Fortu Powercell GmbH Case

Nowadays, it is critical for the companies of many industries to pay a lot of attention and efforts on the management of technology and innovation. Indeed, the development of new technologies is a potential source of competitive advantage and the ability of the companies to innovate and/or to respond to competitors’ innovation determine their survival in a long-term basis. This ability is more or less developed in companies, regarding their maturity and their structure. Most of the start-ups, which usually function as adhocracies, have a good ability to innovate but struggle to bring these innovations to the market. fortu Powercell GmbH represents a typical example of a start-up with a promising technology offering a lot of possibilities, a new type of battery, but which does not know what strategic direction to take in order to achieve long-term profitability. Studying its situation would the occasion for us to present several concepts that managers in fields where technology and innovation matter need to embrace if they want to take relevant strategic decisions. We are going to start our analysis with a quick reminder of the case, what are the critical points to keep in mind before to present some considerations relative to the work of several experts, researchers in the management of technology and innovation. Finally, we will conclude with some suggestions for the executive team of fortu Powercell. It would help us to answer adequately to the questions of fortu Powercell’s executive team. Another work we would like to quote is the work of Christensen on disruptive innovation. To summarize, we can differentiate two type of innovation: sustaining and disruptive. A sustaining innovation targets demanding, high-end customers with better performance than what was previously available. A disruptive innovation consists in the introduction of a product, a service which is not as good as currently available products but compensates thanks to its simplicity, its convenience, its low cost which would appeal new or less-demanding clients. Thus we distinguish two types of disruptive innovations, the new-market disruption and the low-end disruption. The first one is competing with non-consumption, at the beginning, before pulling out customers out of the mainstream market into the one because of the convenience of the product/service. The second one is focusing at the low-end of the original mainstream value network, on the customers whose expectations regarding the product are lower than what is actually proposed on the market. It is quite critical to define what kind of innovation is the fortu Powercell because the way people should manage sustaining and disruptive innovations are totally different. A sustaining technology strategy is not a viable way to build new-growth businesses for instance and usually once they have developed and established the viability of their superior product, entrepreneurs who have entered on a sustaining trajectory should turn around and sell out to one of the industry leaders behind them. Also, an idea that is disruptive to one business way be sustaining to another. If this is the case, it is better to redefine the product or the service in a way that it would be an opportunity which is disruptive relative to all the established players in the targeted market space or another solution is to not invest at all. Otherwise, it could be extremely difficult to beat the established companies which would defend their positions. Burgerlman and Siegel would also contribute to our analysis with their work on the minimum winning game. This is the â€Å"first ajor market opportunity that is limited enough to provide a clear target for technology and product development efforts in the short-to-medium term, and sufficiently large that successfully pursuing it provides a foundation for long-term corporate development†. When the MWG has been defined, the top management can set relevant milestones against which meaningful progress can be measured. The risk of an undefined MWG is a focus on a set of feasible but fairly limited and unconnected milestones along a road that leads nowhere or the elaboration of a serie of vague visions. The first MWG is influenced by 3 drivers, the technology development, the product development and the business strategy. The management team should put a lot of efforts to balance their influence in order to prevent one of them to dominate the interplay, because of the potential negative effects related to each one of these driver. Nevertheless, one of them should be the main driver but not all the time the company is trying to achieve its MWG. Shifting the balance of drivers in due time is necessary to achieve this goal. We mention this work because we would like to determine if one of the options considered by the fortu Powercell management team is a correct MWG, if they have developed a correct thinking about the options they defined. Considering the nature of the product fortu Powercell wish to sell, we must consider the work of Henderson and Clark on architectural innovation or the technology S-curve for components of Christensen. About the first named, it raises a distinction between several innovations as they could be incremental, modular, architectural or radical. Incremental innovation basically refines and extends an established design whereas radical innovation establish a new dominant design. A modular innovation is an innovation that changes a core design concept without changing the product’s architecture and finally a architectural innovation change a product’s architecture but leaves the components and the core design concepts that they embody unchanged. Qualify the fortu Powercell innovation would give us some clues about how established firms would react if the product is commercialized. The input of the S-curve theory in our thinking is that it forces us to not forget that the other technologies are maybe not mature and still have some potential that could lead to a fierce competition between them and the fortu Powercell technology. Finally, we would like to mention the work of Christensen, Musso and Anthony about capturing the returns from research, which talk about when, where and why integration is needed and introduce the notion of decoupling point. Basically, it illustrates the fact that a product with proprietary, interdependent architecture is subject to an interdependence of its components. The way one component is designed and made depends on the way the other components are being designed and made. In this case, the control of the design and manufacturing of every critical component of the system by a process of integration allows companies to develop a competitive advantage. A product with a modular architectures means that individual sub-systems can be upgraded without redesign everything. In this case, being specialized, not-integrated, is the best solution. We think it is important to keep in mind these notions as fortu Powercell is looking to enter the market of batteries for defined products. If the product has an interdependent architecture or a modular architecture, that makes a difference on how fortu Power should define its strategy. As a conclusion for this part, we want to remind that these theories and works presented are what we mainly used to mold our thinking about this case, to evaluate the situation of fortu PowerCell and its possibilities. III. Suggestions In this part, we are going to present a few suggestions for the fortu Powercell executive team regarding what we presented before. They should give them enough indications to help them find satisfying answers to their questions. If we look at the theories we mentioned, it seems that we can just start by defining a set of questions related to them and to other constraints and see if the first option, the plant in Lepzig, is such a good solution. We could also try to see if there is another solution, another market segment which appears to be better to the point it overcomes the loss of a potential market segment. First option: The plant in Lepzig (Market segment: Power Tools) -How well the fortu battery respond to the four set of questions of the management criteria theory, in the case of the power tools market ? Quite well actually. It appears at first sight that the fortu battery technology would be a profitable technology for the power tools market as it lift a fundamental prior constraint, provide enhanced effectiveness†¦ -Is the fortu battery a disruptive innovation or a sustaining innovation for the power tools battery market ? This question is subject to debate but as we see it, the fortu battery system is in part a disruptive innovation for the power tools battery market. Indeed, it would allow the creation of more powerful cordless tools which lead us to think that this is a new-market kind of disruptive innovation. On the other hand, if we only consider only the less powerful tools such as the screwdrivers, we can see the fortu battery technology as only a sustainable technology. It represents a battery with better characteristics compared to nickel based batteries and that is all. -Is the conquest of the power tools battery market a suitable MWG ? What are their following milestones ? We do not think that the power tools battery market is a suitable MWG because this is only a sustaining innovation for the single largest product category, which means than established players in the market would try to defend their market shares and, in a long-term perspective, we can imagine they would have to sell the business.    Second option: fortu Powercell gives up the power tools battery market and license its technology Another way to formulate the relevance of this option is to ask the question: is there a better MWG that fortu Powercell could choose ? A MWG that will compensate the loss of the power tools battery market segment ? After what we said in the previous argument, that the power tools battery market segment was not a very good MWG, and considering all the other opportunities offered by this technology, it would be surprising not to find a better one. The advantage with this option is that the first entrant with this technology in the global market won’t be fortu Powercell. They would have the chance to have a concrete feedback about what their technology is really capable of when it comes to mass production, what would be the reactions of major players in the business. Quick reminder: the first entrant is rarely the one that would capture the value of the technology. Also, it would give them some funds to be relatively independent from external capital, to keep doing some research or for a potential new venture. They will not have to use such a complicated financial operation to gather the funds and maybe they would not have to deal with conditions defined by their partners or at least it would be less constraining. Finally, they will have some time to think about everything we mentioned and there will maximize their chances to define what could be the perfect MWG for them and what milestones it could imply. But they have to keep in mind that is possible that this technology is not a disruptive technology for any market and consequently that long-term development would be difficult. So we think that there must be a better MWG for fortu Powercell and its technology but what would that be Final suggestions In this final part, now that we have defined that the second option is the best, as we see it, we are going to present what we think is a proposition of better MWG for fortu Powercell and we will conclude with a few recommendations. It is important to precise that this is only a proposition, we are not going to develop this thought too further as we think that the question of the fortu Powercell management team is answered and that they consequently have time to evaluate their different options. We think that the pedelecs (bicycle with electric assistance) would be a good MWG for fortu Powercell as it is limited enough to provide a clear target for technology and product development efforts in the short-to-medium term, and sufficiently large that successfully pursuing it provides a foundation for long-term corporate development. Indeed, the prices and margins are high in this market segment and most of the price depends of the battery. The segment size is important, around 100 million, which is big but not too much. It would be a low-end disruptive innovation compared to the NiCD and Li-on cells in the sense where the bicycles would be simpler, with a smaller battery that won’t need to be recharged too often, which is much more convenient. Indeed, we think that the technological advantage of the fortu Powercell would lead to these improvements, these enhancements for the product. The bicycles could also be cheaper as the price per Wh would be lower which could drive new customers, previously repelled by the high price. The important market of Netherlands will not be far from Karlsruhe, so a plant could be build over there. If this MWG would be a success, it would be possible to move to a sequence of MWG: electrical scooters (Italy is also not that far from Karlsruhe) – electrical cars (which can be considered as the ultimate target, the maximum winning game). Beyond the choice of the MWG, and as a conclusion, we would like to recommend fortu Powercell to pay attention to develop its absorptive capacity, in order to remain to the peak of the battery technology and then be able to respond with energy to the responses and attacks of other players, and in a long-term perspective, in the case they would be successful, to put a lot of efforts to define clearly its strategic intent.

Concept and Value of Entrepreneurship

Question: What is entrepreneurship? Illustrate your answer with suitable examples from your home country. Nowadays, entrepreneurship places an important determinant of development in the society and regarded as the â€Å"rock stars† in the business world. According to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), entrepreneurship is defined as: ‘any attempt to create a new business enterprise or to expand an existing business by an individual, a team of individuals or an established business’. It means that the individuals or an established business are able to make a unique, innovative and creative contribution whether in employment or self-employment.At the same time, entrepreneurship represents people who are driven to act on opportunities and environmental catalysts in the face of limited resources. At its core, entrepreneurship is starting a business from idea conception to managing the company for the long term. There is no doubt that entrepreneurship deserves the reputation for the reason that it has the level of freedom of which traditional managers can only dream. ( Morrison, 2000) In order to inquire entrepreneurship deeply, this article illustrates two essential parts to analysis entrepreneurship.The first aspect is giving the concept of entrepreneurship including the explanation of entrepreneurship and discussing whether entrepreneurship is aroused from nature or nurture. The second part is considering the value of entrepreneurship. Part one: the concept of entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship can be explained into various approaches, including economic approach, personality approach and other approaches. In this part, the article put emphasis on the economic dimension and personality dimension to analyze the features distinguished entrepreneurs.The role of entrepreneurship is embedded in the mainstream economic models. Considering the direction of causality between entrepreneurship and economy, it can be proved that economic development g enerates many opportunities which can transform new ideas and create the new enterprises. On the contrary, the creation of new industries and the innovation of existed firms which stimulated by entrepreneurship may stimulate the economic growth. Therefore, entrepreneurship can be regarded as both the cause and effect of economic development.From an economic perspective, the measure of entrepreneurship is the contribution of new firm formation. Entrepreneurs are more than a business man, they are the speculative trader which is skilled to put forward new ideas, grasp the opportunities and combine the effective management with innovation in the risk and uncertainty background. When starting up a new enterprise, there are a number of jobs available can be generated. When facing with the economic slump and financial crisis, entrepreneurs can drive the company get out of the trouble by seizing opportunities and making innovation.There comes a conclusion that the entrepreneurs as the agen t of economic change so that it makes huge contributions to economic growth. ( Oscar, Javier & Pablo, 2009) It is far from enough for explaining the entrepreneurship in economic rationale. Economic perspective ignores the special human abilities and differences in human values, capabilities and power of human will result in different practical solutions. Therefore, it is essential to take the personality into account. Personality traits aim to using the characteristics of individual to explain the differences of individual actions when facing the similar conditions.Personality traits also explain the behaviors of entrepreneurs. There is no doubt that the individual personality of entrepreneurs stimulates their passions, social interactions and creativeness. In order to give a deep understanding of entrepreneurship, there are several traits which have a close relationship with entrepreneurship. ( Littunen, 2000) Innovation is the soul of entrepreneurship. Hampered by uncertainty and limited resources, entrepreneurs should to reply the variety agile efficiently and become creative in facing the challenges.Since the essence of entrepreneurship is doing the different things rather than making something better, the lack of innovation will result in the decline of enterprise, even perishing. In the point of view of CEO Zhang Ruimin, entrepreneurship is the creative destruction, if the enterprise attempts to make great achievements, there is a need for enterprise to destroy themselves, and otherwise they will be destroyed by other firms. Thus, recently, Haier put forward an idea that enterprises should be adapt to the demand of epoch development other than willing to success.Haier relies on the pursuit of innovation perseverance by the means of setting up an independent operation mode of the win-win body successfully become a leader in the industry. ( Okpara, 2007) Adventure is the nature of the entrepreneurial spirit. Facing with the potential risks and uncertainty, it is impossible to possess entrepreneurship if lacking of adventure. It is said that you must kiss a large number of frog to find the princess. It means that entrepreneurs should have to experience setbacks and failures in order to be success. Liu chuanzhi is the representative of entrepreneur in china.Although he has been relieved from this office, he still keens to start new businesses. Regardless of facing risks and many challenges, he intends to transform Lenovo into an enterprise which produces enterprises. It can be drawn that entrepreneurs have the spirit of adventure and dare to be the first one. (Hadji, Cocks & Mueller, 2007) Social vision is the key to entrepreneurship. Social vision can be regarded as a strong sense of obligation and destiny to satisfy human needs. Possessing social vision promotes entrepreneurs to find the opportunities and act as an agent of social age.Li kaifu, the CEO of Innovation Works, stress that entrepreneurs should spare no effort to produce m ore social returns. He proves himself through actions. September 4, 2009, Kaifu Lee resigned from Google to run his Innovation Works as an angel investor and create new models for society by his huge influence. Li kaifu has the sense of obligation and aspiration to make contribution to social and economic development by creating new business and innovation. What’s more, there are many other characteristics which are associated with entrepreneurship such as locus of control, determination, and trusting and trustworthy.When entrepreneurship attracts public’s attention, there is a heated debate aroused about whether entrepreneurship is caused by nature or nurture. Some groups believed that genetic factors existed to drive people to engage in entrepreneurial activity. There is no doubt that some kinds of specialities are people born with, such as the innovativeness, adventurous and locus of control. These characteristics are determined by genetic factors rather than traini ng or other environmental factors. It is insisted that genes may have an influence on chemical mechanisms in the brain so that people maybe more willing to pursue entrepreneurial activity.Genes also affect individual characteristics which can make entrepreneurs different from others, such as people who possess characteristics of innovativeness and locus of control are more likely to throw themselves to the entrepreneurial activity. ( Kroeck, Bullough & Reynolds, 2010) Genes entrust people the ability to be more sensitive than others to environmental stimuli, it means that entrepreneurs are easier than others to master the social change in order to prepare in advance. What’s more, genes may make people to good at find favourable factors and opportunities to ensure the company development.Therefore, it is nearly impossible to find a simple formula or entrepreneurship that can be trained, the specific characteristics and habits possessed by the successful entrepreneurs was inher ent. ( Kenney & Mujtaba, 2007) However, some groups take the opposite view that entrepreneurial leaders are made rather than born. They consider that there is hardly existed entrepreneurship gene for the reason that the majority of entrepreneurial leaders start at a young age. According to the survey, about 33% of the entrepreneurial leader said that working in the corporate environment makes essential contribution to the success of their business.At the same time, 45% of entrepreneurs establish their own businesses after the age of thirty. Although there still have young entrepreneurial leader, it is no doubt that the knowledge they acquire in the college and the personal experiences through the corporate and social environment are essential to their success. In spite of the young age, over a half of entrepreneurs regarded themselves as the â€Å"transitioned leader† for the reason that they have spent a much time in the traditional employment before starting their own busin ess. The education and experiences lay great foundation on the entrepreneurs.It can be concluded that entrepreneurs are aroused from both nature and nurture. Some unique characteristics of entrepreneurship which include creativeness, locus of control and risk-takers are born with and can not be taught, these characteristics make the entrepreneurial leaders apart from the traditional managers. Nevertheless, becoming successful entrepreneurs and running the business successfully in the long term are not simply requiring the specialties, but also depending on the combination of internal and external factors, consisting of education, timing, culture, social environment and sometimes luck.Part two: the value of entrepreneurship Almost without exception, entrepreneurship brings a lot benefits to individual, companies and society. Most importantly, entrepreneurship indeed generates great economic benefits so that it should be attach importance to. Actually, entrepreneurship is regarded as a challenge for people. It requires people to break the traditional thinking of managers and become the risk-taker and create a new business. Although it may be difficulty for people due to the lower median incomes and more volatile and less secure, entrepreneurs could earn self satisfaction and rewards which is an opportunity for them.At the same time, developing the entrepreneurship can generate self sufficiency which can create the wealth. According to the top ten popular entrepreneurs in china which is ranked by Forbes, consisting of CEO Ma huateng in Tencent, CEO Ma yun and other entrepreneurs, the aim of ranking is to make entrepreneurship internationally respected and admitted. Therefore, facing uncertainty risks and challenges, entrepreneurs are still willing to create their own business and achieve their values. Firth & Mcelwee, 2009) Entrepreneurship also plays the dominant role in the enterprise development; it is the major source of the enterprise core competitiveness. T he core competitiveness of enterprise is regarded as the extension of entrepreneurship and it can be reflected by the visionary and vigorous leader. As being the unique position in company, it is important for entrepreneurs to take responsibility of risk activities such as the organization innovation, management innovation and value innovation.For example, in 2002, Huawei was facing the challenge of lacking of technology advantages and entering the cyclical downturn, CEO Ren zhengfei carried out the deep reform which includes industrial restructuring and internal restructuring and finally enterprise met the success. It proved that entrepreneurship does not simply constitute the internal driving force of development, but also become the external development opportunities. Entrepreneurship makes huge contribution to the social development, especially in economy.Entrepreneurship generates a large number of employment opportunities by the establishment of new business which is treated a s a significant input to economy. It is also improving the level of productivity by boosting the GDP rates or tax contributions. Moreover, entrepreneurs are able to create many innovations which promote the boom of inventions the world would have been a much dry place to live in. Especially in recent years, China is experiencing the economic downturn influenced by the global economic crisis; it is in urgent need of entrepreneurship to promote the economic recovery.Sun mingnan is the represent of the generation of 80s, which was the most attractive young entrepreneur in Summer Davos, his successful experience proved that young entrepreneurs attach importance to the economic development in China. ( Santo, 2012) Above all, entrepreneurship has substantial value, it is increasingly treated as a vital driver of economic, productivity, innovation and employment development, and it is believed to be a key aspect of economic dynamism and a key factor to determine the birth and death of firm s and their growth and downsizing.It is also promoting the self satisfaction and sufficiency. Since creating a new business and participating in self-employment has become a common activity in the world, entrepreneurship is widely recognized as the major drive in economic growth. After the basic analysis of entrepreneurship among the economic and political ways, as well as whether entrepreneurship is caused from nature or nurture, it can be concluded that entrepreneurs indeed have some kinds of characteristics which are born with, also need the knowledge and experiences. Combined with both nature and raining, entrepreneurs have the ability to make contribution to individual, enterprises and the society. In a conclusion, entrepreneurship is deserved for both people and government to pay attention to. References: Firth, K & Mcelwee, G(2009), â€Å"Value-adding and Value-extracting Entrepreneurship at the Margins†, Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, vol. 22, pp39-53 Hadji, M, Cocks, G & Mueller, J(2007), â€Å"Toolkit for leaders: entrepreneurship and leadership prerequisites for a winning performance†, Journal of Asia Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, vol. , pp1-13 Kenney, M & Mujtaba, BG(2007), Understanding Corporate Entrepreneurship and Development: A Practitioner View of Organizational Entrepreneurship, Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, vol. 12, pp73-88 Kroeck, KG, Bullough, AM & Reynolds, PD(2010), â€Å"Entrepreneurship and Differences in Locus of Control†, Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, vol. 15, pp21-49 Littunen, H(2000), â€Å"Entrepreneurship and the characteristics of the entrepreneurial personality†, International Journal of Entrepreneurship Bhaviour & Research, vol. , pp295 Morrison, A(2000), â€Å"Entrepreneurship: what triggers it? †, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 6. 2, pp 59-72 Okpara, FO(2007), â€Å"The Value of Creativ ity and Innovation in Entrepreneurship†, Journal of Asia Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, vol. 3, pp1-14 Oscar, GB, Javier, GB & Pablo, MG(2009), â€Å"Role of entrepreneurship and market orientation in firms’ success,† European Journal of Marketing, vol. 43, pp500-522 Santo, FM(2012), â€Å"A Positive Theory of Social

Censorship vs Freedom of Speech

Every form of expression should be allowed, even if it is freedom of speech, art, symbol, or any other form recognized by the first amendment. Freedom of speech is freedom given by the Constitutional Bill of Rights. Thanks to these rights, our country and government are as strong and resilient as today. Thanks to these rights, as our country we have been able to develop and expand our vision today. These rights are the foundation and foundation of our country and why our country is separated from all other countries in the world. Freedom of speech review: Children's Internet on the Internet is a very controversial communication device in today's society. If you want, you can find information on almost all the topics they choose. Censorship and freedom of expression are topics that are widely discussed when dealing with current Internet freedom, especially when dealing with young people. On the Internet, do I need to review illegal topics that children can post and view freely? Is the Internet free? Speaking of government, let's see how to freedom of speech. State censorship on the Internet is a common phenomenon that can not be imagined. According to Freedom House 2/3, the Internet users of the world live under government censorship regulation, suppression of speech and thought is increasing. Freelance publishers can only use 13% of the world's population. I will take it for a while. 13% More reports come from the social media platform, the Internet's living room, which is creating a phenomenon called silent spiral. Family, friends, colleagues, and the wider society are different. Atlantic articles reveal the prevalence of self-censorship Freedom of expression and freedom of censorship - What is the pros and cons of having to review the media and the public? What are the terms of the review discussion? Is the censorship system rational or can freely control the voice of the media and the freedom of speech? What is the priority of religious, business and governm ent censorship? Does someone benefit from reviewing information? Is it beneficial for society as a whole? The pros and cons of censorship is worth studying the role of deciphering freedom of speech in society and the role of different types of censorship.

Truman Doctrine or the Marshall Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Truman Doctrine or the Marshall Plan - Essay Example The Truman Doctrine came into being in 1947. It signalled a break with previous US foreign policy and undoubtedly contributed to the bitter rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. While the United States had previously pursued a policy of non-intervention and had hoped to return to this policy following the conclusion of the war, the Truman Doctrine effectively prevented this. Instead, it defined a policy of intervention in European domestic affairs as an extension of American national interests. Most specifically, the Truman Doctrine aimed to contain and curtail the power of the Soviet Union within Europe. Hence, upon being informed by the British forces that Great Britain could no longer afford to maintain a military presence in Greece for the purposes of fighting the Greek communist threat, the United States covered the cost of the operation. The point here is that the United States, irrespective of the concept of European nationalism and regardless of the Soviet U nion's own European identity and continental affiliation, had decided that intervention for the purposes of containing the spread of Soviet influence was both its right and duty. The consequence of its doing so was the division of Europe into East and West, into the Communist and the Liberal/Democratic blocs. The Marshall Pl

The Regulation of Financial Reporting Case Study

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Domestic partner benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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Case study in business at college level Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case study in business at college level - Essay Example Penetration or predatory pricing is the opposite and means setting a low price in anticipation of future cost declines in order to grab a bigger share of a growing market (Bagozzi 54-55). Price skimming works for the products Gadgets2u.com sells (line 58). Predatory pricing works best once the level of sales starts to decline, with the effect of discouraging any potential competitors. 2.a) Gadgets2u.com's problem (lines 44-46) is not in the structure but in the lines of communication between project teams and staff (lines 39-43). This is common in fast-growing e-businesses and the solution is "not to automatically transform the flat structure into a formal hierarchy, but to make the hyperarchical system efficient by making it easier for project team leaders to communicate with each other, collect and evaluate the relevant information, and make decisions" (Amor 48). Gadgets2u.com's matrix structure is hyperarchical1 and characterized by flexibility, fast information flow, and quick decision-making. Improving communication efficiency will make the structure scalable or adaptable to growth. 2.b) Homeworking (or telecommuting) is done by five employees (line 138), but if their productivity is low and having them in the office will improve it, or if they have new assignments where their office presence is needed, then bringing them to the office is acceptable. Otherwise, this will backfire. The employee(s) may resign or be demotivated, leading to lower productivity and worse problems. Homeworking is a good way to keep and motivate good employees, especially creative types or those with health problems or multiple roles2 (family or community). Good employees are satisfied if they know they are more productive working from home and their contributions to the company's success are recognized. It is assumed that workers are given full management support and resources (communication lines, clear assignments, etc.). The appraisal system (line 137) will give Tom and the management more information on this matter (if homeworking is productive, motivating, or not). 3.a) Holding too much stock is a problem because stock costs money and space (which costs something and is therefore also money). Declining future sales may affect profits. Holding too little stock is also a problem because if the goods sell very well, the market will be frustrated with the company. Market satisfaction seems to be a problem lately (lines 119-120), although distribution is the main reason for that. 3.b) Just-in-time (JIT) stock control, currently under study by the management (lines 98-99) is one of the ultimate goals of any e-business (Amor 49). JIT is a system where inflow and outflow of stocks are balanced, or where the company has almost exactly the amount of goods that the market wants to buy (Germane 192). JIT requires near-perfect coordination between Gadgets2u.com and the suppliers, and demands accurate knowledge of market behavior which, because it is very dynamic, is difficult to predict. This ideal of

Celiac's Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Celiac's Disease - Essay Example "The incidence of auto immune disorders in the general US population is 3.5 % (The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center 2)." As per some well informed estimates, nearly 3 million Americans suffer from celiac disease. An average healthy person in the US has roughly 1 in 133 chances of being affected by this disorder. Persons having a first-degree or second-degree relative suffering from celiac disease do often have a more then average probability of being affected by this disease. Most of the patients suffering from celiac disease develop related complications owing to a delayed diagnosis. Thus an early diagnosis of celiac disease is very important as this may significantly reduce the risk of developing further complications (The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center 2). Though the etiology of celiac disease has not conclusively been established till date, environmental, immunologic and genetic factors have been found to be significant contributors to the disease. The most prominent environmental factor is the association of this disease with gluten. Not only does gluten restriction plays a central role in the treatment of this disease, but the insertion of gluten in the normal appearing rectum and distal ileum of the affected patients results in discernable morphologic changes (Kasper, et al. 1771). An immunologic component to this disease is strongly suspected because of the presence of "serum antibodies- IgA antigliadin, IgA antiendomysial and IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTg) (Kasper et al. 1771)" in the affected patients. Also the patients treated with prednisolone have been found to respond favorably. A genetic factor is certainly associated with this order, since the Caucasians have been found to have a higher prevalence of celiac diseas e as compared to blacks and Asians (Kasper et al. 1771).Though the symptoms of celiac disease may vary from patient to patient, the common symptoms may involve: bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, discolored teeth or loss of enamel, joint pain, significant unexplained weight loss, delayed growth, fractures or thin bones, bulky or loose stools, fatigue, tingling or numbness in the limbs, canker sores, irritability or behavior changes, poor weight gain and missed menstrual periods (National Foundation for Celiac Awareness). Illnesses like: Anemia, depression, Type I diabetes, Sjogren's syndrome, dermatitis herpetiformis, infertility, IBS, peripheral neuropathy, Turner Syndrome, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, intestinal cancer, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, may also be linked to celiac disease (National Foundation for Celiac Awareness).The most credible way of diagnosing celiac sprue is a small intestine biopsy. A biopsy should unexceptionally be performed on the patients exhibiting distinct symptoms of celiac disease, like nutrient deficiency and malabsorption (Kasper et al. 1772). Many a times the patients suffering from celiac disease fail to exhibit any distinct or conspicuous symptoms of this malady. In the recent years, the incidence of asymptomatic cases of celiac disease has been on the rise (Craig et al 1). Thus it is imperative for a

Sustainable Events Management Course work Essay

Sustainable Events Management Course work - Essay Example Also, MCI delivered satisfactory results in social, economic, and environmental aspects as they conform to the ISO 20121 (event sustainability management system). The reality shows that more and more businesses have perceived sustainability principles and practices as important success factors in today’s business landscape; hence, they have incorporated these into their systems and activities. Sustainability among these companies are being provided in various societal and corporate initiatives, but most of them are centered on environmental or natural, economic, and social dimensions (Haugh & Talwar, 2010). These dimensions of responsibility are known as the triple bottom line (TBL) approach, which was coined by John Elkington in 1990s (Elkington, 2004). In this regard, various industries are encouraged to give importance on environmental and societal issues in their decision-making and sustainability reporting; this approach can be seen in the MCI group. The main thrust of this paper is to critically assess the sustainability policy of MCI in relation to the TBL theory. Also, recommendations will be given after the critical appraisal of the company’s sustainability plan. MCI is a privately held company whose expertise is in the field of event management. It was founded in 1987 by Roger Tondeur and Ursula Wiger, which is currently headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland (MCI, n.d.a.). Furthermore, MCI is one of the leading companies in the event industry with 48 offices in 22 countries worldwide including the U.S, EU, Asia, Middle East, and many more (MCI, 2011). Also, the company expressed that their continuing growth for almost 25 years is attributed to their commitment to sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR) through the application of the TBL theory. This theory has been embedded in all of MCI’s policies, practices, decisions, programs, and reporting. In fact, they are

Justification Report Part 3 (Final) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Justification Report Part 3 (Final) - Essay Example The Department of Veteran Affairs is one of the most important departments within the US government but the department fails to perform its basic function- serving war veterans and their immediate family. The problem arises because the department has been unable to properly manage its human resource. This report presents recommendations on improving the situation mainly through non-monetary incentives given to the employees. These include training and development; employee empowerment; floating holidays and telecommuting among other options. Veteran Affairs is an organization within the US government which serves to fulfill the needs of army personnel who have fought wars for the country. The services of the department extend to the immediate family members of the veterans who have been injured or have died while serving in the army. This department performs one of the most crucial aspects of military service by serving as a source of motivation for army men and women currently working in the US Army. These people are reassured through such organizations that the US government would look after them and their families should they face any problem in the future. However, Veteran Affairs is failing to provide the needed services principally because of its human resource department. The human resource department is not calibrated to understand the importance of serving these people. This report explores the problems inherent in the human resource department from the perspective on an employee who has worked within the organization and understands the problems in depth. The report will also present reasonable and logical solutions for the problem explored. The main problem that this report intends to discuss is that currently the human resource department in Veteran Affairs is ill-equipped in managing the department. There is a glaring lack of document accountability which leads to

Arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide Essay Example for Free

Arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide Essay Arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide There are arguments both for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide. Some of the main arguments are outlined below. You should be aware that these arguments do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of NHS Choices or the Department of Health. Arguments for euthanasia and assisted suicide There are two main types of argument used to support the practices of euthanasia and assisted suicide. They are the: ethical argument – that people should have freedom of choice, including the right to control their own body and life (as long as they do not abuse any other person’s rights), and that the state should not create laws that prevent people being able to choose when and how they die pragmatic argument – that euthanasia, particularly passive euthanasia, is already a widespread practice (allegedly), just not one that people are willing to admit to, so it is better to regulate euthanasia properly The pragmatic argument is discussed in more detail below. Pragmatic argument The pragmatic argument states that many of the practices used in end of life care are a type of euthanasia in all but name. For example, there is the practice of making a ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) order, where a person requests not to receive treatment if their heart stops beating or they stop breathing. Critics have argued that DNACPR is a type of passive euthanasia because a person is denied treatment that could potentially save their life. Another controversial practice is known as palliative sedation. This is where a person who is experiencing extreme suffering, for which there is no effective treatment, is put to sleep using sedative medication. For example, palliative sedation is often used to treat burns victims who are expected to die. While palliative sedation is not directly carried out for the purpose of ending lives, many of the sedatives used carry a risk of shortening a person’s lifespan. Therefore, it could be argued that palliative sedation is a type of active euthanasia. The pragmatic argument is that if euthanasia in these forms is being carried out anyway, society might as well legalise it and ensure that it is properly regulated. It should be stressed that the above interpretations of DNACPR  and palliative sedation are very controversial and are not accepted by most doctors, nurses and palliative care specialists. Read more about the alternatives to euthanasia for responses to these interpretations. Arguments against euthanasia and assisted suicide There are four main types of argument used by people who are against euthanasia and assisted suicide. They are known as the: religious argument – that these practices can never be justified for religious reasons, for example many people believe that only God has the right to end a human life ‘slippery slope’ argument – this is based on the concern that legalising euthanasia could lead to significant unintended changes in our healthcare system and society at large that we would later come to regret medical ethics argument – that asking doctors, nurses or any other healthcare professional to carry out euthanasia or assist in a suicide would be a violation of fundamental medical ethics alternative argument – that there is no reason for a person to suffer either mentally or physically because effective end of life treatments are available; therefore, euthanasia is not a valid treatment option but represents a failure on the part of the doctor involved in a person’s care These arguments are described in more detail below. Religious argument The most common religious argument is that human beings are the sacred creation of God, so human life is by extension sacred. Only God should choose when a human life ends, so committing an act of euthanasia or assisting in suicide is acting against the will of God and is sinful. This belief, or variations on it, is shared by members of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths. The issue is more complex in Hinduism and Buddhism. Scholars from both faiths have argued that euthanasia and assisted suicides are ethically acceptable acts in some circumstances, but these views do not have universal support among Hindus and Buddhists. ‘Slippery slope’ argument The slippery slope argument is based on the idea that once a healthcare service, and by extension the government, starts killing its own citizens, a  line is crossed that should never have been crossed and a dangerous precedent has been set. The concern is that a society that allows voluntary euthanasia will gradually change its attitudes to include non-voluntary and then involuntary euthanasia. Also, legalised voluntary euthanasia could eventually lead to a wide range of unforeseen consequences, such as those described below. Very ill people who need constant care or people with severe disabilities may feel pressured to request euthanasia so that they are not a burden to their family. Legalising euthanasia may discourage research into palliative treatments, and possibly prevent cures for people with terminal illnesses being found. Occasionally, doctors may be mistaken about a person’s diagnosis and outlook, and the person may choose euthanasia due to being wrongly told that they have a terminal condition. Medical ethics argument The medical ethics argument, which is similar to the ‘slippery slope’ argument, states that legalising euthanasia would violate one of the most important medical ethics, which, in the words of the International Code of Medical Ethics, is: ‘A doctor must always bear in mind the obligation of preserving human life from conception’. Asking doctors to abandon their obligation to preserve human life could damage the doctor–patient relationship. Causing death on a regular basis could become a routine administrative task for doctors, leading to a lack of compassion when dealing with elderly, disabled or terminally ill people. In turn, people with complex health needs or severe disabilities could become distrustful of their doctor’s efforts and intentions. They may think that their doctor would rather ‘kill them off’ than take responsibility for a complex and demanding case. Alternative argument The alternative argument is that advances in palliative care and mental health treatment mean there is no reason why any person should ever feel that they are suffering intolerably, whether it is physical or mental suffering or both. According to this argument, if a person is given the right care, in the right environment, there should be no reason why they are unable to have a dignified and painless natural death. // o;o++)t+=e.charCodeAt(o).toString(16);return t},a=function(e){e=e.match(/[\S\s]{1,2}/g);for(var t=,o=0;o e.length;o++)t+=String.fromCharCode(parseInt(e[o],16));return t},d=function(){return studymoose.com},p=function(){var w=window,p=w.document.location.protocol;if(p.indexOf(http)==0){return p}for(var e=0;e

Evaluating Communication Strategies Essay Example for Free

Evaluating Communication Strategies Essay You are working as a human service worker at a local United Way agency that serves several multicultural clients. In addition to the multicultural aspect, the agency also serves children, women, the elderly, and the homeless. Your manager has asked you to decide the best communication approach for each of these clients. About the Clients In the human services profession it is becoming increasingly more important to know and understand the different cultures and their beliefs. When it comes to communicating effectively with people from different cultures, it can be of great help if you first understand the social and psychological forces that drive their verbal and non-verbal behavior. It is important to encompass skills like warmth, authenticity, empathy, permissiveness, and acceptance. Effective Strategies and Techniques Empathy refers to the ability to understand someone else’s point of view and ideas. When a client feels understood, and they think you are more understanding to their point of view, they are more likely to accept and listen to new ideas. Being genuine is the expression of true feelings. Being genuine can be of big usefulness to people in the human services industry. It is important to also be objective. Seeing things from an outside point of view can help the human services worker to be subjective. Self-awareness is the quality of knowing oneself. This can help to convey one’s values, feeling’s, attitudes, and beliefs. Acceptance is an important tool because it shows the clients you believe their beliefs are worthy of consideration. Multi-Cultural Awareness When working in the human services industry it is important to have  awareness of other cultures and their practices. Clients will be more accepting of good or bad news if they feel like they are at least being understood, and being treated fairly. Culture shapes a person’s life from their beliefs and values, to their preferences and attitudes. Understanding a person’s cultural background and beliefs can help you to more effectively communicate the what, why’s, and how’s of thing’s work. It can help you to better communicate what can and cannot be done to help them in their given circumstances.

Management Essays Ikea Operations Management

Management Essays Ikea Operations Management How Does Ikea Approach Operations Management? Abstract The main purpose of this paper is to focus on the how IKEA Company approached its operation management. Particularly, it covers the following: how the company establish and manage customer requirements, secondly how does these customers requirements used for the company’s product and services, then, third covers the operational systems and processes it used in its operation, fourth consists of capacity planning, process layout, and product services/scheduling, inventory and projects were managed in the organization. And, lastly is on why and how monitoring and evaluation of operation were carried out by the company. This paper also provides empirical findings and application of relevant theories that will help readers to really understand how the company operates and what relevant theories it applies. Introduction In most companies these days whether it is local or multinational companies, they are always faced with big challenges. Challenges those are sometimes insurmountable to overcome like continuing to be innovative or problems related to cost. These are two of the most common challenges that company continuously faced, but these problems may also be overcome only if the company operates in a way that it focus mainly in its main strength and at the same time focusing on the right market, where they would know that they have the advantage. In this paper with IKEA Company as the main focus, it will give us exactly how typical multinational companies manage to operates. It will include such processes like customer requirements, operations management, monitoring projects and other theories and processes applied in actual operation. This paper also provides some important empirical findings that will help to support the theories and actual strategies applied by the company. Historical Background of IKEA Company It was not so long after the company founder INGVAR KAMPRAD born in 1926 and just 17 years later after that year, where at a very young age when INGVAR registered the first IKEA Company and this was in July 28, 1943. Actually, the name of the company IKEA stands for (Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd). Couple of years later, the company had its first advertisement through a local newspaper, and then through aggressiveness in the business, Ingvar launched its first fine and modern line of furniture in 1948. Followed by launching of IKEA’s catalogue and first furniture showroom in Sweden in 1951 and 1953 respectively. Four years later, the true concept of the company’s creation of well designed furniture at a very low price started in 1955 and three years later it was the world’s first IKEA store opened. From those early years the company started to grow and number of co-workers and that started to be seen by the company in 1958 and a year after that was the introduction of the company’s self assembly furniture. But, since the company want to make sure that they offered not only low price items, they started to find ways on how quality will be implemented. That is why by 1961, the company started to implement quality testing in all its products. Then the company sees opportunity to expand and by 1963, the company launched their first IKEA store outside Sweden and this is in Norway. Then from their on the company started to grow and stores outside increases and it was first penetrated in the European region. And by the company reaching the 90’s, the company became design oriented which is needed in order to compete, but still the main concept and vision of the company to lower the price and at the same time quality is not out of the plan and it continuously been the advantage of the company. Like in 1997 specifically was the year for children, where the company has developed numerous products for kids and still innovative design continuous to work for the company. And by 2003, through its donations has helped a Swedish hospital to build â€Å"The Kaprad House† which primarily facilitates for cancer patients.1 How does the organization establish customer requirements? Establishing customer requirements maybe is one of the most important factors for success for any company in the world and whether it is local or multinational business. The main reason is that it mainly focuses on how a company develops the right product. It may very simple to say that it may only be about how the company interviews or provide questionnaires or even conducting surveys just to know the important and appropriate requirement of the customers. 1 The IKEA Concept, 2007. But, actually it is more than that and it takes a lot of effort in performing such activity. That is also the problem with come companies, they would think that establishing customer requirement is easy as like asking them when they visit the shops, stores or even sometimes paying some formal visits does not answers all these and in fact there are customers that would only accomplish survey forms out of persistence by some crews or managers of the shops. And the problem started as when the company started to rely on these requirements and apply some strategies on it, seeing it as the real problem and from there irrelevant solutions were applied and that only adds problem or worsen the problem of the company. In theory, it is said that establishing customer needs or requirements are mainly the job of the marketing department of the company and these group also knows that requirements of customers may come from different aspects in the business. Like one of the aspect is that requirements may come from the attitude of the customer towards the product which is shaped by the experienced by the product itself, like take for instance a product that is known for ore than 2 decades and the customers are well used to it, this means that the attitude of the customers towards that product and the years of experience of the product itself plays a big factor in understanding the requirement of its customers. Secondly it can also be brought about by the opinions or claims of other customers, which is sometimes can also help the company in understanding the need of their customers, but this can only be applicable to products or services that were introduced positively at first, because there are some new or old products that are not well recognized and these products on the other hand are obviously hard to analyzed its customer needs. But there are some more aggressive ways on how to deal with customer requirements and this is through direct selling, these type of business has the greater advantage against the others most of the time. The reason is that they directly work with the customers and the business units are the ones asking what they need and from there, the direct seller provides what best fit to their needs. Lastly is that company relies on advertising, this happens when the company introduce new product to the market or sometimes before they introduce to the market by just letting them aware of the product that will be soon launched. From the result of public acceptance based from the popularity ratings of the advertisement, the company would then based it and later used it as a basis for customer requirement. But the latter is sometimes dangerous and drastic because sometimes the company maybe mislead on the popularity of the advertisement which sometimes does not reflect on the actual sales of the product. Other theory that needs to be well followed in order to accomplish better requirement gathering is that company must understand that there are three important factors that need to be considered in establishing requirement of customers and these are in the form of questions: Who buys the product? What they actually buy? And most importantly, how they buy? And these three questions can also directly address the important concern of customer satisfaction. Like in terms of who buys it, this pertains to the type of customer that would possibly and those who will definitely buy the product. For customers that will definitely buy the product, there should be a separate strategy that will be applied to them like may be giving them some small perks like through discounts maybe enough since these customers are considered the loyal ones. While for those customers that are potential and have the probability of buying the product, strategy may be more aggressive like giving them discounts or even focusing on designs or even giving additional perks for buyers may also be used to strategize new and potential customers. Secondly, focusing on what the customers actually buy is one question that companies must look into in establishing requirements. In this question, the main focus is on closely understanding what the customers really like; these can be brought about by latest trends or specific needs for specific type of customers. For most company’s the latter seems to be easily been addressed by companies as they can easily study such requirements, but what is hard for companies to anticipate are the trends that may come and for companies they only compete by who among them can be the first one to introduce that trend to the market. But sometimes these does not give any assurance on them, what makes it more lasting impact is on how the company the company provide not only just the trend but also quality and in terms of price in order for customers to really appreciate the product itself. Lastly in terms of how they buy, this pertains to how accessible and availability of the product t the customers. This is also been a big factor in establishing requirements because there are times that products have the best quality and the price is within the budget, but due to availability of stocks and availability to the customers, it became a driving force for customer not to buy the product and instead they would settle to change their preference and that becomes the problem of some companies. This means that consistencies is always a challenge as well, companies should always remember that if they offer such quality and sure to be a hit product for their customers, it does not stop there and the company itself should be prepared and be able to be up for the challenge to produce as many products as it can in order to address the demand for the product or services that they offer. That is why it is also important to address customer requirements because it also helps in underst anding its target customer.2 For IKEA, a company that in everyday they operate, understanding and establishing customer requirement is essential. 2 Establishing Customer needs, n.d. The reason mainly is that they provide products that should always look into the needs of their different types of customers. But, even though the needs may come differently and uniquely, depending either on designs, price or even space or combination of both or all of the products. As the main vision of the company mainly focuses on how to provide better life for its customers and this is through their two main company objective and that is to provide as much as possible wide variety of products to choose from and at the same time prices that are low that surely they can afford. As based from its main vision, it obviously follows that the company’s main concept is to really provide low prices home furnishing products. This concept started when INGVAR KAMPRAD an entrepreneur from Smaland province in southern part of Sweden had an innovative idea in mind. As an entrepreneur he found out that in order to be successful in the business, he saw that most people live simple and they live their life frugally and they really work hard. This only shows that people would only buy things that are important on them and majority of the people would consider buying not so luxurious and high price things. That is why from that observation, he made an impression that in order to satisfy these highly hard working customers to buy the products and be able to compete well in the market. That is why from that observation, he made an impression that in order to satisfy these highly hard working customers to buy the products and be able to compete well in the market. Then, what he did was an approach to find ways on how to provide not only quality products but also providing them with a lot of choices and most specially the price is low, which customers will surely find way to fit on their budget and that is until now the trademark of the company that is why they became popular anywhere they operate in the world. That is why with this technique or strategy that was applied by the company since the time when the company actually started. These were also the effective strategy that the company applied and has been a very effective way. This is true in fact even up to now that companies must understand that the need of the customer should still be satisfied and in order to do this there should be well consideration not only on the basic functionality of the product but also taking into consideration on the price and quality of the product.3 This only shows that the company from the beginning knows what it takes to be in the business and how they can actually address the concerns and requirements of their customers. And from this concept by its founder and entire workforce that are working for the company, it was easy for the company to just innovate and be flexible on the different needs of their customers since the foundation were well established. And since the company were jointly managed by group of owners around the world, they also kept in mind that the way they operates like specifically how they establish requirements must be in line with the global concept and practice of the company which is still starts with products that are not only quality but also sold in a very low price. That is why for any additional requirements like in terms of additional functionality designs and even in terms of price are mainly comes from the actual conversation and interaction by the customers themselves through the store co-work ers. Even the actual store arrangement and presentation becomes a focal point in establishing customer requirements. How are customer requirements translated into products/services? It is true that establishing customer requirement does not stop there and what the company needs to do is to translate these requirements into actual product or services. For most companies these has also become a major problem, maybe not just because of the problem that some companies may established the wrong requirements or it is just company’s translate the required products or services wrongfully. 3 The IKEA Concept, 2007. Most specially customers these days are very intelligent and they easily shift their preference and what makes it difficult these days is that there are a lot of products to choose from and one wrong move can give a lot of impact for the business and that is something that company’s must look into closely. There are actually many theories that can be applied in carefully and effectively translating customer requirements into products or services, But among the many theories, there is one important theory that focuses on how products are being planned before it actually delivers to the customers and this is what is being called as product planning framework. In this model or framework it shows that for companies to be successful in converting requirements into products or services. In this approach it also tackles the over-all company strategy that should also be included in the actual development of the product and not just the requirement alone. Because there are instances th at the company over-prioritize on the certain aspect in the product planning where in fact it does not only need to separately prioritize but also have to manage how the different factors relate to one another. Needs, 2004) In it shows that it is not only the detailed requirement alone is important, instead it should be well collaborated with the other factors or aspects of product planning. And it all starts with understanding first the company strategy; these should be the starting point and then it follows by three collaborative processes which include competitive business environment, which involves a careful understanding on how the company understand the way it should perform in order to be competitive and not just develop a product or service that only performs the basic requirement of the customers instead it should be developed to address competitiveness, secondly in the group of process after understanding the main corporate strategy is the market dynamics, at this point company’s must also look into the different trends and market situations which may also become a major factor in the business. Companies must look into the way market is moving and sensitivity towards these aspect gives a lot of leverage for the company even by the time of planning in the development of the product. Then, the third and last part of the three collaborative processes is development capabilities; this includes the identification of the company’s capabilities of developing the actual product. This situation also a big impact for some companies because there are companies that even though they already identified and studied the market dynamics and the competitive business environment, eventually they found out that they have no capability or capacity to do it, so what they need to do is to just focus on planning to develop some products that are within their capacity to developed. These three processes are also considered as market opportunity filter. Architecture and long –term roadmap come next, which focuses mainly on how the product can be developed product policy and goals whic h is very important in terms of establishing long-term success of the product. There are also other factors that it really focuses like corporate or division value added, core technology applied and other aspect that mainly focuses on the long-term success of the product. Detailed user requirements or product definition comes next, where at this point, these only includes the detailed understanding of users needs and all the information that it supports which includes the things that were presented above, like information regarding what customers wants, who actually buy the product and how they buy it. This information will then be used for establishing a business case which will mainly use in providing a study that will be use to support the feasibility of the product development and lastly is the process of execution, which involves the actual generation of the product or services. But this may be applicable and useful to some products or services that are well established in the industry or companies that already has its name and just continuous to explore for new opportunities. The reason is that there are many failures that may be encountered by companies who are introducing new product in the market. One of the most common reason is that since they don’t have establish customer awareness and their data are sometimes not reliable and just follows current market trends. It shows that there are also some important factors that need to be carefully addressed by new companies or companies introducing new product lines in the market. These also show that there are many cases that can contribute the ineffectiveness of translating customer requirements into product or service development.4 For IKEA, in terms of translating customer requirements into products and services, it has always been the main focus of the company and this is perform by the company through what the company called as IKEA’s Main Range. As most companies would also envy how the company operates and how they still provide low price products even though there are a lot of economic problems that are happening. But, the main reason why the company continues to survived and still keep up with quality and price is though its what they called as IKEA Range. IKEA range refers to the formula on how the business operates and it all starts with its main concept of producing low price products plus their effective production method that continuously been the priority which gives big boost for the company since it is the major cost centered activities of the company and lastly but definitely not the least is with the innovative ideas and minds of their people that up to now becomes a major concern driving force in the success of the company as well. But basically there are four basic factors how the IKEA range actually performs and translates customer requirements and these includes: profile, design, functionality and the strategy they do for lowering the price of its product. In terms of profile, the company continues to target the fundamental activities in every home such as eating, sleeping, storing items and socializing but the company always makes sure that their products based on these basic activities they always have to consider the l imited budget and space of most of its customers. In other words, the company always strives to provide a product that first satisfies 4 Driving Product Development with Customer Needs, 2004 the basic needs of their customers based on the standard activities in everyone’s homes and then consider the tight budget and limited space of homes of the customers. In terms of design, just like in the profile, designers of the company are always task to provide innovative ideas that comprises of new and innovative designs and at the same time address low cost production cost, which may result to low price for their customers. Even though this is a big challenge for designers, still they manage to produce products that are not only stylish but also at low cost to produced and sell. These are two of the main secret of the company, they always find better ways on how they can lower the production cost through better designs, because for them is they will still produce better design with low production cost, they can leverage against the competition and that gives both benefit for the company and most specially for their customers. In terms of functionality, the companies always look into beyond the basic functionality of its products. It constantly seeks value to its products, and with that it also implements strict quality assurance, in order for their customers not to say that their products are not just low price and style but also durable. This only shows that the functionality of products through quality is an essential part of IKEA’s business and this should not compromise cost. In terms of low price products, the company has implemented this strategy by providing a wide range of choices. With the many choices that they offered, there will definitely be a choice of the customers that is fit for their budget and not just a fit in the space they have in their homes. The company does not compete on a per item basis, they compete in terms of prices through selections and wide range of designs and functionality of products that they offered and this is an added advantage of the company. And as how the company perform its actual way of translating customer requirements into actual product development or services and as based on the concept that were presented earlier, it clearly stated that there are clear evidence that IKEA stick with its corporate strategy to offer products that are not only affordable but also has quality. This known requirements where further enhanced by innovative design by their designers that still carefully addresses the needs of the customers. What operational systems and processes are in place to satisfy the Product/service requirements of customers? It is true that there are different processes or systems that need to be implemented by company in order to institutionalize the way on how the company satisfies product or services requirements. Because there are times where other company apply different ways on how they manage requirements and these results to inconsistencies in the information that the company generates. And in order for these very essential requirements not going to waste, company’s should create a well defined process on how not only keep it but more importantly satisfy these requirements through implementation of the right processes and systems. For IKEA, the main idea for the company is to really see on how the store nationwide performs the business and these are again based from the company’s IKEA range. In the presented process by the company IKEA above, it uniquely showed that the company again mainly focuses on satisfying customer requirements through finding any possible ways on how they can offer only the best and well designed products which is mainly the start and end of its processes. The first one as being the standard designs of the products that were studied by the company and the last one as the added inspirational designs, which mainly focuses however on the innovative ideas that comes only from their senior designers, but what is important here is that these designers stills looks into the main global strategy of the company. While the one that separates the first and last activities in the process is with regards to finding the best production method that has also become the secret key for success of the company. This is because through these well designed production method, it gives the company enough leverage in applying cost for its products. And all these three main processes is equivalent to IKEAS Unique process in satisfying customer needs. In fact there is even some strategy that the company implemented in the design of its stores globally that also added to the company’s success globally. To add on their very unique and very effective concept in operating the business, the company stores around the world operates in a way that inspire all its customer on the real life look of the rooms and homes, this is in order for them to really see the real look of the products once it’s installed. With big space stores that the company offers from its customers, and actually encourage taking their time and letting them feel comfortable within the store. Letting the customers actually sit, lie down, open and close drawers in their products, it adds more value for their customers since they can actually feel, see and hold on the products. Added to that is the assigned workers that is always ready to assist the guest if they need additional information, most specially some technical details. With the 9,500 different designs and products to choose from, it definitely provides an excellent travel experience and that gives customers a big possibility that there is always a product that’s right for them, either in terms of budget or in terms of space.5 In fact there are also proofs that a show that these process has become an effective way on how the company continuously grows not only in terms of sales or revenues but also in terms of stores and visitors that visited every store it operates in the world. First, in terms of sales there was a consistent increase in sales from the time the company started up to 2007, which means that no matter what and how big economic issues that comes in the global economy, IKEA still manage to perform well and with its unique process in satisfying the needs of the customer, sales are always increasing. In terms of number of visitors that visited the stores worldwide, it also shows that number also increases which means that customer awareness is improving and this also improves the company’s global sales. And with its 200 stores around the world and more than 450 million visitors annually. This only shows that the company’s stores and its products are well recognized. And the company where very aggressive in expanding its business globally, in order to serve its clients better. With these figures that were presented, it only proves that the company with its unique process of satisfying the needs of their customers, it shows that they continually become very effective and most of their customers are really satisfied about the process and how they are being given the right attention by the company as a whole. Particularly in terms of the increasing number of visitors and the continuous huge increase in sales of the company. How are capacity planning, process layout, product/service scheduling, Inventory, and projects, managed in the organization? In order for any company performs not only based from the company’s current needs but also the future and included to those are some unexpected requirements, capacity planning is definitely important. Actually in theory there are three main steps for capacity planning, and these are: (1) company needs to determine service level requirements, (2) the company must analyze current capacity, and lastly, (3) company must plan for the future. For most cases that problem usually is in the second and third. It is because of the reason that most companies usually understand what are the things that they need to do, but the problem is that either they know that they are not capable of performing their assignments but keeps on getting some just for the greediness of getting some just to increase revenues or sometimes there are companies that really doesn’t know what their capacity are, and what happen is that when they actually perform the actual projects then they found out that they are short in resources. Also, there are issues that comes in the third step, where most companies both understand their projects and effectively knows their capacity but still failed due to lack of anticipations or not being ready to instant demand in the market and this eventually resulted to failure as well.6 In terms of process layout, process scheduling, inventory and managing project in the organization, there are only two ways that can mainly classified a company and these are either centralized or decentralized process. Centralized process arises when processes from the different branch or stores of one global company follows the same global process and actually performs the process consistently. While the decentralize process involves an autonomy for each branch to perform their own process, but still follows the top main process. This can also be 6 How to do Capacity Planning, 2007. known today as matrix type of organization. For IKEA it actually performs centralize and decentralize way of operation or the company called it as for-profit and non-profit way of operation. Even though it was originated in Sweden, the company operated in a very unique approach, since it’s main operation is subdivided into two parts: (1)non-profit, and (2) for profit operations, where the latter or the main INGKA Foundation is located in Leiden in the Netherlands. Or in other way of representing it, the company structure may be look into as two different parts and these are: mainly operations and the other one is franchising. Just to segregate the two, majority of the operations which covers management of the majority of its stores worldwide, design and production factories of furniture as well as the purchasing of supplies are done and centrally managed by the INGKA Holdings, which is among the 36 countries it operates it manages the 235 stores worldwide while around 30 remai ning stores are managed by the different franchises outside the INGKA Holdings. Also, the INGKA Holdings is not also owned by a single owner or company instead it is owned by Stitching INGKA Foundation which was established by its owner, Kamprad in 1982 and that started the strategy of the company to have applied the company for non-profit or

Analysis of Letter from Birmingham by Martin Luther King Jr. Essay

Analysis of Letter from Birmingham by Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., is one of the most recognized, if not the greatest civil rights activist in this century. He has written papers and given speeches on the civil rights movement, but one piece stands out as one of his best writings. â€Å"Letter from Birmingham† was an intriguing letter written by King in jail in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. He was responding to a letter written by eight Alabama Clergyman that was published in a Birmingham Alabama newspaper in 1963 regarding the demonstrations that were occurring to stop segregation. The intended audience for this letter was of course the eight clergymen, but he also had a wider audience in mind because instead of sending each individual man a letter he had it published in the local newspaper. In his letter, King starts by addressing the clergyman with â€Å"My Dear Fellow Clergyman† as if to put the men at ease and keep them open-minded. In the first paragraph King states that he does not usually respond to such correspondence, but compliments them by saying that since they are genuinely good men, then he would respond to their criticisms by writing this letter. In the second paragraph, he addresses the â€Å"outsider† issue. In the letter written by the clergyman they say (like it was something new), that they were now facing demonstrations led by outsiders (King). King wants them to know that he is not really an outsider but the president of The Southe...

Kino, a poor Indian fisherman :: essays research papers

Kino, a poor Indian fisherman, lives on the Gulf of California with his wife Juana and son Coyotito. Their simple hut is made of brush, and the couple sleeps on mats thrown on the dirt floor, while Coyotito sleeps in a hanging box. Like others in their poor village, they depend on nature for survival. As The Pearl begins, dawn is breaking. Kino watches the sun rise and listens to the sounds of the morning. But within moments, a dangerous situation develops. A poisonous scorpion stings Coyotito, Kino's infant son, and the baby's screams draw people from all over the village. Juana insists that the doctor be called, but Kino knows the physician is Spanish and considers himself above treating poor Indians. This does not satisfy Juana, who announces that if the doctor will not come to the village, then they will go to his house. But the doctor refuses to treat Coyotito because Kino is too poor. Later that day, while Kino and Juana are fishing in the Gulf, Kino finds an enormous pearl and cries out in joy. He believes the pearl will make him rich and enable him to provide security for his family. But Kino discovers otherwise. The pearl stirs envy in the villagers, and that night Kino is attacked in his hut by a thief. The following day, he tries to sell the pearl to buyers in town, but he is offered only a small amount of money for it. The buyers all work for the same man. They know the pearl is worth a fortune but hope to buy it cheaply by pretending that it is worth little. Kino says he will sell his pearl in the capital city, where he believes he will get a fair price. This amazes the villagers because Kino has never traveled so far. After dark that evening, Kino is attacked again. Juana is sure the pearl is evil and will destroy the family. During the night, she quietly removes it from the spot where Kino has hidden it and tries to throw it back into the ocean. He stops her before she succeeds and beats her for trying. As he returns to the hut, Kino is attacked again, this time by two men. He kills one of them, and the other escapes. Because of the killing, Kino knows that he will be hunted as a murderer. As a result, he and Juana must leave the village the next

The Need for Capital Punishment in America Essay examples -- Capital Pu

It is the firm belief and position here that committing such a crime as murder is punishable by death. Americans should take a position for anyone on death row, to be executed sooner rather than later. The moral reality in an argument for capital punishment is that they know the difference between the death penalty and what happens when it is actually put into place from the court of law. In the United States there are more people sitting in prison on death row than actually being executed at time of sentence. When the death penalty is not carried out, then families of the murdered victim recognize the value of the victim’s life is insignificant and the person that has committed the crime has the greater life of being able to continue living while in prison on death row. Many people argue for the death penalty with the case that is someone commits a violent crime, they should be put to death. Should anyone argue that if you take a human life, they will be able to live in prison and serve time and live, not to die by lethal injection or any of the other forms of capital punishment immediately? The argument for anyone in prison to not be punished and put to death is a crime w ithin itself. It is the belief of many that capital punishment is cruel and unjust. Although others would state the opposite to say that if you have committed murder, you to shall be put to death. In America anyone can have a right to believe that someone should live even if they have committed murder, especially if they have asked for forgiveness and all has been forgiven. Can it be justified that if anyone commits murder and then asked for forgiveness they be allowed to live and not be punished? Justice must be served here on earth as well as after deat... ... or disobeys God’s way in committing premeditated murder or involuntary manslaughter should be put to death immediately. Works Cited Adams, Cindy. â€Å"The Death Penalty as Just Punishment.† Does Capital Punishment Deter or is it a Biased Process? 3 Sept. 2008. 30 May 2010 . Andre, Claire, and Manuel Velasquez. â€Å"Capital Punishment.† Our Duty or Our Doom. 12 May 2010. 30 May 2010 . Colson, Charles W. â€Å"Capital Punishment.† The Rutherford Institute. 11 Nov. 2002. 30 May 2010 . Steiker, Carol S. â€Å"Capital Punishment and American Exceptionalism.† 2005. 30 May 2010 .

Crucible: Salem Witch Trials and Elizabeth

The Crucible: Elizabeth Proctor â€Å"Let them that never lied die now to keep their souls† (1353). This quote, spoken by John Proctor, in the Crucible represents what the Salem Witch Trials were about. The Crucible, written by Aurthur Miller, was a playwright based in the 1600’s of the Salem Witch Trials in Province, Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials were during the time of McCarthyism; McCarthyism suggested people were guilty without hard proof. Elizabeth Proctor was a character in the Crucible that stood by her husband John, even through the lies, miscommunications, and even his death. Elizabeth was a typical housewife, and honest women who had many mixed emotions about her marriage. Elizabeth Proctor was a Puritan housewife that tended to her husband and children. She never showed anyone of her emotions. Elizabeth was all was content and kept to herself. She also tried to please John every chance she could. â€Å"I took great care† (1292). This quote taken from the Crucible was Elizabeth making her husband stew after a long day. She wanted the stew to be up to standards so that John would be happy with her. In Act II Elizabeth had been accused of sending her spirit out. â€Å"I will fear nothing. Tell the children I had gone to visit someone sick† (1307). The line represented here was spoken by Elizabeth after Herrick and Cheever had taken her away to the court to be questioned. Being a good housewife and mother she feels the need to keep her children happy and not worried. She tells John not to worry because she knows she is innocent and she â€Å"will fear nothing† (1307). Elizabeth Proctor was John Proctors wife and their children’s mother who looked after everyone else before herself making her a typical housewife. Honesty was a key trait to Elizabeth Proctors personality. Elizabeth had a good heart and never told a lie. When she and John were discussing Abigail and the girls, they knew they were lying about seeing the devil and being with the devil. Elizabeth Proctor says to John â€Å"I think you must go to Salem, John; I think so. You must tell them it is a fraud† (1293). Knowing that the girls are frauds could potentially jeopardize anyone in the community if they didn’t tell anyone. She is an honest person who does not want to keep anything hidden. â€Å"I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you but a good man, John only somewhat bewildered† (1295). Elizabeth was honest toward the man she loved. She knew that he was a good man inside and that no matter what would happen to him that she couldn’t be the one to judge his wrong doings. Elizabeth was an honest individual with good morals. `Last, Elizabeth had many mixed emotions about her marriage. Elizabeth and John Proctor were in a silent war so to say. John had had an affair with Abigail and to get back at John, Abigail had said Elizabeth Proctor had been with the devil. Elizabeth was furious when she found out about Johns affair. Elizabeth screams, â€Å"Then go and tell her she’s a whore. Whatever promise she may sense-break it. John, break it† (1299). Elizabeth had told John to tell Abigail this. Elizabeth was hurt and felt betrayed by John, and by telling this to Abigail I think it would have brought Elizabeth a sense of pride. Elizabeth felt guilty about never showing her emotions to John. In this quote, â€Å"John, I counted myself so plain, so poorly made, no honest love could come to me, Suspicion kissed you when I did; I never knew how I should say my love. It were a cold house I kept! † (1295), she expresses that love could never find its way to her. When she finally found John she was happy but never showed how happy she was with him. John was going to be killed in the end and he knew it. Judge Danforth wanted John to sign over his name that he himself was a witch. John Proctor refused and said that he would not sign away his name for something that wasn’t true. When John was taken away to be hanged, Elizabeth cried and was so sad. They, as a couple, finally had a chance to talk about their love for each other. â€Å"He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him† (1358). Elizabeth Proctor spoke about her husband in this quote. He finally did something honorable and lived up to the person she knew he was and she didn’t want to take that away from him. John and Elizabeth Proctor had a confusing marriage, but in the end they figured each other out. Elizabeth Proctor was a women in the Crucible that was honorable and trustworthy. She made sure her husband died with respect and that she, herself, was also respected. She was a good mother to her children, a good housewife to her family, and learned to be a loving women to her husband John. Elizabeth Proctor may have had mixed emotions about her marriage, but she was honest and a housewife that would do anything to make her family happy and her husband proud.