Identifying core competencies and capabilities

Identifying core competencies and capabilities Using McKinseys 7S for Identifying core competencies and capabilities, discuss the ability of your chosen company current CEO in improving the companys products and customers perception of the year 2009 as well as the group understanding of the approach to strategy development at Wal-Mart since 2003. A core competency differentiates not only between firms but also inside a firm, it differentiates among several competencies. In other words, a core competency guides a firm recombine its competencies in responds to demands from the environment. The McKinseys 7S framework offers a useful tool for focusing on certain policy areas which are vital in implementation and control. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to identify the core competencies and capabilities of Wal-Mart using the McKinseys 7S framework as well as discuss how the current CEO is improving the companys products and customers perception by the year 2009. This report is also to analyse the 7S framework of McKinsey which includes 7 interdependent factors and they are categorized as either hard or soft elements. They includes: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, skills, style and staff and are useful in wide variety of situations, such as: Examine the likely effects of future changes within the company Improve the performance of a company Determine how best to implement a proposed strategy Align departments and processes during Merger and Acquisition FINDINGS/MAIN BODY HISTORY The McKinsey 7S framework was named after a consulting company, McKinsey and Company, which has conducted applied research in business and industry (Pascale Athos, 1981; Peters Waterman, 1982). All of the authors worked as consultants at McKinsey and Company; in the 1980s, they used the model to analyse over 70 large organisations. The McKinsey 7S Framework was created as a recognisable and easily remembered model in business. The seven factors or variables, which the authors term levers, all begin with the letter S: The McKinseys 7S framework is a value based management (VBM) model that describes how one can holistically and effectively organize a company and together, these factors determine the way a company operates. THE SEVEN ELEMENTS These seven elements or variables include structure, strategy, systems, skills, style, staff and shared values and are interdependent factors which as noted earlier are categorized as either hard or soft elements: This is shown below: HARD ELEMENTS:- Strategy Structure Systems SOFT ELEMENTS:- Shared Values Skills Style Staff HARD elements are easier to identify or define and management can directly influence them. These are IT systems and formal processes; strategy statements and organization charts. SOFT elements can be more difficult to describe, and are less tangible and more influenced by culture. However, these soft elements are as important as the hard elements for the success of the organisation. The way the model is presented in Figure 1 below shows the interdependency of the elements and indicates how a change in one element affects all the other elements, as such this explains why share values is placed in the middle. Figure 1: The McKinseys 7S Model The seven elements are briefly discussed below: SHARED VALUES: Here, all members of the organization share some common guiding concepts or ideas around which the business is built. This may be to make profits or to achieve excellence in their particular field. These values and common goals keep the employees working towards a common destination as a coherent team and are important to keep the team spirit alive. It is also called superordinate goals; these are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work process. STRATEGY: This is the plan of action an organization prepared to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition. It could also be defined as the plan of action set by an organization to achieve its aims and objectives. Simply put, strategy is planning of organizational goals. It deals with essentially three questions: 1. Where is the organization presently? 2. Where do the organization wants to be and 3. How do they get there? As such, strategy is designed to transform the organization from the present position to the new position described by objectives, subject to constraints of the capabilities or the potential (Ansoff, 1965). STRUCTURE: This is the way the organization is structured as well as who reports to whom. It is the way the organizational units relate to each other. Organizations are structured in different ways depending on their objectives and culture. The structure of an organization often dictates the way they operates and performs (Waterman et al., 1980). Businesses have been structured in hierarchy way with different departments and divisions, each responsible for a specific task such as human resources management, production, sales or marketing. Many divisions of the management controlled the operations, with each answerable to the upper division of management. Although this is still the most widely used organizational structure, the recent trend is increasingly towards a flat structure where the work is done in teams of specialists rather than fixed departments. The idea is to make the organization more flexible and devolve the power by empowering the employees and eliminate the middle management layers (Boyle, 2007) SYSTEMS: This is the daily activities, procedures, processes and routines that characterize how important work is to be done. These processes are normally and strictly followed and are designed to achieve the organizations effectiveness. For instance, a firm may have a particular way of recruiting. STYLE: This refers to the cultural style of leadership adopted by management in achieving the organizations goals and objectives. STAFF: This refers to the employees and their general capabilities to ensure that the organization is successful. The importance of human resources has the central position in the strategy of the organization, away from the traditional model of capital and land. All leading organizations such as Wal-Mart, IBM, etc put extraordinary effort on recruiting the best staff, providing them with required training and mentoring support, and pushing their staff to limits in achieving excellence, and this forms the basis of these organizations strategy and competitiveHYPERLINK http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/general-business/competitive-advantage/competitiveadvantage.php HYPERLINK http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/general-business/competitive-advantage/competitiveadvantage.phpadvantage over their competitors. SKILLS: This is the distinctive capabilities of employees and or organization as a whole. It is the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the firm. That is, the core competencies, main or important activities of the employees. USING THE MCKINSEYS 7S MODEL TO ANALYSE AN ORGANIZATION The McKinsey 7S model is one that can be applied to almost any organizational or team effectiveness issue. If something within your organization or team is not working, this may mean that there is inconsistency between some of the elements identified by this classic model. Once these inconsistencies are revealed, you can work to align the internal elements to make sure they are all contributing to the shared goals and values. The process of analyzing where you are right now in terms of these elements is worthwhile in and of itself. But by taking this analysis to the next level and determining the ultimate state for each of the factors, you can really move your organization or team forward. The model covers almost all parts of business and all major parts of the organization as such it is very important to gather as much information as possible about the organization from all sources available such as press release, organizational news and reports, etc. Primary research such as interviews is more effective. CORE COMPETENCIES AND CAPABILITIES IN WAL-MART Core competencies are activities or processes that critically underpin the organizations competitive advantage. The primary aim for the firm is to recognize that competition between businesses is as much a race for competence as it is for the market power. Core competencies lead to the development of core products. Core products are not directly sold to end users but are used to build a larger number of end-user products. For example, motors are a core product that can be used in wide array of end products. The business units of the corporation each tap into the relatively few core products to develop a larger number of end user products based on the core product technology. The intersection of market opportunities with core competencies forms the basis for launching new businesses. Combining a set of core competencies in different ways and matching them to market opportunities, a corporation can launch different businesses. Without core competencies, a large corporation is just a collection of discrete businesses. Core competencies serve as the glue that bonds the business units together into a coherent portfolio. Core competencies arise from the integration of multiple technologies and the coordination of diverse production skills. Some examples include Wal-Marts Logistics and Hondas engines. There are three useful tests for identifying a core competence. A core competence should: Provide access to a wide variety of markets: This enables the creation of new products and services. For instance, ASDA has established a strong leadership in food retail industry. The core competence and capability that enable Wal-Mart to go into food and non food retailing products was a clear distinctive brand idea that focus on a well defined market segment. Contribute significantly to the end-product benefits: The organization makes a significant contribution to deliver customer benefit. To identify core competences in a market, the question of why is a customer willing to pay more or less for a product/service than another needs to be addressed. Difficult for competitors to imitate: There is need for core competence to be competitively unique; this shows the importance of product differentiation. For example, Wal-Mart has been recognised as a leading food retailer in UK and had a strong position within the retailing industry. To better understand how to develop core competencies, it is worthwhile to understand what they do not entail Outspending rivals on RD Sharing costs among business units Integrating vertically Applying this framework to Wal-Mart in order for the organization to be successful, has to base its business strategy on low cost leadership, they do not really differentiate themselves from competitors and provide no-frills self-service stores that provides lowest prices always. Wal-Mart has built enough power and influence with suppliers that they can dictates their prices and change suppliers manufacturing process so as to obtain with difficulty more and more savings for the consumer. They provide good customer service with low prices, in other words, Wal-Mart strength is low prices and no one allows such a supplier and distribution network like them that allows such low prices. When analysing Wal-Mart business and the 7S framework, they employ all the three hard elements: strategy, structure and systems, and due to their strength in these elements they have been so successful. As earlier mentioned, Wal-Mart overall strategy is to always provide lowest prices and they aim to provide a store that customers can shop under one roof and find everything they needed. This strategy of convenience shopping and lowest price has made Wal-Mart to be a business leader that it is. They also plan to continue to expand into markets not yet penetrated by major chains and some already saturated markets like California and New England. This strategy infiltrated the whole organization so that it encompasses all the other Ss and the other two Ss structure and systems support this strategy Wal-Mart has a system in place that helps it achieve its low price strategy every day. The most profitable and largest of these systems is Information technology system and it has employed computers, networking and internet to reduce inventories and waste and also speed deliveries. Wal-Mart also uses good structure that works with the systems to empower the low price strategy. Wal-Mart has design an efficient management structure that allows it to eliminate regional office, all its plan and operation is from the home of Bentonville, AR. Wal-Mart has designed an efficient management structure that allows it to eliminate the regional office.   Everything for Wal-Mart is planned and operated in their home of Bentonville, AR.   This structure alone has saved Wal-Mart millions of dollars a year.   When Wal-Mart places stores in strategic locations and drives traffic using convenience and then combines the sales with its systems and structure, you get a highly efficient and well-oiled corporation that can cut costs to a bare-minimum which are then passed along to the consumer, hence fulfilling the strategy.   If Wal-Mart continues to dominate these three Ss, it will continue to dominate the retail market. THE CEOS ABILITY TO IMPROVE WALMARTS PRODUCTS AND CUSTOMERS PERCEPTION BY 2009. In Wal-Mart international, Michael Duke CEO since February 2008 and his team continued to drive exceptional sales growth around the world, totalling $90.6billion at the end of the year. He said that Wal-Mart is well positioned for todays economy and future changing world with exceptionally strong management team and ability to execute the companys strategy, perform every day and deliver results, this success is attributed to the hard work of many people and the formal CEO, Lee Scott (2000-2008). Wal-Mart has a role to in terms of offering more efficient services to employers, helping customers save money through $4 prescription program, opening health clinics in our stores and engaging a broader public policy debate. Wal-Mart as a global company is better positioned today than ever before on its mission. By 2009, the Lee believes that customers everywhere in the world will continue to depend on Wal-Mart to save them money so they can live better, in respective of their age. The companys price leadership position helps those willing to improve their lives through hard work move up the ladder. The company owe every customer their very best lower prices, higher quality goods and a better store experience. Sustainability as a permanent culture in Wal-Mart has help t to remove waste, lower costs and provide savings to their customers. The CEO also ensure that Wal-Mart is committed to building more socially and environmentally responsible supply chain which will make a difference in responsible sourcing that no other retailer can make. THE APPROACH TO STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AT WAL-MART SINCE 2003. Wal-Mart made strategic attempts in its formulation to dominate the retail market with its present growth by expansion in the United State and internationally through creating widespread name recognition and customer satisfaction in relation to brand name and branching into new sectors of retailing. It is observed that Wal-Mart strives on three generic strategies namely, focus strategy, Differentiation strategy and overall cost leadership. Wal-Mart has firm infrastructure, well equipped human resources with management professionals as well as technologically too. The company operates on low price strategy which operated as everyday low prices (EDLP) and this helps to build customers trust. this strategy involves Wal-Mart purchase goods at lower prices and sell the goods t customers at much lower prices, the price is cut as low as possible, this brought about an increase in the profit by increasing the number of sales. This causes increased market competition and makes Wal-Mart compete with all its competitors till it dominates the market. Wal-Mart is expanding seriously and rapidly which is also its strategic goal. Wal-Mart employs over 1.3 associates, owns over 4000 stores out of which 3000 are in US and serves around 100 million customers weekly.  Wal-Mart has acquired many international stores and merged with some super stores like ASDA in UK. Wal-Mart far flung network of retail outlets has ensured that Wal-Mart interacts with and has impact on virtually every locality within US. The expanded strategy has led the hunger of Wal-Mart to many European Countries. It is learnt that three countries with no Wal-Mart stores became part of corporations international presence wherein the domestic retail chains were taken over by Wal-Mart including 122 Woolco stores in Canada, 21 Wertkauf stores in Germany and 229 ASDA units in United Kingdom. The takeover strategy by Wal-Mart keeps the company at forefront when entering into the new market and the number of competitors is also minimized. The strategies have helped the Wal-Mart to remain in number one position in international countries making it the largest retailer in the world. It is seen that Wal-Mart has significantly the Porters five force model where through proper strategic planning and strategic implementation has led to removal of barrier entry, rivalry from competitors and pricing norms. Wal-Mart with its low cost and ever expanding strategy has made a dramatic impact since 1962 when Sam Walton first started his business. With this strategy, Wal-Mart has now over 4000 stores and outlets in US and other countries through acquisition and mergers. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY When you think of the discount retail industry, you think of the bigger name Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has built the industry into leader in a very competitive market, and has continue to set the bar for every company. But as of late Wal-Marts sales growth rate has been slipping, which is causing a major problem for them. For the past few years Wal-Mart has grown accustom to double digit sales growth rates, but recently they have been unable to match their previous success. Now Wal-Mart is faced with the challenge of regaining the success that they once had. To recapture these high growth rates it is important to understand what lead Wal-Mart to these high growth rates in the first place. When analyzing Wal-Mart externally you find that its 5 forces tend to have a positive effect on the company. The company has high barriers of entry, a moderate threat of rivalry with Target and incredible power over all its suppliers because Wal-Mart purchases so many products, the suppliers have little negotiating powers, and finally Wal-Mart technically has a great amount of power over its buyers because of its product variety and low prices. When analyzing Wal-Mart internally you discover may things that lead to their success. Probably the number one thing that led to success is their world class supply chain. Wal-Marts supply chain is remarkable and really allows them to cut cost by eliminating unneeded steps. For instance their supply chain is a high tech that can notify Wal-Marts suppliers directly (cutting out worker intervention) when inventory is low for certain products. Another internal strength that has lead to Wal-Marts success is its ability to focus on reducing costs to ensure everyday low prices. Wal-Mart has never drifted away from this motto which has led to Wal-Marts extensive self size and amount of products offered.

How Andrea Jung Became Successful

Her parents are both Chinese immigrants that moved their children with the dream of providing them with a better education. Both her parents are very educated people and they set high standards for Jung and expected her to work hard for what she wanted and to achieve as much as possible without losing sight of her heritage and values. She has always stated that she was not a very good student growing up, but her parents would offer something in return for her earning straight As. Every time she wanted something she knew she would have to study really hard to get It and It's because of this that she credits her parents with furthering her resolve and ambition. 1 While In high school she got Involved In extra-curricular activities, specially the student body, she served as class secretary and then president. After high school, Jung attended Princeton university and earned a BAA degree in English Literature. She decided to take a break from school and hoped to attend law school afterwar ds, but she enjoyed her Job so much that she decided that perhaps that was her calling. Jung attended a college career fair and she was hired by Bloodiness's for a management-training program. She had at first figured the experience would come in helpful once she started working on her law degree, but she realized that she really enjoyed working In retail. Her parents TLD agree with her decision of working In the retail business and they saw her choice of career as a waste of a good college education. Jung made a smart move along the way and chose a mentor. Having a mentor was good for Jung as she was very successful and had become the company's first female vice president.Jung knew she could learn a lot from her and she did. Jung learned that men didn't see women executives as strong but weak beings and found that the majority of women in the workplace didn't support other women and it was a tough environment. â€Å"Some people just wait for someone to take them under their wing,à ¢â‚¬  he said. â€Å"Vie always advised that they shouldn't wait. They should find someone's wings to grab onto. â€Å"3 Jung made it a point to become successful and she worked hard at It and didn't let any misconceptions or put downs get In her way or set her back. Jung had other Jobs and as she moved she worked her way up the chain. Junk's outgoing personality was helpful and she made friends and networked with many then she went on to work at Newman Marcus as the executive vice president in charge of merchandising. L She learned a lot along the way, especially the importance off good self image. If she wanted to be successful she had to look successful and she knew how important it was to have a good image. She really enjoyed her work but she was also hungry for a challenge and she found it when she started working as a consultant for Avon.The company's executives really liked Jung ideas as a consultant so they decided to hire her as president of product marketing group for U . S. Operations. L The company found themselves needing a CEO and Jung and three other women thought that they had a good chance of getting picked as they had all worked for the company for quite some time. Unfortunately Avon decided to hire someone from the outside and this was a disappointment because this was a man whom they saw as having no experience in the industry.Not long after though, Mr†¦ Perrine, the current CEO, resigned and opened the door for Jung to step right in. She became Van's ninth president and CEO. 2 Avon has gone through many changes since Jung came onboard, the products have definitely become more updated and they now target a wide variety of customers. You can see anything from dresses, shoes, purses, items targeting children, and of course beauty products. They have products targeting women of all ages and the prices easily beat prices on high stores. One thing that has attracted me to Avon lately is the different campaigns that support important cause s. Breast Cancer is one of them, Jung grandmother died of breast cancer at the age of 63. 2 This was a deep loss for Jung, who recalled, â€Å"It was the early Seventies, and the C-word was forbidden in our house. She didn't want us around her in case it was contagious. There was fear about the subject† (London Times, June 29, 2002). 2 The other cause is called, â€Å"Empower Women Campaign†, this s an important cause because it fights to end violence against women.Jung has worked hard to get to where she is. She was brought up with good family values and has always made sure her family was not affected by the numerous meetings and business trips she has had to attend. Her family is very important and she has said that she has missed some of her children's events, but not the important ones. L Jung was featured in the October 2010 issue of Fortune Magazine and was ranked number 5 among the â€Å"50 Most Powerful Women. † She is a great woman and someone I can ce rtainly say I have learned a lot from.

Art Is Any Good - 2850 Words

Art unquestionably possesses the power to shock. During the entire course of history viewers have been shocked, distressed, affronted, and categorically outraged by artworks that were religiously, socially or politically thought-provoking. In general, this thought-provoking characteristic is precisely what artists are attempting to achieve in their desire to shock, and this, many would argue, is exactly the purpose of art itself, especially in our contemporary world. Indeed, when engaging with the art of today, the contemporary audience have found themselves compelled to circumnavigate the usual questions such as whether the work is beautiful or aesthetically pleasing or even whether the work of art is any good (Archer, 1997: 3-5). Rather†¦show more content†¦In the process we shall examine the importance of art and the role it plays in society, the factors that make something a work of art and who decides or should decide what a work of art means or signifies; is it the art ist, the audience, the critic or perhaps even history itself? According to Renato Poggioli writing in his The Theory of the Avant-Garde of 1962, â€Å"Like any artistic tradition, no matter how anti-traditional it may be, the avant-garde also has its conventions† (1981: 63). For the most part, such conventions have involved the desire to offend and shock and the methods for achieving such a desire have involved the attempts to ‘transgress boundaries’. Indeed, over the past few decades, ‘being shocking’ has become among the most valued quality of artworks according to both collectors and critics of the visual arts (Harris, 2001). Thus we have witnessed artworks containing a plethora of strange elements such as plastic figures with penises for noses and additions of rotting meat while many themes and techniques have focused on self-exposure, sex and drugs and even bodily mutation. The point, most practicing artists would tell us, is to find a means of disturbing â€Å"smug, complacent and hypocritical† peop le (Rawden-Wilson, 2002: 27). In fact, for many commentators, the greatest outrage of the past century was witnessed at the now infamous exhibition held at the Brooklyn

Careers in Health Care Management 2019

Considering a career in Health Care? You may want to look into Health Care Management. The Health Care management industry possesses some of the most educated and highest advancing employees in the American workforce. Everyone has heard that the health care industry is among the fastest growing industries in the country with employment in the field expected to grow almost twenty-eight percent by the year 2018. In that case, why not consider an education and career in Health Care Management? The Health Care industry will continue to grow rapidly for several reasons. The number of senior citizens with more demanding health care needs will grow faster than other populations in the next decade and a half. As life expectancies rise, so will the demand for home health care and nursing home care. Also, the advances of technology will enable the diseased and severely ill to live longer, demanding more medical attention. Health care practices and systems will also become larger and more complex, increasing the need for Health Care Management. .udef1aedbfb0825f1d0028dbc3e5aca41 { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .udef1aedbfb0825f1d0028dbc3e5aca41:active, .udef1aedbfb0825f1d0028dbc3e5aca41:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .udef1aedbfb0825f1d0028dbc3e5aca41 { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .udef1aedbfb0825f1d0028dbc3e5aca41 .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .udef1aedbfb0825f1d0028dbc3e5aca41 .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .udef1aedbfb0825f1d0028dbc3e5aca41:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Me Versus the Bachelor Degree In BusinessSince this is a time of growth for the Health Care industry, Health Care Management has the opportunity to make a significant difference in improving the health of their organizations and communities. The possibilities are endless in the Health Care Management field. Health Care students have a long list of specialties to choose from when considering a career in the management capacity, as well as a long list of occupations to pursue after graduating from a Health Care management education program. Health Care management is in demand in every arena of Health Care including clinics and doctors offices, hospitals and emergency rooms, home health care and nursing home facilities, outpatient care centers, mental health centers, drug and alcohol treatment centers, educati onal institutions, diagnostic and research laboratories, dentists offices, and numerous other health care establishments. The earnings of Health Care Management vary according to education level, training, geographical location, and the amount of responsibility involved in the position, usually with higher pay in the larger medical facilities and hospitals. Although many students of Health Care Management specialize their education, many health care managers enter into their field with a general medical degree. However, most Health Care Management positions are specialized in areas such as Finance, Government Relations, Human Resources, Information Systems, Marketing and Public Affairs, Purchasing, Medical Staff Relations, Nursing Administration, Patient Care Services, and Planning and Development. Employers look for academic training, previous work experience, solid communication skills, adaptability, dependability, character and maturity, and general management skills .ucdc1a21129aeb275dca402365d964051 { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .ucdc1a21129aeb275dca402365d964051:active, .ucdc1a21129aeb275dca402365d964051:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .ucdc1a21129aeb275dca402365d964051 { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .ucdc1a21129aeb275dca402365d964051 .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .ucdc1a21129aeb275dca402365d964051 .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .ucdc1a21129aeb275dca402365d964051:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Information Technology Services Helping You Meet The Bottom LineIf you are considering a career in Health Care Management, there is a wealth of information available on the Internet, at your local library, and at any educational institution. Investigate several different programs and develop your people skills. As a prospective Health Care Management student you may want to consider The University of Phoenix, American Intercontinental University (AIU), and Colorado Technical University Online for a degree in Health Care. Related ArticlesHealth Care Employment OpportunitiesThe American College of Health Care AdministratorsHealthcare From General ElectricHealth Care Consulting A Growing DemandFind Medical and Nursing Degree ProgramsAccelerated BSN Degree Specialize in Oncology Nursing with a Bachelor of Science