Perl Array unshift() Function Tutorial

Perl Array unshift() Function Tutorial Perls unshift() function is used to add value or values onto the beginning of an array (prepend), which increases the number of elements. The new values then become the first elements in the array. It returns the new total number of elements in the array. Its easy to confuse this function with push(), which adds elements to the end of an array. Picture a row of numbered boxes, going from left to right. The unshift() function would add the new value or values on to the left side of the array, and increase the elements. In the examples, the value of myNames becomes (Larry, Curly, Moe). The array can also be thought of as a stack- picture a stack of numbered boxes, starting with 0 on the top and increasing as it goes down. The unshift() function would add the value to the top of the stack, and increase the overall size of the stack. You can unshift() multiple values onto the array directly: Or by unshift()-ing an array:

Free Essays on The Struggle Within Huckleberry Finn

The Struggle within Huckelberry Finn Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel about a boy’s struggle with his inner conscience in the Missouri of the 1800’s. Huckleberry Finn spends most of his time floating down the Mississippi River on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. The novel illustrates Huck’s battle with his conscience over slavery, education, and society’s beliefs. Huck is a rebellious young boy who finds himself taking some responsibility and maturing throughout the novel. Although Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn twenty years after the Civil War, America was still struggling with racism and the aftereffects of slavery; especially the South. Jim is a runaway slave and the companion of Huck Finn as they both travel down the river. According to the law, Jim is Miss Watson’s property, but according to Huck’s logic and fairness it seems â€Å"right† to help Jim. As Huck spends more time with Jim he stats seeing him as a friend instead of a slave or a fugitive on the run. An example of this is when Huck encounters a group of slave hunters and makes up a story in order to lure them away from Jim. But Jim remains at the mercy of every character in the novel, including Huck, as the letter that Huck nearly sent to Miss Watson shows the inner conflict that he is struggling with. Nonetheless Jim remains a loyal friend and he is actually the only adult who provides a positive example for Huck to follow. Huckleberry Finn has morally educated himself throughout the novel rather than intellectually. Most of the novel illustrates the maturation and development of Huck. He is a poor, uneducated orphan boy who does not trust the teachings that others try to install in him. When Huck meets Jim he starts to question the teachings he received especially regarding race and slavery. More than once Huck chooses to â€Å"go to hell† rather than following the rules and going along with what he has bee... Free Essays on The Struggle Within Huckleberry Finn Free Essays on The Struggle Within Huckleberry Finn The Struggle within Huckelberry Finn Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel about a boy’s struggle with his inner conscience in the Missouri of the 1800’s. Huckleberry Finn spends most of his time floating down the Mississippi River on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. The novel illustrates Huck’s battle with his conscience over slavery, education, and society’s beliefs. Huck is a rebellious young boy who finds himself taking some responsibility and maturing throughout the novel. Although Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn twenty years after the Civil War, America was still struggling with racism and the aftereffects of slavery; especially the South. Jim is a runaway slave and the companion of Huck Finn as they both travel down the river. According to the law, Jim is Miss Watson’s property, but according to Huck’s logic and fairness it seems â€Å"right† to help Jim. As Huck spends more time with Jim he stats seeing him as a friend instead of a slave or a fugitive on the run. An example of this is when Huck encounters a group of slave hunters and makes up a story in order to lure them away from Jim. But Jim remains at the mercy of every character in the novel, including Huck, as the letter that Huck nearly sent to Miss Watson shows the inner conflict that he is struggling with. Nonetheless Jim remains a loyal friend and he is actually the only adult who provides a positive example for Huck to follow. Huckleberry Finn has morally educated himself throughout the novel rather than intellectually. Most of the novel illustrates the maturation and development of Huck. He is a poor, uneducated orphan boy who does not trust the teachings that others try to install in him. When Huck meets Jim he starts to question the teachings he received especially regarding race and slavery. More than once Huck chooses to â€Å"go to hell† rather than following the rules and going along with what he has bee...

Managing Finance assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Finance assignment 3 - Essay Example 2. Penetration pricing- Penetration Pricing: The strategy of setting a products price relatively low in order to generate a high sales volume. The strategy is commonly associated with pricing new products that do not have identifiable price-market segments. It is used to secure rapid penetration of a market. . This is the strategy use by many Chinese companies. It priced its products very much than its Western counterparts and it is making a head way for a quite number of computer products. 3. Profit Maximization - In economics, profit maximization is the process by which a firm determines the price and output level that returns the greatest profit.. Hence, based on the above concept. The strategy requires the price combinations that would yield the highest profit. Hence, a company can use this to have higher profits. Directly or indirectly this is used my many food business like Jollibee food chains. If one enters an outlet one would observe packaging their meals into different combinations of food items. Such strategy is profit maximization. 4. Competitor indexing. It is a price setting technique used by marketers. Generally, it involves using the price of competitors products in determining the price of your own products. Its main advantage is ease of use. Extensive marketing research and statistical analysis are not required 5. Target rate of return pricing- It is a pricing method used almost exclusively by market leaders or monopolists. You start with a rate of return objective, like 5% of invested capital, or 10% of sales revenue. Then you arrange your price structure so as to achieve these target rates of return.

History of Programming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

History of Programming - Essay Example The essay "History of Programming" talks about the history of programming and programming languages that took place in various periods along with examples of prominent computer languages used. Futurist Raymond Kurzweil aptly stated that â€Å"if the automobile industry had made as much progress [as computers and software] in the past fifty years, a car today would cost a hundredth of a cent and go faster than the speed of light". The idea of synthesizing available science and means to get work from machines was not a new one. For example, Joseph Marie Jacquard invented a mechanical loom to make it easier to create complex designs for textiles. However, machines which could be classified as computers and based on electronics started appearing in the late 1940s. The initial machines were large physical machines, usually as big as a room and weighing tons in weight. To program these machines, low-level machine language was used, which, by its nature, was specific to the machine. Fast forward to today, and one can use ebooks which are many orders of magnitude more powerful than the computers of earlier years and high-level languages can perform actions which could not be imagined 60 years ago. O’Reilly Media, a noted publisher of technology books, has created a visual map of programming languages as they evolved during the short and fast-paced history of computing since the 1950’s. This map has been useful in writing this paper as it provides a single snapshot and reference of developments in the area over the years.

Concert review of the Train and Mat Kearney Show at Ravinia Festival Essay

Concert review of the Train and Mat Kearney Show at Ravinia Festival in Chicago Illinois - Essay Example A unique feature of this venue is that the pavilion itself is already elevated on a natural terrain so that the viewers do not have to crane their necks or push towards the front of the concert in order to have a good look at their performing band. This ease of viewing added greatly to the overall experience as from the concert experiences I have had, it can often be frustrating to attempt to maintain a comfortable distance from the performance while still being able to have good visibility and not being crushed by the crowd. With respect to the concert lighting, the concert fell short. This was not necessarily due to a lack of proper planning but due to the fact that the performance took place outdoors. As such, most lighting displays need adequate indoor facilities in order to project the lights onto the stage instead of from the stage to the stage. Therefore, by nature of the venue, the lighting left something to be desired as the performers were illuminated in what only seemed li ke a two dimensional way. To be fair, in order to achieve proper lighting, it would have been necessary to anchor multiple high powered lights in and around the area that the concert goers were viewing the show. This would have caused further inconvenience due to the hassle of draped power cords and the non visibility that would have been a problem to those seated or standing behind such anchored lights. With rock concerts, the venue has a heavy bearing as to the overall ability of the lighting and sound to mirror the same type of experience that might be available to the concertgoer in an indoor setting. As such, with respect to the overall sound level and equipment used, the organizers were limited with what they could do; instead having to sacrifice by setting up a barrage of speakers on the front lines of the pavilion in order to ensure that the sound was loud enough to reach those at the very back of the concert area. Such a technique is effective, however; it can make the nois e level somewhat unbearable for those that wish to be in the front rows of the concert. This was very much the case as I attempted to get a closer view of the performance I was appalled at the overall noise level that was coming from the very front of the concert. It was uncomfortable in the extreme to spend more than a very few moments in such a setting. This fact helped to somewhat reduce the overall effectiveness of the concert; however, it must be noted that as described earlier, such techniques are just part and parcel of what having an outdoor concert necessarily entails and could not have likely been improved by another band performing under the same conditions. With respect to overall accessibility, the concert also scored well in my perspective. Due to the fact that there was plenty of room to move around, high stage visibility even from areas far removed from the performance and an outdoor setting, individuals, even with disabilities, could easily gain entry, have room to move around, and enjoy the concert without being impeded by the setting. With respect to the actual fashion and style that the performer’s exhibited, it could be described as a very folksy representation of pan-America. Flannel, leather, boots, and cowboy hats

CPTED principles Essay Example for Free

CPTED principles Essay I. The following are the Four CPTED Principles arranged in their relative importance: 1. Surveillance- Surveillance for me is the most important of the four CPTED principles. This approach is direct; a person will avoid performing a crime when they feel that they can be observed. It is also important because it allows some level of control from the owner and other concerned parties. For example, a person is committing a crime, with surveillance, there is a high probability that the owner or other concerned citizens will see him, thus an immediate response can be done. 2. Territoriality- This is next to surveillance because it also shows control. Distinguishing private areas from public will discourage people from approaching the area without a purpose. It shows that the proprietor knows and cares for his area of responsibility and any intruder is subject to the proprietor’s discretion. 3. Image- After the territory is marked, the image of the palace must be developed to strengthen it. By maintaining a positive image of the area, the owner is establishing it as a holistic area where good natured and productive deeds are done thus, showing that wrongdoings are not welcomed and will not be tolerated. 4. Environment-Maintenance of the environment ranks last not because it is least effective but rather because it is collaboration, a concern not only of a single owner but of the entire surroundings. An owner might want to implement it but no matter what his/her effort is, it is useless if the neighbors are uncontrollable or do not want to cooperate. Also, state if you believe CPTED and its associated principles are valid and successful crime prevention strategies. Remember to support your answer with adequate details from the text and academic research. I believe that CPTED is a valid crime prevention strategy. Oscar Newman (1972) determined that crime rates vary according to the four principles stated above. Surveillance is may be the most effective of all the approach since it can be easily installed. The most common form of this is the CCTV surveillance. In a study conducted in June 1997, Nieto concluded that â€Å"CCTV video surveillance is successful in reducing and preventing crimes and is helpful in prosecuting individuals caught in the act of committing a crime†(para. 4). He added that it is cost saving. The other three principles, territoriality, image and environment serve as reliable guide for designing the safety of the place. It is important to note that crimes vary with the location of the institution. As Patricia and Paul Brantingham (1981) said, crimes like murder and assault occur in areas of economic decline and neglect, whereas white-collar crimes occur in area in which a high number of potential victims exist†(160-171). CPTED may have its drawback when implemented poorly but proper preparation for its implementation in an area definitely helps may it be in the prevention, an immediate response or a post-analysis of a crime. As stated in the website of the Los Angeles Police Department(2010), â€Å"experience strongly suggests that application of CPTED in combination with other Department crime prevention programs will help reduce crime and fear of crime in the community†(para 14). Part II. Choose four of the physical security countermeasures listed in Box 10. 2 of the Security Operations text and identify the best location to utilize your selected countermeasures. Alarm Systems Alarm systems work best in facilities inside large buildings. The area must be large enough so that the function of the alarm system will be maximized, small areas often does not need such a system. Alarm systems are effective indoors because sensors are programmed to react with some variations in the conditions of the environment. Indoors are much more controlled than in the outdoors. Strength of this countermeasure is that the alarm communicates fast through out the facilities so that everybody can know if something wrong is happening. Also, it can be easily designed to suit the facility where it will be installed without adding much cost in the design. Weaknesses of this as Mc Crie (2007) stated is that the wires or cables that are used to transmit signal can be cut easily either intentional or by accident. The usual costs associated are for installation cost and maintenance. Based on Table 10. 2 (Mc Crie, 2007), the total cost is relatively high. Signs This countermeasure is useful in areas that do not require much protection that is when the harm that can be done is small. A good example is private properties that are under construction or not yet in use. Signs that say no trespassing and indicating the corresponding penalties are useful enough to lessen the probability of having intruders. The strength of this is that it incurs very low cost (the cost is only for making the sign) and seldom needs follow-up maintenance. However, planned and determined offense can not be prevented by this measure. Access Control System The best location to use this countermeasure is in restricted areas where only few personnel are allowed to enter. It must be located in all access points such as the entrance and exits as well as in other machines and facilities. Such areas are the research facilities of companies. The access to such areas needs to be limited because the operations performed are critical and confidential. As stated on Table 10. 2 (Mc Crie, 2007), it can deter, delay and detect. The strength of this system lies in the fast growth of technologies available to facilitate such measure. With these technologies, a company can choose from a variety of system that can fit their needs and budget. The weakness of this is some access controls can be stolen from the authorized person. This involves IDs and sometimes passwords. System that uses biometric features can also malfunction at times. Common errors are in the processing of the data. â€Å"False-positive (also called Type I or A) errors occurs when an authorized person accesses a restricted facility where he or she should have been allowed† (Mc Crie, 2007 p. 305) and he or she is denied access. On the other hand, the â€Å"false-negative (also called Type II or B) errors allow admission to someone who should not be admitted but is† (Mc Crie, 2007 p. 305). Associated cost is relatively high and includes the installation of the system, training for the concerned personnel. Lighting Systems Hallways are the area where lighting systems have important effect in terms of security measures. It works in two ways: it protects the employees from accidents with the fixtures of the area and personal assaults; it also protects the facility from intruders. This can be easily implemented in almost any condition and a tried and tested way of increasing security of a place. The weakness of this is that it is only a deterrent; it cannot stop an ongoing offense unless a security personnel is watching the place. So, it is important that with good lighting, the visibility of the area to other personnel is also ensured in the design consideration. Associated cost is low; it includes the installation, electricity cost and maintenance such as replacement of bulbs and repairs. III. Security Operations Management. Chapter #10, Question #2: Why must security planners be involved early in facility design? What is the expected payoff from such involvement? Security planners must be involved early in facility design because if the physical and technology based security measures will be done after the structure is designed or built, it will disrupt the existing situation and may cause the employees to feel that â€Å"the management is putting systems above people† (Mc Crie, 2007 p. 285). Most of the effective security measures such as proper lighting need to be incorporated in the design of facilities in order to incur lesser cost and to blend well with the over-all plan. However, well-designed and executed security measures may result to requirement of lesser number of security personnel. It will also gather support from the employees because at the very start of operations, the goal for a secured workplace is already established. References: Brantingham, P. J. , Brantingham, P. L. (1981). Environmental Criminology. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications McCrie, R. (2007). Security Operations Management (2nd ed. ). Burlington, USA: Elsevier Inc Nieto, M. (1997). Public Video Surveillance: Is It An Effective Crime Prevention Tool? (CRB-97-0050). Sacramento, CA: California Research Bureau. Retrieved May 16,2010, from http:/www. library. ca. gov/CRB/97/05 Newman, O. (1972). Defensible Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design. New York, NY: Macmillan The Los Angeles Police Department. (2010). Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Retrieved May 16, 2010, http://www. lapdonline. org/prevent_crime/content_basic_view/7726

The Factors Influencing Strategy Implementation Management Essay

The Factors Influencing Strategy Implementation Management Essay The aim of this module is to produce a 4000 word research proposal that would be capable for supporting the preparation of a Masters dissertation. The project report would include an introduction including a title, which would highlight the content of this business document providing a background, informing the reader of the problem / issue at hand and the context of the situation that would be discussed. The research issue would be provided highlighting the importance of the issue in todays ever-changing and competitive, cut-throat business environment. Adequate linkages would be provided to co-relate the research aims, research objectives, research questions and the hypothesis as such generated. A coherent and critical literature review would follow demonstrating the knowledge of the literature available and linking it to the situation which would be investigated. A research design and methodology would be adopted to investigate the concerned issue providing a rationale as to how the research objectives are to be accomplished explaining the selection of the research paradigm. The research design would include the methods of data capture, the data access issues, the analysis and the interpretation means that would be used to assess the situation and appropriate reasons would be provided for the choice of research tools used. Relevant ethical issues underpinning the research objectives would also be discussed along-with the resources required to complete the research proposal. The last part of this management report would include a timetable that would provide the time that it took to complete each part of the research proposal along-with a list of references utilized to complete the report. INTRODUCTION TITLE: FACTORS INFLUENCING STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION BACKGROUND The title of this research proposal is factors influencing strategy implementation. Before we discuss the issue and highlight the importance of the issue in the context of the report it is of prime importance to understand the concept of strategy implementation itself. It is the process by which the business strategy formulated is put into action. It includes the design and management of organizational systems to achieve the best integration of people and structure, allocating resources, managing human resources and developing information and decision processes to achieve organizational objectives. Pierce and Robinson  note that to effectively direct and control the use of the firms resources, mechanisms such as organizational structure, information systems, leadership styles, assignment of key managers, budgeting, rewards, and control systems are essential strategy implementation ingredients. After the creative and analytical aspects of the corporate strategy have been formulated the priority of the management is to convert the strategy into operationally effective action. A strategy is never complete, until it gains a commitment of the firms resources and becomes embodied in its organizational structure. Strategy implementation is an iterative process of implementing strategies, policies, programs and action plans that allows a firm to utilize its resources to take advantage of opportunities in the competitive environment (Harrington, 2006). There is no one definition of strategy implementation as seen from the above citations but for the purpose of this report, taking into consideration the definitions above we can define strategy implementation as an iterative, dynamic and a complex process, which comprises of series of decisions and activities by the management and the administration those affected by many interrelated internal and external factors, to turn strategic plans into reality in order to achieve the objectives of the firm. RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY This part of the report would highlight the aim and the objectives of the research, discussing the issue chosen and its importance by proposing a research question and providing an answer to it in the literature review. Many studies have acknowledged that business strategies often fail not because of inadequate strategy formulation, but because of an inappropriate implementation strategy. This report would study the factors that enable or impede effective strategy implementation. This report would highlight how strategy implementation has been researched so far and how this field may be moved forward so as to help in effective execution of a business strategy. As a result of the literature review undertaken, the report has found nine critical factors for strategy implementation that will be discussed further in the literature. Formulation of an effective strategy, making the strategy work and implementing it throughout the company is a difficult task (Hrebiniak, 2006). Many factors potentially affect the process by which strategic plans are turned into organizational action. Unlike strategy formulation, strategy implementation is more of a craft, rather than a science. After successful formulation of the business strategy, difficulties usually arise during the subsequent implementation process. If the business strategy formulated is not applied correctly to all the aspects of the organisational structure the business model would fail, thus harming the organisation in many aspects, the major being the financial capability of the firm, which would take a huge blow. It is of prime importance to get the implementation right otherwise there would be huge losses for the firm. Noble (1999b) notes, the best-formulated strategies may fail to produce superior performance for the firm if they are not successfully implemented. This issue is of utmost importance in todays day and age because of the cut-throat competition in the ever-changing business world where each firm needs to keep re-modelling their policies and procedures to keep up with the change in the external and internal business environment. There are combination of issues that influence the success of strategy implementation, ranging from the people who communicate or implement the strategy to the systems or mechanisms in place for co-ordination and control. How can we better understand these issues and their importance for successful strategy implementation? In this report we try to respond to this question by the critical analysis of the existing research on the factors that influence strategy implementation. An analysis has been conducted of the most widely used literature databases to identify key factors influencing the process of strategy implementation, to surface current areas of agreement and disagreement on the topic. LITERATURE REVIEW In the following section, the report would review the study sources and assess their research context, theoretical bases, their main results and the research methods used as well as the analytical techniques which are employed for the study. The examined organizational levels and organizational types are the two elements of the research context. The core of the literature review, would concentrate on the nine factors identified through rigorous analysis of the study sources, that play a role in influencing strategy implementation success, as well as the frameworks or models that aggregate or relate the relevant factors to each other. This is followed by the discussion of the theoretical bases of the reviewed studies. Finally, the research methods and analytical techniques adopted will be reviewed to see which methods are still underutilized in the context of strategy implementation. By carrying out a literature review of the existing studies, the report found two types of strategy implementation studies: one that highlight the importance of the individual factors for strategy implementation and the second that emphasize the big pictureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ of how the single factors interrelate and form a strategic implementation environment. The research would highlight nine recurring, individual factors that influence strategy implementation. They are namely the strategy formulation process, the strategy executors (managers, employees), the organizational structure, the communication activities, the level of commitment for the strategy, the consensus regarding the strategy, the relationships among different units/departments and different strategy levels, the employed implementation tactics, and the administrative system in place. THE NINE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE STARTEGY IMPLEMENTATION 1. Strategy Formulation If the corporate strategy drafted by the business is a poor or a vague strategy, then it can limit the implementation efforts dramatically. Good execution cannot overcome the shortcomings of a bad strategy or a poor strategic planning effort (Hrebiniak, 2006). Several studies mention the fact that the kind of strategy that is developed (Alexander, 1985; Allio, 2005) and the actual process of strategy formulation, namely, how a strategy is developed (KimMauborgne, 1993; Singh, 1998) will influence the effect of implementation. Alexander (1985) believes that the need to start with a formulated strategy that involves a good idea or concept is the most crucial and critical factor which helps promoting its successful implementation. As Allio notes, good implementation naturally starts with good strategic input: the soup is only as good as the ingredients (Allio, 2005). 2. Relationships among different departments and different strategy levels Many studies in the concerned field have stressed that the institutional relationships among different units/departments and different strategy levels play a major role in the outcome of strategy implementation (Walker Ruekert, 1987; Gupta, 1987; Slater Olson, 2001; Chimhanzi, 2004; Chimhanzi Morgan, 2005). Walker Ruekert note that marketing policies, inter-functional structures and processes, corporate-business unit relationships and processes are a major influence on business strategy implementation. In addition, allocation of resources, functional competencies, inter-functional conflict, decision-making participation and influence, and coordination also have different effects on the implementation of various kinds of business strategies. Implementation effectiveness is negatively affected by conflict and positively affected by interpersonal communication and not written. Such interdepartmental dynamics are affected by senior management support informal integration and joint re ward systems. Other relationships that have received attention to a lesser extent include finance, manufacturing, engineering, quality, marketing, accounting, and sales. 3. Executors Executors comprise the top management, middle management, lower management and non-management. Effectiveness of strategy implementation is, at least in part, affected by the quality of people involved in the process (Govindarajan, 1989). The quality refers to the capabilities, experience, skills, attitudes, and other characteristics of people required by a specific position (Peng Litteljohn, 2001). Findings indicate that strategy implementation effectiveness, critically depends on the human or people side of project management, and less on organization and systems related factors. Top management refers to the senior-level leaders including presidents, owners, and other high ranking executives (CEO, CFO, COO etc.) and senior-level managers. Hrebiniak and Snow (1982) report that the level of interaction and participation among the top management team typically leads to greater commitment to the firms goals and strategies. This, in turn ensures the successful implementation of the strategy. Gupta and Govindarajan (1984) note that greater the marketing and sales experience of middle managers, the greater would be their willingness to take risk and successfully implement the strategy. Heracleous (2000) also finds that if middle management do not agree with the strategy, or do not feel that they have the skill set to implement it, then they would sabotage its implementation. Middle managers expect the direction from the top management but frequently feel that they are in a better position to start and evaluate alternative courses of action. Also, the lack of shared knowledge with lower-level management and non-management employees would create a barrier to successful strategy implementation. 4. Communication Many researchers have emphasized the importance of adequate communication channels for the process of strategy implementation. Alexander (1985) notes that communication is mentioned more frequently than any other single item that promotes successful strategy implementation. Communication includes explaining what new responsibilities, tasks, and duties need to be performed by the employees in order to implement the strategy. It answers the why behind the changed job activities, and explains the reasons why the new strategic decision was made. Rapert and Wren (1998) find that organizations where employees have easy access to management through open and supportive communication channels outperform those with more restrictive communication environments. Effective communication is a fundamental requirement for any effective strategy implementation. Organizational communication plays an important role in training, knowledge acquisition and applied learning during the process of implementation. In fact, communication is vital in every aspect of strategy implementation, as it relates in to the organizational context, organizing processes and the implementation objectives. 5. Implementation Tactics Nutt (1986) stipulates four types of implementation tactics used by managers in making planned changes: intervention, participation, persuasion, and edict. Intervention refers to strategy adjustments made during the implementation stage by introducing new practices and norms. Participation includes formulating strategic goals and nominating a task force that can develop and propose the corresponding implementation options. Persuasion is the tactic which uses involved parties to convince the employees about the desired course of actions. The issuing of directives is the main focus of the implementation tactic edict. Lehner (2004) considers the implementation tactics as genuine organizational behaviour based on the assumption that implementation in general is dependent on the environment, and various strategic and corporate variables. 6. Consensus Nielsen (1983) notes that firms must achieve consensus both within and outside their organization in order to successfully implement business strategies. The consensus about a firms strategy may differ across the operation channels within the company. If the employees of the company are not on the same information level or if information passes through many layers in the organization, a lower level of consensus would result. This lack of shared understanding may create obstacles to successful strategy implementation.(Noble, 1999b). Floyd and Wooldridge (1992a) label the gulf between strategies conceived by top management and awareness at lower levels as implementation gap. Strategic consensus is the agreement between the top, middle, and lower-level managers on the fundamental policies of the organization. Strategic decisions are initiated by a team of top managers and then mandated to the rest of the organization, overlooking the importance of securing consensus with and commitment to the organizational strategy with the lower level employees, which is a big barrier for effective strategy implementation. 7. Commitment Strategy implementation process may fail if the strategy does not achieve support and commitment by the majority of employees and the middle management. Shared understanding without commitment would result in counter effort and may negatively affect the organisational performance. The understanding between middle management and those at the operational level to that of the top management teams strategic goals is of prime importance to successful implementation. Noble Mokwa (1999) have put forward three dimensions of commitment that are central factors which directly influence strategic outcomes: organizational commitment, strategy commitment and role commitment. Organizational commitment is the extent to which a manager identifies with and works toward organization-related goals and values. Strategy commitment is the extent to which a manager comprehends and supports the goals and objectives of an implementation strategy. Role commitment is the extent to which a manager is determine d to perform his individual implementation responsibilities, regardless of his personal beliefs about the overall strategy. 8. Organisational Structure The type of strategy adopted could differ in many ways and have different requirements regarding an adequate organizational structure. Factors relating to the organizational structure are the second most important implementation barrier according to Heide Grà ¸nhaug Johannessens (2002) study. Drazin and Howard (1984) stipulate that a proper alignment of the strategy with the organisational structure is an important pre-requisite for successful implementation of a corporate business strategy (Noble, 1999b). They note that changes in the competitive environment require adjustments to the organizational structure. If an organisations realignment strategies are lacking, it may exhibit poor performance and be at a major competitive disadvantage. 9. Administrative Systems Roth, Schweiger Morrison (1991) study suggests that organisational business units make use of three administrative mechanisms which are formalization, integrating mechanisms, and centralization, to create operational capabilities of configuration, managerial philosophy and coordination, to support business strategy implementation. Some researchers have also focused on the control systems which are one of important ingredients of administrative systems (Drazin Howard, 1984; Nilsson Rapp, 1999). Drazin and Howard (1984) discuss about the role of formal control system in the process of strategy implementation, and suggest that the fluidity of control system contribute to strategy implementation (Noble, 1999b). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY This part of the project report would focus on the research design and methodology adopted to carry out the research of the issue chosen which is the factors influencing strategy implementation. The following literature would highlight the components of the research paradigm chosen to accomplish the study. This section of the project report would provide a detailed rationale on how the study would achieve the research objective put forth in the title. This part would explain the methods of data capture used and the issues which would arise in gathering the required information along with the analysis and the interpretation techniques employed to achieve the research aim. Limitations would be included in the following report to make the reader aware of the shortcomings of the chosen methodology; the relevant ethical issues would also be discussed in the proposed research design along-with the resources required to complete the proposed research. The choice for the research methodology adopted is in congruence with the strategic issue chosen for the research proposal. The selection criteria to choose articles for inclusion in the research analysis: The articles which contain the keywords strategy implementation or strategy execution have been included in the literature .From this; further articles were identified using the references sections of the previously retrieved articles. In this way, the report also includes the articles which treat strategy implementation as one of the major subjects even if their title or keywords did not include the terms strategy implementation or strategy execution. As a final selection criterion it was checked whether the articles explicitly discuss factors impeding or enabling strategy implementation success. Data Collection Secondary Sources In order to identify the factors that enable or impede effective strategy implementation, the report has analysed relevant academic, peer reviewed journals such as the Strategic Management Journal, the Academy of Management Journal, the Journal of Management Studies, Long Range Planning, Journal of Management, Academy of Management Executive, Human Relations, Sloan Management Review, Journal of Marketing, etc. using the literature databases of EBSCO Host, ProQuest ABI, Science Direct, JSTOR and Wiley Interscience. Information has also been sourced from Google Scholar and books, newspapers, trade journals, industry portals, government agencies, trade associations, monitoring industry news and developments. The research data would be collected in different organisations or units of an organisation. The organisations were mainly professional service organisations, from both public and private sector. For example, finance, insurance and telecommunications companies, and government departments would be included. The size of the units under study would be 100 to 500 employees. The study would be qualitative in nature, main research method being semi-structured interviews. Primary Sources and Sampling In each organisation or unit, representatives would form three groups, namely the top management, middle management, and lower level personnel, would be interviewed using the questionnaire provided below. Altogether twenty-five interviewees per organisation would be randomly chosen: 2-5 persons representing the top management level, 4-13 persons the middle management level, and 8-17 persons from the lower level personnel. The interviewees would be chosen randomly, ensuring however that different tasks, work groups, and departments were represented equitably. The general topic of the interviews would be strategy implementation. During the interviews, the interviewees would fill out questionnaires, in which they would evaluate the various problem statements. The questionnaire has been given below: Q1. How do you define the concept of strategy implementation? Q2. What kind of issues would you associate strategy implementation with? Q3. How do you participate in the strategy implementation process? Q4. How are the policies pertaining to strategy implementation communicated within the different levels of the organization? Q5. Describe your own role in the process of strategy implementation. Q6. Evaluate the degree of the strategy implementation problems in your organisation. Data Access Issues Some data access issues might arise in the research journey, which could be the unwillingness of the employees to participate in the planned interviews hampering the information gathering capabilities of the subsequent research report along-with lack of co-operation from concerned companies which might not give permission to carry out interviews with its employees fearing a possible leak of its corporate strategy to its competitors. Also finances required for the successful completion of the information gathering process might not be adequate. Data Analysis The results of the questionnaires would be assessed, as well as the comments of the interviewees for the statements would be analysed. The main data analysis method employed would be content analysis of the interviews. The transcribed interviews would be coded accordingly to the central issues of the research. The analysis method would include historical trend analysis and linear regression analysis using software tools, judgmental forecasting, and conjoint analysis. Limitations of the Research Design The approach in conducting the literature review has shortcomings which should be acknowledged. The following are the limitations in the methodology adopted. Collection of articles has been carried out by relying on the databases of EBSCO Host, Science Direct, JSTOR, Wiley Inter Science and ProQuest ABI and the report thus may have overlooked some critical viewpoints on strategy implementation included in monographs or specialists books. Some selective articles in the review, however, rely heavily on concepts from advanced books on corporate strategy thus making up for the shortcoming to a certain extent. The articles have been located using the keywords strategy implementation and strategy execution. This procedure of gathering articles may omit some important articles. The report also excludes some very specific strategy implementation contexts, such as post-merger integration implementation. The research has discovered that most of the conducted studies in the subject focus on the influence of middle managers on strategy implementation. There is no special research relating to lower management and non-management, even if several authors have stated that it is important to consider their effects on strategy implementation as well. Another major research challenge incudes, a lack of understanding between the relationships among the nine reviewed factors, for example, there are major disagreements about the relationship between the variables of communication, commitment and consensus which the report fails to highlight. Also a limiting factor is that there are very few studies that systematically examine how different organizational units and strategy levels can influence strategy implementation, which the report has not included. Strategy implementation involves many theories including agency theory, social learning theory, expectancy theory, organization theory and social system theory. Because of the limited word count it was not feasible to include such theories in the text presented which is also a shortcoming. The lists of journal articles selected are not comprehensive enough, as many other issues could potentially affect strategy implementation. Such other factors, however, are less mentioned or not analysed in-depth, as many of them are also hard to control and modify. Research Ethics For research to be carried out successfully there are many ethical issues that need to be taken into consideration. It is very important to secure the permission and interests of all the people involved in the study. The people involved would be given assurance that any information obtained during the interview process would not be misused as this is the moral responsibility which would be maintained towards the participants. It is the duty of this research to protect the rights of the participants of the study as well as their privacy and sensitivity. The confidentiality of those involved in the observation would be maintained at all times, keeping their anonymity and privacy secure. Resources required for effective research The resources required to carry out the proposed research would require the support and co-operation of the supervisor in charge so as to provide guidance for submitting an effective research analysis report. Also would require permission from the industries chosen for the study of the research issue and the co-operation of its employees for conducting interviews. Adequate financial support would also be required to assist in the completion of the proposed research analysis report to cover the cost of commuting and resultant transportation fares. TIMETABLE TASK SELECTION OF INDUSTRIES FOR RESEARCH FOCUS DAYS 1-5 6-10 10-15 16-20 21-25 25-30 LITERATURE REVIEW/ CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF SECONDARY SOURCES OF DATA INTERVIEWING PROCESS INDEPTH STUDY OF VARIOUS SOURCES ASSESSING RESOURCE FOR CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK COLLECTION OF SECONDARY SOURCES OF DATA DEVELOPMENT OF RATIONALE FOR STUDY FINALLY FORMULATED RESEAERCH PROPOSAL REFRENCES Saunders, M., P. Lewis and A. Thornhill (2007) Research methods for business students, Harlow: FT, Prentice Hall (4th ed.) Blumberg, B., D.R.Cooper and Pamela S. Schindler (2008), Business Research Methods, London: McGraw Hill (second ed.) Wilson, J. 2010, Essentials of Business Research A Guide To Doing Your Research Project London: Sage Allio, M.K. (2005). A Short, Practical Guide to Implementing Strategy. 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