Saturday, November 30, 2019

Warehouse Management Solution Putting the Ideas into Practice

Introduction A warehouse management is the management type which contains a number of various elements that help to computerize the company processes, such as the inner and outer processes of the enterprise and the warehousing processes, at the same time allowing to upgrade the company performance, the location of the products and the customer’s impression (Consona Corporation, 2011). To be more precise, the warehouse management system, or WMS, allows to improve the company operations.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Warehouse Management Solution: Putting the Ideas into Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a rule, the given operations start with obtaining the money from the provider and results in the delivery of goods to the customer. In addition, the process involves the required actions to be taken and the data package used for the production and delivery of the goods. It has been proven that, within a certain range of time, not only grand entrepreneurships, but also smaller and less influential companies can accept and implement the given system of management with major success, since the WMS touches upon such important elements of an efficient company performance as immediate supply, incorporated logistics and e-commerce accomplishment (Eclipse Systems Pvt. Ltd, 2004; Ayub, 2007). The given report offers the analysis of warehouse management system and its implementation, pointing out both the advantages and disadvantages of WMS. Waterhouse Management Definition Having the same roots as other software applications, WMS was supposed to constitute a significant part of managing the space for storage of raw materials and the technical supply (Piasecki, 2011; Eclipse Systems Pvt. Ltd, 2004). At present, however, the question whether a WMS should become the so-called warehouse-specific ERP system remains open. In addition, the research results state clearly that once the cour se of processing within the spheres of Advanced Planning and Scheduling, Enterprise Resource Planning, Manufacturing Execution Systems, Warehouse Management Systems, Supply Chain Planning, Transportation Management Systems and Distribution Management Planning will definitely spawn the increase of complexity raising between enterprises which are looking for the software which will supposedly improve their business process management (Piasecki, 2011; Eclipse Systems Pvt. Ltd, 2004). In addition, a successfully applied WMS is usually aimed at incorporating not only he existing devices and equipment, but also the entire computer hardware and software by the means of increasing the working operations; thus, the improvements in organization of such elements of company operation as storage, supply and delivery, raw materials and labor.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Once the abov e-mentioned WMS strategy is applied, the company can possibly enter even tougher competition in the existing market; however, such actions as the reduction of staff expenses, supply accuracy improvement, making sure that the quality of the product meets the clientele’s expectations, as well as improving the flexibility of the company, must be undertaken. Allowing the managerial to address the problem of stock management by applying the synchronized approach, obtaining the newest data concerning the current order or its delivery, as well as any other detail concerning the given order, the WMS offers considerable advantages to the company in terms of withstanding the market competition (Eclipse Systems Pvt. Ltd, 2004; Murray, 2011). Waterhouse Management System Advantages The system has a number of positive aspects (Eclipse Systems Pvt. Ltd, 2004; Murray, 2011), among which the most important are the ones mentioned below. Enhanced supply and delivery transfer With the help of W MS, the lead duration is minimized due to the fact that the supply and delivery transfer takes the minimum of time as well. In addition, the stock information is verified, which allows to practice the JIT strategy. Therefore, the safety store is no longer demanded, as the latter increases the use of working capital and the inventory. Efficient use of current warehouse storage It is important to add that the WMS not only decreases the need in a safety stock, but also allows an enterprise to enlarge the material storage space with the help of object-finding techniques, such as the methods of obtaining, collecting, wrapping and delivery locations. Reduced necessity in paper-keeping It is practically possible to make the traditional process connected with the material storage procedures faster by the usage of the WMS, once the latter is synchronized and automated, once the supply data transfer is established. In the given case, it becomes possible to keep all the information concerning the storage of the material, e.g., the data concerning the packaging lists, receipt reports, etc., can be transferred from the standard paper form to the form of digital data. Cycle counting brought to its maximum With the help of WMS, the company data, such as the certain supply and delivery points, the order transfer frequency, etc., for the previously arranged cycle counts. In the given strategy, the provided type of cycle counts not only increases the accuracy of the final results, but also helps to decrease the necessity in the overall substantial supply, since the latter is inordinately expensive for the enterprise.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Warehouse Management Solution: Putting the Ideas into Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Considerable independence from warehouse employees Once the WMS is implemented, the company becomes capable of bringing the enterprise supply actions and the delivery procedure to the standard, adjusting the processes to the company’s features. Therefore, the organization deliberately picks the official methods, thus, reducing the dependence on the warehouse employees. Enhanced customer satisfaction Streamlining the production is the key asset of the WMS methods, since it presupposes that the company locates the product and delivers it to the customer in a more efficient manner. Because of the ability to check the process for the back-ordered delivery and to discharge the latter immediately, the given system improves the accuracy of the product delivery and, therefore, improves the company score. Increased labor performance With the help of such innovative approaches as cross docking, a WMS makes it possible for the company to bring the transfer of the raw material to its maximum efficiency. Known as the technique allowing to pick the shortest routes for the inward consignments to be delivered, the given system helps to make the warehouse management considerably easier. The Ideas Offered by SAP It is also important to keep in mind that the WMS works in correspondence with the ERP acquisitions, production, general financial management capability and the management of raw materials and the orders made by the clientele. With the Application of the WMS, it is guaranteed that the company will not obtain any conflicting data concerning the product, its location, etc. once the data is transmitted with the help of different computer applications. Thus, it can be arranged that the operations carried out in various departments of the organization are implemented basing on the newest data and the most up-to-date information (Consona Corporation, 2011). According to SAP, there is a certain way to handle the demands and the peculiarities of the warehouse management, as well as the corresponding issues, which is applying the fully integrated tools developed by SAP. Moreover, with the help of the offered solution, all the function s previously performed previously by the business executives, namely, the planning, source search, storage, transportation and delivery of the products in question, can be carried out as a single logistic action (SAP AG., 2011), which is known as the SAP Enterprise Warehouse Management (SAP EWM) solution existing in four versions.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More EWM combines all the necessary elements which are bound to lead the company to prosperity and at the same time helps to survive the competition (Consona Corporation, 2011; SAP AG., 2011). Positive Aspects of SAP Solution It must be noted that the given solution offers flexible system of the operating materials transportation, as well as the organization of the material. As for the positive aspects of the solution, one must mention that It raises the warehouse capability by improving the materials transportation It increases the ability of the warehouse to select the most reasonable locations for the products, managing the transfer operations, and at the same time make certain that the employees maintain the same high level of productivity and quality It makes the production completely transparent, distributing the information between the clientele, the suppliers and all those concerned so that there could be no information gaps It makes the organization capable of entering the mark et competition and improve the quality of the products, responding timely and adequately to the changes in supply and demand (SAP AG., 2011). Two Entrepreneurships Testing the SAP Solution In the first instance, the SAP strategy is put into practice for ESCO, a European salt company. Nowadays taking the first place worldwide, it adopted a near-synchronized strategy (SAP, 2011). As for the second instance, Deloitte Consulting managed not only to refine the production process, but also to introduce MS Access databases to the staff for a faster information processing (Deloitte Consulting, 2011). Conclusion Judging by the above-mentioned examples and the analysis of the WMS process, one must admit that the WMS approach is doubtlessly efficient and must be encouraged in various organizations. The given report shows that, organizing the processes of delivery, supply, storage and labor, the system in question works impeccably and helps raising the revenues of the company. Reference List A yub, N., 2007. Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Essentials. [Online] Available at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/wms-essentials/what-is-warehouse-management-system-wms-18819 . Consona Corporation, 2011. Warehouse Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.compiere.com/products/capabilities/warehouse-management.php . Deloitte Consulting, 2011. Warehouse Management at Ford with SAP EWM. [Online] Available at: http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-Belgium/Local%20Assets/Documents/EN/Services/Consulting/dcom-be-en-warehouse-management-SAP-EWM.pdf . Eclipse Systems Pvt. Ltd, 2004. Warehouse Management System (WMS). [Online] Available at: http://www.bestwms.com/about_wms.htm . Murray, M., 2011. Implementing a Warehouse Management System (WMS). [Online] Available at: http://logistics.about.com/od/supplychainsoftware/a/ImplementingWMS.htm . Piasecki, D., 2011. Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). [Online] Available at: http://www.inventoryops.com/warehouse_management_systems.htm . SAP AG., 2011. ADVANCED WAREHOUSING WITH SAPÂ ® EWM. [Online] Available at: download.sap.com/industries/aero-defense/./download.epd?. SAP, 2011. The Start of a New Era in Logistics. [Online] Available at: http://en.sap.info/the-start-of-a-new-era-in-logistics/10625 . This report on Warehouse Management Solution: Putting the Ideas into Practice was written and submitted by user Alexis I. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Public Policy Lifecycle Example

Public Policy Lifecycle Example Public Policy Lifecycle – Coursework Example Public Policy Lifecycle The public policy making process entails a set of decisions taken by the government to do something or nothing (Dye, 2010). The stages of the lifecycle of the public policy involve identification of objectives, policy formation, adoption of best solutions, implementation, and evaluation. The Affordable Care Act represents a policy that has undergone through the stages of the public policy lifecycle. The policymakers identified that the objectives of the Affordable Care Act were to expand coverage, lower health care cost, and enhance the quality of care to every American during the first stage of policy lifecycle. The policy gained attention and the Senate and House of Representatives adopted the best options and passed it in 2009 and 2010 respectively, after deliberating on an alternative solution in the second stage of the policy-making process (Emanuel, 2014). In the third stage, the policy identified lowering the uninsured rate, reducing health care for cit izens, and providing subsidies as the best solutions to make health care affordable to all. The implementation stage has encountered challenges from the federal courts, state governments, labor unions, and conservative advocacy groups (Emanuel, 2014). Significant reforms such as minimum standards for insurance policies have happened in the evaluation stage.It is important to develop a viable policy adoption in order to reduce the chances failing or stalling the public policy. Policy networks can facilitate or hinder the adoption and implementation of the public policy (Emanuel, 2014). The policymakers should focus on the best implementation practices by explicitly providing parameters such as targets and restrictions in order to ensure the public understands the implication of the policy. It is imperative for the policymakers to consider whether the adoption or amendment of the existing policy offers the best for all the citizens (Dye, 2010). In essence, the makers ought to look at the relative merits of adoption or amendment of policies.ReferencesDye, T.R. (2010). Understanding Public Policy (13th ed.). London: Pearson Prentice Hall.Emanuel, E. J. (2014). Reinventing American health care: How the Affordable Care Act will improve our terribly complex, blatantly unjust, outrageously expensive, grossly inefficient, error prone system. New York: PublicAffairs.

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Street Car Names Desire Essay Example for Free

A Street Car Names Desire Essay ? A Street Car Named Desire deals with a culture clash between the Old South’s â€Å"plantation† mentality (priding itself on false pretenses) and the New South’s relatively uncivilized, yet real, grip on reality. The two characters who come to represent this tension are Blanche and Stanley Kowalski. Blanche advertises herself as a champion of â€Å"Southern Honor. † This entails an unfaltering dedication to virtue and culture. These are not, however, driving factors in her life but only mask her alcoholism and delusions of grandeur. By contrast, Stanley is an industrial worker who acts on habit and structure. Tennessee Williams juxtaposes illusion and reality by depicting the antagonistic relationship between the two by consistently employing symbolism. Blanche is constantly escaping the realities of life by retreating into her own fabrications. Her plummet into a delusional world begins when her beloved husband reveals himself to be gay and, soon after, shoots himself. She falls into a spiral of affairs after this event in a search to find emotional satisfaction and to reaffirm her womanhood. She ignores the obvious detrimental effect of her intimacies because all she wants is to be happy again: to be loved. Blanche physically escapes the reality of her life by leaving Belle Reve and Laurel to go to her sister’s home in New Orleans. Here, she misrepresents who she is and enters another relationship where she recreates her identity. When confronted about her lies, Blanche explains that she lies because she refuses to accept the hand fate has dealt her: I don’t want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell truth, I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it! (Williams, 34) Lying to herself and to others allows her to make life appear as she thinks it should be rather than as it is. Her final, deluded happiness (as her sister and Stanley commit her to an insane asylum) shows her acceptance that illusion is an adequate reality, but it also shows reality’s inevitable triumph. The driving force of reality, embodied by Stanley Kowalski, quickly dismantles all the falsities Blanche comes to represent. He is a practical man firmly grounded in the physical world who disdains fabrications. He finds meaning only in the primitive and straightforward: â€Å"There’s something downright bestial about him! †¦ He acts like an animal, has animal’s habits! †¦ Yes, something ape-like about him† (71). An animal would not create an alternate reality for a situation but would act according to the real, harshness of life in order to ensure its own survival. Stanley’s animal habits can be looked at as an appreciation only for tangible truths. In the end, Stanley succeeds in debunking all the false images Blanche created about herself. He goes out of his way to reveal Blanche’s past and then flaunts it in a crude, insensitive way: â€Å"Take a look at yourself here in a worn-out Mardi Gras outfit, rented for 50 cents from some rag-picker†¦ Do you know that I’ve been on to you from the start, and not once did you pull the wool over this boy’s eyes?†¦ Ha ha! Do you hear me? Ha ha ha† (67). Stanley again asserts his bestial tendency, but this time to show his dominance. When he proceeds to physically rape her, he metaphorically strips her of the false reality she created. Williams uses symbolism to show that Blanche is trapped in a life of delusion. The Varsouviana Polka and the use of light are reoccurring symbols that elude to her disconnect with reality. The Polka is the music that played the night her husband committed suicide. Blanche says that it ends only after she hears the sound of a gunshot in her head. It plays at various points in the play, symbolising this event that triggered her mental decline. Whenever a situation gets too â€Å"real,† Blanche firmly believes she hears the Varsouviana, panics, and looses her grip on reality. Also, throughout the play, Blanche avoids appearing in direct, bright light, especially in front of Mitch: â€Å"And turn that over-light off! Turn that off! I won’t be looked at in this merciless glare†(45). It is clear she avoids the lights in efforts to conceal the reality of her age and fading beauty. Symbolically, Blanche avoids light in order to prevent Mitch from seeing her for who she is. She, once again, retreats into her own world of illusion. Blanche is never able to be looked at â€Å"in the light† and exposed. She never faces reality. Both Stanley and Blanche have a hard time relating to the other gender without sexual implications. The difference is that Stanley is upfront about this â€Å"animalistic† behavior towards women, while Blanche tries to paint herself as above the primitive nature of her sexual impulses. We can call one approach realistic and the other delusional, but it doesn’t change the fact that both characters approach interactions in a sexual way. What does this say about the nature of what is real and what isn’t? Williams seems to draw an ambiguous line. This implies that reality and illusions coexist in our lives, and what we choose to label our views and actions is just a matter of perspective. A Street Car Names Desire. (2016, Dec 03).

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Succession Planning and Management in Governmental IT Organizations Dissertation - 1

Succession Planning and Management in Governmental IT Organizations - Dissertation Example It employed the use of three questionnaires to assess the provincial Government’s SPM structure, staff members assessment of current leaders who are products of the present SPM process and to test the applicability of the new process. Two hundred and forty participants participated in the Survey, participants included Human Resources Personnel, staff members from the different Ministries in the State and managers. Analysis of data was done using simple percentages . Survey results of the experiment indicates that even though Alberta Government has an SPM structure in place as it is uncommon with other State Governments; the structure has not really produced leaders with the desired management and leadership skills to develop the succession candidates; study also suggests that the current Alberta process is not really suited to the complexities of the IT organizations. The study therefore developed a process of SPM based on Ley 2002’s and Whittmore 2006 approach to SPM w hich includes eight elements altogether and the process tested. Results show that th

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Contractual issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Contractual issues - Essay Example Her employer refused to provide her unemployment benefits arguing that Crowe was dismissed for cause. Consequently, she disqualified from obtaining benefits. Based on the findings of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, she was not fired for cause. Crowe was entitled to obtain her benefits without disqualification. Based on clause 41–35–120 (2) of the South Carolina Code, an employee is entitled to unemployment benefits that should run between one to six months after being dismissed for cause (South Carolina Legislature, 2014). The case ended with the judge affirming that Crowe was entitled to unemployment benefits because she was not dismissed for cause. The ethical dimensions in this case is that AnMed did not consider Crowe’s claims that taking flu shot could make her go through pain and die from a debilitating infection. Though her actions were sensible, AnMed did not establish an appropriate way of engaging Crowe to understand her problem (American College of Healthcare Executives, 2012). An administrator should first consider the situation that led to the dismissal. After the determination that she was not dismissed for cause, it would be necessary to give her employment

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Recruiting, Selection, and Training Essay Example for Free

Recruiting, Selection, and Training Essay The company that I researched is WellPoint (aka Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield). I would love to have a position as a Human Resource Director within the company. As a Human Resources professional at WellPoint, the goal is to lead their workforce and workplace talent strategies into achieving the purpose statement to convert health care with trusted and caring solutions. WellPoint also develop programs that attract individuals with vision and talent to be the future of their industry. Human Resources professionals at WellPoint concentrate on key areas such as talent management, engagement, and Integration to maximize customer focus and efficiency. Analyze the effectiveness of the company’s recruiting efforts and make recommendations for improvement. The HR professionals have a hard time getting qualified applicants to apply for certain positions. So the first challenge is getting enough people to apply to a particular job. In doing so they are able to prepare not to consider those who they deem unfit for the position. It takes a lot of effort to select the applicants that truly qualify for the job. All organizations have to begin with advertising for the position. Other resources used for employment are employee referral, employment agencies, school recruiters, walk-ins, and the internet. To work in human resources, a person must go through an industrial/psychology analysis. WellPoint human resource departments have their own job analysis and all human resource employees must help mangers anticipate and meet changing needs related to gaining deployment, and the utilization of employees. The human resource professionals must estimate the amount and type of employees the organization needs, to keep the business running successfully. Therefore they must hire someone who is qualified to conduct all the important roles as a human resource manager. Human resource departments use multiple aptitude tests to screen potential employees. These tests also determine pay  rates based on these tests. This is due to the quality of demand for a human resource manager. The selection process takes a lot of practice and involves assessing and choosing the right candidates. All selection processes must be legal, technically sound, and must accurately match the people and skills needed f or the position. Analyze the selection process of the company you researched and make recommendations for improvement. The majority of I/O psychologists believe that personality tests are important tools for choosing the right employees. WellPoint and several other big corporations use these tests to measure dimensions of personality and related characteristics. These testing methods are used to foresee insubordinate behaviors, and remove individuals that may cause trouble or hindrance to the organization. WellPoint Corporation has been dedicating numerous amounts of energy into areas such as communication, recognition, and employee retention. They understand that branding the employees doesn’t mean anything if the experience of the individuals does not match. Instead they want to establish higher profits, increased sales, lower turnover, and outstanding customer service to their members. Part of WellPoint’s pre-employment testing includes personality testing and mathematical skills. These tests are based on the individual. Some of these particular measures may be referred to as tempera ments, dispositions, or traits. Also measured in that category are employee reliability, thoroughness, change, trustworthiness, and friendliness. Various personality measures are focused on characterizing people within the standard adult range of functionality while others focus on the identification of psychopathology (Schmidt, Shaffer 2010-2011). The reasons individuals are given a basic math assessment are to measure the accountability for their employees to figure out co-pays and co-insurance amounts are calculated correctly to the claim. WellPoint has spent countless time and money in mastering the art of employee selection, training, and retention. WellPoint has a website for interested candidates to apply for careers within their organization, both online and the corporate offices. During the selection process, candidates are asked to take a variety of assessments that analyze areas ranging from characteristics, skill sets, and basic reading and writing tests. Once a candidate has been selected and has accepted a job offer, there are several types of training encountered within the company. Determine how training and talent management contribute to an  effective labor force of the company you researched. Training is a planned learning experience and it effectively prepares workers for their current and future jobs. Training for human resource managers focuses on the present job industry while development training prepares them for the future growth. Training enhances knowledge and job skills. Methods used to measure the success of the training are performance appraisals. This measures the adequacy of the human resource managers. After their performances are measured their results are discussed with them, and any changes that may need to be made in the training process can be easily detected. These pre-employment tests are used largely in Human Resource and customer service environments for middle paying entry level jobs. Testing is designed to predict proneness for theft and other forms of counterproductive work behavior in job applicants. The organization now proposes quarterly training for employees, and is on the path to training over thousands of new people due to health care reform (wellpoint.com) The whole program is centered on listening to customers, and it recognizes employees who go the extra mile in the name of customer service. Often the new hire will experience on-the-job training, during which he or she will be shown the necessary steps in their assigned tasks. For instance, if a person is assigned to the team and asked to process claims, he or she will be shown how to properly process the claim by the trainer. Other tasks that the new hire will be expected to perform, such as enrolling dependents or ordering ID cards. This training is done in a class room setting environment. Safety courses and other employee training courses are offered periodically. Some of these courses are offered online, while others are done in training sessions within the building. WellPoint corporate employees evaluate the efficiency of nearly every aspect of the training and implementation of new employees. Additional measures are also put in place when a policy or product has changed or a new one has been introduced. The department of Quality Assurance oversees this for their assigned regions. WellPoint takes great care in ensuring that their policies are proficient and products are the best quality. That is why there are several departments in place to oversee these important aspects of the corporations. They include Quality Assurance, Product Development, Legal, Human Resources and Information Services. Another way that WellPoint seeks to improve their employee job satisfaction is career training. A large  majority of WellPoint corporate staff started with the company and took advantage of the leadership training to climb the corporate ladder within the organization. WellPoint takes pride in the training program that the company offers, and this training is held worldwide. They are among many companies who has been certified to grant college credit hours to employees in the training programs. Human Resource managers must be treated ethically like their employees; however there are some cases where they are treated unethically. Human resource managers may face problems involving their employees, promotions, pay, and favoritism. Human resource managers must be very observant of all employees to ensure everyone is treated fairly. It is important that those who qualify for human resource management are the ones hired, not those who look, act, or dress in a certain manner. According to the EEOC, (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), â€Å"Employers are not prohibited from using personality or integrity tests in the workplace. However, the statute is implicated when: (1) an employer uses tests to intentionally discriminate against minorities or (2) the tests have an adverse impact on minorities and are not job-related for the position in question and c onsistent with business necessity. No cases have found that an employers use of personality testing in the workplace resulted in the unequal treatment of protected groups. However, there could be such a cause of action if the tests were used intentionally to exclude members of protected groups. This would usually involve evidence of comparative proof that members of a protected group were treated differently than majority group members. For example, it would obviously be illegal for an employer to test minority applicants, but not majority applicants†. As long as these tests are given in a professional manner, it is not against the law to do such to find out if the individual is the best fit for the job. Employee selection and training will continue to be two of the most important aspects for growing and supporting the workforce for companies in the future. Psychological assessments, such as the ones described in this paper, is one of the many ways that companies can attempt to get the highest quality people and not select people who do not want to be there. While there is speculation of the dependability of using these assessment tools for employee selection and training, the evidence shows that it can be helpful in focusing the time and money into particular areas or people to improve  productivity within the company. WellPoint also uses verbal reasoning, numeracy, spatial awareness battery test. They consist of a number of questions with multiple choice answers, only one of which is right. As a test progresses, the questions may become more difficult, and there are frequently more questions than can comfortably be completed in the time. These tests are designed so that very few people finish the test in the time allowed. The participant’s score is then compared with how other people have done on the test in the past. This enables the selectors to assess reasoning skills in relation to others, and to make judgments about ability to cope with tasks involved in the job. On the flip side, personality inventories are used in order to determine one’s typical reactions and attitudes to a variety of situations. They could be trying to identify how well an individual can get on with others or their normal reaction to stressful situations, or simply their feelings about the kind of people they like to work with (Spector, 2008). Perhaps the biggest challenge related to the use of assessment tools is determining when to use the information obtained to remove an applicant from consideration. References The WellPoint Employee (2008). Retrieved November 13, 2013 from www.wellpoint.com Schmidt, R Shaffer, D. (2010-2011). Personality Testing in Employment. Retrieved November 12, 2013 from http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Dec/22/130153.html. Spector, P. E. (2008). Industrial and Organizational Psychology (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2011) Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964: Employment. Retrieved November 13, 2013 from www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm Holley, W. H., Jr., Jennings, K. M., Mathis, R. L., Jackson, J. H. (2012). Employment Labor Relations. (2nd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Buying the Perfect Horse :: Free Essay Writer

Buying the Perfect Horse Last weekend a Mr. Charlie Goodrich called my office. He told me that an old friend of mine, who had given me very high recommendations, had referred him to me. Mr. Goodrich said that he was looking for a horse. He was not sure what exactly he was going to use it for, but he was examining a couple possibilities. Since my job is to help people decide which breed of horse would best suit their plans and lifestyles, I needed to know exactly what it was he wanted to use a horse for. He told me that he owned a very reputable stable, with a variety of expensive breeds, and he was looking to expand his stock. Mr. Goodrich said that he wanted a stallion with a future in racing, and good siring bloodlines. That is what many owners do with retired racehorses. After the horse’s racing career is over they are sent to what is like a retirement home for horses. Here they live out the rest of their lives, breeding and siring many young foals. I explained to him that two of the best horses for racing were the Thoroughbred and the Arabian. My personal favorite is the Arabian, I told him, because of it’s unique beauty and rich heritage. In order to try and find which would be the best for him I researched both breeds and presented him with the results. While both the Thoroughbred and the Arabian are very beautiful, and both are well reputed in the racing world, the Arabian horse is far superior. Its ancient, mysterious origins, and unique beauty make it a very desirable horse. It excels on the track, and produces incredible offspring. The Arabian stallion has also been the subject of many novels, etching its figure into many hearts, and making it even more popular. Origins The term Thoroughbred describes a breed of horse whose ancestry traces back to three foundation sires – the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian, and the Byerly Turk. Named after their respective owners – Thomas Darley, Lord Godolphin, and Captain Robert Byerly – these three stallions were brought to England around the turn of the 17th century and bred to the stronger, but less intelligent, native horse. They were bred to native spring mares – very probably Scottish Galoways – and the resulting foals were the first real thoroughbreds.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Marketing strategies Essay

Types of strategies Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business. However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies. A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below: Strategies based on market dominance – In this scheme, firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry. Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies: Leader Challenger Follower Nicher According to Shaw, Eric (2012). Marketing Strategy: From the Origin of the Concept to the Development of a Conceptual Framework. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing., there is a framework for marketing strategies. Market introduction strategies â€Å"At introduction, the marketing strategist has two principle strategies to choose from: penetration or niche† (47). Market growth strategies  Ã¢â‚¬Å"In the early growth stage, the marketing manager may choose from two additional strategic alternatives: segment expansion (Smith, Ansoff) or brand expansion (Borden, Ansoff, Kerin and Peterson, 1978)† (48). Market maturity strategies â€Å"In maturity, sales growth slows, stabilizes and starts to decline. In early  maturity, it is common to employ a maintenance strategy (BCG), where the firm maintains or holds a stable marketing mix† (48). Market decline strategies At some point the decline in sales approaches and then begins to exceed costs. And not just accounting costs, there are hidden costs as well; as Kotler (1965, p. 109) observed: ‘No financial accounting can adequately convey all the hidden costs.’ At some point, with declining sales and rising costs, a harvesting strategy becomes unprofitable and a divesting strategy necessary† (49). Early marketing strategy concepts were: Borden’s â€Å"marketing mix†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"In his classic Harvard Business Review (HBR) article of the marketing mix, Borden (1964) credits James Culliton in 1948 with describing the marketing executive as a ‘decider’ and a ‘mixer of ingredients.’ This led Borden, in the early 1950s, to the insight that what this mixer of ingredients was deciding upon was a ‘marketing mix'† (34). Smith’s â€Å"differentiation and segmentation strategies† â€Å"In product differentiation, according to Smith (1956, p. 5), a firm tries ‘bending the will of demand to the will of supply.’ That is, distinguishing or differentiating some aspect(s) of its marketing mix from those of competitors, in a mass market or large segment, where customer preferences are relatively homogeneous (or heterogeneity is ignored, Hunt, 2011, p. 80), in an attempt to shift its aggregate demand curve to the left (greater quantity sold for a given price) and make it more inelastic (less amenable to substitutes). With segmentation, a firm recognizes that it faces multiple demand curves, because customer preferences are heterogeneous, and focuses on serving one or more specific target segments within the overall market† (35). Dean’s â€Å"skimming and penetration strategies† â€Å"With skimming, a firm introduces a product with a high price and after milking the least price sensitive segment, gradually reduces price, in a stepwise fashion, tapping effective demand at each price level. With penetration pricing a firm continues its initial low price from introduction  to rapidly capture sales and market share, but with lower profit margins than skimming† (37). Forrester’s â€Å"product life cycle (PLC)† â€Å"The PLC does not offer marketing strategies, per se; rather it provides an overarching framework from which to choose among various strategic alternatives† (38). There are also corporate strategy concepts like: Andrews’ â€Å"SWOT analysis† â€Å"Although widely used in marketing strategy, SWOT (also known as TOWS) Analysis originated in corporate strategy. The SWOT concept, if not the acronym, is the work of Kenneth R. Andrews who is credited with writing the text portion of the classic: Business Policy: Text and Cases (Learned et al., 1965)† (41). Ansoff’s â€Å"growth strategies† â€Å"The most well-known, and least often attributed, aspect of Igor Ansoff’s Growth Strategies in the marketing literature is the term ‘product-market.’ The product-market concept results from Ansoff juxtaposing new and existing products with new and existing markets in a two by two matrix† (41-42). Porter’s â€Å"generic strategies† Porter generic strategies – strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength. Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firm’s sustainable competitive advantage. The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes. These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow. ** Product differentiation ** Cost leadership ** Market segmentation * Innovation strategies — This deals with the firm’s rate of the new product development and business model innovation. It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation. There are three types: ** Pioneers ** Close followers ** Late followers * Growth strategies — In this scheme we ask the question, â€Å"How should the firm grow?†. There are a number of different ways of answering that question, but the most common gives four answers: Horizontal integration Vertical integration Diversification Intensification These ways of growth are termed as organic growth. Horizontal growth is whereby a firm grows towards acquiring other businesses that are in the same line of business for example a clothing retail outlet acquiring a food outlet. The two are in the retail establishments and their integration lead to expansion. Vertical integration can be forward or backward. Forward integration is whereby a firm grows towards its customers for example a food manufacturing firm acquiring a food outlet. Backward integration is whereby a firm grows towards its source of supply for example a food outlet acquiring a food manufacturing outlet. A more detailed scheme uses the categoriesMiles, Raymond (2003). Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4840-3.: Prospector Analyzer Defender Reactor Marketing warfare strategies – This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies. BCG’s â€Å"growth-share portfolio matrix† â€Å"Based on his work with experience curves (that also provides the rationale for Porter’s low cost leadership strategy), the growth-share matrix was originally created by Bruce D. Henderson, CEO of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 1968 (according to BCG history). Throughout the 1970s, Henderson expanded upon the concept in a series of short (one to three page) articles in the BCG newsletter titled Perspectives (Henderson, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1976a, b). Tremendously popular among large multi-product firms, the BCG portfolio matrix was popularized in the marketing literature by Day (1977)† (45).

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Price Elasticity to Identify a Brand’s Competitors Essay

Firms today are in their perspective industries to maximize consumer satisfaction, increase revenue, and shareholders profits. These tasks require attention to detail when pricing their products. There are always competitors lurking and waiting by the wayside to gain market share and a competitive advantage. When identifying brands competitors, price elasticity is a major determinant. Demand for a product or service constitutes what the company’s price will be and whether the price will be higher or lower than the competitor’s price. In terms of the elasticity, price increases may decrease demand and price decreases may increase demand. However, according to Kotler, The introduction or change of any price may initiate a response (favorable or unfavorable) from customers and competitors† (Kotler, P. and Keller, K., 2012) Ultimately, the concept of price elasticity can identify a brand’s competitors along with marketing research to identify consumer needs, wants, and desires, as well as current industry and competitor’s going- rate pricing. Reference Kotler, P. and Keller, K. (2012). Marketing Management 14E. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. How might marketers use conjoint analysis to improve pricing strategies? When determining pricing strategies marketers must perform research that allows the consumer to voice their opinions in reference to what they need and how important the product or service is to their well-being. One method of doing so is through conjoint analysis. â€Å"Kotler defines this method as a  means to ask customers to rank their preferences for alternative market offerings or concepts, then they use statistic analysis to estimate the implicit value placed on each attribute† (Kotler, P. and Keller, K., 2012). Marketers have their work cut out for them when a firm or pricing department requests their assistance to establish a competitive advantage for their product or service. In order for a firm to know and understand what value or benefits the customer expects when utilizing their products and services the use value propositions is of the essence. According to the strategy and performance coaching company Edborrows,† items that firms need to consider when applying customer value propositions are as follows: †¢ All Benefits – †¢ Favorable Points of Differentiation – †¢ Resonating Focus †¢ Resonating focus highlights one or two critical differences between the firm’s offerings †¢ Generic Value Propositions †¢ Operational Excellence †¢ Customer Intimacy †¢ Product/Service Innovation (Barrows, 2010) Price elasticity of demand is a way to determine marginal revenue. Optimal revenue and, more importantly, optimal profit will occur to the point when marginal revenue = marginal cost, or the price elasticity of demand The proportion of the total sales of a product secured by one particular company or brand

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Porters Five Force Analysis for Vacation Cruise Industry

Porters Five Force Analysis for Vacation Cruise Industry Porters Five Force Analysis for Vacation Cruise Industry Cruise is one of the well-established travel industries with estimated customer scales of over 15 Million The business is not devoid of challenges, which demand actions to maintain the industry on course. In helping to understand the industry better, this paper analyses the industry using Porters Five Force model. The five forces include threats of new entry, threats of substitution, competitive rivalry, buyer power and supplier power. Threats of New Entry force determines the ease by which new enterprises can enter into the market. Where new entry can penetrate the market comfortably, the market share is expected to shrink affecting the stability of the business. Vacation Cruise industry has been on an increasing which reduces the companys threat to new entry. The fact that international waters have usage policies further reduces possibilities of new entries. Other barriers to entry include high cost of fuel, escalated advertising cost and level of operation capacity. Threat of Substitution affects retention of customers When there are ample and favorable substitutes the risk of losing customer escalates. Cruise faces risks of substitution from other vacation such as air travel, beach vacation, theme park, and train travel. These risks are exacerbated by the fact that cruise only represent 2% of vacation market and many customers associate it with high status classes of customers. This leaves doors open for customers to fall out for other substitutes. Competitive Rivalry determines how well the industry is established in the market in respect to the strength and number of competitors. Competitors force the vocation cruise lower their cost and at the same time maintain their services competitive. The quality services demanded are crucial in withstanding the stiff competition. Buyer Power involves the capability of the buyer to influence the trends in pricing the products and services. Vacation Cruise relies with the word of mouth and travel agents in selling its products. Travel agents play an imperative role in customers choices. Buyers have the accessibility of comparing products and services of cruise online; thus multiplied ability to influence charges. Supplier Powers dictates the possibility by which suppliers may alter the supply One of the weaknesses in the suppliers docket power is that ports, drinks and foods industries have minimal power in the market. However, fuel being the main source of energy is eminently influential. The cost of fuel is influenced by the fuel industry, thus has the power to influence cruise. In conclusion, the forces changing the industry to change are mostly triggered by stiff competition and the availability of substitute in the market. These are the two forces that seem to mount pressure to operationalization of vacation cruise industry.

Monday, November 4, 2019

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

Marketing - Essay Example That is a very high number, and if we use several of these in sales, it is easy to end up having several facts that we can no longer connect. From personal experiences, I have experienced a lie needing another lie just to cover it up. It is therefore not a good sales strategy to promise a client the moon just to close the deal, and then have problems in delivering it later on. Eventually, word may go around and you will have lesser and lesser prospects who will believe you and your sales pitch. Habit # 19: Sell Yourself on Yourself I find this tip very valuable. Firstly, I believe that an individual emit confidence if he or she feels that. I mentioned confidence because this is a very important characteristic of a good salesperson, and one can only be confident enough if he can make himself believe that he can do it. Personally, I call it practice, and I know people have done it several times, not only in sales, but even in school presentations. One cannot expect audience to apprecia te a sales pitch (in this case, a presentation) that the presenter himself cannot appreciate, or at least believe in. It is important that the salesperson is able to sell himself and his product, first, to himself, convincingly. Habit # 20: Start Early What could be a more basic tip than starting early? Starting early gives you an edge in having more time to spend for your work.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Quantitative Analysis of Hospitality Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quantitative Analysis of Hospitality - Article Example An additional purpose is to attract new donors in order to receive more financial support from outside. Another purpose of an annual report is to provide information to the public about the trends in a given Company. Diversification is a strategy for a successful Company. Marriot is diverse in terms of business activities it ventures in and in terms of regional exploration. Therefore, Marriott has diversified in order to gain financially from the business activities that they are venturing in. The roles of Chairman of the Board and the President of Marriott The role of J.W. Marriott Jr., as the executive chairperson and the chairperson of the board of Marriott is to oversee all the activities of the Marriott Company by establishing the broad policies and objectives of Marriott. It is also his role to appoint the Chief Executive officer of Marriott. Marriott Jr. also plays the role of approving the annual reports of the Company. Second in the rank of Marriott is the President and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Mr. Ann M. Sorenson, is to give advises to the board of directors in the organization, Mr. Sorenson also motivates the organization’s employees as well as driving for critical changes in Marriott Company. The purpose of performance highlights The purpose of the performance highlight in an organization is to compare the performance of two or more given years, for example, the financial status of a Company in the year 2012 and 2013.The major outcome of the Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR), for the Marriott Hotels experienced a great increase all hotels around the World. There was an increase despite the global financial meltdown that was experienced among the world’s major economies from the year 2008. The increase was greater in America because the economy of the continent grew stronger, and because the growth in modest industry supply. Performance of Marriott in different regions From the figures given in this annual report, t he Americas are still far way ahead of other regions where the Marriott hotels have ventured. It has the number highest number of brands, open rooms and it has also ventured in many other countries more than any other region. Compared to other regions, the Americas is also doing better in terms of social responsibility activities that Company is doing to its society. However, the greater potential lies in the European region where the business of hospitality seems to be growing so fast. This is because as indicated in this annual report, the Marriott Hotels ventured in Europe three years ago, and the number of brands, rooms opened and the countries it has ventured is high. The Company is only in its third year since venturing in Europe, and it is already meeting the five-year goal target that had been set. The Middle East and Africa region is lagging behind because it has been over thirty years since the first Marriott Hotel was built in the region, yet, it has only 7 brands and 41 open properties. This compared to Europe is below average. The political instability and poor economy in this region are the major factors contributing to this slow growth rate of Marriott hotel in the Middle East and Africa regions. The potential risks and uncertainties to the Marriott brand. One of the major risks that the Marriott Hotels are exposed to is the financials loss due to the global financial recession that affected the globe in the year 2008.