Research Metohd proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research Metohd proposal - Essay Example As more countries around the world become globalized, offering tourism packages to multitudes of diverse foreign visitors, competition continues to become intense requiring a new focus in order to sustain competitive edge and build growth strategically. However, outside of these generic business principles is a new type of focus as a method of building a more solid brand: corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR involves the activities of senior managers and the entire organisational staff to improve relationships with the domestic community and even international customers and citizens by promoting concepts of trustworthiness, ethical programming and diversity (as several examples). Corporate social responsibility includes multiple dimensions of moral principles that must be promoted so that diverse customers recognise that the hospitality business is accountable for their actions and makes sensible business decisions. The impact of CSR includes higher stakeholder and shareholder support if they are coordinated and implemented according to social needs. CSR has become more of a strategic function in order to bring the hospitality business better publicity and improve the quality of life of customers and general society. Literature review â€Å"A firm’s corporate image and reputation is an important strategic asset and marketing tool that can lead to a competitive advantage† (Gray & Balmer, 1998, p.695). This is one of the main elements that drive new focus on CSR, so that the business maintains a quality brand identity among customer groups, shareholder groups, and the general public population. Even though the end result of most CSR efforts lead to sustainable improvements in society, the impact on business can be maintaining an edge over competition that does not necessarily focus on corporate social responsibility as a strategic foundation. â€Å"Business operations are undeniably linked with trust-building in the local community population where the operation is based† (wcdr.gfdr.org, 2007, p.4). This is highly important in hotel organisations as they cater to the local community with their service offerings as well as international clients hailing from diverse cultural backgrounds. Therefore, the literature proposes that there must be a localized effort in CSR in order to build this needed trust for brand reputation purposes and to sustain a competitive edge. There are many avenues of building this trust such as through marketing, sustainability programmes, or even volunteerism in a variety of community-based programmes. According to Kline & Dai (2005) businesses that include CSR initiatives in their strategic objectives have been known to witness improved share prices, build better national image and increase employee productivity. Why is this? â€Å"Human beings are essential to service production. They are sensitive and reflect upon their experiences, responding to inner feelings and individual interpretat ions† (Sandoff, 2005, p.530). In the hotel environment, employees are the initial and ongoing point of contact for diverse customers, sometimes hailing from around the world, and therefore become a resource for information and support throughout the service experience. The hotel relies on their professionalism, loyalty and strong focus toward meeting customer needs in order to sustain a better

Analyse the Motivational Problems in MagNet Corporation Research Paper

Analyse the Motivational Problems in MagNet Corporation - Research Paper Example   MagNet Corporation is a new start-up organization and has strength of 35 employees Existing in the market for two years, the company is heavily dependent on Information Technology (IT) tools MagNet mainly operates in the software market and provides educational software to colleges and universities based on Oracle database engine With excellent performance, early entry in the distance education market and two years of successful marketing, the company has been able to penetrate 5% of the market and increase their employee strength from 5 to 35 within such a short span However, with increasing demand in the clientele, the company is also facing problems to the main efficiency in its regular administrative processes where personnel are observed to lack motivation and are also observed as inefficient in change adaptation Business situation After evaluation and analysis of the company’s General Administration Department, i.e. Department C, it has been found that despite its wo rkforce constitutes potential employees, they lack on few motivational grounds and have to face a higher level of stress in order to accomplish the target to boost up the sales from 5% to 10%. Job role segregation has also been viewed as a major problem where the sales representatives rely heavily on the technical department, which makes them a slow learner and increases the burden on the technology department. Many of the sales force has also demanded training as mandatory for their development. In precise, the business situation observed in Department C of MagNet exhibits the need for better coordination amid the staff at the departmental level, motivation needs to boost their change adaptation behavior and understanding of the organizational success requirements. The stressors in this situation can be identified as the growing pressure from the clientele, absence of a specific HR policy framework and limited job commitment deciphered by the employees. Technical situations The ope rational processes in MagNet have been heavily dependent on modern technical instruments, which have in turn also affected the efficiency of the administrative department. Even the communication between the employees and managers happens via e-mail, with lack of interaction that further limits the scope of the supervisors to motivate their subordinates continually and efficiently. The personnel in Department C have also been heavily dependent on the technical support team to respond to the customer’s questions, especially those regarding new products as the employees in this department lack in efficiency to learn about new products and services within a short span of time. Solutions From a critical understanding of the situation, it can be observed that employees in Department C indeed require rigorous training focused on developing their learning, change adaptability and technical skills enhancement. Correspondingly, the company applied Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory and McClelland’s theory of motivation that has efficiently pointed-out the individual motivational needs of the staff members. Based on their performance appraisal as well, the company addressed three employees to be trained and has given formal written warnings to some of the employees so as to motivate them to perform better.  Ã‚  

SCOR At Wal Mart | Analysis

SCOR At Wal Mart | Analysis The Supply Chain Operations Reference Model, or SCOR, was introduced by the Supply Chain Council to provide all companies a framework or tool they can use to improve their companys supply chain internally and externally. It allows supply chain managers to analyze their current situations as well as guide them to supply chain decisions for improvements and future resolutions. A major strength of the SCOR model is that it can be used across industries and applied to a variety of different companies. There are five levels in the SCOR model. The first level, the process types, includes plan, source, make, deliver, and return. These process types describe the overall scope and content of the SCOR model. The following levels further penetrate each of the process types to analyze their operations strategies, quantify and measure their processes, as well as provide tools for companies to develop new processes that will give their supply chain a competitive advantage as well as the ability to efficiently adapt to market changes. PLAN The first phase of the supply chain according to the SCOR model is the process of planning. Planning is a crucial first step to set-up, manage, and organize the processes necessary for a flexible and efficient supply chain. The planning phase consists of several processes such as demand forecasting, product pricing, and inventory management. Wal-Mart utilizes a sophisticated algorithm to calculate their forecasts that allows the company to forecast the exact quantities of each item to be delivered while taking into account each stores current inventory. This is also possible because of Wal-Marts computerized inventory structure that uses the Point of Sales (POS) system. This not only tracks all the companys inventory and stock at retail stores and distribution centers, it also monitors when products are sold and is able to predict the future quantities needed. It is this production scheduling and the ability to monitor inventory so closely that allowed Wal-Mart to accurately predict where, when and how much of a product will be needed and in turn develop a distribution network that works hand in hand with these needs. This reduces their costs by reducing leftover inventory and optimizing the transportation of their products by delivering only exactly what is needed. Super retailer Wal-Mart has spent considerable resource s to ascertain how best to minimize transportation costs. Efforts such as owning their own fleet, standardizing processes, and capitalizing on information technology have resulted in transportation costs that are 3% of total costs versus the industry average of 5%. By analyzing how to cut costs in all aspects of their transportation, Wal-Mart was able to pass these savings onto consumers and support their always low prices strategy. SOURCE The second phase of the supply chain, sourcing, focuses on the procurement of materials and resources. Choosing suppliers that best meet the companys needs is the main part of this phase. Transportation not only serves as a link between the company and its suppliers, but transportation providers are essentially a supplier in and of themselves as well. In this case as wal-mart is retailer it doesnt has to go for sourcing that is procurement of raw-material is not required. The suppliers in this case will be the companies who are selling their product through wal-mart retailers that are: Grand ocean star (Supplier of sea food it takes 5 to 10 days after order) Procter Gamble Co (it takes lead time range of 8.5 to 14.0 days to deliver the food product) Nestle Gillette Hewlett-Packard Johnson Johnson Kimberly-Clark Kraft Foods Nestlà © Purina Pet Care Unilever MAKE The third phase in the Supply Chain Operations Reference model is make, defined as the process that transforms a product to a finished state to meet planned or actual demand (Bolstorff Rosenbaum, 2003). There are three parts to this phase which include product design, production scheduling and facility management. Wal-Mart exemplifies how the construction of a product affects transportation costs. Wal-Mart recently asked its 60,000 suppliers worldwide that by 2008 they decrease the amount of overall packaging they use by 5%. Wal-Mart believes this packaging proposal will save the company $3.4 billion. When Wal-Mart previously did this in 2005 with the packaging of its private clothing label, Kids Collection, the company saved $3.5 million in one year. By reducing the amount of packaging, Wal-Mart is not only cutting costs, but they are reducing the weight and volume of their products. This increases the ability of their trucks to carry more per truckload, possibly even making less runs in a given day. Wal-Marts packaging decisions illustrate the direct impacts supply chain decisions and transportation can have on each other. Wal-Mart had just over 40 distribution centers located around the United States. Stocked in these centers were over 80,000 items. 50% to 65% of Wal-Marts competitors directly supplied the inventory to their retailers from their warehouses, in comparison to Wal-Marts 85%. Wal-Mart replenished their stores on average within two days compared to the five days their competitors took. The shipping costs were approximately 2% less of total cost than competitors (Chandran, 2003). The location of a facility can cut transportation costs dramatically as shown by the Wal-Mart example. DELIVER The fourth phase in the Supply Chain Operations Reference model is the delivery of the product. This phase is most associated with the role of transportation in the supply chain process as it is the most visibly connected. The delivery part of the process can be broken down into two different segments, order management and delivery scheduling. Transportation plays a role in each in that processes that provide finished goods and services to meet planned or actual demand, typically include order management, transportation management and distribution management Wal-Mart has a private fleet of their own truck drivers and by somewhat integrating backward in their supply chain, they have needed to become efficient in documenting and tracking their products. To do this, Wal-Mart employees use hand held computers, a form of EDI systems, which contain information about the products storage, packaging and shipping and eliminates the need for actual paperwork saving them time. Because there is no third party, Wal-Mart must self manage the ordering of their products with great accuracy. What makes Wal-Marts distribution process so efficient is that they use a logistics technique known as cross-docking .It breaks down the distribution of the products into five simple stages. The unique aspect of Wal-Marts system is that their drivers deliver the trucks to their distribution centers at specific times and set intervals. Their entire distribution system is a consistent flow of goods adjusted to the individual needs of each retail store. Wal-Marts delivery system works so well because it is developed in accordance with the demands of each store and the communication between each point allows the process to be effective. Wal-Mart believe that the widespread implementation of RFID technology marks a sea change in the supply chain, much as the introduction of bar codes was as seen as revolutionary two decades ago. But while bar codes can tell a retailer that it has two boxes of product XYZ, Wal-Marts EPCs can help distinguish one box of product XYZ from the next. This allows retailers greater visibility in monitoring product inventory from supplier to distribution centre to store. RETURN Most store items can be exchanged or refunded with a receipt within 90 days of purchase. Walmarts No Receipt policy applies to items returned in a store only. You have the option of a cash refund (for purchases under $25), a Gift Card for the amount of the purchase (for purchases over $25), a credit to your credit card or an even exchange for the product. We can make up to three No Receipt returns within a 45 day period. All merchandise sold and shipped by Walmart.com may be returned to a store within 90 days of receiving it. If there is an error on our part related to your order, we will issue a credit for your order and any applicable shipping and gift-wrapping charges. An item must be returned in the original manufacturers packaging, so we recommend you keep your packaging for at least the first 90 days after purchase. Plants, Food, and certain Health and Beauty items: To return perishable items, the following information is to be required and send to customer care link of wal-mart i.e Order number for the item Date of arrival Condition of item at time of arrival Detailed explanation of the issue

United States Foreign Policy Following World War II Essay -- America C

Though the United States was the military power of the world prior to World War II, its foreign policy was one of detachment. The government was determined not to get involved in other countries affairs barring unusual circumstances. A World War provided big enough means to become involved, as many Americans became enraged with the military ambitions of Japan and Germany. Following World War II, Soviet leader Stalin initially agreed to a democratic government in Poland and to free elections in other Soviet-occupied countries, but he ignored his own promises. This caused the United States and Britain to ignore Stalin’s wish of taking a hard line with Germany in settlement talks. The Soviets formed the Socialist Unity party in East Berlin and effectively gained control of East Germany. Though this had a lot to do with the fact that the European people were increasingly tired and lacked the energy to fight a growing Socialist party line, another major factor was that there were enough citizens in this area and in â€Å"other Soviet-dominated countries who believed communism was a better social system and that it could breed a new kind of humanity† (Stranges, 193). The apparent spread of communism caused many to question the government’s policy of non-intervention in foreign affairs. A counselor in the United States Embassy in Moscow, George Kennan, introduced the policy of containment which said that America needed to stop the spread of communism and that it would eventually die out so long as it did not broaden. Not only were the American people scared of the spread of communism, but the United States government believed that communist nations would spread like falling dominoes if even one country in a region began enacting socialist policies. The United States implemented this new policy with the passage of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan of June5, 1947. In the Truman Doctrine, then President Truman pledged $400 million in aid to Turkey and Greece in an effort to avert communist takeovers. This served as an open ended offer to nations â€Å"to choose between freedom and democracy or terror and oppression† (Stranges, 194). The Marshall Plan was an effort to rebuild 16 nations in Europe. $13.326 billion was pledged to Britain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, an... ...n claims that they it was winning the war seemed inaccurate as the North Vietnamese were able to launch the Tet Offensive in January of 1968. As the American public rapidly began to oppose the war, Nixon began to remove American troops from Vietnam while increasing the bombing at the same time. Nixon claimed he was ending the war, but the United States forces invaded Cambodia in april of 1970. The United States had removed all troops from the area by March of 1973, much later than most Americans believed this should have happened. Following the war with Vietnam, America foreign policy saw a new shift. This shift is marked by the decline of containment to a policy of a ‘here and now’ approach. That is, the United States’ new policy was to deal with each situation on a case by case basis rather than treating every threat of communism as a threat to containment. This reclaimed part of the old policy of objectivity in international affairs. As the past shows, controversies and wars alike have the power to dramatically shift a countries foreign policy. One can only wonder what will cause the next change. Works Cited: Stranges, George. The Cold War. New York: Random House, 1997

Educational Problems in Egypt Essay

Egypt has the most significant educational system in the (MENA); Middle East and North Africa according to the Human Development Index (HDI). Although the educational system had been developing hastily since the beginning of the 1990s, Egypt had been continuously facing serious and accumulated problems in education. An exploding population, an increasing poverty, low literacy rates, drastic injustice in schools qualities; schools in urban areas where the rich can pay for education are better than other schools in different areas, Low teaching salaries and inconsistent funding for the educational system by the government, all led to a decreasing educational quality mainly in the most essential and indispensable part of the educational system which is basic education, also it led many teachers to the road of private tutoring for extra income. Moreover, memorization rather than critical thinking was unwillingly encouraged through physical punishment in schools and homes. For countless Egyptian children fragmented information was the result and that was never considered real knowledge. Yet again as a product of these causes, more and more escalating numbers of graduates are found unemployed. Egypt will continue to face an educational crisis, as lack of well trained teachers, effective schools and developed educational equipment unless a much better financial commitment is made by the government. This essay will first demonstrate the main causes of the educational problem, examine the effects of these problems on the society, discuss and analyze the previously proposed solutions and finally enlighten a solution that will most likely work in our Egyptian society.

How does work Guide the Development of the Self Essay

In man’s existence today, various concepts exist which if learnt and adhered to, can change the very quality of life itself. This is admirably conveyed by Emerson in his essay on self reliance and also deduced from chapters seven and eleven of Thoreau’s book on Walden. In chapter seven, the author narrates the story of an impoverished farmer who toils on his farm from sunrise to sunset, while in chapter 11, Thoreau dwells on the qualities of the inner person. After reading these essays, one is convinced that the most important attribute in life is that which is gained from knowledge of our true being as intended by the creator. Beginning with Emerson’s work, self trust is shown to be the key to self reliance because man’s true nature is that which is within him. We are all individuals in the eyes of providence, each with our own place which we must learn to accept and respect. It is only when we exercise self trust in the abilities given to us, that we will be able to improve as human beings. The author goes on to say that when we cultivate a respect for ourselves, we reject that which is external and which we spend every waking moment looking for. What is important is not the acquisition of material wealth, but rather, internal spiritual wealth. It is only when we place our faith in GOD, who is the most trustworthy and sits in our heart, that we gain self trust. He then works through our hands and predominates our beings. When you are in conformity, this undercuts your self reliance because it scatters your forces, and the real you cannot be detected. You tend to do things as everybody does. It is therefore important to be your own individual and your uniqueness will be evident. Consistency, on the other hand, enslaves us to our pasts because we are constantly judging our present with 2 tandards from the past. We fear to be contradicted by our peers and are therefore less and less self reliant. Self reliance is evident from the bean field chapter of Thoreau because the farmer was rewarded for his hard work with a harvest of twelve bushels. He did not have the benefit of modern farm implements or labor, yet he loved his work and was rewarded for it. This is a demonstration of self reliance born out of necessity. Instead of discouragement at the prospect of toil, the farmer confronted the ordeal happily and with spiritual calm. Additionally, he gained much more than money. He earned the respect of his neighbors, confidence and experience from his work. John Fields is another impoverished farmer who has a wife and a family to feed. Unfortunately, he is in a situation where survival dictates that he works for a wage as someone’s employee. For this very reason, he cannot be self reliant. Additionally, in order to change his lifestyle, he faces the prospect of being unable to afford the necessities of everyday life, for example, tea, coffee, meat and clothes. He also seems unable to find the time to contemplate his spiritual wellbeing which may help him look at his life afresh. However, the concepts conveyed by Thoreau’s higher laws can prove invaluable to him. One of them is that, â€Å"Man flows to GOD when the channel of purity is open†. This means that Fields must seek GOD who will give him an inner calm. This will enable him to identify that for which he is best suited to do and treat himself with respect. Additionally, he will be able to find that which identifies him as an individual, thereby helping him to excel. The kind of wealth that is described in Emerson’s â€Å"wealth† essay is very foreign to John Field’s understanding. According to Emerson, wealth is the application of mind to nature. This requires that one draws a benefit from the labors of the greatest numbers of men, and also do what his creator intended him to do. Unfortunately, Fields is a laborer who is employed on a wage. He does not even understand the concept of business, let alone begin to fathom how he can employ others. Additionally, he may be in the wrong career and needs to re-evaluate it if he is to enjoy the fruits of a better lifestyle. When Frederick Douglas goes to the north, he discovers that work, unlike in the south, is done with pride and actually creates wealth without the need for slave labor. It also dawns on him that freedom of the mind is the perfect breeding ground for economic progress, which he sees in even former slaves. Additionally, with a free mind comes the possibility of improving the intellect through reading. The common thread running through these readings is that the mind and spirit come first before the body. Nature can only be conquered by the spirit and the best way to enrich the spirit is by accepting that GOD has a purpose for each and every one of us. He has given us individual qualities which we must strive to nurture. We must recognize these qualities and use them according to his will. If we do not see the advantage within our hearts, then we will, as individuals, continue to move in a crowd, and our uniqueness will not help us or humanity. Wealth is first and foremost, that of the heart and spirit.

Free Essays on War With No Illusions

â€Å"War Without Illusions† Imagine a perfect world. There would be no war, no world hunger, no life taking diseases. Think about waking up and not having to worry about a single thing. Now imagine the total opposite. Living in fear from nuclear warfare, Terrorism, and invasions from other countries. Our lifestyles could mirror this if we do not handle this â€Å"Attack on America† properly. We as a country must think of the consequences of our actions well in advance before jumping into battle against the Middle East. With our country’s emotions running sky high it is very easy for us to wish for a military attack as soon as possible. This sounds sweet and pretty on paper but in reality there is much more we must think about. Invading Afghanistan right now may cause deadly results without the proper research. Bordering countries like Iraq, Iran, and Syria will also be a threat. There are still many of Bin Laden’s men in the U.S. and they are very dangerous. We must first investigate further into the terrorist acts and seek out rest of Bin Laden’s henchmen. If we attack Afghanistan right now, Bin Laden can easily have his men who are living in our country strike again. Once we know the actual location of Mr. Bin Laden, then and only then should we strike. â€Å"Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense said â€Å"ending states who sponsor terrorism† â€Å"War Without Illusions† New York Times 17 Sep 2001 a20. This in my opinion is a great thing to stand by. We should not differentiate from the group who has done this from the country or state that harbors them. This attack was planned to almost perfection and required lots of money. I’m sure there government helped fund this and many other terrorist acts. These countries are our enemies and we should no longer refrain from punishing them. Our allies will play a significant role in winning this war. Help from Russia and Pakistan will play a key role in our... Free Essays on War With No Illusions Free Essays on War With No Illusions â€Å"War Without Illusions† Imagine a perfect world. There would be no war, no world hunger, no life taking diseases. Think about waking up and not having to worry about a single thing. Now imagine the total opposite. Living in fear from nuclear warfare, Terrorism, and invasions from other countries. Our lifestyles could mirror this if we do not handle this â€Å"Attack on America† properly. We as a country must think of the consequences of our actions well in advance before jumping into battle against the Middle East. With our country’s emotions running sky high it is very easy for us to wish for a military attack as soon as possible. This sounds sweet and pretty on paper but in reality there is much more we must think about. Invading Afghanistan right now may cause deadly results without the proper research. Bordering countries like Iraq, Iran, and Syria will also be a threat. There are still many of Bin Laden’s men in the U.S. and they are very dangerous. We must first investigate further into the terrorist acts and seek out rest of Bin Laden’s henchmen. If we attack Afghanistan right now, Bin Laden can easily have his men who are living in our country strike again. Once we know the actual location of Mr. Bin Laden, then and only then should we strike. â€Å"Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense said â€Å"ending states who sponsor terrorism† â€Å"War Without Illusions† New York Times 17 Sep 2001 a20. This in my opinion is a great thing to stand by. We should not differentiate from the group who has done this from the country or state that harbors them. This attack was planned to almost perfection and required lots of money. I’m sure there government helped fund this and many other terrorist acts. These countries are our enemies and we should no longer refrain from punishing them. Our allies will play a significant role in winning this war. Help from Russia and Pakistan will play a key role in our...

Corporate social responsibility Research Paper Example

Corporate social responsibility Research Paper Example Corporate social responsibility Paper Corporate social responsibility Paper Corporate social responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contributes to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. Although the secondary stakeholders such as community, society and environment seem to have lower effect on business, an organisation that sought to act in a responsible way would need to compromise and take into account the secondary effects i.e. the externalities of business practice when undertaking work. These responsibilities are directly linked to the essential functions the organisation performs for society and the influence it has upon the lives of individuals. WPP Media is undertaking many programmes in relation to being socially responsible. In 2002, WPP adopted a Corporate Social Responsibility policy and established a performance baseline comprising a small number of key measures for environmental and social issues. WPPs director, Howard Paster, is responsible for the implementation of this policy. WPPs operating companies, together with the parent company, make a substantial contribution to society e.g. donations to charity and community organizations. They contributed more than à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12 million worth of time, skills, materials and money to social and community causes in 2001. WPP supports a number of community programmes including the Partnership Against Drugs, a UK-government initiative led by Business in the Community, and has participated in the Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum. WPP is a founder member of the RSAs initiative, Centre for Tomorrows Company, which advances best competitive and ethical business practice. As WWP Media is mainly a service-based company, their impact on the environment is small, but the Group recognises that the pursuit of economic growth and a healthy environment are inextricably linked. WPP, as a parent company to their operating companies, upholds the principle of subsidiary and charges their companies to adhere to best practice. In their worldwide operations they endeavour to adopt good environmental practice in respect of premises, equipment and consumption of resources. In the last few years they have invested in millions in improving areas such as education, employment and financed government schemes. As part of WPPs strategy of supporting young people through education, they have pledged 60,000 to Londons first Arts College for the Media Arts: Charles Edward Brooke, a state secondary school for girls from multi-ethnic backgrounds. This government-backed initiative aims to equip young people with the skills needed to succeed in business and to make learning more relevant to the needs of future employers. Group companies are contributing help, counsel and equipment to the college. To carry on the social responsibility doesnt mean the company has to give up their profit, WPPs success has proved that socially responsible firms tend to outperform the market average; it shows the company has long term plan. In addition they will obtain good reputation and stable relationships with their external environment. In conclusion of this essay, WPP Media is showing signs of being a Company that is dedicated to high standards of ethical practice. Their behaviour has met the public expectation, customer demand, also the employees desire. They are taking up projects, policies and standards that please all of their main stakeholders and are still improving every year. Therefore they have obtained not only economic profit but also more importantly, the good reputation, which will benefit their business in long run. Their needs are being met and constantly exercised. It remains to be seen what entails for the company in the future; after all ethical practise should be set as a long-term goal for any organisation and its worth the investment. Bibliography Business strategy, an Introduction  Authors: David Campbell  George Stonehouse, www.weblocate.net.

Adequate is Adequate

Adequate is Adequate Adequate is Adequate Adequate is Adequate By Maeve Maddox From a reader: let me ask if the following usage is correct: The food is adequate enough. Like unique, the adjective adequate says it all. adequate: equal to, or fully sufficient for a specified or implied requirement; often: narrowly or barely sufficient The addition of enough in the following examples is redundant: If you work at it, you can do an adequate-enough job. There are no words that seem adequate enough to describe the thanks and appreciation The Allen test is not adequate enough for the screening of hand circulation I don’t think she did too well on saying I love America. That wasn’t adequate enough †¦ The unnecessary enough seems to be especially common in questions: Are most good freeride bikes adequate enough to race downhill Are there any words adequate enough to describe peace? Photoshop adequate enough for Screen-Print Designs? Is PC gaming desirably adequate enough to give up on console When apologizing is saying my bad adequate enough? If something is adequate, thats all there is to say: Now is the time to make an adequate income a reality for all of Gods children†¦ Do tinfoil helmets provide adequate protection against mind control rays? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 1When to Form a Plural with an ApostropheSupervise vs. Monitor

Critically appraisal and review the provision of pharmacy services in Essay

Critically appraisal and review the provision of pharmacy services in Luton and Dunstable University Hospital - Essay Example UKCPA motivates experts in the medical sectors to benefit the patients or the public through standard health care, workshops and encouraging innovations in health care sector among others (John, 2013). This discourse is about Luton and Dunstable University Hospital’s pharmacy and its comparison with that of Saudi Arabia hospital. Luton and Dunstable University Hospital is situated next to M1 motorway, just between the Luton and Dunstable towns. The hospital can be accessed through the Lewsey road or Dunstable road. The hospital can also be accessed through various bus routes and these are the Arriva and Centre bus routes. Luton is one of the United Kingdom’s largest towns. It neighbors Dunstable and Houghton Regis and it is about 50km in the northern part of London. According to the United Kingdom 2011 census, Luton had a population of about 203,200. This was a 10.2 increase from the 2001 census. Out of the 203,200, 46,756 were below the age of 16, 145,208 were aged between 16 and 74, while about 11,23o were aged 75 and above. The local inhabitants are mainly the Lutonians; however, the presence of some immigrants cannot be assumed. The immigration started in the early 20th century when the Irish and Scottish arrived. The groups were later followed by Afro-Caribbean and Asians. Recently, several immigrants from Eastern Europe found home in Luton and this is enough evidence that the town is comprised of various ethnicities. To go with statistics, Pakistani makes 14.4%, Indian makes 5.2% while Bangladeshi makes 6.7% of the total Luton population (Office for National Statistics, 2012). However, t he whites still remain the majority in the town. According to 2011 UK census, Luton ethnicity comprised of 54.6% whites, 4.1% mixed, 30% Asian or Asian British, 9.8% black or Black British while the rest make 1.5%. There are various religious groups and these include

Cause and Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cause and Effect - Essay Example Competition in the automobile industry has increased significantly in recent years. As a result customers are demanding high quality products at lower prices, and this is one of the main causes of outsourcing manufacturing of materials to foreign countries. Many automobile manufacturers are producing their materials in Third World countries in hopes of cheap labor and, therefore, the company will have to respond to the industry trend (Duhigg & Bradsher, 2012). Competitors in the automobile industry are desperately trying to increase their market share at any cost. In such a competitive environment, it is not possible for our company not to outsource manufacturing to foreign manufacturers. Another important cause of taking the outsourcing decision is the inefficiencies in local production. The cost of production in the developed world is increasingly rapidly and, therefore, it is not possible for companies to achieve high level of efficiency. Local employees have to be provided with employee benefits and a range of other facilities. Local employees can also not work for longer shifts continuously. It has also become difficult to increase productivity in a short span of time without sacrificing money while working with local workforce. This is why local production has become inefficient and this is one of the most important causes of outsourcing to foreign manufacturers. Production is also not very flexible locally which is why it takes a lot of time to respond to market changes (Duhigg & Bradsher, 2012). Specialized manufacturing companies can do this in a lot less time than local companies. Changing production outcomes and redesigning the process is a time consuming process and, therefore, it reduces the flexibility of our company. In today’s competitive business environment, it is essential that firms respond to market changes and customer demand in a very short

Cash study Case Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cash - Case Study Example The growth in these sectors not only brings in additional income and revenue in the economy but also ensures that it remains stable. The decision by the Indian government to ease restriction on foreign ownership has attracted foreign players into the telecommunication, hospitality, aviation and transport industry. All these have led to economic growth thus making India a land of opportunities. The Indian government has continued to show a lot of interest in foreign investments. Policies intended to attract more investors have been passed. 2. The resources and capabilities of the international hotels are considered to be among the fundamental sources of competitive advantage within the areas they are operating in. Most of these international hotels have been in operation for quite a long time and they own several properties in various world locations. According to Enz (2010), international firms and hotels have resources that allow them to not only have an upper hand compared to local hotels but also attain superior performance. The advantage can be sustained over a long period of time to an extent that such hotels are able to protect themselves from resource imitation, substitution and even transfer. Armstrong (2011) points out that a company’s internal resources which include cash and other capabilities are more important than the external factors when it comes to achieving and sustaining competitive advantage. Resources like employee, experience and skills basically help in exploiting opportunities and also neutralizing potential threats. 3. India continues to grab headlines for its economic growth and boom. The high growth rates have not been ignored in the global discussion. International firms have therefore decided to open up their deep pockets as part of their investment strategies in the global markets. Despite the rising need for the services, the local firms and chains must come up with policies that will not only allow them

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

Cessationism - Essay Example Depending on their level of belief against spiritual gifts, cessationists may be divided into four groups, classical, concentric, consistent and full cessationists. In general, cessationists believe that cessation ended with the end of the apostolic era; beginning on the day of Pentecost and ending when the last apostle died to the fulfilment of the purpose of God in history1. In other words, cessationists believe that miraculous activities were purposely meant to authenticate the church and to aid its stable establishment2. According to the Bible (Exodus 4:1-8), Moses was given the power to perform extraordinary works in order to establish his ministry before Pharaoh as being authentic. In a similar manner, Elijah before Ahab authenticated his ministry as noted in 1 Kings 17:1 and 18:24-25. In the New Testament, the book of Acts, the apostles performed miracle acts after they were filled with the Holy Ghost in replication of Jesus’ works. In general, many authors have agreed that biblically, miracles may be clustered according to periods; Moses, the prophets including Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, among others, the first coming of Jesus, and the Second coming of Christ3. However, the bible is silent in certain periods which may not mean that miracles did not happen at such times. Citing scriptures such as Ephesians 2:20 and 1Corinthians 13: 8-10 and works written by people in ancient periods such as Justin Martyr, Augustine, Clement of Rome, and Origen among others, Cessationists make their claims against the existence of miracles today4. However, a close analysis of these claims reveal that they go against the teachings of the bible concerning the continuation of spiritual gifts as stated in Romans 11:29. While Cessationists in their different categories believe that God still has the power to perform miracles through humans, this never happens in the current day noting that God’s mission of establishing a stable church has been

University of Chichester Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

University of Chichester - Coursework Example Britain had been traditionally proud of her universities with good reasons. For centuries now British higher educational institutions had been applauded from every quarter and now with the changed outlook after the globalisation, and the need for higher education in the best universities of the world, the same universities, which were exalted portals of a great educational system, have changed with the time and have become education providers and the institutions that train tomorrow's business leaders. A study of one of the thus altered universities of United Kingdom, Chichester, is the topic of this brief research. The current study will go through the reasons why international students prefer this university, and what are the marketing strategies that the university offers etc. The study will have a closer look at the preferential decision psychology of the international students and the reasons behind such compulsions. As the number of international students keeps growing every ye ar, it becomes imperative to know their reactions, preferences, choice compulsions, and their assimilation capabilities with another culture and the satisfaction level. With the government laying stress on using the educational institutions that are now being treated as already made national investments, it is important for the universities to offer sought after courses with adequate academic back-up and run like well-managed business organisations. Universities today are functioning like any other business houses with impressive competition by other universities who would like to make it to the forefront. Hence, this study attains importance in the light of the above, because it is necessary to know why the international students, who are today treated as customers of the service providing universities, are interested in coming to Chichester more than most of the universities. It is also significant to understand what service Chichester provides that might not be offered by other universities and thus, the study is pertinent and important. METHODOLOGY Methodology of this study depends on primary research in the form of semi-structured questionnaires with connected informal questions that could be asked along with primary questions. There exists a sensible questionnaire with pertinent set of questions and these questions were presented for the student reactions. A group of 200 students was picked up and it had 92 males and 108 female students belonging to cross sections of courses. Out of them, seven had disabilities and three learning disorders. They are effectively managed and helped by the disability provider section and have no complaints owing to their situation. They came from all parts of European Union, including even the newest members of EU. Twelve of them are here on exchange programmes and will return to their mother universities after one year and they are highly enthusiastic about their Chichester experience and showed an obvious reluctance to leave the university. It looked as though the exchange students had only po sitive points about the university and were pleased by everything they saw and experienced. Even though research had no connection with sexual orientation, four students mentioned that they belonged to the homosexual crowd and have not countered any bias or prejudice either from the university or from the fellow students. They have their own choices of entertaining places, clubs, eateries and they seem to be very comfortable in and out of

The Milgrim Experiment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Milgrim Experiment - Research Paper Example ions as well as the growing generation of youngsters and teenagers when it comes to the factors of social influence, obedience to authority, and ethics. Social influence has always been a factor of society, and Milgram’s research into conformity is still relevant today. Children, teenagers especially, are eager to conform and look, dress, and act like each other. Peer pressure is rampant; the idea that one must ‘go along with’ the crowd in order to succeed is still felt. An important example is one that includes harmful activities such as smoking and drinking. When pressured, a teen is more likely to go along with the crowd that is smoking and drinking, believing that unless he or she follows them, ridicule and an otherwise painful life alone without any friends will occur. Though there has never been any question that the military itself is based on authority and willingness to follow the orders of those in authority, Milgram’s work is still seen in action today. In â€Å"The Milgram Experiment†, he documented the response of participants to following orders given to them and their willingness to carry them out, even when they knew that it would potentially inflict harm on others. This is seen today in the reports coming from various military sources such as the Abu-Graib prison, in which military members are still strongly asserting that they were given and were just following orders during the times that they performed acts on the prisoners that would lead to possibly severe psychological scarring. Ethics is frequently brought front and center when it deals with Dr. Milgram’s experiments. It is without question that Dr. Milgram himself had ethics; his experiments were actually designed to conclude with proof the statements of the criminals made at the Nazi war crimes hearings, in that they were simply â€Å"following orders† when they performed their crimes. During Milgram’s experiments, no actual human beings were harmed, even though those taking

University of Chichester Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

University of Chichester - Coursework Example Britain had been traditionally proud of her universities with good reasons. For centuries now British higher educational institutions had been applauded from every quarter and now with the changed outlook after the globalisation, and the need for higher education in the best universities of the world, the same universities, which were exalted portals of a great educational system, have changed with the time and have become education providers and the institutions that train tomorrow's business leaders. A study of one of the thus altered universities of United Kingdom, Chichester, is the topic of this brief research. The current study will go through the reasons why international students prefer this university, and what are the marketing strategies that the university offers etc. The study will have a closer look at the preferential decision psychology of the international students and the reasons behind such compulsions. As the number of international students keeps growing every ye ar, it becomes imperative to know their reactions, preferences, choice compulsions, and their assimilation capabilities with another culture and the satisfaction level. With the government laying stress on using the educational institutions that are now being treated as already made national investments, it is important for the universities to offer sought after courses with adequate academic back-up and run like well-managed business organisations. Universities today are functioning like any other business houses with impressive competition by other universities who would like to make it to the forefront. Hence, this study attains importance in the light of the above, because it is necessary to know why the international students, who are today treated as customers of the service providing universities, are interested in coming to Chichester more than most of the universities. It is also significant to understand what service Chichester provides that might not be offered by other universities and thus, the study is pertinent and important. METHODOLOGY Methodology of this study depends on primary research in the form of semi-structured questionnaires with connected informal questions that could be asked along with primary questions. There exists a sensible questionnaire with pertinent set of questions and these questions were presented for the student reactions. A group of 200 students was picked up and it had 92 males and 108 female students belonging to cross sections of courses. Out of them, seven had disabilities and three learning disorders. They are effectively managed and helped by the disability provider section and have no complaints owing to their situation. They came from all parts of European Union, including even the newest members of EU. Twelve of them are here on exchange programmes and will return to their mother universities after one year and they are highly enthusiastic about their Chichester experience and showed an obvious reluctance to leave the university. It looked as though the exchange students had only po sitive points about the university and were pleased by everything they saw and experienced. Even though research had no connection with sexual orientation, four students mentioned that they belonged to the homosexual crowd and have not countered any bias or prejudice either from the university or from the fellow students. They have their own choices of entertaining places, clubs, eateries and they seem to be very comfortable in and out of

The Development and Use of the Six Markets Model Essay Example for Free

The Development and Use of the Six Markets Model Essay Introduction The idea that business organisations have a range of stakeholders other than shareholders is obvious. Yet stakeholder theory has not guided mainstream marketing practice to any great extent (Polonsky, 1995). To use the theory/practice distinction provided by Argyris and Schon (1978), it is a theory espoused rather more than a theory practiced in action. Research by Freeman and Reed (1983) traced the origins of the stakeholder concept to the Stanford Research Institute. They suggest a SRI internal document of 1963 is the earliest example of the term’s usage. This document included customers, shareowners, employees, suppliers, lenders and society in its list of stakeholders. The stakeholder concept has attracted considerable interest in the strategic management literature, especially since the publication of an influential text (Freeman, 1984) that contained a deceptively simple but broad definition of stakeholders (p. 46), namely: â€Å". . . all of those groups and individuals that can affect, or are affected by, the accomplishment of organizational purpose†. An important dialogue on stakeholder theory has emerged over the past decade, especially in articles and contributions to the Academy of Management Review, starting with a critique from Donaldson and Preston (1995) that argued that three associated strands of theory might converge within a justifiable stakeholder theory, namely descriptive accuracy, instrumental power and normative validity. Stakeholder theory is clearly an important issue in strategy (e.g. Carroll, 1989; Donaldson and Preston, 1995; Harrison and St John, 1996; Useem, 1996; Campbell, 1997; Harrison and Freeman, 1999). However, within the strategy field there is not a great deal of agreement on the scope of stakeholder theory (Harrison and Freeman, 1999). In particular, there is still a debate regarding which constituent groups an organisation should consider as stakeholders. For example, Argenti (1997) suggested an infinite number of potential groups while Freeman (1984) has argued that there is excessive breadth in identification of stakeholders. Recently Polonsky et al. (2003) concluded that there are â€Å"no universally accepted definitions of stakeholder theory or even what constitutes a  stakeholder† (p. 351). However, they see two rival perspectives: one where stakeholder intent means â€Å"improving corporate performance†, and another where it means â€Å"maximising social welfare and minimising the level of harm produced within the exchange process† (p. 351). While these aims may never be entirely reconciled in practice (Gioia, 1999), the dominant assumption that the pursuit of â€Å"profit† is for the shareholders effectively denies legitimacy to other claims to the meaning of profit as a â€Å"shared benefit†, or as aâ€Å"shared good† (Smithee and Lee, 2004). Relationship-based approaches to marketing offer a reformist stakeholder agenda with an emphasis on stakeholder collaboration beyond the immediacy of market transactions. According to different authors, this involves creating exchanges of mutually beneficial value (Christopher et al., 2002), interactions within networks of relationships (Gummesson, 1999), or mutual commitment and trust that may or may not be achievable (Morgan and Hunt, 1994). Relating is connecting, and at its simplest level, a relationship is a state of being connected. A critical question arises: â€Å"With whom are you connected, and why?†. These questions require judgments about particular relationships – and strategic value choices. This article explores the development, extension and use of the â€Å"six markets† stakeholder model (Christopher et al., 1991) and proposes a framework for analyzing stakeholder relationships and planning stakeholder strategy. The article is structured as follows. First, we review the role of stakeholders in relationship marketing. Second, we discuss the development and refinement of the six markets model, and describe how the model has been operationalised and refined as a result of testing and experience in use with managers. Next, we discuss the development of a stakeholder relationship planning model that enables strategies to be developed for each stakeholder group. Finally, we discuss the managerial and research issues associated with stakeholder theory in marketing and review some future research opportunities. Our objective is to explain how a conceptual stakeholder model has practical application in marketing management and in this way make a contribution  towards eliminating the current gap between stakeholder theories and marketing practice. Relationship marketing and the role of stakeholders Marketing interest in relationship based strategic approaches has increased strongly over the last decade in line with expanding global markets, the ongoing deregulation of many industries and the application of new information and communication technologies. Notwithstanding, practitioners and academics alike can overlook the fact that business and industrial relationships are of many kinds (Wilkinson and Young, 1994), and that an understanding of the value generating processes is required (Anderson and Narus, 1999; Donaldson and O’Toole, 2002; Gro ¨nroos, 1997; Payne and Holt, 1999; Ravald and Gro ¨nroos, 1996; Tzokas and Saren, 1999; Wilson and Jantrania, 1994). Understanding the role of long-term relationships with both customer and other stakeholder groups has been largely neglected in the mainstream marketing literature but is acknowledged in the relationship marketing literature (e.g. Gro ¨nroos, 1994; Gummesson, 1995; Hennig-Thurau and Hansen, 2000; Ha °kansson, 1982; Mo ¨ller, 1992, 1994; Parvatiyar and Sheth, 1997; Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1995). Kotler (1992) has on occasion called for a broadening of marketing interests to take into account the relationships between an organisation and its publics. However, it is the relationship marketing literature in particular that has stressed the importance of stakeholder relationships (e.g. Christopher et al., 1991; Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Doyle, 1995; Gummesson, 1995; Buttle, 1999). Gummesson (2002b) has provided a comparison of four of the better known approaches to classifying multiple stakeholders, including Christopher et al. (1991), Kotler (1992),Morgan and Hunt (1994), and also Gummesson (1994). While the first three of these models are concerned with the relationships that an organisation has with its more traditional stakeholders, the approach of Gummesson (1994) goes beyond the focus of this article in that it includes criminal network relationships, para-social relationships and supranational mega-alliances. The Christopher et al. (1991) framework has six stakeholder market domains, each of which comprises a number of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"sub-markets†, while that of Kotler (1992) identifies ten specific constituents. Morgan and Hunt (1994) suggest ten relationship exchanges with four partnership groups. Other models include the SCOPE model (Buttle, 1999) and a framework by Doyle (1995). The conceptual model and the related planning framework described in this article are the result of recursive research and development over a number of years. Our initial conceptual work on the model was later supplemented with learning from field-based interactions with marketing managers and other executives in order to further refine it and to develop the conceptual planning framework reported here. This follows what Gummesson (2002a) terms â€Å"interactive research†. This research approach emphasizes that interaction and communication play a crucial part in research and that testing concepts, ideas and results through interaction with different target groups is an integral part of the theory development and indeed the whole research process (Gummesson, 2002a, pp. 344-6). Managers’ observations and suggestions were found to be invaluable in developing and refining the model, supporting Gioia and Pitre’s (1990) proposals that multiple perspectives yield a more comprehensive view of organizational phenomena and where assumptions about the processes under enquiry can be modified by further consultation with informants. Research objectives and approach The objective of the research was to develop and refine the six markets model through testing its applicability in a wide range of organisational contexts. More specifically, we wished to develop a categorization scheme that enabled key constituent stakeholder groups within each market domain to be identified and classified and to develop a stakeholder planning framework. This was motivated, in part, by managers in these companies who expressed the need for both a classification scheme and a planning framework. We have utilized a range of approaches over a number of years in our research to test and refine the six markets model and the planning framework and to  gain field-based insights, including: 1) Piloting and testing the six markets model with an initial group of 15 UKorganisations. The organisations in this sample were drawn from a range of sectors including manufacturing (two), financial services including banking and insurance (six), other services including retailing (six), professional services (two) and one not-for-profit industry association (the Royal Aeronautical Society). All were very large firms within their sector with the exception of the two professional services firms and the not-for-profit organization. 2) Using the model in substantive case studies on UK organisations in the following sectors: retailing (two), manufacturing (two), a global airline and a major conservation charity. 3) Using the framework as a planning tool in a two major international banks (one a l arge British commercial and retail bank, the other a large French investment bank), chosen as they had challenging and complex stakeholder issues across many countries. A total of eight workshops was used to analyse stakeholder markets in four countries for the first bank and six workshops in three countries for the second bank. 4) Working on projects with over 80 further organisations to evolve and test the planning framework. This involved working with groups of mid-career managers in the UK and Australia. Given the predominantly service-based economies of the developed countries in which this research was undertaken, those organisations that were selected included a high proportion from the services sector. While the earlier research primarily included large organizations in their sectors, this work also included a selection of medium-sized and smaller organisations. Overall, 65 per cent of the organisations were from the services sector, 20 per cent from manufacturing and 15 per cent from the not-for-profit sector. A wide diversity of organisations was used, including financial services companies, retailing and other services, manufacturing companies, a mobile telephony company, a major hotel chain, an insurance broker, a consulting firm, an airport authority, a university, a conference centre, a holiday company, a foreign languages teaching institute and a hospice. Our shared learning approach also draws on action research concepts suggested by Rapoport (1970) which aim at contributing to the practical concerns of people in a challenging situation – such as stakeholder management – and to  the goals of research by collaboration within a mutually acceptable framework. The revised six markets model (Christopher et al., 2002) is shown in Figure 1. The intent behind the model is to emphasise relationships between the organisation and all its stakeholder constituents in each of six â€Å"markets†. The key assumption is that organisations can only optimise relationships with customers if they understand and manage relationships with other relevant stakeholders. This model addresses the concern raised by Dill (1975) that some groups or parties may be involved in multiple role relationships. Any one constituent group, firm or individual may be classified within one or more of these market domains. For example, customers may play a role within the customer market (where the interaction is between a firm and its customers) and in the referral market (where the interaction is between an existing customer and a prospective customer). The six markets model provides a structure for managers in organisations to undertake a diagnostic review of the key market domains and stakeholders that may be important to them. As a result of this diagnosis, they will be able to identify a number of key constituents within the market domains that are strategically critical, or where unexpected opportunities emerge. Using and testing the model These six key market domains represent groups that can have a significant impact on an organisation’s marketplace effectiveness. Each â€Å"market† is made up of a number key groups, segments, or participants. To test the applicability of the model we followed four steps: (1) identify key participants, or segments, within each of the market domains; (2) review expectations and needs of key participants; (3) review current and proposed level of emphasis in each market; and (4) formulate an appropriate relationship strategy. In this section we consider the first two steps. We worked with groups of  managers to address these steps. Typically, the group comprised three to six mid-career managers from a range of functional backgrounds. The process started with the examination and analysis of each market domain to identify the key groups of participants or market segments within each of them. We explored the expectations and needs of each of the identified stakeholder groups through a combination of approaches, including interviews and questionnaires and a review of key issues with senior management. In applying the revised six markets model above we found all stakeholders we identified could be conveniently categorised into one of the six market domains. Initially the identification of the constituent groups within each market domain, for a given organization, was approached on a case-by-case basis. However, as our experience in using the model grew, the need for a more specific categorisation became apparent. This was prompted, in part, by research such as Lovelock’s (1995) work on classifying supplementary services. Developing and refining categorisation schemes for stakeholders was important because, as Emshoff and Freeman (1979) have noted, functionally based organizations typically place too much resource emphasis on highly visible stakeholders such as their customers, and too little emphasis on other special interest groups whose management falls outside specific functional boundaries. Identification of all relevant stakeholder groups should enhance their visibility and lead to their greater prominence within the organization – thus the company is more likely address them as part of an integrated stakeholder strat egy. Through the work in the companies referred to above, a categorisation scheme was developed and refined over time that assisted the identification of typical groups within each market domain. In summary, this categorisation of market domains identified the following constituents: 1) Customer markets are made up of buyers (e.g. a wholesaler), intermediaries and final consumers. Each intermediary or member of the supply chain can then be further sub-divided according to the most relevant segmentation approach. 2) Referral markets comprise two main categories – customer and non-customer referral sources. The customer category includes advocacy referrals (or  advocate-initiated customer referrals) and customer-base development (or company-initiated customer referrals). The wide range of non-customer referrals are divided into general referrals, reciprocal referrals, incentive-based referrals and staff referrals. 3) Supplier and alliance markets – suppliers provide physical resources to the business and can be classified into strategic suppliers, key suppliers, approved suppliers and nominated suppliers. Alliance partners supply competencies and capabilities that are typically knowledge-based rather than product-based, and Sheth’s (1994) classification of alliance, partnering transaction and co-operative relationships is especially useful here. 4) Influence markets have the most diverse range of constituent groups, including financial and investor groups, unions, industry bodies, regulatory bodies, business press and media, user and evaluator groups, environmental groups, political and government agencies, and competitors. 5) Recruitment markets comprise all potential employees together with the third parties that serve as access channels. They can be segmented by function, job role, geography and level of seniority. Channels include executive search companies, employment agencies, job centres, off-line and on-line advertising, and using an organisation’s own staff to suggest potential applicants. 6) Internal markets follow the segmentation used for potential employees in the recruitment market, i.e. by function, job role, geography and level of seniority. Special emphasis needs to be placed on behavioural characteristics for customer-facing employees. From this testing of the six market categories, we concluded that they are a workable reference frame to consider a broader range of constituent stakeholders, whether individuals, groups, or others whose interests have relevance to the enterprise. Further development of the model Having identified relevant stakeholders, the third step outlined above involved a review of the current and proposed level of emphasis on each market domain. Not all stakeholder markets require the same degree of attention and emphasis, and Gummesson (1994) has argued that managers need  to prioritise and establish the appropriate mix of relationships needed for the company’s success. To identify the present level of emphasis and the future desired emphasis on each of the market domains and their constituent parts, we developed a stakeholder network map (Payne, 1995). This was used to identify an organisation’s present emphasis on each market, the desired emphasis at a future point in time, and the gap between these two positions. This network map configures each of the major market domains, including customer markets (which are sub-divided into existing and new customers), on a series of axes and enables a group of managers within a firm to make an assessment as to the current and desired levels of emphasis on each market domain by means of a jury of executive opinion – usually developed from inputs from one or more groups of senior managers within the organisation being examined. Although this work resulted in some initial variation of views amongst managers regarding present and desired emphasis, as a result of more detailed discussion the outcome was generally a strong degree of consensus amongst these managers. The stakeholder network map has seven axes – two for customers (existing and new) and one for each of the other five relationship markets discussed earlier. The scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high) reflects the degree of emphasis (costs and effects) placed on each relationship market. The division of customers into â€Å"new† and â€Å"existing† reflects the two critical tasks within the customer domain, those of customer attraction and customer retention. Figure 2 shows a network map for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a major British conservation charity. It shows the current emphasis (at the time of analysis) and the proposed new emphasis. At this point in time the RSPB might have considered a number of issues, such as: 1) placing greater attention on retaining existing members; 2) a reinforcement of customer care and service quality issues with internal staff; and 3) a stronger focus on influence markets (Payne, 2000). The analysis shown in Figure 2 represents the first level of diagnostic  review of the overall emphasis at the market domain level, in order to make an initial judgement as to the existing and desired relevant emphasis. A second level of analysis explores each market domain in much greater detail and enables analysis at the sub-segment or group level within the domains. For example, in the analysis of the referral market for a major international accounting firm we identified present and future desired emphasis on a number of groups within the referral market domain, including their clients, banks, joint venture candidates, their international practice and their audit practice. We have used the stakeholder network mapping technique in our research with many organisations. Although simple in concept, it has proved a robust means of considering the network of stakeholder relationships that organisations need to address. The diagrammatic representation has been especially useful in helping executives visualise the importance of various stakeholders. Further, the time dimension for the proposed relationship strategy, usually within a two- to three-year planning horizon, has been useful in determining the changes required in stakeholder emphasis. This addresses the concern of Dill (1975) regarding the need to take the time dimension into account.

Soft System Methodology

Soft System Methodology Andrzej Werner   Soft System Methodology can be described as a 7-step process aimed to help provide a solution to real life problematic situation caused by two different perceptions by implementing defensible and sensible models for comparison with the situation in real life in order to assist in making decisions or recommendations as to the solution or response for the problem. Those models are referred to as Conceptual models, those models logically represent what steps needs to be undertaken, in order to achieve desired effect stated in root definitions which are created based on the roles, norms and values taken from the identified problem. In another words conceptual models are models that show what a good standard looks like as to compare it with the real life situation to see what needs to be done to achieve that good quality standard. (Burge 1-14) A Law firm by the name of Crane, Poole and Schmidt is a professional law company with 15 years of experience; their reputation is well known as one of the law firms with unbeatable and compassionate lawyers.   In order to keep on top of the competitors, the companys IT department requires upgrading their infrastructure to be more efficient and reliable for research and documents to be exchanged. However the company is limited in the amount of money they can spend on the upgrade and cloud computing alternatives are not cheap. In order to develop accurate conceptual models for comparison of different possible solutions to the situation, first the problem has to be identified by recognizing the roles, norms and values for the people involved within the problem. In case of Crane, Poole and Schmidt the IT department wants to upgrade their infrastructure in order to benefit from the could-computing increasing the company efficiency, productivity and income. As Crane, Poole and Schmidt would be the first company to adopt could-computing technologies, that would give them a significant advantage and more modern approach over competitor companies. The first step is to identify the roles; those roles are social positions being involved within the problem. Those roles are categorized by expected norms or behaviors in it, which is judged by the local values or standards that the person within the position of the role needs to achieve and accomplish. (Checkland 13-328) Role Board of directors   CEO The role of the Board of directors CEO is to manage the firm as well as conclude board meetings in case of larger scale decisions such as upgrade of the IT infrastructure within the Company. They are also responsible for any major contractors and partner companies, as well as conducting and applying new strategies to be ahead of the competitors in their profession. This board is also responsible for granting permissions to any larger scale projects within the company, as well as allowing the required/allocated budget and resources. Norms The standard norms that Board of directors with the CEO should perform include: To carefully analyze the need for a change or the upgrade or the company Monitor financial aspects and act accordingly to the companys best interest Make informed decisions within the best interest of the company Values The values which the role should perform are for the greater good of company so the Board of directors with the CEO will be judged based on the local standards or values: Allocate appropriate budget for the projects Make correct decisions for approval and disapproval, when it comes to projects within the company, strategies used to stay on top of the competitors and/or choice of partners with the firm Role System Analyst The system analyst is responsible for analyzing the current system and its implications, and what could be done to improve it. System analyst will analyze the current system, then design and implement new IT infrastructure. This role is very vital for the upgrade of the IT infrastructure because system analyst will design and implement upgraded IT infrastructure, including both software and hardware requirements. Norms A system analyst has certain norms that his role requires to perform, these norms include: Study the current infrastructure to identify its strong and weak points Design a new infrastructure with necessary hardware and software requirements Implement and test new infrastructure and report back to the IT Department Administrator Values As for the values which the role is expected to achieve, are as follows: Managing the upgrade within the deadline Managing the upgrade within a given budget Reviewing the progress of the implementation Determine possible options for the upgrade, including hardware and software requirements. Communication with the IT department and third-party online cloud based solutions. Role IT Department Administrator The administrator of the IT department (henceforth admin) is a crucial role to a company; because the administration department is responsible for smooth flow of information between different departments within the company. The role of administrator of any department comes with specific responsibilities which need to be fulfilled. In this case: managing the IT department, any projects that incorporate the IT department, manage the performance of department and its impact on the company, as well as managing the approved budget for the department and IT infrastructure of the company. (Mishra) Norms With the role of an admin of a department there are specific norms that the role should exhibit, these involve: To be able to improve employees capability to manage and organize the workplace in professional and effective manner Advance a suitable assets management approach Advance a suitable workplace management approach Capable of creating administrative procedures Capable of planning and controlling given budget for the department Values A role of administrator also requires specific values to be achieved by occupant of that role. As for the occupant of the role these values are what the occupant is judged on. The occupant needs to be able to manage and plan budget well for the department Admin also is required to manage the department to ensure professional and efficient working standard Admin is also required to ensure the IT infrastructure of the firm is working without any complications Role Financial Manager The role of a financial manager is to be responsible for financial condition of the company; their job involves data analysis and advising senior managers on different strategies for maximizing the company profit. The financial manager will be responsible for calculating the budget for the upgrade of the IT infrastructure; they will calculate costs for upgrade of the infrastructure but also the estimated savings achieved by this upgrade. (Derweesh, Schnitzer and Stettin) Norms The standards that the financial manager must achieve in his performance are as follows: Organize business motion reports and financial statements Ensure legal requirements are achieved by observing over the financial details Assist the management in financial judgments Analyze company financial records and position and seek a new strategies for cost reduction Perform analysis of the market to spot potential possibilities for increase of the company and obtaining new companies Values A role of financial manager is not easy and often requires working in-collaboration with executives group, CEOs and administrative boards. This role is assessed by certain values which include: Financial condition of the firm Net income of the company Costs and Cost reduction strategies Making sure that all of the legal requirements are met for any transaction performed by the company. Role End-user The end-user group is a role in which the employees of the firm, is a role that is important where each employee is doing their designated tasks in order to improve the growth, efficiency and functionality of the firm. Those employees are using the companys IT infrastructure on daily basis changing it will also have a specific impact on those end-users. Norms Norms that belong to end-user role are: Performing their part in the company and professionally and efficiently deal with the tasks assigned Be responsible for customer data safety and integrity Use the company IT services for work on daily basis Values The values which this role should exhibit are: Perform the job/task professionally, ethically, lawfully and efficiently Work with customers and their data Always represent company in a good name Do not use companys IT services for reasons not associated with work Role Third-Party Companies Another role involved with this upgrade is third-party cloud companies,   which will be used in the upgrade of the infrastructure. Those companies occupy a role where they are responsible for providing cloud-based service to the company and all of its employees, as well as ensuring the safety of the firm and customer data. Norms The norms that this role should exhibit are as follows: 99.9% uptime of the servers and the service Good data security Good customer support Variable price range and different package options Good back-up and disaster recovery planning Values This role also has its values which need to be achieved in order to be recognized as a professional company and service in the industry. Those values are what the companies providing the service are judged on, these include: Uptime of the servers providing the service Amount of security breaches the company has had Techniques for security of the data Price being comparable to the competitors Quality of the customer support Quality of the service Rich Picture The root definitions are used to logically figure out what steps the company will need to undertake, to achieve the desired outcome of the definition. The root definition comes from CATWOE analysis which consists of six stages, including; client, actors, transformation, world view, owner and environment. (Simonsen 1-18), (Williams 1-20) C Client As the receiving party, client in this scenario are the end-users of the system (employees using the current IT infrastructure), the main issue that the client has is that they are comfortable with the current IT infrastructure and they do not want any changes, additionally the end-users are not happy that they have to go through additional training to get used to new system while dealing with the customers. Even though the clients like the idea of a cloud based infrastructure, they are afraid about their ability to perform their tasks on a new system, thinking that the company will increase its profits while the employees will have to work with new and unfamiliar infrastructure. A Actors The actors are the roles which will perform the Transformation (T), people involved in the upgrade of the IT infrastructure are the board of directors and CEOs, IT department admin, financial manager and system analyst. The impact which they will experience is additional work for most of the sides, as well as additional costs to higher system analyst and the budget for the upgrade. The final decision is going to be made by the board of directors and CEOs whether the upgrade is possible/ required or neither. The actors which work in the company may not be happy about additional costs and work, however they know the reason for this upgrade is to constantly stand out above the competitors, at the same time they see benefits for the work flow within the company. T- Transformation The process of transformation in this case is the process of taking inputs which are the opinions of the employees as to see what they think about the cloud based infrastructure and transforming that into the system requirements for the end-users. As well as taking current IT system hardware and software resources and transforming them into an extra budget for the upgrade, what resources are needed and which can be sold that decision will be made by the IT department administrator. The overall budget will be allocated by the board of directors and CEOs influenced by the opinion from the financial manager. In order for the transformation to be successful certain steps need to be undertaken. First step would be for the CEOs to decide whether the upgrade is required or not, after which they would consult with the financial manager which could calculate estimated budget available for the upgrade. The approval for the upgrade along with the budget would be given to the admin of the IT department which then will be required to employ system analyst who will handle the upgrade within the estimated budget, and they will be responsible for finding system requirements by obtaining opinion from the end-users. System analyst will also be required to deal with 3rd party cloud service providers. (Simonsen 1-18) The output from this transformation will be increased working efficiency as the end-users will be able to perform some of the tasks in the comfort of their own home; additionally the reduction in hardware will increase company income as well as reduction in the personnel due to surplus to requirements will increase the company savings. The admin of the IT department will then develop a training program for the end-users. W World View The upgrade of the IT infrastructure is necessary for the company to stand out above the competitor in the industry, overall increasing the company productivity and profits. In a greater scheme of things, law firms are very strict about their working ethics and are not keen for any big changes as this could have an impact not only on the working efficiency of the employees but also on the customers which put trust into the company. As technology progresses increasing the benefits for many businesses, law firms also need to adapt to stay within the market and be viable to the target audience. In the bigger picture companies with a fast and reliable IT system can process and handle more customers at once increasing the profit, however as law firms are recognized as very respectful companies any mistakes made can have a dramatic impact on the customer basis and their trust. The wider impact of the solution is to not only increase company profit by upgrading to cloud but also to reduce hardware resources in effect becoming more eco-friendly, allowing the employees to work from home by connecting to cloud services as a result increasing the area of work to work with more customers, aside from cost and staff reduction the company will be noticeable as more modern with the same professional and ethical approach which will increase its popularity with the industry. O Owner The owner which is responsible for the upgrade and the IT system is the admin of the IT department, however the main owner are the CEOs of the firm, ultimately every bigger decision goes through them and they decide what to do as they give out the permission for the process and the budget. The owner is limited in the amount of assistance they can provide due to dealing with other projects, contracts and competitors, they can provide the permission for the upgrade and the budget but the rest of decision making and responsibility lies with the admin of the IT department. If the main owner would be constantly changing their mind on the allocated budget or the admin of the IT department would not be able to implement and manage the new system that could get in the way. However with a good level of communication with the CEOs is kept and all the benefits along with the design of the new system would be presented to them, that could potentially lead the owner to help out even more by for example making the budget more flexible. E Environment When it comes to changes within the system and how to company operates there are environmental constraints that need to be fellfield, these can range from simple in company rules/ guidelines to legislations and regulations necessary for the company lawful functionality. There are current laws and regulations which the company has to follow such as Data Protection Act 1998, Legal Services Act 2007, the Health and Safety Act 1974 and Companies Act 2006. All of those regulations and legislations are in place as the firm is responsible for protecting and promoting the public interest. Aside from the laws and regulations already in place, in order to perform transformation processes there are environmental aspects to take into consideration when picking partners which will provide the service. As the law firms deals with not only the company data but also customer data, when performing the upgrade the service provides should ensure the full Safe Harbour agreement if any or all information would be stored outside the EEA. The service provider also should ensure that the communication between the employees that are working on the move is secured, as well as the provider should ensure 24h access to the service. Additionally the service should have compliance with ISO 20071 and must include requirements of the SRA Code of Conduct. Root definition One A system administered by the admin of the IT department owned by CEOs Crane, Poole and Schmidt, requires upgrade due to the system being slow and not secure. Upgrading to cloud based alternatives would sort out the matter of security as well as storage. By upgrading to cloud computing as a result there will be a reduction of human resources in the office allowing the end-users to travel to client locations increasing in company productivity, reputation and services. Because of the transformation certain new legislations and policy comes into place, not only keeping the use of service for professional and ethical reasons, ensuring data integrity by following Data Protection Act 1998 and ensure that no end-user will breach regulations such as Computer Misuse Act 1990. By moving into the cloud computing some new challenges could be created where some of the customer basis could have a doubt about their private data being stored somewhere in an unknown location. Using the service providers that are based only within the EEA is a must as it ensures data protection laws additionally the service provider should ideally also follow SRA Code of Conduct. However another way to ease those in doubt would be to implement a hybrid system where some of the data is stored locally and some of the data is stored on secure servers in the cloud. Also the use of encryption software to automatically encrypt company documents and customer data would put additional level of security in place. (Burge 1-14) C Client As a client in this case customers are the main recipients of the benefit from the upgrade of the infrastructure as they will be able appointments done not only in the office but also over the internet and in the comfort of their own home. The employees will be able to carry their data and files with them to the customer location and present all the information there by accessing the company data, stored on a secure server in the cloud. A Actors As for the people performing the transformation, actors include the main directors and CEOs which will be able to approve and provide the budget for the upgrade, financial manager will assist CEOs in budget allocation and admin of the IT department with budget management. The admin will be responsible for management of the upgrade and training for the end-users, he will also employ a system analyst for advice and guidance during the upgrade. T Transformation Transformation is focused on reduction of the redundant resources and implementing a cloud-based infrastructure which will be used by end-users to do the honors for the customers, increasing the employee productivity, company income and customer satisfaction. The entities responsible for the upgrade are the admin of the IT department with the assistance of system analyst and financial manager. Another important factor of the transformation is the review of the performance and income to be able to take improvement action to constantly improve. W World View A good and well respected company in the industry always has to take into consideration their impact and opinion on society, target audience, customers and other parties. Cloud computing is a new technology that grows rapidly, enabling companies to be more flexible in their line of work and benefiting customers by delivering the service to them, additionally reduction in hardware resources will also make the company more eco-friendly. O Owner The real owner of this project is the board of directors CEOs as they make the main and final decisions for the well health being of the company, they are also the entity that has the complete control over the budget designated for the upgrade. By providing sufficient budget and approval for the upgrade the owner assists the actors and improves company reputation, income and efficiency. E Environment As for the environment variable which affect the impacts the upgrade and the company are law legislations, guidelines and regulations which the company has to ensure in order to develop and maintain professional trust with the customers and partners. These legislations would include Data Protection Act 1998, Health and Safety Act 1974 and Legal Services Act 2007. Additionally the company should ensure that the service providers will follow appropriate laws and regulations, such as SRA Code of Conduct (Solicitors Regulation Authority) and ISO 2007/1 guidelines. Root definition Two A system owned by the law firm Crane, Poole and Schmidt, which is under the supervision of the administrator of the IT department serves the end-users which deal with customers on daily basis increasing the company reputation and income. The upgrade of the system is necessary to increase the company productivity and efficiency, by expanding to cloud computing the firm and its employees can work from anywhere at any given time increases the customer base and enhancing the companys productivity and efficiency. As dealing with customer data is crucial for the company functionality, data integrity has to be kept and all of the legislations and regulations to do with the business and customer relations and data have to be followed. (Williams 1-20), (Burge 1-14) (Williams 1-20), (Checkland 13-328) Burge, Stuart. An Overview Of The Soft Systems Methodology. 1st ed. Burge Hughes Walsh, 2015. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. Checkland, Peter. Systems Thinking, Systems Practice. 1st ed. Chichester: Wiley, 2002. Print. Derweesh, Zayd, Tom Schnitzer, and Jessie Stettin. The Role Of Financial Managers. Boundless. N.p., 2016. Web. 9 Mar. 2017. Mishra, Pankaj. Effective Role Of Administration In An Organization. linkedin.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 7 Mar. 2017. Simonsen, Jesper. Soft Systems Methodology. 1st ed. semanticscholar, 1994. Web. 9 Mar. 2017. Williams, Bob. Rich Pictures And CATWOE: Simple Yet Powerful Scope-Modelling Techniques. 1st ed. bobwilliams, 2005. Web. 18 Feb. 2017.

Views On Slavery :: Slavery Essays

There are many perceptions as to how people view slavery. When people talk about slavery, the first thing that comes to their mind will be African American Slaves in the United States. They will also think of how they were brought to the United States against their own will and unequally exploited. However, according to Stephen F. Austin, during the eighteen-twenty’s and thirty’s Mexicans also had slaves. He compares American Slaves and Cruz Arocha as a Mexican Slave. Although there are many differences between Cruz Arocha and the American slaves, especially in the ways they are treated. First of all Americans brought their slaves to the United States chained up and against their own will. They would fit over one hundred of them in small rooms in ships for a trip across the Atlantic Ocean, with out giving them an adequate supply of food and water to live off of. According to the book, Out of Many second edition, they were stowed so close that they were not allowed one foot and a half in each breadth. Although most of the slaves died on the trip and were thrown over board, those that did survive were the best equipped for the harsh conditions awaiting them. The trip itself got rid of all the slaves that would not last long in harsh conditions. Those that survived were what the Americans needed. Upon arrival in the United States the slaves would se either sold or traded for goods, land or other slaves. They were always chained up when they were not working and when they were, there was always someone watching over them with a gun and a whip. Slaves who did not obey the ir masters were whipped. According to the book even the most broad-minded plantation owners of the eighteenth century thought nothing about floggings of fifty or seventy slashes. Mexicans viewed slavery as having people mistreated and never treated as equals. Not showing any type of moral value towards a real person. Mexicans on the other hand had what Stephen F. Austin called slaves helping them out in anything needed. Even though these so-called slaves were not chained up and whipped like American slaves, they were still slaves to Austin. This was because they were not paid for the job that they did and had no say so in family decisions. These so-called slaves were given, in return for their services good food and shelter.