Why did the Munich Putsch fail?

The Munich Putsch failed for a number of reasons. Hitler was forced to act too quickly and to make a hasty, spontaneous response because of ill-judged and flawed plans that were based on too many assumptions. Hitler assumed that the time was right. The invasion of the Ruhr resulted in the crisis of Hyperinflation which caused disorder in Germany. Hitler believed that the people wanted a weak end to Germany and he thought that he had a lot of supporters. However, Hitler was mistaken because he had left the Putsch too late. By November 1923, the worst of Hyperinflation was over and the Germans had faith in Gustav Stresseman, as Chancellor, to solve their problems. The Putsch failed because Hitler was misguided and didn't see the wider picture. He was too focused on Bavaria and he didn't think things through. Hitler's plan was to March on Berlin, gathering support, just like Mussolini had marched on Rome in 1922. Hitler was naive and shortsighted, he assumed too much. He thought that he could just take over Berlin and everyone would just follow him hen nobody even knew whom he was. Hitler felt he had to act because he had heard that Ritter Von Kahr was threatening to make Bavaria a republic. This would ruin Hitler's plans. On the 8th November 1923, Hitler panicked. He burst into the Beer Hall because he believed that Kahr was going to announce a Republic. 600 SA surrounded the hall while Hitler put a gun to Kahr's head and forced him to support Hitler's revolution. Hitler also got General Luddendorff to offer his support. Hitler then et Kahr go after he promised to come back in the morning. He was naive and he didn't think that Kahr would warn the police or army about his plans. Hitler was impulsive and he didn't think about the consequences of his actions. On the morning of 9th November Hitler began the Putsch with 2,000 instead of 55,000 men. His uncoordinated plans, poor organisation and impulsive acts left no time for clear instructions. This meant that so many Nazis turned up either late or confused. The result of this was that the police killed 16 Nazis and injured over 100 people, including Hitler. However, Hitler and Luddendorff were later arrested and charged with treason. However, it can also be argued that in the long term the Putsch didn't really fail. He gave Hitler widespread publicity and his name was spread all over Germany. He learnt from his mistakes, and realised that the only way to seize power was through elections. 10 years later, he would be voted leader of Germany.

Running head: SPORT VIOLENCE Essay

Violence is defined as â€Å"the use of excessive physical force, which causes or has obvious potential to cause harm or destruction.†(Mchill) Sport violence an issue or just part of the game? Where is the line drawn among players, fans, and media? With violence being so prominent in sports today the love of the game is being over shadowed by the need to win. Coaches, parents and players are being instructed to win at all cost, these tactics are then being glorified by the media and supported by the fans as good entertainment. The top three issues involving sport violence is media portrayal, fan identity, and youth sport violence. Media portrayal of sports violence is shown and read on every type of media outlet. Are the constant replays shown on ESPN of a player getting rocked in a game really necessary? Or how about the top ten worst hits? What type of message is this sending to young athletes? Media outlets are glamorizing athletes that are usually the aggressive and violent ones on a daily basis. Yes, athletes are being penalized for these violent actions but being replayed on ESPN 15 times a day really sending a message that violence is a part of the sport and promoting violence to solve problems? On the other side of the argument, exposure to sports violence by the media has stimulated efforts to control and prevent behavior by multiple fines and penalties. Also a high school athlete being scouted for a college sport can utilize the media to showcase the player and give an advantage to be recruited to the team. Spectator violence is present in every level of sport. From youth sport to professional sport, spectators lose control of their emotions and commit acts of violence against players, coaches, officials, and other fans. There are several factors that lead spectators to commit acts of violence: strong team identification, strong team loyalty, alcohol, and situational variables such as a team loss or fans of opposing teams sitting in close proximity and instigating each other. While the passion that spectators have for their team is a positive characteristic and it drives the success of the sport industry, the negative cost is that the passion can turn into criminal and deviant behavior which takes away from the enjoyment of the game and puts others at risk; endangering their right to enjoy watching a contest by having their safety jeopardized. However, all is not lost. There are policies and procedures that can be put in place to help curb spectator violence, but it takes a commitment from the top leaders of each individual sport organization to take a stand against such destructive behavior. Youth sport violence is a growing concern for all involved. A large part of child development comes from the involvement in youth sport. The problem is what they are being taught from overzealous coaches and parents who push for the win at all cost. The youth are learning to use unnecessary roughness and poor sportsmanship with little repercussions. The parents and coaches are the largest issue because they providing poor examples for the children. The ethical issue becomes whether it is ethical to included additional rules to youth leagues. The solution developed is for stricter rules or more serious repercussions for coaches, parents, and players. These rules are in hopes that they will bring youth sports back to a positive atmosphere it was once created for, without parents and coaches influencing youth poorly. Introduction Sport Violence in the 21st Century has become a major ethical issue. From the youth level to professional sports, fans, players, coaches, and media are guilty of contributing to this problem. Sport Violence is changing the way in which games are played, observed, and coached. Issues surrounding Sport Violence are not limited to the playing field but are spread throughout society. The major areas in which sport violence impact society are within the actual sport participants such as players and coaches; the media, and the spectators. One of the major issues is that sport violence is impacting the youth of America. The youth struggle to distinguish what they see on tv and what they are allowed to do themselves. They see violence and think that that kind of behavior is appropriate so they behave similarly during their games and may coaches do anything to stop it. In fact, many coaches encourage violence and poor behavior with a Win At All Cost mentality. Some people hold sport media accountable for the growing issue of sport violence because the media tends to glamorize and glorify violence in sports. When there is a violent hit or a fight in a game, the media will continually show the incident from several angles. While the announcers might be discouraging the poor behavior, the production continues to show it again and again instead of cutting to commentary or a commercial. Another example of how media spreads sport violence is the Top 10 lists of biggest hits, hardest knock outs, or most bruising pitches. The problem is that violence sells and the producers know it; which leads to another issue in sport violence: the spectators. Spectators love watching the violent hits and the hardest knockouts over and over. Just as a bad car wreck makes everyone stop and look, violence in sports catches people’s attention and invokes an emotional response. Therefore, the spectator’s response to the media is cyclical and they both drive each other. Additional concerns of spectators and sport violence is the emotional ties that individual’s feel to their team. This type of team identification can influence an individual to commit their own acts of violence if their team loses or if they feel threatened by a fan of another team. Spectator violence lives in youth sports, high school sports, collegiate sports, and professional sports. It’s negative influence is overreaching and permeating. Analysis and Discussion: Are parents and coaches encouraging kids to use excessive force in sports in order to win games? Where is the line between a good play and unnecessary roughness? Violence in sports is a topic of many sport enthusiasts and is an even large concern when it involves youth sports. The issue is discovering what is causing sport violence in the youth. There are a many outlets that help influence excessive force, media coverage of professional sports, parents and coaches with a win at all cost mentally. Is violence in youth sport a result of sport being to competitive? Youth sports were started to help develop children’s identity, physical skills, social skills, teamwork, and brain function. All the positive effects are true for youth sports if the focus is on developing children and not as much on the score of the game. While there is a place for competitive nature in youth sports it should not cause unnecessary roughness by the athletes. Arthur-Banning cited scholars saying â€Å"youth sport can be used to promote lifelong physical activity and enjoyment of sport, but only if programs are specifically designed with this intent.†(Smith & Smoll, 1997; Weiss & Petlichkoff, 1989)(p.4). A large problem lies in adults who cannot put aside their desire to win and therefore get out-of-control. This includes yelling at the umpires, fighting with other parents, yelling at players, etc. When children observe this behavior they believe it is acceptable to do the same. This behavior then fosters more poor behavior for example, blaming others for their actions and not taking responsibility. â€Å"The competitiveness permeating youth sports today often leads to exploding tempers, vile verbal assaults and sometimes fisticuffs, placing the child in the middle of the melee. Finding the balance between the positive and negative lessons that aggression teaches is the key, according to Tofler.†(Focus on Family, p. 4). It is parents and coaches job to groom well tempered athletes during their youth. In a study by Kerr explains four types of violence in sports which are important to be able to identify the difference between the in orders to determine the use of the violence. There is â€Å"play violence† which is just playful but is a concern when it escalates to â€Å"anger violence† which is serious anger that is unpleasant. The third is â€Å"Power violence with a serious purpose and tends to take the form of cold, calculated violence† this is an excepted form of violence in sports like boxing and karate but not football. In sports like football i t would be unnecessary roughness. The fourth type to be aware of is â€Å"thrill violence is usually provocative and spontaneous, providing pleasant high levels of felt arousal and felt negativism† (Kerr, 2009, p.45). If coaches and parents are aware of the type of violence the athlete is displaying they can take correct measures to prevent it from happening again. By having the adults support positive sportsmanship and punish or discourage poor sportsmanship it will teach the young athletes how to respond to different situations. The adults should focus on how to help their children control emotions during a game which will help the kids develop skills that can be used outside of sports, like conflict resolution. Ian Tofler, M.D. â€Å"says, for the most part, sports reflect society today. He asserts that the American way of life embraces assertiveness, aggression, but also resiliency. Learning such attributes from sports is essential in teaching moral and ethical development.†(Focus on the Family, p. 4) Sport can be a positive part of children’s youth if done correctly. Youth sport administrators should ensure there are guides to support positive experiences for children in sports. To fix violence in youth sports additional rules may need to be in place for coaches and parents. Would it be ethical to put rules in place to give parents or coaches technical fouls based on their negative out bursts? Would it be ethical to eliminate athletes from a league for excessive use of roughness? Is it ethical to continue to allow youth violence in sport to occur with little repercussions? The issue in question is whether it is ethical to make additional rules for youth sports to help prevent youth sport violence. These rules would be directed to parents, coaches, and athletes holding them more responsible for their actions. Cavanagh decision-making model will be used to decide the most ethical option. Using the Utilitarian theory is the first step of the model. â€Å"The greatest good for the greatest number† (Cavanagh, p. 141). Facts that support more rules are; helps kids develop problem solving skills, develop sportsmanship, children staying safe, children will understand right from wrong, parents and coaches will be punished for acting out, and the youth games will be focus on learning instead of just winning. The facts that go against more rules are; games are less competitive, could embarrass parents, coaches and parent do not give feedback positive or negative, and athlete fool around in the game. Overall the greatest good for the greatest number of people would be to instill additional rules. With additional rules it will teach children important life skills they can take with them in the future. For the parents and coaches they will begin to understand the game is for the kids to have fun and learn. Sports violence will go down because if things escalate out of control the parents, coaches, or athlete could be thrown out of the game or league. They all will understand that poor actions lead to repercussions and youth sports will be what it was designed for, education and fun. The second step to the theory is Rights, â€Å"They enable individuals to pursue their own interests and they impose correlative prohibitions and/or requirements on others.†(Cavanagh, p. 142).The rights that are for additional rules for youth sports are; life and safety, truthfulness, freedom of conscience, right of autonomy and Privacy? The players, coaches, and parents have the right not to have their life or safety endangered at a youth sport event because of violence. Truthfulness supports the rules because other players and coaches have the right to know the intentions behind a play. If the player was told to win the game at all cost the opposing team has the right to know the intention of foul play. Freedom of conscience supports the rules because if parents, coaches, or player’s choice not to adhere to the rules they will be asked to leave because they are violating the moral rules put in place. The right of autonomy side favors the rules because if the parents, coaches, or players do not like the added rules they can choice not to participate in the league. On the other hand the right of free speech, privacy, and autonomy go against the additional rules. Parents and coach have the right to criticize conscientiously as long as it does not violate others, giving them the right to yell at players, coaches and officials at a game. Parents and coaches have the right of privacy to conduct their parenting or coaching style however they see fit. In conclusion the right that weighs the heaviest on this issue is the right to life and safety. The additional rules will keep parents, coaches, officials, and most important children safe during games. The most important thing in youth sports is education and fun, which mean unnecessary roughness or the winning at any means necessary does not have a place in youth sports. The third ethical criteria for determining if additional rules should be put in place for youth sports, in order to limit youth sport violence is justice. â€Å"Justice requires all persons, and thus managers too, to be guided by fairness, equity, and impartiality.†(Cavanagh, p.144). The parts of justice that support the additional rules are fair administration, fair compensation, and fair treatment. The administration will uphold the â€Å"rules consistently, fairly and impartially.†(Cavanagh, p.143). Fair compensation supports the new rules because it holds individuals involved in the act of violence responsible for the injuries they have caused on the other individuals. Each parent, coach, and player deserve to be treated the same unless they decide to act in an out of control fashion. The cons against the new rule are fair blame and due process. Parents or coaches should not be â€Å"held responsible for matters over which they have no control†(Cavanagh, p.143). Parents or coaches might not necessary be responsible for the actions of their children during the game. Parents or coaches can make the argument that their rights are being violated by adding additional rules to youth leagues. Again the justice criterion leads to the addition of rules to youth leagues based on fair treatment. If an individual chooses to act out they are setting themselves apart from others and therefore, should be treated in such a way by given them repercussion for their negative actions. A fair solution to this ethical issue of violence in youth sports is to add additional rules to youth leagues. The leagues can start by having all players, parents, and coaches sign an agreement to conduct themselves in a fair and proper manor. In addition they will be made aware of penalties or repercussions if they do coach their kids to use unnecessary roughness or if they have out of control burst which will be determined by the officials. The penalty they receive will be based on remarks or actions taking by the individual. The officials will have the right to give out these penalties based on new league rules. The rules will make examples out of offenders to encourage others not to violate the rules. Lastly, before coaches are allow to coach a team they must attend a seminar or clinic that explains what is demeaned unnecessary roughness, out bursts, and other unfavorable actions. All parents will be invited to clinics and seminars but are not requiring attending unless one of the rules is violated. If one of the rules are violated it is mandatory for the people involved to attend with their child to the clinics or seminar. Violence in the media has been is a topic of great concern for many of years to parents, educators and even medial professions. There doesn’t seem to be many positive aspects to violent television shows or sporting events. There will always be the debate over why some people react with violence after watching violent media being played over and over on sports stations and some do not, but the fact remains that there are only a few good reasons to see so much violence in such detail. Mass media can be said to have a large contribution to the acceptability of sports and violence. The media plays a vital role in sports and how it’s portrayed. Through the media exposure, many people to sports-related violence are tuned into the television, magazines, newspapers, and radio, thus providing numerous examples to children and young adults who may imitate such behavior. Violence through the media can glamorizes players, often the most controversial and aggressive ones. On the other hand, the exposure given to sports violence by the media has stimulated increased efforts to control and prevent such behavior by multiple fines being set in place and many penalties. One of the most recent events that involved violence in sports and media exposure is the Detroit Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers brawl. A little recap of the incident was Pacers forward Ron Artest stretched himself out on the scorer’s table, where he was hit by a cup of beer thrown by a Detroit fan. Artest, followed by a number of other Pacers, charged into the crowd, throwing punches. The fight lasted about 10 minutes. Officials eventually called the game, and the Pacers were showered with beer, popcorn and debris as they left the court; a chair was thrown during the brawl and a number of people were treated for minor injuries. Not only was this fight showed on ESPN for weeks, it was shown on national news stations across the country and analyzed every aspect of it. The YouTube video of the fight received millions of hits and today is still showed as one of sport’s most violent brawls. In 1961-1973 a study was done by Ontario Royal Commission on Violence. On average 15 hours of â€Å"very aggressive† and â€Å"aggressive sports† were televised per week, and in 1973 the average raised to 21 hours per week. The most obvious and over played argument would be the negative result of violence in the media and how it promotes violence to solve problems. By watching detailed violence, it sends a message that violence is acceptable way to play sports or be â€Å"competitive†. Some examples of how the media relays violence in sports could be by the constant replays of massive hits, slow motion showing every impact including the player’s distressed face, and even zooming in on the player that was injured. Shouldn’t media outlets be portraying sports as skilled and professionalism? Instead televisions are full of â€Å" top ten painful plays† or â€Å" top ten hits† or â€Å" best fights of 2012†. What message is this sending to athletes of every age? Smith (1978) did a study on how much violent material do young athletes consume through media. The results were about 65% of youth athletes attend pro hockey games 2-3 times a year, 53% said they read about pro hockey on a daily basis and 80% watch it weekly. Consumption went up with age. Hockey can be thought to be one of the most violent sports next too football with the legal fist fights. Smith (1983) asked â€Å"Have you ever learned how to hit another player illegally from watching pro sports?† and 56% of the 604 participants said yes. With a little over half of the people watching sports learned how to illegally hit another player during a game is intense. This could possibly mean the outlet of television or media is the reason why violence in sports in on a rise. It was reported by Sports Business Journal that in 1987-1988 the NBA had more fist fights than Professional Boxer Mike Tyson. Finding many pro sides for violence in sports through the media was a little more challenging. Receiving a college scholarship is almost impossible these days. Without the help of the media portraying them as the best of the best it would be a lot harder for schools across the country to recognize or even notice potential athletes. A defensive player in football gets his position by being aggressive and making important tackles, even if it’s a violent play. Recording these plays or writing about them gives an advantage to the athlete trying to get into college. Also, media coverage can greatly enhance the chances of violent offenders being caught. There have been several examples of players, who were not reported by officials during a match, being cited by sporting bodies, clubs or tribunals after the event. Media footage has also helped track down perpetrators of violent acts off the field. Known by many, some sports are violent by nature. Boxing is the obvious example, where physical attack is the point of the exercise. There has been much debate over the sport and the media coverage for such violence this form of â€Å"violence† is within the rules of the sport and the possibility of injury is well known by participants and by viewers so by showing coverage of these types of sports are accepted and are not merely portraying violence as acceptable outside of the sport. The question related to media and violence is whether showing violence in sports through the media outlets ethical? Cavanaugh decision-making model will be used to decide the most ethical options. Utilitarian theory is â€Å"The greatest good for the greatest number† (Cavanagh, p. 141). Actions are evaluated by judging their consequences and weighing the good effects and bad effects and the attempt is to achieve an optimal balance of benefits versus harms on those affected by the action. Facts that support media coverage of violence is that viewers like to watch action in sports, violence is a part of the game, intensifies the game and may help high school athletes get noticed for college. The facts that go against media coverage of violence are; too graphic, no need to show people getting hurt, violence and competition are two different things violence only degrades the sport or player. Overall the greatest good for the greatest number of people would be to allow the media to cover violence in sports. Now days people watch sports through the television or watch highlights through media such as ESPN. Some people only want to see the important plays of the game. Let’s face it, the more intense sports are the more people will watch them, even if it’s a nasty hit, or brawl in a basketball game. Rights theory is the next step. The rights for media coverage of sports violence are; truthfulness and right of free speech. Truthfulness supports this theory because the media have the right to be truthful in what they show and not alter the media or certain outbreaks. Censorship is allowed but if a major fight breaks out is it ethical or unethical to show it? Do the people have a right to see what happened? Under the right of free speech commentators and sports broadcasting channels have the right to criticize others as long as it doesn’t violate the rights of others. If it happened in the game why wouldn’t the media be allowed to play it and talk about it? The last theory is justice. The theory of justice requires decision makers to be guided by equity, fairness, and impartiality (Cavanagh et al., 1981). It relies on three types of moral prescriptions: (1) that individuals who are similar in a relevant respect should be treated similarly and individuals who are different in a relevant respect should be treated differently in proportion to the difference between them; (2) that rules should be administrated fairly and clearly; and (3) that individuals should not be held responsible for matters over which they have no control, and should be compensated for the cost of their injuries by those responsible for these injuries (Cavanaugh et al., 1981). Decision making and reasoning based on the theory of justice focus on the distributional effect of actions (Cavanagh et al., 1981). Under these criteria’s I believe it is ethical to show violence in sports throughout media. Though violence throught the miedia will never go away some of the alternatives I came up with were to limit the number of times a aggressive play is shown on TV and have a warning for younger kids that what is about to be shown is graphic so parents can decide whether its appropriate to show the violent acts. Over the past several decades, sport violence has become an ever-increasing topic in North America. The topic of violence usually revolves around athletes, teams, and the organizations themselves. For instance, Ron Artest, also ridiculously known as Meta World Peace thanks to his name change, is more widely known for his violence than he is for his basketball skills; most recently for his violent swing of the elbow to the head of James Hardin during the last week of the 2012 NBA regular season. The New Orleans Saints’ publicity has shifted over the past year from the America-loved Hurricane Katrina World Champions to the America-despised Bounty Hunter team who offered inside bonuses to those defenders that had the biggest and most damaging hits to the opposing team. And finally, just about since its inception, the entire Oakland Raider football organization has been labeled as poor sports, violent, and unethical due to the organizations predisposition for everything that goes against ethical behavior. Traditionally, much of the attention has focused on the ones in the big spotlight, and only a small amount of attention has focused on the ones in the background, the ones who passionately follow and support the athletes, teams, and organizations: the spectators. No doubt, spectators make the sport world go round. With the Sport Business Journal’s estimate of $194.64 billion spent in the year 2001, if it wasn’t for the spectators, the sport industry would not be as successful (Chelladurai, 2009, p. 10). The shear economic impact of sport within our society is extremely important in driving the American economy, and with the thrilling permeation of sport within American society, spectators have the ability to make or break the sport. American’s love their teams. The passion and excitement that the success of teams creates within the spectator is unparalleled to anything else. The biggest sport stadiums in our country, The Big House at the University of Michigan for example, bring out over 100,000 spectators for each event. Nothing else in our society encourages this kind of commitment and participation over an extended period of time. The biggest concerts can bring close to that many people, but the concert only lasts for one day in one location and then the show moves onto a different city or state. Certain protests, parades, or political events can draw crowds over 100,000 but once again, the actual event is usually only one or two days and the difference between these events and sports/concerts is that these events do not cost anything to attend. For spectators to commit their support over entire seasons, year in and year out, requires an ongoing investment in mental, emotional, financial, and cognitive resources. This kind of relationship between spectator and team is remarkable. Few events in our society can compete with the extreme emotional highs that sports can invoke within ones soul. However, with the emotional highs come emotional lows. For the majority of time, sports have a very positive impact on society, but at other times sport has the ability to influence spectators to commit unlawful and undesirable acts of violence and aggression. It is during these times when sport has a negative role in our society. To begin the discussion about spectators it is important to have a fundamental definition. Nicholson and Hoye (2005) define spectators as â€Å"supporters and parents†¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœbench’ players, coaches, team, club or league officials, venue staff and general public within the view of the field of play† (p. 95). All of these individuals play an important role when it comes to making sport a positive experience or a negative experience. The role that media, players, and coaches play in sport violence has already been discussed. The remains of this discussion will be focused on the individuals outside those two areas; specifically the spectators known as the fans. There is the obvious physical violence that spectators can invoke on each other, the officials, the players, and the coaches. For the purpose of this discussion, poor behavior not resulting in physical violence is going to be included with the overarching topic of â€Å"violence.† Nicholson and Hoye (2005) define poor behavior as â€Å"Foul language, abuse of officials, racial and ethnic abuse, sexual harassment, throwing missiles, drunkenness, pitch invasion, and acts of violence† (p. 98). These undesirable acts can be directed towards fellow spectators, players, coaches, and unfortunately officials. In fact, Nicholson and Hoye (2005, p. 100) found that the perception of performance of game officials was one of the key catalysts for poor behavior. Apparently, when things aren’t going the way of their desired team, spectators look to release their frustrations on something or someone and contest officials are the easiest target. Further, spectator violence is not limited to the times between the first and last whistles. Spectator violence takes place before games, during games, and after games and the violence can take place just about anywhere. It can take place at sports bars and pubs that aren’t located anywhere near the venue, or it can happen on the streets that surround the venue either before the game or after the game. Spectator violence can break out in the parking lots of the venue during pre-game tailgate parties or post-game events and it can also happen at the venue entrance/exit points, in the mausoleum, in the stands or even spread to the playing surface. With such a propensity for spectators to commit acts of violence and criminal behavior, venue and event managers are concerned with how to stop it or at the very least control and minimize it. However, understanding the cause should come before finding the solution. First off, let’s not confuse passion with violence. One of the greatest draws of sport competition in our society is the camaraderie created between players, teams, organizations, and fans. The passion and excitement created by this bond is what keeps people coming back day in day out, week in week out, and season after season. This bond is known as team identification and studies have shown it’s one of the strongest predictors of spectator violence. It’s easy to point out the obvious individuals that are high in team identification. For example, Barrel Man is a historic figure in the history of the Denver Broncos and the Mile High Stadium. Certain high schools have spirit squads that are front and center at every game and they have specific names like â€Å"Kadet Krazies† for the Air Academy High School Kadets and the â€Å"Rowdy Rams† for the Rampart High School Rams; both in Colorado Springs, CO. However, team identification is not always as visibly obvious as the aforementioned examples. Many fans feel a strong sense of internal and emotional relationship with their team. Either way, team identification is a strong variable in determining spectator violence. Wann, Carlson, and Schrader (1999) classified spectator aggression into two categories: hostile or instrumental. Hostile spectator violence involves violent actions that are motivated by anger with the goal of harming another person. Instrumental spectator violence refers to actions intended to harm another person with the goal of achieving a result other than the victim’s suffering (p. 279). This kind of violence is highest amongst individuals high in team identification and that experience a situation that is unfavorable to their personal desires; such as a team loss. These two elements can combine to make an explosive situation at sporting contests. Consider additional variables such as alcohol, age of spectators, level of game importance (playoff game), and nature of the sport (football as opposed to volleyball) and the potential for spectator violence only increases. No matter why or how spectator violence happens, the ones involved are almost always perceived as hooligans, hoodlums, or deviants and whenever violence does break out it always puts a blemish on the image of the particular sport or team. As mentioned in the beginning of this section, individuals or organizations involved in violence are seen as unethical and looked upon negatively in our society. Spectators are just as vulnerable to the negative perceptions and are also seen as unethical individuals that detract from the spirit of the game. In effort to determine the level that spectator violence is unethical, this issue should be processed through the Cavanagh Model of Ethical Decision Making. Three criteria are considered when making this determination: Utility, Rights, and Justice. The fundamental principle of utility is that whatever makes the greatest good for the greatest number of people is the ethical decision, act, or policy. If spectator violence were to occur at every sporting event across the globe than one could say that it negatively impacts the majority of people and it is therefore unethical. However, when comparing the total number of sport games that take place in the world to the total number of times that spectator violence occurs, the number of incidents of spectator violence is relatively small. Therefore, based on the utility criterion, spectator violence is considered to be ethical. The notion of rights is the next criterion to consider in making the determination of spectator violence being ethical or unethical. Spectators have a right to enjoy a sporting contest without their life or safety being threatened. On the same topic, Nicholson and Hoye (2005) explained the notion of spectator violence breaking individual rights as this: â€Å"Poor spectator behavior can impinge on the ability of people involved in sport to enjoy a safe physical, social, and cultural sport environment† (p. 95). In making a determination of spectator violence being ethical or unethical based on the rights criterion, one must conclude that spectator violence is unethical due to the fact that it violates individual’s rights to enjoy a sporting contest without their lives and safety being threatened. The final criterion to consider in determining spectator violence being ethical or unethical is justice. â€Å"Justice requires all persons, and thus managers too, to be guided by fairness, equity, and impartiality. Justice calls for evenhanded treatment of groups and individuals (1) in the distribution of the benefits and burdens of society, (2) in the administration of laws and regulations, and (3) in the imposition of sanctions and means of compensation for wrongs a person has suffered† (Cavanagh, 1984. p. 144). There are several justices to consider in this case: fair administration of rules, fair compensation, and due process. In regards to fair administration of rules, everyone spectator is held to the same high standard of appropriate behavior. No spectator gets a special rule allowing them to act inappropriately. Therefore, fair administration of rules cannot be counted as injustice when looking at spectator violence. Now, in the event that spectator violence occurs, there are often innocent bystanders affected by the violence. Sometimes they are just emotionally scarred or threatened and other times they are physically harmed. In the case of physical harm incurred by innocent bystanders, these individuals expect that they receive fair compensation for their injuries and that the violent aggressors be held accountable for their actions. However, in the case that the perpetrator is not held responsible for their act of violence and the victim does not receive fair compensation for their injuries, justice is not being served. It can be assumed that the majority of time that a violent mob breaks out and an innocent bystander gets injured, that the individual responsible for that injury will not be detained or held responsible. Only in the time there was physical evidence convicting the violent spectator will the victim receive fair compensation. More often than not, injured bystanders are taken to the emergency room for treatment of their injuries and the perpetrator is not held responsible. This situation blends into the idea of due process, where an individual has a right to a fair and impartial hearing when he or she believes that personal rights are being violated. As explained previously, spectator violence impinges on individual’s rights to enjoy a sporting event in a safe environment without their life or safety being threatened. In the case that this right is violated and someone’s life or safety has been threatened to the point of injury or harm but they are not able to bring suit on an individual or organization due to the nature of the event that occurred, then there is a strict violation of due process. To answer the question of spectator violence being unethical or unethical based on the criterion of justice, the conclusion is that spectator violence is unethical. Spectator Violence is determined to be unethical yet unstoppable, but what policies or procedures can organizations put in place that help control or minimize the violent behavior? Nicholson and Hoye (2005) discuss strategies used to manage poor behavior and their identified strategies fall under 3 categories: Preventative, which are strategies designed to educate spectators and develop a better culture; Immediate, which are strategies to deal with poor spectator behavior as they occur; and Post-Incident, which are strategies designed to punish or prosecute poor behavior after an incident (102). Preventative strategies include providing safe and secure entrance/exit points for players, coaches, officials, and spectators; providing and displaying code of conduct packets for spectators; additional education for officials on how to best handle volatile situations; strategically place bars or â€Å"wet† areas to minimize alcohol induced violence; limit alcohol consumption; development and implementation of national rules and expectations; and provide a more than sufficient number of event staff and security. Immediate strategies include removing the spectator/s from the event, cancelling the event, and the use of a Yellow/Red card system where a yellow card is a warning and a red card is a removal from the event. Post-incident measures include removing players that have a tendency to invoke violence amongst spectators, suspending players, and banning the entrance of spectators who are consistently detrimental to the game experience. There is not a one size fits all solution to curbing spectator violence. For instance, the Denver Broncos are not able to keep an individual from returning to future games. They may be able to prevent that individual from purchasing a ticket but that’s easy to circumvent if that spectator has a friend buy tickets for them. The individuals working the ticket gate are not equipped to check every person’s id so they cannot prevent the perpetrator from entering the venue unless they have specific knowledge that the perpetrator is trying to enter at a specific gate. Instead, venue and organization management should put as many of these strategies in place in order to minimize spectator violence and provide a positive safe environment for all to enjoy. Conclusion: The major points in this analysis report are the ethical dilemmas with violence in youth sports, violence through the media and spectator violence. Ways to help maintain and prevent violence in youth sports are making sure the there are signed agreement for players, coaches, parents, administering additional penalties or repercussions for unnecessary roughness or out of control and finally running clinics and seminars on the preventative measures on violence in the specific sport being played. Violence through the media can be monitored by limiting the number of replays of a violent hit or fights and seeing out warnings to young children warning them about the viscous hits, attacks, fights etc. Finally preventative measures for spectators will include providing safe and secure entrance/exit points for officials, players, and coaches, having the Code of Conduct packet for players and spectators, educating the officials and event staff for handling violent behavior, strategically placed â€Å"wet† areas, signage reminding spectators what they represent, development and implementation of national rules and limiting alcohol and # of spectators. Immediate measures for audience violence would include removal the violent spectator from the event, removal of players from the contest, cancelling the event before it gets out of hand, having a red and yellow card system and having police presence. Post incident measures need to include suspensions of players, blacklisting spectators and administering fine and jail time for appropriate circumstances. References Arthur-Banning, S. (2009). Parents Behaving Badly? The Relationship between the Sportsmanship Behaviors of Adults and Athletes in Youth Basketball Games. Journal Of Sport Behavior, 32(1), 3. HYPERLINK â€Å"http://0-search.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=36561074&site=ehost-live† http://0-search.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=36561074&site=ehost-live Bigelow, B., Moroney, T., & Hall, L. (2001). Just let the kids play. Deerfield Beac,Fl: Health Communications Inc. Coakley, J. (2011). Youth sports: What counts as â€Å"positive development?†. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 3(35), 306-324. doi: 10.1177/0193723511417311 Conroy, D. E., Silva, J. M., Newcomer, R. R., Walker, B. W., & Johnson, M. S. (2001). Personal and participatory socializers of the perceived legitimacy of aggressive behavior in sport. Aggressive Behavior, 27(6), 405-418. HYPERLINK â€Å"http://0-web.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/ehost/detail?sid=9712135c-cca9-4dc5-94f0-dd1e1b0d17† http://0-web.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/ehost/detail?sid=9712135c-cca9-4dc5-94f0-dd1e1b0d17 %40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=sph&AN=SPHS-800129 Focus on Family: Not just a game: parental rage marring youth sports. (2002). Providence, RI, USA: Manisses Communications Group. Ginsburg, R. D., Durant, S., & Baltzell, A. (2006). Whose game is it, anyway?. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Hoch, D. (2008). Combating increased violence at games. Coach Athletic Director, 77, 12-13. Kerr, J. H. (2009). Analysis of recent incidents of on-field violence in sport: legal decisions and additional considerations from psychology. Aggressive Behavior, 35(1), 41-48. doi:10.1002/ab.20284 Lanter, J.R. (no year). Spectator identification with the team and participation in celebratory violence. Journal of Sport Behavior, 34, 268-280. Livings, B. (2006). ‘Legitimate Sport’ or Criminal Assault? What Are the Roles of the Rules and the Rulemakers in Determining Criminal Liability for Violence on the Sports Field?. Journal Of Criminal Law, 70(6), 495-508. HYPERLINK â€Å"http://0-search.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23244981&site=ehost-live† http://0-search.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23244981&site=ehost-live Linville, D. C., & Huebner, A. J. (2005). The analysis of extracurricular activities and thier relationship to youth violence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34(5), 483-492. doi:10.1007/s10964-005-7265-9 Mattila, V., Parkkari, J., Lintonen, T., Kannus, P., & Rimpelà ¤, A. (2005). Occurrence of violence and violence†related injuries among 12–18 year†old Finns. S candinavian Journal Of Public Health, 33(4), 307-313. doi:10.1080/14034940510005851 Nicholson, M., Hoye, R. (2005). Contextual factors associated with poor sport spectator behaviour. Managing Leisure, 10, 94-105. Roberts, J.V., Benjamin, C.J. (2000). Spectator violence in sports: A north american perspective. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 8, 163-181. Smith, Michael D. Mass media treatment of violence in sports and its effects. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, Vol 7(4), 1988-1989-1989, 298-311. doi: 10.1007/BF02686627 Violence. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved July 4, 2012, from

South Carolina Slave Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

South Carolina Slave - Essay Example Such inalienable rights also refer to my inherent rights to freedom. The declaration also speaks of equality and although Jefferson and the other founding fathers have been largely embroiled in the practice of slavery, slavery is still very much against the concept of equality. Slavery is basically a war against human nature. It is also an act of assault against people from a distant place, an assault which captivates them into a degrading existence (Nininger, Jr., 2011). Based on these primary precepts, I therefore deserve to be freed from my servitude. I believe that although Jefferson himself had slaves, such fact cannot prevent the deeper understanding of the statements of independence upon which the declaration of independence was based. I believe that Locke was a significant influence in the Jefferson’s ideals. Locke believed that God gave man four fundamental rights. These rights included the right to life, liberty, and property (Maier, 2001). Locke also believed that t he most important human law is that of the preservation of mankind. In order to meet such purpose, Locke believed that it is incumbent upon all individuals to protect their own rights. I, therefore, have the right to preserve my life and my rights. Preserving my life is preserving it for my own, not for other people, and certainly not for those who have tied me to servitude (Maier, 2001). I also feel more support from Locke in terms of seeking freedom from servitude. Locke succinctly points out that all people must have the right to make choices on the way they would carry out their activities, for as long as their actions do not interfere with the rights of others. In effect, Locke believes that one’s liberty must be extensive and not be filled with limitations. Slavery however extensively limits the rights and liberties of a person. I believe that the role of the government is to protect the exercise of my inherent and inalienable rights. Such principles under the declarati on of independence ensure that I have the same rights as other people. My status as a slave is therefore something I can inherently discard, even without the declaration of other people, including my masters or owners. My owners or masters also have a legal obligation to obey the principles of declaration and the laws of their rulers (Maier, 2001). The Declaration of Independence also claims that all men are created equal. This claim is the best support for my desire to be free of my servitude. Those who signed the declaration of independence had dubious stands on slavery as they loudly declared it to be wrong, but were themselves slave owners (Maier, 2001). Hutcheson also stated that â€Å"all men are morally equal to one another and that nature makes none masters, none slaves† (Maier, 2001). Still, slavery remained persistent, especially among these Declaration signatories because they actually did not see a clear way of ending the practice. I believe that it would have ind eed been difficult and disruptive to have slaves freed at once. It would have cause chaos in society and it would have left slaves without any visible and immediate means to support themselves (Maier, 2001). The cotton industry was also dependent on hundreds of slaves. Freeing them was bound to cause the collapse of the cotton industry. With these considerations, I believe that it would not be easy for me to gain freedom from my servitude. The Articles of Confederation provide no support or recognition for slavery. The only

1963 March on Washington Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1963 March on Washington - Essay Example It is estimated that approximately 250000 people participated in this demonstration, which was organized and executed by a group of civil rights organizations represented by individuals, who had a common objective of liberating the African Americans from racial and economic discrimination (Haskins 22). These organizations included and not limited to; the congress of racial equality, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as well as the National Urban League, which were represented by individuals who included James Farmer, Martin Luther King Junior, John Lewis, Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins and Whitney Young respectively (Haskins 43). It is important to note that despite the US declaration of independence in 1776, it had become apparent that the white Americans were not willing to co-exist with citizens of other races, such as the African Americans, Hispanics, Asians among others, who were forced to live under inhumane conditions especially due to the fact that they could not be allowed to compete fairly in the job market (Euchner 31). It is due to this that these groups went ahead to form civil rights organizations so as to try and pressure the government to accommodate them in the system without discrimination. However, up to 1963, not much progress had been made in this respect and indeed the government had continued to apply force and detention to counter any actions such as mass protests. Several sources indicate that the police and other security organs used means such as clubbing, releasing dogs to attack demonstrators as well as other overt and covert actions such as conniving with white citizens to attac k the demonstrators at strategic points under the watch of the security officers. It is under these circumstances that people such as Martin Luther King junior found themselves in prison, for example at the time he authored the famous letter from Birmingham jail (Haskins 16). It may be necessary to note that the 1963 march to Washington was not only an African American affair as it is reported that approximately 25% of those in attendance were white Americans, who were there to support their fellow country men and women in their fight for justice (Euchner 18). The demonstration was not without opposition as people such as the then president Kennedy opposed it at first though he later changed his mind after realizing that nothing could have stopped it. Human rights activists for example Malcolm X also did not agree with the idea and indeed, he is quoted as referring to the proposed demonstration as, â€Å"Farce on Washington,† though he is noted as being one of the people who attended (Euchner 28). The opposition felt that the issues that were to be the subject of the march were not accurate while others such as the Ku Klux Klan were known to be against the idea of a society which accorded the blacks equal rights as those of the whites. In fact, they were always violent towards the blacks as well as their sympathizers especially in cities such as Birmingham and Jacksonville among others. The major goals of the march to Washington included and not limited to having the congress pass a comprehensive bill aimed at abolishing segregation in public facilities so as to allow all citizens have unrestricted access regardless of their race. The participants also wanted their right to vote guaranteed and protected as well as be allowed to compete fairly in the job market through facilitation of training opportunities and fair recruitment procedures (Haskins 60). According to plans, the march was to start at the Washington monument all way through to the Lincoln

How to achieve HR Operational Excellence in Global Corporations Research Paper

How to achieve HR Operational Excellence in Global Corporations - Research Paper Example In order to survive in this tough competitive world it has become essential to achieve organizational excellence. Organizational excellence is a broad term and encompasses excellence in every department of the organization including finance, marketing HR and operations. In order to achieve excellence it is absolutely essential to have an integration of key departments of an organization. This has been aided by use of high end technology in business processes which include functional integration packages like an ERP which help in linking the different departments of an organization under one single unit. Organizations are also employing different efficiency techniques like TQM and Six Sigma in their operations which have helped them in creating competitive advantage in the business markets. Operational excellence has become the buzzword for business organizations across the globe. Multinational organizations like Wal-Mart and UPS have developed expertise by employing technologies whic h has helped in integration of departments as well as generation of organization efficiency. Wal-Mart is a classic example which has set benchmarks in the retail industry by adopting an efficient ERP program which has helped in creating large scale competitive advantage as well as generation of economies of scale and scope which have helped in creating entry barriers for organizations trying to capture the market share in a consumer market. This assumes considerable importance considering the fact that organizations need to have efficiencies so as to sustain the level of competition. Adoption of efficiencies also assumes significance considering the fact that business organizations operate in rapidly changing situations which demand greater flexibilities form the organization. This is only possible when an organization adopts innovations in operations and operational excellence as a part of its business strategy. Operational and organizational excellence includes three essential com ponents. Firstly it requires the top management of an organization to have the vision so as to identify the crucial factors at an appropriate time; these factors should be such that they help in adding value to the organization as well as to all the stakeholders including the customers of an organization. Secondly, organizational efficiency also calls upon organizations to achieve excellence and other necessary technological machinery so as to achieve large scale efficiencies in the organization. Thirdly organizational excellence and efficiencies also requires organizations to have the ability to ensure continuous betterment of business operations and its sustainability in the long run. Innovations are also crucial for organizations in their quest for organizational excellence as they not only generate organizational excellence but also help in generating competitive advantage in the form of cost savings and value addition to the product offering. Adopting innovations in processes l ike procurement help in generating cost advantage for an organization whose benefits could be passed on to the consumers to add value and affordability in the product offer

Design Thinking summative assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Design Thinking summative assignment - Essay Example The combination allows individuals who may not be trained as designers to apply ingenious tools to deal with a wide range of challenges. It allows the management to take advantage of individual competences that go unnoticed in the traditional problem solving strategies. This paper presents an analysis the concept of design-thinking. It also describes the application of design thinking criteria in Coca-Cola Company. It highlights the benefits identified by embedding design-thinking opportunities through design. The concept of Design-Thinking in Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company has maintained a significant market share globally for many years, which can be attributed to the company’s competitive strategy of design thinking. Diet Coke is a brand that was developed through design thinking with the intention of offering a new drink targeted at consumers who are gradually moving away from high calorie drinks and also to lessen the company’s carbon foot print emanating from the carbon based preservative ejected in to the atmosphere globally when every carbonated drink is opened (Boutzikas, 2000). The product was also focused on increasing the variety of Coca-Cola products as well as getting precise and instantaneous response with regards to customer preferences. It came in to the US market in 1982 as the first soft drink to use the Coca-Cola trademark since 1886 (Vrontis & Sharp, 2003). In the design thinking for the development of Diet Coke, everyone was considered as part of the whole process. According to (Brian, 2010), success is not only accomplished through combining the managers and the subordinates together, also requires people who are creative and good designers who are motivated by business matters. The Diet Coke project focused on promoting a common attitude with regards to inventiveness in the factory and to bring in external desires such as taste, fashion, music, photography and other things that could help in promoting creativity in the workplace. Design thinking requires a conducive environment for people to feel free to think and utilize their full potential, which results in an amalgamation of different characteristics that the new product will serve (Badke-Schaub et al. 2010). Free collaboration between the various departments in the company enhanced the development and marketing of Diet Coke in 1982 emerging as the bestselling low calorie beverage in the US within a very short period. According to Vrontis & Sharp (2003), free collaboration between the skill sets in the development of Diet Coke was enhanced by allowing each player in the project team to act out of free will to accomplish a common objective. The skill sets involved included strategy and design. Despite being in a different career path, Diet Coke project team participated equally in the project. Each of the components meant a lot in the success of product competitiveness (Boutzikas, 2000). Research and development have significantly contribu ted to innovativeness that has helped Coca-Cola to maintain global competitiveness. Diet Coke was developed in a design thinking approach that linked the global research and development centers to the company’s External Technology Assessment and Acquisition hubs that play an important role of enhancing the link between the company, its associates, industrialists, technological innovators and academics (Isdell & Beasley,

The Use of the Draft by the United States of America Thesis Proposal - 1

The Use of the Draft by the United States of America - Thesis Proposal Example The nation has paid a price for this in terms of the efficacy of its military actions and the results of the military interventions forced on it as the keeper of world peace. It is well past the time when the policy of an all-volunteer army is revisited, and the draft at 18 is reinstated for the peace in the world and satisfaction of achieving responsibilities felt at home. The demise of the Soviet Union has raised the stakes of the U.S. as the sole military and economic superpower in the eyes of the world, with the added responsibility of providing freedom and justice and maintaining peace in the world. Such a pragmatic vision was held out by the Presidential candidate George W. Bush in 1999, â€Å"For America, this is a time of unrivaled military power, economic promise, and cultural influence† (Campbell & O’Hanlon, 2006, p.28). The new millennium was to witness this drive in terms of national security and responsibility to the world. Citizens of the U.S.A have never fought a war on their land for the mere safety of family, home and country, save during the War of Independence to remove the yoke of colonialism. During the War of Independence, there was no requirement for conscription, as men believed it was their obligation, as bravery and valor flowed in their blood. The all-volunteer army is a reflection of the erosion in such values and the belief that military service is an obligation of the men of the nation (Bailey, 2009). Opposing the draft and support for the all-volunteer army reinforces the consideration that the present generation has gone soft with easy living. Do we want our wives to wake up one morning with the realization that her husband sleeping next to her is a coward, unwilling to fight to protect her children, home, and country? Or do we want our children to grow up to the realization that we were yellow-livered chickens? Let’s shed our looking for the easy way of life and demonstrate a willingness to be responsible for family and home, not merely in materialistic things, but also in true values and principles, built on the blood of our forefathers.

Women and Sexism at Workplace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women and Sexism at Workplace - Assignment Example Over the years, there have been a number of different roles that have been followed by men and women and have been considered to be the prehistoric roles of the people. However, when such assumptions are made and the roles for people are limited to a few tasks, then the result often leads to sexism. This paper aims at discussing the effects of sexism on women in two main areas, i.e. entering into a workplace and progress within the workplace. The main aim of the research is to get a better idea of how women are affected due to the existence of sexism in the workplace. The society has set down a various number of rules and roles that are expected to be for women. Women are faced with issues in getting jobs at the workplaces as there are a number of restrictions and reservations on the end of the employers. Employers prefer not to spend on the female employees for training and other purposes as there are very high chances of the women to leave the job so they can take care of their families (About Equal Opportunities, 2010). As seen in the survey, the youth and younger generation today, unlike the previous generations do not consider men’s work to be more important than that of women and there is a constant need for more equality and better understanding among the people.  These issues and difficulties include the possible offensive male chauvinist comments that can be faced by women as well as other questions where the employers demean the women by judging them to be less effective than men.  

Ethical issues Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical issues - Article Example This is whereby human resource managers face the task of making sure employees are competent to work in the decentralized setting as opposed to how it was before. Employees will have to be able to adapt to the virtual desk to incorporate the concept of flexible work arrangements are incorporated. (Misra, 2009) Another crucial challenged encountered is the global business concept which entails that with the fast growing organizations and the world becoming a global village, human resources managers should be knowledgeable about different cultures traditions and business practices so as to be at per with the globalization process. Thus, a need to keep them always informed on global and international issues. (Misra, 2009) Managing the performance of employees has also been a key area of concern as many human resource managers are not fully aware of all field expectations. Thus, they are incapable of determining performance levels of employees and as a result, fail to access level of competence of employees. Incorporation of all sub systems in human resource management has also proved to be a cog in the wheel. For efficient performance to be achieved, it is vital that the existing departments correlate in order to produce a smooth running department. (Mathis,

Julius Caesar 10th Grade Essay Essay Example for Free

Julius Caesar 10th Grade Essay Essay â€Å"Might makes right,† a vacillating quote signifying power, strength and ability, a vast amount of power which may surely lead to ones reign or contrary their own destruction. Is it possible that those with the most power always live a victorious life, and those who don’t have a grueling idea of what they are capable of live within a lie, residing under the casted shadows of those who were capable of exercising it to its full potential. The quote can be easily traced back to Plato, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s â€Å"The Social Contract† although hundreds of historians have found proof that leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and the Nazi Party had been greatly influenced by the idea of â€Å"Might makes right. † The simplistic three-word quote has a peculiar way of existing within everyone’s life without one actually understanding how or why. For example, a child asks his father â€Å"Dad how come the country with the biggest army always tells the other what to do? † The explanation his father gives is simply â€Å"Might makes right. Although the child is young he understands that the country with the larger army is fully capable of dominating the lives of the smaller one, therefore making it the superior force. Ideas behind â€Å"Might makes right† vary depending on ones logic, punitive debate whether â€Å"Might makes right† can still be found throughout the world to the present day. The underlying questions are, does might really make right, can exercising your rights be the only way of receiving what you desire, and does your might somehow create leadership. Therefore throughout this essay you will be the one who answers my questions. Within The Tragedy of Julius Caesar one can easily find a variation of examples pertaining to the ideology behind might makes right, Julius Caesar’s assassination, Antony’s promise to avenge Caesar’s death and Octavious’s decision to assert his responsibility as Caesar’s heir are only a few examples as to how might can be the driving force for ones actions. After Caesar arrives at the senate with hopes of being offered the crown the conspirators encircle Julius Caesar and one by one stab him with their daggers. Once Caesar realizes that his dear friend Brutus is within the crowd he accepts reality, gives up the struggle and soon dies. Marcus Antony decides to question Brutus as to why they decided to kill Caesar but his response is simply that they will find out during the funeral oration. Within the drama Caesar’s ambition is seen as his tragic flaw consequently leading to the idea that Rome was in grave danger and the conspirators verdict to assassinate him. Marcus Antony being a beloved friend of Caesar stays behind after the conspirators exit the room, and promises Caesar’s dead boy as well as himself that his death will be avenged. Marcus Antony questions both Cassius and Brutus’ speech as to how Caesar’s ambition would only lead to the downfall of Rome. He then speaks to the public about the confidentiality of Caesar’s will, shows him the body and after the crowd begins to plead he decides to reads the will. The masses become enraged at the idea of Caesar lying dead and decide to drive Brutus and Cassius out of the city. Granting that Marcus Antony did not use any form of violence he did have actions in order to persuade the masses to drive both traitors out of the city, his love for Caesar was greatly exemplified and gave rise to the fight between Marcus Antony, Octavius and Lepidus against Cassius and Brutus. Octavius demonstrates his might by adhering to his responsibility as heir and downgrading Marcus Antony’s responsibility within the battle. Octavius’ army triumphs after Cassius, Brutus and Titinius commit suicide, Antony speaks of Brutus calling him a Roman and Octavius orders for an honorable burial. Throughout the play one can effortlessly see that power is the driving force behind the conspirators’ decision to assassinate Julius Caesar although the tedious decision caused more imaginable deaths than would have occurred if Julius Caesar would have remained alive. Conceding that literature is of great prominence and influence to the individual ideas and thoughts thousands of philosophers, authors, politicians and even dictators have used the idea of â€Å"Might makes Right† to influence their actions. Genevan philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau is credited for his phrase â€Å"Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains† as history has confirmed his phrase is exact, mass murder, enslavement and totalitarianism are only a few of countless occurrences where the superior power has demonstrated its desire to achieve what wouldn’t be possible without its steadfast hold of supremacy. Are ones religious beliefs of great importance, or is it societies impotence to cast away those who don’t agree, during WWII Germany had the imprudent impression that they needed to make the perfect society, propaganda of anti-Semitism was the simplest way of attaining their goals. As WWII continued the Holocaust gave birth to the most senile, senseless and putrid form of hatred. Death camps and the murder of Jews is a simple way of demonstrating the immense power that Nazi’s held during the nineteenth century, nearly six million Jews were killed, but did the ends really justify the means, the Jewish population still exist to day, Hitler committed suicide and the Nazi party was defeated, having power is an accomplishment but it has to be well understood and whoever attains it must have the precise knowledge of what the outcome will be. Relating back to Rousseau’s quote, was man actually born free; history demonstrates that slavery was on of the harshest motives for demonstrating ones power, owning one, two or even ten slaves could easily signify ones power and wealth, but did having wealth and power create happiness for the owner or was it an approach at arrogance, boasting ones self-image. Blacks were frequently whipped, underfed and over worked but their owner’s malicious treatment taught them to pursue their happiness, therefore up to present days individuals of African heritage can be found performing incredible tasks such as the immense responsibility of holding the position of the President of the United States. Although slavery and mass murder hold an immense role as to how a dominant power must show his role totalitarian control is the superlative example, what better way of exhibiting your power than by controlling an entire country such as Stalin, Mussolini, and never forgotten Hitler did. All three leaders controlled a different entire frightened population under constant police terror, censorship and indoctrination therefore demonstrating their authority and dominance. Controlling their population may not have been the toughest job but their dominion and the fear their nations felt toward them was exactly what they sought, but did controlling every aspect of their lives change anything. Although the ideology behind might makes right is of great importance within human history it is constantly found within ones everyday life. Relating to the child asking his father why the bigger army always wins, one doesn’t always perceive how power can influence our lives. Although one does not always consider police, teachers and even parents as a superior power, they have a unique way of controlling what we do simply because they can. Imagine a child fussing over his parents setting a bedtime for him, he doesn’t agree because he thinks he is old enough to sleep whenever he desires but he has absolutely no control over the matter, merely because he must obey or on contrary be punished. His parents have the ability to set his bedtime simply because they are his elders and he must obey as society has taught us. Although the child may find the rule absurd the next morning he awakes well rested and calm due to his parent’s decision to set his bedtime, therefore the ends actually justified the means. Law enforcement is of immense importance to society due to its ability to regulate ones actions and provide a safe environment for everyone to appreciate. Police action is of tremendous assistance for anyone during a hostile situation for example during a violent fight the police can be easily contacted and they have enough power to arrest whoever caused the fight or was of danger to the other party. Although police do not have much power without the constant of witnesses they do have privileges such as giving tickets and assigning probation, in order to keep the community safe and secure. Although teachers are at times neglected and deprived of their significance they often assert their positions and demand their students. During school hours teachers typically assist one hundred and fifty or more students but in order for their class to behave they must have a sense of demand and control, typically teachers assign detention or even referrals, granting that the student was misbehaving some teachers may at times be kind enough to pay no attention to it simply because they do not wish to devastate the students future opportunities. Parents, law enforcement and teachers can be of great importance in ones life but one does not always have enough consideration as to how they can use their power to persuade or even demand an individual to perform a certain task. Generations passed, generations to come and the debate continues does â€Å"Might make right? † The United States is constantly patrolling countries like Iraq conceivably demanding them to follow in our perspective; surely the motive behind it is to achieve power and dominance. Although violence is a considerable symbol behind power the greatest power of all is having an entire population fear you, such as most totalitarian leaders did. Then is war only a perennial struggle for power, a game that we play to see who the victor will be or is it a form of leadership that one can attain by dominance and arrogance? â€Å"Might makes right† derives from the second a child has the appropriate knowledge as to his parents actions, children as young as ten months understand that the grownup is the one who typically does what he desires. Therefore does â€Å"Might make right† or perhaps there is not solid explanation and one must be the soul theorist.

Digital Convergence Processing and Transferring Data

Digital Convergence Processing and Transferring Data Introduction Digital convergence (DC) is the proliferation of information in digitized form (bits) and the efficient flow of information in the digital network. Digital convergence is the various ways in which digitized data are processed and transferred [1]. The Knowledge economy is driven by DC where digital systems are embedded ubiquitously in the business processes that help the users to exchange information, store and access data, collaborate, communicate, learn and trade in real time. The digital information can also be accessed from and stored in a remote location which supports workers that are mobile and/or located in distant locations. DC is facilitated by internet, access networks (like 3G,4G, wireless LAN, wireless broadband) and high network connectivity ; leading a surge in virtualization of computing and storage functions of digitized data [2]. Easy communication, information exchange and collaboration made possible over the global digital network with the aid of Digital Convergenc e has caused a surge in Cloud Computing; which is where digitized data, computational platform and infrastructure to compute enabled by the digital platform is stored in the cloud outside the walled premises of the organization on a sharable platform [2]. Digital Convergence is the current trend in Pervasive Computing which follows the mantra of access to information anywhere, anytime. Gartner Research states that worldwide cloud services revenue enabled by digitized data is estimated to exceed $56.3 billion in 2009, which is a jump of 21.3 percent from the $46.4 billion spent on the cloud last year [3]. Furthermore, Gartner analyst predicts by the year 2013, the Cloud service revenue will reach $150.1 billion[4]. Hence, Digital convergence (DC) is an important paradigm in information technology. Theory of digital options suggests that IT indirectly supports agility by offering firms with digital options [5], which are described as a set of IT-enabled capabilities in the form of digitized work processes and knowledge systems. This theory emphasizes that IT enhances the reach and richness of a firms knowledge and it is processed to help the firm improve its agility i.e. its ability to sense and respond to environment change. The term digital options denote that a firm may apply its IT-enabled capabilities in the form of digitized work processes to emerging opportunities, or they may remain unused depending on the dynamic capabilities of a firm [6]. In a dynamic environment; competitive advantage is short lived; hence firms continuously generate competitive actions to achieve series of short term competitive advantage and firms with greater number and variety of competitive actions achieve competitive position [7-9]. Attempts have been made to identify the factors that lead to competitiveness but there are no formal empirical study so far that investigates the link between Digital Convergence and competitive advantage. Research justification and research questions Dynamic capabilities of a firm are composed of Adaptive, Absorptive and Innovative capability[10]. Prior research has shown that Knowledge sharing and absorptive capability of the firm (ability and motivation of the firms employees to utilize knowledge) improves innovation capability of the firm[11]. Review of the previous IS research suggests that continuously generating competitive actions , Knowledge Management and Agility is important in achieving competitive position but there has been no formal empirical study that examines the role of innovation capability in improving firms business process agility and the role of Digital Convergence in leveraging innovation capability in competitive actions. There have been several calls for research to examine relationship between Organizational capabilities, Agility, digital systems and competitive actions. The specific research problems include examining the relationship between digital systems and competitive actions and Firm and network capabilities for leveraging digital systems in competitive actions[12] and examining what IT capabilities are vital to business success in contemporary digital environment? [13].There has been call for research to study the next wave of nomadic computing including Digital Convergence that enables organizations to: mobilize information, share the information, develop new forms of organizational structure, capability, and agility [1]. In response to these calls this study proposes to study the following research questions and the research model is illustrated in Fig 1. 1. Does Innovation capability of the firm help in making a firm more Agile? 2. What role does digital convergence play in influencing the strength of the proposed relationship between Innovation capability and Agility? 3. Does Digital Convergence help in developing the digital collaboration (both external and internal)? 4. What role does location of the partner play in building the innovation alliance network or in other words Digital collaborators of a firm are more locally dispersed / more globally dispersed / are they somewhat equally dispersed between local and global locations? Digital Convergence inhibits or facilitates Digital collaboration between partners that are local and global? 5. Does Digital Collaboration (like between competitors) have any role in shaping business process agility? 6. Improving the business process agility of the firm makes the firm more competitive? 7. Which type of digital collaboration is perceived to be the most valuable for enterprises innovation activities? Literature Review Digital convergence Prevalence of digitized data has resulted in Digital Convergence (DC) [14]. The Digital network today is connected with IP phone, IP camera, IP TV, Point of sale systems, digital learning devices, portable medical and other technologies that provide unified communication and collaboration tools even to those workers who are mobile. When all media is digitalBits co-mingle effortlessly. They start to get mixed up and can be used and re-used separately or together.[15] or in other words DC makes use and reuse of information easier. The definition of digital convergence (DC) has evolved over time. The assimilation of concepts on Digital Convergence from the review of literature is outlined below. In the year 1977, Japans NEC Corporation first defined DC as communications merging with computers. Digital convergence requires ubiquitous and powerful computers that can handle communications with digitized content[16, 17]. DC is the convergence of content ( character, sound, text, motion, picture into a bit stream ) and convergence of transmission ( bits can be managed and transmitted quickly and efficiently and in large volumes) enabled by distributed computing and internetworking [18]. DC can also be classified as Network convergence: Fixed to mobile convergence (FMC) is the seamless distribution of digitized content over mobile and fixed technologies enabling the collapse of boundary between fixed network operator and mobile network operators. It provides access to the digitized service irrespective of location and device. FMC means that a single device can connect and be switched between wired and wireless networks. [19]. Digital convergence can also be viewed as Business Process convergence or integration: It is the ability to represent audio, video, text and other media in digital form, manage this rich digital content and tie it to transactional capability and interactive services [20].For e.g. In a doctors office the patient signature can be captured digitally, all the business transactions like patient scheduling, recording of the information about the procedure performed and the rate for the services performed, payment collection, processing for insurance claim, patient medical records can be managed digitally and later those records can be accessed by management to track the performance of the clinic efficiently. Also the business process convergence can help business provide personalized interactive products for the consumers. DC is the ability to integrate and converge enterprise wide business process with single point of access to it, 247, where digitized data are stored in a shared repository and managed by enterprise wide software like the Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. DC is Device convergence where same digital device can be used for multiple forms of digital content used for complementary services like mobile phone can be used as video player, music player, and sound recorder, GPS, email and web search[16]. It is defined as the convergence of computing, communication and consumer electronics [21] In the current scenario, future digital convergence means producing digital environments that are aware, receptive and adaptive to humans connected in a network. The interacting computational devices connected to such pervasive, human-centered computing network are able to commu nicate with each other [22]. Digital convergence can help working from home, conduct live meeting without travelling using video conferencing. Based on Past research, Digital convergence can be summarized as convergence of: a) digital content, b) network/transmission, c) business process/service, d) digital devices and e) infrastructure supporting pervasive computing. Innovation Capability Past research on Innovation capability of a firm has concluded that it includes the ability of the firm to have product innovation capability, process innovation capability and market innovation capability which are summarized below. The role of environmental innovation capability and organizational innovation capability in shaping firm agility has not been studied so far. Product Innovation capability: Innovation capability is the ability to develop new products or services [23-25], ability to be first mover in the market [26] and ability to introduce more new products than other firms [26]. Process Innovation capability: This is the ability of the firm to develop new methods of production [23-25], develop new organizational forms[23], seek new and novel solutions to problems[23] and to discover new methods and sources of supply[23]. Market Innovativeness: This is the ability to identify new markets[23]. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is headquartered in Paris and administers Community Innovation Survey (CIS). The Community Innovation Survey (CIS) was updated recently in the year 2008 and it lists Organizational Innovation Capability and Environment Innovation Capability as new measures for innovativeness [27]. Innovation surveys were first experimented with in several Western European countries but have since been conducted in many other countries including Canada, all EU countries, Switzerland, Russia, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, South Africa and most Latin American countries. Organizational Innovation Capability As per the CIS 2008 [27], organizational innovation capability is the ability of the firm to have new organizational method in the business practice. The new methods includes new business practices for organising work or procedures (i.e. supply chain management, business re-engineering, lean production, quality management, education/training systems, etc), new knowledge management systems to better use or exchange information, knowledge and skills within and outside the enterprise, New methods of workplace organisation for distributing responsibilities and decision making (i.e. first use of a new system of employee responsibilities, team work, decentralisation, integration or de-integration of departments, etc) and New methods of organising external relations with other firms or public institutions (i.e. first use of partnerships, outsourcing, alliances or sub-contracting, etc.) Environmental innovation capability: As per the CIS 2008 [27], this is the ability to produce new or signi ficantly improved product (good or service), process, organizational method or marketing method that generates environmental advantage compared to alternatives. CIS 2008 also suggests that firm marketing innovation capability of a firm includes ability to make significant changes to product design or packaging, ability to develop new media or techniques for product promotion, develop new sales channel and develop new methods of pricing goods. Product Innovation capability also includes the ability of the firm to develop products adaptive to the needs of the customer. Process innovation capability includes ability to develop new or improved supporting activities for business processes and ability to provide new method of providing staff welfare (employees are provided incentives and encouraged to behave in novel and original ways) and key executives are encouraged to take new risks [27]. Competition: Knowledge Management (KM) theory and the Science of competitiveness suggests that KM improves competitive position by improving productivity, agility, innovation and/or reputation PAIR [28, 29]. In dynamic markets knowledge assets become critical as a source of competition [30]. Along with KM , greater Agility will breed superior organizational performance [31].Entrepreneurial agility (the ability to anticipate and proactively take competitive actions) and Adaptive agility (the ability to sense and react to change) are both significant predictors of sustainable competitive advantage[32]. There is also significant relationship between sustainable competitive advantage and profitability [32]. Dynamic capabilities: In fast evolving markets, competition is a moving target and firms should have dynamic capabilities to gain competitive advantage [6]. Drawing on previous research findings, Dynamic capability is composed of adaptive capability, absorptive capability and innovative capabilit y[10]. Review of literature has defined Competitive action [and response] as externally directed, specific, and observable competitive move initiated by a firm to enhance its relative competitive position[33]. Previous research has concluded that Knowledge Assets, Agility, Dynamic capability are important for being competitive but the key question that this study investigates the relationship of digital convergence with Innovation capability, building innovation co-operation, Business Process agility and competitive advantage. Agility The different types of Agility identified in the literature are : Operational (internally focused initiative), Partnering (Supply chain initiative) and Customer (demand side initiative) [5], Entrepreneurial and Adaptive[32], Strategic[34], Business-Process [35]. Operational agility has been defined in the literature as the ability to sense and seize business opportunities quickly, accurately, and cost-efficiently. Customer agility is the ability to adapt to customers, identify new business opportunities and implement these opportunities with customers; and the role of IT in customer agility is to facilitate the development of virtual customer communities for designing new product, feedback and testing. Partnership agility: is the ability to leverage partners knowledge, competencies, and assets in order to identify and implement new business opportunities. Individual firms do not have all the resources required to effectively compete and value creation for the firm can be leveraged be tter through pooling of assets between partners. The role of IT in partnering agility is to support Inter organizational networks for collaboration, communication and integration of business processes. Organizational agility is important for business success [36]. Agility of an organization is significantly determined by the operational ability of the organization. Greater agility is achieved when the Inter-organizational system used has a task and strategic fit, has been assimilated into the organization and the system is adopted network wide [31]. Organizations that are agile i.e. to be able to take competitive actions continuously perform better than organizations that dont [37]. Business-processes agility can be classified as : process-level agility, which is how quickly an organization can add new capabilities into its standard processes (E.g. how quickly a company can acquire AJAX capability into its ordering process) ; and transaction-level agility, which measures the how good the organization is in customizing capabilities for individual customer transactions (For example, how well a company can customize AJAX ordering capability to include bar-code label on the box, an RFI D tag on a certain type of container, and paper invoice with bulk billing based on the individual transaction with a customer)[38]. Theory and Propositions Resource based view (RBV) of the firm [39, 40] suggests that valuable, rare, inimitable and non substitutable (VRIN) resources and capabilities as the source of competitive advantage. The extension to this is the theory of Dynamic capabilities. This theory emphasizes that development of organizational capabilities over the time and their constant renewal by management influences can be a source of competitive advantage. In contrast to the earlier view that IT infrastructure and IT investment provides the source of competitive advantage, dynamic capabilities theory emphasizes that consistent development of the capability to apply IT , allows firms to be flexible and innovate continuously, looking put for emerging opportunities, and countervailing threats from competitors to help shape a superior firm [41]. Theory of capability state competition lists Dynamic capabilities, core competencies and resources as a basis for superior performance of a firm [42] According to the Dynamic capabi lities theory it is not just the availability of resources that matter, but also the high performance routines operating inside the firm and embedded in the firms processes that utilizes them [43]. The theory proposes that a firms IT application can be imitable across firms but the firms capability to apply IT strategically can be inimitable [44]. Based on this theory the innovation capability of a firm cannot be easily replicated by other firms and will help the firm achieve competitive advantage. Innovation was described by Schumpeter (1934) as development of new products, new methods of production, new sources of supply, opening of new markets and new ways of organizing businesses. As per OECDs CIS 2008 survey innovation ability is the ability to implement new or significantly improved product (good or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organisational method, or a new environmentally friendly product or process in business practices, workplace organisation or external relations. It has been suggested that firms radical or incremental innovation drives the firm to respond to market changes and opportunities[45]. This study investigates this empirically by proposing the following. Proposition 1: Innovation capability will be related to Organizational Agility. Digital systems are pervasive and can make knowledge accessible through intranets, digital knowledge repositories and databases and can make the knowledge richer by video conferencing and digital collaborative facilities. Digitization offers firms significant opportunities to achieve greater agility [46]. Digital convergence allows for transfer of digitized information in different ways. Information theory provides completely rational explanations for competitive action: those who have the information will be most aware, motivated and capable of responding. ICT use on Multifactor productivity (MFP growth) are typically linked to firms experience in innovation [47]. It has been suggested that several firm capabilities like the firms digital platform is an important enabler of agility [5]. Thus this study proposes that Innovation Capability will drive agility more for firms that have Digital convergence than for firms that do not. Proposition 2: Relationship between Innovation capability and organizational Agility will be moderated by digital convergence Firms that have digitized their process have digital options that can help create new channels to access customers, build real-time integration within supply chain network , gain efficiencies in internal operations and offering new digital products or services [48]. This study proposes that firms that have digitized their processes will have digital convergence that can help digital collaboration with customers, other members in the supply chain network, other firms in the industry, competitors and other firms within the enterprise; both locally and globally. Proposition 4: Digital convergence will promote both local and international innovation partnership. It has been suggested that Digital collaborations will result in Co-evolution among businesses which implies flexibility in the asset mix , capabilities and knowledge resulting in Agility [49]. Knowledge management is related to organizational agility [50] and conducting knowledge management leads to five types of knowledge manipulation activities: knowledge acquisition, selection, generation, assimilation, and emission[28]. Proposition 5: Digital Collaboration for Innovation has a direct relationship with Agility. Proposition 6: Organizational Agility will be related to a higher level of competitive position/competitive advantage. Research Design Data Sample The proposed research model will be empirically tested using a data gathered from managers of companies. The target respondent list will be compiled from the Dun Bradstreet database consisting of large organizations both public and private operating in North America that has a certain level of market uncertainty and competition. As per OECDs definition there are two types of innovation intensive industries comprising of a) High tech industrial companies like Manufacturing and b) companies that provide knowledge intensive services like IT consultancy, Telecom services, Banking and Financial, Retail, Insurance, Health Care, Education etc . The diverse sample from both the public and the private sector will help increase the generalizability of the results from this study. The focus of this study is digital convergence. Although the surge in digital convergence with variable strength is seen across all industry sectors and all size firms; this study focuses on medium to large companies with large number of employees. The reason being, for large size companies the availability of finance makes it easier to invest in digital systems. Methodology A pilot study with IS academics and graduate students will be conducted for the preliminary assessment of the proposed scale for each construct and to identify ambiguous questions and instructions. Cronbachs alpha (a) coefficient will be computed for each multi item scale to test for reliability. Alpha greater than 0.7 is generally considered to be acceptable reliability[51]. It is important to assess the biases that results from using a single method, a mail survey administered at a single point in time, to measure the constructs proposed in this study due to Common Method Variance (CMV). The Harmons one factor test will be used to assess CMV[52]. Measures are being taken to elicit information about all the variables that are being studied. Whatever possible existing scales will be used but new scale to measure digital convergence will be developed. A seven point likert scale (1= very Weak, 7=Very strong) was used to measure the constructs. This study adapts the previously validated scales used in the past to measure organizational innovation capability [25-27, 53]. The adapted scale in the study consists of : Product innovation which has 3 questions, Process Innovation has 4,organizational innovation has 4,Marketing innovation has 4 and Environmental innovation has 2 questions as shown in the Appendix. Digital Collaboration for innovation is active participation with other enterprises or non-commercial institutions on innovation activities using a digital platform. This type of collaboration does not require for the collaborator to benefit commercially. Pure contracting out of work with no active co-operation is excluded in defining digital collaboration for innovation. The measure is adapted from the OECD community innovation survey, 2008. It consists of selecting the different types of collaborators and their location as shown in Appendix. Eight measures of business process agility was used from a previously validated instrument [35] which was developed based on conceptual framework provided by prior research [5, 54]. These items measure how quickly and well the firms can undertake key business actions such as responding to changes in aggregate demand, customizing a product to a specific customer or market, reaction to new product or service launches by competitors, change prices or product mix, move into or retrench from markets, adopt new process and redesign the supply chain. Little empirical work has been done on Digital Convergence and this proposal synthesizes concepts from the current IS literature on Digital Convergence to help develop the operationalization of the Digital convergence Construct. This study proposes breaking down DC into 6 first order constructs consisting of content convergence, transmission convergence, Network convergence, Business Process convergence or integration, Device convergence and Pervasive digital environment; which will be easier to operationalize . The Next step will be operationalize these variables, transform the propositions into formal hypotheses for the purpose of empirical testing. This study proposes to measure competitive position of a company based on performance of their company relative to their major competitors using a seven-point Likert scale( 1-significantly decreased, 7= significantly increased) in terms of : Market share, Sales volume and Customer Satisfaction. The results from the self reported will be validated by calculating correlation with the results from accounting related measures available from Financial Reports. Previous literature supports the use of accounting measures such as Return on Sales (ROS), Return on Assets (ROA) often used as proxy for efficiency, operation income to measure a companys position to compete Data Analysis This study proposes to use PLS to estimate the research model as it is common in behavioral literature to use multiple item measures for latent constructs. Path model using PLS will be used for interpreting the main results of this study because this study uses perceptual measures coming from one respondent for constructs that require multiple item indicators. Significance of this research Innovation and Agility are seen as being important across many industries, especially those operating in a dynamic and globally competitive environment. The impact of Digital Convergence upon a firms ability to compete in such an environment has important implications for managers. The relationship between Innovation capability and Business Process Agility has not been studied empirically in context with competitive advantage. The results from this proposed study can provide guidance to managers to answer questions like: Should managers develop environmental innovation capability, organizational and marketing innovation capability to gain more Agility? Should Managers invest in digital convergence for building digital collaboration for innovation? Is there any gain in collaboration for innovation (even with competitors) in improving firm agility? Does business process agility provide competitive advantage for large companies? Will the benefit in developing innovation capability increase by investment in Digital Convergence? This proposed study is important to researchers as it adds to the growing body of literature linking a Firms capability and Agility. It draws from resource-based view of the firm and dynamic capability theory to explain the relationship between firms innovation capability and its competitive performance. This study provides an empirical test of relationship between business process agility and competitiveness. The study also provides identification of Digital Convergence. Finally, the results of this proposed study is important to respondents as it answers if the leverage of innovation capability for competitive advantage is contingent on investment in Digital Convergence.