Organizational Theory Final Paper Essay

Due to the recent and anticipated changes the U.S. government has made and continues to make in procedures regarding contract awards, as well as external market pressures from the economic downturn, I submit this proposal as a new approach to the existing organizational structure. Because talent and loyalty are at such a high premium in today’s workforce, I submit that the workforce be modified structurally rather than a full-scale reduction. This economic crisis will not last long and our current reaction and decisions will determine our longevity in the market. So the main objective of this restructure will be to make the best and most beneficial use of our employees that are committed to moving forward and to continue to build goodwill with our employees, shareholders, customers and suppliers. Changes in technology are not an issue for this particular proposal. The very nature of this company enhances flexibility in technological changes and even spear-heads changes in some aspects of industry. There may be mild behavior changes needed, but only to coincide with structural changes. The structural changes should prove to be positively accepted, as underutilization and overutilization issues should be resolved. The outcomes expected are: * reduced costs by realigning talent to appropriate duties * redefining merits for bonuses and certain benefits * offering more flexible working conditions for higher performance * creating diverse teams based on goals and projects * redesign Marketing division, re-evaluate goals, re-evaluate performance Forces Driving Change: * Characteristics of workforce have changed * The organizational structure of this company embraces military-like order. Modification of this approach is needed to empower team structure and welcome more civilian business approaches as â€Å"staff and middle management are better networked, more mobile, and smarter about their value and their options in the market.† (PWC) * Labor supply has changed * Much of the upper management and specialized employees are retired military, bringing them closer to a second retirement. While current conditions have delayed this trend it still exists. Competing companies aggressively recruit educated and experienced managers and industry specialists so we must create conditions that will foster satisfaction and loyalty. * Government contract allocation procedures have changed * More attention and emphasis must be put on other areas of the company’s businesses for wealth building. Government contracting has adjusted rates and opened the door for smaller companies to compete for Defense and Aerospace teaming contracts. * Economic downturns have caused readjustments in businesses and education * The Business Services company needs to update and integrate new business-to-business consulting approaches, enhancing and adding to our strict Six Sigma training. * The Advanced Visualization Solutions division needs to develop their products to serve beyond educational facilities, as most facilities are not currently able to invest in state-of-the-art technology. These products need to be streamlined to bring the cost of production and cost to customers down. * The Construction Company needs to focus on developing more domestic business. The international projects need to be managed by on-site managers via patriots or expatriate assignments. This will reduce expensive unplanned international travel as well as build goodwill with the natives of the country the project is based in. * The Marketing/Communications division has become obsolete, using old approaches of only upgrading the company website and only attending industry exhibitions and conferences. Marketing has become isolated from the energy that exists in the whole of the company, not working cooperatively or creatively with each subsidiary company. This is possibly due to absence of the sense of meaningfulness in the managers, thus lack of motivation. * The Core Divisions need more cohesion in their performance. Due to the overlap of duties between HR, Contracting and Accounting, there must be less antagonism and more cooperation between the managers. The executives rely on authoritarian leadership and â€Å"job-scare† tactics to motivate operations of these departments, thus the managers isolate themselves into their own responsibilities by not sharing information or working as cohesive teams to resolve challenges. Obviously, most of these problems have their origin in the culture that has been created in the company. While there are a few who remain loyal to the mission statement of the company and endeavor to sustain a family-like atmosphere, most managers and employees have become dissatisfied with not only the culture but with their own sense of meaning within the company. Thus, the owners and executives must be the first to revisit the mission statement and goals first set forth by the owners, create a more cohesive and safe culture and implement their own change of perspective. â€Å"Far too often, leaders ask everyone else to change, but in reality this usually isn’t possible until they first change themselves†. (De Smet, et al) One of the strengths to having retired military personnel in leadership and production is their ability to follow orders and to learn quickly. Most of their experience in military life was often being given an order (goal) and some of the necessary resources (most of the time), but little knowledge on how to execute it. Much of our nation’s greatest technology has come from such situations. For example, John Shergill itemized 10 American technological advances accomplished during wartime. One of the most outstanding was the development of a virtual environment, or the internet. â€Å"Conceived and designed in the late 1970’s during the height of the cold war as a defense against nuclear war. The thought was that if vital government information could be stored in a virtual environment, it would be impossible to take out communications at one location. The effect of this advancement is obvious to anyone reading this†. (Shergill) Necessity being the mother of invention was also observable when a young officer was given command over the technology department where he was deployed. Not only was the technology obsolete, but he had no idea how a computer worked. His order was to update and repair the system. Period. He quickly learned and implemented all he could and was successful in not only updating but enhancing new technology for that particular base. Today, as a retired Navy colonel, he is a professor of Networking, computer software and hardware at an outstanding US college. So the ingenuity and problem solving skills that exists within the retired military community is priceless, but their instinctive command-and-control leadership styles have become outdated and ineffective in a civilian business world, especially with civilian employees. Six Sigma approaches have been attractive to the Business Solutions department because it continues to embrace the command-and-control management skills; focusing on optimal production and very little on optimizing producers. Therefore I propose comprehensive and all-inclusive leadership-development training. I understand this may be especially opposed by our Business Services division, as these instructors consider themselves experts in the field of leadership. But it is vital that leaders stay ahead of trends in leadership especially if they train other leaders. Their expertise in traditional instruction of management mixed with the evolving principles will not only enhance, but possibly lead to more forward thinking and new approaches as they implement them. Again, it would be quite in character for the retired military leaders to take what they learn in this area and create even more valuable tactics and approaches that will enrich business leaders the world over. Thus creating a new benchmark for our company and creating a new competitive edge. In the April 2012 online edition of McKinsey Quarterly, three experts in the field of leadership training wrote of their findings in making leadership training the heart of large organizational change. The authors described the situation of one global company as â€Å"While the need for operational change was clear—the performance of the company†¦was inconsistent and in many cases far below that of competitors in terms of efficiency, productivity, and cost—so too were the organizational obstacles. Drives for improvement, for example, carried a stigma of incompetence; current performance was considered â€Å"good enough†; conflict tended to be passive-aggressive or was avoided entirely; and†¦employees felt that they were treated as cogs and that their supervisors were enforcers. The effect of all this on employees was disengagement, a lack of trust in senior management, and a pervasive fear of making mistakes—a worry reinforced by the company’s strong culture of safety and of risk aversion†¦ (So) the senior team had to look beyond technical improvements and focus on helping the company’s leaders to master the personal behavioral changes needed to support the operational ones. To that end, the company mounted an intense, immersive, and individualized leadership program† (De Smet, et al). The authors note that the program took four months for each participant, and included two week-long training programs and ongoing coaching to integrate what they learn with their work experiences. In the span of three years the return on investment in the participants has been tenfold for each leader. The program has increased the company’s income by almost $2 million, and the new leadership behavior has been crucial to the company’s success and is believed to have made the total organizational changes that were made more effective. So the development program I suggest needs to include: * Integrating leadership training with a BHG (big hairy goal). Without personalizing training it will be ineffective. Without an obtainable and desirable goal training will be a waste of time and effort. * Recognize the strengths and successes our company has and build on them. Bring in our strongest and most dedicated leaders (not necessarily formal managers) and train them in how to skillfully influence change by engaging everyone involved in the organization. These leaders may need to be considered as new or replacing current ineffective management or at the very least as team/discussion leaders. They are the bridge between corporate office and employee satisfaction. Use our Company Philosophy, found in our Employee Handbook, to employ our Core Competencies to realize our Vision Statement. * Any change in our organization must be based on honesty. Every employee of our company possesses, or at one time possessed, an expectation of good from us. Being a part of this organization was highly esteemed in the community and upon hiring, the employees felt important and distinct in their field because of our decision to employ. After being employed for about 3 years, the most common feature of the dissatisfaction that begins to set in is the irregular dispersion of information and a feeling that Corporate is not being honest or forthright with them. While this may be a military â€Å"need-to-know† approach to employee management, it is no longer efficient, as our employees are no longer military and they expect inclusion. The â€Å"leaks† and rumors that circulate on all of our job-sites and offices are much more damaging than the truth given from a trusted leader could ever be. * Common language and vocabulary used by leaders must be adopted. The language of a common vision is powerful, so leaders must be allowed to emerge and reassigned to influence the entire company. Success is contagious so the empowered managers will be able to empower employees. * Evaluate managers’ skills and interests and place them in the appropriate department. Technology can be learned, but it won’t be learned by a dissatisfied manager. * Modify benefits. Currently all employees derive their motivation from our bonus plan. Employees have been willing to accept the absence of sick leave, the infrequency of pay raises, and the absence of certain benefits in favor of expecting the year-end bonus. The Employee Handbook indicates that bonuses are â€Å"discretionary profit-sharing and performance-based rewards provided to employees base on a review of the factors previously mentioned in addition to management’s recommendations† (Our Company Handbook, pg. 11). It should be noted that every employee has different needs and motivations for working with us. We should modify our benefit offering by allowing them to make the decision of whether they would rather have a raise, receive a bonus or an enhancement to their provided benefits. * Subsidiary companies’ Business Development departments and company-wide Marketing/Communications must begin to work more cooperatively, beginning with information sharing and frequent interaction. Up to this point, these two departments have functioned exclusively of the other, relying only on each other for necessary information or for marketing tools for conventions/meetings. While BD has relied heavily on personal contacts networks, it must begin to utilize the principals and power of marketing. Marketing/Communications must begin to pursue the good of each BD department to enhance their efforts. The commitment to the structural changes, development of leaders and employee happiness must begin with the owners. It must also be an ongoing commitment, as sporadic attempts will only reinforce skepticism and heighten dissatisfaction. Leadership training must become a systemic process, not an event (Day, pg 8).

Atticus Quotes from to Kill a Mockingbird

â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. † –Atticus (pg. 30) â€Å"As you grow older you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it— whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, of how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 200) â€Å"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it no matter what. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 112) â€Å"Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 105) â€Å"You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anyone says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change†¦it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 6) â€Å"It’s not okay to hate anybody. †Ã¢â‚¬â€Atticus (pg. 246) â€Å"Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that household full of children out there. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 218)

Source base questions - KMT-CCP rivalry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Source base questions - KMT-CCP rivalry - Essay Example This was the classic method of raiding a village. Sometimes we killed and carried away little pigs weighing around thirty catties. We took corn, rice, potatoes, taro. Did we take money? No. There was no money to be had anyway. e.g. in Source A, the cartoon shows us that the KMT (Kuomintang or Nationalist Party) officers were totally on the side of the rich landlord demanding greater taxes. Exploitation of the peasants took various forms. Not only were heavy taxes levied, many of which were collected in advance, but also peasants were forced to provide carts, animals and farm produce. The source also shows one such officer in hostile action against a peasant and his family. Judging from their poor attire and the fact that the loss of the two bushels of food grain represented a great loss to them, we understand that this family is a very poor one. The officer is commanding the peasant to hand over grain to the landlord. The peasant is very angry at the unfair demand, which is evident by his clenched fists. It also shows his impotence to offer any stiffer resistance to the officer and the landlord due to the overall cloak of oppression that has smothered the populace during the domination by the KMT regime. The peasant’s wife is beseeching the landlord to have mercy as they need that food for their family, especially the crying child. In response, the obese landlord is pointing a jocular finger at the wailing child meaning that he does not care about the wellbeing of a brat like that. The cartoonist is telling us that despite the oppressive hardship and poverty of the peasants, the corrupted KMT government was still exploiting them unmercifully. Source A seems to drive the message that the communists were sympathetic about the hardship of the people and this is in stark contrast to the corrupt Nationalists. Source A is also a communist cartoon and thus may be a propaganda tool to incite the sense of anti-KMT feeling among the peasants and thereby

The Modern World-System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Modern World-System - Essay Example Unlike an empire where political structure connects culture with livelihood, the political structure in the world-economy works towards connecting culture with spatial position. Cultural harmonization tends to work in the best interest of specific groups in world-economy. In core-states, integration has perpetuated disparities that exist within the world economy. World-economies are made up of core-states. Peripheral regions are weak and have low independence. Sandwiched between core-states and peripheral areas are semiperipheral areas, which are an essential component of the world-economy structure. Semiperipheral areas act as a link between core-states and peripheral areas. The modern world-economy is a typical capitalist economy. The geographical definition range, as well as the status of its self-consciousness, remains vital in assessing a class. A group self-conscious is an outcome of conflict scenarios. Class boundaries in the upper societal strata are explicit ensuring a high likelihood of maintenance of privileges. There is a single class that has established itself as a universal- capitalist class. There is always friction in the relationship between the capitalist class and all the other social strata. Strong states work in the best interest of a particular group at the expense of others. In the world-economy, structures tend to be strong in core-states, while weak among periphery areas. Exploitation and rejection of coercion still remain an integral part of the modern world economy.

Circadian Rhythms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Circadian Rhythms - Essay Example Circadian rhythm takes place in wide variety of organisms apart from humans and are controlled by environmental and internal factors. Temperature and light are the common environmental factors. The circadian cycle is controlled by suprachiasmatic nucleus located in hypothalamus region of brain that influences the sleep-wake cycle by receiving signals from retina of eye about light and dark. The photoreceptor cells in retina transmit signals on light activation and deactivation via neurons of retinohypothalamic tract to the SCN, which are further transmitted to pineal gland via the superior cervical ganglion.  Circadian rhythm takes place in wide variety of organisms apart from humans and are controlled by environmental and internal factors. Temperature and light are the common environmental factors. The circadian cycle is controlled by suprachiasmatic nucleus located in hypothalamus region of brain that influences the sleep-wake cycle by receiving signals from retina of eye about l ight and dark. The photoreceptor cells in retina transmit signals on light activation and deactivation via neurons of retinohypothalamic tract to the SCN, which are further transmitted to pineal gland via the superior cervical ganglion.   The superior cervical ganglion releases noradrenaline into pineal cells during dark, which is followed by transformation of serotonin into melatonin. The SCN leads to the release of more melatonin hormone from pineal gland when the light levels are low that in-turn influences the brainstem mechanisms.

Case study p565 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case study p565 - Essay Example The risk associated with oral health includes xerostomia, sipping coffee, and minor diabetes. On the next appointment, the selected patient brought back the 24-hour recall food diary without mentioning specific foods so as not to create a bias. â€Å"The caries promotion potential of diet â€Å"calculated was eight, which considered a moderated risk for caries. For xerostomia patients, this understanding could be significant if it comes from intake of drugs and undergoing treatment. If a patient has a mouth that is dry, they would be prone to damages of the tongue and a risk of dental caries infection. Base on the dental charting, the patient has an obligation to ensure that she maintains good health for her dental structure. More so, the O’Leary score was low. Another health concern in dental caries was using of hard brush wrongly. Application of much energy when brushing using hard brush may result to fractures in the gums and teeth. The doctor instructed the patient to switch to chewing sugar free gum and take water that has fluoride. Fluoridated water does not only maintain the health of a patient’s teeth but can also ensure that the patient does not suffer from having a dry mouth. The doctor recommended â€Å"Nutrition and your Oral Health† and â€Å"Caries Risk† pamphlets for the patient to get more information about dental health. On the third appointment, the patient acknowledged the doctor’s recommendation during the previous appointments. She had started chewing sugar free gum and enhanced on the intake of water every day. This nutritional counseling project is essential to me as a learner because I realized that every case is different. The recommendation resulted from what the patient needed and was a modified base on scientific evidence. It motivated the patient and enhanced her dental

Contemporary Issues in Accounting Research Essay

Contemporary Issues in Accounting Research - Essay Example Defenders of financial reporting, on the other hand, said that the accounting standards did not cause the crisis; instead, bad credit management and illiquidity were the primary suspects for the financial crisis. Ignoring everything else, did financial reporting really cause the crisis? Or was it just a convenient scapegoat for those who really caused the crisis? This paper attempts to answer whether or not financial reporting really caused the financial crisis, in part or in whole. Defined by BusinessDictionary.com as a â€Å"period of general economic decline†, the world has seen higher unemployment rates, sluggish wages and decline in sales in the retail industry because of this financial recession. It also started a widespread blame game as to what or who caused the crisis. In a poll conducted by Time Magazine, there are said to be 25 people to blame for the crisis, including former US presidents, government officials, regulators, heads of financial institutions and even, the American consumers. In a March 31, 2009 article by MarketWatch.com, 80% of those who responded on the survey conducted by MarketWatch said the blame should be â€Å"on banks and other financial institutions†. Other people says that â€Å"economists must bear blame for recession† (Skidelsky, April 25, 2009) because of their push for deregulation and free market. Still others blame accounting rules; particularly the â€Å"mark-to-market accounting† (Kestenbaum , Oct. 29, 2008) rule, which when applied to the financial statements caused the financial position of the company to go down. Is financial reporting the reason behind the current financial crisis or the global financial recession? The straight answer from this writer is NO, financial reporting did not cause the crisis. However, to give weight to both sides, the following is a brief discussion on why experts think financial reporting is or is not to blame for the

Organized Crime Groups in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organized Crime Groups in UK - Essay Example If this the case then, who operates/ manages the affairs of these groups How are members recruited to join the groups Where do the finances for running the operations come from How are the gangs organized on such large scales to a point of attracting national or regional membership and loyalty to the group's operations The explanations to all the above questions may be hard to get yet apparently, the terror gangs do exist and form exhibit strong bonds that ensures that they operate in the way they desire. Some parts of the world especially Italy- Sicily and the United States of America, have experienced serious issues with the state and rate of crime within some parts of their nations. There seams to be well organized groups of criminal gangs that unleash terror and criminal acts against the masses and from the look of it, these groups may as well remain in operation for unknown periods apparently due to their careful organization. The crimes are operated in the circles of drug dealing where massive amounts of money are made, and other criminal acts like counterfeiting currencies and extortion. These and other forms of crimes have been perpetuated in the said areas by an outlawed secret society known as the Mafia. The mafia is a criminal society that is also know... The terror gangs are each referred to as a 'cosca' or a 'clan' or a 'family'. This criminal society has the widest membership from among Sicilian residents from where it was founded in the late 19th century but it also has audience and substantial following in the United States of America and in Australia. History The history of this criminal society dates back to the year of its initiation in 1812 where Sicily was undergoing through a transition from feudalism to capitalism. It is alleged this was the point at which the idea was conceived. Later when Sicily was then taken over by Italy in 1860, the idea was cemented. This transition period was marked by heavy criminal conduct where groups of bandits and artisan guilds utilized violence in plundering of people's property and as a way of enforcing law. For some reason, the Sicilian state was incapacitated from keeping law and order (Vaksberg 2007p24). The society at this point was predominantly rural and its membership comprised of plantation wardens and smugglers. The traditional setting of the society was only open to men though this rule has relaxed today to incorporate the women as well. The group flourished in the then lucrative citrus export industry in Palemo since the production system was fragile and hence provided an easy means of extortion. By the year 1898, its presence had cropped up into suburbs and the villages that bordered the city. These groups that operated in the suburbs and near the city were in full operation with evidences of criminal activities that included ransom kidnappings and robbery among other crimes. This group did on several occasions suffer organized repulsion from political forces that arose against their operations. In the year 1925, Benito Mussolini who was reigning

Personal Stat Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stat - Personal Statement Example ed knowledge in this particular endeavor poses continued learning opportunities and the chance to influence a positive change in contemporary societies. I am keen on pursuing the Doctoral program in Mass Communications to further enhance the theoretical frameworks and skills gained as well as developed from past academic levels. Likewise, I am immensely enthusiastic in the area of new media due to the continuing evolution of the digital and online realm. I have been in the United States since 2009 and realized the fast pace of life brought about by advances in telecommunication. The role of practitioners in mass communications becomes increasingly relevant in the dissemination of information in the digital field. The greater challenges faced by mass communication graduates are confirmed to be sourced from the forces driving globalization. As such, one needs to be adept, not only in social theories, but more so, in cultural theories. Both courses are to be expounded in the Doctoral Program, in conjunction with course modules focusing on developing teaching skills, as well as research. My personal and professional goals are to return to my home land in Dubai and to be an active practitioner of mass communications: either as an academician or an entrepreneur. Actually, I already own a couple successful small businesses in Mississippi. From the experience, I realized the importance of having graduated with a degree in advertising. The theoretical frameworks learned assisted in the design of strategies which assisted in promoting the products and services offered. Yet, I realized that advanced knowledge in mass communications would offer greater opportunities to widen my professional perspectives. The digital sphere continues to evolve and I strongly believe that it would continue to influence the development and sustained success of contemporary organizations. I intend to venture in the international market in the future. As such, advanced knowledge through the

Troubles in the Proctor Household Essay Example for Free

Troubles in the Proctor Household Essay Run High in Proctor Household In the beginning of Act II of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the story presents an interaction between John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth. The interaction between the couple emphasizes that their relationship is anything but normal than that of a married couple. The main cause of their awkward relationship stems from Johns wandering lust. John Proctor has conflicting emotions towards Elizabeth because both of them are trying to avoid the huge fact that he committed adultery. The conflicting emotions are present when John Proctor tries to avoid confrontations with his wife, the small talk between them where John constantly tries to please Elizabeth, and the lack of mutual agreement between them. Throughout the scene, John Proctor tried very hard in order to avoid altercations with his wife. In a patriarchal society of the 1600’s, it would be very common for a woman to be subservient towards her husband. In the Proctor household, it is no different since Elizabeth quietly questions her husband’s authority because she â€Å"fear(s) to anger him† although she has all the leverage she needs in an argument by simply stating the fact that he cheated on her (Miller 53). However, John displays the complete opposite behavior of what is expected of a male in a patriarchal society. Firstly, when John comes home and tastes the soup his wife prepared, he is â€Å"not quite pleased† with it for it was not seasoned well (Miller 49). After adding more salt himself, John notices that Elizabeth is intently watching him taste the soup. Instead of being a typical husband back in the 1600s by criticizing such a small mistake about how his food is seasoned, he compliments on how good-tasting the soup is while knowing that it was the product of his handy-work. By holding his tongue, he avoids a confrontation between him and his wife over a very small issue of not putting enough salt in the soup. Additionally, John seems not to be the typical male in his society when he, â€Å"as gently as he can† asks for some cider (Miller 51). It is clear that this is not what his normal behavior would be because, as Elizabeth is fetching him his cider, she feels â€Å"a sense of reprimand†¦for having forgot† (Miller 51). Because Elizabeth felt as if she did something to wrong her husband, she expects that John will make a huge fuss over the issue. However, John casually brushes off her mistake by just changing the subject to him tending to the fields. His careful behavior towards Elizabeth makes him adopt the tone of a husband that has done something to immensely displease his wife and is trying not to anger her. Clearly, it shows that John has conflicting emotions towards his wife because he wants to act as a typical husband back in the 1600s, but he remembers the heinous crime he committed and tries to avoid confrontation and the possibility of the two of them talking about his mistake. John Proctor’s entire conversation with Elizabeth is mostly saying things to please her in an attempt to make-up for his affair. For example, while eating his meal he makes constant remarks about their farm being extremely big and the reason for coming home so late was because he was busy â€Å"planting far out to the forest edge† (Miller 49). In this obvious attempt to please Elizabeth, John hints at the fact that he has worked very hard on their farm. By hinting at this, he hopes to show Elizabeth that he is working for the greater good of the family and that he is not spending time with Abigail. Furthermore, John wants to make sure that Elizabeth sees all his hard work when he suggests that on â€Å"Sunday†¦ (they’ll) walk the farm to together† (Miller 51). The above passage clearly shows how much John is trying to please Elizabeth because he openly said that they would go explore the farm on Sunday which is supposed to be dedicated to a day of prayer where no one is supposed to do any work and if an individual skips church service, they would get in trouble. Secondly, John tries to please Elizabeth with material wealth when he breaks the awkward silence between them by explicitly saying that â€Å"if the crop is good I’ll buy George Jacob’s heifer. How would that please you? † (Miller 50). By asking Elizabeth her opinion on what she thinks about his decision to buy a heifer shows an atypical relationship between a husband and wife back in the 1600s since the male usually does not ask for their wife’s opinion on their decisions and that John is also trying hard to please his wife. The typical male attitude toward women voicing their opinions on things is also present in John’s demeanor when he explodes at the slight thought that Elizabeth â€Å"has lost all faith in him† due to the fact that he â€Å"faltered slightly† at the thought of hurting Abigail’s reputation (Miller 54). The constant battle in John’s demeanor to act as the man of the house as well as the caring husband act he is struggling to put up in order to make up for his mistake is an example of the conflicting emotions he is experiencing while dealing with his wife.

The Evolution Of The Operations Management Commerce Essay

The Evolution Of The Operations Management Commerce Essay Life would be much easier if the world would stand still, but of course it doesnt. As the world evolves, so must the disciplines whose mission includes helping managers deal with it? Operations Management is no exception. Operations Management is the function of managing the operating core of an organisation: the activities associated with creation, production, distribution and delivery of the organizations goods and services. (HAYES, R.) The operations function comprises a significant percentage of the employees and physical assets in most organizations. Operations managers are concerned with each step in providing a service or product. They determine what should go into an operating system such as equipment, labor, tools, facilities, materials, energy, and information and how these inputs can best be obtained and used to satisfy the requirements of the market place. Managers are also responsible for critical activities such as quality management and control, capacity planning, mate rials management, purchasing, and scheduling. (Russell, Roberta S. and Bernard W. Taylor III, 2000) This essay is going to discuss about the relationship between strategy and operation management and further explaining about how the capacity, location, TQM, flexibility and process can add value to the delivery of goods and services. There are many definitions put forward for the business processes. Business processes can be defined as structured measured set of activities designed to produce a specified output for a particular customer or market (Davenport 1993, P 5). Rosemann (2001, P 18) defines business processes as self-contained, temporal and logical order (parallel and/or serial) of those activities, that are executed for the transformation of a business object with a goal of accomplishing a given task. Business processes is a collection of interrelated work tasks, initiated in response to an event that achieve a specific result for the customer of the process (Portugal and Sundaram, 2005). Processes in the business under taken to achieve particular task that for example producing a particular goods or service for the customer. The result must be countable and identifiable. The business processes is a set of clearly identifiable tasks, executed by one or more actors (person, or organisation, or machine, or department (Portugal and Sundaram, 2005). The business processes helps us to identify various tasks involved in delivering results by the organisation. Business process may be generic or particular to given industry or organisation. Processes are the methods used to convert raw materials and components into products (Hall, 2004). Processes may include, designing, cutting, bending, soldering and polishing. These types of processes are mainly performed using machines and tools Business today is set in a global environment. This global environment is forcing companies, regardless to their location or primary market base, to consider the rest of the world in their competitive strategy analysis. Firms cannot ignore external factors such as economic trends, competitive situations or technology innovation in other countries if some of their competitors are competing or are located in these countries. Nowadays, it is uncommon for a company to develop a new product in the United States, manufacture it in Asia and sell it in Europe. (Gourdin, 2006 P 140) Argos offers its customers with wide range of products at reasonable prices so thatmore and more people can afford them. Argos is the number one retailer for toys and small electric appliances, and a leading player in many other markets including D.I.Y, gardening, consumer electronics and furniture. Argos also have a significant market share in jewellery, sports equipment, D.I.Y products and furniture and it is popular organisation with approximately 60 employees in each branch Argos is successfully doing so, as its branches have gone up from 500 stores into 800 stores in the past year. Argos aims to offer best service to its costumers. They hope their costumers gain maximum choice in their shopping, and have maximum access to Argos. Offering Internet shopping as an option does this. Another of their objective is to expand enough and become market leader with a good reputation. They have a service where you can phone up and reserve your chosen item and find out if they have it in stock, you can even find what day they will be getting it in the store. Argos is to grow capacity and improve customer service in Argos direct, the delivery to home operation. Sales via Argos grew by 50% compared to last year. It accounted for 16% of Argos sales up from 12% last year. Preparation for the construction of new Argos direct warehouse has started, with completion planned before the end of the current financial year. They serve over 130 million customers a year though their stores and take 26% of sales through the internet channel alone and 4 million customer orders either online or over the phone. On average18 million UK households or around two thirds of the population, have Argos catalogue at home at any time. They intend to open approximately 20 stores this financial year. OPERATIONS STRATEGY Operations strategy is related with matching the characteristics of the operations function with the requirements of the market in order to carry out the needs of the business. A proper understanding of this process requires not just an understanding of the beliefs and methods used to develop an operations strategy but also knowledge of the techniques and principles involved in its implementation. Implementation requires knowledge of operations systems and polices including those that relate to resource planning and activity control, quality, plant management, motivation and organization of people, performance metrics and continuous improvement. The decision taken as part of a companys operation strategy are considered strategic because they are widespread in their effect and so are significant in the part of the organization to which the strategy refers and define the position of the organization relative to its environment. Components of the Operations Strategy Structural decision categories: Capacity  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Growth as needed through additional stores but capacity added carefully  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Well-utilized franchisees well-being depends on it being used heavily Facilities  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Distributed facilities, each facility being very similar to the next, all focused around the same menu although the uniformity is beginning to change Vertical integration  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Partnership arrangement  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Long-term relationship with suppliers to promote innovation and quality improvement Technology  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   High degree of process understanding, emphasis on fool-proof processes  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A leader in the technology of product keeping fresh Infrastructural decision categories: Workforce Organization  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Franchisees: well-trained, carefully selected, entrepreneurs  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operators: high-turnover, cheap  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Guidelines provided by corporation  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shareholders  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   shareholders Information/control systems  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Centralized buying Competitive priorities: Cost  ·Ã‚   pricing is extremely competitive  ·Ã‚   Turnover is now over  £4 billion and pre-tax margins are still amongst the best in the industry Quality High-performance design  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   origins of store sites and the town and locality in which the store was built and how they integrated this into the overall structural design of the site.   Development speed  ·Ã‚   a leader in retail management information systems. Flexibility  ·Ã‚  Argos did not regard their stores as one stop shops, although with over 27,000 lines in every store they were approaching it Customization  ·Ã‚  Ã‚   It has been estimated that over 50,000 stores strolleys go astray every year in the UK.   Argos has developed a unique operations strategy which many have tried to follow. The companys motto is: We offer the best customer service through the most convenient shopping experience The key elements of the Argos operations strategy include design, store layout, distribution network, market segmentation. Argoss strategy achieves differentiation and cost leadership. The differentiation is in the quality of the design stylish, modern and well-presented in the store and on the website. Argos strives in offering the best quality products for it customers, at a price up to 30% cheaper than any other UK retailer. Home delivery service and Argos additions (clothes) has improved getting customers into the store and spending their money. The home delivery service has grown for Argos from TVs being delivered to a whole delivery network and Argos Direct warehouses set up thought out the UK. You can get delivery to any were in the UK free on items over 100 pound. OPERATION COMPETIVE DIMENSION There are seven major competitive dimensions that form the competitive position of a firm, they are as follow: cost or price, quality, delivery speed, delivery reliability, coping with changes in demand, flexibility new product introduction speed, and other product-specific criteria. A strategic position is not sustainable unless there are compromises with other positions. Trade-offs occurs when activities are incompatible so that more of one thing necessitates less of another. Order winners and order qualifiers describe marketing-oriented dimensions that are keys to competitive success. Order winners are the criteria that differentiate the products and services of one firm from another, where as order qualifiers are the criteria that permit the firms products to be considered as candidates for purchase by customers. CAPASITY PLANNING Capacity planning is the process of determining the production capacity needed by an organization to meet changing demands for its products. In the context of capacity planning, capacity is the maximum amount of work that an organization is capable of completing in a given period of time. A discrepancy between the capacity of an organization and the demands of its customers results in an inefficiency, either in under-utilized resources or unfulfilled customers. The goal of capacity planning is to minimize this discrepancy. Demand for an organizations capacity varies based on changes in production output, such as increasing or decreasing the production quantity of an existing product, or producing new products. Capacity can be increased through introducing new techniques, equipment and materials, increasing the number of workers or machines, increasing the number of shifts, or acquiring additional production facilities. By definition, design capacity is the maximum output that can pos sibly be attained (Stevenson 1999). Many organizations operate at below their maximum processing capacity, either because there is insufficient demand completely to fill their capacity or as a deliberate policy so that the operation can respond quickly to every new order. It is quite often that organizations find themselves with some parts of their operation operating below their capacity while other parts are at their capacity ceiling. It is the parts of the operation that are operating at their capacity ceiling which are the capacity constraint for whole operation. For example a retail super store offers gift wrap service which at normal times can cope with all requests for its services. (Slack,ChambersJohnston1995 P 322) Argos has selected the Retek supply chain planning solution to improve to capacity and sales while reducing total inventory levels in 2003. With sales of over GBP 3 billion, multi-channel giant Argos was named UKs Retailer of the Year in 2003. With Retek AIP, Argos will optimize its supply chain through improved planning of stock moving into the warehouse and then out to the stores. With supply chain they can take more stock out and achieve better stock turns and improve their buying processes. Argos also uses Merchandise Planner for its annual sales and stock planning process, as well as for planning its catalogue and promotional activities. The solution, which has been developed for retailers, helps companies plan their product assortments, pricing and store an allocation which sets targets across the retailers different seasons. Argos also plans by range for each week over the course of a years sales and stock. That data flows through to fulfilments planning, ensuring that Argos does not exceed the available capacity. Argos is also following the 21st century brand concepts and products suitable. The important characteristic of capacity planning and control, as we are discussing it here, is that it is concerned with setting capacity levels over the medium and short terms in aggregated terms. That is making overall, broad capacity decisions, but not concerned with all of the details of the individual products and the services offered. This is what aggregated means different products and services are bundled together in order to get a broad view of demand and capacity. LOCATION Location is a key factor for every business including Argos and many aspects of a location must be analysed before it can be chosen. This includes the competition in the area, the reputation and the population of the area. The major factors affecting location decisions are;  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Labour  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Premise costs  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Financial assist and local government charges  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Transport links  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Near Customers  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   History and tradition  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sales techniques  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Business activity  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Number and location of competitors  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reliance on personal visits by customers  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reliance on local supplies  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reliance on specialised labour skills  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Methods used to contact customers Finding an ideal location is a decision that requires a lot of reconsideration and investigation particularly as Argos is such a huge company with such big stores. Firstly all Argos stores require a large area for the stores, as they will be accommodating such a huge variety of products. Secondly they will need a huge car park space for their customers, as the store can have hundreds of customers at any given time as well as providing disabled parking and family car parks. They also require a substantial area for a warehouse to stock their goods as well as loading bays where they receive their deliveries of stock. TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT In todays globalized market, with interdependent economies of scale and cross-cultural product initiatives, businesses strive to maintain their profit margins and market shares by providing the best possible products and services to their customers. Profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers and creating a motivating environment for your people (Blanchard, 2007, p. 4). According to John Stark Associates, total quality management (TQM) is a management strategy used today in business, manufacturing, education, government, and the service industries to maximize efficiencies in all organizational processes (John Stark Associates, 1998). Although organizations differ in their operational definitions of TQM, common threads exist which span the breadth of business and private enterprise. Ponzi and Koenig describe total quality as the culture, attitude, and organization of a company that aims to provide, and continue to provide, its customers with products and services that satisfy their needs. In their definition, the organizational culture requires quality in all aspects of the companys operations, with things done right first time, and defects and waste eradicated from operations (Ponzi Koenig, 2002). TQM is an integrated management system for creating and implementing a continuous improvement process. Such process will lead to producing results that exceed customer expectations. TQM places the responsibilities related to quality problems with upper management levels rather than on the workers. The objective of TQM is to have a continuous improvement in the processes. TQM achieves its objective through data collection and analysis, flow charts, cause and effect diagrams, and other tools which are used to understand and improve processes of any organization. Customers entering an Argos for the first time know immediately that something is different. You have to choose your item from catalogue, order and pay to cash till. The different thing is you dont have to wait too long and if they dont have that item you can check another Argos stores. Argos has a Matrix structure. People within the organisation mix with employees from other departments which means there is little possibility of departments becoming very defensive about their territories. This creates a comfortable workforce, which will lead to motivated employees who will achieve their best efforts to produce a satisfying service to costumers. When costumers gain the service they aim to, they will shop more often in Argos, which will result in Argos expanding and becoming more popular. The management style used in Argos stores is consultative. The manager of the store tends to seek other employees within the company for advice before making decisions. This means the employees get involved more sharing their new ideas and past experiences. This will help Argos make sure that they are pleasing their costumers by using a variety of ideas they share. Costumer satisfaction implies the likeliness of the costumer to shop at Argos. If they are satisfied, which is linked to having a consultative management style, and then they would shop more often at Argos. More costumers result in a higher profit. Argos management sees its role as assisting in this value-creation process, not only by scripting the customers new role but also by making it easier for the customer to assume the role. Catalogue and in-store assistants carefully detail the assembly process and free car-top racks are available at every Argos location. As a result, customer receives a level of quality that in no t available elsewhere . FLEXIBILITY Flexibility is a characteristic of a firms process that enables them to react to customers needs quickly and efficiently. Some processes require one or more of the following types of flexibility: customization, variety and volume flexibility. A concept of strategic flexibility in product competition is developed in which flexibility depends jointly on ; -The resource flexibility of the product creation resources available to a firm and -The coordination flexibility of the firm in using its available resources in product markets. Strategic flexibility, then, is the capability of the firm to preach or respond quickly to changing competitive conditions and thereby develop and/or maintain competitive advantage. The rest of this work explains the actions that individually or in combination help firms to achieve strategic flexibility and competitive advantage. There are a number of actions that help firms navigate in the new competitive landscape. In specific, these actions directly or indirectly contribute to the achievement of strategic flexibility and competitive advantage. Among those is exercising strategic leadership which has direct effects on a firms strategic flexibility and competitive advantage. Strategic leadership also affects these outcomes indirectly through the other major actions of Developing dynamic core competences Focusing and building human capital Effectively using new technology Engaging in valuable strategies Building new organization structures and culture. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the operation and strategic management is the process of developing plans, policies and allocating resources to achieve organizational objectives. So in reality operation management is combining the various activities of business to achieve organizational objectives. Therefore it can be said that it is the highest level of managerial activity. In this case it is understood that, Argos had several problems in managing their operational and strategic management, but later they overcame it by realizing the importance of operational management in a business. Now Argos is one of the successful companies in the world in managing their operational management. In order to continue this success the company needs the right people and best tools available to ensure a seamless transition and has to be able to resolve any problems as quickly as possible, especially when it is the worlds leading home furnishing retailer