Thursday, October 31, 2019

Norms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Norms - Essay Example However, these norms are different from ethical norms because such things as workers’ compensation are part of contract and managers are penalized if they don’t comply with them. However, most of the ethical values are not stipulated in any contract and managers have to be totally answerable to their own conscience. There is no obligation on them. Response to class mate 1: After thoroughly reviewing your response to the question asked, I have reached the conclusion that your response is totally off the track! In the first half of your response, when you insist that workers should learn the norms and traditions of every culture they move into for the purpose of work so that they may not offend the indigenous people of new cultures, and do their job smoothly, you fundamentally talk about ethics. This is what the teachings of ethics are. But this was not the requirement of the question. In the question, you were asked to compare Ethics to other subjects and identify ethica l shades in subjects other than Ethics.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Persuasive Speech Essay Example for Free

Persuasive Speech Essay When signing up to be an organ donor you usually think only your major organs will be used; however, something as small as a ligament of yours is used in popular surgeries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions. When someone tears their ACL they usually have a choice to have an autograft, or use one of their own ligaments, but they can also choose to have an allograft, or take a cadaver’s ligament to repair it. Each has it’s advantages and disadvantages, but I personally think that the better option is the allograft because I think the advantages are better than using your own ligament from another part of your body. The advantages consist of faster operative time, less post-operative pain, and a faster recovery time. When taking a cadaver’s ligament it decreases the time of the operation. Since the surgeon doesn’t have to take time to harvest and prepare the allograft as he or she would have to do with an autograft it saves a little time. The big time saver though is not having to make two different incisions and not having to cut the tendon that would be taken from the patient. This advantage is perfect for the many people who can’t be under anesthesia for that long (Cluett). Since the operative time is faster due to not having to make two different incisions, the pain after the operation is a lot less painful than the autograft. Less post-operative pain is due to no incisions in the patellar tendon or the severing of the hamstring tendon to obtain the graft. The only pain you will be left with is the actual site of the ACL rather than additionally having pain in the tendon that would have been cut. Janice Lloyd, the medical reporter from USA Today states, when using a cadaver ligament the incision is usually smaller thus creating less pain on the incision site (Lloyd). Lifting of the leg is much easier and a lot less painful since the hamstring was not bothered; however, bending is still going to be just as  painful since the ACL is the major ligament being pulled when you bend the knee. Less pain significantly helps lead to a faster recovery. The Recovery is essentially faster in an allograft because of many reasons. Dr. Zane Uhland, an Oklahoma City Orthopedic surgeon says, â€Å"The incisions are smaller; therefore, helping the site be more difficult to become infected which could not only cause even more more drastic pain, but can also cause you to have to have another surgical procedure to drain the infection† (Uhland). The hamstring not having to be cut can help to prevent a dramatic loss of strength back there; therefore, allowing for less physical therapy time. Since the replacement ligament is not taken from you, you only have to focus on rehabilitating on the main muscles supporting the knee and making them strong again. Cadaver ligaments or allografts are a better choice and have better advantages than autografts when repairing a torn ACL. Although they do have their disadvantages such as infections like any major surgery, it is very unlikely for that to happen these days when done properly. I personally experienced ACL reconstructions twice throughout my lifetime. I was tackled on the football field while I was cheering at a football game. His helmet hit my knee, and blew out my knee causing my ACL to tear. When I met with my doctor they gave me the option of which surgery I wanted to try. I got the privilege of trying out both methods; using my hamstring ligament the first time then a cadaver ligament the second. The hamstring option not only put me in the worst pain of my life, but also failed after three months of returning to cheerleading. The cadaver ligament was not only a lot less painful, but the healing process was dramatically faster and physical therapy wasn’t something I dreaded going to anymore.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

God Is The Wonderful Creator Theology Religion Essay

God Is The Wonderful Creator Theology Religion Essay God is the wonderful creator of the universe. He is all-knowing and all-seeing. Nothing escapes His notice. God is a special and intimate god who cares for and loves every single speck of creation He has created. God is the ruler of everything. He has complete and total authority over the universe. He has always existed and always will, and is so wonderful that He is best described by the word indescribable. God is good and God is just. He is holy and awe-inspiring. God is unmatched in His glory, supreme above everything. God is infinite, being all places and seeing and knowing all things at once. God is the trinity, existing in wholly and completely in three separate beings (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) while still existing entirely as One. God is perfect. And most importantly, God is loving. He loves us and all of creation more than we can possibly know or even imagine. He loves us so much that He sent His holy and perfect Son to Earth to die on the cross so that our terrible and horrific sins could be forgiven. God is so many wonderful things that it is hard to even begin to scratch the surface of describing who God is. What is nature? Nature is the beautiful creation of God. It was created in the beginning by God out of nothing. Before God created the universe, nothing existed except Him. It was created intentionally, not randomly. God created the universe with a plan and a purpose. God created the world to be good. However, because of the Fall, it is ultimately bad. Although it displays and declares the glory of God, natures ultimate wickedness can also display how evil and corrupt the world is and how much we need His saving grace. God created nature and created man to have power over nature. God gave us this world to take care of and use wisely. God cares about creation and made it beautiful not just for the human inhabitants, but also for Himself. He loves the world He made and hates that it is corrupted by sin. What is man? Man was created in the image and likeness of God as the pinnacle of His creation. In this, each human possesses a distinct disposition, intellect, creativity, and choice and free will in all capacities. We can choose whether we follow God and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. We have the ability to choose in every other aspect of life as well. Ultimately, we can choose to follow Gods will, or ignore it and do our own thing. God leaves the choice up to us. However, we are fallen and sinful. But we are also loved-loved so much that God sent His Son to die for our sins. In this, we have the responsibility to serve God. Being Gods servant means doing good works in His name, preaching the Gospel, and bringing others to Him. And most importantly, we are to love God in return. What happens at death? When we die, we leave this world and go to Heaven, to be in the presence of God forever. Heaven is the most glorious and wonderful place ever. It is so incredible that it is impossible to even begin to imagine how wonderful it is. In Heaven, Jesus has prepared a special place for each and every one of us and is anxiously awaiting the day that we come to be with Him. If we choose not to accept God and live in sin, rejecting all He has done for us, we spend eternity in Hell. Ultimately the choice is simple: choose God, admit that you are sinner and need Him and accept Him as your Lord and Savior and spend eternity with Him in paradise, or reject Him and spend eternity in Hell. What is the basis of human knowledge? Ultimately, God is the basis of human knowledge. God has revealed knowledge to humans since the very beginning, through both general and specific revelation about Himself, and other things as well. Knowledge about God is the most valuable kind of knowledge because human knowledge is ultimately corrupted because of the Fall. God has infinite knowledge, and even when He chooses to reveal something to us it can become corrupted by sin. Human knowledge is also very limited. In reality, we know practically nothing. But what we do know comes from God, who allows us to know and discover things. God is the ultimate source of knowledge, both human and divine, and we should look to him and seek knowledge from Him. What is the basis of ethics? God is also ultimately the basis of ethics. We can learn about what is acceptable through the laws in the Bible that were set by God. In addition to this, every human being has a built-in sort of moral compass that guides us in knowing what is good and what is bad. However, we have to listen to this guide and not ignore it in order to be moral. All of these guides of morality and ethics are found in who God is and in His goodness, holiness, justness, and love. Ultimately, God is the measure of morality. I think the best thing to do when faced with a challenging moral decision, is to ask ourselves, Would what I am doing please God? And if we find ourselves answering no to this, then we should not do it anymore. It is, in some ways, a What would Jesus do? kind of question. In asking this clichà © but still important question, we can analyze if our actions are a reflection of Christ and pleasing to God. And in this, morality and ethics can be found. What is the meaning of human history? Human history is the evidence of Gods role in the world. From the very beginning, God has had plan and this is often evident in the study of human history. Everything is a part of Gods plan, and no matter what happens, God can make good happen from it. God has a specific purpose and goal for us and has things happen to us to get us to the place He wants us to be. Thing happen so that God can teach us a lesson and so that we can learn something about Him. Ultimately, human history shows us how God has taught us things in the past. We have to take what has happened in the past and learn from it, not only from our own past, but from the history of human existence as well. We can always learn something by studying history. History does not happen over and over again in a circle, but rather is unique and has an end and purpose. However, I think that some things in history can repeat if we forget the lessons God has taught us in the past. If we do not study history and learn of past events and what God taught His people through them, then He will have to reteach us the lesson, which can occur in very similar events. Ultimately history is a demonstration of Gods plan being carried out in this world.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Pride And Prejudice :: essays research papers

Pride And Prejudice, Jane Austin Jane Austin was born in 1775 in Stevenson, Hampshire. Her family wasn’t rich but managed to give her a decent education. At fourteen she began to write little plays for home theatricals. She also wrote nonsense story’s to entertain her family. After her father’s retirement they moved to the town of Bath. She was writing First Impression, now called Pride and Prejudice but couldn’t get it published till 1813. Jane led a quiet life and never married. She died in 1817. She has written several novels: Sense and Sensibility(1811), Mansfield(1814), Emma(1816), Northanger Abbey(1818) and Persuasion(1818). Jane Austin published her novels anonymously. It wasn’t till the twentieth century that she became really famous. Jane used to write about love and money. WORK: Pride and Prejudice is the title of Jane Austin’s first novel. It deals with a very proud man and a woman that has too many prejudices. It isn’t before they both see that they are wrong that they can love each other. Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel in which manners are very important. It’s been first published in 1813. My version: Blackbirds 1992 THEME: Idea’s and manners can be changed. I don’t know what else to make of it. It’s the only lesson I can find in the novel. I read because I enjoy it, not because I want to be taught life visions. STORYLINE: Title: Pride and Prejudice Author: Jane Austin [Chapter 1] Mrs. Bennet tells her husband, Mr. Bennet, to visit the new owner of Netherfield, Mr. Bingley. He is quite rich and he is single which makes him a wanted man with all the girls in the neighbourhood. Mr. Bennet tells her that he won’t be visiting him because he likes to fool around with her. Mrs. Bennet is thinking about their five daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine and Lydia. One of them might fall in love with this Mr. Bingley and that would suite her just fine. [Chapter 2] Mr. Bennet did visit Mr. Bingley, being one of the first. He didn’t tell his wife or his daughters about is till the evening after the visit. They were all over him, wanting to know everything about Bingley. His wife praised him to be such a good father and couldn’t stop telling him that she knew he would visit Bingley. [Chapter 3] The girls hear from their neighbour, Lady Lucas, what Mr. Bingley is like, for their father refused to tell them.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Bham civil rights

MAGMA It was coldest November day when my friend and I went to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Coming here brought back a lot of memories because feel like Civil Rights was the majority of what we studied in grade school. From the minute I parked I saw the 16th SST Baptist Church that was bombed many years ago. I remember taking field trips there when was a child. Walking through the building was like taking a journey through Birmingham contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and human rights struggles.The most familiar part of the institute was going past Martin Luther King Jar. ‘s exhibit. I always enjoyed hearing his speeches because he has so much passion when he spoke. He actually helped me out in my speech class my freshman year. Another section remembered studying in grade school was the displays of segregation. There were separate bathrooms and water fountains and they depicted how the ‘White† bathrooms were spotless and the â€Å"black† bat hrooms were run down and dirty.And who can forget Rosa Parks and ere decision to stay put in her seat, ignoring the bus driver, James Blake, on December 1, 1955. Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. I thought it was going to be a walk in, look at stuff and leave type of thing but it truly brought back many memories from grammar school and what we studied then. I would encourage anyone who has not been to the Civil Rights Institute to go and see for themselves how interesting and heartfelt it is to see the past of our city, Birmingham, and what has become of it now. Birmingham has come a long way.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Market Orientation for Marketing for Managers

Market Orientation for Marketing for Managers Introduction Background Information The field of business has seen various companies experience productive competition for the past few decades. The success of a business enterprise depends on its market orientation among other aspects. The more oriented a company is, the more likely it is to take over the market in a particular industry.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Market Orientation for Marketing for Managers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A good market orientation can assist a company to predict, react and capitalise on the changes that occur in the business environment. A good market orientation enables a firm to improve its performance in the market by managing the competition it faces (Previous Assignment, 2012). This paper uses Nestle to demonstrate how market orientation works and how it determines the performance of a business. Objectives The first objective of this paper is to define the concept of m arketing management and show its relevance in the overall management of a business. Secondly, the paper defines the concept of market orientation and its benefits tin business. Ultimately, the paper uses Nestle to outline how the concept of market orientation affects operations of a company. Lastly, the paper gives a number of recommendations to Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s management concerning the company’s market orientation. These recommendations are intended to help the management improve the company’s performance. Research Strategy The research strategy used to gather information in this report includes both qualitative and quantitative data. The main methods of data collection for the report include a survey and a literature review. The survey was done by administering face-to-face questionnaires to a total of 6 employees of Nestle. The information obtained from the survey was used to determine how market oriented Nestle is. On the other hand, the literature review was us ed to obtain general information regarding marketing management and market orientation.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Marketing Management Marketing Management Definition Marketing management is a business strategy that involves tracking and application of a company’s resources to ensure that its marketing activities give a high return on investment. Consequently, the scope and design of a business organisation’s marketing management are determined by its size. A properly designed marketing strategy should apply a firm’s resources to improve the base of its customers. This is the most effective way through which a company’s marketing manager can enhance the customers’ opinions regarding the company’s image, products and services (Mullins, 2005). Components of Marketing Management A good marketing management strategy shou ld enable a business firm to achieve its goals and improve its perceived value. For a firm to rise above the current stiff competition in the business field, marketing managers have to develop a marketing strategy that outlines the available opportunities, changes in the industry, and competition. The marketing strategy should also identify the target market to enable the marketing managers to develop a marketing plan that can improve the company’s market share. The main components of a comprehensive marketing management include: market penetration, communication, distribution, and growth strategies (Lancaster Massingham, 2010). The market penetration strategy refers to the process through which marketing managers create new customers for their companies. It involves a thorough evaluation of the available business opportunities, which assists in aggressively selling the company’s products. A good market penetration strategy should be able to sustain a business for a l ong time. This strategy directly determines how the business soldiers on in the industry in which it operates (Lancaster Massingham, 2010). The communication strategy forms an important component of a marketing plan as it assists marketing managers to develop a comprehensive list of potential customers to whom they intend to sell the company’s products.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Market Orientation for Marketing for Managers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This strategy involves the modes of passing information regarding the company and its products to the target market. Most companies prefer to use catalogs, brochures, email campaign, and posters. Some of the factors that influence the choice of a particular mode are its cost and effectiveness, and the size of the company as well as the nature of the industry in which it operates (Lancaster Massingham, 2010). The distribution strategy works together with the communication approach; the two strategies assist marketing managers to develop effective channels that can be used to ensure that the company’s products reach the consumers at the right time. The most common participants in the distribution plan are the company’s internal sales workers, distributors, who are directly linked to the company and retailers, and the staff, who work for the distributors (Lancaster Massingham, 2010). The last component, the growth strategy, includes long-term tactics that managers use to build their businesses. The growth strategy, depending on the type and size of a business, may involve injecting more resources into the business or amalgamating it with other companies to enjoy the benefits of large-scale. It easier for large-scale businesses to acquire new markets, suppliers and distributors than it is for small-scale ones. A company can also meet the needs of its customers by setting different price levels for its products. For that reason, the growth strategy requires companies to identify and solve their customer problems to ensure that they remain loyal to them for a long time (Lancaster Massingham, 2010).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Market Orientation Market orientation refers to a culture that is set by a particular business; however, it is more than just an individual process. A properly designed market orientation comprises aspects such as systems, processes and controls that affect marketing operations in a business organisation. Consequently, a market oriented business ensures that it designs its products and services in such a way that they satisfy the customers. That main factor that influences market orientation of a particular company is the needs of its customers (Shoham Rose, 2001). Market orientation is exclusively determined by what the customers want and not what the management thinks is right for them. This implies that before a company becomes market oriented, its management should carry out a market research to determine what the target market expects of its products. Most of the companies that succeed in their respective industries are those that take a market-orientated approach and give the ir customers first priority (Deshpandà © John, 1998). Several business organisations have realised the importance of market orientation and most of them are now adopting a market oriented approach. The motive is to produce what the markets are waiting for and what suits the needs of the customers. Before, most companies, such as car manufacturers, created products and sold their features to markets that eagerly waited for them because the customers were less knowledgeable. However, with the growing opportunity costs and the need to make choices, consumers have become more knowledgeable. For companies to stay competitive, they must develop their operations and products to reflect the market orientation in their respective industries (Kirca, Satish, William, 2005). Market orientation is intended to help a business accomplish a number of aspects, with the first one being the expectations of its consumers regarding its products. Secondly, the concept assists marketing managers to con nect and balance the needs of the customers with the capabilities of the companies they buy from. Thirdly, the marketing strategy assists companies to create visions and build relationships with other firms. Lastly, marketing orientation assists marketing managers to develop comprehensive internal marketing plans and communication strategies (Deshpandà © John, 1998). Benefits of Market Orientation A market oriented approach implies that a company is more closely aligned with its customers in terms of its operations. The concept means that a business transforms from a transactional approach, where it does not pay attention to market aspects, to a customer oriented one, where everything it does is controlled by the needs of its clients. There are four main ways through which a business can benefit from a market orientation. The four ways include constant improvement, responsiveness, external influences and cost benefits (Kyriakopoulos, 2000). A market oriented approach helps busines ses to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage; since this approach encourages a culture of experimentation within a business organisation, it assists marketing managers to improve the company’s processes and systems on a regular basis. The market orientation process involves studying the market and exploring opportunities to enable firms to develop and improve their products to suit the needs of their customers (Atuahene-Gima, 1995). Responsiveness is the second benefit that a company can get from the culture of market orientation. One of the main pillars of market orientation is customer focus; organisations that are market oriented are better placed in terms of market responsiveness. As a result, such companies can promptly produce products that cater for the needs of their customers. Market orientation encourages companies to rely on data-driven analysis, which assists them to improve their understanding of the market (Atuahene-Gima, 1995). Thirdly, market orientation assists companies to have greater influence over other firms through a proper understanding of the market. It is evident that most companies that experience a high growth rate and rise above high competition are those that are market oriented. If a company is market oriented, its managers are in a better position to gather comprehensive marketing intelligence and other information that can influence the most important decisions concerning its line of business (Masterson, Pickton, 2010). Lastly, a properly designed market orientation has significant cost benefits to a company. A market oriented approach brings about improved performance in a company. Improved performances, in turn bring about efficiency, where operations are executed at minimum costs. The concept of market orientation helps to minimise a company’s costs, while maximising its efficiency (Kyriakopoulos, 2000). Level of Market Orientation at Nestle Nestle is one of the leading companies in the world that provid e products and services that relate to health and nutrition. The company and its team of marketing personnel are committed to seeing that the local communities improve their lives by assisting them to meet their basic needs. Through market research, Nestle uses its skills, technology and resources to help its customers get the best of its products (Bauer, 2011). To determine how market oriented Nestle is, a survey was conducted in the company. Slater and Narver’s (1990) 14-items tool was used to design the questions in the questionnaires that were administered to the company’s employees on a face-to-face basis. Six of the employees in the top management were chosen as the participants of the study. The main aspects of market orientation that were addressed in the survey included customer orientation, long-term profit focus, competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination. From the survey, it was discovered that Nestle is more than 50% market oriented. Firstly, the company sets all its business objectives in such a way that they consider customer satisfaction. For instance, all Nestle’s brands, including coffee and other drinks, are designed to ensure that all its customer categories are catered for. To ensure that this task is fully accomplished, the marketing managers of the company have set up a team that ensures that its level of commitment and orientation in meeting the customers’ needs are monitored on a regular basis (Nestle, 2011). The company does fairly well in terms of its market orientation; the marketing managers of the company design their strategies for competitive advantage using their understanding of the needs of its customers. The main influential factor behind the marketing strategies that are developed at Nestle is the need to create greater value for the customers. The managers of the company believe that they have great potential to create products of high quality, which their customers prefer most (La do Maydeo-Olivares, 2001). Thirdly, the customer satisfaction at Nestle is gauged on a systematic and frequent basis. This enables the managers to identify and seize any opportunities and remedy any shortfalls in time. The management has also implemented good after-sale services. The two strategies are known for their effectiveness in assisting companies to earn the loyalty of their customers. Loyal customers are those who continue to purchase products of a particular company for a long time. Apart from highly qualified marketing managers, Nestle has highly effective salespersons who aggressively market the company’s products. The salespersons at Nestle are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that they obtain and share information regarding the marketing strategies of the company’s main competitors. The salespeople at Nestle consist of a group of dedicated individuals, who provide the management of the company with the relevant information regarding the strateg ies of its competitors. The information is then used by Nestle’s marketing managers to develop new strategies to help it rise above its competitors (Kirca, Satish, William, 2005). The company also establishes and maintains its market by targeting the existing customer groups and individual customers. In addition, the company establishes markets in areas where it finds easy to develop a competitive advantage. These strategies are regularly discussed by the top management of the company. It is this management team that decides on the most effective marketing strategies to launch at a particular time. However, the marketing managers make regular visits to the company’s prospective customers before any strategy is executed (Deshpandà © John, 1998). Communication is another important aspect that helps Nestle to maintain a strong marketing orientation. The salespeople are expected to communicate information regarding the successful as well as the unsuccessful experiences that they have with the company’s customers. The information is then used by the management team to install the mechanisms Nestle needs to ensure its business functions reflect the needs and expectations of its customers (Deshpandà © John, 1998). Lastly, the other business functions of Nestle work together with the marketing department to ensure that the customers are served according to their needs and expectations. The most active sections of the company, which help the marketing function, include: finance, manufacturing, personnel and transportation departments among others. These departments also work hard to ensure that the target markets are captured and retained for Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s products (Lado Maydeo-Olivares, 2001). Recommendations From the survey that was conducted to determine the level of market orientation at Nestle, it is evident that the company has a fairly strong basis of market orientation. However, there are still chances that it can improve its mar ket oriented approach to accommodate all the required aspects. The company can enhance the approach by improving its customer orientation, competitor orientation, and inter-functional coordination (Kyriakopoulos, 2000). The first step towards achieving a strong market orientation at Nestle involves having a genuine understanding of the requirements and expectations of the company’s clients. The understanding should also include the buying behaviours and characteristics of Nestle’s customers. This understanding is important in establishing the best ways to communicate with the customers. Therefore, the management of Nestle can develop a strong customer orientation by establishing effective ways of communicating with its clients, identifying their problems, and dealing with their complaints amicably (Kyriakopoulos, 2000). Secondly, the marketing managers at Nestle can make the company more market oriented by enhancing competitor orientation. Competitor orientation involv es developing systems and processes to assist in identifying and evaluating competitors in the industry in which a company operates. Consequently, the management of Nestle should establish a structure that addresses aspects such as competitors’ weaknesses and strengths, pricing mechanisms, client bases and product portfolios; it can do that to develop effective strategies that can help it stay ahead of its competitors (Masterson, Pickton, 2010). Lastly, the management of Nestle can improve its market oriented approach by improving inter-functional coordination among its departments. This strategy involves ensuring that the different departments work with one another to develop products that satisfy the needs and expectations of the customers. To achieve a strong inter-functional coordination, Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s management should develop an effective communication network to connect all the operating departments in the company (Masterson, Pickton, 2010). Conclusion The main aim of this report is to address the concept of market orientation and to establish the ways in which this concept can be used to determine how companies conduct their businesses in their respective industries. Market orientation refers to the approach in which a company uses to ascertain and incorporate the needs and expectations of its customers in designing its products. It assists companies to manufacture products that satisfy the needs and requirements of the customers. Nestle is used in this report to address the concept of market orientation. Nestle is a market oriented company that gives first priority to its customers. It can improve its market oriented approach further by enhancing inter-functional coordination among its functional units, as well as its customer and competitor orientations. References Atuahene-Gima, K. (1995). An exploratory analysis of the impact of market orientation on new product performance: A contingency approach, Journal of Product Innovation Manage ment, 12(4), 275-93. Bauer, W. (2011). Our vision: Innovation, technology and research development. Retrieved from https://www.nestle.com/RandD/OurVision/OurVision Deshpandà ©, R., John, U. F. (1998). Measuring Market Orientation: Generalization and Synthesis. Journal of Market- Focused Management, 2(1), 213–32. Kirca, A. H., Satish, J, William, O. B. (2005). Market Orientation: A Meta-analytic review and assessment of its antecedents and impact on performance. Journal of Marketing, 69(3), 24–41. Kyriakopoulos, K. (2000). The market orientation of cooperative organizations: Learning strategies and structures for integrating cooperative firm and members. Assen: Van Gorcum. Lado, N., Maydeo-Olivares, A. (2001). Exploring the link between market orientation and innovation in the European and US insurance markets. International Marketing Review, 18(2), 130-45. Lancaster, G., Massingham, L. (2010). Essentials of marketing management. New York, NY: Taylor Francis. Mas terson, R., Pickton, D. (2010). Marketing: An introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Mullins, J. W. (2005). Marketing management: A strategic, decision-making approach. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Nestle. (2011). Product development. Retrieved from https://www.nestle.com/ Previous Assignment. (2012). Marketing Orientation. Shoham, A., Rose, G. M. (2001). Marketing orientation: A replication and extension. Journal of Global Marketing, 14(4), 2-25.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essays

Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essays Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essay Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essay According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, â€Å"There is nothing permanent but change. † By that he meant that everything is always in flux, including in an organization. In a social unit of people, systematically arranged and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals on a continuing basis. All organizations have a management structure that determines relationships between functions and positions, and subdivides and delegates roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out defined tasks. Organizations are open systems in that they affect and are affected by the environment beyond their boundaries. Any organization, being a living organism, is in the process of continuous change. Nobody can stop this process. No specific action is needed for changes to happen. Organization Development is a response to change, a complex educational strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets, and challenges, and the dizzying rate of change itself (Bennis, 1969). It is a system-wide and values-based collaborative process of applying behavioral science knowledge to the adaptive development, improvement and reinforcement of such organizational features as the strategies, structures, processes, people, and cultures that lead to organization effectiveness. Furthermore, Organization Development focuses on assuring healthy inter- and intra-unit relationships and helping groups initiate and manage change. Organization Development’s primary emphasis is on relationships and processes between and among individuals and groups. Its primary intervention is influence on the relationship of individuals and groups to affect an impact on the organization as a system. Unlike Organization Development, Organization Change is much broader. It is about the significant change in the organization, such as adding or removal of a product or service, reorganization of a certain department, or implementation of a new process of services. Organizational Change is more broadly focused and can apply to any kind of change, although, these changes may or may not be directed at making the organization more developed in the sense implied by Organizational Development. In Organization Development, everyone in an organization who is affected by change should have an opportunity to contribute to- and accept responsibility for- the continuous improvement process or the transformation. Organizational effectiveness and humanistic values meet as employee ownership increases in change processes and outcomes.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Marriott International

Marriott International Marriott is an international business venture, which deals with offering hospitality services to its clients. It has several business units in various countries around the world. Marriott International has been in operation for about 60 years. This has enabled it to spread its wings to 73 countries with over 3700 hotel units. It offers over twenty different brands of hotels, some of which are franchises for instance J W Marriott, The Ritz Carlton and Marriott Executive Apartments.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Marriott International specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Most of its customers are business people running business errands in multinational ventures. Mr. Marriott who is the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and proprietor of this group of hotels has actualized a myriad of business strategies that would not only increase the profitability of his businesses but also attract as many customers as possible. A business or corporate strategy is a long term plan of operation that directs all the activities of an organization, and aimed towards achieving competitive advantage over its competitors. Strategizing also helps a business develop proper ways to utilize its resources within a challenging business environment. Additionally, it helps a business to meet the diverse needs of its stakeholders for instance; customers, board of directors, neighboring community and government agencies. Marriott International began as a sole proprietorship formerly owned by his family several years ago, but has developed over the years into a world class group of hotels because of these strategies. The strategies employed include corporate strategies; this can be defined as a future business plan focused at improving the general scope and purpose of the business so that stakeholder’s expectations are met. Secondly, there is the business unit strategy; this is concerned with monitoring how a business competes in the market, its customer expectations and exploiting new business opportunities. Third, there is a type of strategy that deals with organizing each part of the business such as how the various business units are managed. This strategy is called operational strategy. Marriott International uses this strategy to run its various groups of hotels since they are focused on serving specific customer needs. Marriott International uses three main components to manage the selected strategies. A thoroughly selected corporate strategy just like that used by Marriott International should have a section for strategic analysis, strategic choice and strategic implementation. Strategic analysis entails conducting a Strength Weakness, Opportunity and Threat (SWOT) analysis of the business in order to determine its operational capabilities.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition to identifying favorable internal business factors that will steer the business towards high profit margins, external factors such as threat of entry of new competitors into the market are identified. The market is then segmented as it is the case of Marriott International. The management of Marriott’s group of hotels appreciates the fact that there are various customers with diverse needs. There are those people who will prefer being accommodated in executive hotel suits while there are those who cannot sustain a luxurious lifestyle. This strategy is called market segmentation where the management of a business decides to fragment the market according to customer convenience. This is why the Marriott groups of hotels run different hotel brands. After segmenting the market the strategic manager develops a different pricing strategy for all its diverse customers under the 4P’s of international business management. The P’s include place, p roduct, price and promotion. All these factors are then interrelated one after the other in such a way that it achieves not only efficiency but also effectiveness. The process of strategic choice involves selecting strategy options while considering the stakeholders expectations. Implementation poses the greatest challenge to many organizations since it requires translation of paper work into action. Marriott International History Marriott International was established in 1927 by Willard Marriot and his bride, Alice. The two started by putting a beer stand in Washington D.C. The beer stand could only accommodate nine people at the start of its operations. It was named â€Å"Hot Shoppe† where they prepared hot food substances like tacos, tamales and chili.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Marriott International specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These food items were mainly served to clients during the period of winter months. In 1929, Marriott International was officially incorporated as Hot Shoppes, inc. It experienced fast growth. In 1953, the company was listed as a public company. It laid its competitive advantage in world markets on product diversification (Hoover 2002). The company opened Twin Bridges Marriott located in Arlington, Virginia; this was the first hotel opened by the company. With its fast growing pace, Twin Bri dges Marriott went international in 1966; this happened after the company took over the running of an airline catering kitchen in Venezuela. It later changed name to Marriott Corporation in 1967. The company later engaged in series of takeovers which enabled it to grow into a billion dollar corporation. In the year 1998, Marriott International was listed in the stock market as an independent public company after which it started to focus its attention on business and leisure lodging. To ensure success in such a new venture, the company sold its superior living facilities in 2002. Marriott International continues to diversify its operations. Nonetheless, leadership of Marriott International started with the two founders, Marriot and Alice. Today, the company’s top management entails six executives operating at senior level; it has also thirty six corporate officers (Hoover 2002). Vision and Mission of Marriott International Company The vision of the Marriott International Comp any is to be the leader in the global lodging industry; it aspires to be the world leader in providing excellent services in the hospitality industry. In order to achieve this vision, the company strives to provide the best services in the world within the hotel and lodging industry. The mission statement of the company affirms that company’s commitment in being the best and provider of excellent lodging and food services. It achieves this by treating its workers in the best way ever so that they can offer extra-ordinary services to the company’s customers (Brotherton and Wood, 2008).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Competition The hotel is exceedingly disjointed. The competition is mainly based on the quality of the available rooms, service provision among others. Other factors that determine competition level include the presence of global distribu tion system, prices charged on various products and facilities and any other innovation that may come into the industry. It is important to note that Marriott International already operates in sixty eight nation of the world. This makes it possible for the company to offer its services to a large number of customers across the globe. However, it must be acknowledged that the company faces stiff competition from similar companies operating in the same industry both locally and abroad. Many of the company’s competitors are already spread across eight or more countries. This means that the competitors are enjoying a wider customer base than Marriott International. The main competitors to Marriott International include: Starwood Hotels: this group of hotels provides similar services to clients. The hotel already has 297 hotels in Europe alone. Besides, it operates in countries found in the American continent, Middle East and parts of Africa. It is therefore evident that the Starw ood Hotels get more revenues than the Marriott International due to its large base of operation spread across the continent (Abrahams 2007). Choice Hotels International: this is a group of hotels with international franchises totaling right over five thousand hotels. These franchises operate under different brands such as Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn and Cambria Suite amongst others. This company is also bigger than the Marriott International and definitely enjoys higher level of revenues than Marriott International. Intercontinental Hotels: this is deemed the largest hotel in the world judging by the number of rooms it has. It operates in more than a hundred countries across the world. This therefore implies that it is the largest competitor to the Marriott International (Yu 1999). Strategies used by Marriott International â€Å" Marriott International has put in place sales structure that will ensure it remains top in the provision of hotel products in the industry. The sales initiativ e is customer-centered and it aims at making sales simply, effective and efficient; this also helps the company to establish its roots deeper into the untapped market segments.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Marriott International specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The strategy enables the customers to operate at one principal contact where he or she can get all product brands. In this way, the Marriott International has managed to meet all the customer needs within a centralized point of purchase. Beside, Marriott International relies on research to establish real customer needs. The company realized the rising level of complexity and number of channels through which customers in the industry secure rooms and accommodation or meetings; to solve these challenges, the Marriott International have come up with ways, through research, to improve the efficiency of its services to customers. It is important to note that t he company does research by involving those who are either directly or indirectly in contact with customers or clients. This includes interviewing sales leaders who have one-on-one engagement with clients, travel managers, meeting planners and sales associates. Moreover, the research is undertaken both internally and externally (Reid and Bojanic, 2009). The Marriott International also uses the strategy of evaluating its strengths and weaknesses. This is by obtaining data from various facets of the company and doing accurate evaluation. As a result of both internal and external research the company has established more clear roles for its employees and staff members so that customers get specific services and or assistances from specific company employees or staff members. Furthermore, Marriott International has come up with strategic idea of establishing regional sales offices to offer more effective services to its customers by organizing individual accounts. Internal audit and ext ernal audits Businesses are affected by both internal and external factors; the effect is either negative or positive. Internal factors are factors that a business can control while external factors are factors beyond the control of a single business. Internal audits To gather as much information as possible, the management undertakes the process with as many competent employees as possible. It should also analyze both published and unpublished data which will assist it in appreciating the need the prevailing conditions. The following process is followed;Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gathering of information Testing data validity Interpolating and analyzing information gotten Making strategic decision based on the information gotten The following are some of the parameters found by internal audits; The company has a pool of experienced human resource who is employed on a track record. It has employed a high level of technology in all its processes where it ensures that efficiency is facilitated. Corporate customers require fast and effective services since they are busy; to attain this company has embarked on an efficient technology. Financial Ratio Analysis Ratio Status Gross Profit Margin 17.2% EBIT Margin -1.4% EBITDA Margin 11.3% Pre-Tax Profit Margin -2.6% Current Ratio 1.3 Quick Ratio 0.5 Leverage Ratio 8.2 Receivables Turnover 13.0 Inventory Turnover 5.5 Asset Turnover 1.3 Revenue to Assets 1.3 Return on Invested Capital -5.8% Return on Assets -2.8% Debt/Common Equity Ratio 2.93 Price/Book Ratio (Price/Equity) 10.70 Bo ok Value per Share $2.95 Total Debt/ Equity 3.06 Long-Term Debt to Total Capital 0.75 SGA as % of Revenue 5.9% RD as % of Revenue 0.0% Receivables per Day Sales $29.49 Days CGS in Inventory 66 Working Capital per Share $1.95 Cash per Share $0.33 Cash Flow per Share $-0.17 Free Cash Flow per Share $-1.73 Tangible Book Value per Share $-1.53 Price/Cash Flow Ratio -190.7 Price/Free Cash Flow Ratio 18.4 Price/Tangible Book Ratio -20.88 Internal factor evaluation matrix Internal factor evaluation matrix is a strategic management instrument used in auditing major strengths weaknesses of a company in major operational areas of a business entity. This instrument also provides away of linking the operations areas. Internal strengths Weight Rating Weighted score Largest product provider in the industry 5% 3 0.15 Supplies main airline customers 15% 2 0.30 Good image and reputation 5% 3 0.15 Easily accessible by customers 10% 3 0.30 Strength of manage ment team 6% 4 0.24 Account of limited customer complaints 4% 3 0.12 Rising cash flow 4% 1 0.04 Loyalty of employees and staff 4% 3 0.12 Financial ratios 5% 4 0.20 Internal weaknesses Flooded market 10% 1 0.10 diminutive diversification 8% 2 0.16 Sensitive to raw material prices 15% 2 0.30 Nonexistence f strategic partner 4% 1 0.04 Limited access to global market 5% 1 0.04 Total 100% 2.26 1-major weakness 2-Minor weakness 3-minor strength 4-major strength External Audit CPM-Competitive Matrix Competitive Matrix for the Marriott Company is an array of major competitors of the company. An external audit addresses five area, they are; Economic factors Social and cultural factors Political/governmental structures Technology and innovations and Competitive forces The world is experiencing a rapid technological change; this is brought about by the use of computers in different sectors of a business. Marriot has benefited from the changes; for example the compan y has a website where a customer can log in and communicate directly to the company. These services are available for 24 hours in seven days. In line with the same, the company has embraced computerized marketing and advertisement where it sells its products all over the world through the internet. Internal processes are also facilitated The model of management has changed with increased enlightened people; customers are continuously demanding for better treatments form companies in the way they are served and the production processes involved. Currently social corporate responsibility management, ethical business products and customer care services have taken center stage. The company has embarked on corporate social responsibilities, it practices in environmental management exercises like tree planting, engage in clean technology among others. In the times of global financial crisis, the government of United States is increasingly adopting laws and regulation aimed at ensuring tha t business are conducted effectively, standards have been reviewed and compliance with the treads is important. Factors Marriott International Accor Hilton Hotels Intercontinental Hotels Low product prices 5 3 3 2 Superior quality 3 4 4 4 Flexible products 5 3 3 3 exclusive features 5 2 2 3 Timely product delivery 4 5 4 5 Total 22 17 16 17 External Factor Evaluation Matrix Opportunities Weight Rating Weighted score Industry consolidation 10% 4 0.04 Increased in clients 12% 3 0.36 Expansion opportunities 13% 4 0.52 Reduced operation cost 10% 3 0.30 Asset acquisition 14% 4 0.64 Threats Waning margins 10% 1 0.10 Government supervision 5% 3 0.15 Rising prices of crucial input 6% 2 0.16 Taxes and tariffs 10% 2 0.10 Economic slump 10% 1 0.01 Total 100% 2.38 1-poor 2-below average 3-superior 4-very superior SWOT Analysis for Marriott International Company Marriott International SWOT analysis (Research and Marketing n.d) Strengths High qu ality brand within the industry International operations with large customer base Prompt delivery of services to customers Low debt liability and strong financial base Well coordinated management team Weaknesses Weak functional performance Vulnerability to economic slowdown Difficulty in accessing credit market Ineffective cost structure management Fluctuating profit margins Opportunities Expansion to other foreign nations/market More asset acquisitions due to high level of privatization Initiatives for transformations Product diversification Recruitment of highly experienced personnel Threats Economic slowdown due to credit crunch Increase in government taxes Entry of new players in the industry Expansion of competitors Political instability inflations Space matrix The space matrix is an instrument used to determine whether aggressive, defensive, competitive or conservative techniques are appropriate for the company. In this case, SPACE matrix is used to determine t he appropriate strategy that the Marriott International should adopt for its growth and development. It helps the company to favorably compete with other companies within the industry. When plotted on an X-Y axis, the statistics appears as follows: For Marriott International, it is important that aggressive strategy be adopted. This owes to the fact that the company lags much behind its competitors. By adopting the aggressive strategy, the company will be seeking to catch up and probably outweigh its major competitors. The strategy will be used in new acquisition of assets which are necessary for the company’s expansion to other foreign countries and other regions where it has the potential of creating more market opportunities. Furthermore, the strategy is very appropriate in terms of attracting more clients. With the large number of operators in the industry and the potential entrance of new players, aggressive strategy is most appropriate in grabbing customers and even es tablishing loyal clients. Grand strategy matrix Internal (Redirecting resource within the company) retrenching unproductive labor force divesture winding up of the company or liquidation reducing operation costs within the company Overcome weakness doing vertical integration improve on cost structure management strengthen functional performance reduce debt burden Maximize strength ensuring determined growth development of new market establishing innovations development of products attracting more qualified and experienced personnel to improve operations of the company External (acquisition or merger for resource ability) Getting into joint venture with other companies Doing concentric product diversification Pursuing horizontal integration Hiring consultants with varied necessary expertise The Internal-External (IE) Matrix This matrix places the company into a nine cell matrix. For the company, the Internal-External Matrix looks as follows: Quantitative Strategi c Planning Matrix (QSPM) for Marriott International Company First alternative-acquire competitor Second alternative-expand internally Key factors Weight Attractive-ness Score Total attractive- ness score weight Attractive-ness Score Total attractive- ness score Strengths Exclusive product 0.11 2 0.22 0.08 1 0.08 Location 0.09 4 0.36 0.06 2 0.12 Employees unique skills 0.15 1 0.15 0.13 4 0.52 Product quality 0.11 4 0.44 0.15 4 0.60 Increased productivity 0.09 0 0.00 0.12 3 0.36 Weaknesses Low quality service to customers 0.10 4 0.04 0.13 3 0.39 Poor sales and marketing 0.15 2 0.30 0.10 1 0.10 Product diversification 0.08 3 0.24 0.17 0 0.00 Pessimistic to globalization 0.12 1 0.12 0.06 1 0.06 Total weight 100% 100% Opportunities New market 0.09 4 0.36 0.12 0 0.00 Acquisition of competitors 0.14 4 0.56 0.08 2 0.16 Joining trade alliances 0.16 0 0.00 0.10 1 0.10 Threats Rising competition 0.08 4 0.32 0.12 1 0.32 Price conflict 0.10 3 0.30 0.14 0 0.00 Competitor dominance 0.18 2 0.36 0.09 1 0.09 Forex (US$) 0.09 0 0.00 0.20 0 0.00 Bad tax policies 0.16 0 0.00 0.15 0 0.00 Total attractiveness score 4.08 2.90 The price of a commodity is an element of total cost plus a profit margin. When a target market has been established, there is need to determine the price affordable to the customers. A marketer should be aware of consumer’s trends and their potential. The social class that the product is targeted will influence the price of the products. Recommendations to Marriot International Company A customer is the backbone of a company; the main decision that a marketing manager should make determining his company’s market segment. One of the ways to enter in the target market is marketing mix. The 4Ps represent Price, product/service, promotion, and place. An effective marketing ensures that goods are available to the target customer, when they need them at and they are affordable. Since the Mar riott International Company is fast growing, and with the current challenges it faces, it is important that certain recommendations be proposed. The recommendations should be adopted with the sole reason of advancing the company’s global operations. To achieve this, the following recommendations are important: Performance evaluation: the Board of Directors is the top organ of the company. It is therefore crucial that the performance of the board be evaluated with respect to the company’s goals and objectives. Besides, it will also be important to come up with appropriate instruments to be used in evaluating the performance employees and other junior staff members. This can be done through performance management; Restructure marketing techniques: the company is facing stiff international competition and is likely to lose out in case it remains with the same old marketing strategies; the company should consider drawing new market communication strategies that will repos ition its products in the market. In addition, the company should re-brand its products through careful and skillful innovation in order to attract new customers. To ensure that the operations of the company are successful, it is important that the company defines its operation principles of internal control. Moreover, the company should also establish ways of monitoring and evaluating the internal controls. The company should establish proper criteria according to which the process of risk management will be taking place. the criteria should be in such a way that potential risks are identified as early as the initial warning signs can be spotted and appropriate actions be taken promptly. Financial strength is one of the most important core businesses of the company. To ensure that the company’s financial resource are well managed and utilize, it is recommended that the company gives a clear description on how the internal audit should function to avoid any form of Fraud or m isappropriation of financial resource It will also be important for the company to enhance the flow of information from the top level to bottom level. The flow of information on crucial and sensitive matters should be effective and efficient. This should utilize the most current communication technology. The strengths and weaknesses of the company should be evaluated on a periodic basis in order to identify potential challenges that can affect the normal operations of the company. It is important to note that new challenges arise and can contribute to the company’s already existing weaknesses. Again, the company is likely to gain more strength areas which, if well utilized, can help enhance the competitive advantage of the company. A definite period should therefore be set to be used in monitoring and evaluating the internal weaknesses and strengths of the company. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the company is important since the company will be able to utilize th e available opportunities and cope with threats brought about by the system. Domestic market growth vs. Overseas Expansion of Marriot International The Marriott International Company started as s mall hotel firm in the United States of America; during the following periods, it embarked on aggressive expansion within the local industry. Its growth in the domestic market earned it a lot of revenues that enabled it to start its expansion outside the home market. It expanded its operations to several countries worldwide. The domestic market is getting saturated by new entrants into the industry; this poses threat to the company at local level. However, looking at the international market, there is still great opportunity to access new market segments. This implies that, the company stands a chance to gain more from overseas expansion than domestic market growth. In the process of overseas expansion, the company also stands a great chance of acquiring other companies and new assets. The most probable candidates for acquisition are the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Hilton Hotels. The most important thing is that Marriott International should focus on acquiring assets of the most performing companies as this will bolster its financial performance and also increase its presence in the market. The two presented takeover candidates are well positioned to ensure the Marriott International achieves its growth objectives and both domestic and international expansion. Reference List Abrahams, J., 2007, 101 Mission Statements from Top Companies: Plus Guidelines for Writing Your Own Mission Statement, New York, Ten Speed Press. Brotherton, B. and Wood, CR 2008, The SAGE Handbook of Hospitality Management, New York, SAGE Publications Ltd. Hoover, G., 2002, Hoovers Handbook of American Business 2003, New York, Hoovers, Incorporated. Reid, DR and Bojanic, CD 2009, Hospitality Marketing Management, New Jersey, John Wiley and Sons. Research And Marketing n.d, Marriott Internation al, Inc., Research and Markets, Ireland. Yu, L., 1999, The international hospitality business: management and operations, New York, Routledge.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Employee Context at K wik-fit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employee Context at K wik-fit - Essay Example Case study reveals that work force is distinctly tiered into hierarchies of grass root workers, supervisors and managers. The main employee and HRM context at K wik-fit is that of employee turnover. This context can best be classified as a problematic context as the employee turnover has been very rapid at K wik-fit.Figues reported in the case study indicate that in the K wik-fit's Lanarkshire call center the employee turnover used to be as high as 52 percent. In the year 2001 such high employee turnovers used to translate into vacancy rate as high as 21 percent. This used to present three fold HRM problems. There was a colossal waste of organizational resources invested in training and upgrading employees who only decided to quit soon after receiving such training. Two, an equivalent effort and resource deployment was required to fill the resulting vacancies and three resources had to necessarily deployed yet again to train and upgrade the new recruits. This results in adverse impac t on employee productivity and continuation of the organizational work and, in the final analysis, impacts overall company results and profits. The main features of K wik-fit's human resource strategy center on two core concepts found in any human resource management strategic move. These are: one, analyzing in the work environment the possible factors responsible for employees' rapid turnover and removing such factors as far as possible, and, two promoting intra organizational conditions and tie ups which would help motivate the workers to high productivity and enthusiasm. The results of this two fold human resources management programme ,adopted in K wik-fit in stages, has been astounding enough to give it an industry award for human resources management. Factually the stage one of the human resources management initiate has brought down the employee turnover rates from the high of 52 percent to 34 percent with another 2 percent fall being achieved in a matter of couple of months. The initiative has been so successful that t even helped halt employee turnover in the month of January where turnover used of be highest. Even in this month the employee turnover instead of rising over the annual average continued to plummet indicating deep impact of the human resources management initiative. A closer look at these initiative clearly reveals that two sets of human resources tactical moves can be identified separately i.e. one that improves work environment for employee and helps boost their motivation and two that offer to help employees solve work related issues and problems and move to higher productivity and better work standards. In the fact the latter move appears to be an initiation of a system of Total Quality Control (TQM) in the services organization. Behind both tactical moves there is a realization that selling insurance is a complex assignment which is not only monotonous and repetitive but which also requires up to date product knowledge and employee empowerment to meet the challenges posed by growing competition. To top it all such tactical moves have been carefully based upon employee feed back carefully collected earlier on. In the former category one finds that employee motivation is sought to

Friday, October 18, 2019

Evaluations Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluations Review - Essay Example The description from the admission process to the academic routine is well defined in 3rd paragraph. The information is helpful for the reader, but the tone of the evaluation is personal. In the 4th paragraph salary benefits are appealing and motivating, but again personal view has been represented by stating the word â€Å"weak minded† and hence, demoralizing the readers or potential candidates for nursing. The evaluation is informative, yet it could be made better by none judgemental tone, with more references which would make the information authentic. More over different college criteria could be discussed to make it more beneficial (Larsen). Jospeh Freese evaluation of impression of US Air forces on general public and potential candidates; lacks a suitable title. Although the idea has a definite tone, but it lacked appropriate language and makes the reader a little confused. The Air force logo has been referred to as an advertisement. Throughout the evaluation; impression of logo has been discussed for the sake of impression. Nonetheless, the description of its texture, language and attributes is engaging. Personal experience of interest development gives evaluation a narrative touch. Absence of any reference makes the authenticity of work a little erratic. 4th paragraph describes well what the features of the picture on air force’s slogan depict. In the 5th paragraph discussion of slogan is interesting and captivates reader till the end. Although, conclusion describes the decision of joining air force is mainly based on impression made by logo, which is imaginative and debatable. Over all, a good effort on evaluation of how logo represent organization’s aim and objectives, but confusing sentence structure makes it challenging for the reader to read it in flow

Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Marketing Plan - Essay Example Because of which the company has been able to become one of the biggest Japanese restaurants in the country providing SUZU with Sushi grade fish to the customers in Hammersmith (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000, pp. 45-52). The company is into providing special quality of sushi fish to the customers in London specially focusing on the children so that they can get healthy food items. The company looks to utilize its resources very efficiently making sure that it can have the maximum productivity. The company operates from Monday to Friday providing both Lunch and dinner facility and on Saturday only Dinner facility. It makes sure that all the orders that are been placed either for take away or for delivery are been finished on time and in best quality. SUZU does operates for 8 hours in total in one day and makes sure that it has a high rate of productivity of around 80-85% making all the employees work in the most efficient way. SUZU has a strong presence of information system in the company making sure that the flow of the information from one department to other is been done very easily. The company is bale to maintain a good system which helps them to get information related to the order that is been placed and also with regards to the takeaway order so that there is no mismatch among all the orders and the right customer can be provided with the correct order that is been placed (Cheverton, 2006, pp. 56-64). Thus the management information system used by the company is of the highest quality which helps in increasing the efficiency of the company. It has got the best of Japanese chef as a member of its staff to enable it with the facility of providing the best quality food to the customers. The company has a very flexible organization structure where all the members including the founder Makiko Sano work as a single team towards achieving their goal and making sure that they get the maximum

Equal opportunities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Equal opportunities - Essay Example bility on service providers to promote good gender equality policies and processes as opposed to leaving the responsibility to individuals to challenge discriminatory practice - practices that, wittingly or unwittingly, have continued 30 years after the introduction of the sex equality legalisation. Let us have a look at how different legislative bodies have enacted / enacting regulatory frameworks to improve the gender equality in work places: Greater London Authority Welsh Development Agency Scottish Executive City of Birmingham Council North West Region West Midlands Police Authority Greater London Authority (GLA) Gender equality in GLA has been clearly set out from the start, with important issues of the process already in motion. It is exceptional in that the organization doesn't suffer the history of disadvantage found in the many of public sector bodies, and can therefore work on gender equality can go ahead without the traditional constraints. The public duty on gender equality in GLA makes required arrangements with regard to the principle that there should be equality for all. Its strategy for equality for women attempts that the organisation reflects the entire local community at all strata. The mainstreaming of gender equality has been found to be considerably easier in a newly created public body with equalities as a dimension of officer responsibilities. The GLA advocates: * A common approach for performance indicators on equalities * Clear equalities targets to measure performance * Equalities indicators integrated into the best value process These recommendations have streamlined the policies and practices that have helped the GLA become an exemplary employer that reflects the equalities programme for the population of London. This is visible in all... Gender equality in GLA has been clearly set out from the start, with important issues of the process already in motion. It is exceptional in that the organization doesn't suffer the history of disadvantage found in the many of public sector bodies, and can therefore work on gender equality can go ahead without the traditional constraints. The public duty on gender equality in GLA makes required arrangements with regard to the principle that there should be equality for all. Its strategy for equality for women attempts that the organisation reflects the entire local community at all strata. The mainstreaming of gender equality has been found to be considerably easier in a newly created public body with equalities as a dimension of officer responsibilities. This is visible in all functional bodies that include the Metropolitan Police, London Transport, the Fire Service and the London Development Agency.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Assess the state of learning and development in your chosen Essay

Assess the state of learning and development in your chosen organisation - Essay Example It is essential to note that workers must have qualities to adopt any kind of environment in addition to enhancing their skills. Through the specialized training provided by learning and development (L&D) as well as proper guidance, employee’s performance is significantly achieved. In this regard, there is need for managers to be thoroughly experienced in executing development strategies. While learning is a continuous process that aims at shaping up the skills that are hidden within an employee, development is a process that is focused at growing personal skills in order to rise the degree of knowledge among the employees (Rae, 2001). This paper aims at candidly assessing the state of learning and development strategies emulated by Apple incorporation, an international company that specializes in the production and marketing of personal computers, consumers electronics as well computer software. Despite the stiff competition that Apple Company has faced from its rivals that include IBM and Microsoft, its innovation and learning culture has significantly contributed to the improved performance in the technology industry. Being headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple has instigated a number of learning programs under the leadership of the former CEO Steve Jobs. One of the major strategies that Apple has adopted in its operations is recruitment of excellent and talented executives. In addition, the company has adopted a key L&D strategy that entails creation of a learning environment through the use of tools such as self direction, lectures, training among other learning programs (Gibb, 2008). In its day to day operations, Apple Company through its management team has initiated cognitive as well as behavioural approaches as major learning and development strategies. In this way, the company has encouraged effective communication between junior employees and the top manag ement. Another

Cross Cultural Transitions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Cross Cultural Transitions - Research Paper Example Le Ly Hayslip then made up her mind to divert all her energy towards her career, to establish a restaurant and to supervise all the rental properties in her possession. After she had accumulated her assets, she made up her mind to support her own native land using the wealth she had acquired. She managed to set up medical clinics after establishing a foundation that was known as the east meets the west. In addition, Hayslip was determined to end the existing hatred and to heal wounds that had resulted from the war. The earlier war completely separated Hayslip whole family. One of her brothers lost touch with the family for 20 years after fleeing to Hanoi. Another brother lost his life in a landmine. Her father, on the other hand, received great pressure from the Viet Cong. They wanted him to take the initiative to persuade her daughter Hayslip to become a saboteur.In trying to understand, the real meaning of culture shock our reference mainly is the life and experiences of Le Ly Hays lip during her childhood and the early adulthood stages. She was forced by the then existing hostility and insecurity in her own homeland, Vietnam to seek for safety in different countries. In trying to link up the transition experienced by Le Ly Hayslip, culture shock meaning has to be well understood. Culture shock is the difficulty experienced by individuals when they are forced by certain circumstances to adjust to another culture that varies from that in their native land.... Out this marriage, Le Ly Hayslip bore a second son. Her main objective was to get an opportunity to move to America and she did a few years later. Her husband died after they had relocated to America and she remarried Dennis Hayslip in spite him being an alcoholic and abusive. Their marriage took place after Dennis Hayslip had assisted Le Ly’s sister to flee from Vietnam. However, after formalizing their union, their differences escalated and Hayslip filed for a divorce. Their marriage ended after the death of Dennis through carbon monoxide poisoning. Le Ly Hayslip then made up her mind to divert all her energy towards her career, to establish a restaurant and to supervise all the rental properties in her possession. After she had accumulated her assets, she made up her mind to support her own native land using the wealth she had acquired. She managed to set up medical clinics after establishing a foundation that was known as the east meets the west. In addition, Hayslip was d etermined to end the existing hatred and to heal wounds that had resulted from the war. The earlier war completely separated Hayslip whole family. One of her brothers lost touch with the family for 20 years after fleeing to Hanoi. Another brother lost his life in a land mine. Her father on the other hand, received great pressure from the Viet Cong. They wanted him to take the initiative to persuade her daughter Hayslip to become a saboteur. Hayslip father however, opted to commit suicide instead of yielding into the pressure. In trying to understand, the real meaning of culture shock our reference mainly is the life and experiences of Le Ly Hayslip during her childhood and the early adulthood stages. She was forced by the then existing hostility and

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Equal opportunities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Equal opportunities - Essay Example bility on service providers to promote good gender equality policies and processes as opposed to leaving the responsibility to individuals to challenge discriminatory practice - practices that, wittingly or unwittingly, have continued 30 years after the introduction of the sex equality legalisation. Let us have a look at how different legislative bodies have enacted / enacting regulatory frameworks to improve the gender equality in work places: Greater London Authority Welsh Development Agency Scottish Executive City of Birmingham Council North West Region West Midlands Police Authority Greater London Authority (GLA) Gender equality in GLA has been clearly set out from the start, with important issues of the process already in motion. It is exceptional in that the organization doesn't suffer the history of disadvantage found in the many of public sector bodies, and can therefore work on gender equality can go ahead without the traditional constraints. The public duty on gender equality in GLA makes required arrangements with regard to the principle that there should be equality for all. Its strategy for equality for women attempts that the organisation reflects the entire local community at all strata. The mainstreaming of gender equality has been found to be considerably easier in a newly created public body with equalities as a dimension of officer responsibilities. The GLA advocates: * A common approach for performance indicators on equalities * Clear equalities targets to measure performance * Equalities indicators integrated into the best value process These recommendations have streamlined the policies and practices that have helped the GLA become an exemplary employer that reflects the equalities programme for the population of London. This is visible in all... Gender equality in GLA has been clearly set out from the start, with important issues of the process already in motion. It is exceptional in that the organization doesn't suffer the history of disadvantage found in the many of public sector bodies, and can therefore work on gender equality can go ahead without the traditional constraints. The public duty on gender equality in GLA makes required arrangements with regard to the principle that there should be equality for all. Its strategy for equality for women attempts that the organisation reflects the entire local community at all strata. The mainstreaming of gender equality has been found to be considerably easier in a newly created public body with equalities as a dimension of officer responsibilities. This is visible in all functional bodies that include the Metropolitan Police, London Transport, the Fire Service and the London Development Agency.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Cross Cultural Transitions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Cross Cultural Transitions - Research Paper Example Le Ly Hayslip then made up her mind to divert all her energy towards her career, to establish a restaurant and to supervise all the rental properties in her possession. After she had accumulated her assets, she made up her mind to support her own native land using the wealth she had acquired. She managed to set up medical clinics after establishing a foundation that was known as the east meets the west. In addition, Hayslip was determined to end the existing hatred and to heal wounds that had resulted from the war. The earlier war completely separated Hayslip whole family. One of her brothers lost touch with the family for 20 years after fleeing to Hanoi. Another brother lost his life in a landmine. Her father, on the other hand, received great pressure from the Viet Cong. They wanted him to take the initiative to persuade her daughter Hayslip to become a saboteur.In trying to understand, the real meaning of culture shock our reference mainly is the life and experiences of Le Ly Hays lip during her childhood and the early adulthood stages. She was forced by the then existing hostility and insecurity in her own homeland, Vietnam to seek for safety in different countries. In trying to link up the transition experienced by Le Ly Hayslip, culture shock meaning has to be well understood. Culture shock is the difficulty experienced by individuals when they are forced by certain circumstances to adjust to another culture that varies from that in their native land.... Out this marriage, Le Ly Hayslip bore a second son. Her main objective was to get an opportunity to move to America and she did a few years later. Her husband died after they had relocated to America and she remarried Dennis Hayslip in spite him being an alcoholic and abusive. Their marriage took place after Dennis Hayslip had assisted Le Ly’s sister to flee from Vietnam. However, after formalizing their union, their differences escalated and Hayslip filed for a divorce. Their marriage ended after the death of Dennis through carbon monoxide poisoning. Le Ly Hayslip then made up her mind to divert all her energy towards her career, to establish a restaurant and to supervise all the rental properties in her possession. After she had accumulated her assets, she made up her mind to support her own native land using the wealth she had acquired. She managed to set up medical clinics after establishing a foundation that was known as the east meets the west. In addition, Hayslip was d etermined to end the existing hatred and to heal wounds that had resulted from the war. The earlier war completely separated Hayslip whole family. One of her brothers lost touch with the family for 20 years after fleeing to Hanoi. Another brother lost his life in a land mine. Her father on the other hand, received great pressure from the Viet Cong. They wanted him to take the initiative to persuade her daughter Hayslip to become a saboteur. Hayslip father however, opted to commit suicide instead of yielding into the pressure. In trying to understand, the real meaning of culture shock our reference mainly is the life and experiences of Le Ly Hayslip during her childhood and the early adulthood stages. She was forced by the then existing hostility and

Death is Definitely Not Justified With Physician-Assisted Suicide Essay Example for Free

Death is Definitely Not Justified With Physician-Assisted Suicide Essay Doctors dedicate their blood, sweat and tears to achieve the ultimate goal of their profession – to preserve the health and well-being of their patients. Doctors positively intervene with life processes in order to maintain and preserve the lives of many people. However, when doctors negatively intervene with a natural process like death, problems can arise because they are caught in a dilemma of whether to forego life and help end the suffering or to preserve it and torment the patients suffering with terminal illnesses. This is why, physician-assisted suicide is not just perceived solely as a medical problem because it also involves legal, ethical, social, personal, and financial considerations. Physician-assisted suicide remained as one of the most controversial types of euthanasia because it violates the Hippocratic Oath. Physician-assisted suicide literally means that the physician provides the medication for suicide to a competent patient who is capable of carrying it out. It is not just morally reprehensible for a physician, or any medical practitioner, to assist the patient to conduct this procedure because it negates their responsibility to preserve life, physician-assisted suicide also devalues the life of the patient as their fate is put entirely in the hands of a human being. Indeed, there exists an unprecedented debate over physician-assisted suicide (also called euthanasia) because involves medical professionals, as well as the patients and their families. The arguments range from determining the dignity of the patients, the quality of their lives, their mental state, and sometimes their usefulness to society. For example, the patient who is in a vegetative state is considered dead by some but not by others, and this case presents substantial moral and ethical problems. The Oxford Dictionary of English (2005) defines euthanasia as â€Å"the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma†. However, euthanasia means much more than a â€Å"painless death†, or the means of procuring it, or the action of inducing it. The definition specifies only the manner of death, and if this were all that was needed to achieve it a murderer, who is careful to drug his victim to death, could claim that he or she did an act of euthanasia. We find this ridiculous because we take it for granted that euthanasia is â€Å"death† itself, not just the manner of death. How can someone administer a â€Å"medical procedure† to the one who dies in the end? The spate of recent public and philosophical controversy has been over voluntary active euthanasia (VAE), especially physician-assisted suicide. Supporters of VAE argue that there are cases in which relief from suffering supersedes all other consequences and that respect for autonomy obligates society to respect the decisions of those who elect euthanasia. If competent patients have a legal and moral right to refuse treatment that brings about their deaths, there is a similar right to enlist the assistance of physicians or others to help patients cause their deaths by an active means. Usually, supporters of VAE primarily look to circumstances in which (1) a condition has become overwhelmingly burdensome for a patient, (2) pain management for the patient is inadequate, and (3) only a physician seems capable of bringing relief (Dworkin, Frey Bok, 1998). A much publicized case of physician-assisted suicide came into the headlines when it shocked people with the bizarre activities of Dr. Jack Kevorkian in early 1990s (or â€Å"Dr Death† as the media have dubbed him) in the USA. Dr. Kevorkian, a retired pathologist, assisted over forty people to commit suicide in recent years in circumstances, which were somewhat beyond normal from regular medical practice. These people travelled to Kevorkian from all over the USA to seek his assistance in suicide. Kevorkian assisted their death by ending their suffering. He even attached his patients at the back of a dilapidated Volkswagen van, where a â€Å"suicide machine† can be found. This machine automatically injects patients with lethal doses of drugs, as patients themselves activate it. Despite being prosecuted for assisted suicide on several occasions, Kevorkian escaped conviction and continued his personal campaign for relaxation of the law in his peculiar way. It was only when he moved from assistance in suicide to euthanasia that he was finally convicted. He filmed himself administering a lethal injection, and the film helped secure his conviction for murder (Keown 2002, p. 31). Of course, his actions provoked discussion of the thin line separating passive euthanasia, which is legal in this country, and active euthanasia. Opponents of Kevorkian’s actions state that he is practicing physician-assisted suicide, which is illegal. Proponents of Kevorkian’s actions argue that the patient’s right to control his or her medical treatment is sufficient justification for assisted suicide. Unfortunately, most Americans seem to agree with physician-assisted suicide. A nationwide survey by the Gallup poll in 2004 showed that 69% of Americans believed that physicians should be allowed to help terminally ill patients in severe pain commit suicide. These results were consistent with those of Gallup polls over the past two years, where â€Å"Americans have shown slightly higher levels of support for doctors ending patients’ lives by painless means than for assisting patients to commit suicide† (Lyons, 2004). Allen et al. (2006) suggest about the reasons for these statistics. They said that â€Å"one explanation could be the increase in education and awareness of advances in both medical technology and research on various chronic diseases†. As more Americans are becoming more aware of the devastating psychological effects of disease on a person’s well being; â€Å"they may be more willing to make informed decisions on end-of-life care†. Armed with knowledge of how painful and grueling pains that patients suffer, Americans think that sometimes the best option for a terminally ill patient is physician-assisted suicide or some other form of euthanasia. Strangely enough, a group of doctors also support physician-assisted suicide. Known as the Hemlock Society, these doctors advocate the legalization of euthanasia (Snyder, 2001). This organization believes that the final decision to terminate life ultimately is one’s own, although it does not encourage suicide for emotional, traumatic, or financial reasons, or in the absence of terminal illness. Conversely, the National Hospice Organization supports a patient’s right to choose, but believes that hospice care is a better choice than euthanasia or assisted suicide (Snyder, 2001). Despite the salient points made by the supporters of physician-assisted suicide, we should not forget that this process essentially negates the purpose of a doctor’s profession. The Hippocratic Oath, which dates back in the 400 B. C. E. states that â€Å"I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel†. Not only that it is in clear opposition to the oath of their profession, it is also morally and ethically reprehensible. According to Somerville (2006), there are two major reasons why people should not allow euthanasia to be legalized. First reason is purely relying on principle that it is not right for one human to intentionally kill another (with the exception of justified self-defense cases, or in the defense of others). Somerville (2006) stated that the second reason is utilitarian, as legalizing physician-assisted death has harmful effects and risks to people and society. In fact, the harms and risks far outweigh any benefits of physician-assisted suicide. While Mak, Elwyn Finlay (2006) reasoned that â€Å"most studies of euthanasia have been quantitative, focusing primarily on attitudes of healthcare professionals, relatives, and the public†. Most people perceive pain as the major reason for requesting euthanasia, while other factors that convince people to choose it are impairment of functions, dependency, being a big burden, being isolated to people, depression, losing hope, and losing autonomy or control. This is why, Mak, Elwyn Finlay (2006) thought that legalizing euthanasia is a â€Å"premature† move when research evidence from the perspectives of those who desire euthanasia is not yet proven to be necessary. The researchers suggested that there needs to be additional qualitative patient-based studies in order to broaden the physician’s understanding of patients. They deemed that there should be the â€Å"inclusion of medical humanities, experiential learning, and reflective practice into medical education should help ensure doctors have better communication skills and attitudes†. Thus, doctors and healthcare professionals should focus in examining ways to improve cure and care at all levels so that they can trash out the â€Å"side effects of poor end of life care†. In this way, physician-assisted suicide would not be necessity anymore. In 1997, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not guarantee Americans a right to physician-assisted suicide and returned the issue to the state legislatures for continued debate. In its decision, the Court placed emphasis on the American tradition of condemning suicide and valuing human life. In its ruling, the Court made it clear that the states have a legitimate interest in banning physician-assisted suicide, but it also left it open to them to legalize the practice. As a result, the practice has been legalized in Oregon. Although the law is rather unequivocal in regard to the practice of active euthanasia, the court decisions have been quite ambiguous. This may be a proper stance for the law in that its adamant negative position provides a deterrent to all considerations of the practice and forces deliberation of the merits on a case-by-case basis. But under what circumstances is euthanasia justifiable? Is it permissible to kill the terminally ill? How about those who are not terminally ill but have only lost their appetite for life? Even if society decides that citizens have a right not only to life, liberty, and property but also to death, what part do health care practitioners play in this right? Would the role of physician who conducts euthanasia have a chilling effect on the medical profession? What law cannot answer, ethics and morality could provide the answers of what needs to be done by health professionals when faced with a difficult dilemma, such as physician-assisted suicide. As medical practitioners, medical code of ethics should not just become theoretical concepts, because ethics are important references in the application of one’s moral and value system to a career in health care. Ethics involves more than just â€Å"common sense†, which is an approach for making decisions that most people in society use. Ethics goes way beyond this: It requires a critical thinking approach that examines important considerations such as fairness for all consumers, the impact of the decision on society, and the future implications of the decision. In the end, as doctors, the central issue remains caring for the dignity of the patient, which involves respecting the patient’s wishes, protecting the integrity of the profession, and sparing the life of a person under all conditions which are generally understood to be extremely burdensome. Thus, all forms of physician-assisted suicide are ethically and morally reprehensible because it promotes intentional killing. This principle does not require the preservation of life at all costs, which is essentially the role of all physicians.