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Case #1
Evaluate Nucor's strategy using Porter's Competitive Strategy Framework.
Porters Competitive Strategy Framework or Competitive Forces:
1. Industry Competitors intensity of rivalry among firms in the industry.
2. New Entrants threats of new competitors entering the market
3. Suppliers bargaining power of suppliers
4. Customer bargaining power of buyers
5. Substitutes threats of substitute products or services
By having a decentralized way of doing business, which is a dispersion of authority to make decisions throughout all levels of the organization, Nucor alleviates many of these forces from the company itself and places the rest of the industry in a situation where they need to try to stay afloat. Its industry competitors have a difficult time in matching Nucors production because Nucor has developed a unified mentality among its employees through strong management in each individual plant. Nucor has the lowest labor cost in the steel industry and thats directly associated with the relationship that the employee has with the company. (web) The work environment satisfies their needs as a Nucor employee. (web) They receive incentives when theres extraordinary production. With the other four forces, Nucor continues to reinvent its production line so that costs will still remain low and output and revenue remain high.
Evaluate Nucor based on Miles and Snow's Adaptive Model.
Based on Miles and Snows Adaptive Model, which is a strategy that suggests organizations should pursue product/market strategies congruent with their external environments, Nucors management strategy allows the company to shift where the wind blows.(219) Having decentralization as a top priority in strategy, the company maintains its main goal while being flexible to changes in the environment. Another strategy that is implemented by Nucor is the prospector strategy, which involves pursuing innovation and new opportunities in the face of risk and with prospects of growth. (219) An example of this would be investing in flat-rolled steel by Ken Iverson, CEO of Nucor.
Is Nucor capable of continuing its entrepreneurial spirit as it grows larger?
Yes, Nucor is capable of continuing its entrepreneurial spirit as it grows larger because it allows more minds to work together which leads to a larger base for creativity and innovation. With expansion, proper precautions need to be taken such as expanding its corporate office size relative to when the company had only a few thousand employees so that nothing will be overlooked and everything will still be maintained.
Case #2
Compare the cultures between Price and Coopers. Are there differences?
Yes, Pricewaterhouse and Coopers have different organizational cultures. Price possesses old fashion, hard nose work ethic that provides its employees with the proper necessities and environment to thrive and flourish in accounting/consulting. As for Coopers, they provide thorough assessments for their clients, which help present the company as a leader in this field of business. Although these companies have different cultures, together they can portray an image that is appealing to a broad spectrum of people in various parts of the world. After the merger, the company expressed their new found diversity through their Code of Conduct. On the company website, a heading titled Code of Conduct states that the company possesses three core values: Excellence, Teamwork, and Leadership. Each value describes different aspects that were produced by the merger by combining values of Price and Coopers. With this Code of Conduct, it allows everyone related to Pricewaterhouse and Coopers to understand what type of image it wants to convey and what is expected of them.
What pressure does this merger put on the rest of the industry?
This merger will put a lot of pressure on the rest of the industry because Pricewaterhouse had a presence in Asia and South America in their chemical, entertainment and media, and energy industries while Coopers was well-known across Europe and specialized in consumer products, manufacturing, and communications. The industry is forced to globalize itself and become a multinational corporation by expanding its borders into foreign countries across the world. However this will renovate and drive corporations into creating policies that will protect various offices from lawsuits from different countries and other legal issues that could possibly be sent across its borders. The merger between Pricewaterhouse and Coopers will push the industry in a new direction which involves countries overseas.
Would you classify the accounting/consulting work design as small batch, mass production, or continuous process according to Joan Woodward's classification?
According to Joan Woodwards classification, I would classify the accounting/consulting work design as a combination between the two: small batch production and mass production because there are an abundant amount of different scenarios dealing with the accounting/consulting field. Mass production is producing similar products on a large scale and is closely related to having a more rigid mechanistic structure. By having a rigid mechanistic structure means that the organization operates like a tight pyramid structure with many rules and procedures. In accounting, rules and procedures would definitely benefit such a strict discipline. A small batch production is when a company caters to the customers needs. On the other side of the spectrum the consulting portion of the organization needs to able to adapt to various clientele and their meeting arrangements. This type of design is called organic designs where there is a more decentralized authority and fewer rules. Having such a characteristic allows a company to be flexible in many types of situations.
This Next Piece is my Essay on a Work of Art at the Los Angeles Museum of Art
Albert Huelar
Art History 40 B
Professor George Baur
February 24, 2003
Essay Question #1
The Death on the Cross
Throughout the history of mankind, change is the one key reason for why society is where it is today and those changes within society can be paralleled with changes in art. Within the numerous transformations that art has gone through, there was an era described as the Medieval Period or the Gothic Period. This Gothic Period lasted from the 12th century until the early 16th century and during this era many new technologies for architecture were created and used, for example the rib vaulting and pointed arches used in churches and cathedrals along with a new passion for artistic design where the sculptures and paintings became darker in color and composition and more naturalistic in appearance. At the same time, religion became of great importance within society, especially Christianity. Because of great religious influence, an abundant amount of religious art and structures were created in order to help remind Christians to evaluate themselves and their actions. One example of religious art would be the Decent from the Cross by the Circle of Daniel Mauch in 1515 in Ulm, Germany. This sculpture is the perfect example of religious gothic art because it gives life to the Biblical verse which describes Christ being taken down from the cross and also illustrates various artistic techniques to provoke emotion within the viewer such as color and composition, poses and appearances of the figures, and more importantly, subject matter.
The Decent from the Cross was carved from polychrome linden wood that was later painted over with shades of red, brown, and beige pigments. All of these colors were dark in shade and helped present the figures as being in a gloomy and depressing atmosphere. However, color was not the only reason for this atmosphere. Size also helped because being more than half the size of an adult and presumed to be hanging this sculpture would create a more realistic situation and involve the viewer as part of the scene as if they were there at that specific moment in time. Nonetheless, the combination of dark colors, shadows, and size generated the melancholy atmosphere.
Although color and composition are very important in bringing about emotion in the viewer, the body position of Santiago, the man carrying down Christ from the Cross, and Christ, himself, the Christian Savior from sin are equally as important as well as the facial expressions that they made (man from museum). In the sculpture, Christs body could be compared to a wilting flower that hasnt received any water for many days. His body appeared to be very limp and looked as if it went through so much pain and torture because the body was so thin to the point where his bones can be seen and had many cuts and scratches on it. For Santiagos body, the Circle of Daniel Mauch made it as realistic as possible by having him similarly dressed in the Roman attire during the time of Christ. Plenty of red and dark hues were used to give the idea that he was part of the Roman Empire. However, their bodies wouldnt have been complete without their facial expressions. As Christ is being taken down from the Cross by Santiago, Christ has his eyes closed with the skin on his face slightly drooped as if the muscles arent functioning anymore and the life force has just left the body. However, Christs face does not cause reflection within the viewers as much as the Santiagos face. His face is very solemn and leaves the impression that he does not want to be the one taking Christ down from the Cross. By having Christ die on the Cross, he was saving the world from damnation and taking the sins of the world on his shoulders. The Circle of Daniel Mauch illustrates this idea by giving Santiago this face as if Christs body was heavier than any body that he has taken from a cross before and was looking for some assistance from the viewer.
By keeping the composition simple with only two figures, a ladder, a rock, and a cross, it helps keep the purpose of the sculpture in mind and to stay away from distractions. Having a visual aid in Christian churches alleviates the mind to stay focused on prayer rather than admiring the art for its materialistic attributes. For the Decent from the Cross, the central figure, which is Christ, entices the viewer to re-evaluate their actions and to discover whether or not they have been worthy of such a sacrifice that Christ has done for them. Christ was the reason for Christianity and by bringing to life the moment where humans are allowed to live in salvation together with God should trigger emotion such as complete devotion to Christ.
By combining Gothic artistic techniques and religious influence of Christianity in the Decent from the Cross, it accomplishes its duty visually as well as emotionally and intrigues a worshipping Christian like myself. I was in a loss for words when I first saw how natural and realistic the sculpture had appeared although it was not presented in mint condition. However, with the faded colors and other deformities, the sculpture still made me depressed and caused me to reflect on my life and how I have lived my life as an honest Christian. Involving Christ along with having the depressed atmosphere and the solemn and miserable expressions all in one sculpture reminds the worshipper of what has been done for them in order to reach salvation and encourages dedication that Christ deserves.
Works Cited
Man from Museum tour. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. February 1
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