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Critical Evaluation of a business response.
81056138: Critical Evaluation of a business response.
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Introduction
Expedia Inc. is an online travelling company which happens to be the largest in the world and has a fleet of agencies under its authority. The company is based in the United States of America. The travel brands that fall under its authority include; the hotels.com, hotwire.com, egencia, classic vacations and e-long (Grayson, 2007, 6). The company was founded way back in the year 1996 as a branch of the Microsoft Corporation of the United States. In the year 2001, the Microsoft Corporation sold the venture out to the Ticketmaster which changed the name of the corporation to USA networks. In the year 2003, due to management reasons, the company’s name was further changed to InterActiveCorp. The company since then has undergone numerous changes to become the now Expedia Inc.
The company majorly operates on an internet basis and has a website which mainly operates from its headquarters in Bellevue. The company runs localized websites for twenty nine countries some of which include; Denmark, India, Indonesia, south Korea, Netherlands, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Singapore, Spain, the united kingdom, the United States of America and Philippines (Grayson, 2007, 7). The company majors in the provision of travel services. These services include; booking of air tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages and numerous attractions and services. The company has links and works with multiple global distribution systems like Sabre Company for flights and Worldspan for hotel reservations.
The company has undergone major changes in the recent past and has altered its operations to due to some dynamics that happens in its business environment. It has also taken its services a notch higher to satisfy the arising needs of its customer base in all the countries it operates. The company now has grown to encompass plane and hotel reservations. The company has merged with some already existing companies and has acquired new ventures which were previously owned by other companies. Its first and the largest acquisition was the Travels cape and vacation spot which it acquired for a sum total of a hundred and seventy US dollars (Grayson, 2007, 45). The next major acquisition was the classic custom vacation that was purchased in March 2002. Other acquisitions include the Metropolitan Travel and Newtrade technologies. Most of these acquisitions were done in the year 2002 and they brought the operations of the Expedia to a new life.
Business response
Business agility can be described comprehensively as the ability by a company to adapt comprehensively and cost efficiently to the changes in the business environment. Various factors compose the business environment. These factors are very essential to the operation of any business (Stacey 2007, 265). Some of these factors include the customers or the clientele, the technological changes, the government policies and the completion from other firms in the industry (Albert, 2011, 456). Every business’ aim and objective is to maximise the sale of their products in their target markets. It is for this reason that the businesses should reconsider the changes in the environment from time to time.
This ability by the firm to adapt to the changes in the environment in the most convenient and cost effective manner can only be achieved and maintained through adaptation of goods and services that meet the customers’ demands. Business agility is also contained in the firm by adjusting to any changes that arise in the environment (Bennet, 2004, 234). The same may also be achieved by the full utilization of the available resources in the firm which includes the human resources.
Agility is basically an idea that encompasses the concepts of flexibility, balance, adaptability and coordination all under one umbrella (Dyer and Ericksen, 2009, 245). An agile enterprise is one which can cope to changes in the environment and efficiently convey better products to the clientele without doing it at the expense of the company’s profits. This is mechanisms that enable the company to offer a variety of services to the clientele. Business agility comes as a result of the organizations intelligence. Agility may come into an organization in form of the process reengineering in a firm so as to meet the clientele’s demands.
Many businesses that attempt agility end up failing due to the trauma they encounter as they fight to take their services or products to a higher level. Since the dynamics that occur are perpetual, the agile enterprise is able to nimbly adjust to and take the advantage of emerging opportunities (Richardson, 2005, 176). New markets come with new challenges and new requirements that require resources to meet. The business architecture has to be reengineered to meet these new requirements. This quest also poses to the firm the issue of acquiring new resources which include more personnel (Ericksen, 2007, 134). It requires an intensive amount of capital to kick start the offering of new products to the clientele. This hence requires a pre-feasibility study that involves the prior establishment of the viability of any ventures that the company wishes to establish.
Business response at most times in any firm results in the emergence of new projects and procurements that require intensive amounts of capital (Pascale, 2000, 253). The process requires wide consultation and decision making which ensures the objectives are met and the company’s aims are achieved to. The process is meant to increase the profitability and by attracting more customers to purchase their products. It is essential to spread knowledge, power and intelligence through the enterprise making it uniquely capable of quickly recovering and adapting to the newly formed structure (Harris, 2004, 152). Agile methods can be applied in such companies in a bid to address issues including that of complexity, uncertainty and dynamic goals by making planning and execution work in parallel rather than in sequence in a bid to eliminate the unnecessary planning activity that may arise (Godin, 2005, 354). The methods bring together planning and execution and hence allows the organization to choose a way in which orders are optimally executed. Chaoses that arise in any projects in a firm that pertain to business response are mainly are as a result of incomplete comprehension of the projects components, component interactions and changing requirements (Niko, 2002, 167).
In the same concept, the Expedia Company has grown to beat its former rivals and has emerged to be a global competitive organisation. The company learned of the changing customer needs and the issue of competition in the market. The company established the market niche that existed and acted quickly to fill it. It discovered that other than offering the online booking services, they could offer the actual services themselves. One of the most important issues in dealing with the customers need is making them available at the most convenient place to ensure that they are accessible to all the clientele (Hamel, 2003, 253). This was done by the acquisition of new firms in its line of service. These would enable the Expedia to deliver all inclusive services to its clientele rather than offering half-baked solutions.
In the quest, the company acquired or rather purchased other firms that were essential in the realisation of the new dream of provision of the comprehensive services. This is basically what business response entails. It involves the change of a company’s agenda to accommodate the changes in the customers’ demands and needs (Kauffman, 1995, 125). The process might require inclusion or rather the provision of new products which are needed most or complement the previously offered products. Like in the Expedia’s case, new resources in the new quest may be acquired to facilitate such a quest. For instance, the Expedia had to make new ventures to provide flight and hospitality services rather than just offering the online booking services. This response to the changing environment without bringing in issues of failure or without wasting the firm’s resources is referred to as business agility (Macmillan, 2004, 156). The Expedia adapted rapidly to these new changes and even managed to beat its rivals in the travel industry.
Conclusion
In conclusion, business response can be regarded to as the responses given by a firm to the changing business environment. The company can seize numerous opportunities from these changes just like the Expedia did and increased its profitability to higher levels that were unseen. The companies however, should be keen in responding to the changes and ensuring that the anticipated outcomes are viable enough. In case a firm overrates the viability of the opportunity to expand, the outcome may be disastrous to the firm. Therefore, a prefeasibility study is essential before any business response to identify the advantages and the shortcomings. The change should only be effected if the advantages far way outweigh the shortcomings.
References
Albert, D. (2011). The agility advantage: A survival guide for complex enterprises. New Jersey: Sage.
Bennet, A. (2004). Organization survival in the new world: The intelligent complex adaptive system. New York: Elsevier.
Dyer, L and Ericksen, J. (2009). Complexity-based agile enterprises: putting self-organizing emergence to work. California: Sage.
Ericksen, J. (2007). Dynamic organizations: achieving marketplace agility through workforce scalability. London: Thompson learning
Grayson J. (June 27, 2007). Expedia: Growth and expansion. Seattle Post-intelligencer. Volume 34(5).
Godin, S. (2005). In the face of change, the competent are helpless. Fast company, January- February: 230-234.
Harris, F. (2004). Agility and concepts of business response. New York: Sage.
Hamel, G. (2003). The quest for resilience. Harvard Business Review. Page 52-63.
Kauffman, S. (1995). At home in the universe: The search of laws of self-organization and complexity. New York: Oxford University press.
Macmillan, E. (2004). Complexity, organization and change: An essential introduction. London: Routledge.
Nikos C. (2002). On the measurement of enterprise agility. Journal of intelligent and robotics systems. Volume, 33(3). Page 329-342.
Pascale, R. (2000). Surfing at the edge of chaos. New York: Crown- Business.
Richardson, K. (2005). Managing organization complexity: Philosophy, theory and application. Greenwich, CT: information edge press.
Stacey, R. (2007). Complexity and creativity in organizations. San Francisco: Barret-koehler publishers.
Stacey, R. (2000). Complexity and management: Fad or radical challenges to systems thinking. London: Roultledge.
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Critical Essay. Having Cell Phones in Elementary School
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Critical Essay: Having Cell Phones in Elementary School
Today’s new generation is referred to as the iGeneration because of such
technologies as the iPhone, iPad, iTouch, and so forth (Rosen 8). As recently as the past
decade, schools have had to determine their stance on students with personal electronics
in the school, from the use of storage devices such as the flash drive, to the use of iPods
for listening to music and podcasts, to the use of cell phones. Many schools quickly
developed policies against the use of any personal electronic devices. The policies were
aimed mostly at the high school level but trickled down to the lower grades. Very
recently, though, educators have come to realize that student use of personal electronics
may alleviate the stress of not having available enough computers, tablets, and other
electrons in a timely, readily accessible manner for individual student use. They also have
come to realize that banning cell phones in school may be too difficult to enforce. Parents
want immediate access to their children, for example. However, addressing cell phones in
high school, or even junior high school, is somewhat different than addressing it for
elementary-aged students.
A major concern for children’s use of cell phones centers on the issue of
electronic bullying. Students on all grade levels encounter bullying, whether they are
witnesses to it, are victims of it, or are perpetuators of it. What makes electronic bullying
even more of a concern is that children do not always know the identity of the
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perpetrator, whether it is a single person or a group of people, and if the child knows the
person (Kowalski & Limber 22). Because electronic bullying can be easily transmitted to
others, the potential audience for electronic bullying is limitless. Schools are left to
develop policies and procedures for dealing with electronic bullying, which includes
educating their students, teachers, and parents regarding electronic bullying. Part of the
debate on whether to allow student-owned cell phones into the elementary school, then, is
the issue of student protection against electronic bullying and also issues of whether
students will abuse the access to their cell phones with inappropriate text-messaging and
gaming, for example.
On the other side of the coin, however, is looking at how often children use cell
phones and for what purpose. Rosen found in his study that parents report that their
elementary school-aged children are utilizing technology at a much younger age than
their older brothers and sisters did (10). They are growing up in an environment where
technology is ubiquitous in all areas of their lives. They have information and the means
to learn at their fingertips. Five to eight year olds communicate electronically half an
hour daily. Nine to twelve year olds communicate electronically 2.5 hours a day. Half of
pre-teens have personal cell phones and iPads (Rosen 10). Rosen argues that educators
might consider using various electronic devices for a means of delivering virtual content,
having online class discussions, and having students to complete and submit assignments
online.
Rosen’s idea that educators utilize students’ personally owned technology in the
classroom brings one to the consideration of what today’s students should be learning in
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preparation for their future. Too often, our students are leaving school unprepared for the
existing job market. They lack skills in critical thinking, communication, and
collaboration. Skills needed for 21
s
t
century living are different than what was needed for
20
t
h
century living. Our schools must shift from the mind-set of preparing students for the
Industrial Age to preparing them for the 21
s
t
century. Heavy emphasis is on collaboration
and communication skills. Among tools needed to support students in developing skills
for 21
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century learning and living include access to the Internet, educational games, and
cell phones (Trilling 8).
Trilling argues that since technology has become an important part of children’s
lives, they should bring their technology from home rather than compete for limited
technology at school (8). Indeed, that is exactly what is happening in many schools. They
are slowly beginning to realize that students have the availability to direct their own
learning through the use of electronic devices. Students use electronic devices for
accessing factual information, delving deeper into areas of interest, playing games to
develop skills and concepts, for communication, and for collaborative learning. Cell
phones, especially smart phones, provide students with immediate access to tools and
information that help them in their academic endeavors. Concerns like electronic bullying
are valid, as are concerns for any kind of bullying. Students must be taught ethical
practices in anything they do and use, but they must also be allowed to use tools at their
disposal to help them to achieve or to attain goals, such as in learning.
Developmental Analysis of Late Adulthood
Developmental Analysis of Late Adulthood
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Developmental Analysis of Late Adulthood
Interviewee Overview
I interviewed Calvin Booker, a 69-year-old man residing in Texas, for this assignment. Mr. Booker is a family man. He has one, Winner Booker, with whom they share three children. His wife is in her early 60s. Mr. and Mrs. Booker have been married for almost forty years, and they share three children and four grandchildren. Their eldest son Joe (38), is married with two children. Lisa (36), Booker’s eldest daughter, is married with one child, and so is Ivanna (31). As regards living arrangements, Booker lives with his wife in their family home on the outskirts of Houston. Booker is a retired army officer who has been commissioned to numerous stations over the duration of his career. He served in numerous capacities for 15 years before retiring at 62 years. Booker holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Georgetown University. Booker also attended a senior service academy, after which he enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps program. Before joining the army, Booker worked as a legal officer at the governor’s office for a few years. He found service a better fit which is why he made the switch. Since Booker retired, he retreated to his family home, where he lives a quiet happy life with his wife and dog, Malory. He does not have much of hobbies left to indulge in, although he is still into fitness. Booker will go jogging /walking or long drives by himself every once in a while.
Summary of Booker’s Current Developmental Period.
Booker is in the stage of development known as Late Adulthood. Booker is a strong elderly man that does not need any specialized care. He still lives with his wife, keeps fit, and seems happy and fulfilled. According to the textbook (Lally & Valentine-French, 2019), Booker can be categorized as young-old. This is the first stage of late adulthood and comprises individuals between 65 and 74 years. This stage is considered the golden years of late adulthood. Compared to older counterparts, this category of people has relatively better social engagement and good health. The textbook also noted that these individuals have better memory, intelligence, and attention. It also noted that they do not need caregivers, work for pleasure, and maybe still be living with their spouse. Similarly, Booker is in great health, stays with his wife, and runs to keep fit from time to time. Theorist Erik Erikson theorized that late adulthood was a time to find meaning in life, understand one’s life and accept death as inevitable. Ageism is also another theory regarding late adulthood. It posits that discrimination and prejudice tend to be directed at older people. They are deemed to be in less control of their mental facilities.
Physical Development in Late Adulthood
The expected norm is that once a person reaches 60, they become prone to many issues such as slowed reaction time, reduced muscle strength, and skin losing elasticity. Average life expectancy is informed by their access to medical care, socioeconomic stays, and region. It is also expected that people in the same age bracket as Booker will begin to lose sight and other senses like touch and taste. They also become sensitive. However, this is not the case for Booker. Booker is in perfect health and even enjoys random runs. He is fit; maybe it has to do with the fact that he was in the army. Erik Erikson theorized that as people continued to age and enter the last stage of life, they went through a crisis over despair and integrity. They take stock of their lives and think about their mark in society. The ones who are happy about what they did feel a sense of integrity, while those that are not satisfied feel despair.
Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood
Cognitive development pertains to the abilities performed by the memory. It is expected that as people approach late adulthood, their memory tends to see a decline. Memory decline in old age is expected because of increased speed of storage, memory retrieval, and encoding. Old people are also at high risk of suffering from dementia and other brain desires that make them people-dependent (Singh, Hanlon, Santiago, & Seed, 2017). However, in Booker’s case, this is not the case. Booker is 69 years old, yet he has not exhibited any signs of declined memory loss. Small details may sometimes escape him as they do to everybody, but it is nothing out of the ordinary or life-threatening. As a matter of fact, Booker remembers every single detail of his life, before, during and after being commissioned. He also knows all his family members by name and can hold decent conversations with them. A theory posits that older people have a better semantic memory than other people. They remember vocabulary better, while younger ones are better at rehearsing and retrieving information.
Psychosocial Development in Late Adulthood
As people advance into late adulthood, their productivity pace reduces, which gives them plenty of time to reflect on the life they have lived. According to Erik Erikson, if a person views themselves as having led a successful life, they will feel as having lived productively. On the other hand, if they do not attain their life goals, they tend to become hopeless and might sink into depression. Booker lived a happy and fulfilled life. He says that he feels he has accomplished all his life goals. Booker served his country from a young age, had a beautiful family, bought a home, and catered to his family’s needs. He, however, reported that he regrets one thing; being away from his family and loved ones for too long. This is always a struggle for every man in uniform. Leaving family behind for a greater purpose of serving the country is one the most selfless things officers do. However, they regret not spending quality time with their loved ones. The disengagement theory insists that older people should be discouraged from solitude and inactivity. This theory is opposed to the idea of keeping people in old age so busy that they rarely have time for reflection and contemplation. Moreover, the continuity theory notes that as people approach late adulthood, they continue viewing themselves the same as they did when they were children. Essentially, the way a person approaches goals, problems, and situations is the same as when they were children.
Uncompleted Tasks
The only developmental task that Booker is struggling with in late adulthood is not spending quality time with his larger and immediate family. While Booker still has the companionship from his wife, he feels that he should be spending more time with his daughter, son, and grandchildren. He already regrets being away from them for too long. His children visit him occasionally, but he does not see them as much as he would want since they live in different states. Booker’s gas made peace and is happy with all aspects of his life besides this one. One way Booker can achieve this task is by discussing the issue with his family. They can plan to hold monthly family gatherings or invite their parents to stay with them more frequently. This will help Booker to stay at more peace with himself.
Conclusion
In closing, Booker is a 69-year-old- army retired officer in his late adulthood. He lived a decent life and attained all his life goals. His only regret is that he did not spend as much time as he would have wanted with his children because he was never home. His job would not have allowed him to. He is relatively physically strong and keeps fit by jogging from time to time. He has a perfect memory, and all his senses are working perfectly.
References
Lally, M., & Valentine-French, S. (2019). Lifespan development: A psychological perspective. Marth Lally & Valentine-French, Suzanne.
Singh, V. K., Hanlon, B. K., Santiago, P. T., & Seed, T. M. (2017). A review of radiation countermeasures focusing on injury-specific medicinals and regulatory approval status: part III. Countermeasures under early stages of development along with ‘standard of care’medicinal and procedures not requiring regulatory approval for use. International journal of radiation biology, 93(9), 885-906.