Thursday, December 26, 2019

Questions on strategic perspective netcares international expansion - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 17 Words: 5153 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Expansion of the business at the international level requires an analysis of various environmental issues, so that the firm can implement effective strategies and remove all the obstacles. At both micro and Macro level, there are numerous environmental issues that affect the performance of Netcare in Medicare Industry, which are as followed: Issues in the Micro Environmental: In order to understand the various issues at the micro level, the SWOT analysis would be fruitful: Strengths of the Company: Netcare has a wide range of patent over the medicines generally in mental health. Due to this, company has established itself as a strong brand name in Medicare industry, which is one of the strongest points that influence its performance in the international market. The company has created a good reputation among the customers through its services. Additionally the services provided by Netcare are of low cost in compare to its competitors and provides a wide r ange of services at a same place. Netcare provides its employees better facility to retain them. The shareholders are being satisfied with constant reputation in the market. Weaknesses of the Company: At the micro level, one of the biggest issues for the company that influences company is the lack of adequate ways for the patent protection. The Company is facing problems to protect its patent products from being duplicating in the market. Although the company has worldwide presences, but due to the limitations of resources, it has mainly concentrated in Africa and Europe. The company highly concentrates on the area of mental health, which restricted the management to focus on the other areas of Medicare industry. Opportunity for the Company: The Company can further go for RD to explore the future needs of medicine in the field of mental health. Implementation of advances technologies would help the organization to satisfy their patients well. The company should also focus on t he international market along with Africa and Europe. Threats for the Company: At the micro environment, some other important issues are substitute medicines and highly competitive environment. The business of Netcare is being affected by the substitute products available in the market. The performance of the company also stressed due to the high competitive pressure. Issues in the Macro Environmental: In order to understand the various issues at the macro level, the PESTLE analysis and Porters five forces analysis would be fruitful: Political, Legal and Economic Condition: Economic slowdown and highly restrict policies of the global countries is one of the biggest problem for the company to expand globally. According to the Porter five forces analysis, enter of new entrants in Medicare industry in some countries is restricted due to the high legal and political regulations, which affects its global image. The economic slowdown has created a major problem in front of the company. Funds are not coming for the company and to give a tough competition to its competitors, it requires a huge amount. Additionally, there are many restrictions on trade performing within a country itself that badly affect the firm. The interest rate of the government of different countries also affects the organization. Technological and Social Conditions: At the technological and social level, Netcare faces many obstacles. With the growing population it has become difficult to provide better services to everyone. People are generally not serious about their health and take this quite lightly. This affects the company in promoting themselves. Additionally, further work on RD can improve the firms product in order to provide better services. Key Drivers of Change in the Industry: On the basis of above SWOT, PEST and Porters Five Force analysis there are many drivers of change in the industry. These drivers are political, ecumenical, regulatory, and technological chan ges. Innovative technology and information systems, has changed the perspective of Medicare industry. High political restrictions and high authenticity of the medicines restrict the new players to enter in the industry. All the companies have to follow transparency and integrity with its suppliers and customers to retain for long term. The bargaining power of suppliers is high because of limited resources that also shape the growth of the industry. On the other hand, bargaining power of consumers are low because they wants highly authenticates medical services for their good health and effective treatment. Customer consciousness towards health is also a key driver for the changes in the industry. Additionally, satisfied shareholders and the employees are the key elements in the development of an organization and industry. Some other important drivers of the industry are consolidation, intense global competition for market share, lack of researcher, global competition for high skilled employees and availability of venture capital. Answer 2: Evaluation of Competitive Environment of Netcare through porters Five Forces Analysis According to the strategic framework, in this competitive and changing world, there are various forces in the external environment of an organization that are more powerful than the organization itself and are beyond their control. These external industry environment forces influence the operations of the organization in various ways and these also help the firm to evaluate the competitive environment. In order to understand the competitive environment of Netcare, Porters five force analysis model is one of the best techniques. Porters five forces contribute and shape the competition in the Medicare industry to which Netcare belongs, in the following manner: Threat of New Entrants: Netcare is a well established company and expanding its business in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Canada, UK, Australia, etc. Threat from the new en trants is very low for the company. In order to enter in the Medicare industry, the firm should have a huge amount of capital with the licensing and patent of particular medicines. This is one of the strongest points for Netcare that it has many patents that cannot be gained by new players. It also poses economies of scales to manage economic slowdown. In which markets the company operates, the political and legal restrictions of these markets are also barriers for the entry of new players. Therefore, new companies have no threat for Netcare and also there are high entry barrier for the new companies that are planning to enter the Medicare. Bargaining Power of Customers: This is another force that influences the competitive condition of the Medicare Industry. Its influence depends upon the possibilities of the buyers forming the groups or cartels. The bargaining power of the customers influences not only the prices that a company charge from them but also the cost and investme nts because powerful customers usually bargain for better services. In this industry the bargaining power of customer is average. The rival companies are serving consumers with innovative health care facilities, thus, it is a serious situation for the development of Netcare. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Quite often, suppliers too exercise considerable bargaining power over companies. The more specialized the offering from the supplier, greater is his clout and if the suppliers are also limited in number, they stand a still better chance to exhibit their bargaining power, which determines the cost of raw materials and other inputs of the industry. In the Medicare Industry, the suppliers of the raw material usually have high bargaining power because of the limited numbers. The company has a limitation to use authenticate products and services of health care, thus the bargaining power of suppliers is high and competition in intensive for Netcare. Threats from Substitutes: Subst itute products are a potential source of competition in the Medicare Industry. Substitute products offering a price advantage and performance improvement to the patients can drastically alter the competitive character of the industry. Although there are many problems for the growth of company, but the medicines and health care facilities which have companys patents cannot be provided by any other company. Additionally, in the international market of the company such as South Africa, Europe, UK, etc, the health care and Medicare facilities are at low ground. Thus, threat from substitute products is quite low for Netcare. Rivalry among Current Players: The rivalry among current or existing players is an idea that can be normally understood as competition. For any player, competitors influence prices as well as the costs of competing in the industry, production facilities, product development, advertising, sales force, etc. In this Medicare industry the competition is intensified be cause there are many players with innovative facilities and health care services they are equally balanced. Netcare has lack of effective communication tools, CRM system, and Information technologies, which provide a competitive advantage to its competitors. Inadequate funds, lack of proper staff, low morale among employees, etc, are also a problem for the company to increase strengths of competitors. Strategies used by Netcare to Manage Competition: In order to manage the competitive environment of Global Medicare industry, the company has focused on three strategic approaches operational excellence, Physicians partnership, and Best and Safest patience care. All these three approaches are used by the company to manage competitive environment and create competitive advantage over its competitors. In order to maintain operational excellence, the company has implemented a program of System Application and Product (SAP) to drive the share service centers of its all hospitals. Addition lay the company has also utilized the IT enabled services of UKs 28 hospitals to improve its services and communicate with patients and staff effectively. Apart from this, in order to improve the abilities of staff members and retain doctors and physicians for long time, the company has focused on partnership deals with the physicians and doctors of private hospitals. The company has invested a huge amount in Africa and UK to implement the training session for the physicians and staff members. Additionally, the company has also invested to execute innovative technologies for nursing training. By using all these technologies and training programs, the company wants to improve the skills and features of the nursing staff so that the company can provide better services to the patients as per their expectation as well as create competitive advantage over its competition to be a long term players of global Medicare industry. Answer 3: Key Issues of Netcare and Recommend ations As Netcare is one of biggest company in Global Medicare Industry. Expansion of a firm in the international market is a very critical because of unpredictable and changing environment. Although it is a successful company, but it has also some issues and problem related to external and internal environment. These key issues and the recommendations are as follow: Patient complaints: One of the main issues of Netcare is the complaints of the patients. Patients complaints are not taken seriously by the nursing staff and management of the company and they feel difficulty to register their complaints. This issue de-motivates patients and diverse them towards the other medical facilities provides by the competitors. This may affect the financial position and profitability of the firm. In this concern, it is necessary for Netcare to implement a CRM program, to resolve the queries of Patients and effectively address their complaints. Lack of Facilities for Patient Care: Anothe r major issue of Netcare is the lack of adequate resources and facilities for the caring of patients. Patients cares have not been upgraded since many times which need to be enhanced. Although the technologies have been upgraded but many facilities that are needs to be provided to patients are not available in the organization. On the other hand, the competitors of the firm are providing latest and innovative health care facilities. In order to resolve this problem, it is essential for the company to implement latest technologies and health care services and the number of physician should be increased. Inadequate information of Patients: The management of Netcare is focused only on the development of medicine, mainly in mental health care, and it has avoid other aspects like implementation of Innovative technologies, information and communication system, CRM process, etc. The management and staff have not any adequate system to collect adequate information about patients. Patient s always roam here and there in lack of information about where to go. It is essential for the company to implement a IS and CRM system to communicate with patients effectively. Notice board should be there to place duty chart and Doctors locations so that the patients can find out their locations easily. Different cells have to be made to provide the information regarding different facilities of the organization. Lack of Proper strategies to implement new facilities and enhance the existing Services: The Company also faces the problem in the introduction of new health care facilities because of limited resources and lack of innovative technologies. Additionally, lack of effective technologies also restricted the firm to enhance its existing services and facilities for the current and future patients. With the advancement in technology, it would become quite easy to introduce new facilities to the patients. It is being expected from such a big organization like Netcare to have th ese facilities. The health care facilities currently provided by the firm are also not in well condition. Financial Position: Maintaining a strong financial position is also a key challenge for the company. As the company is running on no profit basis and providing free services to some patients, the profitability of the company is not very good. The company can charge a nominal amount from the patients not to make them habituated of this practice. This would also be beneficial for the firm to collect funds and implement new information technologies. The company can also get make deal with non-profit organizations, government health care institutions and other health care agencies to Lack of Effective Nursing Programs for the Staff Members: The Company is also suffering with the problem of effective training and development program for the employees. In this highly changing and diversified environment, It is really difficult for the staff and management of a hospital to fulfil l the needs and requirements of each patients. The organization has failed to provide highly qualified nursing staff because of the lack of nursing staffs technologies. . The company should encourage new person and trained them in order to satisfy the lacking of qualified nursing staff. Issue related to the Retaining of Doctors in Africa: The foremost issue of the company is that due to the lack of basic facilities in African health care industry, employee turnover of medical staff mainly doctors is high. The company has not any proper solution to retain them for long time. The basic facilities in Africa are not up to the standard, so the doctors are not willing to stay there. In order to resolve this problem, the company should motivate doctors by providing their appraisal and additional facilities in both monetary and non-monetary terms. Lack of Innovative Systems that are required for the Global Development: Another key issue related to the development and growth of Netcare is the lack of effective and innovative information systems to collect data and analyze the demands and needs of the customers. The information system and communication facilities through online and offline media sources would allow the firm to understand the requirements of the patients. With the lack of efficient data the efficiency of the company is also being affected. The company should introduce a strong MIS system to support its work efficiently. Answer 4: Internal Environment Analysis through Resource Based View The framework of resource based view model is mainly used to identify the strengths of internal strategic resources of a company. According to this RBV model, the resources of the company are analyzed on the basis of following factors: Values, Rarity, Inimitability and Non-substitutable. As in this model, main focus is given on these four attributes of internal resources to sustain a competitive advantage. In this RBV framework of internal analysis, all the el ements are directly linked with each other and contribute in the success of the company. It is so, as valuable, rare, inimitable and Non-substitutable resources assist the organization in maintaining its competitive advantage. This RBV analysis would be beneficial for Netcare to identify what resources are creating competitive advantage and how the company can improve its strengths. Value: According to this element all the resources of the company should create value for the company. If the resources do not deliver value return to the company, they are worthless and increases operating cost of the company. According to this element, all the resources of an organization have their own value to achieve the goals and targets of the company. Company has valuable resources through which it has become possible for the management to manage profitability. According to the given case study, Netcare, It has more than 75 medical and dental centers across South Africa. Additionally, co mpany has more than 18,877 employees with professional skills and capabilities to manage high quality services for the patients. The company treats it HR and customers as an important strategic asset to develop value for the firm. The facilities in South African Medicare industry are not well established, which is a biggest problem for the company. The doctors and other clinical employees do not produce efficiency for the company because of lack of innovative facilities. Rarity: This is the second element of the framework of this model. If the valuable resource is already owned by the other organization, the business firm cannot consider it as the source of creating competitive advantage. The meaning of rarity can be explained as the critical resources of the firm that cannot be sustained by others. According to this case study, companys resources are not matched the criteria defined by Rarity. Company has not innovative facilities, IS system, CRM process, etc. but its competitor s have all these system, which is problem for the future growth of the firm. One of the main strength of the company is the high number of Patents. Company has many patents and licensed in comparison to its competitors and it also provides low cost services with a good reputation. Although the company have professionals and capable employee to manage with emergence situation in comparison to its competitors, but it is really very difficult to match the level of competitors due to the lack of latest and innovative information technologies. Inimitability: It means distinctiveness, which is one of the most important elements to create value of the strategic resources of an organization. Inimitable or unique resources of the company assist the firm to generate long-term profits. Achievement of value and rarity in the strategic resources of organization eventually differentiate the resources of the firm and put them into the lost of unique resources. According to Netcare case st udy the distinct resources and strengths of the company is its patents and trademarks for the medical facilities. The unique resources that distinct its services and facilities from the competitors are the availability of mental treatment and medicines. Lack of management information system and enterprise resources planning is one of the weaknesses of the company to create uniqueness and development inimitability among resources. These elements are a good source to manage the changing climate of the economy. Due to the innovations and unpredictable business environment, development of inimitability is a complicated task for the business firms. It is very difficult for Netcare to attain inimitability in the organizations, but uses of high quality practices and knowledge of experts can help to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Non-substitutable: This element of the resource based view model is mainly dependent upon the achievement of the sustainable competitive advant age for the firms and the resources that are non-substitutable. If the company have non-substitutable resources, it would be difficult for the competitors to cope with the strategic performance of the firm. The effective approach of company in mental health care sectors and patents and trademark of medicines are the non-substitutable products for the firm. The medicines and heath facilities, which have companys patent are non-substitutable products and services to create competitive advantage. Apart from this, in the European, African and UK markets, where the health care facilities are at low ground the medical services of mental health provide by Netcare are really appreciable and advantageous for the growth of the company. These non-substitutable resources will also assist the organization in fulfilling the requirements of the work force and providing support to them for effectively performing in the work environment. Answer 5: Strategic Approach of Netcare As Netcare is operating at the international level, it has decided to use different strategic approaches to become successful. Netcare has adopted mainly three strategies to support its business like HR strategy, transformational strategy and expansion strategy. These three strategic approaches of the business firm have greatly influenced the overall business performance of the company. According to the given case study, Netcare is suffering with the problems like ineffective management of HR and other tangible resources. As its business is settled in South Africa and it is really very difficult to retain the skilled persons and doctors in this industry for long time, due to the lack of effective facilities and higher wages. All these three strategic approaches are also given in the module. Strategic Approach to manage HR: Netcare was facing problem with the lack of nursing staff as the skilled nursing staff do not want to work in South Africa. Thus, it is essential of Netcare to adopt different HR strategy and provide training and development programs to support its business in South Africa as well as become successful in UK. These training and development programs would allow the company to motivate employees to be the part of company for long term. To handle this situation Netcare has used its HR strategy quite efficiently to overcome this problem. Netcare has started giving training to the nursing staff and as well as it has increased their number also in order to overcome this situation. In 2007 only Netcare has trained more than 3700 nurses under this strategy. Netcare has developed special packages for nurses to retain them with the company as well. The company has also wisely adopted its HR strategy in order to retain doctors in South Africa. As the country is not well developed so the doctors from other countries do not want to stay there. With the help of this strategy, the company has become able to retain doctors and established the company as em ployer of choice. As a part of its HR strategy Netcare has launched partnership schemes with the doctors in UK and expanded more than 60 practice development groups across their hospitals. Netcare has provided state-of-the-art facilities to its doctors. This has helped the company to attract additional 162 medical specialists in the year 2007. Approach of Transformation Strategy: Netcare has successfully implicit the transformation strategy throughout its operations and the society in which it operates. As a part of this strategy Netcare has invested R 37 million on corporate social investment. The transformational strategy of the company is based on the moral perspective that includes the clear and the goal to be achieved. These strategies of the company generally focus employment equity and enterprise development basically in South Africa. As a part of this strategy company has entered in a partnership with the government to improve the healthcare sector in the country . Netcare has also provided holistic solution to those families as a part of this strategy who cannot afford the private healthcare. Netcare has developed different solutions to cater the need of its shareholder in order to support their return. As Netcare has been the leader in the industry though it has to take further action to serve the rest of the society in Africa as competition is highly developing in the sector. Company has given emphasis to its social responsibility as a part of its strategy. The strategy has helped the company to be rated among the top in the industry. The strategy has helped the company to come up with new and advanced technology to serve the society better. Approach of Expansion Strategy: Expansion strategy is another strategy that company adopted in order to internationalize itself. Netcare has also begun its operations outside Africa in the year 1997. In the year 2002 Netcare first entered the UK with the partnership with NHS and viewed the op portunity to explore there. Netcare has greatly adopted its acquisition strategy to generate high revenue instead of low growth rate of the industry in UK. The company has also grown through PPP strategy that has been popularized in the surrounding markets of South Africa. As a part of this strategy company has opened 91 bed hospitals with the help of Nalithemba Hospital. These initiatives have provided company with strong presence in PPP and allowed the management to expand globally. Netcare has successfully implemented the penetration strategy in UK because of the similar nature of market. In order to meet its expansion strategy the company has gone through various acquisitions. The company has takeover BMI Healthcare one of the largest private hospital in UK to support its business outside. This acquisition has provided company with strong great infrastructure, property and facilities. This acquisition has established company as a leading international health care-solution. As a part of its internationalization the company entered in a high profile joint venture with Rwanda government to open a world class hospital. This has helped company to get familiar with the social and cultural trend of the country to further expand. Netcare also look for the opportunities in other countries and it has developed an international division to look for opportunities. The division has contributed nearly R 80 million to the revenue of the company mainly through patient referral. Netcare is now looking for further expansion either by acquisition or by public private partnership to support its internationalization. Answer 6: Identification and Evaluation of Various Options to Continue Competitive Advantage in Netcare In order to become successful and remain competitive in this highly changing and competitive environment, Netcare is approaching middle age. It is necessary for Netcare to maintain its competitive advantage by utilizing its core competencies and m inimize its weaknesses. In order to cope with the competitors in the international market and remain profitable it is essential to implement some strategies to maintain competitive advantage and utilize the opportunities available in the international market. Netcare is continuously expanding its market in both South Africa and UK. The Medicare industry of South Africa and UK is not so developed and well established, thus it is a challenging tasks for Netcare to be competitive for long term. Netcare should consider different options that ensure it about continuous competitive advantage and long term success. Some options and recommendations for Netcare to retail long term competitive advantage are as follows: Low Cost High Volume Service: Netcare provides low cost service to its customers with a wide range of services. Although the Medicare industry of South Africa and UK is highly critical but the still company serve with good quality services and wide range of medicines wit hin low cost, so that the patients can get excellence services. It enables Netcare to deal with different private patients because these patients easily afford Netcares services. So, it is recommended to Netcare that it should maintain its low cost for customer by reducing its service cost. It should also maintain the wide range of services at lower rate. It can reduces its service cost by reducing the wages cost for its employees and by purchasing the necessary equipment at lower cost. At the same time it is also important for Netcare to maintain the quality of services. In order to improve its profitability, the firm should deal with the non-profit organizations and other government health institutions to provide innovative machineries and techniques for the speedy check up of patients. Use of Practice Physician: In private hospital businesses general practice physician plays an important role to enhance the operational excellence and improve quality of services. Thus, it is essential for the company to Hire practitioner and professionals in different medical filed. Additionally, the company should hire assistants and nursing staff for these practitioners and physicians, so that they can serve patients patiently within minimum time. Innovative information system and other medical technology would also help the physicians to serve the patients in a better way. Netcare also provides high level of training program to these physicians. It helps Netcare to attract large number of physicians for its service. According to this case, in the UK, Netcare launched a partnership schemes with doctor and established practice development group that provides their services across all the hospitals. So, it is recommended to Netcare that it should start those partnership schemes in South Africa also that help it in several ways. Combination of Experience Senior Team: Netcare should combine the experienced senior team from both South Africa and UK to maintain its c ompetitive advantage in both markets. Combination of senior teams with fresher practitioners will reduce the additional cost of recruitment. It is because if combination doesnt take place then it will increase this cost. Thus, it will help Netcare to expand its business and maintain competitive advantage. Implementation of various IT and MIS systems: In order to improve the operational excellence the firm should implement various IS system and CRM programs to maintain patient database. As the company has executed SAP system in South Africa, it should also implement this facility in UK industry. It provides efficiency in the business operation. Netcare should try to integrate all its hospitals from both South Africa and the UK through the use of IT system. It is because with the help of IT system important information is easily transferred from one place to another and helps in saving both time and cost for Netcare. With the use of IT and communication systems, senior managers and senior staff can easily transfer their experience with other inexperience staff in a short time period. Clinical Governance Program: Netcare should start a clinical governance program that helps in describing about clinical pathways such as reduce variability from services and provide safer care to patients. In order to control trauma and ICU infection, Netcare has developed its own clinical governance guidelines. This is one of the strongest points of the company. This helps Netcare to decrease the hospital infection rate in South Africa. This program increases the number of patients for Netcare. It is recommended to Netcare that it should maintain the performance of this program and also try to make this program effective. Skilled and talented Human Resources: In Netcare, as there is lack of skilled nurses for its business, so it is necessary that Netcare to hire experts and trained nurses. It should create a post of employer who would be responsible for the recruitme nt and development of these nurses. It should also acquire the skilled staff through effective recruitment and selection in which, people would come from different countries with different skills. With the help of above recommendations, it would be beneficial for Netcare to maintain its competitive advantage and manage its profitable position in the critical and turbulence environment of Medicare Industry. Don’t waste time! 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Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Organizational Background. The Company That I Am Evaluating

Organizational Background The company that I am evaluating is Facebook; it is a for-profit corporation and online social media and social networking service based in Menlo Park, California. The Facebook website was launched in 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg, along with fellow Harvard College students. The network was promptly extended to other Boston universities, the Ivy League and eventually all US universities. In June 2004, Facebook received first private investment from Peter Theil, the founder of PayPal. It became Facebook.com in August 2005 after the address was purchased for $200,000 and began to spread worldwide, reaching UK universities the following month (ICD 2016). By September 2006, the network was extended beyond educational†¦show more content†¦People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them ( Facebook.Inc, n.d.).† Operations management at Facebook is developed and maintained according to the company’s strategies and objectives for efficiency and continuous improvement in all business areas. Planning To ensure the company’s competitiveness in the long term, Facebook’s approach is to continuously innovate products, and achieve a product design that supports its business goals. Facebook collects feedback from its users to address issues, through this strategy company continue to meet customer’s requirements. Due to fast growth in demand, operations managers are concerned about the processes and resources needed for adequate production of social media services for users and advertisers. 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Monday, December 9, 2019

Transaction on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems

Question: Discuss about the Transaction on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems. Answer: Introduction: The video focuses on the key aspects of strategy. David Kryscynski explained that strategy is a very broad term and the organizations must understand the differences between tactics and strategies. One of the key takeaways from the video is that strategy is not only what is to be done; but it includes the things that should not be done. In the video, author discussed the example of Ikea. The strategy of Ikea is clear in terms of both dos and donts. Ikea knows that product differentiation, clubbed with cost leadership is its core competency. At the same time, Ikea does not compete in high-end furniture, as the company knows that its segment is not high-end furniture. I agree with authors that I agree with you when you say thatorganizations that utilize resources from and are influenced by theirenvironment are practicing an open systems approach (Kryscynski, 2015). I would add that businesses thatdischarge products and services back into the environment are practicing anopen systems ap proach as well (Kryscynski, 2015). And I think that, at least to someextent, this describes all organizations (Kryscynski, 2015). In my opinion the key question is not whetherorganizations are open systems, rather it is the degree to which they are opensystems. In the video, author presented that strategy should be thought effectively before it is implemented and it is important that strategy should have a focused approach. Application of key learning: The key learning about the strategy from above video could be applied to wide variety of organizations and situations. The key learning from the above video would be particularly useful for the organizations that are confused about the type of strategies that they should use. Lets apply the key learning from the video to Amazon. The company, Amazon has its presence in almost every country of the world. In some countries, Amazon uses product differentiation strategy and in some countries, Amazon used cost leadership strategy. It is important that Amazon should use system theory of strategy development and execution while operating in different parts of the world. The suggestions made by the people in the field Open Systems Theory can create problems is sometimes usable because the systems theory describes the concepts and relationships between organizations, groups and individuals (Cummings Worley, 2009). What makes systems theory complex is having the multiple organizations within o rganization with departmental subsystems (Cummings Worley, 2009). However, when you have multiple organizations within one another it can be very difficult to have someone in management sign off on a time sensitive document. It is important that Amazon must have a clear understanding of what is to be done in various local markets and the things that should not be done in various markets. In addition to Amazon, the learning from this video could also be applied to small organizations. Lets take an example of a small retail store located in Sydney. Lets assume that it is a stand-alone store. The manager of the store can have a strategy in place to increase the profitability of the store. It can happen only when the store manager knows the basic definition of strategy. For example, getting the materials from suppliers at low cost should not be considered as a strategy for the retail store. The difference in the application of this video to Amazon and small retail store is that Amazon would have to focus the strategy on line of its vision and in the case of retail store, the strategy would be more focused on the vision as it is a small organization. Business Model Innovation In the video, author links innovation with business model. One of the keys learning from the video is that innovation is an important part of business model. In this era of globalization, the successful companies are one who have innovative business model. Schneider (2006) further acknowledges the role of leadership as an important aspect of business leaders understanding systems approaches, as well as adaptable leadership abilities. For example, therapist, social workers, teachers, and doctors, etc., provide support to people in need. This relates because people or outside sources dictate the help needed and direction of classes. Open systems are worth it as indicated above, while at the same time understanding that problems arise when too much attention and resources are focused on outside influences. In an organizational setting, the innovation could be based on open system approach. According to Anders, Schiendorfer, Siefert, Steghoffer, Reif (2015) Such systems consist of a lar ge number of heterogeneous agents that are embedded in a dynamic and potentially hostile environment. Since the agents behavior and objectives are possibly not under the control of the system designer or other agents, only few assumptions can be made about them (p. 3). This statement succinctly summarizes one problem that could arise from this type of system. It is often difficult to ensure collaboration and cooperation among diverse entities. At times, two departments or environmental agents may actually be working against each other, rather than working together for the good of the organization. When a hierarchal, closed form of control is lacking in an organization, it runs the risk of becoming too disorganized to function effectively. Application of key learning: The key learning from the above video that innovation is a key part of business model could be applied to number of business scenarios and applications. Lets apply the above learning to Google. The company, Google, is an innovative organization and we all know the focus on innovation that Google has. The entire success and development of Google depends on the way the employees of the company can bring innovation in its business operations (Visnjic, Wiengarten Neely, 2016). The leaders and management of Google always motivate its employees to think out of the box. In a gradual manner, Google is able to develop a culture of innovation. The company is able to develop the business model where innovation is the underlying core competency of organization. It is important that the company must continue its strategy of innovation led business model in different markets. For Google, innovation is a natural part of its business model. It is important that Google must continue on the same path of innovation and it must further streamline its business operations. Google is a large organization with vast eco-system. Lets also apply the concept of business model innovation to the small company like a retail store in Sydney. For that retail store, the innovation in business model would mean various means like getting the raw materials from suppliers at low cost, using Information Technology to improve business operations, etc. The application of video would suggest that the retail store must have a watch on the external or the industry factors to continuously refine its business model. The change is inevitable and the small organizations should also realize the fact that the large organizations can drive the change in the industry where they operate. References Anders, G., Schiendorfer, A., Siefert, F., Steghoffer, J, Reif, W., (2015).Cooperative resource allocation in open systems of systems.ACM Transaction on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems, 10(2), 1-44 Cummings, T. G. Worley, C. G. (2009).Organizational Development Change.Mason, OH: South-Western. Gallen, S. 2013. Business model innovation. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4ZSGQW0UMI Kryscynski, D. 2015. What is strategy. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD7WSLeQtVw Visnjic, I., Wiengarten, F. and Neely, A., 2016. Only the brave: Product innovation, service business model innovation, and their impact on performance.Journal of Product Innovation Management,33(1), pp.36-52.

Monday, December 2, 2019

What Makes An Effective Speaker Essays - Rhetoric, Loudspeaker

What Makes An Effective Speaker Day in and day out we are exposed to different types of speakers. On television we see reporters, announcers, and talk show hosts. At school we encounter guest speakers and professors. We may not be asking ourselves if he or she is an effective speaker but unintentionally we are. We need to have effective speakers in order for us to understand what is happening now and what has happened in the past. And also to learn about the old and the new. There are several things to look for in an effective speaker. Some characteristics are personal presentation, knowledge of material, use of language, clarity and projection, and the ability to connect with the audience. Consequently, all those characteristics have an association with one another. In almost every situation when you are presenting yourself, the first thing that an audience looks at is your appearance. The way you present yourself and the body language you use accounts for how the audience perceives you. For example, in the videotaped motivational speech viewed in class, the speaker was dressed in formal attire. If the speaker were wearing torn up denim jeans and a stained T-shirt, the audience would not have perceived him to be informative because of the unprofessional garments. Why would someone want to listen to a person who does not appear to know what he or she is speaking about? Being knowledgeable of the material is also essential to being an effective speaker. As mentioned before, no one wants to listen to a person who is not well informed. Giving speeches should add credentials to your character. One of the main objectives I learned in freshman composition was to identify whether or not the author was credible. The same procedure goes forth in defining an effective speaker. It is basically common sense, you cannot inform others if you do not fully understand what you are informing about. Language has a prominent role in deciphering what makes an effective speaker. Using various sentence structures, figures of speech, and vocabulary, are a few of the features speakers use to hook the audience into his or her speech. Using simple, compound, and complex sentences adds texture to a speech. Using repetition, similes, metaphors, anecdotes, and other figures of speech gives detail to ideas that are hard to explain by comparing it to every day ideas. Using a broad spectrum of vocabulary which has a sense of visual and acoustic involvement can aid the audience to better process your speech. The use of proper vocabulary helps your audience to clearly understand your thoughts. In high school, I was a cheerleader and understood the importance of clarity and projection. Cheering is not like giving a speech, but from a different perspective, a cheerleader and speaker are both trying get a message across to their audience. A speaker must also be clear and loud. When you give a spee ch and emphasize the words, the audience will understand that the information you are giving out is important. We enunciate and project our voices in a manner to specify what needs to be heard. The last and most important characteristic is having the ability to connect with the audience. When giving a speech, we are trying to communicate with a large amount of people with different backgrounds and beliefs. A previous professor my freshman spring semester did not seem to connect with our class. The language he used was complex and his tone of voice was dull. At times we thought he was teaching to himself aloud. On the other hand, from the videotaped presentation seen in class, the speaker used comedy, personal experiences and crowd involvement in order to attract the crowd and keep them attentive. These traits act as a common ground for the audience and the speaker. Every speaker needs to be able to identify a common ground and use that to capture the audience's attention. There are probably several more characteristics that make-up an effective speaker. We can identify that the audience connects all of the characteristics listed. Without having an audience that can understand, there is no reason to speak at all. If I were able to have one characteristic out of the five

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

How much for life essays

How much for life essays The article on How much for a Life looks at the ethical view of an individual life in an economic way. To say that every person on this planet is worth the same amount, give or take a few million, is putting all individuals on an equal plain. One would argue that a professional doctor, who is in the business of saving peoples lives, is much more important the individual who is unemployed and only watches television all day. Another would argue that someone like Mother Theresa is far more important and valuable than The President of the United States. When you look at these two arguments, who you view to be more important and valuable depends upon what end of the scale you are living. If I were another unemployed person who stays home and watches television all day, I would argue that I am worth just as much as any doctor in the country. I take this view because I come from the same environment stated in the argument above. In the second argument, if I were not a religious man, I would probably think that the president of the United States if far more important and valuable than Mother Theresa. What I am trying to say is that you cannot possibly put a value on any one persons life. We all come from different parts of the world and are raised in different types of environments. To say that the value of an individual life increases with the contributions that person makes to the world is not even a fair statement. The person who is unemployed and only watches television all day might have five or more children that needs their attention. The person also may be staying home due to the ever increasing cost of childcare and it does not make sense for them to work. The professional doctor may be a single person with no responsibilities other than his or her work. Does this ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Invention and History of Volleyball

Invention and History of Volleyball William Morgan invented volleyball in 1895 at the Holyoke, Massachusetts, YMCA (Young Mens Christian Association) where he served as Director of Physical Education. Morgan originally called his new game of Volleyball, Mintonette. The name Volleyball came about after a demonstration game of the sport, when a spectator commented that the game involved much volleying and game was renamed Volleyball. William Morgan was born in the state of New York and studied at Springfield College, Massachusetts. Ironically at Springfield, Morgan met James Naismith who invented basketball in 1891. Morgan was motivated by Naismiths game of basketball designed for younger students to invent a game suitable for the older members of the YMCA. William Morgans basis for the new game of  Volleyball. was the then popular and similar German game of Faustball and a few other sports including: tennis (the net), basketball, baseball and handball. The Morgan Trophy Award is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female collegiate volleyball player in the United States. Established by the William G. Morgan Foundation in 1995 during the centennial year of volleyball, the trophy is named in honor of William Morgan.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Change in the Locus Standi Rules in an Action for Annulment of Research Paper

Change in the Locus Standi Rules in an Action for Annulment of Community Measures - Research Paper Example On the basis of Article 230 EC, individuals and other private parties will always retain the jurisdiction to challenge decisions addressed to them. As far as the claims of Jacques St Malo, Pierre St Michel, and Sainsbury's Supermarkets are concerned they will be subject to the limitation of this principle which is the personal interest principle. Furthermore this "personal interest" will only be held to exist where the annulment of the act can produce legal effects for these applicants.1 Private parties do not have the standing to act in the interest of the law or of the Community in general. Private parties like the ones mentioned above, therefore, can also challenge decisions addressed to other persons, as well as regulations or other general legislative acts. However, they can only do this when they can show that these are of 'direct and individual concern' to them. The Court of Justice has interpreted the concept of 'direct concern' to mean that a direct causality must exist between the act that is challenged and the legal situation of the individual challenging that act.4 A measure will be of direct concern if it affects th e legal position of the defendant/applicant directly and leaves no discretion to the addressees of the measure who are responsible for its implementation. Such an implementation has to be automatic and a result of Community rules without the application of other intermediate rules. For determining individual concern, the case Plaumann v. Commission7was a seminal one and gave judicial review a rather restricted application in the Court of Justice8 where the court defined applicants as individually concerned if the decision or act "'affects them by reason of certain attributes which are peculiar to them or by reason of circumstances in which they are differentiated from all other persons and by virtue of these factors distinguishes them individually (para 107)

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Business of Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

The Business of Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example Business of ethics and corporate social responsibility focus on issues concerned with morality. They focus on the issues that cover business activities fully such as reducing pollution, exploiting raw materials responsibly, frauds in the corporation and even fair payment. The relationship between business and ethics is complex and it incorporate approaches such as individual choices on what is right and wrong. This is where the individual’s decision is put on consideration. It also incorporate the values of what is bad and right involved in the business premises. In every business, they have their own way of doing things and offering services to their customers. This is where there are customs, beliefs and culture created which the employees follow as they handle their customers. The codes of conduct within organizations vary by many ways. Some societies may accept use of bribes while in others it condemned thus due to this the codes of conduct vary. We also find that some countries are prone to corruption thus when a business is situated in that country they tend to follow the norms. Due to these variations in social norms, individual values and cultures of the society in which the business is situated, it is the function of business ethics to standardize all. It ensures that the good moral conducts are followed thus contributing to the success of the business. As seen earlier the corporate social responsibility outlines the ethical concerns in a business by showing the groups to which it is responsible. It involves putting the business ethics into action. The groups it deals with are the stakeholders and the environment of the firm. These include the employees, suppliers, customers, the community, shareholders the government and the society. The relationship between the business and these groups should be conducted morally and

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Physics of Volleyball Essay Example for Free

Physics of Volleyball Essay Physics is the study of energy and how it is transferred from one particle to another. There is certainly a lot of energy transferred between objects and players in the sport of volleyball. A few of the concepts of physics that take place during volleyball include gravity, displacement, velocity, acceleration, projectile motion, and force. These concepts are displayed throughout the different positions on the court. There are three main aspects of volleyball that include physics, the first one being displacement. This happens when a player moves to their position on the court and when the ball moves from side to side. Displacement is relative to all positions on the court of volleyball because all six players should be evenly spaced on their respective side. Each player on the court is assigned one of the six positions. Even though theyre only assigned one position, they move and adjust to the play according to their teammates and the direction of the ball. Secondly, velocity is the speed of the player and ball. Velocity is commonly expressed as the change in displacement in a given time. One of these areas where velocity is found in volleyball would be when a player spikes the ball. With the proper velocity, the ball will hit the floor without a defender being able to react quickly enough to the attack. Thirdly, there is gravity, If there was no gravity the ball would not come down nor would the players. Gravity is essential to volleyball because without gravity the players would not be able to stay on the ground and enjoy the game. Also, the ball would float away from the people participating in the game. There are two major concepts of physics for serving, velocity and acceleration. As the ball’s velocity increases its distance also becomes greater. Since the ball is in constant acceleration, the velocity increases by the same amount of time. With the proper velocity, the ball will hit the floor without a defender being able to react quickly enough to the attack. Acceleration goes hand-in-hand with velocity. Acceleration is defined as the rate at which velocity changes. The ball, along with players on the court, both have acceleration. There are times in a volleyball game when the ball has constant acceleration, when the ball is served. When the ball is hit by a player for a spike, the rate at which it reaches is maximum velocity is the acceleration. In order to determine when to hit the ball, you need to calculate the trajectory, speed, and placement of the set. When approaching the ball, the body has kinetic energy and this energy turns into potential energy. This allows the player to jump higher. Since potential energy is the product of the mass of the player, gravity, and the height of the jump, the height is what determines how much potential energy will be attained. When the player hits the ball, it puts as much momentum into it as possible, the shorter amount of time the hand is in contact with the ball, the greater the momentum. Physics affects every aspect of the sport of volleyball from hitting, defense and serving. Without the concepts of physics that take place during volleyball include gravity, displacement, velocity, acceleration, and force, there would not be the sport. Understanding the physics behind the game can make someone a better player because they can learn how the game works and react to it accordingly.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

School Uniform :: essays research papers

School UniformThroughout the Japan, numerous school boards have been attempting to standardize the clothing that students wear. The school superintendents who are in favor of uniforms will argue that the children who wear them will experience many benefits. I disagree with this idea. I feel that the use of uniforms will strip identity, stifle creativity and unnecessarily burden the families that cannot afford them. The use of uniforms has already been implemented in several long-standing social environments. The prison or penal system uses uniforms to brand those who are incarcerated. Moreover, military uses them to separate and remove the individualism inside of the soldier. In both cases, individual identity is stripped away and the subject is forced to conform to the same outward appearance as every other subject.Another problem that will surface due to the implementation of school uniforms is the suppression of the individual's creativity and expressions. Many students express wh o they are though the way they dress. If a teenager wants to show something that he or she likes, then he or she might wear a T-shirts that states a positive view on the subjects. School uniforms would end of this example listed within this paragraph and much more.The last problem that needs to be addressed is the necessary load that will be placed upon families. Many low-income families do not have the money available to provide uniforms to their children especially, private schools. In Japan, especially mission schools, the school board trying to pass the legislation that a child cannot attend school unless they have on the proper uniform. An education is supposed to be available to all children, not just the ones whose parents can afford to buy the government ordered, or schools ordered uniform.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Business Trip to Ukraine

Welcome everyone to today's presentation on the Ukraine. Now I know some of you have already been there and may feel that this presentation Is a waste of your time but let me assure you that it is always good to refresh the memory. For those of you who have not made the long distance travel to the Ukraine I say get ready to learn and take notes on the most important five minutes of the day. Today you will be briefed on some of the most important areas of your trip such as, what to pack for a successful trip, the Ukrainian family unit and their roles, and of course how to survive ark In a foreign country.Before we begin, allow me to tell you a little bit about the strange place Into which you will be traveling. For those of you who have not looked at a map recently here it is. In the Ukraine Russian was their main language but after WI it was replaced with Ukrainian. In 2010 Youngling-Coleman from Countrywoman. Com stated that there are five languages you should be aware of: â€Å"Uk rainian, Russian, Romania, Polish, and Hungarian†. In the West, Ukrainian Is the everyday language, but In the east Russian Is still spoken.There are three major ethnic groups Ukrainian, Russian, ND Jewish. Obviously there are also different religions, most are Christians but there are a few who are Jewish. Please be respectful of your surroundings. Now we have covered our basics let us talk about what to pack for the trip. As an American you should know that you will most likely be targeted for robbery, but please do not let this discourage you from going to the Ukraine, like in the States not all Ukrainians are thieves. Your money should be In small bills no bigger than ass.You will spend about an average of $200 a week not Including hotel rooms. As an American Ukrainians will expect a lot from you and the way one dresses himself says a lot of the person. While in the hotel room casual clothing is appropriate but if you get invited to go to the town you better dress up, beca use that is what Ukrainians do. Men will be expected to wear ties and women to wear dresses. Depending on how long you are staying pack at least one suit and plenty of blouses or dress shirts for men and something dressier for the evenings.According to Hodges In her 1996 book titled Heliotrope Language and Travel Gulled to Ukraine, she states, â€Å"Plan†¦ To mix and attach. Don't include any article of clothing that can't be worn with at least two other pieces. † (pig 25). This is a great piece of advice when considering what to pack for your trip. Other clothing items you may want to include would be raincoat, umbrella, and shoes you would not mind getting wet. Women consider taking low heels for walking In gravel and for comfort and of course feminine products.Men something else to consider taking would be some knit shirts and casual slacks also for comfort. Take everything you will need because buying small bottles of soap, shampoo, and intentioned may not be as easy as it is in the States. Remember you are being sent to the Ukraine in the fall which is great considering that spring and fall are the most pleasant seasons. Make sure to plan ahead; do not wait till the last minute to pack, pack all the Items you will need and remember to represent the company well.Now let us talk about the Ukrainian family. A Ukrainian family Is a traditional close together on a regular basis Just because they enjoy each other's company. The immediate family usually consists of less than two children but there is not a limit. Ukrainians have a saying about the way that they regard children, â€Å"Seen but not heard†. Unlike American children, Ukrainian children are not spoiled, they are expected to blend or disappear into the background when there is an adult present in order for the adults to socialize.Ukrainian children know at a very young age the meaning of responsibility and they are expected to help out as much as possible. They are taught to share e verything which will eventually be beneficial to the older generations of the child. In their adulthood they may live at home with three or four elder generations; which allows for someone to be at home to watch the kids and grandparents. Men and women may take turns doing the shopping but they too are expected to carry out their role in the family unit.Like most cultures women care for the children, the house, and the cooking while the men do the heavier and maintenance Jobs. However with the younger generation rising and providing for their families the divide between gender roles is somewhat lost. Women are more independent and educated, and they do not see themselves as secondary citizens but rather demand equality. Though it has taken some time to get men to see women s equals, women tend to stay at home and allow the men to do the work but they are more independent now than ever before.Many Ukrainians may Joke about working but keep in mind that they are known for being  "among the most industrious and diligent people of Europe† states Hodges in her 1996 book Hippodrome Language and Travel Guide to Ukraine (pig. 125). Remember that capitalism is new to the people of Ukraine and they are used to their government being at the center of everything. Correspondence states in her 2008 Newsletter The Business Environment in Ukraine: Before and After 2008 that â€Å"In edition to Ukrainian long-standing problems†¦ Many companies faced a fairly unusual problem†¦ Shortage of labor. † Due to this problem companies are being forced to hire people that do not have the education and skills necessary for the Job. Also do not to take the attitude of Ukrainian business men personal. They are fearful that you, as a foreigner, will try to take advantage of their labor and resources. Be mindful of their history and be prepared to risk capital and to have a long-term relationship with the Ukrainians. Be careful who you do business with; don't get involved with political bureaucrats for they Just want part of the profit.Our insiders are familiar with the bureaucracy maze, and they will help you accomplish your goal. Do not underestimate a Ukrainian business man. They can sense an opportunity and are excellent traders. While establishing a business deal with a Ukrainian be prepared to toast a lot to a successful partnership, and as a reminder at this time you should be in your appropriate evening attire. Now that you know what to pack, how the Ukrainian family functions and how to survive work in a faraway land you may travel with piece of mind.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Jerusalem A City of Three Faiths

Jerusalem, the city of the three faiths. Jerusalem founded in between 4500-3500 BCC has become a center of the three major monotheistic faiths in the world, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Rising from a proto-Cantle village to a city that has had crusades and Jihads launched In Its name has truly been an amazing turn of events. How did It happen? Why Is It Important? Why here and not elsewhere? What makes people so driven to capture Jerusalem? Why has It been captured and recaptured no less than forty four times? Questions that have great difficulty to be answered often times yield the most interesting answers.Jerusalem has been beckoning those of the three major monotheistic faiths to come and seek her since all three faiths inceptions, The City of David, The City of Jesus and the place where the prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven can be seen as truly a focal point of the World's religions, though it is in a relatively isolated area in the Eleven. Jerusalem has been a center of r eligious fervor almost since it's inception, it has perhaps been this way due to its almost geocentric position in accordance with the empires of the world. At first glance, Jerusalem on a geographic level seems to have very little owing for It.In a region of relatively little rainfall and with an elevation of approximately 2500 feet It Is difficult to move water Into the city. The forests that were once around Jerusalem have been devastated by wars. Overall, It does seem to indeed have very little actually going for it in the geographic sense. The majority of Jerusalem allure might be seen to have come from the location and the centrality in world politics that it has had. Perhaps the main reason that it has been such a religious center since its inception is not due to the geography of the region at all but it's location. Jerusalem is located in the center of the Eleven.The Eleven is located at a prime position to be a part of quite a few empires. The Babylonians, Persians, Eclect ics, Romans, and the Ptolemaic peoples laid claim toastmaster at some point during the Biblical time frame. The Byzantine, Muslim, Turk, French and British empires have also led claim to it since then as well. Jerusalem has been fought over so many times that It has been fully destroyed and rebuilt twice. Being In a prime location has surely helped Jerusalem be a city of all three major monotheistic faiths, f one looks at the original monotheistic faith, one might see this in practice.With the Jewish faith, one sees a people that came from the legendary figure Abraham who purportedly gave a figure named Milkweed a tithing of his possessions. Moses, another patriarchal figure of the Jewish faith desired to lead his followers into the promise land. This promise land was none other than Canaan, the land in which Jerusalem is located. After the conquest of Jerusalem, David made it his capital and following the building of the Temple by Solomon, it became the capital of the Jewish Faith. With being the Political capital, there surely was some incentive to be the religious capital as well. When It comes to the Christian faith, It Is one of the two holiest clues In Christianity. Rome and Jerusalem are these two holiest cycles in the Christian faith. Jerusalem was the orally of the Christian faith and has always been the epicenter of protestant faith. Catholicism associates Rome as Its faiths epicenter. Other cities also exhibit importance in various churches as well. Jerusalem journeys of Jesus are centered around Jerusalem.With all of this writing based round Jerusalem, there was absolutely no reason for it not to be one of the primary centers of the Christian faith. When it comes to Jerusalem and the Muslim faith, it is the third holiest city of their faith behind Mecca and Medina. Jerusalem is the location where the prophet Muhammad allegedly ascended to Heaven. The Dome of the Rock is located on top of where the prophet Muhammad allegedly ascended to Heaven. Due t o this fact, several Jihads have been launched in the name of reclaiming Jerusalem for Islam. Jerusalem is definitely a holy city by any measure of the word.The three major monotheistic faiths have claimed Jerusalem among their holy cities since each of their inceptions. The reasons that they have claimed it originally were not strictly and completely religious. Some of the claims over Jerusalem have been due to its central location. Because of this central location, the propensity for historical events to occur there has greatly increased. One could also argue that from a religious perspective, like the formerly pagan Pantheon, that some cultures find sites that do have something truly special about them and other cultures come and build upon this belief.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Weight Loss Diets essays

Weight Loss Diets essays Rapid weight loss diets should not be encouraged among the obese population because it is very hazardous to their health. Society these days place pressures on overweight people to lose their weight fast or they will die of obesity. An article by a congressional sub committee for the diet industry says, All evidence says that losing large amounts of weight very fast does more harm than good. The first reason that I am opposed is I gained 80 pounds with my first child and lost all my weight within 3 months. I had numerous health problems because of the liquid weight loss diet that I was on. I had everything from Kidney infection to shingles due to my unhealthy way of losing weight. Bonnie Bloodgett agrees with saying Rapid weight loss may accelerate formation of gallstones. 179 people are currently suing a major diet company because of gallstone complications while pursing the companys diet. The company denies responsibility. Society and the healthcare providers need to do a better job of promoting better ways of living. I admit we have come along way, but an article out of health and medical issue states The best way to lose weight is through increased exercise, moderate reduction of calories and a life long change in eating habits. Instead of the diet industry promoting all their diets, they need to make sure what they are doing is best for the consumer and not for their pockets. In addition, the Diet Company knows that when you come off their liquid diets you will gain back. Another article out of medical health issues says Up to 90 percent of dieters who lose more than 25 pounds gain it all back within 2 years. I personally do not understand why you would waste your time on something that will not last and not focus more on long term goals of healthy weight loss. The consumers need to wake up and realize the diet industry is out for the money and they know your going to keep gaining the weight ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Schedule Instagram Posts Along With Everything Else - CoSchedule

Schedule Instagram Posts Along With Everything Else With its 500 million active users, Instagram can help you reach your audience in a social network they already love. But†¦ the in-the-moment nature of posting to Instagram makes it difficult for marketers to strategically capture the opportunity. With for Instagram, the newest feature in your favorite marketing calendar, you’ll go from spontaneous to strategic.  That  means you’ll quit forgetting to post on Instagram! Now you’ll post to Instagram with a few easy clicks, schedule your Instagram content where you plan everything else, and collaborate with your team better than ever. Start scheduling to  Instagram with now! Finally! Plan all of your content + social media in one place! Including #Instagram!Quit Forgetting To Post On Instagram Already! Get notified on your phone when it’s time to post  so you don’t miss out on consistently reaching your followers. Begin by scheduling  Instagram posts in your  calendar where you organize everything else. Then rock  the all-new for  Instagram app on your mobile device, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Quit forgetting to post on #Instagram with !Youll receive push notification reminders when youve scheduled  messages for  Instagram! Your reminders come with a beautiful  preview, so youll know exactly what youre posting at a glance. Now youll  proactively schedule your Instagram content so you quit forgetting to post on Instagram! Post To Instagram With A Few Easy Clicks Eliminate copying and pasting your messages by using the tool designed to do it for you! Get content from your calendar into Instagram with an easier process than ever before. The for  Instagram mobile app not only reminds you when its time to post. It gives you the content  youve planned so you can share to Instagram with a few easy clicks. You can also post, reschedule, or delete missed messages in seconds. 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Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Nazi books burnings , or Changes in American family during World Essay

The Nazi books burnings , or Changes in American family during World war 2 - Essay Example It also stresses on totalitarianism. Montag is the centre of the story and thus plays a critical role in the novel’s thematic setting. The book helps students built effective reading approaches. Montag is remotely a perfect hero in terms of his relationship with the other characters in the novel. Montag interacts with various individuals with his primary aim being to learn on the ways of life of these individuals. Most people he interacts with beginning with his wife seem to be committed and busy, unlike before World War II when women had no other roles other than taking care of their families. This is because of the destruction of the society by the emerging technology. The novel explores the separated spirit of Montag towards the awareness of the loss of human feeling in the society. The setting of this novel is portrayed as a dystopian social setting where civilisation is yet to be experienced. Montag is yearning for civilisation success; therefore, he strongly takes dimpsy and misguided to achieve this (Bradbury 35). Montag’s passion and faith on his profession in this society deteriorates gradually. He is often confused, disappointed and frustrated about the kind of society he was brought up in. The relationship between Montag and his wife Mildred is a bit complicated. The wife enjoys watching television more than giving his husband attention, something that Montag is furious with. This relationship seems to be like a juggle. Montag is not quite sure on how to relate with the wife as the wife is always moody. Montag is impulsive and emotionally unstable. This character resonates to that of his wife who is also on a suicidal watch (Bloom 14). Montag’s relationship with the wife also shows the caring nature of Montag when he made up with the wife during the suicidal ordeal (Fenton 2). On the other hand, Montag seems to be fairing on well and finally they start printing books together. This is through the struggle he made to make sure win over the belief of the ways of the society for Montag’s life. Faber’s control over Montag may not have been as fully complete as Beatty’s. He manipulates Montag into believing in everything he tells Montag is the best for him. This strong belief Montag had in Faber finally gave him the opportunity to be part of the nationwide network of book lovers who have acknowledged many great books of literary and philosophical works. Clarisse, though died in the beginning, was well knowledgeable and against the technology in the contemporary society which as well changed Montag. Montag is strongly touched by every world Clarisse utter to him. This 17-year-old woman finally manages to open montages third eye due to the relationship they had built on the importance of love for nature and people (Bradbury 50). Clarisse viewed a dystopian society as a society full of destruction by the technology. She, therefore, believed that the only way this society could be reformed and c ivilised was through respect for nature and people as a whole. Montag somehow felt the weight of this statement towards civilisation as one the individuals who used to burn books in the futuristic American city. Montag tells Faber, â€Å"I want you teach me books† (Bradbury 59). This somehow changed montages perspective on how he viewed the societal ways of life. Beatty was the Montag’

Friday, November 1, 2019

W11DBBCCDiscDQ1 and DQ2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

W11DBBCCDiscDQ1 and DQ2 - Essay Example The CAPM can be calculated using the following formula: Risk and return have a positive relationship. Securities that have higher risks will generate higher profits. Risk adverse investors prefer investment options with low or cero risk such as Treasury bills. The rate of return of common stocks is higher than Treasury bills due to the higher risks associated with common stocks. The value of a firm can be estimated using financial models such as the dividend discount model (Nyu). There are various factors that determine the risks of a project. Three of those factors are location of the project, timeline requirements, and quality of the labor provided by the project manager and team members. The funding available for a project is another variable that influences the success of a project. Projects that have unlimited funding have a greater chance of success than under funded projects. A major financial decision companies make is deciding the composition of the capital structure of the firm. Accountingformanagement.com (2011). The Use of Net Present Value (NPV) Method in Capital Budgeting Decisions – Discounted Cash Flows. Retrieved September 3, 2011 from

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

495 disc Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

495 disc - Assignment Example The ability to choose your roommate and have access to television and DVD player is very enticing. Interns like having fun and accessing such facilities together with the freedom is great. Availability of the house cleaner give interns more time to focus on the productivity of the company. In line with the week’s readings, Qualcomm incorporated Maslow hierarchy of needs theory as an employee motivational and retention tool. It tries to meet the need s of the interns in order to make the motivated and have interest in working for the company in future (Montana & Charnov, 2008). Through the payment, the company accomplishes the physiological and security need of its interns. Offering the interns the opportunity to choose their roommates in the fully furnished houses help them meet their social needs. The strategies adopted by Qualcomm make the interns comfortable. Chances of requesting retention to work for the company are

Sunday, October 27, 2019

McDonalds Operation Management

McDonalds Operation Management In todays business environment, operations management is used by companies not only to be competitive, but also to ensure that their objectives are met at a cheapest cost. This will consist of a set of planned activities that would convert various inputs into goods and services. This report provides an analysis of McDonalds and organisations Operations Management, Operational Strategy, process and product design, Supply Chain Management, inventory control, JIT and Total Quality Management which include all the different processes and techniques to enhance the value of products and services that McDonalds provide to its customers at the acceptable cost. McDonalds is the global fast-food service retailer. The company have more than 32,000 restaurants and serve more than 60 million people in more than 100 countries every day. More than 80% of McDonalds restaurants worldwide are franchised and operated by local people. When Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their first restaurant they developed the idea of an assembly line where a reduced menu could be cooked cheaper and quicker, which would lead to a higher turnover of customers. The history of McDonalds began with founder, Ray Kroc. He managed the franchising of the McDonalds restaurant concept. By 1961 Ray Kroc was running the whole plan. The only thing the McDonald brothers did was run their one restaurant, and receive 0.5% from the larger company. The expansion of the McDonalds brand was not something they were really interested in. Ray Kroc, on the other hand, was. He wanted to put a McDonalds restaurant in every state in America which he eventually did. Kroc took over McDonalds company, at a cost of 2.7 million dollars. Anyone who wanted to open a McDonalds restaurant had to pay Kroc around a thousand dollars and then 1.9% from the annual takings of the restaurant. He then passed 0.5% of the takings onto the McDonald brothers and kept the other 1.4%. It is estimated that if the McDonalds had continued to receive their 0.5% it would have been worth around two hundred million dollars by the year 2000. The McDonalds chain has not been without its problems. There was the famous McLibel case the longest running libel case in British legal history. Also the discovery that some beef products were used in the preparation of their french fries, which resulted in the company paying compensation of 10 million dollars to Hindus, Sikhs, and vegetarians. There have been various criticisms of the McDonalds Corporation, ranging from the source of their meat, to the treatment of workers in the restaurants (BBC, 2005). McDonalds Restaurants UK Limited is owned subsidiary of the U.S. parent company and opened its first UK restaurant in Woolwich in 1974. There are now 1,200 restaurants operating in the UK which, despite representing only 4% of the total number of McDonalds restaurants worldwide, contribute 7% of global profits, making the UK a very important financial market for McDonalds shareholders. (McDonalds Corporation, 2008) This report will present the operational strategy of McDonalds and also how the processes and products are designed in the company. Furthermore the report explains the flow of materials and information between the operations within the McDonalds supply chain and also what type of inventory management is used in the Company, moreover report underlines importance of lean management, just-in-time and other systems that are incorporated in the Company. In addition report introduces Total Quality Management and its importance within McDonalds operational process. 3. Operational Strategy Operations strategy concerns the pattern of strategic decisions and actions which set the role, objectives and activities of the operation. (Slack et al, 2004. p.67) The main objective of company in the operational area is that the production process was as effective as possible. In other words, when using the same assets the company produce the maximum amount of high quality product which satisfies customers. Companies can achieve these results through the use of tools such as: reducing costs, improving product quality, punctual delivery, speed of response, product flexibility in adapting to individual customer requirements, resistance to fluctuations in demand, advanced technology and excellent customer service. The listed tools relate to the operational strategies, which by focusing on the production process on certain key elements can give a measurable competitive advantage. To achieve these objectives McDonalds create a balance between customers needs and minimising waste. Demand is forecasted and stock is controlled so that products do not have to be thrown repeatedly. McDonalds is a global company, but they operate locally. Currently, McDonalds wants to be perceived as a modern company that cares about customers and ecology. They offer fast-serve meals, such as: breakfast, salads, vegetables and dairy products. In their restaurants people can buy regional products, including Rice burgers served in Taiwan, Japan shrimp, coconut milk in Brazil. 3a.Three dimensions of operational strategy process Value: McDonalds sells nearly millions of burgers every day. Jobs are systematic and repetitive in everyday processes. In order to produce so many burgers every employee have assigned particular job in which they have to ensure that the quality and taste of the products is the same all the time. Varieties: McDonalds offer a wide choice of menu items such as: breakfasts, salads, fruits and vegetables and also kids meals to satisfy customers demands. McDonalds menu concentrates on five main ingredients: beef, chicken, bread, potatoes and milk. The main menu items are: the Big Mac and French fries which is one of the main sellers along with local offers and new products that consumers want. Whether its McWraps in Europe, Angus Burgers in Australia, or McCafà © specialty coffees and smoothies in the U.S., company is strategically enhancing menu to attract new customers. Variations McDonalds process is so well organized that it can meet the changing capacity, anticipation for what the customer might demand, ensuring flexibility. Demand for products are calculated using store-specific historic product mix data from the last two years, store-specific and national causal factors for example dates of events such as national promotions and school holidays, information from store managers about factors that might affect demand, e.g. road closures or local events and promotions. 3b. Performance objectives Performance objectives are related to operational processes and their basic function of fulfilling customers needs. There are five performance objectives: Quality Most customers are looking for high quality. Every organisation wants to provide error free products for their customers and gain competitive advantage. Quality objective leads to certain actions and policies in operations to provide a service that the customer wants. McDonalds serves a variety of nutritious, high-quality food products including salads, fruits, and vegetables. At McDonalds the employees are trained to prepare and present meals according to very specific procedures that are strictly enforced, especially in the preparation and handling of raw and cooked products. For example, the ten-minute holding time for sandwiches ensures maximum quality and freshness to each customer. This means that if the products are not sold within ten minutes from the time of their preparation, they are discarded. McDonalds meets all the hygiene specifications, including hand-washing procedures. McDonalds succeed on the feedback from the customers to continuously improve the quality service. Speed: Speed is all about how long customers wait before receiving their service organisation increasing the availability of their products or services if the waiting time is minimised. The Operations process is so well designed at McDonalds that every customer who comes is served quickly. The company have preparation time set for burger and other menu items so that the order is delivered within 3-4 minutes. Even during the busy hours the staff members ensure that the order is delivered on time to the customer. Dependability: An organisations processes have to consistently meet a promised delivery time for a product or service. McDonalds has a more dependable process for the customers by offering the meals on time. They have qualified workers to deliver products on time every one of them have assigned particular job. McDonalds has predictable opening hours during the weekdays and weekends, the products on the menu are available constantly during any time of the day. Flexibility: Refers to elasticity of the processes and change in the variety of products or services making operations more flexible to changes in customer requirements. As customer tastes change, McDonalds needs to increase the range of new products it offers. McDonalds offers a lot of flexibility to meet customer preferences. It offers a balanced collection of culturally relevant menu items in the markets, for both adults and kids and is maximizing the choices. McDonalds has a multiple trained staff in order to be flexible. It maintains shift based system of work among the crew members allowing them to be flexible enough in the work they do. Cost: Refers to minimizing the cost of the process, leading to a cheaper service. The best way of lowering cost is to focus on the customer requirements i.e. fulfilling the quality objective in both product design and operation, as a way of eliminating rework and waste. Operations should focus on getting the supplied service right. It should be also co-ordinated with processes like information systems which help reduce errors. McDonalds have a well planned cost control strategy. The restaurant has a well established low cost supply chain. They adopted Just-In-time strategy that reduces the cost of unnecessary storage and waste. Food can be sold at a lower price because the price does not absorb the costs of unsold food. Ultimately this means lower costs for McDonalds. They ensure efficiency and speed in distribution and very good food processing technology system. McDonalds has employed the value meal strategy which allows customers to buy a sandwich, French fries, and drink at a discount when purchased together. Thus, it is observed that all operations objectives are connected. If quality is improved, cost is also reduced, thus time is also improved and which in turn leads to more flexibility. Thus by starting with quality, along with time reduction the other objectives are directly attacked by taking unique actions for that objective, as needed. Hence, a series of such actions will then result in continuous improvement of all four operations objectives at the same time. (Schroder, 2007 p. 24-25) 3c. PEST Analysis: The success of any organisation depends upon the various external and internal factors which are beyond the control of an organisation. These factors are called Environmental factors. These environmental factors basically include four areas namely Political, Economical, Social and Technological and the analysis of these factors is called PEST analysis. To overcome the problems created by these factors the businesses come up with various strategies. Political Factors: Politics play very important roles in the functioning of the business. It is very important for a firm to know the existing political factor within it is operating. What sort of laws and legislation exist in the country and what are the future prospects. This is quite important to know because these factors will determine the strategy required to sustain and work without problems. Government policy can have a major impact on the operation of a business. The political and public debate on obesity and other health issues negatively affected fast food sales. In recent years, McDonalds has been facing legal trials of possibility in breaking the health legislation by providing unhealthy foods to customers. This had made some damage to McDonalds image. However, McDonalds has already been trying to introduce healthier foods on its menu such as salads, fruits and milk for the kids. Economic Factors: Similarly it is important for a firm to know the economy of the country it is operating within. The factors like unemployment, minimum wages, exchange rate, interest rate, economic growth inflation rate etc are quite important for a firm to know. Economic factors might affect it. If the economy of the country is not good then the number of McDonalds customers can decrease. Economic factor can influence the potential profit of a business. One of the economical forces which may influence McDonalds is the change in interest rate. Most of McDonalds restaurants are franchises, therefore, franchisees would suffer on their borrowing if interest rate increases. Social Factors: Social factors include the demographic and cultural aspects of the environment. Social factors play important role in a business. The business has got to respect the culture it is operating in. For example it cannot sell beef products in a hindu community and pork products in a Muslim community. Apart from that the business has got to know the taste and preference of its customers. The fast food industry has been hit by negative publicity in recent years due to the increasing amount of diabetes, unhealthy food and childhood obesity. In order to overcome the problems, McDonalds has been introducing healthier foods and educational programmes to bring a healthier environment. McDonalds also has been heavily contributed in the charity events in order to make contribution to the society. Technological Every organisation must monitor developments in technology. These can affect the production methods employed by the organisation. Due to the increasing importance of internet, regional planners work with restaurants and by communicating with them on a regular basis via email and telephone. McDonalds also have a friendly use website with more details and information available 4. Process design Process design is the process by which some functional requirements of people are satisfied through the shaping or configuration of the resources and/or activities that comprise a product, or a service, or the transformation process that produces them (Slack et al 2004, p.94). The process should be designed to deliver the products in the best possible way. Before design the process every manager should ask some questions, e.g. what process should give to customers? How much flexibility do customers want? How much will they pay for the products? (Waters 1999, p. 65). Each restaurant is headed by a Restaurant manager who is responsible for the daily operation and customer interaction. The crew members carry out the basic operation at the restaurant and ensure the customer satisfaction. The Process at McDonalds starts with the customer order and then after receiving the order, the design must be completed and delivered. With this operations process, McDonalds aims to be able to deliver a reasonable product within reasonable time. The nature of the work is to provide customers ordered products within few minutes. The order placed by the customer is taken by one of the crew members operating at the tills, as the order is entered into till, a message is passed on to the appropriate crew member in the kitchen for the preparation of the order. In food preparation McDonalds have their own strategy and standards; the Crew members cook burgers on a grill that heat both sides of the burger in a little less than four minute where the Patties are batch cooked in advance. The hamburger buns toaster time is slightly less than one minute to give it a brown texture and slightly crusty, the assembling of hamburger is done by laying out the toasted bottom, spread mayonnaise, add grilled beef, on top lettuce and onions close it with the toasted top and is wrapped and placed into the Universal cabinet ready to be sold to customers. Finally the customer is asked for the mode of payment to complete the transaction. The process flow in McDonalds: Customer order Toast bread product Cook frozen products Place product in packaging Add ingredients Holding Cabinet (Wrapped burgers are kept max 10min) Delivery to the Customer Having a well planned process design, McDonalds is able to produce and service including customers specification maintaining their quality, reduce the customer waiting time at the counters. They have dependable crew members and resource for on-time delivery of products and service. The flexibility is achieved by processing a wide variety of products and changing the cost of the items and lowers their processing costs by eliminating waste in terms of preparing the burgers in bulk. 5. Product design The objective of designing products and services is to satisfy customers by meeting their needs and expectations. This enhances the competitive advantage of company (Slack et al, 2004 p.129) McDonalds product design concentrates on maintaining consistency in how products are prepared as well as what raw-food components are used. They serve a variety of products, sandwiches with beef, fish, and chicken products, menu also include salads, fruits and dairy products. The quality is ensured through standardized and careful employee training efforts. The Company frequently introduce new products and a reason for this is that customers are demanding more choice. McDonalds menu concentrates on five main ingredients: beef, chicken, bread, potatoes and milk. The companys main menu lists is offering: the Big Mac and French fries, which still exists as a major seller. A Big Mac consists of a bun, two beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, sauce and a small amount of seasoning. The restaurant will only combine these items just before the customer orders. Other standard product names come from the McDonalds convention of adding a Mc to a particular item. Although McDonalds is a global company, they operate locally. In restaurants people may buy regional products, including Rice burgers served in Taiwan, Japan shrimp and coconut milk in Brazil. Ethical considerations about product design could be that in order to minimise the negative comments about unhealthy food, increased amount of diabetes and obesity among children the Company introduced healthier foods in their menu. They purchase from suppliers that ensure the health and safety of their employees and the humane treatment of animals. The company is also trying to minimise the impact on environment. 6. Supply chain management Supply chain management is the management of the interconnection of organisations that relate to each other through upstream and downstream linkages between the different processes that produce value in the form of products and services to the final consumer (Slack et al, 2004, p. 445). SUPPLY CHAIN PLANNING AND CONTROL Coordinated delivery of products and services from the supply chain Demand The market Customer requirements Supply The operation Operations resources Required time, quantity and quality of products an services Figure 1. Supply Chain planning and control Supply chain management is concerned with managing the flow of materials and information between the operations, which form the strands chains of a supply network. (Slack et al,2004, p. 444). McDonalds ensures its suppliers follow the exact standards of quality, value and cleanliness set by them. When it comes to tracing the products ingredients, great emphasis is placed, so McDonalds are able to control every link in the supply chain. Wherever possible, McDonalds tries to use suppliers who are based in the UK, as they prefer them, but saying this, they still have to meet McDonalds exact product and hygiene standards. All of their European sold beef is supplied from Europe and the great majority of their British sold beef is sourced from Britain. McDonalds has developed a supplier quality index (SQI) by which all suppliers are measured. It allows the company to monitor performance of suppliers across the many agricultural and non-agricultural products and services purchased (Food Chain Centre, 2003). In 2004, McDonalds introduced a specialist central stock management function known as the Restaurant Supply Planning Department. This team communicates with restaurant managers on a regular basis to find out about local events. The team builds these factors into the new planning and forecasting system called Manugistics to forecast likely demand of finished menu items, for example Big Macs. Raw materials include the buns, beef patties, paper cups, salad ingredients and packaging are delivered to the restaurants between 3 and 5 times a week. At any time, a restaurant will have a range of products ready for sale, for example Big Macs, fish and side salads. At McDonalds, all raw materials, work-in-progress and finished products are handled on a First In, First Out (FIFO) basis. This means raw materials are used in the order they are received. Therefore stock is always fresh because products are sold in the order they are made. Ongoing communication between the central Restaurant Supply Planning team and individual restaurants helps to manage the stock more effectively. This team of regional planners works with around 80 restaurants each and communicates with them on a regular basis via email and telephone. Any factors that could affect the number of customers visiting an individual restaurant need to be logged with the team. These are taken into account in calculating the forecasts. Supply Planners work with the stock control system, to ensure enough raw materials leave the McDonalds distribution centres. This ensures that restaurants can produce the meals required for the level of demand forecasted. Supply Planners working for McDonalds include range of causal factors in the calculation of their forecasts, so that based on past performance they can predict future demand for each restaurant. McDonalds Restaurant Managers need to ensure that the data they enter into the system is as accurate as possible. For example, each day Restaurant Managers record opening and closing stocks of key food items. They record all other items weekly (McDonalds Corporation, 2008). Vertical integration the degree to which an operation chooses to own the network of processes that produce a product or service. The strategy of expanding on the supply side of the network is called backward (upstream) vertical integration, and expanding on the demand side is called forward (downstream) vertical integration (Slack et al, 2004 p. 169, 779). McDonalds has practiced a backward (upstream) vertical integration, by replacing most of its suppliers. It has done so for two reasons, 1) To reduce costs, and 2) To ensure that they make top quality products. One of the coffee suppliers of the Company is Distant Lands which have its own coffee farm. In this example vertical integration reduces the risk of delayed delivery (dependability). 7. Inventory management Controls Inventory planning and control compensates for the differences in timing between the supply of an operations products and services and the demand for them (Slack et al 2004, p. 405). There are 5 types of inventory: BUFFER INVENTORY compensates rapid variations in supply and demand. ANTICIPATION INVENTORY is used when changes in demand are big but relatively predictable. It is also used when supply changes are large. DE-COUPLING INVENTORY creates the chance for independent scheduling and processing speeds between process stages. PIPE LINE INVENTORY exists because material cannot be transported right away between the point of supply and the point of demand. CYCLE INVENTORY occurs when one or more stages in the process cannot supply all the items it produces at the same time (Slack et al 2004 p.411-412). McDonalds method of keeping burger lanes full during peak periods is a recognizable example of a pull system in a service application. McDonalds has made billions of hamburgers using elements of just-in-time, from the time of order from the customers to the payment from them; the burgers or the meals are ready to be consumed. If they are later than the time ordered, customers will be dissatisfied. So it is important for McDonalds to use the JIT process in order to keep quality and satisfied customers. Just-in-time means producing goods and services exactly when they are needed. Lean production system is the western term for Toyota Production System. Lean operations and just-in-time planning and control aim to meet demand right away, with perfect quality and no waste. Lean operation means waste elimination in order to create operation that is faster, more dependable and that produces high quality products and also operates at low costs (Slack et al 2004 p. 518, 519). There are two major pillars of lean production system. One is Just-in-Time system and other is Kaizen. Kaizen is a Japanese term for continuous improvement involving everyone managers and workers alike. Kanban is a Japanese term for card or signal, it controls the transfer of materials between the stages of operation. (Slack et al, 2004 p. 533, 653) McDonalds use lean production system and minimise waste by accurate stock management and by developing correct demand forecasts so that products do not have to be discarded. McDonalds is an example of a JIT system, they doesnt begin to cook its orders until a customer has placed an order. McDonalds is able to make their products fast enough thanks to technology they use, eg. bun toaster. The Company provide fast service and at the same time the finished products are not placed in inventory for long time. The major benefit of using just-in-time system for McDonalds are good quality food at a lower cost and also better quality customer service. This higher quality customer service is the ability to actually produce faster. Without this ability, McDonalds ordering costs would be higher because the costs associated with ordering would be the loss of customers tired of ordering fast food that really isnt fast (Atkinson 2005). 8. Total Quality Management (TQM): Total Quality Management is a philosophy of how to approach the organization of quality improvement. This approach puts quality at the heart of everything that is done by an operation and including all the activities within the operation (Slack et al, 2004, p. 722). Feigenbaum defined TQM as; An effective system for integrating the quality development, quality maintenance and quality improvement efforts of the various groups in an organisation, so as to enable production and service at the most economical levels which allow for full customer satisfaction(Cited in Slack et al, 2004, p.720). McDonalds goal is simple: to give customers high quality products anywhere in the world and maintain high standards of service. Every member of the organisation must be involved from the highest executive to the crewmembers of McDonalds. The commitment to quality must be instilled into everyone from the moment they join McDonalds in every dimension of the organisation, e.g. Operation, Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Health and Safety and Food Safety The basic principles of McDonalds are: 1. Putting the customer first by making sure all customers are fully satisfied with McDonalds, predicting and fulfilling their needs, exceeding their expectations, by using market research to find out what they want, they aim to surprise you with their quality, choice and service and making sure that all service standards are met. 2. Making continuous improvements by reducing costs, maintain good ordering procedures in all restaurants. 3. Aim for zero defects do it right first time, it can be very expensive putting it right afterwards. Prevention is better than cure. This requires rigorous quality testing and control so that defective products are spotted immediately. The advantages of using TQM: Every individual in McDonalds is responsible for quality Quality becomes the focus for all activities Everything McDonalds does is designed to satisfy their customers. This can lead to a greater market share and also increased profit The disadvantages for using this system are: Requires well-trained, responsible staff, this could cost more money for training each employee. Some of the employees can be resistant to change Gives visible effects in the long run 9. Conclusion. Operation management function exists in every organisation. It is concentrating on achieving the processes of transformation of raw materials into a finished product. Moreover effective operation management enhances performance in the process. McDonalds Corporation is one of the most known companies in the world. In their operational strategy company decided to reduce costs, improve product quality, punctual delivery of their product to customers and continuous performance of all operational aspects of company. All departments of organisation and every employee have to work together to ensure that the strategy reaches its objectives. All the processes in McDonalds reflect the needs of the customers and products are designed taking into account high quality, speed of service and cost. McDonalds working together with suppliers that fulfil all the standards of quality set by the company. To satisfy customers needs of fast served quality products their strategy incorporated just-in-time system. As a result the restaurant is serving fresh food in a short time.