An analysis of the impact of organizational innovation on the Dissertation

An analysis of the impact of organizational innovation on the organizational effectiveness-The case of Dell computer - Dissertation Example I would also like to thank my English teacher, ----------, who has supported me through the entire phase of the study. He has provided significant assistance towards improving my critical thinking ability, English speaking and writing skills as well as research skills. I am grateful to my parents, who have always assisted me and enhanced my motivation level. This dissertation was only possible due to their faith and positive aspect on me. Lastly, I would like to thank you all for believing in me and permitting me to chase my dreams. Executive Summary Innovation is often referred to as the driver of business or a way by which new ideas sees the light of the day in the form of different products or services. Hence, the definition makes it clear that innovation is a vital component of business. Moreover, this is the fundamental basis of value creation in organizations and is a vital enabler of competitive advantage. The importance of innovation increases to a large extent when the marke t is saturated. Similarly for Dell Computers, innovation can act as a key factor driving the business. The computer Hardware industry is being leaded by Hewlett Packard and Lenovo, but companies such as Dell have fallen behind due to the lack of innovation the system. This study therefore tried to analyze the impact of organizational innovation on the organizational effectiveness, identify the business strategy of Dell and simultaneously recommend the most fitting or appropriate strategy by which Dell can overtake Hewlett Packard as the global leader in personal computer. The study revealed that innovation is a critical element of business and companies around the world are trying to integrate it with their products, services and process delivery. It has been also identified that Dell is pursuing â€Å"broad differentiation strategy†. Although, this is allowing the company to cater to various market segments, but they were recommended to pursue best cost provider strategy. Ta ble of Contents CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION 8 1.1 Background of the Study 8 1.2 Dell Computers: A Brief Overview 8 1.3 Rationale behind Choosing Dell 9 1.4 Economic Relevance and Scope of the Study 9 1.5 Problem Statement 10 1.6 Aims and Objectives of the Study 10 1.7 Research Questions 10 1.8 Overview of the Academic Literature 10 1.9 Methods of Study 11 1.10 Functions of Sections 11 CHAPTER II – GENERAL LITERATURE REVIEW 11 2.1 Defining Terms 11 2.2 Organizational Innovation: A Theoretical Framework 13 2.3 Significance of Innovation in Business 15 2.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Innovation in Organizations 16 2.5 Innovation as a Driver of Competitiveness 18 2.6 Impact of Product Line Extension and Diversification on Companies 18 2.7 Business Strategy & its Elements 20 2.8 Summary 21 CHAAPTER III - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 22 3.1 Research Philosophy 22 3.1.1 Positivism 22 3.1.2 Interpretivism 23 3.1.3 Activist Philosophy 23 3.2 Research Approach 23 3.2.1 Deductive Approach 24 3 .3 Time Horizon 25 3.3.1 Cross Sectional Time Horizon 25 3.3.2 Longitudinal Time Horizon 25 3.4 Data Collection Method and Sampling 26 3.5.1 Questionnaire Survey 26 3.5.2 Focus Group Interview 27 3.5.3 Sampling 27 3.6 Data Validity and Reliability 29 3.7 Ethical Considerations 29 3.8 Limitations of the Study 30 CHAPTER 4 – DATA FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 31 4.1 Findings from the Secondary Survey 31 4.1.1 Innovation in Dell 31 4.1.2 Dell Business Competitors 32 4.3 Business Strategy of Dell 32 4.2Findings from the

African Americans in the Civil War Essay Example for Free

African Americans in the Civil War Essay The role African Americans played in the outcome, and the road to the outcome of the Civil War was immense. The fact that the south had slaves and the north did not played an enormous role in the issues. The north wanted to abolish slavery, and the south did not and after the war started this became one of the main reasons for the Civil War. Since most African Americans could not read or write, this made them an easy target, for slavery, against the dominant white man. Once the slaves got to America they started to realize how much trouble they were actually in. The north and the south had a problem brewing, and that was due to the slave uprisings and the run a ways. African Americans played an enormous role in the outcome of the Civil War because of the part they took in it. The civil war, which took place from 1861 to the 1920s, the African American community made tremendous strides toward them becoming apart of America and equals in America. Since they had been controlled by the power of the whites for so long, their independence was extremely unfamiliar to them, with their new emancipation. Since they were so uncertain, they debated about the most effect way to go about actually receiving the rights they deserved. They did not just want to be inferior Negros. Some African Americans thought the actual approach would be to go along with the submissive status the whites held them to, so they could earn their respect until fairness pervaded. Others were more wishful with their thinking and thought the military would make whites surrender and give blacks their basic rights. Those who were still they are thought that no progress would ever come. These blacks decided that it was essential to escape the shackles and cruel attitudes toward blacks. The civil war initially began to save the Union. At the start of the war slave masters were terribly scared that the slaves would run to join the Union and help the war efforts. To subsidize the problem, most owner enforced harsh restrictions on their slaves. Some owners even moved their whole plantations inland to avoid any contact with the outside northerners. This did not stop the slaves one bit though, this just caused more slave to flee to the north. The slaves that did decide to stay just demanded more freedom from their masters. Some would say the ones that stayed even gained more power; this forced their masters to give them offerings in exchange for work. The issues of emancipation and military service were intertwined from almost the beginning of the war. News from Fort Sumter made African Americans rush to enlist in military units. They were all turned away since there was a law dating from 1792 that kept African Americans from joining the U. S. army. In Boston disappointed African Americans met and passed a resolution that requested the Government to modify its laws to permit them to enlist. Then Lincoln’s Second Confiscation Act was passed. The act stated that, Confederates who did not surrender with in sixty days of the acts passage were to be punished by having their slaves freed. The Militia Act was also passed. This act stated African Americans were allowed to fight in the war. These two acts together thoroughly punished rebel slaveholders. The African Americans that enlisted both fought in the front lines and worked behind the scenes labor jobs. All these rights that the African Americans were receiving inspired them to return home and free their families and friends. Some of them even started living in the plantations that they used to be slaves of. They took them over and began their own cropping. Some of the other plantations had been left to older disabled white woman, when the men had left for the Confederate army. All of this led to the separation of slave labor in the south After trying terribly hard to keep the issue of slavery out of the war, the North decided to start enlisting African Americans to help them fight in the war. The Fifty-Fourth regiment was created by the Union Army, and was the only all black unit. This Union in particular contributed to the war efforts of the North and showed a new found power among blacks. The regiment started when John Andrew sent a request to the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, to create a volunteer regiment of African Americans (3). African Americans from all over the country joined. To help recruit even further they called for help from African American leaders like, Frederick Douglas and William Wells Brown. In just two months over one thousand African Americans, one from at least every state, had enlisted in the regiment. The leader of the regiment would not be black though, they wanted the superior officer to have some certain credentials. The job description posted read: â€Å"Young Man of Military Experience Of firm antislavery principles, ambitious, Superior to the vulgar contempt of color Having Faith in the capacity of colored men for military purpose† (2) The man picked for the job was Robert Shaw. The African American regiment and their captain set off for Beaufort, South Carolina on May 28, 1863 (1). They were to attack Fort Wagner, which was a vital key to Charleston. They only way to storm the fort was to go through loads and loads of Confederates. The sheer size of the Confederates to the Fifty- Fourth regiment was an obstacle in itself. The regiment knew the amount of obstacles they would have to overcome to achieve a victory and yet they kept marching. Shaw and a few men marched to the top of the parapet, and there Shaw was shot and killed. Though this was almost a complete disaster for the regiment they had set a path for future African American soldiers. Frederick Douglas said, Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U. S. , let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship. One thousand seventy-nine African Americans had served in the Civil War. They served in both the U. S. Army and about two thousand served in the Navy. By the time the war was over, forty thousand had died in battle and thirty thousand had died of disease and infection. African American soldiers performed all the jobs needed to run an army. They also served as carpenters, chaplains, cooks, guards, laborers, nurses, scouts, spies, steamboat pilots, surgeons, and teamsters (4). There were nearly 80 black commissioned officers (4). Harriet Tubman was the most famous spy; she served for the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers. Tubman decided to help the Union Army because she wanted freedom for all of the people who were forced into slavery, not just the few she could help by herself. And she convinced many other brave African Americans to join her as spies, even at the risk of being hanged if they were caught (4). Among Harriet Tubman were many other African American women who served as nurses, spies and scouts. Although, no women were allowed to formally join the army. When black troops were captured by the confederate soldiers, they faced harsher punishments than the white troops. In 1863 the Confederate Congress threatened to punish officers of African American troops and enslave the African Americans, if they were captured. As a result of this, President Lincoln issued General Order 233, which threatened payback on Confederate prisoners of war, if they mistreated African American troops. This order did scare the Confederates a little, but African American soldiers were still treated harsher than whites. In one of the worst examples of this abuse, Confederate soldiers shot to death black Union soldiers, captures at Fort Pillow, TN, in 1864(). Confederate General Nathan B. Forrest witnessed it all and did nothing to stop it. The President, Abraham Lincoln, issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. This proclamation eventually led to the freedom of all slaves. The document officially made free all bondsmen in the areas of the Confederacy that were still in rebellion. Slavery although was not abolished in the Border States, Tennessee, or the Union occupied areas of Louisiana and Virginia. The proclamation only affected the states in rebellion, so after the efforts it didn’t actually free any slaves. On the other hand, it did strengthen the Northern war efforts, because they knew they were fighting for a cause. Over five hundred thousand slaves had escaped to the North by the end of the civil war. Many of the escapees joined the Union Army, which tremendously increased its power. As a result of the Emancipation Proclamation, the thirteenth Amendment was created. The Amendment created on December 18, 1865, legally freed all slaves still in bondage. The final step the Emancipation Proclamation was to depress England and France from arriving to the war on the side of the South. England and France wanted to enter the war on the South side, because the South had supplied them both with cotton and tobacco. England and Frances stance changed when they heard that the war had changed to a fight over slavery. Both nations were opposed to slavery, so ended up giving their support to the Union. That led to the winning of the fight for freedom. Juneteenth was the day created to celebrate the emancipation, when the slaves heard about it that midsummer. The holiday is still celebrated today. Abraham Lincoln said, A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved. I do not expect the house to fall, but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. (3) African Americans along with the rest of the Union were fighting for this freedom and equality that Abraham Lincoln, was talking about. African American contributions were not limited to the role of working the fields in the south or supplying labor for industry in the north. Many African Americans in both south and north participated in either direct or supporting roles in the military. The War Between the States proved to be a war fought for democracy. The liberation that the slaves had been waiting for, recovered the ideas that founded the United States of America. All men were equal under the law. Since, the African Americans made such a persistent effort the changes were made more quickly. Africans pushed for their own emancipation by resisting their masters and other labor tasks. Although a formal Emancipation Proclamation and Thirteenth Amendment freed blacks in America, it would be a long time before they received all the rights they deserved. The minds of Americans had been so engrained with racism only decades of hard work would lessen this. Works Cited 1) Freeman, Elsie, Wynell Burroughs Schamel, and Jean West. The Fight for Equal Rights: A Recruiting Poster for Black Soldiers in the Civil War. Social Education 56, 2 (February 1992): 118-120. 2) Blacks in the Civil War. †. Colorado College. Web. 3 Mar 2013. http://www2. coloradocollege. edu/Dept/HY/Hy243Ruiz/Research/civilwar. html.

Effects of gambling

Effects of gambling GAMBLING During peoples life, they develop empirical knowledge about many things. Knowing is the power that everyone has to decide which information is right or wrong to face big challenges and succeed when taking the decisions. All possibilities in this life might be good within the constraints; however, when people take themselves to an abusive level of necessity, it becomes dangerous for them and all those surround them. Gambling has a number of negative effects that distinguish it from other challenging activities; some of these issues are: addictions, family problems and bankruptcy. Firstly, gambling is apparently an entertainment industry where many end up being innocent victims of addictions such as alcoholism and lies. Society should be able to resolve its problems without depending on external agents, but people have point breaks. Because casinos provide free alcohol to their customers, they could easily get alcohol problems; while gamblers spend money on their bets, they are drinking alcohol. For example, if you are not a consumer of alcohol in exercise, it does easier to enter the spirit world, but those who are heavy drinkers it increases their addiction. Furthermore, compulsive gamblers usually tell lies because they seek to hide their gamble habits; they begin to distort their actions to their partners, friends and even at work. For instance, sometimes bettors gamble in secret, or they do not tell how much time or money they spend; instead, they often create stories to try to justify their activities. Gamblers believe on fake hopes that they will surpri se themselves with a big win some day. Compulsive Gambling can be addicted to the adventure of the risk. An addictive gambler is anxious of winning and will tend to play with games that involve other players, so they can feel the adrenaline rush. In addition, gambling brings family problems because gaming causes emotional issues, and it has an impact on children. Whether bettors have just discovered a gambling problem, or they have been living with it for a period; they may feel destroyed by the magnitude of the problem. For example, if gamblers have feelings of desperation, they feel like their assumptions are consumed by the problem they are dealing. They might handle that they need to separate from their couple at least for a period of time. Emotions of this nature are common when they are approaching the complex issues that emerge as a result of a gambling problem. Moreover, being a person with gambling issues at home can affect children in many ways. For example, gamblers spend less time with their families is due to they invest a lot of time in casinos; therefore, children think that they parents do not love them anymore. These troubles can leave a family feeling frustrated and even worse if the gamblers are fighting ov er money. It can frighten the relationship. If the family is the core of the society, gambling for any reason could harm the family members because in the family people acquire respect for a moral values in the society. Another negative effect of gambling is a financial crisis; many gamblers accumulate thousands of dollars of debt without knowing. Borrowing money and selling personal items to gamble are signs of aggravated indebtedness. First, Acquiring money from banks and credit cards with the hopes that they can win back their losses is just a way to create long term financial issues for both players and family. For example, while Antonys wife is fast asleep, Antony spends hours in front of the computer gambling online; authorizing automatic withdraws from his bank accounts and credit cards. They are behind on bills, and the couple gets threatening calls from collection agents on past loans. Thus, his annoyed wife finds that the online gambling losses are the cause that add up to hundreds of dollars a month. Gamblers often say that they do not know where the money is going if they really do not spend too much. Second, Family investments usually are diminished because the gambler seeks more and mo re resources with which to gamble. For example, a gambler who manages the family finances could liquidate the all familys properties such as: houses, cars, etc theses possessions may be faded or lost. Consequently, individual beliefs might change when they face beyond their limit, trying to get back their losses. In conclusion, the effects of compulsive gambling are almost immediately overwhelming; gambling can result in uncontrolled cravings, family troubles and economic crisis. Because some people have a low self-esteem they believe that they are not in control of their actions and emotions. Leaders thoughts are developed on these false ideas; hence, gambling seeks to control gamblers life. Gambling can leave players with devastating effects; as a result, governments can find many solutions the problem associated with gambling. For example, taking an allowance of the gambling revenues and putting it towards rehabilitation programs would be a very positive charity from gambling. For these reasons, governments should find a way to make gambling safer. Academic Written Communication Level 4 3 Cause effect draft 2 Gambling Ricardo Estrada March 1st 2010 ELS 5880547 Helene Bindseil Conestoga College, Kitchener, Ontario

I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem Essays -- Witchcraft

"I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem" by Maryse Conde "Witchcraft-the power or practices of witches" Webster's New World Dictionary. Witchcraft is a term which sprouts many different meanings. As stated above, it is attributed to witches. But what is a witch? Probably an evil haggish-like women who has signed a pact with the devil if we think of it in the English sense. So witchcraft must be evil doings; putting curses on people to make their life miserable, using wicked spells to transform humans to frogs etc. But does this hold true to everyone's idea of what witchcraft is.People's believes on the subject of witchcraft might differ between different cultures. Such is the case in the tragic story "I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem" by Maryse Conde. Certain groups and individuals in the book, have contradicting thoughts of witchery."I can not describe the effect this unfortunate black cat had on the children, as well as on Elizabeth and Samuel. Samuel Parris seized his prayer book and began to recite a seemingly endless prayer."pg 44 This is how sensitive the Puritans were. Their fear of the Devil is so great, it hindered them of pleasures and entertainments since these are also elements which they believed are inherited from the Satan thus making them sinful. "Becareful, Tituba! Don't let them dance! Don't let them dance!"pg 48 Fearing Tituba would conduct a sin for the children, Elizabeth Parris exclaimed her warning. If they are so overwhelmed with the terror ...

Why Is Tobacco Bad for You

Peter Yang Andrea Charanduk English 20 January 23, 2012 How tobacco addictionseffect you and people around you? A tobacco addiction is the worst addiction you can do to your body. According to the Health Canada website, â€Å"every 11 minutes, a Canadian dies from tobacco use. Every 10 minutes, two Canadian teenagers start smoking cigarettes; one of them will lose his/her life because of it yearly, more than a thousand Canadians who never even smoked die – from exposure to tobacco smoke. Smoking affects every part of your body even to your sexual organs, as stated in Health Canada website â€Å"Sexual functioning needs the coordination of the nervous system, hormones and the vascular system which pumps blood into the muscle tissue that keeps the erection Smoking hinders every area. The effect? Impotence. † Now days teens start smoking because, they think it’s cool to look like an adult, or they get peer pressured. I agree that smoking does kind of look cool, but what’s hiding behind that smoke can kill you, and everyone else around you. There is strong medical evidence that smoking tobacco is related to more than two dozen diseases and conditions† (â€Å"Smoking and Your body†). Smokingaffects every part of your body even to your toes! The effect of smoking is terrible for your health; it is proven countless times by medical professionals and scientists. Smoking affects your lungs, cardiovascular system, and respiratory system the most (â€Å"Smoking and Your Body†). When you smoke a cigarette you are inhaling toxic chemicals and the most addictive drug. Nicotine. Nicotine is the drug responsible for making cigarettes so addictive. It makes your body crave more cigarettes and that means inhaling all those gross chemicals† (â€Å"Nicotine†). I know a person who had a throat cancer. He had to get a surgery to get his voice box removed to stop the spreading of cancer disease. Now, he can’t talk. He needs this little device on his throat to help him talk, which I have sympathy towards it. He made a mistake a long time ago, and now he is paying the price for it. Look around you, do you smoke? Or a friend? Tell yourself to quit, help a friend out. You just got to try. Smoking is bad, but starting as a teenager is the worst mistake you can make. As stated on the website smoking-facts. net â€Å"At least 3 million adolescents are smokers and roughly 6 million teens in the US today smoke despite the knowledge that it is addictive and leads to disease†. This is very true and it is happening right here, right now. I know several teenagers that smoke a pack a day. This will lead them to pre-mature death, lung cancer and various other diseases. Of the 3,000 teens that started smoking today, nearly 1,000 will eventually die as a result from smoking† (â€Å"Teen Smoking Facts†). I don’t expect people to read this article and quit, I just want them to know that, smoking as a teenager can definitely harm the health of your body. Then maybe you would be smart enough to quit smoking. â€Å"Second-hand smoke is what smokers exhale and what rises from an idle burning cigar ette. You can see smoke in the air but what may not be so obvious is that there are 4,000 chemicals in the smoke† (â€Å"Second Hand Smoke†). I have been in position where I was the second hand smoker. It is not the best place you would want to be when people are smoking around you. The smell of the smoke makes me frown, cough, and you just know that this can’t be good for your body. Back in the day’s people could smoke anywhere! In the restaurants, airplane, bar, and any public places. Now this was allowed because they had less knowledge of second hand smoking than we do now. There is a story where a woman died from a lung cancer when she was only 50. The worst part about the story is that she never had a single cigarette in her life, she was a waitress at a restaurant and she would be second hand smoking from everybody who would come into restaurant and smoke. How horrible is that? An innocent person is suffering from someone else’s mistake. Do you think that’s right? I am not going to lie, I have tried smoking, and it’s theworst thing I ever did. You can feel all the chemicals going through your body and affecting you internally. My personal opinion about smoking is that, it is totally fine if you want to smoke and hurt yourself, as long as you don’t smoke around people who does not smoke. Maybe you didn’t know that smoking affects not only you but people around you. I hope who ever reads this article figures out how it is effecting you and people around you and at least try quitting. In this article I talked about all most everything about why smoking is bad for you and second hand smokers. I hope this article awakened your urge to quit smoking for yourself and people you love. Smoking is bad, we all know that. Making a mistake is †¦ humane. We all make mistakes, but repeating that mistake with knowing the consequences is plain stupidity. About Tobacco Control. Health Canada, 2009. Web. 29 September 2009. Nicotine. Health Canada, 2008. Web. 24 January 2008. Second-hand Smoke. Health Canada, 2009. Web. 17 April 2009. Smoking and Your Body. Health Canada, 2011. Web. 01 November 2011. Teen Smoking Facts. Smoking-Facts. net, nd. Web. 23 January 2012.

Archeology essays

Archeology essays The object in question today is a recent found scrubbing tool seemingly used as far back as 1500 AD. From this object we can see remains of some kind of film or paste on it indicating that it was some how used for a scrubbing of the body. We found the first of this astounding artifact in a remote area of the New World buried under an ancient washroom. The object is long with a curve at the center of it for flexibility and has thousands of short brushes at the end of it put neatly into a uniform pattern. The object was a mystery at the time of it being found, but by looking at the context we can infer that was definitely used as a scrubbing object for some part of the body. We found this object under an ancient bathroom in association with a porcelain sink and wooden surfaces buried deep in the ground in the New World. There were quite a few found recently across the world and scientists have given it a name as unknown brush, because the use of it is a mystery, until today. We have found clear evidence through association that this brush was used as a cleaning device for teeth. It was widely used by nearly every person on the planet and many books have been written as to how teeth were cleaned in the ancient times. The discovery of these brushes was the first material evidence found to support these writings of a brush that cleaned the ancients teeth. The association clearly shows that the brush was associated with some kind of cleaning of the body, so theories of painting and artwork can be eliminated. By finding it next to an ancient sink we can truthfully say that it was used as a tooth-cleaning unit. The material it is made of, strictly from our observations, seems to be a plastic base and some kind of ancient fur used as the bristles. This shows us that ancient man was capable of dental hygiene. The brushes have very beautiful decorations on them with all different kinds ...