Alcan Paper Five Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alcan Paper Five - Essay Example The enterprise has operating facilities across 61 countries with a work force of about 68,000 employees (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). The organization takes the leading position in production of raw materials, fabricated products and primary metals. The enterprise is involved in creating and selling of a variety of products, which include bauxite, automobile iron, sheet ingot, aluminum recycling services, forging stock (INDUSTRY CANADA, 2005). This paper explores a report of Alcan based on the case studies. The report discusses the application of Information Technology within the Alcan organization and it is a summary of issues addressed in part 1 to part four all of which focused on the Alcan. It addresses a range of issues that concerns Alcan Organization. The issues of concern include the General Systems, Theory and Social-Technical Theory, Organizational Success, Failures and Consequences, Communication Policies, STS Practices, and application of theories within the Organization, the Alcan’s organization and operating technology, technological contributions to the organization, dominant Information Technology strategies and practices, technological barriers or success, the Alcan’s business continuity plan, the company’s organization and operating technology, technological contributions to the organization, dominant Information Technology strategies and practices, technological barriers disaster recovery plan, and business continuity plan. Organization Environment. Alcan Organization has operating facilities across 61 countries with a work force of about 68,000 employees. It has four principal business groups which are: Bauxite and Alumina, Primary Metal, packaging and the engineered products. The four business groups are the main revenue contributors for the organization (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). The company sells a variety of products, which include bauxite, automobile iron, sheet ingot, aluminium recycling services, forging stock. It is extremely vertically integrated having eight mines and deposits, a transport network with ports and facilities, seven alumina plants, 26 aluminium smelters, 17 laminated products plants, 12 electric power plants, seven alumina refineries, 180 packaging materials plants and 49 engineered products plants (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). Organizational Structure. The senior management in Alcan Company consists of a CIO and four associates (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). These associates include: Strategic IT-Program director, Chief information-security- officer director, performance-management director, and the Enterprise Architectural director. Next to these are two services that are shared. One service is for the application, and the next is for infrastructure. In the centre of the ladder, there are different business groups of Information Technology directors. Each business group is headed by an IT director referred to as VP (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). Challenges Faced by Alcan Organization. Alcan organization is faced with various environmental, economical, social as well as technological challenges. The environmental challenges facing Alcan include sustainable raw material development, industrial waste, air emissions, and water. The company overcomes this challenge by developing a clean manufacturing process and designing a method of recycling the waste products (Foster, 2005). Economic Challenges in Alcan include high costs due to funds misappropriation in the company, ineffective and inefficiency business

Lessons from Gorbachev's Doomed U.S.S.R and America's current Path Research Paper

Lessons from Gorbachev's Doomed U.S.S.R and America's current Path - Research Paper Example The relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union has been characterized by the interplay of economic, ideological and political factors that largely resulted in supper power rivalry throughout the cold war period. One of the remarkable similarities shared by the current United States and the former Soviet Union is a serious foreign debt crisis and a looming bankruptcy. Prior to its collapse Gorbachev's Doomed U.S.S.R was taking on foreign debt at unsustainable rates. A peak in the Russian oil production, as well as low world prices at the time, later sealed the fate of Soviet Union under Gorbachev. For example, his two main policies of Perestroika and glasnost significantly resulted in a political instability that eventually gave way to the dissolution of the Union (Service, 13).On the other hand, just like the former USSR, United States is also now facing similar economic problems and the current outstanding US national debt stands at over $16 trillion and is one of t he largest debts owed by a single country in the world. Even before the current economic crisis, the US grew by nearly 50% and the fact that the US debt to GDP ratio now stands at more than 100% is a serious alarm to both the policymakers and the investors. According to many analysts, the high US national debt resulted from an accumulation of federal budget deficits with the largest contributor being President Obama through his tax cuts, economic stimulus package (bailout) and increased military spending.