Are Standardization from Enterprise Architecture

Are standardization and innovation in conflict? I have no doubt standardization and innovation are in conflict, at least to some extent, because standardization (almost by definition) reduces the amount of variation of processes or systems simultaneously used in a company. That is the whole point of standardization. If you reduce the variation allowed in the company, then necessarily you would lose some innovation â€Å"that could have happened†.I think if innovation is viewed in an evolutionary way, mass variation would be created by the local units focused on their individual needs and only the best innovations would e retained and scaled to the rest of the company. If all the companies departments are allowed to develop locally optimal solutions to their problems, certainly some of these variations will be better (at least for the unit) than by using a standardized software or technologies company-wide.To continue with the evolutionary theme, using any centrally dictated st andardized process would reduce the possible variation in which could be selected from the environment of each business unit. Think the better to view standardization vs.. Innovation as an inescapable trade-off. Does an enterprise architecture that allows a company to increase operational efficiency, ease of integration, reduce development costs, duplication of systems, simplify the acquisition of new modules, and sometimes vastly reduced maintenance costs worth some drop in the rate of innovation?I would argue that is absolutely worth it in in most instances. The key is to view this as an optimal trade-off where you can retain almost all of the innovation while also increasing standardization. An Enterprise Architecture that standardizes the types of technologies used across the many (PH/Dot. Net or Unix/Microsoft) is in the best interest of the company.When you intentionally limit the available options of each individual business units options (such as when Timber]jack decided to use Unix and that immediately removed many otherwise eligible companies) you are going to reduce the chance of finding the â€Å"perfect solution† for every possible module. Fortunately, most companies can settle on a â€Å"very good but not perfect† solution with any of the market leading platforms without getting a major drop in innovation.Agreeing on a standardized portfolio of technologies and processes, a company can then focus its resources on bringing new functionality to their users without wasting so many resources trying to hold together a Frankincense combination of dozens of systems, technologies and processes together that work â€Å"perfect† in isolation. Ultimately, using more resources on bringing new functionality will increase the total value of the IT department and the rate the department can innovate. Are Standardization from Enterprise Architecture and Innovation in Conflict? By Seasonableness

Discuss the view that the importance of technology for organisations Essay

Discuss the view that the importance of technology for organisations lies not so much in the technology itself as the ability to - Essay Example A distinguished characteristic of these opportunities is the fact that they are temporary that is, the organization that discovers them needs to exploit the technological opportunity swiftly before it gets to the organization’s competitors (Andersen, 2011: p54). They also need to do this because the opportunity could be quickly replaced by a technology that is more advanced. The organization, therefore, must hurry before the opportunity window ends. Research has shown that organizations, which come up with technological discoveries, in most cases, do not have the resources required to exploit them quickly. In this case, the organization is encouraged to collaborate as an efficient means of accessing complementary or additional information that could help speed up the exploitation process. The importance of exploiting these opportunities as fast as possible as opposed to simply being in their possession cannot be overemphasized. The importance of technological opportunities lie s in the ability to exploit it rather than the technology itself. Collaboration in Exploitation of Technological Opportunities Beginning in the mid 70s, the biotechnological industry has seen tremendous growth with increased innovations and new technologies. Several hundred firms with intensive Research and Development programs have entered the industry in the last forty or so years. Pharmaceutical companies have also been highly involved in the pursuit of biotechnological opportunities, for instance, through entering into collaborations on biotechnological advances with the new organizations. These collaborations are meant to exploit the opportunities in biotechnology that were discovered previously by the new biotechnological organizations (Archibugi & Michie, 2012: p34). An interesting feature in the exploitation of these collaborations is that their set up is widely varied in whether these opportunities are utilized at all and at what stage their utilization takes place, if at a ll. The timing of collaboration to exploit the biotechnological opportunity between the discoverer and the pharmaceutical firm is vital. Studies have shown that new biotechnological organizations vary in when they time their collaborations to exploit their opportunities when compared to pharmaceutical firms (Antonelli, 2010: p21). Biotechnological organizations that have rigid research and development programs that apply for patents in their projects or that possess earlier experience in research and development, exploit their opportunities sooner through collaboration. Collaboration is also accelerated by the establishment of industry infrastructure, for instance, national biotechnological centers, as well as increased protection of intellectual property. It was found that the project’s characteristics do not have a profound effect on the collaboration’s timing. While many biotechnological opportunities were initially focused on the phase of discovery, the exploitatio n phase has become more important as new technologies are discovered that replace previous ones (European Commission, 2010: p149). Identification of opportunity is now viewed as only being necessary, but not adequate for the actual technological exploitation. Because most of the start-up biotechnological firms do not have the required capital to exploit these opportunities, it is vital that they collaborate, with larger organizations, to make the most out of the

Taking FYC TO The Next Level Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Taking FYC TO The Next Level - Essay Example Numerous companies usually utilise the intranet however they do not make complete utilisation of the intranet and this is mainly due to the reason that it does not work in sync with the objectives of the company (Kennedy & Dysart, 2007). An extranet has been defined as, ‘An extranet is a private network that uses Internet technology and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a businesss information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses’ (Search Enterprise, 2009). The company has two types of customers, i.e. retail and wholesale. The company can use the extranet for the wholesale customers. The customers can be provided with complete access to the extranet where they can also make orders and keep the company updated with the requirements online. The extranet can also be used as a reorder system where inventory can be reordered automatically (Kennedy & Dysart, 2007). The company should also allow each store to log into the system and share their details of the existing stocks, the trend of sales, exchange documents and make comments. FYC can use the extranet and intranet for several different purposes which include a wide range like the production processes, sourcing and supply chain departments, operations and admin teams, human resources team and the customer service teams. The customer service team can use these as a faster mode to respond to customer queries and to assist customers in a more effective manner. In terms of the sourcing and the supply departments the company can use the extranet to communicate the needs for the raw materials, and all the procurement processes. In terms of the human resources teams the company can use the system to create a centralised system which will allow the company to ensure a complete balance and also a centralised payroll for all stores which will help the finance teams directly as it will be effective and easier for the invoice creation

Diversity Management in Hospitality Management Case Study

Diversity Management in Hospitality Management - Case Study Example Hilton has always taken care of this issue which plays an important role in the functioning of the whole company. Matters like productivity, quality, co ordination and unity need to be given high preference in big firms because the workforce is multinational, includes people of different religions and castes. Even gender discrimination must be eradicated to achieve optimum performance of the company. At Hilton, the steps taken to manage their diverse workforce are commendable. Keeping in mind the sentiments, practices and beliefs of their people, all their policies and plans are accepted by its employees. In all sectors of the group be it promotion of brands, relationship with other organizations, all are under the principles made by the company. Though, in some regions of the world, managing diversity is tough, still Hilton has worked hard to maintain its policies. In the following scripts we will be discussing how Hilton manages diversity management. As suggested by Hofstede, culture is more often a source of divergence than of synergy, and cultural disparities can be both nuisance and disaster simultaneously (Hofstede, 2001). Hilton has a massive workforce that includes minorities and women. The need of diversity management comes when discrimination occurs. Companies in order to maintain standards or to optimise their fund utilization and profits do not care to manage the problems which in turn would help them yield more profits. Many issues related to caste, religion, and sex hinders the growth of an organisation. People of different religions have grudges against each others. People of middle class category don't want to work with poor employees. Women are regarded useful only until they are single. Once they get married social and family matters surround them, like pregnancy, kids and further social life. Hilton has to overcome all these problems. Hospitality sector of the UK does face many such problems. Even though major officials of the sector have tried their level best to manage diversity, no significant results have come out. Plans and strategies were to be framed and implemented in order to provide job equality and opportunities, but the attempts have failed and a mere number of organisations have taken this issue seriously. The surveys that were carried out gave unsatisfactory results. Few companies were not bothered, few said that we would look upon it in the future, and only a few agreed to take reformative steps. The problem is that large hotel groups do not understand how harmful this discrimination is to their sector. People due to their cultural or background tags are not given the opportunities they deserve. This way, the persons' name and his monetary condition is given worth, not his skill. Their

Emily Elizabeth Dickenson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Emily Elizabeth Dickenson - Essay Example Reading Dickinson is not an intellectual enterprise, it is an emotional journey. Her poetry leads not to a finite conclusion, but invites to further rumination. This writer is thus inclined to explore the thesis articulated by Bray of Dickinson as visionary. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1830, Emily Elizabeth Dickinson lived the life of a recluse, seldom leaving the house or entertaining visitors; her aversion to public life was such that she attended only one year’s schooling at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, before returning home out of extreme homesickness. The few people she did come in contact with, however, profoundly influenced her thoughts and poetry, particularly the Reverend Charles Wadsworth. Many critics speculate that Wadsworth was the object of Dickinson’s â€Å"heartsick flow of verses† for the person she called â€Å"my closest, earthly friend†. It is not certain that the Reverend was Emily’s unrequited love is, however, because it might have equally been Massachusetts Supreme Court Judge Otis P. Lord, and Samuel Bowles, the editor of the Springfield Republican. Some even believe that this romantic inspiration may even have been Susan Gilbert Dickinson, wife of Emily ’s brother, Austin, by virtue of the many poems and letters dedicated by Emily to her – a matter to which feminist admirers of her work were quick to attribute her unique and eccentric writing style. Throughout her life, Dickinson’s siblings, Austin and Lavinia, were her constant friends and intellectual companions. Other influences in her poems were the seventeenth century English Metaphysical poets and her conservative Christian upbringing. Most biographies on Dickinson describe her work as having been undertaken in isolation and complete privacy; in truth, Dickinson undertook a lively and active correspondence with a good number of friends, among whom was her sister-in-law Susan Gilbert, literary

Wk2multicult Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wk2multicult - Essay Example I think this would impact my work because I am not sure how I would deal with a gay or lesbian couple coming to my offices who want to get married. I do not know how I would counsel them exactly because of what I have been taught. Bohan (1996) states that marriage is a part of "heterosexual privilege". She says when people are married they are able to have public support and acceptance of your marriage, paid leave when your spouse dies and you are grieving the loss, paid leave if you are having a crisis in your family or if the spouse is ill and immediate access to your spouse if they are in the hospital or something happens to them (p. 40). What I realize about this is that this seems to be what people need who love each other and perhaps it does not matter how that love is consummated, but it is only fair that gays and lesbians who love each other should have the same privileges that heterosexual couples have even if they do not call it "marriage." The way that I would address this challenge is to find out more information in this area. I would need to study more. In the area of marriage, there are many states that have already legalized marriage. In fact, Washington, D.C., is the most recent state that is in the process of legalizing gay marriage. I can see that I will need to understand this from a human interest level rather than from a personal level if I am to counsel this group. Socioeconomic status. I do alright. My parents were middle class and worked most o their life. My mother is a teacher and my father is a chemist. I relate to all type of people, especially those who have little income; I want to help. Because I come from a family that was Jewish we were taught traditional values. This has been both a blessing and a curse for me at times. I believe in the traditions and I feel they work to help us understand who we are better than some cultures. We also know what we are supposed to do according to the Torah.

Motivation in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Motivation in the Workplace - Essay Example The university consists mainly of five faculties’ namely engineering, science, humanities, built environment and business school. Deans are at the centres of each of these faculties. The department focused in the case is the engineering department which is composed mainly of the faculties with prior experience in the academics career. Most of the faculties have been in the university for around eight years. Another notable peculiarity of the department is that all the lecturers are males. The department has made notable efforts in creating an industry collaboration and several technology developed by the university has been patented. The protagonist of the case is Anne Henderson who is a notable professional in her industry. Changes in motivational factors are explained with the help of the story of her industrial behaviour and the changes in her career interest. Expansion plans of the university have resulted in them advertising for the post of senior lecturer. The preferred candidate for the post is an expert in the field with good experience in research work, good business contacts and having a willingness to travel. The case ends by referring to the state of mind of Anne Henderson where she comes across the vacancy at Midshires University and makes a call to the university without even looking at the instructions. Anne’s Motivating Factors This case study can be explained in terms of the content and process theories of motivation. For the purpose of the case study, two content and process theories will be considered. â€Å"Content theories explain the specific factors that motivate people. They explain what drives human behavior.† (Ferguson, 2000) Content theories specifically deal with needs and goals of individuals. Therefore, it deals with those factors that motivate individuals. The popular content theories are McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y, ERG Theory, Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory and McClelland’s Th eory of Needs. From the content perspective, Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory and McClelland’s Need theory will be used to explain Anne’s motivating factors. â€Å"Process Theories deal with the â€Å"process† of motivation and is concerned with â€Å"how† motivation occurs.† (Ozgurzan, 2012) This is unlike the materialistic approach of content theory. Process theories state that any particular motivational behaviour of an individual is the result of an activity on the individual. Some of the popular process theories are Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, Goal Theory and Adam’s Equity Theory. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory and Adam’s Equity Theory will be used here to explain Anne’s motivational situation. Herzberg’s theory of motivation states that an individual’s motivation level is influenced mainly by Hygiene Factors and Motivator Factors. Hygiene factors are those factors that are necessary for having a stable motivational level. The absence of these factors can lead to dissatisfaction of employees. But on the contrary their presence is not a motivator for the employees. Some of the hygiene factors are company policy, wages, supervisory quality, working conditions, job security, etc. Now, Anne’s motivation level can be analysed based on this theory. From the case study it can be seen that Anne was provided with an array of hygiene factors by the company. ?80,000 of annual salary, chauffeur-driven car, flat, pension scheme, credit cards and first class air travels were