American Military University
MGMT311
Dr. Jean D. Francis (professor)
For this final assignment, I would like you to put everything you have learned over the last 7 weeks to work! I would like you to identify a management issue at your current place of employment. If you are not currently employed, you can do a bit of research and find an issue that exists at another company.
Using the concepts that you have learned in this course, come up with a solution to this problem. This paper must be at least 5 pages in length (not including the cover and reference page). You also need to do some research. You are not an expert (not yet, anyway!), so you will need to find experts that support your ideas. An excellent paper will include at least 5 different sources (including the text). Please make sure you use the terminology from the text to explain both the problem as well as your proposed solution.
Your paper should be in proper APA format. Follow this link to the library where you can find detailed information regarding this type of formatting. apus.campusguides.com/content.php
Reference
Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2012), Organizational behavior (1.1 ed.). Nyack, NY: Flat World Knowledge.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Workplace Alcohol Consumption
Workplaces usually deal with a lot of challenges due to employees’ conduct, which interfere with their working performance output. Among the problems faced in the workplace is excessive alcohol intake. Problems associated to alcohol intake and drugs may be as a result of social factors, personal, family or work associated situations, or as result of a blend of all those elements. Alcohol intake in addition to extending adverse health impacts it also negatively affects the wellbeing of workers; it also may cause work-associated problems such as a weakening in job performance. Alcohol intake by particular workers also causes problems to other workers since they might cause disturbance or conflict.
Alcohol in Workplaces
Whilst the elimination of alcohol usage is highly desirable, past experiences has indicated plenty of challenges in dealing with alcohol intake in workplaces. Workplaces require putting up policies to help the employees with alcohol intake problems. Workplace programs towards preventing and decreasing alcohol associated problem amongst staff possess significant potential due to a number of reasons (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012). For instance, the actuality that the staffs spend lots of time in workplaces, supervisors and coworkers have the chance to notice a developing alcohol problem. Additionally employers are capable of using their influence to motivate staffs to seeking help for alcohol intake problems (International Labour Office, 1996). Over time however workplaces have started to neglect the task of dealing with alcohol intake programs: alcohol intake has begun to be taken as a usual problem with the supervisors lightly dealing with it. The decrease in workplace attention towards alcohol problem shows the urgent need for creating as well as sustaining a policy for maintaining alcohol interventions in workplaces (Dronet, 1999). This article will illustrate the opportunities workplaces offer for preventing alcohol-associated issues along with various programs available that workplaces could adopt.
Workplace Prevention Opportunities
The workplace offers a number of potential opportunities for executing alcohol abuse deterrence programs, they include (Roman & Blum, 2014);
Full-time staffs spend a considerable amount of time at work, heightening the probability of exposure to preventive programs provided via the workplace. The possibility that drinking problem evidence might be visible is also very high.
Work occupies a very important function in employees’ lives. Since many of the employees have roles in their family and community which rely on them to maintain their employment status in addition to the prestige that tags along, the association amongst employer and employee possesses an extent of leverage. Therefore, the employer has the right to demand sufficient levels of job performance. Thus if the employee infringes the requirement the employer may withdraw some privileges such as pay to motivate the employee change their behavior
The majority of the employees are adults asking the workplace a perfect setting to contact a huge population.
Primary and Secondary Prevention within Workplace
Workplace programs comprise of primary as well as secondary prevention. The primary prevention strategies are aimed at preventing the alcohol problems from arising, whereas the secondary prevention aims at reducing prevailing problems or difficulties (Slavit, Reagin, & Finch, 2010). Researchers have indicated that workplaces over stresses on secondary prevention at the expense of primary prevention. Primary prevention is mainly cost-effective as compared to the expensive secondary prevention. The prevention of alcohol consumption is hindered by the fact that adults are allowed by the law to consume alcohol. Thus, employers are rarely positioned to prevent staffs from initiating alcohol intake as an off-job practice (Roman & Blum, 2014). All together employers require staffs to undertake their jobs properly without disrupting or endangering fellow workers activities.
Alcohol problems within the workplace may be identified through several events: firstly, the association of drinking practice with performance output problems, for instance, poor-quality work pattern, problem of work attendance or interaction issues with employees Secondly, employees admission that they have alcohol intake problems and that they require assistance. Thirdly, coworkers may confirm that a particular individual has an alcohol intake problem.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
This is the main prevalent intervention utilized in addressing alcohol problems. The EAPs possess varying features, which set them apart from prevention strategies utilized in other settings (Safework, 2010). The objective of EAPs prevents employment loss as well as assuring employed individuals the continuity of their careers. EAPS thus prevent the dire consequences brought about by the employee’s job loss. The EAPs are implemented in a number of ways through referrals.
EAP Referral Routes
Within the initial development stages of the EAP, researchers have proposed that it would be ideal to primarily attract self-referrals. Significant levels of referrals would boost the program’s credibility through demonstration of consumer confidence (Roman & Blum, 2014). Researches where EAPS have been implemented indicate self-referrals numbers were rising day by day. Employees joint the EAP program due to the fact that it is provided by the employer, they are assured of confidentiality and it extends professional help (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012). Informal referrals: this route is prompted through significant social interaction between employer and employee. About 80 percent of referrals are usually takes this route (Hseni, 2009). Though originally EAPS were developed to take the route of formal referrals, informal referral is mainly preferred by employers as well as employees. Its only limitation is the absence of official records of a staff’s EAP referral. Formal referrals: this route is taken when external intervention is needed. Such referrals are usually initiated by supervisors following a detection of deteriorating job performance which may not be explained by the work conditions. Employers are required to contact EAP staff prior to taking any action to ensure conformity of workplace rules (Roman & Blum, 2014). The supervisor is supposed to first confront the employee demanding an explanation along with presenting evidence poor work performance to the staff. If the employee fails to change then they are referred to the EAP.
EAP’s role in Relapse Prevention and Follow Up
Relapse prevention comprises of diverse range of interventions. Relapse is regarded as a kind of primary prevention strategy (Hseni, 2009). EAPs as well as workplaces occupy a very important function in relapse prevention. The opportunities for relapse prevention rely on the work nature in addition to accessibility for staffs who are attempting to maintain recovery (Roman & Blum, 2014). Follow up within the workplace since the employees progress is easily observable due to the fact that the report to work on a daily basis or regularly.
Complements to EAPs
Research has indicated that a majority of the employed individuals drink heavily when they are out of work. This leads to varying adverse consequences and problems. Among these problems are hangovers. Recent studies have showed that hangovers possess huge effects on work performance (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012). Hangovers impact cognitive as well as motor functions developing risks of negative judgment, injuries in addition to interpersonal conflict. Thus, employers have legitimate reasons for motivating workers to change their alcohol drinking patterns indefinitely due to its effect. The following programs are the complements to EAPs. Alcohol Education Programs: this method form the principal way of addressing staffs’ out of job drinking (Roman & Blum, 2014). These programs are carried out within the workplace. These programs are normally linked to the EAP or a health promotion plan or both. The objective of the alcohol education program is usually encouraging behavioral change.
Health Promotion Program motivates staffs to adjust their drinking tendencies. Once health issues such as high blood pressure, gastric problems or weight are located during health risk survey undertaken within the workplace, the health worker in charge could suggest a decrease in drinking alcohol as a method preventing the primary symptoms (Roman & Blum, 2014). Peer intervention: employee alcohol education can train peers to extend assistance towards one another. The peer intervention programs may be greatly useful for countering the early behavioral problems (Safework, 2010). Though it is not applicable in all settings, peer intervention is an additional complement of EAPs.
Risk Factors within the Workplace Environment
Research has examined a number of work-related factors, which may contribute to the alcohol taking problem (Roman & Blum, 2014). In addition to EAPs and its complements employers require to also look at the following elements. Stress: studies have indicated considerable association amongst work place stress and heightened alcohol consumption levels. Employers could alleviate this by enhancing job satisfaction (Hseni, 2009). Alienation: alienation from work by employees has strongly been linked to alcohol taking tendencies. Worker alienation may be reduced through participative management
Conclusion
Alcohol problems are constantly impacting negatively on workplaces through reducing worker output as well as performance. The employers have a duty to adopt programs such as EAPs in addition to other supplements to eradicate alcohol usage. Employers possess a duty to transform the lives of their workers to enable them live fruitful lives. Additionally, as indicated earlier terminating workers’ jobs is never a solution to dealing with alcohol problems. It is only through improvement of workplace environment that the drinking problem may be eliminated. The primary prevention programs are the mainly useful in workplaces as such employers require to alleviate drinking problems way before they take place. Primary prevention programs are usually very cost effective and mainly impactful,
References
Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2012), Organizational behavior (1.1 ed.). Nyack,
NY: Flat World Knowledge.
For this assignment, please read the introduction as well as chapters 1 and 2 of When Teams Collide: Managing the International Team Successfully as well as the article, “The Cultural Approach to the Management of the International Human Resource: An Analysis of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions” which is attached.
TEXT= Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2012), Organizational behavior (1.1 ed.). Nyack, NY: Flat World Knowledge.
This week, I would like you to choose a multinational corporation and discuss their organizational structure. You may compare/contrast your chosen company to the information that you have read in both your text as well as the sources above. Does the organizational structure of this corporation work? Are there things that could be improved? As in past weeks, you are welcome to use the company that you work for if the information is available to you.
This paper should include 3 pages of content with an additional cover and reference page. This is a total of 5 pages.
Your paper should be written in proper APA format. This link will take you to the section of the APUS library that can assist you with your formatting apus.campusguides.com/content.php.
Known as how activities such as coordination, supervision, and allocation are done towards the goals of an organization, organizational structure is an imperative facet for multinational cooperates. While small businesses have a flat organizational structure where the manager can report directly to the president of the organization, multinational cooperates have echelons of management, which requires a complex organizational structure. The need for good organizational structure is mandatory for the growth of any company since it is particularly very crucial for information. According to Lewis (2012) the information is very important for the progress of an organization. It is from communication that the top authorities get information about the issues that affects the company. The organizational structure enables the distribution of authority and evaluation of the employees’ performance and behaviors. Organizational structure goes with culture of the organization that evaluates interaction of each individual in a business set up. This paper critically analyzes the organizational structure of Whole Food Market Inc. that has led to their rapid growth over the last two decades.
Whole Foods Market is a company that was started in Texas, in 1980. At the time, there were only five natural food supermarkets in USA. By the year 2006 John Mackey, the CEO and the cofounder of Whole Foods Market, had over 43,000 employees and 260 stores in and outside the United States (Kowitt, 2014). Whole Foods is a passionate and dynamic company that always strives to meet the demand for natural food in its most natural state. Currently, it is the largest natural and organic foods grocer in the United States.
One of the organizational structures that the company has employed is “we”. Whole Food Market has always been known for its subscription of “we” organizational structure. As most company put some serious hierarchal order within the organization, whole food market has allowed the freedom of expression that has been brought by team work. The managers of the company indulge with the lowest level of staff through team construction. To support the philosophy of “we”, most of the decision making and planning rarely happens at the corporate level, rather, at the departmental level or at the individual store (Kowitt, 2014). The formal structure of whole food market, thus, is not built on centralized decision making and hierarchy. At Whole Foods market, the general structure is lean, flat, and buoyed by widely decentralized decision making which is based on the efforts of many people as long one has an idea. All employees are accountable, and the management accepts their increased enthusiasm to ask any question, express their points of view, and share necessary information. In the end, peer pressure is the substitute for bureaucracy in the company, and it has molded loyalty in a way that bureaucracy cannot.
John Mackey, the CEO, says that the strategy of “we” was aimed at encouraging collectivism and low power distance. As noted by Bauer and Erdogan (2012) collectivism allows individuals to work in groups supporting each other in every aspect of their duty. Hence, when the company makes profits or become successful, it is not the success of the company but the success of all individuals. Power distance is a vital factor that can either slows down or speeds up the performance of an organization. Leaders of high power distance organizations believe in giving juniors detailed instructions with little or no room for proper interpretation. The juniors are supposed to respect their instruction without any further clarifications. The characteristics of high power distance cultures, such as inequality in the society, lack of freedom of expression stifle employee new ideas and creativity. Low power distance in whole food market that allows any employee to pass information with less centralization and lack of hierarchal authorities promote interaction of employee and lateral communication (Lewis, 2012).
The strategy of “we” has worked for the Whole Food Market. It can be evidenced from the rapid growth of the company. Beresford (2014) says that in most cases, the low level employees have the raw information about the organization and what is currently happening behind the authorities. Thus, by engaging such workers in a free talk much of information is received that can that can be used to solve certain problems. It is for the reason of engaging with every staff member that the company works strictly under team leadership. Working together and low distance power has supported several innovations as every individual feels free to express his/ her idea.
However, Dartey-Baah (2013), has criticized the adoption of too much collectivity. He argues that in a collective society, individuals tend to belong to a certain group and looks after one another in exchange for loyalty. He says that collective cultures do not usually encourage the independence and freedom necessary for creativity of organizational members. As a result, they may fail to foster an environment that cultivates an innovative spirit. Therefore, Whole Food Market Company should balance between individualism and collectivism since both of them may be dangerous for the growth of the company as said by Dartey-Baah (2013).
References
Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2012), Organizational behavior (1.1 ed.). Nyack, NY: Flat World Knowledge.
Beresford, P. (2014). The rich list 2014: from farmers to suppliers, wholesalers to distributors, supermarket bosses to restaurant chain owners, The Grocer’s first-ever Rich List represents the whole gamut of food and drink wealth creation. Some are household names. Others are intensely private. All are immensely rich. Grocer, (8163). 28
Dartey-Baah, K. (2013). The cultural approach to the management of the international human resource: an analysis of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. International Journal Of Business Administration, (2), 39.
Kowitt, B. (2014). Whole foods takes over america. (cover story). Fortune, 169(6), 70-77
Lewis, R. D. (2012). When teams collide : managing the international team successfully
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For this assignment, you need to review chapter 11 in the text.
Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2012), Organizational behavior (1.1 ed.). Nyack, NY: Flat World Knowledge.
In addition, you need to read chapters 8, 9, 10 and 11 in Accounting in a Nutshell.
Please refer to the bottom of page 287 in Accounting in a Nutshell. Read Self Test Question 4. I would like you to use the information from this question to respond to the following:
•What decision making model would you use to make this decision?
•Are any of the decision-making traps discussed in our text in danger of clouding your judgement?
•Would any of the tools and techniques for making better decisions assist us in this decision?
•What is your final decision and why?
Please be aware that I am not asking you to provide the calculations for this problem. While I would like you to understand how the problem is solved, the solutions are at the end of the section, so you should have the accurate information to make your final decision. The point of this paper is for you to apply the decision making techniques to the area of managerial accounting. In addition, use the above bullets as a guide for your paper…I do not want to see these listed as individual sections within your paper.
This paper should include 3-5 pages of content with an additional cover and reference page. This is a total of 5-7 pages.
Your paper should be written in proper APA format. This link will take you to the section of the APUS library that can assist you with your formatting apus.campusguides.com/content.php.
Effective management requires that leaders adopt suitable models that are in line with their short and long-term goals (Walker, 2009). The consideration of this aspect is often significant when it comes to the making of decision affecting organization’s operations. Since leaders are always involved in the establishment of decisions that possess significant impacts on their firms, they should ensure that they comprehend the various decision-making frameworks alongside what it required for efficient decision-making (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012). One of the significant aspects that should be taken into consideration during decision-making is critical thinking.
Pareto Analysis and SWOT Analysis
Taking into consideration the issue facing BSE Veterinary Services, rational decision-making should be adopted in this organization. This BSE’s management is faced with the problem of selecting a suitable method that can be employed in the realization of maximum gains within the shortest time possible. The firm is required to increase its output to 18,000 laboratory tests so that it can manage to respond effectively to the increasing the demands resulting from the problems experienced with the beef herd. However, the firm’s current output is 12,000 laboratory tests. As such, the organization requires the addition of another shift on its schedule to address this problem. Being that this problem will impact significantly on the organization’s resources, its management should employ a rational-decision making model using tools such as SWOT analysis to accomplish its objectives. Rational decision making takes into consideration the aspect of following a rational four-step pattern when making decisions (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012). These steps include identification of a problem, generation of solutions, selection of solutions and implementation and evaluation of the solution. This framework is founded on the cognitive assessment of cons and pros. Moreover, it is structured around choosing the most sensible and logical alternative, which can yield the required outcomes. As such, it involves a detailed evaluation of options and a comparative analysis of benefits of each alternative with the aim of picking the most appropriate one.
Some factors that might lead to the clouding of efficient decision-making in relation to the problem facing BSE are unrealistic search for silver-bullet remedies, failure to consider options in an explicit manner and failure to embrace opportunity cost. Searching for silver-bullet may involve looking for complex alternative with minimal effects/results (Walker, 2009). Moreover, the firm’s management may fail to focus on various solutions that can impact positively on the decision-making process, thereby leading to an inefficient decision-making process. The failure to consider the aspect of opportunity may arise from the company’s management disregarding the costs involved in other alternatives, which might be inexpensive.
As a decision-making technique, the SWOT analysis can be employed in making appropriate decisions concerning the problem facing BSE. SWOT analysis takes into consideration aspects of weaknesses and strengths associated with an organization alongside the threats and opportunities to which the firm is exposed. These four aspects are often drawn in 2-by-2 matrix with the aim of making the model read like a series of disadvantages and advantages. This framework is often employed together with other models in handling management issues facing organizations (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012). Focusing on BSE’s weaknesses and strengths in relation to its assets, inventories, staff, financial position and equipment will help the firm’s management in identifying suitable measures of handling the problems. On the other hand, focusing on the opportunities and threats to which the company is exposed will help the management in adopting efficient strategies of addressing the problem. For instance, the company’s management can decide whether to employ new workers or outsource the contract. Besides, the firm’s management can also decide whether to increase its inventories or not.
BSE’s management can also employing feasibility study in determining the level of profitability associated with the new demand or undertaking. For example, the company’s management can decide to perform a study on the effect of increasing the prices of its services on the level of demand or profits. Furthermore, the Pareto Analysis can also be employed in solving the company’s problem. This model often operates on the principle of 80:20, when organizations need to initiate several changes (Walker, 2009). This framework is vital in pointing out areas where initial alterations/changes should be made to be enable firms obtain maximum benefits/gains as early as possible.
Apart from increasing the firm’s output to 18,000 laboratory tests, the firm can also focus on increasing the prices of its services in order to raise its profit margins. Taking into consideration the fact that the demand for the veterinary services is high, the firm’s management should employ the principle of demand and supply in its operations. Increasing the prices of the firm’s services will help the firm realize its objectives in an easier way than when it focuses on increasing its outputs. Therefore, BSE’s management should embrace the idea of increasing the prices of its services or charges/fees of laboratory tests.
In conclusion, selecting an appropriate solution for problems experienced by a company is significant in ensuring that its objectives are met in an effective manner. Therefore, leaders should ensure that they employ decision-making models that are in line with their goals and resource capabilities.
Reference
Bauer, T & Erdogan, B. (2012). Organization Behavior. Nyack, New York: Flat World Knowledge.
Walker, J. (2009). Accounting in a Nutshell : Accounting for the Non-specialist. Amsterdam: Elsevier/CIMA.
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Application: Interpreting Data Outputs Qualitative data analysis (QDA) is the range of processes and procedures whereby raw data are converted into some form of explanation, understanding, or interpretation of the people and situations being investigated. QDA is usually based on an interpretative philosophy to give meaning to collected data. As with all data, analysis and interpretation are required to bring order and understanding to it. After all, a set of numbers or lists of observations are useless without an explanation of why they are important. This requires creativity, discipline, and a systematic approach—there is no single or best way. The best process for a given research situation will depend on the questions that need to be answered and the needs of those who will use the information.
For this Application Assignment, you interpret the outputs of qualitative analyses by examining which variables are significant and what you can conclude from the outputs. Use the qualitative results in the article, “Why Rape Survivors Participate in the Criminal Justice System” for this assignment.
The assignment (2–3 pages):
• Explain your interpretation of the qualitative results in the article, “Why Rape Survivors Participate in the Criminal Justice System,” including which variables are most significant and the conclusions you can draw about the significant variables you identified.
Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course
SAMPLE ANSWER
Interpreting Data Outputs
The results for this research are divided into two categories: those factors that influence reporting and those that are influential in the continuing of the investigational process. Respondents under these two categories had different reasons as portrayed in their responses. To be able to identify the most significant variables in this data collected and then be able to draw valid conclusions, it is important to first to look into and explain the qualitative results as displayed in the research findings.
Factors Influencing Reporting
There are three primary factors identified by the respondents as the reasons why the rape victims report the rape cases. These included to prevent additional rapes by the offender and to send a warning to the other people who were thinking of committing a similar crime. Others reported because they were encouraged by others to report the case to the police. The last group of people were those who said that they were never actually given a chance to report as the reports were given to the police by other people without their consent (Bachman & Schutt, 2013). The victims whose main reason for reporting was to bar the offenders from doing the same atrocity to themselves or to other women formed the majority, which was almost half of the total responses received. Those who were encouraged by their colleagues to report formed the second largest group as they were slightly past the quarter mark of the total responses, and the rest are those whose reports reached the police without their knowledge.
Influential Factors in Continuing With the Investigational Process
This part also attracted divergent views from the participants. The researcher wanted to know what made the respondents to participate in the process of investigation into the rape cases even as others shied away from the process. Just like in the first category, majority of the respondents here said they did it purposely to protect others from the suffering they went through after the rape. The second group of participants in this category noted that their reason for continued participation in the investigational process was that they had gained confidence on the strength of their case especially after they had interacted with such stakeholders like the police and the forensic nurse examiner. The continued participation of another group was inspired by the treatment they received from the system personnel. The last group in this category noted that they continuously participated because they had no other choice. All these reasons by the different groups should be taken into consideration and not be actually considered as mutually exclusive (Starzynski, Ullman, Filipas & Townsend, 2005).
Conclusion
Rape victims could either report the rape cases or not. Those who report are always inspired to do so by certain factors. Some were also coaxed by others to do so. There are even others who are reluctant up to that point when others take it upon their responsibility to report their predicament. There are also those victims who could choose to continue participating in the investigational process after the report and others who chose to terminate the case by refusing to participate. As has been seen above, those who chose to pursue the case to the end had different reasons to do. The results would thus be useful in drawing conclusions and recommendations on the topic under research.
References
Bachman, R. & Schutt, R. K. (2013). The Practice of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice (5th ed.). New York: Sage Publications.
Starzynski, L.L., Ullman, S.E., Filipas, H.H. & Townsend, S.M. (2005). Correlates of women’s sexual assault disclosure to informal and formal support sources. Violence and Victims, 20, 417–432.
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Its important that the writer address all the points listed below and pay close attention to details when responding to the questions. He need to read and understand the instructions listed hear below and use the listed articles to complete the paper as require.
Once again, you will utilize articles listed in the Resources section to explore the different topics for your Research Paper. Below, you will find a series of questions pertaining to each article. You do not have to answer the questions directly, but they are included to guide you in discovering the type of information that you need to complete the research paper.
With the widespread adoption of the Internet, consumers have found it easy and convenient to obtain information and to share their concerns, ask questions, and obtain answers from third party sources. An example of this is the consumer forums at edmunds.com, established for individuals interested in purchasing a car. Also, online forums and blogs that incorporate customer feedback have developed, leading to increased information for the consumer.
For this section, read “The Continuing Power of Mass Advertising” and “Word of Mouth on the Web: The Impact of Web 2.0 on Consumer Purchase Decisions.” After reading each article, consider the following questions:
• Is mass advertising dead in the era of personalized marketing?
• What should companies do to manage this proliferating word of mouth information generated on the Web and incorporate it in their strategies?
• Is the balance of power shifting from companies to the customer?
• What are the commercial implications for companies’ promotional decisions?
Using the information you have read and any other outside resources that you have found, prepare a summary (2 pages) of how these topics relate to the overall subject you are addressing in your paper. Remember to refer back to the main task of this paper, which is to describe how you believe the usage of the individual marketing mix variables is likely to change in the future and what companies must do to adapt their marketing approaches in order to achieve competitive advantage. In particular, focus on the following aspect:
The commercial implications of interpersonal communications between and among consumers on the Internet and how this affects the development of a viable business model and the product development process.
Resources:
Articles
• Nunes, P., & Merrihue, J. (2007). The continuing power of mass advertising. MIT Sloan Management Review, 48(2), 63–71. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.
With an increased focus on more personal marketing, the costs to businesses have risen. The authors of this article identify four different strategies that companies can use to effectively reach broad groups at a relatively inexpensive cost and then give specific examples from current businesses to illustrate the strategies.
Riegner, C. (2007). Word of mouth on the Web: The impact of Web 2.0 on consumer purchase decisions. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(4), 436–447. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.
By conducting a study of over 4,000 Internet users, the author of this article sought to determine the effects of consumers communicating with one another purchasing decisions.
Articles
• Havlena, W., Cardarelli, R., & Montigny, M. (2007). Quantifying the isolated and synergistic effects of exposure frequency for TV, print and Internet advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(3), 215–221. doi:10.2501/S0021849907070262
Using a case study approach, the authors seek to determine which medium (TV, print or Internet) or combination of mediums has the greatest effect on consumers and their decision to purchase a product.
• Keller, E. (2007). Unleashing the power of word of mouth: Creating brand advocacy to drive growth. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(4), 448–452. doi:10.2501/S0021849907070468
In this article, the author identifies the need for quantifiable data to help marketers understand how to best use the power of word of mouth to help establish brands.
Usunier, J., & Cestre, G. (2007). Product ethnicity: Revisiting the match between products and countries. Journal of International Marketing, 15(3), 32–72. doi:10.1509/jimk.15.3.32
In this study, the authors explore the concept of product ethnicity, or stereotypes that consumers hold about the innovative ability and reputation of different countries in manufacturing products. They next discuss a model to measure the effects of product ethnicity.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Mass Marketing Versus Personalized Marketing
The articles “The Continuing Power Of Mass Advertising” by Paul Nunes and Jeffrey Merrihue (2007) and “Word Of Mouth” by Cater Reigner (2007) provide a comparative analysis of personal and mass marketing through online and traditional channels. Although the researches of the authors were independent, their focus gives a sufficient outlook of the current literature, which evaluates the effectiveness of traditional and new marketing strategies that currently dominate the markets.
One of the common questions asked in the consumer environment is the trend of mass advertising. Is mass advertising dead in the era of personalized marketing? The reports of both authors tend to move to one line of thought when assessing the prevalence of mass marketing and the personalized one. Both authors acknowledge the movement and the prevalence of personalized marketing. The use of technology has facilitated the use of personalized market to a high degree in a very short period. Havlena, Cardarelli and Montigny (2007) note that the use of social media, emails, and phone have allowed individuals to interact with consumers one-on-one. A study carried by Nunes and Merrihue (2007) reveals that the Y generations are the most buyers in the market and are the ones that are “digital” minded. It means that the focus of marketing shifts to them. Keller (2007) posits that the Y generation argues that use of web-based marketing is easy and fast as you can talk to the sellers unlike mass advertisement on TVs and newspapers.
On the other hand, Nunes and Merrihuel argue that it is still early for mass marketing to die. The authors say that it will take considerable number of years for mass marketing to disappear. In their research, they revealed that the new avenues have not interrupted the traditional methods for getting the advertisements. The study revealed that common avenues of advertisement are still 97%; this includes television, radio, print, and billboards. Hence, the fact that those traditional venues still dominate the market assures the continuity of mass marketing. Additionally, Nunes and Merrihuel argue that a small percentage of markers are ready to purchase tools for web-based marketing, which seems to be expensive and is among the strategies that companies can use to shift from traditional to personalized marketing. They have to create webpage for the products, programmed machines that responds to individual requirements, and addition of staff to respond to each individual. Moore and Pareek (2009) add that most of the consumers are not acquainted with some of the technologies, hence, they have to be taught through campaigns.
Both authors agreed that web-based marketing has got high prevalence as a marketing strategy. The major reason for the high prevalence is the interpersonal communication between the consumers and the marketers. One-on-one communication assures customers on the need and benefit of the products (Keller, 2007). It gives the marketer an opportunity to use his/ her skills to convince the buyers on the importance and the advantages of the products. Ryan and Jones (2009) describe interpersonal communication as a tool that assures customers of the products. According to Keller (2007), products will not sell unless the customers have the information about them. Therefore, customers only decide after getting the information through promotion that intensifies when there is interpersonal communication. As such, it is the customers that have the powers to lift a company after getting the knowledge about its products.
References
Havlena, W., Cardarelli, R., & Montigny, M. (2007). Quantifying the isolated and synergistic effects of exposure frequency for TV, print and Internet advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(3), 215–221.
Keller, E. (2007). Unleashing the power of word of mouth: Creating brand advocacy to drive growth. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(4), 448–452.
Moore, K., & Pareek, N. (2009). Marketing : The Basics. London: Routledge
Nunes, P., & Merrihue, J. (2007). The continuing power of mass advertising. MIT Sloan Management Review, 48(2), 63–71
Riegner, C. (2007). Word of mouth on the Web: The impact of Web 2.0 on consumer purchase decisions. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(4), 436–447.
Ryan, D., & Jones, C. (2009). Understanding Digital Marketing : Marketing Strategies for Engaging the Digital Generation. London: Kogan Page
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What must be done to intervene and ensure that history does not repeat itself for future populations? This week, you examine the impact of the historical roots of social disparities on health of populations in Africa and Latin America. As you go through this week’s Learning Resources, think about what we can learn from history. This week, you consider developing a policy in a country you selected and think about various issues in practicing population health.
Objectives
Students will:
• Analyze the impact of determinants on health outcomes for countries
• Analyze public issues in health literacy and cultural awareness
• Identify the relationship between health inequality and life expectancy in selected countries
• Identify efforts to reduce health inequities
• Analyze policy development and country support
For your Final Project, share some of your ideas on how you can use the knowledge and insights gained in this course to promote positive social change in your community and the world.
To prepare for the Final Project, review all the week’s Learning Resources and consider possible issues you might encounter when implementing a policy.
Final Project (7–10 pages):
In developing a policy in the country you selected, consider the following:
• Explain the rationale for selecting the country.
• Describe the social determinants of health in the country that you would need to address. Explain why you need to address these determinants.
• Explain the possible public issues you might encounter in health literacy and cultural awareness in this country.
• Describe the relationship between health inequality/inequities and life expectancy for the population in your selected country.
• Describe two current efforts in this country (you selected) to reduce health inequities.
• Explain how you might develop a health policy so that it gets the support of the country you selected. Note: Take into account the culture of the country.
Articles:
1. Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K. (2010). The spirit level: Why greater equality makes societies stronger. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Press.
Chapter 15, “Equality and Sustainability” (pp. 217–234)
2. Alles, M., Eussen, S., Ake-Tano, O., Diouf, S., Tanya, A., Lakati, A., . . . Mauras, C. (2013). Situational analysis and expert evaluation of the nutrition and health status of infants and young children in five countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 34(3), 287–298.
3. Baum, F. (2008). The Commission on the Social Determinants of Health: Reinventing health promotion for the twenty-first century? Critical Public Health, 18(4), 457–466.
4. Dankwa-Mullan, I., Rhee, K. B., Williams, K., Sanchez, I., Sy, F. S., Stinson, N., & Ruffin, J. (2010). The science of eliminating health disparities: Summary and analysis of the NIH summit recommendations. American Journal of Public Health, 100(Suppl. 1), S12–S18.
5. Jones, C. M. (2010). The moral problem of health disparities. American Journal of Public Health, 100(Suppl. 1), S47–S51.
6. Koh, H. K., & Nowinski, J. M. (2010). Health equity and public health leadership. American Journal of Public Health, 100(Suppl. 1), S9–S11.
7. Kruk, M. E., Porignon, D., Rockers, P. C., & Van Lerberghe, W. V. (2010). The contribution of primary care to health and health systems in low- and middle-income countries: A critical review of major primary care initiatives. Social Science & Medicine, 70(6), 904–911.
8. Venkatapuram, S. (2010). Global justice and the social determinants of health. Ethics & International Affairs, 24(2), 119–130.
11. Rudan, I., O’Brien, K. L., Nair, H., Liu, L., Theodoratou, E., Qazi, S., . . . Campbell, H. (2013). Epidemiology and etiology of childhood pneumonia in 2010: Estimates of incidence, severe morbidity, mortality, underlying risk factors and causative pathogens for 192 countries. Journal of Global Health, 3(1).
Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3700032/pdf/jogh-03-010401.pdf
Please apply the Application Assignment Rubric when writing the Paper.
I. Paper should demonstrate an excellent understanding of all of the concepts and key points presented in the texts.
II. Paper provides significant detail including multiple relevant examples, evidence from the readings and other sources, and discerning ideas.
III. Paper should be well organized, uses scholarly tone, follows APA style, uses original writing and proper paraphrasing, contains very few or no writing and/or spelling errors, and is fully consistent with doctoral level writing style.
IV. Paper should be mostly consistent with doctoral level writing style.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
The health status of every population in any country is a crucial towards the development of this country. A healthy population will be able to work together and constitute in development of the country while an unhealthy population will drag behind in development as more time is taken to improve this status. The health status, therefore, remains as a tough challenge in most of the developing countries most especially African countries and the Latin America (Frey,& Temple, 2009). Importantly, these countries are mostly faced with intellectual disabilities (ID) and thus, call for the nee of establishing national initiatives to handle this exclusive health need of its population. As such, this paper will focus on the health status of Guatemala country as one of the Latin American country, discuss the social factors affecting its health status and elaborate on public concerns that might be encountered when addressing the health literacy and cultural awareness. Moreover, the paper will look into the relationship between the life expectancy and health inequities of this country as well as the efforts made by this country to improve its health status.
Guatemala is the biggest and most populated country amongst the Central American countries. The population of this country is rapidly growing and young that is mainly a rural based population. However, it has been noted as a country with the poorest social outcomes compared to other Latin American countries as most of its children below five years suffer from chronic starvation and about 290 women pass away from the pregnancy difficulties (Centre for Economic and Social Rights [CESR], 2014). In addition, it has the lowest human progress that is based in terms of health, life expectancy and education outcomes as compared to the other countries.
As such, the health status of this country calls for serious attention to the whole globe and the associated professionals (CESR, 2014).In response to this, ICEFI
(InstitutoCentroamericano de EstudiosFiscales)That is a research body was formed. Together with Guatemalan specialists were mandated to research on the various ways to improve the political economy and health state of this country. After the research was conducted, a report was laid down that resolved that failure of economic progress and failure to realize the political rights of the Guatemalans was due to lack of political will by the ruling government to contribute more in preserving those rights (CESR, 2014).
Congruently, most of the Guatemalans are living in poverty especially, those in rural areas. Despite putting more effort in improving the health situations in Guatemala, it still remains to be amongst the countries that are having higher maternal mortality rate in Central America (CESR, 2014). The leading cause of this is the poor allocation of resources to the maternal health by the state making it hard to monitor and implement the right heath measures in the country.
The advancement of poor health situation in Guatemala has been accelerated by various factors that directly or indirectly favor these poor health status. Apparently, the major social determinants of health status in Guatemala is the political and socioeconomic factors (Marini, 2010). These factors comprises of the wide set of cultural, functional and structural features of social system that highly influence the people’s health on a daily basis. Further, the daily happenings on an individual also affect their health status as it is through this that determines the types of diseases that one contract. Additionally, society work plays a vital role in fighting or boosting the health status of any country and, therefore, it’s the role of the society set up organizations that aid in health promotion, treatment of diseases and disease prevention. However, the socioeconomic state of Guatemala is poorly run in that most of the people are poor especially those living in rural areas and, therefore, it is hard to set-up organizationsthat creates awareness to the members of the society.
Moreover, the political context of any country can either worsen the health status or make it better. This solely depends on the ruling governance, public policies, societal values and microeconomic policies (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012). It is the governmental role to make sure that there are sufficient resources in all health institutions. As such, poor governance in Guatemala aids in the deteriorating poor health services where there is under-funding of health institutions leading to poor service provision (WHO, 2012).
Correspondingly, the structure of the society influence the health status of every country that cuts across the making of the society as well as its cultural and social believes. Through this societal structure that determines what the society takes as good for them and what it abandons. Moreso, the social position of every individual determines how they get the access of the health services. This incorporates the education level and the income level of every individual is what regulates how each gets access of the health services. In Guatemala, the largest percentage of the sick people are poor and they are not in a position of accessing better health services as they are low-income earners(WHO, 2012).
Similarly, gender variation amongst the society plays a critical role in health due to its crucial effects on the development of hierarchies in the allocation of resources and division of labor (Ishida, 2009). Most of the jobs are allocated depending on the sex, and different values allocated to those roles for them to access and have control over crucial social protection possessions including; employment, education, and health services. Evidently, in Guatemala death rate is different across the gender since more women tend to die than men (Ishida, 2012). This trend is experienced as more deaths are caused by pregnancy complications.
To control all these problems, there rises need to educate the public on the health matters and create awareness to the community on the matters concerning their health. This is one of the ways that can be used to overcome all these un-favoring health determinants. As such, nurses are mandated to go out in the field, interact with the public, educate them and provide health care to them. However, despite this effort by every government, nurses and other professionals are faced with various difficulties as they carry out their awareness programs due to serving varied population of patients (Wittner, 2012). Amongst the many challenges facing nurses are based on the linguistic, language and literacy levels among the patients and members of the public. Although in the nurses are taught on how to handle all the difficulties associated with patients, this remains a difficult task to handle a diversified population of patients (Singleton, 2009).
Cultural competence being the skills of providers and organizations being in a position of distributing effective health care services without inconveniencing any patient is yet affected by this diversified population of the patients (Wittner, 2012). Due language barriers and low level of health literacy amongst the patients and members of the public, it becomes hard for the nurses to provide culturally competent services. Also, due to low literacy amongst the patients, it becomes hard for them to read any instructions given by physicians and during public awareness (Wittner, 2012).
Moreso, the cultural beliefs of every society plays a serious role in provision of the culturally competent services and, therefore, it is very important for the ones involved in providing these services to understand the culture of the public they are serving. In Guatemala, all these factors limits the interaction time between the service offers and the patients thus risking the lives of the patients suffering from chronic diseases who need more time. Equally, lack of cultural competence leads to the provision of poor health services and lack of satisfaction of the offered services due to low quality of patient to doctor interaction.
Finally, creation of awareness towards the public is in Guatemala is also challenged by the health care practices and beliefs in that some ethnic groups in the country does not believe in the science-oriented things (Baum, 2008). Therefore, this poses a great challenge to the people implementing the awareness programs to convince these people that workability of their mission. This becomes a hard task when dealing with the mentally challenged patients who believe that mental illness is brought by possession of evil spirits and, therefore means that the personnel dealing with such a person must fully understand the belief of every patient and be in a position of interfering with their beliefs in the correct way as they treat them.
It’s vividly clear that in the hardship associated in accessing the health services in Guatemala is led by unequal distribution of resources amongst its citizens. As such, it is simple for some people to settle hospital bills and access health services even from private hospitals whereas it is hard for others to access public hospitals (WHO, 2012). As a result, life inequity and social exclusion come up which tends to hinder the vast majority of the people from accessing better health services (Wright, 2009). Importantly, life inequities remain as the main hindrance in the provision better and improved health conditions in Guatemala. Significantly, life inequality is distributed on the basis of the socioeconomic levels of lives where the mortality rate of poor people is double than that of well-being people (Wright, 2009).
The life expectancy amongst the Guatemalans is also based on the life inequity, where the percentage of successful births is high for the rich people unlike for the poor ones (Jones, 2010). Moreover, the dissemination education amongst varies on the basis of the income distribution implying that children from well-being families gets quality education that improves their level of literacy. Besides, the increasing elderly population in Guatemala does not mean that they are living a comfortable life. The old population combined with the declining fertility rate in Guatemala has led to the deterioration of the economic, health and social life of the Guatemalans more is incurred when taking care of this old population (Jones, 2010). Consequentially, it is the role of the state government to minimize the gap between the living standards of the Guatemalans that will in turn boost their health, social and economic life.
Despite all these health challenges affecting the Guatemalan, its government has put several projects in an attempt of improving the health condition of its citizens. After the passing of the peace contracts in 1996, the new constitution of the Guatemalan stated that it an elementary right for every citizen to have access of a health care (Pena, 2013). Though it has remained a hard task for the government to implement this right, this government has tried to improve the health condition of its health institutions (Johnson, 2013). It has achieved this by improving its Ministry of Public Health and by involving other non-governmental organizations in the provision of better health services to its citizens. Moreover, the government setup a program (Expansion of Coverage program) that aims at improving the access of nutrition and health services to the poor people residing in the rural areas (World Bank Group [WBG], 2014). The program is implemented through the collaboration of government and various NGO’s where they are aiming at ensuring that they overcome the dominating life inequity amongst the poor people.
Conclusion
In general, therefore, the health state of any country solely depends on the ruling government that is held responsible for the provision of better health services and ensuring that they are easily accessible to every citizen. Also, the government should increase the number of professional doctors in the public hospitals to reduce the number of un-attended patients and to be able to handle the large population of the country. Similarly, for the health services and conditions of Guatemala to improve, the issue of life inequity must be handled and its effects controlled so as to improve its life expectancy. Consistently, cultural competence in the country as well as literacy and language barrier need to be addressed. In turn, this will ease the doctor’s and all involved party work as well as make public awareness effective thus, making the functionality of health institutions efficient.
References
Baum, F.,(2008). The Commission on the Social Determinants of Health: Reinventing health promotion for the twenty-first century? Critical Public Health, 18(4),
Centre for Economic and Social Rights,(2014). Center for Economic and Social Rights: Guatemala [Web at]
Ishida, K.S., (2012). International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health: Ethnic Inequality in Guatemalan Women’s Use of Modern Reproductive Health Care. In-Print.
Jones, C. M.,(2010). The moral problem of health disparities. American Journal of Public Health, 100(Suppl. 1), S47–S51.
Johnson, C.D.,(2013). Social capital: theory, measurement and outcomes. Nova Science Publisher’s, Inc.: Hauppauge, New York.
Literacy” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. 14, No. 3, Manuscript 4.
Marini, A.,(2012). Three essays on economic determinants of child malnutrition
Pena, C. L.,(2013). Guatemala – Improving Access to Health Care Services through the Expansion of Coverage Program (PEC): The Case of Guatemala. Universal Health Coverage (UNICO) Washington, DC. Studies series; no. 19.
The World Bank Group, (2014). Improving Access to The Health Care Services through the Expansion of Coverage Program: The Case of Guatemala [Web at] <https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/13283 > Retrieved 20th, October 2014
Singleton, K.,& Krause, E.,(2009). “Understanding Cultural and Linguistic Barriers to Health
Wittner, J.G.,& Root, J.,(2012). Gendered Worlds. Oxford University Press, USA: New York.
Earlier in the course, the different population health outcomes of two culturally and economically similar neighbors (the U.S. and Canada) were considered. This week, the focus shifts to the eastern hemisphere and an examination of health inequalities between and within nations with large, diverse populations.
Both India and China had similar health outcomes at the end of WWII. Unlike India, China’s health improved tremendously over the next 30 years. When it did not have a focus on economic growth, China’s health achievements surpassed India. Since the economic reforms 30 years ago, health progress in China has not been growing as much. Today, India is booming and is home to some of the richest people in the world, but it is also home to more food insecurities than anywhere else in the world.
To prepare for this Assignment, review your Learning Resources this week. Consider how certain large populations within a single political entity can still display disparate health outcomes. Think about how areas such as Kerala can have remarkably different health outcomes than the countries they are in. What makes those areas different from the rest of the country?
The Assignment (3-4 pages):
Discussion questions:
• Describe two health outcomes for which India and China have had different experiences in the last half century.
• Explain the reasons for the disparities noted.
• Describe the experience for those outcomes in Kerala and suggest reasons for why they are similar or different from the rest of India.
• Expand on your insights utilizing the Learning Resources.
Articles:
Please apply the Application Assignment Rubric when writing the Paper.
I. Paper should demonstrate an excellent understanding of all of the concepts and key points presented in the texts.
II. Paper provides significant detail including multiple relevant examples, evidence from the readings and other sources, and discerning ideas.
III. Paper should be well organized, uses scholarly tone, follows APA style, uses original writing and proper paraphrasing, contains very few or no writing and/or spelling error
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The influence that customers have on business activity has increased in recent years. What HRM implications does this have for workers and managers?
The following conditions must met in the paper
1) I want a typical and a quality answer which should have about 1400 words.
2) The answer must raise appropriate critical questions.
3) The answer must include examples from experience or the web with references from
relevant examples from real companies.
4) Do include all your references, as per the Harvard Referencing System,
Appreciate each single moment you spend in writing my paper
Best regards
SAMPLE ANSWER
Human Resource Management (HRM) Implications
Human resource remains one of the most important assets in an organization. Having the right people contributes to the achievement of an entity’s objectives and goals. It is the duty of HRM to put in place appropriate strategies and execute their functions well to ensure that an organization achieves its objectives. In the current world, the influence of customers on business activities has increased, which requires HRM to change strategy to meet the customers’ needs and expectations. The author delineates on HRM implications on employees and managers due to increased customer influence on business activities.
Customers form an important part of any business stakeholders, as they are the consumers of products and services. Organizations must consider the needs and the interest of customers in making any decisions. Meeting customers’ needs may define or differentiate between a successful and a failed business venture (Francis & Keegan, 2006). Satisfied customers often return to purchase the products and services of the company and vice versa. Business dynamics has continued to change in the recent past as new technologies come into existence. These changes have significant consequences on HRM practices if a business wants to compete favorably (Graf, 2007). Nowadays, customers have gained power as they comment, provide their opinions and even criticize products and services that various entities provide. Social platforms such as facebook, twitter, blogs and internet have necessitated the increased customer power on business activities. Therefore, with such changes, business must align themselves in such a way that they can incorporate these views to offer products and services that the customers require.
One of the HRM implications of increased influence of customers on business activities on employees and managers is change of strategies of recruitment and selection of their workers (Graf, 2007). Selection is one of the most important initiatives and function of HRM which can have positive or negative impact on an entity. Attracting and retaining competent workers is very critical in this era. Employees must have better customer care skills for them to strategize their businesses. Appointing people with right expertise and capabilities is one of the strategies that will enable them win and meet the demand of the customers. An entity will be in a position to survive in this era if it has an effective team of employees and managers that are able to make decisive decisions that will have a positive impact on customers (Graf, 2007). Workers and managers will have to take time to understand the philosophies and aims of the entity to impact on customer satisfaction, production and build relationship with suppliers. Satisfying employees’ need thorough financial rewards as well as providing other incentives will as well help to improve the employees and managers performance and commitment making them to provide better services to customers hence creating positive working relationship.
In this era, HRM will as well be required to invest in training and development initiatives of their employees and managers. Training allows an individual to advance their levels of self-awareness, enhance talent, improves skills and knowledge and motivates employees (Ullah & Yasmin, 2013). Employees and managers will have to undergo training on technology advancement and their use in businesses. For instance, use of social media and internet has become a major channel where consumers engage companies. Employees must therefore understand how these platforms work so that they meet the expectations of the customers.
In such an environment, managers are required to create a conducive working condition for their employees. They should allow employees to take part in the decision making process. Employees have ideas and views that managers can buy to help them meet their achievements and objectives (Bowen, 1986). This feedback should be provided in various forums and through suggestion boxes in the organizations. Information sharing will enable the company to function effectively as employees may provide essential information on strategies. Flexibility on designs is also critical in ensuring that the entity compete effectively and meets the goals and objectives of the customers. Job design will include embracing of job rotation, job enrichment, increase of autonomy at work, and job enrichment design that broadens job definitions. Employees must take responsibility upon themselves to ensure that they meet the needs of the customers.
Management should empower employees to help aid in customer satisfaction. Employees also get an opportunity to exercise control over their jobs and make decisions by delegating power and authority. Graf (2007) revealed a number of benefits accruing from employee empowerment including, quick reaction to customer demands and issues, affectionate and excited customer dealings, more satisfied employees, and employees are able to pioneer ideas. In this era where customers have greater influence, therefore, through empowerment of employees, they will engage customers in professional way to address and render appropriate services. It is, therefore, very critical that this is taken with seriousness as it affects delivery of better services to the customers.
Customers, even though are outside an organization’s boundaries, remain relevant references and or extension on HRM, meaning that they cannot be left out in the equation. They influence the success or failure of an entity. For instance, if customers lack an opportunity to express their concerns about the products they purchase and services, they use may not be confident enough to trust such products and services. This means that the company may not manage to achieve their dreams. However, those that listen to what the customers say and engage them constructively increase their public image and increase their customer base since customer feel a sense of belonging and feel appreciated and part of the larger organization community. Therefore, these are the implications that managers and customers must consider in their strategy. Managers must be concerned more on the level of competition as well as on avenues to ensure that employees are well prepared to provide appropriate services to their customers.
It has also become essential for managers to increase their level of customer orientation about the company and employees and reduce role conflicts and ambiguity to create a benefit for the customers (Chiu & Luk, 2002). This complex era requires customers to access appropriate and sufficient information on the company services and products to remain knowledgeable and to avoid controversies or conflicts likely to affect the image of an entity. Customers should receive information from the company on various aspects to alleviate any misunderstanding. This means that managers and employees would be required to embrace codes of ethics and ensure that they render their services with highest professionalism.
Training employees is essential in ensuring that they become competent enough to address the ever changing and challenges arising from increased consumer influence. For example, Kodak resorted to a global learning management system in 2000 in delivering e learning to its employees across the world (Friedman, 2007). This opportunity enabled the employees to be equipped with relevant skills and knowledge to execute their duties diligently. The training as well enabled them to understand the impact of culture and globalization hence being in a position to offer their services well (Hofstede, 2001). With technology, customers come across the world and have different cultural values, which require companies HRM to factor and to consider them in their strategies. Another company that has taken an initiative of appreciating and aligning its strategies to remain competitive even with increased customer influence is Apple Inc. The company has managed to remain innovative and to produce products that meet consumer expectations by allowing customers to take part in their decision-making. Customers have been involved through opinions, comments and criticisms, on various social media platform contributing to the companies’ achievement of its goals over the recent years.
Entities should invest their resources in research and development. Through research, organizations stand a better chance of understanding the needs and interests of customers. They will therefore be in a better position to render quality services to them.
It is true that customer influence on businesses has increased to greater magnitude in the recent past. This scenario has had a number of HRM implications. Organizations must change their strategies to be able to produce products and offer services that meet the consumer needs. Consumers are essential in any company’s success strategy and, therefore, by adopting appropriate and tactical strategies, the companies have higher chances of succeeding. Empowering employees through training and development, providing sufficient information to the customers and ensuring that competent staffs are recruited will ensure that entities remain competitive to achieve their goals.
Reference list
Bowen, D 1986, ‘Managing Customers as Human Resources in Service Organizations,’ Human Resource Management, Vol. 25 no. 3, pp. 371-383.
Chiu, R, & Luk, V 2002, ‘Retaining and motivating employees: Compensation preferences in Hong Kong and China,’ Personnel Review, vol. 31 no. 4, pp. 402–431.
Francis, H, & Keegan, A 2006, ‘The changing face of HRM: in search of balance,’ Human Resource Management Journal, vol. 16 no. 3, pp. 231-249.
Friedman, B 2007, ‘Globalization Implications for Human Resource
Management Roles,’ Employ responses Rights Journal, vol. 19, pp. 157-171. Available at http://runebergendorff.dk/opendir/Globalization%20Implications%20for%20HRM%20R oles,%20Friedman.pdf Graf, A 2007, ‘Changing roles of customers: consequences for HRM,’ International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 18 no. 5, pp. 491 – 509.
Hofstede, G 2001, Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations (2nd edition). Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA.
Ullah, I, &Yasmin, R 2013, ‘The Influence of Human Resource Practices on Internal Customer Satisfaction and Organizational Effectiveness,’ Journal of Internet Banking & Commerce, Vol. 18 no. 2, pp. 1-28.
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Read chapters 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the text and the case studies at the end of these chapters. Then answer the questions about the Rocky Mountain Outfitters and the Reliable Pharmaceutical Service case studies at the end of these chapters. Make your answers short (2-3 sentences).
Suggestions and Guidelines:
• Use your own words and Thoughts. Plagiarism and/or cheating will result in a grade of Zero.
• Give short answers to each question (not more than 3-4 lines)
• Total page length (not more than 3 pages, 300 words per page)
• 1-inch margins, Double spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman font
SAMPLE ANSWER
CHAPTER 2: RMO CASE
How extensive would the training needs be for the RMO staff?
The new RMO staff will need very extensive training in system design, requirements identification, analytical skills and project management.
What type of training would be required?
Training in project management, programming language and technical skills would be required.
Is it just about new programming languages, or is it broader than that?
The developer not only need to be knowledgeable on programming languages, which should include java and C++, but also be technical and know how to use tools.
How far can the project progress before the decision is made?
The project can progress through all the phases because regardless of the approach used, planning, analysis, designing and implementation activities are vital in each approach.
Do you think she is correct? Why or why not?
Yes, because both are approaches to designing a system. However, most systems that are being designed today employ both approaches.
Do some types of projects require an OO approach?
Yes, especially the customer oriented ones need to be natural and intuitive, benefits which are derived from object oriented approach.
What life cycle variations are under consideration?
Barbra may need to consider including the analysis phase, system design phase, and system testing.
What else might she do to speed up the development process?
She might need to define what the system’s requirements are and then find possible solutions that fit the system and plan on gradual release of the system parts that are complete.
What else might she consider adapting from the United Process, from Extreme Programming, or from Scrum?
She might adapt the responsive nature of scum to change since the environment is rapidly changing.
CHAPTER 2: FOCUSING ON RELIABLE PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICE.
What are some of the risks of taking this approach?
High possibilities in making mistakes, difficulties in making corrections, and impossible to add forgotten components into the system.
What planning and management difficulties would this approach entail?
Rigidity, ineffectiveness, and generalized assumptions. The approach is rigid in that once a plan is made it cannot be reversed and requires too much planning.
What are some of the risks of taking this approach?
High likelihood of committing mistakes that cannot be reversed, and it may be difficult to meet original requirements.
What planning and management difficulties would this approach entail?
Planning needs to be very thorough and it may overburden an analyst since analysis and designing may need to be done at the same time.
Briefly describe what you would include in each iteration?
The four parts that may be included in iteration include the inception, elaboration, construction and finally transition.
Describe how incremental development might apply to this project.
This approach involves finishing several parts and then releasing them to the end users. When more parts are complete, they are integrated with other parts and made operational. In this project, reliable may complete designing the system dealing with basic patient information, then make it operational as it still designs other information systems.
How would an iterative approach decrease project risks compared with the first approach?
By breaking the risks from their complex nature to simple ones that solutions can be provided with ease. It also offers opportunity for changing plans in case a fault is noticed.
How might it decrease risks compared with the second approach?
It ensures the most vital components of a system are implemented by giving them priority unlike the second approach where phases are overlapped.
What are some risks the iterative approach might add to the project?
Early release of a system part may cause rejection from the end users and distort the whole system since it may require developers to rethink or re-strategize.
CHAPTER 4: ROCKY MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS CASE
What advice would you give your project team to help it manage the user expectations?
The project team should treat user information with seriousness and adjust to changes as per user expectation. All the users’ views should be incorporated into the system being developed.
What early planning can you do now to ensure that the scope is realistic—to meet the need but within the time and budget allotted?
A feasibility plan will be necessary in ensuring that the scope is not only realistic but also attainable within the allotted time and budget. This will be achieved by clearly defining the content of the project, its intended purpose, and the extent of project work that the team is to cover.
CHAPTER 4: RELIABLE PHARMACEUTICALS
What information-gathering methods are most appropriate to learn about requirements from Reliable own management staff and other employees?
Through interviewing them or observing them while they are using the system.
From client health-care organizations?
By talking to them or interviewing them.
From suppliers?
Through talking to them and interviewing them, and studying what other companies do.
Should patients in client health-care facilities participate in the information-gathering process? If so, why, and in what ways should they participate?
Yes, the patients should participate. This is because in system development and design, excellent outcome will be achieved if all stakeholders are involved.
3. With respect to gathering information from suppliers and clients, how deeply within those organizations should systems analysts look when defining requirements?
They need an in-depth knowledge not only of how the system should function, but also be knowledgeable of the organizations core business in order to fully come up with the appropriate system requirement.
How might Reliable deal with supplier and client reluctance to provide detailed information about their internal operations?
Reliable might consider providing incentive for them to participate such as bonuses or discounts.
4. For which user community or communities (internal, supplier, or client) are prototypes likely to be most beneficial? Why?
Prototypes are most useful to the internal users because it enables them to identify areas that need changes. Necessary adjustments are then implemented to improve the final system so that the final system will be very efficient.
CAPTER 5: RMO CASE
QN 1 Discuss the implications that such a change would have on the scope of the project. How might this new capability change the list of stakeholders the team would involve when collecting information and defining the requirements?
If ROM decides to incorporate customer charge and payment plan, then it will have to be included in their system and not be a research item in the RMO initial list of things. In the scope, the project will now have to stretch and even include customer account, details on customer purchase history, and payment plan details.
Would the change have any effect on other RMO systems or system projects planned or under way?
The changes will have insignificant effect on the plan underway since adjustments can be made along the way to achieve the most desired and efficient system.
Would the change have any effect on the project plan originally developed by Barbara Halifax?
The changes will have no effect on Barbra’s original plan.
In other words, is this a minor change or a major change?
This makes the changes minor and insignificant.
What events need to be added to the event table?
What needs to be added in the event table include
• customer wants order delivered
• customer wants to recommend orders to friends.
QN. 2 Complete the event table entries for these additional events.
Event Trigger Source Use case Response Destination
Customer wants order delivered
Delivery request
Customer Look up delivery options Delivery details customer
Customer wants to recommend to friends
What activities or use cases for existing events might be changed because of a charge account and payment plan? Explain.
If charge account and payment plan are incorporated into the system, then the charge adjustment might be merged with the charge account. The payment plan will cause changes in ‘update customer account’ use case.
3. What are some additional things and relationships among things that the system would be required to store because of the charge account and payment plan?
Things to be stored include payment plan options and customer account details.
Modify the entity-relationship diagram and the class diagram to reflect these charges.
Order
Order ID
Order date
Order amount
Customer
Customer name
Customer I.D
Account details
Address
Telephone
Customer charge
Purchase history
Charge adjustments
Payment plan.
Cash
1st installment
2nd installment
Chapter 5: FOCUSING ON RELIABLE PHARMACEUTICALS
QN.1 Create an event table that lists information about system Requirements
Event Trigger Source Use case Response Destination
Nursing homes(clients)needs prescription order Order inquiry Nursing homes (clients) Place New order Order details Clients
Management wants to record prescription orders Record orders Management Update records
Time to produce order summaries Start of each 12 hour Produce order summary reports Order summary reports management
Need to update patient information
Patient information update Nursing home/clients Update patient records
Need to generate order fulfillment forms End of week Create order fulfillment Order fulfillment report Management
Management need to update drug inventory Update drug inventory Management Update inventory
QN.2 Create an entity-relationship diagram that shows the data storage requirements for the following portion of the system:
Order Item
Price
Item I.D
Quantity
Price
Prescription order
Order ID
Order date
Order amount
Nursing home (Client)
Patient’s name
Address
Age
CHAPTER 6 : ROCK MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS CASE STUDY
QN. 1 Develop DFD fragments for all of the events not documented
Order status inquiry 6
Order status details
Order status inquiry
7
Order
Fulfillment
notice
8
Back order notification
Back order notice
Catalog request 11
C
QN. 2
QN.3 Customer order form
Customer
Requests
Order
CHAPTER 6. RELIABLE PHARMACEUTICALS
QN.1
End week report Order fulfillment report
Order inquiry
New order update drug inventory
Update patient details
QN.2
Monthly
report
QN.3
patient
Requests
Update
QN.4
Order request
Place new order
QN.5. Physical billing procedure does not have to be developed because it can be automated in the system.
Reference
John W. Satzinger, Robert B. Jackson & Stephen D. Burd, (2010). System analysis and design in a changing world. Fifth Edition.
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Assignment Details
Open Date Sep 21, 2014 12:00 AM
Graded? Yes
Points Possible 100.0
Re-submissions Allowed? No
Assignment Instructions
This is your final assignment. It will evaluate you understanding of policy, you ability to evaluate cases and if you can apply your knowledge to a hypothetical scenario. I have placed some readings in the last lesson that can help you with the questions.
You have three questions to answer. Remember to answer your questions thoroughly and with substance. Do not just say something. Prove to me you know and understand the material by citing all relevant material. Please attach your response, and name your exam as follows: lastname.intl507.finalessay.doc.
Make sure that you review the writing criteria. This is extremely important because effective writing is an important skill for all graduate students. When writing your papers and exams you want to correct for grammar and composition.
You should also consider building an effective organization for all written work. You want to have a good introductory paragraph that conveys your thesis and organization and that provides a summary of your findings. Etc.
Ensure that you use proper citations.
Question 1:
George Kennan authored a policy document—NSC 10/2—that characterized covert action as those activities “so planned and conducted that any U.S. government responsibility for them is not evident to unauthorized persons and that if uncovered the U.S. government can plausibly disclaim any responsibility for them” (Scott and Rosati 2007).
Is this a realistic expectation for any covert action? Meaning, can we really expect the U.S. hand to remain “hidden” even if the action is discovered? If this is not realistic then why continue with the policy of plausible deniability? Or are there measures that can be put in place to make it a continued viable policy?
Question 2:
Compare any two of the cases discussed in the course (except the Bay of Pigs and the Berlin Tunnel). Base your analysis with the questions provided in the “Lecture Notes” for Week 1:
(1) What was the objective of each operation? Was there an overriding policy imperative or were they missions to gain access to the adversary’s information?
(2) What oversight or legal review occurred during their planning?
(3) Who or which organizations were accountable for the operations? What turf issues arose prior to or during the operations?
(4) What resources were necessary to successfully carry them out?
(5) What was the cost/benefit analysis of each operation? Weigh their risks, especially when they are publicly exposed.
(6) In evaluating each operation, what objectives were achieved and what unintended consequences occurred?
Question 3:
Please review this hypothetical situation and indicate (a) whether covert action is appropriate (b) identify the risks and benefits of a covert action (c) identify legal hurdles and (c) decide whether the President should inform all the relevant Congressional intelligence committees or limit knowledge to the “Gang of Eight.” Take into consideration political ramifications and possible blowback.
Concern has built up over Bashar al-Assad’s hold on power and his actions against the Syrian opposition. Through a variety of sources, the CIA believes it has a reliable asset inside the regime that could either organize a coup or “eliminate” the leader. The President has asked you to give him an honest assessment on the possibilities for both.
Answer thoroughly. Make sure to substantiate your responses.
Submission
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The Concept of Covert Action
Q.1
The concept of plausible deniability in US intelligence agency
US government has protected the national interest using ways that other governments and the citizens have limited information about. When the Soviet Union wanted to dominate the Middle East by attacking Afghanistan, US government entered into the war to assist Afghans to push Soviet Union outside the country.[1] Additionally, the then prime minister of Iran Mohammad wanted to nationalize the Iranian oil, the US government through their intelligence assisted British government to overthrow Mohammad’s government and instilled their puppet as the prime minister. Finally, the US government is said to have a hand in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba the president of Congo in 1960 since he gained support of the soviet union to resist the force of the political opponents.[2] There other many cases that the use intelligence has participated in other countries’ affairs to gain the interest of the nation in a way that remains silent to the public domain. Therefore, any clandestine way to influence governments, organizations or events of other countries in a silent manner is what is referred to as the covert action. Covert actions are designed by the central intelligence agency to alter foreign economic, political or military reality on total secrecy. As said by Corke, it is the most controversial level of intelligence because on top of its secrecy, it requires lethal force in some cases.[3]
According to US security Act, covert action is “an operation that is planned and executed as to hide the identity of or permit plausible denial by the sponsor.” In the CIA Act, it is referred to as a special activity, both military and political, which the Government can clearly and legally deny. The CIA is the only branch of security in US that is legally allowed to operate the covert actions. This means that the covert action can be legally denied by the government or the officials even after the exposure of such acts.[4] For example, the assassination of President Patrice Lumumba has been denied by the US government through CIA yet the evidences show their participation in the assassination. All these acts, both good or bad, are done using covert action under plausible deniability that allows them to deny any act the government has done. In this manner, the question is; can US government clearly deny the ill acts that that they have performed and their hands remain clean about the issues? And is this the expectation of the covert actions?
Plausible deniability is the term coined by the Central Intelligence Agency around 1960s to describe the concealment of information from officials to protect them from any repercussions in the events that unpopular and illegal activities by the intelligence become a public knowledge. In espionage and politics, deniability is the ability of authoritative player and intelligence agencies to pass the buck and prevents blowback by furtively and stealthily organizing for an act to be taken on their behalf by another party presumably not connected with the key players. Coleman says that the plausible deniability is a legal concept, which gives the American the right to deny the acts after a covert action.[5] It denotes to the lack of evidence proving a particular allegation. The Standards of proofs always differ in criminal and civil cases. In civil cases, a customary of proof is “preponderance of the evidence” while in a criminal case, the standard is “beyond a reasonable doubt.” If an adversary lacks irrefutable proof of the allegation, one is able to plausibly deny the allegation even if it appears to be the truth
The acts of covert action should be accepted since in most cases, its benefits are realistic if it is intended to assist people. There is no reason why one country wants to nationalize oil so that other countries, which are not producers, continue to suffer. The main argument is that after overthrowing the government and pushing the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan, there is a party that should be responsible and answerable to the public.[6] Therefore, the plausible denial is an act that the US government enacted so that they cannot be questioned if the deal of the covert action goes bad. It is a defensive clause that leaves them clean even after performing unaccepted acts. For example, up to now the US government has not accepted that they had a hand in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba
In this manner, US government should not hide behind the plausible deniability after performing acts that should be answered. Coleman criticizes the government that why do they hold the responsibility when the deal of covert action goes good and deny when it goes bad.[7] Crush says that plausible deniability is an attempt to cheat the public and the target government of the ill actions that the government commits.[8] He says that the government should be responsible for both bad and good achievement it has done. Although Rubin says that nobody should be victimized in a court of law where there is no evidence, in this case, there is evidence that can only be accessed by few individuals in the security agency.[9] Therefore, the government should be answerable and responsible at the end of covert action if the intention of the action is to benefit citizens as said in the act of national security agency.
2
Case studies
Covert action of Afghanistan (1979-1089)
Following the Soviet incursion of Afghanistan in 1979, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched the largest covert action in the world history to arm and assist the Afghan resistance. In the next ten years, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and U.S. provided the Afghans with a lot of money, weapons, and supplies, which included advanced anti-aircraft missiles and powerful guns. The armaments and assistance proved a decisive and neutralized Soviet support in the last stages of the conflict and ultimately causing the Soviet Union to come out from Afghanistan.
Operation Ajax of Iran (1953)
In 1951, Iran democratically elected Mohammed Mossadeq Prime Minister, who vied under a platform of nationalizing the Iranian domestic oil industries. At that time, the United Kingdom had a substantial oil interests in Iran through the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Soon after the election, Mohammed nationalized the industry of oil, deeply disconcerting the British government. The British government under the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill asked the U.S. government to help him remove Mossadeq from power. Through a chain of covert actions, the CIA of America worked with the U.K Secret Intelligence Services to arrange for the fall of the Mossadeq government and put the Shah as the president of Iran.
Analysis of the case studies
The main objective of the US and other countries was to fight the Soviet Union from Afghanistan was the fear of the dominance of the union in the area. The Soviet Union had one agenda: to increase its borders towards the neighboring countries so as to dominate the area. Being one the petroleum region, the American and other countries such as Saudi Arabia feared the powers of the soviet to control the borders. In early stages, the US government had no main reason as why to fight the soviet through their CIA but only to punish them. American leaders, politicians, Republicans, and Democrats, feared the Soviets were positioning themselves for a takeover of Middle Eastern oil. It is for this reason that the other countries together with US entered to fight for the withdrawal of Soviet Union from the country.
In Ajax operation, the main objective was to remove democratically elected Iranian primes minister who attempted to nationalize the Iran’s oil. The United Kingdom was afraid of the attempt of the prime minister to nationalize the petroleum hence secretively planned on ways to overthrow the government of Mohammad Mossadegh. The US got the interest of the British government following the consequences countries would have after the nationalizing of the petroleum as suggested by the then prime minister. The afghan fighters were defending their government before the soviet came in to support the rivals. In both cases, there was no legal review as the parties wanted to execute their activities with little knowledge of the public and other department of the governments. Davenporta notes that no Americans trained had a direct contact with the mujahedeen.[10]
For Afghanistan, there are several organizations that were accountable for the action. The first one is the Soviet Union who wanted to dominate the area and extends it borders towards the southern part of the country. The afghan of course had to fight back to defend their democratically elected government. The US through their CIA secretively entered into the war by training the Afghans since the dominant of the Soviet Union in the area would threaten the growth of other countries especially when the region was the chief producer of oil. This was the probable turf issue that brought the fight for eviction of soviet forces from Afghanistan. It also included organization such as Britain’s MI and Pakistan secret service known as Inter Service Intelligence. On the other hand, the Ajax operation was dominated by the United Kingdom and the American CIA.[11] The CIA used a number of groups especially the Iranian youths to create a condition in the country that could easily permit a coup operation. The prior issue to this coup problem was the nationalization of the Iranian oil that could threaten the profits of Anglo Iran Oil Company that is now known as BP.
As said by the CIA in their documentary, the Afghanistan covert action is the longest and highly expensive action in their history. Additionally, following the aids from other countries such as Pakistan, Iran, and china, in deed it is the most expensive covert action the global has ever experienced. There was supply of billon of dollars to the afghan militants through the Pakistan secret service, an operation known as operation cyclone. Stanton argues that about $ 3 billion was channeled to the country to equip and train the troops. There were also provision of antiaircraft weapons, stinger missiles that were provided by the countries such United Kingdom and the republic of China.[12] Generally, the covert action of Afghanistan has been very expensive to the US to appoint that there has been senate debate to withdraw American troops from the country. Although the amount of resources used in the Afghanistan covert action is incomparable with Ajax operation, the British government had to use good amount to overthrow Mohammad’s government. The American CIA funded compliable Iranians to pose as communists so as to create an environment of coup activity. The resources were not limited to bribing the local news houses to air propaganda against the then prime minister Cormac reveals that the CIA planned, implemented and funded operation Ajax.[13]
The Ajax operation was to prevent the prime minister from nationalizing oil. The nationalization of oil is unlawful since it prevents privatization of oil from countries that do not produce oil. As much as it was a move to benefit other countries there was other ways of doing it not the coup way. One benefits of the Ajax covert action it that it prevented the nationalization of the petroleum that could pose high prices of oil to all countries globally. Exposure of the covert action of Afghanistan has no risk at all following the dictatorship of the Soviet Union especially when they would have been left to dominate the oil rich countries. A study carried by Stanton reveals that most people were very happy with the American move but as at now very sad with the covert action of America that makes them use most of the government revenues outside the country in military.[14]
One of the main objectives achieved in the Afghanistan covert action is to fight the Soviet Union out of the Middle East. Thus, it has helped in the stabilization of the country and its neighbors. However, there has been revelation that the funds that were used by US government to assist Afghanistan is the major root of militants group such as al Qaeda in the middle east countries. Moreover, the existence of the US troops in Afghanistan up to now is the sole reason that groups such as al-Qaida are against US government. Ajax operation achieved the prevention of nationalization of oil that would see countries that do not produce oil spend a lot on petroleum.
Q.3
Covert action is one of the policies the countries have used to gain national interest. On the other hand, the US has used this technique to protect the citizens in particular war tone areas without physically getting involved.[15] It is for those two main reasons that the covert action becomes very appropriate currently and in future. Following the broad ranges of activities, the covert action has been viewed a useful tool for intelligence that gives room for the third party to get involved in activities of interest.[16] Most used by the white house, convert action has provided results that would have not been gotten if not for the secrecy. In line with the national security act 503 which states that “An activity or activities of the United States Government to influence political, economic, or military conditions abroad, where it is intended that the role of the United States Government will not be apparent or acknowledged publicly.” Convert actions are put into action because the policies makers believe and know that secret means is the ultimate ways of achieving specific and desired goals.
Following the success of the convert action, it remains appropriate to be incorporated in the intelligence sector of the US. Stanton notes that in a world where every country is greedy for supremacy, certain actions such as diplomacy have narrow chances to solve the interests of the government, hence, intelligence should be used to resolve such issues.[17] For example, the use of covert action in 1954 helped the government to overthrow Lumumba government in Congo in 1961 to prevent the establishment of soviet beachhead that that could interfere with the US economic interest. Although the US government has been accused of applying the convert action areas of their interest, cases have been seen when their interest is to assist affected and unstable governments. For example, the US government has funded The African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to eliminate the effects of Al-shabaab militant group currently terrorizing Somali.[18] Therefore, as part the national intelligence, the covert action is appropriate and necessary for individuals and organizations that pose threat to other people and government. In the US congress meeting, the proponents of covert action argued that there is a need for the covert since diplomacy and democracy alone cannot protect the interest and well-being of the US citizens.[19]
One of the main advantages of covert action is in the principle of plausible deniability. This is the principle that is clearly illustrated by the Security Council, which directs the CIA to operate against the groups that pose threat to the interest of the country. As such, it is a mechanism that is used to defend and act on opponents without declaring wars between the countries. It is for the secrecy of the covert action that did not make the soviet group attack US directly when US government cropped in to the war between them and Afghanistan. Converts actions provide the chance to reinforce overt influencing activities to accelerate the prospects of the success. Rubin accentuates that to be successful, convert action form part of large scheme of the foreign policy.[20] It provides an opportunity for the government to get involved in the activities of the target country where overt commitments are not mature because of the situation of the target country. Therefore, it provides an option of silent removal from a particular situation when there is clear evidence that further involvement will not benefit the interest of the country.[21] Generally, the action provides the CIA agency with an excuse to deny the charges and the allegation of involvement in wars between other countries because there is lack of evidence. For example, it is said that the CIA had an upper hand in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the then president of Congo; however, they cannot be victimized since there is lack of evidence.
One of the major risks of the convert action is that it can result to an unending war with opponent country. For example, an attempt to eliminate the al Qaeda militants by the US government turned to be a great war between this group and the US government.[22] The militant group declared a war against US to an extent of bombing properties of US in other countries. The same scenario happens to the states that were assisting Somali to remove Al-Shabaab militant from the country. The militant group is currently terrorizing countries such as Kenya that sent their military to assist Somali. As said by Radsan, another risk of covert action is the potential embarrassment of retaliation against perpetrators of convert action in the case of its disclosure.[23] In the end, the US congress witnesses argued that the government has been habitually embarrassed and criticized domestically and on a global scale as a result of covert actions. Not to forget, convert action ends up in blood shade and sufferings of citizens of the target country. Additionally, the covert action was put in place to protect the president and senior officials in the government to attack other countries without the knowledge of the public and the attacked country, however, if it is exposed it can lead to a serious war.[24] Lastly, there are financial risks both on the side of the target country and the donating country. The US government has used a lot of money on the convert troops and military on covert agendas, thus, the country is risking a lot of money on such acts while other developments remain stagnant in the country.
The legality of covert action has been a matter of discussion. While some people term it as unethical act that should be prohibited, some also criticize it as very illegal. The hurdles of the legality of the covert action has been discussed under the one its operation line known as plausible deniability. Denial plausibility directs that the government has the right to deny the actions when they are exposed in public domain.[25] Hence, questions arise that why would the government deny activities done in accordance with the laws hence it has received legal critics. However, the executive branch of the government has proved this action as legal. The executive order of the US intelligence activities issued on 1981 by President Reagan states that one of the functions of the intelligence is to conduct special activities signed by the president. The section 102d of US intelligence states that “CIA will perform functions and duties related to intelligence affecting the national security” Thomas Polgar an employee central Congressional committee said in a symposium that covert action exists and it is legal.[26] However, he said that states only need more controls to know when to keep the convert action in good taste accordance to the law. Crush posits that it is not the policies of covert actions that are in doubt, but the keenness and the motivations of individuals implementing and approving the actions.[27] Therefore, it is important to note that the laws of guiding the security in US allows the CIA to conduct special activities such as covet action which makes covert action legal.
The definition of the covert action gives a clear explanation that the act is a secret one hence should involve few individuals as possible. Corke says that one reason why the covert action should involve few people is the characteristic of deniability once it is exposed.[28] The other reason why it should remain secret is the reason that the government participates to fight another country whose actions are not directly affecting the country. Hence, when such information is leaked to have been signed by the government, it portrays a bad image of the country. As such, the president should limit his/her information only to the CIA to avoid political ramifications. Coleman gives an example of good secrecy that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden, which was only known when the US government announced it publicly.[29] Limiting the information to few people leaves room for easy withdrawal when the mission cannot be achieved. The covert action is also defended by plausible deniability that allows the president and the government to deny the allegation if in any case they are exposed to the public.
Callanan, James. Covert Action in the Cold War : US Policy, Intelligence, and CIA Operations. London: I.B. Tauris, 2010.
Coleman, Denise Youngblood. “Foreign Relations.” Iran Country Review, 158. 2013.
Corke, Sarah-Jane. US Covert Operations and Cold War Strategy : Truman, Secret Warfare and the CIA, 1945-53. London: Routledge, 2008.
Cormac, Rory. “Coordinating Covert Action: The Case of the Yemen Civil War and the South Arabian Insurgency.” Journal Of Strategic Studies 36, no. 5 (October 2013): 692.
Crush, J. S. Covert operations : clandestine migration, temporary work and immigration policy in South Africa / Jonathan Crush. n.p.: Cape Town, 2007.
Davenport, Christian. “Understanding Covert Repressive Action: The Case of the U.S. Government against the Republic of New Africa.” Conflict Resolution, 2005, 120.
Radsan, A. John. “An Overt turn on covert action.” Saint Louis University Law Journal 53, 2009, 485. LexisNexis Academic.
Rubin, Barnett R. Afghanistan From the Cold War Through the War on Terror. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Stanton, Andrea L. L., et al. Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa : An Encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2012.
[1] Crush, J. S. Covert operations : clandestine migration, temporary work and immigration policy in South Africa / Jonathan Crush. n.p.: Cape Town, 2007.
[2] Callanan, James. Covert Action in the Cold War : US Policy, Intelligence, and CIA Operations. London: I.B. Tauris, 2010
[3] Corke, Sarah-Jane. 2008. US Covert Operations and Cold War Strategy : Truman, Secret Warfare and the CIA, 1945-53. London: Routledge, 2008.
[9] Rubin, Barnett R. Afghanistan From the Cold War Through the War on Terror. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
[10] Davenport, Christian. “Understanding Covert Repressive Action: The Case of the U.S. Government against the Republic of New Africa.” Conflict Resolution, 2005, 120.
[11] Davenport, Christian. “Understanding Covert Repressive Action: The Case of the U.S. Government against the Republic of New Africa.” Conflict Resolution, 2005, 120.
[12] Stanton, Andrea L. L., et al. Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa : An Encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2012.
[13] Cormac, Rory. “Coordinating Covert Action: The Case of the Yemen Civil War and the South Arabian Insurgency.” Journal Of Strategic Studies 36, no. 5 (October 2013): 692.
[14] Stanton, Andrea L. L., et al. Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa : An Encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2012.
[15] Callanan, James. Covert Action in the Cold War : US Policy, Intelligence, and CIA Operations. London: I.B. Tauris, 2010
[17] Stanton, Andrea L. L., et al. Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa : An Encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2012.
[18] Stanton, Andrea L. L., et al. Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa : An Encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2012.
[19] Davenport, Christian. “Understanding Covert Repressive Action: The Case of the U.S. Government against the Republic of New Africa.” Conflict Resolution, 2005, 120.
[20] Rubin, Barnett R. Afghanistan From the Cold War Through the War on Terror. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
[21] Cormac, Rory. “Coordinating Covert Action: The Case of the Yemen Civil War and the South Arabian Insurgency.” Journal Of Strategic Studies 36, no. 5 (October 2013): 692.
[22] Rubin, Barnett R. Afghanistan From the Cold War Through the War on Terror. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
[23] Radsan, A. John. “An Overt turn on covert action.” Saint Louis University Law Journal 53, 2009, 485. LexisNexis Academic.
[24] Cormac, Rory. “Coordinating Covert Action: The Case of the Yemen Civil War and the South Arabian Insurgency.” Journal Of Strategic Studies 36, no. 5 (October 2013): 692.
[25] Radsan, A. John. “An Overt turn on covert action.” Saint Louis University Law Journal 53, 2009, 485. LexisNexis Academic.
[26] Crush, J. S. Covert operations : clandestine migration, temporary work and immigration policy in South Africa / Jonathan Crush. n.p.: Cape Town, 2007.
[27] Crush, J. S. Covert operations : clandestine migration, temporary work and immigration policy in South Africa / Jonathan Crush. n.p.: Cape Town, 2007.
[28] Corke, Sarah-Jane. 2008. US Covert Operations and Cold War Strategy : Truman, Secret Warfare and the CIA, 1945-53. London: Routledge, 2008.
