Media And Its Impact On Society - 927 Words

As the world becomes a global village due to technology our society changes with it. We become more and more civilized that our way of life must change to match the changes in our world. One of the most common changes that have hit our today’s society is media. Media has penetrated through all barriers including our war fronts and areas where man never thought to have penetrated. As media develops through the years and technology expands more media outlets open and so the society has and continues to move away from the mainstream media (CBS, NBC, Fox News, CNN, ABC, etc.) to local media and different websites to get their news. The trust society had in Television and the mainstream media to provide true and uncontaminated reports has faded and therefore society is moving away from these to where they believe they can get news first hand. In this paper, I will attempt to explain why in today s media many people don t just rely on the major networks but go online for news (Lo cal, National, and Global). Could this be splintering our views and causing more anger? Should it be regulated? I will also attempt to express my opinion on what the business of news is becoming in the next ten years. Over the years Newspapers, journals, magazines and Television had been the main source of source of news for out American society. In recent years due to the advent of modern technology and the internet journalism has improved and most of the media outlet expanded the way they coverShow MoreRelatedThe Media And Its Impact On Society Essay1723 Words   |  7 Pagesonce said, â€Å"Whoever controls the media, controls the mind†. The Media have become one of the most dominant source of education of the 21st century. We could argue that most Americans use the media as their main source of information. The side effect of that is the fact that the media are very polarized. With the ongoing polarization, we could hypothesize that people would have been more politically educated and oriented if the media was not infiltrated. Mass media are expected to be educational.Read MoreThe Media And Its Impact On Society1678 Words   |  7 Pages When you are young you don t realize that what you are watching on the television is shaping many of your beliefs, distorting what is fictional and what is reality. The media plays a huge role in stereotyping black people compared to white people which has a major impact in how we view the people in our world. When we are watching tv or listening to the radio and it is constantly relating the color of a person s skin to their actions. This causes the audience to associate these actions with aRead MoreThe Impact of Media on Society853 Words   |  3 PagesHow much of an impact does the media have on your life? How many hours do you spend on the phone, watching television, or browsing the internet? Whether you choose to believe it or not, the media plays an enormous role in our everyday lives, and its impacts continues to stretch as technological advancements and other inn ovative creations come into place. One of the largest groups that the media affects, we fear is our children. As media continuously grows and undergoes changes, more and more childrenRead MoreThe Media And Its Impact On Society Essay1721 Words   |  7 Pagesonce said, â€Å"Whoever controls the media, controls the mind†. The Media have becoming one of the most dominant source of education of the 21st century. We could argue that most americans use the media as their main source of information. The side effect on that is the fact that the media is very polarized. With the ongoing polarization, we could hypothesize that people would have been more politically educated and oriented if the media was not infiltrated. Mass media is expected to be educational. PublicRead MoreMedia And Its Impact On Society Essay1625 Words   |  7 PagesMedia can be defined as â€Å"the means of communication as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet, that reach or influence people widely† and is fully ingrained into our society. In fact, according to Nielsen’s Total Audience Report, during the 1st Quarter of 2016, American adults consumed media at a daily average of 10 hours and 39 minutes. Media not only entertains us and serves as an important agent of communication, but also plays a crucial role in the socialization of culturalRead MoreThe Impact Of Media On Society1435 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Mass media is a significant force in modern culture. Sociologists refer to this as a mediated culture where media reflects and creates the culture† (â€Å"The Role and Influence of Mass Media†, n.d, para.2). Media has affected to the most area of human life include relationship, education, careers, and entertainment. There were a lot of researches about the impacts of media to society from negative to positive effects; however, researchers were not pay attention to the impacts of media in inequalityRead MoreThe Media And Its Impact On Society1161 Words   |  5 PagesThe media plays a significant role in developing awareness on various different subjects. Without the media, people would be much less informed on many social and economic issues. The media can be credited for improvements in these sectors today as it engages the public to have an opinion of our on-going evolvements by releasing daily reports on such topics. In terms of charitable aid the media has greatly developed our awareness with a nature that influences us to feel sympathy for those less fortunateRead MoreMedia And Its Impact On Society1696 Words   |  7 Pages Media has an impact on many of the population’s everyday life. It comes to no surprise that the media i s closely related with body imaging. There are thousands of advertisements out in the media that depict images of beauty and physical attractiveness which are unrealistic. The masses see these images and think that they are achievable thus lowering the self-esteem of many. Many of these commercials and advertisements fall under the category of the following: weight loss, clothing, cosmetics andRead MoreMedia And Its Impact On Society Essay1903 Words   |  8 PagesMedia has been growing for a numerous amount of years, and it will only keep rising. You could say that nearly everyone around you has some sort of technological device or way in which they can access the media, these are what we call print, audio visual and on-line media. Print media includes things such as newspapers, magazines and even books, Audio visual media includes your TV, radio or even music and finally on-line media is mostly photos or videos that are spread over the internet. With theRead MoreThe Impact Of Med ia On Society1853 Words   |  8 Pages In twenty first century, media is unavoidable in society. Every human being is exposed to countless media images, advertisements, magazines, TV shows in their everyday lives. Media is everywhere, it’s hard to avoid and there’s no escaping from it. Almost every home in America has a cell phone, internet connection, or a television. If not, billboard signs, magazines, and store advertisements are everywhere in society. Media is designed to advertise, entertain, giving information

The Battle Of The War - 1498 Words

Confederates enter the war with a belief that would also sustain them during war years and ultimately shape the south after the war, a durable belief in their invincibility. Even after major turning points of the war, diehard Rebels continued to express a resilient belief in their invincibility. They were unconquerable and they truly stuck it about because they expected to win. Their ethos; beliefs of being highly favored children of God, attitudes of invincibility (homegrown and those spread through propaganda), patriotism, masculinity, and veteran comradery - on many different levels help to shape the war and the New South. For many diehard Rebels, religion cultivated strong beliefs of victory and the mindset of being†¦show more content†¦The press was often fictitious on policy and tactics; the school weakened or closed, but the church usually remains constant and seemed to thrive on the emotional and physical sacrifices of wartime.†(19) Southern clergy suppor ted the war effort with actions as well as words. Many joined the ranks as chaplains and others as officers. Through literal interpretations of the Bible, many clergies pointed to the explicit typologies between Confederacy and Biblical Israel. Southern life bred a defense of honor and Yankees were mirror opposites of Southerners. Life in the South demanded grit and resourcefulness, working with one’s hands as well as settling differences the same way. â€Å"Southerners descended from â€Å"better stock† than Northerners.† (44) Men boasted of being able to whip ten Yankees and those that did not were deemed as cowards. â€Å"Union men were no match for southern steel.† (46) Confederate letters and diaries revealed that as the war went on the enemy was viewed with intensified hatred, prejudice, and fear. Diehard Rebels’ perception of winning the war was reaffirmed through images, music, and poetry that stereotyped Yankees as hypocritical refor mers, capitalist, money-grubbers, and sanctimonious. Countless stories circulated, through newspaper press and campfire stories, of Yankees destroying crops and railroads,

Essay on Strategic Information Systems for Business and Enterprise

Question: Write an essay on "Strategic Information Systems for Business and Enterprise". Answer: Introduction In the current time, business associations confront various significant issues so as to work their organizations in a viable way. In addition to this, keeping in mind the end goal to determine the real issues identified with the business, every single association is concentrating on the advancements. In today's technological period, business associations are receiving as well as executing advancements to perform their business exercises, to enhance their effectiveness, and to accomplish competitive advantages in a powerful way. Moreover, this examination paper is useful to express the significance and parts of the technologiesor innovations for the accomplishment of the business associations. Furthermore, the paper would also be useful to show that how new technologiesor innovations might be advantageous for the business associations with a specific end goal to perform all the business capacities in a precise way. In addition to this, the paper would also be advantageous to show the criteria that the business association ought to considerspecifying the structure as well asfeatures of a new system. Criteria Need to Consider Specify the Structure and Features of New System It is surely understood that the business association ought to embrace and actualize data framework according to the necessities and prerequisites of the business. Along with this, with a specific end goal to fulfill the fancied results, the structure and in addition components of the data framework must be according to the criteria of the business (Bidgoli, 2011).. On the premise of the given contextual analysis, it ought to be noted down that, Citizen's Gas Company (CGC) ought to actualize a successful and proper data framework so as to perform the long haul objectives and destinations of the business in a powerful way. In addition to this, CGC must consider pre-decided criteria keeping in mind the end goal to determine the structure and in addition elements of new data before actualizing the data framework. The foundation CGC must consider to express the structure and elements of new framework is depicted as underneath: Statistical Surveying: The CGC must consider statistical surveying as a critical standard keeping in mind the end goal to mean the structure and elements of new framework for the best possible usage of the framework. The principle purpose for it is that the statistical surveying would be useful to accumulate all the required information and data identified with the interest and supply of the item/benefit. In addition to this, an appropriate statistical surveying would likewise be useful to speak to the information that may affect the demand as well as supply of the products and services (Besnard, Gacek, and Jones, 2006). Along with this, with the assistance of statistical surveying, CGC would have the capacity to disengage all the components that have negative effect on the interest and additionally supply of the gas. Along these lines, by considering this measure into new framework, the firm would have the capacity to express the required amount of the gas in the three income classe s in a proper way. Cost/Benefit Analysis: The CGC should likewise consider cost/benefit analysis as essential criteria of the new framework. It is a direct result of the cost/benefit analysis assumes a huge part to assess the qualities and shortcomings of accessible choices that might be valuable to attest the exchanges, exercises, and utilitarian necessities of a business in a compelling and an appropriate way. On the other hand, with the assistance of cost/benefit analysis the firm would have the capacity to go to a choice that whether it firm ought to continue with a choice or not (Tou, 2012). Along with this, the cost/benefit analysis would be useful to speak to the regale that the firm can accomplish and costs that are identified with the execution of the framework. Supportability: Supportability is one noteworthy foundation that the firm should consider keeping in mind the end goal to indicate the structure and in addition elements of new framework. It is a direct result of the correct execution of another framework absolute relies on upon the backing of the general population of an association. For case, it all the administration and representatives of a business association would have the capacity to comprehend the framework then they would have the capacity to give bolster and understand all the critical elements of the framework to perform all the business exercises in a successful and an exact way. In addition to this, in the event that every one of the specialists of the firm would have the capacity to bolster the new framework then they would likewise of ready to perform their parts and obligations in an opportune way (Donnellan, Helfert, Kenneally, VanderMeer, Rothenberger, and Winter, 2015). On the other hand, if the representatives of the firm would not have the capacity to comprehend and bolster the framework then it would be dangerous for the accomplishment and in addition development of the association. In this circumstance, the new framework may make complexities for the firm and thus; it might impact the proficiency and execution of the firm adversely (Kroenke, Bunker, and Wilson, 2013). As a consequence, supportability is a vital paradigm that CGC must consider to detail the structure and elements of new framework. Every one of the representatives of the firm would have the capacity to comprehend the framework and perform every one of the exercises as needs be. This paradigm would be useful to enhance the precision level of the framework furthermore enhance the execution of the representatives in a powerful and a proper way. Information Processing Environment: Data processing environment is additionally an essential standard that requirements to consider in indicate the structure and components of another framework. It is a direct result of it assumes a noteworthy part to gather and also control information so as to turn out important data efficiently.In addition to this, information arranging prepares additionally imperative to gather, utilize, and reestablish accessible data to enhance the execution and proficiency of the framework in a successful and a proper way(Architecture Technology Corpor. 2013). The underneath given outline is useful to exhibit that how an information preparing procedure is useful to handle the information and to give valuable data to the business association on the premise of the accessible information. (Source: Oquendo, and Morrison, 2005) Turnaround: Quick turnaround is additionally a key measure that must be considered with a specific end goal to indicate the structure and components of new arrangement of CGC. Turnaround assumes a critical part so as to be familiar with the real amount of the item/benefit. The turnaround report gave by the new framework would be useful with a specific end goal to offer headings and direction to the level of computerization and to decrease the intricacy of the business (Gelinas, Dull, and Wheeler, 2014). In addition, with the assistance of turnaround report, the framework would have the capacity to perform multi-works and to do suitable making arrangements for the achievement and development of the association. Along these lines, the speedy turnaround would be helpful to give precise results and to satisfy the necessities of the associations in a viable and a convenient way. Along these lines, the turnover criteria into the new arrangement of the firm would be important to enhance the exactness, proficiency, execution, and to decrease the complexities, and information info prerequisites essentially (Parsons, and Oja, 2014). Exactness and Frequency: Accuracy and recurrence is likewise critical criteria that CGC must consider to signify the structure with components of new framework. The fundamental explanation for it is that precision would be useful to choose the required level of point of interest, nature of the information, and complication of the framework in a suitable and an exact way. Then again, with the assistance of this rule, the firm would likewise have the capacity to satisfy the interest and supply of the item/benefit according to the prerequisites and to decrease the boundaries so as to enhance the execution of the association and framework (Reiff-Marganiec, and Ryan, 2005). Aside from this, recurrence will assume a huge part to suggest the key headings and rules keeping in mind the end goal to enhance the level of computerization and to diminish the level of many-sided quality of the framework. On the premise of the above talk, it can be dismal that, these all are the most essential criteria that CGC must consider to indicate the components and structures of the new framework. These every one of the criteria would be useful to lessen the lack and to enhance the effectiveness of the association in a powerful and a critical way. Additionally, by considering these criteria, CGC would have the capacity to satisfy request and supply identified with the gas and to satisfy the necessities of three income classes according to their requests and in addition prerequisites (Daniel, 2011). Along these lines, CGC need to consider the above talked about criteria to enhance the execution, to decrease the hindrances, and to satisfy the necessities and prerequisites of its clients, to enhance the fulfillment level in, and to work the business in long-keep running in a viable way. Data That Should Be Incorporated Into New System to Provide Adequate Planning Capability On the premise of the given case situation, it ought to be noted down that, CGC is confronting a ton of issues with a specific end goal to work its business exercises. In addition, the arranging endeavors of CGC were inadequate to control the supply amid the gas year furthermore to introduce the data that was key to build up long haul contracts (Butler, Jones, Romanovsky, and Troubitsyna, 2006).. The firm was not able evaluation the real interest for gas. Thus, it lessened the deals furthermore expanded supply of the gas. Additionally, CGC chooses to plan and execute a data framework to diminish these issues and to assess gas free market activity in a viable and a fitting way. Then again, to give sufficient arranging ability, the firm should consolidate some imperative information into the new framework. This information is depicted as underneath: Clients: CGC ought to incorporate information identified with clients into its new framework to offer satisfactory arranging capacity. The fundamental explanation for it is that, with the assistance of this, the firm would have the capacity to perceive the genuine quantities of clients. Additionally, if the framework will use the information identified with clients then it is ready to extend the clients and to separate the clients into the classes on the premise of the use of the items/administrations (Pidduck, Mylopoulos, Woo, and Ozsu, 2003). Notwithstanding this, information identified with clients is imperative for the achievement of the association. The primary purpose for it is that a client base assumes a critical part so as to perceive the development variables and imminent of an association. Thus, the firm should consolidate information identified with the clients into the new framework to encourage the clients and to satisfy the prerequisites of the clients in a successful and a critical way. Climate: The association must fuse information identified with climate into new framework so as to give sufficient arranging ability. The primary purpose for it is that climate is an essential element that may impact the free market activity of an item/benefit (Ryan, Meyer, and Ehrich, 2004).. Alongside this, information identified with climate would be worthwhile to be familiar with the occasional interest of the items and administrations legitimately. For case, on the premise of the given case situation, it ought to be noted down that, gas use of CGC's clients connected with the climate. Along these lines, it can be said that, the information identified with climate must be fused into the framework so as to gauge the real request and to extend the occasional necessities for gas in a powerful and an exact way. Sales Forecast: The firm should join deals figures information into the new framework so as to give sufficient arranging ability. It is a result of offers estimate information of a firm is vital to extend the offers of the firm in up and coming years. Notwithstanding this, business figure information likewise assumes a noteworthy part with a specific end goal to discover the development rate and to appraise the future offers of an item/benefit. In addition, sales forecast information is imperative as a result of these information are fundamental to foresee the deals, to decide the yearly development rates, and to extend the deals in future time period in a precise way (Satzinger,Jackson, and Burd, 2011). Thus, CGC must incorporate deals gauge information into its new framework to give satisfactory arranging capability to the association. Demand of the Product/Service: The firm should incorporate information identified with the interest of the item or administration into the new framework to give sufficient arranging ability. The principle purpose for it is that these sorts of information would be useful to gauge the interest of the item or benefit and to supply the item/benefit in like manner (Stephens, and Meyers, 2013). Along these lines, information identified with the interest of the item/benefit should be fused to lessen the exhaustions and to satisfy the necessities of the clients in an appropriate way. Contract: CGC ought to fuse information identified with the agreement into its new framework to give sufficient arranging ability. On the premise of the given situation, it ought to be noted down that, the organization was obliged to pay for the gas volume that was indicated in the agreement, rather than the sum utilized. Along these lines, by considering the information identified with the agreement, the firm would have the capacity to gauge the measure of the gas that was utilized as a part of earlier year furthermore is capable to pay as needs be (Zowghi and Jin, 2014). Aside from this, these sorts of information would likewise be useful to mean the term and conditions, volumes, unit expenses, and installment conditions between the firm and suppliers. Along these lines, information identified with supplier contract would likewise be good to enhance the viability of the association. Capacity: with a specific end goal to give sufficient arranging ability, CGC must join information identified with capacity field limit into the new framework. It is a result of these sorts of information would be helpful to store and supply the gas according to the prerequisites of the clients (Glinz, and Heymans, 2009). Client Rate Structure: To give satisfactory arranging ability, CGC must incorporate information identified with client rate structure into the new arrangement of the firm. In addition, the client rate structure information re imperative in view of these sorts of information assume a noteworthy part to give month to month rate data of the income class level (Residential, Commercial, and Industrial classes) in an exact and a fitting way (Pablos, and Patricia, 2015). As a result, by including the information, the framework would be capable to offer intermittent rate changes fittingly. Priority System: CGC ought to incorporate a need framework into new framework to give sufficient arranging ability. It is a result of a need framework would be profitable to satisfy the crisis needs and prerequisites of the firm in a pre-decided time period (Chu, Chen, and Cheng, 2011). Conclusion On the premise of the above talk, it can be inferred that, CGC must consider all the above examined criteria to determine the structure and elements of new framework. Also, the firm should join all the above examined information into new framework to give sufficient arranging capacity to the achievement and development of the association. In addition to this, the new arrangement of the CGC would have the capacity to decide the interest and supply for gas, to finish the necessities of the clients, and to satisfy the prerequisites of the firm in a suitable way. References Architecture Technology Corpor. 2013. Computer Architecture Technology Trends. Elsevier. Besnard, D., Gacek, C., and Jones, C. 2006. Structure for Dependability: Computer-Based Systems from an Interdisciplinary Perspective. Springer Science Business Media. Bidgoli, H. 2011. MIS2 2nd ed. Cengage Learning. Butler, M., Jones, C., Romanovsky, A., and Troubitsyna, E. 2006.Rigorous Development of Complex Fault-Tolerant Systems.Springer. Chu, F., Chen, K., Cheng, C., 2011. Toward green cloud computing. ICUIMC '11 Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Ubiquitous Information Management and Communication Daniel, L.E., 2011. Digital Forensics for Legal Professionals: Understanding Digital Evidence from the Warrant to the Courtroom. Elsevier Donnellan, B., Helfert, M., Kenneally, J., VanderMeer, D., Rothenberger, M., and Winter, R. 2015. New Horizons in Design Science: Broadening the Research Agenda: 10th International Conference, DESRIST 2015, Dublin, Ireland, May 20-22, 2015, Proceedings. Springer. Gelinas, U.J., Dull, R.B., and Wheeler, P., 2014. Accounting Information Systems (10th ed.). USA: Cengage Learning. Glinz, M., and Heymans, P. 2009. Requirements Engineering: Foundation for Software Quality: 15th International Working Conference, REFSQ 2009 Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 8-9, 2009 Proceedings. Springer Science Business Media. Kroenke, D., Bunker, D., and Wilson, D. 2013. Experiencing MIS.Pearson Higher Education AU. Oquendo, F., and Morrison, R. 2005.Software Architecture: 2nd European Workshop, EWSA 2005, Pisa, Italy, June 13-14, 2005, Proceedings. Springer Science Business Media. Pablos, O.D., and Patricia, 2015.Impact of Economic Crisis on Education and the Next-Generation Workforce.IGI Global. Parsons, J.J., and Oja, D. 2014. New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2014, Comprehensive (17thed.). Cengage Learning. Pidduck, A.B., Mylopoulos, J., Woo, C.C., and Ozsu, M.T. 2003. Advanced Information Systems Engineering: 14th International Conference, CAiSE 2002 Toronto, Canada, May 27-31, 2002 Proceedings. Springer. Reiff-Marganiec, S., and Ryan, M.D. 2005. Feature Interactions in Telecommunications and Software Systems VIII. IOS Press. Ryan, M.D., Meyer, J., and Ehrich, H. 2004. Objects, Agents, and Features: International Seminar, Dagstuhl Castle, Germany, February 16-21, 2003, Revised and Invited Papers. Springer. Satzinger, J.W., Jackson, R.B., and Burd, S.D. 2011.Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World (6thed.). Cengage Learning. Stephens, M.P., and Meyers, F.E. 2013.Manufacturing Facilities Design and Material Handling.Purdue University Press. Tou, J.T. 2012.Advances in Information Systems Science, Volume 5.Springer Science Business Media. Zowghi, D., and Jin, Z. 2014. Requirements Engineering: First Asia Pacific Requirements Engineering Symposium, APRES 2014, Auckland, New Zealand, April 28-29, 2014, Proceedings. Springer.

Organisational Culture Jc Penney free essay sample

Do you think JC Penney was justified in appointing Mike Ullman, an outsider, as CEO instead of Vanessa Castagna, considering that Castagna was instrumental in turning around JC Penney in the early 2000s? Soon afterwards, Castagna left the company. What are the pros and cons of â€Å"bringing in an outsider† and promoting from within†? Discuss too the impact of such decisions on the morale of the employees. JC Penney is a mid range chain of American department stores, which was first started by James Cash Penney 1902, when he was offered a one third partnership in a new store with Guy Johnson and Thomas Callahan called The Golden Rule. The store was a dry goods and clothing store in Kemmerer, Wyoming and from here the chain spread rapidly throughout the United States changing its name to JC Penney in 1913 when James Penney took a greater ownership of the chain. At about this time several partners met at Salt Lake City to draft â€Å"The Penney Idea†, a set of business principles that were to guide the business from then on. We will write a custom essay sample on Organisational Culture Jc Penney or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Wikipedia. com viewed 9th September 2007. Over the years the chain of the department stores continued to grow through a system where the managers put equity into their stores giving them more control over what was sold. As a result the merchandising system was decentralised while all its competitors had a more centralised system allowing them to know what was in stock at any one time, what was moving and what was not; and to be able to advertise on a national basis. With the intense competition found in the retail sector in the late 1990s, JC Penney began to find its place in the market was under pressure and profits began to decline. At this stage it made the new appointments of Allen Questrom as the CEO and Vanessa Castagna as the new COO. Castagna came to JC Penneys with a great deal of merchandising experience gained from other retail chain stores. With this experience she helped Questrom turn around JCP by centralising the buying system, decreasing the number of lines sold, closing down non performing outlets and re-imaging the lines sold to the customers.This plus the selling of a number of the company’s other interests left it in a very good financial position avoiding what looked like possible disaster. These changes brought JCP into line with its competitors and in doing this Castagna showed excellent management skills. The share market also approved, as can been seen with shares rising from about $20 when she joined the company in 1999 to over $40 when she quit in March 2005, as can be seen in Diagram1. Diagram 1 http://investing. businessweek. com/research/stocks/charts/charts. sp? symbol=JCP viewed 9th September 2007. Even though Castagna showed great management skills she did not necessarily show the vision or leadership skills that were necessary to take JCP the next step further were it could attract, train and keep good staff as well as present a new image that would excite and attract new customers and ensure old customers kept coming back. Kotter (1996, pg 25) stated, â€Å"Management is a set of processes that can keep a complicated system of people and technology running smoothly.The most important aspects of management include planning, budgeting, organising, staffing, controlling, and problem solving. Leadership is a set of processes that creates organisations in the first place or adapts them to significantly changing circumstances. Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles. † When Myron E. Ullman joined JC Penney as Chairman and CEO late in 2004 he found that the company had maintained a rigid old world culture that discouraged new recruits and stifled creative thinking.Morale amongst employees was high, but only because the company had just avoided disaster and Ullman felt to increase morale and retain quality staff the culture within the organisation had to change dramatically. He had a vision to take the company to the industry leadership level through the â€Å"Long Term Plan† which has been updated over the last couple of years and can be summarised as follows: Annual Report (2006, Pg 4) †¢Develop strong enduring relationships with customers †¢Inspir e customers with our merchandise and services †¢Being the preferred choice for a retail career Establish JCP as the growth leader in the retail industry Unlike Castagna, Ullman has displayed high cognitive leadership abilities allowing him to see the underlying problems within JCP and act on them with innovative ideas. Of the five factors that make up Cognitive Intelligence, he shows high levels in all of them. †¢Experienced in retail industry. Gathered information about JCP before acting †¢Creativity was shown through in range of cultural change initiatives †¢Recognised when people are engaged with work they relate better to customers †¢Showed farsightedness through the â€Å"Long Term Plan† Putting 164 hrs into Retail Academy showed openness Ullman has proven that he is Strategic Leader as shown by Daft (2005, Pg 510-53). †¢His Mission was simple and it was to take the company to the Industry Leadership Level. This gave the organisation something to aim at for the future, established a standard of excellence and it reflected high ideals. †¢The Mission is in the form of the â€Å"Long Term Plan†. It defines the JCP’s character, core values, remains mostly constant over a five year period and provides a basis for creating the Mission. The strategy formulation is the cultural change initiatives that were required to build a customer focused culture. It was unfortunate that Castagna resigned from her position as the COO only some months after Ullman began in his role, as together, when considering their abilities, they would have made a very good team. However in light of the leadership skills and abilities that Ullman brought to JCP, it was a gamble that was worth the risk that the board took. Stone (2005, pg 192) lists the following advantages and disadvantages of promoting from within or outside an organisation: From OutsideAdvantages †¢Pool of Talent is bigger †¢New insights, skills and know-how can be introduced into the organisation †¢It is sometimes cheaper and easier hire employees †¢Outside employees are not members of existing cliques Disadvantages †¢Attracting and selecting new employees is more difficult †¢New employee adjustment and orientation takes longer †¢Morale may suffer among existing employees who have been passed over †¢Incumbent’s performance or personality is below what was expected or is acceptable From WithinAdvantages †¢Have knowledge of candidate’s strengths and weaknesses †¢Candidate already knows the organisation †¢Employee morale and motivation are enhanced †¢Return on investment in training and development is enhanced †¢Can generate a succession of promotions †¢Organisation needs to hire only entry level candidates Disadvantages †¢Employees may promoted beyond their level of competence †¢Employee infighting for promotions can affect morale †¢Inbreeding can stifle creativity and innovation †¢System can become bureaucratic Excellent training and development programs become necessary One would only image the impact on morale when the head on an organisation was sourced from outside the group and then to find the COO, whom it was widely expected to have taken on this role, to offer her resignation and leave. The mood at JCP which was quite high because of the recent turn aroun d in financial fortunes would dissipated very quickly. However the low morale that had resulted would have turned around once the cultural initiatives that were implemented started showing positive effects. Some analysts consider that culture change is driven from the top, whereas, others say that it is the system that drives change, not top management. Give your comments with reasons. DuBrin, Dalglish and Miller (2006, Pg. 429-30) define organisational culture, in three components: †¢The Artefact Level This includes the physical layout of the premises, the terminology, the signs, rituals and stories of the organisation. In the case of JC Penney, this would include such things as the expectation to always dress formally, the ban on decorating and personalising cubicles and the addressing of managers in a formal manner. The Value Level This is the individual’s sense of what ought to be, as distinct from what is. These are statements made about the organisation, what it does, and how it does it, which reflect the culture. The Penney Idea is an example of this, the document espousing values such as being agreeable, moral leadership, thriftiness and the need for employees to conduct themselves in a particular way both on the job and at home. †¢The Underlying Set of Assumptions These assumptions develop when values become so entrenched they are taken f or granted and are assumed to be unchangeable. After being in existence for over one hundred years JCP had entrenched values that would take concerted efforts to change. DuBrin, Dalglish and Miller (2006, Pg. 430) also identify four ways in which the organisational culture can be influenced: †¢The beliefs and values of the organisations founder. James C Penney bought his first shop in 1902, was the CEO until 1917 and remained as the Chairman of the Board until 1946 and after that as the Honorary Chairman until his death in 1971, Wikipedia. com viewed 9th September 2007.With this long connection and the organisation bearing his name it is easy to understand why the organisational culture had not changed and was one that reflected his ideals and that of a bygone era. †¢The social norms of the country in which the organisation first developed. According to the Annual Report 2006, Pg. 9, JCP has 1,026 stores in the USA and a further 7 stores in Puerto Rico. The South American influence can be seen in lines of clothing developed that are specifically aimed at the Hispanic population. Requirement to adapt to external pressures and the need to survive. In the case of JCP, changes in the culture began to come about from the near financial collapse in the late 1990s and the plummeting value of its shares on the stock market as can be seen on Diagram 1. It was first essential that the organisations procedures where brought up to industry standards. This was done by Questrom and Castagna and later in order to make JCP to an industry leader Ullman and team brought about significant changes in an attempt to completely revamp the culture. Internal Integration and problems with it. In 1922, the President of JCP Earl C. Sams was apparently critical of the informality of staff calling each other by their first names as he believed that it did not show enough dignity and respect. Although nothing was conveyed to the employees of JCP, they began the formal tradition of addressing each other by their surnames. Limerick and Cunnington (1993, Pg. 184) also states that, â€Å"We also do not assume that the founder or the CEO of an organisation has the unilateral control over culture.On the contrary, a host of individuals and interest groups are normally trying to shape the culture according to their vision or interests. But we do assert that CEOs in general, and founders in particular, form a very powerful, if not dominant, influence on corporate culture. † It can be seen James Penney had left a long lasting influence over the culture of the organisation, with his death in 1971, there was the opportunity for the CEO to change the culture, providing it was done in a careful and considerate manner in order for it to be taken seriously and not o offend employees. When Myron Ullman was appointed chairman and CEO, rather than make large encompassing changes he listened to employees, gathered ideas and spoke to other people who had been through the same process, and little by little he started making changes that had positive effects to the culture. The effect of these changes filtered through to the value placed on the company by the share market (which can be seen in Diagram 1), with shares rising from $40 per share at the time he took over as CEO to about $65 per share as 9th September 2007. Wha t are the lessons to be learned from the JC Penney culture change initiatives? What do you see as the key components in its having achieved it goals, at least in the near term? How can JC Penney keep the momentum of change rolling in its favour in the future? When Myron Ullman first joined JC Penney he wanted to create a customer focused culture and in trying to do so he came across significant opposition due to the ingrained culture that was very formal and rigid going back over one hundred years.Once having assessed JCP’s culture and being mindful on how it prided itself on its corporate tradition, Ullman set about making symbolic changes: He also started in-house training programs, which were not the norm in the retail industry due to the high turnover rates. The argument was that if training was provided employees would be more willing to invest their careers with JCP and as a result it would be a cure to the retention problem of high staff turnover. The programs were: †¢The Retail Program, which was like an intense graduate school on retail, strategy and team development for their managers.In these training groups it was reinforced that the members were the future of the organisation and it was also believed that the well trained managers helped train their subordinates. †¢The graduates of these programs would in turn take courses titles â€Å"Leading a Store† Another type of initiative that was introduced by Ullman was the repositioning of its brand, the first in its 105 year history, with the slogan â€Å"Every Day Matters† with all its employees trained in the new initiatives.The lessons learned from the culture change initiatives were, that although resistance by employees was met, if management were committed to and persisted with meaningful changes over the long term the culture can change and employees will become more positive in regard to positions which in turn should flow through to customers. The positive results to the initiatives can be seen in: †¢The second survey of employees which showed an increase job satisfaction from 67 per cent in 2005 up to 73 per cent in 2006. The increased ability to attract graduates from the best professional retail schools. The bottom line increased with Operating Profit going from $1,275mill in 2004 to $1,631mill in 2005 up to $1,922mill in 2006, Annual Report (2006, Pg 20). The key components in JCP having achieved its goal to date, has been having an effective leader and team who have: †¢Been patient so as to ensure that they listen, learn and understand the problems and issues that the organisation faces. To surround themselves with capable and trustworthy people who are able to perform their roles to the level that is required †¢While keeping a focus on what is trying to be achieved, making small but significant changes within the working environment to ensure improvement in job satisfaction. †¢Ensuring employees are equipped to perform their roles eg ongoing training. Daft (2005, Pg 564-69) gives a number techniques to maintain a healthy culture that could be used to maintain the momentum of change.They are: †¢Ceremonies, they are special events which are for the benefit of an audience, they reinforce specific values, create bonds and celebrate achievements. Eg. Celebrate certain milestones or achieving targets. †¢Stories which are repeated frequently and shared amongst employees, they can illustrate and reinforce important cultural values. The story can be factual or fictional and relate to JCP’s motto â€Å"Every Day Matters† †¢Symbols, can be an object, act, or event and convey cultural values. An example of this is the replacement of art with photos of employees and pictures of certain organisational sites on the corporate office walls. Specialised Language. The use of slogans or sayings can express key corporate values such as the â€Å"Every Day Matters† slogan. †¢Selection and Socialisation. Ensuring the right people are hired is essential then they must be socialised by instilling good values, high self esteem and confidence. †¢Daily Action. Leaders must signal and support important cultural values through daily actions. Employees learn what is valued most in a company by watching what attitudes and behaviours leaders pay attention to and reward, how they act in organisational crises and how their own behaviour match the companies values.