5.   Describe the idea of organizations as political agents and political arenas.

Book - Organizations as Political Arenas and Political Agents Ch11

Here is Ch11 -

please help me to find the answer

Sam Walton started his merchant career in 1945 as proprietor of the second-best variety store in a small rural Arkansas town. From that humble beginning, he built the world’s largest retail chain. With more than 2 million “associates,” Walmart became the world’s largest employer and, for both better and worse, one of the most powerful companies on the globe. More than 90 percent of American households shop at Walmart stores every year, expecting the company to keep its promise of “always low prices” (Fishman, 2006). Walmart’s subtle and pervasive impact is illustrated in a little-known story about deodorant packaging. Deodorant containers used to come packed in cardboard boxes until Walmart decided in the early 1990s that the boxes were wasteful and costly—about a nickel apiece for something consumers would just toss. When Walmart told suppliers to kill the cardboard, the boxes disappeared across the industry. Good for Walmart had to be good enough for everyone. The story is but one of countless examples of the “Walmart effect”—an 217 Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, Sixth Edition. Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal. 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2017 by Jossey-Bass. WEBC11 umbrella term for multiple ways Walmart influences consumers, vendors, employees, communities, and the environment (Fishman, 2006).

Yet, for all its power and success, Walmart has struggled in recent years to cope with an assortment of critics and image problems. The company has been accused of abusing workers, discriminating against women, busting unions, destroying small businesses, damaging the environment, and bribing government officials in Mexico and elsewhere. Circled by enemies, it has mounted major public relations campaigns in defense of its image.

Like all organizations, Walmart is both an arena for internal conflict and a political agent or player operating on a field crammed with other organizations pursuing their own interests. As arenas, organizations house an ongoing interplay of players and agendas. As agents, organizations are powerful tools for achieving the purposes of whoever calls the shots. Walmart’s enormous size and power have made its political maneuvers widely visible; almost everyone has feelings about Walmart, one way or another. The company’s historic penchant for secrecy and its secluded location in Bentonville, Arkansas, have sometimes shielded its internal politics from the spotlight, but tales of political skullduggery still emerge, including a titillating story about a superstar marketing executive who was fired amid rumors of an office romance and conflict with her conservative bosses. The same year also spawned the strange tale of a Walmart techie who claimed he’d been secretly recording the deliberations of the board of directors. Walmart has historically resisted any efforts to unionize its workers, but in the fall of 2012, the company had its first experience with strikes by workers in multiple cities. Ambivalent shoppers told reporters that they sympathized with the workers but still shopped at Walmart because they could not afford to pass up the low prices.

This chapter explores organizations as both arenas and political agents. Viewing organizations as political arenas is a way to reframe many organizational processes. Organization design, for example, can be viewed not as a rational expression of an organization’s goals but as a political embodiment of contending claims. In our discussion of organizations as arenas, we examine the political dimensions of organizational change, contrasting directives from the top with pressures from below. As political agents, organizations operate in complex ecosystems—interdependent networks of organizations engaged in related activities and occupying particular niches. We illustrate several forms that ecosystems can take—business, public policy, business-government, and society. Finally, we look at the dark side of the power wielded by big organizations. We explore the concern that corporate giants represent a growing risk to the world because they are too powerful for anyone to control

ORGANIZATIONS AS ARENAS -

From a political view, “happily ever after” exists only in fairy tales. Today’s winners may quickly become tomorrow’s losers or vice versa. Change and stability are paradoxical: Organizations constantly change and yet never change. As in competitive sports, players come and go, but the game goes on. In the annals of organizational politics, few have illustrated these precepts as well as Ross Johnson, who once made the cover of Time magazine as an emblem of corporate greed and insensitivity. In Barbarians at the Gate, Bryan Burrough and John Helyar (1990) explain how.

MERCOSUR is a free trade block, with current member countries including Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The Bravo Luggage Company is a Latin American firm based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bravo has seen a sharp increase in orders over the last few months and needs to increase the amount of material purchased. Currently, the materials used to manufacture Bravo luggage come from suppliers in Paraguay. Bravo managers have been approached by suppliers from Mexico and China who are both offering very competitive prices on materials.

1. Which of the following questions would be most important for Bravo managers to evaluate when determining which supplier to use?

A) How will using non-South American material affect the Bravo brand name?

B) What other MERCOSUR nations sell leather and fabric supplies for luggage?

C) What will be the total cost of materials shipped from Paraguay, Mexico, and China?

D) Are other countries planning to join MERCOSUR in the near future?

2. Which of the following best supports using a supplier from Paraguay over a supplier from Mexico or China?

A) MERCOSUR members agree to use exporters from other MERCOSUR nations.

B) The Mexican supplier is in closer proximity to Bravo than the Chinese supplier.

C) Mexican and Chinese suppliers would pay the same tariff to export to Argentina.

D) Bravo could avoid tariffs because Paraguay is a member of MERCOSUR.

3. Which of the following should be considered when making the decision to use a MERCOSUR supplier or a non-MERCOSUR supplier?

A) Will the additional tariffs charged on non-MERCOSUR supplier offset the cost savings?

B) Do other MERCOSUR nations use outside suppliers?

C) What percentage of tariffs will Argentina receive?

D) How will Bravo managers handle the free trade area?

4. If the material prices from the Chinese and Mexican suppliers are both competitive enough to cover up the additional tariffs, which of the following should be most considered when choosing between the Chinese and Mexican supplier?

A) will Mexico join MERCOSUR in the future?

B) is China a member of the WTO?

C) which supplier requires higher transportation cost?

D) all of the above

Regarding Python and Scripting

1. What SQL clause is used to combine rows from two or more tables, based on a related column in a relational database.

Question options:

2. The highlighted portion of this program output indicates ____________.

Tracks:

(u'Thunderstruck', 20)

(u'My Way', 15)

Question options:

3. In technical descriptions of relational databases, the concept of column is formally referred to as ____________.

Question options:

4. What is wrong with this SELECT statement?

SELECT FirstName LastName

FROM TableName

Question options:

5. What is meant by this error message in the SQL query window:

Cannot insert explicit value for identity column in table 'Tracks'

Question options:

6. What is returned by this SQL SELECT statement?

SELECT LoginID, JobTitle, BirthDate

FROM Employee                                                       

WHERE JobTitle Like '%Engineer%'                   

Question options:

7. An integer that is automatically assigned by the database to link rows from different tables together is referred to as ______________.

Question options:

8. Which of the following conclusions about the table Follows is INCORRECT?

CREATE TABLE Follows

(from_id INTEGER, to_id INTEGER, UNIQUE(from_id, to_id) )

Question options:

1. Erving Goffman's concept of dramaturgy theorizes that when we interact with others we engage in a process of impression management wherein we actively work to present ourselves to others in particular ways. Which of the following are examples of this concept:

John puts on sweatpants to go out on a blind date

Tina rapidly runs a brush through her hair before running into work

James reads up on early Latin American art so as to appear knowledgeable in his class on the subject for the discussion

None of these are examples of impression management

All of these are examples of impression management

2. Andrew Ryan is looking at research on the level of conservatism of individuals (IV) and time spent on vacation (DV). He notices that there is a relationship between the two variables. Specifically, that the more conservative someone is the more time they will spend on vacations and that the less conservative someone is the less time they will spend on vacations. He therefore concludes that how politically conservative someone is causes them to spend more or less time on vacation. What concept is Andrew Ryan illustrating?

Quantitative Research

Research Bias

Inductive Research

Unethical Research

Correlation Does Not Equal Causation

3. W.E.B. Du Bois was famous for his blending of activism and academic research in order to create social justice for blacks in America. However, he recognized that in order to create a real change in social conditions for blacks, that:
Other minorities would need to band together to overthrow the racist government

Blacks would need to engage in a Civil Rights Movement

Other minorities would need to band together to overthrow the racist government

The Constitution would need to be amended Reparations would need to be made to every minority individual

Whites would need to create laws, economic and social conditions to change the situation of Blacks

4. According to Karl Marx:

I. Human history is a history of class struggle

II. All forms of society will have social classes III.

We are most human when we labor for ourselves

IV. Workers are alienated from themselves and each other under capitalism Which of the following options are true?

II and III only

I, II, and III

III and IV only

I, III, and IV

None of the answers are true

Given the importance of food to many cultures and people, we oftentimes fail to see how various cultures can overtly or covertly divulge information about the importance of certain values just by the manner in which items are arranged in a grocery store. For this activity, each student will identify a large grocery store within 5 miles of his/her residence. Please try to identify a large grocery store chain and is a “dominant culture” store (i.e., a Latin specialty version of a large chain would not be appropriate). Each student should plan to spend at least 60 – 120 minutes at the grocery store taking careful observations of the types of people who frequent the store, the types and availability of the products available for purchase, and the ease of finding both dominant culture (American/White culture) and cultural grocery items. After the observation period, the student should write a brief report that answers the following questions: 1. What type of food or products were most plentiful in the store? What types of food or products were difficult to find? 2. What claims were used to promote food items? Did these items emphasize taste, nutritional value, cost or ease of preparation? 3. What were typically the most expensive items in the store? When a wide range of prices exists for the same type of product, what distinguished the lower from the higher priced versions? 4. What type of behavior did you observe on the part of the shoppers? Under what circumstances did shoppers interact with one another? 5. How were meats and poultry labeled and displayed? What efforts were made to distance these products from their original animal forms? 6. What did you observe about the sizes in which different types of products were available? What did these sizes imply about the social settings in which these products will be used? 7. How were foods from various racial/ethnic groups distributed throughout the store? Were some racial/ethnic foods presented as normative whereas others were presented as unusual or exotic? 8. What other observations did you make that informed you about cultural values? What cultural values were evident in the supermarket setting?

GAP Inc.

DESCRIPTION

The Gap, Inc. (Gap Inc.), incorporated on April 15, 1988, is an apparel retail company. The Company offers apparel, accessories and personal care products for men, women and children under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and Intermix brands. The Company's products are available to customers online through Company-owned Websites and through the use of third-parties that provide logistics and fulfilment services. In addition to operating in the speciality, outlet, online and franchise channels, it also uses the Company's omni-channel capabilities to bridge the digital world and physical stores. The Company's omni-channel services, including order-in-store, reserve-in-store, find-in-store and ship-from-store that are tailored across its portfolio of brands. The Company also sells products that are designed and manufactured by branded third-parties, especially at its Intermix brands. Gap Inc. has Company-operated stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Japan, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mexico. It operates Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy stores throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

Gap

Gap is the apparel and accessories brands anchored in optimistic, casual, American style. Its collections of wardrobes include denim, tees, button-downs, and khakis. Gap includes apparel and accessories for men and women, under the name Gap name, in addition to GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody and GapFit collections. Gap serves through speciality stores, online and franchise stores. Gap also offers a suite of omni-channel services to its customers in the United States. In addition, it brings the brand to customers, with designer collections for Gap Outlet and Gap Factory stores and Web sites.

Question

1. Study the external environment of GAP Inc. Are any changes taking place in the macro environment that might have a positive or negative impact on the industry in which GAP Inc is based on? Apply the PESTEL framework to identify which factors may be the most important in GAP Inc industry. What will be the effect on GAP Inc industry?

2. How dynamic is the industry in which GAP Inc is based? Is there evidence that industry structure is reshaping competition, or has done so in the recent past?

After its passage, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was eventually challenged in the Supreme Court as violating the freedom of private businesses to refuse service to anyone, including African Americans. The Court, however, ruled that the creation of this landmark legislation was within the authority of congressional power. Congress and the Court agreed that the _____________ clause justified congressional action on this civil rights issues.

USD/NZD 1.51 in nominal currency exchange rate terms. The same "The North Face" parka costs $230.00 in the U.S. and 320.00 New Zealand dollars in New Zealand. The U.S. Federal Reserve Bank decides to raise interest rates.

Based on the above scenario, please select the best answer choice below.

Retail operations and retail inventory ‘Splash Out The Back’ began business on 1 November 2019. The business has been set up as a partnership between Mr. and Mrs. Fisher. It operates an online store, selling inflatable swimming pools to the public, for use in back yards. The business began by selling one particular model of inflatable swimming pool but will look to expand the product lines that it sells within the next year. The business is registered for GST. The following transactions occurred during November 2019:
Date Details
1 Nov Mr. and Mrs. Fisher deposited $20,000 into the business bank account ($10,000 each).
1 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ rented a small warehouse for the business, to store inventory that is purchased. The warehouse rent costs $330 per month (including GST). ‘Splash Out The Back’ pays the landlord $990 from the bank account, for rent for November, December, and January.
8 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ purchased 30 of the inflatable swimming pools on account for $88 per pool, including GST, from the pool manufacturer, Intex Pools Ltd. Intex Pools Ltd also charged a delivery fee on the invoice of $55, including GST (to deliver the swimming pools to ‘Splash Out The Back’). The invoice is due for payment on 20 November.
15 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ paid the invoice from Intex Pools Ltd (for purchases made on 8 November) from the business bank account.
16 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ sold 12 of the swimming pools via its online store, at $165 each (including GST). All of the customers paid by Paypal and the money was received in the business bank account by the end of the day. Note: ‘Splash Out The Back’ does not pay any PayPal fees when customers pay by PayPal.
20 Nov One of the customers who purchased a swimming pool on 16 November returned their swimming pool for a refund. The swimming pool was returned in an original, brand new condition (unopened). The customer paid for the freight to return the swimming pool, and ‘Splash Out The Back’ refunded the customer $165 from the business bank account.
22 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ purchased 40 of the inflatable swimming pools on account for $99 per pool, including GST, from the pool manufacturer, Intex Pools Ltd. Intex Pools Ltd also charged a delivery fee on the invoice of $55, including GST, to deliver the swimming pools to ‘Splash Out The Back’. The invoice is due for payment on 5 December.
23 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ had a 24-hour sale, and sold 34 of the swimming pools via its online store, at $143 each (including GST). All of the customers paid by Paypal and the money was received in the business bank account by the end of the day.
25 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ was contacted by a primary school. The primary school wanted to purchase 10 of the inflatable swimming pools for their school water fun day. ‘Splash Out The Back’ agreed to sell 10 of the swimming pools to the primary school for $154 each (including GST). The sale was made on credit terms of 2/10, n/30.
27 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ received the money in the business bank account from the primary school that purchased swimming pools on 25 November. The amount received was the invoiced amount, less the sales discount.
30 Nov Mrs. Fisher accidentally damaged one of the swimming pools in the warehouse, and the swimming pool needs to be written off.
30 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ received an invoice from Telstra (for telephone and internet used by the business), with an amount payable of $88 (including GST). The due date for payment is 16 December.
30 Nov ‘Splash Out The Back’ received an invoice from Australia Post for postage costs re. delivering swimming pools to customers. Australia Post charges $9.90 postage per swimming pool delivered (including GST). The invoice is due for payment on 20 December.
Mr & Mrs. Fisher don’t have any experience keeping inventory and accounting records. They have come to you for assistance.

Required:
i. Prepare a business report*for ‘Splash Out The Back’ to help the owners understand the different inventory accounting systems (periodic and perpetual), and costing methods (specific unit cost; first-in-first-out (FIFO); last-in-first-out (LIFO); and average cost methods). In your report, also discuss any advantages and disadvantages of these different systems and methods. Given your knowledge of the business and your knowledge of the regulatory requirements that will apply to ‘Splash Out The Back’, include a recommendation on the inventory system and costing method/s that ‘Splash Out The Back’ should consider adopting. (Word guide: 1,000 words)

ii. Prepare Excel worksheets for the swimming pools for November using the perpetual inventory system and the FIFO, LIFO, and average-cost methods. In your spreadsheets, keep track of the number of swimming pools purchased, swimming pools sold, swimming pools on hand, cost of goods sold, and gross profit made.

iii. Now assume that ‘Splash Out The Back’ has adopted the perpetual inventory system and the FIFO costing method. Prepare journal entries (including any adjusting entries) for all of the business’s transactions for November. Include dates, references, and narrations. (4.5 marks)

iv. Prepare T-accounts in an Excel spreadsheet, and post all of the above journal entries
to the T-accounts. Include dates and references for each entry. Total all of the T accounts to determine their balances at the end of November 2019. (1 mark)

v. Prepare the ‘Adjusted Trial Balance’ in an Excel spreadsheet as at 30 November 2019. Use formulas to generate all of the figures in the ‘Adjusted Trial Balance’ from the balances in the T-Accounts. (1 mark)

vi. Prepare the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of changes in equity in Excel. Use formulas to generate all of the figures in the financial statement reports from the ‘Adjusted Trial Balance’.

vii. Assume that ‘Splash Out The Back’ has a year-end date of 30 November. Prepare the closing entries as at 30 November 2019. (1.5 marks)
Please also refer to the 'Requirements' section below for additional submission and spreadsheet requirements. *Note: a business report includes:
• a coverage addressed to your desired audience; • an executive summary(refer to the note below regarding an executive summary); • a table of contents (linked to the headings in the report); • headings and subheadings clearly identify what is being discussed; • conclusion, • recommendations; and • reference list (using APA style - either the 6th or 7th edition). Note: an Executive Summary is not an introduction. An Executive Summary should be an overview of the entire report, including recommendations, and no longer than one (1) page in length. This may be the only page read by busy managers.

The word count guide does not include your:
• cover page; • executive summary; • table of contents; • tables/calculations; and • reference list (in-text citations and reference list).