Nina Simone Life and Music of the Priestess of Soul

Legendary jazz pianist and singer Nina Simone composed over 500 songs, recorded almost 60 albums. She was the first woman to win the Jazz Cultural Award and contributed through her music and activism to the Black Freedom Struggle of the 1960s.  Ã‚  She lived from  February 21, 1933 to April 21, 2003.  Ã‚   Her birth year is given variously as 1933, 1935 and 1938. 1933 seems most credible, as she was a high school senior in 1950-51 when she attended Juilliard. Also known as: Priestess of Soul; birth name: Eunice Kathleen Waymon, Eunice Wayman In 1993, Don Shewey wrote of Nina Simone in the Village Voice, Shes not a pop singer, shes a diva, a hopeless eccentric ... who has so thoroughly co-mingled her odd talent and brooding temperament that she has turned herself into a force of nature, an exotic creature spied so infrequently that every appearance is legendary. Early Life and Education Nina Simone was born as Eunice Kathleen Waymon in 1933(*) in Tryon, North Carolina, daughter of John D. Waylon and Mary Kate Waymon, an ordained Methodist minister. The house was filled with music, Nina Simone later recalled, and she learned to play piano early, playing at church when she was only six.  Ã‚  Her mother discouraged her from playing music that wasnt religious.  When her mother took a job as a maid for extra money, the woman she worked for  saw that young Eunice had special musical talent and sponsored a year of classical piano lessons for her. She studied with a Mrs. Miller and then with Muriel Mazzanovitch.  Mazzanovich helped raise money for more lessons. After graduating from the Allen High School for Girls in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1950 (she was valedictorian), Nina Simone attended Juilliard School of Music, as part of her plan to prepare to attend the Curtis Institute of Music. She took the entrance exam for the Curtis Institutes classical piano program, but was not accepted. Nina Simone believed that she was good enough for the program, but that she was rejected because she was black. She studied privately with Vladimir Sokoloff, an instructor at the Curtis Institute. Music Career Her family by that time had moved to Philadelphia, and she began to give piano lessons. When she discovered that one of her students was playing in a bar in Atlantic City—and being paid more than she was from her piano teaching—she decided to try this route herself. Armed with music from many genres —classical, jazz, popular—she began playing piano in 1954 at the Midtown Bar and Grill in Atlantic City. She adopted the name of Nina Simone to avoid her mothers religious disapproval of playing in a bar. The bar owner demanded that she add vocals to her piano playing, and Nina Simone began to draw large audiences of younger people who were fascinated by her eclectic musical repertoire and style. Soon she was playing in better nightclubs, and moved into the Greenwich Village scene. By 1957, Nina Simone had found an agent, and the next year issued her first album, Little Girl Blue. Her first single, I Loves You Porgy, was a George Gershwin song from Porgy and Bess that had been a popular number for Billie Holiday. It sold well, and her recording career was launched. Unfortunately, the contract she signed gave away her rights, a mistake she came to bitterly regret. For her next album she signed with Colpix and released The Amazing Nina Simone. With this album came more critical interest. Husband and Daughter Nina Simone briefly married Don Ross in 1958, and divorced him the next year. She married Andy Stroud in 1960 —a former police detective who became her recording agent—and they had a daughter, Lisa Celeste, in 1961. This daughter, separated from her mother for long periods in her childhood, eventually launched her own career with the stage name of, simply, Simone. Nina Simone and Andy Stroud drifted apart with her career and political interests, and their marriage ended in divorce in 1970. Involvement with Civil Rights Movement In the 1960s, Nina Simone was part of the civil rights movement and later the black power movement. Her songs are considered by some as anthems of those movements, and their evolution shows the growing hopelessness that American racial problems would be solved. Nina Simone wrote Mississippi Goddam after the bombing of a Baptist church in Alabama killed four children and after Medgar Evers was assassinated in Mississipppi. This song, often sung in civil rights contexts, was not often played on radio. She introduced this song in performances as a show tune for a show that hadnt yet been written. Other Nina Simone songs adopted by the civil rights movement as anthems included Backlash Blues, Old Jim Crow, Four Women and To Be Young, Gifted and Black. The latter was composed in honor of her friend Lorraine Hansberry, godmother to Ninas daughter, and became an anthem for the growing black power movement with its line, Say it clear, say it loud, I am black and I am proud! With the growing womens movement, Four Women and her cover of Sinatras My Way became feminist anthems as well. But just a few years later, Nina Simones friends Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes were dead. Black heroes Martin Luther King, jr., and Malcolm X, were assassinated. In the late 1970s, a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service found Nina Simone accused of tax evasion; she lost her home to the IRS. Moving Nina Simones growing bitterness over Americas racism, her disputes with the record companies she called pirates, her troubles with the IRS all led to her decision to leave the United States. She first moved to Barbados, and then, with the encouragement of Miriam Makeba and others, moved to Liberia. A later move to Switzerland for the sake of her daughters education was followed by a comeback attempt in London which failed when she put her faith in a sponsor who turned out to be a con man who robbed and beat her and abandoned her. She tried to commit suicide, but when that failed, found her faith in the future renewed. She built her career slowly, moving to Paris in 1978, having small successes. In 1985, Nina Simone returned to the United States to record and perform, choosing to pursue fame in her native land. She focused on what would be popular, de-emphasizing her political views, and won growing acclaim. Her career soared when a British commercial for Chanel used her 1958 recording of My Baby Just Cares for Me, which then became a hit in Europe. Nina Simone moved back to Europe—first to the Netherlands then to the South of France in 1991. She published her biography, I Put a Spell on You, and continued to record and perform. Later Career and Life There were several run-ins with the law in the 90s in France, as Nina Simone shot a rifle at rowdy neighbors and left the scene of an accident in which two motorcyclists were injured. She paid fines and was put on probation, and was required to seek psychological counseling. In 1995, she won ownership of 52 of her master recordings in a San Francisco court, and in 94-95 she had what she described as a very intense love affair—it was like a volcano. In her last years, Nina Simone was sometimes seen in a wheelchair between performances. She died April 21, 2003, in her adopted homeland, France. In a 1969 interview with Phyl Garland, Nina Simone said: Theres no other purpose, so far as Im concerned, for us except to reflect the times, the situations around us and the things were able to say through our art, the things that millions of people cant say. I think thats the function of an artist and, of course, those of us who are lucky leave a legacy so that when were dead, we also live on. Thats people like Billie Holiday and I hope that I will be that lucky, but meanwhile, the function, so far as Im concerned, is to reflect the times, whatever that might be. Jazz Nina Simone is often classified as a jazz singer, but this is what she had to say in 1997 (in an interview with Brantley Bardin): To most white people, jazz means black and jazz means dirt and thats not what I play. I play black classical music. Thats why I dont like the term jazz, and Duke Ellington didnt like it either—its a term thats simply used to identify black people. Selected Quotations Jazz is not just music, its a way of life, its a way of being, a way of thinking.I tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.What kept me sane was knowing that things would change, and it was a question of keeping myself together until they did.Talent is a burden not a joy. I am not of this planet. I do not come from you. I am not like you.Music is an art and art has its own rules. And one of them is that you must pay more attention to it than anything else in the world, if you are going to be true to yourself. And if you dont do it—and you are an artist—it punishes you.Theres no excuse for the young people not knowing who the heroes and heroines are or were.Slavery has never been abolished from Americas way of thinking. Discography Nuff SaidAint Got No - I Got LifeAmazing Nina SimoneAnd Piano!At Carnegie HallAt NewportAt The Village GateAt Town HallBaltimoreBest of the Colpix YearsBlack GoldBlack SoulBroadway-Blues-BalladsEclectic CollectionFodder on My WingsFolksy NinaForbidden FruitGifted BlackHeart SoulHere Comes the SunHigh Priestess of SoulI Put a Spell on YouIn Concert I Put A Spell On YouIt Is FinishedJazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street ClubLet It All OutLet It Be MeLiveLive Kickin - In Europe and the CaribbeanLive at Ronnie ScottsLive in EuropeLive in ParisMy Baby Just Cares for MeNe Me Quitte PasNinas BackNinas ChoiceNina Simone and Her FriendsNina Simone and PianoNina Simone at Carnegie HallNina Simone at NewportNina Simone at the Village GateNina Simone at Town HallPastel BluesRising Sun CollectionSilk SoulSingle WomanSings EllingtonSings the BluesTo Love SomebodyA Very Rare Evening with Nina SimoneWild Is The WindWith Strings Print Bibliography Nina Simone with Stephen Cleary. I Put a Spell on You.Richard Williams. Dont Let Me Be Misunderstood. More About Nina Simone Categories: jazz, blues, soul music, classical music, African American musician, protest singer, civil rights, black powerPlaces: United States, France, Liberia, North Carolina, Atlantic City, Greenwich Village, New YorkPeriod: 20th century century

8 Classic Storm Poems

Poets love stormy weather. The powers of the natural world revealed in a tempest can be shocking, terrifying and destructive, but they are also awe-inspiring, exhilarating, and metaphorically rich—a perfect source of poetic inspiration. Here we’ve selected a few classic poems describing or inspired by storms. Attune yourself to the natural havoc outdoors by reading them while you’re safely sheltering inside from a storm, perhaps, or declaim them to the sky outside after the storm has passed. William Shakespeare, Storm speech on the heath from King Lear (1623)William Cullen Bryant, â€Å"The Hurricane† (1854)Walt Whitman, â€Å"Proud Music of the Storm† (from Leaves of Grass, 1900 edition)Algernon Charles Swinburne, â€Å"A Channel Passage† (1904)Amy Lowell, â€Å"Storm-Racked† (1914)Robert Frost, â€Å"A Line-Storm Song† (1915)Siegfried Sassoon, â€Å"Storm and Sunlight† (1918)Jean Toomer, â€Å"Storm Ending† (1922)

Human Resource Best Practices Essay Free Essays

string(63) " is more strong that the firms within an institutional sector\." The world of business today requires that companies place their performance on an operation aspect so that all channels may perform to their best and lead to productive interdependence within the organization. The human resource management portfolio is of great importance to each firm because it guides its decisions and how it functions within them. When the firm employs good Human Resource Manager, there are high chances of performance in productivity, costs and quality of products and overall efficiency. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resource Best Practices Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hence, a firm should adopt the quality HRM to enjoy its benefits as well as have an advantage in solving any risks that may have come up before. Its HRM pedagogies will eventually provide a platform, through which it attracts, retains and trains its existing assets with the highest value. On the other hand, without human contribution, there would be no appreciated management. In this precept, for good performance of any organization, it requires motivation, engagement, and satisfaction of the human aspect to operate efficiently and smoothly. Job satisfaction is consequently determined so that customer satisfaction may also be measured. This is because employee dissatisfaction in their job may lead to the provision of inadequate services, which may eventually lead to customer dissatisfaction as well. Hence, it is the responsibility of the human resource as a labor-intensive industry to sensitize on the delivery of excellent services to clients so that maximum customer satisfaction may be achieved as a result. When managing any project, a well stipulated project goals and objective must be outlined by the HRM. The manager should keenly look at how the objectives will be realized and outlining how the resources needed to achieve the goals. He plays a very important role is implementing good plans for the project alongside taking risks that ensures the project does well. A good manager identifies all the competing demands from various stakeholders and ensuring that a commonality of purpose is realized. He is an instrumental person in an organization because he schedules the entire plan, he encourages teamwork, maximizes available resources, manages change and good quality of output. He is also responsible for evaluating the progress and the performance of an organization. Therefore, the presence of human resource is very essential within any organization. A good manager brings high performance to an organization. Good performance is the ultimate measure of a well doing organization. The manager must be empowered to take appropriate decisions that contribute to the well being of the organization. He uses the authority and the power bestowed upon him to make decision on how to allocate available resources. He does the same on administration, communication, technological choices and any other matter that pertain the project that may need his attention. In so doing, there will be high performance in within the set up. High performance on the other hand makes the clients have the intrinsic drive to attain their services from the firm. Most of the client will bestow their trust on the services provided because of good leadership. It also makes the company have good relationship working relationship with other neighboring organizations and with the workers themselves. Because of the competition in today`s market, current organizations need good management without which they are subjected to failure. In this plinth, the purpose of this assignment is to securitize the appropriate pedagogical approaches that the resource manager can employ within the organization to improve on the organizational output. Good performance of the organization depend on various aspects like motivation, job security, compensation, good working environment, advancement in line of duties among many other factors. Definitions of Performance Management and High Performance Work According to Martha Lagace (2009), companies that record high performance are actually led by their original founder members or by their transformational. In this case, they are people who can be responsible of any crisis that occurs in the company and attend to it appropriately. They are able to achieve high standards of commitments from all the stakeholders within the organization. In so doing, the firms retains the clients for a very long period of time, the employees are care for well because they have good working environment, and investors are attracted to venture into the firm because of good production. This illustration is supported by Michael Beer, the Cahners-Rabb Professor in the School of Business Administration, Emertus by saying that such firms attain excellence for long period of time. Companies with good performance output have positive contribution to the customers the employees, investors and the community at large. They also grow by outlining their idiosyncratic capabilities in order to make them move into wider markets to attain products and services and geographical locations for their firms. According to Gong, Law, Chang and Xin (2009), high performance work system represents a detailed, incorporated and systematic approach where the human resource manager works tirelessly to ensure that all the set goals and objectives are met. He ensures that he utilizes the resources, manpower, and any other available material to meet the satisfaction of the firm. In this dictum, evaluation of high performance of work is extensively examined because it their outermost priority. According to the definition, the employees are very instrumental in realizing the set objective of the firm. They are treated with a lot of dignity and decorum because they solicit all ways possible to ensure that there is maximization of profit within the firm. Any institutional factor or environment as a context that may affect or influence high performance of the firm is looked into with a lot of keenness. The firms also provide good geographical location, which are at central places to be accessed by the clients most of the time. An example of a case study in Chinese gives empirical results that firm with HPWS connection is mediated by the adaptive aptitude. Also, the effect of high performance work system on firms with adaptive capability is more strong that the firms within an institutional sector. You read "Human Resource Best Practices Essay" in category "Essay examples" Therefore, the location of the firm matters a lot as far as high performance is concerned. A similar description is explained by The Management of Engineering and Technology (2002), a methodical approach used by organization to attain high production standards. Through the process, the company aims at achieving effective operational skills, innovation, and high quality results for their customers. They work tirelessly to ensure that the clients get the best goods and services and they are retrained most of the time. In this case, there are five organizational practices that are keenly looked into to ensure that the high performance is realized. The first one being good leadership, empowerment of the employees, pioneering in human resource management, good measuring of performance and ensuring employees have good knowledge in whatever thing they are doing. In this regard, the firm is assured of attaining high performance since the clients will be served with high quality of products and services all the time. Performance Management Conceptual Framework Most of the managers think that filling report is the most important aspect in attaining good performance. However much this might be necessary, attaining high performance entails a lot. All too often, performance management if not looked into, sometimes become the weakest link within the chain of management, therefore, the managers should put a lot of considerations into it. The figure below shows some of the important aspect that the managers of organizations should look into to ensure high performance is realized. From the framework, a lot of derivations can be made. Performance management system depend on the factors like evaluating performance standards, measuring performance of the employees, reporting the progress to the topmost leadership and improving the quality of the products. Goal Setting Theory Edwin Locke defines goal setting theory of motivation as the goal set by the organization to be directly proportional to performance. When the goals set are directly adhered to under proper management, the performance has to be positive by a great margin. In simple words, goals set enable the employer to give the appropriate directions to the employees. Employees on the other hand, are enticed to work extra hard to achieve the goals laid. The readiness to work towards attaining the set goals is the driving force in motivation. Goals set act as motivational factors to the employees and the employer; hence, they work in tandem to achieve them. High goals set are more motivating than easy, all-purpose and hazy goals because they are easily attained. Edwin and Gary, 2015, gives clarity that the goals set must be SMART; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and can be achieved within a given Time-bound. Specific goals give best results and it is easier to measure and appreciate because it inspires one in achieving the set objectives. Nevertheless, the goal setting theory has its pros and cons. Some of the pro`s is that it provides a constructive way of evaluating workers performance and commitment. It also gives appropriate feedback on the progress made by the organization. Another advantage is point a clear ladder of coordination between the workers and gives proper channel of communication. In addition, it defines structured goals that help in the managers in realizing the objective of the organization. On the same plinth, the theory has it weakness. The conflict between the organizational skills may lead to disagreement between the stakeholders if the matter is not solved with care. The theory may not work well in institutions with low goals, where the goals are not well defined because the managers do aim higher. On the same not, it may demoralize the performance of the employees because they are not motivate to work extra hard. When the goals are not well defined and challenging, the employees work reluctantly because there is nothing to challenge them. There is no convincing evidence that goal setting theory satisfies the members. When the members are not satisfied with the job they do, there is high likelihood that they can run away from the job. Also, when the employer is not satisfied, there will be managerial problems which may eventually lead to the decline of the organization. Another point worth noting is that the theory does improve or provide room for the additional skills like competency to the employee. Proficiency is very pivotal for quality production to the organization. In this dictum, if the theory cannot provide that to the workers, then the goal setting theory can easily fail hence undermining the progress of the organization as far as performance is concerned. From the analysis made, it is eminent does not suit an organization that aims at attaining high performance work system. The theory records a lot of limitations than advantages, hence making it unsuitable for such a setup. In case the leader is one who is focused and goal oriented or he is one who aims at providing greater leeway for the organization and is after mobilizing what is to be done, then the theory is not appropriate. Goal setting is one of the most cognitive needs of any organization. A leader may or may not seek to have organizational goals, but provide for his self satisfaction, such a leader can best apply goals setting theory. When setting up the theories to use within an organization, one should be very speculative to use the theories that makes the organization prosper. Goals setting as an example of motivation to the employees, only appeals to someone who is irrefutable oriented. Because of this, one may be evoked to compare personality when choosing the theories to use. A non-interventionist may be more obsessed with this type of theory and may not lay out the goals that transform the organization. All in all, such details might involve professional and administrative aspects like recordkeeping, job hierarchies, evaluation of reports which a leader who uses goal setting theory might not be ready for. Process of Management In this case, a case study is done to evaluate the management of performance system in Malaysian government linked company. The purpose of the study was to examine the industrialization of the performance management system. It looked at some of the changes brought about by the government linked company program. The findings state that the activities of the company brought some changes in the way the business was operating. The finding states that the active became a routine appraising to the performance of the employees. In this case the employees became decoupled from all the activities taking place within the organization. In this precept, it did not change the ways in which members were carrying out their duties since no new ideas were brought in. this process is realized to be time consuming and costly in away and it is subject to confrontation. For any change to be effected in any government linked organization, a strong set up of management must be stipulated lest most of the things go a mess. Employees Skills and Training Needs The case study is carried out in from the Oil and Gas Industry in the UK. Fromm the study, workers need a lot for their satisfaction. Their skills need to be improved so that they give quality output. They also needs incentives whenever they do good, motivation makes them work aiming at achieving the set objectives. The company needs to organize for workshops and seminars to help improve in the skills of the employees since for them to produce quality products to merge the completive market. From the study, in as much as everyone in the industry may require training, it is realized that those having less experiences need to train more than any other worker. Training makes them work as opposed to before because there is acquisition of new skills. Also the management gets more clients since the level of production is increased and the quality of products also goes high. The specialists are involved in the training and by the end of the session; there is a lot of benefit inquired. An organization which aims at producing high performance work system must train her workers to and meet their needs. When the needs of the employees are met within appropriate time, they feel that they are catered for and respected. This makes them to work extra hard to achieve the set objectives. Training also increases the salary scale of the employees since additional experience is added to them. Crucial role of line Managers and HR in enabling and managing High Performance and Productivity Line managers and Human Resource are very instrumental in ensuring that there is high performance in productivity. Partnership of lime managers and human resource is increasingly becoming common in most of the organization. HR department is entirely responsible for all human resource management activities, and a line manager shares the same responsibilities. Line manager have the power to influence the behavior of the employee to improve on the productivity. They play crucial role in coordinating the resources allocated in the organization for it to achieve the set goals and objective. A case study carried out in UK to show the relationship between the role of line managers and human resource point out that the line managers and human resource are interdependent. They both assist in sharing knowledge that improves the output of the organization. In this plinth, the lone manager is very premeditated in all the aspects of Human Resource manager. The ultimate goal of their interaction is towards bringing raising the performance of the company. The research shows that for an organization to be fit in the current future challenges that face them, the two has to partner. They ensure that poor and low performing employees are taken through training so that they merge the standards of the organization. They two in partnership, help in developing and reviewing policies that contribute to the positive growth of the organization. They foresee any problem that might affect the organization and prevent it in time without necessarily affecting the workers. They also plan for both long and short term goals and state how they should be achieved. In case a plan fails, they come together and find alternative means that can be substituted immediately so that the organization does not get into problems. They solve the problems that may arise among workers and ensures there is peaceful co existence among them. By doing so, they act as role models to the employees hence enabling them work in peace, love and unity. Therefore, the line managers and the human resource are very pivotal in ensuring that the organization achieves high performance work system. Conclusions From the discussion, series of conclusions can be arrived at. First, in order to improve the performance of an organization, a lot should be put into considerations. There should be high performance from the employees. The human resource should ensure that appropriate approaches are put to meet the standards of the organization. Putting keen consideration on the welfare of the employees is very instrumental since it makes them work with motivation. From the discussion, the manager should apply appropriate theories that can bring good results to the development of the organization. Also, in order to attain good results, the employees who are undertrained should be taken through workshops and seminars to help in improving their experience. In so doing, the organization invests in them and quality of produce is realized. Lastly, line mangers and human resources managers are vey essential in the well being of an organization. Their presence makes the association firm because they help in laying out structures that improve the performance of the organization. How to cite Human Resource Best Practices Essay, Essays

ADCO Global Strategy and Competitiveness free essay sample

The Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) as the name suggests functions onshore and in the coastal waters of Abu Dhabi. An agreement was made with Petroleum Development Ltd in 1939 however; the geological work did not begin until the Second World War. The exploratory drilling in Abu Dhabi was initiated in 1950. Being renamed ADPC (Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company) in 1962 and then the government increasing its interest from twenty-five percent to sixty percent in 1970. The government interest is now held by ADNOC (National Oil Company) and ADCO was formed in 1978 under Law number 14 and been since then responsible for the operations in the area. Today ADCO produces from five oil fields: Asab, Bab, Bu Hasa, Sahil and Shah. These fields are linked by pipelines and the storage and shipping facilities are provided at Jebel Dhanna and also, the tankers load here with crude oil for many markets of the world. In 1998, exploration was limited to the evaluation of the hydrocarbon potential in the concerned areas and assessing the deep reservoirs. In 2001, major upgrading of the offices and infrastructure was done and by 2002, five projects were completed. The company continues to get industry’s high achievements till today. IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIES IN TODAY’S BUSINESS WORLD One of the most dramatic elements of change today is the technology centered workplace. In this workplace, there is much importance given to ideas and creative thinking, information, networks and relationships. Most organizations today are inclined towards the learning organization in which there is continuous learning and change. The new trends such as e-business, enterprise resource planning (ERPs) and knowledge management require the organization to be updated and incorporating the latest technology as well as ideas into the business processes. Strategy is the plan of actions that the organization would pursue to achieve its long-term goals and a grand strategy can be of: growth, stability or retrenchment. Apart from the three, depending on the organization, the strategy can be a global one. This is done so as to achieve globalization, to pursue a multi-domestic strategy or a transnational one. The reasons for ADCO to develop strategies in regards to the business environment it is exposed to are many. Firstly, the strategy that is designed and implemented later is important for core competencies. ADCO excels in drilling and exploration of oil in the region and hence, development of a relevant strategy would allow it to be the best in what it does. Secondly, for ADCO the relevant strategy would lead to synergy. There would be smooth interaction between the different parts/departments of the organization such as: Finance, Marketing, Production, Exploration on field and Human Resource etc, as these all would know that the eventual goals for ADCO can be achieved through the strategy it implements. Moreover, synergy can also be promoted by developing good relations with the suppliers and this would all be covered in the company’s strategies. Lastly, for value generation, ADCO implements the strategies that it has devised. This is essential because in the end, the product that ADCO creates has to satisfy the buyers so they know they paid for something worthwhile. STRATEGY OF ADCO ADCO is currently created a vision that focuses not just on increasing its balance sheet, but by promising a sustainable future to Abu Dhabi by ensuring that the resources are explored and extracted in the best way possible and served for best purposes. To achieve this vision entitled â€Å"Vision 2020†, ADCO has devised five factors under the strategy: 1. To achieve the highest standards of HSE performance in the industry 2. To develop technical efficiency and leadership in competency so that the complexity of the business can be managed effectively 3. Continuous evaluation and execution of optimum development of the reservoir to maximize recovery and minimize the costs 4. Adopting the technology that allows most efficient field development 5. The integrity of the facilities has to be ensured on a cost effective basis so that system availability is optimum. DEPARTMENTAL STRATEGY The departmental strategy for the operations aims at the integration of the existing facilities on a cost effective basis to optimize system availability. Under this, ADCO has to ensure to stay in good books for HSE, develop asset integrity management system (AIMS), provide support which is knowledge based to all business units, adopt the best maintenance practices and continue to conduct researches and studies for the latest technology. This is all aligned with the organizational strategy to use the resources for ADCO efficiently so that it can be a leader with the best standards and utilize its operations best. STRATEGY SCHOOL USED BY ADCO ADCO is implementing strategies based on the â€Å"positioning and fit† school of thought. In a dynamic business environment, the long term profitability is ensured by the average profit potential of the industry and the competitive advantage. In this school of thought for strategy, Michael Porter has also proposed the five forces model. Under this model, five forces that affect an organization’s competitive advantage are shown: the rivals within the industry, the power exerted by suppliers, the influence of the buyers, the threat of substitute products and the entry of new potential. Therefore, as indicated by Porter, a firm can establish integral dominance over its rivals and other forces only if it shows a difference and continues to maintain it and hence it gives it a competitive advantage. Even though the company has effective returns and cuts costs with efficiency and has operational excellence, it cannot stand for long if it does not dare to differentiate. That is what we can also observe in ADCO’s Vision 2020 plan. It indicates an entire hierarchy of how to achieve the vision as well and what strategies can be employed to achieve the highest standards in HSE performance, make strategic choices and decisions (through organizational integration, smart field, portfolio management and improved information quality), implement the best technology to enhance fieldwork, achieve integrity in operations and conducting performance management at a continuous level so as to review the process at the same time. As we can see, these strategies show how ADCO can really obtain that single most point for differentiation and would actually be able to withhold it for long if it really implements it without flaws(Chung,63). SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE STRATEGY Strengths: ADCO has already achieved many milestones when it comes to drilling activities. It has always honored the oil industry guidelines and has also achieved the best environmental/safety tactics employed. This step is necessary for the strategy to acquire the best HSE standards and the work plans required to achieve these standards are already aligned with the National Oil Company’s objectives. The strategy to improve decision making involves the transformation of the functional model to asset model which is strength for the company, because the existing structure is flexible unlike rigid hierarchies. In the strategy of portfolio management that comes under making strategic choices, the current prioritization is within functional portfolios which a strong point as it focuses on the functions on the whole. Also under technology strategy, ADCO is individually optimizing portfolios and this would lead to improved efficiency and greater value. ADCO’s performance management program has been embedded since 2002 and it allows continuous improvement(Deegan 90). Weaknesses: While improving strategic decision making during organizational integration some functions would be maintained as centralized. And the organizational transition would be finalized after the plan. In operations integrity, risk based methodologies are to be studied and implemented which should be done prior to the implementation of other strategies (Campbell 85). Opportunities: Business Intelligence (BI) Environment solutions to monitor the operations cycle and there can be development and execution of change management programs. In the future there can be maximum usage of the existing facilities, infrastructure and wells which would lead to optimized portfolios. Once the identification of must-do technology solutions is done, they can be implemented. The establishment of Collaborative Working Environment (CWE) can lead to integration of workflows and technologies as well as real time data. Programs can be made for workers and contractors safety and health. Threats: The workers issue is a sensitive one and the operations can be easily affected by their issues if they’re not taken care of properly and with care. The technology for real time information must be developed fast because the competitors are already exploring this avenue. THE CHANGING INDUSTRY, COMPLEXITY OF CULTURE AND THE FUTURE In 2009, the commodity prices for oil became low and the demand for energy had a huge impact in the industry of oil exploration. But in the end, the prices increased and the benefits could only be reaped at the end. Moreover, many companies have engaged in mergers and acquisitions to increase the size and scope of the operations and these are not just financial but also strategic. Most production companies are the likely target for acquisitions. ADCO’s strategy to implement technology and business intelligence solutions seems like tools for overcoming such a crisis. Also with its focus on the workers and contractors, there is much chance for higher productivity. As for the culture in the international trade, ADCO facilitates the loading of oil tankers at one of its spot from all over the world. It is very much updated about the current trends about women’s liberation and involvement in the work fields and has implemented a lot of regulations to show support to them. With the big companies all aiming for acquisitions, the best option for ADCO is to dare to differentiate and develop its own operational excellence to use it as a competitive advantage. As for ADCO’s future, it apparently seems successful because of the strategies that it has outlined are bold and can be implemented. â€Å"Vision 2020† outlines where ADCO wants to be in the future and the strategies have all been planned with effective performance management reviews, plans and execution. Moreover, the strategies for different departments make it easier for them to relate to the organizational goals and vision on the whole. COMPETITIVE STRATEGY FOR THE FUTURE ADCO can pursue the strategy of stability rather than growth or retrenchment. This is because in this arena of huge companies all seeking out the weaker ones, it is better to be productive and ensure the comfort of the employees so they do their best. Also since ADCO is oil exploration and drilling company, it should focus more on research and analysis of the fields and reserves and also the technology it should use to have better performance than the competitors. This would also let it develop better relations with the suppliers and the buyers and meanwhile pursuing stability, ADCO can focus more on developing its network and image (Sheldon, Langdon, Connor, John, Chandler, Jellison,34). References: Campbell, Tracy, â€Å"Integrating EM sounding into workflows reduces pre-drill risk†, World Oil: July 2010 Chung, Laura Walker, Vault career guide to the energy industry, USA: Vault Inc, 2005 Deegan, James F. An econometric model of the gulf coast oil and exploration industry, USA Arno Press Inc, 1979 Sheldon, Langdon, Connor, John, Chandler, R. Brett Jellison, Michael J. â€Å"Benchmarking a new connection technology in the deep Gulf of Mexico†, World Oil: July 2010