Baxton Technology Essays

Baxton Technology Essays Baxton Technology Essay Baxton Technology Essay Student name: Joseph Maloney Student number: 10391669 Word count: 940 I hereby certify that this project is entirely of my own work and has not been taken from the work of others save to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of the project. Signed: _____________ Alkermes’ human resource (HR) strategy is all about acquiring employees who show personal initiative and who get satisfaction of knowing that they are helping to make a difference in the lives of millions of people every day. Alkermes ultimate goals are to develop medicines that address unmet patient needs, to help its customer’s live happier, healthier lives. The Athlone facility of Elan must choose a strategy that supports the corporate objectives of Alkermes. They must align and prioritise the various activities of the strategy to accomplish their objectives. HR strategies need to simultaneously focus on building skills, motivation and behaviour for a successful business strategy. In my opinion the generic HR strategy most appropriate to align with Alkermes corporate strategy, is the resource-based view (RBV) model. The RBV model works towards identifying the firm’s potential key resources and developing and manipulating them to build a value-creating strategy. When Alkermes decided to merge with Elan one of their main reasons for doing so was that they could use Elan’s most valuable resource, the Elan drug technologies (EDT) unit. The EDT develops proprietary drug technologies that can be applied to a number of products, improving the effectiveness of the drugs. With Alkermes now having obtained a technological resource with a rarity that will help them gain a competitive advantage over their rivals, they must now focus on their human resources. They look to acquire talented employees who show initiative and feel good about improving people’s health. Combing and developing these resources will help them build a strong RBV model. When Alkermes employees are asked what is the main objective of the organization the reply should always be, â€Å"Excellence in everything we do†. They pursue this excellence because they know they are working towards improving the wellbeing of other people. Alkermes hopes to instil this same hypothesis in the Athlone facility of the organization. They plan to acquire talented employees who show initiative, motivation and know their commitments are ultimately towards improving the health of their customers. They plan to set up a RD programme where employee engagement is encouraged and rewarded. Most importantly they want to manage performance so that all processes are carried out in the most successful way. If all of these objectives are met the success of the organization should be easily obtained and worthwhile. RBV shows that people are strategically important to a firm’s success and that they are a potential source of sustainable competitive advantage. Alkermes have obtained a rare and valuable organizational capital in the form of the EDT unit; they now must match this with a highly skilled human capital that will get the best out of this technological resource. RBV focuses more on the HR pool, i. e. the employees than on the actual HR practice, so employees should have both a high level of skills and a willingness to achieve. Creating a good HR pool can be hard to imitate by competitors, so it can create a competitive advantage. High pay is always a major pull in attracting the best employees, as is perks, i. . company car and health benefits, as is bonus and new job opportunities for good work. Yet, Alkermes states that their commitments are ultimately towards the wellbeing of the patients that use their products. This will attract employees who feel they have a morale obligation to help people in need. This is an example of attracting potential employees using a non-monetary policy. When trying to create a performance managemen t policy for an organization you have to look at all the types of capital that affect performance, i. . human, social and organizational capital. RBV looks to integrate all the capital resources of an organization to create the most suited HR policy. Alkermes have already greatly improved their social and organizational capital by merging with Elan and using the EDT unit respectively. Now Alkermes have to look at managing the performance of their human capital. When trying to collect data on performance you cannot completely rely on employee reports via surveys about how they feel the HR strategy is working. You have to collect more quantative data. Collect data on things such as production per hour rate and job turnover rate, this will give you a more in depth idea as to how employees are preforming. You can now use this information to decide on what reward and training systems to put in place to improve performance. Communication must be both upward and downward in an organization to discover how employees are performing. It will give you an idea on what employees want and if they are best suited to the post they are in. Good performance management will result in higher operating performance, which will translate into increased profitability. Reward management is concerned with the implementation of strategies and policies that aim to reward people fairly, equally and consistently in accordance with their value to the organization. The objectives of reward management are to recruit and retain, motivate employees and to strengthen psychological contracts. They can be both monetary (bonuses) and non-monetary (esteem, i. e. job title). RBV looks at obtaining and holding onto the best possible employees, and the best way to retain them is through a strong reward system. Overall I believe that if Alkermes adopt the RBV approach and combine all of their resources by carrying out the objectives entailed they should be able to achieve their cooperate strategy. I feel that the information presented in this report is a good guideline as to how they should carry out their objectives. Hopefully the merger between Alkermes and Elan will run smoothly and will be profitable. References: alkermes. com/ www. shrm. org. digitalcommons. com.

Location, Location, Location Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Location, Location, Location - Essay Example Once the business starts, that money can be spent on other income-increasing investments. The next important advantage is the tax advantages in the form of reduced AMT (Doosan Global Finance, 2008). However, there are disadvantages too. First of all, leasing gives no ownership, and hence, returning the product or upgrading the product as one wishes will not be easy. Even if the thing goes into disuse, it will not be possible to dispose off the same, and till the termination of the contract, one will have to pay according to it. The second point is that when the expenditure over a long period is considered, it will cost more than actually owning the property. However, considering the low initial cost, possibility of open credit sources, chances of relocation and modification, it is wise to have property leased of owned (The top 10 reasons, 2012). The very first advice for the friend is to have the mobile home as office instead of building a permanent structure. This is so because not building a permanent structure at this beginning stage has financial advantages. First of all, the cost is spread over a number of years, and this, undoubtedly, helps in controlling the problem of cash flow. In addition, if the decision is to use the mobile home instead of permanent structure, it is easy to get the best location as there is no extra expenditure involved. Another problem is the issue of undercapitalizing. Here, one has to remember the fact that many businesses face failure because of undercapitalizing the business. This takes place because they spend the money on not so important investment. Doing this, especially when there is uncertainty regarding future cash flow, is disastrous. What is required is the strategy of staging investment. In the first stage, the business should not invest in building a permanent structure. In fact, there are a number of benefits as associated with not constructing a permanent structure, especially in accounting terms. They are: it

Psychological (market segmentation) of Hong Kong Essay

Psychological (market segmentation) of Hong Kong - Essay Example 1998, 6) of people in the target market. On the other hand, Jakubiak et al. (1990) note that psychological or psychographic market segmentation is based on the research over specific characteristics of the target market: ‘sex, age, income and education’ (Jakubiak et al. 1990, p.15). In accordance with the above, the psychological market segmentation of Hong Kong could be analyzed as follows: In Hong Kong the high percentage of population (74.8%) is between 15 and 64 years old (Index Mundi 2011); men are approximately as many as women, with a slight superiority of women though. The entire population is urban, at least referring to the structure of the population in 2010 (Index Mundi 2011). The life expectancy of the population has been estimated to 82 years; women are likely to live longer reaching the 84 years while men tend to live up to the 79 years, at least at an average level (Index Mundi 2011). In accordance with a recent governmental report, in 2009 the population of Hong was estimated to 7 million. In the same report it is noted that in 2009 females were more than males, ‘889 males for 1000 females’ (Hong Kong government 2011). It is also mentioned that the educational level of the population has significantly improved the last 5 years; in 2009 the percentage of people attained a post-secondary educational institution reached the 25.7% - from 22.8% in 2004 (Hong Kong government 2011). As for the average income of local population, this was estimated to $17,500 – for the fourth quarter 2004 (Hong Kong Government 2004). Taking into consideration the above facts, the performance of Dippin Dots in the market of Hong Kong is expected to be significant; the specific product addresses a high percentage of the population – in terms of age and activities: from children in school to individuals at work. Women, who are likely to consume sweets more than men and who are the majority in Hong Kong, are expected to love

The Negative Impact of Drugs on Sports Entertainment Essay Example for Free

The Negative Impact of Drugs on Sports Entertainment Essay The non-medical use of performance enhancing drugs among adolescents and young adults is of growing concern.   As many as half a million Americans under age 18 may be abusing anabolic/androgenic steroids to improve their athletic performance, appearance and self-image.   A growing body of evidence suggests that medically unsupervised drug use may pose severe risks to physical and psychological health (Kashkin and Kleber, 1989).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shockwaves went through the sports world when Canadian track superstar Ben Johnson was denied his gold medal at the 1988 Olympics after tests showed that he had taken anabolic steroids.    The incident called international attention to the use of anabolic steroids and in general, performance enhancing drugs among world-class athletes to gain competitive advantage.   Still, athletes and non-athletes alike persist in taking them.   And, in fact, it is known that athletes participating in the original Roman Olympic Games consumed them too (UNRV, 2003)!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are reports of male adults in physically demanding professions like law enforcement also using performance enhancing drugs to appear tougher as well as more formidable (Lombardo 1990).   What is more, as these drugs grow in popularity, so does awareness of the serious side effects of their use.   One of the most alarming side effects is the threat of AIDS; HIV — human immunodeficiency virus — can be transmitted if shared needles are used to inject the drug.   Potential harm to physical and psychological health is only one aspect of this troubling trend, though (Lombardo, 1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The non-medical use of performance enhancing drugs such as steroids, raises ethical and moral issues.   Engaging in steroids use is illegal and users are likely to find themselves acquiring these drugs through illicit and expensive channels. The heavy demand for anabolic steroids has given rise to black market, with sales estimated at as much as $400 million a year; moreover, supplies, which are often illegally manufactured and do not meet established standards, may be unhygienic (Miller, 1987).   Second, athletes who use these drugs are cheating because they gain an unfair advantage over opponents and violate the ban on steroids imposed by most major sports organizations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance enhancing drugs may be addictive.   Users of steroids demonstrate an unwillingness to give them up even in the face of possibly dire consequences to their health.   As the health risks of anabolic steroids become more apparent, efforts to curtail their use — through education, legislation, and medical practices — are intensifying.   For those already hooked, kicking the steroids habit is the best chance to escape devastating side effects; for potential users, the solution, of course, is to never take the drug at all.   There are other ways to be a winner athletically and socially without harming health, and without cheating (Miller).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of performance enhancing drugs is spoiling the sports entertainment business today.   It is only fair for all athletes to give up drugs, or for all of them to take the same drugs with the same dosage at the same time.   If only a few athletes consume the drugs, it would be cheating on their part.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Still, it is best for all athletes to give up drug use altogether, seeing that there are harmful side effects, both psychological and physiological, related to the use of these drugs.   Given that many athletes are using performance enhancing drugs today, while the rest are not consuming them, these drugs most definitely have a negative effect on sports entertainment. References Kashkin, K. B., and Kleber, H. D. Hooked on Hormones? An Anabolic Steroid Addiction Hypothesis. Journal of the American Medical Association, December 1989. Lombardo, J. A. Anabolic/Androgenic Steroids. NIDA Research Monograph 102, 1990. Miller, R. W. Athletes and Steroids: Playing a Deadly Game, II.† FDA Consumer, November 1987. UNRV: Roman History. Archaeological News. â€Å"Drugs, Cheating Were Part Of Original Olympics Too,† 2003. Available at http://www.unrv.com/newsletter/newsletter-edition1.php. (5 February 2007).

Powerful Symbols and Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Powerful Symbol of the Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne's scarlet token liberates her more than it punishes her.   First of all, Hester's soul is freed by her admission of her crime; by enduring her earthly punishment, Hester is assured of a place in the heavens.   Also, though her appearance is much hampered by the scarlet letter, her mind is freed by it, that an intellectual passion rises from her isolation and suffering.   Finally, it defines her identity, for the letter makes Hester the woman that she is; it gives her roots, character, and a uniqueness to her being that sets her apart from the other Puritans.   The scarlet letter is indeed a blessing to Hester Prynne, more than the curse she believes it to be.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The scarlet symbol of ignominy may have defiled Hester's public image, yet it has been a benefit rather than a bane to her soul, for by admitting her crime to the crowd, her soul is freed from two hells:   first, the fiery pit where she would otherwise go after death, and second, the own personal hell Hester will create for herself if she had chosen to hide her sin in her heart. Though it was ordered for Hester to wear the letter, it was still her own choice to make it in a vivid scarlet, "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom."   Hester chose red as the color of her brand of shame, to declare to the rest of the townspeople that she is prepared to acknowledge her sin, instead of denying it; she could have chosen to wear her "A" in a plain and nondistinct color, to escape the townspeople's disdain.   By displaying her guilt however, she is granted the opportunity to face her punishment bravely, thus through her public humiliation, she achieves freedom from the personal guilt of not suffering enough for her crimes.   Furthermore, "the scarlet letter, forthwith seemed to scorch into Hester's breast, as if it had been red-hot." The scarlet A's glowing embers, scorching they may be, also serve to heal, for the pain they inflict on Hester enables her to properly atone for her sin; by devoting this lifetime to repentance and expiation, she would receive relief in Powerful Symbols and Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays The Powerful Symbol of the Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne's scarlet token liberates her more than it punishes her.   First of all, Hester's soul is freed by her admission of her crime; by enduring her earthly punishment, Hester is assured of a place in the heavens.   Also, though her appearance is much hampered by the scarlet letter, her mind is freed by it, that an intellectual passion rises from her isolation and suffering.   Finally, it defines her identity, for the letter makes Hester the woman that she is; it gives her roots, character, and a uniqueness to her being that sets her apart from the other Puritans.   The scarlet letter is indeed a blessing to Hester Prynne, more than the curse she believes it to be.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The scarlet symbol of ignominy may have defiled Hester's public image, yet it has been a benefit rather than a bane to her soul, for by admitting her crime to the crowd, her soul is freed from two hells:   first, the fiery pit where she would otherwise go after death, and second, the own personal hell Hester will create for herself if she had chosen to hide her sin in her heart. Though it was ordered for Hester to wear the letter, it was still her own choice to make it in a vivid scarlet, "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom."   Hester chose red as the color of her brand of shame, to declare to the rest of the townspeople that she is prepared to acknowledge her sin, instead of denying it; she could have chosen to wear her "A" in a plain and nondistinct color, to escape the townspeople's disdain.   By displaying her guilt however, she is granted the opportunity to face her punishment bravely, thus through her public humiliation, she achieves freedom from the personal guilt of not suffering enough for her crimes.   Furthermore, "the scarlet letter, forthwith seemed to scorch into Hester's breast, as if it had been red-hot." The scarlet A's glowing embers, scorching they may be, also serve to heal, for the pain they inflict on Hester enables her to properly atone for her sin; by devoting this lifetime to repentance and expiation, she would receive relief in

Jurassic Park Essay

Technology is one of our most beloved pieces of ongoing history, but does it cause more harm than it does help? In the film Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg portrays the theme technology as an evil force to be reckoned with. Spielberg shows this through the plot, characters, and dialogue. Technology is a major theme because other than the hidden context that viewers have to seek it is everywhere in the film. A viewer thinks of technology as a helping hand, shortcut, or an advance of human nature, but in the film it is portrayed as something that should not be used to try and control nature. Also the complete opposite of what you would normally think, it will not work in your favor. The plot of Jurassic Park shows many ways of people being too reliant on technology. One way it shows this is in the very beginning of the movie they are transporting a dinosaur into the park and the cage had a green light on meaning that it was turned on and ready to transport the dinosaur, despite the green light being on a man was killed when he should have been completely safe (Jurassic Park). This sets the tone for the rest of the movie that you should never rely too much on technology because nothing is perfect. Another way the film Jurassic Park shows the theme overreliance on technology is when Nerdy, the computer nerd, turns off all the parks systems the electric fences shut off and they became completely vulnerable (Jurassic Park). On top of everything they could not even call for help because the phones were also down. Again, this just shows them being too reliant on technology. All this is caused because of Hammond, he is the creator of Jurassic Park and he is the one who counts on technology the most. The characters in the film showed the theme by their character arcs. Hammond, for example, started a park to show off the wonders of real dinosaurs from a safe distance of course. He counted on technology to run everything and keep people safe. When everything started going bad, everyone said they should just shut it down and not go on with this project. Hammond continued to fight for it, but in the end he gave up on it just like everyone else already had. Grant on the other hand hated technology from the start and did not want anything to do with it. Grant was the antithesis of technology, in the beginning of the film he was excavating and he hits a computer and it stops working this was foreshadowing that technology can break down at any moment. These characters symbolize the theme by what they go through in the film, as well as what they say. Steven Spielberg portrayed the theme by the dialogue in his film, Jurassic Park. Dr. Ian Malcolm said â€Å"God help us, we’re in the hands of engineers. † (Jurassic Park), this shows that Malcolm does not trust in technology all he wants it get the fame and money. In the film Jurassic Park Hammond said â€Å"We spared no expense. † (Jurassic Park), this was in the middle of the film meaning everyone else had already lost hope for the park and just wanted to get out but Hammond still believed in the park and also believed that it could keep going. Hammond also said â€Å"Dennis, our lives are in your hands and you have butter-fingers. (Jurassic Park), was a way of foreshadowing events that later came in the film, those events were, Dennis Nedry, the one running the behind the scenes of Jurassic Park, would turn all the systems off, put a encrypted password on, and slip away from the headquarters only to be killed and eaten by raptor, leaving the rest of the crew and family helpless. Steven Spielberg made you seek the theme â€Å"overreliance of technology† through the dialogue, not making it as obvious as other key events in the film. As evidenced by Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, film makers can use various filmmaking strategies to influence the theme of a film. Steven Spielberg used characterization, dialogue, specific scenes, and the plot to portray the theme â€Å"overreliance of technology†. Spielberg showed if one relies on technology so much it can get to a point where if something were to happen to technology you would wander around aimlessly not having the slightest clue on what to do. Steven Spielberg used this though various techniques, including, the plot, characters, and dialogue. Audiences should think twice about being dependent on a device that at any moment could become dysfunctional, they would have no idea what to do if that were to happen.

What if German was the Official US Language

You might have heard the rumor that German almost became the official language of the  United  States of America. The legend usually goes something like this: â€Å"In 1776, German came within one vote of becoming Americas official language instead of English.† It is a story that Germans, German teachers, and many other people like to tell. But how much of it is actually true? At first glance, it may sound plausible. After all, Germans have played an important role in US history. Think of the Hessian soldiers, von Steuben, Molly Pitcher and all that. It is estimated that about 17% of US-Americans have German ancestors.A closer look reveals several serious problems with this official-language story. First of all, the United States has never had an â€Å"official language†Ã¢â‚¬â€English, German or any other—and doesnt have one nowadays. Nor was there any such vote in 1776. Congressional debate and a vote concerning German probably did take place in 1795, but dealt with translating US laws into German, and the proposal to publish laws in languages other than English was rejected a few months later. It is likely that the myth of German as the official language of the US first arose in the 1930s, but it dates back to the countrys earliest history and another similar story. Most scholars suspect that the US legend originated as a German-American Bund propaganda move aimed at giving German added weight via the spurious claim that it had very nearly become Americas official language. By mixing wishful thinking with certain historical events in Pennsylvania, the Nazi-influenced Bund produced the national vote story. On reflection, it is ridiculous to think that German might have become the official language of the US. At no time in its early (!) history was the percentage of Germans in the United States ever higher than about ten percent, with most of that concentrated in one state: Pennsylvania. Even in that state, at no time did the number of German-speaking inhabitants ever exceed one-third of the population. Any claim that German might have become the main language of Pennsylvania in the 1790s, when over 66 percent of the population spoke English, is simply absurd. Clearly, this is just another sad example of the power of propaganda. Although the outcome is rather insignificant--does it really matter whether a few people believe that this might have actually been true?--it draws a misleading portrait of the Germans and their influence in this world.   But lets leave the idiotic Nazi  world aside: What would it have meant, if the German language was chosen as the official language of the US? What does it mean that India, Australia, and the USA officially speak English?