Essay --

In this discussion, they are talking about how to using workforce with strategy. Also they are trying to introduce about core concept of the differentiated workforce and help to understand how to manage their talent more like a portfolio. It was hard to get the concept when I saw the video. They are talking about large scale of workforce strategy concept such as capabilities, positions, value and so on. It is not like text book that we can memorize the knowledge. So I have to keep thinking, brain storming and research about example that shown at the video. Workforce strategy is really related with our management class because workforce is linked with management, human resource, planning, motivation, and so on. It is all about managing, developing and motivating workforce. The Key words in this video are capabilities, positions, business strategy, workforce strategy and human resource. In discussion they keep talking about make differentiation. We can change the word differentiation as a competitive advantage. That is the key concept of this discussion. First of all we need to under...

?Words are more treacherous and powerful than we think? Essay -- essay

Title: â€Å"Words are more treacherous and powerful than we think† Evaluate the extent to which the characteristics Sartre claims for words affect - negatively or positively - different Areas of Knowledge. The limits of knowledge that the topic implies are the limits of language and how well it approaches truth. There are a number of definitions of language. Everybody has there own term of what language stands for. For example, Chomsky says that language is a system of sounds put together to form phrases, which are then translated into a person’s mind. Adler says that language is a system of sounds that are created to form a way of communication, which can be translated in the human mind. What I found is that language shows the proof of words through thoughts. feelings, and a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols. Images are also a way of understanding language, which connects to what Adler and Chomsky had said. Because the world’s vocabulary is so limited to the meaning of a word, images are replaced in their meaning. By showing the thoughts of what Chomsky and Adler said, I will show how many others have a different idea about l anguage. Words have been given a belief to have a true meaning to them, but in reality not so many words have a true meaning. In order to find their true meaning we have to look at how they are used and then come up with the true meaning. â€Å"Therefore it was necessary that he should be able to use these sounds as signs of internal conceptions; and to make them stand as marks for the ideas within his own mind, whereby they might be made known to others, and to others, and the thoughts of men’s minds be conveyed from one to another.† What sometimes ends up happening is that the word can mean so many things in many situations, which gets confusing. Rather they have many different meanings, which can only be found through text that can be found through knowledge. Sometimes the meaning of words is so vague it is difficult to understand their meaning at all. Unless we are aware of the exact context in which it is being used, we would probably not agree on the subtle diffe rences. Language is what we humans use as a symbol of communication. ds or language in general were designed by man in to fit articulate sounds, which we call words. Language is considered to be a communication of thoughts and feeling... ...s method an efficient one. By showing the thoughts of what Chomsky and Adler said, I will show how many others have a different idea about language. Words have been given a belief to have a true meaning to them, but in reality not so many words have a true meaning. In order to find their true meaning we have to look at how they are used and then come up with the true meaning. But what sometimes ends up happening is that the word can mean a so many things in many situations, which gets confusing. Rather they have many different meanings, which can only be found through text has to found through knowledge. Sometimes the meaning of words is so vague it is difficult to understand their meaning at all. Unless we are aware of the exact context in which it is being used, we would probably not agree on the subtle differences. Knowledge plays into affect by adding a whole new view to looking at a word. With knowledge, the interpretation of words can be figured out faster and more efficient. The way of interpreting the human language makes this method an efficient one. John Locke, Concerning Human Understanding , The Great Books Of The Western World; The University of Chicago Press, 1952

Chinese Literature Essay

1. Shang Dynasty (about 1700-1050 BC) Development of Chinese Writing * Historical record and archaeological evidence are present in this era. * Hieroglyphic writing system later evolved into ideographic and partly-phonetic Chinese characters. 2. Zhou Dynasty (1045-255 BC) Basic Philosophical and Religious Literature * The great literary works of philosophy and religion that became the basis for Chinese religious and social belief stem from what is called the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476) and the Warring States Period (475-221). * Taoism, Confucian literature, and other prominent religious and philosophical schools all emerged during these two periods or the so called â€Å"One Hundred Schools of Thought.† * They say that most of the philosophical and religious works of that time were destroyed. If there were great fictional books created, they have been lost. 3. Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) Literary Disaster and Legalism * A big philosophical and religious school then was called Mohism. * An early form of Buddhism was also established in China at that time. * The emperor wanted to reduce and destroy the â€Å"One Hundred Schools of Thought† * So the â€Å"Book Burning and Burial of Scholars† was a literary disaster. * The Qin Dynasty standardized the written Classical Language. * The Qin Emperor favored a philosophical school that was called Legalism (æ ³â€¢Ã¥ ® ¶). 4. Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) Scientific and Historical Texts * Confucian texts were rewritten and republished. Confucianism was mixed with the Legalism philosophy of Li Si. * Sima Qian wrote Historical Records that is a major history concerning the overall history of China from before the Shang Dynasty until the Han Dynasty. * The Han Dynasty era was one of the two main hotspot eras for scientific and technical advance. * Two or three mathematical texts showing advanced mathematics for the times were written. 5. Tang Dynasty (618-907) Early Woodblock Printing and Poetry * This era’s main contribution to Chinese literature was in the poetry of Dufu, Li Bai and many other poets. 6. Song Dynasty (960-1279) Early Woodblock Printing, Travel Literature, Poetry, Scientific Texts and the Neo-Confucian Classics * Has made remarkable scientific and technical advances. * Invention of movable type which helped to spread knowledge since printed material could be published more quickly and cheaply. * Travel literature in which authors wrote about their trips and about various destinations became popular perhaps because the texts could be cheaply bought. * The Confucian Classics were codified and used as test material for the entrance examination into the elite bureaucracy, advanced scientific texts and atlases were published, and important poems were written. * The Five Classics and Four Books were written in the written Classical Language which include: * * Five Classics: * The Book of Changes, * The Classic of Poetry, * The Record of Rites * The Classic of History, and * The Spring and Autumn Annals * Four Books: * The Analects of Confucius * The Doctrine of the Mean * The Great Learning * Analects of Confucius * .Shen Kuo (1031–1095) is said to have discovered the concepts of true north and magnetic declination towards the North Pole * Su Song (1020–1101) wrote a treatise called the Bencao Tujing with information on medicine, botany and zoology. * Song poet named Lu is thought to have written almost 10,000 poems. Su Tungpo is regarded as a great poet of the Northern Song era. Here is a stanza he wrote: â€Å"The moon rounds the red mansion Stoops to silk-pad doors Shines upon the sleepless Bearing no grudge Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?† 7. Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) Drama and Great Fictional Novels * An era whereof some historically renowned dramatic playwrights and novelists who wrote in vernacular language. * The Yuan â€Å"Zaju† style of opera was similar to their shadow plays. Perhaps the playwrights adopted the plots and the features. The music of the Zaju operas was called Yuan Qu (Yuan Music). * After the Yuan Dynasty, the operatic style developed into the Painted Faces style of Chinese opera that was popular until modern times. * Guan Hanqing is regarded as one of the best playwrights of the times. He wrote Midsummer Snow that was one of the most popular drama pieces. * The Romance of the Western Chamber was written by Wang Shifu. It is considered one of the best romantic dramas ever written in China. * Novels were another outstanding achievement of the Yuan era. 8. Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Novels * The Journey to the West is based on the historical journey of a Buddhist to India during the Tang era to learn Buddhist teachings and bring back scriptures and information. 9. Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Novels and Pre-modern Literature * In the 19th century, foreign literature and the West became better known. In the middle of this era, the last of China’s four great classic novels was written called Dream of the Red Chamber (ç ´â€¦Ã¦ ¨â€œÃ¥ ¤ ¢); and near the end of the era, modernistic literature developed. * Educated Chinese had easier access to foreign literature, and they were more influenced by Western culture. Chinese Literatures 1. Chinese Classical Prose * Prose writing in ancient and pre-modern China differed from poetry in that it was less rigidly structured and wasn’t like verses in a song or like one of the common styles of poetry. But compared to English prose, literary prose before the year 1900 was often much more formalized. * Classical prose can be divided into three types called * Piantiwen style or parallel prose style is more formalized style of prose writing * Guwen style is less formal and more ancient style * Vernacular style which is used in operatic dramas and in the Four Classic Novels of Chinese literature. 2. Chinese Poetry * Poetry has been a favorite literary genre for thousands of years. Poetry isn’t taken very seriously in the West, especially in the last two hundred years, but Chinese ancient poetry is still read and ancient Chinese poets are honored. * There are Five Major Kinds of Major Ancient Poetic Styles * Shi è © © poems are composed of couplets. They are poems of two more coupled lines. The two lines of a couplet usually rhyme and match rhythmically and complement each other tonally. Modern Mandarin only has five tones, but ancient languages usually had more, so the tonal rhythms are generally lost. * Ci è ©Å¾ poetry can be described as poems that have patterns of syllables and tonal patterns. In making a Ci poetry, a poet chooses words that fit a specific pattern. These patterns may have once been part of a song. But the music has been lost. There are various patterns that provided affective settings for various effects or moods. * Ge æ ­Å' means song. Ge poems are the words to a song that can be sung. There were folk songs as well as songs composed by the literate and educated composers. * Qu æ› ² is the style of music and song in the operas or Mongol Music. The songs from the operas and popular songs were a poetic style that was also popular in later eras. The poetic style is freer of form. * Fuè ³ ¦ is the fifth major style of poetry . These are descriptive poems that contain both prose and couplets. These were popular about 1,500 years to 2,000 years ago. Often poets included rare or unusual written characters from preceding eras in their poems. * The greatest ancient poets are thought to lived in the Tang, Song, and Han eras. The following were considered to be the exemplary poets: * Du Fu (712-770) liked to write in a structured form of poetry that was called Lu Shi Ã¥ ¾â€¹Ã¨ © © or regulated poetry. He is thought of as one of the greatest realist poets of China. His poems reflect the hard realities of war, people dying next to rich rulers, and primitive rural life. Here is a famous ‘couplet: â€Å"Behind redden doors stink wine and meat; But upon the road die frozen men.† * Li Bai (701-762) liked to write in a free form poetry like that of more ancient times. This kind of poetry was called Gu Shi (Ã¥  ¤Ã¨ © ©). He wrote about places he visited and things he saw. He is described as a romantic poet. * Su Tungpo (1037-1101) is also called Su Shi. He is regarded as a great poet of the Northern Song era (960-1127). More than 2,000 of his poems survive. Here is a stanza he wrote: â€Å"The moon rounds the red mansion Stoops to silk-pad doors Shines upon the sleepless Bearing no grudge Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?† 3. Chinese Scientific Texts * Chinese science texts give an idea of the state of knowledge in the dynastic eras. During several eras,Chinese scientists and inventors led the world in various fields. * Suan Shu Shu (Computation and Numbers Book). It shows how to solve arithmetic problems that officials or people doing business face. * Jiuzhang Suanshu (Nine Chapter Computation Book). The book features basic algebra such as finding cube roots and square roots. Negative numbers are also used. * Zhoubi Suan Jing (The Arithmetical Classic of the Gnomon and the Circular Paths of Heaven) about astronomical problems. It is said text has a mathematical proof for the â€Å"Gougu Theorem† (å‹ ¾Ã¨â€š ¡Ã¥ ®Å¡Ã§ â€ ; a2 + b2 = c2) that is known as the Pythagorean Theorem in the West. A method of determining the distance of the sun from the earth by using a right angled triangle is described. * The second period of rapid scientific and technological advancement was the Song era. Two men in particular stand out: Shen Kuo (1031–1095) and Su Song (1020–1101) both wrote scientific treatises about their research and about various fields. 4. China’s Classic Novels * Four long fictional novels are usually thought to be the best novels in Chinese literature. And the following two novels set a standard for classical literary works. * The Romance of the Three Kingdoms The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a semi-historical work said to be written by Luo Guan Zhong. It is historical fiction about the lives and struggles of rulers and the wars at the end of the Han Dynasty and in the Three Kingdoms Period. The novel describes the machinations, court intrigues, and the shifting alliances of the three kingdoms that emerged from the Han Empire. * Water Margin Water Margin is about the lives and ideals of a group of characters who fought against the corrupt Song Dynasty that the Mongols conquered. It is said it was written in vernacular language by Shi Nai An. The setting of the novel is during the Northern Song Dynasty era before the northern part of the Song Empire was overrun by a northern tribe and before the Mongols conquered the whole area. Water Margin is reminiscent of the story of Robin Hood. Likewise, there may have been actual outlaws, and popular legends and stories later grew. But Water Margin is probably more fictional and less historically accurate than The Romance of the Three Kingdoms * The other two novels. * Journey to the West The long tale about a fantastic journey to the west of a group that went to India was written at a time that the Silk Road land routes were blocked by Mongol and Muslim countries. Perhaps one of the reasons the novel was popular was that people during the Ming era wanted to travel to the west, but they couldn’t. The latter Ming Dynasty was isolationist. In the novel, a great intelligent monkey and a small band of characters protects a defenseless monk during his journey. Buddha commissioned the monk to help India that had fallen into gross sin and immorality. The monkey and other characters have magical skills. Journey to the West is thought to have been published anonymously by Wu Cheng’en in the 16th century though scholars have doubt about the authorship. * The Dream of the Red Chamber The fourth major novel that made an impact on Chinese history and literature is The Dream of the Red Chamber. It was the last of the Four Classic Novels to be written. It is about the fortunes and lives of the people of two branches of a clan in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) era. The two families had adjacent compounds. It is appreciated because it gives a view into the lives of two ruling families of that time. One of the members of the clan was made a concubine of an emperor. But then the imperial court turned against the two families.

Importance of Being On Time Essay

Scheduling the work day is one of the most important duties any leader in the Marine Corps or the Armed forces in general, tackles each and every day. Being at the right place at the right time for any member of the Armed forces is extremely essential to the defense of the entire United States of America. It’s because of this that being on time is remarkably important. Dependability, accountability, consistency and discipline are all crucially important for all members of the armed forces. Being on time shows that a Marine is dependable and has his or her priorities straight. Being at the appointed place of duty means to be there on time and has always been one of the most important aspects of being a Marine. Failure to be on time not only hinders mission ready capability and readiness, but also can without a doubt cost unnecessary loss of life. It is important to realize that it is necessary for those in the Armed Forces are held to a high standard. Punctuality remains and always will be an extremely vital aspect of military bearing and discipline. It has a direct correlation to a Marine appearance, combat readiness, mission effectiveness, and essentially every aspect of military life and responsibility. I cannot place enough emphasis on how important being on time constantly is. For instance; a Marine who is late or does not report at all to a place at the time ordered effectively compromises and diminishes the efficiency of which the task or mission at hand can be completed. In an extreme case a Marine who is not on time to relieve the current guard’s post would cause the combat effectiveness and readiness of the unrelieved guard to be greatly reduced. This would be caused by fatigue, or lack of supplies, etc. Consequently the guard on post could be compromised and the security of the area could be breached. These things do occur, however, they can undoubtedly be avoided by merely, once again, being on time. The importance of being on time is so you will be early to where ever you need to be and accomplish whatever you need to do. If you are early you will always have time to make sure everything that you need to do is straight and there aren’t any errors in what you need to do. It is important to be on time for work because it shows that you are dedicated in the things that you do and it can help you in moving up in your field of expertise. It is important to be on time in the military because you will be at the right place at the right time, you will be accountable for and if anything was to happen no one can accuse you of anything because you were where you were suppose to be at the right time. Whenever you show up late to something it shows that you have no discipline or respect for anyone else because now everyone has to wait for you to arrive instead of starting on time or possibly earlier. It is important to be on time because it shows leadership, commitment, loyalty and that you are responsible enough to be trusted without supervision. It is very important to be on time because it is crucial to the mission, my leadership, and me as a Marine.

Bill Miller and Value Trust Essay

1. How well has Value Trust performed in recent years? In making that assessment, what benchmark(s) are you using? How do you measure investment performance? What does good performance mean to you? Value trust had outperformed its benchmark index, the Standard & poor 500 Index for 14 years in a row; am average annual total return of 14.6 percent, which surpassed the S&P 500 by 3.67% per year. Value trust had earned a cumulative return of more than 830% over the previous 14 years, more than double that its average peer and the index. There are two ways to mearsure investment performance; the percentage of annual growth rate of NAV assuming reinvestment (the total return on invenst) and the absoulute dollar value today of an investment made at some time in the past. These measure then compared with the performance of a benchmark portfolio such as the Russel 2000 Index or the S&P 500 Composite Index. 2. What might explain the fund’s performance? To what extent do you believe an investment strategy, such as Mill’s explains performance? Some observers attributed this success to the fund manager’s conscious strategy of staying fully invested at all times rather than attempting to time the extent of market investments. Another popular explanation for the fund’s performance was the unusual skill of Bill Miller, the fund’s portfolio manager. His approach was research-intensive and highly concentrated when 50% of its assets were invested in just 10 large-capitalization companies and he was not averse to take large positions in the stocks of growth companies. 3. How easy will it be to sustain Miller’s historical performance record into the future? What factors support your conclusion? NOT EASY EMH LUCKY EVENT 4. Consider the mutual fund industry. What roles do portfolio managers play? What are the differences between fundamental and technical securities analysis? How well do mutual funds generally perform relative to the overall market? Technical analysis: This involved the identification of profitable investment opportunities based on trends in stock prices, volume, market setiment, Fibonacci numbers,etc. Fundamental analysis: This approach relied on insights afforded by an analysis of the economic fundamentals of a company and its industry: supply and demand costs, growth prospects, etc. Mutual funds were able to perform up to the market on a gross-returns basis; however, when expenses were factored in, they underperformed the market. 5. What is capital market efficiency? What are its implications for investment performance in general? What are the implications for fund managers, if the market exhibits characteristics of strong, semi-strong, or weak efficiency? Three levels of market efficiency. 6. Suppose that you are an advisor to wealthy individuals in the area of equity investments. In 2005, would you recommend investing in Miller’s Value Trust? What beliefs about the equity markets does your answer reflect?

Knowledge Management Essay

The purpose of this essay is to answer the questions from the â€Å"Tata Consultancy Services (India)† case study on pages 253-255 of Jashapara (2011) The discussion includes advice regarding a strategic alliance with Cisco. Two of the key elements of this case study which are discussed are describing the current weaknesses in Tata Consultancy Services with an approach to knowledge management and the improvements that are made to eliminate these weaknesses. In the discussion, strategic alliance is explained by definition and examples are provided as well to justify. The advice to knowledge management issues has been discussed. The planning and concepts are communicated and a detailed answer is written to discuss facts with the use of external sources and these have been referenced. Towards the end after all the points been considered, improvements with the linking to knowledge management have been advised. Contents Introduction3 Background3 Objectives3 Scope4 Strategic alliances with Cisco4 Current weaknesses in TATA services5 Improvement on the weaknesses6 Conclusion8 References9 Introduction Background Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, business solutions and outsourcing organization that delivers real results to global businesses, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. Tata Consultancy Services is a leading global IT services, business solutions, and outsourcing company with offices in 35 countries and growing at over 30 percent in revenue terms for the last couple of years. One key challenge arising out of the rapid growth in people intensive business such as TCS has been ever-increasing demands on the IT infrastructure. (www.tcs.com) Cisco Systems is a large corporation that produces computer networking products and services. The Linksys brand of consumer networking products is also an owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems. (http://compnetworking.about.com) Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. It was decided by TCS that to expand their allegiances, they were to make a strategic alliance with Cisco without harming the long-term and short-term goals of each company. The aim of this essay is to provide a practical approach with clear guidance for TCS and decision makers in TCS. It shows how KM can enable an organization to respond effectively to the changing business background and achieve its strategic goals. Objectives The TCS-Cisco partnership has been active since 2003. This partnership focuses on go-to-market activities for a range of Cisco technologies, including the next generation datacenters (Cisco Unified Computing Systems), advanced networking, security and collaboration. It also focuses on  developing replicable go-to-market business solutions leveraging cutting-edge Cisco technologies like UCS, and TCS strengths in IT application services, IT infrastructure services and domain expertise in key industry verticals. (http://www.tcs.com) Scope Includes discussion of advice regarding a strategic alliance with Cisco Discussion includes explanation of strategic alliance and points are raised in relation to knowledge management. Continues to talk about the current weaknesses in Tata Consultancy Services approach to knowledge management. This section is helped by many examples from external resources. Finally solutions on how these weaknesses can be improved are been mentioned. Furthermore this section is supported by many examples and the examples have been referenced. Strategic alliances with Cisco Strategic alliance is an agreement for cooperation among two or more independent firms to work together toward common objectives. (http://www.businessdictionary.com) It is a preparation between two companies that have decided to share resources to undertake a specific, mutually beneficial project. A strategic alliance is less involved and less permanent than a joint venture, in which two companies typically pool resources to create a separate business entity. In a strategic alliance, each company maintains its autonomy while gaining a new opportunity. A strategic alliance could help a company develop a more effective process, expand into a new market or develop an advantage over a competitor, among other possibilities. (http://www.investopedia.com) Investopedia explains ‘Strategic Alliance’ For example, an oil and natural gas company might form a strategic alliance with a research laboratory to develop more commercially viable recovery processes. A clothing retailer might form a strategic alliance with a single clothing manufacturer to ensure consistent quality and sizing. A major website could form a strategic alliance with an analytics company to improve  its marketing efforts. (http://www.investopedia.com) Knowledge Management can make a significant difference between ongoing or successful ventures of any organization in a world of accelerating change. Knowledge Management provides the ability to connect and cooperate complex ideas efficiently and can be beneficial even to expand when using strategic alliances. To make Knowledge Management work in an organization it must be grounded in the realities of the business needs and drivers, and aligned to the delivery of organizational objectives, which this case TCS requires for the expansion of their organization. It should not be seen as an optional or marginal activity but as part of the organizational essential need, embedded in their business process, which is highly relevant in their solutions. Current weaknesses in TATA services Strategic alliance can cause major problems if not handled properly. As part of the start of the alliance, TCS have to incorporate Cisco’s Data Centre technologies, with TCS’ industry-leading IT services, business solutions and outsourcing. The practice will focus on helping customers develop next-generation virtualized data centers and achieve greater operational and energy efficiency. The companies will also explore new networking innovations to address the needs of large and small businesses for IT services. One of the main concerns was over the alignment of short term and long term goals of both organizations and the value of strategic alliance in the current downturn in global markets. Most staff will need training to adjust to the new systems. The two companies want to cooperatively come up with and supply information technology service solutions to clients that will help their businesses build next-generation data centers by taking advantage of the network as a platform. The two companies are spread out in a wide range of countries and due to this there are a lot of communication issues. Tata Consultancy plans to build a new technology practice focused on Cisco’s industry-leading data center networking and security solutions. The companies also announced the formation of a Cisco Technology Lab at the TCS campus in Chennai, India. These all add up to additional costs but have to be done to train staff into  the new systems Cisco and TCS have to develop solutions that meet the infrastructure and network requirements of global corporations. Both companies have to invest in skills development and training labs to provide an end-to-end solution to meet customer requirements. As part of the new practice, TCS will incorporate Cisco’s Data Centre 3.0 technologies, with TCS’ industry-leading IT services, business solutions and outsourcing. The practice will focus on helping customers develop next-generation virtualized data centers and achieve greater operational and energy efficiency. The companies will also explore new networking innovations to address the needs of large and small businesses for IT services. â€Å"Customers are demanding greater dynamism from their IT infrastructure and application environment to address current challenges and to capitalize on opportunities whenever and wherever they emerge,† said Mr. N Chandrasekaran, chief operating officer and executive director of TCS. â€Å"This strategic alliance will take advantage of Cisco’s industry-leading data center networking soluti ons and TCS’ global network delivery model to help our customers increase the efficiency and agility of their IT operations.† (http://blog.topitconsultant.com) Also some concerns were about improving operational efficiency and productivity, enable business agility, and improve enterprise knowledge. Improvement on the weaknesses The two organizations came up with a lot of strategies, that is plan of action that channels the two organization’s resources so that it can effectively differentiate itself from competitors, accomplish distinctive goals, and achieve higher performance. Managers develop strategies based on the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, and evaluation of opportunities and threats. The Managers primarily make decisions about the firm’s activities, and the development and allocation of resources devoted to these. The TCS-Cisco strategic alliance enables end-to-end IT infrastructure services, united with assurance services, and IT application services enabling seamless system integration of Cisco products. Cisco and TCS plan  to develop go-to-market solutions that meet the infrastructure and network requirements of global corporations. Both companies will invest in skills development and training labs to provide an end-to-end solution to meet customer requirements. Cisco has recognized the low-cost advantage of operating in India as well as high pool technology talent and expertise. Tata consultancy services already provide IT consultancy services to a large amount of countries. The company offers some of the most complex applications and next generation IT infrastructures in the world. Tata consultancy services’ in-depth knowledge of different business domains combined with its technological skills makes it a a very competent organization. One major improvement is that they use various strategies to improve knowledge management they use three main strategies or as they call it â€Å"the three pillars of knowledge management†, which are people, process and technology. In terms of people one of the key values is learning and sharing. The company has introduced three initiatives to promote a greater learning culture. First is the proactive employee engagement program which allows senior managers to have face to face meetings with employees across various functions and grades. The other initiative has promoted a share care grow culture and and encouraged individuals to advance their own ideas and resolve ideas at local level. Finally the last initiative was professional excellence role enhancement ownership culture personal growth employee and learning. Tata consultancy services has another training hub in addition to others as well to further train new recruits in different aspects of software engineering, quality systems and different technologies which is a major improvement. The training included soft-skills development such as leadership and teamwork. The trainers were drawn from different parts of the business with significant subject expertise and experience. Tata consultancy services have also made training centers overseas in line with its global expansion. Also Tata consultancy services have developed a number of ICT interventions to increase knowledge sharing. Some of the main improvements to help with the strategic alliance are to advance knowledge, learning, and skills development. Conclusion The purpose of this essay was to answer the questions from the â€Å"Tata Consultancy Services (India)† case study. The essay started by mentioning a short description of the history of the two companies. The discussion included advice regarding a strategic alliance with Cisco. Two of the key elements of this case study which were discussed. The current weaknesses in Tata Consultancy Services with an approach to knowledge management and the improvements that are made to eliminate these weaknesses have been mentioned In the discussion, strategic alliance was explained by definition and examples provided as well to justify. The advice to knowledge management issues has been discussed. The planning and concepts are communicated and a detailed answer is written to discuss facts with the use of external sources and these have been referenced. Towards the end after all the points been considered, improvements with the linking to knowledge management have been advised. As per the objectives of this essay, the current weaknesses in Tata Consultancy Services with an approach to knowledge management and the improvements that are made to eliminate these weaknesses are discussed. References . 2013. . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.tcs.com/resources/Pages/filterResults.aspx?topic=Services_Consulting&type=Case%20Study. [Accessed 16 April 2013]. Cisco Systems – About Cisco Systems Networking. 2013. Cisco Systems – About Cisco Systems Networking. [ONLINE] Available at:http://compnetworking.about.com/od/cisconetworking/p/cisco-systems.htm. [Accessed 16 April 2013]. IT Consultants’ Blog at TopITconsultant.com . 2013. IT Consultants’ Blog at TopITconsultant.com . [ONLINE] Available at:http://blog.topitconsultant.com/category/TATA-Consultancy-Services.aspx. [Accessed 09 May 2013]. Mohammad Masrurul, M 2012, ‘An Overview of Strategic Alliance: Competitive Advantages in Alliance Constellations’, Advances In Management, 5, 12, pp. 22-31, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 9

Understanding Business and Management Research Methods Coursework - 1

Understanding Business and Management Research Methods - Coursework Example When choosing a model, it is critical to know the theory being applied. Studies indicate that, behind every method, there is always a theory. This paper will discuss the three business and management research methods. The paper will start with the introduction, and then literature review, then analysis and evaluation of different methodological approaches, and finally highlight the main findings. In any research, it is always recommended to choose a single paradigm (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) for a research work (Anderson, 2009). The selection is based on the pragmatic choices which are time, skills, and overall size of the project. The research methods are based on differences in the nature of reality, relationships to that being researched, role of values, use of language, and overall process of research (Bellamy, 2012). Research methodology is what constitutes a research activity. Bowerman (2013) distinguishes the three research designs as follows Quantitative research: This design is useful for exploring and understanding the meaning behind problems. Data is collected on the participants setting, and the researcher makes interpretation of the data collected (Bowerman, 2013). Quantitative research: The researcher tests theories by examining the relationship amongst variables that can be measured on an instrument to allow numbered data to be analysed using statistical procedures (Bowerman, 2013). Mixed methods: This design combines both qualitative and quantitative forms of research. It concerns the application of qualitative and quantitative methods in tandem, to allow the strength of the study to be greater than either a qualitative and quantitative approach (Bowerman, 2013). When undertaking a business research, a combination of different types and sources of data is required to derive strong findings. The types of data are qualitative and quantitative, and the types of sources are primary and secondary sources (Harwell,