Balanced scorecard, “definition” Essay Example for Free

Balanced scorecard, â€Å"definition† Essay What is scorecard, how can we define scorecard, is it possible to provide a total comprehensive meaning? Scorecard is not a one word definition system, so in order to do justice to the question, what is scorecard, it is necessary to take a comprehensive approach to that question. â€Å"If you can measure it you can manage† that is the guiding concept behind the BSC management philosophy. The balanced scorecard system was designed by Kaplan and Norton in the 1990s with the objective of giving managers the tool to look into the long term prospect of their organizations with some measure of  reliability. So the BSC is both a management and a measurement tool that when fully and accurately implemented will enable businesses to develop their own vision, and their own strategy, and then translate those business elements into business actions. It is a system that can give businesses an authentic feedback about their internal and external results. And that in turn would enable them to develop a genuine strategy. Since a company with superior strategy and a way of measuring the results of its performance functions do better than companies that do not posses similar tool. (Kaplan Norton 1996). With BSC managers are able to a maintain a clear insight into the operations and management of all business units. It gives the manager the picture that he needs to see how the business is performing when it is compared against the plans, and stated objectives of the business. If a discrepancy is observed between the goals and the actual results, BSC enables practitioners to delve in and correct the noticed discrepancy. And when corrections are made effectively, the business would then redirect the necessary efforts and resources back to the expected reports. It has been  abundantly documented that companies that use BSC have a highly accurate and generally dependable view of their entire operations and its performance. BSC does not simply employ financial metrics in its measurements, but it uses customer satisfaction, technical and intellectual innovations, market share and market competition to garner better more reflective and more comprehensive results of company operations and performance. And there are very little doubts that this system is effective for those companies that have designed and executed the system. (Nevin 2003). A comprehensive  survey/questionnaire conducted by CIO. Com, Balancedscorecard. org, and Microsoft. com revealed that companies that employ BSC â€Å"have improved their financial and future position in the market place†. (Studentweb. tulane. edu). A study by Nevin 2003 indicates that about 50% of fortune 1000 corporations now have employed some form of BSC management performance metrics. (Nevin 2003). That alone means that all of these companies have used the BSC system to position themselves on a better financial and management future. With BSC organizations are able to articulate a comprehensive  strategy towards desired performance, and implementation success. On the whole the BSC system employs tree main systems in order to accomplish its objectives. It uses the measurement system, the strategic management system, and the communication tool. (Nevin 2003). These three factors present only as translation tool to the entire strategy of the BSC business system. The measurement system of BSC uses the â€Å"lead indicators† to forecast future business environment. It reveals the strategy via long term management that focuses on customer satisfaction, innovation and recognition of potential market competitors. It seeks out innovation for the benefit of superior products. It deploys essential resources in order to capture customers that it would retain for the long run. It looks for realistic ways to retain its customers. And it combines all of those factors for both effectiveness and efficiency. It is the measurement aspect of BSC that fully engages the four perspectives, so these perspectives will be discussed here in a little more detail. The four perspective as have been mentioned on this discourse include the customer perspective, the internal process perspective, and the learning and growth perspectives.

Analyzing The Feminine Agenda In Plays English Literature Essay

Analyzing The Feminine Agenda In Plays English Literature Essay In the three dramas, Oedipus Rex, Death of a Salesman, and Macbeth the feminine characters craft their own personal agendas into the lives of the tragic heroes. Jocasta, Linda, and Lady Macbeth are all similar in their dynamic nature, ability to enable, and their need to care for others. The exploration of these similarities can also be considered the driving force which leads to each of the tragic heroes to their ultimate fates. This woman uses female methods of acquiring power- that is, manipulation- to further her supposed male ambition. The remarkable effectiveness of Lady Macbeths manipulation is apparent in several ways. She overrides all of his objections to the plot she construes. When Macbeth hesitates in murdering Duncan, Lady Macbeth persistently taunts his lack manhood and courage until he feels it necessary to prove himself. Interestingly, Lady Macbeth and her husband are presented as being deeply in love. However, many of Lady Macbeths speeches imply that her control over Macbeth is merely sexual. Lady Macbeths strong will persists throughout the murder of the king. Afterwards, however, she begins a slow slide into madness. Just as ambition affects her more so before the crime, so does the guilt afterwards. She falls victim to guilt and madness to a greater extent than her husband. The play implies that women can be as ambitious and cruel as men, but social constraints deny them the opportunitie s to pursue the ambition on their own. By the close of the play, Lady Macbeth has been reduced to sleepwalking and attempting to remove invisible bloodstains. When the plague of guilt has finally done its worse, Lady Macbeths sensitivity becomes her weakness. Subsequently, her husbands cruelty and her own guilt recoil on her, sending her into a madness which she is unable to cope with. In the end, she drives herself mad because of her guilt over the murders and she apparently kills herself. Linda Loman is Willys link to reality. She serves as a force of reason throughout the play. Linda is by far the toughest, most realistic, and most levelheaded character in the play. She sees what her husband is going through. Despite all of his failures and weaknesses, she supports him, loves him, and occasionally enables his behavior. Linda realizes that Willy is just an ordinary man living in the times, but she does not place blame on him. If anything, she loves him more because of it. Linda assumes the role of the protector, the defender, and the respecter. She protects Willy when Biff fights with him. Linda defends Willy to her sons who believe that he is going crazy. Also, she respects him enough to pretend that she is unaware of the fact that he is trying to kill himself and that he has lost his salary. She knows that Willy is suicidal, irrational, and difficult to deal with; however, she goes along with Willys fantasies in order to protect him from the criticism of others, as well as his own self-criticism. Linda tries to protect him, but her efforts are in vain. Linda enables Willy in many ways, but she also encourages him. She gently nudges him when it comes to paying the bills and communicating with Biff and she does not lose her temper when he becomes irate. Linda knows that Willy is secretly borrowing money from Charley to pay the life insurance and other bills. Despite all of this, Linda does nothing, afraid to aggravate Willys fragile mental condition. She goes as far as throwing Biff and Happy out of the house when their behavior threatens to upset Willy. Linda views freedom as an escape from debt, the reward of total ownership of the material goods that symbolize success and stability. Willys prolonged obsession with the American dream seems, over the long years of his marriage, to have left Linda internally conflicted. She appears to have kept her emotional life intact. As such, she represents the emotional core of the drama. Linda is a character driven by desperation and fear. Even though Willy is often rude to her, she protects him at all costs. According to Linda, Willy is only a little boat looking for a harbor (___________). She loves Willy, and more importantly, she accepts all of his shortcomings. Jocastas character is only strongly represented in the closing scenes in the play. Throughout the play, Jocasta tested the beliefs of those around her by feigning disbelief in the gods herself. Though she put up this false front, she did keep her faith. At the beginning of the scene wherein a messenger relayed word of Polybus death and Oedipus right to the throne of Corinth, we see Jocasta praying. In her first words, she attempts to make peace between Oedipus and Creon, pleading with Oedipus not Tiresiass terrifying prophecies as false. Unlike Oedipus, Jocasta distrusts the oracles and believes that whatever happens will do so by unforeseeable chance. However, she is still wary enough to honor Apollo with offerings in a crisis. Jocasta carries garlands and incense to the altar and tries to appeal to Apollo to purify the city of Thebes. Jocasta solves the riddle of Oedipuss identity before Oedipus does, and she expresses her love for her son and husband in her desire to protect him f rom this knowledge. She pleads with him to stop asking questions regarding the circumstances. Jocastas character is intelligent and capable, but not driven to exploration as Oedipus. She carries her own agenda about what should be known and looked into. Jocastas character is used by the gods, in a way, to test Oedipuss faith. After accusing Creon of conspiracy and treason, Oedipus relates to Jocasta the details of his meeting with Tiresias. Jocasta proceeds to plant doubts of the gods by telling Oedipus the story of the Delphian Oracle and the circumstances surrounding Laius death. Again, after Polybus death, she excitedly tells Oedipus that his prophecy was obviously untrue, though it was not, and by doing so she attempts to hint that the oracles and thus the gods are false. It can be drawn that Jocasta is forced to perform such tasks for the gods because she tried to avoid an earlier prophecy. By tying her childs feet together and casting him out, she attempted to defeat the gods, and this disbelief of course angered them. Her punishment, then, was to test the beliefs of the very child she cast out. Jocasta was, in this way, a victim. Though it was by her own doing that this penalty was cast upon her, it was not something she was happy to do, which becomes apparent when she realizes the truth in her earlier prophecy. It is at this moment that she becomes aware of her punishment, and in desperation kills herself. After the realization of the truth, Jocastas own panicked grief impels her to suicide. Jocasta is a victim in Oedipus Rex, but not as much as she is a catalyst for Oedipus own victimization. She keeps her faith throughout and tries to relieve Oedipus of his. Because of this, readers may in turn pity her and loathe her. But the gods tested the king of Thebes through her the main goal of the play and both he and she failed. In the exploration of Oedipus Rex, Death of a Salesman, and Macbeth the feminine characters obvious self-interest plays an important role in their counter parts downfalls. Jocasta, Linda, and Lady Macbeth are all similar in their dynamic nature, ability to enable, and their need to care for others. The previous exploration illustrates the female agenda in contrast to the tragic heroes.

Free Macbeth Essays: The Inner-Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

The Inner-Macbeth Assumptions are made throughout our lives, just as the nobles suspect Macbeth of murder. Macbeth has given them a reasonable amount of examples to justify their predictions of his bloody doings, yet his inner monologue is available only to the reader. Such thoughts of his guilt and remorse are expressed through his discussions with Lady Macbeth, his unconscious reactions to Banquo’s ghost and the "tomorrow and tomorrow" speech. Scotland makes accusations through Banquo’s soliloquy and the nobles speaking of Macbeth in act five proving their beliefs of murder. The entire country believes he is covered in blood yet the reader is the only one who understands his reactions towards the deeds he has committed. Like a child, Macbeth attempts to run away from his problems, yet he has no where to go. "I am afraid to think what I have done", reveals his inability to think over scenarios before he commits them. He now realizes what he has done is against his own morals, knee deep in guilt, and attempts to figure out his problems with his wife. Macbeth ‘s conscious screams through, "Ere we will eat our meal I fear and sleep in the affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly", for the reality of the crime has come into realization and the only one Macbeth can confide in is Lady Macbeth. At this point in the book, no guilt is felt on behalf of Lady Macbeth leaving Macbeth resembling a boy crying for help when no one is listening. Through Macbeth’s attempt to make sense of what has happened during the "tomorrow and tomorrow" speech, he states, "Life’s but a waking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more". He claims we will all, at some point in our lives, end up having to finish our play, though when that happens it makes no difference, for our lives ‘signify nothing.’ By claiming life is insignificant, Macbeth makes excuses for the murders he has committed, yet deep down inside this is simply a cover-up for the guilt boiling inside. Assumptions, made by Macbeth, about the meaning of life proves Macbeth is really to soothe his own remorse by summarizing life through the eyes of a murderer. Such a soliloquy has Scotland looking down upon him, for he seems relentless and bloody.

Outsourcing Jobs To Foreign Countries Essay -- Outsourcing Globalizati

Outsourcing Jobs to Foreign Countries Due to the lack of employment in foreign countries, companies that outsource work overseas are not only beneficial to themselves but also to the service providers being employed. The initial benefit that catches the public’s eye from outsourcing is a cost reduction on the company’s part. But that is not the only benefit from outsourcing or even the key benefit that causes companies to outsource, on the other hand, outsourcing has its disadvantages as well. Outsourcing, like every developing idea being implemented into our economy, has its pitfalls and drawbacks such as staff cuts and information leaks, there are also cases of breach of contract. Despite all the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing, it is a wheel in motion and is becoming more than just a question of whether or not a company will outsource but it is a question of how much or how little of the company’s work will be outsourced offshore. This having been said; let us discuss the benefits an d pitfalls of offshore outsourcing. Companies not only benefit from cost reductions overseas or the ability of the company to specialize in one area of expertise but also outsourcing certain work lets designers and engineers focus on more important tasks. To illustrate, â€Å"In Calcutta, India, a team of engineers is designing bottle caps ... Back home in Indiana, a team of engineers that used to design the same bottle caps now focuses on more value-added engineering work since some of their design responsibilities have been taken away.† (Katz, J., 2006). Outsourcing from the start was initiated to reduce non-core tasks, such as inventory management and logistics from the already full list of tasks appointed to company heads, â€Å"not an ... ...g. There is an undeniable fact here, that outsourcing is no longer just a strategy to succeed but a tactic used in everyday business. References Carnevale, Dan. "Technology Companies Bring Outsourcing Home.(Rural Sourcing Inc.)." The Chronicle of Higher Education 52.31 (April 7, 2006): NA. InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. Apollo Group. 9 July 2006. Katz, J. (2006). LEARNING TO LET GO. Industry Week/IW, 255(7), 31-34. Retrieved Sunday, July 09, 2006 from the Academic Search Premier database. Panchak, P. (2006). Next-Generation Outsourcing. Industry Week/IW, 255(7), 11-11. Retrieved Sunday, July 09, 2006 from the Academic Search Premier database. "The outsourcing source book. (the pros and cons of outsourcing) (Productivity in the '90s)." Journal of Business Strategy 14.n3 (May-June 1993): 52(5). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. Apollo Group. 9 July 2006

Prejudice and Stereotyping in the Movie, Crash :: Film Movies Racism Race

Prejudice and Stereotyping in the Movie, Crash "Crash" is a movie that exposes different kinds of social and multicultural differences, giving us a quick example of how these conducts affect our society. Two of the behaviors observed, are Prejudice and Stereotyping. Identified as the causes of where all the events eradicate. These behaviors are viewed as thoughts and feelings that almost everyone has felt more than once. In the first scene we observe a Muslim man inside a firearm store, attempting to buy a gun. The owner is a white Caucasian male that presents a negative attitude towards the customer because of his Muslim background. This feeling triggers in the owner, negative attitudes based on the assimilation and stereotypes with the Muslim race. Being immediately associated with the Al Qaeda terrorist group, which was responsible for suicidal bombers that have killed thousand of Americans. This negative attitude and violence observed in this particular scene, is an example of Prejudice, known as a negative feeling and predisposition of behavior towards a group or any member belonging to that group (**). It is an issue that although it has always existed in humanity, it would be though to have dissipated in the 21st century. Taking in count that now in the in days we are better informed and educated to understand that one group's actions shouldn't be applied to stereotype the whole race. As far as personal experience, living in Miami,-Florida, as a none-Cuban Latin, makes it easier to have an insight in all kinds of prejudice and stereotypes within the same Hispanic society. This behavior makes it hard to not feel negatively judged by others who do belong to the majority group. Unfortunately prejudice is not simply an attitude that remains internal to its owner; it impacts behavior. When negative attitudes on the basis of differences translate into behavior, we have as a result, discrimination and the social inequity it produces. Therefore, efforts to reduce prejudice are well advised to take the social context into consideration when focusing on the individuals' attitudes. This is an issue not only found in America but in the whole world. In our global economy requiring functional and respectful relationships between nations, prejudice and stereotypes can be a destructive force both in the world and in individual societies, especially in diverse ones. Prejudice becomes threatening when it reaches its most extreme form, known as Bigotry.

IOS 7 vs. IOS 6

IOS 7 vs. IOS 6 When Apple announced it's new OS back in March, many people were very excited at a change to the old IOS 6. As beta testing for the OS began and bugs began to intoxicate the new OS many consumers were left wondering if the need to switch at the final release was the best move and if so, what were the advantages or changes to the new OS. IOS 7 has changed many of the features of IOS 6, but many of the core elements of IOS 6 are ever-present.The First and most noticeable difference in IOS 7 is its new color scheme and lock screen. IOS 6 had a round design and color scheme that was reminiscent of factory gears, and its lock screen was a simple picture with a slider at the bottom. But in the new OS, the color scheme is neon and bright colors, flat design in the sense that none of the home screen apps seem 3d, but also the lock screen is a full screen picture with the date, time, and also a slide to unlock slider.Those few improvements o the overall OS were nice, but the s lide to unlock from the original OS 6 was still there and so were the large digital clock at the top. Another difference is the addition of Control Center. Control Center is a slider at the bottom of the screen that you slide up to use specific features of IOS 7, that in the older OS 6 you would have had to go to the settings menu. The features of Control Center include a slider for brightness, Wi-Fi control, Bluetooth control, and also one of IOS 7's new features, Airdrop.Once again, the new features are great, even though many of the uses of them were in IOS 6. All in all IOS 7 is a step forward in features and still stays true to its predecessor. The new color scheme and lock screen got a complete overhaul, while keeping the same features and core elements of OS 6. Also the addition of Control Center now uses the toggles that could have been found in the settings menu of 10s 6. So once again, apple has made a step up in its Operating System while still staying true to its predece asing one.

Living on Your Own Essay

Living on your own doesn’t seem to be a big deal in the beginning. Despite all the disadvantages of living on your own the benefits of it are far greater. While living on your own you can develop important life skills such as time management and greater responsibility, which will lead to a more mature stage of life. When this stage of life is achieved you can decide what and how you want to live the rest of your life. When it comes to the point of living away from your parents house a big door to freedom is opened up where there is nobody except yourself and a lot of time and things you can play with. Privacy is perhaps one of the most important things you receive when you are living on your own. Coming home from work or school to find there is nobody sitting watching a TV program you do not like or someone trying to force you to eat when you are not hungry. Also there will be nobody there to annoy you with their questions or their whole day in detail on a daily basis. On top of the privacy issue most young people these days are complaining that there is someone pushing on them for their time management. If you are living on your own this problem will virtually cease to exist. You have to decide when the rime comes to do your homework, eat, sleep, go to school or go to work. It seems if you have all that freedom nobody can stop you from doing whatever you want when you want except for you. This is great as long as you manage your time well and don’t just end up partying all the time, but also have time for school and work things will be great. Another great thing about living on your own is that it is very challenging and adventurous. Great opportunities come around every day which you can take advantage of. The best thing about it is even if the opportunity you had fails you don’t feel embarrassed in front of anybody but yourself. It is obviously better when things work out for you and you feel very proud of yourself because you did it by yourself. In conclusion There are many great more advantages to living on your own than  not. By having total freedom, not having people push on you and making your descisions for you and you have the advantage of learning about life on your own. By lving on your own you will face the biggest challenge in your life. It is human nature to strike out on your own and live independently.