Communications and Media

Chapter four
Unprecedented change is currently inevitable in our society. Stress and uncertainty to every organization result from organizational period of transformation. However, for any organization to be successful, it should embrace several types of change. There are internal and external factors that put pressure on an organization to change. Economic, political, technological, and social stimuli outside the organization affect the external environment of the organization. For instance, when the government changes, unemployment or radical changes in the way department perform its affairs, are created by the new governments mandate thus, there is discontinuation of the existing initiatives. Also, when the technology used by the organization becomes outdated, it needs to be replaced, therefore, the organization should respond to the technology advancement whereby the work skills of the employees must advance as technology evolves (Moran et al, 2007, pp. 103).. Management styles, policies, procedures, and systems of the organization and attitudes of the employees affect the internal environment of the organization. For instance, when there is strategic refocus, the business processes are changed and the organization adopts a new concept (Mani, 2002, pp. 45)
       
There are several consequences of societies which are still imprisoned by beliefs, attitudes and traditions from the past. Such societies are very slow to change and embrace very little social mobility, thus economic development and growth is hindered. For instance, when there is introduction of new technologies, the techniques and ideas are discouraged. Therefore, the society fails to benefit from technological innovation and there is relatively little endorsement of scientific and intellectual development. Moreover, such societies allow for little incentives for entrepreneurs which results to limited choices for consumers thus standards of living are lowered (Centre for Human Capacity Development, 1999, pp. 21).             

There are changes in gender roles in decision making. The United Nations has been sponsoring International Womens Day which is cerebrated on March 8th since 1977 which is meant to enhance equal rights of women. However, regardless of efforts to create equality for women, very few women are in high rank of decision making. It is noted that 16.3 of politicians across all parliaments currently are made up of women as it is compared to 10.9 of 1975. In order for women to have a significant impact on the decisions made by parliament, their number should increase up to 30. More initiatives are being put in place in order to enhance gender equality in decision making such as incentive and legislative measures which encourage women into parliament and aspire for high managerial positions in the business world (Cotter, 2004, pp. 62).

The decrease in production cost per unit as the output increases is known as Economies of scale. In an organization experiencing economies of scale, the initial capital investment spreads to a large number of output units, thus the marginal cost of producing a service or good is less than the total average cost per unit. Economies of scale can lead to monopoly whereby the organization experiencing economies of scale becomes the only seller of a certain product. This is because the organization has an incentive which enables it to increase production until it produces enough to supply the market demand. Electricity power industry is a good example of such monopolistic industries. Moreover, economies of scale can lead to oligopoly and international trade (Sullivan  Steven, 2003, pp. 34).

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a federation of national standards bodies that has established several international agreements concerning the standardization of a range of scientific and commercial activities which are already published as technical guides and standards. For instance, it provides a set of standards that give an explanation of requirements which ensure that suppliers consistently supply services and goods that meet the expectations and needs of the customer. When effectively implemented, the ISO standards is considered as  mediating kind of economic justice through regulating the movement of goods and services between suppliers and customers in different points in time and space. Standardization influences change through minimizing market entry barriers and increasing competition hence demand for advanced technology increases. Moreover, standardization puts constant pressure on industries to upgrade their products whereby it offers technical information (Sullivan  Steven, 2003, pp. 31).

Internet has changed the face of business whereby nowadays we have electronic commerce which is commonly referred to as e-business or ecommerce. The seller and the buyer dont meet face to face but it involves selling and buying of services and goods through electronic systems, that is, internet and other computer networks. Use of internet has widely spread hence the amount of trade done electronically has developed extraordinary. Internet allows businesses to conduct funds transfer electronically, management of supply chain, internet marketing, processing transactions online, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), inventory management systems as well as automated data collection systems (Moran et al, 2007, pp. 112). World Wide Web is mostly used to conduct ecommerce on the consumer level whereas financial data is exchanged through the internet in order to facilitate domestic and international trade by big financial and corporation institutions (Frieden  Roche, 2006, pp. 32).

Leaders must understand the importance of change whereby change is inevitable and it is significant for expansion and growth of any organization. Leadership skills are therefore significant in order to manage change positively and effectively for the whole organization to benefit (Moran et al, 2007, pp. 119- 124). It is important for leaders to recognize opportunities for change and seize on it through investigating the change, finding potential alternatives and solutions and eventually coming up with a plan for the change. The driving force behind change is leaders therefore they should embrace it but should not entrust change to the employees. For the leaders to be able to adapt to change with ease, they must come down and work together with the minions to develop effective and real change. Training on the skills needed for change is also necessary before its implementation (DuBrin, 2009, pp. 4).

Chapter five
The most important skills for global leaders are - first, the ability to understand the changing business context whereby they need to be aware and know how to respond to business opportunities and risks of social, political, environmental and cultural trends.  President Barrack Obama of the United States of America is such a leader. Secondly, is the ability to lead in the situation of ambiguity and complexity whereby discrete skills are necessary during leadership in such circumstances. Kofi Annan exhibits such skills through his mediation missions.  Lastly, is the ability of connectedness whereby the leader should be able to understand the players in the wider political landscape hence engage and establish effective relationships with fresh kinds of external partners, for instance, the chairman of AKND (The Aga Khan Development Network) His Highness the Aga Khan (DuBrin, 2009, pp. 45).

Mergers and acquisitions are increasing since the firms are seeking financial performance which is attained through - first, economies of scale whereby the combined company benefits from reduced fixed costs hence profit margins increase. Moreover the company benefits from economy of scope, increased market share or revenue, cross selling, synergy and reduced taxation. Mergers and acquisitions are occurring internationally due to advancement in technology and globalization (Sherman  Hart, 2006, pp. 7).