Process Design Matrix Summary Essay Example for Free

Process Design Matrix Summary Essay This summary entails three process design approaches for a service providing organization (Chaparral Suits Hotel Resort) and for a small manufacturing organization (Something Sweet Bakery). Although process design varies for service and manufacturing organizations, â€Å"process design is a critical function in any operation† (Service versus Manufacturing Process Design Video). The three process design approaches that I pulled from the matrix are; design focal point, scheduling, and quality. I will explain how the same three process design approaches apply to each of these organizations in diverse industries. Process Design Approaches in a Service Organization This portion of the summary will illustrate how the three selected process design approaches are implemented in a service providing organization like Chaparral Suits Hotel Resort. Design Focal Point The first process design approach is the design focal point. With regards to Chaparral Suits Hotel Resort the design focal point is devised to meet the customers needs. For example, about 60% of the Chaparral’s customers are seeking relaxation. The other 40% are seeking a convenient place to conduct business. Chaparral’s caters to both customer needs by choosing to have the hotel in a Resort location as well as near major freeways and large business organizations. Scheduling Scheduling in a service providing industry like Chaparral Suites Hotel   Resort is essential for optimal performance. For example, during the off-season there is a higher rate of vacant rooms creating a dilemma of having excess staff. To deal with this yearly occurrence management has scheduled most of the employees paid time off during the off-season. Also, Chaparral uses websites like Expedia and Travelocity to try to sell any rooms not spoken for during the offseason. Furthermore, cross training is provided so that employees and resources can be shifted to where the higher workload is. Quality In a service providing industry quality is at the top of the list. If the company provides poor quality service they will loose their customer base to the competition. Chaparral Suits Hotel Resorts manager Tracy Milward states that they look for, â€Å"people –people when ever they are trying to hire and train folks for this industry† (Service versus Manufacturing Process Design Video). Also, staff is required comply with key performing indicators to track employees’ service quality primarily used for reception and customer service personnel. Process Design Approaches in a Manufacturing Organization This portion of the summary will illustrate how the three selected process design approaches are implemented in a manufacturing organization like Something Sweet Bakery. Design Focal Point The first process design approach is the design focal point. With regards to Something Sweet Bakery the design focal point is devised to meet the end users needs. For example, employees at Something Sweet Bakery will only bake pastry’s that are in demand at the moment. In essence, different pastry’s will be baked in different seasons. With regard to the location’s design focal point Something Sweet Bakery chose to set up shop in an upscale shopping center in Scottsdale, Arizona because of the high volume pedestrian traffic. The bakery was designed so that when the customers enter the bakery the aroma of fresh, delicious pastry’s overtakes them. This strategy will stimulate sales generating increased revenue. Scheduling The scheduling process at Something Sweet Bakery is not that complicated being that this is a small manufacturing company. Since 70% of their business is made to order there is a mandatory minimal number of staff members that need to be in the bakery. During holiday season there is a demand spike and product volume increases substantially. In order to effectively stay on pace with the production schedule a â€Å"batch process is used to offset variations in demand† (Service versus Manufacturing Process Design Video). For example, a big batch of cookie doe will be made and froze, except for the portion that will be used that day. Another way the bakery schedules to meet demand is providing employees with overtime. Quality Quality is important in any industry, especially in a bakery. If customers don’t like the quality of your product they simply will go elsewhere. At Something Sweet Bakery quality is a more subjective process. Tina, the co-owner, and bakers personally taste everything before it is available to customers. This is how they check and maintain product quality. In Retrospect, although the two industries depicted in this summary perform two very different operations they are both striving to meet the same goals. In this case company size is not a significant factor when it comes to the application of process design approaches. In order to achieve and maintain success in Chaparral’s Suits Hotel Resort and Something Sweet Bakery it is imperative that they make wise decisions with regards to the three process design approaches stated in this summary. References University of Phoenix, Service versus Manufacturing Process Design Video

Harlem Renaissance Essay Example for Free

Harlem Renaissance Essay Claude McKay was Jamaican American who moved from Jamaica to the United States in 1912. He attended the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. This is where he received his first taste of racism here in America and this would have a drastic effect on his future writing. He left the Tuskegee Institute to attend school in Manhattan, Kansas. Mr. McKay then moved to New York invested in a restaurant and got married. The restaurant fell through and McKay moved back to Jamaica. He later became an editor of the Liberator and wrote some of his own poems during the time period known as the red summer. One of his poems he wrote in protest of the harsh times would later be used by Winston Churchill during World War II to motivate the soldiers. (Modern American Poetry, 2011) â€Å"If We Must Die†, written by Claude McKay during the summer of 1919, is a mantra for people to stand up against those who wish to keep them down or in Churchill’s case to kill them during battle(Sayre, 2012). He is saying even if they must die they should do it with dignity. They may only have the grave to come, but he does not wish them to just lie down even in the face of adversity. Claude McKay displays double consciousness from the time he comes to America. He is first an intelligent Jamaican man who has come here to America in search of an education. Here he was seen by the white Americans around him in Alabama as nothing more than just another â€Å"colored† man. Claude had to deal with both being â€Å"colored† or â€Å"Negro† and being an American. In his poem â€Å"If we must die† McKay shows the idea of double consciousness all the way through. He shows the pride of a dignified man who will not just sit back while anyone attempts to push down into the grave. His writing is not specific to one race or ethnicity, as proven when the British Prime Minister used it to motivate the British and American soldiers. (Sayre, 2012) Langston Hughes was a young poe t, writer, and musician during the Harlem renaissance period. According to Sayre (2012), Langston was like many African-Americans searching for a freedom they could not find in America moved to Paris. In France he was subjected to a music very similar to jazz and ragtime. Harlem was quickly becoming the Paris of America to African-Americans because they were free to be who they want to be and accepted by all those around. When Hughes moved backed to Harlem he became one of the most powerful voices for the African-Americans in Harlem due to his abilities, according to Sayre. His capability to speak to your emotion and to create a feeling empathy, as well as his use the local speech, grammar, and dialect made his works attractive to all. According to the Kansas Heritage Group (n.d.), Langston Hughes had only been in college a year before finding the allure of Harlem, where he met many other famous poets of the times. Langston Hughes wrote the poem â€Å"As I grew older† describing how he has a dream but because he is a â€Å"Black† man he has walls that rise up between himself and his dream. This is a perfect example of double consciousness, because like all Americans he has these dreams that are always growing within him. However because of his ethnicity he has walls that are placed in his path. He feels because he is black man he is being forced down into the shadows and blocked from his dreams. He also is persistent enough in the poem to not lie in the shadows and let the wall win. He breaks through the wall and pursues his dreams despites the efforts to block him. (Poemhunter.com, 2003) The poetry of the times brings out the views and emotions of the people who were writing it. These poems bring out the feelings desire to be free to chase their dreams that write about as well. There are many poems that display thoughts of death and dying. Some of the themes were being brought on by the war, while others are themes were brought on by the feelings of oppression and racism. The biggest theme of them all is the fact we are American, whether we are black or white, Jamaican, German, or French descent, we are American. In Langston Hughes poem â€Å"Theme for English B† he states he is black and â€Å"You are white- yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That’s American†. We are all American and we are all one. We all have similar desires not identical but similar in nature. We want to be free to be what and who we want to be without being held back by others who wish to hold us back in order to advance themselves. In his poem â€Å"As I grew older† he writes about oppression, â€Å"And then the wall rose, Rose slowly, Slowly, Between me and my dream†, The wall rising is the oppression brought about by the racism he faced here in America. Claude McKay in â€Å"If We Must Die† he writes a poem that can used to motivate a group of people as Churchill used to motivate the soldiers of WWI or to motivate the African-Americans here in America. He wants his people to have their honor even in death. â€Å"If we must die-oh, let us nobly die,† He wants to be seen with honor and dignity as he wishes for all his people. In the poem Christianity I write about beliefs and faith in a world where it seems to shun anyone who openly believes in Jesus Christ and his teachings. In today’s society Christians are often told they are cannot display their crosses in public spaces, because â€Å"we are pushing our beliefs on others†. This country was formed with the idea that people would have their freedoms. Freedoms that their previous government denied them, and one of the biggest freedoms they searched for was freedom to practice the religion of their choice. Christianity in its many forms was the biggest religion at the time of this country formation and you can see that in many ways even still today, however publically today there seems to be a push to hide all forms of religion. Christianity seems to be the religion that people wish to hide the most. This is why I chose to use this theme for my poem. Christianity Faith Belief in only one Love all – even my enemy They don’t want love They don’t want faith Truth Will Science ever agree Where is your evidence Is your truth, My truth Freedom Freedom to live Freedom to Love Freedom to believe Freedom to question Faith Who wants it Who needs it Why have it They certainly do not want it References Modern American Poetry (2011). Claude McKay. Retrieved from http://www.english.illinois. edu/maps/poets/m_r/mckay/mckay.htm PoemHunter.com (January, 2003) As I grew older by Langston Hughes. Retrieved from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/as-i-grew-older/ Sayre, H. M. (2012). The Humanities: Culture, continuity and change, Volume 2 (2nd ed.). (2011 Custom Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Kansas Heritage Group, (n.d.). Langston Hughes Biography. Retrieved from http://www. kansasheritage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html

Walt Whitman And Emily Dickinson Were Giants

Walt Whitman And Emily Dickinson Were Giants It is indisputable that both walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson were giants in the history of American literature owing their extraordinary accomplishments in poetry composing plenty of poems, focusing on a wide range of themes such as emergent America, its expansion, its individualism and its Americanness, and most importantly, creating the poems in refreshing ways that have broken the convention of the iambic pentameter and exerted great influences in the following generations. Meantime, significant differences also exist between the two poets. In terms of their backgrounds, themes focused and writing techniques and styles, the two masters presented their uniqueness respectively. Background Walt Whitman came from a working-class family with eight siblings and the family could hardly support his access to higher education. As a result, he had to start his experienced life at a very early age. At the age of eleven, after his five-years formal schooling, he started to work to earn income for his family. In a word Whitman did not receive much education and his study was almost on his own. After his first job, Whitman worked as an office boy, a printers apprentice, schoolmaster, printer, editor and journalist. Successively, he contact with different levels and various things therefore gained a thorough knowledge of life and the country, which laid a solid basis for his creation of poetry. Emily Dickenson, on the contrary, grew up in a rather prominent family of Amherst and was well educated. Being rooted in the puritanical Massachusetts of the 1800s, the Dickinson children were raised in the Christian tradition, and they were expected to take up their fathers religious beliefs and values without argument. Later in life, Emily would come to challenge these conventional religious viewpoints of her father and the church, and the challenges she met with would later contribute to the strength of her poetry. Moreover, unlike Whitman, she led a quite pure, to some degree, secluded life, withdrawing herself from society and diving into the study of the Bible, classical mythology, and Shakespeare, which enabled her to focus on her world more sharply and acquire a brand new understanding and vision for the simplest things in her daily life. Hence it is comprehensible why Whitman often demonstrated a national outlook in his poetry, showing his concerns on the common people and his country and Emily Dickinson, would dwell on comparatively narrow aspects, namely, the inner life of the individual. Theme Besides their different backgrounds, exposure to different influences and different personalities also led to their uniqueness in poetry creation. Possessing an optimistic mindset, Whitman often composed in a cheerful tone, singing for democracy and freedom and with great expectations and enthusiasm for new things and a new epoch. Dickinson, shy, sensitive, sometimes rebellious, however, would express herself in a tragic tone, creating a comparatively pessimistic atmosphere. Subject to various influences such as The Enlightenment and its ideals of the rights and dignity of the individual and Transcendentalism and its tenets of believing in living close to nature, teaching the dignity of manual labour, advocating self-trust, valuing individuality and self-reliance, Walt Whitman, poet of the common people and prophet and singer of democracy, would usually show a keen eye on man and nature. He extols the ideals of equality and democracy and celebrates the dignity, the self-reliant spirit and the joy of the common man. Songs of Myself, a highly representative poem from Leaves of Grass, Whitmans masterpiece, illustrates very well Whitmans thoughts. Titled as song of myself though, it is more a song of all the human beings, of any vivacious existence in the universe, not confined to the historic Walt Whitman only. By displaying various people, man and woman, whoever has a decent job such as being the president or not as being as prostitute, Whitman sincerely s ang praise for the equality and democracy among human beings; by beautifying the animals, for instance, the wild gander leading his flock through the cold night, Whitman showed his respect for animals and indicated the equality between human beings and animals, and his song of nature, to a large extent, the song of the whole universe. Distinct from the grandness of substantial issues like patriotism in Whitmans poems, Dickinsons poems appear more regional and individual, mainly dwelling on issues of the individual world. Natural phenomena, changes of seasons, heavenly bodies, animals, birds and insects, flowers of various kinds are often the subjects of her poetry; death, love, friendship, nature and immortality are the recurrent themes. For example, in This Is My Letter to the World, she implicitly expressed her loneliness and disappointment of not being recognised, yearning for someone to know her, fully understand her and recognise her. It is easy to find that most of Dickinsons poetry is more a natural flow of personal feeling and experience far from society, many of which partly resulted from her reclusive life and solitude and which can not be separated from the religious influences she received during childhood and adolescence. Calvinism with its doctrine of predestination and its pessimism pressured her an d colored her work so that her basic tone was tragic. Coupled with her frequent witnessing of deaths of many friends, especially the bereavement of her tutors, Benjamin Newton and Charles Wadsworth, the repressive dogma made death a main topic of Dickinsons poetry, confronting which Dickinson could still behave with poise and on which she could surprisingly exert profound pondering. For Dickinson, death leads to immortality; it is not to be feared but a natural part of the endless circle of nature. This is reflected in one of her poems, Because I could not stop for Death. In this poem, she imagined the time when she died: He kindly stopped for me, indicating that death was not terrible for her. We slowly drove He knew no haste, showing her peaceful and calm mindset towards death. Actually, in the first stanza, The Carriage held but just ourselves And immortality, has already told her attitude towards death; together with death, there came immortality. The comparison between the tran sience of mans life and the eternity of God in the last stanza also showed that she enjoyed the death. Just judging from the lengths of Whitmans and Dickinsons poems, we can already tell the difference of their styles. The most conspicuous differences between the two poets lie in their special techniques. The most distinctive characteristics of Whitmans poetry are the use of repetition, parallelism, rhetorical mannerisms, the adoption of the natural cadences of speech in poetry, and the employment of the phrases instead of the good as a unit of rhythm. Most notably, to comprehensively express himself, Whitman broke the conventional poetic form and extensively used free verse in his poems. Disobeying the iambic pentameter form, her tried to approximate the natural cadences of speech in his poetry, carefully varying the length of his lines according to his intended emphasis while ensuring every aspect of life was able to speak without restraint. In I Hear American singing, there are the paralleling singings of a multitude of people ranging from the carpenter, the mason, the boatman, the shoemaker, the wood-cutter, the plough boy, the mother to the young wife; in O Captain! My Captain!, there are the repetitions of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½O Captain! My Captain!à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½on the deck m y Captain liesà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Fallen cold and deadà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ which strongly suggest Whitmanà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s profound love for Lincoln and desperate sorrow for his death. Dickinson, however, was famous for her startling and original diction. Her poems, terse, simple and direct, marked with her style of no title, capitalised words, dashes to create cadence, images and symbols, establish her as one of Americaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s great lyric poets. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Her gemlike poems are short, fresh and original, marked by the vigor of her images, the daring of her thought and beauty of her expression.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Simple and even unusual as some of her words are, they are thought-provoking and of fundamental meanings. In Because I could not stop for Death, she personified death as a carriage-driver, compared the journey to death as travelling by carriage and compared à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½childrenà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½the Fields of Gazing Grainà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½the Setting Sunà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to childhood, adulthood and old age respectively, thus displaying her feelings towards death in a vivid and expressive way. Conclusion In conclusion, while Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson both commenced a new era in American literature, they varied from each other in diverse ways. Whitman was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works and is often called the father of free verse; whereas, Emily Dickinson, adept at employing images in her poetry, greatly influenced further Imagists such as Ezra Pound and Amy Lowell, and became, with Stephen Crane, the precursor of the Imagist movement. In the development of American literature, they both made indispensable contributions.

The Snow Leopard :: essays research papers

LSD Induced, Yeti, Euphoric Sojourn Drugs can clear away the past, enhance the present; toward the inner garden, they can only point the way. Lacking the temper of ascetic discipline, the drug vision remains a sort of dream that cannot be brought over into daily life. Old mists may be banished, that is true, but the alien chemical agent forms another mist maintaining the separation of the 'I' from the true experience of the One.1 This passage comes from The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen. In this passage Matthiessen describes what he has learned from the experiences he had with hallucinogenic drugs, such as ayahuasca, LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin. He is concerned mostly with the spiritual nature of such drugs, and reveals that while drugs are always harmful, they can provide a starting point for spiritual growth. Hallucinogens clear 'old mists';(47); they let you perceive yourself without any armour. They force you to stand naked and alone, without any defense to your own emotional states. You become very close to the oneness Matthiessen describes, 'Then I breathe, and the mountain breathes, setting the world in motion once again.';(198) Nevertheless this oneness is very hard to achieve in practice and harder still to maintain. Drugs always leave you short of the goal of oneness because the drugs themselves are an obstacle, a mist that will always stop you short of total oneness. Drugs will always hold you back because they are harmful, and while you are experiencing a drug trip you are doing nothing but experiencing a drug trip; the drugs can do nothing but induce that hallucinogenic state. Also you are unable to do anything other then experience that state. This is also a reason why drugs are able to 'point the way';(47) to spiritual unity, oneness. Drugs force you to live in the present, in the sense that you are totally consumed by the drug and are doing nothing except being high. This is another draw back of the drugged experience you cannot escape you must wait until the drug wears off before you can concentrate on anything else. You are one with the drug and its affects. If you are going to try and concern yourself with something other than the drug experience that you are involved in, you will become very nervous. An anxiety attack will start to creep over you, reminding you to concern yourself with only what is happening now.

Comparing Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bro

Comparing Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte In the novels Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, the theme of loss can be viewed as an umbrella that encompasses the absence of independence, society or community, love, and order in the lives of the two protagonists. They deal with their hardships in diverse ways. However, they both find ways to triumph over their losses and regain their independence. The women in both novels endure a loss of personal freedom, both mental, and physical. Jane Eyre, in her blind infatuation with Mr. Rochester, allows her emotions to enslave her. She realizes her obsession when she states, "My future husband was becoming to me my whole world; and more than the world: almost my hope of heaven. He stood between me and every thought of religion, as an eclipse intervenes between man and the broad sun. I could not, in those days, see God for his creature: of whom I had made an idol" (Bronte 241). By design, Rochester seduces Antoinette and deliberately makes her depend on him. Christophine, Antoinette’s servant, in a conversation with Rochester accusingly contends â€Å"you make love to her till she drunk with it, no rum could make her drunk like that, till she can’t do without it. It’s she can’t see the sun any more. Only you she see. But all you want is to break her up (Rhys 153). After becoming totally enslaved by her feeli ngs for him, Rochester adds insult to injury by physically abusing Antoinette. Her complete and total love for Mr. Rochester, who is passionless and devoid of any empathy, causes her to lose her mind. She realizes her mistake in marrying this cold, calculating man and vehemently states, â€Å"You see. That’s how you are. A stone. But it serves me right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rhys 148). Jane and Antoinette’s uninhibited desire to please those whom they love becomes detrimental to their peace of mind. Jane does everything she can to please St. John, her cousin, which ends with her completely paying no heed to her own thoughts and feelings. She realizes her dependence on his opinion, declaring â€Å"As for me, I daily wished more to please him: but to do so, I felt daily more and more that I must disown half of my nature, stifle half my faculties, wrest my tastes from their original bent, force myself to the adoption of pursuits for which I had no natural vocation. He wanted to train m... ...'I scorn your idea of love,' I could not help saying, as I rose up and stood before him, leaning my back against the rock. 'I scorn the counterfeit sentiment you offer: yes, St. John, and I scorn you when you offer it'" (Bronte 359). Jane similarly leaves Rochester when she finds out about his deceit. When Antoinette realizes Rochester does not love her, she scorns him, saying â€Å"my mother whom you all talk about, what justice did she have? My mother sitting in the rocking chair speaking about dead horses and dead grooms and a black devil kissing her sad mouth. Like you kissed mine† (Rhys 147). Although the two women are fundamentally different people, they face many similar challenges throughout their lives. Jane and Antoinette respond to each type of loss they experience differently, and these choices ultimately demonstrate Jane’s inner strength and Antoinette’s inherent vulnerability, resulting in two very different endings, one happy and the other tragic. Work Cited Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. Ed. Angela Smith. London: Penguin, 1997. Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. London, Penguin Books Ltd.: 1996. (Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Michael Mason).

The Complex Character of Shakespeares Hamlet :: Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

The Complex Character of Shakespeare's Hamlet Upon examining Shakespeare's characters in this play, Hamlet proves to be a very complex character, and functions as the key element to the development of the play. Throughout the play we see the many different aspects of Hamlet's personality by observing his actions and responses to certain situations. Hamlet takes on the role of a strong character, but through his internal weaknesses we witness his destruction. In the opening of the play, Hamlet is confronted by the ghost of his father and told to revenge his "foul and most unnatural murder". Later on, however, Hamlet begins to doubt the ghost. He then thinks up the Murder of Gonzago to verify the truthfulness of the ghost and also to allow himself more time. After learning the truth, Hamlet still continues to procrastinate the killing of Claudius. Although Hamlet is full of purpose, he lacks the ability to carry out his intentions, and thus allows his character flaw to eventually destroy him. Another characteristic that acts against Hamlet is his excessive melancholiness. Hamlet experiences rejection from his true love, anger from the murder of his father, betrayal from his friends and family, and fear from what lies ahead. These feelings of pain and sorrow are embedded deep inside Hamlet, and eat at him like a terrible disease. Unfortunately, by the end of the play Hamlet has stopped fighting this disease and leaves his future up to fate. As he begins his duel with Laertes he says: "the readiness is all", meaning that fate will decide the future and if it means death he will accept it. In connection to Hamlet's indecisiveness and melancholiness, one has to question his sanity. At the beginning of the play Hamlet seems logical and quick, but this soon fades after Hamlet has his first visitation with the ghost of his father. Hamlet then doubts himself and starts to believe that his eyes have deceived him.

Mental Models Essay

Mental models are how the mind stores memories and ideas relating to reality. These include opinions, attitudes, prejudices, and approaches to different objects, events, and situations. The manner in which one’s mental models work can limit one’s ability to succeed or improve his or her environment. Sometimes managers’ mental models limit a business because they choose to ignore certain factors. Sometimes people only see what they desire to perceive or deliberately ignore pertinent data (Crook & Wind, 2006). For large, vast, and fast-paced companies like Verizon Wireless, mental models and mindsets, especially in management, do more than shape the company culture; they drive the company to success or failure. The company’s rapid growth and enormous shares of the wireless communications market are evidence of beneficial mental models and positive mindsets, but there are a few weaknesses. Mental Models that Enable Verizon Wireless’ Decision Making Pro cess Verizon Wireless employs several strategies survive and maintain a competitive advantage over its competitors. One of the company’s most influential mental models is that scrutinizing data to gain insights into the most potentially successful business models is key to thriving in a competitive market. Verizon Wireless collects information about various wireless providers, individual clients, and client businesses to glean important insights. This mental model helps the company envision many important improvements, like programs to help grow small businesses into corporate enterprises and where to put the next set of communication towers (Verizon Wireless, 2013). This mental model helps Verizon Wireless to attract customers and maintain its client base (Bouncken & Sungspoo, 2002). Mental models are important in the understanding of various aspects of topics. Verizon wireless uses mental models to strategize and process, hence their success in business. Verizon Wirelessâ⠂¬â„¢ Mental Model of Employment One of the strategies that Verizon Wireless uses is a mental model of attractive employment conditions in the company, as a key to success. The belief is that happy employees help keep customers happy (Dean, 2013). For instance, the company provides support for working mothers and supports them in their endeavors to advance their careers, with offerings like tuition assistance. The mental model emphasizes positive inter-office interrelations, thus building trust within the workplace. Verizon Wireless is listed as one of the best companies for workers to seek employment because of this strong model of positive interrelations with its employees, flexible working schedules, and incentives for employees to further their careers (â€Å"Working Mothers names Verizon Wireless among 100 best firms,† 2008). By appreciating and encouraging individual interests within the company, Verizon Wireless builds a collective mental model of every worker’s success is a company achievement and, vice-versa, the company’s success contributes to the success of every individual (Computerworld, 2011). Mental Models Adopted From Mergers Verizon wireless is regularly involved in mergers with other companies within the communications industry. The mental model that drives this desire to purchase other successful enterprises is a vision of a company that grows ever-stronger by combining the best characteristics of each company into a better Verizon Wireless. In fact, the company started from the merger of two former Bell spin-offs, Bell Atlantic and GTE, along with a British company, Vodafone, deciding to merge Vodafone Wireless and GTE Wireless into a separate entity. The profitability and market leverage provided through the merger made Verizon Wireless a formidable contender, from its very beginning (Verizon Communications, 2013). Later, the company merged with Alltel Wireless to form the nation’s largest and strongest wireless communications provider (Verizon Wireless, 2009). Future mergers with established companies in foreign markets are likely to replicate the company’s successful â€Å"bigger is better† philosophy (FierceBroadbandWireless, 2012). The role of mental models is to aid in reasoning and problem solving, within the organization. Mental models provide imagery that aids in constructing and interpreting of issues (Rickheit, 1999). Mental models are how people’s minds represent reality and guide people’s decision-making processes, along with logical reasoning. The ideals and vision that Verizon Wireless embraces, in terms of latest technology as well merging with others, shapes strategy formulation and implementation. Mental Models that Disable Verizon Wireless’ Decision Making Process Every wireless phone company provides mental models and mindsets that disable the organization’s decision-making progress. One common mindset that hinders wireless providers and angers customers is the notion that a company must put attracting new customers before keeping current subscribers happy. Negative side effects of this mindset include reductions in renewal perks and adding charges without prior notification, as well as the addition of a $30 upgrade fee for each time the client switches to a new device. Already disgruntled customers are further enraged, when they call the customer service lines and discover the company’s unwillingness to compromise over fees and price hikes. Such a negative mindset encourages customers to look elsewhere for service; and, those whom terminate their business with Verizon Wireless are customers that the company must replace by enticing a new client with benefits and discounts. Furthermore, angry customers are not shy to tell their friends and acquaintances about their terrible experiences with Verizon Wireless, thus scaring off potential customers (Delsoft, 2012). Based upon revenues, Verizon Wireless is the most profitable wireless communications carrier in the United States, and poised to be the most profitable in the world. The company provides high-quality service and works endlessly to expand and improve upon its infrastructure. The model is very successful and creates the mindset that an ever-improving network is the only way to succeed. The limitation this mental model poses is that the company does not use the advantages of economies of scale to pass savings onto customers. Most customers would be happier to know that their bills were reduced than to know th at their phones will receive full 3G service on nearly every square foot of the North American continent. Five Forces Influencing Mental Models at Verizon Wireless Similar to other wireless companies, Verizon has five forces to conduct success against its competitors. The five forces illustrate a representation of the five powers to rise in a low economic environment. These forces, also known as Michael Porter’s Five Forces Analysis, consist of buyer power, supplier power, threat of substitute product and services, threats of new entrants, and finally, rivalry of existing competitors such as T-Mobile, AT&T, etc. Following Michael Porter’s analysis may give the company big accomplishment, there is also other forces that impose limitations to the decision-making process. Imposed forces obligate a company to switch gages from success to immediate failure, such as the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) services. A CRM service is a strategy that reduces any negative interactions that the customers pertain. Exploiting is a major discomfort for Verizon Wireless. Verizon Wireless does not like to bring undependable service upon its customers. One of the five forces that impose limitation to administrative decision process is threats of entrants. Threats of new entrants become an imposition because it conveys hard places to expand access of new entrants, creating threat of competition of which wireless company is highe r quality. Creative Intelligence at Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless has become the leading cellular provider by creating a leadership team that allows integration within the company’s decision making process. Verizon Wireless recognizes that not all good ideas will be created within the company or marketed successfully internally. In the business community, network- related issues such as call quality and performance reliability, particularly among small and midsize companies, are important elements that impact the daily decision-making process. Verizon Wireless adapted a strategy known as crowd sourcing. Crowd sourcing became the decision making process for everything from product development to engaging customers in marketing decisions. As crowd sourcing succeeds and grows in popularity, innovators and businesses are taking more provocative and bold steps to drive innovation. The company’s most creative development for decisions is its open innovation strategy. According to Nine Sigma (2013), open Innovation, also kno wn as external or networked innovation, is focused on uncovering new ideas, reducing risk, increasing speed and leveraging scarce resources. With a better understanding of collaboration, a company is able to lower risk by combining external capabilities with internal innovation resources. Verizon Wireless created a program to collaborate with entrepreneurs and established companies. Through open innovation, Verizon Wireless will be able to form partnerships and generate the creative ideas that will keep them competitive in the future. Conclusion Mental models manipulate the mind to have imagery on several issues. Knowledge is crucial in creating a mental model in a business. When the mental model is one that promotes interrelations such as new ideas through support of advancement and education, new ideas then emerge that enable a company such as Verizon wireless to thrive. The management implements the ideas as the new ideas of the mental picture resonates with their personal goal. Thus, the importance of mental models in Verizon wireless decision making processes as it facilitates fast reasoning towards shared goals. References AT&T. (2013). Investor relations. Retrieved from http://www.att.com Bouncken, R. B., & Sungspoo, P. (2002). Knowledge management in hospitality and tourism. Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Hospitality Press. Computerworld. (2011). 100 best places to work in it 2012: Employer profile NO. 6: Verizon Wireless. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/ Consumerist.com. (2007, October 15). Verizon’s Plan to Share Your Call Data Generates Blog Scrutiny. Consumerist. Retrieved from http://consumerist.com Crook C., Wind J., (2006, March 1). Changing Mental Models in an uncontrollable world. Retrieved from The Financial Times 2012 Dean, J. (2013, April 29). 10 of the Happiest Big Companies to work for. Career Alley. Retrieved from http://www.careeralley.com Delsoft. (2012, October 3). Why does Verizon not value loyal long term customers? Verizon Wireless Services. Retrieved from https://community.verizonwireless.com FierceBroadbandWireless. (2012). Global LTE: Verizon dominates today, but which operators will lead in 2016? Retrieved from http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com