastically, objectives got cleared. Merger and Acquisition In 2008 Barclays acquired core assets of Lehman brothers which are fourth largest investment bank in US which filed for bankruptcy. By acquiring this Barclays made its strong presence in US in Investment banking and trading business. This also added value to Barclays financial capital. Initially employees were scared about their job loss. Though profit was down by 24% but there was asset inflow. After acquiring Lehman Brothers now Barclays is facing court trials. Lehman is filling a case against Barclays for allegedly ripping it off to the tune of $11bn over the deal. In this deal Barclays took over 10,000 employees and made a strong presence on Wall Street. Barclays is accused of negotiating some discounts on assets with co-operation of Lehman top executives who were offered better and more pay.( http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/21/barclays-lehman-brothers-court-case 30/07/2010 guardian.co.uk, Monday 21 June 2010 21.21 BST In 2005 Barclays acquired Absa, and in 2007 this acquisition was criticized from the governor of the South African Reserve Bank saying that it will expose bank to greater risks in economy than acceptable. Whereas it over came all the criticism by offering better products and services to customers. In 2008 Barclays became the first bank in South Africa to reach one million internet users. Sustainability of Barclays Faith and level of confidence was brought down in this year, share prices almost went down drastically. Many banks which had good financial assets were acquired by competitors. Barclays was not an exception even it had to undergo financial challenges which was brought by credit crunch. They had to raise capital to meet the new laws introduced across the banking sector. Barclays had to raise capital in way that it did not take much preventive measure. This caused lot of turbulence amongst stakeholders. To overcome the above challenge Barclays started diversifying business and making it presence in market and sectors which were growing rapidly. Banks strength lies on diversification in terms of Business, Geography and products. Barclays made strategic move by acquiring Lehman Brother, The UK Goldfish Credit card business, Expobank in Russia, The Italian residential mortgage business of Macquaire Bank limited and PT Bank Akita in Indonesia Introduction on new products and innovation In 2008, Barclays introduced Mobile banking, now customer can pay their bill just by sending SMS, they can check balance in their account. Barclays also launched Al-Safi Investment platform, which is Islamic Finance equal to Shariah format for both conventional equity strategies and also a prospect to gain from falling prices. Barclays also launched new investment products to help investors diversify their portfolio when market is uncertain or volatile and it was called Commodity investment index. Barclays focuses on new innovation to help clients for e.g. Contribution Pension plans offers wide diversification and bestows solutions on income. By understanding this Barclays developed a product called SponsorMatch

Depiction of Native Americans in American Film Essay

In today’s society there are many people living in poverty. All across America there are different projects and reservations where the less fortunate reside. Statistics show that mostly minorities live in these different locations. Native Americans and African Americans are two of the more popular races living in these places. The group suffering the most in these situations is the youth. Although both Native American and African American children living on a reservation or in the projects experience a terrible community, have little to no faith, and a broken family structure, African American youth living in the projects have it worse than Native American children living on a reservation. First, one of the most common living situations for less fortunate African Americans is in the projects. A project is a public living environment that is government owned. Although these buildings are government owned they are far from nice looking. Most of the buildings have no windows, are run down, dirty, and old. The government’s main goal is to maintain affordable housing not to make them the best looking homes in town. The projects aren’t a good environment for a child to be raised. Throughout these neighborhoods different gangs can be found. These gangs are built to defend the different areas in the projects. The gangs bring major violence to the area and are one of the main causes of death. At a young age children join these gangs and are raised to be violent. Many of them decorate the buildings they are living in with graffiti expressing their gang colors, symbols, or motto. In contrast, while Native American youth also live in poor housing, the environment is safer than the projects. A reservation is an area set aside for a specific type of land use or activity, or for use by a particular group of people, mostly Native Americans. Similar to the projects, houses on a reservation are old, beat down, and dirty. The houses on a reservation are government owned as well. Although these two locations are very similar they also differ. The reservation is a safer place then the projects. On the reservation there is a couple cases of mild violence but they aren’t as severe as the violence in the projects. Therefore, the reservations environment is a better environment than the projects. Secondly, many of the young people have no faith growing up in the projects. A lot of them believe their only way out of the projects is to become a basketball or football player or to become a top selling rap artist. At as young as sixteen years of age most African American males end up in jail, deceased, or selling drugs. A lot of them are also lead to believe that if they don’t do what every other man on the streets is doing, then they won’t make it anywhere in life. On the reservation the kids believe their only way out is to become NBA players or â€Å"powwowers†. Powwower’s are traditional Native American cheerleaders or dancers. Much like the African Americans growing up in the projects, the life expectancy rate for those living on a reservation is in the mid forties. Considering that both of these locations are in the United States mid forties is very young of age. Many of these people don’t live very long because they don’t have enough money to take care of themselves as well as their families. They also aren’t able to live a healthy lifestyle which shortens their days. Death is common in the two locations which leaves these two young groups wondering what’s beyond the age forty. Lastly, family structure is very important in a household. In the projects many of the homes lack a very strong family structure. Children growing up in the projects nine times out of ten don’t have both parents in the home. Most of them are drug dealers, alcoholics, prostitutes, or doing any and everything to try and provide for the child. Although these parents are trying to provide for their children a lot of the time they are also on welfare. Moreover, these children’s parents aren’t ever around, they sometimes go days without having anything to eat. Many of the young men follow after the footsteps of their father, older brother, or uncles which is why this cycle has continued for so long. Native Americans typically stick together as a unit. According to Sherman Alexie, an award winning author who grew up on a reservation, â€Å"Native American children are taught to be suspicious of Caucasian people. † Native Americans teach this to their children because there are many people in America that are against minorities and believe that just because they are the majority they’re better. A lot of the parents on a reservation go from job to job not being able to keep one job for a long period of time. Many of these parents are also alcoholics. On the other hand, some of these families on these reservations are very family oriented unlike the African American families in the projects. These Native American families have up to seventeen family members living in one house. They keep their families very close and are very supportive of one another rather then being against each other like African Americans. The parents watch over their children to make sure they don’t go down the wrong path in life. Although these families are experiencing hard times they cheer each other up and manage to smile every once in a while. Therefore, the Native Americans family structure is stronger then African Americans. In conclusion, Native American youth living on a reservation have it better then African American youth living in the projects. Both of these minorities are going through some hardships. From alcoholic parents to not having anything to eat they both are suffering as young children. Native American families provide a safer living environment, work harder, and look after one another, where as African Americans are against one another, on the streets all day, and are strongly associated with violence. As the years go on these families are hoping that the government will separate people in the projects and those living on reservations and provide them both with a better living situation. If these environments are separated the United States will be one step closer to eliminating violence in America.

Jamaica Kincaid “Girl” Essay

The story of Jamaica Kincaid â€Å"Girl† is about a mother giving the instructions to her daughter. The mother uses strict, demanding tone while parenting her daughter. She gives the orders, and expects listening and obedience, regardless what the girl says. Through mother’s words to her daughter, through the directions she wants her to follow, the mother reveals strictness, egocentricity, and exactingness that are her most conspicuous traits. The mother believes that numerous instructions will make her daughter become a proper lady. This story supports the idea that a woman should be domesticated. The mother or a speaker describes the household chores and wants her girl to do them correctly. â€Å"This is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house.’ (Kincaid 396) Considering the time this story was written, little women were not taught how to do a successful career, they were taught how to become good wives for their husbands. The mother is addressing her remarks to her daughter. She takes the position and does not listen to the girl. There is a gap in the relationship between two women, shown through the girl’s little speech. The mother is instructing how to act, talk, behave, and eat. However, this does not make her a bad mother. All that she wants is her daughter to know the values of life. The mother teaches her, probably, the same way her mother used to teach her. The mother tells her daughter how to cook and set up the table. â€Å"This is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest.† (Kincaid 396) On one hand, all that we see in this story is mother and her guidance. On the other hand, in spite of mother’s strictness and directness, she reveals her praiseworthy characteristics by willing to make her daughter a proper lady. She wants her daughter to have outstanding manners and to know how to behave in front of the men. I believe that the culture the author was writing this story in, plays a very important role in this story. The mother wants her daughter to become a proper lady by guiding her and providing her with the strict instructions. She believes that the more detailed she is, the better her daughter will know. Despite the commands and strictness, the daughter will learn the values of life.

Evolution Of The Witch From Early American Literature

The Evolution of the Witch from Early American Literature to Contemporary Film Over time there have been many different stories and adaptations about the monster that is the witch. From one folktale, to a book, to a movie there are slight differences that make each interpretation very unique. The stereotype is, people think that witches have green skin, big noses, and that they fly on brooms with pointy hats. However, if we completely examine the different texts such as The Conjuring or The Crucible, we can see that certain events in that time might have had an influence on the portrayal of the witch. Most stories do not involve these typical characteristics, but it is very fascinating to see the differences between the stories. When examining the changes of witches in time, three sources will be used. The Crucible, Hocus Pocus, and The Conjuring will aid me in examining the variation of witches. They will do this because of the fact that they were all released in different periods o f time. Furthermore, these three stories are great examples of how the monster can be different, and being something more than what they are believed to be. I will argue that witches are much more than green skinned or big nosed. And that they can look normal and can possibly be more than meets the eye. By using different types of media from different times and examining the similarities and the differences, I will reveal how much the witch has changed as well as showing the meaning they haveShow MoreRelatedThe Evolution of Women in Literature947 Words   |  4 PagesModernism, first introduced in literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is the breaking of tradition and boundaries that have developed in society. Women have been seen as â€Å"lower† than men in society and have been treated as such. In Victorian society, women are seen as the keeper of the home while men are still the head of the house hold. Women are supposed to prepare all the meals, take care of the children, support their husbands without question, and clean the house. Through theRead MoreThe History of American Literature3501 Words   |  15 PagesThe history of American Literature starts well before this land was even called America. It has been a great evolution to come from tribal symbols and drawings to todays Stephen King and Danielle Steele. Literature has gone through many phases and was impacted by great events and ideas in American history. The earliest form of literature in what would one day be known as America were far from what modern day people would consider Literature. The Natives who inhabited this land first had unwrittenRead MoreIn Depth Research of Witchcraft Essay3980 Words   |  16 Pagesresearching this to learn how to become a witch and to practice the craft. My intent in doing this project stemmed from the fact that I am a Christian. This class has showed me how to have a more open mind, and how gaining knowledge provides understanding. I wanted to see what is fact and what is false about the myths and stereotypes about witches and witchcraft. To fully explore this subject I have found information on the history of witchcraft and its evolution into the religion of Wicca that is practicedRead More A.M.Holmes Music For Torching, Seth MacFarlanes Family Guy, and Tony Kushners Angels in America1948 Words   |  8 Pagesthe workforce than ever before, and formerly guarded issues such as homosexuality and domestic problems can now be addressed openly in social and political forums. However, the question remains as to whether or not such progression has benefited American culture and its population as a whole. Perhaps we have become too liberal, too timorous at addressing one another’s differences, resulting in the perpetual fear of coming across as too politically incorrect when expressing one’s opinions. PerhapsRead MoreJudy Chicago Dinner Party Essay6539 Words   |  27 Pagesmight live together in this Cità © des Dames. Almost exactly four centuries later, the American sculptor and feminist Harriet Hosmer envisioned a beautiful temple dedicated to the achievements of women. Now such a grand idea has been realized. Judy Chicagos Dinner Party, which opened at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in March 1979, is a synthesis of the decorative and fine arts; it is theater, literature, history; it is a complex set of ideas; it is monumental in conception and execution;Read MoreThe Evolution of Baseball Technology: 1884-Present2676 Words   |  11 PagesThe Evolution of Baseball Technology: 1884-Present I. Introduction From the United States to Japan, every athlete who has ever played the game of baseball has used the basic â€Å"tools of the trade†: a baseball, a bat, a glove, protective equipment, and a uniform. Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, and Sammy Sosa have made a living out of using these tools to play baseball, but there are also a great number of people who play baseball as a source of enjoyment. The crack of the bat connecting with a fastballRead More Oppenheimer And The Atomic Bomb Essay examples3793 Words   |  16 PagesAtomic Bomb†. A charismatic leader of rare good qualities and commonplace flaws, Oppenheimer brought an uncommon sensibility to research, teaching, and government science. After help creating the atomic bomb with the Manhattan Project he was banned from the U.S. Government during the McCarthy Trials. He opposed the idea of stockpiling nuclear weapons and was deemed a security risk. Oppenheimer’s life reveals the conflict between war, science and how politics collided in the 1940’s through the 1960’sRead MoreHorror Genre Dissertation6741 Words   |  27 Pagesliteral way.’(1) They creatively used in set designs and lighting to create a world that was unrealistic, ghastly and so far from realism. Films from this era were Paul Wegener’s The Golem (1920), Robert Weine’s The Cabinet of Dr Ca ligari (1919) and F.W.Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922). In the 1930’s production was being dominated in Hollywood. The films being created took influence from the German Expressionism era and put real focus on the villain as a monster. Frankenstein in 1931 by James Whale and TodRead MoreEssay Cold War Rhetoric of the Lysenko Era4528 Words   |  19 Pagesinduced changes to an organism’s physical or biochemical traits could be passed on to its offspring was the main tenet in Lamarck’s work during the early 1800s. It was accepted by most biologists during Lamarck’s time, until the work of Darwin on evolution by natural selection in the mid-1800s and the discovery of Mendel’s work on heredity in the early 1900s lead most biologists to discount Lamarck’s theory. However, in 1948, the Soviet Union officially supported the paradigm of the inheritance ofRead MoreEast African Culture Reflects on Their Drama Using Aminata, Echoes of Silence and I Will Marry When I Want as Case Study12168 Words   |  49 PagesKEHINDE 1000101 JAYEOLA JOSEPHINE YETUNDE 1000161 AKINLUSI VINCENT ODUNAYO 1000108 TABLE OF CONTENT PAGES INTRODUCTION. 3 ORIGINS AND FORMS OF DRAMA IN THE AFRICAN CONTEXT. 4 PHASES OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA . 5 – 7 EAST AFRICA PEOPLE AND THEIR CULTURE. 7 – 8 SYNOPSIS OF THE THREE PLAYS. 8 – 18 HOW EAST AFRICAN CULTURE REFLECTS ON THEIR DRAMA 18 – 30 USING AMINATA, ECHOES OF SILENCE AND I WILL MARRY