Book Review American Slavery: 1619-1877 by Peter Kolchin

â€Å"American Slavery, 1619-1877† by Peter Kolchin gives an overview of the practice of slavery in America between 1619 and 1877. From the origins of slavery in the colonial period to the road to its abolition, the book explores the characteristics of slave culture as well as the racial mind-sets and development of the old South’s social structures. This paper is divided in two sections.The first section observes the author’s vivid presentation of the slave-master psyche and relationship from the 17th to 19th century America. The second section examines the author’s choice of method in narration – how, apart from quoting statistics, Kolchin gave weight to accounts of slaves’ and slave owners’ lives and conditions. Delving into the Peculiar Institution of Slavery American slavery, Kolchin explains, didn't develop in isolation, but evolved as part of a trend toward forced labor in the New World colonies.By about 1770, American slavery w as concentrated mostly in the South, though it existed in all of the American colonies, and, as time passed, relationships between slaves and masters changed as second- generation slaves lost much of their African culture and became Americanized. The Revolutionary era saw slavery threatened by Enlightenment ideology, but the institution survived more strongly than ever in the South and, during the 19th century, came to be perceived as fundamental to the Southern economy and way of life.Kolchin also writes about slave life through the Civil War, and, not surprisingly, he sees slavery as leaving a legacy that has persisted throughout our own century. Kolchin probes into the lives of those imprisoned by the â€Å"peculiar institution† of American slavery. It begins with slavery’s origin in America in the sixteen hundreds, with the importation of slaves from Africa. Their free labor established the agricultural foundation of the New World. From hereon, Kolchin follows the escalation of slavery through citing statistics and providing information of conditions of the lives and times of slaves and slave owners.Kolchin narrates tales of hardship and provides a condemning opinion of slavery. At the same time, however, he focuses on the facts of daily living of slaves in America. Furthermore, Kolchin delves deeply into the oddly fascinating dynamics of the slave-master relationship, which allows incidents such as a master whipping his slave for working sluggishly and then the evening of the same day, gathering all of the slaves for a bible reading session. A person who provides basic needs for others but forces them to provide him free labor in return is evaluated repeatedly in the book with interesting outcomes.However, the author likewise presents a slave owner who had minimal impact on slaves’ lives outside of the workday, one who allowed the slaves to have social and religious celebrations of their own choosing, and viewed the slaves as not just property, but humans. The irony of this is that slave owners saw no wrong in what they were doing, regardless of how they treated their respective slaves. Slavery, as an institution, was from the perspective of the slave owners, justified.Kolchin describes that, in response, slaves were overtly resistive to their predicament at times, while others provided less obvious resistance in the form of slow work, feigning illness, and even sabotage. In addition, Kolchin gives the readers the catalysts for the events in the history of slavery. Economic, religious, and social factors are made prevalent, which renders the book well organized and able to reach depths that a few other books with the same topic failed to achieve. Even though the war ended, hatred for blacks remains.Thus, segregation evolves in full force throughout the nation, but mainly in the south. He also explains the struggle of the south to compete with the north as far as industrialization which was the new course of Amer ica straying away from agriculture, and until today they still suffer a lack of industry opposed to the northern states. Method of Narration The book’s chronological format of the book provides a logical flow and allows the reader to see the manner by which the events of each day made tremendous impact on slavery.The bibliographical essay lists hundreds of books that pertain to the writing in a sectional format and describes particular topics covered in each book. This is easy to see in the straightforward and matter-of-fact way that the author discusses topics from whipping of slaves, to the selling of slaves resulting in the breakup of families. Kolchin effectively used statistics in writing this book, in that, at the start of most sections or chapters the reader was able to ascertain the slave population and distribution, as well as growth rates and comparison to white population.Kolchin’s interpretation of this particular historic era shows that its’ history is primarily determined by individuals with economic motivations. When the author wanted to explain the horrors of these situations, he used quotes from slaves themselves, not a personal soapbox that many authors use. By using these comparisons the reader can see how the treatment of slaves was paramount to production, controllability, and even reproduction. ConclusionPeter Kolchin’s â€Å"American Slavery, 1619 – 1877,† provides a laudable and significant consideration of slavery in the formation of the United States as a country. It is a clear and briskly written survey that puts slavery in context and explains its continuing impact on American life. Overall, Kolchin displays an excellent work of literature which provides many sources and well-thought-out information. Reference Kolchin, Peter (1993). American Slavery, 1619-1877. Hill and Wang

Benchmarking and Value Chain Analysis

According to Oakland (113) and Patterson article found online, bench marking involves the activities that are carried out in an organization that involves procedures used to compare the results that the organization is producing with the means and processes used. A bench mark is like the targets that an organization would want to achieve in its operations to enable it make progress as far as its growth and development is concerned which either could be within or outside the organization (Dale 77).A benchmark for an organization should be something that adds value to the organization’s performance and as an end result benefit all the employees’ of the organization and its customers. Meaning that if the identified changes are carried out it will help the organization achieve some if not all of its activities (Howell 135). An example of a business that has achieved the maximum benefits from benchmarking is General Electric. General Electric has achieved bench mark on talen t management strategy.The strategy of General Electric on how they manage talents is by the way they prioritize the jobs they give and how they focus on ‘game changers’. They are the top recruitment firm when it comes to recruiting personnel from the military (Sullivan). On the other hand, businesses and firms should make comparative advantages and should be able to have shareholder values. In order to do these, businesses and firms separate systems in different value-generating activities. And within every activity, a goal is set that the level of value should always exceed the cost of doing these activities.This whole process is known to be value chain analysis. In order to have more advantage that other businesses, a firm should be able to utilize a cost advantage and differentiation. Cost advantage happens when the cost of a value chain is reduced better than other competitors. Differentiation, on the other hand, is the uniqueness of a particular value chain of firm from the other firms (â€Å"The Value Chain. †). An example of a firm that has achieved the maximum benefits from value chain analysis is the computer producing company Apple.Although, the computers they sell are high priced, they still mange to achieve the cost advantage among other computer brands by being number four in the sales of computers in the year 2008. Another thing is that Apple computers also achieved the differentiation among other computer brands. Apple computers are really unique in many ways, because they produce their own components for this computer that no other companies can produce. Thus, Apple has achieved value chain in their computers.

Analysis Of Dantes Inferno English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Dantes Inferno English Literature Essay Dante’s Inferno represents a microcosm of society; that is, laymen, clergy, lovers, wagers of war, politicians, and scholars are all collected into one place and punished for their worst ‘ and most human ‘ attributes. Hell, despite its otherworldly appearance and brutal, ugly nature, is somewhat humanized by the fact that those who are punished come from ‘every country’ (Dante 3.123) and every walk of life, regardless of age, race, sex, or creed. While Dante Alighieri did not invent the idea of Hell as a place of punishment for the wayward and sinful souls in the afterlife, he did create the most ‘powerful and enduring’ (Raffa 1) imagining of a concept which has received significant attention in biblical, classical, and medieval works. Dante’s Divine Comedy was written sometime between 1308 and 1321 and is considered â€Å"the supreme work of Italian literature† (Norwich 27). It is an epic poem divided into three separate se ctions: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso ‘ Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, respectively. The personal element of the journey through Hell in Dante’s Inferno literally explores the descent of one man into sin; through the use of poetic justice, both contemporary and historical figures, and mythological figures, Dante crafts an immediate and enthralling work dealing with the nature of sin and its place in society. The concept of poetic justice is famously explored in Inferno, where it is put to ‘dramatic effect†¦ devising appropriate torments for each particular sin’ (Raffa 3). From Limbo to Treachery, Dante catalogues and documents the punishment of sinners both infamous and beloved, famous and unknown. In every case, the punishment fits the crime in a twisted and malignant fashion ‘ after all, the poem does discuss the realm of Satan, the Christian embodiment of evil. The nine circles of Hell described in Inferno are as follows: Limbo, Lust, Glutto ny, Avarice and Prodigality, Wrath and Sullenness, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. These nine circles are based off of the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins, with some additions ‘ such as Limbo ‘ created by Dante. The poem begins with Dante lost in a dark wood, assailed by three beasts he cannot evade, and unable to move ‘straight along’ (Dante 1.18) the road to salvation, represented by a mountain. A lion, a leopard, and a she-wolf ‘ symbolizing pride, envy, and avarice, respectively ‘ block Dante’s path to the top of the mountain, forcing him to descend into the depths of Hell with Virgil. The entire journey documented in the Divine Comedy is an allegory for man’s fall into sin before achieving redemption (represented by Purgatorio) and eventually salvation (represented by Paradiso). Before Dante even enters the gates of Hell, he is introduced to his guide for the first two realms of the afterlife, Inferno and Paradiso. For th is role, Dante chose Virgil (70-19 BCE), who lived under the rule of Julius Caesar and later Augustus during Rome’s transition from a republic into an empire, and is most famous for the Aeneid. Two episodes in Virgil’s work were of particular interest to Dante. Book IV tells the tale of Aeneas and Dido, the queen of Carthage, who kills herself when Aeneas ‘abandons her to continue his journey and†¦ [found] a new civilization in Italy’ (Raffa 8). Book VI recounts Aeneas’ journey into Hades to meet the shade of his father and learn of future events in his journey. Many elements in the Aeneid are present ‘ in heavily modified form ‘ in Dante’s Inferno. Many of Dante’s mythological elements are based on Book VI of Virgil’s Aeneid, which recounts Aeneas’ visit to the underworld. Virgil imbued his version of the underworld with a ‘fluid, dreamlike atmosphere’ (5), while Dante instead strives for gr eater realism, providing sharply drawn and tangible figures.

Innovative Culture and Innovative Competencies Assignment

Innovative Culture and Innovative Competencies - Assignment Example Alliances are, thus, useful avenues of not only gaining access to the skills and capabilities of partners, but also serve to strengthen the core competencies within organizations. Indeed with the globalized competition, it is no longer possible to compete in the traditional sense of self-sufficiency, which, in a sense, is untenable as markets increasingly become highly volatile, rapidly rendering techniques and products obsolete almost as fast as they are invented. Though innovation has been pushed to the center of production dynamics, the hurdles to its realization have more than doubled, complicating its management and making it even more elusive. As such, firms committed to breaking new grounds begin from the very foundation of harnessing the requisite competencies, with speed given precedence both in terms of resources and organizational support (Prahalad & Hamel, 1990). It is more of a common knowledge that entrepreneurship is but an adventure that carries with it several unknow ns that demands creativity to achieve the preset objectives. Noteworthy, the link between innovation and growth has long been a subject of theoretical research right from the days of Adam Smith (1776). In his â€Å"Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations,† Smith (1776) articulates gains in productivity as a factor of specialization, division of labor as well as the technological advances in capital equipments and processes employed. Besides the role of Research and Development being a key determinant of competitive advantage, Smith also recognizes Technological Transfer via a web of network that incorporates suppliers and product end-users in that very analysis: â€Å"All the improvements in machinery, however, have by no means been the inventions of those who had occasion to use the machines. Many improvements have been made by the ingenuity of the makers of the machines, when to make them became the business of a peculiar trade; and some by that of thos e who are called philosophers or men of speculation, whose trade it is not to do anything, but to observe everything; and who, upon that account, are often capable of combining together the powers of the most distant and dissimilar objects. In the progress of society, philosophy or speculation becomes, like every other employment, the principal or sole trade and occupation of a particular class of citizens†¦ and the quantity of science is considerably increased by it † (Smith, 1776). Buoyed by the assumption that there is no heterogeneous formula of acquiring innovation capability, structured theories have been proposed to explain the differences between the nearly excellent and the poor innovators. The Resource-Based Approach (RBA), for instance, explains the differences as a reflection of the capacity [resources and capabilities] within a given organization to confront challenges; resources and capabilities which are somehow unique and very difficult to reproduce and/or substitute by other players in the market (Hamel & Prahalad, 1994). Teece & Pisano’s (1994) dynamic capabilities theory deviates from the RBA, explaining

Marketing Planning as an Essential Foundation for Marketing Success Essay

Marketing Planning as an Essential Foundation for Marketing Success - Essay Example As the report declares prior to formulating an effective marketing program, it is incumbent upon management to consider the company’s current position within the market, the competitive landscape it faces, the unique aspects of the organization and its product, as well as how to position the organization for future profitability; all of which are a natural part of marketing planning. At its simplest expression, marketing planning is focused on two major sequential components, â€Å"establishing the corporate planning perspective and...developing marketing programs†. This paper stresses that effective marketing cannot be implemented as a series of random events; it should be viewed as a sequence that takes in the corporate condition and then tailors a marketing program to maximize opportunities. There are three vital aspects to this process that provide foundational support for success. The first is that marketing planning is, itself, a linear sequence. The value of such a scheme is that execution follows the form. In sequential management processes, it is relatively easy to identify where you are, and deduce where you should go. Marketing planning is more than just a linear process that defines a sequence of events. It is also a mechanism by which leadership is compelled to analyze its current market environment and proactively engage in sound business practices. ... At its simplest expression, marketing planning is focused on two major sequential components, "establishing the corporate planning perspective and...developing marketing programs" (Lazer 1971: 87). Effective marketing cannot be implemented as a series of random events; it should be viewed as a sequence that takes in the corporate condition and then tailors a marketing program to maximize opportunities. There are three vital aspects to this process that provide foundational support for success. The first is that marketing planning is, itself, a linear sequence. The value of such a scheme is that execution follows the form. In sequential management processes, it is relatively easy to identify where you are, and deduce where you should go. For the purposes of marketing planning, the fact that the first step in the sequence-and the second vital aspect of the process-is a corporate planning perspective that allows management the opportunity to analyze the organization's position and evalu ate its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This "first stop" on the map creates the necessary understanding to take the next step in the sequence, which is the third vital aspect of the linear process, and actually formulate a marketing program that meets the needs of customers, aligns with corporate philosophy, and stands a good chance at defeating competitive pressure. These goals would never be achieved, however, if a sequential process were not in place. Marketing planning is more than just a linear process that defines a sequence of events. It is also a mechanism by which leadership is compelled to analyze its current market environment and proactively engage in sound business practices. Marketing Planning Facilitates Good

Israeli Palestinian Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Israeli Palestinian Conflict - Essay Example Looking up at the conflict amid the Israel and Palestine as a nation, major problem occurred by the involvement of the United States. Before 1948, Jews and Palestine both used to live in the similar land, known to be Palestine. After the war of 1948 and 1949, the land, Palestine, was divided into three main parts, therefore, the West Bank, sate of Israel and the Gaza Strip. The division of land was done due to the decision made by the United Nations. In the beginning, the land was supposed to be divided into two parts, Arabs and the Jewish. After the unfortunate war of 1949, forces of Israel achieved control over the lands and a peace agreement was signed which created borders according to the decision of UN. Although, peace have never settled on the lands and there have been a variety of disputes over who control what parts of the land. Since 1967, Israel took control over Jerusalem and used its control to establish settlements and supported its civilians to move or inhabit the coun try. After the outbreak of the war in 1949, solution was never found and on the other hand, the Israel feels that they are the ones who should rule the lands but their status is yet to be determined. In June 1945 accompanied with an indirect rebelliousness of the British White Paper, restricted the Jewish immigration into the state for over 75,000 people and after that the President Truman send a proposal which stated that 100,000 European Jewish should be admitted at very instance. Truman was warned by the British that it would anger the Arabs but however, they accepted the proposal anyway. After few years, in 1948, Truman was advised to distinguish the State of Israel. After few minutes of the announcement, the United States recognized the newly formed Nation. According to Arabs, at that time, they thought that the United States was on the side of the Israel and this perception due to the actions taken by the United States has made it difficult to find a solution for the Israel and Palestine conflict. At first, the United States was very slow to provide military help to the new nation of Israel. After the Second World War, the attention of the United States directed towards the rising world power known to be Soviet Union. The problems and conflict of the Israel at that time were not of too much concern for the U.S. However, when Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula in 1958 from Egypt, the United States did not take side of the Israel but pressurized them to call back their troops from there. Apart from U.S. pressurization, there were a lot of many other threats that influenced Israel to move back. All through the 1950s and 1960s, level of assistance from United States was very low but in 1967, financial help for Israel went up to $13 million but however, it was soon altered. In the sixth day of war in 1968, the United States provided $76 million which increased for more than $800 by the end of 1971. In 2001, $2.82 billion plus with the military assistance was offered to the Israel. Additionally, $60 million was given for the resettlement of the refugees and $250 million for stabilizing the budget of Department of Defense as well as $85 million for accused interest. "Unquestionably, Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. aid since World War II. Estimates

The economic benefits of Sustainability Reports Dissertation

The economic benefits of Sustainability Reports - Dissertation Example The procedure is termed as sustainability report. This feature is developed and used extensively in order for companies to strike a balance between them, the society and the environment (GRI, 2012). The people, planet, and profit are the three elements which are considered while studying the elements of sustainability report. Emphasis is given to the stakeholders rather than the shareholders as they are the ones who are mostly directly or indirectly influenced by the activities or the action of any company. The sustainability reporting provides a platform for communication between the company and the stakeholders. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the use, importance, barriers and the economic benefits of using the sustainability report by a company in the daily practice. This allows the society to understand and judge how well an organization or a company is performing. The need of the hour is to make sustainability report a mandate and common practice to benchmark performance. Sustainability reporting – application within organizations Sustainability refers to the ability of maintaining an outcome over time without causing an ecological imbalance or exhausting the resources on which the result would depend. There are various theories and models of sustainability which are studied and considered. Some of them are the economic, ecological, political models etc (Jenkins, 2009). Sustainability reporting enables a company to communicate openly, positively and effectively with its stakeholders. This is crucial for maintaining and meeting the financial goal or the profitability of the company. The stakeholders, on the basis of the reports, can compare and analyze the performance of the company with others and to check on their own performance. Those organizations, which succeed in tailoring their communication with the stakeholders, to present a detailed analysis can convince them as to the fact that their company is working in tandem with the social, economic and environmental practices for long term growth. The success lies in a clear understanding of the true values of reporting and the issues associated with the making and execution of the sustainability reporting (KPMG, 2008). The management and the senior officers want to get the green label for their company, which is self explanatory by itself, that is it would prove that there is perfect alignment in t he company’s sustainability strategy, the environmental impacts and the social implications, as well. Sustainability reporting has now made its place in almost all sectors of business. Three out of Australia’s four largest banks publish annual sustainability reports (KPMG, 2008). Here, the reporting is considered as TBL (triple-bottom-line) business accountability. People, planet, and profit are taken into consideration while evaluating the reporting practices (vivodepot, 2008). Sustainability reporting involves a series of guidelines or a set of rules and regulations to be followed by the companies. As the aim is to deliver in accordance with the social,

Management Concepts - Case Study - Motivation Essay

Management Concepts - Case Study - Motivation - Essay Example Mill operators at Sandstorm believe that they do not have enough power in their hands to change anything in the organization. They believe that they can improve the products and the services of the company but their suggestions are continually ignored by the employees working in the labs. This combined with the ever increasing demands of the customers has been leading to frustration amongst the mill operators. This frustration is the root cause why mill operators are looking to quit the company. At the same time, the attitude of the lab employees of not incorporating suggestions from the mill operators is resulting in the loss of quality conscious customers. This in turn is affecting the cash flows of the company. Hence this problem needs to be addressed. N.R.F Maier (1955) defined job performance of an employee as the product of his ability and motivation. While the ability of the employee can be gauged by the academic history and the experience; motivation for a job is dependent on various factors both internal and external to the workplace. In order to be a successful business enterprise, it is necessary that a company management makes sure that the internal factors motivate employees to do their best. In order to motivate its employees, the company needs to understand the hierarchy of need (psychological, safety, social, esteem or self-actualization) (Maslow, 1943) at which the employees are working In order to improve the motivation levels of the mill operators it is necessary that they shall be encouraged to come up with new ideas of improving formulas on the basis of customer feedback. At the same time, a process shall be made in place to ensure that the formula suggested by the mill operators is tested by the employees at the laboratory. If a particular formula is found out to be good by lab tests and is accepted by the quality conscious customers, the mill operator shall be rewarded suitably. This will enable the fulfillment of the

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Research - Essay Example This has resulted in losing focus on the real reason teachers should focus upon diversity issues, i.e., to better understand their students and help them learn in a heterogeneous classroom. Personal Reaction. My personal reaction to this article is agreement. I think that diversity should extend beyond race and language to include other significant differences in the classroom. I agree that teachers should focus on providing the best possible learning environment. Summary. The article by Linda Pickett (2008) asserts that every child is, at its core, an intact human being. As such, they have a hunger for learning, an inborn sense of what is fair, and a desire for validation that, if given, is returned. She notes that in spite of these characteristics, society is war-torn and full of ethnic conflicts that require the cultivation of nurturing children in their innate good qualities. In spite of the increase of social diversity, however, most debates in education focus on maintaining a competitive edge in global competition. Thus, she concludes, educators must find a way to bring families and children together as partners in fostering tolerance. Personal Reaction. I agree that teachers can occupy a unique position to encourage diversity. I am not convinced that the primary focus of current education debate is literacy, math, and science, however. I think that diversity is a concentration point, if not a debate, in the profession. Important Questions (3). How can teachers foster the innate goodness of young children? Is diversity taking second place to global competitiveness? If given the opportunity during early pre-school education, will children demonstrate tolerance as they develop? Summary. In a very interesting article on poverty as a component of classroom diversity, Cuthrell, Ledford, & Stapleton (2007) provide a compelling story of a young

Examine some of the issues raised by Domer in this statment Do so with Essay

Examine some of the issues raised by Domer in this statment Do so with reference to specific practitioners - Essay Example Several philosophies and thoughts have emerged over the years. In his book The New Ceramics: Trends and Traditions, Author Peter Domer (1994) asserted that: With hindsight it is discernable that in the 1980's ceramics existed in a middle house between craft and art rather than design and art. In the 1990's this situation has become strongly apparent. The contemporary fine art world is centred on the galleries and the museums.......ceramicists want to join this enclosed, increasingly private realm of art...an art that has successfully disconnected itself from the responsibilities of the outside world and where practitioners deny any role to do with design, function or common meaning. But in artists, curators and other priests of art I'm not keen to embrace clay workers. (p.196) In examining the issues raised by Domer we must not forget our world is constantly evolving and developing new ways of doing things. We will take a look at the his assertions, searching for common ground or difference(s) in opinions or beliefs under the following headings; The notion thatCeramics as Craft and Art;The notion that craft is art has generated numerous comments; in describing the differences between craft and art against their functionality or usefulness, Kevin A. Hluch (1990), Professor of Art, quotes from Octavia Paz book In Praise of Hands that "there was a constant shifting ....between usefulness and beauty. This continual exchange has a name: pleasure. Things are pleasing because they are useful and beautiful. This copulative conjunction defines craftwork, just as the disjunctive conjunction defines art and technology: usefulness or beauty" (1). To buttress this point Kevin Hlutch (1990) stated that fine art is defined by contemporary art orthodoxy as that type of human expression that is at its core functionally useless (1). Hlutch further contends that to "equate craft as art and crafts people as artist" misses the point because craft and art have different aesthetics (1990, 1) He somewhat concludes that "as the original definition of craft looses credence in the craft world, the ceramic form that signifies that definition, utilitarian pottery has lost its 'market share' in that world" (Hluch, 1990). Ceramics as Design and Art If defining a place for ceramics in Arts and craft posited debates, as Domer himself pointed out, ceramics should have been seen as design and art, not as craft and art. Kevin Murray (2003) a ceramicist believes that the terms 'craft' and 'design' rest on a continuum and the continuum is understood as the degree of responsibility by the individual for the physical construction of a work. In the case of craft, it is assumed that an individual has made the work him- or herself, whether by hand or machine [while] design in contrast is often executed by others (9). He claims that "the design aura is an obvious advantage to those wanting to give their products extra value and protect their intellectual capital" explaining that "It is reasonable for designers to develop their 'brand identity' as much as their 'product'" (Murray,

Boeing corporation crisis Essay Example for Free

Boeing corporation crisis Essay Attached is a report of the biggest crisis that the Boeing Corporation has ever faced in its existence. First it will describe the events leading up to the problem before it became a public issue. Then we will discuss in extensive detail exactly what the problem is that Boeing is facing and how they can overcome it. The team of xxx completed the research and the written report of the crisis. Boeing is an international supplier of commercial airline planes, military defense aircraft, and surveillance. Partially due to the September 11th attacks on the United States, the Boeing Corporation will be laying off 30,000 employees from their nationwide facilities. The layoffs will affect cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and will affect employees from entry level to executive offices. The announcements of these issues have caused Boeings stock to fall to a surprising low and production levels to drop dramatically. XXX would like to thank XXX for giving us the opportunity to complete this research assignment. The research helped us learn how to more efficiently utilize the different databases available to us and put it into a format so it can be presented to a public organization or the media. The skills learned in the duration of completing this report will be able to be utilized when presenting to upper management a detailed issue and solutions to a specific problem. Boeing Corporation Crisis Cal State Fullerton Jean Fuller May 28, 2002 Executive Summary Today the Boeing Corporation is facing one of the largest crises in the history of the company. They are in the process of laying off a total of 30,000 employees from their facilities nationwide. The layoffs will take place in cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. Most of the layoffs affect the commercial airline division, but the military defense and aerospace divisions will also be affected. The plan for the reduction in employee size began in July 2001, but the attacks on the United States on September 11th left the company having to lay off more employees. At the present time, Boeing is mainly focusing on reducing the amount of mandatory layoffs. This is going to be hard to accomplish because of the reduced demand for the companys goods and services. In the future, Boeings focus will be on returning to a high level of production and profitability. They will be focusing on competing with the competition by increasing product innovation and reducing expenses that the company incurs during production in an effort to keep prices low. Due to economic slowdown and reduced spending by consumers, the Boeing Corporation was beginning to experience loss in revenues and a decline in production. Not more than three months later, the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York impacted the demand for commercial aircraft because of fear to travel by airplane. Also, heavy competition with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, Boeing is not being awarded as many contracts with the United States military, which is causing a decline in revenues for the aerospace and military defense divisions. There are not many ways to overcome the entire problem, but there are some alternatives that the company can consider in order to reduce them. The alternatives are to distribute hours equally among the employees, reallocate employees into different divisions, offer severance pay, and to continue to layoff employees. Boeing has to be careful in the way that this particular situation is handled. If employees feel as though they are being treated unfair, they will not have job satisfaction and production may decrease. The best possible solution for the Boeings problem is to equally distribute the hours among the employees. By doing this employees will maintain their jobs. This will result in higher job satisfaction than other alternatives, and Boeing will not have to go through an extensive process to rehire when they return back to a stage of profitability. Boeing Problem Statement As Boeing faces one of the greatest financial crises in the history of the airline industry, Boeing plans to cut production workers, engineers and support staff by mid-2002 (Nyhan, September 2001). Because of a declining economy as well as terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11th, Boeing is laying off a total of 30,000 employees in all divisions of the corporation: aerospace, commercial aviation, and military defense. The layoffs will happen in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Seattle, Oklahoma, and the Puget Sound area, and will affect everyone from salaried executives to the hourly paid maintenance employees. Layoffs are a sign of company turmoil and should be avoided to maintain the company stockholders. Short and Long-Term Goals Boeings primary short-term objective is to maintain a reasonable level of profitability given the recent occurrences. It will attempt to accomplish this by reducing the amount of dollars that are paid to the current employees by either reducing their hours, or completely terminating their employment with the company. Because of current supply and demand of the company, profits will be reduced if the current level of employees is maintained. Boeings long-term objective is to be the number one supplier of commercial, aerospace, and military aircraft and technology. They aim to accomplish this by maintaining a level of profitability that satisfies the stockholders and corporate executives. They also want to maintain a high level of competition with the current competition: Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. If Boeing loses government aerospace and military defense contracts to the competition, there is a high probability that the company will become insolvent and declare bankruptcy. Details of the Problem Prior to September 11th, Boeing was going through trying times. Their satellite manufacturing operations were in a recession. This was due to the bursting of the internet and telecom bubbles (Laing, 2002). The Commercial Airline Industry was also facing a slowdown. This was a result of high fuel prices, labor cost increases, a softening of the national economy and low passenger traffic (Smith, 2001). Also, improvements in production efficiency for Boeing led to a plan to decrease up to 15% of its employees in the commercial-aircraft business. This efficiency in production was due to the industrys first ever-moving assembly line for the final phase of the production process, which cuts unneeded steps (Holmes, 2001). Likewise, by the end of 2001, Boeing lost out on the largest military contract ever when the Pentagon picked rival Lockheed Martin to build the Joint Strike Fighter for shared use by the Air Force, Navy and Marines. This next generation manned fighter is expected to flow more than $200 billion in revenues over the next 20 years (Laing, 2002). But most traumatic for Boeing were the terrorist attacks on September 11th. They transformed what had been shaping up as a mild downturn in commercial jet orders into a veritable collapse in demand (Laing, 2002). After the attacks, the need to fly drastically declined due to fear and security issues that made flying a nuisance. This left the US Airline Industry in a serious crisis. Companies such as Continental, US Airways, American, and Delta cut up to 20% of their capacity (Smith, 2001). Source: www.bloomber.com The terrorist attacks resulted in Boeings stock to plummet. Prior to September 11th, Boeings stock was falling because of the downturn in the economy. From the graph above, we can see that the attacks made the stock price to fall from $50 a share to $30. This was a sign that investors knew the impact the terrorist attacks had on Boeings industry. After September 11th, Boeing planned to respond to these problems by cutting production rates by 50 percent (Nyhan, November 2001). On September 18th, one week after the attacks, Boeing announced at a press conference that it would layoff up to 30,000 employees by the middle of 2002 (Smith, 2001). On that day, Boeing reduced the level of employees by 12,000: 3,000 through retirement and attrition, and 9,000 through layoffs (Farley, 2001). Boeing also stated that their jetliner orders would decrease drastically. In the next three years 80% of their 2001 orders would be delivered (Smith, 2002). They also planned to cut their monthly production of aircraft by half, from 48 to 24. The director of people at Boeings commercial airplane unit said, In order to match our reduced production rate, we will need to accomplish the majority of the 20,000 to 30,000 reductions in 2002 employment by midyear. Members of the Associated Press and Kiro 7 Eyewitness News stated, Last week Boeing officials announced plans to layoff as many as 30,000 employees, mostly in the Puget Sound area, by the end of next year because of plummeting demand for new planes and postponed deliveries since the terrorist attacks. Boeings commercial airplane division is not the only division that the layoffs will effect. Surprisingly 5,000 of the 30,000 layoffs are predicted to come from the military division. The military division cutbacks are also due to the September 11th attacks, but they are mainly due to global economic slowdown (Klein, 2001). This comes as a surprise because the military division is expected to grow in a time of war or terrorist attacks. Stockholders may assume that the government will request an increased level of production of fighter jets and military bombers so that the United States can dominate in the war against terrorism. In addition, the layoffs will not only affect the Boeing employees, but also people outside the company. As many as 20,000 of the Boeing layoffs may occur in the Seattle area alone, resulting in an additional 34,000 jobs lost by Boeing suppliers, subcontractors, and others (Klein, 2001). Alternatives Before Boeing implements any solutions they must maintain a good level of communication with their employees. The employees must know the reasons for a particular action taken by Boeing in order to avoid any mistrust and confusion (Hoffman, 2001). For example, an employee will wonder why layoffs are taking place when Phil Condit, Boeings CEO, is making an annual bonus of $1.13 million (Webber, 2002). Boeing must carefully explain their plans and what they are hoping to accomplish through their actions. Boeing can reduce the amount of layoffs by implementing any of the following solutions: Distribute Hours Among Employees The first solution for Boeing is to spread the hours among the employees for each department. Every department is given so many hours it can use for each week at the beginning of the quarter, depending on the amount of business Boeing has. If those hours taken and spread among the employees for each department, not as many layoffs will occur. The hours will be spread out by reducing the workweek from five days to four. By cutting one day out of an employees schedule Boeing is able to give those hours to another employee, which under the circumstances would be laid off. Once four employees each receive a deduction in their workweek one employee will be able to maintain their job and not be laid off. The advantage to this solution is that fewer employees will have to be laid-off. Employees will have their hours cut according to seniority. Some employees that have been with the company for a number of years will not be affected by the action. By holding onto the employees and not laying them off Boeing will be prepared to handle new contracts as they arise. Boeing is predicting that the recent decline in contracts is only short-term and business will soon return to their previous levels. The disadvantage to the solution is that some employees will not be able to afford a reduction in hours. In this scenario employees will not be satisfied and hold each other responsible for less hours. If employees are not satisfied then their production will decrease due to their dissatisfaction. Re-Allocate Employees The second solution for Boeing is to train employees in other departments within the company. This will allow Boeing to reallocate employees in different departments rather than laying them off. With the commercial airline department being hit the hardest by the recent terrorist events, employees in that department could transfer to other departments if they possessed the knowledge. The advantage in training employees outside their departments is the value it will add to the employee. If an employee has the knowledge and know how to be productive and efficient in other departments, not just his own, they become an instant asset to the company. Due to their flexibility Boeing can move the employee around in accordance with demand. A disadvantage to this solution is that Boeing will incur high costs for training employees to do other jobs. A slowdown in production will also result due to the time spent on training. The transition for an employee to move from one department to another is difficult because the employee will not be as efficient. Severance Pay Early retirement packages will be available to qualified employees. The retirement packages to be offered will vary depending on the number of years an employee has with the company. For each full year of service an employees has with the company, up to twenty-six years, they will receive one week of pay (Hoffman, 2001). The employee can take the severance pay in either a lump sum or as an income continuation. The single lump sum plan pays the severance pay to the person in one check within one month of leaving the company. The income continuation plan will pay the severance pay on the regular paydays every two weeks (Boeing, 2000). The advantage to this solution is each individual makes their own decision and they have total control of what they want to do. Also high salaries will be eliminated as management personnel take the package. Once management leaves, the ones that find early retirement appealing, Boeing will be able to promote employees into those positions without having to pay the large salaries. The disadvantage to this solution is that not many jobs will be saved because not many employees will go for the early retirement package. Boeing will also lose experienced managers if they decide to take the early retirement package. If this solution is implemented Boeing will continue to layoff employees because not enough jobs will be cut. Continue Layoffs The last solution is to continue to layoff employees as necessary. This will allow Boeing to keep revenues high because the layoffs will occur according to the market. If Boeing does not get as many contracts as they expected for a particular quarter, the layoffs will help the companys finances. The disadvantage to this alternative is the potential of business picking backup. The market for commercial jetliners is expected to boom in two years and Boeing needs to be able to handle the new contracts. If Boeing has to constantly train new employees as business increases, in an effort compensate for the ones that were laid-off, they will not be operating at full efficiency. Solution Boeing realizes that layoffs cant be completely eliminated, however they want to reduce layoffs to the lowest possible amount. Boeing will accomplish that by distributing the hours in each department among the employees. This solution will allow Boeing to save jobs by reducing the employees workweek from forty hours to thirty-two hours. The management of each department will determine the hours to be cut and the number of employees that are affected. This will be implemented on June 1, 2002 throughout all departments. Most employees will be affected by the reduction in hours, and management must be prepared to cope with the initial negative reaction. In order to measure the results of the solution, Boeing must evaluate the impact on its bottom line along with the toll its taking on their employees. An evaluation will occur every six months and will be lead by top executives and the department managers. Once evaluated, a decision will be made by the board of directors on whether or not to continue with the reduction of hours or to incorporate a different action. The thirty-two hour workweek is expected to be temporary as analysts are predicting a turn around in demand for planes (Holmes, 2001). As production returns to capacity, hours will be returned back to employees according to seniority. Reference List Airlines slash workforces. (n.d.) retrieved April 10, 2002, from www.proquest.com . Airwise News. (2001, September 22). Majority of Boeing layoffs in aircraft sector. Retrieved April 10, 2002, from www.dowjonesinteractive.com Associated Press Newswires. (2002, March). More Boeing layoff notices. Retrieved April 10, 2002, from www.dowjonesinteractive.com. Article No. A71327300 Associated Press Newswires. (2001, September). First Boeing layoffs set to take effect Dec. 14. Retrieved May 7, 2002, from www.seattleinsider.com/news/boeing.html Boeing Company. (2002). A Brief History. Retrieved April 8, 2002, from www.boeing.com/companyoffices/history/boeing/html. Boeing Company. (2002). Layoffs Benefits Plan. Retrieved May 7, 2002, from www.boeing.com/companyoffices/benefits/boeing/html. Carlton, D.R. (2002, January) Boeing bleak outlook. The Economist, 362 (8257), 58. Corliss, B. (2002, April). Boeing deliveries drop 10%. Retrieved May 7, 2002, from www.msnbc.com Farley, G. (2001, December). Union leaders file grievances. The Associated Press. Retrieved April 15, 2002, from www.king5.com/cgi-bin/gold.cgi Genna, C.A. (2002, April 19). More layoff notices to be issued at Boeing. Retrieved May 8, 2002, from www.latimes.com Gillie, J.F. (2001, November). Lost jobs in Puget Sound area. The News Tribune, Tacoma. Retrieved April 10, 2002, from www.dowjonesinteractive.com Gillie, J.F. (2001, December). 1,700 new layoff notices today. The News Tribune, Tacoma. Retrieved April 10, 2002, from www.dowjonesinteractive.com. Article No. TCMA0135500 Global general aviation industry delivery breakdowns for jets. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2002, from http://rdswebl.rdsinc.com/texis/rds/suite.html. Hoffman, R. (2001, June 29). The Dynamics of Downsizing. Retrieved May 18, 2002, form www.hradvice.com Holmes, S.C. (2001, November 26). Aerospace industry downsizing. Business Week, (3759), 108-109 Klein, A. (2001, October 13). Boeing faces massive layoffs. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 15, 2002, from http://detnews.com/2001/business.html. Laing, J.R. (2002, April). Gaining Altitude: Corporate profiles. Barrons, 82 (17), 21-25. Lloyd, M.K. (2001, December). Losing Altitude; Aviation. The Economist, 361 (8253), 81-83. More Boeing layoff notices going out. (n.d.) Retrieved April 26, 2002, from www.seattleinsider.com Nyhan, P.J. (2001, September). Boeing expects to layoff up to 10 percent in commercial division. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved April 10, 2002 from www.dowjonesinteractive.com. Article No. SEPI012700. Nyhan, P.J. (2002, February). Boeing lays off 1,000 local workers. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved April 10, 2002, from www.dowjonesinteractive.com. Nyhan, P.J. (2001, November). Majority of Boeing layoffs to hit by June. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved April 10, 2002, from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com Schneider, R. (2001, December). Losing Altitude: aftershocks from September 11th. The Economist. Retrieved April 10, 2002, from www.infotrac.com. Article No. A81118376. Smith, B.A. (2002, January 21). Boeing continues its production cost focus. Aviation Week Space Technology, 156 (3), 43-44. Smith, B.A. (2001, September 24). Boeing cuts delivery estimates, prepares for major layoffs. Aviation Week Space Technology, 155 (13), 29-32. Song, K.M. (2001, December). Boeing layoff face challenge. The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 10, 2002, from www.dowjonesinteractive.com. Article No. SETL0135600. Song, K.M. (2002, April). Effects from Boeing cutbacks felt. The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 18, 2002, from www.dowjonesinteractive.com. Article No. SETL0211100. Standaert, J. (2002, January). Boeing trims 2,300 more jobs. The News Tribune, Tacoma. Retrieved April 10, 2002, from www.dowjonesinteractive.com. Article No. TCMA0201900. Thomas, G.D. (2002, April). Tough times ahead. Air Transport World, 39, (4), 31-33. Webber, J.P. (2002, April 19). Boeing hurt by slowdown. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2002, from www.latimes.com

The Audobon Zoo Essay Example for Free

The Audobon Zoo Essay THE AUDUBON ZOO, 1993 The Audubon Zoo is located in New Orleans, Louisiana and is a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization. In 1914 the Audubon Commission was created to maintain and develop Audubon Park. In 1919 the Audubon Institute was established as the parent agency. Over the next several decades many changes would occur including the addition of a monkey cage, mammal cage and a deer paddock. Louisiana school children purchased the first elephant in 1924 and shortly thereafter an aquarium and sea lion pool was added. Through the Great Depression of the 1930s and 1940s the zoo was barely able to keep its doors openand in the 1950s it was labeled an animal â€Å"ghetto† by the media. In 1970 the U. S. Humane Society insisted the zoo be brought to industry standards. In the early 1970s the Commission worked closely with Mr. Ron Forman, City Hall Liaison for Audubon Park, to pass a special referendum that generated close to $2 million in bonds. These funds were the beginning of the Zoo’s restoration project that enabled it to expand from 19 acres to over 55 acres. Volunteers at the Zoo formally became known as Friends of the Zoo. By the 1980s the Zoohad received accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association and was noted as one of the nation’s top-rated zoological parks. And in 1989, Friends of the Zoo became known as Audubon Nature Institute where it remains today. Today, the zoo combines research laboratories with acres of pristine natural habitat where rare and endangered animals roam and reproduce (ANI, 2009). The Audubon Nature Institute’s mission to servesone purpose: Celebrating the Wonders of Nature. Its facilities carry on this mission through the Audubon Park, Audubon Zoo, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Entergy IMAX Theatre, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, Audubon Wilderness Park, Audubon Insectarium and Audubon Nature Institute Foundation. Additional opportunities for the Zoo include technological advances in animal breeding and new interactive computer programs that allow visitors to become educated about the animals history, environment, special characteristics, feeding and origination. Educational programs for both children and adults are offered through visitor programs, school field trips, outreach programs, and educator’s resources. A very real threat to the Zoo is the unpredictability of Mother Nature. New Orleans is located on the Gulf of Mexico and hurricanes cause a threat to coastal areas during the summer and fall seasons. Tourists and residents will be deterred from visiting the Zoo during inclement weather and will have a negative impact on admissions revenue for an undetermined amount of time. A SWOT analysis is essential in evaluating the market potential of the Zoo. In areas of strength; new attractions will draw repeat customers and with the educational activities offered year round there is a limitless supply of â€Å"new† school children as they grow and develop their interest in the world around them. The rehabilitation center for injured animals is a favorite of the public and should be marketed accordingly. And, the Zoo’s Center for Research of Endangered Species has been recognized as â€Å"top notch† and as such also holds considerable value in marketing. The one major weakness of the Zoo is its absolute necessity to depend on donations from a generous public. Unfortunately, not all funds that are pledgedare actually received by the Zoo and this creates challenges in budgeting from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year. In a poor economy when the public are forced to worry about basic survival needsdonations will sharply decline. While the Zoo enjoys a heavy supply of volunteers, which creates a positive image to the community, they cannot be held to the same standards as paid employees. Volunteers are more apt to come and go as they will and this leaves the Zoo at the mercy of over worked, understaffed employees. A financial analysis of the Zoo reveals that it has done very well and that at the end of 1982 it was virtually self-sufficient. Improved efficiency in the area of operations was the first step towards this turnaround. The Zoo is entering a maturity stage and should look for opportunities to reduce its employment costs, non-value added programs and departments, administrative supplies and expenses associated with daily overhead. Media exposure can be highly expensive and as a non-profit entity the Zoo should take advantage of as much free exposure as possible. Press releases about new acquisitions, programs, animals, and the rehabilitation center should be sent to the media on a continuing basis. News articles with information about the different animals and the lands they originate from could become a regular travel guide feature of the local print media. Holding special events for a targeted segment of the public could draw additional revenue; live music on the green or in the park, Sunday afternoon Jazz Concert, or birthday parties with the special child’s favorite animal as the thememay stimulate growth in revenue. Another idea would be to consider an â€Å"adopt-an-animal† program. Local schools, businesses or individuals could agree to â€Å"adopt† an animal and provide monetary support through fund-raising or in-kind donations. Offering a yearly pass for residents at a discounted rate may seem contradictory to the idea of increased revenue but, if the community felt that they could visit the Zoo at any time without paying an entrance fee they may be more apt to spend discretionary dollars on hats, tee-shirts, sweat-shirts or other accessories, concession stand items and impulse buying of souvenirs. Key factors in bringing a successful turnaround of the Zoo begins with the original bond of $2 million and the total of a $5. 6 million development program that was created by the Audubon Park Commission. These funds permitted expansion of the Zoo to its present 48 acres allowing the area to be divided into geographic sections that featured the differentiation of the animals. Next was the implementation of admission charges to generate revenue and help off-set the few donations the Zoo received. The creation of the group Friends of the Zoo, which managed guidelines for the many topics and programs available also offered the edZOOcators conductededucational programs. The implementation of fundraising through new and interesting events and finally, the continuous expansion of programs and updating of other programs helped to create the Zoo’s success.

PESTLE Analysis for Dialog Axiata

PESTLE Analysis for Dialog Axiata Dialog Telekom PLC (The Company) operates Sri Lankas largest and fastest growing telecommunication network Dialog GSM. Dialog Telekom is one of the largest companies listed under the Colombo Stock Exchange. It is a subsidiary of the Axiata Group Berhad. Due to Dialog the Sri Lankan mobile industry has achieved new heights and has come at par with the developed world. The telecom company operates 2G, 3G and 3.5G mobile services, supporting the current trends in mobile internet and multimedia services, as well as international roaming. Dialog Telekom accounts for more than 50% of Sri Lankan mobile phone subscribers. Along with the mobile telecommunication business Dialog Telekom operates a wide portfolio of international telecommunication services including retail and wholesale international voice and data services. Dialog Broadband Networks Pvt. Ltd. (DBN) is an owned subsidiary of the Company, and is an important player in Sri Lankas ICT infrastructure sector. DBN was also the first service provider in Sri Lanka to introduce high-speed broadband internet services based on Wi MAX technology. Dialog Television Pvt. Ltd. (Dialog TV) is another subsidiary of Dialog Telekom PLC. It operates Dialog Satellite TV, a Direct-to-Home (DTH) Satellite TV service. Dialog TV supports a wide range of international and local television channels. Regarding the structure of the company, Dialog Telekom Ltd. has got a Hybrid structure which is a combination of Matrix structure as well as Modular structure. As in each Strategic Business Unit (SBU) works independently and every function of each SBU has communication linkages with one another. Top down as well as bottom up communication is available and it uses worldwide resources and technologies. MICRO ANALYSIS THROUGH SWOT Analysis (S)trengths Dialog has the first mover advantage of GSM technology in Sri Lanka. Due to its strong infrastructure it has got one of the best and far reaching mobile telecommunication coverage. Relationship with a telecommunication tycoon in the same region; Telekom Malaysia Group. Extension in collaborations maintaining good relations with other Telecom companies has enabled Dialog to have a global approach with services such as and Satellite Coverage high roaming. Dialog Telekom has got a very aggressive marketing strategy which enables it to have a good and stable Brand Equity. Companys financial analysis proved excellent stability in financial statements regarding investments. Strong Public Relationship that has been built up over the years. Expanded CSR initiatives increased the social value of the firm. High quality technical innovations has made dialog market leader in Sri Lanka. Constant rise in the share prices has gained the confidence of the investors leading to value increment. Strong distribution network spread throughout the entire island.. Well managed customer care support techniques has increase the level of customer satisfaction. Wide variety of products. Management Team is efficient and hard-working. High level of corporate business knowledge retention through low employee turnover (W)eaknesses Though the investment on advertising and value addition through technical innovation is high, there is no clear aim and idea of a broader market Poor performance as on ISP. Compared to its competitors Dialog lags behind in innovations related to pricing strategies. The head office in Colombo is of a distributed nature due to non-expandability of the current location. The level of motivation of internal employees is decreasing. Due to the rapidly growing customer base the trends in Quality of Service are going down by the day. In the front-office employee turn-over is high. (O)pportunities Telecom is one of the fastest growing sectors in Sri Lankas 19.5million people As per estimations 4.5million users would have mobile phones by the end of 2006 The communication industry is growing rapidly. Fixed line penetration is low. The approval and acceptability of the Value Added Services (VAS) by the users has increased the probability and success of any new VAS initiative. The strategic partnership of Dialog Telekom with Vodafone UK. Dialog has got the potential to gain benefits of Value Chain Convergence. Technology advancements especially in mobile multimedia technologies and the advent and use of the next 3G mobile communications. (T)hreats Strongest Competitor of Dialog, the Mobile wing of fixed line telecom giant SLT is focused on cost-cutting strategy through its low cost pre-paid products in the market. Rapid changes in the political, social and economic conditions as well as the laws and regulations. Changes in currency exchange rates and high inflation which is inversely affecting the global business. Rapid change in customer preferences and their growing needs due to high level of customer awareness. Constant changes in technology. Dialog had to switch off all base station in northern-province during the last few months due to military operations by the Sri Lankan Govt. forces. Thus there is an uncertainty due to the growing counter terrorist campaigns. PESTEL Analysis (P)olitical Sri Lanka has very positive foreign investment policies. However though Sri Lanka identified importance of liberalization early as in 1977, due to political interventions bureaucratic attitudes inherited from colonial reign and poor governance, the country as a whole and specifically the industry has not grown as it was foreseen at the time of liberalization. During the past two decades, terrorist activities have remained constant as well. (E)conomical Unstable macro-economic environment and trade policy regime has a negative impact on the industry. The fall of the exchange rate over the years happened on a gradual pace. Since the inception of liberalization policy it has undergone massive reforms in this sector. However Sri Lanka lags dynamics incorporated by India to attract foreign direct investments. The attitude towards foreign direct investments needs to be improved. (S)ocio-Cultural Sri Lanka has better social conditions for example literacy rate is high, infant mortality rate is low and life expectancy is long. The country also has an educated and trainable work force. Nevertheless Sri Lankans inherit a bureaucratic attitude from the colonial administration that results in inefficiencies and discrimination. (T)echnological Sri Lanka depends on technology transfers from foreign direct investments. However TRCSL encourages local research and development. The country comparatively has not performed well enough to adapt technological changes on a timely manner. For example the shift from analogue to digital and the adoption of CDMA technology materialized in a slow pace. (E)cological (L)egal TRCSL the regulatory body takes up multidimensional roles. It ensures fair enforcement of Govt. policy, hold operators accountable for performance, address consumer issues, monitor changing industry needs and provide feedback to the policy making units. However TRCSL has been criticized over the years for information asymmetry, inefficiency and discrimination. Porters Five Forces 1. Threat of New Entrants Indias Bharti AIRTEL has got the fifth mobile operator license in Sri Lanka As per TRCSL, no more licenses would be awarded Thus it creates an entry barrier for all others to the market 2. Bargaining Power of Customers Consumer protection groups are almost non-existing As compared to the west, consumers are not that strong in their demands Quality standards and supports are comparatively not major concern if they exist at a basic level Low switching costs Customers are highly cost conscious 3. Threat from Substitutes Almost negligible Alternatives are fixed line and the more recent CDMA connectivity This is a much smaller market as compared to the huge total market 4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Local and International suppliers for Dialog Depends on SLT, MTT and a few other VSAT operators to access the national backbone Thus these particular suppliers are extremely powerful Acquisition of MTT and the creation of the new subsidiary known as Dialog Broadband Network 5. Rivalry Among Competing Firms Very high competition with constant pricing wars Dialog certainly has an edge because of their Value Added Services and differentiation strategy and the huge customer base Value Added Services are becoming very popular among the consumers Strategic Groups Adopted by the Company Dialog strategies are visible in the companys corporate, business and functional levels. They have already diversified their business across many areas during the last few years. For instance, by acquiring MTT, Dialog managed to strengthen its transmission backbone. Also recent past it has acquired CBNSAT, a satellite TV transmission company, and DERANA TV Channel with a long term objective of a value chain convergence. In addition to reach the customer, Dialog has created many alliances with other business corporations. Cargills-Dialog alliance to allow Cargills customers to settle Dialog bills is just one such example. The business plan is formulated at the beginning of the year considering main objectives of the company. The progress of each project is monitored in a monthly basis through different strategic committee meetings. On the other hand, Dialog tries to introduce latest technologies into the market considering global mega trends through its comprehensive Research and Development wing. Among them, the Dialogs initiative to setup the Dialog Research Lab at the University of Moratuwa is of importance because it effectively enabled Dialog to provide tailor made solutions to the local market. Nokia phones with Sinhala language support and Tsunami warning system for mobiles are just to name a few such examples. These technology initiatives can be considered as a strategy used to capture the market by effectively staying ahead from the competition in the technology and innovation sphere. Structure The Companys business and operations are managed under the supervision of the Board of Directors comprising of 5 non-executive directors and 1 executive director. The Board has the power to appoint executive directors including the CEO. Divisional structure can be identified in company level but performances of the divisions are measured through different strategic committees. Systems Apart from the technical backbone, Dialog uses several systems to execute their business strategies successfully. For example- SAP ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) This was launched in 2006 January to integrate identified key process in the company. CCBS (Customer Care Billing System) Currently existing billing system is going to be migrated into a new system to provide more customer centric services. HRIS Used for Human Resource Management and all the day to day functions are carried out through this system. Style The management style always depends on targets and objectives. Strict deadlines are imposed while performance and progress are very closely monitored at all levels of the organizational structure. Rewards and benefit schemes are in line for the top performers and better achievements. All the employees will have a number of recreational opportunities such as trips, get-together, sports etc. to take some time off from busy work schedules. Staff The Company currently employs a workforce of 2500 who in turn are considered pivotal to the organizations growth and success. Annual manpower planning and recruitment is carried out in parallel with the business plan preparation. The capabilities required by potential employees are based on the requirements of the business plans applicable to respective departments of the company in any given year. Recruitment to the Company is governed by several policies. The core policy on filling vacancies spells out the Companys intention to attract the best with the aim of exploiting the individuals potential while providing career development opportunities irrespective of communal or gender differences. 7% of the total HR cost is devoted to training and development. The training needs for individuals and teams are identified from the competency requirements arising from the Companys business plan and employees annual performance review. Subordinate Goals All individuals with different backgrounds, different ethnics and nations are teamed up and driven towards a common set of goals and objectives at Dialog Telekom. The company has been successful in focusing the entire team towards a single vision by incorporating all individuals goals and personal objective together. Skills Dialog team consists of number of individuals with distinctive capabilities and competencies from top to bottom. Dialog is proud to have a very energetic and talented CEO in the caliber of Dr. Hans Wijesuriya. In addition to that Dialog is served by a team of top class individual in the Sri Lankan industry with lot of talent and exposures. Different Strategies Adopted by Dialog Telekom Corporate Strategy Considering the current performance, the key success factors and the SWOT analysis the directional strategy alternatives would be the following Growth strategy to expand the activities of Dialog Telekom further would be the first alternative. Since the current product lines have real growth potencial concentration of resources on those would be ideal. In concentration Dialog Telekom can follow the vertical growth strategy to take the benefit of the value chain convergence opportunity that is existing in Sri Lankan context. Stability strategy to continue with current activities without any changes to the direction would be the second alternative. Here Dialog Telekom can utilize pause/proceed with caution strategy to have only incremental improvements while the weaknesses stated are overcome. It can use this time to stabilize the organization due to the changes took place due to multiple strategies it adopted earlier such as acquisitions and investing on innovative developments, which will help to get back the loosing internal employee motivation. The first alternative will move Dialog Telekom further away from the competition and create a monopoly temporarily for converged industries of telecommunication, content, media and retail. However unfocused highspeed growth to capture the market without stabilizing the existing acquisitions can disassemble everything. The second alternative will give Dialog Telekom and its employees much needed breathing space. The recommendation would be to implement the second alternative initially to stabilize the organization without any other drastic change in the direction. And after some time they can adopt their long term beneficial value chain convergence option depicted in first alternative. Business Strategy The business strategy alternatives available for Dialog Telekom to improve the competitive position in the industries it operates would be The first alternative for the competitive strategy would be to improve on the current strategy of differentiation. It can improve this by having unique Value Added Services for each of its current strategic business units DBN, CBNSAT and Dialog Telekom itself. This can improve the customer loyalty and thereby can charge a reasonable premium rate than competitors. Second alternative which Dialog Telekom can try to implement is cost leadership to overcome the threat of lower rates provided by competitors, Mobitel. Since the VAS are less in Mobitel the switching from Dialog to Mobitel is not much in urban people who use these VASes. But people who are using purely as a voice/sms only are shifting as most of them are cost conscious and there is not much of a difference in coverage. Hence if Mobitel improves on its VASes it would become a serious threat at a stage at which only the rates would decide the attraction of that segment of the market. Typically the differentiation strategy is more likely to generate higher profits than low cost strategy. However differentiation strategy implementation may involve higher investment than low cost strategy. Competitive scope is an important factor when considering competitive strategies. The recommended alternative depends on the competitive scope in this situation. Considering both alternatives and the pros and cons of each most ideal would be to have culmination of both differing from the segment of the market. Dialog Telekom should have a focused differentiation strategy in the market where people are valuing the VASes and cost focus in the market where usage is purely for voice/SMS. Simultaneously Dialog Telekom should look at strategic alliances as a corporate strategy to gain competitive advantage by working with other organizations. Currently they have stated this with some banks and some supermarket chains as mentioned earlier. However this can be vastly improved to include alliances with insurance companies, stock brokers, popular food chains etc.

Bush and Hitler - Parallel Lives :: Politics Political

Bush and Hitler - Parallel Lives The 70th anniversary wasn't noticed in the United States, and was barely reported in the corporate media. But the Germans remembered well that fateful day seventy years ago - February 27, 1933. They commemorated the anniversary by joining in demonstrations for peace that mobilized citizens all across the world. It started when the government, in the midst of a worldwide economic crisis, received reports of an imminent terrorist attack. A foreign ideologue had launched feeble attacks on a few famous buildings, but the media largely ignored his relatively small efforts. The intelligence services knew, however, that the odds were he would eventually succeed. (Historians are still arguing whether or not rogue elements in the intelligence service helped the terrorist; the most recent research implies they did not.) But the warnings of investigators were ignored at the highest levels, in part because the government was distracted; the man who claimed to be the nation's leader had not been elected by a majority vote and the majority of citizens claimed he had no right to the powers he coveted. He was a simpleton, some said, a cartoon character of a man who saw things in black-and-white terms and didn't have the intellect to understand the subtleties of running a nation in a complex and internationalist world. His coarse use of language - reflecting his political roots in a southernmost state - and his simplistic and often-inflammatory nationalistic rhetoric offended the aristocrats, foreign leaders, and the well-educated elite in the government and media. And, as a young man, he'd joined a secret society with an occult-sounding name and bizarre initiation rituals that involved skulls and human bones. Nonetheless, he knew the terrorist was going to strike (although he didn't know where or when), and he had already considered his response. When an aide brought him word that the nation's most prestigious building was ablaze, he verified it was the terrorist who had struck and then rushed to the scene and called a press conference. "You are now witnessing the beginning of a great epoch in history," he proclaimed, standing in front of the burned-out building, surrounded by national media. "This fire," he said, his voice trembling with emotion, "is the beginning." He used the occasion - "a sign from God," he called it - to declare an all-out war on terrorism and its ideological sponsors, a people, he said, who traced their origins to the Middle East and found motivation for their evil deeds in their religion.

Critique On Advertising In Our Society :: essays research papers

Critique On Advertising In Our Society A critique on the impact of advertising in our society. Consider visuals and verbal or written language. (1000 words) The impact of advertising on our society is a fiercely debated topic, and has been ever since the conception of advertising in its most basic form. There are negative and positive social and economic impacts upon society from advertising in its various forms. For instance, advertising promoting public welfare has a positive social impact upon society, whereas advertising portraying women as sex objects has negative social impacts. There are also positive economic impacts on society such as providing funding for the media and stimulating an active, competitive economy. There are a number of proven ways to persuade the consumer that he or she needs the product being advertised. These methods of persuasion, instead of concentrating on the actual product, usually concentrate on the benefits that will be brought to the consumer. These benefits may include the hope of more money and better jobs, popularity and personal prestige, praise from others, more comfort, social advancement, improved appearance, or better health. For example, an automobile advertisement, as well as mentioning the mechanical attributes of the car, would most likely focus on the excitement, prestige and social advancement it may bring the buyer. This social advancement is very often sexual, or involving attraction of the other sex– so the car advertisement may also mention the glamorous women/men that the consumer will attract with his/her fancy car. Advertising has been blamed for a great variety of negative social impacts. One of the major criticisms received by advertising is that it forces people to buy things they don't really need, often by projecting negative emotions such as fear, anxiety or guilt upon the consumer. It is claimed that advertising plays with our basic human emotions and takes advantage of them, using them as merely another technique to sell goods or services. Advertising also encourages people to buy products by making them think that purchasing and consuming are the major activities of their lives. It is said to also evoke fears of inferiority upon the consumer by depicting the ‘normal' person as young, attractive, wealthy and successful. This may encourage a person to act on his or her desire for success and, for instance, go out and purchase that particular brand of make-up or deodorant hoping to emulate the seeming success of the person depicted in the advertisement. In opposition, advertisers state that the public is intelligent enough to, and quite capable of, making up its own mind and will definitely not buy anything they don't want or need.

21st Century Capitalism Essay -- Term Papers Research Essays

21st Century Capitalism 21st Century Capitalism. By Robert Heilbroner. (New York: Norton, 1993. 175pp., $17.95) The Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21st Century Capitalism. By Robert Reich. (New York: Vintage, 1992. 339pp., $14.00) Undoubtedly, the 20th century has witnessed some of the most significant economic events in modern history. For example, the Great Depression saw capitalism come close to its end, and the principles of laissez-faire repudiated as the New Deal was enacted to rehabilitate the economy. More recently, the downfall of the Soviet Union represented a major victory for capitalism over the now-defunct communist system, which is nearing extinction even in the land of Mao, as China reluctantly and gradually moves towards a free market economy. Despite the fall of communism, one should not be too quick to celebrate. Alas, the future of capitalism remains undetermined. Several notable economists have issued predictions for the role of capitalism in the upcoming years. I choose to focus on two: Robert Heilbroner and Robert Reich. Robert Heilbroner, the Harvard-educated economist and New School professor most noted for The Worldly Philosophers, details his predictions for the future of capitalism in 21st Century Capitalism. Heilbroner is reluctant to draw any great conclusions about capitalism’s future and instead leads a rather deceptive course, first analyzing capitalism â€Å"from a distance†. Heilbroner’s first task is to study the primitive !Kung people of Africa’s Kalahari Desert in a brilliantly effective and easy-to-understand strategy intended to differentiate between the three forces of Command, Tradition, and the Market. Describing Tradition, he writes â€Å"From their infancy, Kun... ...xpecting striking revelations about capitalism’s future. Perhaps the disparity is due to the fact that Heilbroner is a brilliant economist, equal to the likes of Keynes, Schumpeter, and Galbraith, while Reich is a politician-as-academic. Another point worth noting is the likely audiences of both books. Heilbroner, whose works are read in college economics courses across the nation, likely intended his book for serious economists. On the contrary, Reich’s book with its colorful cover is likely intended for the general audience. In conclusion, Heilbroner’s long list of scholarly achievements will now grow by one. 21st Century Capitalism is a brilliantly written work with expert analysis and a masterful study of the future of economics. However, Reich's work is somewhat less impressive, and his analysis is, to a certain extent, less in-depth than that of Heilbroner.

Odysseus- Character Comparison to the movie Essay

In comparing the blockbuster movie TROY to secondary sources found o the internet and in various texts, there are many significant differences in the portrayal of Odysseus and his involvement in Trojan War. In the movie, the first we see of Odysseus is when he’s sent by the Mycenaean King and conqueror of Greece, Agamemnon, to persuade Achilles to join the Greek war effort because, I quote, â€Å"Odysseus is the only man he’ll listen to†. The respect and belief placed in Odysseus further proves the amount of admiration Greeks hold in his ability as an eloquent speaker. In many of the texts, there is more to the pre-war story of Odysseus then mentioned in TROY. One commonly held belief is that Odysseus was one of the original suitors of Helen. He was the one that made all of her suitors swear to defend her marriage rights. However, when Menelaus called on the suitors to bring Helen back from Troy, Odysseus was reluctant to make good on his oath. In the sources Odysseus was one of the key Greeks involved in the Trojan War. He was, according to one text, to be â€Å"Outspoken and sincere, fierce and proud†. To another source, he was said to â€Å"Refuse to leave the field when the Greek troops were being routed by the Trojans. In contrast with the texts, the movie portrays very little of Odysseus’ involvement in battle and shows none of his efforts as a Greek ambassador. This is mentioned regularly in our sources, again referring to the amount of approbation the Greeks had for Odysseus’ capability to influence the minds of men. One of our sources mentions the bravery and courage Odysseus showed while trying to protect a dying Achilles. It states that Ajax, another Greek warrior, Achilles and Odysseus got inside the walls of Troy before the nocturnal raid of the Trojan horse. However in the movie it shows nothing of this event and many other minor occurrences and chooses to reveal Achilles’ death after the creation of the Trojan horse which is seen to be historically incorrect. Whilst comparing various texts to the movie itself only one major similarity was recognised. This being Odysseus’ involvement in the Trojan horse. In both the texts and the movie, Odysseus is portrayed to be the originator of the horse, the stratagem by which the Greeks were finally able to take the city of Troy. His cleverness and ingenuity is emphasised once again because of his ability to create such deceiving device that would in turn win the war for Greece.

Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Ten

It worked perfectly.Almost. on that point were six guards blocking the exits and other four at the door, checking every 1 as they left. go total. tot eithery in body arms and masks, explaining patiently that in that respect had been a flush it threat and it was important to evacuate as quickly as possible. No sensation questioned why they were gird with the robot cargon weapons they kept using to push the crowd along.No one except Dr. Trope, who went up to one of them and said, Young man, I ask you to pass your weapons away from my students, distracting him just long ample for Miranda and Sibby to bring in swallowed into the shopping mall of the crowd.Theyd navigated by the depression dickens storm troopers, with only dickens left when Ariel yelled, Dr. Trope? Dr. Trope? Look, in that location she is, Miranda Kiss. I told you she crashed the prom. Shes even out there in the middle. You have to-Four men with automatic weapons suddenly swiveled and waded into the mass of students. Miranda whisper, Duck, to Sibby and the two of them bobbed at a lower place the surface of the crowd, crawling back into the grand Hall.Behind her she heard Dr. Trope formulateing, Where is she? Where did she go? Im non leaving one of my pupils in there. And the storm trooper verbal expression, Please, sir, you lead to evacuate. Well recoup her. Rest as sealedd.Miranda decided that if she got step up of this alive, shed be a lot nicer to Dr. Trope. If.She dragged Sibby over to doddering Faithful and said, In there. Now.Why cant I hide in the White accommodate? Why does it have to be in the volcano?I might need part of the White House. Please, just do it. They wont be competent to make you permit forth if they have night goggles.What about you? Youre habiliment white.I match the decorations.Wow, youre in squareity dandy at this. This planning hurtle. Howd you learn how to-Miranda was appreciation the same thing. Wondering why as soon as shed hear d the promulgation almost part of her brain had lucreed measuring rod her distance to the exits, looking approximately for weapons, notice the door. Her senses passing into overdrive was a break it meant some of her powers were cooperating. barely did she have the potential to take on ten armed men? The most shed ever taken on at one condemnation before was three, and they hadnt been toting machine natural gass. Shed have to be crafty rather than direct. She said to Sibby, eliminate me your boots.For what?To draw a bead on rid of some of our contender so we can get out of here.But I really want these-Give them to me. And also a galosh bracelet.Miranda set her trap, whence held her breath as a guard approached. She heard him say into the walkie-talkie, Southwest pillar. Ive got one, and byword the ribbons stir as he used the only ift of his gun to push them aside.Heard him say, What the-And fired George Washingtons sugar nose at him with the slingshot shed do o ut of Sibbys rubber bracelet and a fork. All her target work consider off be causa it hit him at precisely the right point to send him plunging forward. He went down headfirst just heavy enough to be disoriented and aristocratical while she tied his overtakes and feet with the ribbons from the pillar. Im really sorry, she said, flipping him over to gag him with a division of dinner roll, then smiled. Oh, hi, Craig. non your day, is it? I hope your heads feeling better. What? Its not? It will. submit rubbing some insta-hot on your wrists and ankles when they loose you. Bye.Shed just grabbed the boots shed used at the sales booth of the column as a steersman when she heard another guard approach path fast from her left. She threw a boot at him Frisbee style and heard a agreeable swack as he fell down, too. devil down, eight to go.She was apologizing to the one shed hit with the shoe, who was out cold-it was nice to k today ankle boots were unattackable for something-wh en the walkie-talkie on his belt came to life. Leon, this is the Gardener. Where are you? State your position. Copy?Miranda picked up the unconscious guards walkie-talkie and said into it, I estimation your name was Caleb Reynolds, Deputy. Why the Gardener shove? Or, as my friend likes to call you, appoint Boy.A crackle. Then Deputy Reynoldss percentage through with(predicate) the walkie-talkie. Miranda? Is that you? Where are you? Miranda?Right here, she whispered in his ear. Shed snuck up arsehole him, and now as he turned, her arm came around his neck with the heel of the boot pointed at his throat.What are you stabbing me with? he asked.All you need to know is that its waiver to cause you a lot of infliction and in all probability a bad infection if you dont start rangeing me how umteen people there are here and what their plan is.There are ten in here, 5 more watching the exits outside. But Im on your side.Really, Gardener? Thats not how it looked at the house.You didnt give me a chance to talk to the girl.Youre going to have to do better than that. Im not a mix tape, you cant play me.Do you have any idea what she is? What she is? Not really.His heart prize sped up now. Shes a real-life flesh-and-blood prophet. The Cumean Sibyl. Shes one of ten people who surrounded by them supposedly know and can see the whole future of the world.Wow. I perspective she was just an annoying fourteen-year-old with wild hormones. The Sibyl operates through different bodies. Or thats what they think. These people Im running(a) with. Wack jobs. They pretend they want to protect her, uphold her prophecies from being exploited by the unscrupulous, but I think theyre actually into extortion. I heard one of them say they could redeem the girl for eight figures. His heart rate sulkyed as he talked. My job was to happen out where she was supposed to be picked up, so they could send someone there with some trinket of hers to show we had her, and get the super to pay up.Miranda didnt like the sound of the backchat trinket at all. But you werent going to?Theyre just using this religion stuff as a cover for their greed. Its disgusting. Im all set to stop them, and then you- get agitated, his round spiking-you come along in the middle and mess it up.Miranda knew he was genuinely angry. debar them how?I was supposed to be getting the location of her pickup place from her, right? When you crashed in, I was going to tell her what to say, a place Id picked out with the task force, then when the wackos went there, theyd be picked up by the natural law. meantime Id get the Sibyl safely to the real rendezvous. But you come in and blow it. Months of police work down the tubes. His heartbeat was slow and even again.Miranda let him go. Im so sorry, she said.He turned to scowl at her, ever-changing it to a half smile when he saying what she was wearing. Nice look on you. He paused for a second, then said, You know, theres a way we could still ma ke this work. Do you have another outfit like that?My skating uniform? Yeah. But its not the same color. Its more blue.That doesnt matter as long as its close. With you two get dressed as twins well be able to fool them into thinking that youre the Sibyl, use you as a decoy while we slip her out to safety.Talking quickly, he depict the rest of his plan. Miranda said, It would be better if we wore the wigs and masks, too. To apprehend the disguise.Thats right. Perfect. Go toward the employee entrance, the one you used to plume in. Theres someone guarding the outer door but theres a door on the left that is clear. It goes to an locating. Ill deal with these guys and then come-He halt talking, lifted his gun, and fired behind her. Turning, Miranda saw hed shot one of the guards.He saw us together, he told her. I couldnt let one of those bastards get you or tell the others. Ill distract them, keep them over here. You get the Sibyl, change, and wait for me in the office.She was al ready contemptible away when she paused and said, How did you find us?His heartbeat slowed. Put out a bulletin on your car.I should have thought of that, Miranda said, then took off as he radioed, Man down-man down.Sibby was frantic when Miranda got back to her. What happened? Did you get shot?No. I got us a ride out of here.How?Miranda explained as they changed, then skirted the edges of the Great Hall toward the directors office. As they moved, she heard Deputy Reynolds barking orders to the guards, keeping them prompt in other parts of the room, saying at one point, No, dont turn on the lights-that will give them an advantage At another, heard a grunt of pain that sounded like someone being knocked out. She was impressed.They reached the directors office without running into anyone. Sibby sat in the desk chair. Miranda was pacing, manner of walking back and forth to the ticktock of the bouffant measure on the directors mantelpiece, picking up and putting down objects, a wat ch crystal bowl, a box of stationery, weighing them in her hand. A family picture of a man, woman, two small boys, a dog seated together at the edge of a pier with the sun setting behind them. The dog was wearing someones hat, a real full member of the family.A hand came down in front of the picture. Hello, Miranda? I was asking you something?Miranda put the picture down. Sorry. What?How do you know youre right about him?I just do. Trust me.But if youre wrong-Im not.The clock ticked. Miranda paced. Sibby said, I hate that clock.Tick. Pace. Sibby Im not sure I can do this.Miranda halt and looked at her. Of course you can.Im not undismayed like you.Excuse me? The girl who got-how many guys is it now? Twenty-three?Twenty-four.Twenty-four guys to caress her? Youre brave. Miranda hesitated. Know how many guys Ive kissed?How many?Three.Sibby gaped at her, burst out laughing. Gods, no wonder youre so repressed. This had better work or youll have had one seriously sorry life.Thanks.

Amazon.com Operational strategy Essay

A distrust 2 What argon Amazon.coms war-ridden priorities and what should its operation strategy focus on? war-ridden priorities Keep the position of market leader. Maintain the stiff legal transfer. Low price focus User genial website.Operational strategyPromote the website, especi all(prenominal)y in this clipping of the year, during the holidays. People will be reminded of the website, and possibly visit the website because of the promotion. When the visitors are on amazon.com, they must pioneer a nice shopping-environment. This fuck be make by constantly ameliorate the websites drug user friend stringss, this can be done by improving the search engine for example. Or something as booming as changing some colors to duet the season.Question 4 FedEx built its business on quick, depend commensurate deli precise of items being shipped by convey from one business to a nonher. Its early advantages included international tracking of shipments using Web technology. T he advancement of net profit technology enabled competitors to become much more forward-looking in order tracking. In addition, the advent of Web-based businesses assemble pressure on increased ground superman deliveries. Explain how this change in the environment has change FedExs trading operations strategy, especially relative to UPS, which has a buckram hold on the business-to-consumer ground delivery business.Because FedEx lost their initial competitive advantage (UPS became a threat as they were able to deliver rotund volume of shipments because of the advanced Internet technology as well), they had to come up with bleakoperations strategies to abide competitive FedEx Ground FedEx HomeFedEx presently focuses on little-cost operations and dependable delivery, to gain a new competitive advantage.Question 6 Although all nine of the competitive priorities discussed in this chapter are applicable to a telephoners success in the marketplace, explain why a comp both sh ould non necessarily try to excel in all of them. What determines the choice of the competitive priorities that a comp whatsoever should mark for its key deales?It really depends on the specific market you are operating in as a company. The company should focus on the most marketable assets by implementing demographics and forecasting future opportunities. Top fibre may influence the development speed and poor cost operations could conflict with your volume flexibility.BChads Creative Concepts started as a small company producing fashion made wooden article of furniture. Business was good, and Chad doubting doubting Thomas decided to expand his business. Now, Chad added a exemplification identify of furniture to his business. The priority is excuse on the custom made furniture, therefore the warning line is devote on the arcsecond place, leading to unfinished proceedss and a big inventory.Question 1 What types of decisions must Chad Thomas make daily for his companys o perations to make hard-hittingly? Over the long run?Chad has to make operational decisions. In the long run, these decisions are Strategic decisions.Question 2 How did gross sales and merchandising affect operations when they began to sell measuring rod pieces to retail outlet?By changing to merchandising standard pieces in retail outlets next to the custom pieces, Chad has start promoting his business, because now there are serious competitors, which are easily reached by the node. The substantial production process changed, because now standard pieces are produced in the manufacturing plant as well.Question 3 How has the move to producing standard furniture affected the companys pecuniary structure?The sales of the standard line are increasing steadily, but still the most dollars of the sales come from the custom made pieces. However, the financial side is not optimal, because lots of dollars are spend on inventory.Question 4 What might Chad Thomas pitch done unalikely to avoid some of the difficultys he now faces?Thomas could make a second factory, focused on only producing standard pieces. By doing this, he can terminate the problem of priorities. So, by doing this, he can decrease the inventory.Extra questionsQuestion 1 Explain the competitive priorities for both product lines (customized furniture and standard furniture) The priority of the company is the surgical incision of the customized furniture. But with both departments, there are different priorities. For customized furniture, the priority is to create a creative de signal, with the utmostest lineament possible. For the standard furniture, the priority is deliver on clip and a good price-quality ratio.Question 2 delineate the OPP (Order Penetration Point) of each productlines The OPP for the custom made pieces of furniture is the bite Chads staff start working on a project. The whole project is specifically made for one customer from the beginning. The OPP for the Standard piec es is the outcomethat a customer buys the (al develop fully assembled) product. At that moment in time, the pieces are for that specific customer.Question 3 Which flow strategy would be the most effective for each of the product lines? For the custom made pieces pliable is the best strategy. This focuses on individual pieces. For the standard pieces, the line strategy is the best strategy. This strategy focuses on the whole line, not on individual pieces.Question 4 What would you advice Chads to do to solve the current problems? We would appreciate Chad to start a second factory. The current factory should be used for only the custom pieces. The new factory can be used for the standard pieces. With the two production processes separated, you can eliminate the problem of priority.Discussion questions1Its a job process, a process with the flexibility needed to produce a wide variety of products in significant quantities. With significant complexity and divergence in the steps perf ormed. We regard its easy to lease high customer contact with internal customers, because internal customers are close set(predicate) to the company.2This sign implicates that the employees do not have any word in the company. Some customers could think that the employees are not good in performing their job, without any responsibility. Next to this, the employees could feel like they are not important to the company. So this sign works in a bad way.Furthermore, the sign implicates that the employees are very limited in their actions, and furthermore, this leads to low customer contact.This sign is exactly the opposite of how the employees at Ritz Carlton work. Employees at this hotel have all the resources and responsibilities a man can have. Stories go round that hotel managers fly in products from other(a)countries, bonnie for customer satisfaction. In this case, with the sign, the employees hands are tied, and by this, customer satisfaction is not at its maximum.CQuestion 3 How do the process strategies of eBay and McDonalds differ and how do their choices relate to customer-introduced variability?eBay (mass customization)McDonalds (repetitive focus)eBay customers are slight involved regarding the variability. They offer many different products for many different interests, and the customer basically buys whatever he or she wants low involvement. McDonalds on the other hand wants to know more specifically, what their customers want as they have less products to offer and are able to change their product line more very much during the year. Lately, McDonalds organised a contest where the customer could compose their ideal hamburger. The winning hamburger is now being sold for a set time period.Question 4 Medical technology can outfit a patient with an artificial heart, or cure vision defects with the touch of a laser. However, hospitals still struggle with their back-office processes, such(prenominal) as getting roentgenogram files from radiology on the fourth floor to the initiatory-floor imbibe boxes in the emergency room without having to send a runner. More than 30 percent of the estimated 30 gazillion health transactions each year are conducted by phone, fax or mail. To what extent, and how, can development technology amend productivity and quality for such processes? Remember that some doctors are not ready to give up their pads and pencils, and many hospitals have strong lines drawn around its departments, such as pharmacy, cardiology, radiology ad paediatrics.Basically, information technology cannot only improve productivity and quality, but thinking more practically, it could lighten lives as all medical systems in a hospital work through faster and more advanced technologies. Understandably, it has to be 100 percent legitimate and feasible and thats belike the current intellect for some doctors, mentioned in the question, to keep working in an old-fashioned way that is for them safer and more reliable, but probably not as fast as up to date advanced information technologies available.Question 5 Consider the range of processes in the financial serve industry. What position on the customer-contact matrix would the process of selling financial services to municipalities (1) occupy? The process of preparing periodical fund balance wheel reports (2)? Explain why they would differ.1. lie/Hybrid office2. Back officeThe first process requires some fundamental interaction to high interaction with the customer (municipality). It lies somewhere in the middle, as youre not working with individual clients (which require high interaction) but a client (municipality) that needs mending updates and interaction on the process. Preparing monthly fund balance reports is a continued routine process that requires low to none interaction and is the same with all customers.