Discussion Questions - Question 4

IV. Plan a solutions how you’re going to deal with the motivation problems identified in people Group B

Here are some of the solutions to deal with the motivation problems identified in people Group B.

• Decentralization and Delegation – If firms decentralize control and reduce the number of level management, each manager will have more subcordinates and consequently will be forced to delegate some responsibility and decision to them.
• Job Enlargement – Broadening the scope of an employee’s job adds variety and opportunities to satisfy ego needs.
• Participative Management – Consulting employees in the decision making process taps their creative and provides them with some control over their work environment.
• Performance Appraisals – Having the employee set objectives and participate in the process of evaluating how well they were met.

Discussion Questions - Question 3

III. Plan a solutions how you’re going to deal with the motivation problems identified in people Group A

Here are some of the solutions to deal with the motivation problems identified in people

Group A:

• Manager tries to motivate through fear.
• Employees must be rewarded, intimidated and punished.
• Constant supervision.
• Maintain tight control over employee.
• Make decisions and provide directions for employees.

Discussion Questions - Question 2

II. Identify the motivation problems of Group B and indicate which theory you are using.

By referring to Douglas Mc Gregor theory of motivation, Group B belongs to Theory Y.

Theory Y is based on modern or progressive or professional approach. Here, the assumptions about people e.g. employees are quite different:

• Work is as natural as play, provided the work environment is favorable.
• People can be self directed and creative at work if they are motivated properly.
• People have capacity to exercise imagination and creativity.
• People are not by nature passive or resistant to organizational needs. They have become so as a result of experience in organizations.
• An average human beings under proper conditions. He is also willing to accept responsibility.
• The intellectual capacity of an average human being is utilized partially under the conditions of modern industrial life.

Discussion Questions - Question 1

I. Identify the motivation problems of Group A and indicate which theory you are

using.

By referring to Douglas McGregor theory of motivation, Group A belongs to Theory X.

Theory X is based on traditional assumptions about people (employees). Here, the conventional approach of management is used as a base. It suggests the following features of an average human being/employee:

• The average human being is inherently lazy by nature and desires to work as little as possible. He dislikes the work and will like to avoid it, if he can.
• He avoids accepting responsibility and prefers to be led or directed by some other.
•  He is self-centered and indifferent to organizational needs.
• He has little ambition, dislikes responsibility, prefers to be led but wants security.
• He is not very intelligent and lacks creativity in solving organizational problems.
• He by nature resists to change of any type.

Case Study 3 - Question 4

4) As based on the example in the case study, in your opinion should the government have the right to force a legal business to take an action that might damage its relationship with its customers? What does this say about the action of the government? Do you support this and do you think that citizens will support this action?

Each of these businesses has a corporate responsibility to the public, its shareholders and the world it trades in.

In its most basic terms, corporate responsibility can come down to the ethics of a business. Each company has its own set of core values, but the company’s values also touch everyone that the business deals with. Years ago, a company’s corporate responsibility was dictated by its government. There were set laws that had to be adhered to regarding financial and social responsibility. Today, however, corporate responsibility has to take into account the world that we live in on a much wider scale.

The public has become much more globally aware, and there are a number of groups that monitor corporations closely. These groups have the conditions of the world in mind.

Corporations are now held accountable not just by the government, but also by the public. Corporate responsibility must now take into account how dealings with customers, shareholders and employees are seen by the world. Large global corporations know that people are watching them and that any wrongdoing will not go unnoticed.

Many corporations have been forced into taking corporate responsibility. They know that it does not make good business sense to be seen as a company that is damaging the world that we live in. Huge penalties and fines also await corporations that break ethical and environmental laws.

Corporate responsibility has a huge impact not only on the local community, but also on the world. Its affects are social, economic and environmental. Bad and good corporate responsibility has effects that reach from the worker in the third world country to the air that we breathe.

Reference:

Conjecture Corporation (2012)

Available at: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-corporate-responsibility.htm

Case Study 3 - Question 3

3) Do you feel Google was supporting or obstructing justice in its refusal to give up private information to its government? Why?

Google has refused to comply with a Justice Department subpoena filed last year, which the agency hopes to use to resurrect the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (COPA), which the Supreme Court struck down in 2004.

The subpoena requested that Google provide a random sample of 1 million Web addresses and “the text of each search string entered into Google’s search engine over a one-week period (absent any information identifying the person who entered such query),” according to the motion filed Wednesday in San Jose, Calif., by Justice Department lawyers..

“It’s a bit odd that the government feels the need to conduct a fishing expedition with Google if it wants to test the filtering technology,” said Sherwin Siy, staff counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, which joined the ACLU as a plaintiff in the original case.

“Though the law may be on the government’s side here, I can appreciate Google’s reluctance to turn over this information, which, presumably, contains some sensitive personal information pertaining to its customers, including e-mail addresses, without any control over how it’s treated after the fact,” he said.

“They wouldn’t have to fight if they didn’t keep this information in the first place,” he said.

Google said the government requests would put an undue burden on the company. But the motion offered to “compensate Google for its reasonable expenses,” and noted that other companies did not report any compliance difficulties.

“We did not provide any personal information in response to the Department of Justice’s subpoena,” Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako wrote in an e-mail yesterday. “In our opinion, this is not a privacy issue. We complied on a limited basis and did not provide any personally identifiable information.”

 Reference:

The Washington Times (2006)

Available at: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/jan/19/20060119-105801-2649r/?page=al

Case Study 3 - Question 2

 2) What risk did Google take in not initially complying with

government requests?

Government censor requests for the removal of online content are alarming as such moves put free expression at risk, Google said.

Google, the world's most popular search engine, said on Monday confirmed that it had released data showing government requests for the removal of blog posts and videos, and requests for handing over user data from July to December last year.

Raising concerns over government's demands for removal of online content and revelation of user information, Google said, "We've been asked to take down political speech. It's alarming not only because free expression is at risk, but because some of these requests come from countries you might not suspect."

The Internet search giant some western governments, which are not typically associated with censorship, have also started making such requests.

Rounding out Google's top 10 government request list is Germany, Argentine, Turkey, Italy, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Google started documenting government data requests in September 2010, when it first released its Transparency Report.

Reference:

FrenchTribune (06/19/2012)

Available at:  http://irishtribune.com/content/12347-government-censor-requests-put-free-expression-risk-google

Case Study 3 - Question 1

1) How did Google’s stance provide the company with an advantage

over its competition?

Google upholds the position as the dominant search engine in the world, with 65 percent of the total search market, according to Hitwise. To maintain Google's competitive advantage, the company has developed an infrastructure that guarantees a fast and efficient search engine, as well as branching out their efforts in other directions beyond search. 

 Google’s competitive edge is traced to the fact that they’ve built their own infrastructure of servers, storage systems, bandwidth and hardware that supports the fastest search on the web.

While the cost for the company is high, as Google spends billions of dollars in development and upkeep, this competitive strategy builds a formidable wall for other general search engines, such as Bing (formerly MSN Search) which is merging with Yahoo!. At the same time, the cost of building the advanced infrastructure is an investment for Google to ensure that the cost of conducting a query keeps going down.

  Google's advantage over competitors is its rapid speed that keeps users coming back. The results of the search may vary, but because of the incredible speed, a user can search another key phrase with minimal sacrifice and therefore be less inclined to switch to a competitor.

  Not only does Google provide a fast search, but the company also employs tools and services such as the Google toolbar, Google Maps, Google Earth and Google News. The toolbar presents a way for users to conduct a search without leaving their homepage. It also simplifies navigation by recounting the most searched-for web pages by each user. Services such as Google Maps and Google News provide another type of support on top of the general search engine.

   Google has also expanded to mobile phones with the Android operating system, which delivers Google services and features as mobile applications. These strategies allow for Google to reach out to consumers and create a competitive advantage.

 Reference:

Smart Advantage Inc.(2012)

Available at: http://blog.smartadvantage.com/competitive-advantage-blog/bid/44872/How-Google-Maintains-Its-Competitive-Advantage

Case Study 2 - Question 4

4. What do you think is the future of open-source code and animation industry? Anyexamples? Provide an URL link to justify your answers.

There's no question that the open source community is a passionate one -- and one with significant influence on technology directions and options. We're way past the days when people asked if Linux or Apache was safe to depend on in business. Open source is now a mainstream part of the technology fabric.

Yet it remains connected to its roots around a passionate community working together to solve problems and share the fruits of their labors with others. Any endeavor based in community is bound to spark passionate debate. After all, without contention, how else to determine the best way forward?

Since its emergence, open source has embodied this spirit. Part defiant, part self-reliant, and often outspoken and opinionated, those immersed in the community have worked both in tandem and at odds, all with the intention of pushing the movement in as many worthwhile directions at once.

It's so worthwhile that the drumbeat of business can now be heard in nearly every corner of community, drawing the attention of vendors and capitalists alike. And with greater attention and potential has come a measure of added strife. Questions of selling out and just desserts surface more frequently, yet not to the jeopardy of the endeavor, as the code keeps proliferating, thanks to those who participate.

Given the increased reliance on open source by users and commercial vendors, as well as by the commercialization of some open source projects, InfoWorld spoke with 11 thought leaders in a roundtable discussion about the current open source climate to uncover the most vibrant themes and conflicts shaping open source today.

From pioneers Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond to technology strategists at Google, IBM, and Microsoft to the new guard of entrepreneurs and developers working to transform projects into products, each expert sheds ample light on the opportunities and pitfalls ahead.

1.Economics will force a return of shorts

The way the internet and viewing habits are going, the short is likely to return to prominence as a form of entertainment. They may have been rendered obsolete by a wide variety of causes (chief among them the end of the package films) but in an internet age when viewing habits generally favour short-form content that can be turned out quickly and cheaply, the short is ripe for renewal.

2. Mature animation will become even more widespread

Blocks like [Adult Swim] have shown that mature animation has a place in western entertainment. In the years to come, as teenagers now turn into adults, expect them to continue to demand animation to satisfy their needs. Mature animation will continue to proliferate the entertainment world and will continuously improve in quality too.

3. Economics will kill-off the expensive animated feature

Toy Story 3 had a budget rumoured at around the $300 million mark. In the years to come, that will be an exorbitant amount of money to spend on a feature, even one with as much recognition as Toy Story. The economics that will force a return to shorts will also severely impact the budgets of feature animation too. Animated films can and have been made on a shoestring for a long time, so it should be expected that we will see some truly great films made for much less than the hundreds of millions that major studios throw at them.

4. Merchandise will become the primary revenue source

Merchandise is already a major form of revenue generation for animated films (both big and small), however, expect it to form a much larger share of the pie as the digital revolution eats away at the traditional streams. Cinemas will continue to exist and TV will never go away, but when people get used to viewing content for free, it will become ever harder to persuade them to part with their hard-earned cash just to simply watch something; at least at the cinema, you get a giant screen and sound loud enough to set off seismic meters.

5. Animation’s stature will equal that of live-action

Yes, it kind of echos the number five from the article, but that one only went so far as to say that animation would not be seen as the ugly sister of live-action. I firmly believe that animation will come to be seen as the equal of live-action in terms of skill and variety. Right now, we’re seeing an epic shift in how animation is perceived. No longer is it simply “for the kids”. Live action directors like Wes Anderson and Gore Verbinski have shown that there is a sincere interest on the part of live-action directors to embrace animation as a creative technique. We can look forward to a lot more cross-pollination in the future.

Reference:

Jason Synder[2008] The future of open source

Available at: http://www.infoworld.com/d/open-source/future-open-source-604

Charles Kenny[2012] 5 predictions for the future of animation

Available at: http://animationanomaly.com/2012/05/09/5-predictions-for-the-future-of-animation/#.UDpayUJzrFI

Case Study 2 - Question 3

3. Why do you think the SGI special-purpose systems that DreamWorks formerly used were so much more expensive than the Intel/Linux systems it uses now

DreamWorks has followed three paths to Linux: new development, porting and third-party-vendor porting. To dramatically reduce costs was one of the big motivating factors in moving animators to Linux. But, it is our animators' productivity that really counts. Using Linux saves time for the animators because Linux PC performance is so much faster than the five-year-old computers being replaced, even though those SGI IRIX workstations were awesome machines. Microsoft software continues to play a key role in the overall business, but Linux is particularly well suited to animation production pipelines.

An animator's desktop is not the same machine that an executive or secretary would have. The animator needs a high-performance workstation with a dual-head, high-performance graphics system and specialized software for motion picture production. To typical computer users, the animator's software tools may be unfamiliar.

Reference:

Robin Rowe [2001] DreamWorks feature Linux and Animation

Available at: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/4803

Case Study 2 - Question 2

2. What price did DreamWorks have to pay for adopting systems that were no standard to the motion picture animation industry?

The price that DreamWorks have to pay for adopting the system that were not standard to the motion picture animation industry was during producing Shrek in 2001 on a Intel/Linux servers which cost half as much and was four times as powerful as the SGI/UNIX system used to produce Antz in 1998 because DreamWorks was originally set up with expensive servers from Sun Microsystems and workstations from SGI running the UNIX operating system, high-end graphics software, and other specialized systems.

Case Study 2 - Question 1

1. What benefits has DreamWorks enjoyed since migrating to open-source systems?

As a company that consistently uses technology as one of its core competencies, DreamWorks Animation demonstrates the successful adoption of Red Hat products. A customer of Red Hat for more than a decade, DreamWorks Animation first deployed Red Hat Linux in its mission-critical render farm. Today, almost every DreamWorks Animation artist has Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop running on the latest HP workstation and nearly every DreamWorks Animation server is powered by Red Hat Enterprise Linux technology running on the latest HP servers.

In 2001, DreamWorks Animation adopted Red Hat Linux as the core operating system for its render farm, which today is comprised of thousands of servers used to compute and produce the final frames of DreamWorks Animation's movies. Previously, the company had used proprietary hardware and software, until it became clear that commodity hardware powered by open source operating systems could give DreamWorks Animation the ability to scale to address the company's growing creative ambitions.

DreamWorks Animation uses Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization technologies such as load balancing and live migration to keep its mission-critical applications available through planned maintenance.

Benefits:

In addition to cost savings by migrating from its previous grid and virtualization platforms to Red Hat Enterprise MRG and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization on Red Hat Enterprise Linux,

With the implementation of Red Hat Enterprise MRG, DreamWorks Animation is able to maintain the performance and scalability required for its artists. Not only has the Company exceeded its utilization goals in load and stress testing, but DreamWorks Animation has also shown that Red Hat Enterprise MRG can easily scale to support the 30,000+ cores in-use and growing ambition.

Reference:

No author (ND) Dreamworks animation utilizes the Red Hat portfolio to build a private cloud for financial and creative applications.

Available at: http://www.redhat.com/promo/dreamworks/

Case Study 1 - Question 4

Case Study 1 - Question 4

Consider the uses of technology at your school. How are educational institutions taking advantage of technology to compete with each other and attain students?

Today's school students are downloading homework on iTunes, listening to lessons via podcasts, communicating with other students all over the world through social networking sites, and even video conferencing with leaders of business and industry.

Public schools throughout Australia are benefiting from the Federal Government's $2.2 billion Digital Education Revolution initiative, which aims to prepare students for further education and training, jobs of the future and to live and work in a digital world.
School students are now being switched on to some of the most up-to-date technology available, from laptop computers for students in years 9-12 to interactive whiteboards, video-conferencing equipment and even virtual classrooms.

Outside school, students constantly interact with technologies such as iPods, mobile phones, the internet and social networking sites, so it is little wonder there's an expectation that these technologies will also support their learning in the classroom.
The West Australian Education Department recently trialled a program that allowed students and teachers to download free information and resources through iTunes U - an area of the iTunes store offering free education content from top institutions around the world.
The department's assistant executive director curriculum support Andrew Thompson says that, by providing online content in alternative formats, the department hopes to make the information more accessible and appealing to people in the education community.

Reference:
Keeli Cambourne (2010) : Technology in the classroom
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/back-to-school/technology-in-the-classroom-20100119-mhn3.html/

Case Study 1 - Question 3

Case Study 1 - Question 3

It is often difficult for old, established industries to change business practices. How can this be observed in the impact of the digital music boon (MP3 file sharing) on record companies and their traditional methods of music distribution?
In recent years, music lovers have discovered vast access to free music on the Internet. This includes not only free listening, but also free downloading of their favorite songs and free copying of choice music. Companies such as Napster gained almost instant notoriety because they provided users with the ability to trade or share copies of sound recordings through centralized file sharing. However, the Internet file sharing of often-unlicensed sound recordings has many in the music industry seeing red. According to the copyright holders of these sound recordings, file-sharing services, such as Napster, are promoting widespread "piracy."
Music copyright owners, joined by the record labels and others in the music industry, have understandably stormed our courts with claims of copyright infringement, demanding compensation for the delivery of downloaded music from the Internet. Copyright is a specific intellectual property right protected by the United States Constitution. Article I, section 8 empowers Congress to protect authors and inventors against unauthorized use of their copyrighted works by others. Such copyright protection extends to copyright holders in the music industry (songwriters, music publishers, and record companies) from the infringing use of their works by others.
The Constitution grants to Congress the authority to protect copyrights as a property right through Article I and the Fifth Amendment. Compulsory licensing of music on the Internet may seem like a convenient way of providing public access to music, while providing compensation to copyright holders, but this destroys the copyright holder’s right to control his property. Congress should continue to protect property rights such as copyright and allow the music copyright holders the freedom to continue to negotiate terms for others to use their property.

Reference:
Laurie Messerly (2000): "Taking" Away Music Copyrights:
Does Compulsory Licensing of Music on the Internet Violate the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause?
Available at: http://www.cfif.org/htdocs/freedomline/current/guest_commentary/free_line_copyright.htm/

Case Study 1 - Question 2

Case Study 1 - Question 2

How have online retailers such as Amazon.com affected change in traditional brick-and-mortar businesses such as Sears?

For an industry facing trouble from disruptive technology, there are few answers. Traditional retail, one such industry, is under attack by the Internet. With the rise of the e-tailer, we have seen the most successful bricks-and-mortar survivors emerge as either wholesalers or niche players. It seems that the world has little room left for anything in between. This is the reason we're seeing some of the oldest, most respected brand names desperately reinventing themselves.
Investors followed the trend that consumers set and have fled both companies -- declaring them dead only a few years into the "AA" (After Amazon) age. Only a brave and optimistic few have stayed around to flex their creative and financial muscles in hopes of reviving these flatlining organizations that now serve as enormous entryways into the mall.
Sears and J.C. Penney are both trying to tie the tourniquet above the wound inflicted by companies such as Amazon.com. While inventory issues, too much real estate, and "showrooming" have kept the former companies down and out, Amazon has avoided every problem bricks-and-mortar stores have faced by being a nimble, though giant, retailer.
Many are critical of Lampert's efforts with Sears, saying he is draining the company for whatever it's worth to get back his investment. I find that unlikely, as Lampert could have done that quickly and made an exit before the retail environment eroded further. Instead, I believe he is trying his best to get this company back on stable ground on which he can build a new, refreshed Sears. It's no different from Bill Ackman and Ron Johnson with J.C. Penney -- though the two companies are taking vastly different approaches.

Reference:
Michael Lewis (2012) The Best Move to Save This Retail Dinosaur
Available at: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/08/13/the-best-move-to-save-this-retail-dinosaur.aspx/

Case Study 1 - Question 1

 Case Study 1 - Question 1

What is the impact to the world in terms of social economic value as the result of the retirement of Western Union telegrams?
After 145 years one of the last remaining vestiges of the Old West has finally come to an end. On January 27, 2006, Western Union sent its final telegram.
It’s sad in the nostalgic way that it so often is when the world moves forward, leaving behind those very same institutions that brought us where we are today. After all, it was the telegraph that put the Pony Express out of business; the railroad that eliminated the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails; the automobile that has all but made railroad passenger service a thing of the past.
In 1837, Morse applied for government assistance to develop the telegraph; however, the nation suffered an economic disaster known as the Panic of 1837 and nothing was done with the application. In the meantime, Morse began to give public demonstrations of his device, finally gaining some credibility.
In the meantime, other technology had advanced rapidly, including the telephone. However, long distance was an expensive service and telegrams peaked during the 1920s and ‘30s when it was much cheaper to send a telegram than to place a long distance telephone call.
But as technology continued to evolve, the success of the telegram was not to last. As long distance rates began to drop, Western Union phased out its couriers in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Then came faxes, email, and even cheaper long distance rates. The telegram was doomed. By 2005, only about 20,000 telegrams were sent worldwide.
Though the telegram is gone forever, Western Union continues to thrive, as over the years it has diversified into financial services.

Reference:
Kathy Weiser (2010) : AMERICAN HISTORY An Era Ends As the Telegraph Passes Into History
Available at: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-telegraph.html/