Saturday, May 23, 2020

The American Criminal Justice System - 3283 Words

Since the policy was enacted in the early 1990s, three strikes laws have been one of the most controversial issues facing the American criminal justice system. In general, advocates believe that locking up criminals will protect society. Critics believe that three-strike policy can only be effective with offenders that are on their last strikes (Worrall, 2008). However, other critics explain how three-strike laws don’t significantly reduce crime because most criminals mature out of the criminal lifestyle (Worrall, 2004). There are two cases that pushed and guided the three strikes policy that received national attention. First, was Kimber Reynolds, who was murdered in cold blood in 1992 during a purse snatching where the man pulled out his .357 Magnum and shot her in the ear (Walter Downs, 1994). This horrendous crime helped her father, Mike Reynolds, become one of the lead advocates for California’s Three Strikes Law in 1993. Reynolds wanted to target repeat offenders that have two prior violent offenses that have committed a third offense which would put them behind bars for life. State legislators were concerned about the law and many thought of rejecting the law because they believed the sentencing for the policy could be costly (Walter Downs, 1994). The second case that really made a difference was the 1993 kidnapping of Polly Klaas from her home during a sleep over with friends. Richard Allen Davis broke in and tied her friends up then kidnapped and murdered her.Show MoreRelatedThe Amer ican Criminal Justice System1398 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Criminal Justice system is arguably one of the most fair systems in the world. However, like anything it has its flaws. There are many flaws but the largest three, in my opinion, would be the fact that we have the highest incarceration rate of any other country, the high penalties for drug users, as well as the jury system. The high incarceration rates and the penalties for drug users affect each other but they are still issues on their own. In fact, many of issues within our system coincideRead MoreThe American Criminal Justice System873 Words   |  4 PagesThe American criminal justice system has set up laws and by breaking the laws would be considered a crime, and depending on the crime that is broken have different types of degrees. And these crimes can be broken into three different categorize and whether or not it will be classified as a felony, misdemeanor or an infraction. A victimless crime is a crime th at goes against societies values, norm but the people involved with these criminal acts do not feel victimized, compared to if they were beingRead MoreThe American Criminal Justice System1866 Words   |  8 Pagesthe American criminal justice system for more than two centuries. In its mandate to regulate government power to judge people accused of transgressing against the laws of the society, the mechanism of the jury allows the citizens themselves to determine the guilt or innocence of the person. Though juries have generally served a vital function in the criminal justice system, the reputation of the jury system has come under fire over the past several years. Commentators charge that the system insulatesRead MoreAmerican Criminal Justice System Change990 Words   |  4 Pagesconcept of American criminal justice system change? At first, I didn’t know anything about American Criminal Justice System. The definition of criminal justice system I looked up on the internet was that it is a system that is established to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate the law in order to maintain social order. But is it the full definition of criminal justice system in America? Are there any aspects that can be added to this definition? American criminal justice system seemsRead MoreRacism And The American Criminal Justice System1584 Words   |  7 PagesToday, African Americans and other minorities are over-represented in the criminal justice system, but under-represented politically in the United States of America. Since well before its inception in 1776, the United States of America has been a nation characterized by white supremacy. In fact, modern day America may not exist if not for the taking of land from the Indigenous Peoples on this very premise. Today, many Americans believe they live in a post-racial nation, citing the abolition ofRead MoreAfrican Americans And The Criminal Justice System Essay1688 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many ways the criminal justice system plays a huge role in the discrimination against all people of color. Mostly, there are a wide range of studies within the African American communities that expresses concern, prejudice, and even racial profiling in the criminal justice s ystem pertaining to blacks. Judges, jurors, police officers, and even marriages are key roles of the societal disadvantages African Americans have. African Americans are even being arrested more than any other race inRead MoreAfrican Americans And The Criminal Justice System1542 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction African American males are overrepresented in the criminal justice and many times are subject to harsher sentences than their Caucasian counterparts. African American males also experience racial profiling and have more negative interactions than any other population in the United States. Ibie, Obie, and Obiyan states, â€Å"African Americans have continued to be the repository for American crime and to be treated as amalgamation of presumed group trait rather than as individuals†. ThisRead MoreThe Bias Of The American Criminal Justice System Essay1855 Words   |  8 PagesThe bias in the American criminal justice system is first reported in the first stages of the system, which includes the (act of asking questions and trying to find the truth about something) and arrest of the suspected people by police personnel (American Civil Liberties Union, 2013). These police personnel discriminately target the minorities as criminal suspects, which eventually skews the racial popu lation of the people arrested, charged, put in jail or convicted (Cole, Smith, DeJong, 2013)Read MoreAfrican Americans And The Criminal Justice System1500 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout American history, the African-American population has been in the minority, and has been persecuted for hundreds of years. What Taylor-Thompson is stating is that African-Americans usually hold the minority in court decisions as well, which poses a problem due to the majority overriding their vote. Due to the racial tensions, the judicial system ultimately changed in order to include more minorities in juries, however it was lopsided during the Simpson trial. During the tumultuous 1990sRead MoreThe American Court System And Criminal Justice System1750 Words   |  7 PagesThe System Each year, approximately ten-thousand people are convicted of crimes that they did not commit (Spring). Ten-thousand people that will never see their kids grow up, ten-thousand people that will miss out on life, ten-thousand people whose lives will never be the same. Men and women are on death row for decades, only to be exonerated after their execution. Where is the justice in that? Prisons are also overcrowded and according to political scientist David Hudson, America holds five percent

Monday, May 18, 2020

Postive Effects of Medieval Social Classes Essay - 752 Words

The development of social classes in medieval England affected life for the people in many positive ways. It served as a means of organization to base their daily lives off of, and also gave the peasants and trade classes protection from the rulers and the clergy class in return for their labor and allegiance (â€Å"Quizlet†). Life in the Middle Ages was based on the framework of social classes so they could flourish socially and economically. The British class structure was a configuration of five main classes. The King owned all the land and distributed portions of it to his nobles. He was part of the ruling class, along with the Pope and the rest of the royalty (Pattie). The Pope was the religious ruler and had power over the church and†¦show more content†¦Monks were the scholars of this time period, and they spent the majority of their time praising God and attending prayer meetings and church. The last group of people in the clergy class was the nuns. They we ren’t as intellectual as the monks, so their jobs involved catering to the people by nursing the sick to health in the infirmary, educating young children, and caring for orphans (People of the Middle Ages†). The next group of people was in the middle class. They were the citizens of the town, and they acquired high amounts of money so that their families could live comfortable lives. The mothers in these households were not obligated to work because the man of the house could financially support the whole family (â€Å"Middle Class†). Sometimes they had servants to help the women with household chores and duties like cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children. This class also included shipmen, cooks, and high-class merchants (Schwartz). Below the middle class was the trade class, which included merchants and craftsmen. Men involved with retail would travel great distances to achieve authority and power over certain trade routes (â€Å"Middle Ages: The Medie val Social Classes†). The trade class hugely impacted the towns and the people because their income and trading skills helped to stabilize the economy. Peasants and the middle class often disagreed with the work of the merchants because the priests and the bishops were highly against it. They believed

Monday, May 11, 2020

The, Made By Robots Challenging Architecture At A Larger...

Alexandra Morales ARC 5205 Advanced Theory Professor Neil Leach Pages: 16-45 Gramazio + Kohler, Made by Robots: Challenging Architecture at a Larger Scale The book questions whether the new digital technologies can impact and change the architectural and material practice of today, Gramazio Kohler explored the potentials of robot- induced design and how robots can help enrich the physical nature of architecture, to inform the material processes and to merge the computational design with the construction realization. The employment of robotics in architecture is creating an entirely new aesthetic and functionality that could alter and challenge the architectural design at a larger scale. By using the cost-efficient fabrication machines that are both reliable and flexible such as the articulated arm robots or the industrial robots that are known for their versatility and their ability to perform an unlimited variety of non-repetitive tasks that can help expand the range of the architectural design and the production. The initial introduction of the robotic systems to the building construction was not a success, the book explains how the robots used in the building construction before were exclusively used to optimize the productivity without taking into account the design process and not adding any real lasting architectural value, this changed with time and now the architectural design and its production process has to inform the approach to the robotic fabrication and notShow MoreRelatedMade By Robots : Challenging Architecture At A Larger Scale Essay1978 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction With the rapid change in construction and manufacturing processes today, the architectural design may reflect these new innovative changes. The book, Made by Robots: Challenging Architecture at a Larger Scale, presents a shift between the old, traditional manufacturing processes to the new role that robotics is beginning to adapt in the infrastructure process, closing the gap between design and fabrication. Efficiency, costs, and the concept of a design process involving communicationRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution And Its Impact On Architecture1109 Words   |  5 PagesArmand Gorrell 10.13.16 Theories II- N. Leach Made by Robots: Challenging Architecture at a Larger Scale The section I read covered the history of the Industrial Revolution and its impact on the building process from the 18th century to the 19th century. Beginning in the 18th century and throughout the 19th century, new machinery, and industrially fabricated materials began to appear on construction sites. Entering the 20th century there was a real attempt to adopt the industrial manufacturing processesRead MoreReview Of Robots : Challenging Architecture At A Larger Scale Essay2267 Words   |  10 PagesNeil Leach MEISSEL HERRERA MADE BY ROBOTS: Challenging Architecture at a Larger Scale. 10/06/2016 21/144 ODICO FORM WORKS ROBOTICS uses robots to create more complex and exact formworks out of polystyrene in a quicker manner and greater scale as well as more efficiently and less costly, enabling architectural vision to expand and grow. A. â€Å"...set out to develop a manufacturing concept capable of providing low-cost production of advanced framework at industrial volume scale.† ( 66.1) B. â€Å"...providesRead MoreSample Letter For The Fabrication Shop Team At The College Of Architecture9949 Words   |  40 PagesPerbellini and Prof. Dustin White for their support during the development of this thesis. Without their collaboration and guidance this thesis would not have been possible. I would also like to thank the Fabrication Shop team at the College of Architecture, especially Mike West for sharing their knowledge in fabrication and always being willing to help. In addition, I would like to thank the other departments within Texas Tech which provided me with knowledge with topics specific to their fieldRead MoreHow Will 3d Printing Affect the Process and Quality of Constructing Housing in the 21st Century?6502 Words   |  27 Pagesadditive process where successive layers are laid down in different shapes. It is distinct from many others ways of constructing that rely on the removal of material through cutting or drilling. The technology isn’t that new, the first 3D printer was made in 1984, however at that time they were neither efficient, reliable nor precise, and required a lot more effort and money in order to create a much smaller object. Since then, the technology has come a long way and has been used in the creation ofRead MoreA Thesis On Computer Science Engineering9162 Words   |  37 Pagescreative input and constructive challenges inspired me a lot. I have learnt to lead a systematic and disciplined life from sir, which has helped to build my personality to the fullest. His brilliant guidance inspired me to face every difficult and challenging aspects pertaining to my studies. His dedication towards our work is inexplicable. His readiness for consultation at all times, his educative comments and assistance even with practical things have been invaluable. If I continue to write instancesRead MoreEssay on Use of Nanotechnology in Medecine2565 Words   |  11 Pagesstructures and properties at the nanoscale in medicine is like having a sub-microscopic lab bench on which you can handle cell components, viruses or pieces of DNA, using a range of tiny tools, robots and tubes.† (Paddock) There is one type of microscope in the world that has the ability to see things at the nano scale. That microscope is a scanning tunneling microscope. It has the ability to zoom in on an object by 1,000,000 times as the average high school and college microscope only reaches 100(NanoRead MoreEssay on The Applicat ions of Artificial Intelligence5047 Words   |  21 Pagesconstitutes an ``AI question--and how to evaluate progress. Much early AI research focused on tasks commonly thought to require high intelligence in people, such as playing high-quality chess. Skeptics viewed this as an impossible assignment, but AI made rapid progress. By the 1960s, programs were capable of tournament play. In 1997, in a landmark match, the chess system Deep Blue defeated Gary Kasparov, the worlds human chess champion for the previous twelve years. At the same time, however, AIRead More4g Communication22481 Words   |  90 Pagesin regions where it was difficult to build a connection by wire line. †¢ 1G was based on analogy technique and deployed in the 1980s. It built the basic structure of mobile communications and solved many fundamental problems, e.g. cellular architecture adopting, multiplexing frequency band, roaming across domain, non-interrupted communication in mobile circumstances, etc. Speech chat was the only service of 1G. †¢ 2G was based on digital signal processing techniques and regarded as a revolutionRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 PagesConcepts 191 Batch Processing versus Online Processing 191 Functional Information Systems Vertical Integration of Systems Distributed Systems 192 Client/Server Systems Virtualization 192 192 193 194 Service-Oriented Architecture and Web Services 194 Transaction Processing Systems Payroll System 196 196 Order Entry System 196 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems 198 An Example ERP System: SAP ERP 199 Data Warehousing 201 Customer Relationship

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Pathos Ethos Declaration of Independence - 741 Words

Purpose of the Declaration of Independence: This was a document that was written to explain why we should break away from Great Britain and become independent from their laws. It explains that all men (and now women too) are created equal and were born with rights that cannot be taken away†¦life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To ensure that these rights remain, the people create a government and laws that will protect these rights. When the government starts to act in such a way that these rights are threatened†¦then the people have the right to change the government or remove it and replace it with a new one. It then continues to list the reasons why they want to sever ties with Great Britain and list the ways they feel they have†¦show more content†¦As a reader, I found this sentence very powerful, and I’m sure when it was written, it was even more so, seeing as the writers/readers were the ones experiencing the suffering. Another place that Jefferson appealed to pathos was in the last sente nce. He says, â€Å"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.† By showing how much everyone is willing to sacrifice (lives, fortunes, and honor), it illustrates the amount of heart and passion that went into this document. Logos of the document: Logic/reason The entire first paragraph is telling the readers why this declaration of independence needs to made in the first place. He states that there is a time when a society needs to break away from its past leader (Britain) and rely on the powers of God and the earth to create a new community. He is using logic to help his readers understand the meaning of this document. He continues to use logos in explaining why this declaration is important as he explains that it will â€Å"secure these rights,† which pertain to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Another time, logos is us ed in the declaration is when Jefferson is addressing all the wrongs the King of Britain did, and he lists them. He presents his evidence veryShow MoreRelatedRhetorical Analysis Of Frederick Douglass s `` Why The Slave Is The Fourth Of July ``1007 Words   |  5 Pagesorder to build and establish an argument. In his speech, his intention is to make slavery completely abolished . Frederick Douglass believes that America’s independence celebration on the fourth of July is not right when not all American’s truly have that right because of slavery. Through his use of three rhetorical devices, ethos, pathos, and logos, he gradually persuades the audience into believing that black people are deserving of the same rights as white men do. Douglass begins the speechRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence Rhetorical Analysis800 Words   |  4 Pagesof our Declaration of Independence, had the same mentality as him in seeking for freedom. Jefferson decided to write this document as a way of declaring the independence of the United States from Britain. In the document, he states all the harm that Britain has done to the colonists: socially, mentally, and economically. Jefferson just like the colonist wanted peace in their lives, and freedom from the tyranny of King George III. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson uses ethos, pathosRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Benjamin Banneker821 Words   |  4 PagesJefferson, framer of the Declaration of Independence and secretary of state to President George Washington, arguing against slavery. Banneker constructs an argument in his letter to persuade Jefferson of the cruelty and inhumanity that slavery entails. Motivated by the desire to convince Jefferson to abo lish slavery, Banneker appeals to pathos by comparing slavery to the American Revolution, appeals to logos by referencing the Declaration of Independence, and establishes ethos by making a biblical allusionRead MoreRehetoric in Maritn Luther King Jr. ´s Speech744 Words   |  3 Pagesthroughout the nation as his passionate and commanding voice resounded over the fields that lay before the Lincoln Memorial. Many consider this speech the â€Å"epitome of modern Rhetoric.† In his speech, King utilizes the three disciplines of Rhetoric, ethos, pathos, and logos, with finesse and skill. As King stood before the massive crowd of Americans, he urged the citizens of the United States to turn their hatred of colored people into a hatred of the true evil: racism. King continually states that theRead MoreEssay on The Success of the Declaration of Indepedence656 Words   |  3 Pages On July 4th every year, Americans all across the world celebrate Independence Day, the day the United States declared their independence from Great Britain. The mechanism they used on July 4, 1776 was â€Å"The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States† written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration Of Independence was a success by using various types of support, ethos (ethic), pathos (emotion) and logos (logic). The first paragraph lays the logic (logos) behind people separating from theirRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Slavery In The Declaration Of Independence708 Words   |  3 Pages In his letter he mentioned how freedom was a blessing from heaven, cited a part from the Declaration of Independence, and even made a reference to someone in the Bible. He used many rhetorical strategies to help argue that slavery should be outlawed, for example ethos, religious appeals, and pathos. Mr. Banneker in the second paragraph established ethos by citing a part of the Declaration of Independence. He cited the part about â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are createdRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence By Elizabeth Cady Stanton937 Words   |  4 Pagessuffering from female discrimination, Women s Rights activist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wrote the declaration of Sentiments to declare independence for women from men. Stanton articulates how all men and women are created equal, in her declaration she outlines the injustices towards women by men in eighteen charges against the male dominant society. By modeling the declaration after Jefferson s Declaration of Independents she creates a patriotic tone in order to pursued all women and men, particularlyRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence By Thomas Jefferson884 Words   |  4 Pageswell-known Declaration of Independence, conveys his message through belletristic devices. He employs imagery, language, diction, and syntax in an organized and straightforward manner, which gets the audience intrigued. Jefferson’s tone is formal and adamant and his purpose is to convince the colonist that loyalty to Britain is futile, and that help from other nations is needed. Jefferson, in The Declaration of Independence furthers his purpose by adequately employing ethos, logos, and pathos. LogosRead MoreEssay What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July704 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July† is a very moving piece about what the Fourth of July means to slaves. The speech was given by Fredrick Douglas in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852. His use of ethos, pathos and logos made this an extremely effective speech. The speech â€Å"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July† opens with Frederick Douglas explaining how he was asked to give a speech on the Fourth of July. He then gives a brief statement about how hard his journey has been and now heRead MoreEssay on Declaration of Independence Evaluation700 Words   |  3 Pagespresident, Jefferson was selected to draft the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson had visions of a nation independent of the British hold that was grasping our country at that time. With beautiful, flowing words and true foresight into the future, Jefferson used the appeal of Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Thomas Jefferson vision for this country was well represented in the writing as he wrote it before the fifty-six other signatures declared America’s independence. Our third president, born in 1743, was

Bayesian Equalizer Free Essays

Introduction The work undertaken in this thesis chiefly discusses the two types of fuzzy system based channel equalisers in nomadic communicating system in GSM environment. The fuzzed execution and RBF execution of Bayesian equaliser based on MAP standard has been presented. The capableness of fuzzed equalisers in a GSM environment for a Rayleigh faded additive channels and nonlinear channels have been analyzed. We will write a custom essay sample on Bayesian Equalizer or any similar topic only for you Order Now A Type-2 fuzzy logic based equaliser proposed by Mendel [ 29 ] has been compared with proposed equaliser for GSM applications. This chapter summarizes the work reported in this thesis, stipulating the restrictions of the survey and provides some arrows to future development. Following this debut subdivision 5.2 lists the accomplishments from the work undertaken. Section 5.3 provides the restrictions and subdivision 5.4 nowadayss few arrows towards the hereafter work. Accomplishments of the thesis The work presented in this thesis can be classified for two parts. The first portion presents the step of the public presentation of two types of fuzzy system based equalisers for GSM application in additive attenuation channels and the other portion is dedicated for nonlinear channels. Major points of the thesis, foregrounding the parts at each phase, are presented below. Chapter 3 of this thesis presents fuzzed execution of Bayesian equaliser [ 28 ] . It has seen that the Bayesian equaliser uses the estimations of noise free received vectors called channel provinces to explicate the determination map. It can be expeditiously implemented utilizing the estimations of noise free received scalars called scalar channel provinces which cut down calculations well over conventional Bayesian equaliser. It can be implemented utilizing RBF with scalar channel provinces. Subsequently, fuzzed execution of Bayesian equaliser has been derived and this fuzzed equaliser gives suboptimal consequence with farther cut downing the computational complexness. The fuzzy implemented Bayesian equaliser uses Gaussian rank maps, merchandise illation in the signifier of IF†¦ THN regulations and COG defuzzifier. This equaliser has been termed as fuzzy implemented RBF or merely RBF in the thesis. This RBF equalizer shown optimum public presentation in signifier of BER in GSM environment. The usage of fuzzy system in implementing the Bayesian equaliser provides flexibleness in the design of Bayesian equalisers with using different illation regulations and defuzzification procedure [ 12 ] . But in this thesis the fuzzy equaliser has been discussed and proposed with holding minimal illation regulation and COG defuzzifier. The parametric execution of Bayesian equalisers utilizing fuzzed systems make the equaliser traceable in GSM application supplying the consequence near to the optimal with decreased computational complexness. The Type-2 FAF has been described and evaluated under GSM environment for channel equalisation intents. This has been used to compare public presentation of proposed equaliser. Type-2 FAF utilizes the mean of the channel province bunchs formed by the attenuation of channel to explicate two rank maps ( Upper and Lower ) to make up one’s mind its determination map. Type-2 FAF though provides consequence near optimum utilizing bi g preparation informations but could non execute good for GSM application. Major part from this chapter is summarized here. The public presentation rating of two types of fuzzy equalisers has been done under GSM environment with the comparing to the RBF execution of Bayesian equaliser and other additive equalisers trained with RLS and LMS algorithm with different channels and equalizer orders. These equalisers are evaluated for additive channels with Rayleigh attenuation. Chapter 4 of this thesis discusses the public presentation of fuzzed equalisers along with the additive equalisers under GSM environment for the nonlinear channels with Rayeligh melting. A block diagram of digital communicating system with nonlinearities has been discussed where different types of nonlinearities were considered. In this chapter how the channel coefficients were altering with attenuation has been shown. The channel states with debut of some nonlinearities have been shown and the motion of channel provinces along with certain dimensions with attenuation was described with simulation. The k-mean bunch method of preparation for nonlinear channels has been described as it is hard to gauge the channel with presence of nonlinearities. Major part signifier this chapter is summarized in a brief. The Type-1 fuzzy adaptative equaliser performs near to the RBF equaliser which is optimum equalisers [ 43 ] and better than the Type-2 FAF proposed by Mendel for GSM application. Type-1 FAF can be trained in 26 preparation informations which Type-2 could non. The additive equalisers trained with RLS and LMS algorithms does non demo acceptable public presentation with such little preparation informations and melting environment with the channels affected by nonlinearities. Restrictions of the work This subdivision presents some of the restrictions of the work reported in this thesis. In this thesis the fuzzed execution of Bayesian equaliser has been validated for GSM application. This equalisers are related to ( ) where N is the size of the symbol alphabet or configuration. This big complexness bounds this signifier of equalisers to communicating systems where channel scattering is comparatively little, of order of. The work undertaken in this thesis merely considered 2-level PAM transition where to increase the transmittal speed the efficient transition strategies like 4-level PAM, QPSK are needed. It can be extended to other efficient transition strategies in line with RBF execution of Bayesian equalisers [ 49 ] . Other issues like next channel intervention ( ACI ) , co-channel intervention ( CCI ) , Rayleigh melting with different holds, clocking recovery in the receiving system were non considered. Scope for the farther research By reasoning this thesis, the followers are some arrows for farther plants can be undertaken. The suggested country in which research can be undertaken follows from the restriction of the work presented in this chapter. As determination feedback equalisers are simple and needs less preparation informations, a determination feedback equaliser could supply alternate equalisation scheme for GSM environment. Different efficient cryptography and transition strategies could be considered in the simulation. How to cite Bayesian Equalizer, Essay examples

Solving Business Problems Through The Creative Power of The Arts

Question: Identify and evaluate Unilevers organisational structure prior to 1996. Why did Unilever change from this structure in 1996? Identify and evaluate the effectiveness of the new organisational structure that Unilever has adopted (from 2004), in achieving their corporate strategy. Describe the internal and external forces that could have created the need for Unilever to change its organisational structure.) Organisational change is one of the most persistent, pervasive, and powerful challenges that managers face today (Hitt et al, 2008). Using suitable change theories, describe how managers at Unilever could implement the change identified in the case study. Answer: Solution 1 Unilever is a multinational company set up by Margarine Uni (Dutch) and Lever Brothers (British) in the year 1930. Hence, it came to be known as Unilever. Every organization has a different management structure which is best suited and works efficiently by giving good results. Unilever was also doing well and had a decentralized structure. It is a type of structure where the power and authority is transferred from the central unit to the local enterprises (Weingardt, 1971). In the case of Unilever, they too had diversified the power and authority to the subsidiary units. The subsidiary units of different countries were accountable for their own market. In Europe, Unilever had 17 subsidiary units in different countries. They were independently responsible for the production, sales, distribution through their own supply chains and marketing of the product (Williamson and Wilson, 1970). The products were also customized as per the need and requirements of the local market. The subsidiary units had the independence to match the products as per the demand of that particular area. The managers were also locally recruited to understand the need and demand of customers. This type of the decentralized structure worked till 1996, when the company finally analyzed the desperate need to change the structure (Weingardt, 1971). There were several reasons behind this decision taken by the organization. Some of them are: High cost involved This type of structure was costing heavily to the organizations. Increasing competition There were more competitors in the market and the company could not tackle the competition on a global scale with its subsidiaries being independent entities Decentralized units of manufacture This kind of manufacturing divisions further increased the cost and it was difficult to sustain with them. Hence, the company decided to have a centralized manufacturing division for particular products. This would save the cost of setting of manufacturing plants for each subsidiary unit (Brinkmann, 1985). Global expansion Up till now, the company had 17 subsidiaries in Europen countries and wanted to further expand their business in other continents. This kind of structure would have further caused confusion and lack of vision (Rath, 1982). Falling prices of shares in the market The company was also worried about the falling prices of shares. This was creating a negative image for the company. Ease in decision making Since there was no single head and each entity were independent, it was difficult to take any decisions. Facilitate coordination The company also wanted to have an improved coordination among its subsidiaries. Each one was acting as a single unit and hence coordination and support were lacking. Loss of brand recognition There were too many products launched in the market as per requirements for every individual market. Hence, there was loss of identity. These were some of the reasons that forced Unilever to change its organizational structure. Solution 2 Despite of the organizational restructuring, Unilever was still to achieve the desired results. The competitors were still having an upper hand and Unilever was not able to stand with them (Mullins, L.J. 2010),. Hence, it decided to go through another restructuring. Though it is not an easy decision for any organization, but Unilever was bound to do so (Mizera, 2012). Some of the major changes that happened during this restructuring were: Cut down the brands The company decided to shrink its number of brands so that it can focus and concentrate on limited products. Initially, Unilever was selling around 1600 brands which were downsized to just 400. These downsized products were marketed strategically on a global scale. Reduction in manufacturing units After reducing the number of brands the company also downsized the number of manufacturing units. They were reduced from about 380 plants to just 280 plants. Product division The entire Unilevers product offerings were divided in just two major divisions. They were: Food Home and personal care This helped the organization in proper coordination and management. Now, the food division was only responsible for their range of brands and vice versa. They had to focus on every aspect like product development, product manufacture and product marketing of their brands. There was a proper division of work and hence better focus. For example Unilever Bestfoods which is located in Europe with headquarter in Rotterdam, was only taking care of food division, however, its home and personal care division located in Europe was only concerned about its own product range (Unilever: Rotterdam becomes centre for marketing and innovation, 2013). Firing of employees on a huge scale Due to reduction in number of products and manufacturing units there was an obvious reduction in the number of employees. Around 20,000 employees were terminated reducing the liability of the company. Changes in marketing structure Unilever also implemented changes in its marketing structure. Now there were marketing managers for each division. These marketing managers were supposed to supervise the brand managers. These brand managers were responsible for individual brands and were answerable to the marketing managers. This type of marketing structure helped in focusing on each and every brand. All these initiatives taken by Unilever helped in focusing it on brand recognition for many products and helped them retain their brand value. Also the bifurcation of products under two divisions helped in strategic planning and implementation. Reduction in manufacturing units and hence employees resulted in saving a lot of cost to the company. The change in marketing structure in the organization helped the company to focus on each and every product. Solution 3 There were several factors that left no option for Unilever but to change its organizational structure. There were several internal as well as external factors. The internal factors were within the organization, however external factors were from outside the organization. Internal Factors Designation of authority There was no adequate designation of authority. The subsidiary units were independent decision makers. They had their own planning and structure according to which they acted. The central binding force was lacking and hence that led to the inadequate division of power. Increasing costs The high rising costs were another threat to the organization. Having separate manufacturing units for every subsidiary had a huge cost involved with it. Lack of common vision Due to subsidiary units being independent, there was a lack of common vision and focus. Facilitate coordination The lack of coordination among subsidiary units was also a major reason for the organizational change. External Factors Growing Competition The increasing number of competitors was becoming a threat to the company. The competitors were gradually increasing their market shares. This competition was not only for branded products, but also non branded products had increased significantly in the market. Global expansion The company was planning a global expansion. Till now the company was only confined to European countries with its 17 subsidiaries. With the existing organizational structure, it was not possible to expand globally. There was a lack of common objective and vision in this type of decentralized structure. Lack of brand recognition Due to customization of products at all units there was no brand identity. This was causing the lack of brand recognition and hence creating a problem for the company. Too many brands There were too many brands for a single product range. Hence it was getting difficult to implement the marketing and advertising strategies. Later on, these brands were reduced from 1600 to 400. Solution 4 There are several challenges for managers at the time of the organizational changes. These challenges can be on various fronts. It is very crucial for managers to handle these changes in an efficient manner because change is not easily accepted by human mentality. Human beings do not accept change easily and hence it is difficult to prepare them for it. It becomes even tougher if the change happens in an organization and there comes the challenge to the manager. There are three theories of change that managers can implement in organizations. They are: The Kurt Lewin Change Management model This theory works in three stages. These three stages are freeze, change and refreeze. The first stage freeze is about getting ready for the change. All the necessary changes to be done are evaluated. Then comes the second stage the change. At this stage, the actual change happens. Then is the last stage, which is refreeze (Burnes, 2004). This stage is also known as unfreeze. In this stage, employees adjust to the changes that have taken place. This theory could have also been applied at Unilever. The employees should have been given adequate and apt lessons on motivation before the change. This would have prepared the employees for the change in the freeze stage. In the second stage the organizational change takes place. Communication and motivation are important part of this phase. After that, comes the refreeze stage. The managers had to efficiently handle this stage, since it is human tendency to repel to change. Kotter's 8 step change model Kotters change model is an eight step process. They are: Create urgency In the first step of this model, a well planned need has to be generated for the change. In case of Unilever, employees had to be made aware of the urgency of change (Pollack and Pollack, 2014). Forming a strong alliance In this step, employees are convinced about the change. At Unilever also, managers could have persuaded the employees and finally would have convinced for change. Create a vision for change It is important to evaluate all the options available after the change. At Unilever also, it was managers duty to foresee the options available. Announce the vision The vision should be efficiently conveyed to the employees. Managers at Unilever should have also effectively communicated the vision to the employees. Removing Obstacles All the hurdles that come in the way of change should have been removed. At Unilever as well the managers were supposed to remove these barriers. Creating quick wins Nothing motivates employees more than success. An early win at Unilever also would have had a lasting impact. Build on the change The wins and loss should be properly evaluated at this stage. Similarly, it was the role of managers to evaluate them. Incorporate the changes In the last stage it is the time to finally implement the changes. At Unilever also, managers could have now effectively implement the changes. The Kubler Ross change curve This theory bifurcates the change in five stages. They are: Denial In this stage, there is a non acceptance of the change. At Unilever it would have been a difficult phase for a manager to handle so much reluctance. Anger At this stage, the employees show their frustration in the form of anger. Considering the situation at Unilever, it was a crucial role of manager to handle this anger. Bargaining After the employees feel that nothing will work out they move to bargaining mode. The managers at Unilever needed to handle this situation tactfully. Depression The employees go to depression phase as they are still not sure about the change. 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