Critical evaluation of coca colas corporate communication strategy - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2733 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? 1. INTRODUCTION Communication is the medium through which companies both large and small access the vital resources they need to operate (van Riel 1995). Without effective and integrated communication systems an organization will be unable to develop an appropriate structure for its corporate communication strategy. Given that its corporate communication entails selectively communicating the organizations views and objectives to its stakeholders (whom it relies on for the success of its business), it can therefore be described as a key management strategy. This report will critically assess Coca Colas Corporate Communication strategy through the evaluation of communication frameworks and models. It will look at the internal structure of Coca-Colas organization and how the company utilises corporate communication strategies to both epitomize their corporate identity to stakeholders and improve their reputation. It also looks at the corporate ethics and culture of the company and the impact of Corporate Communication management on the organisation Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Critical evaluation of coca colas corporate communication strategy" essay for you Create order 1.1 Background Information The Coca-Cola Company: Coca-Cola was invented on May 8, 1886, in Atlanta, Georgia by Dr. John Stith Pemberton. It was first offered as a fountain beverage by mixing Coca-Cola syrup with carbonated water. Coca-Cola was then patented in 1887, when another Atlanta pharmacist and businessman, Asa Candler bought the formula for Coca Cola from inventor John Pemberton for $2,300. It was registered as a trademark in 1893 and by 1895 it was being sold in every state and territory in the United States. By the late 1890s, Coca Cola was one of Americas most popular fountain drinks, largely due to Candlers aggressive marketing of the product. With Asa Candler, now at the helm, the Coca Cola Company increased syrup sales by over 4000% between 1890 and 1900. In 1899, The Coca-Cola Company began franchised bottling operations in the United States. Today the Coca-Cola Company operates in more than 200 countries and markets nearly 500 brands and 3,000 beverage products. The company employs over 92,400 associates worldwide and has a consumer serving (per day) of nearly 1.6 billion, with a net operating revenue of over $31.9billion (as of December 31, 2008). Throughout the world today, no other product is as immediately recognizable by its brand as Coca-Cola. (www.thecoca-colacompany.com.html, 2009) 2. CORPORATE COMMUNICATION Corporate refers to complete, entire or total entities of the organization, while communication means to impart, share or make common. Therefore, corporate communication can be defined as a total communication of the organization or integrating different messages of organizations under one banner (Christensen et al. 2007). Van Riel and C. Fombrun (2006, p.25), cite Jacksons (1987) definition of corporate communication as the total communication activity generated by a company to achieve its planned objectives. That total communication represents all the different forms of communication that is occurring within the organization, including marketing, managerial and organizational interaction. An organisation such as Coca-Colas corporate communication strategy plays an important role in aiding stakeholders understanding of the organization and communicating the organizations identity. Corporate communication within an organization is essential for the implementation of strategic objectives, build brand and reputation and thereby create economic value. It is therefore a set of activities involved in managing and orchestrating all internal and external communications aimed at creating favourable starting points with stakeholders on whom the companies depend (Fombrun and van Riel 2006). Freemans (1984, p. 46) stakeholder approach defines stakeholders as: any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the firms objectives. The stakeholders of The Coca-Cola Company (see Figure 3 below), include: consumers, customers, suppliers, employees, government and regulators, NGOs The local communities Strong centralized functions with direct connection to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the best way for a company to ensure the success of its corporate communication function. (Argenti, 1998). This was evident in Coca-Cola Company, under the leadership of the former CEO Douglas Ivester whose highly formalized, centralized organizational structure, with clear hierarchy of authority and a mechanistic management process has helped maintain control and drive aggressive marketing and expansion plans. This management structure was criticized by the external communities, claiming that the companys perspective was too global and ignored the local communities. Under the direction of the companys new CEO, Coca-Cola began decentralizing some of its activities in order to become more localized. Increased horizontal communication is now occurring within the organization. Sutherland and Canwell (2004, p.130) define horizontal communication as informal communication between peers or colleagues on the same level of the organizational structure. Coke immediately began realizing economies of scale and scope, as well as low-cost production from a globalization strategy that enables product design, manufacturing and marketing to be standardized throughout the world. Corporate communication if strategically implemented within an organisation helps build favourable corporate reputation, which in turn is influenced by corporate identity, behaviour, symbolism and has an impact on organizational performance (van Riel and Balmer, 1997). According to Argenti (1998) corporate communication model below (Figure 2), an organization communicates to its stakeholders through messages and images, who then respond by associating themselves with that particular organization. It affects the perceptions of stakeholders about the organizations prospects and so influences the resources that would be available to them (Fombrun and van Riel, 2006). Image, Identity and Reputation, Crisis Management, Community Relations and Corporate Ethics, Employee Relations and Human Resource Management (HRM) are all essential functions of an organization that depend on effective corporate communication to be successfully implemented. 2.1 Image, identity and reputation Corporate identity is the reality and uniqueness of an organization, which is integrally related to its external and internal image and reputation according to Gray and Balmer (1998), and is a means to achieve a competitive advantage (Schmidt, 1995), while the Image of a company is the reflection of the organizations reality. It is the corporation as seen through the eyes of its stakeholders (Argenti, 1998). Corporate image has 3 dimensions: Relational dimension relationship the company has with the government, the local community and its employees; Management dimension what the corporate goals, decision-making processes, knowledge management and understanding of company objectives; Product dimension product endorsement and support, competitive advantage and promotional distinctiveness. Coca-Colas corporate communication strategy within the company includes conducting stakeholder analysis to understand their individual stakeholders needs and attitudes. This involved a series of focus groups with consumers aged 18 and over and with employees of the Coca-Cola Company. It also included interviews with customers, non-governmental organizations and the media. The consistent use of the colours red and white, the lettering and the model-wave over time is an integral part of the companys corporate visual identity and is important to all stakeholder groups. If managed effectively corporate reputation can be a valuable asset that makes an organization more resilient in todays competitive environment. Corporate reputation is influenced by the way in which the company projects its image via behaviour, communication and symbolism (Gotsi and Wilson, 2001, p. 30).It is a multi-stakeholder construct that can be used to measure how effective an organizations communication system is (Fombrun and van Riel, 2006). When information that stakeholders need to make a decision about a company is insufficient, they will sometimes turn to the reputation of that company to seal the decision. 2.2 Crisis management and culture According to Jones (2000), a good reputation acts as a buffer to companies in times of crisis. After over 200 people, including school children reported feeling unwell in 1999; Coca-Cola was forced to issue recall of its soft drinks in countries in Western Europe including Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (Taylor, 2000). Taylor (2000) explained in his case study that a companys public relations and communication strategy should be executed on a global scale. He did this using Hofstedes (1980) theory of cultural dimension, which explained how values are influenced by culture in differing nations. Taylor (2000) proposed that in countries with high uncertainty avoidance and high power distance, citizens reacted more strongly to this tainting crisis, by forcing the government to place bans on the sale of Coca-Cola related products, while the governments of countries with low uncertainty avoidance and low power distance did not really react to the crisis. Culture management was also needed to accurately understand the environment they were embarking on. Cultureconsists in those patterns relative to behaviour and the products of human action which may be inherited, that is, passed on from generation to generation independently of the biological genes (Parson, 1949 p. 8). Under the guidance of the new CEO, the company adopted a think local, act local approach to marketing, which highlighted the importance of addressing the cultural needs of customers in the local market. Daft maintained the view that although Coca-Cola is a global brand, customers do not drink Coca-Cola globally. As a result, Coca-Cola has been adopting a localized strategy in marketing, advertising, and public relations by carrying out extensive stakeholder analysis as seen in Figure 3. The company also adopted a risk management approach that includes financial, operational, social, environmental and ethical considerations and are of the view that by identifying these risks and the potential consequences they could have on the business, they can proactively focus on these areas and identify ways to more effectively manage their impact on their operations. 2.3 Community relations and corporate ethics Coca-Cola is now working to become a model citizen by reaching out to local communities and getting involved in civic and charitable activities. Like reputation, corporate ethics and relationship with the external stakeholders is very important for building a positive image. Coca-Colas social responsibility and corporate ethics helps build company integrity. In 1960, Keith Davis suggested that corporate social responsibility refers to business decisions and actions taken for reasons at least partially beyond the firms direct economic or technical interest. Stakeholder management is important here as it reconciles the companys objectives with the claims and expectations being made by them of various stakeholder groups. 2.4 Employee relations and Human Resource Management Human Resource Management (HRM) is one of the most important forms of management within an organization and effective communication is essential for HRM to be successful. HRM is as defined by Bratton and Gold (1999): that part of the management process that specializes in the management of people in work organizations. HRM emphasizes that employees are critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, that human resources practices need to be integrated with the corporate strategy, and that human resource specialists help organizational controllers to meet both efficiency and equity objectives. The Coca-Cola Company links employee (internal) communications and employee relations and believe that they are integral components needed for the success of the organization. Employee Relations, according to Heery and Noon (2001), involves the body of work concerned with maintaining employer-employee relationships that contribute to satisfactory productivity, motivation, and morale. Essentially, Employee Relations is concerned with preventing and resolving problems involving individuals, which arise out of or affect work situations. The employees are the most valued internal stakeholders, as they communicate the product to the companys external stakeholders. Internal Corporate Communication falls under the organizational management department, as seen in van Riel (1995) model of integrated corporate communication. It is defined, according to Welch and Jackson (2007) as communication between an organisations strategic managers and its internal stakeholders, [in the case of Coca-Cola , its employees] designed to promote commitment to the organisation; a sense of belonging to it; awareness of its changing environment and understanding of its evolving aims. The Coca-Cola Company follows a similar structure regarding internal communication as depicted in Welch and Jacksons (2007) model (Figure 2). Within the company, corporate messages relayed directly to employees aid in reinforcing employee commitment towards the overall organizational objectives. On the same level, direct communication between managers and their employees helps create a sense of belonging to the organization. This sense of belonging then motivates employees to promote awareness and understanding of the corporate brand to the external stakeholders. Guest (1990), in his approach to strategic HRM draws on the Harvard model (proposed by Beer et al., 1984), which was associated with the softer side HRM and the Michigan model (proposed by Fombrun, Tichy and Devanna, 1984), which proposes the hard HRM approach. Hard HRM see human resources as mainly a factor of production, an expense of doing business rather than the only resource capable of turning inanimate factors of production in to wealth. In contrast, soft HRM places an emphasis on human side of things. The soft model focuses on treating employees as valued assets and a source of competitive advantage through their commitment, adaptability and high quality skill and performance (Legge, 1995). The Coca-Cola Company incorporates both hard HRM and soft HRM within their organization reflected in the Choice Model adapted by Analoui (2002, p. 30). This model depicts a more holistic approach to HRM as seen in Figure 5 below. The Input Stage of HRM policies and frameworks This model represents the communication strategy with emphasis on HRM, being used by global organizations like Cola-Cola. It explains how the input stages of HRM policies are formulated at senior management levels based on the knowledge and information attained from internal, personal and external sources. These policies are then passed on to the functional and line management level where they are implemented, and finally ends at an output level that affects the individual, organisation and society bringing about, improved performance and effectiveness and quality of work life. This model proves effective as it takes into consideration the culture of the organization, as well as individual and stakeholders perception of the company and can be interpreted on an international basis for a company such as Coca-Cola. CONCLUSION This report critically reviews the corporate communication strategies being utilized within the Coca-Cola Company. It reflects on the nature, scope and focus of corporate communication, with emphasis on Human Resource Management and Employee Relations. It describes how corporate communication is essential for corporate image, identity and reputation to be understood by stakeholders. It explained how under the corporate communication strategy, Cola-Cola is able to formulate a more holistic approach to HR management, linking the needs of the internal stakeholders with those of its external stakeholders to achieve a more effective organization. Finally it concludes that company performance and efficiency is linked to the corporate communication strategy of an organization and how successful its implementation is. Bibliography Analoui, F (2002) The Changing Patterns of HRM. UK: Ashgate. Argenti, P.A. (1998) Corporate Communication. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Irwin McGraw-Hill. Beer, M. et al. (1984) Managing human assets. New York: The Free Press Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (1999) Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. 2nd ed. London: MacMillan Press. Christensen, L.T., Cornelissen, J.P. and Morsing, M. (2007) Corporate communications and its receptions: a comment on Llewellyn and Harrison. Human Relations Journal, Vol. 60 (4), p.653-661. Cornelissen, J.P. (2008) Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory and Practice. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Davis, K. (1960) Can business afford to ignore its social responsibility? California Managements Review, Vol. 2 (3), p. 70-76. Freeman, R.E. (1984) Strategic Management: AStakeholder ApproachBoston, MA: Pitman Fombrun, C.J. and Riel, C.B.M. van (2006) Essentials of Corporate Communications: Implementing practices for effective reputation management. Dawsonera [Online]. Available at https://dawsonera.com [Accessed: 08 November 2009]. Fombrun, C.J et al. (1984) Strategic Human Resource Management. New York: John Wiley Gotsi, M and Wilson, A. (2001) Corporate reputation: seeking a definition. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 6 (1), p. 24-30. Gray, E.R. and Balmer, J.M.T. (1998) Managing Corporate Image and Corporate Reputation. Long Range Planning. Vol. 31 (5), p. 685-692 Guest, D. E. (1990) Human resource management and the American dream. Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 27 (4), p. 377-397. Heery, E and Noon, M. (2001) A Dictionary of Human Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jones, M.H. (2000) Reputation as reservoir. Corporate Reputation Review, Vol. 3(1), p. 21-29. Legge, K. (1995) Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities, Basingstoke: Macmillan. Oliver, S. (1997) Corporate Communication: Principles, Technique and Strategies. London: Kogan Page. Parson, T. (1949)Essays in Sociological Theory: pure and applied.New York: Free Press. Riel, C.B.M. van (1995) Principles of Corporate communication. London: Prentice Hall. Riel, C.B.M. van and Balmer, J.M.T. (1997) Corporate identity: the concept, its measurement and management. European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 (5), p.340-355. Schmidt, K. (1995) The Quest for Corporate Identity. London: Cassell Sutherland, J. and Canwell, D. (2004) Key Concepts in Human Resource Management. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Taylor, M. (2000) Cultural variance as a challenge to global public relations: a case study of Coca-Cola tainting scare in Western Europe. Public Relations Review, Vol. 26, p. 277-293. Welch, M. and Jackson, P.R. (2007) Rethinking internal communication: a stakeholder approach. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 12(2) p. 177-198. https://www.cokecorporateresponsibility.co.uk/index.html (2009) [Online]. [Accessed: 27 October 2009] https://www.thecoca-colacompany.com.html (2009) [Online]. [Accessed: 15 October 2009]

Business Ethics Ethical And Socially Responsible Behaviors

In past years, organizations believed business ethics was only a way of managing compliance of legal principles and adherence to internal regulations and policies. Today the situation is different. Attention to business ethics is on the rise and many companies realize that in order to succeed, they must earn the respect and trust of their employees and clients. Presently organizations are being pushed to better their business performance to stress legal, ethical and socially responsible behaviors. Organizations are held responsible for their actions as demand grows for higher standards of social responsible behavior. With that being said, what are some of the ethical responsibilities companies have with their employees, and why are they†¦show more content†¦Organizations should conduct themselves towards their employees in a way that their policies and regulations adhere to legal standards; this is so employees know that all of their basic legal rights are and will be pro tected as stated by federal and state law. When an organization is truthful to their employees, the employees will become aware of their actions and act in a positive way towards the organization and therefore will work towards maximizing productivity, maximizing profit and boosting employee morale. An organization should measure the success of their ethical policies by acknowledging that they have done everything according to the law, the benefit of the organization and the success and happiness of their employees. In my opinion, the major ethical obligations companies have with employees is that of the Equal Employment Opportunity The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. It is also illegal to discriminate against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit.

West Civ Assignment free essay sample

Essay Assignment In the 18th century, only 8% of the French population were part of the bourgeoisie, in which people are better off economically, are educated, are talented, and well informed. Unfortunately, ?tine and Marguerite Ouellettes family were part of the social class that formed the majority of the population, the peasants. Both lovers were born in Laces, northern France during the second half of the 18th century. Their lives were greatly influenced by major political ideas and revolutions such as he Enlightenment, which culminated with The French Revolution. Did these events improve their lives? Not necessarily. Yet, ?Elisabeth, their only daughter, managed to live the life of a bourgeois in the 19th century. Laces, located on Frances eastern border and on the west bank of the upper Rhine, was the fifth smallest of the 27 regions of France and hometown of ?tine Ouellettes and his family. ?tine was the descendant of a line of hard working farmers who struggled to survive like most peasants of Laces. The farm was passed from generation to generation in the Ouellettes family and provided employment to fellow villagers who were in need of food or money to pay feudal taxes or land rents. ?tine, the oldest of his 4 siblings, had more responsibilities in the maintenance of the farm after the death of his father in 1762 during the Seven Years War. At only 12 years old, ?tine had the knowledge of fertilization, planting, and harvesting while attending a catholic school at the same time. The Ouellettes farm was known for producing products such as beards, corn, wheat, cabbage and most notably potatoes, which consisted of the main diet of the poor during this era. After many years of hard labor, ?tine struggled to support his needy family due to the insufficient amount of sales. Alsatians were paying taxes from the Old Regime, rather than saving their families from starvation. Peasants were unable to fight the political system of France, which was centered around absolutism. They had no political power, no privileges, and no rights! The Ouellettes lived in poverty and survived off their savings. ?dentines mother was slowly dying and his siblings were on the pursuit of a better life outside of Laces. As for Tontine, he decided to keep the family business running and was convinced that life in France would eventually get better. He then inherited the small cottage and the farm. Life was a constant struggle for ?tine by the age of 27. However, Marguerite, a young and attractive French schoolgirl from the catholic school of Laces, was his sunshine during his misfortune. At a public dance, also called an assembly, when Marguerite didnt have any chaperon, Tontine approached her on her way back home with French sabot and baggy ragged trousers covered in mud. He asked her to be his lady tort the dance and she gladly accept e d the invitation. Within a tee minutes, boot ?tine and Marguerite knew they were made for each other. ?tine had put on his only chemise covered with ruffles on the chest, an elegant doublet, leggings, and a nice pair of shined shoes to impress his love. The dance had already started and Marguerite was nowhere to be found in the room. Tontine was worried that she might have gone with someone else, or she may have forgotten the invitation, until she saw her coming down the stairs with her bright blue eyes and curly blond hair. Marguerite was wearing a beige lawn robe embroidered with stripes and sprigs of go roses, closed-front bodice panels with a drawstring to her neck, and a Ana blue purse for the finishing touch. As ?tine laid eyes on her from the other side of the room, he knew she was the one. From there on, the couple lived together in Dentines small cottage and decided to get married Just a few weeks later. ?tine didnt have enough money to support both of their lives, so Marguerite asked for financial help from her parents who worked in the textile industry who worked in the weaving process. The amount was enough to provide sufficient financial security for marriage s well as to support themselves and their future children. Tontine and Marguerite Ouellettes got married in 1787, the same year the First Assembly of Notables met. The wedding took place behind their small cottage, and was a public event. Given the harsh conditions of life, a wedding provided a treasured moment of feasting, dancing and revelry for the peasants,(556). The couple, now married and with a better financial security, was now able to found a family. Just a year later, Marguerite gave birth in their own household with the aid of an successes on a parturition chair. Amelia, born in 1788, was her name. The parents were filled with Joy within the first few months, until they noticed that the newborn was frequently having diarrhea. Amelia died from dehydration brought by diarrhea and due to the limited medical knowledge and techniques during the second half of the 18th century. After Amelias tragic death, Tontine and Marguerite decided to only have another child until better medical knowledge in society. Following the death of their infant, the parents tried desperately to forget about the devastating event by putting their energy into the farm, while spending some leisure time together. The farm became successful with the consumer revolution. Goods increased in number and variety, which led to the growth in consumption during the second half of the 18th century. As for releasing their anger after their daughters death, ?tine and Marguerite took part in religious celebrations such as the carnival. Drinks were poured, and dancing was performed by the peasants who were dressed as noble men and women. It was on the 5th of May, 1789 when Louis XVI summoned the estates-generals for its first meeting since 1614. The French Revolution would affect the small town of Laces once France establishes a first constitutional monarchy; a radical republic, and a new empire led by the famous Napoleon Bonaparte. ?tine and Marguerite were now part of the third estate. Being part of the third estate meant that they had neither power nor the right to speak due to absolutism, and that they had taxes to pay. With the new reform, Tontine and Marguerite were in deep financial difficulties with the economical collapse, which led to an inflation of prices of goods. It certainly was a bad timing with the arrival of their second child, ?Elisabeth, during the Napoleonic RA. Unable to provide for their newborn girl, it was in great dismay that the parents decided to travel to the city and disposed to their baby in a tingling none so that ?Elisabeth could live a better life. Being taken care of by a wet nurse, which was a widespread business in the eighteenth century, conducted within the framework of the putting-out system(559), ?Elisabeth managed to get adopted by a rich and educated family of bourgeois who were unable to have a child. ?tine and Marguerite hit by crisis back in Laces, were in the middle of the peasants rebellion against the king during The Great Fear in the summer of 1789. The feudal system and absolutism were abolished by 1791, which was the beginning of the Rights of Man and great news for the married couple that were slowly losing hope. As life in France was improving, Marguerite gave birth to Joseph who was her last child. Unfortunately, only three years later, Joseph was introduced to Repertoires Reign of Terror from 1793 to 1794 where thousands of people are killed in the name of the Revolution. It is in 1812, after a strenuous life filled with disappointment, that ?tine Ouellettes offered from a heart attack and died at the age of 62 years old. The same year Napoleon decided to invade Russia who had allied itself with England. Marguerite, now alone with her 21 years old boy, decided to get remarried to GÂ ©award Charlatan, a textile worker. Hearing the news, Joseph left Laces in discontentment and anger towards his mom and has contact with her. Joseph, who never had the opportunity to go to school, had developed labor skills while working with his dad on the farm. Such experience gave him the benefit of obtaining a Job during the industrial revolution in the 19th century. The pressure to produce more goods for a growing market was directly related to the first decisive breakthrough of the Industrial Revolution (617) and France quickly became a technology driven economy with the rise of the factory system. However, the working environment was unsanitary, dangerous and mostly oppressive for workers such as Joseph. The youngest of the Ouellettes family would work around 13 hours a day, 6 days a week to earn a minimal salary. Meanwhile, ?Elisabeth, now 23 years old and part of the bourgeois, had successfully graduated from school and married a rich lawyer. Unlike her family, ?Elisabeth managed to live a wealthy and prosperous life by owning a house and avoiding debt. It is in the year 1839 when Marguerite Ouellettes, wife and mother of three children, died of age. She and her husband were unfortunately born peasant and depressant. ?Elisabeth and Joseph never even heard the news of the death of their mother. She wasnt the only one to have died however. Only 32 years later, both ?Elisabeth and Joseph died. Joseph, with the harsh work conditions during the industrial revolution, died from tuberculosis, the number one transmitted killer disease during the industrial revolution. As for ?Elisabeth, she died from typhus. Nevertheless, ?Elisabeth managed living a happy, wealthy and prosperous life besides a wealthy family of bourgeois.

Latin music free essay sample

Allendale I am a big lover of music. I listen to it all day all night. I can t say that I have got only one favorite genre, I like everything. However, the most preferable one is dance music, especially Latin music. First of all, I would like to say a few words about Latin music itself. Latin music is a popular art form developed in various Latin American countries, mainly Cuba, and is unique for the type of rhythmic structures It builds upon. It is vocal and instrumental music, originally derived from African religious ironies, however viewed today primarily as dance music.Its strongest characteristic Is its rhythm. It Is traditionally played by native percussion and string Instruments, namely the timbales, congas, bongo, guitar, and the tress (nine-string Cuban guitar). Over time, the Plano replaced the guitar as the choral Instrument, while the bass, woodwinds, trumpets and trombones were added to play melodies and riffs (repetitions of sound). We will write a custom essay sample on Latin music or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Latin music Is mainly defined by four elements: Music style, geography, cultural background of the artist, and language.Music style Includes genres such salsa, Backchat, Alan Pop and Regional Mexican music. For the most part, geography refers to Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. The cultural background includes artists from Latin America or artists with a Latin (Europeanization (US) background. Language refers to Spanish and Portuguese. These four elements interact in different ways and very often a combination of only two or three of these elements is enough to place a given production into the Latin music genre.Famous Latin music artists include legendary singers, songwriters and Caucasians such as Julio Gallerias, Vaccine Fernando, Celia Cruz, Acetate Evolve, La Sonora Ponca, Selene and Los Tigress del Norte, as well as contemporary megastars like Shakier, Called 13, Man, Prince Royce, Junes, Don Omar and Juan Luis Gouger. Now I d like to say about samba music. Samba Rhythm and Music Samba music, with its distinctive rhythm, is highlighted by original Brazilian musical instruments, including the tambourine, Calhoun, record-record and cabala. Samba is danced to music with a tempo of about 100 beats per minute.The fast and energetic withy of Samba music encourages spontaneous dancing, such as in the streets during a Carnival celebration. Finally, this kind of music makes me feel alive. It lifts my mood when I am down. The fast rhythm of the songs makes my head nod up and down and my feet stomp all around the place. Dance music makes me happier even If l m already happy, and may be even makes me want to get up and dance no matter where I am or who Is watching. Countries, mainly Cuba, and is unique for the type of rhythmic structures it builds characteristic is its rhythm.It is traditionally played by native percussion and string instruments, namely the timbales, congas, bongo, guitar, and the tress (nine-string Cuban guitar). Over time, the piano replaced the guitar as the choral instrument, and riffs (repetitions of sound). Latin music is mainly defined by four elements: includes genres such salsa, Backchat, Latin Pop and Regional Mexican music. For (Europe)/Latino (US) background. Language refers to Spanish and Portuguese. These if I m already happy, and may be even makes me want to get up and dance no matter where I am or who is watching.

Veterans Health Administration System Development Lifecycle

Problem Statement It has been noted that shortcomings in the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) system that systematic issues affecting the Return on Investment (ROI) may be due to improper adherence to the steps in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This document presents key areas of the SDLC that may be behind the shortcomings and recommends a root cause analysis study.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Veterans Health Administration System Development Lifecycle specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Context The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is series of steps that play an integral role in the production of software. The cycle includes system engineering, software requirements analysis, systems analysis and design, generation of code, testing and maintenance (Lewis 26). Based on reports from the PE Lessons Learned team, it has been reported that during development of the VHA system systematic i ssues suggest poor adherence to the SDLC. In turn this may be responsible for poor Return on Investment (ROI) for the project. Because of this several areas have been identified that could be the reason behind the poor performance of the project. Concept Initiation Issues attributed to poor adherence to the SDLC of the VHA system can be traced to concept initiation. Evidence in support of this is identified in the GAO report which highlights the fact that despite spending large sums on money and time on the VA project implementation is yet to be done on many of the projects. It has been observed that an estimated $127 million has been spent on this project over a period of nine years. It should be noted that of this amount $62 million of the amount was to be spent on planning, management support development equipment and environment. It has also been noted that the department also paid a further $65 million to the contractor to develop the replacement scheduling system. It should be noted that prior to initiation of the project the VA system relied on an outpatient scheduling system that was over 25 years old. Given that in 2009, VA terminated the contract supporting the development of a suitable scheduling project one can understand why so many defects still exist in the system. His is because if the scheduling system is so significant, the VA should have first developed this system before undertaking other systems. As a result of this poor planning it was noted that the project was still plagued by a number of defects that VA and the contractor were unable to resolve.Advertising Looking for assessment on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It has therefore been concluded that it is likely that VA did not adequately plan its acquisition of the scheduling application. This can be traced to the fact that one of the best practices in development of software is to closely align software projec ts with business or organizational goals (ISACA 116). Concept Definition Another shortcoming that is attributable to lack of adherence to the SDLC is observed when considering concept definition. This is because an SDLC can be broken into three main stages namely, definition, construction and the implementation phases (Tan and Sheps 296). In the definition phase, the project team attempts to provide a detailed explanation of what the system is expected to accomplish. It is based on these requirements that the software engineering specialists develop the proposed solution (Tan and Sheps 296). It is therefore clear that an incomplete or unsuitable concept definition will most likely result in a system with degraded performance. At this point it is also important to mention that definition also involves feasibility study which is essential to the proposed system. The objective of the feasibility study is to point out if the project is absolutely necessary and if the organization is abl e to complete the software project envisioned (Tan and Sheps 296). Based on the VHA case it appears evident that a complete feasibility study was not undertaken and as a result a poor system was developed. In addition to that another important question that can be traced to the feasibility study is related to the Enterprise Architecture (EA). Based on the feasibility study it should have been noted that the Enterprise Architecture to support such a system was absent. This in turn would have suggested the need to develop suitable architecture. The feasibility study should have identified the lack of the required architecture to manage the project. In this case the development of the suitable architecture should have arisen and been addressed accordingly. Concept Planning It has already been established that during the development of a software project the project team goes through a series of steps to ensure success of the product.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sa mple on Veterans Health Administration System Development Lifecycle specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In a good software project the development team will allow the organization to review progress periodically. It is believed that these reviews play a crucial role in the development process. This is because reviews present opportunities to identify errors and inconsistency (Tan 201). Such reviews provide developers with an opportunity to plan, correct and re-plan the project as it progresses. In the development of the VHA System it is possible for one to assume that such planning in relation to the concept was not done. For this reason it is evident that due to poor acquisition strategies led to solutions that do not satisfy the stakeholder needs. In addition to that it is noted that due to poor planning there were numerous delays in the project schedule. Also evident in the project is the lack of communication and absence of meetings between the participants. This appears to be a reason behind the delays in completion. It has been suggested that in similar projects the participation by both the users and the project team helps to keep the project on track (Tan 201). Based on this reason, the numerous delays suggest that there was poor execution of the planning stage. Development In the production of software solutions the development stage normally involves the translation of user requirements to code (Langer 221). The code produced during this stage relies heavily on the amount of time dedicated to the definition and planning stages of the SDLC. Therefore, if there were major flaws in definition and planning phases the product produced will certainly contain these flaws. In this stage of the SDLC, the software is also tested to provide data on its performance vis-Ã  -vis the requirements (Langer 221). It has been reported that due to the fact that VA did not ensure requirements were complete and sufficiently d etailed, it was thus unable to guide the development of the scheduling system. It is reported based on guidance that the use of disciplined processes for definition and management can help reduce risks associated with developing a system that does not meet user needs. Based on the failures associated with the system it is possible to infer that VA did not adhere to this practice. It is also essential that requirements should be well defined and documented by the team to make development an easier task. The move to abandon the scheduling system and begin afresh suggests that not only was the contractor in appropriate, the requirements were not properly defined and documented. Implementation During this stage in the development of software a number of tasks are undertaken. These tasks are important because they vet and review the requirements (Kostojohn, Paulen and Johnson 96). There are a number of approaches that can be utilized during development. In this stage the program will als o be tested for integration.Advertising Looking for assessment on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It has been observed that the VA approach to the performance of testing increased the risk that the system would not perform as expected. This is because best practices suggest testing activities should be incremental in nature. This is because incremental testing will uncover minor issue which in turn may affect the overall performance of the system. This allows for early detection and correction of software errors. This leads to use of less time and resources in correcting errors. It has been noted that instead of using the best practice approach to testing, the VA chose a high risk approach of undertaking all testing activity concurrently instead of incrementally. This is based n information provided by project officials that indicated stage to testing on all 12 versions of the scheduling application began before stage one testing was completed. It has been mentioned that stage two testing began 78 days before stage one testing of the same version was completed. It is even mentio ned in a further two cases that stage two testing began even before stage one testing. It has been further pointed out that the first alpha version had 370 defects that were of critical, major or average severity. However, the department proceeded with these tests even when the departmental criteria for commencing stage two testing indicated that all such defects were to be resolved before stage two testing began. To deal with this issue caused by the defects the VA hired a second contactor to deal with the defects. However, almost two years after commencing stage two testing 87 defects still remained unresolved. Scheduling project officials reported that they ignored the departmental testing guidance and approved stage two testing. Based on this it has been suggested that if the VA is to succeed in its new initiative it is critical that the project adhere to testing guidelines to ensure prompt problem resolution. Operations and Maintenance It has been reported that a significant am ount of money spent system development goes into maintenance. For this reason there are a wide number of maintenance activities that can be undertaken on an information system. Corrective maintenance involves the repair of design and programming errors (Dixit 412). Adaptive maintenance involves the modification of the system to changes in the operating environment. Perfective maintenance is meant to evolve a system and take advantage of existing opportunities (Dixit 412). There is also preventive maintenance, which is performed with a view to providing safety from future problems. Upon analysis of the VHA system the changes made to the RTLS implementations suggests that the system was poorly maintained. Evidence of this is in the observation that non conformities led to difficulty in data retrieval, viewing and analysis. Based on this information it is possible to suggest that other than poor requirements definition there was poor maintenance. This is because such inconsistencies sh ould have been identified upon implementation and rectified using corrective maintenance measures. Close out The final step in a software project is the closeout phase. This stage entails performing actions that effectively conclude a software project (Rittinghouse 157). In this stage the project team holds a post mortem meeting with the stakeholders. After this meeting, a report of the meeting is produced. It is expected that the report will act as a road map for future activity involving the project (Rittinghouse 157). In the case of the VHA system due to inconsistencies and performance issues it is still not possible to complete this stage. This position suggests a need to take remedial action and conclude the project. Recommendations Based on the position revealed by the findings of this report the PE team will undertake investigations to identify shortfalls in the VA project. This position is due to the various high-level issues identified in this report. It has already been no ted that poor requirements definition led the project to failure due to the fact that the project did not fully capture the organizations goals. It has been suggested that this may have arisen because the users and the team did not collaborate adequately in the requirements analysis. Another issue with the project can be attributed to poor financial planning which saw the project utilize a large amount of financial resources and produce a faulty product. It would appear that there was an inadequate definition of requirements and milestones that may have guided the project to success. In addition to that it has also been identified that there is a need for improvement in project management within the organization. This comes to light due to the fact that approval for step two testing came from within the organization. As such it is hoped that the information contained in this report can be used as a basis for further investigation in budgeting, planning, requirements analysis, testin g and change management within the organization. Works Cited Dixit, J. B. Structured Systems Analysis and Design. New Delhi: Laxmi Publications (P) Ltd., 2007. Print. ISACA. CGEIT Review Manual 2011. Printed in the USA: ISACA, 2011. Print. Kostojohn, S., Brian Paulen, and Mathew Johnson. CRM Fundamentals. New York: Springer, 2011. Print. Langer, Arthur M. Guide to Software Development: Designing and Managing the Lifecycle. London: Springer, 2012. Print. Lewis, Jeremy. Sdlc 100 success secrets: Software Development Lifecycle (sdlc) 100 most asked questions. Brisbane: Lulu.com, 2008. Print. Rittinghouse, John W. Managing Software Deliverables: a software development management methodology. Burlington: Digital Press, 2004. Print. Tan, Joseph K. H., and Samuel Barry Sheps. Health Decision Support Systems. Maryland: Aspen Publishers Inc., 1998. Print. Tan, Joseph K. H. Adaptive Health Management Information Systems: Concepts, Cases and Practical Applications. Sudbury, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2010. Print. This assessment on Veterans Health Administration System Development Lifecycle was written and submitted by user Isiah D. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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SkinCancer essays Before you can fully understand skin cancer, it helps to know a little about what cancer is in general. Cancer is a group of many different diseases that have some important things in common. Normal cells grow and divide only when needed, but cancerous cells keep dividing when they are not needed, which creates the tumor. There are two types of tumors to be aware of and they are: benign and malignant. While both may cause alarm, only one needs to cause one to seriously worry. Benign tumors are not cancerous and do not spread, but on the other hand, malignant tumors are cancerous. They are abnormal and divide without control. Since malignant tumors can divide, it is possible to have cancer in one area of the body and over time end up with it elsewhere. This process is called metastasis. Metastasis is when cancer cells can break away from the malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system. One of the easiest forms of cancer to detect is skin cancer. To fully u nderstand what skin cancer is, you must know what the skin is made up of. The skin is composed of numerous layers. The layer that skin cancer originates in is the epidermis. It is made up of flat, scale-like cells called squamous cells. Underneath these cells are basal cells. Also within the epidermis are melanocytes. Melanocytes, found in the deepest part of the epidermis, produce melanin, which gives us our skin color. Skin cancer is divided into three major categories: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. The most common, basal cell carcinoma, accounts for 90% of all skin cancers in the United States. This skin cancer arises from the basal cells in the epidermis. Basal cell carcinoma is a slow growing cancer that rarely spreads. It can invade and destroy nearby bone and cartilage. On the other hand, squamous cell carcinoma begins in the squamous cells of the epidermis. This, too, rarely spreads, but does more so than...

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