Implementation and Evaluation of Strategic Plannin Essays

Implementation and Evaluation of Strategic Planning Leitch Quality Drug Company Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u I. Case Summary PAGEREF _Toc495559156 \h 1 II. Case Objectives and Key Issues PAGEREF _Toc495559157 \h 1 a) Case Objectives PAGEREF _Toc495559158 \h 1 b) Key Issues PAGEREF _Toc495559159 \h 2 III. Analysis PAGEREF _Toc495559160 \h 3 a) External Threats PAGEREF _Toc495559161 \h 3 b) External Opportunities PAGEREF _Toc495559162 \h 4 c) Internal Strengths PAGEREF _Toc495559163 \h 5 d) Internal Weaknesses PAGEREF _Toc495559164 \h 6 i. Financial PAGEREF _Toc495559165 \h 6 ii. Organizational PAGEREF _Toc495559166 \h 7 iii. Marketing PAGEREF _Toc495559167 \h 8 iv. Operations PAGEREF _Toc495559168 \h 10 IV. Alternative Strategies PAGEREF _Toc495559169 \h 10 V. Choice of Strategy PAGEREF _Toc495559170 \h 11 VI. Implementation PAGEREF _Toc495559171 \h 12 Financial PAGEREF _Toc495559172 \h 12 Organizational PAGEREF _Toc495559173 \h 12 Marketing PAGEREF _Toc495559174 \h 12 Operational PAGEREF _Toc495559175 \h 13 I. Case Summary Leitch Quality Drug Company is a partnership that operates three drug stores in the Orlando, Florida. As at the time when it was started, Orlando city had only a population of about a paltry over a hundred thousand. The partnership started as a result of a company that was called Quality Drug Store started having some challenges financially in the 1940s and the brothers who own it now purchased it from the owners of the Company as of then. The first people to buy it were two Leitich brothers; Carl and Richard and thus the name Leitich Quality Drug Company. Others who made an offer to buy it in addition to these two were Keith Steider and Martin Rhodes who later came to be replaced by Walter Neds and Norman Henry as they bought it from them. The partnership was completed late 1944 and became known as Leitch Quality Drugs with all partners having equal ownership. Orlando grew rapidly during the 1950s of which Leitch acquired two additional stores making the tot al three; Leitch also took on an agreemen t with Rexall of which business grew and profit rose with the high point being in 1967 and have since leveled off due mainly to the new super large discount stores, now they are faced with the decision to sell the company. II. Case Objectives and Key Issues a) Case Objectives To understand an established partnership form of business faced with severe competition. To understand an established partnership faced with fierce competition from a chan ging industry such as the super large discount stores. To understand an established partnership faced with severe competition from similar sm all drug stores and super large discount chains. To determine the future strategy of a small drug store partnership. To understand a partnership type of ownership and decisions they face. To determine best strategies of a partnership that manages their own individual store. To understand a partnership company that operates separately under the same name. To gain insight into the trouble faced with partnership and lack of central operations. To gain insight into lack of strategic planning of a partnership o rganization and how to meet the lo oming competition. b) Key Issues How to improve operations of the company. Whether or not to sell the company to the grocery chain. Whether to incorporate the partnership. How to best take on the new competition as well as the competition that had already ex isted between the similar small drug stores. III. Analysis a) External Threats The changing industry of new super large discount stores that is cutting into the profit o f Leitch. Carl Leitch explained why he thought Leitch was not growing as it should: "It's those new super' large dis count stores that have cut into our business." Two large discount drugstores have built at suburban shopping center in Orlando, o ne located just three blocks of Leitch store 2. These stores carry full line of merchandise ex. appliances, clothing, h ardware items etc. They do high volume discounts with drugs and cosmetics sold substantially lower than those of Le itch and most of the other drug firms. They are part of the new breed of giant discount stores in the industry. The se breeds carry a broad line of m erchandise including many

Infatuating Idealism in F. Scott Fitzgerald essays

Infatuating Idealism in F. Scott Fitzgerald essays Idealism Is undoubtably present in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Last Tycoon. Infatuation may be a better word, for that was exactly what possessed the main character, Monroe Stahr. He was totally engorged with one Kathleen Moore. He idealized Miss Moore as the second coming of his deceased wife Minna Davis. Stahr was a true man of men that had little to do with women since the tragic passing of his wife. He would rather put his feet up with a cigar and shoot the breeze with the boys. Yet once he laid eyes on Kathleen for the first time, all of that changed. It was love at first sight. Kathleen and Stahr meet after an earthquake rocked Los Angles. Stahr was surveying the damage done to the studio, when a prop came floating by with two "dames" clinging to it for their lives. A stage hand rescued and presented them to Stahr for judgement. That was the moment that would change everything. The following excerpt is a narration of what was going through Stahr's mind when he was struck blind by Cupid's golden arrow. "Smiling faintly at him from not four feet away was the face of his dead wife, identical even to the expression. Across the four feet of moonlight, the eyes he knew looked back at him, a curl blew a little on a familiar forehead; the smile lingered, changed a little according to pattern; the lips partedthe same." (Chp II, p.26) She was Minna, but she wasn't. All her features were Minna's, except her voice. "and then he heard another voice speak that was not Minna's voice." (Chp II, p.26) She was obviously British and not glamorous American, as Minna's had been. Nevertheless, she was a replica of his life long love. Stahr determined right then that she would be the next. Before he could get himself together, Kathleen was whisked away by the police for trespassing. Stahr spent the next few days trying to track her down. By this time he had fully succumbed to her rapture. On their third m...

To what extent would the smoking ban affect the pub industry in Wales Essay

To what extent would the smoking ban affect the pub industry in Wales - Essay Example In 1974, 51% of men and 41% of women smoked cigarettes - nearly half the adult population of the UK. Now just over one-quarter smoke, but the decline in recent years has been heavily concentrated in older age groups: i.e., almost as many young people are taking up smoking but more established smokers are quitting. Adult smoking rates vary only slightly between different parts of the country, as defined by the Government Office Regions. For example, in the East of England 25% of people smoke, in the North West, 30%. In Scotland 31% of the population smokes; in Wales the prevalence is 27%. (Smoking statistics 2005) About 48 million people in the United States smoke an estimated total of 430 billion cigarettes each year. Until the 1940s, smoking was considered harmless, but laboratory and clinical research has since confirmed that tobacco smoke presents a hazard to health. Smoke from the average cigarette contains around 4,000 chemicals, some of which are highly toxic and at least 43 of which cause cancer. Nicotine, a major constituent of tobacco smoke, is both poisonous and highly addictive. Nicotine is an oily liquid substance found in tobacco leaves that acts as a stimulant and also contributes to smoking addiction. When extracted from the leaves, nicotine is colorless, but quickly turns brown when exposed to air. It has an acrid, burning taste. Nicotine is a very powerful poison, and it forms the base of many insecticides. Cigarette tobacco contains only a small amount of nicotine and most of this nicotine is destroyed by the heat of burning so that the actual concentration of nicotine in smoke is low. However, even a small amount of nicotine is sufficient to be addictive. The amount of nicotine absorbed by the body from inhaling smoke depends on many factors including the type of tobacco, whether the smoke is inhaled, and whether a filter is used. Nicotine has various effects on the body. In small doses nicotine serves as a nerve stimulant, entering the bloodstream and promoting the flow of adrenaline, a stimulating hormone. It speeds up the heartbeat and may cause it to become irregular. It also raises the blood pressure and reduces the appetite, and it may cause nausea and vomiting. The known health risks associated with cigarette smoking, such as damage to the lungs and lung cancer, are thought to be caused by other components of cigarettes such as tars and other by-products of smoking, and by the irritating effects of smoke on the lung tissue. Addiction to smoking is caused by nicotine itself. Stopping smoking produces withdrawal symptoms within 24 to 48 hours, which commonly include irritability, headaches, and anxiety, in addition to the strong desire to smoke. Ban on smoking in pubs Smoking bans are government prohibitions or voluntary bans decided by establishment management on tobacco smoking in public or quasi-public indoor areas such as offices, restaurants, hotels, or even outdoor public areas such as parks and sports stadiums. In most jurisdictions the sale of tobacco to minors, or minors under a certain age, is prohibited. Such laws have been introduced by many countries in various forms over the years, with legislators citing health statistics that show tobacco smoking is often

Where our food is grown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Where our food is grown - Essay Example There are many types of farm produce that are gotten from the markets or even the local grocery stores,these farm produce are either fresh fruits or vegetables.Vegetables and fresh fruits should always take up the largest part of healthy foods in a grocery list as they have vitamins,antioxidants, minerals and most of all they are generally low in calories. Some of these produce items include; Fresh vegetables & fruits Place of origin Potatoes Place of origin is south of Peru and the northeast of Bolivia. Peppers South central Bolivia. Peas Originates either from Northern India, Burma & N. Thailand. Lettuce Originates from lactuca serriolla found in the Mediterranean, Europe and Near East (Persia). Broccoli Northern European coast. Kales Greece Bananas Southeast Asia Grapes Germany Tomato Peru Apple Caucasus mountains of Asia Pears Europe Pineapple Paraguay Cabbages Serbia Table 1: Types of farm produces identified in the market In the United States, although many types of farm produc e are found, as they are great farmers and they produce a lot, there is still evidence of an unsatisfied demand. Even with the organic farming option, (the agricultural production system that is used mainly for the production or produce of fiber and food), the demand for fresh vegetables and fruits exceeds the supply, hence the dependence on imported food stuff (see table 1). All agricultural products (examples include: grains, fibers and flowers), are generally produced organically in the US but still more is imported from outside the US. Some of the farm produce that are found in the United States include: rice (produced for over 300 years and has three different types and they include: javanica, indica and japonica), oat (also known as Avena sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), oranges and tangerines. Others include: grapefruit, soybean, lemons, watermelons, bananas, limes, peanut, apples, sorghum, cotton, hay, strawberries, mangoes, peaches, plums, nectarines and corn (grain) (Ha ggett, 154). Produce that are traded by the united states to other countries The United States trade various produce with other countries; some of these products include: rice, wheat, grains, cotton, barley, tobacco, corn and soybean with the main export being cereal products. Importance of trade between states Interstate trade allows traders to interact more without barriers while ensuring that shortages in one state are met by the surplus in another state. It leads to controlled prices and because of the buffer it creates through the variety of products it avails in the markets to meet the demand in those markets. Other than meeting the demand, the trade will increase revenue collection in source countries which in itself motivates the suppliers to produce more for the export market. Since it is very hard for countries to depend on their own produce and services alone, interstate trade exploits the variety in human, natural, capital resources and extremely different techniques in other states thus making them equally capable of availing a variety of goods on demand by the local populace. Importance of global food trade Global food trade is important as countries do not generally have the major resources more so the capacity to generate the good amount of food that is needed by the citizens in a given country. Products cannot be produced everywhere as climate changes do differ between different countries and areas of states hence without the global food trade many countries will be deprived of various goods as they cannot produce them (without the global food trade people will just get the food indigenous that are available in their countries only). U.S. survival without global food trade The fact that the United States produces most food surplus does not mean that it can survive without the global food trade. The United States would not survive without the global food trade as it mostly depends on the money produced through the trade. It needs to trade with other count

Women of dystopias

Women of dystopias Women of dystopias prevailing female stereotypes in Huxleys and Orwells fiction Dystopias as a genre present an interesting aesthetic and psychological challenge. Their view of the future is fixed in the past or the present, and as such, are in danger of not transcending the limitations of their own cultural and sociological context. A certain aspect of dystopias is the ever-present human trait of wishing to â€Å"solve problems†. By projecting the issues of the present into the future, by removing the specific factors surrounding ones quandary, one wishes to see a clearer image, to achieve some sort of enlightenment. Dystopias are the perfect genre for that other common human trait (connected to the aforementioned penchant for problem-solving) of presenting the worst that may come to pass (sometimes metaphorically pointing a finger and yelling â€Å"I told you so!†). Yet in such exercises of the mind, the subject of authorial objectivity inevitably arises when writing a dystopia, how far removed should the subject matter be from ones perceived r eality? Since a dystopia is to significant degree a heavily satirized transmogrification of ones â€Å"real world†, this seems a contradiction in terms. Yet in not being sufficiently willing or able to remove oneself from the conventionally perceived notions and ideals of ones society, one runs the risk (as the author of a dystopia) of compromising the authenticity of ones fictional universe. An argument could be made that this is the case with George Orwells 1984 and Aldous Huxleys Brave New World; the fashion in which female characters are portrayed in both novels conjures up a sense of the misogyny of the authors, rather than a truly dystopian perception of women. The post-war (WWI in the case of Huxley, WWII in the case of Orwell) mentality and internalized misogyny of both Huxleys and Orwells time is palpably present in the characters of Linda and Lenina, respectively Winstons mother and Julia. By examining these crucial mother and lover characters in their most signific ant scenes, several interesting parallels can be drawn between the authors treatment of their female characters. The fact that both Huxley and Orwell focus primarily on the female archetypes of lover and mother is in itself quite revealing. The use of these archetypes is not limited to the figures of Linda, Lenina or Winstons mother and Julia; in Brave New World, every woman falls into either category. All women of the â€Å"modern world† are potential lovers their â€Å"pneumatic† bodies (an adjective interestingly enough only used in conjunction with womens bodies and furniture[1]) free for the taking (and freely offered up, at that). â€Å"Mother† as a term is used to describe everything that is the opposite of a carefree, lustful existence aging, sagging, embarrassment and taboo. No corresponding term exists to embarrass men as Huxley puts it, the term â€Å"father† is a â€Å"scatological rather than a pornographic impropriety†[2]. This hierarchy of shame resurfaces during Bernard and Leninas visit to Malpais the old man (the first old person whom Le nina sees) is described in three lines, whilst Linda, the Savages mother, is described in a lengthy paragraph, containing visual, olfactory and tactile references. This â€Å"grotesque† mother-figure is apparent in 1984 as well, although described in a rather more oblique fashion. The reference to â€Å"monstrous women with brick-red forearms†[3] (p.86), and the nomer â€Å"Mrs.† which â€Å"with some women one used () instinctively†[4] (p.22), all point to an internalized image of â€Å"motherhood† which Orwell uses to juxtapose with the virginal (and insipid) Katherine, and the lustful (and cunning) Julia. Motherhood, or rather the absence of any true motherhood (in the sense of being allowed to openly care for, and show affection for ones children) are central themes in 1984, thus one understands the need to extrapolate on the concept yet the occasionally dropped adjective, such as the aforementioned â€Å"monstrous† and the categorizati on of women into â€Å"Mrs.† and â€Å"non-Mrs.† types points to an external, rather than any internal set of values that could exist in the universe of 1984. The characters described in the novel have all grown up in â€Å"the system† (perhaps with Winston having a slight remembrance of life before Big Brother), thus it seems odd that for example Julia should use terms like â€Å"a real womans frock†[5] (p.149) accepting that these items (frocks and high-heels instead of the overalls and practical shoes of the Party) could be found amongst the proles, one is tempted to ask why Julia would refer to them as â€Å"real†. The term â€Å"real woman† is incredibly relative, and has through time come to refer to everything from Rubenesque figures and unpainted faces to willowy, dramatically made-up women. In this context, â€Å"real woman† could by default only refer to the overall and flat-shoe wearing, chaste women of the Party. This cognitive dissonance becomes an issue in Brave New World as well the Savages view of women is problematic at best. Having grown up amongst the people of Malpais, it is strange that he should become so completely enamoured with Lenina, to the point of regarding her beauty as not only exquisite, but normative. His world-view is explained through him having come into contact with Shakespeares works at an early age, yet this does not explain the curious exclusion in his consciousness of anything lustful, ribald or â€Å"risquà ©Ã¢â‚¬  in the very plays that he idolizes. His mother-complex is more explicable (at least in a psychological sense), yet becomes rather distracting in its one-sidedness. John is a protector-figure, a budding knight in white armour who unsuccessfully tries to rescue his mother from her self-initiated sexual behaviour. His attempted murder of Popà © is symbolical of a masculinity which is again a projection of an external masculinity onto that of the wor ld of Brave New World. â€Å"Mother, monogamy, romance ()†, the mantra that the â€Å"brave new world† has rejected is the one that he metaphorically repeats again and again to himself. Thus, the true conflict arises between him, and Mustafa Mond, arbiters of these two masculinities rendering the women secondary characters, objects of either feelings of lust, or protectiveness. As Goldstein rightly points out by quoting Easthope, this is present in 1984 as well, in the dynamics of Winston and OBriens relationship: â€Å"Winston, who frequently shows misogynist feelings, disavows Julia and heterosexual desire, accepts his unconscious homosexuality, and loves OBrien and Big Brother† (p.52).[6] In fact, in the light of this statement, what becomes increasingly obvious is the complete lack of intellectual women in either Brave New World or 1984. Women are incapable of introspection in either novel Julia is described as cunning and shrewd, but also as having a shor t attention span, and no real powers of analysis. Schweickart rightfully states that â€Å"Smiths question: â€Å"Julia, are you awake?† could very well be the title of a feminist retelling of 1984.†[7] (p.4), seeing as how Julia sleeps through Winstons perusal of Goldsteins book, and in general shows no interest in notions not concerning her sexuality. â€Å"Othering† women thus becomes a subconscious but constant theme in both Brave New World and 1984. What is not explained in BNW for example is why lust is exclusively sought by male bodies in female bodies homosexuality is mentioned once in the novel, in the past tense, by Mustafa Mond, referred to as the result of a monogamous, obsessive and repressed lifestyle. Yet surely, in a society where cumulative lust is valued beyond all, the gender-binary and heteronormative system of values described by Huxley would make no sense. This again points to a transposed, external set of values, which reference Huxleys world view, rather than anything objectively dystopian. The aforementioned comment of Julias (â€Å"real woman†) poses a similar dilemma rather than referencing the instances of illicit behaviour committed by Julia, it seems to reference Orwells concept of real womanhood. As Patai points out, Orwells oeuvre contains â€Å"a tension between his occasional appre ciation of women and his dislike of them, especially the abstraction that is usually referred to as the â€Å"feminine†[8](p.867). She extrapolates, saying that â€Å"although men [in the world of 1984] fear women because they may be spies, in general the assumptions of male centrality and female â€Å"otherness† have survived intact. Julias love for Winston makes him healthier, whereas OBriens attentions destroy him physically; but Winstons true alliance, as we have seen, is with OBrien, who engages him as a worthy opponent a recognition that means more to Winston than Julias love.† [9](p.867). This covert dismissal of his and Julias love is apparent in the terms that Winstonchooses to describe it with; it is a â€Å"hopeless fancy†, â€Å"yet he also dismisses the washerwomans song about such a hopeless fancy because he considers the song and the woman mindless and mechanical†[10] (p.46). The Savage is equally fanciful in his relationship with L enina he constructs an ideal to which she unsurprisingly fails to live up to, and goes from considering his hand unworthy to touch her to quoting Othello at her, and getting physically violent. Yet his disappointment is in her moral nature in her refusal to be passive, and to be worshipped by him. True kinship is masculine, in both 1984 and Brave New World. There seems to be a rather disturbing notion in connection with this male kinship; it is somehow connected to absent mothers, or rather mothers who could never truly live up to the ideal of motherhood (both a physical, and spiritual ideal, as we shall see). Winston keeps connecting his mother (who was first described as a statuesque, brave woman) to various â€Å"grotesque† (term as used by Orwell) figures of womanhood, most notably the woman who vomits copiously next to him in the preliminary detainment cell (â€Å"She might, thought Winston, be his mother.† (p.240)). The Savages mother, Linda, is also presented as the most grotesque female figure in the narrative of Brave New World (â€Å"grotesque† both as defined by the internal system of values of the novel, and the external ones of the author and readership). These absurd instances contain something of the freak-show within them a voyeuristic, almost fetishistic obsession with the female form, and within that category, the most â€Å"sacred† one, that of the mother. Within the context of the archetype, it is understood that â€Å"mothers† are not sexual beings thus the reference to the prostitute that Winston visits as being his mothers age, or to Linda sleeping with Popà © are playing with taboo, trying to titillate the readers sense of the inappropriate through reference to the heteronormative sense of order. Overall, one experiences a striving on the part of both authors to order women into easily identifiable categories (mothers and (m)others), thus not really challenging or redefining their own societies respective views on women. Thus, regardless of the fact that both Huxley and Orwell manage to create complex fictional universes (arguably Orwells being more sophisticated than Huxleys), their views on women are seemingly transposed in their entirety without conscious criticism or willingness to challenge the reader. Works consulted * Goldstein, Philip, Orwell as a (Neo)conservative: The Reception of 1984, The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Winter, 2000), pp. 44-57 Published by: Midwest Modern Language Association, Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1315117 * Patai, Daphne, Gamesmanship and Androcentrism in Orwells 1984. PMLA, Vol. 97, No. 5 (Oct., 1982), pp. 856-870, retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/462176 * Schweickart, Patsy, Orwell Revisited, The Womens Review of Books, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Nov., 1984), pp. 3-4,Published by: Old City Publishing, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4019466 * Orwell, George, 1984, London, Penguin Books (1989) * Huxley, Aldous, Brave New World, http://www.hedweb.com/huxley/bnw [1] Huxley, Aldous, Brave New World, (http://www.hedweb.com/huxley/bnw/four.html â€Å"the pneumatic sofas† [2] Ibid, http://www.hedweb.com/huxley/bnw/ten.html [3] Orwell, George, 1984, London, Penguin Books (1989) [4] Ibid [5] Ibid [6] Goldstein, Philip, Orwell as a (Neo)conservative: The Reception of 1984, The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Winter, 2000), pp. 44-57 Published by: Midwest Modern Language Association, Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1315117 [7] Schweickart, Patsy, Orwell Revisited, The Womens Review of Books, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Nov., 1984), pp. 3-4,Published by: Old City Publishing, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4019466 [8] Patai, Daphne, Gamesmanship and Androcentrism in Orwells 1984. PMLA, Vol. 97, No. 5 (Oct., 1982), pp. 856-870, retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/462176 [9] Ibid [10] Goldstein, Philip, Orwell as a (Neo)conservative: The Reception of 1984, The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Winter, 2000), pp. 44-57 Published by: Midwest Modern Language Association, Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1315117

Consideration when building market-competitve compensation system Essay

Discuss and explain the considerations when building market-competitive compensation systems. A company that strives to be competitive in whatever market they belong to will always look for strategic and competitive advantages. Building a market-competitive compensation system is the first step needed to attract, retain, and promote high performing individuals who will help a company reach and maintain that edge over competitors, so it is imperative to get it right the first time: offer compensation that is far above the median wage and the company must lower its bottom line, leaving it less money to reinvest, pay stockholders, etc. Offer too low a compensation package and the company will not be able to attract the high performers it is looking for to drive the competitive advantages further. To build a market-competitive pay system a company must: Conduct Strategic Analyses – When a company conducts a strategic analysis of both the external market (industry profile, competitor information, long-term growth prospects) and internal factors (functional capabilities, financial situation) it is looking for the parameters or the limits that it can perform and grow with (Martocchio 146) . Assess competitor’s pay practices with compensation surveys – The textbook goes into depth the factors surrounding compensation surveys, much of which are better explained in a statistics class. It is understandably difficult for a company to develop an internal custom compensation survey, as training personnel who have never done this is difficult, not the mention a company’s competition is understandably resistant to releasing pay numbers to rivals! Published surveys do exist, however, and consulting firms are there, depending on the industry. The most important strategic considerations to develop in a survey are determ ining the relevant job market and choosing benchmark jobs within that market (150). Integrate internal job structure with external market pay rates – Using regression analysis, which â€Å"describes the linear relationship between two variables (i.e. simple regression) or between the linear composite of multiple variables and one other variable (i.e. multiple regression)† (380). In simpler terms, it is finding the sweet spot for the company pay based on external markets and what they pay and factors internal  to the company (relevant work experience, job value, etc). Determine compensation policies – A Company has three pay level policies to choose from: market lead, market lag, or market match. A market lead policy â€Å"leads† the way, establishing a pay which is higher than market trends but may result in reduced profits. This is, however, what a company may want to do to differentiate itself from the competition. Market lag policy has a company compensating employees less than the average. This is best suited to a lowest-cost strate gy and the claim can be made that those low costs are passed to the clients or consumers. Market match policy ensures the company is compensating its personnel the same as current market trends. It is a safe way to go but does little to help a company distinguish itself from competitors, but if it fits within the strategic goals of a company it is the way to go. Works Cited Martocchio, Joseph J. Strategic Compensation: A Human Resource Management Approach 7th Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2013.

Stages of Critical Thinking

Stages of critical thinkingHow to move to the next stageObstacles to moving to the next stage EXAMPLE: The Unreflective ThinkerExamine my thinking to identify problems that affect my thinking. Deceiving myself about the effectiveness of my thinking The Challenged ThinkerFiguring out that my thinking is causing me serious problems. Realizing that my thinking is not as perfect as I believe and develop awareness of how thinking operates for good or bad. The Beginning ThinkerMaking attempts to better understand how I can take charge of and improve my thinking.Recognizing and changing the problems in my thinking to and ways to develop as a thinker. The Practicing ThinkerActively analyzing my thinking in a number of ways. Develop awareness of the need for systematic practice in thinking. The Advance ThinkerHaving significant insight to problems at the deeper levels of thought. Developing understanding for systematic practice thinking and insight to deep levels of problem in thought, consis tent recognition. The Accomplished ThinkerContinually monitoring, revising and rethinking strategies for continual improvement in my thinking.To make the highest levels of critical thinking intuitive in every part of my life. Write a 150- to 200-word explanation of your current stage of critical-thinking development and explain why you placed yourself at that stage. Format your paragraph consistent with Associate Level Writing Style Handbook guidelines. Strategies to Develop Critical Thinking Now that you identified your current stage as a critical thinker, it is necessary to adopt strategies to develop your thinking. Of the nine strategies you read about this week, choose three that you can begin to practice.Identify the strategies and describe how you can implement each strategy in your daily life. EXAMPLE Strategy: Deal with my emotions. Implementation Plan: When I am faced with a decision, I will examine the positive and negative emotions associated with my decision. This will h elp me limit the influence of my emotions on my decisions. Strategy 1: Reshaping your character Implementation Plan: When having a discussion I need to be more open minded to other ideas. I tend to assume I know better than some people and will dismiss their ideas as good before I even hear them out to make an educated decision.Strategy 2:Analyze group influence Implementation Plan: It is easy to get caught up in a group decision and have to deal with group speak (for lack of a less political term) regardless of what the situation is. Having a better stance or backbone to make the right decision against the popular decision is imperative to good critical thinking. Strategy 3: Redefine the way I see things. Implementation Plan: I see things that are always my way. I need to open up and look at it in someone’s perspective. I need to be able to see it in someone’s eyes so I know what it feels like.