Short
Essays

This paper is a marketing paper that compares the product development and product management approaches of two companies. Those two companies are the athletic apparel maker Nike and the MMORPG maker Blizzard Entertainment. Their approaches are compared and contrasted, with examples and then an assessment is made as to which is better.

Alcan's continued revenue growth is the result of the combined success of increasing sales in four main business units, in addition to growth through acquisition. The cumulative effects of these two factors have served to create a profitable business and one where a highly decentralized organizational structure dominates (Chang, Wang, 2011). The catalyst of the organization becoming so decentralized is the continued revenue gains made across four businesses, each competing in market areas that face heavy pricing and commodity-like market conditions. Despite the heavily process-centric based approaches the industry takes to supply chain management, production and distribution, Alcan has been also able to profitably grow sales in the more mature markets they compete in. The senior management and IT departments credit the highly decentralized nature of the enterprise-wide systems that run the company. During the time period of the case, Alcan generated $23.6B in sales in 2006, and has 68,000 employees throughout its global operations that span 61 countries. The four major groups include Primary Metal, Engineered Products, Packaging and Bauxite & Alumina. Each of these business groups have their own Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and IT infrastructure. They each also have their own maintenance contracts with enterprise software vendors including SAP who the company pays approximately $100M a year in maintenance fees to. There are also the costs of operating over 400 different pricing systems, many of which duplicate functions across divisions as well. The new CIO of the company, Robert Ouellette, enters into a challenging situation and one that will require a completely different IT and organizational structure to succeed. Organizational Environment The Alcan organizational environment is highly decentralized to the point of there being four separate companies in the same corporation, each with its own entire value chain and supporting functions. As with the value chain concept, each of the four divisions has created its own main and supporting functions, and no two business units or divisions are the same. From the initial supply chain management and supplier quality management processes and systems to the supplier qualification, new product development, production and fulfillment including logistics, each business unit is significantly different than the other. When information systems and processes become unique to a given organizational business unit or division, the information and intelligence shared redefines the identity and over time, the core competencies of a business unit (Boh, Yellin, 2007). This is exactly what's happening in the four business units of Alcan during the time period of the case study. The Primary Metal, Engineered Products, Packaging and Bauxite & Alumina have in effect become their own companies, each with its own ERP, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and myriad of pricing and distribution systems. The case states that there are over 400 different pricing systems in place across the four business units or divisions. CIO Robert Ouellette and other senior executives see the potential for consolidating all systems together and creating a centralized IT architecture. Creating a highly centralized IT architecture and framework would require the fundamental structure of the company to change significantly. It would also require an entirely new IT architecture, followed by redefinition of processes, systems and procedures throughout the company. As the information platforms or technologies of a business define not only the performance of divisions but the structure and performance of business models over time, Robert Ouellette and his staff must think strategically as to how they will modify the overall organizational structure.

The study examines how the al-Assad family, members of a religious minority, came to power in Syria, and what that has meant for the Syrian people. To this end, this study examines how the Alawi sect came to power in Syria from a historiographic and religious studies perspective, and what the implications of the Arab Spring uprisings might be for the ruling elite in Syria. A summary of the research and important findings are presented in the study's conclusion.

In 1989 there was a Convention on childism. Addressed here is whether this childism is related to the general inequality that is seen in the United States. There are various different kinds of inequality that can be discussed, including social and economic inequality. It is important to see how these tie in to childism and what, if anything, is going to be done about it.

Virgil's Aeneid has long been read as a direct response to Homer, the Roman poets attempt to establish himself in the same lineage and even to surpass the Greek master with an epic even greater in scope and in skill…

Learning is one of the vital and fundamental elements in the life of a person that leads to growth and development, as it continues from birth till death. This learning process is noticeably witnessed by the individuals through the behavioral change pattern that occurs with the passage of time. In addition, the process commence from the time a person starts his education, matures and develops with their professional life (Kamble, 2007).

This paper discusses the issue of endangered species from an ethical perspective. It examines the erroneous notion that the interests of animals are fundamentally different from the interests of humans. It discusses the consequences of animal extinction on the ecosystem and the threats posed to the preservation of the human species.

Pulmonary disorders like COPD can be lethal. It is often hard to differentiate between COPD and heart issues so when symptoms of either show up, both should be checked for to be on the safe side. This is especially true if a family history exists for both. Sputum and shortness of breath are emblematic of disorders up to and including COPD and people should get to a doctor if they have any advanced symptoms.

The term "terrorism" is basically politically and fervently charged which compounds the struggle of providing a precise description of terrorism. Some examination studies by intellectuals have shown the fact that there are over 100 various terms of terrorism. A less diplomatically and emotionally charged denotation of terrorism is a better well-defined word that is often utilized for referring to fear.

Organizational culture is the workplace environment formulated from the association of the workers in the workplace. While executive leaders play a large role in defining organizational culture by their actions and leadership, all employees contribute to the organizational culture. The values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization make up the organizations culture.