Strategic Business Information Systems - Cirque du Soleil's Essay

Strategic Business Information Systems - Cirque du Soleil's Information Technology Initiatives - Essay Example Both the strategies can be approached narrowly or broadly and in either case there is the third viable competitive strategy that is ‘focus’. (12manage.com) Ward and Peppard (2002) have identified that IS/IT strategy formulation and planning will help an organization to gain competitive advantage in the existing market by enabling the organization to develop a flexible and cost effective technology infrastructure which in turn will lead to the deployment of resources and competencies that are needed to accomplish the organizational goals effectively and efficiently. By using latest technology Cirque du Soleil could develop a new intellectual and dramatic entertainment project that made the company stand out unique. The use of technology has helped the company to reduce its cost structure and the organization could increase the ticket prices beyond the amount charged by the traditional circuses. This also made the organization compete with the Broadway theatre prices. (Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, 2005) The success of Cirque du Soleil lies in their ability to create a new and compelling product rather than creating a new market. It cannot be said the business of Cirque is an alternative to traditional circus business (Blue Ocean Strategy) but through a product differentiation as advocated by Porter (1980) Cirque competes in the existing market with a brand new product having different characteristics. This makes the product of Cirque unique. The strengths and weaknesses of Cirque du Soleil can be analyzed using a SWOT analysis. Cirque du Soleil is able to have distinct competitive advantageous position due to three fundamental reasons. They are: (i) Product differentiation advantage – by employing innovative production techniques the organization is able to make shows that evoke awe, wonder, inspiration and reflection among the customers, (ii) Niche competitive advantage – the production of Cirque

The Main Features and Problems Faced by Service organisations In Essay

The Main Features and Problems Faced by Service organisations In pursuing this Technique(Banks in the UK) - Essay Example More than 74% of the United States work force for example is employed on this sector (Li H. & Smith L.2001).With a dramatic fall in labour cost, the cost of processing information, overheads has become far more important in the present age of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) with direct labour representing 5%. Thus, it therefore now appears difficult to justify the use of direct labour or direct material as the basis for absorbing overheads.ABC was developed to overcome some of the major problems of the traditional cost accounting. The 80s witnessed an influx of research in to this concept. Activity based costing involves the identification of the factors which cause the costs of an organisations major activities (Lewis; J.R., 1993). In this regard overhead are charged on the basis of their usage of factor causing the overhead. In the UK and the US, information and manufacturing technology are widely used in both manufacturing and the service sector, with both sectors experiencing different degree of the usage (Palmer, A.2000). The four main characteristics inherent to services provide an answer to the main problem of ABC in the service industry. ... There is a strong possibility that the same enquiry would be answered slightly differently by different people. 1.2 Activity based costing and the service industry in the UK (Banking Sector). By the end of the 1980s, ABC became the focal point within the realms of academic researchers, consultants and managers as a means of overcoming the disadvantages of traditional cost allocation methods. Cost accounting was limited to it s usage of one volume sensitive driver (Cooper & Kaplan 1991). By 1990 initial followers of ABC in the manufacturing sector were able to reduce cost, identify opportunities for improvement and determine a more profitable product mix (Cooper & Kaplan 1991). Thus, the concept gradually gain grounds and became popular in the manufacturing sector. In the service sector, the adoption of ABC has been relatively slow, and the concept was rarely used apart from the health and banking sector. A recent study however, by Schultz & Rostocki (2004) concluded that, the rate of adoption of ABC in service and manufacturing industry was now similar. An essential part of managing and ensuring the long term competitiveness of banking institutions in the United Kingdom will be to configure, manage the service deliveries and their chain of distribution processes. The financial sector in the UK, like in any other country is characterised with the following characteristic Banking institutions and other financial houses are price takers. This is so because the prevailing market price has to be accepted. Large number of institutions offering the same services with none of these institutions being able to influence price. However, their actions are not negligible. As a move by institution A will trigger a whole chain of event, in the form of competitive service

Macro economics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Macro economics - Coursework Example For instance, this will help boost the manufacturing sector which has faced competition from other countries such as china and the United States. One of the major benefits of the increased growth in exports is reduction in unemployment. Many individuals will be in a position to find jobs in most sectors in the economy due to increased demand of goods and services. Sectors that have been dormant for many years will be revived as a result of increased exports. By increasing exports, the UK will ensure that the cost of these exports is substantially reduced and the quality is enhanced. For example, The UK can achieve to reduce the cost of its exports by reducing the wages. When this happens, the UK will become attractive to other countries, and this will lead to more exports. In addition, by increasing the exports and making them cheaper and of higher quality, the UK will ensure that the population buys local products as opposed to relying on imports. The increase in domestic demand is important for economic growth. Increase in exports will also make the UK currency more valuable compared to other countries in the global economy. If the UK is importing more than exporting, it simply means that it selling its currency in order to buy the foreign currency so that it can import the goods and services. This has the effect of making the exports more expensive and making the imports cheap. In the end, domestic buyers will be encouraged to buy from outside markets. However, when exports are made cheaper, the currency becomes strong, making the UK competitive in the global market. Local manufacturers and service providers are therefore likely to find overseas markets when the currency is strong. Finally, increases in exports and reduction in imports will have a major effective on innovation and creativity. Local firms and individuals will be encouraged to enhance the quality of existing

Importance of Accelerometer Selection

Importance of Accelerometer Selection Accelerometer: Vibrations are everywhere in our lives. They may be generated and transmitted by different things, such as motors, turbines, machines and plants, structures and buildings, or even by human body. Some vibrations are desirable, and some of them can be disturbing or destructive. So understanding the causes of vibrations, measuring and reducing them is important. Accelerometer is a device, designed to measure vibrations in different situations and environments. Function: The heart of an accelerometer is a piezoelectric material (like quartz or ceramic crystal). Figure shows this material as a disc for piezoelectric effect explanation. Imagine that piezoelectric material (the disk) is located between two electrodes, like a capacitor. When a force is applied perpendicular to the disk, a voltage is produced at the electrodes. This phenomenon is called piezoelectric effect. Main elements of an accelerometer are piezoelectric material and seismic mass (Figure ). A seismic mass is attached to one side of the disk, and another side is attached to a sensor. When the accelerometer is subjected to vibration, a generated force acts on the piezoelectric element. According to Newtons Law, this force is equal to the product of the seismic mass and the acceleration (m.a). Based on the piezoelectric effect, an output charge is generated, proportional to the applied force. Since the seismic mass is constant, the output charge signal is proportional to the acceleration of the mass. In wide frequency ranges, sensor and seismic mass have the same acceleration amount, as a result, the sensor measures the acceleration of the test sample (Ref). Different types: In sum, four main types of accelerometers are available; Premium grade accelerometers are made from premium crystals and use low noise circuitry to produce a premium. They have steel cover and this cover can protect them in harsh industrial environments. Industrial grade accelerometers are prevalent in different industries and used on different machines, equipment and plants. High vibration accelerometers are used to monitor high vibration levels, and have a lower output (10 mV/g) and lower mass, in compared with industrial accelerometers. Triaxial accelerometers measure vibration in the X, Y, and Z axes. They have three crystals and they react to vibration in different axis. As a result, the output has three signals, for X, Y, and Z axes (Ref) Accelerometer selection: For getting the best result of using accelerometer in a test, sort of issues must be considered. Based on these issues we can determined the most suitable accelerometer, based on its features, for our test. The first and foremost issue that we must consider is the amplitude of the vibration that we are going to monitor. Frequency range that we are going to study is important to choose an appropriate accelerometer (Ref). Another issues are effective in accelerometer selection, such as the temperature range of the installation area, size of the sample in the test, existence of magnetic field in the test environment, and existence of electrical noise in the test area. Other environmental issues are considerable, for example amount of humidity of test environment, or if accelerometer installation can alert the vibration characteristics in the test or not (Ref). Accelerometer installation: As it was discussed before, accelerometer selection has an important role to get more accurate results. But to achieve this goal, installation of accelerometer is important too. Some points and issues that must be considered during the installation of accelerometer: the surface of installation must be clean and grounded (Ref). The selected location for installation must provide a short and rigid path to the vibration source (Ref). For example, for getting better result in a vibration transmission from road surface test,the closest point to the wheels on the unsprung mass and the chassis near the suspension are recommended. Selected Accelerometer: Selected accelerometer for this test, based on needs and test conditions, is PBC model: 356A32. This model is a Triaxial type, with high sensitivity ( ±10%) 100 mV/g (10.2 mV/(m/s ²)), measurement range of  ±50 g pk ( ±491 m/s ² pk), broadband resolution: 0.0003 g rms (0.003 m/s ² rms), and frequency range of ( ±5%) 1.0 to 4000 Hz (Ref). Figure shows this accelerometer. Selected accelerometer for this test, based on needs and test conditions, is PBC model: 356A24. This model is a Triaxial type, with low sensitivity ( ±10%) 10 mV/g (1.02 mV/(m/s ²)), measurement range of  ±500 g pk ( ±4905 m/s ² pk), broadband resolution: 0.004 g rms (0.04 m/s ² rms), and frequency range of ( ±5%) 1.0 to 9000 Hz (Ref). Figure shows this accelerometer.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Passage Commentary :: essays research papers

Passage: Page 248: â€Å"-You made me confess the fears that I have†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Page 249: â€Å"Cranly did not answer.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this passage, Stephen is saying how Cranly has made him confess all of his fears to him, but then he tells Cranly what he does not fear. Stephen tells Cranly that he does not â€Å"fear to be alone or to be spurned for another or to leave whatever† he has to leave. Stephen has gone through several stages in his life, and now that he has gone through all of those stages, he feels that he needs to go further into himself to try to discover his real self. Stephen also mentions to Cranly that he is â€Å"not afraid to make a mistake, even a big mistake, a lifelong mistake and perhaps as long as eternity too.† This shows that Stephen feels that making mistakes is fine because in the end, he will learn from his mistakes. Meanwhile, Cranly repeats the word â€Å"alone† twice to try to enforce the word to Stephen and make sure that the word stands out to him. He is trying to make sure that he understands what Stephen is really saying. Cranly also points out that the word â€Å"alone† means â€Å"not only to be separate from all others but to have not even one friend.† By saying this, Cranly is trying to point out to Stephen that if he leaves everything, he will also be leaving Cranly, who is Stephen’s best friend. Stephen replies without hesitation that he â€Å"will take the risk.† This shows how determined Stephen is to pursue art as a career. Cranly goes on, while ignoring Stephen’s last sentence, talking about how if a person is truly alone, he or she would not â€Å"have any one person†¦who would be more than a friend, more even than the noblest and truest friend a man ever had.† At this point, it is unclear about whether Cranly is addressing Stephen or talking to himself. Cranly remains quiet afterwards pondering that thought while Stephen looks at Cranly’s face for any reaction. Stephen then realizes that Cranly had been speaking of himself, and of â€Å"his own loneliness which he feared.† After some time, Stephen finally asks who Cranly is speaking of, but Cranly remains silent and does not answer. In this passage, it becomes very clear that Stephen and Cranly are two very different people despite the fact that they are best friends.

Mapping Compensation

Wall-Mart has a lot of these things in common with Microsoft, although Wall-Mart tries to soften the low at times by cushioning their employment strategy with a discount card or special privileges. Most of the employees at Wall-Mart start at around $8. 80 an hour, but that is just the base pay. If an employee does well within the company, over time, Wall-Mart will steadily increase the employee's paycheck, depending on his or her performance of their duties that year. That is where the performance-based pay that is similar to Microsoft's strategy comes into play. If an employee does well, he or she will get a raise.If not, then the raise will not happen. A lot of people who try to work at places like Wall-Mart expect instant gratification for their accomplishments, but they will not receive it. An employee must work hard to earn the raise given to him or her at their time of the year. In Figure 2. 8 in the text, Microsoft and AS are compared and contrasted in a compensation map. On M icrosoft's side, there seems to be a very low focus on work/life balance, and the same can be said for Wall-Mart. If an employee accepts a shift at Wall- Mart, he or she had better show up, or risk being fired.Wall-Mart is very strict in this area and does not accept a lot of excuses as far as frequent â€Å"family emergencies† or problems. From personal experience, if there is a death in the immediate family, Wall-Mart will ask for a copy of the death certificate as proof that the employee is not lying. This is a bit disturbing and could be considered offensive to some. Another mapping point from Figure 2. 8 is that Microsoft puts heavy emphasis on hierarchy. Wall-Mart and Microsoft share this part of their strategy. Wall-Mart believes that the basic employees receive Asia pay, while the managers and those on salary receive higher pay.However, there is a â€Å"price† to being on salary versus being an hourly employee. As an hourly employee, the shift is worked within the hours specified, and the job is done. There are no established hours for salaried managers at Wall-Mart. Some have even worked 80 hour weeks in the busy season just to try to keep up with customer satisfaction. One thing that does differ between the two compensation strategies is that Microsoft puts a medium importance to sharing group success, while Wall-Marts strategy is more about the individual.There are really no â€Å"groups† per SE within Wall- Mart's hierarchy, just groups of employees who perform the same job. There is no focus on group success, or group incentives. There are the occasional pep talks in which the managers try to get their employees motivated, but really, the employees would rather be working than sitting in a meeting. It seems that Microsoft values group success, but it also values the individual as well, offering incentives for jobs performed. These companies seem very different from the outside, but when an inside look is taken, there are more molarities than can be seen from the outside.

The Truth and Nature of Love in ‘Shakespeare in Love’

Describe an idea that interested you in a text you have studied. Explain why this idea interested you using visual/verbal techniques to support your answer. John Madden’s Shakespeare in Love is a ‘romantic comedy’ set in the class-dominated society of Elizabethan England. The two protagonists and â€Å"Star-crossed lovers† of the film come from completely different ends of the class spectrum. Will Shakespeare is a â€Å"lowly player† with writer’s block searching for his muse and wealthy Viola De Lesseps who dreams of â€Å"love as there has never been in a play† are fortune’s fools as the viewer must come to realise that love cannot conquer all.Madden conveys the division between Will and Viola through use of dialogue, mis-en-scene, camera shots and costuming. It is through these techniques that as a twenty-first century viewer I became able to understand the harshness of â€Å"the truth and nature of love† in sixteenth c entury England and began to appreciate more the risks Will and Viola took to defy these truths. The idea of the â€Å"truth and nature of love† in sixteenth century England defines marriage as a method of obtaining social or financial gain. This divides our unfortunate protagonists who are separated by their respective social standings.Maddens positions the viewer to see this separation through use of dialogue in Will and Viola’s conversations. Viola is quicker too see the consequences the two will face if she continues her romance with Will saying â€Å"it is too flattering sweet too be substantial. † Too good to be true. Will and Viola’s love is a brief exert from the realities of the time, a dream that can only last until Viola’s inevitable marriage to Lord Wessex. â€Å"Master Will, poet dearest to my heart, I beseech you, banish me from yours- I am to marry Lord Wessex- a daughter’s duty. However Will and Viola continue to pursue their risky love coming to each other in disguise. Will gets caught up in the romance having finally found his muse and boasts to Viola â€Å"For one kiss, I would defy a thousand Wessexes! † As a twenty-first century teenager the concept of a class-system preventing two lovers from being together seemed foreign to me as although today’s society is not perfect there is no hierarchy preventing young couples from being together. However I admired and appreciated the two protagonists for going against the aws of society and seeing each other in secret struggling to convince themselves that â€Å"love knows nothing of rank or riverbank. † Throughout the film the viewer is constantly reminded of the difference between Will and Viola’s respective positions in the hierarchy of the age and however strong it may be their love is not one that will last the expectations and realities of Elizabethan England. Madden engrains this into the viewer through mis-en-scene and ca mera shots. Viola’s stately home is an immediate indicator that she will serve as a foil to Will.Despite their shared passion for the arts almost everything else about Will and Viola differs. When the viewer is introduced to Will Shakespeare he does not live up to the expectations viewers of today have based on the playwright he will become. Will currently lives in what appears to be a run-down, dirty London boarding house. His room is compact and the walls stained and bare. It is void of furniture save a small writing desk, table and stool. His bed is in a small loft atop a ladder and we viewers are reminded, â€Å"actors are two-a-penny† a strange contrast to today’s idolism of all those to grace the silver screen.Viola’s mansion completely differs to Will’s world, the sheer size of the grounds and the long driveway are symbols of her wealth. Viola’s bedroom is furnished with detailed tapestries, carved wooden furniture and a giant four-po ster bed all illuminated by a gentle golden glow heightening the sense of her regality. Viola’s world continues to contrast to Will’s as she has a place at court and therefore is invited to festivities at places such as Greenwich and Whitehall, vast palaces with luxuries such as theatres, audience chambers and ballrooms. Will’s entertainment is in the crowded, dark taverns with cheap food, drink and love.Madden also enhances the separation between the two lovers through use of camera shots and angles. As Viola is the social superior she is shown to be at a higher level than Will through use of low angle shots illustrating to the viewer how she is too above Will for their relationship to work. This is seen especially in the balcony scenes shared between Will and Viola in reality and as Romeo and Juliet in the opening performance of the play. She is always above him and this is reciprocated through high angle shots of Will as he is near the bottom of the Elizabeth an hierarchy.This shows that although it is in Will and Viola’s nature to fall in love the truths of the era separates them making it impossible for a highborn lady like Viola to â€Å"love happily with a bankside poet and player. † Shakespeare in Love won an academy award for its use of costuming in the film, which is apparent when we see Viola throughout the film. She is dressed immaculately in elaborate gowns with intricate beading often shown in regal colours such as red, silver and gold which highlights her wealth and status and reminds the viewer that she is too above Will for their relationship to be acceptable in Elizabethan society.This is contrasted when we first see Will, he is clearly one of the masses in his worn workman boots, plain white shirt and ink stained hands. He relies on his words for a living. Viola and Will are from separate worlds and are only equals in the opening performance of Romeo and Juliet where Will is dressed in equal amounts of finer y as Viola. This shows that only in the make-believe world of the theatre can these two be equal and accepted. The idea that they cannot marry each other even though they are in love is hard to grasp in the modern day and is the reason why many were unsatisfied by the ending of the film.However it was interesting to see how â€Å"love can spring between a queen and the poor vagabond who plays the king. † We see Will and Viola defy â€Å"rank and riverbank† in an awe-inspiring way but we learn that despite their risk taking, there is not always a happy ending. So it can be seen that the truth of love in Elizabethan England separates the two protagonists who are without control over their own relationships and life choices, a reality for the time that is hardly seen in twenty-first century New Zealand making this theme in the film almost alien to a modern teenage girl like myself.John Madden successfully portrays the constrictions of Elizabethan England and the trials Wi ll and Viola must undergo to be together through his use of dialogue, mis-en-scene, camera shots and costuming. It was interesting to me as a modern day teenager to learn that we don’t always get a happy ending in life. â€Å"Those whom God has joined in marriage not even the Queen can put asunder. †