Comparative Advantage

An interesting piece that discusses the practical affects of comparative advantage.

 

Strategic Types: An Overview

This post is another overview in preparation for my upcoming discussion on Sales Force Management.

The theory of Strategic Types originates from an attempt by Miles et al. (1978) to create a unifying theory on the ability of organisations to adapt. This theory was subsequently validated by multiple case studies and used to create a framework with two major elements:

• A general model of the ‘Process of Adaption’.
• A method for classifying organisations based on their approach to adaption.

 

Agency Theory: An Overview

In the upcoming weeks I am intending on posting a discussion on Sales Force Management and for the paper to make sense the reader needs a basic understanding of Agency Theory. This paper is a targeted review of Agency Theory as an introduction for the uninitiated.

Agency Theory as a whole has been excellently reviewed and summarised by other authors. Two papers that particularly stand out as strong, concise and interestingly written are:

• Kathleen Eisenhardt (1989): Agency Theory: An Assessment and Review.
• Susan Shapiro (2005): Agency Theory.

I highly recommend them for additional reading.

 

Acceptance Speeches: Barack Obama vs Kevin Rudd

The application of classic technical speaking techniques was a significant factor in Barack Obama’s election to the US Presidency. This paper contrasts the effectiveness of his speaking style against that of Kevin Rudd in the Australian context.

This report will critically compare two their electoral acceptance speeches:

1. US President Elect Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech, 4^th November, 2008; and
2. Australian Prime Minister Elect Kevin Rudd’s Acceptance Speech, 24^th November, 2007.

Each of the speeches, at a high level, covers similar topics. This paper will review the arrangement of both speeches and use of rhetorical devices to engage and affect their respective audiences.

 

Russell Baker, humerously on objects

The goal of all inanimate objects is to resist man and ultimately defeat him.
- Russell Baker

 

Laurence J. Peter on ‘competence’

“Competence, like truth, beauty and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder.”

- Laurence J. Peter

 

George Bernard Shaw on ‘democracy’

“Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.”

- George Bernard Shaw

 

Nicholas Chamfort on Man as an Actor

“In great affairs men show themselves as they wish to be seen; in small things they show themselves as they are.”

-Nicholas Chamfort

 

Democratic Republic of the Congo – Rape as a weapon

Recently I was given the opportunity to speak to a group of my peers about one of my earlier posts: Democratic Republic of Congo – Women and War.

 

Nietzsche and nihilism

Did Nietzsche correctly predict Western society’s descent into nihilism?

Nietzsche saw nihilism as the emptying meaning from the world. It is a situation whereby the world is emptied of morals, truth, judgement and values. When he declared, “God is dead, and we killed him.” Nietzsche acknowledged the move to scientific thinking had supplanted faith. The loss of a higher power that could define absolutes meant that all morals, truth and values were now open to question.