Corporate Strategy Analysis Essay

The four basic alternatives when using corporate strategy in the planning function of management are concentration, vertical integration, concentric diversification, and, conglomerate diversification. After viewing the Destination CEO videos regarding Coco-Cola, Southwest Airlines, VF Corporation, and, Xerox, I can easily identify the strategy used by each CEO. Coca-Cola CEO Neville Isdell retired from Coca-Cola in 2001 after serving 35 years with the company. When Mr. Isedell left Coca-Cola sales began to drop, there was high turnover, and low morale threatened the company’s future. Mr. Isdell recognized the need for a new strategy and change, after seeing what other competitors were doing. He seen that Pepsi had diversified their options and Coca-Cola needed to do the same. I believe vertical integration strategy was used here. Coca-Cola bought the product vitamin water, in order to dive into the non-carbonated beverage sector market and expand within the industry. Coca Cola is trying to control the global market through aggressive strategy and branding campaigns, with its carbonated and non-carbonated beverages. Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly has managed to keep the company afloat as one of the most profitable airlines in the country. Mr. Kelly always travels at the back of the aircraft, talking to customers and taking notes of their expectations and complaints. I believe that Mr. Kelly used the concentration strategy to focus only on the airline industry to sustain the company’s profitability. In order to maintain profits, CEO Gary Kelly’s strategy was to keep cost low, fly the same 737 aircrafts so that parts and maintenance stay easy, and treat all customers like kings and queens including employees. Business week (2014) However, Southwest Airlines must expand in the future to remain a profitable company. VF Corporation is the largest apparel maker in the world. They are the biggest seller of jeans, such as  wrangler and, lee brands. VF CEO Mackey McDonalds focus on planning and preparation for the unexpected and customer connection. Mr. McDonalds biggest challenges was the restructuring of the company in 2001, cutting 13,000 jobs, and moving manufacturing jobs overseas to countries as China and India due to cheap labor. The company model was the taste for branding the lifestyle behind the brand; they believe that investing in strong consumer recognition is better than high-fashion brands. VF Corporation continues to expand their brands with the recent acquisition of the Eagle Creek travel bag Company, and Majestic Athletic Company, which sells baseball gear. I think that the CEO used vertical integration strategy to expand their line of products and, distribution channels. Anne Mulcathy became the first female CEO of Xerox. On the verge on bankruptcy due to weak sales, Xerox CEO decided to cut one billion in cost, cut numerous jobs, and shut down the desk-jet printer division. The company vision was to keep the corporate culture intact while pouring money into new technology, such as digital printing and imaging systems. CEO Anne Mulcathy decided it was time for a complete transformation away from expensive consumer printer functions that nobody wanted, to high-end digital color printer and copier. In order for this new strategy to work, Xerox bought Global imaging systems for one and a half billion dollars. The gamble paid off with increase profits and sales. In conclusion, all organizations require different corporate strategies based on their current situation. Corporate strategies are important in order to sustain profits or to establish a change in direction when the organization fails to reach intended goals. In today’s competitive global markets, organization must consider diversification and expansion into unrelated markets. References Bateman, T.S & Scott, AS. (2011), Management: Leading & collaborating in a competitive world (9th ed.); Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Business week (2014). Destination CEO video, Southwest Airlines [Video file].Retrieved from http://mhlearningsolutions.com/cs/cs.php Business week (2014). Destination CEO video, VF Corporation [Video file]. Retrieved from http://mhlearningsolutions.com/cs/cs.php Business week (2014). Destination CEO video, Coco Cola [Video file]. Retrieved fromhttp://mhlearningsolutions.com/cs/cs.php Business week (2014). Destination CEO video, Xerox [Video file]. Retrieved fromhttp://mhlearningsolutions.com/cs/cs.php

Dr Martin Luther King Essay

We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating â€Å"For Whites Only†. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. † This part within Dr. King’s speech was very powerful as it gives you images of the mistreatment towards blacks, and their emotions, how it makes them feel. He uses figuritive language in the last sentence as he says â€Å"we will not be satisified until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream†, that is a similie. He was protesting against what rights the blacks did not have. â€Å"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I can see blacks and whites setting down at the table eating dinner and telling each other how their days went. That particular sentence warmed my heart with what Dr. King believed could and should be. â€Å"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and rothers. † Little black boys and girls joining hands with little white boys and girls is what imagine he provided with that phrase. His whole speech was filled with love and kindness. Multiple emotions were put off towards the audience to feel the pain of the mistreated black men and women and then the happiness and peace between blacks and whites if their wasn’t a racial issue.

Power point use in work envirnoment Essay

Cynthia Computer Application-205 Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Microsoft Word-Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 lead global in the development and production of software and software-related services and solutions. Initially known for home computers, Microsoft, headquartered in Washington, now offers various operating systems and software for desktop computers. This multinational company strives to help the worldwide business community improve efficiency and productivity. In recent years, this company has battled criticism concerning what some consider monopolistic, anti-competitive business practices. Despite legal setbacks including antitrust violations sanctioned by the US Department of Justice, Microsoft remains a major player in its field. In today’s business environment demands the sharing of data, mobile technology and speedy communication. Microsoft provides tools enabling business to be productive and communicate effectively regardless of location. Outlook serves as the portal for e-mail, tasks, calendar and contacts. Microsoft office line workspace, boasting online storage space, enables users to save access and share documents throughout the world. Mobile Technology like smartphones, which supply the user with advanced computing options allow you to stay connected to businesses. Microsoft office Accounting Express 2008 offers small start-up or at home businesses a resource for accounting processing and procedures. The software includes invoices, budget and finance template and profit and loss statements. Office Excel surpasses manual, paper-based spreadsheets in terms of ease of use and accuracy. Businesses confront an ever-growing number of security threats. Many businesses elect to use Microsoft Vista operating system as a measure to protect their data. Vista boasts account control, troubleshooting and diagnostic features and spyware blocker. Microsoft Security Essentials, introduce in 2009, offers antimalware solutions at no cost to consumers who use Genuine Windows-based PCs. Large business may choose Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate; Ultimate offers Bit Lockers Drive Encryption for maximum data protection. Microsoft lost its standing as the leading global software company in May 2010. Apple, once on the verge of extinction focused on innovative, new consumer products to generate growth; a popular line of hand-held devices contributed to the company’s surge in profitability. In contrast, Microsoft, despite sporadic new systems releases, primarily lies mainly on preserving the existing business. Although Microsoft remains a strong player in the market, the company continues to face stiff competition. PowerPoint is an excellent tool for employee training and online learning. Business owners and company managers can use the programs to create compelling and interactive slide shows to demonstrate new products, train new workers and help existing customers get the most out of the products they buy. In fact there are a great many advantages to using PowerPoint as an online learning tool. One of the most powerful things about PowerPoint is the fact that it can corporate animation features and clip art. Its ability to incorporate sound is another powerful benefit of PowerPoint as an online learning tool. The sound functions of this program can make the slide show more interactive and less boring, and too can encourage visitors to stay with the training. Companies can use this interactive feature of PowerPoint to overcome problems and make their training sessions compelling. PowerPoint contains a number of powerful interactivity tools that makes it easy for users to engage the attention of the entire online audience. The improvement done to Excel 2007 and Excel 2010 is the ability to group the dates in the dropdown list into years and months. That means you don’t have to create a new column to identify the years and months of each row using Excel formulas. In Excel 2010, you can customize your own Ribbon tab. It can be used as commands in one place. In this way you do not have to click from one tab to another to find your commonly used command. In the earlier years of Excel (2003 and below), sorting can only be done based on the color coding in the cell, Not only that, you can also sort the records by the font color. That’s new in Excel 2002 and 2010. Multiple conditional is not made easy Excel 2007 and 2010. In the older Excel version 2003 and below, we are to count based on one single condition. When using Excel 2003, multiple conditions sum has to be done using the formula SUMPRODUCT or combining all the conditions into one before applying the formula SUMIF to data. With the new Excel 2007, you can now easily sum up the values based on more than one condition by using the SUMIF’s fomula.

Culture and Accounting Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10750 words

Culture and Accounting - Thesis Example This research aims to evaluate and present culture as one of the most significant elements in understanding the framework of the society, for the culture modifies the various systems of the society and it influences the customs, morals and group behavior in and across these systems. The most generally accepted cultural framework in accounting study is the Hofstede’s cultural standards. The use of Hofstede-Gray framework is to evaluate the impact of culture on the implementation and form of accounting, as it shows the influence of culture in China’s accounting system through a thorough examination. Hofstede put forwards common values all the way through the interaction of four parts. These are ecological factor, institutional effects, outside influence and community norms. Hofstede-Gray framework is used to explain and forecast worldwide dissimilarities in accounting systems and to recognize the patterns of accounting growth globally. Accounting practices and systems of a country can influence and strengthen community values. Accounting practices of a country, being primarily a human activity, are affected by the decisions and interpretations in the application of accounting principles and values. The accounting practices of a country are also affected by the environmental features, mainly culture. So the culture, values and customs held by the members of an accounting scheme, have a pervasive effect on the accounting practices of the country. The practicing of accounting system by various cultural groups would result in different decisions and interpretations of accounting system ideas and its relationships. ... of the most significant elements in understanding the framework of the society, for the culture modifies the various systems of the society and it influences the customs, morals and group behavior in and across these systems. The most generally accepted cultural framework in accounting study is the Hofstede’s cultural standards. The use of Hofstede-Gray framework is to evaluate the impact of culture on the implementation and form of accounting, as it shows the influence of culture in China’s accounting system through a thorough examination. Hofstede put forwards common values all the way through the interaction of four parts. These are ecological factor, institutional effects, outside influence and community norms. Hofstede-Gray framework is used to explain and forecast worldwide dissimilarities in accounting systems and to recognize the patterns of accounting growth globally. Accounting practices and systems of a country can influence and strengthen community values. A ccounting practices of a country, being primarily a human activity, are affected by the decisions and interpretations in the application of accounting principles and values. The accounting practices of a country are also affected by the environmental features, mainly culture. So the culture, values and customs held by the members of an accounting scheme, have a pervasive effect on the accounting practices of the country. The practicing of accounting system by various cultural groups would result in different decisions and interpretations of accounting system ideas and its relationships. The cultural relativism on the accounting practices by different systems in a country can affect the reliable decisions and interpretations in the application of auditing and accounting standards. The accountants

Behavioural Finance Viev On Market Bubbles Essay

Behavioural Finance Viev On Market Bubbles - Essay Example This paper investigates these market events through relevant research material and identifies the anatomy and behavioral finance phenomena of the events using information. The tulip bulbs speculation, which was at its peak in February 1637, and the consequent market crash that followed mark the most notorious economic hard times in the History of Dutch (Goldgar, 2007:5). Together with Britain’s Sothern Sea Buble in the 18th century, these are the earliest example of irrational market behavior that affected investors in Europe. The Semper Augustus, a tulip bulb type, was both sublime and prosaic than any comparable bonds or stocks, it was extraordinarily beautiful with its pure white top and midnight petals combined with accents of crimsons flares. In history, it remains the most valuable flower to date. Back in the early 1624, an individual in Amsterdam in possession of the last dozen specimens of tulips was o be given a high of 3,000 guilders, an equivalent of a wealthy merch ant’s annual income, but turned down the offer. This is the height of how speculations had raised the prices of the tulip. Nonetheless, the tulip craze was not only in Dutch. The flower was an enchantment for the rulers of the Ottoman Empire and the Persians in late 1550s, but it was in Holland where the flower found its fertile ground, economically (Goldgar, 2007:15). Holland was in the Golden Age in the early 1700s and all the resources that the country had directed towards the fight with Spain for their independence were now concentrated on commerce. Amsterdam was strategically at center of the East Indies trade, which enabled a single voyage to gain four times its value in the lucrative market place. Flower gardens surrounding their grand estates usually evidenced their success in the trade. This was the trigger for the tulip craze. Tulip prices began rising significantly as the rich lot in Holland not considering the value of the tulips. The tulip business became the new order of business setting by professional tulip traders with the customers coming from tulip fanciers (bloemisten) in middling groups rather than the nobles or artisans. The enthusiasm of owning prized specimens of tulips was a cultural credential display. The cultural credential associated with the tulips, combined with the fact that the seed takes seven years to grow, and that a mother bulb can only last a few years, was the foundation of the supply crisis. There were many buyers for the bulbs with a limited supply, which in economics results to a rise in the price of the commodity (Goldgar, 2007:86). The prices of the bulbs rose consistently over the early 1930s because of more speculation. The farmers and traders mortgaged all their assets in order to raise more capital for the trade. By 1936, any tulip bulbs, even the ones the current society considers garbage, could simply trade for hundreds of guilders. The peak of the tulip mania was in the early 1937 when a single tulip bu lb could change hands up to a maximum of ten individuals in a single day. The exact all time high of the tulip trade was at an auction whose proceeds would benefit seven orphans who had inherited 70 tulips from their father.

Management and Marketing Strategies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management and Marketing Strategies - Case Study Example In this regard, Sunhuan Holdings LTD is a construction company in Singapore that deserves to be considered for the award given their exemplary management and marketing strategies performance and their great contribution in the economic growth of the country. Sunhuan Holdings LTD Business Model, Productivity, and Innovation Viability and Sustainability of the Business Model Sunhuan Construction Company in Singapore has demonstrates high-level viability coupled with sustainability of their business in the competitive industry. The industry throughout its existence has demonstrated the need to satisfy the needs of their customers in the most sustainable ways possible, for instance, the company has shown flexibility and adaptability in satisfying the diverse demands of their customers to the extent of changing their models over time. Currently, the company has complied with all the standardizations that are required to be complied with by the construction companies in Singapore, in their QEHS policy, the company pledges to be provide within budget and time quality services and products to their customers. Furthermore, the company has shown sheer commitment in satisfying the needs of their customers by availing to them different tastes of constructions that has perfectly fit into the demands of the customers. There have also been several architectural designs that the company has been providing to the clients because of their investment in the designs and structural organization of building that has shown more clients opting for the company. Additionally, the construction company does provide for all kinds of buildings, they have shown specialization to all requirements of the customers from offices to residential buildings, besides this, the company has adopted the contemporary building requirements that requires buildings to be sustainable in their own . They have fully complied with the green building requirements and some of the aspects that are considered by th e company when doing their construction in pursuit of sustainability includes; enabling the house to use natural lights thus avoiding extra use of power during the day. The houses build by the company are designed such they are able to utilize natural light during the day and there is no need lighting, their also water conservation by the buildings that are constructed by the company, the water that is harvested by the buildings constructed by the company can be used for irrigating the nearby surroundings. The buildings constructed by the company are thus mindful of the cost that should be incurred while operating in the buildings, the occupants thus finds their construction economical for use. The kind of flexibility and adaptability that has been established by the company makes them to be way ahead of other companies in coping with the economic needs of their customers and they are worth being considered for the award. Plans to Expand, Improve, and Adapt the Current Business Mode l Concerning the Sunhan Construction Company plans for expansion, they have projected to engage in building construction in most of the countries around the world. The company has decided to go global and be an international company in

Treatment for gout arthritis and development of research study design Proposal

Treatment for gout arthritis and development of study design - Research Proposal Example Currently, there is no long term well-coordinated research works that can show how people with knowledge about purine containing foods and keep specific purine diets low and get acupuncture is more successful in reducing contraction of gouty arthritis break outs as compared to colchicine and NSAIDs for male of ages 18-40 tested over a period of 24 moths. A number of doctors have come out to point out the effectiveness of low purine diet in treatment of gout out breaks. In their handout about purine diet, doctors from Pittsburgh Medical Center describe that low purine diets can reduce contraction of gouts. It is explained that purine containing foods are broken down to form uric acid that is responsible for arthritis. They recommend that low consumption of purine foods lowers the amount of uric acid produced by the body hence this can reduce gout arthritis infections (Pittsburgh Medical Center, 2008). Since medications are not so effective, reducing the gout arthritis cases. It is recommended that prevention is more effective than cure. In their essay Preventing Gout Attacks, Palo Alto Medical Foundation doctors write that consumption of low fat foods and those with low levels of purine is more likely to reduce accumulation of uric acid. This in turn reduces chances of gout attacks (Palo Alto Medical Foundation, 2011). This research seeks to give proof that long term maintenance of low diet on purine foods and acupuncture treatment over a period of 24 moths is more effective than the mainstream cures, for instance, patients being administered with NSAIDs and colchicine to reduce break outs of gout arthritis in males aged between 18-40 years. Most of the works done regarding low diet in purine foods is just experimental and more theory. This research seeks to implement the treatment of gout arthritis through diet regulation on purine

Religion, science and faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religion, science and faith - Essay Example By deconstructing these institutions, Vonnegut invites us to appreciate the fact that most of the truths to which we hold fast are really rather silly when examined closely as well as things we used to believe in. John’s gradual conversion from Christianity to Bokononism, the fictional religion created by Vonnegut, is at the heart of the novel. As he pursues the Hoenikkers across the globe, each time he comes to a realization that pushes him one step closer to a Bokononist outlook. Brave New World being a classical example of a dystopian novel revolves around the idea of totalitarianism and is set in a futuristic world where a combination of science and pleasure form a rather feudalistic society. I think this book is really interesting as it explores the dangers of technology and what it can do to a whole world; Brave New World explores the idea of just how far science can go without being immoral. Would we really want to live in a world where eugenics rule and despite everyon e being equal on the surface, deep underneath prospers the idea of inequality and unfairness (1)? Vonnegut uses the plot of Cats Cradle to make a postmodern parody of how science really does not lead to a utopia and clashes with faith and religion. He employs humor as a means to make his reader assume a critical stance toward science and religion. We can assume that in Cat’s Cradle science became a revered institution of truth and knowledge, and few people seriously questioned whether the truth and knowledge of modern science were necessarily beneficial. Vonnegut uses a religion he created for the novel called Bokononism to convey society’s misconceptions about the usefulness of truth. Bokononism is a religion that identifies with its own falseness. It rejoices in accepting that its ideals are not true. At the same time, when we talk about Brave New World, we usually have in mind the

Children's views, needs, wishes and feelings are at the heart of Essay

Children's views, needs, wishes and feelings are at the heart of national legislation and international agreements and convent - Essay Example From such international law, the Convention on the Rights of the Child has been specifically drawn. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action also provide various legal guidelines on the protection of children’s rights and welfare. For various states, specific provisions are laid out, including the Equal Protection Clause in the US, the basic rights of children as protected by the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. More provisions on the protection of these rights are also specifically indicated by various countries. These laws and policies seek to protect children from human rights violations, treating these children as vulnerable members of society. This paper is based on the premise that children’s views, needs, wishes and feelings are at the heart of national legislation and international agreements and conventions. In relation to current policy, this essay shall critically discuss the implications of such premise for early years’ practice among chil dren. First, an initial overview of childhood needs, views, and feelings in relation to national laws and conventions will be presented. Secondly, a discussion on children’s human rights as guaranteed by the UN and other legislative bodies shall also be presented. Thirdly, this essay will also provide the considerations made for children’s feelings and needs in relation to the specific laws and conventions. Fourth, the No Child Left behind Policy of the US will also be discussed in order to detect current trends in children’s rights policies. Fifth, a relationship between the NCLB and the international conventions will be considered. Sixth, the impact of these laws on the improvement of children’s welfare shall be presented. Finally, this essay shall end with a summary and a conclusion of the different points discussed and detailed. Body Overview of childhood needs and feelings Children’s feelings and needs have been brought sharply into internatio nal focus and attention during the First World War when millions of children experienced significant hardships as a result of international human conflicts (Fortin, 2003). In effect, the sufferings of these children served as the foundation for children’s rights. Eglantyne Jebb had a crucial role in the establishment of the 1924 Declaration of the Rights of the Child (Glendon, 2002). These rights were primarily based on her Christian faith (Glendon, 2002). The foundations of children’s rights then were on the protection and nurturing of the child, securing their moral privileges including their need for love and understanding (Fortin, 2003). Various rights are granted to humans, especially as soon as they reach the age of majority. One of the most important rights granted to these humans include the right to vote; however, children or minors below the age of 18 are not granted this right. In general, children do not seem to have control of the things which happen to th em or the matters which concern them (Fortin, 2003). This is very much apparent in daily situations and activities including school, religion, and upbringing. School subjects are compulsory for them to attend and study, mostly based on their location; moreover, for most children until the age of 14, their religion must be that which is inherited from their parents (Fortin, 2003). Parents decide,

Cognitive Development of an Infant and Toddler Essay Example for Free

Cognitive Development of an Infant and Toddler Essay Piaget based the sensorimotor stage on his observations of his own children The Circular Reaction: a. Circular reactions are the means by which infants explore the environment and build schemes by trying to repeat chance events caused by their own motor activity. b. These reactions are first centered on the infants own body. Subsequently, they change to manipulating objects and then to producing novel effects in the environment. Substage 1: Reflexive Schemes a. Piaget regarded newborn reflexes as the building blocks of sensorimotor intelligence. b. At first, babies suck, grasp, and look in much the same way, no matter what the circumstances. Substage 2: Primary Circular Reactions-The First Learned Adaptations a. Infants develop simple motor skills and change their behavior in response to environmental demands. b. The first circular reactions are primary in that they are oriented towards the infants own bodies and motivated by basic needs. Substage 3: Secondary Circular Reactions-Making Interesting Sights Last a. Circular reactions of this substage are secondary in that the infants repeat actions that affect the environment. b. Infants can imitate actions that they have practiced many times. Substage 4: Coordination of Secondary Circular Reaction a. Intentional, or goal directed, behavior is the combination of schemes to solve problems. b. Piaget regarded meansend action sequences as the first sign that babies appreciate physical causality. c. Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist when they are out of sight; it is not yet complete in this substage. d. AB search errors are committed by infants in this substage. Infants 8- to 12-months-old only look for an object in hiding place A after the object is moved from A to hiding place B. Substage 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions-Discovering New Means through Active Experimentation a. Circular reactions in this substage are tertiary in that the infant repeats actions with variation-exploring the environment and bringing about new outcomes. b. Experimentation leads to a more advanced understanding of object permanence. Toddlers no longer make the AB search error. Substage 6: Mental Representation-Inventing New Means Through Mental Combinations a. mental representations are internal images of absent objects and past events. b. The toddler can now solve problems through symbolic means instead of trial-and-error. c. Representation allows deferred imitation-the ability to copy the behavior of models that are not immediately present. d. Functional play is motor activity with or without objects during the first year and a half in which sensorimotor schemes are practiced. e. At the end of the second year, representation permits toddlers to engage in make-believe play.

Crimson tide and the aspects of leadership

Crimson tide and the aspects of leadership The film is based on the time period when there was imbalance in Russia. Russian rebel truehearted to their leader had obtained dominance over the installation of some nuclear missile and they are threatening thermonuclear warhead if the Russian government or Americans tried to confront him. In attempt to watch over the delegation, the United States ordered the USS Alabama: a nuclear submarine to be ready to take any action to sustain the strike. Among the Alabama submarine crew was Captain Frank Ramsey, who was the commanding officer and among the very few commanders remaining in the Navy with experience in combat. He chooses Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter, who was highly educated when it comes to military history and maneuver, however had no experience regarding combat as the Executive Officer (Second in Command). During their embark at sea, latent hostility arose between Ramsey and Hunter due to indifferent personalities, Hunter was more analytic and conservative towards his mission and the men and as for Ramsey, he was more hotheaded, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants go about. A satellite report came through to the Americans that the Russians who got the nuclear installation were fueling the missiles, and the Alabama was ordered to plunge its missiles to those Russians. A second message came through for Alabama to disable their missiles, but unfortunately the message was not received by the crew after the communication unit was badly destroyed by the Russian submarine attack. The Alabama was too deep to restore communication and had just been hit and there was an outstanding order to launch the missiles, thus Captain Ramsey opted to continue with the order they had at the time which was authenticated. Hunter on the other hand was against the missile launch and tried to win over support from Rams ey to confirm the second message before proceeding with the launch, because he had hope that it was possibly an abjuration of the previous command. Hunter argued that even if they launched the missiles later than expected other US submarines in the area would proceed with the mission as per the fleets redundancy protocol measures. As the situation in the command became intense, Ramsey presents Hunter as an upstart graduate from Harvard who does not honor his place in the chain of command. There came a point where Ramsey wanted to excuse Hunter from being a Second in Command, just because Hunter was still against the launch of the missiles. Instead Ramsey was arrested in the attempt to outsmart the protocols regarding the launch of the nuclear. The Chief of the Boat agreed with Hunter and proceeded with the arrest of Ramsey though they were old friends, and he was taken from the Con and locked in his bedroom. Though the Alabama crew was shaken order was retained. The Russian submarine re-emerged just as Hunter was undertaking the effort to corroborate the second message concerning the missile launch. An underwater combat resulted and the Russian submarine was destroyed, and unfortunately the Alabama got damaged badly. The ship lost its communications, deaths of several crew members were encountered, and the boat nearly sank past its crush depth which resulted from the water which had entered into the boat after the hit from the combat with the Russians. As Hunter was waiting for the communications to be reestablished, some officers who were loyal to the Captain left the Con altogether. With the help of the loyal officers, Ramsey managed to get out of the place where he was held in attempt to present Hunter with charges of rebellion, placing the Executive Officer and officers who served with him under arrest. The launching of the missiles was nearly successful hadnt it been for the weapon officer who was persuaded to stall or delay Ramsey, whi le Hunter was in the mission of recapturing the bridge, among him was his main drafted staff officers. In the end, a tie resulted, thus the officers who had disputes agreed to wait until the last potential second to plunge the missiles. At long last the communications were up to speed and it was discovered that the Russian army had stabilized the situation and the Russian rebellions had been subjugated, thus no need to continue with the order of launching Americans missiles. At the end of the movie, a review took place at Pacific Fleet headquarters in Hawaii where various admirals conveyed serious concerns about the collapse of command which took place in the Alabama and during the wartime concerning the launching of the nuclear missiles. Ramsey finally decided to withdraw from the Navy and advocated Hunter for the command. The two men (Hunter and Ramsey) settled their disputes at the end of the film. WHO IS/ARE THE LEADERS IN THE MOVIE There are two main leaders namely: Gene Hackman playing Captain Frank Ramsey: an old white male, navy veteran, probably in his fiftys. Denzel Washington playing Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter: a young African-American male fresh off Harvard University. THE LEADER (S)S ROLE IN THE MOVIE Lieutenant Commander Hunter played a number of roles in the Crimson tide film which included him being in the submarine to make sure that Captain Ramsey made the correct choices, for example, the launching of the nuclear missiles. Looking at the situation, Ramsey was going to go ahead and launch the missiles without confirming the second message which was interrupted by the damage from the Russian rebels. Going through with the launch of the missiles would have caused a nuclear warhead which was prevented due to Hunters judgment. Also Hunter played a role of being a complementary leader towards Ramsey, that is, he provided certain leadership aspects which Ramsey lacked. Those aspects includes, Hunter being a motivator, in the film we concluded that Ramsey was a strict and arrogant leader who never motivated his crew, but with the influence from Hunter, Ramsey gave a motivational speech after the crew restored all operations after the Russian attack. The other aspect that Ramsey lacke d was compassion towards his crew, but Hunter stepped in and showed compassion to his fellow submarines after a few crew members lost their lives in the lower compartment in the boat. Last but not least, Ramsey was impatient, he could not wait for the communication unit to restore their systems for the second message to come through and insisted on proceeding with the missile launch, whereas Hunter possessed that ability and was willing to put on hold the idea of going ahead with the order at hand (of launching the nuclear missiles). Hunters choice to wait turned out to be the best choice because if it has not been for him, the Alabama attack would have cause the start of a nuclear war. On the other hand, Ramseys roles included testing the loyalty of the boats crew, that is, had he not been there none of the conflicts between him and Hunter would not have arose, and there would not have been a time where the officers in charge had to choose sides over the boats authority. Officers choosing sides made confirmation on who was following the right protocol in the launch of the nuclear missiles, for examples, the crew under Ramsey just followed the protocol to some extent and ignored the one which was to confirm what the second command said before going ahead with the previous order, whereas the ones under Hunter did everything buy the books. Also Ramseys purpose was to make sure that everyone was prepared in case of a combat with the rebels. To support that, he carried down a number of drills in the boat during their journey at sea to ensure that everyone stayed focused no matter what, also before they left the base and while they were on the ship he made a few speeches about the situation at hand, and one of the speech when like this, we are here to preserve democracy, not to practice it. EXPLAIN THE CONTEXT FOR EACH INCIDENT RELATING TO LEADERSHIP ASPECTS IN THE SYNOPSIS INCIDENTS WITHING THE MOVIE INVOLVING THE LEADER(S) There were a number of incidents that took place during the mission to Russia within the USS Alabamas crew that involved either Hunter or Ramsey or both of them, below are some of those incidents: There was a time when two of the crew members got into a fight over comic books, at the time Hunter was only a few feet away from the two men but could see what was happening. When the two were stopped by one of the crew members, Hunter pulled the other one involved in the fight (the supervisor) aside and tried to understand the cause of the fight, and when he fully understood what the quarrel was all about he advised the supervisor that in cases of quarrels he should know how to handle the situation since he was also a leader and should lead by example. The supervisor promised to handle disputes better next time, and was once again calm and proceeded to his assigned post. The other incident involving one of the leaders was when Hunter rushed down to the kitchen during the fire to try and sustain the situation. This is a sign that he does not interact with the crew during times of issuing commands only, he came to an aid of his followers whereas Ramsey was busy launching a drill and not caring about what Hunter had to say about the fire downstairs. INCIDENTS AND THE LEADER(s)S INTERACTION WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE MOVIE Ramsey was a blind follower, he did almost everything without questioning whereas Hunter was the opposite of that (he followed orders but he did question the authority where he felt it necessary). One example which comes to mind is where they were discussing about war, Ramsey felt that when it came to war if there was a threat made, the only action or measures to be taken was to attack first, he was more of a shoot first and ask questions later type of person. On the other hand, Hunter thought that attacking the opposition party in war would make the situation worse, as he believed that, in a nuclear world, true enemy cannot be destroyed as the true enemy is war itself. The second incident where the two leaders interacted was when the Alabama was hit and the second message which was to be received aboard from the headquarters was interrupted. When the boat was stable from the hit, Captain Ramsey wanted to proceed with the order at hand which was to continue with the launching of the nuclear missiles. But Hunter being the Executive Officer he refused to concur the order because they were unsure of what the incoming message said and a huge argument arose. The argument led to Ramsey wanting to relieve Hunter of his duty, but due to some regulations, Hunter managed to turn the tables and had Ramsey removed from the Con to his stateroom by the Chief of the Boat. This incident shows that both men are firm in what they each believe in. For example, Ramsey is more concerned about the worst that could happen if they are not able to continue with the missile launch well on time, i.e. before the Russian rebels launch the attack, while Hunter is concerned about the worst that could happen if they actually do proceed with the launching while there is no longer a threat from the Russian rebels. Both men were not about to be deterred from their logic regarding the matter, in which both were respectively right in their own ways. Last but not least, was the incident which took place in the kitchen. There was a fire in the kitchen and while Hunter was busy maintain the situation downstairs, Ramsey decided on carrying out a drill, and Hunter being the second in command had to rush back upstairs to the Con to repeat the order. When he got there he tried to explain to the Captain that is not a good time to be running the drill as the situation in the kitchen was still in the process of being fully contained, but captain being a suborn man, he dismissed Hunters complaint and continued with the drill. He later met with Hunter at his stateroom and told him that the next time he wanted to question him, he should not do it in front of the crew, that he should wait for the right time (when they are alone) to present the matter at hand. But later on Ramsey shouted at Hunter in front of the crew in the Con, which shows that Ramsey only comply by the books where the rules favors him only. Also, this shows that Ramsey show little or no concern over his crew members as he carried out the drill though there was fire downstairs. KNOW YOUR LEADER(S)S BEHAVOUR AND CHARACTERISTICS In this part we will be looking at the different and similar leadership characteristics that Hunter and Ramsey possess either bad or good. Commander Hunter Caution: this can be defined as showing careful forethought. This is illustrated in the film where Hunter gave Rivetti the keys to the officers stateroom and other cabins in case Ramsey and his men were to lock them up, and it did happen. Hunter and his officers were arrested and Rivetti came to their rescue. Optimistic: is expecting or presenting the best possible outcome in a given solution. Hunter displays this characteristic when the second message was interrupted. He refused to agree with Ramsey to continue launching the nuclear missiles because he was expecting the good news from the headquarters, and indeed the results came up positive, that they should abort the previous mission. NaÃÆ'Â ¯ve: Not initiated; deficient in relevant experience. Ramsey and other officers who were loyal to him believed that Hunter was not experienced enough to make the decisions regarding the combat. Well, partly that was true because he had no practical experience in the field; all he knew was what he read in the military books. Nevertheless, he managed to sustain all the possible distractions in the boat. Ambitious: Having a strong desire for success or achievement or requiring full use of your abilities or resources. This is true for Hunter because he wanted to know what the second message was saying, and he made sure that he did. He made it his number one priority to make sure of it, he kept calling Vossler to confirm the progress on the communications. He had hardship in making sure that those communications were working, he was even hit by Ramsey but he did not give up on the communication, at long last Ramsey gave them a time frame to fix the communications. At long last a transmission came true and the message was received and a new order/mission was read which was to stop the missile launch. Captain Ramsey Overconfident: it is a good sign for a leader to be confident (being positive), but as for Ramsey he happen to be very confident which happens to be a bad aspect because overconfident can blind a leaders ability to think twice. This is illustrated in the film, where he did not give a second thought to stopping the missiles, even after Hunter presented him with many reasons not to continue with the order at hand; he ignored then and went ahead with the launch. Hadnt he had been overconfident; he would have took the time to review Hunters suggestions. Impatient: can be defined as full of eagerness, Captain Ramsey was a very impatient man, he was keen to proceeding with order or anything he felt was right at the time. For example, even after the fire in the kitchen he was eager to proceed with the drill even after being told of the situation downstairs, just because he had planned for that drill and did not want to wait until the situation with the fire was fully maintained. The other incident was when he just wanted to continue with the nuclear missile launch, even after the boat had just been hit and the incoming message was interrupted. He wanted to proceed with the launch with confirming the second message. Unpredictable: Not capable of being foretold. With Ramsey no one could actually tell what his next step would be. For example, first time he met with Hunter it was like the two would get along just fine, but when they got to the ship his attitude towards Hunter changed from time to time until the time he made it clear that he was not keen of him because he did not have any experience about the combat, and because unlike him, he had to work hard to obtain that position while Hunter got it because he was a Harvard graduate. The other example is when lost his temper towards Hunter and shouted at him in front of the crew, meanwhile he asked Hunter not to address him in front of the crew. Strict: Incapable of compromise or flexibility. Captain Ramsey was not keen to any suggestions or advises, he wanted to do things his own way only. DESCRIBE AND DISCUSS WHY THE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR WAS EFFECTIVE OR INEFFECTIVE Effective: Exerting force or influence Ineffective: Lacking the ability or skill to perform effectively; inadequate LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOURS TASK ORIENTED A task-oriented leader is focused on accomplishments and if the leader is able to show the skills and commitment to his followers, obtaining a specific task wont be a difficult matter. That is, if the supervisor was to lead by example in doing a task I believe his followers would not hesitate to do the same, for example, during the fire in the kitchen, Hunter rushed there in an attempt to save the personnel that were inside and others did likewise. If he had not been there no one would have risked his life to go into the fire especially after they were told by others that it was too hot, but nevertheless Hunter just went right inside. Another example is when Lt Paul Hellerman was ordered to close the hatch. There was a time when he was hesitating to follow the order, but Hunter paused and put himself in Hellermans shoes (how he must have felt thinking about leaving his man to die down there) and tried to talk to him bravely that if he did not close the hatch, the whole crew would go down with the submarine rather than if he close the hatch and only a few are lost. After a short period of time Hellerman decided to close the hatch to save others so as for them to continue with the mission. RELATION ORIENTED A relationship oriented leaders focus on the relationships among the teams members. This can be indicated in the film where Ramsey talked to his officer to gather other officers so they could go and restore control over the Con. Another example is when Hunter was lenient toward Rivetti after his encounter with another crew member , just being lenient made Rivetti to have respect towards Hunter and trust him, which was why he came to Hunters rescue (because of the relationship they just built during that short time). In general Commander Hunter had a friendly relationship with almost half of the boats crew, and with those relationships they all helped him to accomplish his mission, hadnt he been friendly and understanding none of them would have come to his rescue. PARTICIPATIVE ORIENTED A participative oriented leader relies mostly in the leader being/ operating as an implementer rather than just issuing order or making assignments. If we look at the Captain we could conclude that he was not a participative leader because there is not even one incident where he actually got involved in any of the tasks carried out in the boat. CHANGE AGENT CAPABILITIES Reflecting back to the movie, I would say both leaders did not have any change capability because both men had strong believes in their actions, they were firm in what they each believed in. neither Ramsey nor Hunter wanted to change his way of operating. One of the examples is when Hunter thought it would be best if the Captain acknowledged the crew for their hard work and commitment in obtained order after the hit, but the captain gave a speech he would give any other day., which shows that he was not willing to change his style just for a minutes. Another example involves Hunter, as mentioned above, he was keen to questioning authority where he felt necessary but there were a few occasions when Ramsey wanted him to just perform orders at hand without questioning, but due to the fact that he was not used to that, he refused to accommodate that thought. With this kind of attitude we could conclude that the leaders were ineffective because they could not agree in one aspect, they alw ays wanted things to be done their ways, they never compromised. IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN ATLEAST TWO DIFFERENT INCIDENTS INVOLVING THE SAME LEADER(S). IF THE INCIDENTS INVOLVE TWO INDIVIDUALS/ A GROUP MAKING A DECISION, LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR BY THE DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL CAN BE IDENTIFIED EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE TWO DIFFERENT SELECTED INCIDENTS The two incidents that have been chosen are when a group of officers met outside the weapon unit on how they were going to rescue the captain from his hold-up place, and the one where Hunter and his officers were locked up in the officers cabinet. INVOLVEMENT OF THE SELECTED LEADER(s) WITHIN THE INCIDENT AND MAKING DECISION WITHIN THE TEAM, GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL Regarding the case where Hunter and other officers were locked up, Hunter was involved in the decision making that took place in the cabinet which was how to get full control over the Con. He planned for Rivetti to come and rescue them, and after that he asked him to gather a number of trusted crew members who would help in their mission. After the gathering and acquiring of the weapons and uniforms, he drew up a strategic way of how they could access the Captain Key and stop the launch of the missiles without being disrupted. In the second incident, Captain Ramsey had a conversation with one of his trusted officer to help him escape from his stateroom and obtain back his post from Hunter. They concluded that the best option was to recruit a few officers involving Webs who was a friend to the Commander. The officer carried out the order and the 4 officers helped the captain escape and selected the few that were loyal to Hunter and put all of them under arrest. CHARISMATIC AND TRANSFORMATIONAL ROLES Hunter had a way of attracting and making crew members change their minds on certain aspects, and this was all because he had good interpersonal skills which helped him deal with others well despite their authority level. For example, he was able to convinced Webs to stall the captain from launching the missiles even though Webs had helped in his arrest, as he himself went after the captain key. Another example is when he got the captain arrested, even though Cob was Ramseys old friend, after Hunter had explained the outcomes of launching the missiles without confirming the second message and the stating the regulations Chief of the Boat agreed with him to relieve Ramsey of his duty. CRITICALLY ANALYZE EACH OF THE TWO/ MORE INCIDENTS AND CONSIDER OTHER OPTIONS THE LEADER(s) COULD HAVE CONSIDERED AND MADE MANAGERIAL TRAITS AND SKILLS This topic deals with the responsibilities and abilities of a leader. One of the leaders (Ramsey) was impatient, and he being impatient could have led to a start of a nuclear warhead, he could have just given the communication unit some time to restore the boats systems before he could engage in the launching of the missile, which could have prevented an outbreak between him and Hunter. Secondly, a leader should learn to minimize his confidence level as overconfidence could enable them to think twice before handling a situation. If Ramsey was able to lower his confidence he could have listened to Hunters concerns and thought through the idea of launching the missile. SUMMARY In conclusion, there are two main types of management styles in Crimson Tide film: one leader who did things his own way (Ramsey) and the other one did things but the book (Hunter). And the two leaders had to make serious decisions and neither made it easy for the other one, despite the many disputes that arose when they were aboard in the USS Alabama they reconciled at the end. The reconcilement shows that they were good leaders because a good leader should be able to admit to his mistakes owning to them.