Saturday, December 28, 2019

Female Masculinity - 946 Words

Female Masculinity Throughout the world, countries and cultures are struggling with the idea of queer. The problem is that the United States and many countries live with the concept of patriarchy. Patriarchy is a social constructed structure to organize people to live in a gender binary society. The gender binary is the constructed gender roles that men and women are expected to do in which it affects the everyday lives of queers and it doesn’t allow them to freely express who they truly are. Historically, white heterosexual males and heterosexual families are the ideal model and are those in higher power. The book Drag King Dreams, is a story of a group of queer friends in New York and the struggles they encounter for being queer.†¦show more content†¦But there were also consequences for passing. According to Feinberg, in the 17th century in England they were placed in stocks and dragged through the streets. Even worse in 1760, transvestites were burned to death. However, many men and women have passed for many years. Feinberg gives an example of Mrs. Nash who married twice to soldiers and after dying it was discovered that she was a man. This world is full of danger for me, Thor. And when it strikes, it aims between my legs. I m barricaded for safety. It s not a choice. It s just the way it it (187) Max says in Drag King Dreams. Which is true because society is so invested genitals to determine if you are man or a woman. Everything we do, everything single we make is gendered so how do queers make their way throught a social world where everything is dangerous for them? Pro gressive politics need to work together among gender, sexuality, race, class, among other things and raise consciousness that there are many different identities and educate people about their struggles, in order to makeShow MoreRelatedFemale Misogyny : Female Masculinity1766 Words   |  8 Pages DEFINITION OF FEMALE MISOGYNY Female misogyny in the workplace is the phenomenon of intra-gender misogyny amongst women. These negative relationships within the female gender have been found to exist empirically and anecdotally between women on the same level, directed upwards within and organization and directed downwards from management to junior levels or potential employees (Mavin, 2006a; Sheppard Aquino, 2014; Ely, 1994). Female misogyny research is often focused on relationships betweenRead MoreAnna Karenina And House Of Ulloa1405 Words   |  6 Pagessocieties which share many resemblances of how masculinity is represented and problematized in the 19th century. The following ideas will be discussed; firstly how the theme of religion is used to represent masculinity through matrimony, women and children. Secondly, the hunting sport will be identified how it portrayed the idea as well as society in which the characters live in. Succeeding, the geographical location and what effect it has on the masculinity of characters in both novels and finally theRead More`` Dude You re A Fag : Masculinity And Sexuality Essay1536 Words   |  7 PagesC.J. Pascoe’s book, Dude You’re A Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, examines masculinity and its connection with sexuality through an eighteen-month study at River High School. The goal of Pascoe’s study is to explain how teenager s, teachers, and schooling construct adolescent masculinity through idioms of sexuality. In addition, the book investigates the relationships between gender and sexuality as it relates to a major social institution. Throughout the book she asks how heteronormitiveRead MoreNegative Effects Of Masculinity1591 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Violent, aggressive, forceful, assertive, hateful, arrogant, and stubborn† (Carranza 1-2) are all descriptions often identified as masculine. Traditional masculinity often has a negative connotation when discussed in today s social environment and is said to have no place within the current era of sensitivity and acceptance. Although it may be accurate that some men can and are perceived as hateful and abusive people this isn t the case for all men. Some of the traits that seem to be the mostRead More Hegemonic Masculinity in American Society Essay1497 Words   |  6 Pages Masculinity is described as possession of attributes considered ty pical of a man. Hegemonic masculinity is a form of masculine character with cultural idealism and emphasis that connects masculinity to competitiveness, toughness, and women subordination. Masculinity hegemonic is the enforcement of male dominion over a society. Masculine ideology dates back to the time of agrarian and the industrial revolution in Europe when survival compelled men to leave their homesteads to work in industriesRead More Edna as a Metaphorical Lesbian in Chopin’s The Awakening Essay536 Words   |  3 Pagesof woman-identified practices that suggest but stop short of sexual encounters,† often falling into the continuum of female-centered relationships as identified by Adrienne Rich. According to this scheme, Edna is not sexually a lesbian but rather occupies a space with which lesbians may empathize. In contrast to a more feminist perspective, LeBlanc views Grand Isle not as a female colony but as distinctly patriarchal. The fact that mother-women seem to rule enhances this reading according to theirRead MoreReligion, Religion And Religion Essay1690 Words   |  7 Pagesbe free to choose what religion they would like to practice or not and most of all, one should be free to express one’s sexuality without facing tragedies and feelings of oppression due to society’s rules, guidelines, regulations, definition of masculinity, and normality. In this paper, I will be analyzing both Kelly Oliver and James Baldwin’s theory, in order to develop a better understanding and a solution regarding the pessimistic roles and values that religious mythology has engendered on WesternRead MoreWomen As A Female Profession917 Words   |  4 PagesMany believe that nursing has always been a female profession, but contrary to belief, it was not uncommon to find a male nurse takin g care of the sick and the dying, even though, they did not receive as much as attention by scholars and historians as did women throughout nursing history. For instance, during the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire, monks would take care of the sick and the old, which continued throughout the Middle Ages, especially when the Plague was rampant throughout EuropeRead MoreEssay on Equal and Alike1158 Words   |  5 Pagesbetween masculinity and femininity is less clear. Aaron H. Devor wrote in his 1989 article, Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender, that due to the structure of American society, â€Å"masculinity thus becomes ‘innately’ valuable and femininity serves a contrapuntal function to delineate and magnify the hierarchical dominance of masculinity† (430). Devor describes the role of femininity in current society as merely a way to put the value and superiority of masculinity into perspectiveRead MoreMasculinity And I ts Impact On Society1317 Words   |  6 Pagesplatforms and the media have deeply influenced today s’ generations by changing their perspectives of masculinity. Masculinity is becoming an ongoing debate on what it means to be masculine. Masculine traits are defined as having qualities appropriate to or usually associated with a man. These qualities include being strong, rugged, dominant, and powerful. Social platforms and media have defined masculinity over the years to standardize the ideal male body type, appearance, social norms, stereotypical

Friday, December 20, 2019

Should The Death Penalty Be Responsible For Making Such A...

Many of us have heard terms such as probation, parole, life sentence, and lethal injection. We often hear these â€Å"phrases,† but what exactly do they all have in common and why do we hear them as often as we do? They are sentences commonly handed down to individuals suspected of committing heinous crimes. While most people will recognize these as the punishments that often find themselves making their way through our court system, there exists some disagreement about their fairness and whether or not they all should be utilized. What criteria should we use to determine whether or not a punishment is just or unjust? Who should be responsible for making such a decision? Should there be alternatives offered to circumvent this uncertainty? Most importantly, is there evidence to support these opinions or are they just that: opinions? The death penalty is something that has been around for centuries, but lately it has been the center of many controversies. While there are no cut and dry answers to these questions, there is one thing that is certain; before we are quick to make assumptions on the issue, there are some basic facts that we should first be made aware of when deciding whether the death penalty provides closure to families, or if it is legal murder carried out by the states. From the time that America was first colonized, the death penalty has been a punishment carried out in our country (Part I: History of the Death Penalty). Many viewed it as an integral part ofShow MoreRelatedThe Punishment Of The Death Penalty1620 Words   |  7 Pages The 2005 decision made in Roper v. Simmons’ declared that the crimes committed by people under the age of 18 would not be punishable by death. Because of this the United States Supreme Court challenged the constitutionality of the death penalty for juveniles. Whether the decision was appropriate or not is still under intense debate to this day. â€Å"A primary purpose of the juvenile justice system is to hold juvenile offenders accountable for delinquent acts while providing treatment, rehabilitativeRead MoreThe Constitutionality Of The Death Penalty1270 Words   |  6 PagesThe constitutionality of the death penalty has been a heated topic of discussion for decades. The history of the death penalty in the U nited States is extensive; from a suspension to a reinstating and individual statutes throughout the 50 states. One of the most controversial of the Supreme Court cases involving the death penalty is Roper v. Simmons. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that the execution of people who were under 18 at the time of their crimes violates the federal constitutional guaranteeRead MoreThe Consequences Of The Death Penalty Essay1573 Words   |  7 Pagesthey do consider the risks, they are typically not focused upon the long-term consequences, such as death, but rather the immediate arrest and imprisonment. In fact, according to Kovandzic et al. (2009), the long-term risks never enter the forefront of the criminal’s mind during the decision-making process. By narrowing their focus upon the gains rather than the costs, they are able to minimize (or even eliminate) their fear of arrest and punishment, and even sometimes believing they wouldn’t getRead MoreThe Death Penalty. .The Death Penalty Is Currently Used1365 Words   |  6 PagesThe Death Penalty The death penalty is currently used by 34 states and is used by the federal government for punishing federal crimes. And in most cases the death penalty is used when the criminal has been convicted of murder. However, two people have been sentenced to death for the rape of a minor. The definition of the death penalty is: execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense. This begs the question does the government have theRead MoreReasons For The Death Penalty Essay1458 Words   |  6 PagesJustice can be served in various ways and will be as effective as the death penalty. Life imprisonment without parole is one such way of dealing with persons convicted of committing a murder (Mappes, DeGrazia Zembaty, 2012). While abolitionists and retentionists continue to discuss their viewpoints on the death penalty, it does appear that the retentionists do not have any concrete arguments other than retaining the death penalty as a form of retribution for murders committed. However, as the abolitionistsRead MoreThe Death Penalty For Juveniles1169 Words   |  5 PagesResearch Paper: Death Penalty for Juveniles Capital punishment for juveniles is one of the most controversial topics to ever be explored in society and in the criminal justice system. The death penalty is a rare occurrence amongst juveniles since it is so arguable as to whether they should be tried as adults. Lynn Cothern from the Juvenile Justice Resource Center suggests that â€Å"the primary purpose of the juvenile justice system is to hold juvenile offenders accountable for delinquent acts whileRead MoreA Halt On The Death Penalty Is Necessary Since The Cost1265 Words   |  6 Pageson the death penalty is necessary since the cost of maintaining it extends far beyond keeping criminals in prison, it proves to not serve as a deterrent to criminals, and it is inherently racist based on our application to this day. The controversy linked to the expenses of the death penalty compared life in prison is known to be higher. According to Times, the death penalty has three stages. These stages include the cost of prosecution, the cost of defense, and the cost of housing a death penaltyRead MoreThe Death Penalty Essay1262 Words   |  6 PagesThe death penalty is currently used by 34 states and is used by the federal government for punishing federal crimes. And in most cases the death penalty is used when the criminal has been convicted of murder. However, two people have been sentenced to death for the rape of a minor. The definition of the death penalty is: execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense. This begs the question does the government have the right to take away someone’sRead MoreCapital Punishment : The Death Penalty1452 Words   |  6 PagesThe death penalty also known as capital punishment is when the government decides w hether or not to kill a person depending on their crime. If it’s a petty crime you won’t be considered for death penalty but when you commit a heinous crime such as mass murder or rape and murder the courts may rule for you to get the death penalty. The death penalty can date back hundreds of years ago to the 13th century when the Code of Hammurabi was created. One of its infamous laws was â€Å"an eye for an eye†. WhenRead MoreAlthough The Death Penalty Is As Ancient As Civilization,1520 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough the death penalty is as ancient as civilization, it has proven throughout the years that it serves no purpose under a democratic system. Civilization began as a cruel and unusual system that ascended through barbaric drudgery; however, as our nation is established on basic principles of human rights and human dignity, maintaining the death penalty in the United States appears to be a dissonance to the Constitutional amendment which states that cruel and unusual punishment shall not be required

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Case Analysis Global Payments Breach free essay sample

Cost of Security Breach3 Closer Look at Control Issues4 Steps to mitigate data breach4 Conclusion6 References6 Executive Summary A data breach at a credit card payments processing firm Global Payments potentially impacted 1. 5 million credit and debit card numbers from major card brands Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express (money. cnn. com) in April 2012. Company Background Founded in 1967, Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) is one of the largest electronic transaction processing company based out of Atlanta, GA and operations in several European and APAC regions. The company provides business-to-business card payment and processing solutions for major card issuers such as Visa, Master Card, Amex and Discover. The company also performs terminal management and electronic check conversion. Security Breach Exactly a year ago, in March 2012 the company was hit by a massive security breach of its credit card payment processing servers impacting more than 1. 5 million customers (nytimes. com). The company reported unauthorized access to its processing system resulting in data transfer of 1,500,000 card numbers. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Analysis: Global Payments Breach or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page According to the company report, data stolen includes name, social security number and the business bank account designated for payment processing or deposit services. As a result of unauthorized access to the company’s servers millions of customer confidential records got exported. Cost of Security Breach While this data breach is not the largest of the cases, Global Payments data breach turned out to be a $93. 9 million deal according to the company’s Jan 8th 2013 quarterly report (bankinfosecurity. com). This is mainly spent in enhancing security and ensure compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security standard. The company hired a qualified security assessor (QSA) that conducted an independent review of the PCI-DSS compliance of Global Payments systems and advised many remediation steps for its systems and processes. The company also paid fines related to non-compliance and has reached to an understanding with several card networks. The majority of the expenses, $60 million were originated out of professional fees while $35. 9 million was estimated to be fraud losses, fines and other charges imposed by credit and debit card networks. However the company received $2 million in insurance recoveries. There could be additional expenses of $25 to $35 million in reminder of 2013 due to investigation, remediation and PCI compliance. Closer Look at Control Issues While the company would like to conceal finer details of the investigation a closer look into this case clearly reveals a fraud triangle of pressure, rationalization and opportunity. It is highly likely that an insider played a major role in exposing security vulnerabilities of the company’s information technology systems and lack of proper monitoring mechanisms. Lack of proper internal controls resulted in the insider making use of the opportunity to commit fraud. The case clearly indicates that either system monitoring mechanism was inadequate and could not prevent the data thief to get access to PCI data. It is not clear whether high level data encryption was implemented for personal data such as social security numbers and bank accounts. Steps to mitigate data breach A number of precautionary and data protection measures should be taken to ensure PCI compliance and prevent such a massive data theft (sans. rg). 1. Establish multiple levels of data security specifically for personal information such as customer account numbers, social security numbers, customer addresses, phone numbers etc. , This includes creating authorization algorithms and every data retrieval gets logged and reported. 2. The data should be encrypted by utilizing best of data encryption methodologies to protect both data at rest and in transit. Data at rest is the infor mation residing in database and file servers and even in personal computers. On the ther hand, data in transit refers to data moving across local and wide area networks. 3. Identifying all the sensitive data that needs encryption is the first step in protecting data based on the data classification policies. 4. Locate data at rest and data in motion and then apply techniques such as eradication i. e. removal of unnecessary data lying in file systems or personal PCs; obfuscation of data to ensure it is not in readily readable format and finally encrypt by employing industry standard data encryption techniques. 5. Follow PCI-DSS requirements for financial data . PIN blocks, CVV2 and CVC2 card verification data cannot be stored at any time. b. All sensitive information must be encrypted during transmission over networks that are main targets for hackers. c. Ensure that security related technology is resistant to tampering and do not disclose any security related documentation. d. Ensur e sound and practical policies around data generation, updates, deletion, storage and archival of cryptographic keys e. Ensure that data exchange is conducted over a trusted path that follows high controls and confirms to authenticity of content. Conclusion The numbers of cyber threats are increasing at an alarming level and a small overlook on company’s behalf is enough for hackers to steal confidential data and put consumers at risk. In today’s high tech world of information technology customers information is at high risk of breach and any company both private or public involved in dealing with financial data has to ensure highest level of regulatory compliance to protect consumers interest, maintain their trust and finally run as an ongoing concern References 1. Jessica Silver-Greenburg, Nelson D Schwartz (March 30 2012). â€Å"Master Card and Visa Investigate Data Breach† New York Times. Retrieved 2013-03-17. 2. Information Security Group (January 10 2013). â€Å"Global Payments Breach Tab: $94 million†. www. bankofsecurity. com. Retrieved 2013-03-17. 3. Julianne Pepitone (April 3 2012). â€Å"1. 5 million Card numbers at risk from hack†. www. money. cnn. com. Retrieved 2013-03-17 4. Dave Shackleford (November 2007). â€Å"Regulations and Standards: Where Encryption Applies†. www. sans. org/reading/analyst_program/encryption_Nov07. pdf

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Mckesson Corporation free essay sample

Case Study of McKesson Corporation Description of the company’s performance McKesson Corporation is one of the leading providers of health care products and services. When it comes to analyzing the external environment; the political, economic, social, technological (PEST) analysis shows that the environmental situation is favorable for the company. The environmental factors are giving the company a chance to succeed in its endeavor. In politics there is no direct problem that might affect the company. In terms of economy the company might experience growth and prosperity in this field. In terms of society people have to buy health products thus the company may find this beneficial for them. In terms of technology the industry tends to be improving and because of this the new advancing technology can help the McKesson lessen its production cost and acquire more profits. When it comes to revenues McKesson is acquiring some success. In 1996 the revenue of the company was at ,964. 8, it increased to $15,710. 8 the following year. The company experienced more significant increase in 1998 when the company registered revenues of $ 20,857. 3. In analyzing the internal environment SWOT analysis can be used. In the swot analysis of the company its strength is the presence of a clear goal, the weakness of the company is the lack of information on health care they give to clients, the opportunity for the company is the merger with HBOC, the threat for the company is HBOC as a separate identity. Through the analysis of the internal and external environments added with the revenues the company acquired it can be said that the company is doing well and will continue to perform well as long as it tries to make the right decisions on merging with HBOC and improve the weakness it has and counter the threats it may face. To continue the success of the revenue the company has to improve the products and services it offers these results in more consumers for the company and then higher revenues. Read more:  http://ivythesis. typepad. com/term_paper_topics/2009/03/case-study-of-mckesson-corporation. html#ixzz1QhVipMDK I. Current Situation McKesson Corporation is one of the leading providers of health care products and services. Their products and services are mostly distributed to pharmacies, both independent and chain as well hospitals and other health care organizations that are located in the United States and Canada. The leading position of McKesson is due to the fact that they are a major wholesale distributor in an industry where the average net profit is estimated to be 2 percent. However, McKesson has not always concentrated on the pharmaceutical industry. Previous strategies and policies of the company sought to dominate different markets. In the beginning, they are one of the largest liquor distributors in the United States. They also specialty foods, beauty products, bottled water and general merchandise. Since they aimed to lead in different markets, they entered many acquisitions and mergers. This introduced them to the difficulties of the markets that they wished to dominate. They only started making a name in the pharmaceutical industry in the 1980s when they acquired various medical and pharmaceutical companies. By the 1990s, the company decided to concentrate on furthering their edge on the pharmaceutical industry. This was evident when they sold acquired companies that are not related to health care like Armor All Products and Millbrook Distribution. They also formulated a mission statement that says all about their aspiration inside the pharmaceutical industry. [Becoming] the world leader in health care supply management by assisting its consumers in improving patient care while lowering or controlling cost†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With this mission statement, McKesson aims to provide high margin generic drugs. This objective resonate their mission of lowering or controlling the costs that they would pass onto their consumers. In order for McKesson to achieve their objective, they must be able to find ways of lowering their production costs so that they will be able to lower the cost that they will pass onto their consumers. One of the policies that they implemented to see this through is by focusing on developing and maintaining technologies. For example, McKesson invested in information technology. This allowed them to create a web-based system that improved the company’s management of inventories and orders by enhancing their speed and accuracy. By lessening the margins for errors, McKesson will also be able to lessen their production cost. McKesson is still maintaining the business strategy of acquiring and merging. This is highlighted in the case study prepared by Holland, Oliver, Bergevin and Stanley. The case Study presented the scenario where McKesson’s CEO, Mark Pulido, is proposing to Edward Lyle, a member of the Board of Directors, a merger with HBO and Co. It is Lyle’s responsibility to ensure that the merger between McKesson and HBOC will be beneficial to McKesson, if not equally beneficial to both companies, since Lyles is not sure if the merger will be advantageous to the stockholders of the tow companies. With this, Lyle decided that a thorough scrutiny of the proposed merger is in order. II. External Environment External factors, more specifically the macro-environment, play an important role in the success of a business. However, companies do not have control over the changes or their effects the business operations. This also presents two sides to these external factors. Since companies cannot control them, they can pose as threats to the companies. On the other hand, changes in the external factors can also open opportunities for the growth of the company. With this in mind, it can be said that there is a need to analyze external factors in order to ready the company for any changes that might take place. In carrying out an analysis of the external factor, it is being recommended that the PEST analysis or STEP, if the analyst is optimist about the changes in the external factors, be used. This type of analysis looks at four specific factors – political, economic, social and technological. Based on the table above that shows the external factors that affect the operations of McKesson, is it more appropriate to use STEP since it is evident that the external forces are in favor of the the company’s desire to advance in the industry. Task Environment (Industry) Aside from the external factors abovementioned, a closer look at the pharmaceutical industry will also reveal some trends and factors that will affect the operations and profitability of McKesson. The trends and factors present within the industry can dictate the need to change or maintain the strategies and policies being implemented by McKesson. The need to adapt to the changing environments under which the company operates is crucial if they want to achieve their objectives. Despite being a high-risk business, pharmaceutical companies enjoy higher profits every year compared to other industries in the United States. She added that the top 10 pharmaceutical companies included in the Fortune 500 made more profits than the combined profits of the other 490 companies in the list. This suggests that the pharmaceutical industry is stable and is going strong. This implies that McKesson have greater chances of growing since they decided to focus on the health care industry. However, in order for McKesson to experience the promise of success within the pharmaceutical industry they must be able to compete and adapt to changes. Innovation is believed to be the key to success in the pharmaceutical industry. In turn, technological innovations can lead to the improvement of prices and services being offered by pharmaceutical companies. Summary of External Factors In summary, the factors that affect the operations and profitability of McKesson include the stability and strength of the economy and political situation of the country in which they operate. This is the case since the economic conditions of United States and Canada affects the trends within the pharmaceutical industry where McKesson belongs. In addition, the perception of the market of the importance of the products and services that McKesson offers also allows the company to experience the kind of patronage that they know have. Lastly, the continuing quest of man for knowledge gives the company the ability to adapt to changing times. III. Analysis of Strategic Factors Corporate Structure A well-defined corporate structure allows the members of the business organization to determine key persons who are responsible for ensuring every business activity of the organization. Having specific people posted to keep an eye on things or to carry out the processes needed to complete a task, the company will be sure that the no aspect of the business is left on a corner. In the case of McKesson, the structure of the organization is well-defined. Everybody knows his or her role within the company. With the recognition of their roles, they also become aware of their responsibilities. This allows the members of the business organization to function as individual while working a team. They work as a team since their end goals are the same, which is to ensure the achievement of the mission of the company. In addition, the presence of the corporate structure defines the people who are responsible for carrying out decision-making tasks. It is important for decision makers to be identified since they are the players within the organization who are responsible for the implementation of changes that will affect the entire operation of the company. In the case of the proposal to merge with HBOC, the corporate structure proved to be invaluable since Lyle will be able to scrutinize the proposal thoroughly since it is part of his responsibility as a member of the Board of Directors. In turn, Lyle will be able to determine if the merger is in the best interest of McKesson before actually entering into the agreement. Corporate Culture Corporate culture can be divided into three levels. These three levels can help in subjecting corporate culture to analysis. The first level is artifacts; it pertains to the aspects that are easily distinguished but are also difficult to understand. The second level is espoused values. These espoused values include conscious objectives, strategies and even the philosophies of the organization. Therefore, these espoused values determine the priorities of the business as well as the strategies needed in order to get things done. The last level is the essence or the core. This level is composed of the causal assumptions and values of the organization. Strong corporate culture is present when the employees of the company are aligned with the values or essence of the organization. When there is strong culture within the organization, its members are compelled to act based on the notion that what they are doing is correct and for the benefit of the whole organization. However, there is also a downside to strong corporate culture. When employees think alike too much, they tend not to challenge the existing organizational way of thinking. This phenomenon is known as Groupthink. Groupthink needs to be prevented to a certain degree since it proliferation can hinder innovations with the company. When everybody thinks that have the monopoly of truth, then they would not want to let go of that thought. Thus, the introduction of new business models and concepts may prove to be difficult. In the case of McKesson, it can be stated that the presence of the mission statement helps the members of the business organization to move towards one direction. Having a mission statement helps business in two ways. The first one is that these statements help to communicate both internally and externally. Through mission statement, employees will be informed about the beliefs of the company as well as how the values that the company aspects their employees to share with them. Adhering to the mission statement and the objectives of the company motivates the members of McKesson since they have a clear idea of the things they need to accomplish. This also allows the company to forego with business activities that will not contribute to the achievement of their goals and thus save them money. One example of this is McKesson’s move to sale Armor All and Millbrook. Corporate Resources Based on the case study prepared by Holland, Oliver, Bergevin and Stanley, McKesson is growing. In terms of revenue, the company has been experiencing growth. This can be attributed to the increase of sales in the past years. For example, in 1996 the revenue of the company was at $12,964. 8, it increase to 15,710. 8 the following. An even more significant increase was experienced in 1998 when the company registered revenues of 20,857. 3. Due to the growth of the company, they are able to redirect some of their capital to research and development. RD is a significant process in the health care industry. Since the problems that the drug companies wishes to address, diseases and viruses, have the ability to mutate, the technology of the company must be adequate to find newer and newer products that will counter the effects of the disease or viruses on human beings. This implies that businesses in the health care industry must be innovative. One way of achieving this is through continuous studying and researching. Other technological breakthroughs also affect the operation of the company. One such innovation is the information system. When McKesson started using an information system that allows them to manage their inventory and orders better, they were also able to reduce the cost of production. In turn, this reduction in production cost allowed them to pass their products and services onto the consumers at a lower price and thus fulfilling their mission statement. Since McKesson depends on innovation, they must be able to recruit well-skilled employees to do the job. This is truer when it comes to employees that will be in-charge of RD and IT related tasks. Even the process of recruitment is computerized. For this task McKesson commissioned the help of   BrainBench. This move by McKesson saved them resources and time since the time to hire was reduced to 20 hours from 55 hours. It is also the case that due to the time reduction they were able to save $423,000. Summary of Internal Factors In summary both the corporate structure and culture of McKesson helps them in ensuring their success in the industry. The corporate structure delineates tasks to ensure smooth operation, while corporate culture makes sure that the individuals within the organizations works as team in achieving the goal. Continued flow of capital and the profitability of the company allow them to continue the programs that they have in order to realize the mission statement of McKesson. III. Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy Earlier, it was stated that in order for a company to be successful in their endeavor they must be able to internal and external changes that occurs. Therefore, it is important to determine these changes. Most of the external macro-economic factors have been identified in the PEST analysis. Internal factors were also presented in the previous section. With the two kinds of factors identified, it is important that an analysis be completed using internal factors and external factors. In order for this to be completed, a SWOT analysis must be conducted. SWOT analysis will allow the company to determine their strengths and weakness as well as the opportunities and threats that they need to watch out. Strengths The presence of a defined goal can be deemed as one of McKesson’s strengths. This is the case since the presence of the mission statement gives direction to the company. They are able to plan their strategies and policies well since they know what they want to achieve in the end. The mission statement also resulted to the formation of a corporate culture that ensures the achievement of the objectives. Weaknesses One of the weaknesses of McKesson is inadequacy of the health care information system that hey provide for their clients. Given the rapid integration of technology such as the use of computers and internet, specially designed software must be able to cater to the needs of the health care community. Most of these softwares aid the health care professionals in organizing their clinical and home data as well as financial and managed care information. Since there is a growing market for these kinds of products and services and McKesson is not able to deliver, their mission of leading the pharmaceutical industry can be jeopardized. Opportunities In relation to the weakness mentioned above, it can be deemed that the proposal to merge with HBOC as an opportunity for McKesson. McKesson recognizes their failure to meet the demands of the market for high-quality health care information systems. On the other hand, HBOC is known for their open-architecture system that will allow the customers to enhance their own systems. Merging with HBOC will allow McKesson to complete their line-up of health care products and services. In turn, a complete line up will result to the creation of a total-solution package for the consumers. Threats The presence of HBOC as a separate company threatens the objective of McKesson to dominate the health care industry. This is the case since HBOC is offering a product that is not on the product line of McKesson. Even if HBOC challenges only one aspect of McKesson’s Business, the fact that they are able to lead the industry in a specific product offering implies that McKesson will not be able to dominate fully the industry. IV. Implementation Based on the various analyses presented above, it is clear that the merger with HBOC will be beneficial for McKesson as a company. Lyles’ main concern about the proposed merger was if HBOC would be able to contribute to the achievement of the McKesson’s objective of leading the health care supply management by assisting customers in improving patient care while lowering or controlling costs. As the analyses have shown, McKesson’s own experiences proved the efficiency of information systems in reducing the costs of production and thus lowering the prices of their products and services. This suggests that if McKesson will be able to provide the same kind of services to their customers they will be able to assist in the improvement of patient care and thus fulfilling one of the sections of their mission statement. Aside from this, HBOC could help in the furthering McKesson’s own information system that could lead to furthering lowering of the production cost. McKesson is familiar with the ins and outs of merging. They have been practicing this strategy since the 1970s. This means that they have enough experiences to tell whether the proposed merger will aid or hinder them in achieving their goals. However, it must also be recognized that every case varies. Before sealing the merger, McKesson must be assured that the corporate culture as practiced before the merger will be maintained since this is one of the company’s strengths. A well-defined corporate structure must not be lost in the midst of the integration of the two companies. V. Evaluation and Control The performance of the company after the merger must be closely monitored. This is the case since after the merger it is inevitable that some changes can occur that would affect the strategies, policies, motivations of the people and over-all operations of the company. These changes can affect the sales of the company and thus the profitability of the business. There are three possible performance ratings after the merger – positive, negative and neutral. A positive rating means that the merger resulted to increased profitability, while negative is the opposite. On the other hand, neutral indicate that McKesson maintained the same level of performance and profitability before and after the merger. When the rating falls on positive scale, the company must be able to identify the new strengths of the company and harness its. Weaknesses must also be identified so that they will not become liabilities. When the rating falls on the negative scale, the problem must be identified and resolved immediately. In the same way strengths and weaknesses must be identified. In the case of a neutral rating, the company must evaluate the changes that occurred and their impacts on the operations of the company. Afterwards, the strengths of the newly merged company must be identified and integrated into the operations of McKesson. A neutral rating must be deemed unacceptable in the same way a negative rating is. It must be remembered that the reason behind the merger is to further the growth of the companies and not drive them to stagnation. Therefore, the company must not stop looking for and fixing until growth is experienced