Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle - Essay Example In addition, when one realizes that Aristotle is attempting to inculcate good habits in people, along with a good state of character, a better context is drawn around his claims. That is, if one acts generally toward a mean of two vices, this will lead to a better outcome than acting toward vices. In modern terms, in which morality is cast as a matter of doing the right thing in various sorts of specific cases, this seems like an outdated model of conducting moral arguments. To the contrary, this idea of virtue as a mean—instead of virtue as right action—faces fewer destructive arguments than the latter perspective and is ultimately easier to defend philosophically. From an intuitive standpoint, Aristotle’s approach is appealing. Firstly, in our daily living, a moral action is one that depends on balance between two extremes. For example, the ideal middle ground between running into a burning building to saving people (stupidity) and doing nothing out of fear (cowardice) is the act of doing what you can reasonably do in order to save lives (bravery). Secondly, the mean is intuitive in itself in all cases. Our language is broad enough to encompass all possible middle grounds between vices that we might consider excesses. Language, insofar as it guides us to a means, is constructive in determining our moral code. For example, a speaker of the English language knows what it means to be starving and gluttonous, that these are extremes, and that satiation is the mean between them. Aristotle defines a virtue as a state of character in Book II, Chapter 6 of the Nicomachean Ethics, which prompts a treatment of virtue as a mean.

The notion of strategy in organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The notion of strategy in organizations - Essay Example Strategy as a Plan or Ploy The term plan is common to different fields when it comes to strategy formulation. For instance, in the military, strategy is to draft a plan while in Game theory a complete plan is necessary to determine the choices the players will make. The dictionary too describes strategy as a plan and in management it is an integrated plan to achieve the organizational objectives. Mintzberg contends that a strategy can be a ploy too. To discourage a competitor when an organization expands its plant capacity, it can be termed as a ploy. Since it is meant as a threat, it cannot be called a plan; it is a ploy with a specific intention. Strategy as a pattern According to this definition strategy is consistency in behaviour and has a set pattern, whether or no intended. Patterns can appear without pre-conception but people can observe a set behaviour in an organization and call it a strategy. This may be just an assumption. A plan can be an intended strategy where as a pattern can be called a realized strategy, since it was not intended. Thus, when the intended strategy is realized, it is a deliberate strategy as the intentions existed. Emergent strategies are those that went unrealized where the patterns developed in the absence of intentions or perhaps despite them. Strategy as a position The fourth definition is that strategy is a position. It is a means of locating an organization within the industry environment. This definition suggests that strategy is a mediating force between the organization and the environment. ... Strategic analysis requires the use of several tools but there is limited use of these tools. Tools and techniques are essential because they help the SMEs to change their course of action depending on the data collected through these tools. Tools and techniques do not help or make a strategy but they are useful in collecting and presenting data which help in strategic analysis . The most used tool is the financial analysis followed by PEST or STEP analysis, Porter’s five forces analysis and analysis of critical success factors (CSF). External analysis, considered a part of SWOT analysis ranked sixth in popularity, in a study conducted by Aldehayyat and Anchor . The study found that respondents were aware of other tools such as value chain analysis, competition analysis and portfolio analysis, but none used them. Other tools for strategy analysis such as organizational culture, core capability and experience curve analysis were not even known by the respondents. 2.2.1 Porter’s Five Forces Model The five competitive forces that shape strategy (Figure III) include the threat of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, rivalry among existing competitors and the threat of substitute products . He further clarifies that these five forces differ by industry. If the forces are intense, the return on investment is low; if the forces are benign, the profit margins are high. The strongest competitive force determines profits and is important for strategy formulation.