Success Factors for Business Growth

Success Factors for Business Growth The purpose of this paper is to search and identify the critical success factors related to growth of the organizations in todays uncertain business environment. The research is exploratory and descriptive in nature. Initially, an overview of the importance of identifying the critical success factors in organizational strategy for growth is given. Later on the concept is delineated to the importance of innovation in the organizational strategy as the most revolutionary factor to gain the competitive advantage in domestic and international platform. The role of leaders in the growth prospects through fostering innovation and especially social innovation is explored from the literature. The paper also gives guidelines for advance research by identifying the research gaps. Globalization and its effects on business and management had led the academics to acknowledge the importance of innovation and its crucial role in the growth and sustainability of an organization (Gupta et al. 1986). Critical success factors are defined as the key performance areas which are crucial for the achievement of organizational goals. With the arrival of globalization both techno-globalization (Henderson Clark 1990) and social globalization (ILO 2008) the need for innovation as a major critical success factor is obligatory to build and maintain competitive advantage. Different types of innovation (product, service, and business model, social) are found to be tightly integrated with the supervision top-management. Several issues related to innovative strategies regarding growth of an organization are discussed in the literature review. Overview of the Literature The foremost purpose of any organization whether it is big or small, local or international, profit or no-profit, is to meet the needs of its customers, employees, partners or alliances, shareholders and the communities that are going to benefit from its business. To successfully accomplish the predefined objectives a company designs a strategy which reflects the mission and vision of the organization. Tasks from top to bottom level of the organization are such divided and assigned so as to ensure the alignment of the whole organizational functions towards a common goal to be met within certain time limits. Strategy leads to the recognition of certain key factors that are immensely required for the fulfillment of the goals and without performing well in those key factors the success of the organization seems doomed. These factors are called the critical success factors. These CSFs are often completely under consideration of the top management but not often unequivocally communicated to the layers of management. Once communicated these factors help the whole organization to be well integrated and aligned towards the achievement of the common organizational goals (Caralli 2004). Critical Success Factors Studies on the critical success factors originated from the studies by Daniel (1961) as the important factor that must be coupled with the organizational goals in order to facilitate organizational administration and management control. Research showed that with the evolution of information technology the organizations were confronted with a information holocaust and even after having so much information the top management was unable to filter the right information needed to make important decisions (Dobbins Donnelley 1998). Rockhart (1979) worked with his team to counter with the problem of continuous information flow in the organizations and suggested the CSF approach to filter the most appropriate and useful information in order to achieve organizational goals. Primarily focus was made on the information needs of the executives in the IT world but later on the significance of CSFs in other business sectors like Federal government program management (Dobbins 1998), Enterprise reso urce planning (Jang, Lin and Pan 2009, Ngai, Law and Wat 2008), manufacturing (Sherer, Susan 2003, Burns,Turnipseed and Riggs 1991), International projects (Freedman Katz 2007, Eid, Trueman and Ahmed 2002) and Education Industry (Huotari Wilson 2001, Mazzarol 1998) was also certified by different studies. Rockart (1981) defined 5-specific sources of CSFs as the industry, organizational peers, organizational environment, barriers/challenges for the organization and managerial hierarchy. Moreover, the dimensions of CSFs are internal/external and monitoring/adapting. The internal CSFs are those which are controllable by the managers while the external ones are uncontrollable as they are influenced by the external forces working in the organizational surroundings. Moreover, monitoring CSFs relate to the factors needed to be scrutinized for the regulatory objectives of the organization whereof the adaptive CSFs are related to the changes occurring in the world outside the boundaries of the organization and are thus used by the organizations to keep their competitive edge over the other organizations in the industry. CSFs, Globalization and organizational strategies Rapid changes occurring in the technological world and burgeoning global competition has alarmed the firms to identify and imbed their critical success factors for the promotion and sustainability of growth. (Caralli 2004). Business world today is confronted by dual effects of globalization. The techno-globalization is related to the advancements in the information technology which organizations have to adapt to be in the race of competition (Henderson Clark 1990) where of the social globalization is concerned with the impact of globalization on the lives of individuals and their families and which must be taken in account before doing businesses internationally (ILO 2008). According to Rockart (1979) the major advantage gained by working on these factors is enhanced communication among the hierarchal levels of management. Among some other benefits of inculcating the CSFs in the organizational strategy is less organizational ambiguity, dynamic nature for reflecting the ongoing opera tional activities, improved risk-management practices and realignment of the organizational activities when contradiction between visualized and real problems occur (Caralli 2004). The critical success factors are essential for organizations start-up phase (Boyer, Creech Paas 2008) and growth (Freedman Katz 2007) to have a competitive advantage over its competitors. Further studies argued on the domain specificity of the critical success factors as they differ from organization to organization (Anthony et.al 1972). The critical success factors for growth of an organization are dependant upon the environment and industry in which it operates. Extensive research is being done in this regard such as the CSFs that are crucial in Enterprise resource planning are top management support and training and education (Ngai, Law Wat 2008). In international business and coopetition strategies the strongest CSFs are found to be management leadership and trust development (Chin, Chan Lam 2008) and those of environmental and social enterprises are leadership, partnerships, innovation, social and economical benefits alignment, long-term short-term planning management , community involvement and risk management (Boyer, Creech Paas 2008). In Strategic management however a great deal of change in defining the critical success factors is seen since 1990s. With t he advent information technology and gust of globalization the organizations need to modify their mission statements in regard of organizational business strategy (Strong 197), stake holders (internal and external) concerns (Greenley Foxall 1996) and identifying the critical success strategies (Strong 1997, Gupta et al. 1986). The ultimate goal of an organization has been to attract and retain its customers (Ennew and Binks 1996) but today the focus of organizations is having a dual nature of being environmental and societal friendly also to sustain their image and growth in global industry (David 1989, Strong 1997). Innovation-an essential growth imperative The revolutionary change in the global competitive world has introduced Innovation and quality as the most essential success factors to become market leader (Gupta et al. 1986). Innovation is defined as the act of doing something new (new method) or bringing in something novel (new product/ service) or moving into something new (new market) (Schumpeter 1968). The burgeoning need for the adoption and implementation of innovative strategies for local and international business is thus the most recent and essential part of academic research on business and management strategies (Jeffery Rana 2008, Haapaniemi Seppanan 2008, Pittaway et.al 2004). The drivers for innovation are categorized as accelerating global competition, technological advancement, turbulent and diversified market needs and volatility of natural resources (Kingsland 2007). Innovations are of different kinds like technological innovations (Henderson Clark 1990), Business model innovations (SAP 2008) and bring in different competitive effects on the organizations. The business model innovations are radical in nature whereof those related to new customer solutions/systems are incremental (Kearney 2008). The organizations of today are focusing more on the business model innovations for its broader aspect of effectiveness throughout the organizational structure. Key factors for innovation strategies The business model innovations are typically classified into customer-centric innovations, supply-chain centric innovations and organizational process innovation (SAP 2008). Innovation is considered to be collective and not individual or isolated in nature. Any idea needs collaboration and collective effort both from internal stakeholders and external stakeholders for the realization of that idea (Majahan Peterson 1985, Panzano Roth 2006, Kearney 2008). Networking Research from several studies on innovation and importance of taking the external stakeholders (suppliers) in account specifically for organizations growth sustainability through innovation has defined the importance of networking (Sherer 2003, Pittaway et.al 2004). The literature about innovation is also intimately connected to the risk management because introducing any novelty is itself a risky job (Panzano Roth 2006). Through networking the benefits of innovation can be doubled as it fosters risk sharing thus increasing the risk propensity of the organizations in contact (Pittaway et.al 2004). Other than networking one of the most important factors influencing the development of innovative culture in the organizations to have a competitive edge in the global market is the role of leaders (Freedman Katz 2007, Morales, Reche Torres 2008, Fairholm 2009). Role of Leadership Studies from the leadership literature proves the important role of top-management in enhancing the organizational learning and thus supporting the innovativeness in the organization. The strategic thinking of leaders links the implicit knowledge of organization with its functionality by explicitly disseminating it to the layers of management and improves organizational learning (Appelbaum, Pierre Glavas 1998, Vera Crossan 2004, Fairholm 2009). Transformational leadership is a relatively new style in the literature of leadership. It is related to a more change-oriented attribute of the leaders thus fostering and encouraging new changes in the organization which in turn motivates the employees to be more innovative and increasing organizational performance (Morales, Reche Torres 2008). The CEOs are considered to be the champions of making innovation and sustainability of any organization in the global market by making ways through open-innovation (involving people in innovative str ategies) and co-creation (involving stakeholders and partners)(Kearney 2008). Sustainability and innovation Innovation has greatest effects on the sustainability of an organization. Sustainability is defined as the tendency to fulfill both functional and emotional needs of the customers in a less resourceful and more competitive environment. Organizations which take into account the sustainability as their business strategy are the ones that outperform in the global world (Kearney 2008). For this they dont just have to focus on making profits by offering product or service innovations rather they would have to focus on social innovations (well-being of society) as well (Simmon Eduardo 2008).The Business and Management world has benefited by introducing innovations in their products, services and business models and will continue to keep up the competitive advantage only if they keep on bringing or doing something new. Conclusion Innovation has been globally accepted as one of the most important success factor in the sustainability of the organizations (Jeffery Rana 2008, Haapaniemi Seppanan 2008, Pittaway et.al 2004). The most important role regarding introducing, communicating and networking the innovation among the organization and its stakeholders is that of top-management (Appelbaum, Pierre Glavas 1998, Vera Crossan 2004, Fairholm 2009). The leaders are thus required to increase research efficiency, encourage open innovation, and emphasize more on sustainability and social innovation by delievering benefits on low cost and use a more structured approach to innovation and technology platforms. Moreover, with the increased competition and uncertainty in the global market the CEOs should be passionate for innovative strategies, set clear expectations and use brand-imprint methodology (pilot study) before entering into larger markets. Research Gaps This literature review on the critical success factors for growth through innovation had led me to find out certain gaps in the studies till now. Firstly, the critical success factors for growth and sustainability vary from organization to organization and industry to industry (Anthony et.al 1972). Same is the case with the innovative strategies as the adoption and diffusion strategies for innovation differ in different organizations and even in the same organization according to its development phases (Moore 1999). This shows that both are greatly influenced by the global turbulent environment and it is crucial for the organizations to foster innovation as the critical success factor for sustainability even in hostile conditions. To date there is very little qualitative research done on the relationship of developing innovative strategies under hostile conditions and organizational growth. Secondly, the women-owned businesses are not sufficiently studied for defining their critical success factors as compared to their male counterparts and specifically in the developing countries (Lee et.al 2009). Although, SMEs are of prime importance in the developing part of the world very less attention in terms of women-owned SMEs is being given to help them in growth prospects through innovation. This might be due to the reason of greater gender discrimination carried out in this part of the world (Tambunan 2009) consequently having low risk propensity in them which is the main ingredient for innovativeness (Brindley 2005). Lastly, although the social innovation has gained importance in the business world still a dearth of robust empirical research is seen in this regard (Simon Eduardo 2008).

Spanish Civil War Essay -- essays research papers

Spanish Civil War (1936–39), military revolt against the Republican government of Spain, supported by conservative elements within the country. When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ferocity on both sides. The Nationalists, as the rebels were called, received aid from fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Republicans received aid from the Soviet Union, as well as from International Brigades, composed of volunteers from Europe and the United States. The war was an outcome of a polarization of Spanish life and politics that had developed over previous decades. On one side (the Nationalist) were most Roman Catholics, important elements of the military, most landowners, and many businessmen. On the other side (the Republican) were urban workers, most agricultural labourers, and many of the educated middle class. Politically their differences often found extreme and vehement expression in parties such as the fascist-oriented Falange and the militant anarchists. Between these extremes were other groups covering the political spectrum from monarchism and conservatism through liberalism to socialism, including a small communist movement divided among followers of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his archrival, Leon Trotsky. In 1934 there was widespread labour conflict and a bloody uprising by miners in Asturias that was suppressed by troops led by General Francisco Franco. A succession of governmental crises culminated in the electi ons of February 16, 1936, which brought to power a Popular Front government supported by most of the parties of the left and opposed by the parties of the right and what remained of the centre. A well-planned military uprising began on July 17, 1936, in garrison towns throughout Spain. By July 21 the rebels had achieved control in Spanish Morocco, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands (except Minorca) and in the part of Spain north of the Guadarrama mountains and the Ebro River, except for Asturias, Santander, and the Basque provinces along the north coast and the region of Catalonia in the northeast. The Republican forces had put down the uprising in other areas, except for some of the larger Andalusian cities, including Seville, Granada, and CÃ ³rdoba. The Nationalists and Republicans proceeded to organize their respective territories and to repre... ...rovinces in the summer of 1937 and then Asturias, so that by October they held the whole northern coast. A war of attrition began. The Nationalists drove a salient eastward through Teruel, reaching the Mediterranean and splitting the republic in two in April 1938. In December 1938, they moved upon Catalonia in the northeast, forcing the Republican armies there northward toward France. By February 1939, 250,000 Republican soldiers, together with an equal number of civilians, had fled across the border into France. On March 5 the Republican government flew to exile in France. On March 7 a civil war broke out in Madrid between communist and anticommunist factions. By March 28 all of the Republican armies had begun to disband and surrender, and Nationalist forces entered Madrid on that day. The number of persons killed in the Spanish Civil War can be only roughly estimated. Nationalist forces put the figure at 1,000,000, including not only those killed in battle but also the victims of bombardment, execution, and assassination. More recent estimates have been closer to 500,000 or less. This does not include all those who died from malnutrition, starvation, and war-engendered disease.

Lord of the Flies Book Report Essay

Lord of the Flies is a book by William Golding and was written during WWII. His choice to join the navy changed the way he viewed the world. A group of students were being evacuated from an airplane that is in a lonesome island. Once the group is settled in, they elect a boy of the name Ralph to be leader. A dispute is started on how their will be rules and who governs who. Problems have risen and the group is torn apart. Lord of the Flies theme is that being hungry for power is natural in humans and examples are given when the band chooses a leader, decision making of the boys, and uncivilized acts among themselves. The theme in Lord of The Flies is seen throughout the novel. For example, they voted on a leader to help have order and act in an organized manner. Jack was a nominee who ran against Ralph. JAck really wants to be the leader, but of course Ralph ends up being the popular vote. â€Å"We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. ‘† (Golding 40). Golding states that the group must be organized, they are not animals. They know that without order, everything they are could collapse and be their downfall. Plus they call themselves the best at everything so they could have some faith of getting by. â€Å"They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority†¦. † (Golding 50). Here it shows the Ralph had what it takes to be a leader, everyone listens and takes his orders without question. Towards the end of chapter four, a character by the name of Piggy wines about some rude hunters, Jack hits the poor character breaking the glasses they were wearing. In the story, being power hungry is a pretty common thing and many examples are portrayed such as the group being split, so there is not one main leader. These islanders act in such a way now that they have obtained power. There will be groups. Jack doesn’t like the idea of Ralph being a leader, but is satisfied with his numbers in his own group. â€Å"The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. † (Golding 82). It says that they everything they know about society is going downhill, they have started their own world. Everyone wanted power, no one liked the idea of being a follower. â€Å"‘Shut up,’ said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. ‘Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things. ’† Which very blatantly shows how much Ralph thinks he has total authority over all the boys. â€Å"I ought to be chief,† said Jack with simple arrogance, â€Å"because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp. † (Golding 229-231). As of reading it is clear that Jack’s thirst for power was most utterly real and has been going on from the beginning of the book. He saw himself as the big-shot. Evidence is given that Jack might want to be the antagonist of this novel, Lord of the Flies. All Jack really wants is to show he is the true leader nothing much, yeah he wants order, but all in the wrong ways. Finally, is the uncivilized way the boys have acted among the groups that have done more damage than good. They all go through this face to behave well and have order with each other trying there best to ignore all the negative and chaos of a bad government. Biggest bust of the novel was when Piggy got demolished by a giant boulder that had flattened him. Who was to blame? Jack as everyone pointed fingers to him along with a so called Roger. Roger was a savage man, who knew that such evil could be brought out from a human being. â€Å"As he did so, he heard Jack’s voice from the top. ‘Heave! Heave! Heave! † (Golding 193). Jack was most likely behind this diabolical plan that murdered the poor innocent Piggy. The great rock that had killed Piggy had bounded into this thicket and bounced there, right in the center, making a smashed space a few feet in extent each way. †(Golding 192). It is obvious that these two men were the evil masterminds behind the death of Piggy. In the beginning of the book, the group came across a pig while hunting and without a doubt kill the poor creature. Jack’s true side came out, this was the part where he would become the bad guy in the story, stabbing the pig had been enough p roof to show he is a killer. In Lord of the Flies, a group who had been left on an island due to their plane coming on a crashing course evacuating their homes because of treacherous war, are now left to make there own decisions creating new order around them. While waiting for help to arrive, all sorts of issues are created with the main problem being leadership. Lord of the Flies theme is that being hungry for power is natural in humans and examples are given when the band chooses a leader, decision making of the boys, and uncivilized acts among themselves.

The Difference Between Grasshoppers and Crickets

Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and locusts all belong to the order Orthoptera. Members of this group share a common ancestor. While all these insects look similar to the untrained eye, each has unique characteristics. Meet the Orthopterans Based on physical and behavioral characteristics, Orthopterans can be split into four orders:   Dictyoptera: cockroaches and mantidsGrylloblattids: walking sticksEnsifera:  katydids and cricketsCaelifera: grasshoppers and locusts About 24,000 species of Orthoptera  live around the world. Most, including grasshoppers and crickets, are plant  eaters. Orthoptera range in size from about a quarter of an inch long to nearly a foot.Some, such as locusts, are pests that can destroy crops in minutes. Locust infestations were included in the 10 plagues described in the biblical book of Exodus. Others, such as crickets, are harmless and are considered signs of good luck. About 1,300 species of Orthoptera are in the United States. There are more in the South and Southwest; there are only 103 species in New England. Crickets Crickets are most closely related to the very similar-appearing katydids. They lay their eggs in soil or leaves, utilizing their ovipositors to insert eggs into soil or plant material. There are crickets in every part of the world. All 2,400 species of crickets are leaping insects about 0.12 to 2 inches long. They have four wings; the two front wings are leathery and stiff, while the two back wings are membranous and used for flight. Crickets are either green or white. They can live on the ground, in trees, or in bushes, where they feed largely on aphids and ants. The most distinctive aspect of crickets is their song. Male crickets rub a scraper on one front wing against a set of teeth on the other wing to create the sound. They can vary the pitch of their chirps by speeding up or slowing down the movement of their scraper. Some cricket songs are intended to attract mates, while others are designed to warn away other males. Both male and female crickets have sensitive hearing. The warmer the weather, the faster crickets chirp. In fact, the snowy tree cricket is so sensitive to temperaure that it is often called the thermometer cricket. You can calculate the exact temperature Fahrenheit by counting the number of chirps in 15 seconds and then adding 40 to that figure. Grasshoppers Grasshoppers are very similar in appearance to crickets, but theyre not identical. They may be green or brown, with yellow or red markings. Most grasshoppers lay eggs on the ground. Like crickets, grasshoppers can make a sound with their forewings, but the sound made by grasshoppers is more like a buzz than a trill or song. Unlike crickets, grasshoppers are awake and active during the day. Differences Between Crickets and Grasshoppers The following traits separate most grasshoppers and locusts from their close cousins, the crickets and katydids (as with any rule, there may be exceptions): Characteristic Grasshoppers Crickets Antennae short long Auditory Organs on the abdomen on the forelegs Stridulation rubbing the hind leg against the forewing rubbing forewings together Ovipositors short long, extended Activity diurnal nocturnal Feeding Habits herbivorous predatory, omnivorous, or herbivorous https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-difference-between-grasshoppers-and-locusts.html https://sciencing.com/tell-cricket-from-grasshopper-2066009.html