Safety over Freedom free essay sample

By giving up a percentage of freedom, people in turn receive safety by creating restrictive laws, dealing punishments, and developing intricate procedures as seen when governments have dealt with drug use, terrorism, and vehicular management. Time and time again philosophers have come to agreement that a social contract exists. In this social contract people allow government to rule over them to create order because man’s general state of nature is as unruly as it is brutish. To be completely free would not be ideal to any society in existence; complete anarchy would engulf nations and cause terrible destruction. The pursuit of safety is driven by fear creating better conditions for the majority over whatever an individual would prefer. Every introduction of a new controlled substance that is used recreationally always creates a scare in the health department, as well as the government. Ketamine is a drug which is generally used as horse tranquilizer, but also began to be used recreationally. We will write a custom essay sample on Safety over Freedom or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The recreational use was legal for a while until the effects of the drug where examined. Governments immediately took action to outlaw this drug as it causes significant damage to the body and clouds judgment leading to negative, dire consequences such as aggressiveness and violence. People’s freedom to intake whatever they pleased was infringed upon as laws were passed to give this drug its illegal status all in the name or protecting others. Terrorism has greatly shaped the way America is governed now. Safety was threatened; therefore drastic measures were taken which sacrificed a great deal of freedom. Most American adults recall where they were at the time of 9/11. After the 9/11 strike everyone in the United States feared for the future as they were anxious about whether or not such other attacks would ensue. The government placed heavy security in airports after that. People were being thoroughly checked, searched, and some may say violated. People’s sense of freedom was disregarded when it came to ensuring safety. People were still free to fly as airports were not shut down, but they were obligated to go through many procedures that invaded their privacy, which is a huge part of freedom. Driving has become much safer over a short course of time as engineers have developed new technologies and the government has cracked down on how people should behave when driving. Before it used to be that texting, and eating were allowed. Now people are not free to do those things or else drivers will be punished and fined. Looking at the big picture, at least people are free to drive the streets but only as long as they follow rigid sets of rules. Nobody really drives the way they would like to drive. If people drove the way they felt like driving there would be a significant increase in accidents and mortality rates for drivers would decrease, of course. Safety is more important and free will was disregarded with reason. Drivers, passengers, pedestrians and anyone else roaming the streets would be afraid to live in a world where people drove however they pleased. â€Å"The average man does not want to be free, he simply wants to be safe. † H. L. Menchekn has history to clearly back his point. People have always wanted to create some type of order to increase safety even if not completely free. Laws to render many drugs illegal have been passed to create more safety for communities because drugs are closely associated with violence and aggressive behavior. Driving laws are so strict and there are now so many things drivers do not have the freedom to do in order to create safer streets for everyone. Events like 9/11 have struck the nation hard and the government swiftly took action to provide more safety no matter what freedoms they were stripping from people. People are pushed towards restrictions and safety procedures as they fear possibilities; more order is created with society as everything becomes generally safer even if individuals’ free wills are overshadowed.

3 Cases of Repetitive Punctuation

3 Cases of Repetitive Punctuation 3 Cases of Repetitive Punctuation 3 Cases of Repetitive Punctuation By Mark Nichol In each of the sentences below, the number of commas is excessive, which can obscure comprehension because the reader is distracted from effortlessly recognizing the syntactical structure of the statement. Discussion and a revision follows each example. 1. The next step is to escalate the issue to the executive management, including the CEO, and, through appropriate channels, the board of directors. When repetition of commas or other punctuation marks within a sentence is overbearing, recast the sentence or, as shown here, change punctuation marks to reduce the number of identical occurrences: â€Å"The next step is to escalate the issue to the executive management (including the CEO) and, through appropriate channels, the board of directors.† 2. They will need to exercise their own judgment when considering whether a lower threshold is appropriate for a portion, or all, of their customers, which, again, may lead to inconsistent practices across the industry. If a word or phrase signals an abrupt or unexpected shift in a sentence, a dash is likely a more appropriate substitute when too many commas burden a sentence: â€Å"They will need to exercise their own judgment when considering whether a lower threshold is appropriate for a portion, or all, of their customers- which, again, may lead to inconsistent practices across the industry.† 3. The entrance of nontraditional competitors, such as fintech, or financial technology, companies into the financial services industry, is driving this recent evolution. The primary parenthesis in this sentence is misidentified: The phrase â€Å"or financial technology† is inserted into the parenthetical phrase â€Å"such as fintech companies,† which expands on the main clause â€Å"The entrance of nontraditional competitors into the financial services industry is driving this recent evolution.† The parenthesis should therefore end at companies, not industry: â€Å"The entrance of nontraditional competitors, such as fintech, or financial technology, companies, into the financial services industry is driving this recent evolution.† However, the proximity of punctuation here is oppressive, and punctuation isn’t always required when additional information is inserted into a sentence; the statement is equally intelligible as punctuated here: â€Å"The entrance of nontraditional competitors such as fintech, or financial technology, companies into the financial services industry is driving this recent evolution.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†50 Nautical Terms in General UsePreposition Mistakes #3: Two Idioms

ACCT - Principles of Managerial Accounting Essay - 2

ACCT - Principles of Managerial Accounting - Essay Example Some decisions are taken to prevent worsening of situations in the short term, but these decisions may have negative implications in the long run. In the given case, the purchase of CD raw materials should be recorded in the current year expenses since the purchase is already complete on 15th November. Adjusting expenses and posting transactions as per accounting convenience is a regular practice within organizations. In this case the CFO’s instruction to post the expenses in the current year even though the material purchased will be used in the next financial year is justified since the purchase has already taken place in the current year. Hence the decision is morally justified and does not reflect unfair accounting practice. Moral and ethical decisions in such contexts do present challenges to accountants who are well aware of the unfair accounting practices. However, the primary challenge lies in the fact that opposing the CFO or senior management decision may have negative implications on accountant job security and employment conditions. Accounting frameworks and standards provide the essential parameters for fair practice. Any decision that goes against these standards or code of ethics for accountants must be opposed on grounds of possible negative implications in the long run. The job allocation process of the company involves allotting jobs to contractors on the basis of low cost and high quality. The two different categories of contractors involved in this process are the general contractors and the government contractors. It has been noticed that the bidding price of the government contractors involve a certain percentage of overhead that is added to the cost of production. The profit percentage is thus specified and this leverages the government contractors’ position in terms of distinct cost plus profits for jobs allocated. The general contractors thus find themselves at a disadvantage since they have to compete

How to Manage Negotiation - Using Mistakes to Explain Research Paper

How to Manage Negotiation - Using Mistakes to Explain - Research Paper Example The purpose of negotiation is to discover the circumstances, and to obtain a solution that is satisfactory to both group. It’s helpful to have uniformity in the employees where distinct kind of person is able to bring about different returns to the business. But this uniformity frequently leads to change of judgment among two workers or two different departments. Conflicts are a part of working situation and as a manager cannot remove the dispute in total; all they could do is to direct them in a manner that it won't influence the level of productivity. Managing Negotiation: Efficiently managed negotiations will leads to agreements and that increases the worth of the organization. Further, they present extremely better profits per investment. On the other hand, unsuccessfully completed negotiations, eventually result in exhausted capital and improved expenses to the organization, creating both the manager and the organization in a difficult where capital effort makes it harder to create the lost position and attain constructive consequences. The faster they manage them, the more the benefits will be for the business if not the conflicts will provide means to destructive performance and lack of group hard work, and as an it causes low output. Mistakes in Negotiation: Negotiation is a hard skill as it needs momentum, in immediately, in the other person's mind and in one’s own. While the managers have to concentrate on positives, it is uniformly significant not to neglect the negative feature of negotiations. There are a set of mistakes that all of us make and we need to be conscious of to be at our most excellent when negotiating. These mistakes happen all the moment. In a number of situations, they occur by mistake. At other instance, some people create these mistakes on intentionally. They overlook conservative understanding and perceptive recommendation and decide to negotiate in a way that brings no success to the negotiation. There are a number of mistakes that negotiators can create and should evade at all costs in order to be a successful negotiator. The two of them are discussed here. 1. Neglecting the Other Side's Problem: A person alone cannot make negotiation the other party is equally involved in it. Therefore, one must take into consideration the other persons interests or problems. The parties should try to place themselves in the other's place. The parties should not merely suppose that their bad doubts will turn out to be the dealings of the other party. They should not accuse the other for the problem. Each party should try to give suggestions which would be pleasing to the other party. â€Å"The objective of negotiation is to seek a win – win solution and if win and lose solution happens than you are neglecting the other side’s problem† (Lalitbhojwani). Consider the example of a manager firing one of the employees in the organization. The manager argues and fires the staff for a long time for his low performance, without asking the reasons for his poor performance. According to the employee, he/ she will be some personal or official problems which lead the employee to perform poorly. In this situation, the manager needs to listen carefully to the problems of the employees so that the manager can solve the problem very easily. Considering the opinions of outside parties is useful.

The History of circumcision in Jewish religion Research Paper

The History of circumcision in Jewish religion - Research Paper Example Hypotheses explain: to mark the beginning of adulthood, to demonstrate higher social status, to extend sexual pleasure, for personal hygiene. Nonetheless, no one can truly explain the reasons behind emergence of this culture and why it spread. Male circumcision consists of the surgical removal of some, or all, of the foreskin (or prepuce) from the penis. It is one of the most common procedures in the world. For followers of Islamic and Jewish religion it is religious ritual. In the United States, it is practiced mainly for hygienic reasons (3). Judaism adopted circumcision thru Moses who left Egypt with Hebrew Slaves. Moses is considered to be the Father of Jewish laws, traditions, and administrative authority. Commandant of circumcision plays significant role in Jewish religion, as some rabbis believed that Mosses was not admitted into Heaven, as he was not circumcised. Circumcision is an outward physical sign for Jewish people that show the eternal covenant between God and Jewish people. It also depicts that Jewish people will be perpetuated through the circumcised man. Because of fulfillment of commandant of circumcision, God in return ensures fertility to the Jewish people. Circumcision is applied to all male Jewish and it is a religious ritual. Circumcision, according to the Jewish custom is typically being performed on the eighth day after birth. Since the time of Mosses, it has been the symbolic confirmation the male infant spiritually belongs to Jewish community. Judaism teaches that GOD gave the Jews 613 commandants, and one out them is called Brit Millah, which literally translates to Covenant of Circumcision. The commandant of circumcision is given at Genesis 17:10-14 and Lev. 12:3 (4). This covenant was originally made with Abraham. This ritual ever since the time of Abraham has been practiced for close to 4,000 years (6) . In the Torah, God says to Abraham that circumcision is a part man’s

The Decline Of The Mughal Empire History Essay

The Decline Of The Mughal Empire History Essay The Mughal Empire was a royal Muslim imperial power of the Indian subcontinent which began in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It was said to be the first large empire in India since the Gupta Empire. It is approved by many scholars that the Mughal empire was the greatest, richest and most long-lasting Muslim dynasty to rule India. The Mughal emperors, with few exceptions, were among the worlds most creative minded rulers, they were famous for the creation and management of one of the greatest empires. The extended existence of the Mughal empire can be contributed to a number of factors. The Mughal Empire gave the history of India a chapter full of great accomplishments and massive power. Unfortunately, due to the irreparable mistakes of the Mughal emperors such as Aurangzeb, all of that great accomplishments was simply gone with the wind. The Mughal Empire reached its utmost level in the time of the most powerful Aurangzeb; the last great Mughal emperor. He ruled a large landmass in India which was under the Mughal rule. Aurangzeb also expanded the borders of the Mughal Empire to the point where effective governing was nearly impossible. (Puzak, 2005). Aurangzeb, was much more traditional in his Islamic practices. He reinstituted the jizya, or tax on non-believers on the Hindu majority and destroyed their temples, he didnt allow any Hindu festivals to take place, Hindus had to pay taxes to visit their holy sites, and singing and dancing in general was forbidden. Aurangzeb was more concerned in promoting Islam than maintaining stability in the empire, and religious tension between Hindus and Muslims increased; he encouraged the studying of Islam and discouraged other religions. The main causes of rebellion were political, not only religious. Aurangzeb religious policies surely did not lend a hand to his empire, but the y were not sufficient to cause the whole empire to fall into decline. One of the major causes that led to the decline of the Mughal Empire was the weak successors that could not unite the huge empire after him. After the death of Aurangzeb, various provinces became independent of the central Authority. Therefore, gradually the Mughal Empire have fallen apart. Before Aurangzebs death, he left a will which he divided his empire between his successors. In spite of this, a war took place among his successors for the throne. The Mughal Empire was very powerful and strong. Unfortunately, after the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire shrunk. A series of rulers came to power who were incapable of confronting the great wave of discontent that was then sweeping the empire. (Berinstain, 1997). All of the Mughal emperors were getting weaker and lacked the character, motivation and commitment to rule the empire strongly, and they were incapable to face the challenges and were unable to detain the declining empire from its fall. The lack of any definite law of succession was another significant reason that led to the decline of the Mughal Empire. The war of successions led to the ultimate fall of the Mughal Empire. The Mughals financial status had became terrible and hard to deal with. They had used up a large amount of the empires money and reserves, ending up with an economic failure. Not only that, it also led to aggression, and loss of money and status of the empire over a period of time. The fall of the Mughal rulers had also led to some ethical issues and conflicts. The nobles in the early stages of the Mughal Empire, preformed some helpful actions and they were well known and respected for their amazing achievement and skills in both war and peace. But the nobles in the late stages of the Mughal Empire were selfish and self centered. The nobles who were once honest, loyal and talented turned out to be so selfish and greed. The weakening of the nobles had a massive effect on the army. The soldiers had identified themselves with different ethnic group instead of identifying themselves as Indians and part of the Mughal society. Widespread Bribery in the court administration, taking bribes became so popular, which caused the damage of the entire government. When Aurangzeb died, his son succeeded him. The son of Aurangzeb was really old by the time he was declared as a Mughal emperor. He only lived few more years after ascending the throne. The government was so weak and wasnt stable at that time. The Empire was a quite easy target for others to invade the country. The death of Aurangzeb and the short reign of his son led to the end of the Mughal empire and the beginning of the British Rule. Many actions of the British also caused the decline, especially that of the economy. A company named the East India Company was owned by the British. The British took over money from the hands of local Indian landowners and gave it to the East India Company officials, causing the damage of the healthy local industries, and took away the land of many peasants, killing one-third of the population in areas under the British control. Increased interruption along with the financial bankruptcy, created a period of social conflict. Rebellions existed in so many different areas in the 19th century. There reasons of this rebellion varies. Later on, the British were able to contribute with the loyal Sikh in order to shut down the rebellion that was occurring. Â  To put it briefly, the Mughal Empire was one of the greatest and largest empires in history. They ruled a large landmass in India and ruled millions of people at that time in history. India was much larger and became united under one rule. The Mughal gave India a very rich culture and brilliant architecture and great accomplishments. There were many Hindu and Muslim areas that were split all over India until the Mughal empire was established. Unfortunately, the Mughal Empire faced many difficulties, and by the turn of the 19th century, had weakened significantly and slowly disintegrated into dust. Even when the empire no longer exists today, the memories of the great emperors will last forever and will never fade away.

Designing a New System for Gala Visions :: Video Rentals Consumerism Essays

Designing a New System for Gala Visions Gala Visions is a widely growing video rental outlet for most of the Asian community where both Hollywood and Bollywood movies are found, I will be using ICT to design a new system for it. Analysis ======== Background to the problem ------------------------- Gala Visions is small video rental store on Whalley Range in Blackburn. The store is home to the many different genres of movies through Hollywood and Bollywood. It is run by Fakhir. Identification of Prospective Users ----------------------------------- Gala Visions is a widely growing video rental outlet for most of the Asian community where both Hollywood and Bollywood movies are found. Because of this, the outlet has grown out of the manual system that is at use for the renting of Video's/Dvd's. Its main problem is it is very slow and unreliable. Fakhir has been looking for alternative systems to upgrade the current system and to increase effectiveness in the business. Identification of User Needs ---------------------------- I myself do go to Gala Visions to hire Video's/Dvd's of all genres. Fakhir has granted me full co-operation from his side to carry out my Computing Coursework which if effective enough he may invest in a computer with the system that I am going to produce. Q) How many videos/Dvd's do you have in stock? A) 3000+. Q) Do you rent out both Hollywood and Bollywood Movies? A) Yes we do but we only rent particular Hollywood box office smash hits. Q) Do you rent out all genres of movies? A) Yes. Q) How does the current rental system work? A) It's a manual, paper pen based system. Q) What happens when a person wants to hire a video/Dvd out? A) Once the customer is happy with its choice we take their name and address. We scan through the record book to check if that person is registered. Then we take that persons id number, which is given to all customers, and label a hire form. The customer details i.e. Name, Address is also labelled. That's it. Q) What time limit is the Video/Dvd rented out for? A) 1 Day. Q) What happens when a Video/Dvd is returned? A) We cross off the rental on the hire form. Q) How do you know that all the Video's/Dvd's have been returned? A) Normally we check through the hire form but sometimes we don't, as it is very time consuming. Q) What happens when Videos/Dvd's are overdue? A) We normally charge extra. Q) What happens if the Video/Dvd is not returned? A) We send a reminder through the post and then issue recovery procedures. Q) How many copies of each Video/Dvd do you normally keep? Designing a New System for Gala Visions :: Video Rentals Consumerism Essays Designing a New System for Gala Visions Gala Visions is a widely growing video rental outlet for most of the Asian community where both Hollywood and Bollywood movies are found, I will be using ICT to design a new system for it. Analysis ======== Background to the problem ------------------------- Gala Visions is small video rental store on Whalley Range in Blackburn. The store is home to the many different genres of movies through Hollywood and Bollywood. It is run by Fakhir. Identification of Prospective Users ----------------------------------- Gala Visions is a widely growing video rental outlet for most of the Asian community where both Hollywood and Bollywood movies are found. Because of this, the outlet has grown out of the manual system that is at use for the renting of Video's/Dvd's. Its main problem is it is very slow and unreliable. Fakhir has been looking for alternative systems to upgrade the current system and to increase effectiveness in the business. Identification of User Needs ---------------------------- I myself do go to Gala Visions to hire Video's/Dvd's of all genres. Fakhir has granted me full co-operation from his side to carry out my Computing Coursework which if effective enough he may invest in a computer with the system that I am going to produce. Q) How many videos/Dvd's do you have in stock? A) 3000+. Q) Do you rent out both Hollywood and Bollywood Movies? A) Yes we do but we only rent particular Hollywood box office smash hits. Q) Do you rent out all genres of movies? A) Yes. Q) How does the current rental system work? A) It's a manual, paper pen based system. Q) What happens when a person wants to hire a video/Dvd out? A) Once the customer is happy with its choice we take their name and address. We scan through the record book to check if that person is registered. Then we take that persons id number, which is given to all customers, and label a hire form. The customer details i.e. Name, Address is also labelled. That's it. Q) What time limit is the Video/Dvd rented out for? A) 1 Day. Q) What happens when a Video/Dvd is returned? A) We cross off the rental on the hire form. Q) How do you know that all the Video's/Dvd's have been returned? A) Normally we check through the hire form but sometimes we don't, as it is very time consuming. Q) What happens when Videos/Dvd's are overdue? A) We normally charge extra. Q) What happens if the Video/Dvd is not returned? A) We send a reminder through the post and then issue recovery procedures. Q) How many copies of each Video/Dvd do you normally keep?

Telstra

Background Telstra is a descendant of the Post Master General's (PMG) Department of the Australian Commonwealth Public Service. In 1975 telecommunications and postal functions were divided into two statutory commissions: Telecom Australia and Australia Post. Telecom Australia, the government-owned communications carrier, later merged with a much smaller government body, OTC, then responsible for international calls. Telecom rebranded itself as Telstra in the early 1990s. Telstra has faced competition since the late 1980s from competing providers.It retains ownership of the fixed-line telephone network, as well as one of two competing pay-tv and data cable networks. Other companies offering fixed-line services must therefore deal with Telstra. Competing telecommunication companies have constantly accused Telstra of overcharging for wholesale access to their networks the ACCC has often agreed but decisions by the regulator are slow. [1] Current Situation Australia’s leading tele communications and information Services Company, Telstra Corporation Ltd is well poised to deliver a high level of service in the highly competitive communications market in Australia and abroad.Telstra’s service offerings include: – Local, long-distance and international telephony services – Mobile telecommunications services – Data, Internet and online services – Wholesale services to other carriers – Telephone directories – Pay television services Telstra employs approximately 40,000 staff and generates revenues of some US$18 billion in its most recent fiscal year. [2] SWOT Analysis After careful deliberation, a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities & threats) analysis was developed that was reflected in a selection of OB (Organisational Behaviour) Theories that demonstrate the general abilities and framework of Telstra.All of these theories will be explored further with regard to how they shape policies, provide direction or lim it growth in relation to the SWOT analysis (Ref. to Appendix A). Issue Analysis Competition â€Å"Competitors use tactics like price reductions, new product introductions, and advertising campaigns to gain advantage over their rivals. Competition is most intense when there are many direct competitors, when industry growth is slow, or when the product or service cannot be differentiated in some way. † [3]Competition is only a recent challenge for Telstra as it had government protection and maintained an effective monopoly of telecommunications in Australia for many years. However, with the recent deregulation of the market and the increase in players, Telstra has increasingly been threatened with higher competition from competitors. The increase of players in this market will surely cause customers to go ‘shopping’ for the best deals, hence Telstra is being and will be forced further in the future to improve its’ image and offers so as to retain an effectiv e market share.Thus said, the telecommunications industry has changed as global sentiment towards telecommunications has turned negative in recent years, and has come to the stage where the market currently rewards commercial discipline and conservatism within the industry. [4] In the corrections that has followed these events, plus the collapse of the dotcoms and tier 2 Telcos, and the investment rebalancing post the millennium bug era, an estimated 3 trillion US dollars has been wiped off the value of Telco stocks worldwide in the last two years.The Australian industry has not escaped this market reaction, or the pressure that accompanies a sudden slowdown in revenue growth from the exciting ride of the nineties. But in this reporting period so far, the Australian telecommunications industry sees a number of carriers earning reasonable revenues and showing some signs of profit improvement, and many are experiencing growth in customers and market share. Most significantly, the firs t five years of open competition in Australia have delivered considerable benefits for consumers: lower prices, better service, more investment and innovation, and more choice. 5] According to Telstra staff, five years of open competition has also made Telstra a better company, a better competitor and a better servant of their customers. Telstra had to change and adapt, which they have – and they’re now seeing the benefits. Still, Telstra must retain some level of strength and influence over the telecommunications market as several of Telstra’s competitors complain that Telstra as a company is too large. Supposedly, they cannot compete against Telstra due to its size, range of services, and nationwide coverage.Telstra is too powerful, and its’ competitors are calling for ‘structural separation’, and dismantling Telstra into smaller companies that would run the wholesale network and serve retail customers. [6] Cost Competitiveness Cost competi tiveness is best described as keeping costs low in order to achieve profits and prices that are attractive to customers, in which Telstra can offer low prices by managing their costs and keeping them down. This means being efficient, accomplishing their goals by using their resources wisely, and minimizing waste. 7] With regard to cost competitiveness, Telstra is able to compete with the best in the market, although deregulation and the increase in telecommunications companies such as Optus and Vodafone are proving themselves as potential threats to Telstra’s dominance of the telecommunications market in Australia. Telstra continues to deliver on cost control. The cost performance of the company has been disciplined and underpins revenue performance. It is a prerequisite for success in providing value for their customers.Telstra also needs to take into consideration the challenge that sustained technological change creates for Australia’s telecommunications system. In additions, as a geographically vast country with a highly dispersed population, located at a great distance from its trading partners, Australia depends more heavily than other countries do on the quality, efficiency and innovativeness of its telecommunications system. As new technologies expand the benefits telecommunications can bring, Australians in particular, stand to gain from an environment that promotes prompt adoption and widespread use.Within three to five years, it is estimated the process of convergence will offer the greatest opportunities in this respect. â€Å"Convergence†, viewed from a technological perspective, refers to the process by which services that were previously supported over distinct communications infrastructures are integrated around a common, high capacity, digital platform. This brings with it the blurring of boundaries between once-distinct services and the entry of suppliers from previously separate markets into a now combining and necessari ly wider market place. [8]From the consumer perspective, convergence brings clear gains. Reliance on a common infrastructure allows efficiencies to be obtained, reducing costs and charges. That infrastructure’s high capacity allows new services to be offered, extending the range of content and applications that consumers can access. At the same time, the merging of markets brings previously separated suppliers into head-on competition – with all the benefits that competition yields. Although potentially a threat for Telstra as it may lose market share in particular areas, it is also an opportunity if it can take dvantage of lowering prices to attract more customers. This will depend on the strength of Telstra’s innovations in drawing customer’s attention, but also on way Telstra can uphold profits while lowering prices without staff cutbacks or branch closures. [9] It is against this backdrop that the impact of regulation needs to be assessed. By adding u ncertainty to what is already a highly uncertain environment, the current regulation of access discourages investment both by Telstra and by Telstra’s competitors.At the same time, the bias – in the direction of trying to set ever lower charges for access seekers, regardless of costs – that has emerged in ACCC decision-making distorts price signals and expectations in ways inimical to efficient investment and to technological change. This lack of any internally consistent, rigorous approach by the ACCC to decisions such as these is, in Telstra’s view, unjustifiable. It is no defence to say, as the ACCC does in its most recent submission to the Commission, that overall Telstra’s PSTN is profitable.Even putting aside the absurdities evident in the manner in which the ACCC has reached this assessment, the ACCC’s argument seems to imply that so long as Telstra is not â€Å"going under†, access pricing decisions can be taken without proper regard to their consequences for Telstra’s ability to recover costs and finance investments. No doubt, this decision comes as a huge threat to Telstra’s competitiveness in the communications industry and Telstra is set to potential lose a large slice of the market share or shareholder confidence, depending on how the company responds to the announcement.The reality is that at the margin, Telstra must allocate its funds among competing uses in the light not of the short term or immediate profitability of the grouping of services they support, but of their return over the lifetime of the assets being acquired. Even if it were the case that Telstra’s PSTN was â€Å"profitable† in some economically relevant sense today, it is the future profitability of the service that counts; and the ever strengthening competition in this area, combined with continued heavy-handed regulatory intervention, hardly makes investment in the CAN attractive when ompared to altern atives. No less importantly, the fact remains that the ACCC’s decisions, by setting access charges below cost, cannot but distort and depress investment in regulated assets, as the return on that investment to Telstra is reduced below the return it yields to consumers and service suppliers as a whole. It is these impacts at the margin, rather than aggregate comparisons of costs and revenues, that are economically relevant. Quality Quality can be measured in terms of performance, additional features, reliability (failure or breakdowns), and conformance to standards, durability, serviceability, and aesthetics. † In addition,† the excellence of a product, including such things as attractiveness, lack of defects, reliability, and long-term dependability. † defines the expectations that many people these days have of companies and consequently, the kind of service that Telstra endeavours to deliver. [10] The importance of quality, and standards for acceptable qua lity, has increased dramatically in recent years.Firms cannot get by offering poor quality products as they could a few years ago. Customers now demand high quality and value, and generally will accept nothing less. [11] Telstra’s performance in regional and rural Australia is constantly under scrutiny. Telstra welcomes this scrutiny because the level of improvement in service levels and performance in regional, rural and remote Australia over the past two years has been dramatic. [12] In recognition of the special needs of regional customers, Telstra Country Wide â„ ¢ was established in June 2000.According to Telstra, it was one of the best business decisions they ever took. Telstra Country Wide today services three million customers who account for more than $3 billion in revenue to Telstra, no doubt a strength in revenue for Telstra, although raises questions as to whether service is being reduced to make way for increased revenue. [13] Even so, remote customers can now make untimed local calls to community service towns hundreds of kilometres away, which better reflects the reality of life in rural Australia. Mobile coverage now reaches 97% of the population.To achieve this, Telstra has been working with the Federal Government to establish mobile services to smaller towns and to improve the quality of mobile connections nationwide. [14] Speed In the Information Age, speed is everything to nearly everyone, which makes it a priority for Telstra to deliver the kind of services that people expect. While Telstra’s services in rural Australia are often reported to be lacking in terms of connection times for phone and internet, as well as the ability of Telstra staff to respond to customer requests or complaints, new technologies are being sought that can reduce these problems.Hence, how fast can Telstra develop and get a new product to market? How quickly can they respond to customer’s requests? Telstra is far better off if they are faste r than the competition and if they can respond quickly to their competitors’ actions. [15] Therefore, Telstra has seen an opportunity in this to respond to people’s needs and increasingly has promoted ‘broadband’ as a viable, effective and efficient way of ensuring speed in communications.Broadband is growing across Australia because people are attracted to faster download times and having a permanent online connection. [16] Broadband enables a high-speed permanent Internet connection. It’s about faster Internet speeds, increased capacity and capabilities and more compelling content. A modem is needed, but there are no dial in access numbers to connect to. [17] Innovations Whether it is a change in technology; a departure from previous ways of doing things or introduction of new products, innovation is something that most uccessful companies possess and use to further either market share or consumer satisfaction. Depending on Telstra’s compet itiveness and creativity, innovation can be a huge opportunity in grasping larger market shares and customers, or it can be a threat if other companies are more innovative. Telstra has managed to use innovative ideas to shape its’ success and satisfy consumer demands, some of the latest innovations being the Homeline Plans, Telstra Rewards Options, Homelink ® 1800 and Telstra Mobile CDMA. 18] Homeline plans allows the customer to select options that best suit them, whether they have friends and family close by, in another state or another country and whether they make lots of calls every day or just a few each week, in order to bring about maximum savings. [19] Telstra Rewards Options gives the customer the chance to save 5% or 10% on their phone bill by combining their Telstra home phone, Telstra Mobile and Telstra BigPondâ„ ¢, as well as having the added convenience of only one bill.Homelink ® 1800 makes it easy for a family member to call home – and they don' t need cash or special cards. [20] Telstra Mobile CDMA is used particularly in rural regions of Australia and offers: call clarity and security; network security lock; background noise suppression; and call clarity and security. Because CDMA uses a more sophisticated system of transmitting voice signals, the phone is not dissimilar to talking on a normal phone. What's more, CDMA signals are almost impossible to decipher if they are intercepted by eavesdroppers, which means conversations are more secure.Increasingly, more of Telstra’s revenues will come from their operations overseas. They will continue to see popular innovations, both overseas and in Australia, that will change the way people work, learn, communicate and receive information and entertainment. [21] In international growth, Telstra’s focus is on business mobiles, data and Internet, particularly in the Asia and Pacific Region, which is where it is felt that a good commercial history and experience there w ill help in realising opportunities for shareholders.Telstra’s investments in Asia have provided them with a platform for regional growth. [22] Downsizing Put simply, downsizing is the planned elimination of positions or jobs, and has caused its fair share of controversy surrounding companies in recent times that are laying off large numbers of workers and sacrificing customer service at the expense of large profits and boosting investor confidence. [23]Although historically, layoffs tend to affect manufacturing firms and operative level workers in particular, the most recent cycle of downsizing has focused on delivering and eliminating bureaucratic structures, and hence, â€Å"white collar† middle managers have been those chiefly affected. [24] Hence, firms such as Telstra should avoid excessive (cyclical) hiring to help reduce the need to engage in major or multiple downsizings.Beyond that, firms must avoid common mistakes such as making slow, small, frequent layoffs ; implementing voluntary early retirement programs that entice the best people to leave; or laying off so many people that company’s work can no longer be performed. [25] Therefore, caution must be sought when laying off any amount of workers, as the company must maintain job satisfaction as a strength as well as be focused on customer service in order to avoid customer dissatisfaction and hence customers going to competitors. 26] Recommendations After reviewing Telstra and comparing what they do with other business similar to theirs, I have put together a new and innovative way for Telstra to revitalise and recreate their business, this will not only improve customer service but also improve productively as this will allow many processes to be completed much faster by not needing to deal with the usual misunderstandings and confusion associated with some of their services.At present Telstra could be said to be in two worlds that of the typical bureaucratic society, which oft en is seen in public sectors, and that of new technology where by Telstra is highly involved with the introduce of new technology, yet in many ways these changes have results in more issues relating to people not understanding how to use the new technology correctly, this not includes both employees as well as their clients. Such issues as these are common when new technology is introduced, yet with a business such as Telstra which already has a variety of customer service problems, this new technology has added to their worries.The only way that Telstra can overcome these issues is by combining them, to create new innovated ideas that not only still allow human to human interaction but also makes better use of technology to not only improve customer service but also to speed it up. After considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to Telstra with regard to it, it is fair to comment Telstra is well poised to continue to play a large part in the Australasian tele communications market. While Telstra is by many standards a very successful company, much of that success lay behind government protection.However, with the deregulation of the telecommunications market, the future is less certain for Telstra and more competition may threaten its market share and cause the company to improve its services. However, this should be viewed positively as an opportunity for Telstra to move forward, in particular expanding into Asia, and be seen as a company that can support itself. This increased competition will in time show Telstra’s true strengths and weaknesses in the field of telecommunications and if the company can hold its place in the Australian telecommunications industry. Reference List Interview Five Telstra Employees (They want to remain anonymous) Books – Bateman & Snell, Management: Competing in the New Era, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2002 – Kelly, J. (1969). Organizational Behaviour, USA: Irwin – McShane, S an d Travaglione, T. (2003). Organisational Behaviour On The Pacific Rim, Sydney, McGraw-Hill – Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter (2003). Management, 3rd Edition, Pearson Education Australia – Robbins, S. P. , Waters-Marsh, T. , Cacioppe, R. , and Millet, B. (1994). Organisational Behaviour. Leading and Managing in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Prentice Hall – Organisational Behaviour.Leading and Managing in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Prentice Hall – Sayles, L and Strauss, G. (1966). Human Behaviour In Organizations, USA: Prentice Hall Websites – Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. – Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23/ 9/05]. – Glossary Terms, Available: http://www. ots. treas. gov/glossary/gloss-m. html [24/09/05] – Marketing Strategy, Available: http://www. tutor2u. net/business/gcse/marketing_strategy_introduction. htm [24/09/05] à ¢â‚¬â€œ Telstra Facts – http://www. absoluteastronomy. om/encyclopedia/t/te/telstra. htm [24/09/05]. – Telstra Just Too Good. Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/regulatory/docs/lr-104969Ziggy_ope_ed_struct_sep. doc [25/09/05] – Telstra Options. Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/telstraoptions/ [26/09/05] – Telstra Corporation Ltd, History – http://www. telstra. com. au/corporate/index. cfm? tR=1 [23/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are driving growth to build shareholders. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – 4 Key Strategic Areas 2001.Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_3. html [ 29/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Chairman and CEO’s Message – 2001. Available:http://www. conect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_5. htm [24/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporaton Ltd – Domestic Reta il – 2001. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_8. htm [24/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23/09/05] – Wikipedia Encyclopaedia, Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Marketing_research [24/09/05]E – Journals – Brenner, O. C. , Singer, Marc G. Management Quarterly. Washington (1984). Vol. 25, Iss. 2, pg. 14 , 7 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) – Cooper, R. C. C. C. L. (2002) Does privatization affect corporate culture and employee wellbeing? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 21 – 49 (ProQuest database, ANU) – Dotson, L. (2004) 10 Ways To Improve Your Customer Service – E. C. Pasour, J. (1983) Privatization: Is it the Answer? The Freeman – Lovata, Linda M. MIS Quarterly. Minneapolis. Jun (1987). Vol 11. Iss. 2, pg. 147, 3 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) – Wettenhall, R. Privatization in Australia: How Much and What Impacts? Canberra, Uni of Canberra. – Simintiras, Antonis C. , Lancaster, Geoffrey A. Management Decision. London (1991). Vol. 29, Iss. 4, pg. 22, 6 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) Note: Assortments of lectures and tutorial notes have been used from Organisational Behaviour G. Appendixes SWOT Analysis of Telstra |Strengths |Weaknesses | | | |Competitive Pricing |Rural Services | |Global Nature of Competition: competing overseas eg. South-East Asia |Mobile Phone Coverage / Quality | |Internet Access – BigPondâ„ ¢ Home available across Australia for the cost|Broadband Access / Quality | |of a local call. Broadband ADSL | | |CDMA Network Coverage 97. 1% of Australian pop. Largest cellular | | |mobile coverage in Australia | | |Options to suit everyone: Combining Phone/Mobile/ Internet Bills | | |Phone Range (Landline / Mobile) | | |Directories – White & Yellow Pages (standard / electronic) | | |Opportunities |Threat s | | | | |New / Innovative Products |Increase in Competition (Optus, Vodafone, Transact etc) | |Extend services & the market share of Telstra into other counties |Lose of employment due to technology or cut cost measures | |Improving and Expanding product and service offerings in Australia |The government selling the rest of Telstra (privatisation) | ———————– [1] Telstra Facts – http://www. absoluteastronomy. com/encyclopedia/t/te/telstra. htm [24/09/05]. [2] History, Telstra Corporation Ltd – http://www. telstra. com. au/corporate/index. cfm? tR=1 [23/09/05]. [3] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, p. 53 [4] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [5] ibid [6] Telstra Just Too Good.Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/regulatory/docs/lr-104969Ziggy_ope_ed_struct_sep. doc [25 September 2 005]. [7] Bateman & Snell, Management: Competing in the New Era, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2002, Glossary (G-2) [8] ibid [9] ibid [10] ibid p. 12 [11] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-7) [12] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [13] ibid [14] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Domestic Retail – 2001. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_8. htm [24 September 2005]. [15] Bateman & Snell, op. cit p. 12 16] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [17] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23 September 2005]. [18] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-4) [19] Telstra Options. Availa ble: http://www. telstra. com. au/telstraoptions/ [26 September 2005]. [20] ibid [21] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available: ,- !† ? ?  µ  ¶  · E  § ? I I c ) * + – L M N ocUcUcUcEUcEc · iPiPiPiPiPiPi1hchttp://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [22] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23 September 2005]. [23] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-3) [24] ibid p. 283 [25] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Chairman and CEO’s Message – 2001. Available:http://www. conect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_5. htm [24 September 2005]. [26] Cooper, R. C. C. C. L. (2002) Does privatization affect corporate culture and employee wellbeing? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 21 – 49 (ProQuest database, ANU) Telstra Background Telstra is a descendant of the Post Master General's (PMG) Department of the Australian Commonwealth Public Service. In 1975 telecommunications and postal functions were divided into two statutory commissions: Telecom Australia and Australia Post. Telecom Australia, the government-owned communications carrier, later merged with a much smaller government body, OTC, then responsible for international calls. Telecom rebranded itself as Telstra in the early 1990s. Telstra has faced competition since the late 1980s from competing providers.It retains ownership of the fixed-line telephone network, as well as one of two competing pay-tv and data cable networks. Other companies offering fixed-line services must therefore deal with Telstra. Competing telecommunication companies have constantly accused Telstra of overcharging for wholesale access to their networks the ACCC has often agreed but decisions by the regulator are slow. [1] Current Situation Australia’s leading tele communications and information Services Company, Telstra Corporation Ltd is well poised to deliver a high level of service in the highly competitive communications market in Australia and abroad.Telstra’s service offerings include: – Local, long-distance and international telephony services – Mobile telecommunications services – Data, Internet and online services – Wholesale services to other carriers – Telephone directories – Pay television services Telstra employs approximately 40,000 staff and generates revenues of some US$18 billion in its most recent fiscal year. [2] SWOT Analysis After careful deliberation, a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities & threats) analysis was developed that was reflected in a selection of OB (Organisational Behaviour) Theories that demonstrate the general abilities and framework of Telstra.All of these theories will be explored further with regard to how they shape policies, provide direction or lim it growth in relation to the SWOT analysis (Ref. to Appendix A). Issue Analysis Competition â€Å"Competitors use tactics like price reductions, new product introductions, and advertising campaigns to gain advantage over their rivals. Competition is most intense when there are many direct competitors, when industry growth is slow, or when the product or service cannot be differentiated in some way. † [3]Competition is only a recent challenge for Telstra as it had government protection and maintained an effective monopoly of telecommunications in Australia for many years. However, with the recent deregulation of the market and the increase in players, Telstra has increasingly been threatened with higher competition from competitors. The increase of players in this market will surely cause customers to go ‘shopping’ for the best deals, hence Telstra is being and will be forced further in the future to improve its’ image and offers so as to retain an effectiv e market share.Thus said, the telecommunications industry has changed as global sentiment towards telecommunications has turned negative in recent years, and has come to the stage where the market currently rewards commercial discipline and conservatism within the industry. [4] In the corrections that has followed these events, plus the collapse of the dotcoms and tier 2 Telcos, and the investment rebalancing post the millennium bug era, an estimated 3 trillion US dollars has been wiped off the value of Telco stocks worldwide in the last two years.The Australian industry has not escaped this market reaction, or the pressure that accompanies a sudden slowdown in revenue growth from the exciting ride of the nineties. But in this reporting period so far, the Australian telecommunications industry sees a number of carriers earning reasonable revenues and showing some signs of profit improvement, and many are experiencing growth in customers and market share. Most significantly, the firs t five years of open competition in Australia have delivered considerable benefits for consumers: lower prices, better service, more investment and innovation, and more choice. 5] According to Telstra staff, five years of open competition has also made Telstra a better company, a better competitor and a better servant of their customers. Telstra had to change and adapt, which they have – and they’re now seeing the benefits. Still, Telstra must retain some level of strength and influence over the telecommunications market as several of Telstra’s competitors complain that Telstra as a company is too large. Supposedly, they cannot compete against Telstra due to its size, range of services, and nationwide coverage.Telstra is too powerful, and its’ competitors are calling for ‘structural separation’, and dismantling Telstra into smaller companies that would run the wholesale network and serve retail customers. [6] Cost Competitiveness Cost competi tiveness is best described as keeping costs low in order to achieve profits and prices that are attractive to customers, in which Telstra can offer low prices by managing their costs and keeping them down. This means being efficient, accomplishing their goals by using their resources wisely, and minimizing waste. 7] With regard to cost competitiveness, Telstra is able to compete with the best in the market, although deregulation and the increase in telecommunications companies such as Optus and Vodafone are proving themselves as potential threats to Telstra’s dominance of the telecommunications market in Australia. Telstra continues to deliver on cost control. The cost performance of the company has been disciplined and underpins revenue performance. It is a prerequisite for success in providing value for their customers.Telstra also needs to take into consideration the challenge that sustained technological change creates for Australia’s telecommunications system. In additions, as a geographically vast country with a highly dispersed population, located at a great distance from its trading partners, Australia depends more heavily than other countries do on the quality, efficiency and innovativeness of its telecommunications system. As new technologies expand the benefits telecommunications can bring, Australians in particular, stand to gain from an environment that promotes prompt adoption and widespread use.Within three to five years, it is estimated the process of convergence will offer the greatest opportunities in this respect. â€Å"Convergence†, viewed from a technological perspective, refers to the process by which services that were previously supported over distinct communications infrastructures are integrated around a common, high capacity, digital platform. This brings with it the blurring of boundaries between once-distinct services and the entry of suppliers from previously separate markets into a now combining and necessari ly wider market place. [8]From the consumer perspective, convergence brings clear gains. Reliance on a common infrastructure allows efficiencies to be obtained, reducing costs and charges. That infrastructure’s high capacity allows new services to be offered, extending the range of content and applications that consumers can access. At the same time, the merging of markets brings previously separated suppliers into head-on competition – with all the benefits that competition yields. Although potentially a threat for Telstra as it may lose market share in particular areas, it is also an opportunity if it can take dvantage of lowering prices to attract more customers. This will depend on the strength of Telstra’s innovations in drawing customer’s attention, but also on way Telstra can uphold profits while lowering prices without staff cutbacks or branch closures. [9] It is against this backdrop that the impact of regulation needs to be assessed. By adding u ncertainty to what is already a highly uncertain environment, the current regulation of access discourages investment both by Telstra and by Telstra’s competitors.At the same time, the bias – in the direction of trying to set ever lower charges for access seekers, regardless of costs – that has emerged in ACCC decision-making distorts price signals and expectations in ways inimical to efficient investment and to technological change. This lack of any internally consistent, rigorous approach by the ACCC to decisions such as these is, in Telstra’s view, unjustifiable. It is no defence to say, as the ACCC does in its most recent submission to the Commission, that overall Telstra’s PSTN is profitable.Even putting aside the absurdities evident in the manner in which the ACCC has reached this assessment, the ACCC’s argument seems to imply that so long as Telstra is not â€Å"going under†, access pricing decisions can be taken without proper regard to their consequences for Telstra’s ability to recover costs and finance investments. No doubt, this decision comes as a huge threat to Telstra’s competitiveness in the communications industry and Telstra is set to potential lose a large slice of the market share or shareholder confidence, depending on how the company responds to the announcement.The reality is that at the margin, Telstra must allocate its funds among competing uses in the light not of the short term or immediate profitability of the grouping of services they support, but of their return over the lifetime of the assets being acquired. Even if it were the case that Telstra’s PSTN was â€Å"profitable† in some economically relevant sense today, it is the future profitability of the service that counts; and the ever strengthening competition in this area, combined with continued heavy-handed regulatory intervention, hardly makes investment in the CAN attractive when ompared to altern atives. No less importantly, the fact remains that the ACCC’s decisions, by setting access charges below cost, cannot but distort and depress investment in regulated assets, as the return on that investment to Telstra is reduced below the return it yields to consumers and service suppliers as a whole. It is these impacts at the margin, rather than aggregate comparisons of costs and revenues, that are economically relevant. Quality Quality can be measured in terms of performance, additional features, reliability (failure or breakdowns), and conformance to standards, durability, serviceability, and aesthetics. † In addition,† the excellence of a product, including such things as attractiveness, lack of defects, reliability, and long-term dependability. † defines the expectations that many people these days have of companies and consequently, the kind of service that Telstra endeavours to deliver. [10] The importance of quality, and standards for acceptable qua lity, has increased dramatically in recent years.Firms cannot get by offering poor quality products as they could a few years ago. Customers now demand high quality and value, and generally will accept nothing less. [11] Telstra’s performance in regional and rural Australia is constantly under scrutiny. Telstra welcomes this scrutiny because the level of improvement in service levels and performance in regional, rural and remote Australia over the past two years has been dramatic. [12] In recognition of the special needs of regional customers, Telstra Country Wide â„ ¢ was established in June 2000.According to Telstra, it was one of the best business decisions they ever took. Telstra Country Wide today services three million customers who account for more than $3 billion in revenue to Telstra, no doubt a strength in revenue for Telstra, although raises questions as to whether service is being reduced to make way for increased revenue. [13] Even so, remote customers can now make untimed local calls to community service towns hundreds of kilometres away, which better reflects the reality of life in rural Australia. Mobile coverage now reaches 97% of the population.To achieve this, Telstra has been working with the Federal Government to establish mobile services to smaller towns and to improve the quality of mobile connections nationwide. [14] Speed In the Information Age, speed is everything to nearly everyone, which makes it a priority for Telstra to deliver the kind of services that people expect. While Telstra’s services in rural Australia are often reported to be lacking in terms of connection times for phone and internet, as well as the ability of Telstra staff to respond to customer requests or complaints, new technologies are being sought that can reduce these problems.Hence, how fast can Telstra develop and get a new product to market? How quickly can they respond to customer’s requests? Telstra is far better off if they are faste r than the competition and if they can respond quickly to their competitors’ actions. [15] Therefore, Telstra has seen an opportunity in this to respond to people’s needs and increasingly has promoted ‘broadband’ as a viable, effective and efficient way of ensuring speed in communications.Broadband is growing across Australia because people are attracted to faster download times and having a permanent online connection. [16] Broadband enables a high-speed permanent Internet connection. It’s about faster Internet speeds, increased capacity and capabilities and more compelling content. A modem is needed, but there are no dial in access numbers to connect to. [17] Innovations Whether it is a change in technology; a departure from previous ways of doing things or introduction of new products, innovation is something that most uccessful companies possess and use to further either market share or consumer satisfaction. Depending on Telstra’s compet itiveness and creativity, innovation can be a huge opportunity in grasping larger market shares and customers, or it can be a threat if other companies are more innovative. Telstra has managed to use innovative ideas to shape its’ success and satisfy consumer demands, some of the latest innovations being the Homeline Plans, Telstra Rewards Options, Homelink ® 1800 and Telstra Mobile CDMA. 18] Homeline plans allows the customer to select options that best suit them, whether they have friends and family close by, in another state or another country and whether they make lots of calls every day or just a few each week, in order to bring about maximum savings. [19] Telstra Rewards Options gives the customer the chance to save 5% or 10% on their phone bill by combining their Telstra home phone, Telstra Mobile and Telstra BigPondâ„ ¢, as well as having the added convenience of only one bill.Homelink ® 1800 makes it easy for a family member to call home – and they don' t need cash or special cards. [20] Telstra Mobile CDMA is used particularly in rural regions of Australia and offers: call clarity and security; network security lock; background noise suppression; and call clarity and security. Because CDMA uses a more sophisticated system of transmitting voice signals, the phone is not dissimilar to talking on a normal phone. What's more, CDMA signals are almost impossible to decipher if they are intercepted by eavesdroppers, which means conversations are more secure.Increasingly, more of Telstra’s revenues will come from their operations overseas. They will continue to see popular innovations, both overseas and in Australia, that will change the way people work, learn, communicate and receive information and entertainment. [21] In international growth, Telstra’s focus is on business mobiles, data and Internet, particularly in the Asia and Pacific Region, which is where it is felt that a good commercial history and experience there w ill help in realising opportunities for shareholders.Telstra’s investments in Asia have provided them with a platform for regional growth. [22] Downsizing Put simply, downsizing is the planned elimination of positions or jobs, and has caused its fair share of controversy surrounding companies in recent times that are laying off large numbers of workers and sacrificing customer service at the expense of large profits and boosting investor confidence. [23]Although historically, layoffs tend to affect manufacturing firms and operative level workers in particular, the most recent cycle of downsizing has focused on delivering and eliminating bureaucratic structures, and hence, â€Å"white collar† middle managers have been those chiefly affected. [24] Hence, firms such as Telstra should avoid excessive (cyclical) hiring to help reduce the need to engage in major or multiple downsizings.Beyond that, firms must avoid common mistakes such as making slow, small, frequent layoffs ; implementing voluntary early retirement programs that entice the best people to leave; or laying off so many people that company’s work can no longer be performed. [25] Therefore, caution must be sought when laying off any amount of workers, as the company must maintain job satisfaction as a strength as well as be focused on customer service in order to avoid customer dissatisfaction and hence customers going to competitors. 26] Recommendations After reviewing Telstra and comparing what they do with other business similar to theirs, I have put together a new and innovative way for Telstra to revitalise and recreate their business, this will not only improve customer service but also improve productively as this will allow many processes to be completed much faster by not needing to deal with the usual misunderstandings and confusion associated with some of their services.At present Telstra could be said to be in two worlds that of the typical bureaucratic society, which oft en is seen in public sectors, and that of new technology where by Telstra is highly involved with the introduce of new technology, yet in many ways these changes have results in more issues relating to people not understanding how to use the new technology correctly, this not includes both employees as well as their clients. Such issues as these are common when new technology is introduced, yet with a business such as Telstra which already has a variety of customer service problems, this new technology has added to their worries.The only way that Telstra can overcome these issues is by combining them, to create new innovated ideas that not only still allow human to human interaction but also makes better use of technology to not only improve customer service but also to speed it up. After considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to Telstra with regard to it, it is fair to comment Telstra is well poised to continue to play a large part in the Australasian tele communications market. While Telstra is by many standards a very successful company, much of that success lay behind government protection.However, with the deregulation of the telecommunications market, the future is less certain for Telstra and more competition may threaten its market share and cause the company to improve its services. However, this should be viewed positively as an opportunity for Telstra to move forward, in particular expanding into Asia, and be seen as a company that can support itself. This increased competition will in time show Telstra’s true strengths and weaknesses in the field of telecommunications and if the company can hold its place in the Australian telecommunications industry. Reference List Interview Five Telstra Employees (They want to remain anonymous) Books – Bateman & Snell, Management: Competing in the New Era, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2002 – Kelly, J. (1969). Organizational Behaviour, USA: Irwin – McShane, S an d Travaglione, T. (2003). Organisational Behaviour On The Pacific Rim, Sydney, McGraw-Hill – Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter (2003). Management, 3rd Edition, Pearson Education Australia – Robbins, S. P. , Waters-Marsh, T. , Cacioppe, R. , and Millet, B. (1994). Organisational Behaviour. Leading and Managing in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Prentice Hall – Organisational Behaviour.Leading and Managing in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Prentice Hall – Sayles, L and Strauss, G. (1966). Human Behaviour In Organizations, USA: Prentice Hall Websites – Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. – Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23/ 9/05]. – Glossary Terms, Available: http://www. ots. treas. gov/glossary/gloss-m. html [24/09/05] – Marketing Strategy, Available: http://www. tutor2u. net/business/gcse/marketing_strategy_introduction. htm [24/09/05] à ¢â‚¬â€œ Telstra Facts – http://www. absoluteastronomy. om/encyclopedia/t/te/telstra. htm [24/09/05]. – Telstra Just Too Good. Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/regulatory/docs/lr-104969Ziggy_ope_ed_struct_sep. doc [25/09/05] – Telstra Options. Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/telstraoptions/ [26/09/05] – Telstra Corporation Ltd, History – http://www. telstra. com. au/corporate/index. cfm? tR=1 [23/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are driving growth to build shareholders. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – 4 Key Strategic Areas 2001.Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_3. html [ 29/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Chairman and CEO’s Message – 2001. Available:http://www. conect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_5. htm [24/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporaton Ltd – Domestic Reta il – 2001. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_8. htm [24/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23/09/05] – Wikipedia Encyclopaedia, Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Marketing_research [24/09/05]E – Journals – Brenner, O. C. , Singer, Marc G. Management Quarterly. Washington (1984). Vol. 25, Iss. 2, pg. 14 , 7 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) – Cooper, R. C. C. C. L. (2002) Does privatization affect corporate culture and employee wellbeing? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 21 – 49 (ProQuest database, ANU) – Dotson, L. (2004) 10 Ways To Improve Your Customer Service – E. C. Pasour, J. (1983) Privatization: Is it the Answer? The Freeman – Lovata, Linda M. MIS Quarterly. Minneapolis. Jun (1987). Vol 11. Iss. 2, pg. 147, 3 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) – Wettenhall, R. Privatization in Australia: How Much and What Impacts? Canberra, Uni of Canberra. – Simintiras, Antonis C. , Lancaster, Geoffrey A. Management Decision. London (1991). Vol. 29, Iss. 4, pg. 22, 6 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) Note: Assortments of lectures and tutorial notes have been used from Organisational Behaviour G. Appendixes SWOT Analysis of Telstra |Strengths |Weaknesses | | | |Competitive Pricing |Rural Services | |Global Nature of Competition: competing overseas eg. South-East Asia |Mobile Phone Coverage / Quality | |Internet Access – BigPondâ„ ¢ Home available across Australia for the cost|Broadband Access / Quality | |of a local call. Broadband ADSL | | |CDMA Network Coverage 97. 1% of Australian pop. Largest cellular | | |mobile coverage in Australia | | |Options to suit everyone: Combining Phone/Mobile/ Internet Bills | | |Phone Range (Landline / Mobile) | | |Directories – White & Yellow Pages (standard / electronic) | | |Opportunities |Threat s | | | | |New / Innovative Products |Increase in Competition (Optus, Vodafone, Transact etc) | |Extend services & the market share of Telstra into other counties |Lose of employment due to technology or cut cost measures | |Improving and Expanding product and service offerings in Australia |The government selling the rest of Telstra (privatisation) | ———————– [1] Telstra Facts – http://www. absoluteastronomy. com/encyclopedia/t/te/telstra. htm [24/09/05]. [2] History, Telstra Corporation Ltd – http://www. telstra. com. au/corporate/index. cfm? tR=1 [23/09/05]. [3] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, p. 53 [4] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [5] ibid [6] Telstra Just Too Good.Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/regulatory/docs/lr-104969Ziggy_ope_ed_struct_sep. doc [25 September 2 005]. [7] Bateman & Snell, Management: Competing in the New Era, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2002, Glossary (G-2) [8] ibid [9] ibid [10] ibid p. 12 [11] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-7) [12] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [13] ibid [14] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Domestic Retail – 2001. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_8. htm [24 September 2005]. [15] Bateman & Snell, op. cit p. 12 16] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [17] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23 September 2005]. [18] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-4) [19] Telstra Options. Availa ble: http://www. telstra. com. au/telstraoptions/ [26 September 2005]. [20] ibid [21] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available: ,- !† ? ?  µ  ¶  · E  § ? I I c ) * + – L M N ocUcUcUcEUcEc · iPiPiPiPiPiPi1hchttp://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [22] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23 September 2005]. [23] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-3) [24] ibid p. 283 [25] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Chairman and CEO’s Message – 2001. Available:http://www. conect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_5. htm [24 September 2005]. [26] Cooper, R. C. C. C. L. (2002) Does privatization affect corporate culture and employee wellbeing? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 21 – 49 (ProQuest database, ANU)

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Prices and Prizes Prices and Prizes Prices and Prizes By Mark Nichol It may not surprise you that price and prize are cognates, but two other common words pertaining to value, and additional words derived from them, share their common ancestor. Price and prize stem from the Latin noun pretium, meaning â€Å"prize† or â€Å"reward,† or â€Å"value† or â€Å"worth.† Price is both a verb meaning â€Å"set value† and a noun meaning â€Å"value† (including a reference to something challenging or unpleasant that is nevertheless necessary as a condition of achieving a desired result). The adjective pricey means â€Å"expensive,† while priceless means not â€Å"without a price† but â€Å"valued beyond price† and refers to an object or an experience worth so much to a person or people in general because of aesthetic considerations or an emotional attachment that no monetary value can be assigned to it. To overprice is to place excessive value on something for sale, while to be priced out of a commodity is to be unable to afford it. A price tag is a piece of paper or other material attached to a product that indicates its monetary value. Something offered for half-price will be sold for half of its marked value. â€Å"Prix fixe,† adopted directly from French and meaning â€Å"fixed price,† describes a set meal offered by a restaurant at a specific cost, as opposed to multiple dishes available, according to a displayed menu, for various prices. To prize is to ascribe value, and a prize is something given in recognition of an achievement. As an adjective, prize means â€Å"worthy of a prize,† and prizeworthy itself is also an adjective. A prizefight is a professional boxing match, and a participant of such an event is a prizefighter, though these terms have largely been superseded by â€Å"boxing match† and boxer. The Latin forebear pretium was altered to precium, and being aware of this form makes it easier to connect precious, meaning â€Å"of great worth† (and often pertaining to aesthetic or emotional worth, as in ascribing value to time, rather than monetary value), to price and prize. Precious also has the sense of â€Å"esteemed,† in describing a cherished friend, though it also has a pejorative sense of â€Å"affected,† or â€Å"overly refined in manner.† The adjectival form is preciously, and the quality of being precious is preciousness. Praise, too, is derived from pretium by way of precium. That word, meaning â€Å"celebrate† or â€Å"commend,† or as a noun â€Å"commendation† or â€Å"worship† (or, less often, â€Å"merit† or â€Å"value†), is also the root of appraise, meaning â€Å"set a value on,† and the noun form appraisal. A praiseworthy act is one that merits commendation. To appreciate is to esteem or value, or to be conscious of, and an act of doing so is one of appreciation; the adjective appreciable means â€Å"able to be measured or perceived.† Depreciate, by contrast, means â€Å"lower in esteem or value†; in a taxation context, it refers to deducting a portion of the original cost of something as its value decreases with age and use. The verb deprecate, meaning â€Å"belittle,† â€Å"play down,† or â€Å"disapprove of,† is unrelated. (Its root word pertains to prayer; originally, to deprecate was to avert something undesired by praying.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Addressing A Letter to Two People34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better WriterWhen Is a Question Not a Question?

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Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management - Essay Example It is evident from the definitions that there is no major disparity between the two terms, and Kelly (2011) further stated that leadership and management interlinked and complement each other. This present essay looks into a scenario whereby a hospital is forced to close down one of its unit and undergone some restructuring. Under this scenario, the essay will compare and contrast how nursing leaders and managers would approach the mentioned scenario. Secondly, I will identify the leadership style that befits my personal and professional philosophy of nursing. Unit closure and restructuring In this scenario, it is assumed that the hospital will close down one of its unit and it could be because of various reasons that could range from lack of financial resources to support this unit or lack of sufficient human resource to serve this unit. Equally, the closed unit could include the mental healthcare unit or critical care unit. Upon closure of a significant unit within a hospital, it i s widely expected that the hospital will undergo restructuring in order to control the impact of closure. It is of essence to note that the closure of a unit could potentially lead to job loss, redeployment of staff, reduction of financial capital, or introduction of a new unit/ service. The approach of nursing leaders and managers in the mentioned scenario First, it is significant to note that in the mentioned scenario both a nursing leader and manager have to deal with the issue of change, and thus, how to manage and lead the hospital through the change that it would experience after the closure of the unit and during the restructuring. Kelly (2011) stated that leaders originate new ideas within an organisation, therefore, it is expected that the nursing leader will be the one who will foresee the significance of closing the unit and advocating for the restructuring of the hospital. The leader will then inspire and encourage the manager that it is the best course of action to take , after, which the manager will undertake the task of planning, organising, and coordinating the closure of the unit as well as restructuring the organisation. It can further be noted that the nursing leader will foresee the significance of closing the unit and restructuring the hospital because, leaders have long-term perspective on things while managers have short-term perspective on things, this is according to Clark (2008). With reference to the writings by Kelly (2011), it is correct to assert that the nursing leader will be the one who will originate the idea of closing the unit and even restructuring the hospital, this is because a leader is someone who can challenge the status quo while a manager easily accepts status quo. This means that the nursing manager is not the one expected to initiate the change process within the hospital. Since the above scenario involves change, the leadership and management style used by the nursing leaders and managers will determine if the ent ire process will be successful and smooth. In case, the nursing leaders and managers apply other approaches contrary to the humanistic approach, which Clark (2008) stated that it is suitable for the change process, then there is likely to be resistance from the hospital staff. However, she further noted that while leaders focus on people, managers focus on structures and systems. This therefore, means that the nursing leader will be involved in ensuring that the hospital staffs are well aware of the pending unit closure and even

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