What Are Key Success Factors In Business Education Commerce Essay

What Are Key Success Factors In Business Education Commerce Essay Industry Environment: Presently, education industry in US is highly competitive especially due to the health of the economy. Numerous factors affect the brand name and ranking of B-schools, effects of privatization of education industry and globalization of world economy on business education. The shortage of highly qualified professors and the need to introduce soft skills into the curriculum while maintaining the analytical and concept-based courses. Bargaining power of buyers (i.e. students, employers, parents) has tremendously increased2. Students and businesses are looking for more than good rankings; they are looking to learn the most recent attributes or trends of their field. The courses at top MBA schools have been overhauled to reflect the changed business landscape. The old curriculum was geared to the slower measures of the old economy, and content were never updated. Todays MBA students dont want to pay for old-school curriculum but rather something that relates to today s market conditions. Competitors: Traditional universities and colleges that offer graduate business degrees in the area. Distance learning programs and On-line universities (for example Phoenix University) Top ranked Foreign Universities and business management schools (for example London School of Business) Training companies and consulting firms that provide hands-on training to company executives. Corporate learning divisions ( for example Motorola University) Customers: Students and their parents are the primary customers of the services offered by a school. Government sponsored students such as ROTC students. Legislators buying capabilities to increase national competitiveness and general level of education. Businesses that sponsor schools or sponsor their employees for advanced degrees. Employers that come in for campus interviews. Suppliers: Faculty and Staff members are the primary suppliers, as they are ones providing the service to the end user. Equipment and Service suppliers, People/businesses that offer specialized equipments to schools and colleges. Alumni, foundations and Government are also critical suppliers, they provide much needed funding to develop and grow. Complements: Location of Fordham GBA is a big plus; NYC is the worlds financial capital, a marketing and advertisement mecca and the fashion industry heartland of the world. Huge and diverse market of buyers and suppliers Presence of many multinational companies and educational organizations helps students and faculty get more exposure. Key Success Factors: Main success factor is to provide high quality real life knowledge and experience to its students. Providing community service and helping government achieve its target of providing better education and increasing competitiveness in the workforce. Having a good network of employers and alumni who guide students to become successful in their careers. Examine the firm. What are the goals and values of the business school? How is the business school structured? What resources and capabilities does it have? Are there capabilities that it needs to acquire/develop? The goals and values of Fordham are deeply rooted in Fordhams Jesuit tradition. Fordhams ultimate goal is to provide students with the conceptual foundation and technical skills necessary to make sound business decisions in a changing domestic and international business environment. Mission of college of business administration The mission of the College of Business Administration is to develop business professionals who can manage effectively in a range of leadership roles and who are equipped for continuous growth in the changing global environment. Located in New York City, the commercial capital of the world, the College of Business Administration is uniquely positioned to offer students the opportunity to participate in both regional and international economies3. Values Fordham values excellence in teaching and in scholarship in business education. Fordham believes in the freedom of inquiry required by rigorous thinking and the pursuit of the truth. Fordham stresses on developing and cultivating critical thinking and creativity. Fordham wants its students to understand different cultures and ways of life other than their own. Fordham wants to provide a place where students of different religions and background can interact with each other and with contemporary business cultures. Goals Achieve International recognition for academic excellence and unique innovative programs. To provide conceptual foundation and technical skill to its students. Attraction and retention of highly skilled faculty and students. To further develop connections with alumni and the corporate world. Curriculum focusing on building each students Personal Portfolio Structure, Resource Capabilities Fordham structure is currently setup to specifically address the objective of improving student satisfaction involves changing the organization structure of the GBA program. It is presently organized in a decentralized structure, offering flexibility to faculty and students. Each department is independent and enjoys autonomy giving the department head to decide their course structures. However, the faculty might be unaware of things happening in other departments thus reducing synergies among departments. Fordham enjoys the support of world class diversified faculty and staff. The location of campus is a big plus for the business college; it is in the heart of financial capital of World. A strong cohort culture among the students and alumnis creating a network effect for all the stakeholders is one of the important resource and capability. One the other resources students use is the Office of Career management for developing their resume and interview skills and to get hold of contac ts in companies. Various online groups on Facebook and LinkedIn created by Fordham students and alumnis are also beneficial to students and alumnis to interact and further their career. Fordham business school should work on its infrastructure which would help the faculties in providing actual real knowledge of business. Faculty and students should be encouraged to take initiatives that would help the college and overall experience of the students. How can the business school achieve a fit between the industry environment and the firm? What strategic changes would you recommend? Fordham Business School needs to differentiate the experience and not the education: Fordham has the advantage of location, being in Worlds financial capital. In addition to the full-time, part-time and executive MBA, Fordham also offers International Business designation, Fordham also offers a designation in: Entrepreneurship, Electronic Business, Global Sustainability, and Personal Finance Planning (Graduate School of Business). These special designation programs offer an edge to its students over other graduates and companies looking to hire new MBAs give consideration to these specialized programs. Overall the school is doing a good job to compete with its peers in the area and to maintain its brand, however the school management can work on certain areas of improvement. I recommend these strategic changes to Fordham to place itself appropriately in this industry: Flexibility in courses among various departments: Faculty and students should be encouraged to learn and adapt from new industry trends and use the latest high-tech resources to achieve those goals. Conducting research to develop the content of the degrees and skills of Graduates: Student should be encouraged to achieve an overall experience and write research papers, take part in competitions that represent business school. Encouraging alumni networking to build up relationships and to give new opportunities to students, graduates, institutions and companies alike: Business school should devote more funds and time to develop the alumni and employers network. Collaborating with the surrounding community and external partnerships to broaden the scope of the institution: Business school should reach out community members, other business school and other counterpart business schools in the area to develop better course programs. Fordham should host and encourage students to join meetings, clubs and organizations such as NSHMBAA and BHMBAA. Currently only few students are aware of these organizations, more exposure is required to students for overall development. Appendixes Fordham University Toward 2106: Integrated strategic plan, Competitive forces, Michael Porter, February 13th 2008, Fordham University: College of Business administration,

Existentialism: Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon Essay

Dashiell Hammett, father of the American hard-boiled genre, is widely known for producing a suffocating world of realism in his works (â€Å"Hard-boiled fiction†). According to Paul Abraham’s â€Å"On re-reading The Maltese Falcon,† the realistic atmosphere of Hammett’s third novel is reactionary to the post-war turmoil in which the work was born (97). This provides the ideal foundation for subtle philosophical concepts of existentialism such as, quests for truth, self identification, and the significance of existence to build throughout the novel. Richard Layman, in his critical review of Hammett’s novel (also titled The Maltese Falcon), proposes that the philosophies of Hammett’s generation can be found within the text of his novel (71). Hammett conveys an existential theme in his work The Maltese Falcon through his use of themes of inquiry and self absorbed characters as well as his Flitcraft parable. Existentialism, in a simple form, is a philosophy concerning existence and its significance. Layman asserts that â€Å"[existentialism] had its roots in the mid-nineteenth century and flourished in the United States from the 1930s until the 1960s† (71). According to the web-article â€Å"World War I† from the New World Encyclopedia, subsequent to the Great War, â€Å"the optimism for world peace of the 1900s was entirely gone. † Therefore, without the blinders of social optimism, American society could question ideas such as, the occurrence of mass destruction in a â€Å"just† world and the significance of existence in such a world. Hammett’s firsthand experience with the existential crisis—caused by what the historical context from the website â€Å"The Maltese Falcon† presents as global wars, the Great Depression, and other struggles of the 1930s—leads Hammett to employ different techniques throughout his work, providing subtle allusions to existentialism. One method through which Hammett conveys existentialistic thought is through his themes of inquiry in The Maltese Falcon. The plot is centered on the continuous quest for an idolized icon—the Maltese falcon, a precious bejeweled bird. Hammett incorporates an ecclesiastical theme through this pursuit of an icon. The quest for their icon ultimately leads to the demise of the characters involved in its search. It steals the identity and climatically the life of the mob-boss Gutman. Brigid, the femme fatale, also loses in this pursuit, for she is left to the mercy of the law in the final pages. Whether death or imprisonment plagues the characters involved, the quest for an icon consumes their lives. Hammett illuminates the detrimental consequences of such quests through the aforementioned loss of identity, life, and freedom. This message is countered by the existentialistic denouncement of all icons. Existentialism provides a simple solution for such futile quests: lives are not wasted in the search of an icon. In pursuit of a precious icon, all characters lose themselves—a root of the existentialist crisis: loss of self, questioning of existence (â€Å"Existentialism†). Another theme of inquiry in Hammett’s novel deals with the constant search for the truth. Spade, the protagonist, is tormented by the ambiguity of truth throughout the novel. Spade is forced to discern lies from the truth within the first pages of the novel, where he meets Brigid, or rather â€Å"Miss Wonderly† as she is dubbed upon primary introduction. Brigid, notorious for her deceitful ways, confesses to Spade, once an invested relationship is established between the two: â€Å"I am a liar. I have always been a liar† (353). Layman observes that â€Å"the challenge for Spade in the book is to make up the rules as he goes along; to decide for himself, without outside guidance, what he believes and what he believes in† (71). These decisions shape Spade’s actions and help to define his character. Spade, concerning himself â€Å"with the quest for relevance and authenticity,† as David Pickus writes in his expose on existentialism, is not the only character involved in the search for truth (17). Brigid, Gutman, Cairo, and Wilmer are forced to come to terms with the quest for truth and authenticity when it is discovered their falcon is a mere fabrication of the true Maltese falcon. After shaving the black enamel from the base of the falcon Gutman exclaims â€Å"it’s a fake. † Gutman reacts with his â€Å"breath [hissing] between his teeth† and â€Å"his face [becoming] turgid with hot blood† (430). This is representative of the anger Gutman possesses upon the realization of this on-going search for authenticity. Another method in which Hammett unveils existentialistic undertones is through his self-absorbed characters. Layman writes about Spade: â€Å"He is defining who he is. That is the simplest statement of the philosophy of existentialism†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (71). Spade relies solely on himself and often stretches the hands of the law. He undermines the police in order to prevent interference within his investigations, denouncing their authority. For example, when Dundy, a police officer tells Spade, â€Å"You’ve gotten away with this and you’ve gotten away with that, but you can’t keep it up forever. † Spade nonchalantly replies: â€Å"Stop me when you can† (341). The article from the Philosophy website, titled â€Å"Existentialism† states that â€Å"an existentialist believes that a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without the help of laws, ethnic rules, or traditions. † Spade epitomizes this idea with his actions throughout the novel. Brigid is another character who does not function within the realm of laws and rules; however, she is a less responsible character than Spade. Brigid’s efforts are invested into self-preservation. She continuously fights to stay one step ahead of everyone through creating a web of lies, which ultimately becomes a defining element of her character. Her deceitfulness and obsession with obtaining her desires without concern for consequence or reputation demonstrates her loss of self in pursuit of something worthless; she becomes nothing more than a wanton woman with no true identity. In addition to his characterization, Hammett also utilizes the Flitcraft parable as a means of conveying existentialistic thought. Martin Harris writes: â€Å"The Flitcraft parable has been examined closely by those who see the story providing an important key to Hammett’s feelings about the meaning (or lack thereof) of human existence† (241). The Flitcraft parable tells the story of a man who completely changed his life in consequence of one random event. Flitcraft, a satisfied family man, encountered a near death experience via a construction beam plummeting into his path. This event made him contemplate the randomness of life—there are no certainties. Spade tells Brigid: â€Å"[Flitcraft] felt like somebody had taken the lid off life and let him look at the works† (335). Flitcraft understood the uncertainty of life after this experience. With this epiphany Flitcraft began a new life; he took the randomness of life and incorporated it into his existence. Aware of mortality and the significance of one’s identity, Flitcraft exposed himself to an alternate life. While Flitcraft ultimately ended up settling back into his prior lifestyle, the afterglow of his near death experience permitted him to revel in existentialism, for according to the web-article â€Å"Existentialism† the search of self-being is a fundamental element of the existential philosophy. Whether it is through various themes, characters, or a well placed anecdote, the undertones of existentialism exist within the pages of Hammett’s novel. Hammett effectively incorporated themes from his era into his literature. In a time where the â€Å"spirit of optimism in society was destroyed,† Hammett acknowledged realism within the text of his art (â€Å"Existentialism†). While existentialism no longer has an intoxicating hold on modern society, it lives in the pages of influential authors. The Maltese Falcon’s subtle cues to such great philosophical ideas assist in the significance that Hammett’s works hold to this day.

Ignorance Is Bliss

Ignorance is Bliss In Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus Rex† and Athol Fugard’s â€Å"Master Harold and the Boys† we see the protagonists evolve from ignorance to knowledge in several different ways. As we watch this evolution we see both characters start at ignorance in very similar ways and while both take very different routes they end their journeys with similar complex consequences resulted from the knowledge they gain along the way. In â€Å"Oedipus Rex† the protagonist, Oedipus, starts from his entrance in the story at a place of ignorance.He is naive to the truth about his life and the direction it is heading. Oedipus is unaware that he is King Laios’ son and he will ultimately fulfill his destiny to kill his father and marry his mother, no matter what steps he or his parents take it is a fate they cannot run from. Oedipus’ knowledge comes only later when he realizes the truth, that he is in fact King Laios’ son and when he murde red the king along the road where the three highways meet he did in fact kill his father and go on to marry his mother (Anti 2. 192).The knowledge of the seer’s prophecy coming true leads to Oedipus’ ruin. In â€Å"Master Harold and the Boys† the protagonist is Hally the seventeen year old shop owners son. The reader is shown Hally’s ignorance by how he acts with Sam and Willie. Hally treats these men as friends, particularly with Sam, the two are more like companions then a white boy and black hired help. Instances of this ignorance are seen in the way they spent their time together. Hally naively believes that him and Sam can be friends despite the place and time they are in and how is father treats them.Hally believes that since progress is seen in the world that he can escape his fathers beliefs and that despite Sam’s observation that some people are bad and that’s just the way it is: â€Å"Hally: It doesn’t have to be that way. There is something called progress, you know. We don’t exactly burn people at the stake anymore† (482). Like Oedipus, Hally is trying his best to fight his fate but he is only moving himself closer to it. Hally’s knowledge really comes when he and Sam begin fighting. When Hally is upset he takes that out on Sam because he can.He talks to Sam in a way only previously done by his father. This entire scene shows the realization that Hally truly is more like his father then he wanted to admit. Both Hally and Oedipus discover truths about themselves that they did not like and tried to run from, however they were unable to escape their fate and eventually succumbed to it. Oedipus’ truths are similar to Hally’s in several ways. First Hally realizes he is more like his father then he wanted to admit and in the end he just started the cycle of his fathers negative beliefs and attitudes all over again.Oedipus like Hally is also destined to become like his fat her, he follows in his fathers footsteps first by running from a prophecy then eventually following him to his own ruin. While Oedipus’ knowledge is more literal then Hally’s both men commit actions that have severe consequences leading them to the truths they uncover about themselves. Hally’s actions of taking his anger and frustration out on Sam causes his true ideals to come out. When he begins to act out the audience is shown just how much he really thinks like his father.Despite his best efforts to show that he believes things can change in the dynamics between whites and blacks, it is really not a strongly held idea as the beliefs of his father, that he as a white man is superior to his black help. The words he says to Sam can never be taken back and forever shifts the relationship between him and Sam, no longer friends they are now master and servant. Oedipus also deals with a similar problem. He also commits actions that completely change the shape of hi s life and can never be taken back. Like Hally Oedipus wants to change is fate.Where Hally does so by trying to be friends with Sam and Willie, Oedipus does this by leaving home putting as much distance as he can between himself and the man he believed to be his father. However like Hally, Oedipus in the end realizes that consequences for his actions. Killing King Laios and then marrying his queen are actions that have dire consequences for Oedipus and like Hally’s they can never be undone. While both Hally and Oedipus try to fight their fate and both commit actions that forever alter their futures, they come about in very different ways.Oedipus deals with his fate in a more literal way. Oedipus learns the prophecy he had feared his whole life was actually true by the realization that he did murder is father and marry his mother. These physical actions lead to Oedipus’ downfall and are permanent. Hally, on the other hand, comes to learn the truth about himself, that he is like his father, by his actions toward Sam. While no less severe they are more emotionally damaging and speak to the relationship Sam and he tried to have but wound up losing because of the fight.This is damaging but not quite as physical as what Oedipus went through. Throughout each story we see the evolution of the characters from their naive beginnings to the painful realization of who they truly are. Both characters come to several truths about themselves during their respective stories, in both cases their truths have significant effects. Oedipus’ knowledge leads him to his own downfall in order to save his kingdom from certain death. Hally’s truths about himself has a more hidden effect that is very significant and the true meaning behind the play.Hally’s actions during his fight with Sam causes a divide between them that is irreparable, it is the effect of this rift that is most significant. Throughout the play we see several instances of imagery used to describe the world the characters are living in and here is no different. The argument between Hally and Sam causes the same â€Å"dance† to continue. This dance is a symbol for the beliefs held by Hally’s father and the world they live in. By acting the way he did toward Sam, Hally is causing the imperfect dance to continue on.The effect of Hally’s actions causes him to start becoming more like his father then he wanted but cannot avoid. In both â€Å"Oedipus Rex† and â€Å"Master Harold and the Boys† we see several instances of the main characters moving from ignorance to knowledge. While they gained insight into themselves it came at a price. For Harold it was the loss of his innocence and a bleak look at his future with Sam and Willie, with Oedipus it was the loss of everything he thought he had and his own painful exile.Each character tried to fight their fate, Oedipus literally by trying to flee the seer’s prophecy and Hally by doi ng the exact opposite of his father and befriending Sam and Willie. No matter the path they took each eventually succumb to their destiny and was forced to learn more about themselves then they wanted. Despite the painful ending it was a journey they were meant to be on. Works Cited Fugard, Athol. â€Å"’Master Harold’†¦and the Boys†. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2006. Print. Sophocles. â€Å"Oedipus Rex†. Trans. Fitts, Dudley & Fitzgerald, Robert. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Print.

Siddhartha vs. Fahrenheit 451 Essays - 1728 Words

siddConnor Weldon Mr. Foster CP English November 07, 2012 Siddhartha VS. Fahrenheit 451 Siddhartha and Fahrenheit 451 are very similar in some ways and very different in others this essay will talk about some of these similarities and some of the differences. In order to understand the two books we must first write a detailed summary of them. Once that is done then we can get into the similarities of the two good books, and finally the differences of Siddhartha and Fahrenheit 451. In Siddhartha, the main character Siddhartha decides to leave his family, along with his best friend Govinda, in order to seek enlightenment. They travel to the woods to find the Samanas, a group of people who decide to live without property. During the†¦show more content†¦Siddhartha now rich again and learning the ways of love and trade believes that he is happy for a change, but some part of him is still missing. After a while Siddhartha decides to leave his merchant life in order to keep chasing his dream. He leaves Kamala and Kamaswami behind and goes back to the woods. There he goes to the river where he looks down upon himself and believing that his life was over. He decides to drown himself for it would be the quickest way to go, but something talks him out of it. Instead he falls asleep by the base of a tree. When he wakes up he is astonished to find his best friend Govinda asleep across from him. He and Govinda talk for a while when Govinda said that he needed to c atch up with his group of monks that were spreading the word of Gotama. Siddhartha then leaves and follows the river back to the Vasudava’s, the ferryman, house. While there he asks Vasudeva if he can teach him the ways of the ferryman. Vasudeva agrees. They begin by telling Siddhartha that in order to become a ferryman he must firs learn to listen to the river. When Siddhartha and Vasudeva are ferrying people across they come across Govinda and his group of monks again. The monks say that Gotama is dying and has called all his monks back to him. It is in one such time that Siddhartha and Kamala meet up again. This time Kamala has a son with her. Kamala has been bitten by a snake and Siddhartha wants to help her. He tries and tries but nothing works and