Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human resource management - Essay Example The Humphrey Group not only would not be irresponsible bringing an HR representative into their corporate responsibility and bonus scandal meeting, they would in fact be irresponsible not to. In fact, it seems to be absurd to say that the solution is anything but a human resources issue. Human resources determine how wages and bonuses are controlled, given and filed; they control the hiring, firing and promotion of employees. Bonus scandals and compensation ethics begin at human resources giving bad offers to bad people after not weeding out the dishonest and end with paying those bonuses to those bad people. When a corporation makes a bad decision, one always has to ask, â€Å"Why were there bad apples in that barrel?† Picking the apples and replacing the rotten ones is the job of HR. Further, given that most companies do not end up violating the law in such an egregious manner, it's clear that illegality is the province only of a few corporate cultures and therefore a few pe ople. How is this anything but an HR problem? Well, superficially, the paying of bonuses and the detection of fraud thereof do fall under the purview of accounts payable, auditing, accounting and payroll, which are relevant non-HR departments. More importantly, it is true, although misleadingly so and far less crucially so than many think, that a company is more than the sum of its parts. Ultimately, a corporation is just twenty or a hundred or a thousand people, but there are three factors that make it more than just an aggregation of those people in a random setting such as a park: 1. Past organisational culture, especially for long-lasting companies 2. Institutional roles changing people's behavior (Zimbardo, 2006) 3. Shared goals and objectives created by legal responsibilities; bureaucratic and institutional coordination A company like General Electric or even Microsoft has had far more people in it throughout its history than it does now. People are fired, replaced, quit, demo ted, hired, promoted, forced into resignation, and retire. Every person who works at a company makes a mark on its institutional culture, which means that looking at a corporation at any given moment is misleading because the institutional culture goes farther back in the past. But at the same time, it is people who choose to ignore, defy or abide by that institutional culture. Aside from that, it is clear that people in certain bad circumstances don't do those things out of them being sheer evil. The torturers at Abu Ghraib were not torturing people for fun back in the States; corporate leaders and hucksters like Ken Lay and Madoff do not mug old ladies. People in an institutional setting, as Zimbardo discovered in his famous Stanford prison experiment, begin to adopt the behavior of their roles (Zimbardo, 2006). Even if it is a pretend prison, the pretend prisoners, pretend guards and pretend warden (who are students and a psychology professor in their day-to-day lives) act like p risoners, guards and wardens for real. The Zimbardo experiment had normal, well-adjusted students of a variety of backgrounds, yet all of them began to fall into their roles startlingly quickly. Yet, again, human resources can

The Drug Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Drug Business - Essay Example It had become so common that drug abuse was observed in majority of the American areas. The United States had become a place where frequent illegal business of drugs was taking place. Therefore, the government of United States decided to control the use of illegal drugs. Hence, it was noticed that in the 20th century, there were several restrictions so as to prohibit the use of illegal drugs among the people. In 1960, United States encountered another enormous problem in the list of most illicit drugs, known as marijuana. Marijuana is enormously dangerous like the other drugs. It was newly introduced and very rapidly become popular and common among the drug addicts. After the people of the United States discovered this marijuana, all the government laws and prohibitions were forgotten and once again United States embarked upon the journey towards excessive drug abuse and addiction in the society. Even the common public, apart from the habitual drug addicts were then being attracted towards illegal drugs. This illegal business of drugs was becoming so popular that the government had to take serious steps towards the growing use of drugs. Hence, the government in the mid of the 20th century decided to take some serious actions against the people who were involved in promoting the drugs and also those who were using illegal drugs. It was quite difficult for the government to control the drugs as it had become extremely common. Yet the government imposed laws for avoiding illegal drugs and did become successful to some extent. Soon illegal drugs started to become popular in even the young children of the United States. They started using it and became addicted to drugs as drugs seemed to be amusing for them. Therefore, it was decided to start awareness campaigns, not just to impose punishments on the usage of drugs, but also make people aware of its harms, especially the children. Awareness campaigns started in schools. People belonging to the awareness

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Research paper - Essay Example His sculptures are still being studied to this day as there is yet to be an in-depth analysis of them He came from a family of artists. His father and grandfather dealt in picture frames and table decorative, that they had made themselves, while his godfather was a painter. Daumier went to a middle class school but found no interest in education. His parents introduced him to Alexandre Lenoir, a well known actor, as a beginner. Alexandre had a collection of the best medieval and contemporary sculptures that Daumier drew motivation from. After his father was debilitated due to madness, Daumier set out to look for a paying profession. He worked as a messenger for a bailiff and familiarized himself with the workings of the law. Later, he abandoned this to follow his dream of being a painter. He started selling lithographs that he had made while still a child as well as getting paid to make portraits as means to supplement his works of art. He started as a lithographer, cartoonist but en ded up as an impressionist painter in his later years. He lived through three generations and saw France be transformed from a monarchy to a free republic. He began his career by sending caricatures to a weekly anti-monarchist magazine called ‘La Caricature,’ owned by a print publisher named Aubert. ... Below the commode, favorites of the King were picking leftovers and wastes from the king’s bounty. He spent six months in prison. After Daumier’s release, Aubert and his son-in-law had started another monthly magazine called L’Assocaition mensuelle lithographique. Daumier was unrelenting to create caricatures for this magazine as well as La Caricature and Le Charivari. It was from his piece for L’association mensuelle where most of his popular masterpieces can be found. One of these masterpieces is the lithograph called Rue Transonain made in 1834. He had depicted a poor family who were mistakenly shot dead in their home by men from Philippe’s army. Daumier got himself into trouble again. The king tried to confiscate and to destroy all the copies of that magazine issue. The French government later abolished the publication of any caricature that depicted the government. From then, most of Daumier’s caricatures revolved around societal issues. He made caricatures about the development going on in the country such as the trains, steamships and how they increased the gap between the rich and poor. Daumier was fired then by Le Charivari during this period of censorship. After the revolution that saw Louis-Philippe dethroned, Daumier was rehired and began to make political caricatures again. The first president of the republic, Napoleon III was very lenient when it came to freedom of the press. His earlier works reveal the impressionistic style that he used. From his workings since 1848, spectators can see the use of contours that shoe the angle of light. Historians were unaware of this feature of Daumier’s work as they had paid him little concentration. Some of his workings had been discarded when

Answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 20

Answer questions - Essay Example Bill Gates’ Microsoft has developed because of Gates’ ability to create an environment of creativity, teamwork, delegation of tasks, and transparency across the workforce Interpersonal skills are the qualities that enable people to understand one another and establish effective communication. In a decision making process, team members need to understand one another in order to establish effective communication, which is a necessity for organizational efficiency and growth. Interpersonal skills enable and organization to have a clear flow of instructions, commands and directives, facilitating the attainment of a business’ overall objective. Interpersonal skills are also relevant in society because effective communication is crucial when it comes to networking and establishing local and multinational deals (Robbins, De Cenzo, & Coulter, 2015). Steve jobs people skills enabled him to get funding, resurrect Apple Inc. and transform it into one of the finest American electronics manufacturer ever. The KTS-II results show that I am a guardian. A guardian is an individual who understands logistics and is strict about following routine. A guardian has a sense of responsibility and duty, which means he is always in the good books of the supervisor. However, workers of rational and idealist personalities are people who seek personal growth and knowledge, which might interfere with the regulatory role of their supervisors. Artisans’ desire to try new things may interfere with company routine and schedule, affecting the relationship of artisans with the supervisors (Montgomery, 2011). Conscientiousness and extraversion are positively correlated with job performance. However, without high levels of conscientiousness, extraversion might lead to absenteeism, in which case it becomes negatively correlated with job performance (Lim & Ployhart,

How did the Rolling Stones influence the music Article

How did the Rolling Stones influence the music - Article Example ere on their way to conquer the rock and roll world, at the same time, bands and artists like â€Å"The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Bryan Adams, Led Zeppelin† (Rej &Wyman, 2006) were establishing their names in various other genres of the music world. However, none of them contributed to the extent to which rolling stones did to music. No body dared to, and if dared then was not able to surpass rolling stones when they were on their peaks. With the release of their first album, they were on the top. With every song, the message that they gave was clear enough that â€Å"we are here to stay and to rule forever† (Rej &Wyman, 2006). The influence of Rolling Stones was so strong that all the upcoming bands and artists and had no choice but follow their footsteps. This influence was evident in the style and music of â€Å"Aerosmith, Guns & Roses, My Chemical Romance, Foo fighters, Flamin Groovies† (Rej &Wyman, 2006), and various others. Even if you open up a dictionary and search for the word â€Å"rock and roll band,† the dictionary would show you a picture of Rolling stones dancing and hopping on a stage. One can even conclude that it was rolling stones who a new life and a new definition to rock music. Moreover, it was with after various news of drug usage of rolling stones that many rock bands and artists involved themselves into heroin addiction because they thought that this is some formula for success since the rock and roll gurus are doing it. In addition, there world was restricted only to rock and roll music however they also left considerable influences on genres like blues, R&B and hip h op. It is also difficult to deny the influence of rolling stone son other bands because of the fact that since 1960’s they have been the most happening band from the United Kingdom. Moreover, no other band of that time has been able to make so many fans, sell as much albums, or perform worldwide so frequently (Wyman & Havers, 2003). Therefore, quite understandably, their influence

Argument Essay - Illegalize Alcohol Essay Example for Free

Argument Essay Illegalize Alcohol Essay Our country is facing a growing problem. It is a problem of moral decay. The legal and open use of alcohol is an unnecessary vice that is enjoyed and accepted by a majority of the United States population, unfortunately, it leads to social and moral downfalls. Alcohol should be held to the same standards as other illegal mind and body-altering substances, as alcohol is addicting and has no medical value. Lawmakers and active voters should put an outright ban on alcohol. The revenue that is generated from the manufacturing, distributing, and sales of alcohol is a major source of taxable income that is a benefit. As of 2007 the U. S. Government was collecting $5. 6 billion dollars annually from the taxation of alcohol (joshritchie). This revenue has tended to increase each and every year. Although the revenue is important, the question must be asked, is it moral? Is it moral for our government to profit off the sale of a frivolous vice that causes fatalities and creates addicts? The revenue that is made from the taxation of alcohol could be lost, and would simply increase our never-ending national debt by a miniscule amount. Through out history our country has faced several social epidemics that have resulted in many people becoming substance abusers. Though these times our government has stepped in and enforced laws to restore the moral and social fabric of the infected areas. The current epidemic that we are facing is the abuse of alcohol. It is widespread and available almost everywhere in our country. â€Å"According to the Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) tool, from 2001–2005, there were approximately 79,000 deaths annually attributable to excessive alcohol use. † (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Beyond the number of the deaths that are related to alcohol every year, a staggering number of people in the United States are alcoholics. According to the National Library of Medicine, â€Å"nearly 17. 6 million adults in the United States are alcoholics or have alcohol problems†. (U. S. National Library of Medicine) We need to completely ban alcohol so that we can start working on decreasing the number of addicts in our country rather than encourage the use to every single person just as he or she turns a certain age. The United States government has already tried to ban alcohol in the past, it was a complete failure and subsequently repealed. This attempt resulted in a spike in organized crime and was an obvious failure. Eventually the government conceded and re-legalized the use of alcohol. I too will concede that it was a failure on the part of our government in enforcing the prohibition of alcohol. Even today we are fighting the exact same battle by the DEA with the Controlled Substances Act. There is already a long list of illegal substances that are given priorities and schedules and are subsequently enforced. It would not be a stretch to incorporate alcohol into this list of illegal drugs. Many would assert that it would be difficult to enforce the mere consumption and manufacturing of small amounts of alcohol by individuals in there own homes. It is a very simple process to either brew low alcohol content drinks or to distill higher alcohol content spirits. The enforcing of these laws would be similar to current laws of cannabis cultivation. These laws would seem just as hard to enforce, yet they are enforced. The manufacturing of homemade alcohol could be given the same fear of punishment and could be enforced on incident-to-incident bases. Alcohol has the tendency to increase the probability of someone committing a violent crime. If alcohol were banned and harder to get a hold of this number of crimes would greatly diminish. The National Center for Victims of Crime has referenced the U. S. Department of Justice concerning drug and alcohol related crimes. The report states, â€Å"The U. S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey asks the violent crime victims who reported seeing their offenders whether they perceived the offender to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. According to the 1999 survey, over a quarter of the violent crime victims could make such a determination. About twenty-eight percent (28%) of those reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The most common substance identified was alcohol alone. About sixteen percent (16%) reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol alone (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001). † (The National Center for Victims of Crime) This only takes into account the victims that were able to see their offender; this means that there are possibly more unaccounted for alcohol related crimes. The legal and open use of alcohol as a vice is leading to the downfall of our society. It is creating addicts while not offering a single practical medical benefit. The United States Government has already invested time, money, and effort to enforcing its Controlled Substances Act. Alcohol should be held to the same standards as all other physically altering substances are held to. Alcohol poses the risk of dependence and has no beneficial medical value. In order to start the moral fabric of our country we need to do away with the crime inducing substance alcohol. Lawmakers and active voters, it is our duty to hold our selves to higher standards and completely abolish the manufacturing, sale, and use of alcohol. Works Cited Alcoholism: MedlinePlus. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/alcoholism. html. CDC Alcohol and Public Health Home Page Alcohol. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. http://www. cdc. gov/alcohol/. Drug Related Crime. The National Center for Victims of Crime. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. http://www. ncvc. org/ncvc/main. aspx? dbName=DocumentViewerDocumentID=32348. Joshritchie. How Much Is the Government Making Off of Alcohol? | Tax Break: The TurboTax Blog. Tax Break: The TurboTax Blog | Its All about the Refund. 5 July 2010. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. http://blog. turbotax. intuit. com/2010/07/05/how-much-is-the-government-mak

Innovation in strategy

Innovation in strategy This essay evaluates the role of innovation in strategy, and explores the ways management can promote it in organisations. It first looks at the nature of innovation, and examines its importance in current economic and social conditions. It then sets strategy in context, defining it primarily in terms of competitive advantage that is, as a search for capabilities which allow allows an organisation to meet consumers needs better than its rivals. It then investigates why, exactly, innovation is often seen as a key component of strategy. It comes up with two key reasons: its capacity to generate a sustainable competitive advantage for business organisations; and its ability to aid organisations in preventing strategic drift. As a result of these benefits, strategies which are centred upon innovation can add real value to an organisations value proposition, and consequently can substantially improve business performance. The essay then turns to look at the ways that management can promo te innovation in organisations. For this, it turns to the worlds most famous management thinker Peter Drucker and the worlds most innovative company Apple Inc. for guidance on theory and practice respectively. Having thus established the importance of the role of innovation for strategy, and the ways in which management can promote it in organisations, the essay then considers some limitations. In particular, it looks at the possible advantages of strategic drift; and also the other aspects of strategy beyond innovation which must be considered by an organisation. The essay thus concludes that innovation is a necessary component of a successful strategy in that it is able to generate a sustainable competitive advantage for a business but that it is not sufficient in and of itself: an organisation must consider more than innovation if it is to develop an effective strategy. Innovation is usually defined as ‘the successful commercial exploitation of new ideas or simply as ‘the successful implementation of new ideas. This encompasses ideas that are ‘new to the world, ‘new to an industry or merely ‘new to a particular firm (Gabriel, 2008, p. 146). The prominence given to the role of innovation in strategy is to a large extent the result of the prevailing social and economic conditions. In what Peter Drucker the most influential management thinker of the second-half of the twentieth century termed the ‘knowledge economy that has emerged due to the rise of the service industry and decline of manufacturing since the end of the Second World War, business organisations have increasingly had to react to change more rapidly if they wish to succeed in the marketplace (Drucker, 1992, p. 263). Indeed, so important is the successful implementation of new ideas that Drucker famously reflected that: ‘Business has only two bas ic functions marketing and innovation (Kotler Armstrong, 2008, p. 40). In other words, a business organisation must first create a customer, but consequently that business must constantly adapt to provide the necessary goods and services to keep them making a profit: they must pursue innovation both to survive and to thrive. Having explored the nature of innovation, it is useful now to define what is meant by ‘strategy, and examine briefly why it matters. The nature of strategy has traditionally been a contentious issue. A helpful starting point for understanding the concept is found in Anthony Henrys (2008) Understanding Strategic Management, where he provides a synopsis of forty years of heated debate on the issue. He first outlines that, ‘there is agreement that the role of strategy is to achieve competitive advantage for an organisation. He then continues: ‘Competitive advantage may usefully be thought of as that which allows an organisation to meet consumers needs better than its rivals . . . [and] its source may derive from a number of factors including its products or services, its culture, its technological know-how, and its processes (Henry, 2008, p. 4). It is an important issue for a business because a strategy which can enable a sustainable competitive advantage will allow an organisation to generate super-normal returns, and will have a distinct impact on overall organisational performance: an effective strategy can add value (Kay, 1995). Herein lies the essence of the role of innovation in strategy it is often a key component of a sustainable competitive advantage. For instance, Grant (2005, p. 513) has observed from empirical evidence based on such successful companies as 3M, Wal-Mart, and Toyota that, ‘ultimately, the only sustainable competitive advantage is the ability to create new sources of competitive advantage. Firms with a fixed commitment to innovation seem to prosper in the modern ‘knowledge economy. For instance, Apple a company which this essay examines in more depth below has become synonymous with strategic innovation. In Fortunes Americas Most Admired Companies 2008, Apple topped the chart. A senior commentator reflected on this development with the following remark: Apple not only takes the No. 1 slot on this years list of Americas Most Admired Companies but also tops the global survey and wins the highest marks for innovation too. Thats probably no coincidence. In an industry that changes every nanosecond, the 32-year-old company has time and again innovated its way out of the doldrums. Rivals always seem to be playing catch-up. (Fisher, 2008) Moreover, innovation can be key to preventing ‘strategic drift. Strategic drift is the tendency for strategies to develop incrementally on the basis of historical and cultural influences but to fail to keep pace with a changing environment (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008, p. 179). This is what happened to Sainsburys who were one of the most successful food retailers in the world until the early 1990s, using a tried-and-tested formula of selling high quality food at reasonable prices. Its strategy consisted of gradually extending its product lines, enlarging its stores, and expanding its geographical coverage; but under no circumstances would it deviate from its traditional ways of doing business (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008, p. 179). However, during Sainsburys period of strategic drift, its rival Tesco followed a policy of ruthless innovation developing Club-Card marketing, building a successful on-line retailing capability, and implementing new ideas to radica lly reduce its distribution costs (IMD, 2008). By having a strategy centred on innovation, therefore, Tesco was able to both establish a competitive advantage and avoid strategic drift. It was, in short, able to develop a strategy which added value, and which made the business organisation much more profitable. So where can business organisations look for innovation how can they promote it more effectively? Peter Drucker has suggested that there are seven areas where companies should look for such opportunities. These have been expertly surmised by Hindle (2008, p. 105), as being: ‘the unexpected success that is rarely dissected to see how it has occurred; any incongruity between what actually happens and what was expected to happen; any inadequacy in a business process that is taken for granted; a change in industry or market structure that takes everyone by surprise; demographic changes caused by things like wars, migrations or medical developments (such as the birth-control pill); changes in perception and fashion brought about by changes in the economy; and changes in awareness caused by new knowledge. Moreover, although it is often the case that ‘innovation has been used interchangeably with the term â€Å"creativity† (Forrester 1993, p. 3; cited in Thompson McHugh , 2002, p. 255), Drucker insists that this ought never to limit a business, claiming that: ‘There are more ideas in any organization, including businesses, than can possibly be put to use (Drucker, 1964, p. 188). Across the literature on innovation, there seems to be a general agreement with this approach set out above: that the opportunities for innovation are multitudinous, and that by paying attention to such factors organisations can develop strategies which can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage and prevent strategic drift. A brief case-study of Apple will help demonstrate how this theory outlined above works in practice, and help us to better understand the ways management can promote innovation in organisations. First, Apple appreciates that innovation is an inexact science: as the CEO and cofounder of Apple, Steve Jobs, puts it: ‘You cant ask people what they want if its around the next corner rather you have to simply provide what you think they might want (Morris, 2008). To guide them, Apple looks to the areas mentioned by Drucker above to gain insights into such potential needs and wants. Apple employees in particular focus on the inadequacies in every-day technology processes that are currently taken for granted, and innovate in these areas. New-product development, according to Apple sources, occurs as a result of conversations such as: ‘What do we hate? (Our cellphones.) What do we have the technology to make? (A cellphone with a Mac inside.) What would we like to own? (You guessed it, an iPhone) (Morris, 2008). Moreover, at Apple, innovation is centred on producing technology the employees really want: as Jobs says, ‘One of the keys to [innovation at] Apple is that we build products that really turn us on (Morris, 2008). This results in an organisation thoroughly committed to the successful commercial exploitation of new ideas at a strategic, operational and tactical level. Indeed Morris (2008), observing the culture of innovation at Apple, has pointed out that: ‘You wont find that word on a placard or a piece of propaganda at One Infinite Loop, Apples headquarters . . . there innovation is a way of life. It is this culture that ‘provides the push to overcome design and engineering obstacles, [and] to bring projects in on time (Morris, 2008). Thus a commitment to a strategy of innovation should foster a culture which reflects this aim of management, as this can lead to the organisation innovating more effectively. Finally, it is important to note the impact of a strategy centred on innovation upon the performance of Apple. It has astounded commentators with one perplexed writer asking: ‘who knew [Apple] could build a . . . [successful] company on the strength of a portable jukebox and a computer with a single-digit market share? (Elmer-DeWitt, 2008). Indeed, the company has been monetarily hugely successful as a result of the innovation it has pioneered. In the 5 years ending in March 2008, sales of Apple wares tripled to $24 billion; and profits rose to $3.5 billion, from a mere $42 million only five years before. Morris (2008) sums up the position of Apple thus: [It] set the gold standard for corporate America with an entirely new business model: creating a brand, morphing it, and reincarnating it to thrive in a disruptive age. . . Apple has demonstrated how to create real, breathtaking growth by dreaming up products so new and ingenious that they have upended one industry after another: consumer electronics, the record industry, the movie industry, video and music production. Thus innovation can play a key role in an organisations strategy, and it can often be effectively promoted by following the theory of Drucker and the practices of Apple. Nevertheless, it is important to note that there are limitations on the role of innovation in strategy. First, ‘strategic drift may not be such a bad thing after all. This is a view outlined by John Kay (2009) in his article History vindicates the science of muddling through. He contrasts the views of the American political scientist Charles Lindblom (published in 1959) with those of Dr H. Igor Ansoff. Lindblom supported a view of incremental adaptation by organisations to changes in their environment; Ansoff proposed a design-orientated, purposive approach to strategy. However, Kay then points that in terms of the organisational case-studies used to support each view Saint-Gobain for Lindbolm; the US conglomerates TRW and Litton for Ansoff the clear winner emerges as Saint-Gobain, a company which adopted a q uasi-strategic drift approach to their strategy, which is still going strong while the other companies have suffered catastrophic failure. Thus, it seems that sometimes simply ‘muddling through can constitute an effective strategy perhaps a firm commitment to innovation is not necessary after all. Moreover, innovation is not the sole component of an effective strategy, and it never can be. Organisations must consider a range of other issues. For instance, business organisations ought to consider issues highlighted by Michael Porters ‘Five Forces model. This shows how the strategic situation of a company can be established by investigating the power of suppliers, the power of buyers, the threat of substitution, the threat of new entrants, as well as the degree of competitive rivalry between the industrys firms. An organisation must consider innovation if it is to ensure that it continues to have an effective strategy in the medium to long term, but it must also pay attention to these other aspects of strategy innovation is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Thus innovation is a necessary component of a successful strategy in that it is able to generate a sustainable competitive advantage for a business. However, it is not sufficient: an organisation must consider other issues as well as innovation if it is to develop an effective strategy. Nevertheless, by following the theory of Drucker and learning from the practices of Apple, management can promote innovation in organisations. And if this is done effectively, innovation can play a key role in what every business organisation seeks: a competitive strategy which adds real value. References: Drucker, P. (1964). Managing for results: economic tasks and risk-taking decisions. California: Harper Row. Drucker, P. (1992). The age of discontinuity: guidelines to our changing society. 2nd ed. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. Elmer-DeWitt, P. (2008, March 3). Americas Most Admired Companies 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from Fortune Web site: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0802/gallery.mostadmired_top20.fortune/index.html Fisher, A. (2008, March 3 ). Innovation Rules. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from Fortune Web site: http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/29/news/companies/fisher_amac.fortune/index.htm 2008 Gabriel, Y. (2008). Organizing Words: A Critical Thesaurus for Social and Organization Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Grant, R. M. (2005). Contemporary strategy analysis. 5th ed. London: Wiley-Blackwell. Henry, A. (2008). Understanding Strategic Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hindle, T. (2008). Guide to Management Ideas and Gurus. London: Profile Books. IMD. (2008). Tesco: Keeping the Hard Discounters at Bay? Switzerland: IMD International. Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R. (2008). Exploring corporate strategy: text cases. 8th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education. Kay, J. (1995). Foundations of corporate success: how business strategies add value. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kay, J. (2009, March 15). History vindicates the science of muddling through. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from John Kay Web sit: http://www.johnkay.com/in_action/604 Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. (2008). Principles of Marketing. 13th ed. London: Pearson Education Ltd. Morris, B. (2008, March 17). What makes Apple Golden? Retrieved October 27, 2009, from Fortune Web site: http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/29/news/companies/amac_apple.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008030309 Thompson, P., McHugh, D. (2002). Work Organisations. 3rd ed. London: Palgrave.