Free sample - Intangible Resources and Management Authority in Organizations. translation missing

Intangible Resources and Management Authority in Organizations. Intangible Resources and Management Authority in OrganizationsThe sphere of business is very diverse and every company tries to do its best in order to be the fist in the completive market and preserve its positions. Good presentation and work of the company depends upon its management that performs different functions. The main function of the management is organizing process of work correctly, using the resources of the company in the best possible way. From the one hand it sounds very easy to do, but on the other hand this task is not so easy to do. So, the main obligation of the management of every company is a rational utilization of the company’s assets and resources, tangible as well as intangible. There is a mistaken idea that intangible assets are not very important as they do not play such important role in the successful existence of the company. It is a common mistake of many managerial teams that do not pay enough attention to the intangible resources. According t o Berkeley-Thomas (2003, p. 25), the companies have to genuinely consider a significance of identical or greater effect of such factors as consumer satisfaction, process effectiveness and improvement when coming to a realizing of performance realities. These factors will be additional to an organization’s realizing of financial figures, helping to better understand the significance of otherwise potentially misleading or unfortunate numbers. Most companies do not pay enough attention to the intangible assets that is why the general performance of the company suffers. In this case, experienced market leaders insist on considering the intangible assets greatly, as they are half of a company’s success (Grey, 2009, p. 43). In the findings, the investigation demonstrated that intangible assets, comprising consumer list, brand name,   reputation of the company, and its location are considerably chief elements; in the meantime, the   size of the organization is taken into account, but not that significant. In general, the essence of the intangible resources is quite broad, as it comprises many notions. Intangible assets can also include patents, copyrights, franchise and government licenses, goodwill, and other issues that lack physical matter but give long-standing advantages to the company. Companies should pay attention to the intangible assets as much as they do it on depreciable and natural resources. The charge of intangible resources is methodically allocated to the costs during the asset's helpful life or legal life, whichever is shorter, and this life is never permitted to exceed forty years. The procedure of allocating the value of intangible resources to expense is called amortization, and organizations almost always use the straight-line way to amortize their intangible resources. In order to understand more completely the essence intangible resources that management can draw upon, it is necessary to describe briefly some of them to see how useful they can be for the management of the company to evaluate the level of its performance and success.   One of the first and the most important intangible resources is the brand name. Needless to say, that brand name and recognition is very important for every company as it is the first step for the company’s success. Brand name should be as recognizable as possible in order to make the company well known. Brand recognition is, probably, main form of intangibles. Think about the many name brand organizations and it will quickly be realized the power of intangible assets. Software programs used by the organizations in order to produce or plan their product are one more brilliant example of intangible resources. Reputation of the company is rightfully regarded as another very important intangible resource. It is understood that every company strives for having excellent reputation and be second to none in the market. The question of reputation is necessary to draw upon by the management. For instance, the company, having good reputation as a reliable partner and manufacturer of the qualitative products will likely have more customers as the company, having lower reputation even if its production is as qualitative. So, evaluating the performance criteria of the company and speaking about the work of its management, we can say that reputation of the company is very significant anyway. One more intangible asset considered as important one is goodwill. Goodwill equals the quantity paid to obtain a company in excess of its net assets at reasonable market value. The excess payment may be consequence from the price of the organization’s reputation, setting, consumer list and management team. Goodwill can be recorded only after the purchase of the organization takes as such a transaction provides a purpose measure of goodwill as recognized by the customer. The worth of goodwill is considered by first subtracting the purchased liabilities of the organization from the fair market price of its assets and then subtracting this consequence from the purchase price of the organization. So, goodwill can not be seen at once, it can be evaluated only when the company starts working. Unfortunately, members of the management team and the business board room in a great number of companies all over the world nowadays fail to understand the effect and importance of their intang ibles on the bottom line as the intangible resources are not reflected on a balance sheet. People are in habit to believe stable and proved facts that can be seen visually on the paper and from different documents, that is why, intangible assets are not so popular management strategy because they are not provided in writing.   In conditions of modern current economy a lot of companies can make sure their survivability and sustainability into the post depression era if they are able learn to ruin the brick and mortar attitude that has tainted corporate America. According to the statistics, seventy-five percent of value of any company can be traced to intangible resources (Ramu, 2000, p. 15). One main cause for mistake is a lack of understanding and the incapability of upper management to think outside the frames. The representatives of the management within a company having no ability to think outside the frames have the complexity in demonstrating new ideas to upper management in the usage of intangible resources influence. So why intangible resources are so significant for the company are so important to legitimize management authority? First of all, strong brands effect on consumers’ decision-making processes, as well as making sure that premium prices may be charged. This is mainly true in many businesses connected with consumers. At their best, they symbolize an assurance of excellence and quality and sometimes, when it deals with luxury brands, customers even gain social status from the brand. It can also maintain the fast development of new successful markets. For instance, Tesco, one of the UK’s primary retailers, succeed in penetrating financial services. Surely, the financial benefit of the company arises from intangible resources such as brands and consumer relationships. Intangible resources, therefore, provide with a potential competitive benefit, but being the resources they obviously require specialist management and excellent communication skills. Management’s capabil ity to bring its strategy is extremely dependent on its consumer relationships, brands and performance of main employees – all of which are also intangible resources for accounting purposes. The significance of these factors is obviously very important to a company’s productivity and to the sustainability of future performance of the company. So it will be more correctly to ask how it is possible to improve the management of these resources, rather than ask why it is so important. One more question of the paper that should be discussed is in what way the companies manage their intangible resources in modern market? Important management is concentrated on the brands to guarantee that the brand is exemplified in every sphere of the company’s outside and interior behaviors (Kaplan and Norton, 2004, p. 24). Brands are continually adapted and revitalized to act in response with variable consumer trends and to be in front of the competition, thus increasing their importance and value. But it is often hard to see financial information about the brand being examined and managed. For instance, the amount of money invested in a brand development is not constantly available.   Consumer relationships comprise one more critical intangible resource for a great number of companies. And, just as in the case with brands, there is a shortage of information about main consumers – including the duration of the relationship, the limits and the charge of supporting main relationships. This is particularly relevant to retailers and the production of customer loyalty card schemes points out the significance these organizations attach to this resource. In the modern market retailers now have better understanding of the desires and needs of their consumers. This information can be further translated into charge which could then be monitored and managed on the continuing basis. The financial result of changes to the way in which consumers are managed could then be frequently reported to the board and eventually to external parties. Everything mentioned above proves once again that intangible resources are extremely necessary to pay attention to and draw upon by the management. Although there is a widespread opinion that intangible resources are very significant to the future prosperity of any company, still there is a dilemma concerning their ongoing management as well as communicating their value. The fact that it can be rather hard to get the information required to administer and enhance the intangible resources, together with the understanding of this information, has held a lot of companies back. Nevertheless, investors, analysts and stakeholders insist on the importance of intangible resources, from the point of view of their usage and investigating (Grey and Willmott, 2005, p. 45). They come to realize, that there is a significant information gap concerning rational usage and studying of the intangible resources. That is why, the companies should move towards enhanced intangible asset management and improve systems of their usage.   Intangible resources are important for every company despite its size and sphere of business. Not only is there a co nvincing financial motive for more careful intangible resources management process, the tax and accounting systems are requiring that numbers are billed to intangible resources as part of accounting for attainments. The value of intangible resources is compulsory to be monitored on the constant basis, as it will help the company to improve its performance. Every company has its own intangible resources needed to pay attention to and it is the task of the management to see what asset requires attention and how it van be used to give maximum profits. Reference List Berkeley-Thomas A. (2003) Controversies in Management. London: Routledge. Grey C. (2009) Studying Organizations. ( 2nd ed.) London: Sage. Grey C. and Willmott H. (eds) (2005) Critical Management Studies: A Reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kaplan, R. and Norton, K. ( 2004) Strategy Maps: Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes. New York: Harvard Business Press Ramu, S. (2000) International Licensing: Managing Intangible Resources (Response Books). London: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd

The Best AP US History Textbooks, Reviewed

The Best AP US History Textbooks, Reviewed SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What are the best AP US History textbooks you can buy? Which ones should you use in your course and exam studying? We’ll cover the most popular books, as well as books to consider if you’re self-studying or on a budget. Read on if you’re looking to get your own AP US History textbook! First: Don’t Rush to Buy Your Own Textbook There are many textbooks that College Board has approved for AP US History. Even if your teacher is using a less popular textbook, as long as it’s on this list, it will still have the info needed for AP US History. I also highly recommend getting an APUSH prep book in the early spring to help you study – the prep book will review everything on the APUSH test but with less detail than a textbook, which will help you remember the most crucial facts, dates, people, and movements. The prep books will also help you prepare for the time periods and themes that appear on the APUSH test. That said, if you’re self-studying for the test, or your class doesn’t use a textbook and you want one, or you’re an instructor, these are some great AP US History textbooks you can consider. Most Popular: The American Pageant When I got to Stanford, whenever AP US History came up in conversation (an occurrence that happened more than once, since we were nerds!) everyone around me would start reminiscing about this textbook. It seemed like everyone but me had read this textbook in high school! My high school didn’t use it, so I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Turns out, The American Pageant is known as one of the most well-written, readable textbooks on any subject, and it’s a favorite among high school teachers for AP US History, with by far the most buzz online. One of its main criticisms is also one of its benefits: it’s written almost like a novel, rather than a textbook, so people who prefer something more straightforward don’t always love it. To take a brief example, this is what The American Pageant section introducing Christopher Columbus reads like: "Onto this stage stepped Christopher Columbus. This skilled Italian seafare persuaded the Spanish monarchs to outfit him with three tiny but seaworthy ships, manned by a motley crew. Daringly, he unfurled the sailors of his cockleshell craft and headed westward. His superstitious sailors, fearful of venturing in the oceanic unknown, grew increasingly mutinous. After six weeks at sea, failure loomed when, on October 12, 1492, the crew sighted an island in the Bahamas. A new world thus swam within the vision of Europeans." It reads like a novel! A more straightforward textbook introduction of Columbus (from Making America) reads like this: "Eager to capitalize on the new technology and knowledge, Christopher Columbus, an ambitious sailor from the Italian port city of Genoa, approached John II of Portugal in 1484 and asked him to support a voyage westward from Portugal, to the East Indies. The king refused when his geographers warned that Columbus has underestimated the distance. Undeterred, Columbus peddled his idea to various European governments over the next several years but found no one willing to take the risk. Finally, in 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella's defeat of the Moors provided Columbus with an opportunity." So even though The American Pageant certainly comes off as a bit flowery, it reads more smoothly and memorably than the more straightforward textbook version. But beyond the language, Pageant has all of the facts, and helps you make connections between different periods in US history. The connection-making is really useful for the APUSH test. The essays will ask you to make connections between time periods and trends, so just knowing the basic facts of what happened when won't help you. The American Pageant will prepare you by explaining and analyzing those connections and trends throughout the book. (If you want a quick, straigthforward overview of the events, by the way, you can get it from a APUSH prep book later in the year.) In short, this is a solid pick for any student or if you’re a teacher trying to decide which textbook to use for your class. Best Bet for Self-Studying: Making America This was the textbook I used for my AP US History class back in high school, and I got a 5 on the AP exam (read more about AP scoring here). This isn’t as novel-esque as the American Pageant (see the quote above), so it’s less fun to read, but I still found it very readable, detailed, and clear. Plus, it's sometimes used for college courses about US History, which speaks to its quality. You can also get it in a slightly abbreviated form (meaning fewer pictures and maps) but with all the same content, for a decent price given it’s a textbook. You could also consider an older edition if you want to save more money. If you’re self-studying, this is a great choice because of how clear the chronology is. Since you won’t have a teacher to explain the different periods in US history and why the chronology is divided up like it is, a textbook that lays all of this out quite clearly will be crucial to help you understand American history. If you can get a solid understanding of what happened when (for example, "the Constitution was ratified in 1788"), it will be much easier to start connecting events to a larger discussion of historical themes in an essay ("the ratification of the Constitution ended a period of uncertainty following the Revolutionary War"). I also really like the summaries at the end of each chapter as well as the discussion questions. Both tools help the info sink in. Again, if you’re self-studying, this built-in review is a great feature. This is a really clear book that has all the info and solid tools to help you review. Best Budget Choice: The Unfinished Nation The Unfinished Nation is a solid, readable textbook that you can buy for between $20 and $30 used (including shipping!), which is amazing deal for a great textbook. While it’s chronological, it also clearly emphasizes social and political movements, which is really helpful for APUSH essay questions, which require you to make connections across time periods. The book also includes a pull-out timeline and map which you can use to help get places and dates straight in your head. The Unfinished Nation has a clear narrative voice, and while it isn't as novel-like as The American Pageant, it is also really interesting to read. If you need to buy an AP textbook for yourself, this is a great one to consider. Best for the Recent AP US History Redesign and Exam Prep: America’s History If you’re going to be teaching AP US History or just want a textbook that matches up with College Board’s specific course goals, this is a great choice. This textbook matches up with the new APUSH objectives from College Board and uses the same chronological divisions, which is really helpful for when you’re studying for the exam. While, as we mentioned above, while there is a long list of APUSH textbooks College Board has approved, this one was written specifically for the AP US History course. Many of the other textbooks on the list are also used for general US History courses – both at the high school and college level – and the authors feel free to use time period divisions that make the most sense to them, rather than the ones that match up exactly with the AP US History course guidelines. So teachers often have to bridge the small gaps between their textbooks and the AP US History guidelines. In contrast, this book was written specifically to match up with the AP US History guidelines, including the new course objectives College Board came up with as of 2014-15. This edition also features many first-hand documents (like the founding documents and supreme court decisions) to give you more practice at using primary sources, which is emphasized heavily in the new AP US History course description. America’s History also comes with an online quiz feature which will help you prep for the APUSH's exam multiple choice section. To sum up, this is a great choice if you’re worried about being ready for the AP test in May (or getting students ready!). What’s Next? Did you know many colleges also require you to have taken SAT subject tests as well? Learn which colleges require SAT subject tests – if you’re taking AP US History you should take the US History Subject Test! Also taking the SAT/ ACT? Find out when you should take the SAT for the first time (ACT version here), or whether or not you should retake the SAT/ACT. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: