Monday, September 30, 2019

Boeing Australia E-Procurement

Boeing Australia Limited – E procurement Executive Summary As Russell Menere, I recommend the management of Boeing Australia Limited to follow the footsteps of Boeing US to adopt and implement cost effective e-Procurement system, which can be interfaced with the legacy information system as we have IT infrastructure in place that is our core strength. Through e-Procurement system we can improve redundancies in the business process and operations, gain in productivity by upgrading procurement processes. Cost savings by reducing processing time, rationalization of a large number of BAL suppliers and maintaining relationship with Key Suppliers.Investing in an e-procurement system BAL would seek short term improvement tool that would simplify the procurement process across different division and support complex interfaces with suppliers. We can broaden our scope to include reverse auctions tool as well. Key Assumptions I would assume that the management has approved a reasonable a mount for the cost of setup, implementation, training, interface and support of e-Procurement system with the BAL legacy system. Assuming that the BAL key suppliers have no problems with the changes to the procurement processes.Statement of issues The main issue is processes. There are redundancies in the business process low productivity and high processing time in procurement processes, a large number of BAL suppliers and relationship with Key Suppliers is not maintained. BAL is having budgetary constraints to invest in an expensive new system and set up complex interfaces within inter organization and with suppliers. Existing legacy system is having large information system across the organization. A list of possible barriers is as listed below Barriers to e-procurement Upper Management Support / Lack of Leadership †¢Other Competing Initiatives †¢Resistance to change †¢Lack of a widely accepted solution †¢Magnitude of Change †¢Complicated procedures and e xtended relationships †¢Lack of technical expertise †¢Security in the process – Data transmission to the wrong person †¢Confidentiality of information – unauthorized viewing †¢Prevention of tampering with documents -changes to documents †¢Different national approaches to e-procurement †¢Proof of intent – electronic signatures †¢Clarity of sender and tendered information †¢Enforceability of electronic contracts Information technology investment costs †¢Cost of assessment of systems to find correct system to fulfill tasks †¢Internal Compatibility †¢External Compatibility †¢Investment in compatible systems †¢Reluctance to ‘buy-into’ one off system The major impediment is the Size of Company as the separate categories of commodities should have a volume enough so that it looks attractive to the suppliers for going in to an e-auction and going in to long term contract. These vendors are to be given a visibility of the order size during the contract period so that they can weigh their options.Criteria The Boeing Company’s vision is interpreted according to the organization of the various divisions who are committed to the corporate vision by keeping customer as center and cost reduction with a good quality. Reverse Auction A reverse auction is an electronic auction where buyers enter requirements, and Suppliers bid to provide the required goods and services. It is conducted in real-time, And bidders see the offers of competitive bidders but no the names of the other Bidders. The bidding prices move downwards as the auction progresses.The consortium of vendors participating in the e-auction process should be prescreened and graded on an index point scale on various attributes like Quality, Delivery timelines, financial standing, Competitors, market standing and other Customer feedback. The steps in a reverse auction: †¢ Define the event. †¢ Prepare supp liers. †¢ Develop item specifications and auction parameters. †¢ Conduct an RFQ period. †¢ Run the auction. Potential Costs and Benefits The major costs involved are mainly under the following heads 1. Software cost. 2. E-procurement platform hiring fee. 3. Training Costs to all relevant employees and vendors. . Vendor classification and grading and appraisal cost. 5. RFQ and RFA clarification with vendors: Time cost. 6. Administrative costs. 7. Time involved in analysis and award of contract. 8. Quality check mechanism cost. Benefits †¢Process cost savings – (Tender / Purchase Process) †¢Service / Material / Product Cost Savings. †¢Reduced Waste †¢Transaction Administration Cost Savings †¢Reduced Administration †¢Increasing Profit Margins †¢Strategic Cost Savings †¢Enhanced Inventory Management †¢Decrease in Costs through reduced staffing levels †¢Shortened Overall Procurement Cycle Times †¢Shortened Commu nication Cycle Times Reduction in time through greater transparency(Less objections) †¢Reduction in Evaluation Time †¢Reduction in Time through improved internal workflow †¢Reduction in purchasing order fulfillment time †¢Reduction in time through increased visibility †¢Increased Quality through increased competition †¢Increased Quality through Benchmarking (Market Intelligence) †¢Increased Quality through increased visibility in the supply chain †¢Increased Quality through increased efficiency. †¢Increased Quality through Improved Communication †¢Gaining Competitive Advantage Recommendations In such competitive scenario E-procurement is apt solution for Boeing Australia.I would recommend making relevant lots of commodities focused under various categories and offered to relevant set of vendors to give them a good business perspective and gain competitive advantage to the company during the contract period. All the bigger $-value lot s to be awarded under e-auction and smaller lots can be awarded through open auctions for low risk items. An Online system should be aligned with vendor systems can be developed to process in time orders and payments. These steps will provide Boeing reduced cycle times, determine market price of goods and in turn reduce overall cost of goods.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

A critical evaluation of impressive burgers approach to expanding their operation

A critical rating of Impressive Warren burgers approach to spread outing their operationImpressive Burgers PLC so is a fast nutrient concatenation that faced stiff competition from its client and must therefore maintain quality merchandises that are served in good clip to the clients. Due to an addition in its clients, Impressive Burgers PLC will necessitate to spread out its operations. Prior to making so, the fast nutrient concatenation will hold to transport out a feasibleness survey to set up the best schemes to use in spread outing its operations. Presently the bing clients are contending for the limited resources in footings of infinite and fast nutrient merchandises. Most of the clients complain that they seldom get their fast nutrient solutions met due to the limited bill of fare pick. Therefore, Impressive Burgers PLC will see increasing its bill of fare to provide for a big figure of its clients. Customers are so diverse and necessitate to be given a big assortment of picks . What one client may wish, another may loathe. All these should be considered by Impressive Burgers PLC in spread outing its operations. Impressive Burgers PLC intends to spread out its operations from the bing mercantile establishments, they have decided to engage an operations director to help in the jobs they are holding before they embark on enlargement. The first undertaking that the operations direction is required to make is the designation and the rating of the fast nutrients organisation ‘s enlargement attack. Designation of the grounds behind PLC ‘s enlargement jobs and doing recommendations based on the point identified. Harmonizing to Krajewski, Ritzman and Malhotra ( p.112 ) , the operations of a house are determined by the house ‘s effectivity in pull offing its resources. The house will hence be able to pull off its available resources for the enlargement of its operations into other aspects. Possibly the first measure in its enlargement would be to measure the figure of clients who walk into the house ‘s eating houses in the busiest subdivision. This should so be further divided into clients who eat within the premises and those who opt for takeout fast nutrient merchandises. After finding the figure of clients and their several categories, Impressive Burgers ‘ operations director should so reexamine the bill of fare in footings of the clients ‘ positions on it. This will affect undertaking a squad of cunning misss who will near the client with a questionnaire and fill in the questionnaire after the client has finished his nutrient. It would give an indicant of which bill of fare is the best and which one is the worst among those that are presently being offered. Operationss in an organisation are the duty of the operations director, fundamentally operations involves the direction of the production of goods and services. The direction of operations involves the embrace of the organisations design, planning of all operations, control and the betterment of public presentation and the preparation of operations scheme. The duties of this place affect the direction of the human resource, the direction of this resource is of import as the manner in which they are handled greatly find the success of the organisation. The operations ‘ place entails the direction of the organisations ‘ assets ; assets straight determine the production procedure of the organisation. The edifices, equipment, vehicles and even the stock are used in the production of the organisations goods and services. Proper usage of the assets means that the organisation reduces on the running cost, the proper usage of energy, from electricity to fuel used for warming or cookery is of import at the nest eggs made on assets are a net income to the organisation. Proper direction of the assets means that they cut their outgos and they avoid wastes of natural stuff in production. The operations arm of the organisation is involved in the direction of cost, they are responsible for the effectual direction of running costs of the organisation ; the production of the goods and services and the bringing of these goods and services to their consumers. Harmonizing to Barnes ( p.56 ) , the operations direction of fast nutrient eating house is gauged by its ability to efficaciously implement a thorough system of self-audits. Furthermore, the operations director should see developing the staff adequately on the best methods before spread outing the operations of Impressive Burgers PLC. This will guarantee that adequate capacity has been built prior to spread outing substructure and operations in general. At this point, the operations director would prefer to take stock of the staff Numberss and compare this with the clients that they serve. This would efficaciously take to the director finding the best manner of guaranting that the caput count is all right. In add-on, the operations director should besides guarantee that the kitchen installations are at a good province and run into the demands of the catering section. New equipment may be acquired. Finally, before implementing the enlargement, the operations director should develop a manual that stipulates how to execute fundamentally all undertakings within the fast nutrient concatenation. This manual will be used as a processs book to steer the current and new employees on the best patterns that should be utilized in developing first-class fast nutrient solutions. This will so be followed by a complete makeover of the fast nutrient eating house. The makeover will imply geting new seats and spread outing the bing sitting country to guarantee that more clients are accommodated at any given clip. Furthermore, the clients should be informed prior to this since the enlargement will impact the fast nutrient eating house ‘s operations for a twosome of yearss as the redevelopments and enlargements go on. It will merely be just to give a month ‘s notice, therefore guaranting that the clients are good informed beforehand. This may be done via the media or through postings and hoardings. Impressive Burgers PLC should besides offer a broad scope of fast nutrient merchandises and more menu solutions. This will guarantee that the fast nutrient giant serves the demands of its diverse clients. A limited bill of fare frequently turns off the clients as they seek other eating houses that offer a broad assortment of picks. Impressive Burgers PLC will hold to put in client ailments or suggestion box at the entryway of the eating house. Similarly, clients who are infuriated by the service offered to them should be handled on the topographic point and taken to a separate room where they will be offered with particular advice. This war room should be located within the eating house and should hold a dedicated staff to cater for the few complains that may be witnessed. Shim and Siegel ( p.44 ) insinuates that many organisations are so caught up in quandary when it comes to guaranting that the house efficaciously implements its enlargement schemes. The key to the success of Impressive Burgers PLC would be first-class client service. Therefore, this should be at the dorsum of every head when finding the enlargement schemes. The client is the most of import individual to be considered in spread outing the operations of Impressive Burgers PLC. Hence, it is imperative that the operations director develops a prescribed manner of managing clients therefore debaring any client ailments that may ensue in the procedure. It is so true that client service is the lone manner to guaranting that the house succeeds in its quest to stand out in the fast nutrient industry. Therefore, it is of import for the house to guarantee that there are effectual ways of pull offing enlargement schemes. Impressive Burgers PLC should spread out to new mercantile establishments by first of all bettering its operations in the current subdivisions. This will guarantee that the company emerges a success in its operations and therefore giving the best fast nutrient solutions to its clients. Rationale behind the company ‘s jobs and suggestionsImpressive Burgers PLC faces a myriad of jobs, most of which emanate from within. First and first, the company faces the job of limited bill of fare solutions. As discussed earlier, fast nutrient clients frequently seek a broad assortment of bill of fare which are largely alien in nature and unique to each client. This is because ; the clients have been to other fast nutrient eating houses and have tasted different bill of fares. They therefore seek a alone bill of fare. Most of the clients who frequent Impressive Warren burgers have complained of eating the same nutrient ever. They seek different bill of fare that will offer them a alone experience. Hence, Impressive Burgers should seek and present more bill of fares into their operations to guarantee that clients have a broad assortment of picks. The principle behind this job is that there is deficiency of flexibleness and inventions. The burden of guaranting that there is equal bill of fares solutions lies with the operations director who is charged with the duty of introducing and presenting new bill of fare into the fast nutrient eating house ‘s operations ( Slack, Chambers and Johnston, p.38 ) . This would guarantee increased success in footings of functioning clients and guaranting effectual systems for prolonging the fast nutrient eating houses. The end of Impressive Burgers is the proviso of fast take away nutrient to their clients rapidly and of a higher quality to that of their challengers. They foremost set out with a common bill of fare for all their eating houses who offered a simple bill of fare construction with a pick of six set repast options.Burger, Chips & A ; Soft DrinkCheese Burger, Chips & A ; amp ; Soft DrinkChicken Burger, Chips & A ; amp ; Soft DrinkVegetarian Burger, Chips & A ; Soft DrinkThe picks were served with picks of sizes ; regular, medium or big for each repast. The size of the french friess and drinks parts varied but the Burger size remained the same. Using this format they were able to function each client their order within 4 proceedingss from an ordination at the boulder clay to having their complete order to take away. Impressive Burgers end was met because they efficaciously served they client in 4 proceedingss, the unvarying repasts meant that the client was in a place to do a speedy order based on anterior cognition of the bill of fare. Fixed bill of fare meant that there was uniformity in their concatenation of eating houses, fixed repasts reduced on telling clip and the readying clip ; this earned them a good repute as a fast nutrient articulation and hence increasing their client base. The addition in clients meant that they had good net income borders that enabled them to spread out. They added more eating houses and more picks of nutrient on the bill of fare to give their consumers assortment and to provide for the wellness scruples clients. The scheme of impressive Burgers to spread out was good at the clip, as they felt assurance in the market. Following the enlargement of the eating houses, they were an immediate diminution in the overall public presentation of their program and net incomes started worsening with a loss in the loom. On the other manus, there have been complains from the clients sing the mode in which the staff act towards the clients. There have been studies of agitated and ill-mannered staff that are frequently insensitive to the clients ‘ demands. Harmonizing to the operations director, the staffs are underpaid therefore offering service that does non run into the criterions of a quality fast nutrient eating house. Staff may be heard hulling abuses at each other and frequently click when they are asked a inquiry by the client. This issue of staff agitation may be addressed by presenting a codification of moralss that will adhere the wonts and operations of each staff member. Stern disciplinary action should be taken against any staff member that contravenes the codification of moralss. In consequence, this would guarantee that staff members do non exhibit their differences in the unfastened. Staffs who are found to be misconducting even after subscribing the codification of moralss should hence be dismissed summarily. Similarly, first clip errors should justify warnings. The other solution to bad staff behaviour would be to present a system of self-audits where other staff would be able to measure the behaviour of the others through a good co-ordinated procedure. In other words, the procedure would be carried out often and staffs who are implicated continuously by the remainder should be summoned and reprimanded efficaciously. Harmonizing to Schroeder ( p.67 ) , concerns should implement the best patterns that are formidable to the public presentation of the company. Impressive Burgers PLC besides faces a major job with the orders made by clients. Staffs frequently have jobs presenting the requested orders ; the orders are either uncomplete or wrong, therefore taking to a waste of clip by the helping staffs. The sum of clip taken to function clients has increased enormously to 9 proceedingss from the old 4 proceedingss. Most of the clients are happening it hard to wait that long as evidenced by the frequent walk outs. It is so shocking that clients should wait for that long earlier being served. Possibly the best manner to cover with this job would be to develop the staff adequately on the ways of covering with the clients ‘ petitions. Customers ‘ petitions should be compactly acted upon. The staffs should be retrained by the operations director on the best patterns. Furthermore, the staffs should be made to be accountable for their errors. This manner, they will be able to take orders right and accurately. This will cut down the hold clip between the clip that the client makes his order to the clip they receive it. The operations director should see a alteration of staff functioning the clients. This will possibly guarantee that the clients are served with qualified and capable staffs. Capable staffs should be able to cut down the holds between the order clip and the clip the clients receives their orders. The job of waste has every bit aggravated within Impressive Burgers PLC. There is a deficiency of a clear waste direction system. It is frequently to meet foul odor at the dorsum of the eating house which is as a consequence of ungathered refuse. Waste direction is imperative since it ensures that there is sufficient direction of the refuse that emanates from the fast nutrient eating house. This is an of import portion of the operations direction ( Johnston, p.13 ) . The solution to this would be to consequence an effectual waste direction system that would guarantee that there is a waste direction system. Bettering overall operationImpressive Warren burgers should so accommodate schemes that would be imperative in bettering its overall operations. The steadfast intends to open up new subdivisions fast nutrient ironss across the state. The house will necessitate to transport out a feasibleness survey. There are several ways in which the operations can be expanded in bettering its overall enlargement scheme. It is imperative that the enlargement procedure is successful by all agencies. The overall operations would be improved by foremost guaranting that there is a clip frame to the enlargement plan of the fast nutrient eating house. Allocating a specific clip will assist maintain path of the advancement that has been made by the operations director in the enlargement of the house ‘s operations. There should so be a set of protocols that will regulate the enlargement of the fast nutrient concatenation. In bettering the overall operation, the operations director will further guarantee that there are equal staffing demands to run into the operational demands of the fast nutrient concatenation eating house. The figure of staff should be equal to be able to manage the enlargement undertakings of the house. Furthermore, the staffs should be adequately trained to be able to manage the undertakings sufficiently and with accomplishment. This will non merely limit waste, but guarantee that the undertakings associating to the enlargement of the fast nutrient concatenation are being performed professionally. There should be a good organized concatenation of bid that will steer the operations of the enlargement enterprises. Bettley, Mayle and Tantoush ( p.79 ) reveal that houses should be advanced in guaranting that they adequately meet the market demands and present first-class client solutions. The incorporation of healthier repasts in the bill of fare and a assortment of picks of nutrient in the bill of fare, attracted more clients to the eating houses. The enlargement of the eating houses did non besides involve the enlargement of the installations ; the Numberss of the workers remained the same. This meant that the same figure of workers had to utilize the same readying machines to fix more and varied repasts. At the same the assortment of repasts attracted more clients ; the same figure of workers had to function a larger figure of clients. This meant that the functioning times had increased dramatically and it now took an norm of 9 proceedingss for a client to be served. The figure of client ailments has increased ; the chief ailments include ill-mannered and agitated staff and incorrect or uncomplete orders. The ground for rude and agitated workers was the fact that they had to do more repasts with fewer resources while functioning more clients. Both client and worker were non satisfied, the worker felt over worked, the assortment in orders and the figure of clients meant that orders were served incorrect with losing ingredients or they were incorrect orders. The deficiency of an enlargement of the equipment and the add-on of the workers together with the varied bill of fare meant that the helping clip for any bill of fare doubled. Customers now complained of a whole nine proceedingss from order to functioning compared to their earlier record of four proceedingss, and even longer if the order was incorrect. The ailments of the client agitated the worker, the workers had to cover with a more complex bill of fare, the ratio of client to worker was immense, the force per unit area on the worker was great, and this caused agitation in them. The agitated worker so passed their defeat onto the client, the client felt insulted and this caused them to go forth the eating houses, doing a diminution in ingestion. Another ground for the diminution in concern was the fact that the quality of nutrient in the eating houses declined, the direction stuck to their old modus operandi of telling for goods one time in a hebdomad, while their demand for the resources increased as clients increased. They had targeted the wellness witting clients with healthier nutrients, but these nutrients are merely good if they are fresh, a wellness witting client requires fresh green goods. Foods that are delivered one time a hebdomad are non considered to be fresh. The 2nd fact was that workers were non able to work with the limited installations ; this implied that there were high losingss in the kitchen. More green goods was ordered for but they had to hive away in the same iceboxs. The demotivator workers could non bring forth quality nutrient from the fact that they were tired from the big bill of fares that required excessively many inside informations. With their productiveness down the workers served hapless quality nutrient that was both non fresh but besides severely prepared. A deficiency of using more workers to fulfill the increasing figure of consumers meant that, the workers could non efficaciously function them and the same clip maintain up with their responsibilities. This meant that the hygiene of the constitution went down. Poor hygienic criterions, bad nutrient and hapless services lead the clients to be dissatisfied. These factors lead to the diminution of the clients, a diminution in the clients and a combination of losingss from waste lead to low net incomes. In decision, Impressive Warren burgers would be able to spread out into opening new subdivisions of the fast nutrient eating houses. The fast nutrients concatenation will accomplish this through holding trained staff and adequate fiscal resources. Hence, Impressive Burgers will be able to form a perfect mix of new schemes aimed at bettering the operations of the house. The house will besides be able to cut down waste and clip taken to function its clients efficaciously. This will give the house an border against its rivals. Plants CitedBarnes David. Operations direction: an international position. Edinburgh: Cengage Learning EMEA, 2008. Bettley Alison, David Mayle, and Tarek Tantoush. Operations direction: a strategic attack. Boston: Sage, 2005. Johnston Robert. Cases in operations direction. 3rd erectile dysfunction. London: FT Prentice Hall, 2003. Krajewski Lee J. , Larry P. Ritzman, and Manoj K. Malhotra. Operations Management. 9th erectile dysfunction. Sydney: Prentice Hall, 2009. Schroeder Roger G. Operations direction: modern-day constructs and instances. 3rd erectile dysfunction. Washington: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007. Shim Jae K. , and Joel G. Siegel. Operations Management. New York: Barron ‘s Educational Series, 1999. Slack Nigel, Stuart Chambers, and Robert Johnston. Operations direction. 5th erectile dysfunction. Berlin: Prentice Hall/Financial Times, 2007.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

A Brief Note On Man Made Water Crisis

Water Conservation and Pollution In the world today, water scarcity persists in being an unnerving issue. The world’s supply of water is diminishing and is further narrowed by pollution. Without measures taken to conserve our water, there will be a global and chronic drought. As long as water is scarce, it is imperative to develop proposals concerning water conservation and pollution. Although water is one of the most abundant resources on the planet, we are not able to utilize the majority of it†¦ excessive amount of water. I am guilty of taking this resource for granted by taking long showers, not using a stopper while washing dishes, thus leaving the hot water running for far too long, and washing less than a full load of clothing on multiple occasions. Rather than wasting all of the water that I use in the shower and while cleaning dishes in the sink, I could have been reusing it as greywater. Greywater is household wastewater that can be reused to clean household items or water the lawn and garden†¦ International Incidents You Outlined Previously Various main thrusts added to the foundation of various arrangements and settlements for instance: 1. Division of Capitalist and Communist Bloc that brought about Cold War under the political choice made by the President Truman 2. The North Atlantic Treaty that brought about foundation of NATO 3. Southeast Asia Treaty and the Chinese and Korean Wars 4. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty between the US and the USSR 5. Begin I arms control settlement†¦ 1. Most of the total water withdrawals in France are used by the Industry: 24. 48 billion m3 followed by municipal water use of 5.49 billion m3 and agricultural water use 3.143 billion m3. In percentages industrial water withdrawals represent 73.93%, agricultural water withdrawals represent 9.49 % and municipal 16.58 %. http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/data/query/index.html?lang=en (Aquastat) In comparison the world water withdrawals used by industry in 2007 are 734 km3 or 19 % of the total†¦ problems: the Syrian Refugee Crisis. As millions of Syrians are displaced by the Syrian Civil War, they attempt to seek refuge in surrounding foreign nations. So far, the countries of the world have only addressed the crisis by deciding the fate of the refugees that cling to their borders. However, these individual policies are ineffective in addressing the whole problem. In fact, these unified strategies have led to creation of additional problems, expanding the crisis into new countries on an unimpeded†¦ Foreclosure â€Å"victims†? People can be victims of fires and floods. I think it is a stretch to call someone a victim of a foreclosure. When people face a crisis, they usually want to be warriors as opposed to victims. They are better served by empowerment as opposed to pity. Boomerang seems like a fun nickname though. I would stick with Boomerang Buyers. It has that double B as well as the root word BOOM. All foreclosures are not the same. Some deals were so bad that nothing would have prevented†¦ Currently, Asia is in a large, rising water crisis that is leaving many populations with difficulty in finding clean water. Urbanization, agriculture, rising population, and overuse of water has led to the rising crisis. Throughout many of the countries in Asia, the rising water crisis is dominating government decisions, lifestyles, and the economy. Many may think that water is an unlimited source that is always replenish able, and overuse it and waste it in vast amounts. Sadly, this is catching†¦ Flint Michigan Water Crisis Many would argue that the United States is the best country on this earth. Millions of immigrants have come here for a better life because United States opened its doors to welcome those seeking political and religious freedom as well as the "adventurer, the wanderer, the persecuted, the fortune seekers, and others" (Arizaga, 2007). Immigrants built up the United States from the very beginning. This country was, and continues to be a kaleidoscope of ethnic and cultural†¦ Safety is a priceless commodity. Nevertheless, Syrian migrants paying an average of 2500 euro ($2840) to be smuggled into European nations would argue otherwise. The Syrian refugee crisis continues to be an international issue as the United States and other non-European nations begin to extend asylum offers to refugees, while European nations hope the 230 million euros they have invested in researching methods to hinder illegal immigration will prove successful in combatting refugees looking to immigrate†¦ In September of 2015, the image of 3 year old Aylan Kurdi 's lifeless body being pulled from Turkish waters forced the world to shift its collective gaze towards Syria where thousands of individuals were risking their lives in order to flee their war-torn country. What began as a civil war, has resulted in the largest displacement of individuals since World War II. The Syrian refugee crisis is one of the most pressing issues that the world is facing today. The influx of refugees into neighbouring†¦

Friday, September 27, 2019

Bahrain World Trade Centre Technical Report Essay

Bahrain World Trade Centre Technical Report - Essay Example What makes it unique is the fact that it was the first skyscraper in the world to have wind turbines into its design. The Bahrain World Trade Centre is constructed in close proximity of the King Faisal Highway, near population landmarks such as the Bahrain financial harbor, the National Bank of Bahrain and the scenic pearl roundabout. The building offers an un-obstructed view over the Arabian Gulf. It currently ranks as the second tallest building in Bahrain after the twin towers of the Bahrain Financial Harbour. Architecture and Physical Characteristics The Bahrain World Trade Centre is a revolutionary building as it is well equipped with inbuilt large scale wind turbines that supply 15% of the entire building’s electricity supply (Atkins 2012). The two 50 storey tapered, sail shaped architectural design of BWTC with a height of 240m is the only of its kind in the world to integrate wind turbines into its twin tower design. The Bahrain World Trade Centre master plan comprises of twin office towers, an associated single-storey huge shopping mall with a 30,000 square meters of exclusive boutiques and multi-brand retail outlets, departmental stores, food and beverage outlets, a car parking services, mother and baby rooms and a children’s entertainment and landscaped areas. ... Each tower provides 34 flexible floor plates ranging 120 to 820 sq.m area for offices and an exclusive 42nd floor viewing deck (Binder 2006). The BWTCs with a distinct nautical theme is a modern interpretation of traditional Arabian wind towers. Each of the towers is visibly anchored to the ground by a concertina of curved sail-like structure. The most distinct feature of the design is the integration of large- scale, commercially-available renewable wind energy turbines into a sustainable architecture design. The podium of the Bahrain World Business Centre accommodates a single-storey extension to the existing shopping mall and it does reflect the already established modular, axial and spatial parameters. Three levels of covered car parking space are available within the podium with further extensive parking and service areas provided in the basement. The Bahrain World Trade Centre Location of the wind parameters The Bahrain World Trade Centre was situated along the highway so as to fully harness the Persian Gulf winds since the wind in Bahrain is almost always consistent. The Bahrain World Trade Centre has three 29m horizontal axis turbines suspended between two-story 34 story towers of prime office space. Both of these towers have been designed to catch and accelerate the prevailing mild coastal winds of Bahrain. The design of this complex provides for three 29m diameter wind turbines that are supported horizontally between the two towers. The elliptical plan form and sail-like tapered design of both towers acts as aerofoil and it funnels and lifts the onshore breeze flowing from Persian Gulf. The wind funneling and lifting of air behind the towers due to tapered design creates a negative

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Controversy Surrounding the law on the Positive Role of the French Essay

The Controversy Surrounding the law on the Positive Role of the French Presence Overseas - Essay Example This law, otherwise known as the 'February 23, 2005' law, was passed quietly in February of 2005, but came to prominence in the autumn when there was an overwhelming vote by conservative deputies against a bid to revoke the phrase. This touched off on a debate about whether France, whose empire ended in bloody wars in Indochina and Algeria, had learnt from its colonial experience. The trouble started in February when lawmakers quietly slipped a clause into a bill requiring schools to "recognize in particular the positive character of the French overseas presence, notably in North Africa." Some of the key players in this situation would be: President Jacques Chirac of Paris, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, Gilles Manceron, and Olivier Petre-Grenouilleau - a respected historian who was accused of making statements in an interview which implied that the slave trade was not a crime against humanity. (In fact, he said that it didn't constitute genocide). Gilles Manceron noted that for some historians, the treatment of the harkis exemplifies how France has basically failed to deal with aspects of its past, saying "The state put them in military camps or in isolated camps in forests, cut off from the rest of the French population. This isolation is comparable to the treatment of indigenous people in the colonies." (Gehmlich, 2006). Hamlaoui Mekachera, junior minister for veterans' affairs who is also of Algerian origin and in fact actually fought for the French army during the Algerian war, praised the law, saying it was "a historic moment for people of all origins who have been repatriated." He went on to say, "The current debate must not allow us to forget the real range of measures (the law) contains." (Geimlich, 2006). Who Wants a Repeal of the law and who Does not, and why More than 1000 historians, writers and intellectuals have signed a petition demanding the repeal of this law. "In retaining only the positive aspects of colonialism this law imposes an official lie on massacres that at times went as far as genocide on the slave trade, and on the racism that France has inherited," says the petition, which has also been signed by one of France's best-loved humorists, Guy Bedos, and a leading film director, Patrice Chereau. The principal objection to the law is

Historiography of the Failures of the Late Medieval Papacy Essay

Historiography of the Failures of the Late Medieval Papacy - Essay Example Particularly, their views on the causes of the fall of the papacy between 1400 and 1800 will be reviewed and compared. Reasons Ullmann’s main position with regards to the decline of the papacy during the late Middle Ages is that it was caused by the Church’s secularization. He has provided several arguments for this position. The most important of these is the allusion to the Great Schism that culminated in 1400s as the greatest crisis in the history of papacy, which, according to him, finally sank the institution enormously in European regard, dragging the Church with it as the world watched deeply pained and scandalized with the way the Church conducted its affairs during the period. There are several underlying issues entailed in this event. And these are excellently demonstrated in the way Ullmann recounted the elections of the pope. He cited the year-long process wherein the College of Cardinals elected a pope early in the fourteenth century with such bitterness of the debates and intrigue. A French-sponsored candidate was elected and because of this the papacy was moved to France wherein six consecutive French popes ruled until 1377 when the papacy finally returned to Rome. The election of the next pope saw rioting in Rome, as people clamored for a Roman pope, fearing further French influence. Ullmann highlighted how conclave, fearing for their lives, elected an Italian, who turned out later on to be not of their liking. According to Ullmann, the Reformation is not the fundamental reason for the decline of the papal authority and power. It was the succession of individuals whose sole qualifications were their wealth and Italian social status that made the papal institution fade into the background. The series of developments afterwards would then become the height of the so-called Great Schism, which severely damaged the papacy. Several popes would hold office at the same time, with a number of Church councils asserting their power further a ggravating the situation. Ullmann identified the Fifth Lateran Council, the last medieval council that aimed to reform the Church, as one of the demonstrations by which the Great Schism has damaged the papal institution: The papacy here showed itself in perhaps its worst light: instead of insisting upon the enforcement of the law it dispensed with from the observation of these decrees. And in so doing the whole panoply of papal weapons including the plenitude of power, was invoked. In a way, the fifth Lateran Council was a conciliar swan song of the medieval papacy and the precursor of Trent in this same century.1 Meanwhile, Misner also echoed Ullmann’s position, that the Church decline as undermined by the papacy has been a consequence of the corruption of the popes. Central to this argument is the system of infallibility, which, in Misner’s view, â€Å"formed a vicious cycle in which the Roman communion had imprisoned itself without hope of escape.†2 An import ant variable must be highlighted here. Misner also believed that the papal institution and the mechanisms and systems that it entails, had, not only corrupted the personalities that held the office but also provided no means of escape or alternative for a pope to pursue reform or impose a righteous regime. He noted that the pope was merely a figurehead and instrument of the system and that the Pope’s primacy could only be sustained if he upholds a corrupt system. The corruption

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Romantic music in Renaissance painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Romantic music in Renaissance painting - Essay Example Another purpose of Romantic music was that it had non-musical influences. Changes and events that occur in the society such as discoveries, ideas, inventions, attitudes and historical events which will affect the music at all the time. For instance, by early 19th century the industrial revolution was in fully effective and it had a great effect on music. One effect was that there were great improvements in the mechanical valves. This meant that due to the innovative instruments music could be played with more simplicity and easiness. Also the instruments became more reliable. Development in music was also caused by increase of middle class. Composers previously lived on the benefaction of the aristocracy. The audience was small most of the times and the music was only composed by people who had music knowledge and the upper class ones. On the other hand romantic composers wrote mainly for public festivals and concerts, they had large audiences. Nationalism was another theme during Ro mantic era. For instance, Jean Sibelius is mainly read to represent the Finland nation which was rising during that period and which was expecting to gain freedom one day from the Russians. Another example of musical nationalism which is well seen in the productivity of the romantic ages is where Joseph Machlis states that`` Poland’s struggle for freedom from tsarist rule aroused the national poet in Poland.† The development of Renaissance painting is an odd age in the history. It is not only that the time.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Professional Sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Professional Sports - Essay Example The analysis of the advertising campaign made it evident that NHL’s â€Å"Inside the Warrior† campaign is an example of exploring the crisis masculinity in the field of sports. The articles made it evident that without the presence of a masculine character in sports, the success of that is a cause of concern. In the similar milieu, the NHL’s success will be in doubt for public consumption, without the presence of a masculine figure. A number of scholars have argued that the presence of masculine character is vital in every field so as to fulfill the objectives and serve the purpose. In the words of Connell, 2005; Edwards, 2006; Messner, 1992, â€Å"MacInnes and other scholars within sociological and cultural studies suggest that men, both individually and collectively, are experiencing a displacement of male power/privilege regarding their customary roles in institutions such as politics, employment, education, and family.† Despite several literature debat es pertaining to the veracity, scenery, and potential effects of a crisis of masculinity remain unresolved. Whannel (1999) suggests, â€Å"Whether or not there is a crisis, there certainly is a lot of talk of one† (p. 254). In the next half of the study, a critique of the article that describes the impact of masculinity crisis in the field of sports will be done. CRITIQUE At the outset, I would like to throw light on the fact that sport is medium that provides man to prove his masculinity. I would not compare the levels to which different sports offer different levels of masculinity, but what I would like to shed light upon is the role played by hockey in showcasing one’s masculinity or the other way where an individual gets the opportunity to reflect upon his masculine ability. I agree with the thoughts put forward in the article that the visual representation in the form of looks and appearance are extremely important. As mentioned in the article that â€Å"The visu al representations of men circulated by the media, including those available through advertising and marketing campaigns, provide benchmarks of masculinity against which some men measure themselves† clearly exemplifies the statement made above is true. However, the role of the promotional media is important as they are the one who are responsible for creating the image of the sports person. On the contrary a good image always does not resemble a masculine image and the question of masculine image is also a subject of debate among the scholars and practitioners around the world. Arguably, the various forms of masculinity portrayed through advertising can contribute to social constructions of the crisis of masculinity. According to my opinion masculinity can be conceptualized in a number of forms and one of forms which I believe is the sportsperson’s ability to appeal to the audience. Hence I agree to the articles where it mentions masculinity â€Å"involves persuasion o f the greater part of the population, particularly through the media, and the organization of social institutions in ways that appear ‘

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Healthcare mangement - Delivery and service - team work Essay

Healthcare mangement - Delivery and service - team work - Essay Example A better knowledge and development of skills of every individual is improved by their participation. The welfare of the team and the set goal gains a upper hand than the personal development and motives of an individual within the team (Growing a team, 2011). In a healthcare setting the members of a team work together to provide care for patients. For instance a physician and physiotherapist may work together to provide care for a patient (Clements, Dault & Alicia, n.d). In many cases the team leader can include several members within the team which can result in an unbalance and incase the team includes only people with a particular expertise only a specific area is focused and developed while gaps are left in the other areas. Many individuals within a team may have a feeling that their talents are underutilized within the team. In case the leader is unable to motivate the members, the work output often is not satisfactory and is left incomplete. In case of such differences, all the team members do not get their fill which is also reflected in the final result (Growing a team, 2011). In healthcare team work constitutes an important aspect for providing patient care. The collaborative efforts of both the physician and other paramedics would help to provide optimum care and treatment for the patients as the specific skills of everyone in the team results in improved outcomes for the patient.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Incumbents and Their Re-election Essay Example for Free

Incumbents and Their Re-election Essay Statistical research suggests that in 1998 a total of 395 Representatives and 26 Senators were reelected (U. S. Census, 2000). Since the middle of the 20th century and up to the present time, the process of re-electing incumbents has turned into one of the major political trends. The more incumbents sought to reestablish themselves in political office, the more concerned political scholars became about the causes and factors of such political advantage. The current state of political research suggests that a whole set of factors predetermines incumbents’ continuous political success, with access to media and excessive financial resources being the most important elements of political fight. True, those trying to become the members of political office for the first time often lack sufficient political opportunities, compared to resources, which incumbents can access and use in their election campaigns. Reelection of incumbents has already turned into the major political trend in the U. S. , and there are several reasons for that. To begin with, incumbents are frequently referred to as â€Å"the perks of Office†; in other words, all Congress members are given enough material and nonmaterial resources to hire professional staff, whose primary responsibility is to turn their Congress employers into well-represented, widely recognized and well-liked political figures (McKay 140). For example, incumbents can send postage-free letters to their constituents, and can use these as a part of their promotional political campaigns (McKay 140). These are just some out of many benefits which Congress members are being granted by the state. Time is just another component of incumbents’ success in Congress. It should be noted, that Congress is incumbents’ full-time job, and meeting voters, resolving local issues, and participating in public events and television shows are what they are being paid for. It appears that for many potential candidates to run for office and to try to combat an existing Congress member would mean to face the lack of media and financial resources, which for the current Congress members are available on a regular basis (McKay 147). Certainly, all these benefits would be irrelevant and unimportant if not for the image promotion and visibility of all Congress members. It is difficult to deny the fact that â€Å"sitting members of Congress are almost universally recognized in their districts† (Cusdi). This visibility is the direct result of one’s running for office, and after having served two or more years for Congress, its members become widely recognized and accepted among their constituents; and voters are more likely to give their vote to those whom they already know for their Congressional achievements than those, who just start their political career. It should also be noted, that such political visibility is directly associated with incumbents’ ability to organize their promotional campaigns. Having won at least one election campaign, an incumbent is more prepared to face the major political and organizational challenges than his (her) political opponents (McKay 152). Finally, these are financial resources that predetermine incumbents’ political successes. McKay writes that â€Å"for both senators and representatives, money has become a crucial resource in congressional elections. With voters acting in response to the appeal of individual candidates rather than to parties, both incumbents and challengers must ensure that the voters know who they are and what their record is† (169). It appears that in terms of money, incumbents also have significant comparative advantage over political outsiders. Average financial resources available to incumbents are 2-3 times higher than those available to challengers, which makes it impossible for the latter to develop well-grounded media campaigns. For example, in 2002 many Republican incumbents took advantage of â€Å"fundraising visits by President Bush during the 2002 election cycle† (Smith, Roberts Wielen 74). As a result, incumbents have much more chances to win elections for the second time, and will hardly give their position away to political outsiders. Conclusion A whole set of advantages works to provide incumbents with an opportunity to be reelected. Time, visibility, access to media, and excessive financial resources – all these factors make incumbents less vulnerable to political changes and give them a kind of comparative advantage over political challengers. On the one hand, these advantages seem to make elections unfair, but on the other hand, political outsiders have to develop convincing argumentation that would persuade constituents to change their political commitments, and to give a political beginner a unique chance to run for office.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Analysis of Food Supply Chain Models

Analysis of Food Supply Chain Models Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Globalization in Food Industry background Since last decade, Globalization is a trend in the food industry due to growing potential markets in various developing countries and changing consumption pattern of the people. Integration of international food markets and increasing expansion in international markets of the firms is the most significant trends in global economy. Market liberalization and scientific progress gave rise to globalization. Even though consumer diets are gradually changing globally; there are variations in food shopping patterns around the world which is mostly based on income levels. The focus of food retailing industry in developing and developed countries was different with respect to consumers and the type of food demanded. The trend was that the developing countries retailers focused on high value food while the developed countries retailers focused on meeting consumer demand with respect to quality, security and choices. Thus various retailers are now looking at exploring new markets and using more opportunities in different kinds of developed and developing markets. Retailers have the information regarding the consumer preference and the standard of living which in then applied for research in segmenting the market according to market demand, affordability as well as quality. Hence food retail sectors is continuously growing and making innovative sale systems. The global food retail sale has increased up to $2 trillion yearly and the top 15 global supermarket companies’ account for more than 30 percent of world supermarket sales. Bourlakis (2004) opines that â€Å"The current changes are driving food supply chains to take up coordination between producers and retailers to aid modifying products to meet consumer demands. The food supply chain progressed from series of shorter, independent transfers to more unified, coherent relationship between processors, manufacturers and retailers†. Lubbers (1997) refer to the term globalization, meaning the global sourcing of raw materials combined with local marketing. Stalk and Hout (1990), Christopher (1992) and Hewitt (1994) suggested that â€Å"The keys to long-term competitive advantage in today’s marketplace are flexibility andcustomer response†. To maximize a competitive advantage, all members within the Supply Chain should ‘seamlessly’ work together to serve the end consumer (Towill, 1997).The effects of globalization (i.e. open markets), the market entranceof new competitors, and stricter governmental requirements for food safety and environment friendlyproduction place increasing demands on management. This study will examine some of the food supply chain models, evaluating it whether the consumer preferences are bringing changes in the global food supply chain model. Further effort will be made to analyze the changing patterns of traditional and evolving model for existing food supply chains and how it affects the sale and demand of foods in the market. With the introduction of supermarkets in the 21st century more and more traditional grocery outlets have suffered a fall in share from 40 percent in 1995 to 36 percent in 2005 and thus their was rise of supermarkets (Neff 1997a).Thus globalization has come into picture where more and more supermarkets are establishing in various countries due to decline in international trade barriers and more opportunities for investments as well as growth as a multinational. 1.2 Statement of The Problem There are various factors which affect the global food supply chain pattern and every stage of supply chain undergoes some kind uncertainties which cause inefficiencies in firm’s logistics. Food industry is also facing various issues regarding proper planning of distribution system which incurred a high cost to the retailers. Due to high competition and growth in the retail sector, many manufacturers and retailers have understood that there can be significant amount of cost reduction by making improvements in logistics. This can be achieved when the suppliers and the manufacturers work together to give better value to the consumer by maximizing costumer satisfaction and minimizing cost of distribution. Thus there is a need to redesigning a supply chain model. UK’s Milk supply chain is one of the complex food supply chains.UK is considered as one of the largest milk producers in EU. However, the major concern for UK is that even if the UK is mainly self-reliant in milk, the value of UK exports of milk products is significantly lower than the value of imports and in 2007 the UK had a trade deficit of about  £881m in dairy products. (Defra, 2007).Several reason have been estimated which has led to issues in dairy sector in UK.Thus the above issues raised a demand for further in-depth investigation. They thus form the basis for this study. 1.3 Purpose of The Study The purpose of study is to examine the food supply chain model present in global food industry as well as UK’s milk production and supply chain in particular. Specially, the purpose of the study was: To identify the changing food system pattern in food manufacturing and retailing globally. To highlight conventional and developing model for existing food supply chains and to asses its affects on the global food market. To find out the socio-economics impact of changing pattern of food supply chain on society. To study the supply chain models and to examine how the model could be designed more effectively and efficiently in order to improve supply chain uncertainties. To examine the reason of decline in the milk supplies in UK which leads to decrease in milk exports and increase in milk import even if UK is self sufficient in milk production. 1.4 Research Questions To provide focus and direction for the study and to successfully carry it out, the following research questions have been raised: a) Do the changing pattern of food distribution system have an effect on consumer and retailer’s relationship? (b) If they do, in what ways it effect the consumers? What changes should be undertaken to improve on distribution system? Which are the important factors for food supply chain developments and the important characteristics of the food retail sectors, and their effects on the food supply chain? What is the need to redesign food supply chains model? What are the strategic, tactical and operational decision made for food supply chain decision like production and distribution? How globalization in food industry has helped in growth of the world economy? Has the retail sector become more powerful then food manufacturing sector? What are the issues in Milk supply chain in UK? What is the reason for higher import of milk? What is the percentage of production of processed milk products in UK? What are the demand and supply of these milk products? 1.5 Significance of The Study This research work is to look at the current supply chain process in UK and evaluate the food supply chain model in order find out the changing patterns of global food supply chain which affects the consumer. Thus the study is significant for the following reasons: First it will help shed light on the ongoing transformation in the food industry globally. It will also help us to understand certain issues which exist in different processes of supply chain management. Also findings from the study may serve as a basis for evaluation of entire food supply systems which has shifted from national to global retailing. This will help them to adopt feasible measures to improve the relationships between retailers, manufacturers and consumer. The study will also contribute to existing knowledge on what encouraged the retailers, distributors and manufacturers to improve on the efficiencies of existing food systems. This could help strengthen retailing internalization which will further help in focusing more on increasing sale growth and market share than on profitability. The growth in private label and consumer interest brought about new changes in food retailing. In this way, the study will serve as basis for further research on the topic in the various countries as well as all over the world for the particular type of food product supply chain. Further case study is performed on UK dairy industry. It will address the positive as well as negative aspects in this sector. It also points out the market share for each dairy product and issues in dairy sector. The study also suggests the scope for future innovations in this sector. 1.6 Organization of The Study The study is organized in following way: Chapter one provides general information of the study, the research problem, purpose of study and research questions and objective of study. It would also present information on the significance of the study, limitation and organization of the study. Chapter Two presents background information and key characteristic of food supply chain globally. Chapter Three presents a review of available literature related to supply chain. In particular, literature on the concept of changing global supply chains perspectives as well as the socio economic effect on the people due to change in food supply chain as well as relationship between society and changing supply chain will be studied. Chapter four focuses on the dairy food supply chain model, its characteristics and future of the dairy supply chain sector. It will also focus on issues in production of milk and milk products. Chapter five presents the summary and conclusion of the research findings. It also discusses the findings and implications of the present study and provide a conclusion. Chapter 2 Backgroud 2.1. Introducing global retail industry Last year in 2007, national statistics confirmed that there were 55,540 retailers having around 103,000 retail outlets globally. The world’s major food retail companies are Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Carrefour Group, The Kroger Co, Metro AG and many more. This company originates from different countries like US, France, Germany but they have made their mark in international markets also. Wal-Mart being the leader has expanded in over 9 countries and operates nearly 1,300 outlets across North America, South America, Europe and Asia. After acquiring the large market share in developed countries, these major retailers are looking at developing markets like China and India. There is extreme competition in retail markets because companies are always looking for acquisition prospects for further expansion. White et al., 2004, opined that â€Å"there is speculation that Carrefour, the world’s second biggest retailer by revenue may be in the sights of Wal-Mart, the only retailer that is bigger, which unsurprisingly, recently signalled it would like to start expanding more aggressively in Europe†. Reduced trade barriers and regulations have facilitated the global companies to enter the markets of developing economies like India while in China the government has increased the barriers in order to increase the competition between the global companies. Grocery and Food retailing are getting concentrated. According to the Euromoniter report 2007, â€Å"the mature markets of Western European and US markets along with growing saturation in Eastern Europe have turned retailers focus to the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) markets, which show extraordinary growth potential†. Retailers are developing retailing strategies by doing market research specific to a particular geographical region and then using technical innovations and marketing knowledge to develop in that area. There are large formatted supermarkets, hypermarkets and a few small sized formatted stores and grocery stores. Private labeling of the retailers brands are the growing trends now a days and they have become successful as well due to the quality of products they provide at much cheaper rates. Worldwide: Top 30 Grocery Retailers, 2006 Table1. Rank/ Company Country of Origin Retail Banner Sales 2006 (USD mn) Market Share (%) Net Sales (USD mn) (1) Grocery Retail Banner Sales (%) Domestic Sales (%) Foreign Sales (%) 1 Wal-Mart USA 376,430 6.3 344,992 45.6 78 22 2 Carrefour France 122,214 2.0 97,739 73.9 47 53 3 Metro Group Germany 87,360 1.5 75,131 48.0 45 55 4 Tesco UK 86,827 1.5 78,451 73.3 75 25 5 Seven I (2) Japan 79,101 1.3 41,600 67.8 66 34 6 Ahold Neth. 77,546 1.3 56,299 84.4 18 82 7 Kroger USA 69,549 1.1 66,111 70.5 100 0 8 Sears USA 64,833 1.1 53,012 11.8 88 12 9 Costco USA 64,737 1.1 58,963 61.0 80 20 10 Target USA 62,584 1.0 59,490 30.4 100 0 11 Rewe Germany 56,448 0.9 54,515 75.3 68 32 12 Casino France 55,298 0.9 25,752 74.7 58 42 13 Schwarz Group Germany 55,160 0.9 50,224 82.6 54 46 14 AEON (2) Japan 55,157 0.9 41,431 55.5 90 10 15 Aldi Germany 54,104 0.9 49,948 83.5 53 47 16 Auchan France 53,608 0.9 48,408 62.6 50 50 17 Walgreens USA 49,874 0.8 47,409 36.0 99 1 18 Edeka Germany 48,525 0.8 40,277 85.4 93 7 19 CVS USA 46,092 0.8 43,814 30.0 100 0 20 Safeway (USA) USA 43,770 0.7 40,185 75.4 83 17 21 Leclerc France 40,435 0.7 36,432 61.4 94 6 22 ITM (Intermarchà ©) France 36,931 0.6 33,976 76.9 90 10 23 Sainsbury UK 36,071 0.6 31,360 75.6 100 0 24 Woolworths (AUS) Australia 34,255 0.6 31,243 72.1 89 11 25 SuperValu USA 32,278 0.6 37,406 73.0 100 0 26 Tengelmann Germany 31,566 0.5 29,255 62.0 58 42 27 Coles G

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Matthew B. Brady Essay -- essays research papers

Mathew B. Brady: Civil War Photographer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mathew B. Brady: Civil War Photographer was written by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. Elizabeth Van Steenwyk has written many good books for young people including: Saddlebag Salesmen, The California Missions, Frederic Remington, The California Gold Rush: West with the Forty-Niners, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Woman of Courage. Elizabeth now lives in San Marino, California with her husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mathew B. Brady was born somewhere between 1823 and 1824. His early life is somewhat a mystery. He was born in Warren County in New York and his parents might have been Irish immigrants. His middle name was even a mystery, when asked what the â€Å"B† stood for he said that he inserted it because it seemed â€Å"more distinguished.† When he turned 16 he met William Page, a man wanting to become an artist. The both of them worked together, and Page’s artistic abilities were most likely Brady’s starting interest in becoming a photographer. In 1839 or 1840 Brady and Page moved to New York City. Meanwhile, a French inventor named Louis-Jacques-Mandà ¨ Daguerre was inventing something that would change Brady’s life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1839 Daguerre invented his camera. Samuel F. B. Morse went over to France to check out Daguerre’s camera. He wrote back to a magazine saying that it was perhaps the greatest invention in this age. When Samuel Morse returned to New York City and started a school for lea...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald :: Great Gatsby Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul Minnesota on September 24th 1896. His father was from Maryland and his mother was the daughter of an Irish immigrant. Fitzgerald, unlikely to graduate from Princeton, joined the army in 1917. Stationed near Montgomery, Alabama, he met and later married Zelda Sayre, a high-strung woman from a family more prominent than his own. His first novel, This Side of Paradise, published in 1920, was a tremendous critical and commercial success. Fitzgerald followed with The Beautiful and the Damned in 1922, The Great Gatsby in 1925, and Tender is the Night in 1934. He died on December 21st, 1940 of a heart attack and Zelda died in a hospital fire eight years later. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a brilliant illustration of life among the new rich during the 1920s, people who had recently amassed a great deal of wealth but had no corresponding social connections. The novel is an intriguing account about love, money and life during the 1920s in New York. It illustrates the society and the associated beliefs, values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be summed up to what is termed the "American Dream"; a dream of money, wealth, prosperity, and the happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and the get-rich-quick schemes that formed the essential underworld of the American upper-class society. This withering theme presents itself in the novel through many of its characters. The writing style throughout The Great Gatsby is terse and though the book is depressing at times, its overall message of hope and the American dream is inspiring. The story begins when Nick Carraway, a young man, moves to New York from the Midwest to join the bond business. There, he soon becomes acquainted with his wealthy neighbor Jay Gatsby, and they become good friends. Gatsby confides in Nick and tells him that he is in love with Nick's cousin, the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. However, she is already married to the young and successful Tom Buchanan, who is unfaithful and has an affair with poor George Wilson's wife. "Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen tableÂ… They weren't happyÂ… yet they weren't unhappy either" (Chapter 7, pg.148). Later, Nick arranges a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy but soon after, they became involved in a love affair. It is revealed that many years ago, Gatsby and Daisy were in love, but Daisy would not marry him because he was rather poor. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald :: Great Gatsby Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul Minnesota on September 24th 1896. His father was from Maryland and his mother was the daughter of an Irish immigrant. Fitzgerald, unlikely to graduate from Princeton, joined the army in 1917. Stationed near Montgomery, Alabama, he met and later married Zelda Sayre, a high-strung woman from a family more prominent than his own. His first novel, This Side of Paradise, published in 1920, was a tremendous critical and commercial success. Fitzgerald followed with The Beautiful and the Damned in 1922, The Great Gatsby in 1925, and Tender is the Night in 1934. He died on December 21st, 1940 of a heart attack and Zelda died in a hospital fire eight years later. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a brilliant illustration of life among the new rich during the 1920s, people who had recently amassed a great deal of wealth but had no corresponding social connections. The novel is an intriguing account about love, money and life during the 1920s in New York. It illustrates the society and the associated beliefs, values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be summed up to what is termed the "American Dream"; a dream of money, wealth, prosperity, and the happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and the get-rich-quick schemes that formed the essential underworld of the American upper-class society. This withering theme presents itself in the novel through many of its characters. The writing style throughout The Great Gatsby is terse and though the book is depressing at times, its overall message of hope and the American dream is inspiring. The story begins when Nick Carraway, a young man, moves to New York from the Midwest to join the bond business. There, he soon becomes acquainted with his wealthy neighbor Jay Gatsby, and they become good friends. Gatsby confides in Nick and tells him that he is in love with Nick's cousin, the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. However, she is already married to the young and successful Tom Buchanan, who is unfaithful and has an affair with poor George Wilson's wife. "Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen tableÂ… They weren't happyÂ… yet they weren't unhappy either" (Chapter 7, pg.148). Later, Nick arranges a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy but soon after, they became involved in a love affair. It is revealed that many years ago, Gatsby and Daisy were in love, but Daisy would not marry him because he was rather poor.

The Mortuary Complex of King Zoser :: essays papers

The Mortuary Complex of King Zoser Around 2680 BC, a precedence was set for future Egyptian architecture, as well as over all architectural design. Only a short distance to the south of the previous burial mastabas of the first and second Egyptian dynasties, the Mortuary Complex of King Zoser was constructed. Lying atop a stretch of high ground at Saqqara overlooking the city of Memphis, this complex is believed to be the first of its time to utilize new techniques in Egyptian construction, and was by far the largest and most elaborate of any tombs built before it. Just as the burial sites before, King Zoser’s complex was built facing the Nile River to the east. A large rock wall surrounded the complex, measuring 550 by 275 meters, with the only noticeable entrance being at the southern part of the east face. When one enters the complex they then head north through the entry corridor. This hyperstyle hall is lined with two rows of half columns engaged to spur walls. These columns carry a stone ceiling cut to resemble rounded logs. After passing through a doubled number of columns at the end of the hall, one comes into a large court. This court is known as the Heb-sed court, and was presumably used for ceremonies. At the southwest corner of this court is a building of solid masonry, and to the north, in another separate court, is two temple buildings with columns carved to imitate the lotus and the papyrus plants. Just to the west of this court lay the stepped pyramid under which King Zoser’s body lay in a granite sarcophag us. This sarcophagus was originally topped with a simple stone mastaba, but was then enlarged three times. This stepped pyramid was then enlarged to the north and the west, making its final size consisting of six stages standing at 204 feet tall. The stepped pyramid concealing the burial chamber was consistent with previous burial sites however, none before had been as extravagant and contained as many additional structures as King Zoser’s complex. The man regarded with designing this structure, Imhotep, is also considered the first known architect. The evidence found at Zoser’s complex suggests that architects held a higher place in society among the wealthy and educated Egyptians. This differed from early Mesopotamian society where the kings took credit for their burial site constructions, hence the reason for no evidence of who designed the previous structures.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Apple’s Inc. Operations Management Essay

Apple’s Inc. Operations Management IntroductionDefinitively, the term operations management refers to the decisions, responsibilities and activities of managing the assets dedicated towards the manufacture and distribution of a service or a product. Successful companies are majorly dependent on use of operation management technology to facilitate the big changes and technological demands of the world markets. The use of technology to influence the working pace of employees and to speed up consumer transactions within a business environment is vital in uplifting a company. All of these aspects are pegged on the day to day business operations within the company. The focus of this particular report aims to highlight on the major and evident processes carried out in one of the most successful tech companies in the world, Apple Inc (Boyer & Verma, 2010). This company both offers an innovative and competitive edge within the global market. It is one of the highly efficient companies in the global technological sector given its year after year maintenance of its consumer base and profit margins. The corporation endures to lead the tech industry by achieving the demands of its clients via its rapid innovation of new or improvised products. Some of its products entail the award winning computer operating system applications like the iLife application, the Professional applications and the OS X (Boyer & Verma, 2010). The strategic operation management policies at Apple Inc. have proven to be impeccable since it’s’ establishment in the year 1977. The Apple Inc. Company has been committed to delivering the best quality services to the end users of its products through promoting a satisfactory user experience in their digital products. Throughout the course of this report, the paper content will highlight on the major management and operation strategies undertaken by the company to ensure the clients are always kept happy (Greasley, 2008). The business operation strategy mainly involves expanding its distribution network within every country and its institutions. The institutions include government markets, small to medium businesses, enterprises and the education sector. In order to maintain a high-quality purchasing experience for the company’s products, the Company continues to make plans on the expansion schemes (O’Grady, J. D.2009). These proposed systems are aimed at improving the distribution abilities of the company. The significant plan of action highlighted in the paper involves the steps taken towards the expansion of the number of the Apple Inc. Company’s retail stores worldwide. Current Operations StrategyThe consistent and constant introduction of hardware and software applications by the Apple Inc. Company has enabled it to maintain a large and increasing customer foundation. Not only does the Apple Inc. operate in the United States of America, but also in various international markets within the global market. The existing operational functions in the company mainly depend on the factors the operating environment of the organization, and they mainly include the political and economic elements within the environment of business operation (O’Grady, J. D.2009). The main political factors affecting the operations of the Apple Company comprise issues regarding policy compliance in different countries like political instability. The economic factors affecting the business operations include the periodic changes in the value of the U.S dollar versus the local currency. Nevertheless, the company has been able to maintain a stable shareholder return on investment within all its years of business (Kamauff, 2010). The key issues involved within the management operation strategies are discussed below in detail: Operations functionsThe operational functions within an organization define the unit roles or the organizational parts responsible for particular activities within the organization. The operational management functions identified at the Apple Company entail communication services and support distribution of products to warranted suppliers and retailers (Linzmayer, 2004). The Apple Company has major distribution channels and production subsidiaries, for example, in the Asian continent mainly in China and Korea. The basic roles of the operations managers in the Apple Company are listed below: Roles of the Operations ManagerThe significant roles assigned to operations managers in the Apple Company aid in streamlining business operations while maintaining the value of the company. The managers are also expected to practice and abide by the principles of management by conducting all business activities ethically, honestly and with full compliance (Nersesian, 2000). The company regulations require and anticipate the operation managers to accomplish the following responsibilities in the Apple Inc. Company to ensure smooth running of operations: Make PoliciesThe operations manager is obligated with the task of policy making and implementing them to conform to the Apple Company’s mission statements and vision. The operations manager ought to ensure that the set policies are effective in the business environment and that they are being put to proper use. Some of the policies employed by operations managers at the Apple Company include examining the expected performance level for workers, the employee retention, the employee safety regulations, etc. Furthermore, the operation managers are also tasked with making sure the business follows all national government legalities and other rules set by the company (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2008). Solve ProblemsThe operations manager works towards achieving the company objectives and subsequently presents project plans to improvise the business operations. The managers demonstrate their skills through facilitating decision-making strategies that solve organizational problems related to business operations. The operations managers try to resolve different issues in the day to day operations of the Apple Company (Parker & Anderson, 2013). Some of the areas that require problem in the Apple Company include issues regarding the client retention, the matters concerning the delays in shipment, the customer satisfaction index and the quality of services. The operation managers possess the problem solving skills necessitated for risk management within the Apple Company, which is why the managers are expected to be good at making fast decisions related to the Company’s operational processes (Cooke, 2012). Manage FinanceThe management of the budget allocated for business operations is also vital for an operations manager. The finances for operational costs are well managed by the managers in order to ensure the business does not succumb to any losses. The Apple Corporation utilizes its financial resources to positively safeguard its day to day operations within all its major departments (Young, 2009). In order to track and optimize company spending, the managers are mandated to prepare periodical budget reports for the Apple Company’s senior management. Operation managers are expected to maintain and successively collect information regarding sales, grow the profit margins and reduce overall operational costs. Coming up with business forecasts that aid in future decision-making processes is vital in realizing efficient ways for handling the corporations operational costs (Cao & Zhang, 2013). The consistency in revenue generation and profit making is pegged on the manager’s ability to regulate the expenditure. Enable Communication (Company Representative)The smooth flow of communication within the organization is vital to accomplish all the business processes. The communication between all the entities involved in the operational processes enables the company operations manager to successfully ensure delivery of services to both the suppliers and direct clients within the global market. The operations manager ought to ensure there is a consistent understanding and no miscommunication amid the top-level management and the employees (Mahadevan, 2010). Their responsibility is to ensure there is a good understand at all times so that the business operations are dealt with in the right manner. Therefore, resolve any misunderstandings and disputes at the earliest time are essential to run effective operations. Having exceptional interpersonal and communication skills is also appropriate for an operations manager. This enables them deal with people and treat them in a formal and ethical way. Manage LogisticsManaging the logistics within the Apple organization is a vital job for the operations managers. For instance, ensuring that the machinery used in product manufacture are up to the industry standards and the subsequent goods and services offered are of high quality. The operations managers analyze the current state of logistics in the Company and conclude whether there is any need for changes to be implemented (Nicolà ¡s & Sanz, 2014). Human Resource ManagementHuman resource management is vital in selecting an appropriate employee base that maintains successive business operations that are profit making. All the elements of the business operation process are highly dependent on the specific roles for each specialized employee all the way down to the lowest wage bill within the company. The managers have the obligations to assign tasks to various employees within the organization. Employing new workers is also a major responsibility for the managers at the Apple Company. Process ManagementThe process management forms the vital section of the operational activities within the business. A smooth management process ensures that goods and services are delivered to the clients. The business processes in Company involve manufactures or the producers, the wholesalers they supply the products to, the retailers, the consumers and most importantly the customer inquiry and feedback service. The manufacturers mainly deal with the design and development of the products or specified service. The products include the hardware devices accompanied with software material. The Sales teams are tasked with running activities that promote the amount of product supply within the client base. The Apple Company majorly relies on wholesalers and retailers to supply and distribute the Company’s products. The consumers additionally have access to an all-time available customer support in all time zones the Apple Company or its affiliates conduct business. The business operations processes are demonstrated on process chart below. It highlights the main elements that support the Apple Company (Lashinsky, 2012). 2008977337820Manufacturers/Producers 0Manufacturers/Producers Process Chart296648421429000 7581902590800075755525908005178056255935003912781255935020110452540Suppliers (Sales and Marketing Team) 0Suppliers (Sales and Marketing Team) 495935026098500 -243205149860Retailers 0Retailers 421894095885Wholesalers 0Wholesalers 651702198490005167423194975001711325317500 39127812489500064858624895000201492136830Consumers 0Consumers 29663816858000 2007899-7251Consumers Support 0Consumers Support Customer service strategiesThe customer care center section of the company is vital to up keeping the image and social responsibility the company has towards its customers. The plans put in place within the business operations platform to support the customers comprise: Staying Online– This service allows the customers who include the individual clients, retailers and wholesalers to contact the Apple Support team regarding any issues. The clients can submit online tickets or use self-service online chats that provide prompt feedback regarding various issues whether they are technical, logistics or even for educational purposes. Make Service Delivery a priority – utilizing a well-trained workforce to manage the customers always comes first for any organization. The Apple Company ensures that all of their working staff from the sales team, the online or phone customer service maintains a high level of courteous conduct when dealing with customers. Store collective Wisdom – This strategy sets up a system that offers ready information for the support team to respond to the client complaints and inquiries. Information collection, recording and storage ensure the Apple Company maintains a database of client information regarding customer care. This ensures there is a constant flow of accurate information for the staff to use while dealing with customer complaints. Staff Empowerment – This policy has saved the company a lot of paper work and time for solving client problems. Streamlining the hierarchy or line authority within the operational sections of the Corporation has enabled the company frontline representatives to solve client problems. Empowering low level employees with ability to make certain decisions based on good judgment is good for the business (Nicolà ¡s & Sanz, 2014). Client Understanding – The Apple Corporation has a simple Web-based customer relationship management software (CRM) application that helps the support team interact with the customer. Having a database of client info affiliated with their Apple IDs ensures the management team understands the consumer behavior. Managing Client Relationships – Retaining special treatment of the customers is vital for keeping up the Apple Company’s image. This is achieved via reward programs that satisfy customer loyalty. Establishing a track record of quality provision through identifying and gratifying valuable clients that use the company’s products. Managing capacity and demandManaging the capacity and demand of the Company has been facilitated by the globalization of the Apple Company’s operations. Globalization of sales enables the clients all around the world to access the services offered by the Apple Company. The constant demand held by the Apple product’s market gets its support from the multiple chain suppliers and the wholesale product sellers with the help with the production entities. The demand for Apple products is increasing especially in two large emerging markets, China and India where the demand for the latest iPhone 6 product went above 10 million on the first weekend of release. The customer demand has to be predicted and the production demand satisfied on the manufacturing end. The Apple Company serves the worldwide market with approximately 437 Apple retail stores in 15 countries all over the world. Localization of production in places like china has enabled the company increase its productivity while maintaining a low cost labor force which saves on the any additional operational costs (Latif, Jaskani, Ilyas & Gulzar, 2014). Inventory managementThe Apple Company has a disciplined Inventory management team. This can be seen from historic consistency on level of efficiency with the inventory. This is also indicated by how long the company takes to sell through its entire inventory. The number of days it takes for inventory movement was average of 5.3 for the latest product unraveled in the market. This is very low compared to other high performing tech companies like Dell or HP which had 10.2 and 26.5 approximated days respectively to move inventory. The inventory turnover facts also support the incredibly efficient inventory system given high inventory turnover the company has over a small periods of time (Abraham, 2014). Scheduling operationsThe system put significantly helps the management keep track of the dales. The devices are designed and developed in a high quality industrial and manufacturing companies which are in turn delivered to distribution channels and systems around the world. Scheduling operations are accomplished through job tracking all the involved facilities responsible for the delivery of the product to the consumer. The scheduling operations involve activities in the production centers, the distribution channel, and the purchasing point outlets. The time frame and location of operations are also entailed in the scheduling plans to showcase the scheduling activities planned for the company. Forecasting demand and foreseeing sales levels are also vital to scheduling operations. Process analysis and improvementThe Apple Company is endlessly working to be on the forefront of cutting edge technology. That is why its process analysis and improvement environment continues to conduct research towards discovering new and innovative technology for the Apple Company’s prospective clients (Cornelissen, 2014). The operations manager is expected to look into the various operating departments within the company and identify the specific areas that need improvement. The analysis conducted identified a few processes that limit company’s operations. Some of the flaws that needed to be improved on included the periodic system failures in certain locations that threaten to impede the engineering and shipping of products. System failures may also hinder successful delivery of online services, financial reporting and processing of transactions. Other areas that need improvisation is the relationship management between the company and the retailers, the macroeconomic factors within the business environment which may lead to unforeseen fluctuation in sales if they are not positively addressed (Abraham, 2014). Purchasing and supplier managementThe Apple Company supply and purchasing model is majorly dependent on its dedicated client base which offers a steady market for the company’s products. The company’s main client foundation is vast which has made it possible to supply a wide range of products consistently for a long period of time. The main operations involved in the company majorly entail the design and development of hardware and software applications. Lean Management within the OrganizationThis is a process within an organization that involves the efficient removal of waste from the entire aspects of the daily operations. Where, the consideration of wastes involves the loss or use of resources that doesn’t lead to product creation or service provision with regards to customers’ expectations (Cornelissen, 2014). Therefore, APPLE Corporation benefits much as there is increased efficiency in management. The purpose of adoption of lean management by Apple Inc. includes; the need to increase customer responsiveness, to minimize production resource needs and costs minimization, and to enhance quality of products hence increasing the firm’s competitiveness and profitability. According to Apple’s highlights of audits conducted in 2011 in the company’s 2012 Supplier Responsibility Report, violations that occurred and corrective measures that occurred with their outsourcing supply chain and manufacturing representative is clearly illustrated. This shows the need for the firm and its subsidiaries to adopt lean management as part of their business. Lean management is implemented through application of numerous tools and methods that include; Total Productive Maintenance 5S Just-in-time Production/KanbanCellular Manufacturing/ One-piece Flow Production Systems Pre-Production Planning (3P) Six Sigma Lean Enterprise Supplier Networks Kaizen rapid improvement process The firm’s adoption of lean management is to achieve immense service and product quality at the minimum cost possible and at maximum customer responsiveness. This efficiency in management is attained through applications of objectives including; Increasing the flexibility and velocity of manufacturing Minimizing service and product resource requirements in the form of materials and capital invested. This reduces the costs of production allowing for the ease of alterations and mixing of products developed. Improving the initial quality of the product Implementation of lean management minimizes costs of operation with regards to resource allocations, equipment downtime, and rework thereby optimizing the production process. For instance, lean methods implementation at Warner Robins U.S. Air Force Base in Georgia has minimized the duration it takes for the overhaul of a C-5 transport plane from an approximate 360 days to 260 days. This has immense effect on the resource allocation for the Air Force since minimized maintenance time of 30% requires that a lower inventory of planes is kept. Therefore, this increases the aircraft’s flying status by 10% as a result the total cost of the in-service target is greatly minimized (Cornelissen, 2014). Capacity Management within the organizationThe capacity requirements for the company APPLE Inc. is defined by the short term and long term planning conducted by the organization’s management. The planning process is important in determining how the needs are to be fulfilled. The company’s capacity planning decisions are dependent on the market demands and the management aligns its materials, human, and financial resources. The evaluation of the company’s capacity requirements is from two perspectives including; short-term capacity strategies and long-term capacity strategies. Short-term capacity strategiesThe organization’s managers every so often use the product’s demands to approximate the work load that the company can handle in the short-term since managers anticipate output requirements for various products and services within a short period of 12 months. Requirements comparison with the available resources is done to ascertain the particular capacity alterations that are necessary. The short-term business periods are characterized by unchanged facilities hence making fundamental capacity to remain fixed within the period (Cousins, Lawson & Squire, 2006). The necessary alterations to the capacity is determined by whether the product can be stored as inventory, the conversion process is labor intensive or capital intensive. The processes, that are capital intensive, rely heavily on plant, physical facilities, and equipment. Intense operation of the organization’s facilities can lead to the modification of the company’s short-term capacity. On the other hand, labor intensive processes alterations only involve the hiring or laying off of employees or by allowing certain workers more time. A product’s duration in storage as inventory would cause shifts in strategies for capacity alterations. The short-term capacity strategies that might be applied by the company include; Backlog; this is a strategy applied during periods when the business is at its peak. Customers, who are willing, are requested by the company to wait for the fulfillment of their orders at a much later date after the peak period. Inventories; During the periods of slow business or slack periods, the company opts to stock up finished goods so as to meet the customers’ demands during peak periods of business. Level of Employment; the company would re-structure the employment level through hiring and firing of employees depending on the fluctuation of demands during peak periods. Training of Employees; the company’s employees are required to be taken through multi-skilled training so as to allow job rotation for the employees. These multi-skills earned from the training assists the management in selecting alternatives for the hiring opportunities. Process design; Contents of the job are altered through redesigning the job Subcontracting; the company opts for subcontracting specific firms for temporary production of particular parts. This is a common process during peak hours. Long term capacity strategiesThe market dynamics and the rate of technology uptake in recent time have made it difficult for APPLE Inc. and other companies in the industry alike to determine the long-term capacity. This is because of the uncertainties in technology and consumer demand trends. This long-term strategy application in capacity management faces immense risk and increased challenges. APPLE’s recent unveiling of the new IPhone Series provides extensive leverage on the market to produce more products for the future and at a rate equal to consumer expectations (Heap, 2008). The long-term capacity necessities are determined by the company’s product development, marketing plans, and the products life cycle. The entire output level of the firm involving numerous alterations to the organization’s operation is accommodated by the long-term capacity planning process. Therefore, the firm’s management is responsible for the implementation and marketing the environmental assessment of the long-term capacity plans. However, the long-term capacity decisions may be affected by the following; Phasing in capacity; a technology company such as APPLE Inc. faces the risk of increased rate obsolescence. Therefore, the industry requirement is that swift roll-out of products is essential to the firm’s success. The duration of facilities construction is lengthy compared to the rate of product development and commercialization thereby rendering the facilities incapable. However, the firm may apply functions such as phase in capacity on segmental basis. In addition, the company would employ an effective method of technological breakthrough capitalizing via committing men and funds towards facilities for a duration of 3-5 years. Variety of products; for the company to increase its profitability it requires to produce a variety of products using the same facilities since this increases efficiency. Also, the manufacture of multiple products minimizes the risk of failure in the market and numerous products development increases the performance of capacity planners. Maximization of the firm’s capacity is achieved through proper scheduling as the different products have different life cycles. Phasing out capacity; the production facilities that are out of date result is extreme plant and machinery downtime and closures. The phasing out of capacity is done in a manner that is environmentally friendly minimizing the negative impacts to the consumer population since the impacts of closure extend beyond the fixed costs of plants and machinery. This phasing out process also creates the opportunity for the firm to sift employees to other job applications for an ongoing product development. APPLE Inc. needs to consider greatly the immense advantages that capacity planning and decisions offer the company thereby increasing operation efficiency. The benefits range from; There is real impact felt by capacity decisions affect the ability of the firm to achieve its future demands for the services and products since capacity basically minimizes the rate of possible output. Numerous opportunities would be capitalized on if the company has sufficient capacity to handle consumer demand. Operating costs are affected by capacity decisions since practically it is evident that the demand requirements and capacity are directly related. This means that a positive correlation existing between demand and capacity minimizes the costs of operation immensely. However, the actual demand and expected demand usually differs or cyclically varies thereby needing capacity decisions to assist in creation of balance of the costs of over and under capacity. Initial costs are majorly determined by the firm’s capacity. Normally, the costs are greater when the capacity of a productive unit is great. It is generally less expensive to modify or alter capacity decisions since they characteristically involve long-term resource allocation. This therefore limits the extent of major costs incurred. A firm’s competitiveness may be affected by the capacity decisions of the managers. The availability of excess capacity in a firm or increasing capacity may act as barrier to entry or push other firms out of business in the industry by other firms. This increases its competitive advantage. Management greatly benefits from efficiency in capacity decisions as it increases ease of operation and fluidity between departments involved in the production process. ConclusionsThe outcomes from the above analysis of Apple’s Inc. operations processes, interesting subjects and complications show that the accomplishment of its supply chain processes is contingent on how well the managers control the supplier and customer relationship. This comprises of early supplier participation in innovative product development, proximal communication and supplier performance upgrading or enhancement via evaluation of the current system. In the close future, the mix of universal strategies to propel the company operations will certainly give Apple Inc. the improvement it needs to supports its consumer’s demands. The leadership strategy, the outsourcing strategy, the differentiation strategy and the customer-centered services are major areas identified within the operations management docket. Positively addressing these particular issues while maintaining a high quality service center at the same time is essential to the company’s improvement objectives for products understandability especially for the software and hardware. Apple’s new products and services can be expected soon that would introduce a new model of technology on leading front. Honesty in operations management is vital to enabling the smooth processes involved the Company’s internal controls. Decisively, the manager has the role to help prevent or minimize any errors or fraud by detecting them at early stages before they turn into something that would alarm the senior management. It is worth noting that a control system, no matter how well designed and developed, can deliver only sensible, not absolute, reassurance that the purposes or goals of the business operations are duly met. One other vital factor highlighted in the report content is the importance of maintaining fair activity costs for the operational system. The system depicts resource constraints as a main feature in particular locations which hinders and limits sale of products to customers due to ignorance or lack of ready acceptance. The evaluation of internal controls within the operational platform of the Apple Company helps the managers predict and illustrate the future expectations of the business. The change in business conditions also poses a vital topic of how to evaluate the effectiveness of business controls in the future periods in the case there might be any risk involved. The Apple Company assesses the enactment of its functioning parts or subdivisions in relation to the operating income and the net sales. The Retail section overall sales are established on the sales made and retrieved from the Apple Company’s retail stores. On the other hand, the overall net transactions for the geographic divisions are commonly based on the setting of clienteles. The business operating income for every section comprises of the operating expenditure openly attributable to the each department related to business operations. Additionally, the overall net sales to third parties and the related cost of sales and other expenses; for example, advertising expenditures are normally incorporated in the geographical area in which the expenses or operational costs are incurred. Recommendations The recommended approaches for the firm to take to improvise its operations would involve multiple departments or segments in the organization. The operating income for each section ignores other expenses and income which are managed outside the functioning segments. This ought to be looked at and be addressed. The first and foremost section is the communication sector, which has to be kept running at all times to ensure the passage and exchange of information within the organization during operations. Since the Company deliberates the weakening in market share value of its in demand securities investment portfolio to be provisional in nature, the Company characteristically capitalizes in highly-rated securities. This policy usually restricts the amount of regular investors who can acquire stocks. The Company’s investment plans require the shareholders to practice the highest form of activity performance with the chief objective of reducing the possible risk of principal loss. Other areas recommended for change include: The shipping costs should be kept low for all the periods presented. The aggregates payable to clienteles linked to the shipping and handling cost of goods or services are usually categorized as revenue. Therefore, the Company’s handling and shipping costs should be kept low to minimize operational expenses while maximizing profit returns. The warranty expense also forms an essential part of the Company’s overall estimated cost for either a hardware or software component sold to clients. The warranties for most hardware and software applications ought to be assessed for adequacy with regards to the pre-existing warranty liabilities. This goes a long way in ensuring that the actual changes in future estimates and client experience are easily tracked. The operational costs incurred in software development and research of new application by the company also need be regulated. There are occasions where heavily funded research results into dead ends. Therefore, the development costs of PC software, to be leased, sold or else marketed, are highly exposed to capitalization by the company. This instigates when a product’s technological viability is recognized and proven then ends with the product availability to general clienteles. Consequently, expenses incurred following the accomplishment of a technological practicability are generally not important. The firm ought to look into the spending on most software and application development prices and what effect they have on the returns anticipated from the finalized product or service. References Boyer, K. K., & Verma, R. (2010).  Operations & Supply chain management for the 21st century. Mason, Ohio: South-Western/Cengage Learning. Greasley, A. (2008).  Operations management. 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