The New Jim Crow And The Article On The Myth Os Mass...

After reading both The New Jim Crow and the article on the myth os mass incarceration, I was surprised to see how different they really were. The book is suggesting that mass incarceration is in fact the new Jim Crow, while the very title of the article infers that mass incarceration is a â€Å"myth† and is something that is not actually happening. That being said, I believe there are many ways in which Michelle Alexander would respond to this article in order to defend the topic of mass incarceration, and the fact that it is African-Americans in particular who are suffering from these disparities. To begin, I would like to point out a statement at the very beginning of the article regarding the myth of mass incarceration: â€Å"Violent crime, not drugs, has driven imprisonment. And drug offenses usually are for dealing, not using† (Latzer). While this may be what the statistics show, I believe that Alexander would argue that this does not necessarily disprove that mass incarceration is not an issue in the United States. I think she would show that the is sue of mass incarceration is not explicitly based upon the drug war alone. She would probably argue something along the lines of ‘who was actually being accused of, and charged for, these violent crimes?’. She would probably conclude that it would, more often than not, be people from the colored populations who are being placed in prison for these violent crimes, at least far more frequently than those from the white

The Epic Of Homer s The Iliad - 1297 Words

Over 2,000 years ago the story of the Trojan War and the heroic Achilles came to be. This was portrayed in the writing of Homer’s The Iliad. Fast-forward to 2004, the age of media, where the epic adventure war film Troy was released, starring none other than Brad Pitt as Achilles; so dreamy. Despite the fact these works of art were executed in different cultures thousands of years apart, as well as in different mediums, their characters greatly contrast each other. On the other hand, these different genres are comparable in the fact that Troy follows many of the important plot concepts as The Iliad. The filming techniques and acting used in movies really makes or breaks the production. In Troy the director uses panning in and close ups to really show deep thought and emotion, I think this is done too much which then makes the acting seem cheesy. In cases like when Odysseus is speaking to Achilles and tells him the war is important and those that fight will never be forgotten. If there is any tension in a conversation, the camera immediately zooms in for a close up of the person who is speaking. We understand the importance of what is being said without being forced to stare at someone’s face for the entirety of the conversation. Since the actor’s cameos are not as impressive as I’d like, it is somewhat made up in the epic battle scenes. You can tell that the pressure was felt to produce epic battle scenes given that the movie was based on one the greatest battles of allShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Homer s Epic Of The Iliad And Odyssey903 Words   |  4 PagesWith this personal narrative, I will analyze two themes from Homer’s epic’s pertaining to the Iliad and the Odyssey. I have chosen hospitality (Xenia) and shame (Aidos) as the subject of interest, and will focus on these as a main source of the topic. Xenia is the ancient Greek word for â€Å"hospitality†, which is the consideration and kindness shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing xenia upon them. The rituals of hospitality created and conveyed a reciprocalRead MoreHomer s Epic Poems, The Iliad And The Odyssey1254 Words   |  6 Pagesknown about the Greek Poet Homer. Actually, there are many who believe that no such ‘Homer’ ever even existed in Ancient Greece. Nonetheless, it is agreed that Homer is one of the first writers that have shaped our culture immensely. Homer gives us a look into what morals the Greeks followed and what their beliefs were. Homer shows us how the Greeks put these beliefs into action by presenting multiple struggles that our characters must go through. Homer’s epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, are thousandsRead MoreTroy By Wolfgang Petersen And Homer s Historic Epic Iliad1828 Words   |  8 PagesThe 2004 film Troy by Wolfgang Pe tersen and Homer’s historic epic Iliad both center on the Trojan War between the Achaeans and the Trojans, but with two distinct differences in coverage. During Homer’s era, these heroes, the great Achilles and Hector, were known to all, but in modern times they are not as prevalent and thus both artists needed to adapt their approach to this tale. Homer’s Iliad delves into the ninth year of strife with Achilles and Agamemnon‘s quarrel in full effect and the GreeksRead MoreThe Epic Of The Iliad1019 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the epic of the Iliad, there are a multitude of moral lessons. It is a story of war, loss, love, and forgiveness. The main character, Achilles, faces many difficult decisions where he is faced with discerning what is right and what is wrong. This is the focus of the epic in whole, but there is a definite emphasis on morality in Book 24. In this book, not only does Achilles face this struggle, but Priam as well. The vision of mora lity that emerges from the Iliad is understanding the importanceRead MoreWomen in the Illiad and the Odyssey1331 Words   |  6 PagesSarah Kirkus ENG 2423 8A March 21, 2013 Roles of Women in The Iliad and The Odyssey Homer wrote two epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey. The Iliad is a tragedy that tells about the battles of the Trojan War. The Odyssey is somewhat of a sequel, the story of Odysseus s travels home after the Trojan War. An article found in â€Å"The American Scholar† states, â€Å" One might begin by asking what both epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, would be like if there were no women in them. The Trojan warRead MoreGreek Epics873 Words   |  4 PagesGreek Epics There are some challenges in each history period, and authors will create some heroes in their epics that reflect values of the culture at the time. By studying the hero’s actions and his motivations, it tells the society conditions and the civilization of that history period. Homer; the authors of The Iliad and The Odyssey; and Vergil; the authors of The Aeneid are two of the greatest writers in ancient western civilization. There are heroes in these three literatures to reflectRead MoreThe Iliad And The Odyssey1498 Words   |  6 PagesAn Influential Poem The Iliad is a poem that provides important stories with insight into early human society. It was an ancient story written centuries ago about two civilizations that battled against each other. â€Å"The Iliad tells the story of the clash of two great civilizations, and the effects of war on both the winners and losers† (Homer 222). In addition to its influence on Greek poetry, the Iliad is a great Homeric epic that has long helped shape critical schools of thought. It is notRead MoreComparing The Iliad And The Aeneid1517 Words   |  7 PagesHomer once said, â€Å"Two urns on Jove s high throne have ever stood, the source of evil one, and one of good; from thence the cup of mortal man he fills, blessings to these, to those distributes ills; to most he mingles both. What the great philosopher is establishing is that the source of good and evil are the same while being different. Reminiscent of how The Iliad and the Aeneid are both epic poems that share similarities such as the setting, the reoccurring motif of gods, as well as aspects likeRead MoreComparing The Iliad And The Odyssey905 Words   |  4 PagesThis short essay will identify five traditional epic characteristics that are evident in both the Iliad and the Odyssey. The first epic characteristic evident in both epics is catalogs and genealogies. For instance, Book VIII of the Odyssey features a list of participants in the game (115-125) and the Iliad Book II features a catalog of ships (484-759). Secondly, both epics start in media res. The Odyssey starts ten years after the Trojan War and the Illiad starts nine years after the start of theRead MoreThe Iliad Or The Poem Of Force1472 Words   |  6 PagesIn her essay, The Iliad or The Poem of Force, Simone Weil argues, â€Å"The true hero, the true subject matter, the center of the Iliad, is force,† (152). â€Å"Force† is defined as, â€Å"that x that turns anybody who is subjected to it/ into a thing,† (153). Weil perceives force as an active entity that is capable of profound, negative, influences on the lives it touches (153). For a hero, force replaces his rational sensibilities by an uncontrollable urge to slaughter his opponent in an animalistic fashion,

Principles of Financial Reporting Budget

Question: Discuss about thePrinciples of Financial Reporting`for Budget. Answer: Brief Overview: Budget can be termed as a tool, which assists, in accurate forecasting. To perform the forecast several elements such as unconstrained demand, stay patterns and booking pace are taken into the considerations. While preparing a budget one should be realistic in their approach along with the time to set new goals with improved target. In order to answer various elements of budgeting several aspects such line of visibility, marketing and sales resources should be developed on regular basis to meet the daily business needs. In the following report of Grand City Hotel the analysis of the financial statement along with budget can therefore be created in terms of room nights and revenue. The budget is usually forecasted through annual forecasting of its accounting items. Such analysis of the financial statement helps in understanding the business demand and leisure demand of Grand City Hotel. The analysis enables Grand City Hotel to sell the rooms for the upcoming months to maintain its cor porate accounts. Financial Analysis: The current forecasting undertaken for the Grand City Hotel will reflect the anticipated situation of the hotel in long run. Forecast will be compared to the budget along with the new rate and selling strategies which is applied depending upon the revenue maximisation. Beside the analysis of the financials statement Grand City Hotel also implements the budgetary method to determine the annual growth with projected rate and the changes being represented in the yearly revenues (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2013). The financial statement made is helpful in determining the budgetary forecast for the same in the next financial year. Grand City Hotel revenue for the financial year of 2015 amounted to $542,186 reflecting an increase of $72,795 for the degree of turnover registered during the financial year of 2014. The increase of 16% in revenue is mainly due to the higher occupancies higher amount of room rate averages achieved from the hotel premises. According to the financial statement it can b e understood that the average increase in room occupancies and average rate of room during the year 2015 in central Asia was 13.7% and 25.1% respectively reflecting an increase in the revenue generated from the available per room is 35.4%. From the financial report it can be understood that the continued positive performance of Grand City Hotel mitigated the impact of the hotel industry recession and thereby it is limiting the overall shortfalls in turnover of the hotel as a whole (Horngren et al. 2012). Commenting on the salaries and wages it reflects that number of cost saving measures were implemented during the financial year of 2014, which was aimed to reduce the operating cost and keeping other expenses in control. The valuation of Grand City Hotel rooms is mostly based on the positive results achieved during the year 2014. The ultimate effect of such adjustment was the net revaluation of the room revenues generated from its various segments such as corporate rooms, conference rooms, government rooms, leisure and walk in rooms. Thus, the final revenues generated stood $768,955 as compared to the previous year of $647,125 with an increase of 19% from the previous year. Revenue Management of Grand City Hotel: From the revenue management A demand calendar is the primary step in financial analysis and it also helps in making informed decision based on the prices of the rooms on the solid data and statistics (Chen, Lin and Zhou 2013). Therefore, such strategies is understood as the tool for building annual revenue road map for effective revenue management strategy. A budgetary statement illustrates the yearly demand pattern by matching them with the future events. Grand City Hotel from the budgetary statement helps to evaluate the revenue from the each of its facilities and amenities provided by undertaking the demand considerations and exceptions. An exception also applies concerning the behaviour of Grand City Hotel one segment, which is not normal, which is walking government bookings than on usual days or much less is the walk-in bookings than the usual leisure bookings. To further provide an in depth into such bookings is the number of rooms sold during the budgeted year from the actual number of rooms originally sold by Grand City Hotel. The budgeted walk-in bookings for the financial year of 2014 was 560 whereas, only 150 walk-in rooms were actually sold. On the other hand, the budgeted government booking for the financial year of 2014 was 300 and the actual amount of room sold was higher than the budgeted amount. In addition to this, in the following year 2015 the budgeted amount for government rooms was 760 however, the actual rooms sold were only 465. This represents a fall in demand for government rooms and such fluctuations should ideally be recorded in the demand calendar to understand the behaviour of such segments. During the financial year of 2015 Grand City Hotel reported an increase in the revenue by 19% with equivalent of $769,855. An increase in revenue is principally due to the enhanced marketing with the increase in the conference and events business leading to higher yielding of room sales through its advertisement channel (Crivelli and Staal 2013). For the second year in a row Grand City Hotel continued to implement the strategy of enhancing the low yielding of room bookings generated through walk-in and leisure rooms. Analysis of Expenditure: The other aspects of the financial statement focus on the number of rooms sold for conference purpose. From the budgeted report it is understood that the during the year 2014 the budgeted number of room bookings for conference was 295 and the total number of actual rooms sold was 295 rooms. On the other hand, in the following year 2015 the budgeted number of bookings for conference was 2777 however, 2930 number of rooms were actually sold. This represents constrained demand of rooms from the projected demand for a particular date irrespective of the hotel capacity. It is worth mentioning that Grand City Hotel should specify the unconstrained demand, which is an important part of the revenue management strategy. The unconstrained demand will assist the Grand City Hotel in evaluating the value of the last room for certain particular dates along with the possibility of length of stay of guest (Titman, Keown and Martin, 2015). Once the peak periods are identified, Grand City Hotel may st art to regret the low paying business. Financial data obtained will help in computation of potential unconstrained demand. During the financial year of 2011, expenses amounting to sum paid for wages and salaries incurred by Grand City Hotel for front office which consists of the cost for manager, Duty Managers, Receptionist, Night auditors. On the other hand, Grand City Hotel also incurs the cost for housing keeping which consists of the supervisor, room attendants and other cost occurred for super work cover. Analysis of Salaries and Wages: The total amount of wages and salaries actually incurred for the financial year 2014 stood 110,460 whereas the budgeted amount was $123,964. Results derived from the Grand City Hotel operations during the financial year of 2014 have generally been positive. On the other hand, the revenue for the financial year of 2015 also reflects increase of 72,795 from 542,186 to 469,392. The main factors which is responsible for the increase in revenue from the previous year is the significant amount of improvements made by the hotel through its hospitality services (Sato and Hirao 2013). An improvement in the economic conditions has also significantly contributed to hospitality market with an increase in the consumer spending. In the financial year of 2016 the actual amount of room revenue generated were 10,01,250 with improved gross profit of 42%. It is noteworthy to denote that the operational cost increased proportionately with more growth in revenue and the gross profit was relatively higher from the previous financial year of 2015. The overall earnings of Grand City Hotel for the financial year of 2016 increased by $2,32,295 which also benefited the hotel in the initial year. During the year 2016, the comprehensive budgeted statement amounted a positive balance of $10,01,250. The uplift was due to the offset of expenses incurred on wages and salaries in the valuation of hotel rooms mainly due to the higher demand (Brigham and Houston 2012). The increase in revenue has resulted from the oversupply of hotel rooms in the respective consumer market and the average room rate for the respective elements is associated with the economic situation and associated risks. In addition to this, there has been a positive uplift of the value of Grand City Hotel properties with the total revenue of 7,71,183 for the financial year of 2016. However, this positive performance was more than the offset of substantial charges of finance cost. The operating results has been the outcome of the financial statement as the profit residue from the investment made is the uplift in the value of hotel rooms amounting to $768,955 and $10,01,250 for financial year of 2015 and 2016 respectively. The turnover of the hotel is anticipated to grow by 10% for the financial year 2014 and 12% for the year 2015 (Weil, Schipper and Francis 2013). Although the positive forecasted amount is for the financial year of 2016 is short by 7% of the anticipated revenue achieve by the hotel. Grand City Hotel is anticipated to continue with the process of occupancy in increasing the occupancy furthermore the revenue is projected to increase to 10,860,95 to continue with the occupancy for achieving the desired operational result. As a result of revenues for the financial year of 2015 and 2016 are estimated at 657,591 and 826,239 respectively and the gross operating profit before salaries and wages amounted to $7,68,955 and $10,01,250 respectively. The projections which is presented in the budgeted statement in the current document assumes that the total room revenue will reflect an upward trend. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that no such adjustment has been made on the possible impairment or uplift of the rooms that may be sold which will materially create an impact on the consolidated income statement (Titman, Keown and Martin 2015). Beside the hotel fixed cost in the salaries and wages cost of utilities and depreciation are the major items, which have effected on the cost and low profit margin. For three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016 the hotel has made enormous growth and this is largely due to the ample of liquidity and low profit margin. From the financial statement it is highlighted that the total room revenue and the total cost expenses with the cost of salaries and wages of the financial statement of Grand City Hotel from the financial year of 2014 to 2016 recorded the total revenue of rooms includes $6,47,125 , $7,68,955 and $10,01,250 respectively. However, the salaries and wages amounted 110,460 from the budgeted amount of $123,964, which accounted 17% of the total revenue. The other expenses of the hotel for the year ended 2014 accounted for 10% of the total revenue (Fabozzi and Peterson 2013). The salaries and wages concerning the front office for the year 2015 is $135,228 where as for the following year 2016 was $1,47,042. It should be noted that the projected expenses was 1,28,596 for the year 2015 whereas 1,55,814 for 2015 however there total salaries and wages was higher than that of the budgeted amount. Conclusion: To conclude with the management of the hotel has achieved the desired level of operations to manage the efficiency of the hotel based on the above stated analysis. It is the conclusive evident that high amount of liquidity and its higher profitability margin has been the major factor for success. There are however, issues with the lower occupancies of the rooms sold for the walk-in purpose and liquidity purpose due to low turnover probable guest. The analysis also takes into the consideration the operational management cost incurred from the activities from the cleaning expenses, guest amenities, supplies for guest etc. From the analysis of the financial statement, it is evident that Grand City Hotel for the three consecutive years have managed to preserve the trend of gaining heights thorough improved performance and higher incidence of profit margin. Reference List: Arnold, G., 2014.Corporate financial management. Pearson Higher Ed. Brigham, E.F. and Ehrhardt, M.C., 2013.Financial management: Theory practice. Cengage Learning. Chen, X., Lin, Q. and Zhou, D., 2013. Optimistic Knowledge Gradient Policy for Optimal Budget Allocation in Crowdsourcing. InICML (3)(pp. 64-72). Crivelli, E. and Staal, K., 2013. Size, spillovers and soft budget constraints.International Tax and Public Finance,20(2), pp.338-356. Deegan, C., 2013.Financial accounting theory. McGraw-Hill Education Australia. Fabozzi, F.J. and Peterson, P.P., 2013.Analysis of Financial Statements. Wiley. Fernandez-Tapia, J., 2015. Rigorous budget allocation for programmatic ad-buying. Henderson, S., Peirson, G., Herbohn, K. and Howieson, B., 2015.Issues in financial accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Horngren, C., Harrison, W., Oliver, S., Best, P., Fraser, D. and Tan, R., 2012.Financial Accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Otto, A., Otto, F.E., Boucher, O., Church, J., Hegerl, G., Forster, P.M., Gillett, N.P., Gregory, J., Johnson, G.C., Knutti, R. and Lewis, N., 2013. Energy budget constraints on climate response.Nature Geoscience,6(6), pp.415-416. Pratt, J., 2013.Financial accounting in an economic context. Wiley Global Education. Royset, J.O. and Szechtman, R., 2013. Optimal budget allocation for sample average approximation.Operations Research,61(3), pp.762-776. Sato, T. and Hirao, M., 2013. Optimum budget allocation method for projects with critical risks.International Journal of project management,31(1), pp.126-135. Titman, S., Keown, A.J. and Martin, J.D., 2015.Financial management: Principles and applications. Pearson. Tran-Thanh, L., Huynh, T.D., Rosenfeld, A., Ramchurn, S.D. and Jennings, N.R., 2015. Crowdsourcing complex workflows under budget constraints. Weil, R.L., Schipper, K. and Francis, J., 2013.Financial accounting: an introduction to concepts, methods and uses. Cengage Learning.

Saudi Aramco Organisational Innovation

Abstract This paper intends to look into the issue of innovation at Saudi Aramco. Progress is not merely based on the kind systems adopted by an organization. As for the case of Aramco, knowledge infrastructure has been understood to consist of technology, culture and structures. The importance of knowledge management in the organisation also needs to be backed by process architectures.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Saudi Aramco Organisational Innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such architectures should be able to facilitate acquisition, conversion and application of important organisational capabilities for the effective handling of the knowledge. Protection of the knowledge is another essential feature of these architectures. The main aim of intellectual capital and knowledge management need to be made clear through innovation in the organisation. Overview and Objective of Case Study Implementat ion of knowledge management systems, as well as utilisation of intellectual capital in organisations does not indicate performance or progress on their own. Knowledge infrastructure in Aramco, for instance, has been indicated to consist of technology, culture and structures. The usefulness of knowledge management in the organisation should also be backed by process architectures. The architectures should facilitate acquisition, conversion and application of important organisational capabilities for the effective management of the knowledge. Protection of the knowledge is another essential feature of these architectures. The ultimate results of intellectual capital and knowledge management should be made apparent through organisational innovation. The following study explores Saudi Aramco organisational innovation. The Concept of Organisational Innovation In the modern world, all business have to be aware of the term innovation and how they can apply it in their operations. According to Abdi and AmatSenin (2014), innovation entails creativity. Innovation involves taking action with regard to creative ideas. The successful execution of creative ideas within any particular organisation results to innovation (Dadfara, Dahlgaarda, Bregea Alamirhoor, 2013). The definitions reveal that creativity, whether by teams or individuals constitutes the initial point of innovation. One of the viewpoints manifests creativity as the first essential step to innovation while the second advocates for implementation. Although the first viewpoint is essential, the condition is not efficient for the latter.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Dadfara et al. (2013), innovation is fundamentally a management or organisational process. Under the diverse viewpoints, creativity is viewed as the foundation of innovation. The successful execution of creative ideas in a ny organisation is hence innovation. The viewpoints also reveal that although creativity can be exhibited by an individual, innovation, on the other hand, occurs under the context of an organisation only. The concept of organisational innovation generally means mechanisms employed by organisations in order to adapt to various conditions (Doroodian, et al., 2014). The changes can include competition and technological advancements. Organisations also seek to adapt to market expansion through newer systems, techniques and products. Consequently, organisational innovation is, â€Å"the tendency of the organization to develop new or improved products/services and its success in bringing those products/services to the market† (Gumusluoglu Ilsev, 2009, p.467). Usefulness is the inherent feature in innovation. It distinguishes innovation from invention as the latter does not necessarily have to exhibit practical application. In business organisations such as Saudi Aramco, the primar y desire is for innovations to make a contribution towards performance. Saudi Aramco’s Background and Focus of the Study Khursani, Bazuhair and Khan (2011) have indicated in their case study of Saudi Aramco that the company intellectual property and knowledge management systems are very extensive. One of the major reasons for the company investing in these systems is in order to develop the capabilities of the firm, chief among them being innovation. Company knowledge management systems such as ShareK, among others, have a great capability of driving the organisational innovation.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Saudi Aramco Organisational Innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Business organisations operating locally in Saudi Arabia or internationally have realised that the global environment presents them with challenging competition. The inclination towards competitiveness has resulted in the identification of innovation as being very crucial to profitability and survival in the information age. Saudi Aramco as one of these organisations has to ensure that innovation in not only a dynamic process but also iterative. The organisational innovation process should facilitate creation and identification of ideas, as well as their development. The outcome should be applied in the provision of services, processes, products, policies and structures that are new to the company. According to Khursani, Bazuhair and Khan (2011), ShareK utilised in Saudi Aramco has three major objectives. The initial purpose involved promoting partnership, to help improve abilitiy. The objective apparently seeks to have reduction concerning redundancy in efforts. Essentially, Saudi Aramco boasts of numerous technologies, databases and solutions which are linked through ShareK. Another objective entails harvesting of knowledge from the system, in order to extend the technology and tools used in the c ompany (Khursani, Bazuhair Khan, 2011). The overall desired outcome of ShareK is, however, increasing Saudi Aramco’s intellectual capital and performance improvement leading to operational excellence. Despite the developments, it is apparent that Saudi Aramco intellectual capital and knowledge management have concentrated on employees’ and talent development. Consequently, the organisation needs to harness the extensive benefits derived from these systems to advance organisational innovation. Organisational Innovation Flow in Saudi Aramco from Exploiting Data and Analytics The main aim investing on innovation capability is in order to set up the appropriate technologies, or production of commodities or services that respond to market needs adequately (Razavi Attarnezhad, 2013).Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Also, innovation capability should also be able to enable an organisation responds to competitive conditions as well as unexpected technological developments. Apparently, the ability to respond and adapt to market dynamics relies on the speed and efficiency of an organisation to respond to changes. Read (2000), presents organisational innovation capability as a multifaceted development, that exhibits multiple aspects which both the managers and researchers need to have. Some of the dimensions of organisational innovation capabilities include learning, as well as research and development capabilities. Others include manufacturing, marketing, organisational, strategic and resource exploiting capabilities. The various innovation capabilities indicate that organisational innovation touches on all aspects of a firm’s operations. The range of these aspects is management process, human resource development, knowledge management, intellectual capital and market dynamics. Apparently, Saudi Aramco organisational inovation needs to be developed further, since the current company structure, culture and human capital are not enough. Organisational innovation capability can be enhanced by introducing several features into the company intellectual capital and knowledge management, and also in the operations function. The first area of improvement should be an organisational vision and strategy with a focus on the development of innovation in the company. Apparently, the present mission statement of the company addresses this requirement to a point. According to Khursani, Bazuhair and Khan (2011), the 2020 strategic mission is to be â€Å"the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals company facilitating the Kingdom’s sustainable economic growth in a knowledge economy; and enabling a high-growth, vibrant Saudi energy sector.† The mission is a very significant step towards institutionalising innovation in Saudi Aramco. According to Razavi and Attarnezhad (2013), articulation of the common mission determines facilitates determination of the duration of innovativeness, leading to successful strategy formulation. Saudi Aramco strategy for innovation should discourage deviation of interest and attention towards realisation of this goal. For instance, Saudi Aramco has only embarked on development of a retail market for the company after being in the industry for numerous years. The company should in the future manifest innovativeness by being market leaders in terms of developing and investing in new markets. The recent initiative has perhaps been excited by the company’s enhanced intellectual capital and knowledge management developments. The second aspect in developing innovation capabilities in Saudi Aramco should be drawing on the competence-base. The concept implies the competence of an organisation in managing and allocating resources in an appropriate manner, to areas which facilitate innovative output. The know ledge management initiatives in Saudi Aramco attest to the level of organisational capabilities the company hopes to achieve. However, more needs to be done. According to Dadfara et al. (2013), firms are required to develop three fundamental perspectives of organisational innovative capabilities in order to harness the same. Organisations’ should encourage entrepreneurship and risk-taking through resources mobilisation at various degrees of the innovation process. Stimulation of innovation potential through various initiatives such as combining knowledge and resources and more investments should also facilitate innovativeness in the company. Saudi Aramco currently boasts of a very broad intellectual capital base. The company, however, needs to tap more into organisational intelligence to enhance competitiveness. Razavi and Attarnezhad (2013) define organisational intelligence as the capacity to process, encode, interpret, access and manipulate information. The process should be done in a manner which goal-directed and purposeful, in order to increase the organisation’s potential within the environment of operations. To facilitate innovation process through organisational intelligence in Saudi Aramco, the company should lessen potential uncertainty and ambiguity through intelligence surveillance. The company should learn about competitors as well as from its customers. Proactive competitive analysis, environmental scanning and technological forecasting should be carried out continuously. Ultimately, organisation intelligence should be useful in eliminating unprofitable ventures and identifying better options through utilisation of up-to-date information. Creativity enhancement and idea management are another essential aspects of enhancing organisational innovativeness in Saudi Aramco. Apparently, creativity has been immensely supported in the company, especially through the communities of practise (Khursani, Bazuhair Khan, 2011). The company shou ld however, further this initiative by allowing the unrealised, divergent and untested thinking. Also, radical ideas having the capability of creating new or transforming the existing businesses strategies should be acknowledge and acted upon. The consequence of these actions might be organisational innovation for the long-term. According to Razavi and Attarnezhad (2013), innovative ventures can be successfully implemented through either knowledge-driven or vision-driven idea management. According to Dadfara et al., (2013), innovative organisations allow their employees to by-pass rigid barriers by facilitating establishment of permeable and organic business boundaries. The structure of Saudi Aramco can be enhanced through rewards. Apparently, radical innovations and idea generation can be facilitated through individual rewards. Incremental innovations and implementation, on the other hand, relies heavily on group reward (Abdi AmatSenin, 2014). The reward structure in an organisati on thus plays a very significant role in the development of innovativeness. Creative firms’ create and establish motivating rewarding structures, which provide both financial bonuses and public recognition, among others. Although Saudi Aramco has also facilitated a culture of innovativeness therein, the company can do more to enhance this strength. Some of the factors concerning organisational culture and innovation that the company should focus on include tolerance towards ambiguity. Tolerance can be brought about by introducing manageable levels of uncertainty, controlling project milestones strictly and managing information effectively. Tight controls and tolerance should facilitate commitment from all the stakeholders in the innovation process. Under the organisational culture, employees should also be empowered by investing in them and respecting their exceptionalities and abilities. Communication and knowledge sharing should also be maintained, as is the case in Saudi A ramco. Cross-functional, hierarchical and technological sharing within the organisation as well as with external networks should be enhanced. Apparently, there is no doubt that Saudi Aramco is one of the most technologically competent organisations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The fact can be attested to by the full range of knowledge management and intellectual capital harnessing initiatives in the company. However, in order to meet the gross objectives of the business, technological competence should be enhanced. Apart from investing in the technological systems, Saudi Aramco should facilitate employees understanding of information technology. In addition, the fundamental factor here should be the integration of innovation and business strategies. Razavi and Attarnezhad (2013) postulate that research and development performance relies heavily on the effectiveness of the link between technology and business strategies. Technology competence has fundamental impact capability of e nhancing an organisation’s innovation capacity. Impact of Saudi Aramco Innovation Capability on Transformation of Saudi Arabia into a Knowledge-Driven Economy The various knowledge management initiatives undertaken in Saudi Aramco are in line with the national objective of transforming Saudi Arabia into a knowledge-driven economy. Apparently, Saudi Arabia is a commodity-driven economy, especially concerning oil and oil products. Considering that Saudi Aramco is a state-owned company, the firm is in a good position to offer a benchmark to others in the economy. The company offers a framework, as well as an example of the direction the government wants business firms’ in all the other sectors to embrace. Saudi Aramco is a position to manifest benefits of harnessing intellectual capital and knowledge management to other companies in the economy. The efforts in Saudi Aramco do not only suit the organisation’s operations but also propagate the overall national missio n and vision of being a knowledge-driven economy. Reflection on Contribution of Organizational Informatics Emergences of knowledge economies, technological advancements and high levels of non-price competition in businesses have led to innovation being the key to competitiveness. Technologically driven firms’ require being more innovative as well as pioneering in all aspects, for them to be sustainable. Organisational informatics is apparently the future of business firms. Economies as well as business institutions are becoming more knowledge-driven as opposed to being commodity-driven. The capability of an organisation to become more competitive and innovative depends on their ability to exploit the ever-growing market information. It is thus essential that all firms’ take stock of their intellectual capital and develop knowledge management systems suitable for their sustainability in future. Conclusion Realising such ambitious vision relies on organisations such as S audi Aramco to set the way. The intellectual capital base and knowledge management initiatives have the potential of making the company one of the best performing companies globally in the near future. With the implementation of the right concepts, the company can be sure of great success in the future. The management needs to put in place measures that will ensure the success of organizational innovation in order to realise immense growth. References Abdi, K., AmatSenin, A. (2014). Investigating the Impact of Knowledge Management on Organizational Innovation: Conceptual Framework. International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 8(6), 686-691. Dadfara, H., Dahlgaarda, J., Bregea, S., Alamirhoor, M. (2013). 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International Journal of Business and Social Science, 4 (1), 226-232. Read, A. (2000). Determinants of Successful Organisational Innovation: A Review of Current Research. Journal of Management Practice, 3(1), 95-119. This case study on Saudi Aramco Organisational Innovation was written and submitted by user Wyatt Gibson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.