Thursday, October 31, 2019
CSR WEB REPORTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11000 words
CSR WEB REPORTING - Essay Example The corporate need to communicate information regarding corporate social responsibility practices at regular periods. There are various ways to do the same. One of them is web reporting. The web reporting of corporate social responsibility is relatively unexplored area. This paper discusses various issue related to corporate social responsibility, internet and web reporting and analyses the web reporting pattern of five companies from different sectors and parts of the world. Every organisation must function within the context of society and community. Concepts like competence, competitiveness, and profitability are the key to a successful organisation. Along with these comes the all-important aspect of responsibility. An organisations needs to adopt a responsible attitude not merely when dealing with employees, clients and shareholders but also its other stakeholders too. The image and success of an organisation is reflected in its commitment towards society, the commonly used term for which is Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR. Organisations have their own inner and external environment to manage. The management aspects of both the environments require transparency and proper information sharing. There are various factors that constitute together the concept ââ¬Å"Corporate Social Responsibilityâ⬠. Corporate social responsibility is an integral part of the wealth creation process. The paper first covers issues related to corporate social responsibility in the Section 1. Various views regarding the concept are discussed here. The next section elaborates the role of Internet and web reporting at present. One of the reasons of growing web responsibility in present scenario is the growing number of Internet users. Internet provides a faster mean of communication and information sharing. The information sharing has a great impact on stakeholders. Internet has provided a fast mean
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
The Dicode PPM (DiPPM) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
The Dicode PPM (DiPPM) - Essay Example The results from the simulation tests have revealed that when the RS decoder is used it increases the transmission efficiency of the DiPPM to a large extent by decreasing the number of photons. In addition, the system using the RS code has also been shown to provide an improvement of 5.12 dB as compared to the systems which do not employ the RS code. Such an improvement is observed when the code functions at the optimum rate of (3/4) and at a code length.Further, the results have also shown that at this optimum code rate, the DiPPM system achieves maximum transmission efficiency. However, when the system is operated below this optimum level, there is an increase in the number of redundant symbols which in turn negatively affects the performance of the system. It is only above the optimum coding rate that the redundant symbols are found to decrease which implies that the amount of correcting symbols also decrease thereby reducing the transmission efficiency. From the results, it is al so evident that the DiPPM system while using the RS code required only about 14.3 x 103 photons per pulse when it is operated at a bandwidth equal to or above 0.9 times the PCM data rate. On a comparative basis when the DiPPM system uses the MLSD system it achieves a reduction in a number of photons per pulse when it is operated at a bandwidth of less than 1 normalization. From this, it is evident that the DiPPM system when using the RS code outperforms that of the MLSD system when it is operated at a high bandwidth.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Environmental Strategic Analysis
Environmental Strategic Analysis Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN AND STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF HP Environmental Scan and Strategic Analysis of HP Introduction to HP Hewlett-Packard (HP) is a computer and electronics company, and in the Fortune 500 list, it has been ranked 11th. It has an eminent team of 142,000 employees scattered around 170 countries. Palo Alto in California is the headquarter of HP. The companys offerings are in the fields of Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, imagining and printing, global services. Silicon Valley start-up is the other name given to HP and is known for developing scientific calculator which was the first hand-held. It has a huge Product and service categories. The company has a huge investment in Research and Development (RD), nearly about $4 billion. This has fuelled the invention of new products, technologies and solutions (Datamonitor, 2004). Step 1 Following are the three forces from remote environment, which Influence the company are: Technological factor Political factors Ecological factors Technological factor Technological factors comprises of the factors that are associated with applied knowledge, machines, materials those are used for the production of goods and services that greatly has a impact on the business. Important factors that influence technological environment are technological sources like company source, foreign source, external source, and cost of acquiring technology. Another factor is development in the technology, rate of change of technology and research and development. In Todays world technology plays a vital role. This factor has a great relevance to the company, as it has a great impact on human beings and also effects communication in management. It is used as strategic weapon in order to fight the competition in a long run. The technology of HP addresses in China, Russia, Brazil, and India. It has successfully adapted to various needs; for example to the non-Western languages, infrastructures, that are unique. Researchers are striving for creating such a technology that can leverage a role of mass communications medium instead of television. As compared to internet, TV is much more persistent as more than 130 private channels are available. HP Labs researchers are looking for the ways to complement TV broadcasts with synchronized printed material that is used for education and other important applications (kotler, 2003). The strategic implication of technological change has lead to change in competitive cost position, creating new markets and also refined business segments. The companys major goal is to assist customers across the world by enhancing the access to information and communications technologies which can satisfy their needs in best possible manner; this can help the company to capture its next billion customers. HP has the ISS Technology that gives information about new updated technology innovations and their implementations in the Industry Standard Server (ISS) product line. Conventionally management products were built on Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), which became a persistent management technology. However, relative to current alternatives SNMP-based management solutions has gained scrutiny for their simple structure. A new product which is based on Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM) was introduced by HP, that consist of management and Internet standard technologies which help to unite the management of distributed computing environments. HP Insight Management WBEM Provides Many advantages for Windows. Ecological Factors The major global concern is the deteriorating environment. The concern arises because many global cities have crossed the dangerous level of air and water pollution. The greenhouse gases are the major cause of these environmental hazards. In many countries strict rules have been imposed in order to reduce industrial pollution. Many clubs and NGOs have also came forward as watchdogs. New regulations being imposed on companies have proved expensive to them. The industries like steel, auto, IT, FMCG, have invested billions of dollars in environment pollution control equipments. Many other industries had to increase their products biodegradability (Misra Puri, 2007). The companies have to be more conscious about various opportunities and threats arising due to ecological degradation. Some of the areas of concern for the companies are shortage of raw material, increased energy cost, increased level of pollution and change in government rules. (Kazmi, 2002).HP was using Brominated flame Retardant (BFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for computing products which are harmful to the nature. It has resorted to eliminate all uses of Brominated flame Retardant (BFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from its computing products which are to be launched in 2009 because of the availability of technologically feasible alternatives, which will not negotiate product performance and quality and will not adversely impact health and the environment. HP eliminated more than 95 percent of the BFRs used in the external case parts of its products more than 10 years ago, including two, PBDE and PBB, which were subsequently among the substances restricted by the Restrictions of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive. During the same timeframe, HP also eliminated polyvinyl chloride from the external case parts of its products. It is further working with suppliers and identifying such materials which will have no/reduced adverse impact on the environment and the customers as well. They are in the process of evaluating the whole life cycle of the products, cost and environmental impact of new products and identifying alternative materials which will have less impact on the environment. In spite of their best efforts, it is difficult for them to confirm the claims for new materials used because the new materials may not have been researched as thoroughly as existing materials. Political Factors All the company decisions are very much affected by the political and legal developments taking place in the countries it is operating. This environment comprises of the pressure groups, laws and government agencies which influences and limits various companies and their working. It consists of factors related to management of public affairs and their impact on the businesses. Industrialist shows keen interest in the politics of both home and host countries. The reasons may be several. Legislations affecting business are set by political parties. The government despite of taking liberalization measures, exercise enormous regulatory powers that can make or destroy any organization. Political funding of elections is widespread among the business houses. Several of them come openly in favor of a particular political party while a few join politics. Political stability in the country also attracts multinationals, because the stability in the country is directly linked to the economic development of the country as a whole. Hewlett-Packard is also liable to follow the regulations regarding hazardous substances, such as the EU restrictions of Hazardous Substances and Japan J-MOSS. These restrictions have forced the company to use substitutes of hazardous materials. The other regulation REACH, which replaces the existing EU legislations of chemicals with a single system for all chemical substances, has also to be followed by the company. These regulations give greater responsibility to the company to assess the properties of chemicals and manage the environmental and health risks, and at the same time communicate information to suppliers and users for the supply of the materials of such specifications only. While complying with all regulations, HP is supporting the overall objective of REACH to improve and protect human health and the environment. The long standing policy of Hewlett-Packard is to provide such products and services which are safe to use and environmentally favorable throughout their lifecycle. The company is planning to meet all the specifications of such rules and is committed to provide its customers with the required information about the chemicals which are being used in their products, in order to comply with REACH. The company is also working with government and industry to ensure a workable system which satisfies the primary goal of REACH. The suppliers are also convinced to ensure that the companies products mach the needs of the regulations. Step 2 HP has gained Strategic adaptability through Sustainable competitive advantage, which helps the company to maintain and improve the competitive position in the market. Customer plays a key role in todays world as they want the products quicker, cheaper, and also want it their way. The company has built its sustainable competitive advantage around the following: The corporate capabilities: Competitive advantage can be determined in two ways- firstly based on distinctive capabilities and second reproducible capabilities. People also act as the Main Source for Competitive Advantage. Corporate Culture plays a vital role in achieving competitive advantage HP has gained it through intricate interactions between individuals, organizations and environmental factors. Environmental analysis of HP through SWOT analysis For making the overall environmental analysis of Hewlett-Packard we analyze the companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The strengths and weaknesses of the company constitute the internal environmental analysis while the opportunities and threats constitute the external environmental analysis. Strengths of HP Its customer loyalty is the main strength of HP. Apart from this; HP is the leading innovator for nearly seven decades as it invests almost $4 billion annually on RD. Other strengths lie in Printer business, Brand, Technology Knowledge, relationships, Sales compensation. It has been able to supply the different features that consumers want at competitive prices. HP has been able to retain the customer loyalty because they are strongly attracted to the unique features of products. Technical superiority and quality products have kept the company at the top of the computer printers market. Weaknesses of HP Its wide range of operations all round the world possesses the problem of communication in the organization. Its manpower team of about 142000 employees round the world sometimes paves the way to cultural differences. Other weaknesses lie in Distribution of inventory, Culture, internally focused, incur excess Costs Opportunities of HP With its high and focused research team, it can make more innovative products and develop products of customer requirements. Its huge size and scope of operations will enable it to reach new markets and serve them with comparatively lower costs. Its supply chain of $52 billion will also help the company expand its business. Threats of HP The company being ranked at 11 positions in the world poses the competition from other big and small companies like DELL (producing cheap, quality, no inventory), IBM, Microsoft, Starbucks etc. Its main area of concern is to focus on a small segment of electronic goods only. It has been observed that other threat is weaken manufacturing system. Remote environment The Remote environment consists of Economic factors, Social factors, Political factors, Technological factors and Ecological factors. Economic factor: It involves factors related to production and tells about the distribution of wealth. A year ago, the revenue in third quarter rose to $21.9 billion, up 5%. In 2005, the quarter was greatly affected by a larger-than-normal provision for taxes of $960 million which resulted from the companys decision in order to send home $14.5 billion in cash from foreign earnings. Company reported a 65.4% improvement that is in terms of operating income. According to the analyst of Goldman Sachss, HP does not seem to be tripping over out of its way to cite problems in the overall economic environment. According to the beat analyst of HP, the company announced to buy back $6 billion in stock, which is larger repurchase and represents more than 6% shares at current prices. The computer division in the competitive market is very profitable for the company. Due to this the revenue of the company has grew 8% to $6.9 billion. Technological factors: Development in the technology, rate of change in technology and research and development are the major factors. The latest technologies announced by the company are:- Gesture keyboard: Roman alphabet was the prominent feature in Traditional keyboards; recently HP researchers have produced a stylus-and-tablet solution, which is easy for people to study and use. For filling out forms, Pen-based solutions: it consists of digital ink which can be transferred to central location, here handwritten input gets converted to machine-readable text which helps in storage and processing . TV broadcasts that are Print-supplemented: HP researchers are focusing on developing technology which can deliver print material in synchronization with TV programming. Multimedia education centers: HP researchers are working on a technology that can provide on-demand broadcast education programming for learning institutions which can enable multimedia access. Secured paper documents: Company is extending its public services to small towns in remote areas with the help of Internet cafes instead of local government offices. The problem in the secured paper documents is the authenticity of the transmitted documents. Political Factors: Hewlett-Packard is also liable to follow the regulations regarding hazardous substances, such as the EU restrictions of Hazardous Substances and Japan J-MOSS. The other regulation like REACH, which replaces the existing EU legislations of chemicals with a single system for all chemical substances has also to be followed by the company. Ecological Factors: The companies have to be more conscious about various opportunities and threats arising due to ecological degradation. Some of the concerning areas for the companies are shortage of raw material, increased energy cost, increased level of pollution and change in government rules. HP was using Brominated flame Retardant (BFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for computing products which are harmful to the nature. It has resorted to eliminate all uses of Brominated flame Retardant (BFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from its computing products which are to be launched in 2009 because of the availability of technologically feasible Political Factors This environment comprises of the pressure groups, laws and government agencies which influences and limits various companies and their working. Hewlett-Packard is also liable to follow the regulations regarding hazardous substances, such as the EU restrictions of Hazardous Substances and Japan J-MOSS. These restrictions have forced the company to use substitutes of hazardous materials. The other regulation like REACH which replaces the existing EU legislations of chemicals with a single system for all chemical substances has also to be followed by the company. These regulations give greater responsibility to the company to assess the properties of chemicals and manage the environmental and health risks, and at the same time communicate information to suppliers and users for the supply of the materials of such specifications only. Social factors HP is involved in various social issues. For e.g. it is engaged in various soil and ground water conservation products. It also recycles the PCs and other electronic goods which it produces. This helps to safeguard the society. It also takes cares of its employees health and safety. Global Environment Reasons for firms going Global In few years more companies are venturing into global operations in order to achieve the benefits of economies of scale and widen their customer base. The home country market becomes saturated after a period of time, which forces the company to search for new markets in order to enhance its revenues. Companies also venture foreign markets in order to take the advantage of cheaper sources of material and other resources. Going global also reduces the dependency on any on market. Complexity of the global environment When company goes global various complexities are faced by it, these include the differences in culture or know how to deal effectively with the national of other country, difficulty in understanding the preferences of the customers of that country, the company might also to offer a product which is competitively attractive. Various legal regulations also put forth many problems in front of the companies going abroad. The devaluation of currency, Political instability, property which is expropriated and huge cost involved in setting up plants and basic infrastructure are the other factors which creates complexities for the companies. Control problems of the global firm Major control problems of the firms include the differences in way of handling the issues and problems by the employees. For example the companies of US follow the X theory while the Japanese follow the Y theory of dealing with employees. Global strategic planningIt is essential for every business in order to attain the growth of the business. Its future depends on the strategic plans it made I its die course of operations. In order to exploit various environmental opportunities and limit the adverse effects of environmental threats strategic planning is essential. Industry environment HP most complex global supply chain IT industry. Approximately $50 billion it spends annually in order to procure materials, components, manufacturing, and distribution. HP is investing in supply chain, social and environmental responsibility (SER) which reflects the global citizenship principles committed and shows whether supplier diversity meets stakeholder expectations. HP main foundation lies in the protection of international human rights HP is committed towards the lives of the workers who manufacture the products. Competitive forces that helped HP in gaining competitive advantages HP has gained Strategic adaptability through Sustainable competitive advantage which helps the company to maintain and improve the competitive position in the market. Customer plays a key role in todays world as they want the products quicker, cheaper, and also want it their way. The company has built its sustainable competitive advantage around the following: The corporate capabilities. Competitive advantage can be determined in two ways- firstly based on distinctive capabilities and second reproducible capabilities. People also act as the Main Source for Competitive Advantage. Corporate Culture plays a vital role, in achieving competitive advantage HP has gained it through from intricate interactions between individuals, organizations and environmental factors. Contending forces Threat of entry: new entrants decrease profitability. The profit rate will fall unless the entry of new firms is blocked by incumbents. HP can focus on patents, rights, economies of product, brand equity, switching costs Powerful suppliers: it can be described as the market of inputs. Raw materials, components, and services which are provided by suppliers can exercise power over the firm Powerful buyers: it refers to final consumers or the distributors of the firm or the market of outputs. There bargaining power of customers puts the firm under pressure to change prices. Substitute products: these are the alternatives available to the consumers; their availability enhances the propensity of customers to switch to other products (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2007). Operating Environment Competitive position: HP is the worlds largest computer and electronics company. It ranks 11th in the fortune 500 companies. The company is known for the first Silicon Valley start up. Its goodwill in the market is very good. Customer profiles: As the company is working worldwide it has a large customer base which is loyal to it. The customers include both the direct customers and business houses as it customers. Suppliers: Suppliers are the most important part of the organization. Without them no organization can survive. The supplier base of HP is of around $52 billion which is the largest in the IT industry. The company chooses them on the merit base of their products. Creditors: The creditors constitute a very important part of the company. They are the firms and individuals which provide company with funds on credit. The suppliers also form a part of the creditors. Human resources: The Company has a wide employee base with about 142000 workers working all round the world. Its employees are highly innovative and culturally diversified. Vision and values of HP Vision and values of HP has helped in achieving long term objectives. For about 7 decades, HP has proved to be a leader in innovative products. Its objectives and mission being aligned with its size and scale help the company to offer customers competitively priced products at lower costs. The company has a $52 billion supply-chain which is the largest in the IT industry. The company focuses on improving its customer relations and tries to make them learn about the company. Its strategies for supply are successful because it supplies competitive products at low prices. Its customer loyalty has also been excellent. References Kotler, P. (2003). Marketing management. 11th Edition, New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India. Ramaswamy, V.S. Namakumari, S. (2007). Strategic Planning Formulation of Corporate strategy. New Delhi: MacMillan India Ltd. Misra, S.K. Puri, V.K. (2007). Economic environment of business. Mumbai: Himalaya Publishing House. Kazmi, A. (2002). Business policy and Strategic Management. 2nd Edition, Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill. Wheelen, T.L. hunger, J.D, (2007), Strategic Management and Business Policy. 9th Edition. Delhi: Pearson Education Pte. Ltd. H. R. practices. Retrieved March 20, 2008, from www.hp.com
Friday, October 25, 2019
Exogetical Essay On Matthew 11:25-30 :: essays research papers
Exogetical Essay on Matthew 11:25-30 This passage opens up with the phrase, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. This speaks of two kinds of people in his prayer: the "wise" - arrogant in their own knowledge - and the "little children" - humbly open to receive the truth of God's Word. Are we wise in our own eyes, or do we seek the truth in childlike faith, realizing that only God hold all the answers? God wants us to be open at all times. When we become too "informed" and "wise" we can sometimes become to sure of our own knowledge, and possibly miss what God is really telling us. The next passage says, "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." According to my Life Application Study Guide, in the Old Testament, "know" means more than knowledge. It implies an intimate relationship. The communion between God the Father and God the Son is the core of their relationship. For anyone else to know God, God must reveal himself to that person, by the Son's choice. How fortunate we are that Jesus has clearly revealed to us God, his truth, and how we can know him. The last major section of this passage reads, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen. It is attached to a piece of equipment the oxen are to pull. A person may be carrying heavy burdens of (1) sin, (2) excessive demands of religious leaders, (3) oppression and persecution, (4) weariness in the search for God, or any number of other problems we may face day to day. The beautiful thing is that Jesus frees people
Thursday, October 24, 2019
W.H. Auden speech
Aden was not only a great poet during his life but an author as well as a playwright. An Interesting fact about Aden was that he was most well-known for his Hamilton-like ability to write poems in almost every verse form. This talent was one of the many reasons that he will be remembered as one of the leading literary influences in the 20th century. Sense of Loss He has left behind a legacy of work that has the ability to touch on and give written account to thoughts and emotions that, at times seem too difficult to express in our own words.One such time would be at a funeral, where one would be hard pressed to convey their emotions in a way that is clear but beautiful in the way that it is conveyed. I would believe it is only proper to quote a portion of Addend's own poem hat deals directly with this subject; its title being Funeral Blues. ââ¬Å"He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song: I thought that lo ve would last forever; I was wrong.The starts are not wanted now; put out every one, Pack up the moon and dismantle the Sun, Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood; For nothing now can ever come to any good. â⬠Humorous stories/ Recollections In High school, many of us were, to put it bluntly, forced to read poetry that all in all seemed boring, dealt with feelings and meanings we didn't care to comprehend ND had a rather gloomy or outright obsessive focus on love and relationships.I was one of those people who rather hated reading poetry and verse like Romeo and Juliet let alone spending an entire class trying to discuss the deep meanings pertaining to love and things of the like. Love Is great and all but does poetry about It need to be so Enter the poetry of W. H. Aden as a lovely shot of reality in the world of poetry on the subject of love. There is a quote from Aden that seems to summarize perfectly his approach to poetry, specifically poetry pertaining to love. ââ¬Å "Thousands have lived thou love, not one without water. This quote not only summarizes his approach but his tone with his poetry about love as well as other topics. Addend's ability to write about love without breaching the wall of dreamed fantasy or idealistic perfection is what truly set his apart. While love is important, as any emotion is, it is not a life sustaining forces as many Romantic poets' writings would lead people to believe. It is in his poetry that Addend's dry, blunt and sometimes sad sense of humor would shine though. Perhaps some found it a little strange and difficult to understand as humor, but it was uniquely him.Encourage the Living W. H. Aden was an artist the likes of which only comes around once in a great while. Even though he is no longer with us we can still experience him through his words and ideas. Through the ages his poems will continue to inspire people through his unique approach on poetry topics and humor. His poems have helped many to see Romant ic poetry in a different light and with a more realistic view point and a bit of humor. In closing I would like to leave you with one of his quotes, ââ¬Å"We are all here on Earth to help others; what on Earth the others are here for, I don't know. ââ¬
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Five Force Analysis Essay
The Bible says in Philippians 2:3-4 ââ¬Å"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of othersâ⬠. The industry-based view of strategy is underpinned by the five forces framework, first advocated by Michael Porter, it was later strengthen by others. The five forces strategy forms the backbone of the industry-based view of strategy. Since its introduction in 1979, has become the framework for industry analysis. The five forces measure the competitiveness of the market deriving its attractiveness (Peng, 2009). Soft drink industry needs huge amount of money to spend on advertisement and marketing. In 2000, Pepsi, Coke and their bottlerââ¬â¢s invested approximately $2.58 billion. This makes exceptionally hard for a new competitor to struggle with current market and expand visibility. (MBA lectures, 2010). The Coca Cola Company has little worries when it comes to threats of potential entry. The beverage industry there is no consumer switching cost and zero capital requirement. Coca Cola is a beverage but it is also seen as a brand. Coke has held a significant market share for a long and their customers are loyal trying new brands are not likely. Actions indicative of a high degree of rivalry include frequent price wars, proliferation of new products, intense advertising campaigns and high cost competitive actions and reactions (Peng, 2009). The intensity of the rival threatens firms by reducing profits. Currently, the main competitor Coca Cola has is Pepsi. Pepsi has a wide range of beverage products under its brand. Coca-Cola and Pepsi are the predominant carbonated beverages and committed heavily to sponsoring outdoor events and activities. The market have other soda brands that are popular such as Dr. Pepper because of its unique flavors. The other brands havenââ¬â¢t been as succ essful as Pepsi or Coca Cola. Threat of existing rival is high among Coca Cola and Pepsi. Coke and Pepsi are primarily competing on advertising and differentiation rather than on pricing. Substitutes are products of different industries that satisfy customer needs currently metà by the focal industry (Peng, 2009). Microeconomic teaches the more substitutes a product has, the demand for the product becomes elastic. Pepsi is not a substitute for Coke because they are in the same industry. Tea, coffee, juice, and water are substitutes because they are beverages but are in a different product category. There are many kinds of energy drink, soda, and juice product in the market Coke doesnââ¬â¢t really have a unique taste itââ¬â¢s hard for many people to tell in a taste test which one is which. All the suppliers of these substitutes need massive advertising, brand equity, brand loyalty and making sure that their brands are effortlessly accessible to consumers (MBA Lectures, 2010). The bargaining power of buyers weather corporate or individual, firms in the focal industr y are essentially supplies. A small number of buyers leads to strong bargaining power. Buyers may enhance their bargaining power if products of an industry do not clearly produce cost saving or enhance the quality of life for buyers. Buyers may have strong bargaining power if they purchase standard, commodity products from suppliers. Buyers are just like suppliers they may enhance their bargaining power by entering the focal industry through backward integration (Peng, 2009). The most important buyers for the Soft Drink industry are fast food fountain, vending, convenience stores, restaurants, college canteens and other in the categorize of market share (MBA Lectures, 2010). The bargaining power of buyers for Coca Cola has low pressure. The individual has no pressure on Coca Cola. The consumer brand loyalty helps Coca Cola when it comes large retailers like Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart have power in bargaining because of the large order quantity. Bargaining power of suppliers are low for Coca Cola. Suppliers are organization that provide inputs, such as materials, services, and manpower, to firms in the focal industry. The bargaining power of suppliers refers to their ability to raise and reduce quality of goods and services. If the supplier industry is dominated by a few firms, they may gain an upper hand (Peng, 2009). The main ingredient for soft drink are carbonated water, phosphoric acid, sweetener, and caffeine. The supplier are not concentrated. Coca Cola is the largest customer for these suppliers. Supplierââ¬â¢s products are important input for the manufactures in this industry because these product are not substituted. Reference: Holy Bible Peng, M.W. (2009). Global Strategy (3rd. ed.) Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning Porterââ¬â¢s Five Forces Model of Coca Cola. Nov 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
SUMMARY OF THE MOON IS DOWN essays
SUMMARY OF THE MOON IS DOWN essays In the first chapter, we learn that a small town has been taken over by one of the many Nazi groups during World War Two. Mr. Corell The town good guy, the way I view it, sent the town postmen and policemen on a boating trip, keeping them from the invasion. After the invasion, the Nazis request a meeting with the towns Mayor, Mayor Orden. Joseph and Doctor Winter, two of Mayor Ordens colleagues, await the arrival of Nazis too. The two meet Captain Bentick, a rank lower than Colonel Lanser who is the one who had requested the meeting. Bentick searches the home. During the meeting Annie, Mayor Ordens cook, becomes very aggravated by the soldiers who wait outside the front porch of the Mayors home, and throws a pot of boiling water at them. In the second chapter, Steinbeck explains the characteristics of each of the Nazis. Major Hunter, an engineer, arithmetician, and seemingly indifferent to the fact that he is a soldier. Captain Bentick, a family man, was old and kind. Bentick also has certain admiration to the English. Captain Loft, a young man, took much pride in the fact that he was a soldier. He dreams of his own death on the battlefield, where he is respected. Lieutenants Prackle and Tonder were snot noses, undergraduates, lieutenants, trained in the politics of the day. Colonel Lanser takes much pride in what he does. To me, he sees life as an order given by a higher rank The third chapter begins with a discussion between Annie and Joseph, who are talking about Alexander Morden and the death of Captain Bentick. Joseph reveals to Annie what he surely thinks will happen... Theyll shoot him. Annie is rejecting the awful thought. Unfortunately it is true and Alex will be tried. Molly Morden, Alexs wife, met with the Mayor because of a rumor that had been circulating in the town. You wouldnt convict Alex wo...
Monday, October 21, 2019
Pretrial Release essays
Pretrial Release essays Nearly every day the newspapers and the television media print stories about serious offences. During the last years, the publication about facts and backgrounds of sexual offenders and child molesters has grown, and the public interest goes along with this. For violent offences, the rate of violent offending in itself has been found to be a good predictor of future offending, though not necessarily of violence. So, I do not believe that some dangerous offenders should never be granted pretrial release. It would obviously depend on the circumstances of the accused and the accuser. Sadly some accusers have been known to lie or are mistaken in the facts. People demand security and prevention systems. Besides police presence or an education giving children advice to protect themselves as practical means to achieve this, the law provides for the theoretical basis to set up punishments in order to prevent offenders from committing crimes. The government reac ts to this public demand by developing new laws concerning the consequences for serious offenses and prevention of sexual crimes. Predicting whether an individual offender is likely to re-offend has been shown to be purely speculative. Some offenders are able to use their time in prison productively; many return to society without committing additional crimes. The state should focus its resources on identifying offenders in need of treatment and providing it, whether in prison or in the community. The Legislature already has drastically increased sentences for sex offenders. The Constitution protects all Americans, even those who have committed crimes in the past. To turn a blind eye to constitutional requirements in the interest of incarcerating people who we think might be dangerous in the future weakens the protection for all of us and undermines the integrity of the ...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
A Critique of the Flint Michigan Water Crisis
A Critique of the Flint Michigan Water Crisis Several years ago, there began a crisis in Flint Michigan with their water supply. It had been heavily polluted and became very undrinkable. The residents in these areas had water of every color in the spectrum, such as brown, yellow, and black. Such issues occurred because mistreated water eating away at the lead pipes. This lead to toxic levels in the supply, which inevitably made it change color as well as be deemed unsafe for consumption. Many individuals in such areas are still facing these issues, and resolution is not only complex but seems nearly impossible at this point. Even those who are not directly suffering these issues should be sympathetic as well as helpful for those experiencing such issues. I personally have a friend who attends a university in this town. His name is Saud and he is still having many problems with his water supply. Although, he claimed that the color is becoming much better, he still does not trust it to drink. He says that there are many in the same boat as him and that it is taking way too long to resolve such issues. Purchasing filtered water for consumption as well as showering has become a huge expense to him. This problem is so bad that he is actually considering switching universities because he is tired of waiting and dealing with such issues. I not only feel bad for my friend, but for all the others undergoing similar situations. It is highly unfair that anyone is not granted clean water. We all need this to survive and without it we would surely parish. I remember watching something on television with the CEO of Nestle water. The interviewer asked this man if everyone is deserving of clean and clear water and he said only if they are paying for it. This really struck me, and I still think of that from time to time. Here is a guy who has millions if not trillions of bottles of water, and he would not even give some to these poor individuals for free. What a perfect example of corporate greed, while many people suffer, those who can vastly make a difference turn their cheeks to the issues. Although such situations are very sad, they have given me a newfound appreciation for what I do have. Clean water may not seem like a great thing until you do not have it. Clean water is not only an issue in Flint but throughout the world as well. Many third world countries are left without clean water, while many travel miles for dirty brown water. While we simply get free clean and clear water anywhere, even free at restaurants. Often times we take for granted simple luxuries such as water. No one appreciates such things until they are taken from them. I, however, will always be grateful for the clean water supply I have had my entire life. I will pray for these individuals in Flint, and the others throughout the world who do not have good water supplies.
Friday, October 18, 2019
Symbolism and Polarization in Death in Venice by Thomas Mann Essay
Symbolism and Polarization in Death in Venice by Thomas Mann - Essay Example It is known as one of the richest novels in terms of symbolism; it is hard to deny this is a masterpiece which will never be written again. The author has also described phases of old age, obsession and solemnity, which profoundly represent the wealth and class of the main character and how he rejects his own self because of his respectable and wealthy status. The main character of Gustav von Aschenbach is a prototype of a fussy, aged German writer who is a highly disciplined, respectable and dignified man. He is a complicated and complex person. He is a wealthy and honourable man in the society and is well known in his profession. He sets out to travel to Venice after his experience in the cityââ¬â¢s famed English gardens. He experiences terror and horror when he encounters a ghostly appearing figure. He wishes to go to Venice, which is known as the city of beauty and romance, but surprisingly enough becomes a creepy and sinister place for the protagonist (Mann 35). The depiction of Venice is itself a representation of class and culture in the novel, which also relates to the Mannââ¬â¢s class of being an educational writer visiting countries for his personal satisfaction. The novel represents the class and wealth in many ways. The way the writer has created a great piece of literature with the discussion and explanation of some amazing scenes and expressions in the novel has made it one of the best novels of its time. There are many authors and professionals who have considered this book as a representation of their work. This novel would give many aspects to the reader to think about, starting with its extreme sustainability in the characterââ¬â¢s personality to the representation of wealth, class and society. His fame and wealth lead him to live a life respectable and dignified until he falls into the biggest trap of his life. He fights with himself and just because of his respect he lets go on some of his own desires. He knew that as his respect fa lls in peopleââ¬â¢s eyes, his status and wealth will both go away from him and it will ruin all his life, and with it he could not afford to play. Many other great literature works were published during that time period; some managed to show the essence of age, for example, Heart of Darkness. The story was representing the ages of man and the art in their life, but it did not solely relate to the artistic purpose; in fact it represented the age, the wealth, the fame that came with age, and the life from three different points of view. Notes from Underground is another publication of that time which showed the culture and the revolution. It was a great piece of literature and was subjected to classicism just like the Death in Venice was written representing the classism of the culture and symbolism. It also included the elements of obsession, passion, art and a full retreat of the society (Oââ¬â¢ Hehir 11). Though many literature works were published during that time, the maste rpieces were those which represented wealth, class and culture. Thomas Mann and other writers wrote much about the class of great artists and gave their novels a very artistic approach to enable them to relate to the society in which there was fame, money and class. These books were usually written in fiction, and portrayed a great message for the readers to learn and open their minds. The work of Thomas Mann related very closely to his own life. His novel and his main character described what
German unification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
German unification - Essay Example The Schleswig-Holstein War humbled Denmark, the Austro-Prussian War ended in the defeat of Austria-Hungary and the Franco-Prussian War completed German unification by the defeat of France. (Mahajan, 1999: 3) Thus, Germany turned out to be supreme and one of the most powerful sovereign states of the region. There was no single event that determined the whole process of unification; rather, many factors worked in combination and contributed to the completion of uplift progression of the German nation. All the strata of society including political leadership, intellectuals, philosophers, poets, writers, economists, military personnel, students, farmers and civil society added their share in the whole development. Otto Von Bismarck, the iron-Chancellor of Prussia, played the most formidable role in this regard.1 His skill as a diplomat was unrivalled during his reign as chancellor of Prussia and Germany. The mastery he showed in foreign policy was such that he was able to outwit all othe r powers and make their leaders look pathetic. (Graham, 2007:1) The Vienna settlement of 1815 conceived the idea of German Confederation of thirty-nine states rather than the unification of the country.2 The decisions taken in the Vienna settlement were extremely unsatisfactory one for the German people especially the moderates and nationalists, who were expecting concrete course of action which could lead them towards the way to unification. But instead of unification, only the positions of different German and non-German princes were restored under Confederation as they had been before the intervention of Napoleon Bonaparte.3 The main objective behind German Confederation was to guarantee external and internal peace of Germany and the independence of the member states. The thirty-nine states agreed not to declare war on one another, and had the obligation of helping one another in the hour of need. (Leads,
Managing Work Activities Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Managing Work Activities - Assignment Example It also discusses the importance of planning in business, relationship between departments, and the exchange of information in an engineering company. The paper distinguishes between the single use plan designed to be used only once for a specific purpose, and the standing plans which are made to be used repetitively. The engineering departments are linked to one another by the roles they act, which enable all to contribute to the success of the business. Necessary information also flows across different departments coordinating their functions. Keyword: Engineering, Production, Departments, Planning, Quality Control, Functions, Processes, Customers, Suppliers, Engineering Business 1. Identify at least five functions of an engineering business (which could be the engineering business you established in assignment 1). Classify those functions according to their purpose. Show the relationship between these business functions using the organisational structure of the engineering busines s The role an engineering business plays ensures that an optimal path is developed so that the user of the product or service produced, through the operations that have been used in the business, can obtain the maximum benefit at a minimal cost. The functions of the engineering business are hence not confined within the business or company operations in engineering the product but include the commercial roles that affect the engineering aspect functions. According to Tooley and Dingle (2010), design, research and development, product development, manufacturing, quality and planning are the engineering functions, while sales, commissioning, marketing, distribution, finance and purchasing are the commercial functions. The engineering functions direct the technical expertise, the tools and processes used and the way they should be implemented so that the right technical judgment is made. Some of the functions can be managed when grouped together, which saves resources, but all have a u nique feature whose general aim is the production. In any organisation, production needs inputs to come up with outputs; hence the engineering business has the management, suppliers, employees and customers. The business uses the purchasing function to access the suppliers for the required materials for production, from which the management takes the lead to ensure production uses a plan and schedule set. Research and development (R&D) and product development are ever consistent functions that ensure the business remains competitive and brings to the consumers what they need, by involving the expertise in the marketing fields, designs and productions so that the invention or the customerââ¬â¢s needs are met. The processes in building the product involve following the designs or the manufacturing framework. From this stage, control is very critical for the management to produce within the budget, which liaises with the finance department to finance the immediate activities or thos e that would work in parallel. This helps to avoid delays in production and ensure the finances are used efficiently. When the products are out, they are delivered to the consumers through the marketing strategies. The business uses most of the commercial functions at this point to finish the stock. Sales should find and maintain customers in the future market. The business gets to distribute their products to the wholesale shops, sometimes the
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Malnutrition Universal Screening tool (MUST) assessment tool Essay
Malnutrition Universal Screening tool (MUST) assessment tool - Essay Example The screening tool should be simple, quick to use, valid, reliable and acceptable to both patient and the nurse. It should be convenient for use in all types of settings and for all types of patients. MUST was developed in Britain with these aims (Gibney et al, 2005). It was developed by the Malnutrition Advisory group, a multidisciplinary group of British Association for parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN, 2008), in 2000. It is recommended by British dietetic Association, The Royal College of Nursing, The registered nursing homes Association and The Royal college of Physician (England). It is an evidence based tool designed to detect malnutrition and obesity but not vitamin and mineral deficiency. MUST is developed for use in all adults including elderly, sick or healthy , hospital wards, outpatient clinics, general practice , community settings and public health (Thomas et al, 2007; Morrison et al 2007). A number of studies were conducted in these settings. Agreement was >95% in all studies prior to recommending the tool in practice, according to BAPEN (2008) MUST meets all the key requirements of a good tool. The tool is developed by experts in the field and validated by subsequent research. It is easy, quick and reliable besides recommended by recognized professional bodies. The tool has incorporated three elements viz. BMI, unintentional weight loss and acute disease effect to minimise error occurring from single element measurement. The present article is intends to discuss reliability and validity of the tool in light of controversial views about the BMI and other factors as indicator of nutritional status. MUST is a five-step screening tool to identify adults who are malnourished, at risk of malnutrition (undernutrition), or obese. MUST is designed to detect protein-energy malnutrition. Three parameters are used: current weight status
Sexed Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Sexed Crime - Essay Example Significantly, changes in the meaning of 'sex' as well as challenges to the speaking positions of the dominant groups have led to an ultimate shift from the use of sex crime to sexed crime. One of the most essential concerns of Adrian Howe's Sexed crime in the News has been to analyse whether the concept of sexed crime has a potential to expand one's understanding of sexual violence and Howe claims that "calling sex crime 'sexed crime' does have interesting, destabilising effects." (Howe 1998, P. 6). According to Howe, the complacency and self-evidence of sex crime is disturbed by the use of sexed crime instead of sex crime. In an understanding of the other important destabilising effects, it becomes lucid that speaking about sexed rather than sex crime "problematises the 'sex' of crimes of violence", "acknowledges that women are not the only sex - men have a sex too," and "speaking about sexed crime sexes violence in the sense of asking questions about the fundamental, but often ign ored, sexed and sexual aspects of that violence." (Howe 1998, P. 6). ... Various pertinent questions crop up in an attempt to analyse the difference between the concepts 'sex crime' and 'sexed crime' such as what is 'sexed' crime, can sexual assaults be considered as sex crime, is family violence sex crime, etc. According to Howe, there are several destabilising effects of 'calling sex crime sexed crime' and the latter is broader in scope than the former. Thus, calling sex crime sexed crime can disturb the self-evidence of sex crime, and sexed crime covers all forms of violence in which the gender of the victim, as well as the perpetrator, is significant to the violent act. "Sexed crimeis violence which can only be fully understood within the context of relationships which are profoundly sexed but which are not often recognised as such, precisely because they are dismissed as having something to do with a vaguely defined, amorphous 'gender'. The point of questioning the sex of sex crime is to challenge the taken-for-granted ways in which sexed and gendere d relations are represented in public discourses such as those of the media." (Howe 1998, P. 6). Therefore, it is essential to realise that Howe (1998), in her Sexed crime in the News, comes up with a new and somewhat different approach to the issue of sex crime, which is critical of the idea purported by Keith Soothill and Sylvia Walby in Sex Crime in the News (1991). Sex crime is a term which is commonly used in order to refer to the sexual assaults against females across the globe and there have been reference to the age of sex crime in the modern times. Sex and violence in the contemporary world have been closely interconnected in the recent day world and they are
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Bibliography and Discussion Board Answer Assignment
Bibliography and Discussion Board Answer - Assignment Example The focus of this journal is at researchers and clinicians concentrating on enhancing the knowledge base for the diagnosing, medical prognosis and intervention of mental health considerations in adolescents and children. Along with considering the aspects of neuropsychology and neurobiology neglected in other traditional journals. This journal is aimed to assist the integration process of basic sciences, medical research as well as practical application of such findings. According to Scimago Lab (2012), this journal offers a scientifically thorough and generally open forum for cross cultural as well as interdisciplinary interchange of explored information, necessitating pediatrics, psychologists, adolescent and child psychiatrists, neuroscientists, as well as allied disciplines. While contributions are principally from psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, medicine, education, law enforcement, anthropology and legislature, CAPMH promotes the pertained lay person and the child focused proponent organizations to add. CAPMH is a peer-reviewed publication that works while following its strict guidelines for the review. The articles are chiefly research oriented while depending upon the authorââ¬â¢s thought some are also practitioner oriented. Few articles that I found relating to the different sorts of psychiatric disorders faced by children were providing a comprehensive view of the topic. This journal started its publication in 2007 and since then six of its volumes have been issued publishing 193 articles. The articles of this journal are all accessible completely to various scholarly databases like Pubmed etc. While searching, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry was also noticed as the relevant source of information on the topic. It entails, as mentioned by Elsevier (2012), JAACAP is the authorized periodical of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It is the one of the leading journals
Sexed Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Sexed Crime - Essay Example Significantly, changes in the meaning of 'sex' as well as challenges to the speaking positions of the dominant groups have led to an ultimate shift from the use of sex crime to sexed crime. One of the most essential concerns of Adrian Howe's Sexed crime in the News has been to analyse whether the concept of sexed crime has a potential to expand one's understanding of sexual violence and Howe claims that "calling sex crime 'sexed crime' does have interesting, destabilising effects." (Howe 1998, P. 6). According to Howe, the complacency and self-evidence of sex crime is disturbed by the use of sexed crime instead of sex crime. In an understanding of the other important destabilising effects, it becomes lucid that speaking about sexed rather than sex crime "problematises the 'sex' of crimes of violence", "acknowledges that women are not the only sex - men have a sex too," and "speaking about sexed crime sexes violence in the sense of asking questions about the fundamental, but often ign ored, sexed and sexual aspects of that violence." (Howe 1998, P. 6). ... Various pertinent questions crop up in an attempt to analyse the difference between the concepts 'sex crime' and 'sexed crime' such as what is 'sexed' crime, can sexual assaults be considered as sex crime, is family violence sex crime, etc. According to Howe, there are several destabilising effects of 'calling sex crime sexed crime' and the latter is broader in scope than the former. Thus, calling sex crime sexed crime can disturb the self-evidence of sex crime, and sexed crime covers all forms of violence in which the gender of the victim, as well as the perpetrator, is significant to the violent act. "Sexed crimeis violence which can only be fully understood within the context of relationships which are profoundly sexed but which are not often recognised as such, precisely because they are dismissed as having something to do with a vaguely defined, amorphous 'gender'. The point of questioning the sex of sex crime is to challenge the taken-for-granted ways in which sexed and gendere d relations are represented in public discourses such as those of the media." (Howe 1998, P. 6). Therefore, it is essential to realise that Howe (1998), in her Sexed crime in the News, comes up with a new and somewhat different approach to the issue of sex crime, which is critical of the idea purported by Keith Soothill and Sylvia Walby in Sex Crime in the News (1991). Sex crime is a term which is commonly used in order to refer to the sexual assaults against females across the globe and there have been reference to the age of sex crime in the modern times. Sex and violence in the contemporary world have been closely interconnected in the recent day world and they are
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Contentment from a Different Personââ¬â¢sââ¬â¢ Perspective Essay Example for Free
Contentment from a Different Personââ¬â¢sââ¬â¢ Perspective Essay ââ¬Å"God knows bestâ⬠. This is a title of one of the poems made by Helen Steiner Rice. It is stated in the poem that whatever challenges that come in peopleââ¬â¢s lives, it is not a punishment but an opportunity to be strong. Tears that flow from eyes will eventually become a source of courage to face lifeââ¬â¢sââ¬â¢ enduring trials. Sarahââ¬â¢s story is a story of a person who was deep challenged by God. As further reading, try to discern how God used miseries to make her a better person. Sarah is a 40-year-old woman whose life absolutely did not just began at her present age. She is a businesswoman and lives in a fast-paced world in the city. Her business is engaged in food industry and doing well in the present time. She had bought lands from several provinces where she plans to construct additional houses. At first sight, she seemed to live in just about a perfect life. However, she has no family of her own. The only family she considers is her nephew, Aldrin. She serves as his guardian for 13 years now. Aldrin suffers from one type of autism, the Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Pervasive Developmental Disorder or also termed as ââ¬Å"atypical autismâ⬠, is a kind of catchall category for children who have some autistic problems but who donââ¬â¢t fit into other categories. Many people thinks that Aldrin is the only thorn of Sarahââ¬â¢sââ¬â¢ life. Little do they know that he is actually one of Sarahââ¬â¢sââ¬â¢ reason of existence. ââ¬Å"It is not that I have no choice. I see myself from him. We both seemed outcast from our loved ones. Besides, I got no one except him. I give him love that his parents failed to provide him. In return, I receive love from a very special son which I ever dreamt of having. â⬠Sarah, like her nephew, suffers from a different illness. She had been trying to escape a painful past. At 25, she had a child. It was a baby boy named Kurt. He was a premature baby and in fact a miracle for his part to be born alive. Unfortunately, after two years, God had to take back the child from her. His heart was too weak to make him stable. It was the most tragic moment for Sarah. She questioned God why she had to have Kurt if he will be gone right away. For 3 years, she doubted God until Aldrin enters her life. One unusual day, her sister visited her. She asked her to take care of Aldrin for two months and that she had to leave for work. The supposedly two months became years. It took long for Sarah to give herself a chance to love again. Every day, she wishes Kurt to replace Aldrinââ¬â¢s side. She had a lot of what ifââ¬â¢s and could have beenââ¬â¢s before she realized her purpose for Aldrin. Every day they spent together, she learns to sympathize with Aldrinââ¬â¢s condition. ââ¬Å"I am not the only person who is being challenged by God. There is lot of people who undergo worse cases than mine. I am in fact more privileged than them. God gives me not a responsibility but a mission for someone as special as Aldrinâ⬠, Sarah said. Before, she wandered why Aldrin had to be part of her life. After years of taking care of him, she becomes more concern to why he had to be part of his, and what more can she do to help him. Indeed, people go through tough situations in life. These situations somehow define how each people are different from one another. God has his own way of molding each person. Sarahââ¬â¢sââ¬â¢ story is just one of the stories of life. There is lot of untold ones which seemed unimaginable yet real. It is only when a person understands why these situations occur that will help him appreciate and discern how God wants him to be shaped in his image. (662) Works Cited Ricamara, Sarah J. Personal Interview. 16 April 2009.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Lloyds Tsb A Retail Bank In The Uk Marketing Essay
Lloyds Tsb A Retail Bank In The Uk Marketing Essay Lloyds TSB is a retail bank in the U Kingdom. It was started in year 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank. Lloyds TSB has an wide network of branches and cash machines across United Kingdom and offers 24-hour telephone and online banking services. Now it has 16 million customers, and business accounts. Lloyds TSB Vision: The vision Lloyds TSB is to be the one of best financial services bank in the UK. Lloyds TSB is well known for the customer relationships. Lloyds TSB is mainly focused on the customer satisfaction and their interests better than any other competitors. Lloyds TSB Mission Statement: To make Lloyds TSB the best company in the financial services industry a great place for staff to work and a great place for customers to do business. (Sir Win Bischoff, Chairman) Lloyds TSB Goals: Growing Lloyds TSB as the Number one position in the banking sector. Attracting the customers with new policys. Increasing the customer of the bank. Lloyds TSB Objectives: Developing a good customer relationship between the customers. Increase customer service in order to meet customer needs. Improving services and quality according to the competitors. Lloyds TSB Strategies in year 2005: Strategy is a broad based formula for how business is going to compete, what its goals should be and what polices will be needed to carry out those goals. The essence of formulating competitive strategy is relating a company to its environment. In 2003 they developed customer relationship programmes to deliver higher revenues per customer in the retail market and according to their press releases this strategy seems to be working Our customer satisfaction scores hit record highs in 2005, again reflecting the improvement programmes established over the last couple of years, and we will continue to drive further improvements as we seek to differentiate our service performance against that of our Competitors.à [1]à Lloyds TSB say they are committed to achieving top performance in both effectiveness and efficiency. Effectiveness is the ability to recruit, develop and retain loyal customers who think of us first for their next financial services need. Efficiency is the ability to provide service and sales at a lower cost so that we can give our customers better value. We believe that in order to achieve our goal we must be customer rather than product centric.à [2]à Target customer current account recruitment increased by 28 per cent, compared with 2004.à [3]à Producing new offers to the customers. Providing new services and adding quality to the existing products. In order to compete with the existing competitors Lloyds TSB providing internet banking service in order to become a high performance organisation Lloyds TSB uses Flawless execution that mainly develops relationships with customers. Identifying the customer needs and solving their problems by using advanced technologies. Critical Evaluation Strategic Analysis: Melville, N. et al. (2004) defined the value of information technology in the organizations as the organizational performance impacts of information technology at both the intermediate process level and the organization-wide level, and comprising both efficiency impacts and competitive impacts. If the information technology has been utilized efficiently. It will add value to the organization itself. Brooks, B (2003) suggested that adding value to the business meant extending the ranger of products; reducing the cost; improving the quality of the services and products and so on. There are a lot of ways for the organizations to choose to add value for themselves; but it seems that IT strategy has been widely used in the modern business environment. The strategy plan established for Lloyds TSB has been created after undertaking a through serious issues about the business and the environmental. The strategic plan that implemented by the organisation can move forward with a sense of direction, purpose and urgency. The strategic plan implemented by the TSB exists to achieve some degree of sustainable competitive advantage. Strategic planning as suggested by (Robson 1997) highlights that strategic planning turns a organisations vision into concrete achievable. It describes the initiatives that will achieve the vision in ways deemed consistent with the organisation, its assumed market and the competitive environment. Strategy plan plays an important in developing the organisation and also it involve in the creation of new and lasting competitive advantages and the development of new products and services. It is important whilst strategy making that innovation and dynamism is concurrently endeavoured for as suggested by (Porter 1987) The strategy plan Lloyds TSB is to achieve their vision followed by their mission and goals. The goals specifies how the organisation will get back in to the market leadership. The vision of the organisation will improve the innovation and dynamic approaches towards the market. All the strategies that are implemented by the Lloyds TSB are to tackle the complex situations. How ever all these strategies that developed by the Lloyds TSB are to remain the competition in the financial market. Appendix 1 Table 1 ROE and P/E of UK retail Banks: Recent Return on Equity (ROE) and Price Earnings Ratio (P/E) figures comparing Lloyds against RBS and two of the other top 4 UK retail banks shows: U.K. Bank TTM Ratios ROE P/E* Lloyds TSB Group plc 22.1 13.9 HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE: HBC) 15.9 16.9 Barclays plc (NYSE: BCS) 18.8 14.6 Royal Bank of Scotland 13.0 12.4 *Data provided by Capital IQ, a division of Standard Poors. P/E numbers reported on a normalized basis to adjust for the impact of extraordinary itemsà [4]à Table 2 CAPM of top 5 UK Retail Banks: Bank Beta Rf Rm CAPM Equity Market Value HBOS 0.9355 4.43% 7.5% 7.30% à £38.88bn HSBC 0.6485 4.43% 7.5% 6.42% à £111.82bn Lloyds TSB 0.9694 4.43% 7.5% 7.40% à £30.14bn Barclays 1.1525 4.43% 7.5% 7.97% à £43.23bn Alliance Leicester 0.6556 4.43% 7.5% 6.44% à £4.92bn RBS 0.8669 4.43% 7.5% 7.09% à £59.07bn Rf = 4.43% currently for Treasury Bills, Rm = 7.5% currently for FTSE 100 return. I have chosen to use the FTSE 100 rate of return because all 6 companies are listed as being in the top ten largest listed UK companies by equity market value and should therefore give a more accurate CAPM figure. Table 3 Earnings Per Share (EPS) in pence: Bank 2004 2003 2002 2001 % Change HBOS 78.1 63.6 50.6 46.4 68.3% HSBC 0.84 0.67 0.59 0.76 10.53% Lloyds TSB 43.3 58.3 32 45.2 à ¢Ãâ ââ¬â¢4.39% Barclays 51.2 42.3 33.7 36.8 39.13% Alliance Leicester 95.8 79 68 57 68.07% RBS 138 79 68.4 67.6 104.14% Appendix 2 Figure 1 FTSE 100 V Financial Services over past 5 Years: 5 Figure 2 New companies by business sector: 6 Figure 3 Kaplan and Nortons Balanced Scorecard: 7 Appendix 3 Figure 4 UK Premium and Packaged Accounts Market Share: 8 Figure 5 UK Debit Card Market Share 2005: 9 Figure 6 UK Credit Card Market Share 2005: 10 Figure 7 UK top 5 Secured Personal Loan Providers 2005: 11 Figure 8 UK Top 9 Unsecured Personal Loan Providers 2005: 12 Information system in Lloyds TSB: Information System in different departments: Transaction Processing System: In every banking sector we need store the data , modify the data, and we retrieve the data of the transactions. For this we use TPS (Transaction processing System) it generates and retrieve the transaction of organization . Customer Identification: In every banking sector we need the customer authentication (customer identification) ,in Lloyds TSB they use NADRA which is attached with viruses .when the enter the details of him it directly enter into the NADRA to verify the customer ID. So that the Management will identify the original ID cards. By this we totally control the fake accounts holders. When the client enter the details of the account it will directly send to the NADRA their the account details are checked with the bank details if it is correct then the account is opened other wise it is closed. Input (ID #) Viruses Management HUB NADRA (customer identification) Employees Record : In Lloyds TSB the Management will maintain exact details of the employees .they use information system in every where they introduced BIO-metric system in every banks to maintain the exact details of the employee this will increase the efficiency of an employee.Every Lloyds TSB employee should login with the biometric device so that the details of the employee is stored HUB. And logout on leaving this should be done only by tracing with their thumb impressions on biometric device. Employee Job Login Biometric Device HUB Employee Job Logout Real time Banking: In the present situation time plays a major role If any customer want to transfer the funds to another account immediately he should not be waste the time. For that the Lloyds TSB maintain real time banking with that real time banking the customer can transfer their funds to any other accounts with in seconds. Here the TCB maintains the LN . The new transition is send to the LN. Through LN it will send to the HUB where the updates are made and the updates will done . In the present scenario no client is ready to waste their time so, the TSB offering a fast real time online banking system. New Transactions, Updates LN HUB Updated Online Complains: Customers are the main visitors of the banking sector. Lloyds TSB allows the customer to send their complains online. If any customer is not satisfied with the TSB, the TSB offering a privilege to the customer so that they can send online complains. what the customer need to do is he has to fill the online complain form which is send to the TPS, that is linked with the Management their the management can identify the problem and it is send to concerned department their it is resolved. And the solution is send back to the customer. It all happen with massive using of information . Customer Queries Customer Service TPS Identify Problem Send to Concerned Dept. Advices: The information system is very much used in the Lloyds TSB, TSB uses record of all the customers in the server and it will send messages regularly to the customers when they had transactions .If any customer is short off balance then the system automatically alert the massege to the customer and as well as management so that the management can take manual action like send letter or mail to the customer. Customer Service TPS Account Alert Management HUB Advices Send to Customer Account Opening: To open the account the Lloyds TSB maintain the TPS which maintain the hub contains of all the data of an account holder and the information about the account holder.Customer has to give his personal details such as passport number, NI number, Date of birth etc. What ever the information given by the customer the information is send to viruses and Account department .so, that the details are send to the customer service TPS and HUB . then customer account is opened Applicant Identification Viruses A/C Dept. Customer Service TPS HUB New A/C Opened Online Activity Online banking is done with in the same bank or different organization. Suppose a customer need to transfer the funds to another customer then the customer as to enter branch code, sort code and account number and the amount you need to transfer. Then this information is send to the server (HUB), Then the information is checked in the server then the fund is transferred to the branch Customer Customer Service TPS HUB A/C Dept Fund Trnsfr to Concerned Branch ATM Card After registering in to the account the customer details are stored in the hub. When the customer requested for the ATM the details of customer is checked in the HUB and then the card is issued. Lloyds TSB will provide many ATM machines for easy access of the customer. It just asks the ATM card then after it we have to enter the Pin number the pin number is send to the HUB their the pin is checked with the card and the details then money is taken from the machine. Applicant Identification Virses A/C Dept. Customer Service TPS HUB New A/C Opened ATM Issued MANGEMENT OVERVIEW: How the Management In Lloyds TSB is divided we can see Firstly we have an CEO,( Sir Win Bischoff, Chairman) and to the CEO we have an executive directors and all the executive directors are maintains regional managers, all these regional managers will maintains the branch managers under the branch managers we can see the field offecers CEO Executive Directors Field officer employees Regional Managers Regional Managers Regional Managers Branch Managers Branch Managers Branch Managers Branch Managers Branch Managers Branch Managers Business process models: Value Chain Model Secondary Activities Inbound logistics Services Operations Sales Organization value Chain Computerized Ordering System Technology Development HRM Workforce Planning System Administration and Management R D System Primary Activities Outbound logistics Analysis of Lloyds TSB with Value chain : We are considering bank sector as an organisation in this sector we commonly see the operations a lot because this is banking sector we need more consideration on the operations .We have less inbound logistics. We mainly use software operations more. The information system is used more in the banking sector. The banking sector uses Online banking, ATM machines which we use information system . Inbound logistics : The inbound logistics specify the building area, where the business going to start? what are the safety measures we have to take? What is cost of the area we selected? These all come under Inbound Logistics. Operations: The banking sector has to do much part with the operations. Information system is highly used in the operation part. Everything the data of the customer has to enter in the HUB.so, the IS is much used in the operation part Outbound Logistics: the outbound logistics include the output of the bank. Here the bank sector include the their customer as their output . Sales: every organisation wants to improve their sales. The Lloyds TSB increases their sales by adding the customers to them. For that the TSB follows many strategies , With using the advanced technologys the Lloyds TSB is good at attracting their customers. Services: The services is the part of every organisation .Lloyds TSB give more benefits TSB maintain a good relation ship between the customers .It will give extra benefits to the customer It offers different card s like silver, gold, platinum etc . It also give incurrence like mobile incurrence, car break down etc. Porters Five Force Model Analysis of Lloyds TSB with Porters 5 force Model : Threat of New Entrants: Orders from the Government (Financial Services Authority The British Bankers Association) The organisations that which invest high capital investment, are some of the threats When the market is good then there is a possible to enter the new entrants . As can be seen above, the entry barriers in place for the financial services industry are low. When entry barriers are low, new firms can freely enter the industry, which increase rivalry and depletes profits as suggested by (Robson, 1997) Bargaining Power of Customer: Missing the customer relationship. (Customers are seen to bank with several banks, hold different financial products with different financial service providers.) Customers can change their account depending on the banks what they offer interest rate. (Customers are no longer tied into accounts or agreements for a long period of time) Maximum of the customers are very Money minded. (This is through the availability of interest free credit cards/reduced rate loans/competitive savings rates) The Customers can easily get the account details and the bank statements (Information technology has enabled this; loan rates/ credit cards can be searched and compared online offering the best product to the customer with little effort) Customers want to get more service from the bank. Bargaining Power of Supplier: The interest rate is announced by the Bank Of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) present moment the interest rates are on hold at 4%. The final rate influence financial services products. Substitute Products: We see Product differential is every where in the financial services industry Examples of product differentiated can be seen below: Increased number of Credit Unions in the form of credit cards/store cards. An example is here, Marks Spencer who now offer a store card and a credit card to customers along with reduced personal loan rate. The above model, as suggested by (Porter, 1985) largely determined the type and level of competition within the financial services industry. Analysis of Lloyds TSB with SWOT analysis : A SWOT analysis is used to analysis the internal and external environments of the organisation. In case of Lloyds TSB. Com. We can identify the Lloyds TSB strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It is suggested by (Harrison, St John 1998) that the results from this situation analysis may form the basis for developing missions, goals and strategies. Figure below highlights the SWOT Matrix SWOT Analysis Internal Factors Strengths Opportunities Weaknesses Opportunities Weaknesses Strengths Threats Threats External Factors Figure SWOT Matrix Strengths: Lloyds TSB is the Europes 4th largest retail bank Lloyds TSB is Britains 8th largest banking sector based on market capitalisation Lloyds TSB has very strong branch network of 2300 Lloyds TSB had more than 16 million customers Lloyds TSB has good brand recognition Lloyds TSB will Provide Mortgages, Insurances, investments and it provides a full range of financial service Lloyds TSB will Provide a full functional internet banking for both personal customers and business customers Lloyds TSB will update the customers with new schemes through :telephony/internet Lloyds TSB New changes has been made in the online banking, that as been expected by customers rapidly. Opportunities: We can increase the online banking customers We can increase the number of premier customers By increasing the amount of wholesale market Increasing the brand recognition . Managing more number of customers in the financial affairs Cross sell (As a range of products exist therefore take advantage of the strong brand name) Example: Foreign Currency combination with Travel Insurance Mortgages combination with Life Insurance Home Insurance combination with Home Utilities Weaknesses: Not maintaining stable Interest rates/this is due to inflation base rate Cross publicity related to the Scottish Widows(Part of LTSB) Policys Due to problems in security, privacy and reliability the internet banking updates every time. Threats: Entering the new banks specifying only internet banking(unconventional banks) The new retail marketing industries have entering in to the banking sector such as Sainsburys supermarket, Marks Spencer, Tesco Supermarket. Missing the customer loyalty Financial banking sector industry is too slow down for the next two years, this will have effect on Lloyds TSB The significance of the SWOT analysis undertaken above is to use the existing business strengths to exploit opportunities, to create new opportunities, to counteract threats and repair any weaknesses as suggested by (Robson 1997) CONCLUSION A management information system is a system or process that provides the information necessary to manage an organization effectively(Richard 1895). This eassy discuses all the activities that the Management Information System perform in our selected organization Lloyds TSB Bank. SUGGESTION Lloyds TSB is using the Information System very efficiently and increasing , but still there are many things that should be improved. With increase of technology, the bank should update the IS up-to-date for providing best services to the customer.. In the Online banking system security should be increased.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Divisibility Argument :: essays research papers
DIVISIBILITY ARGUMENT This paper will discuss the dualismââ¬â¢s Divisibility Argument. This argument relies on Leibnizââ¬â¢s Law and uses a different property to prove the distinctness of brain states of mental states. Mary, who is a materialist, presents several objections to that argument. Her main objection corresponds to the first/third-person approach. She believes that Dave presents that argument only from the first-person approach, which is introspection, and totally disregards the third-person approach, which is observation of another mind. Maryââ¬â¢s objections will follow by the Daveââ¬â¢s response on them from the dualistââ¬â¢s point of view. The purpose of the Divisibility Argument is to prove that mental states are different from the brain states. My body, which includes my brain, is divisible. However, I cannot conceive of my mind as divisible. Therefore, my mind is distinct from any part of my body. Descartes was the first who established the Divisibility Argument. He held that the two components which constitute man had an independent origin and are of a fundamentally different nature. The body is divisible, since it can be separated for example, my leg or my hand can be cut off; my brain can be cut on half. However, the idea of the divisible mind is inconceivable. This argument relies on the Leibnizââ¬â¢s Law. It is a principle about identity, which says, ââ¬Å"if an object or event X is identical with an object or event Y, then X and Y have all of the same properties.â⬠So if X and Y have any different properties, then X can not be identical with Y. Divisibility Argument uses a different property to prove the distinctness of brain states and mental states: the property of being indivisible. In this case, the mind has a property and brain lacks it. The body can be divided, however, it cannot be done with the mind. Mary has several objections to this argument. First, she believes that the mind is an entity, which is composed of several mental states: thoughts, beliefs, memories, desires, etc. Mary strongly disagrees with Descartesââ¬â¢ claim that the mind employs itself in its different properties: willing, desiring, understanding, and so on. Secondly, she clarifies the meaning of the word ââ¬Å"conceiveâ⬠in the Daveââ¬â¢s argument. The term ââ¬Å"conceiveâ⬠might mean either ââ¬Å"imagineâ⬠or ââ¬Å"understand.â⬠Imagining literally involves ââ¬Å"forming an image ofâ⬠or ââ¬Å"picturingâ⬠in oneââ¬â¢s mind, whereas understanding is more ââ¬Å"conceptualâ⬠and does not require the ability to picture something.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Educating Children about the Effects of Smoking :: Cigarettes Smoking Nicotine Education Essays
Educating Children about the Effects of Smoking Many children are unaware of the effects of smoking cigarettes. Children do not know that they can cause cancer. Are companies influencing adults or little children? Cartoons easily impress children at a young age. Cartoons promote violence laughter. Cartoons like Joe Camel promote the use of tobacco.â⬠Old Joe Camel because they believe that such figures will appeal to adult smokers and encourage them to change brands.â⬠As if cartoon interest adults over 18 years of age. Cartoons like Joe Camel is more likely to appeal to a younger generation. As I see little kidââ¬â¢s eyes stuck to the television screen, watching the famous cartoons that they like, the cartoons have these characteristics; they have bright colors and they act cool. I noticed that they like those cartoon. ââ¬Å"old Joe Camel has demonstrated appeal and recognition among young youthâ⬠. Joe Camel has the same characteristics he wears bright clothes and wears sunglasses. Wearing sunglasses has always been ââ¬Å"coolâ⬠to wear. And as they see Joe Camel acting cool they notice that smoking is also cool. Those commercials show that smoking is cool. The boyââ¬â¢s dream of becoming a cowboy has always existed in little kids. ââ¬Å" cowboys on the open range (the Marlboro image). Have long been a part of childhood fantasy.â⬠I as a child also had that fantasy. My little brother likes to wear tight jeans, squared shirts and his cowboy hat. He admires the real cowboys he even has a plastic horse he rides in. one day I caught him with a stick saying it is a ââ¬Å"cigaroâ⬠(cigarette). ââ¬Å"undoubtably , some adults also respond to these campaigns.â⬠If the Marlboro appeals adults figure what ensures us that kids would not. Kids are very easily to be influenced by what may seem cool. Tobacco industries abuse the innocence of children with these advertisements. Smoking is an expensive habit. The average cost of a pack is $3.00 and the average smoker smokes a pack a day. In one year thatââ¬â¢s wasting about $1095 or more a year! Thatââ¬â¢s a lot of money. The Tobacco industry makes billions of dollars each year and they donââ¬â¢t care about your existence all they want is your money.
Friday, October 11, 2019
ââ¬ÅPoemââ¬Â and ââ¬ÅAbout this personââ¬Â by Simon Armitage Essay
Two of Simon Armitageââ¬â¢s poems, ââ¬ËPoemââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËAbout His Personââ¬â¢ are written about someone who has, for unspecified reasons, passed away or gone. One is in the style of a eulogy and looks back on the life of its persona, presenting contrasting views of it, while the other examines the articles found on a man after his death. Both give the readers some impression of the personas, but are somewhat ambiguous, inviting us to form our own mental pictures of the people and judge them for ourselves. The man in ââ¬ËPoemââ¬â¢ seems to have a split personality. Each of the first three stanzas is made up of four lines ââ¬â the first three dealing with good things he did and the fourth mentioning a drawback, something bad. For example the third and fourth lines of the first stanza read, ââ¬ËAnd he always tucked his daughter up at night And slippered her the one time that she lied.ââ¬â¢ Although there are more good than bad things mentioned, the bad is cleverly positioned at the end of the line and this seems to make it overshadow and even cancel out all of the positive actions mentioned. In the context of a eulogy the three positive lines could be what is being said with the last line representing the thoughts of those present at the funeral. Simon Armitage does not conclude on the life of this man, but finishes the poem with: ââ¬ËHereââ¬â¢s how they rated him when they lookef back; Sometimes he did this, sometimes he did that.ââ¬â¢ This lack of conclusion and the continual juxtaposition of contrasting views of the manââ¬â¢s life do not form a judgement of him, but ask us, the readers, how it is possible to judge someone when he or she is gone. We form an impression of a man who seems dutiful (from his actions such as ââ¬Ëfor his mum he hired a private nurse), yet hot-tempered and domineering (such as ââ¬ËAnd once, for laughing, he punched her [his wife] in the faceââ¬â¢), Armitage ends it with such ambiguity that we are forced to reconsider our judgements andà are left with only a vague impression of him. ââ¬ËAbout His Personââ¬â¢ presents its persona via his personal possessions only, which also makes it difficult to draw up an impression of him. However there are hints given about his life, such as ââ¬Ëcrowning one finger / a ring of white unweathered skinââ¬â¢ which suggests he may once have been married but died separated and lonely. It is also suggested by Armitage, however indirectly, that Armitage committed suicide, such as from ââ¬ËA final demand / in his own handââ¬â¢. The poem contains metaphors for death ââ¬â the library card ââ¬Ëon its date of expiryââ¬â¢ and the watch, ââ¬Ëstoppedââ¬â¢. These suggest the pre planning of his death. Everything has a double meaning about the manââ¬â¢s life, which is an unusual but effective way of conveying information. From these pointers towards aspects of the personaââ¬â¢s life it is automatic for the readers to create an image of him. However so little information is given that the picture I see in my mind of an elderly widower with no next-of-kin deciding that he is tired of life is undoubtedly quite different to the picture drawn up by another reader. This is a difference between this poem and ââ¬ËPoemââ¬â¢ as we have even less of an idea about the dead manââ¬â¢s personality and even less basis on which to judge him. Yet the fact that we do is exactly what Simon Armitage is trying to illustrate ââ¬â that human nature is to draw up impressions of people from almost no basis. Both of these poems are written from a detached, impersonal view which adds to their effect. This shows that the impressions created are from an uninvolved unbiased individual and that the people described could be anyone ââ¬â even relatives of the reader. In conclusion, neither poem presents a detailed impression of the man who has departed this life. However through the ambiguous double-meanings, impersonal approach and cleverly thought-out structure they invite the readers to do the impression creation and so ask how we have done this and how we have managed to judge someone who is known to us only through a few lines of poetry.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Dick Spencer Case Essay
Spencer was a plant manager of Modrow Company, a Canadian Branch of the Tri-American Corporation. Tri-American was a major producer of primary aluminum with integrated operations ranging from mining of bauxite through the processing to fabrication of aluminum into variety of products. The company had also made and sold refractories and industrial chemicals. The parent company had wholly owned subsidiaries in five separate United States locations and had foreign affiliates in fifteen different countries. Tri-American employed approximately 22,000 employees in the total organization. The company was governed by a board of directors. The board set general policy, which was then interpreted and applied by the various plant managers. This decentralization in organizational structure increased the freedom and authority of the plant managers, but increase the pressure for profitability. Spencer started his career in Tri-American Corporation as salesman and he succeeded. After two years of successful work as salesman, he became the symbol of what salesman have to be. In his career in Tri-American, he had worked as salesman, troubleshooter, assistant plant manager in English branch in London UK, plant manager in Birmingham in UK and his last position was plant manager of Modrow company in Canada. It was another challenging position in his career and he had faced few problems regarding to management, organization culture, organization conflict and organization innovation. â⬠¢ Spencer was a plant manager of Modrow Company, a Canadian Branch of the Tri-American Corporation. â⬠¢ Tri-American was a major producer of primary aluminum with integrated operations ranging from the mining of bauxite through the processing to fabrication of aluminum into a variety of products. The company had also made and sold refractories and industrial chemicals. The parent company had wholly owned subsidiaries in five separated US locations and had foreign affiliates in 15 different countries. Tri-American employed approximately 22,000 employees in the total organization. The company was governed by a board of directors, which included chairman, vice chairman, president and 12 vice presidents. Subsidiaries and branches are organized as independent companies and decisions are decentralized. â⬠¢ The Modrow Branch was located in a border town in Canada. The total work force in Modrow was 1,000. This Canadian subsidiary was primarily a fabricating unit. Its main products were foil and building products such as roofing and siding. Problem: 1. Resistance to change by employees, this problem shows when Dick as the plant manager asked the worker why he was using the saw when the material could easily be bent fifted into the barrels, resulting in saving time and equipment. And then the worker said ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢ve never done it that way, sir. Weââ¬â¢ve always cut itâ⬠. After all the power saw are removed from the scalp area in order to adjust new method of bending rather than cutting. A few day later Dick find out that workmen using hand shears to cut each strip to cut. 2. Process of Production Problems. In his new position as Plant Manager at Modrow, he found that construction was slower in completion than originally planned; equipment arrived before the building was finished, employees were upset about the extent of change expected in their work routines with the installation of additional machinery, and in general morale was at low ebb. 3. Culture Change Problem; there is the difference between American and British philosophy and performance within the plant. Here, he also found that his power and authority were less than those of his superiors, so he constantly found himself in the position of having to soft pedal or withhold suggestions that he would have liked to make, or innovations that he would have liked to introduce. After a frustrating year and a half, Dick was suddenly made plant manager of an old British company which had just been purchased by Tri-American. He left his first English assignments with mixed and moved from London to Birmingham. In Birmingham, he become a plant manager and operated much as he had in his troubleshooting job for the first couple of years of his change from sales to administration. He did some changes in Birmingham. Training and reduction programs were instituted for all supervisors and managers who survive the initial purge. He tried to focus/ control on relationship between production and the needs from sales by simplifying and redesign in order to increase profit. Later the company showed a small profit for the first time in many years. For this successfulness, then he requested transferred back to United States. 4. Cost Reduction Problem, by the end of his first year at Modrow, the building program had been completed, although behind schedule, the new equipment had been installed, and some revamping of cost procedures had been incorporated. But, the financial picture at this time showed as a loss. Later, all managers of the various divisions had worked closely with their supervisors and accountants in planning the budget for the following year. 5. Human Relations/ Interaction Problems When he worked through his first year as plant manager, Dick developed the habit of strolling around the organization. He was apt to leave his office and appear anywhere on the plant floor, in the design office and at the plant cafeteria rather than in the executive dining room, or wherever there was activity concerned with Modrow. At first his presence disturbed those who noted him coming and going, but later, the workers came to accept his presence and continue their usual activities. Supervisors, managers, and foreman, however, did not feel as comfortable when they saw him in the area. 6. Different corporate culture in Canada, even though Canada is located in same geopolitical areas, geographically and nationally Canada is different country and corporate culture is bit different from USA. And Dick Spencer is American manager who started his career in USA. As we can see from the case, Dick Spencer is basically very stunning to adapt different corporate culture in different countries such as UK and Canada plant career. We can see it from this sentence: ââ¬Ëâ⬠¦ In recalling his first year at Modrow, Dick had felt constantly pressured and badgered. He always sensed that the Canadians he worked with resented his presence since he has brought in over the heads of the operating staffââ¬â¢. At the same time he felt this subtle resistance from his Canadian work forceâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢. 7. Organization conflict in Modrow plant, there was an obvious conflict between workers and Dick Spencer. We can see it from this sentence: ââ¬Ëâ⬠¦ In recalling his first year at Modrow, Dick had felt constantly pressured and badgered. He always sensed that the Canadians he worked with resented his presence since he has brought in over the heads of the operating staff â⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢. In the other words, other workers couldnââ¬â¢t live up with Dickââ¬â¢s arrival in the company. 8. Corporate innovation management, at the time of Dick Spencerââ¬â¢s arrival in the Modrow Branch, there was a lack of good corporate innovation management. We can see it from this sentence: ââ¬Ëâ⬠¦ Prior to Dickââ¬â¢s appointment as plant manager at Modrow, extensive plans for plant expansion and improvement had been approved and started. Altough he had not been in on the original discussions and plans, he inherited all the problems that accompany large-scale changes in any organization. Construction was slower in completion than originally planned, equipment arrived before the building was finished, employees were upset about the extent of change expected in their work routines with installation of additional machinery, and, in general, morale was a low ebbâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢ 9. Decentralization, basically this is American organization type and American one is more formalistic than European. Decentralization is basically increase the pressure from parent company management. We can see it from this sentence: ââ¬Ëâ⬠¦ This decentralization in organizational structure increased the freedom and authority of the plant managers, but increased the pressure for profitabilityâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢ 10. Lack of leadership for Dick Spencer, in terms of organization leader Dick Spencer shouldnââ¬â¢t include the all the works in the organization. He tried to do it by himself every single things and he aimed to attend every action. In terms of HRM, this is not good character for the good Leader. We can see it from this sentence: ââ¬Ëâ⬠¦ As he worked through his first year as plant manager, Dick developed the habit of strolling around the organizationâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢. This created the conflict between him and workers. Also this creates dis-approvement from workers. We can see it from this sentence: ââ¬Ëâ⬠¦Supervisors, managers and foreman, however didnââ¬â¢t feel as comfortable when they saw him in the areaâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢ 11. Lack of knowledge in Human resource and accounting knowledge, these two courses were disadvantage for Dick Spencer in this study in MBA and these two are very important for any organization. In the other way, he can find and hire someone who can do his unknowledgeable fields such as accounting and HR. 12. Too high expectation from management made pressure, we can see it from this sentence: ââ¬Ëâ⬠¦he believed that the president and his friends in the home office were constantly on the alert, waiting for Dick to prove himself or fail flat on his faceâ⬠¦
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