Inventory Systems Summary Essay

Abstract To be successful in today’s business environment, an organization must be able to perform certain fundamentals accurately and efficiently. One of these elements is having an effective and efficient Inventory System Management (ISM). ISM enables one to have the knowledge of where his or her inventory is at every step of the way. This allows one to better interact with consumer and make sales. Choosing the right ISM can lead and pave the ground work for future business success and profitability. Inventory System Summary The purpose of this group assignment is to collaborate as a team to compare different inventory systems and describe the advantage and disadvantages of each system in comparison to the others. Management of inventory is important to any business that wants to succeed. Companies purchase inventory systems to help manage the inventory of an organization. Team A reviewed the following companies and their inventory management programs: Best Buy, , and . This Inventory System Summary includes a description of the chosen companies and their inventory systems, and a comparison describing the advantages and disadvantages of each system. Best Buy Best Buy is the largest consumer electronics store in the world. Each year it increases its presence in the market share and distances itself from  others in the industry. Best Buy is headquartered in the Twin cities area of Minnesota, where it handles all main business functions and the leadership that manages its 180,000 employees and 4,000 stores across the globe (Best Buy, 2010). During the previous fiscal year, Best Buy accumulated nearly 50 billion in revenues and 2.2 billion in operating revenue. They also reported that they possess 18.3 billion in total assets and 6.3 billion in total equity. Best Buy has a large array of merchandise including: consumer and commercial furniture, small and major appliances, and a wide assortment of consumer electronics. They also offer an increasingly large list of services. These services include Geek Squad computer services, Best Buy for Business commercial services, and many other services designed specifically for the end user. They operate stores in many countries across the world; however they also operate their company online. From their website, Bestbuy.com, many of their products and services can be ordered and set up for delivery. The different types of products and services Best Buy offers in addition to the different options available to purchase and receive their merchandise makes Best Buy a very difficult company to maintain. They are successful because of the time and money put into their inventory systems. To maintain continuity across the board for all of their partner companies and different store brands they operate , Best Buy uses a similar inventory management system that allows them to track inventory, along with a transaction management system that directly adjusts and updates the world wide inventory both in warehouses and within each store. Most products that Best Buy sales are shipped directly from the manufacturer to the many warehouses and distribution centers across the US and the world where the stores and online sales can pull and ship directly from. One change that Best Buy has gone through the past five years is a switch to a partially vendor based management system. With this new system, Best Buy will limit the vendors and distributers that they purchase from, and will relinquish some of their inventory control over to them. The innovation created by this new system allows vendors to monitor inventory levels and to  ship and replenish product as levels get low. Some of the advantages of this system are: the advantage of directly supplying to the customer from vendor, which cuts the delivery time shorter, availability of the product, ability to offer products at a lower price compared to Best Buy’s competitors, and the flexibility to further develop other areas of their business. Some of the disadvantages are: limiting the vendors may limit the variety of products, relinquishing inventory control over to vendors and distributors may negatively impact their customer satisfaction, and the customers may decide to deal with supplier directly which could put Best Buy at risk of loosing their business. Inventory levels over the past 4 years have remained on an increasingly consistent track as their revenue has risen. According to Best Buy (2010), this rise in revenue and assets is partly due to the fact that they enter new markets and open new stores across the world. The latest opportunities that they have come across include new stores in Europe and other areas overseas. This is new territory for Best Buy but has been a successful venture based on their flexibility with their inventory systems that they have in place. The following table presents the last five year financial highlights according to the Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of Annual Report on Form 10-K. (Investor Relations, 2010) Dell Dell is clearly a giant leader in the information technology world. Dell is an American company with headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. The company develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. The company got its birth in 1984, founded by Michael Dell. Dell has become one of the most admired companies in the electronic industry. According to Fortune Magazine, Dell is listed as the 38th largest company in the United States. Based on total revenue, Dell is the 5th largest company in Texas and the 2nd largest non-oil company in Texas (Wikipedia, 2010). So, how does Dell do it? Managing its inventory base is an indication. From its early beginnings, Dell set the bar. Dell uses the just in time (JIT) approach in the manufacturing facilities. By using this technique, Dell can minimize its inventory cost. In an industry that rapidly changes, maintaining low inventory levels is one key factor to survival. According to Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch (2010), the following table provides a  snapshot portion of the financials recorded for Dell from its balance sheet. Annual Financials for Dell, Inc. According to Wikipedia (2010), just-in-time (JIT) is an inventory strategy that is designed aide in improving a business’s return on investment by reducing in-process inventory and any carrying costs associated. JIT production method is also known as the Toyota Production System. JIT works with of use of signals at different points in the manufacturing process. The signals indicate the presence or absence of a part or the need to make another part. If JIT processes are implemented correctly, it can improve an organizations return on investment, quality,  and efficiency. It is quite simple; the philosophy behind JIT is inventory is waste and Dell has tried to capture that philosophy. Wal-Mart The world’s largest and most profitable retailer, Wal-Mart continues to expand its reach in the US and worldwide. To do this, Wal-Mart has to track what is selling, what isn’t, and what products its over 3,740 stores nationwide need – whether it be their discount stores, supercenters, or neighborhood markets. The below excerpt from the 2010 annual report (2010 annual report-walmartstores.com, 2010) shows the level of inventories that Wal-Mart has maintained for the last four years: (Amounts in millions except per share and unit count data) With an average of $34m in inventory, being valued under the LIFO – last in first out- method – keeping track of it is of major importance to the retail giant. To keep track of its inventory, â€Å"Wal-mart and Sam’s Club use electronic product code (EPC) labels to make sure the products you want are available when you need them† (walmartstores.com, 2010). What is an EPC? The EPC is a lot like a bar code that most stores use. Wal-Mart uses the EPC because the information that can be tracked about the product being purchased includes: what the product are, who are the manufacturers, and other specifics like color, size, style, and more. The information provided by the EPC allows Wal-Mart to better manage the inventory on hand, making sure the store provides its customers with what they want, when they want it. How does EPC work? EPC labels consist of a unique number that can be tied back to a specific piece of merchandise. Using special readers, and through the magic of RFID’s, the EPC doesn’t have to be scanned directly for them to be read by the computers. This means that Wal-Mart â€Å"can count thousands of items in seconds and know which products are out of  stock† (walmartstores.com, 2010). The products that Wal-Mart is tracking with the EPC are easy to find. They are identified by an EPC symbol. What does EPC mean to consumers? The ability to track finite inventory information is important as it ensures that the retail giant can keep products in stock that consumers want. Amazingly, with all the information that the EPC tracks, there is no invasion of privacy to the consumer. The EPC does not collect personal information when purchased. Labels are not tracked once the actual merchandise is bought and leaves the store. Comparison The different inventory systems used by each organization share a common goal. The system tracks the inventory for each company allowing them to hopefully save money by knowing where items are and what needs to be purchased. Each organization emphasizes inventory control and recognizes the effects of inventory management on their overall profitability. To this end, many of the companies use a variation of bar coding or Radio-frequency identification (RFID) to track inventory. Each organization also ties inventory management to an awareness of demand; this allows the organization to quickly react to changing market conditions. Conclusion Because inventory is possibly the largest current asset listed on a organizations financial statement, correct inventory management is at the heart of a business’s success or failure. References 2010 Annual Report – Walmartstores.com (2010). Retrieved on January 10, 2011 from http://cdn.walmartstores.com/sites/AnnualReport/2010/PDF/WMT_2010AR_FINAL.pdf Best Buy (2010). Company Reference – Best Buy. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.answers.com/topic/best-buy-co-inc Dell. (2010). Wall Street Journal: MarketWatch. Retrieved January 12, 2011, from http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/Stock/DELL/financials/balance-sheet Hoyt, W. (2002). The basics of inventory tracking. Retrieved on January 10, 2011 from http://www.essortment.com/career/smallbusinesst_tuag.htm

Organizational Behaviour – Case Study

Consider the case: â€Å"Job satisfaction at Omega Technical Services Ltd† by D. Adam-Smith and L. Littlewood. In Adam-Smith, D. and Peacock, A. (Eds), Cases in organisational behaviour (pp. 151-162). London: Pitman and Prepare a report that addresses (i. e. , explains) the situation in the case (i. e. , high job turnover among professional staff) taking the perspective of work motivation and employee attitudes. Word count: 3000 Module: Organizational Behavior Introduction to Omega Technical Services Ltd. A labor intensive medium sized firm â€Å"Omega Technical Services Ltd† was established in mid 1950s. The main focus of Omega was to provide technical services to the different clients mostly from engineering sector. Omega consists of 180 full time staff which is dispersed in eight different regional offices. Main services provided by Omega were to provide documentation service in the form of manuals for operations and maintenance. In 1984 as a result of increased competition and falling profit margins in the field the company planned a cost reduction plan and changes to its management style to improve the efficiency of the organisation and to remain competitive in the business sector. But at the same time board of directors were concerned about the low morale of the employees and its impact over the performance of the company. There were increased incidences of low quality work followed by high turnover i. e. 33% over the last full year. After going through the provided case study and the relevant study materials, it is established that Directors of the Omega was trying to find out the main reason for low morale within the organisation and to find the recommendation which will improve the job satisfaction of employees which will ultimately improve the productivity of the staff and create new knowledge. To full fill this objective a formal attitude survey was conducted by the personnel manager of the Omega ltd. with the help of anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed by using both open ended questions and closed questions. The final questionnaire was consists of 83 questions, out of which 68 were closed questions and 12 were open ended. Closed questionnaires were conducted to address five main areas including, general satisfaction, communication, fairness/supervision, and involvement/identification. Matters relating to other jobs and companies which included some pay issues. KEY CURRENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES The overall response rate of the survey was 42%. Based on that analysis of the result of the questionnaire and supportive reading from the available literature, now we will look at some of the most important current and future challenges which Omega is facing, and which can affect the overall performance of the group in the near future in the strong competitive and innovative market. The key challenges facing Omega can be summarized as follows: 1. Understanding Culture and Employees Management Relationship 2. Lack of Communication within the Organisation 3. Creating Organizational Knowledge ( lack of investment in Research and Development) 4. Attracting, Motivating and Retaining workers in Omega 5. Rewards system Creating a Knowledge Sharing Culture Gordon (1996) defines an organisation’s culture as the part of its interior atmosphere that includes a set of postulations, values and principles that organisational associates share and use to direct their execution. Omega also has the need to create a strong culture to build relationship among organizational levels. Hence one key challenge for Omega is the need to build a knowledge culture that facilitates and inspires people to generate, split, and exploit knowledge for the advantages and lasting accomplishment of the organization (Oliver and Kandadi, as cited in King, 2007). Organisational culture is argued as powerful input for effective and efficient management and organizational learning (Janz and Prasamphanich, as cited in King, 2007). In Omega the idea of knowledge sharing needs to be implemented into its organizational culture. The following facts highlighted in Table 1 below by Gurteen, (1999) illustrate why sharing knowledge is important. Table 1: Why knowledge sharing is essential to the survival of almost all businesses Intangible products| Ideas, processes, information are taking a growing share of global trade from the traditional, tangible goods of the manufacturing economy. | Sustainable competitive advantage| Increasingly the only sustainable competitive advantage is continuous innovation is the application of new knowledge| Increasing turnover of staff| People don’t take a job for life any more. When someone leaves an organization their knowledge walks out of the door with them. | Accelerating change| Technology, business and social. As things change so does our knowledge base erode – in some businesses, as much of 50% of what you knew 5 years ago is probably obsolete today| Source: adapted from Gurteen, G, (Feb 1999) Creating a Knowledge Sharing Culture, Knowledge Management Magazine, 2(5), www. gurteen. com/gurteen/gurteen. nsf/id/ksculture Culture is important in shaping assumptions about what knowledge is worth exchanging; when we are creating an environment for the knowledge sharing in Omega, making it means that knowledge sharing the norm and it also motivates the people to work in the team, provides such sort of knowledge which will be fruitful for the organization and employees. Hansen and Oetinger (2001) explain a new T shaped management where a new kind of executives operates breaking away from the conventional chain of command to split knowledge without stinting across the organization. While the systems are good at transferring explicit knowledge direct personal contact is needed for effective transfer of implicit knowledge which is needed for business solutions and is crucial for innovation. Hence implementing a open structure in Omega the company can apprehend the reimbursement of multi department learning and teamwork without having to establishment top down looms that could undermine the liberty and answerability needed to create exceptional entity unit performance. Trust As the result of the questionnaire concluded that employees have very little trust on their leaders as they feel that favoritism play a significant role for the growth in the company. Lack of trust on the upper management also plays a vital role on the motivation and commitment of the employees towards organization, which can further results into more people leaving their jobs and increased number of absenteeism. For a sharing culture Omega need to build an environment of trust so that it will establish customs about cross-functional associations and communication. For example, Gold et al. as cited in King 2007) concluded that organizations with open and supportive value orientations are predisposed toward constructive knowledge behaviors. Interpersonal trust in the workplace has been shown to have a strong and robust influence on a variety of organizational phenomena including job satisfaction, stress, organizational commitment, productivity and mostly to knowledge sharing (Mooradia n, et al, 2006). Hence Omega needs to create a culture that facilitates the willingness of people to participate meaningfully in its development and trust of the organisation. Attracting, Motivating and Retaining knowledge workers in Omega In Omega the turnover for the company is 33% over the last full year which means roughly one out of every three employees. Omega faces the vital challenge of retaining and motivating their knowledge worker. From the results of questionnaire we can establish that inequality and favoritism at the work place is one of the main reasons for high turnover, as approximately 70% of the respondents mentioned that they have applied for other jobs with in the last year time period. The main reason for this because employees at Omega feels that they were not treated fairly and their was lack of respect from their managers. Employees also mentioned that they feel that due to the current economic situation they felt underpaid as compared to the skills, knowledge and value they are generating for the company It is evident from the case that the traditional employment contracts may no longer be effective in bonding knowledge workers and retain their loyalty. Furthermore, still practicing de-centralized management system, clearly there is lack of any formal communication policy with in the Omega Technical Services ltd. According to Thompson and Heron as cited in (Horwitz, at al 2003) the employment relationship between the worker has changed to a new psychological contract where individuals are seeking market sustainable employability and organization require high work commitment rather than job security and loyalty. Research carried by Horwitz, et al( 2003) supports that that turnover is usually higher in knowledge workers than non knowledge workers as they try to seek new challenges from more progressive companies. Motivation is argued to be a very individual phenomenon where what motives one doesn’t necessarily motivate the other worker. Understanding individual needs at work helps management to better match rewards with motivation. Much of the motivation theories try to explain what (needs) and how (process) to motivate employees (Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, Hertzberg Two factor theory, Equity theory and Goal theory). And most of these theories identify generally that extrinsic (satisfied externally, physical objects) and intrinsic reward (satisfied internally like status and recognition) as the basis of motivating employees. Hertzberg’s two factor theory of motivation in the year (1959) distinguishes between hygienic factors and motivators; the hygienic factors have only the potential to eliminate dissatisfaction, while only motivators have the potential to increase satisfaction. In the case of Omega they were lacking both the hygiene factors and motivators. For example, employee of the Omega were not very satisfied with the working condition with in the company and also reported that they were not treated fairly on work place and showing their concerns about lack of respect from their managers at work. Horwitz et al (2003) proposes a diagram for attracting; inspiring and keeping of personnel which can be a useful framework that Omega (refer to diagram 2 in Appendix). Most favored retention strategies are those that are focused on portfolio of practices where top management support and leadership is important. While to motivation includes providing more extrinsic rewards like challenging work, creative working culture with autonomy, celebration of success and developing intelligence of purpose, course and enthusiasm. To attract workers the cultural fit is seen as important in Horwitz et al’s schema. Selective employing put into practicing have constructive effects on learning and in relative to organizational learning is the staffing and preservation of esteemed employees (Davenport, as cited in Lopez, et al, 2006). Omega is a service industry business that runs on the ideas, knowledge and knows how of the people who are working in it. Because of the people focused business this is the demand for the Omega that every individual working in the company should be educated, well motivated and inspire to deliver high performance. But due to the limiting budget for research and development and freeze on the benefits package at Omega, there was very limited opportunities for managers to invest in the research and development and to creat new knowledge for the organisation. Davenport et al. have acknowledged eight data management success features such as (1) technology infrastructure; (2) organizational infrastructure; (3) balance of lexibility, evolution and ease-of-accessibility to knowledge; (4) shared knowledge; (5) knowledge-friendly culture; (6) motivated workers who develop, share and use knowledge; (7) means of knowledge transfer using various information technology infrastructure; and (8) senior management support and commitment (Davenport et al. (1998) sited by Chong (2005) Overall knowledge management has become a people-centric because it is the network of the competent peoples which makes an organization successful. So, now the question is, what are the sources of motivation for these individuals within the company and also outside of the organization, and is individual motivation is aligned with the overall organizational goals and objectives? Omega needs to develop a reward system which is based on the performance and quality contribution of the employees. First, company has to identify that what are the motivation factors which effect different levels of their employees with in the company. The motivation factor that attracts and engages the young employees, For example, moving to the top of the hierarchy level was very important for the previous years but this is not the case today, and definitely there will be some resistance to these motivational factors from the different levels of the company. But it does not mean that it shows the absence of motivation in that particular level, but rather the presence of inappropriate will or motivation (Smith and McLaughlin, 2003). Every organization has some sources from where employee motivation sprouts (Amar and Hall, 2004). So, now it depends upon the management of the Omega that how they loads these sources with the factors that motivate, energize and direct the employees towards the achievement of the organizational goals. These factors may be intrinsic and extrinsic and in contrast to aiming at fulfillment of employees cognitive needs, these factors connect with their psyches (Amar and Hall, 2004). Reward and Recognition System Omega must design a reward and recognition system in such a way that it encourages and motivate the workers to the sharing of vision and task. The purpose of this system should be made very clear and visible to employees. In addition it is important for Omega to involve and encourage employee participation into the reward system and must measure the level of employee satisfaction with the system in order to design the correct program. Hence one of the key challenges for managers in Omega is to understand what actually motivates individuals to excel in their work and more importantly how to influence what others are motivated to do. According to Kerr (1995) it is of utmost importance that managers or the senior management recognize the type of activity they are rewarding because the reward and recognition scheme may be ineffective if they are rewarding an activity that they are trying to discourage. Also Cameron and Pierce (1997 cited by Milne, P. , 2007) suggested that verbal and tangible rewards do help in increasing efficiency among the employees, higher level of job satisfaction and overall enhancing motivation. Praising people personally and sincerely for their hard work can actually help create a sense of belongingness. Employees would feel that their work is being recognized, valued and appreciated. This way employee’s maybe intrinsically motivated to perform and be admired by other colleagues for their contribution. I believe that the partners or the senior management in Omega should not only praise perfection but also praise employees who are showing signs of improvement in their work. Moss Kanter (1987) pointed out that these reward systems can actually motivate individuals to perform effectively only for themselves and not for the organisation. According to Moss Kanter the amount of reward one gets depends on the position or status in the organisation. Higher the status, higher the rewards. Hence individuals will try their level best to get promoted quickly in order to get higher rewards. Omega must try to develop a reward programme were the reward itself is not the main driver for contributing and sharing knowledge but could be used as a tool for giving directions and purpose to what employees do. Money is normally considered to be the major motivation factor in the organizations, but this is not the only case in the Omega. In management industry money can be a good source of motivation if it is designed properly and establish a clear linkage what management wants and what its employees can do in their jobs that is with in their control (CEO Sounds-off, 1997) As Omega is facing problems in motivation of employees from different level of employees, it should announce certain goals and targets for the improvement of performance and then relate it with the different rewards for completing these goals and target. This kind of rewards will give the employees a sense of achievement. Incentives As we discussed above that money is not the only motivating factor in the firms, so the rewards should be expanded to the non-financial incentives, like introduction of some work benefits, promotion and further training opportunities for the personal development. In Omega, these kinds of incentive will be helpful for the future growth of the company, because in case of further training and personal development, it will leads towards the better and improved performance from that employee in the future and will keep him /her motivated to play his/her part. This behavior is supported by the Maslows theory of â€Å"hierarchy of Needs† in which Maslow talks about the need of the self actualization. According to Maslow, if all of these needs are satisfied, we can still expect that there will be development of another need, â€Å"unless the individual is doing, what he, individually fitted for† (Mahesh 1993 sited by Amar and Hall 2004). Training Strategic training is a fundamental tool that facilitates communication among employees, by providing a common language and shared vision and is argued to be one of the most significant HR practices for the organizational learning process (Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995, Ulrich et al 1993 as cited in Lopez et al, 2006). In the case of Omega, questionnaire results shows a clear amount of respondents shows their interest in learning new knowledge and shows their willingness for further training by which they can improve their effiecincy. A clear understanding of Omega’s missions and values will help to ensure the right direction for the learning processes. Training should be orientation towards developing culture of commitment to learning and should demonstrate to employees and management framework link to the company strategy. Training should be practical support for organizational goals and work related technologies (Bassi and McMurrer, 2007). The training programs should also favour the sharing of ideas and best practices improving the level of openness to new ideas thus promoting flexibility in acquiring critical skills needed for effectively responding to competitive challenges ( Lopez, et al 2006). There is empirical evidence to indicate (DiBella et al, 1996; McGill and Slocum, 1993 Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995; Ulrich et al 1993 as cited in Lopez) the idea that training plays a critical role in maintaining and developing the capabilities both individual and rganizational and also substantially contributes toward the process of organizational change. Job Description In Omega, it is recommended that job should be the first motivating factor for the employees. Company need to redesign the job descriptions of the employees, so that they can attract and retain the best people. While designing a job responsibility, company can include the factors that attract and motivate the employee’s interest and mind and glue them t o put effort in their respective jobs towards the achievement of the organizational objectives. This will leads towards the improved loyalty with the firm and motivate people to do their best and it will also reduce the loss of knowledge by people leaving the Omega. In case of young employees this approach frees their minds, which allows them to engage them in the activities which brings innovations to the company, which is very important for the Omega. According to Amar and Hall, companies should allow the people to think innovative ideas while managers patrolling the boundaries (Amar and Hall, 2004). Another important point which also needs to be considered is family-friendly working schedule. Employees prefer those jobs and job schedules, where they can adjust their family and social life with out any significant impact on their job responsibilities. CONCLUSION In this assignment we discuss about the different challenges to Omega and what are the possible recommendations to address those challenges both for the current and future time. Clearly there is struggle by Omega management to keep staff motivated and there is no actual implementation of motivational theories. Due to the shortage of funds as 80% of the company’s funds are already allocated to employee’s wages, management needs to consider non-monetary incentives and rewards as we discussed in the main body of the assignment. It is concluded that in a knowledge intensive service firm, individuals are the most valuable asset and technology can only provide the relevant support for the creation and management of the business. So it is the peoples who need to be motivated to give maximum output for the company. We have looked at the different motivation factors and how to create the work environment that’s helps to achieve the rganizational goal. Based on the observations and the supported study material it is recognized that there are different sources for the motivation for the Omega employee, like how to define the job description, rewards, incentives and use of the technology to support individuals. So the combination of these factors will result in the working environ ment where every individual is performing his duties up to the best of his potential with the sense of responsibility and putting his/her share in the progress of the company. REFERANCES: Alton C, Ngee A, Polytechnic, (20001), â€Å"Relationship between the Types of Knowledge Shared and Types of Communication Channels Used†, Journal of Knowledge Management Practice, October 2001 Amar A. D, Hall S, (2004)† Motivating knowledge workers to innovate: a model integrating motivation dynamics and antecedents† European journal of Innovation Management, Volume 7 Number 2 (2004) pp. 89-101 Bassi, L. and McMurrer, D (2007) Maximising Return on People, Harvard Business Review, 85(3), pp 115-123 Bhatt, G. D, (2002), â€Å"Management strategies for individual knowledge and organizational knowledge†, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. No. 1, pp. 31-39 Bhatt, G. D. (2002), â€Å"Management strategies for individual knowledge and organizational knowledge†, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 31-39. Bill Martin, (2000),† Knowledge Based Organizations: Emerging Trends in Local Government in Australia†, Journal of Knowledge M anagement Practice, October, 2000 Brian J, (2006),† Improving knowledge for agents and self-service for customers, Customer experience management â€Å" contact centre in Europe IBM global Business Services IBM. com/bcs, IBM Customer services brochures. ej. v24 2006 Brooke, M. and Nathaniel, F. (1996), Harvest your workers Knowledge, Datamation, 42(13) pp 78-90 Clegg, S. , Kornberger, M. and Pitsis, T. (2006) â€Å"Managing and Organizations† An introduction to theory and Practice, Sage Publications Cook, S. D and Brown, J. S. (1999) Bridging epistemologies: the generative dance between organizational knowledge, Organizational Science, 10 (4) pp 381-400 Davenport, Thomas H. , and Prusak L, (1998),†Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know†, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press Fjeldstad, O. Andersen, E. 2003), â€Å"Casting off the chains: value shops and value networks†, European Business Forum, Vol. 14 pp. 47-53. Gooderham, P. N. and Nordhaug, O. (eds) International Management: Cross-Boundary Challenges, Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 234-255 Gurteen, G, (Feb 1999) Creating a Knowledge Sharing Culture, Knowledge Management Magazine, 2(5), www. gurteen. com/gurteen/gurteen. nsf/id/ksculture retrieved a t 10/12/2006 Hansen, M. T. and Oetinger, B. O. (2001), Introducing T shaped Managers Knowledge Management Next Generation, Harvard Business Review, 79(3), pp106-116 Hansen, M. T. , Nohria, N. and Tierney, T. (1999) what’s Your Strategy For Managing Knowledge, Harvard Business Review, 77(2) pp106-116 Herman J. P, (2001), â€Å"The IC/KM Movement and Human System Well-Being†, Journal of Knowledge Management Practice, February 2001 Horwitz, F. M. , Heng, C. T and Quazi, A. (2003) Finders Keepers? 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V. , (2006) Human Resource Management as a Determining Factor in Organizational Learning, Management Learning, 37 (2); pp 215-234 Meister D. & Davenport (2005),† Knowledge Management at Accenture†, Richard Ivey School of Busin ess, The University of western Ontario, Ivey Management Services, 905E18 Mooradian, T. , Renzl, B. and Matzler, K. (2006) Who Trusts? Personality, Trust and Knowledge Sharing, Management Learning, 37(4) pp 523-540 Sarabia, M. (2007) Knowledge leadership cycles: an approach from Nonaka’s viewpoint, Journal of Knowledge Management, 11(3) pp 6-15 Smith P. A. C, McLaughlin M, January 15-17, 2003,†Succeeding With Knowledge Management: Getting the People Factor Right†, 6th World Congress on Intellectual Capital & Innovation at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada Tsai, W, (2002),† Social structure of â€Å"co-operation† within a multi-unit organization: Coordination, competition, and intra-organizational knowledge sharing†, Organization Science, 13(2): 179–190 Four ways of conversion or interaction of tacit and explicit knowledge which is: socialization, externalization, internalization, and combination Source adapted from Sarabia, M. ( 2007) Knowledge leadership cycles: an approach from Nonaka’s viewpoint, Journal of Knowledge Management , 11(3) pp 6-15 Proposed Schema for Attracting, Motivating and Retaining worker Questionnaire Survey Results

High speed stereo imaging techniques for flame studies Research Proposal

High speed stereo imaging techniques for flame studies - Research Proposal Example Researchers have invented several laser sources currently in use for several purposes. According to Blaum (2003), these first laser sources are expensive though efficient; hence the need to improve them in terms of reducing the cost while maintaining efficiency. Caspani (2013) says examples of novel laser sources include optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) and diode-pumped Nd lasers. These laser sources have certain properties and behavior as explained in the following paragraphs. Optical parametric oscillators involve optical cavities that resonate at comb frequencies. They have ultra-small volume due to their optical cavities with dimensions in microns. The ultra-small volume results in increased sensitivity to heat induced by a pump laser; hence shifting the cavity resonance. Chang (2010) says this needs continuous manipulation of the pump wavelength in order to track the thermal drift. When pumped by an appropriate external laser, the micro cavities generate multiple, equally spaced new frequencies through nonlinear optical processes. Diode-pumped Nd lasers include Nd: YVO4, Nd: GdVO4, Nd: FAP, Nd: SFAP, and Nd: SVAP and are all crystals in nature. According to Liu (2014), the crystals belong to two different types of structures. Both Nd: YVO4 and Nd: GdVO4 have the zircon (vanadate) structure which is tetragonal with a space group of141/amd while Nd: FAP, Nd: SFAP and Nd: SVAP have the apatite structure which is hexagonal with space group of P63/m. They all have high emission-section lifetime product, which means they should have a low threshold. According to Wirsig (2010), the temperature dependence (dn/dT) is positive for the vanadates while negative for the apatites meaning the vanadates have higher thermal sensing than the apatites. According to Patterson (1989), the thermal conductivity of the vanadates goes up to 2.5 times than the apatites;

Various Models of Human Resource Management Essay

Various Models of Human Resource Management - Essay Example Guest Model is very similar to the Harvard model because of both advocates that superior individual and organizational performance is possible only through the integration of core activities of HR. HRM practices are at infancy in the developing economies like China, India etc. Therefore, according to HR professionals, the national factors may influence the HR practices in different countries, thereby, creating distortions in HR models. The four major factors, which are important in this regard, include national culture, dynamic business environment, industrial sector and national institutions.1 The process of formulating HR strategy consists of a few steps. In the first step, it is decided that who is involved in a process and how. In the second step, a business strategy is defined. In the third step, the business strategy is set in an HR context. In the fourth step, a SWOT analysis is done to analyze the problems in the business strategy in the HR context. In the next step, after identifying the priority changes the action plan implemented and outcomes are measured.2 This HR strategy process has been designed for the furniture industry and they are very similar to the bookish HR strategy formulation steps. For the formulation of corporate strategy, the participation of all departments of the organisation is very important because the corporate strategy is very interactive with functional strategy. An organization cannot develop its corporate strategy unless it knows the functional strategies such as HR strategy and capabilities of its departments. Therefore, when developing corporate strategy, the developers should get the feedback of HR people and their considerations should be focused very seriously. In 1997, Essar Steel Ltd realized the importance of HR strategy to develop business strategy therefore, Essar Steel developed their HR function based on their corporate strategy.

Cultural pluralism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cultural pluralism - Essay Example Wade thinks al-Qaeda forms due to rich as well as poor differences. For example, the leader Osama may be rich but fellow al-Qaeda may not be. The culture of America is much modernized, but for most uncivilized people especially from Africa, some of the things seem to mean as they view from televisions’ programs. They conclude that that’s how the American people. Another example is where the people in the Middle East believe America’s values are questionable. Carmel Abdul Nasser had a dream of a Pan-Arabic country that was westernized. Corruption, however, led to its failure (Wade, p248).A lot of people are removed from a certain type of past and usually put in the future which is unclear. In development circumstances for example, when the expectancy of life is raised then mortality of infants reduces. It is not clear, however, what happens to these children as they turn into young adults or thereafter leading to low leaving standards. In Kenya, most youths after getting some literacy end up unemployed and thus dwell in slums in Nairobi and some hate their ancestral lifestyles. Throughout the world, people forget the old and traditions but the fact is that they have to struggle to survive. According to anthropology, people and cultures that are under stress bring forth ideologies which are strange or weird and unexpected.A sociologist from Harvard Daniel Bell wrote that the state of the nation is too small compared to the world’s big problems yet too big for the world’s small problems.... They conclude that that’s how the American people. Another example is where the people in the Middle East believe America’s values are questionable. Carmel Abdul Nasser had a dream of a Pan-Arabic country that was westernized. Corruption however, led to its failure (Wade, p248). A lot of people are removed from a certain type of past and usually put in a future which is unclear. In development circumstances for example, when the expectancy of life is raised then mortality of infants reduces. It is not clear however, what happens to these children as they turn into young adults or thereafter leading to low leaving standards. In Kenya, most youths after getting some literacy end up unemployed and thus dwell in slums in Nairobi and some hate their ancestral lifestyles. Throughout the world, people forget the old and traditions but the fact is that they have to struggle to survive. According to anthropology, people and cultures that are under stress bring forth ideologies w hich are strange or weird and unexpected. For example, the case of Boxers of China who beheaded and murdered missionaries and displayed these heads as well (Wade, p249). Wade on page 250 also says al-Qaeda does not have full Muslim faith and so is partly Muslim, partly not. A sociologist from Harvard Daniel Bell wrote that the state of the nation is too small compared to the world’s big problems yet too big for the world’s small problems. Modernization has led to changing in the cultures; even languages are not taught to the children. He also thinks that the past may end up defining the future and its culture. He gives the example of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination that took place in 1914. This incidence may turn out to define the fate of two

Marketing Strategy for Products Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Strategy for Products - Essay Example The success of a product cannot be achieved without creating a brand name for the product. There are various strategies used for brand marketing such as competitive analysis and positioning. While taking into consideration the types of strategies to implement on branding, it is important to consider how the products fit in the target market as well as the organization’s objectives. This report will analyze the major strategies used in market planning by the Johnson's & Johnson's Company in branding their J&J baby powder. The report discuses major product characteristics such as color, size, shape and materials used in the manufacture. The report also explains the strategies used in branding such as position as well as how the product fits in the business market and the organizations objectives. Introduction J&J baby powder is designed to keep the skin dry, soft and smooth. Powder has been used for generations. The main users of baby powder are mothers. However, the company is also targeting at other adults who are not mothers. First of all, let's consider mothers as main buyers category. The J&J baby powder will keep the skin of their babies soft. The use of it will ensure that the baby is as comfortable as possible thereby keeping the baby calm. The delicate perfumes of chamomile and lavender will make the use of J&J baby powder more exciting and enjoyable. The use of chamomile and lavender in J&J baby powder is designed to help the reduction of friction in the skin and the clothes such as nappies and pampers. By eliminating friction the baby will be free from nappy rashes thereby keeping the baby’s skin soft and smooth. Now let's pay attention to the category of adult consumers who buy the product for themselves. The J&J baby powder has been designed for a wide variety of consumers including people affected by allergies. Special care has been put into consideration in choosing the ingredients in order to attend to the special needs of people aff ected by certain perfumes. The J&J baby powder is also designed to care for the skin by absorbing excess skin moisture. This product is mild and gentle so as to sooth cracked and sore skin and restore the injured skin to its normal texture. Besides, the J&J baby powder is designed to be used by adults in reduction of friction from wearing tight trousers and blouses, as well as sweat reduction. It can be applied in the face to control sweat; it can act as a deodorant to control smelly armpits. The J&J baby powder is effective in absorbing moisture and will absorb sweat in the face and armpits leaving the skin dry and soft. The product is suitable for applying in between fingers to reduce and eliminate finger warts too. Main characteristics of the J&J baby powder According to Juran, M.J. and De Fao (2010), the main characteristics of a product include color, size, material, shape and benefits. The baby powder comes in 500 grams, 200 grams and 100 grams potions packed in sophisticated pink, white and blue plastic bottles. The shape of the container will be that of a bottle neck. The bottle will be fitted with a cap that will have small holes or pouring or sprinkling the powder. The cap will have been well designed such that it is able to be capped and closed tightly. Even if the baby plays with the bottle the whole day no powder will be spilled. The J&J baby powder is designed to care for the young ones in every respect. The colors of the baby powder containers are light in

UK Investment in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

UK Investment in China - Essay Example However it is observed that the new emerging markets have socio-cultural contexts much different from the parallel contexts in western countries. Such cultural differences present themselves both as an opportunity and threat to those organizations expecting to find niche in these markets. If properly researched and read into the cultural dimensions of the foreign market can be woven into the international marketing mix and help establish the global supplier as a trustworthy supplier who understands the local realities. Inadequate research into these aspects and thereby deficient weaving of cultural dimensions in the international marketing mix can prove to be an expensive marketing mistake. This paper takes up the case study of TESCO, the major UK supermarket chain and undertakes a China market PEST analysis for TESCO.Paper goes on to suggest the standardization or adaptation in the international marketing mix that may be required to be brought about by TESCO looking at China market. TESCO entry strategy in Chinese market is also discussed with listing of various pros and cons of various entry strategies.. TESCO, the UK retail giant follows a standard strategy of expansion and growth comprised in four pronged action format: growth in the core UK business; expansion through international growth; maintain strength in non-food and in food trade and follow customers into new retailing services. As a consequence of this strategy TESCO targets : a better deal for its customers; makes it simpler for its staff; ensures that it reaps the fullest economy to make its overall operations cheaper and reaches all its supplies faster to market. Five years prior to TESCO's formal entry into the Chinese market, BBC News (1999) reported the following about UK China trade ties and collaborations," UK businesses have won contracts worth $3.5 bn in China. The UK is the sixth largest investor in China, with $13bn of direct investment. "Thus a long learning curve had preceded the formal entry of TESCO in the Chinese market in 2004.Thus by taking on China TESCO was taking up a pathway leading to a blind alley . TESCO made its first foray into China, in the year 2004, with the purchase of a 50% stake in a 25-strong hypermarket chain for 140m ($260m) entering into a joint venture with the Ting Hsin after a long three years' search for an appropriate Chinese partner. (BBC News, 2004).TESCO top management, at the time of entry, clearly made no secret of the lucrative and huge Chinese retail market. In the year 2004 it was reckoned that this retail business served around two million customers a week and was valued at 280m, with sales of 330m. (BBC News, 2004). TESCO had researched its Chinese partner thoroughly before taking up the joint venture stake. Ting Hsin was the largest food supplier in China and owned the Hymall chain of stores, of which Tesco was to have a 50% stake. Hymall had opened its first outlet in September 1998 and had rapidly grown to be the leading hypermarket operators in the country, with French chain Carrefour and US-owned Wal-Mart among its rivals. Most of its stores w ere located in "high quality" shopping mall developments in the east, north and northeast of China. (BBC News, 2004)The joint venture was premised on the logic that, Ting Hsin

In What Ways Globalisation Involves a Complex Cultural Process Essay

In What Ways Globalisation Involves a Complex Cultural Process - Essay Example As the paper declares global culture involves promoting life-style, consumption, products, and identities. Transnational corporations deploy advertising to penetrate local markets, to sell global products, and to overcome local resistance.† An example of the global culture is the way MTV is being marketed in the more conservative, less boisterous Asian markets. There are still millions of people in the country-side who do not know what MTV is, and would never accept such a concept. However, MTV has succeeded in penetrating the urban market and has vastly increased the generation-gap between the middle-aged population – who resist MTV and do not want the youth to adopt MTV culture – and the youth – who now have no connection with their traditional cultural values and have accepted the MTV culture. This paper stresses that not always does globalisation adversely affect the society. Many a time, when a society is globalised, it retains its local character while assimilating the external influence. This leads to a very positive change called ‘cultural diversity. â€Å"More and more Individuals stress their multicultural biographies, from writers like Salman Rushdie to Tiger Woods, shooting star of the international golf sport, who calls himself "Cablinasian" to point out his ancestry in black, Indian and Asian cultures.† This cultural diversity may, in turn, evolve new enduring local cultures and thus contribute to the development and evolution of an already existing local culture.

PSY 475 Week 2 Learning Team Assignment Essay Example for Free

PSY 475 Week 2 Learning Team Assignment Essay Select in preparation for this assignment a psychological measure of depression, such as the Beck Depression Inventory or Children’s Depression Inventory. Obtain faculty approval of your selected measure prior to beginning this assignment. Individual portions due to the team forum by Friday. Please make sure a team member will be compiling the project and submitting it to the assignments link. Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper in which you analyze your selected psychological  measure. As a part of your analysis, address the following items: Using the University Library, the Internet, or other sources, select at least two scholarly journal articles that discuss the use of your selected psychological measure. Briefly summarize your selected articles, and compare and contrast their findings. Based on the analysis of your articles, discuss the use of your selected measure. Explain who is qualified to administer and interpret the  measure and the settings—such as occupational, academic, or counseling—in which it would be appropriate to use the measure. Differentiate between the populations for which your selected psychological measure is valid and invalid. To purchase this material click on below link http://www. assignmentcloud. com/PSY- 475/PSY-475-Week-2-Learning-Team- Assignment-Psychological-Measure-Paper For more classes visit http://www. assignmentcloud. com.

Black Codes Essay Example for Free

Black Codes Essay The black codes were a another word for hate, and the reason I say this because the true meaning of The black codes is a law that stops the blacks from having freedom, and later on they would begin to Force them into owing or as I was taught debt. With legal prohibitions of slavery ordered by the Emancipation Proclamation, acts of state legislature, and eventually the Thirteenth Amendment, Southern states adopted new laws to regulate Black life. This was a very serious law for the blacks it was Mean and made them seem like they weren’t people just like they did the grandfather clause and I say This wasn’t a very good matter. This was like the grandfather clause the code is to watch the movement From theirs to the south some laws say black can’t hold guns and cant trade produce and they said this To want them back on the plantation. â€Å"The black codes were passed by the ex-confederate states after the civil war, the purpose of the Black codes were to keep freed slaves in a servitude state, to ensure cheap agricultural labor, and to Keep a white dominate position†. Yes I say they are right because through the research I found this was The one most popular it was well written it talks about cause it talks about what I said in the first Paragraph. Example; Arkansas passed a law prohibiting colored people to Immigrate to Arkansas Another example is Texas required railroad companies to have separate cars for Black and white people And my last example is Arkansas required separate schools for white and black People, they also made a Law called the vagrancy law which meant â€Å"Any person that a law enforcement Officer or judge deemed To be unemployed and not owning property could be arrested and charged as a Vagrancy†. -History. com Radical Republican Reconstruction efforts from 1866-1867, and passage of the Fourteenth Amendment and civil rights legislation, helped to greatly eliminate the Black codes. The Union victory in The Civil War may have given some 4 million slaves their freedom, but African Americans faced a new Onslaught of obstacles and injustices during the Reconstruction era (1865-1877). By late 1865, when the 13th Amendment officially outlawed the institution of slavery, the question of freed blacks status in the Postwar South was still very much unresolved. The Freedmen’s Bureau also helped the former slaves in the workplace. It tried to make sure that The former slaves received fair wages and freely choose their employers. The bureau created special The bureau created special Courts to settle disputes between black workers and their white Employers. It could also intervene in other cases that threatened the rights of freedmen. The South Carolina code included a contract form for black â€Å"servants† who agreed to work for white masters. The Form required that the wages and the Term of service be in writing. The contract had to be witnessed And then approved by a judge. Other Provisions of the code listed the rights and obligations of the Servant and master. Black servants had to Reside on the employer’s property, remain quiet and orderly, Work from sunup to sunset except on Sundays, and not leave the premises or receive visitors without the Master’s permission. Masters could moderately whip servants under 18 to discipline them. Whipping Older servants required a judge’s Order. Time lost due to illness would be deducted from the servant’s Wages. Servants who quit before the end date of their labor contract forfeited their wages and could be Arrested and returned to their Masters by a judge’s order. On the other hand, the law protected black Servants from being forced to do Unreasonable tasks. This is how the 1800’s were they were very mean, cruel and they never thought about anybody But there self and I think that the black codes is just a distraction from what they really and I say that They are all people the black the whites and all the other races it just took them long enough to realize That and I say that is very poorly of them because doesn’t matter what you look like or what you wear Or what your skin color is people are people and we all need to accept that. This is the reason why I Chose the black codes there is no other reason I chose it because people found out the truth that we are A Special in different ways and I like the way we get along to day without racism.