Knowledge Management and Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Knowledge Management and Strategy - Case Study Example In this case the Australians Mango Industry Association Ltd. (AMIA) must look for ways in which they can create, capture, organize and eventually distribute knowledge from one part of the world to another. Consequently, the latter association needs to ensure that they can easily distribute this knowledge and that it is in fact available to other future users. Knowledge transfer mechanisms are quite different from communication mechanisms because they are more complex. AMIA needs to look for ways in which it can accumulate all the relevant knowledge for entering the Chinese market because there knowledge does not exist in just one form. The association's members could play a contributory role. Additionally, certain sub networks exist that could facilitate knowledge transfer. On top of this, it is likely that the tools and tasks prevalent within the association could go a long way in ascertaining that the company is itself one of the most respectable ones in the business. The latter association needs to put in mind that fact that a large portion of knowledge required to export mangoes to China is tacit hence the need to appropriate transfer mechanisms. There are a series of issues th... Argote (2000) states that the major weaknesses that can hinder knowledge transfer mechanisms are the informal networking activities. The following areas can facilitate these; Task forces Teams Managerial efforts Etc Since AMIA is venturing into unknown territory, then these informal networks have not yet been set. They may present problems in the transfer of knowledge. Additionally, the current situation may prove to be sticky in terms of knowledge transfer because of certain knowledge related factors. These factors can impede progress by AMAI owing to the fact that certain forms of knowledge may be too context specific. This means that there may be knowledge that applies only to Australia and cannot be exported to other parts of the world. This eventually makes such efforts futile. In other scenarios, certain forms of knowledge cannot be transferred by AMIA because it is too ambiguous to derive any form of usefulness from it. In order to acquire knowledge, it is important for people to be motivated to acquire it. In other words, the association needs to look for ways in which it can motive people to want to acquire knowledge. (Shaw, 2001) The need for motivation is important in any country or organization owing to the fact that increased knowledge can cause a disruption in the current working routines and also in the type of organizational practices prevalent within those areas. AMIA needs to dedicate considerable amount of resources and time in allowing them to deal with the issues as they are. Another major problem that is facing AMIA is with regard to the social cultural and also the structural distance between the two countries i.e. Australia and China. The latter association will have difficulties in communication because the two countries speak different

Business In Internet Essay Example for Free

Business In Internet Essay 1. Is Twitter just a bright idea or a real business opportunity? To what extent does Twitter’s situation reflect the past record of its founders? In my opinion, I think twitter is a good business opportunity. Like other internet service, twitter has a large number of users, which provide a potential revenue foundation. At present, twitter’s priority is to find a revenue model to transfer the abundant of users to money. If twitter finds thus a model, it will become another internet service giant in the world. At present, Twitter’s functional model is not original intention of the founder, William, which is an incident idea. After that, the founder notice that this model is suitable with people’s wants, allowing to disseminate information to others in real-time. The founder has a good idea for establishing company but not having a good idea to earn profit from the business. 2. A). what is Twitter’s Advantages and challenges given it chosen technology configuration? First, Twitter is easy to use. Twitter only focus on using text to communication. Users can easily to use twitter without learning or training. The challenge for the method is that text is dull. Some of users would feel twitter is not attractable. Second, web-based platform is another advantage for Twitter. Users can use Twitter service by accessing website from different systems. In my opinion, open source platform will bring twitter a great potential. Users can develop own application on Twitters according to their own interests. However, open source also has challenges that the malicious application can spread without proper supervision. B). what are the benefits and challenges for corporations looking to use Twitter internally and externally Benefit for internally using Twitter: the communication among employees or managers would be efficient because Twitter is just-in-time communication platform. Managers can use Twitter to transmit their order to the specific followers (employees); employees also can report work to managers by using the same method. Challenges for internally using Twitter: it is very different to organize the followers. And it is also danger to use Twitter to transmit business confidence. Using Twitter also can increase whisper or rumor spreading inside the corporates. Benefit for externally using Twitter: the customers can get new product information of the corporate on time, which is a good promotion and marketing method. The challenge for externally using Twitter is that marketing effect coverage significantly depends on the internet. 3. What has been Twitter’s marketing approach to date, and is it sustainable? Right now, in my opinion, Twitter has a very simple marketing approach to earn money, firstly, using abundant users to attract venture capital investors. Secondly, Twitter sells â€Å"@† (Twitter name) to big companies or big events. At present, none of twitter functions charge personal users. Most of its expenditure comes from the venture capital. For a long term, this approach cannot survive; however, the investors know the potential of Twitter. In the future, Twitter will provide difference revenue model to earn profit. 4. Can Twitter ever earn profits? If so, what are the best ways it can monetize? In my opinion, Twitter can earn profits in the future, if it does that: adopting advertising models would be a good method to earn money. Secondly, it is necessary to create paid content for users who want to have further service. Thirdly, Twitter can cooperate with publishers, job agencies, etc. collecting commission.

The Concept Of Happiness

The Concept Of Happiness However dull ones life may be there are times when one cannot help but question the meaningfulness of it. The subject of death is often a prime example of how people begin to question the value of life. Death usually brings people down and it makes them wonder if there is a meaning to existence or whether the recently deceased found it. In such situations, most of us turn to questions such as: What am I doing here? Am I happy? Am I doing the right thing? Am I making a difference? Hopefully one does not need to face such extreme events in order to question the meaning of life. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle expresses his opinions about the function of the human being in an attempt to show that the human good is activity in accordance with reason, and in turn this alignment alone is responsible for our happiness which in his view is the highest good, a self sufficient and final goal for any human being. Along the same lines, in The Experience Machine, Robert Nozick is addressing a similar issue, by arguing that pleasure is not the only thing which matters to us and brings to our attention the fact that there are other factors which contribute to our well-being. In this paper I will explain the arguments of both Aristotle and Nozick by exploring the concept of happiness, its role in morality and what I understand through ones function of living a happy and moral life. Soon after reading some Aristotelian material, one cannot help but notice that Aristotle was a man of science, a very analytical man. It seems that he deeply enjoyed putting things into categories of belonging. Things like the four causes, things like his classification of things that are inorganic and living, and the list goes on. The same applies for his work, Nicomachean Ethics, and as the name implies, this is as close as we can get to Aristotles code of moral values. Aristotle felt that virtue and being active were a means to happiness, which he believed to be the universal goal of every human being. However, since we are all different, every person has a unique way of achieving happiness and he starts his argument by bringing this issue into focus. He sets out to investigate what does happiness really mean? Does it mean a warm cup of tea, a healthy family or perhaps a good looking partner? Happiness means many things to many people, and that brings into question the meaning of true happiness and what makes something true happiness. Aristotle says that the good we are looking for is apparently one thing in one action and another thing in another, (NE 106a15-17) thus we have to identify which is the good in each of these cases (1096a17-19). Aristotle uses medicine as an example where the good would be health, or generalship where the good would be victory, but in every action and decision it is the end, since it is for the sake of the end that everyone does the other things (NE 1096a20-22). Some, may find this argument problematic and could say that sometimes we do things without a set goal in mind, and rather do them just for the sheer joy of it, but I disagree. Aristotles point seems to be applicable in every situation, since even if the good is not obtained as a distant goal but rather as an immediate reward, or at the same time as the action is performed, his argument still holds. For example, listening to music or walking my dog results in pleasure form just the activity alone, in the very moment that the action takes place. He then proceeds to explain that the highest good has to be complete and cannot be for the sake of something else as that would imply that the latter would become the highest. Aristotle says that it must be something complete and self-sufficient, since it is the end of the things pursued in action (NE 1097b21-22). This also seems like a very sound point to me. If there is such a thing as a highest good, then we can easily imply that it should be complete and sufficient in itself in order to make a life choiceworthy (NE 1097b15). While reading Nicomachean Ethics, I could not help but wonder if Aristotle ever realized the irony of this vicious circle we seem to be caught in. Most people live life by going from one compensation to another, trying different experiences, looking for a lover, wife or husband, career or money. I strongly believe that one must realize that these are just learned concepts and not something we are born with, and the same applies for our morality. It seems like we have a constant need to fill our lives with content, in order to keep us busy and to give us some sort of identity. Its quite easy to see the cycle that most people constantly go through: One feels empty and suddenly desire arises; soon after compensation comes, boredom sets in and then again one feels empty. I think we should strive to realize that it is not the object acquired that gives satisfaction, but rather that we are satisfied once were at peace, not needing anything. It seems to me that satisfying desire is only a temporary solution and once the initial excitement associated with the new acquisition is fading, the need to acquire arises again and again. This only turns life into an addicting habit, and while I do believe in true happiness I doubt it can be achieved this way. Nozicks philosophy is similar to this analogy, but rather than just arguing his point methodically, Nozick starts off by laying out a thought experiment. This experiment revolves around a hypothetical machine called the experience machine which is supposed to create a stimulated reality for any person that connects to it. The machine will then allow the user to experience various pleasures determined for each person by their own individual desires. In this hypothetical experiment, one would only have to be outside of the machine very briefly, in order to program the desired events and experiences for the next upcoming years of ones life. Another possibility would be for one to map out his entire life in the machine based on a very carefully conducted survey by superduper neuropsychologists which would guarantee a pleasant experience without having to ever leave the machine (EM p.606). Further, Nozick asks us to overlook certain concerns that would arise, such as who would run the machine if everyone would be plugged in, as it would not change the purpose of the experiment. He then asks: if presented with a choice would you choose to plug in? (EM p.606) Nozick opposes the question using a few distinct reasons, namely: we want to do certain things, and not just have the experience of doing them (EM p.606); we want to be a certain sort of person and we dont want to be limited to a man-made reality, to a world no deeper than that which people can construct. (EM p.607) In short, Nozick argues that, if plugging in to the experience machine provides more pleasure, we should simply follow this idea; however that will only happen if pleasure is all that matters to us. Nozicks own reply is that we would not choose to connect to the machine, and thus he concludes that pleasure is not the only thing that matters to us. I believe that, the answer provided by Nozick for his own hypothetical experiment, only sounds like a choice one would make simply because it appeals to the human biases against things which are considered artificial. Simply put, a person will not opt for an artificial reality if given the choice, even if it was an ecstatic experience but that does not mean that one is not seeking pleasure. It may as well be that, the psychological gratification received from knowing that one is living a real life is more rewarding than an artificial but pleasant experience. If we carefully examine the values that people hold we can see how they are just a different form of pleasure. Certain people would easily get pleasure because theyve turned down this machine and feel good because theyve made the right choice. Just because the psychological pleasure one may feel because of the choice made is more subtle than some ecstatic experience, it does not mean that it is not pleasure that one seeks. In my opinion, we are often faced with trials during the course of our lives. These trials sometimes change us and our perception of what life really is, which is what I understand through Aristotles function of a human being. He believes reason is what separates us from plants, animals and just about everything else. He calls the man who only identifies with human enjoyment vulgar, because while pleasure is related to happiness it is not the highest good, since one can feel pleasure but might not be happy. To me, this sounds exactly like Nozicks line of thought, but to be honest I dont think Nozicks experiment proves this argument. I believe his experiment may prove that there are several forms and types of pleasures, of which some are very subtle, but Im not convinced of how his experiment is showing that we choose other things over pleasure itself. At most, I believe it shows that we like the idea of achieving something ourselves rather than it being given to us, but then again, achievement is just another form of pleasure in itself. Aristotles function argument also states that our unique human function is the use of reason. According to him, playing the harp is a harpists function, and is the same as the function of an exceptional harpist. When virtue is expressed and added to the function, the harpists function becomes playing the harp, while the exceptional harpists function is to play the harp well. Each function is not considered complete until it expresses proper virtue and a degree of excellence (1098a11-16). Aristotle says that virtue is acquired through the practice of any given function, and that people are born only with the potential of being virtuous, yet they must act accordingly in order to acquire it. As I see it, Aristotles human function argument is a solid moral code that we should all follow. Given the use of reason is a primary requirement, everything one does needs to be analyzed, needs to make sense and needs to be channeled towards achieving happiness. If everyone strives towards the good with this in mind it is hardly possible to do harm or injustice to someone else for selfish or superficial reasons. I believe this is exactly what Robert Nozick was aiming toward in his work as well. My opinion is that life should be accepted as a gift which was given to us or an opportunity rather than striving to turn it into a race of satisfying desires and fulfilling ideas or concepts. I strongly believe life should be simply lived in harmony with everything around us and I would encourage anyone to consider the idea that life is not happening to us, but rather that we are happening in life.

Essay --

1) Name Of The System NR Registration System (Non-Resident Registration System) UITM. 2) Summary Of The System NR registration system or can be call as non-resident registration system is the system that give the student outside the campus the easier way to make registration for the non-resident student. Until now, the UITM only use the manual system to make the NR registration. Student need to come to the campus and fill their information in the NR registration form. The process will take a lot of time. More ever, if the day of registration is rainy, the student that uses motorcycle cannot come to the registration. If UITM use the NR registration system, student doesn’t have to come to the campus but only make the registration in the online system. It can make the process of registration is more easy, and can be completed in short time. 3) Problem Description UiTM Machang campus is a large campus and accommodates more students. This will cause the registration of non-resident students will be crowded and congested. Students who come to register at the registration day will ...

Populists v Progressives Essay -- essays research papers

Populists v Progressives   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A political party is an organization whose aim is to gain control of the government apparatus, usually through the election of its candidates to public office. Political parties take many forms, but their main functions are similar: to supply personnel for government positions; to organize these personnel around the formation and implementation of public policy; and to serve in a mediating role between individuals and their government. Political parties are as old as organized political systems. Two parties in particular, the Populist Party and the Progressive Party are alike in many ways, from their platforms to their general issues. In general, however, the structure and behavior of a particular country's political parties depends most heavily on the country's political and cultural history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the Panic of 1873 the Farmers' Alliances agitated for railroad regulation, tax reform, and unlimited coinage of silver and attempted to influence the established political parties. Growth was so rapid, however, that interest in a third party began to increase; in 1891 delegates from farm and labor organizations met in Cincinnati. No decision was made to form a political party, but when the Republican and Democratic parties both straddled the currency question at the 1892 presidential conventions, a convention was held at Omaha, and the Populist party was formed in 1892.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &...

Gang Leader for a Day Essay

In the book, Gang Leader for a Day, a rogue sociologist passionately dives into the lives of one of Chicago’s toughest housing projects in an attempt to develop an insight as to how the urban impoverished lived. Throughout the text it becomes clear that a conflict paradigm is being reflected. A conflict society is based on social inequality, in which some individuals benefit and thrive more than others, which tends to lead to conflict and thus change. This is evident both in the housing projects where a gang known as the â€Å"Black Kings† take over and also in the surrounding neighborhoods where the more elite citizens, including persons from the authors university, shy away from associating with the nearby poor black nearby public, thus creating unbalanced communities. In the text the author, Sudhir Venkatesh, observes how elites use their power to control the less powerful. This is evident in the Robert Taylor Homes, where the Black Kings profit from drug sales that control the community, while the rest of the families are struggling to survive. There even appear to be hierarchies within a hierarchy. For example, within the Black Kings gang there were leaders such as a man known as â€Å"J.T.†, who would make thousands in profits from commanding others and then there were young teenage men who actually sold the drugs and barely earned minimum wage (256). Aside from the drug sale employees, other workers such as those who ran shops or did menial work from their high rises were also controlled by the gangs, who would use fear tactics to implement various taxes upon them. Clearly the majority of the society is being controlled by the middle and upper-class from surrounding neighborhoods and also the gangs in the lower-class community, creating social inequality. However, conflict and change do appear by the end of the book when the Chicago Housing Authority along with President Clinton decides to demolish Robert Taylor Homes in hopes of eliminating the hierarchy of gangs and stimulating a more prosperous society (269-270). There are many different factors presented in the text that lead to the disadvantage of poverty, including social, institutional, economic, and political influences. The obvious social influences were the relationships between and within the gangs. Although members within the gang act as a family, always protecting each other, the members who weren’t as fortunate to be party of their inner circle were treated unjustly, such as C-Note (62). Since gangs took over the disadvantaged community, they had control over who was allowed to move up in the social ladder and who was not. Since the community was filled with violence, thefts, drug abuse, and prostitutes, people tended not to trust each other, which would explain why it must have been so hard for the citizens to keep steady relationships and jobs (105). If there was no trust within relationships, clearly it would be hard to make yourself known in the community as a decent and honorable person who can handle a job. I believe it was because of these unstable relationships that so many persons in Robert Taylor Homes had to succumb to menial work as their source of income. Institutions such as work, school, and hospitals also influenced the sustainment of poverty. For example, the police refused to patrol Robert Taylor Homes because they believed it was too risky and there were only â€Å"two social-service centers for nearly twenty thousand children† (37). Similarly, hospital’s rarely ever responded to shootings in the neighborhood and when children dropped out of school there wasn’t much encouragement to get them back in. The lack of public assistance was clearly a factor in creating and maintaining poverty since the citizens had a lack of resources to free themselves from their difficulties. Furthermore, even if the police or other institutions were present, they were extremely flawed. This is evident in the fact the certain police would raid gang parties and steal their belongings, openly violating the law themselves (231). If cops displayed law breaking, how could they expect their citizens to dutifully follow the law? Another flawed institution was the Chicago Housing Authority, which demolished public housing to replace it with recreation (262). Not only did they take away the only homes the poor had, but also ineffectively relocated them to a community where they could thrive. One of the main economic problems that many people, particularly gangs, in Robert Taylor faced was the fact that they didn’t want to trade in their status for entry-level jobs because in many cases, gang leaders made far more than they would have if they worked minimum wage jobs (72). Many of the gang leaders such as J.T. held the false belief that the drug economy was â€Å"useful for the community, since it redistributed the drug addict’s money back into the community via the gang’s philanthropy† (115). However, the drug economy is not a stable or lucrative economy compared to your average jobs because it was clearly very hard for people to get ahead in gangs, thus no one ever had a fair shot of earning more money in their life span. Nevertheless, the situation can tend to be a grey area of debate since a lot of the residents did attempt to hold blue-collar jobs but continued to get laid off (60). In this case, the underground economy of drug sales may have been the only choice for residents looking for an income. Another way the gangs play into the economic situation is when there are drive by shootings, in which case parents would have to take time off from work to stay home with their kids (105). This further goes to show the negative widespread effects of gangs on urban, poor communities in that their illegal drug sales or shootings sustained the low SES of parents with real jobs. The political economy of outlaw capitalism evident in the text is another flawed institution creating poverty (37). As touched upon earlier, if the government allows certain communities to run these underground social systems where only one group benefits, then the community will obviously continue to be poorly balanced. The majority of the community will be fighting for a means of income while the various gangs benefit from the only wealth available. Another political flaw is that members of the community were told how to vote. It appeared that the gangs had a misconstrued depiction of how to go about political reform. Their idea of responsible voting was to gather in meetings and choose the alderman who would best keep the police away from their drug economy, â€Å"there was no discussion of platform, no list of vital issues† (77). The lack of knowledge of real political issues was ultimately detrimental to the community as a whole, as the cycle of outlaw capitalism would ju st continue to rule Robert Taylor. As mentioned before, Robert Taylor was heavily run by gangs, leading to various social factors such as marginalization, alienation, disempowerment, and social Darwinism to overtake the community. Robert Taylor residents were marginalized by the gangs within their community and also as a whole by the larger community through government neglect and vicious rumors to alienate them from the more elite neighborhoods (36). This ties in to the disempowerment in Robert Taylor, which is highly evident in the gangs where there are leaders who control drug dealers, squatters, foot soldiers, etc. (50-51). In this hierarchy, if a member of the gang disobeys the rules, such as by withholding money, then the leader will disempower that individual, forbidding them to sell drugs for a week or even a month – in effect, decreasing their income. Similarly, social Darwinism is evident in drug dealers because the process is essentially based off of the idea that those who are â€Å"fittest† or most able will thrive while the so-called â€Å"weak† are left to die. For instance, if drug dealers are fearful they could be shot, if mothers refuse to sell their bodies, they could have no food for their children that week. Even residents with real, marketplace jobs are subjected to this theory, as none of their jobs are very stable and they could succumb to an absence of income at any time. I believe it is both a â€Å"culture of poverty† and a lack of resources that are responsible for the â€Å"deviant† behavior and poverty in Robert Taylor. Clearly there is a high lack of resources, such as the police or hospital who won’t respond to calls in the neighborhood (37, 48). For example, if there are no police then gangs can get away with beating each other up instead of letting the law handle it (226) . Yet at the same time it is the gangs who encourage the younger generation to become part of their culture, instilling violent behaviors in them from a young age (258). Due to the absence of government assistance programs for the poor, citizens grew up with the belief that they were infinitely bound to poverty. In effect, they developed traits that would benefit their lifestyle, such as the drug economy, but did not bother developing skills that would extend beyond their culture of poverty, such as an education. Even when residents had a chance to make a better life for themselves and escape the projects, they would become â€Å"lonely† and move back (248). It is because of this continual neglect from society that the residents develop feelings of helplessness and marginality, ultimately leading to a â€Å"culture of poverty.† In the text, the author was able to get a very personal insight into the lives of those living in the projects, something that definitely expanded the sociological depiction of poverty (43-44). However, the fact that he failed to inform the university of what he was doing or follow any reporting requirements was not very ethical of him in acquiring his research (119). Before becoming part of the lives of gang members, he should have become informed on the fact that there is no research-client confidentiality for academic researchers (186). His lack of pursuit of this knowledge was immoral because he could have jeopardized the lives of Robert Taylor residents if he ever had to testify against them. One line the author should not have crossed was becoming a gang leader for a day, making what was supposed to be a research-client relationship far too casual. It is the fact that he knowingly crossed the line from observer to participant on multiple occasions by â€Å"hearing jokes, shari ng a beer, and loaning someone a dollar† that made his methods unethical (107).

The Disputations Preacher

Known by the name, Girolamo Savonarola, he was born in 1452 Italy, however, different sources give varied accounts of his native town, some say it is Ferrara while others say it is in Occhiobello, which is 7 km from Ferrara. A man whose life was controversial, dramatic as well as tragic. Savonarola left a mark as a man who cared nothing for dictatorial protocol and official pretense. At Ferrara University, he took his undergraduate studies in Arts. He initially portrayed his feeling on morally corruption among the clergy, at the age of twenty, when he took them head on in his poem titled De Ruina Mundi (on the fall of the world). hich bespoke the destruction of the world. Hot on its heels came another poem in 1475 named, De Ruina Ecclesiae (on the downfall of the church). It is here that he portrayed his contempt of the Roman curia by defining it as ‘a false whore'. Savonarola went on to join the Dominican congregation in the year 1475, where he entered the San Domenico convent at Bologna. This coincided with the Italian Renaissance . Savonarola immersed himself in his studies with zeal, this saw him transfer to the Convent of Santa Maria Degli Angeli in 1479. In 1482 he was deployed by the oder to what came later to be known as, the city of his destiny- Florence. People bemoaned his ungainly character and poor oratory skills. The impression he made of himself on the people of Florence was so dismal that, they never noticed his eventual departure in1487. This took him back to Bologna, where he went on to become the master of studies. Savonarola went on to preach on prophesies he had, such as the occupation of Florence by the French. He went on to become more, outspoken and took a hard stance that sometimes ended making him some kind of a misfit among the people. He believed in the classification of issues and actions in only two categories: the good and the bad. Savonarola, was later to fall into bad books with the orders of the catholic church. This led to he excommunication by the pope ,who was later to authorize his arrest. All this was later followed his arrest, torture, prosecution and eventual execution,on grounds of heresy sedition and for proclaiming prophetic statements. His execution took place in 1498 where he was burnt at the stake alongside his two ardent disciples. It is important to note that Savonarola remained defiant onto death. This is attested to by the fact that even though he wrote a confession, he followed it with a meditation, where he pleaded with God to forgive him for pleading to sins he did not commit. Different schools of thought view Savonarola differently, however all agree that Savonarola is one big disputation theme for all and sundry. Savonarola's thinking later on came to be known as not only a way of thought but also a guiding light for both conservatism thinkers and reformists. cholars have look at the Savonarola way of thought, as a linchpin for serous revolutionary discourse as well as a reason for serous research and study into the history of disputation theory. Either way it is looked at, the Savonarola way of thought can serve any of the above purposes depending on the interest of the one examining it. (Polizzotto, 1995) describes how followers of Savonarola had influence that permeated every facet of Florentine life . This was during the important happenings that saw the transition of the city on from republic to principate. In his words, their ideology and activities offer the key to demystifying both the political happenings of the latter years of the Florentine Republic, as well as the nature of contemporary political debate. It also gives an insight into the characteristics of the merging Medicean Principate. DISPUTATION This was a preaching method commonly utilized by the Dominicans. It employed a system of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. It was manly distinguishable from methods by its clashing of ideas. This was the academic background from which Savonarola emanated. (Hazel,n. d. p. -17) puts it ‘like his Dominican contemporaries, the young Savonarola was trained in the disputation method, and it has a marked influence on his style of preaching'. In examining the Rhetorical influences that surrounded Savonarola in his formative days, we can form a good idea of the facets of a good renaissance discourse. For Savonarola the summon was the most effective tool of bringing about moral reform. H is tendency to rely on the summon for moral reform can be attributed to the fact that he was a Dominican. Dominicans have gone down in history as strong believes in rhetoric and disputation Savonarola though came to believe in his oratory skill almost by pure accident He initially experimented with rhetoric, to very successful results much to his own consternation. (Hazel, n. d, p. 4-17) one incident confirmed his power to him. While traveling the seas on a boat, he noticed a bunch of soldiers gambling using dice and cards. He so furiously denounced this activity with such bitterness that they stooped the gambling, much to his own surprise. This vitriolic manner would be the benchmark of his future preaching. Savonarola derived most of his rhetoric effectiveness from the fact that he was perceived as a prophet by many. He was more of what could today be regarded as a doom sayer. His passionate way of preaching eventually earned him very ardent supporters, who later came to play a very pivotal role in determining the success of his campaigns. Savonarola followers were compelled to develop a way by which to survive the turbulent times and be able to carry on their campaign of trying to fight what they believed to be moral decadence. SAVONAROLA AS AN EXAMPLE OF RESISTANCE TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IN CONTEMPORARY ORGANIZATIONS. Savonarola came into the picture in the immediate post renaissance period. his was a time marked by reduced enforcement of the doctrines. It was a period of widespread immorality and more so, among the proletariat. The church orders were also not spared the widespread liberalism in the church at the time. The church was going through a period when it had relaxed its stand on the usage of disguises, jewelery and other such adornments. He got a huge following of a group that he ca lled the weepers. This group went through the city, raiding houses for paintings, jewelry, mirrors, combs and all that they considered unbecoming of good followers of the religion. The passion with which he defended his views was infectious and convincing enough to earn hims the attention of the masses. He further utilized his rhetoric to have people convinced that whatever he was speaking was bound to happen. since the first instance when he convinced the soldiers of the illegitimacy and the immorality of the act they were engaging in, he got convinced of the ability to sway peoples thoughts. The benchmark of the rhetoric of Savonarola is the ability to draw parallelism, between the acts people are engaged in, and prophecies or documentation, or practices of hither. During his mission to return the people into the accepted practices, or the practices he viewed as acceptable, he had to use rhetoric effectively. Rhetoric served as such a powerful and effective too since as it is stated that it went a long way into attracting meaningful attention. Savonarola viewed the pope as a big failure in allowing the insurgence of renaissance. This was the foundation of his thinking that the pope, was a major hurdle in his efforts to marshal people, back to the accepted and traditionally practiced doctrines. Kreis, 2000) Savonarola viewed himself as an instrument of God, and and did not believe in anything deterring him– not even Lorenzo the Magnificent, could stand in his way. He envisioned the reconstruction Florence as a â€Å"respublica Christiana,† a Christian republic, a republic in where allegiance was to the true sovereign God and God alone. This resentment to the establishment was particularly informed by the fact that, Pope Alexander I V had two illegitimate children, which were an obvious testimony of his wayward behavior. All the sane this was not the only informing idea behind Savonarola's vehemence. The commitment of the Pope to renaissance gave him a curious mix of both the earthly and the religious. To the conservatism this was a clear and sure show of moral rot and if condoned was bound to bring doom to all and sundry. The biggest challenge that was facing the conservative was in trying to turn people around to their way of thinking, and to fuel sufficient phobia of doom in the people. This activity was also faced by another challenged in that, the church and the ruling powers of the society were so much intertwined. Therefore for the conservatives to effectively combat the newly adapted and overwhelmingly accepted way of life, they had to wage a battle and sustain in long enough to sway a good following. Both the religious (Pope) and the social (Medici) authorities therefore fell in the bad books of the conservatives. The question of the most effective method of achieving this was then the only answer he had to seek out. Here rhetoric through preaching became the way out and as (Hazel,n. d p. 4-17) puts it Savonarola was opposed to both the Medici and the Pope. He used his rhetoric though preaching to stir up resentment to both the Medici and the Pope. The two were a very then powerful ruling coalition. The question that is likely to arise is: how was this possible?. Savonarola painted such a grim picture of the impeding damnation and the inferno of hell. He used his rhetoric so effectively that he painted a picture, grim enough to sway even the staunchest of souls. However for the Medici he was to be viewed with suspicion as a man preaching the return to the morality of the medieval times that they were trying to move people from. This unprecedented opposition of the ruling coalition earned him many supporters In contemporary organizations these days, rhetoric can be a very effective in resisting change. However there are some very basic requirements that must be met in remaining true to the Savonarola example. First and most important, the originators and the propagators of the rhetoric must be fully convinced of the philosophies that inform their rhetoric. This is attested top by the Savonarola example, in that, in as much as there was very stiff opposition to his stance in issues of morality and the tenets of religious beliefs, he stood his ground. This is despite the fact, that he was fighting what could be correctly termed as, a David versus Goliath battle against the powerful ruling coalition, comprising of the Medici and the Pope. The perpetrators of modern day rhetoric who desire to attain any meaningful success in fighting changes in institutional structures also ought to stand their ground. They also ought to be fully aware of the exact parameters within which their arguments and their expectations lie. This is shown in Savonarola's depiction of authority as put in the words of ( Hazel,n. Savonarola draws parallelism between the sinners of those days and the merchants who Jesus whipped while they were trading in the temple. In as much as the traders had permission from the Jewish leadership, Jesus on his side was heeding a higher decree from the father. Savonarola therefore advises his followers to act like Jesus and defy the regulations from the rulers since they do not augur well with the biblical teachings. The convic tion with which you defend you arguments is perhaps defined by the manner in which Savonarola defended his. Savonarola is known to have defended his stand all the way to grave, this is evident in the way he wrote down meditations to the effect that, he prayed to God for forgiveness. He sought forgiveness for confessing to sins he felt he wasn't guilty of. The disputations of Savonarola are very vital in highlighting the effectiveness of rhetoric which is backed by conviction. The passion that is a key requirement especially in such contradictory situations plays a key role in the swaying of the peoples way of thinking. Many are the times, when very passionate public, speakers who are actually trying to sell ideas, that could otherwise have been viewed as vague, have been accepted instead of their more informed yet less passionate counterparts. A good example of passionate public rhetorician is one catholic priest by the name of Charles Coughlin of the 1930. He spoke co passionately about the occurrences of the time on public radio that he gained a very wide public audience. This is not withstanding the fact that he was talking about the normal happenings. It is however important to note that he used to approach these arguments with passion and controversy. The rhetoric however is always effective if ,and only if it is directed. This was a real highpoint of Savonarola. He directed the gall of his rhetoric towards the failing of the ruling elite and the church leadership. The modern times rhetorics especially those opposed to institutional changes normally make informed attacks of specific institutions, people, or activities in trying to give ground to their rhetoric. This has been demonstrated in most cases in instances when the perpetrators of rhetoric have painted grim pictures of doom in the peoples minds, if the organizations do not remain the way they are. However this directed criticism has to be informed by facts that cannot be easily disputed. This was the case in the instance when the followers of Savonarola knew for a fact that the deeds they were fighting against were realities that could not be contested. The other key reason for any rhetoric to be effective is its being backed by action. In any resistance to organizational changes. Actions can always play a key role in swaying people into thinking your way. This is actually a very vital display of conviction and commitment to the cause. In as much as power of rhetoric delivery is likely to earn one good following, resistance to institutional change is actually a major challenge. Savonarola backed his rhetoric with radical actions and these were both bold and rampant. The adherents of his rhetoric alongside him, attacked all that they thought represented the rot in the church. They also attacked and burned all that was associated with the laxity that came with the renaissance, This was the hallmark and the culmination of his disputation rhetoric. Groups of youths that were drawing inspiration from him roamed the city in vigilante groups, they collected all that was associated with the demeaning change and burnt them at what later came to be called the fire of vanity. This eventually convinced the people that the disputationist had a case, they therefore swayed their stand and started following him in larger numbers. However it is of importance to note that, any action taken in the efforts to resist the advent of change should be taken with a lot of moderation. This is due to the fact that the extreme tends to shock people into resting the efforts directed at resisting the change. This can be justified by the case of what eventually happened to Savonarola. The activities of people being held at ransom by marauding youths led to resentment amongst the people. This was also due to the fact that the people felt that they were denied the pleasures of the changing times. The other failure was due to lack of moderation in public displays of allegiance to the French. Savonarola sided with the French in their occupation of the city of Florence, this landed him inn bad books with the populace. It is therefore of essence that in passion in resisting organizational change ought to be metered and moderated. In modern times leaders who try to resist change using rhetoric should be guided by the principle of moderation and public acceptability of pronouncements and deeds. This can enhance a steady yet acceptable and successful resistance. The people following Savonarola also required to have regulations, this was however a major failing of the Friar which eventually was instrumental in occasioning his downfall. THE DISPUTATION PREACHER AS A CATALYST FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE. Savonarola has widely been depicted as big resistance and a conservatist. He was known for resisting the changes that the proletariat were introducing into the thinking of the people and the church. Much as all this is true, he can as well be observed as a person who played a pivotal role in awakening peoples thinking and perception of hierarchy and stipulations. Savonarola came into the picture during a time when the Pope and the Medici had such a cordial and strong relationship. It was during the time when a decree from the pope was treated as law. Great lessons on effective change can be learnt from the preacher. First he openly opposed the moral rot in the religious orders at that time. The eventual reformation that took place in the orders of the church, that eventually led to the protestant movement, were not a mere accident. We can not also, exclusively say that they, emanated from the Ninety five theses that were authored Martin Luther. They started all the way with the public denunciation of the proletariat by Savonarola. It ought not to escape our attention that such deeds as these call for guts and conviction. Therefore Savonarola was key in starting the reformists thinking that saw major changes in the church. Similarly the contemporary leaders of the day could borrow a leaf from the stance of Savonarola and stand their ground in the face of such daunting tasks. This can point people in the right direction if the strong and vitriolic rhetoric is to be used effectively. If such tactics are used then much can possibly be accomplished. his will all be a catalytic role since just like Savonarola accomplices will be essential for the wider goal to be achieved. The use of rhetoric to instigate social change also ought to be well informed and guided by the need for general good of the involved society. It is in this respect that Savonarola was able to obtain a good following. In the first instance, he painted a very gr im picture of the realities facing the people. Painted a very dull picture of what awaited the people in in future. With this clearly understood, he prodded people into following him into a revolution that was to same people from the inevitable eternal damnation. People followed his advice since they felt that by so doing they could evade the oncoming apocalypse. It is in this light that, the contemporary leaders in the current day organizations, ought to inform people of the doom awaiting them in the future if the present is not well dispensed with. They need to match the rhetoric so stated with words leads the people to revitalize and energize their need to do good. The driving force behind this need to do good is the underlying fact that the good is like a boomerang. The thinking and speech of Savonarola was clearly against the grain and the activities of the time. He brought to the fore the failings of a papacy which very many revered till then. True to form, the contemporary leaders of these days are supposed to give room for fresh, radical and new ways of thought. This can be a vital way of energizing peoples thoughts. not all that is radical or new is bad. this was clearly shown in Savonarola's time. In as much as Savonarola fell into bad books and was eventually hanged, he was right in several claims. For example he argued that the Vatican had turned into a den of prostitution, this was right due to the fact that the pope was outright promiscuous. Therefore people ought to be allowed free reign of thought and encouraged into offering new ideas. Rhetoric is good tool of encouraging and enhancing involvement of the masses into peoples activity. This is shown in how effectively Savonarola was able to cajole the people of Florence into feeling a s part of his vision. (Hazel, n. d) he reverts to his analogy of Christ driving money changers out of the temple with ropes. He sees his tongue as the major ropes and then asks people to be the other smaller ropes with which to drive out the church officials. In this way he manges to fit the people into the picture. hey now feel like they are part of the battle against the moral rot. They therefore are given the feeling that they have a role to play in driving the agenda forward. The contemporary organization leaders these days ought to adopt the same attitude, if their rhetoric is going to be effective. There is need to orient people into feeling that they belong to the wider picture. The ability to integrate the people in the people into the picture helps in creating a progressive force . The ability to have people working in tandem for a common goal as well helps in increasing the peoples resolve to do things together and do them well. The protests that Savonarola mounted were three pronged, they addressed the three major issues of the society. He addressed the love for splendor and money, hence the economy. He addressed the prophetic revelations he had, hence religion. Finally he addressed the failure of the Medici hence he addressed the political administration. Therefore for any modern rhetoric to be effective, if Savonarola is to be used as a benchmark, the modern leaders ought to address and effectively so, the above three major issues. The effective handling of these three makes a wholesome and effective approach in any Rhetoric. CONCLUSION Modern users of rhetoric ought to put in mind and effectively integrate the Savonarola approach. this is a sure way of ensuring efficiency. little has been said about the good that was raised by the rhetoric of Savonarola, however a lot can be learnt from his approach. His approach was very much in line with the accepted and very much utilized approaches to rhetoric. In modern times the approach to the rhetoric always uses the same reasoning as the guiding light. Effective address of the issues at hand ought to be a key consideration in the delivery of rhetoric. Zeal and passion are also key in the delivery. The interplay between such delivery and well planned out actions increases the effectiveness. Disputation also serves as a good way of engaging the thinking of all and sundry. Disputation though tends to be more of and elitist approach which can be a major impediment to the engagement of masses in a discourse. However it is more effective since it is more mind engaging and provokes more insightful thinking. Many a times different people have used rhetoric effectively. This has always produced wide mass following and public acclaim. The key lies in following Savonarola's example, and like he did, appealing to the emotions. Rhetoric and disputation world over have been very effective in instigating radical changes to any systems that are publicly accepted and acclaimed. For one to effectively utilize the same, it is essential to familiarize with the users of yesteryears and know how effectively they did so. To say that Savonarola was simply effectively with his rhetoric would be an understatement.