School Uniform, Persuasevi Speech - 1607 Words

Communication studies 105 11/ 30/ 2007 Persuasive speech School uniform Introduction (Significance and background) Everybody in this class room has had or will have children. Anyway it will happen that your kids will become the most important point of your life. You will do everything to keep them happy. When they are small only you can influence on their behavior. Parents always want to see their kids healthy, well-bread and happy. After some time, when your heirs grow up enough, they will go to school. As soon as this happens you lose part of your influence on their upbringing. The school grabs this part from you. Students usually spend 1/3 of their day time there. This new society will build up their way of thinking and way of†¦show more content†¦Also it helps develop a sense of pride in the school and inspires students to study. B. School uniforms develop a sense of pride in school and inspire students to study. Pupils wear the same style of clothes and it helps to reduce the difference among students and focus their attention on studying materials. 1. Uniforms usually reduce the competition among students to wear certain (and nearly always expensive) brands of clothing. a. Over 75% of schools in uniform noted a reduction in peer pressure among their students after adopting a uniform policy. b. Students can focus on subjects instead of talking of each others’ cloth. c. So, it gets their attention during classes. d. Almost 80% of schools with uniforms say classroom discipline has improved Uniforms promote good behavior and provide an improved environment for learning 2. A lot of private schools have policies about school uniforms. Heads of these institutions encourage students to be proud of their school. I think that public schools should try to get their students to be proud of them the same way. a. I think that this is a good point to be proud of your school, because, if school is good, it is always pleasure to show your participation in school processes. b. On the other hand it encourages students to reach new achievements, and to help you school to become one of the best in local areas if it is not. (Transition) As I said before, school uniform develops a sense of pride in the

Starbucks Management - 923 Words

Starbucks Management Management clearly plays one of the biggest roles in how successful a company can and will\be. Starbucks profoundly shows exquisite and powerful connections with their employees and coffee suppliers. Their management skills shadow Mitz Berg’s liaison roles and Katz’s human and conceptual theories by taking it into their own hands to connect and support each supplier. Not only does Starbucks show these great managerial aspects, they portray the beauty of an open system and use of the modern behaviors in their roles. Starbucks is a great example of a beautifully functioning business, integrated with the interpersonal skills needed to thrive. Management is defined as the process of dealing with or controlling†¦show more content†¦They demonstrate great qualities that every individual would want to work under and for. Midfirst bank, which is where I personally work, does not show these roles and skills as greatly as Starbucks does, but they do demonstrate them on a smaller scale. The company looks out for the best in their company and does apply small incentives towards good work and leadership. The one main theory that Midfirst Bank shows is the classical theory. They look for the best possible way for workers to perform tasks by creating goal plans, and use classical scientific theory to increase productivity by implementing a mandatory referral goal for each teller. Starbucks most definitely shows better theory behavior then Midfirst Bank in the time and quality they invest in their employees and suppliers. Without great management, most business fails or fail to be successful. When assessing how great a managerial team can be for their company, it is important to look at how they demonstrate theories such as Mitz Berg’s liaison roles and Katz’s human and conceptual theories. Starbucks profoundly shows these great structures by providing a great relationship with their employees and suppliers. Starbucks also displays the ability to achieve an open system and use of the modern behaviors in their roles. It is hard to find companies that are this dedicated to their team and Starbucks is definitely one of them. Starbucks is an immaculate example of a beautifullyShow MoreRelatedStarbucks Inventory Management : Starbucks1195 Words   |  5 PagesStarbucks Inventory Management: In the inventories section, they are directed at the lower of cost (primarily moving average cost) or market. Starbucks records inventory reserves for obsolete and slow-moving inventory and for estimated shrinkage between physical inventory counts. According to trends, inventory reserves are based on inventory obsolescence, historical experience and application of the specific identification method. As of September 27, 2015 and September 28, 2014, inventory reservesRead MoreStarbucks Operations Management1076 Words   |  5 PagesOperations Management Company STARBUCKS These days Starbucks owns more than 18,000 stores in 62 countries and is the premier roaster and retailer of exclusive coffee in the world. Back in 1971, when the first Starbucks opened, the company already had two intentions to give to people every single day till now: share specialty coffee with friends and help to make the world a little better. In 1981, Howard Schultz, the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Starbucks, walked intoRead MoreStarbucks Performance Management5640 Words   |  23 Pages|Spiritual performance from an organizational perspective: the Starbucks way | |Joan F. 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Starbucks Coffee Company has realized a success which is admired by companiesRead MoreStrategic Management Starbucks5859 Words   |  24 PagesFinal case Starbucks Table of Contents Background Information†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..1 Discussion of Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 5 Forces Model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.............3 Driving Forces†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..5 Key Success Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.6 SWOT Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...7 Analysis of Financials†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Read MoreStrategic Management at Starbucks14676 Words   |  59 PagesStrategic Management Project [pic] -2012- TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 3 Introduction 3 CHAPTER 2 4 General Description of the Company 4 2.1. Strategic Group of the Company and the Dynamics of the Industry Structure 5 2.2. Starbucks in Romania - Market Environment 6 CHAPTER 3 8 Organizational Purpose 8 3.1. Mission and Vision 8 3.2. Values and Objectives 9 CHAPTER 4 9 Diagnosing the Strategic CapabilitiesRead MoreStarbucks s Organizational Culture, Leadership, And Management Traits1260 Words   |  6 Pages Assignment 1: Starbucks’ Strategy Kitwana Abercrumbie Dr. David Wells MGT 500 Modern Management April 15, 2017 Starbucks is the world’s leading place to grab a cup of coffee, and the number one company worldwide in the food service industry. Although it is an American company, it is also the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Thanks in part to strong global sales, Starbucks was recently named by Fortune as one of the World s Most Admired Companies . 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How Business Strategy and Hr Strategy Are or Should Be Linked Together Free Essays

string(25) " one candidate for hire\." Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management Anna Morozova Essay How business strategy and HR strategy are or should be linked together? Moscow, 2011 Departments are the entities organizations form to organize people, reporting relationships, and work in a way that best supports the accomplishment of the organization’s goals. Departments are usually organized by functions such as human resources, marketing, administration, and sales. The forward thinking human resource department is devoted to providing effective policies, procedures, and people-friendly  guidelines and support  within companies. We will write a custom essay sample on How Business Strategy and Hr Strategy Are or Should Be Linked Together or any similar topic only for you Order Now Additionally, the human resource function serves to make sure that the company mission,  vision,  values  or  guiding principles, the company metrics, and the factors that keep the company guided toward success are optimized. Of executives surveyed, 20% currently use the HR department as active and innovative business solution partners. 20% believe that the HR department should remain as administrative overhead and only perform transactional work. But, 60% of the  executives are starting to expect the HR department to partner with others departments to improve the company’s core competencies and competitive advantages. Competitive pressure in a fast changing business world – pressures for sales, talent, and profits. Most CEO’s are held accountable for three general but powerful results: Increasing revenue, generating cash, and reducing costs. In order to focus on these three accountabilities, executives are discarding paradigms that no longer work as companies seek to stay in and grow their business. Many CEOs and CFOs are more interested in the payoff and are asking appropriate questions: What’s in it for the company? Where is the improvement in the revenue stream? How does this get us new customers and retain our current customers. Where is the proof of corporate performance enhancement metrics? Once they get solid answers to these questions from competent HR leaders, the CEOs are quick to change their thinking. To answer the payoff questions, recognize that a continual company-wide value chain analysis is critical to the success of any organization. Over the past decade, CEOs began demanding that their Human Resources departments deliver flawless functional work and become a knowledgeable partner with all other disciplines to advance the business plan of the company. Individual professional silos are breaking down. Disciplines such as finance, sales, marketing, operations, and HR no longer exist as stand-alone entities. They are inter-dependent with one another. Weakness of any one of the links inhibits other links from maximizing their efficiency and productivity. These three emerging concepts in the practice of HR bear examination: * What value does the HR department brings to the organization. Many HR teams lack a vision that includes their value to the organization. Do the HR department’s activities directly help the company achieve its broad business objectives? Are the HR team’s arguments for or against a business strategy credible to the other department heads at the decision making table? How are the HR department strategies that benefit the employees, the shareholders, the customers, and all other stakeholders in the organization, selected and implemented? * What value does the HR department generate for the customer – the end user of the company’s product or service? Sales and quality are no longer restricted to the sales and quality assurance teams. The HR department doesn’t just hire a salesperson based upon a manager’s request. The end result of HR’s recruiting and hiring efforts is that the customer who interacts with the new sales person receives continuing world class service from the company. HR shares the quality of the new hire with the other departmental silos to insure that the company is, or becomes, the vendor of choice for that customer. * The final of the three emerging concepts for the Human Resources Department is: What core business competencies must HR leaders possess in order to be credible strategic partners with the rest of the executive team? Each company and each industry can generate its own list of core business skills their teams must have that go beyond their individual specialties. This issue has become so critical that in graduate and undergraduate level business programs, new editions of Organizational Development textbooks are including chapters on financial calculations and ratios, corporate social responsibility, globalization, and major workforce diversity challenges, among others. The biggest barrier to profitability is ignorance – ignorance by many people about how the company makes money and how it achieves its objectives, and how all of the departmental silos are interdependent on each other. The myth that only finance people need to know about finance or that marketing people are the only people who need to know about marketing is fast disappearing. In today’s business environment, profitable organizations require highly skilled employees who can solve complex problems using multi-disciplinary teams. Here are three examples how can HR be linked to profitability metrics: * A well known global company formed a group of HR professionals who developed processes and training programs in sales, customer service, workouts, project management, process improvement and leadership development that focused on critical performance issues for their internal and external customers. By partnering with operations, sales, and customer service they served as a catalyst to forge alliances, partnerships and agreements. Many of their efforts resulted in improved relationships that translated into â€Å"Preferred Provider Status†, which increased sales and lowered costs. All of their costs were liquidated by charging a fee for the service while creating net revenue. After two years, this HR group generated sales of $4 million and a profit margin in excess of 30% which was returned to the division budget at the end of each fiscal year. * Secondly, an HR team, partnering with the Audit staff, discovered that the accounts receivable turnover had moved from a preferred 30 days to 45 days during the past two years. They decided to let the chief credit officer go. The HR staff established criteria to identify candidates with the ability to reduce the ratio from 45 days back to 30 days. The HR staff recommended one candidate for hire. You read "How Business Strategy and Hr Strategy Are or Should Be Linked Together" in category "Papers" Within six months, the company’s DSO (Days Sales Outstanding) ratio was reduced to 35 days. * In a third case, while designing and negotiating a new health care and 401(k) plan, the HR leadership partnered with the sales and marketing team to determine if the cost of the program would erode the company’s market share and competitive pricing strategy. The resulting benefit program design achieved its cost/benefit objectives without jeopardizing the company’s market share and pricing metrics. How do HR leaders and CEOs make the Human Resources Department to a Profitability Factor? Here are suggestions based on that the more employees become knowledgeably involved in the business, the better they will be able to become a more productive asset. * Develop a leadership development program that includes hands on training in all of the functional disciplines. For example, in the production department, identify the barriers that prevent managers from achieving efficiencies and savings; * Insist that Human Resources staff receive financial training so they understand the impact of cash flow, receivables, billing cycles, and so forth. If it is a public company, teach them how to read and understand company’s annual report. Reading the proxy statement is always informative – even if the information contained in it is reluctantly revealed, and occasionally masked with arcane accounting jargon; * Have HR staff participate in sales strategies, customer visits, and technology reviews. Encourage them to learn quality methods, process improvements techniques, terms and conditions, and contract negotiations with suppliers and customers. Engage them as process consultants (have them trained if necessary) so they can assist with growth initiatives; * Most importantly, hold all employees accountable for achieving the â€Å"critical numbers† established for your company. A superb HR department becomes irrelevant if the company is sliding into bankruptcy. The HR department’s powerful value focuses on its contributions toward reversing the slide. It is important to Include HR employees as full business partners. They will rise to the occasion and surprise you by building your bottom line and becoming a profit center contributor as well as maintaining their traditional responsibilities – and they will be better at both. The intense and brutally competitive business environment of our global and digital world needs the help of everyone in the company. Russian small enterprises do not practice the establishment of HR Departments in view of unprofitability of such a business organization. As the result, the majority of small enterprises do not develop any HR strategy. Thus I would like to present the unique HR strategy of Apple Inc. and how it is linked to company’s business strategy. Most firms strive to have a productive workforce. One of the best ways to measure workforce productivity is revenue per employee. Apple produces what can only be considered extraordinary revenue per employee; $2 million. A second measure of workforce productivity is profit per employee: nearly $478,000 for Apple (unbelievable considering it has a retail workforce). During 25 years Apple has been following the philosophy called â€Å"lean – management† which explains the prime drivers for Apple’s extraordinary employee productivity. For years, the leadership of Apple has followed the philosophy that having less is more, meaning that by purposely understaffing and operating with reduced funding, you can make the team more productive and innovative. Innovation at most firms is expensive because you must pay for a lot of trial and error. The lean approach, however, can improve innovation because with everything being tried, there simply isn’t enough time or money for major misses and re-do’s. â€Å"Unrealistic deadlines† at Apple mean that you have to get project problems solved early on, because there isn’t time to redo things over and over. Being lean forces the team to be more cohesive. Even providing a lean schedule forces everyone to be productive because they know there is no room for slippage. At Apple, the lean approach means that even with its huge cash resources, every employee must adopt the mentality of leanness. If you understand the lean concept and its advantages, you shouldn’t be surprised that numerous innovations have been developed in â€Å"garages,† the ultimate lean environment. I have chosen an article â€Å"Human resource practices to attract and retain talents† by Hiltrop, 1999, because, in my opinion, it is very actual theme as businesses look for global growth, chronic skills gaps combined with a mismatch between demand and supply of talent means that getting (and keeping) the right people in the right places at the right time has never been more challenging. HR leaders need to mobilize talent to help businesses grow. This article explores one of the biggest issues and challenges now faced by large organizations: how to attract and retain a critical group of talented people. Getting talent management right means you can worry less about your talent problems and more about your business opportunities. It is very important to use a fact based approach to help identify the specific elements of talent management which drive the most value in your business and industry. It is needed to create a Talent Management Framework and Diagnostic to develop and implement strategies that deliver the right improvements – those that give you the best return on investment. So I can conclude that to win the war for talent, companies should figure out who they are aiming for, and then make sure the recruitment process and practices are tailored to the specific needs and expectations of the target group. I have chosen an article â€Å"Science and practice of HRM in small firms† by Mayson and Barret, 2006 because human capital (i. e. the knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees) is one of the primary factors a business can rely on to differentiate their products or services and build a competitive advantage; however, few studies directly guide managers of small and growing firms through the people management issues that they will face through the lifecycle of their business. The recognition that human resource issues are important to small and grow ing firms is not new. For instance, in 1987 (Hess) was presented data that suggested that small business owners rank human resource related issues as the second most important management activity after general management. Further, was suggested that the majority of CEO’s believe that human resource practices have a substantial impact on firm performance. Additionally, in 2008 were presented the results suggesting that sound hiring practices and training programs are considered important by small business owners who have 10 or more employees. A small firms’ ability to attract, motivate and retain employees by offering competitive salaries and appropriate rewards is linked to firm performance and growth. Whilst the evidence does show that there is some form of HRM in small firms, it also confirms that the practice is characterized by informality. I personally think, that this is a problem, because informal HRM practices do not necessarily recognize the value of employees. Despite the recognition of the importance of HRM to small, growing and entrepreneurial firms, there is very little research in the area, there is even less research that explores the strategic nature of HRM in small firms. It is important to note, that properly developing strategic selection, training, and compensation programs takes time and financial resources. However, these short-term costs are almost always balanced by long term gain because the quality and caliber of employees (or human capital) within the firm improves. The improved caliber of employees and enhanced effort almost always has a positive financial impact for the organization. How to cite How Business Strategy and Hr Strategy Are or Should Be Linked Together, Papers

Early Life Experiences and Potential †Free Sample Solution

Question: Explain each of the four components (P-P-C-T) and how they interact to strengthen resilience across the age span of 0 24 years. Identify and include in your discussion one journal article for each component of the bioecological model (P-P-C-T) that demonstrates evidence of how it influences child and youth outcomes. Illustrate your discussion with examples of strengths during childhood that influenced health and well-being outcomes. Answer: The bioecological model is a theoretical model of gene environment interactions in the human development. It was given by Urie BronfenbrennerandStephen J. Ceci. It can be applied to the children and mature adults and it is a lifespan approach to the development. It emphasizes the value of understanding the both side influences from the individuals and the environment. He named the original Bronfenbrenner model as Ecological system theory model (Bronfenbrenner, 2005). With this model he identified the way to understand the development of the individual in context to the environment. He identified four ecological systems as microsystem, mesosystem, macrosystem and ecosystem. He only extended the model than by the addition of the chronosystem which tells how a person and the environment changes with the time. In this the emphasis was made on the processes and the role of the human being. It is known as ProcessPersonContextTime Model and is also the basis of the bioecological model (Urie Bronfenbrenner Morris, 2006). The theory explains the interaction held up between all these four things. In later paragraphs a brief description of PPCT along with examples and literature review are explained in detail. The PPCT concepts are explained below in detail. Process: It is the primary mechanism in the development and is laid with two propositions. The proposition one states that the processes we environment which involves complex progressive and reciprocal interaction between an human individual and the surrounding things like person, objects and symbol that can be said as the environment. Therefore it is required that the interactions should occur regularly with time. This interaction of the biological human with the environment are known as proximal processes. The examples of it are playing with the young ones, child to child activity, reading, learning new activities. The children playing alone or playing with his parents is also a proximal process, as he is gaining some kind of knowledge while playing with his parents (Stewart, 2007). These are said to be the engines of the development that occurs on a regular basis. Proximal processes nature generally varies according to the aspects of the individual and of the context and are both spatial and temporal. The proposition two states that the form, power, content and the direction of all the proximal processes that effects the development varies systematically. This occurs as a joint feature of the developing individual, the environment in which the processes are occurring, including both the immediate and remote; the developmental outcomes nature; social continuity and the changes that occur over the life time and the historical period in which the individual is living. Bronfenbrenner says that both the two propositions are theoretically interdependent and they are subject to empirical testing. Apart from proximal processes, there are distal processes also that have an indirect influence on childs development. These processes includes the familys power to support the child and the interaction with significant other environment to which the child is attached or is a part off like social class, community meetings etc. Person: Bronfenbrenner respected the value of the biological and genetic aspects of the individual. He laid more interest in the personal features and behaviours of an individual in context to social situations. he categorized these characteristics in to three parts: demand, force, and resource. Demand characteristics are known as the personal stimulus features that are in relation to the immediate stimulus to others like colour, age, gender, skin and physical features (Agbenyega, 2010). They are responsible for the initial conversations as they form expectations quickly. The resource characteristics on the other hand not immediately apparent, but however in certain cases they are induced having different level of accuracy as compared to demands. They are associated to the mental and emotional features like that of past experience, intelligence, skill, influences and access to the social and material sources of luxuries like good house, good education, caring parents. The third force charact eristics are the one with difference in temperament, motivation, persistence and likeness. Like for example two boys can have equal resource characteristics like a good house, a good social status, loving parents but there demand characteristics will be always different and their developmental trajectory will also be different like one is motivated to succeed and other is not. In his later writings he tell ones role in changing the context. The changes can be passive like if a person is still living in the same environment as earlier but the reaction and interaction has been low or changed due to hi/her demand characteristics. The change can also be active to most active like the changes in the resource characteristics and force characteristics. Context: It is the best component of the bioecological model and is also the most important of all of them. It is the multiple venues that modify the proximal process and is the environment in which the young one is continuously present, whether it may be social interaction, physical interaction or economic interaction. Like for example in a home meant for care giving if the number of children is less then better and good care can be provided to them which will aid in positive development. Thus as per Bronfenbrenner, the context has four systems microsystem, mesosystem, macrosystem and ecosystem. All these have a indirect influence on the development of the child (Parrila, Ma, Fleming, Rinaldi, 2002). A fifth system name d chronosystem was added later to bring up the value of time as it is associated to the childs development. It involves changes that may internal or that may be external like death or loss of the mother and father. The four systems are explained as below: Microsystem: It is innermost stage and is the one to which the child has a direct contact. This system involves families, friends at school or playschool, day care staff, neighbors etc. It generally comprises the proximal process. It is the most immediate level and lay down a early influence on the mid of young ones. The relation that occurs at this level is bidirectional as the family influences the childs behavior and vice versa (Bergen, 2008).In practicality the process here either proximal or distal are mainly the family atmosphere or home care atmosphere, parenting pattern, social and economic status. The children aged between 0 to 5 years has parenting the crucial proximal process and in case there stay in day cares then that is the proximal process. Mesosystem: It is second level and has microsystem in it. Its focus is on the connection among two or more than two systems like home, play mates school. Like for example the house of the child can be reason of something happening at the school and vice versa. Specifically it can be said that the parents and the school staff environment on the development of a child together makes up a mesosystem. Other places like religious gatherings act as a distal process as they provide the support to the family and the child. Exosystem: It the third level. This does not involves a direct contact with the system but affects the development. It consists of both the microsystem and mesosystem. It also affects the wellbeing of the ones who are in contact with the child. The decisions and policy that are done at a wide level also indirectly influence the child. Like for example the parent workstation and the duration also influences the development of child and are proximal process. Like in some cases a parent who is not attending or meeting the teachers would have low interaction and would adversely effect the development of the child. The school policy meant for a certain religion or ethnic back ground also influences the development of the child. Macrosystem: The outer level is the macrosystem. It influences all the inner layers of the ecosystem. The features of the macrosystem that influence all the other layers are cultural characters, political issues, economic issues (Dowling et al, 2006). Like for example a culture that ha many divorces leads to a single parent child and would affect the child development and also affects the income and the opportunity that are available to the child. Likewise if the parents are form two different countries and live in another country, may have problems with language, lifestyle. This in turns make the life of child unstable and adversely affects the development. Time: This particular concept is about the aspects like chronological age, time duration and the nature of the periodicity. The succession of an event has different degree of influence in the individual. This influence decreases as the time increases. Some events like shifting to a new place, parents sickness, parents divorce can have a harmful impact on the children lives as compared to elders (Voydanoff, 2005). Moving on to the effects on the development of child when all or one of the PPCT components are adversely affecting the child. In some case the proximal or the distal processes cause a adverse or a negative effect on the childs mind and the development. In such cases resilience strategies are to be applied. Resilience is the positive adaptation in the situations when the personal, family or environment difficulties are extremely high that leads to the impairment of the individuals cognitive and functional abilities. There are three kinds of resilience. One is when the individual is not succumb to the adversities in spite of high risk. Second is developing up coping strategy in circumstances of high stress. Third is the individuals who have suffered high trauma. A research was performed to find up the resilience strategies (Malindi, 2011). According to it resilience can be proposed by following these: Strategies for the 0 to4 years Proper maternal nutrition Avoidance of maternal smoking Support to mothers from family and husband Adequate family income High quality education Proper child nutrition Healthy relations between all the members of the family Strategies for middle childhood 5 to 13 years: Classes to provide cultural and community behavior A link between school and home to develop confidence and engagement. Healthy school experiences Healthy relationship between child and teacher and parent and teachers. Developing skills for performing all the tasks Structured and time bound routines daily. Attachment to the relatives or significant others. Provision of breakfast and after school clubs. Participation in decision making and problem solving Strategies for 13 to 19 years High social support and social network (Theron). Presence of one parent who supports unconditionally. A guide or person who is not a family member. Positive and good experiences from school It can be seen that these strategies are related to the PPCT model. If these strategies are followed appropriately at each stage or level of PPCT, then the child development would be enhanced (Woo, 2005). These strategies are to be linked up in the proximal and distal processes to provide full development. Like high support is demanded from all sides to an individual in an adolescent stage through both the proximal and distal processes. Summing up, it can be said that the bioecological theory highlights the stages of the child development and provides with a way to enhance the development of the child at each stage. It tells all about how the environment and family are related and associated to the child directly or indirectly and what impact they put on the child by the activities performed by them solitary or with the individuals. Researches are performed and still going to further enhance the model and aids in childs full development. References Agbenyega, J. (2010) The Australian early development index, who does it measure: Piaget or Vygotskys child? Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 34 (2), 31-38. Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005).Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd. pp.315. Bergen, D. (2008).Human development: traditional and contemporary theories. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. p.220. Dowling, E., Osborne, E. (2006). The Family and the School: A Joint Systems Approach to Problems with Children: Second Edition. London: Karnac Books. Malindi, M.J., Theron, L.C., Venter, A. (2011).Understanding youth resilience: findings and results from the International Pathways to Resilience project. Parrila, R. K., Ma, X, Fleming, D., Rinaldi, C. (2002). Development of Prosocial Skills. (Final report), Applied Research Branch, Strategic Policy, Human Resources Development Canada. Stewart, E. B. (2007). Individual and school structural effects on African American high school students academic achievement. High School Journal, 91, 16 34. Urie Bronfenbrenner Morris, P.A. (2006). "The bioecological model of human development".Handbook of Child Psychology(John Wiley Sons, Inc.)1: 793828. Voydanoff, P. (2005). Social integration, work-family conflict and facilitation, and job and marital quality. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67,666 679. Theron, L.C.Bouncing back!How parents, peers andprofessionals enable young people towardsresilience.

Years a Slave reflection free essay sample

The plot of the book Twelve Years A Slave is the reflection of the authors own life experience. The uniqueness of Northup book lies in the fact that unlike other slave narrated books; a man who was born free wrote this novel. All other slave narrators had been born into slavery. Dedicated to Harriet Beechen Stowed and introduced as Another Key to Uncle Toms Cabin, Northup book was published in 1 853, less than a year after his liberation.The significance of Northup experiences of being a slave described in the kook is hard to deny. People who read this book can virtually see the world through the eyes of a person that got locked away into a cage of slavery, a person that was cut off from society and normal life of a free man. Can we possibly imagine how this person must have felt like? We should not doubt what Solomon Northup went through when he found himself in a situation when he was not free anymore. We will write a custom essay sample on Years a Slave reflection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is obvious that the whole story and the portrayal of slavery acquires an entirely different perspective than if it had been written by a narrator who was born into slavery and passed through takes of his childhood and adolescence wearing a stamp of being someones property. The most harrows Eng moment from Northup brills ant and painful Twelve Years A Slave is when slave master, Edwin Peps, is questioning his slave girl and mistress, Patsy, about her whereabouts the previous afternoon.When Patsy returns, she reveals that she was at a neighbors plantation, trying to get a bar of soap, but he refuses to listen. Peps does not believe her and orders her undressed, tied to a tree and beaten. Peps forces Plant to whip her repeatedly, but becomes frustrated, snatches the whip and hales on her himself. In my opinion, this was the most touching; yet disturbing section of the book. I cannot imagine how devastated Plant felt having to whip his best friend and then watch helplessly as she suffered.Because it was so violent and graphic it was almost impossible for me to read this section of the novel. Northup trusted that Arms would mail a letter to Northup family for him, but instead Arms told Peps about Northup letter so that he could get him into trouble. Obviously Earners did not have the intention of helping Northup and he was trying to cajole Peps. He is described as a man who came to the plantation looking to fill the position of overseer but was reduced to labor with the slaves.In an effort to better his role on the plantation, he revealed Northup secret to Peps. Instead of giving the letter to Arms, Northup should have mailed the letter himself. By mailing it himself, he could assure that no one would find out about the letter and he would not have had to suffer through ten years of enslavement. He would have had to have someone cover for him, however, this would not be as bad as having Peps find out, knowing how harsh the uniqueness would be. Northup is first sold to the infamous Washington-based slave trader James H.Burch, who brutally whips him for protesting that he is a free man. He is purchased by a fair-minded but feeble master named Ford. Northup writes that there never was a kinder, candid, Christian man. Northup is then sold in the winter of 1842 to John Tibetan, a quick-tempered carpenter to whom Ford had become indebted. Unlike Ford, Tibetan was never satisfied and he worked his slaves from earliest dawn until late at night. Lastly, Tibetan sells Northup to Edwin Peps, a repulsive and coarse cotton planter whom Northup describes as lacking any redeeming qualities.Religion appears in 12 Years a Slave in its conservative theme as an eloquent technology that slave owners use to persuade their slaves to be obedient. We see Peps, for instance, preaching to his slaves and verbally underlining a Bible verse emphasizing weakness. This scene also portrays the limitations Of this analysis by showing the disconnect between discourse and power. The slaves are not moved to serve by Beeps readings, but by practice of physical and psychological lenience. Race and religion merge to become a highly effective mechanism for solidifying dignity by asserting the corruptness of outside bodies. A reader will obtain some sense of what it meant to be owned by another human being what it meant to be considered a piece of property that could be bought and sold, an object whose sole purpose and function was to make life more comfortable for the master and his family. Readers will also be able to gain insight into the fact that despite the general cruelty, black people consciously struggled to maintain their dignity, humanity, and their moral and ultra integrity.The book of Solomon Northup gave me a chance to go beyond what we learn in history books, taking me into the human story of slavery. Our country is founded on a system of institutional racism, and slavery is among the strongest examples of this reality. This is a hard truth to accept while at the same time enjoying the freedoms our country offers. 12 Years a Slave showed me human dignity a nd beauty in the face of extreme oppression. That story of slavery, not the stories of land ownership and wealth, should become the narrative of what our country stands for.

Palo Mayombe

Palo Mayombe Introduction Palo Mayombe is a Congo-inspired cult, which is one of the variant forms of Reglas de Congo religious cults, widely practiced in Havana, Cuba. It has its origins in the Bantu of Congo in Central Africa and encompasses many Congo religious cults including the Biyumba, Vrillumba, and Regla Conga.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on Palo Mayombe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Bantu/Congo religious practices reflect the sorcery/magical aspects common in many African beliefs, as well as the magical healing practices. The word â€Å"Palo† means the branches or sticks obtained from the forest (el monte), which are used in making sacred objects (nganga) for magical spells. Often, the practitioners of Palo (paleros) use corpses and herbs to cast evil spells when practicing black magic (Verger, 1984, p. 176). Essentially, Palo is a specialized cult involving the dead with emphasis on evil pacts with the dead, normally made at a graveyard, alongside the nganga. A distinctive iron cauldron houses the nganga alongside other ritual objects such as sticks and bones, which give it magical powers. The practice of involving the dead by the Palo experts makes them mightily feared and regarded as dangerous. In Cuba, the Palo practices are widespread are known to steal corpses for use in the magic ngangas. In the colonial era, the Africans themselves used sorcery to their advantage, as the whites in power considerably feared sorcery. The Palo uses the same magic rites, which have earned them the name, â€Å"the dark side of Santeria† that encompasses all Congo-based cults including the Regla de Ocha (Brown, 2003, p. 117). The presence of Congo in Cuba began since the colonial times in the eighteenth century comprising of majority Reglas de Congo and the Reglas Lacumi. The Reglas de Congo settled mostly in the eastern Cuba in places such as Guantnamo and Santiago de Cuba. The Congo ritu al influence has since spread in most parts of the island characterized by chanting and sacred songs. Because of the harm the objects of Palo works (obras, trabajos) have, Palo witchcraft is widely feared in Cuba. The Palo witchcraft involves working with the dead and involvement of the dead in their witchcraft practices.Advertising Looking for thesis on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Origins of Palo Mayombe Palo Mayombe is specifically Congo-inspired different from the West African derived Santo also called Lacumi or Ocha in Havana. Its presence in Cuba can be traced from the Central African slaves in Cuba under the Cuban colonialism. The emergence of Palo dates back to the late seventeenth century and the early eighteenth century, as a cauldron of many Congo-derived cults (Clark, 2005, p. 233). During this period, the cults had healing rites treating people under the name â€Å"ngoma†. M ost notable were the Lemba healing society, who prior to spreading to Cuba occupied the banks of Congo River in the early seventeenth century. Due to contact with the Portuguese during the slave trade, the lemba gained entry into the Americas to inspire many religions. Another Congo-derived sacred society that made passage into Cuba resulting into the birth of the Palo was the Nkita. The Nkita people were among the Congo people who lived at the lower banks of the Congo River in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and they experienced much social disruption resulting from the slave trade. In the initiation into the Nkita healing society, the Nkita affiliated its members with the ancestors, who they believed possessed the ultimate authority over them (Brown, 2003, p. 120). In Palo, the names â€Å"lemba†, â€Å"nkita† and â€Å"ngoma† are common in their sacred speech. In1725-1875 as more people from Central Africa arrived in Cuba, they brought many cultures and cultic practices, which were primarily nurtured in Havana (Brown, 2003, p. 118). The lemba and Nkita were among the Central African inspirations that struggled against one another in seeking followers mainly from people burdened by enslavement. As the slavery and Spanish occupation in Cuba ended in the twentieth century, the two inspirations emerged as the Palo, which in Havana refers to â€Å"Regla de Congo† translated as â€Å"Kongo Rule† (Bockie, 1993, p. 72). The Regla de Congo or Kong law subsequently formed a â€Å"Palo society†, a powerful social society that spreads fear due to its involvement of the dead in its witchcraft practices. The Palo society comprises of four main branches or â€Å"ramas† in Havana. Each of these branches has distinct practices musically, linguistically and ritually compared to another. The branches include â€Å"Palo Kimbisa†, â€Å"Palo Monte†, â€Å"Palo Mayombe† and â€Å"Palo Briyumba† . However, in the countryside, and throughout Cuba, the Kongo inspirations take different names and engage in diverse forms of religious practices (Brown, 1998, p. 307).Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on Palo Mayombe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The â€Å"Palo Mayombe† just like the â€Å"Palo Briyumba† and â€Å"Palo Monte† are Havana-based and proliferates into various communities and practitioners’ temple houses. Palo literally means stick derived from the mango tree or â€Å"un palo de mango† (a stick of the mango tree) (Bockie, 1993, p. 82). The use of â€Å"Palo† to mean Kongo-Cuban religious practices reflects the power associated with the Kongo-Cuban magic objects. The branches of powerful trees or the â€Å"Palo† make up the â€Å"prendas†, which are the objects used for witchcraft for healing or harming others. The sticks (Palo) are symbolic of the sticks used to kindle fires to destroy one’s enemies (Bockie, 1993, p. 87). The Palo Mayombe Practices and the Dead Palo Mayombe essentially involves the practice of working with the dead. Its adherents are believed to communicate directly with the dead (Brown, 1998, p. 293). During initiations into the cult, the individuals must possess a â€Å"sense of wandering† with the dead spirits in order to understand the prendas and the practice of harming or healing of the Palo Mayombe. The Palo Mayombe craft involves stories, specified songs, and recollections that are held in consciousness and serve as a mode of visceral apprehension of the dead in the body of the living. Their definition of the dead involves the visceral affirmation felt in the bodies of living and the surrounding world. Thus, the Palo invokes the dead or certain aspects of the dead in all their teaching and crafts. The dead could be a deceased sibling, a parent or unknown number of the dead (Kalunga el m uerto) that spread fear to many people (Moore, 1997, p. 30). The dead make up the word of ancestors that come back to fill the minds of the practitioners with scary imaginations. The practitioners use bones or blood exhumed from graves of the dead that saturates the imaginations of the living and thus attributing to the presence of the dead among the living. The Cuban-Kongo dead comprise one of the aspects of the Palo’s dead forming an unknown mass of the dead, (â€Å"Kulunga el muerto†), which proliferates to form a dominant entity. The aspects of the dead that echo in the minds of the living first arise from the Kalunga before apprehension by the sensing living body (Brown, 1998, p. 327).Advertising Looking for thesis on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Kalunga el muerto comprise of many dead that could exist forming an indistinguishable mass that spread fear among the living. During the initiation of a new individual into the Palo Mayombe, a Palero priest baptizes the person into the secrets and mysteries of the Palo Mayombe. A palero priest serves to protect and serve the community. The Palero priest bears the light in the darkness that attracts the blessings of the evil spirits (Brandon, 1991, p. 57). However, in death, God, the Olodumare, extinguishes the Palero priest, who then becomes elevated to a spiritual guide for the darkness. The Palo Mayombe Initiation Ceremonies Any individual wishing to join Palo Mayombe must consult a Palero priest who, through the direct contact with the spirit world, will inform the person if he/she can practice Palo Mayombe. Often, rejection occurs because Palo Mayombe may not be part of the person’s destiny or spiritual path. Rejection can also arise of an individual lacks the capacit y to handle the responsibilities of the Palo Mayombe as a Palero priest. The initiation marks the first step in the Palo Mayombe practice and the involvement of the dead in their craft (Cervantes, 1994, p. 119). Upon initiation, an individual enters into the expansive spirit world of the Palo Mayombe. One of the spirits is the Zibranda that means a divine messenger and facilitate direct communication between humankind and the spirits. The spiritual cauldron for Zibranda spirit contains holy water, human bones from the dead, sticks among others. An individual initiated into Palo Mayombe collects these items at given times, over a seven-day initiation period under the supervision of the Palero priest, to construct a person’s spiritual zibranda. Another initiation ceremony is the Madre De La Luna, which simply means the â€Å"witch of the night† or the goddess of the moon. This initiation ceremony for Madre de la luna occurs in a field at night when there is a full moon. It is prevalent among the Mexican witches. The individual being initiated receives a knife that contains power for casting love spells. The knife is a source of power for any individual initiated into the mysteries of Madre de la Luna. The spiritual cauldron for Madre de la Luna consists of crystal beads of quartz and a crystal skull (Bueno, 2000, p. 154). For Madre de Agua, another powerful spirit in Palo Mayombe, the initiation ceremony occurs inside a Santeria Sopera. The Madre de Agua is particularly feared for its power and magic for strong love and money. It also serves as powerful magic in other magical works. The spiritual cauldron for the Madre de Agua comprises of two clear beads, a coral bead, and seven multicolored beads. In contrast, the La Santisima Piedra Iman spirit primarily serves to attract wealth and money among businesspersons in Latin America. Its spiritual cauldron consists of green and black beads. The Mama Chola spirit is a powerful female spirit for casting spells of fertility and love as one of the practices of Palo Mayombe. The last ceremony that an individual can be initiated to in Palo Mayombe is the Francisco de loss Siete Rayos translated as â€Å"Francisco of the seven rays† (Bueno, 2000, p. 156). It is among the ancient traditional ceremonies of the Palo Mayombe. The secrets and its rules involve a spirit contained in an iron cauldron or a bowl. This spirit rules the four winds among the Palo Mayombe religious practices. The Power and the Practice of the Ngangas The sacred objects or ngangas serves to cast magical spells and usually involves communal ritual participation. The participation in the communal nganga rituals may be large especially during initiation ceremonies. The Palo Mayombe healing more often involves attacking the enemy or threatening them while promising prosperity in the lives of the afflicted. The harming or healing is achieved using prendas that bear the force of spirits of a kalunga el muerta or ma ss of the dead. The forms of attack often involve an attack by ruinous storms, hunting cats, birds of prey or bulls (Brandon, 1991, p. 59). The involvement of the dead, (kalunga el muerta), assures the keeper of protection through his/her prenda while taking advantage of the immediacy they have with the dead to attack the â€Å"unprotected lives† they target. They travel with the waves of the dead and repeatedly attack the life they want to destroy until it is carried away with the dead. The Palo Mayombe can make the nganga in various forms with different appearances managed by the paleros. While the rituals of the Palo Mayombe are shrouded with mystery, the nganga reflects the spiritual meanings in the physical world. Although every Palero can keep his or her spirits in ngangas or an outside house, most spirits of Palo Mayombe reside in a special house for the dead (La Casa de Los Muertos). Any spiritual guide cannot keep the spirits because they are so powerful and fierce ( Brandon, 1991, p. 64). Traditionally, the dark spirits are kept in a given house or under lock and key. Within the closet or room, access to other people is limited, lit only with a burning candle always. The La Casa de Los Muertos is stocked with elixirs of a magical nature for the spirits. The Production of Munansos in Palo Mayombe In Palo Mayombe practices, the munanso signifies a crucial space or room that houses the nganga. It can also mean the group membership in communal initiation ceremonies. In particular, the communal participation involves the palero, the mayombero or the ngangulero spiritual leaders depending on the nature of the ceremony or activities. The craft for Palo Mayombe involves a gradual process of ritual implementation by the practitioners (Monroe 2004). The spiritual leaders or mayombero or paleros possess plenty of knowledge gained through years of interaction with the dead and other religious members. The paleros and ahijados (children) form their own muna nso resulting into a religious family of palo at a given locality. Thus, the â€Å"munanso† represents a religious sect that consists of the members at a given locality. However, it can sometimes extend to include the participation of the whole community nationally or internationally. Initiates to nganguleros or munanso comprise of the padrino (father), ahijados (children) and the madrina (mother) forming a socio-religious organization. It is in these circles that the Palo Mayombe practices revolve with the minanso providing the channels of interaction in the Palo Mayombe practice. Teaching of the Palo Mayombe beliefs, rituals and religious language occurs within the ranks of the munanso (religious group). The padrina and the madrina undertake the initiation ceremonies of new individuals or ahijados into the munanso as they lead by example (Verger, 1984, p. 179). The responsibilities and the benefits of the group identify and determine the position of the group and its member s in the community. Thus, a munanso comprises of families of practitioners that have distinctive ritual ceremonies, beliefs and songs. In a common munanso ceremony, different practitioners play different roles including singing, playing drums or supplying religious elixirs including rum and tobacco. Sometimes during munanso ceremonies, the attendees give a small contribution in the form of pesos or human labor in the animal sacrifices and food preparations in readiness for the initiation ceremony (Clark, 2005, p. 231). Although most palero services are non-commercial, non-initiates seeking the services or adverse from a powerful palero usually pay a small fee or give some given goods or services. An older initiate enjoys a higher status and is accorded much respect from the other group members who, as years pass, become tatangangas (nganga owners). There are those who participate in various tasks such as singing or drumming and develop exceptional relationships with the paleros. Thu s, the participation of an individual in the ritual ceremonies is noteworthy as it provides a platform for social expression and religious ranking of a munanso. There are different levels in the ranking of a munanso, and each has distinct roles and functions (Bueno, 2000, p. 157). The position held by an individual depends on the roles and status during initiation and other operations. The Palo Mayombe initiation accords an individual access to the protection and guidance by munanso members, as well as, participation in ceremonies. The learning of the ritual languages occurs through song and dance during the religious ceremonies (Conrad, 1983, p. 342). However, the initiate’s religious affiliations or family determines the learning of the ritual languages. The ritual languages are extremely significant as the lack of knowledge of these languages limit an individual’s access into munanso ceremonies. In addition, participation in the ritual activities requires use of rel igious songs or mambos, which reinforces the use of the ritual language. The Palo Mayombe is a participatory religion, where each munanso member participates in ritual activities, ritual songs and various tasks during initiation ceremonies. Although it is a participatory religion, few members are destined to undertake prominent roles (Conrad, 1983, p. 346) Learning is essential in knowledge transfer and requires healthy relationships between the palores, the ahijados and the padrino/madrina. These relationships provide the means through which the Palo Mayombe practices are learned organized and replicated in each mananso. The number of the ahijados in each munanso is different led by religious leaders who instruct them, and in the process, they build a social network. Normally, a munanso in Palo Mayombe consists of family members and a few intimate friends. The predecessors or the godfathers pass on distinctive Munanso’s practices from one generation to the next, which form t he precise foundation of religious identity. Though munansos are largely distinct, some munansos bear similarities and common histories of beliefs and practices. Often, multiple interactions involving people from different munansos represents the solidarity in Palo Mayombe (Cervantes, 1994, p. 127). However, sometimes the paleros possess multiple religious identities such as catholic and santero, which illustrates the multiple religiosities of the Afro-Cuban people and cultures. Conclusion The Palo Mayombe is one of the many variants of Congo-inspired religious cults otherwise known as Reglas de Congo. The Reglas de Kongo or the Kongo law refers to the Palo society that comprise of the Palo Mayombe. The Palo Mayombe practices, most distinctively, involve working or wondering with the dead or dead spirits (kalunga el muerto). Their initiation ceremonies conducted by a palero or a spiritual priest are also distinctive and various items are required for constructing cauldrons or  "ngangas† for healing or harming. The dead spirits are housed in a â€Å"munanso†, which also signifies a religious society comprising of palero and aihijados. In Palo Mayombe, the magic and casting of spells for healing or harming others involve communication with the dead or dead spirits. Reference List Bockie, S. (1993). Death and the Invisible Powers: The World of Kongo Belief.  Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. Brandon, G. (1991). The Uses of Plants in Healing in an Afro Cuban Religion, Santeria.  The Journal of Black Studies, 22 (1), 55-76. Brown, J. (1998). Black Liverpool, Black America, and the Gendering of Diasporic Space. Cultural Anthropology, 13(3), 291-325. Brown, D. (2003). Santeria Enthroned: Art, Ritual and the Innovation in an Afro-Cuban  Religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Bueno, G. (2000). An Initiation Ceremony in Regla de Palo. Gainesville: University of Florida. Cervantes, F. (1994).The Devil in the New World. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Clark, M. (2005).Where Men are Wives and Mothers Rule: Santeria Ritual Practices and  Their Gender Implications. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. Conrad, J. (1983). Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer. New York: Signet Classics. Moore, R. (1997). Nationalizing Blackness: AfroCubanismo and Artistic Revolution in  Havana, 1920-1940. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. Verger, P. (1984). Latin America in Africa. In Africa in Latin America: Essays on History,  Culture and Socialization: 273-285. New York: Holmes Meier Publishers, Inc.

Feminism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Feminism - Essay Example The reason that female oppression goes unnoticed among many in the community is the fact that women are not actually a minority group which makes it hard for many people to view it as a major issue. A number of feminist factions have come up over the years fighting to safeguard women on the same opportunities and privileges as men in the society. Such include women being paid the same wage as men for the same job done, women having a say in the policies passed by the government and gives women an opportunity to expand their businesses and careers to levels they never could in the past. Feminism movements have received both the negative and positive reactions depending on the social context and the nature of the individuals themselves. These reactions range from anti-feminists to male chauvinists to pro-feminists. To most people’s surprise, there are men who have recently come out recently fighting for equal rights for men in their family, divorce settlements and in the anti-discrimination law. According to Emma Watson, most people view feminists to be â€Å"†¦too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive.† (United Nations, Para 2). This is often how men who are against the idea of female and man equality often perceive the notion. Recently, campaigns such as Women Against Feminism have come about which portray women fighting for equality to be man-hating. However, this is not the case. The main aim of the feminism movements that are underway all aim at ensuring that women get the same opportunity as men in the community. A number of feminist writers are in pact that pinpointing oneself as a feminist is a strong stand that any man in the community can take against the fight over sexism. It is important that men be given an opportunity to join the movement for feminism, which is the strategy that the UN is currently trying to incorporate in their recent campaign HeForShe, which purposes at

Interior Design Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interior Design Program - Essay Example That is what people want; to adjust with environment. Adjustment takes place in two basic steps: one is judgment where one tries to inspect the level of satisfaction by comparison and another is selection which comes into mind if first one directs to do so. Fashionable clothes, jewelries, rich food etc are common example of this. But what about shelter All these luxurious wants go to slum if you don't have place to take deep breath. After daily hard work when we return home, we look for peace, relaxation and happiness. It's a place which refreshes our mind and gives us energy to face daily problems. So home also needs designing and proper arrangements with all facilities within that in order to bring ease and comfort in our life. This work can be beautifully done with help of interior designer. Nowadays Interior designer has more responsibilities, as everybody has different needs and level of satisfaction; and he needs to satisfy customers' thinking after maintaining his own constrai nts (budget, profit, house area etc...). Design is a term related to creativity. Interior design is a process to improve human interaction with the living environment. An interior designer is a qualified person who works on interior spaces to improve its quality and with a vision to enhance the lifestyle of human being, making it healthier and safer (Znoy, Jason A, 2004). It's not about profession and revenues; but the art reflects to his personal life too as society is not a group of families rather individuals! One dominating factor comes and that is financial effort. One designer will do the work for mankind but a large class of people is not in a position to adopt it. Here comes the challenge. What's that contribution where all are not getting the chance to feel pleasure So, design must be flexible and easily acceptable. Nowadays People misunderstand with the meaning of renovation. Many historical structures are being demolished and replaced by modern efficient high-rise buildings. Renovation is part of designing, but doesn't mean removing ancient things. Destruction is not the ultimate way to resolve problem. A doctor never hurts patient but fights against his diseases. Removing these structures, means rubbing out all the histories associated with them. So solution to this conflict between new needs and old culture is restoring and recycling, which bring to sustainability. Renovation needs new resources to replace old ones, but available resource cannot meet wants. In order to get a green country we have to give our hands together forgetting about me but not us. We should remember that child is a father of man. Future is unpredictable, but not impossible to visualize. Doing is believing and we have to believe in what we are doing. As Designing combines all different perspectives to bring out an innovation, teaching interior design and spreading knowledge is very important. Today's challenges are inspiration for designer to come up with solutions that can help the world. Conclusion It's the time now to think higher and dream bigger. We are those drops of rain which can flood the whole world. Interior design gives us the awareness of what is happening in the real life. The only thing that is

Phase 3 DB Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Phase 3 DB - Assignment Example This report includes the notes to the financial statement of the company and the comparative analysis of the new business expanse intent of the Apex Inc. It also discusses the profitable outcomes for the shareholders and the bondholders. Introduction Apex Printing Inc. is the privatized United States printing company which cater the printing of research papers, newspaper inserts, journals and magazines, periodicals and the advertisements that incorporate Sunday and weekly circulations of metropolitan newspapers. Apex Inc., headed by the CEO John Mathews generates a revenue of 450 million US $ per annum based on three main product lines namely the periodicals, inserts and the advertisements. This company holds long contractual relationships with several U.S retailers for the vast production on a large scale. Recently in a meeting with the CEO and Vice President of the Sales Administration James Simeon, an initiative was put forward in the intent of the further expanse of the product l ine of Apex Inc. and to carry out productions in a different streamline: food packaging and following a different preplanned strategy. The meeting was soon followed by another meeting with the CEO and the VP of Production and Supply Chain, Luke Stewart. ... Mathews. However Mr. Mathews pointed out that Mr. Stewart view on long term profit was only possible if the project has been carried out successfully and with the striving attitude to include perfection in it. To discuss further on the this proposal I hereby, the VP finance am required to submit an initiative report to the CFO of the incorporation in this matter highlighting the finance statement and the discussion of the project’s details and the end result and henceforth making a satisfactory attempt to persuade the shareholders and the bondholders for the gain of their valuable investment in this project. Method: The current profit-loss status of the Apex Inc. is not vary much commendable however one also refrain from grading it as below average. But, owing to the present circumstances and the new inceptive of the expanse of the business approved by the CEO, I am here to give you a brief description of the present state of the company and the cost to implement the newer pro ject in pursuit of stabilizing the incorporation’s profits. Given here are the formulas for the calculation of the net present value (NPV) and the internal rate of return (IRR) of the expanse of Apex Inc. followed by the cost description of the food packaging project. When cash inflows are even (NPV): NPV = R ? 1 ? (1 + i)-n ? Initial Investment i In the above formula, R  is the net cash inflow expected to be received each period; i  is the required rate of return per period; n  are the number of periods during which the project is expected to operate and generate cash inflows. When cash inflows are uneven: NPV = R1 + R2 + R3 + ... ? Initial Investment (1 + i)1 (1 + i)2 (1 + i)3 Where, i  is the target rate of return per period; R1  is the net cash inflow during the first

Customer Requirements And Product Characteristics

Customer Requirements And Product Characteristics One of the main roles of any manufacturing plant is to produce product that caters to the demands of the market, and the best way to understand the market needs is to distinguish what is important to the customer/consumer. This understanding of the customer gives the manufacturer a competitive edge, as he knows more or less what the needs of the customer is, when he sells his product in the market. This competitive edge can be distinguished into various factors, for e.g. Quality, Speed, Dependability, Cost, and so on. A particular way of distinguishing which factor gives us more competitive edge is to distinguish between what Prof Terry Hill calls as â€Å"order winners† and â€Å"order qualifiers†. (Pycraft et al 1997) [Online] But before we dive into categorising the various competitive factors into order winners and order qualifiers, it will be helpful if we knew where the products lie in the Puttick Grid. The Puttick Grid, devised by the Warwick Manufacturing Group, defines product market position with respect to the complexity of the product and the level of uncertainty in the market. A point to note about the Puttick Grid is that over a period of time, product tends to move around in the grid and hence may change after a period of time. The Specialist DBPs have a very erratic demand profile, they are basically manufactured either one by one, or if they is more demand they probably in batches of 10. There is a peak in demand during the spring and summer seasons as a lot of people get back to riding their bikes after the winter, and hence become desirable during these seasons amongst the people who own vintage bikes. Also since these are vintage bikes, they dont mind spending a bit for getting replacement parts. The Aftermarket DBPs have a rather subdued demand as compared to the Specialist DBPs. Since these are DBP that are no longer in standard productions, there are a lot of organisations that have come out with their own version of the DBP and hence the customer has more choice. So, in such a case, the customer will go by brand image, price and the quality of the product. The Original Equipment DBPs on the other hand, will have a very stable demand that will be known to Friction Materials well in advance. Quality and price become very important for such a product and hence they become more of a commodity. Hence according to the above discussion, the products have been placed in the Puttick Grid as shown below in Figure 1.1.1 Super Value Product Responsive/Jobbing/Fashion Specialist DBP Consumer Durables Commodities Original Equipment DBP Now that we have an understanding of where the product lies with respect to the Puttick Grid, we can distinguish which competitive factor is an order winner and which is an order qualifier. Characteristic Aftermarket DBP Specialist DBP Design Brand Name 60 60 Price 40 40 Speed (Lead Time) Q Dependability (Availability) QQ Q Quality (Fit to purpose) Q QQ Table 1.1.1: Order Winners and Qualifiers. (Adopted for Hill 2000) [Note: Order Winners are marked out of 100. Q: Order Qualifier; QQ: Order Looser.] Characteristics Original Equipment DBP Design 40 Brand Name 10 Price 40 Speed (Lead Time) 10 Dependability (Availability) QQ Quality (Fit to purpose) QQ Table 1.1.2: Order Winners and Qualifiers. (Adopted for Hill 2000) [Note: Order Winners are marked out of 100. Q: Order Qualifier; QQ: Order Looser.] 1.1.1 Design The links between design, operations and markets are the very essence of the business. The way that these integrate, therefore, is fundamental to sound strategy development and implementation. Both design and operations aim is to provide products according to the technical and business specifications. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of Aftermarket DBPs, the dimensions of the DBP are calculated from the equivalent OE component and then some changes are made so as to avoid patent infringement. So in this case, the design of the DBP is not very important as it is only reverse engineered from an existing product. In case of Specialist DBPs, the dimensions are taken from records if they exist or taken from existing component and then designed as a made-to-order item. So in this case too, not much work goes into the design of the DBP as they are already available to the manufacturer. Hence, design of the DBP does not give the product any competitive edge over other competitor products. In case of Original Equipment Manufacturer, initially specifications will be given by the motorcycle manufacturer. But if Friction is selected as the preferred OE for DBP, it will be expected to design the brakes to meet the requirements given by the manufacturer. Hence, if not initially, over a period of time the designing of brakes for the OE product range will become the one of biggest competitive edge that the company could get in winning the order. 1.1.2 Brand Name Through a variety of activities, companies try to establish a brand name for their products in the market. Where this has been achieved and maintained, companies will win orders partly due to the image that has been created in the market. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of Aftermarket DBPs and the Specialist DBPs, the brand name, â€Å"Stop-Rite†, play a major role in winning orders for the company. Since these parts are no longer in standard production by the OEM, there is a lot of competition in the market to win orders for these products. And hence the brand image, which Friction Materials Ltd has maintained for the last 20 years, becomes the biggest competitive edge in the market to win orders. In case of the OE DBPs, initially Friction Materials is trying to win orders and hence it does not have a brand name in the OE market as of now. But as they start to win orders and establish them in the market, their brand name will start to help them win orders and hence, as time will progress, brand name will become an order winner. 1.1.3 Price In many markets, particularly in the growth, maturity and saturation phases of the product life cycle, price becomes a very important order winner. When there is a range of products to choose from, price comparisons with alternatives becomes an integral part of the customers evaluation of the product and hence price plays a very important part in winning orders. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of the Aftermarket and the Specialist DBPs, since there are a lot of alternatives in the market, price eventually become one of the main reasons why the customer chooses to buy the product, as if there are two products meeting his criteria, they are bound to buy the cheaper product. Hence they become an order winner. In case of the OE DBPs, since the manufacturer is going to buy the product in bulk, he is going to want to buy them from a manufacturer who is able to produce them in the cheapest possible way and who also meets their requirements. Hence price in this case becomes one of the biggest factors for choice. 1.1.4 Speed (Lead Time) and Dependability (Availability) A company may be able to qualify for an order/win an order based on how quickly they are able to supply the product or if the product is already available for delivery/purchasing for the customer. Hence is it very important that the Operations Lead Time must be able to match the Customer Lead Time. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of the Aftermarkets DBPs, the ability to deliver the DBP faster than others may affect the spares stores to make an order to the manufacturer. This is possible if the lead time for the product is less and hence lead time becomes an order qualifier. With respect to the customers, the product being available on the store self become an order qualifier, i.e. they consider the product as a possible buy. But in case the product is not available on the shelf, means that even though their product is better than the competition, they will lose an order and hence this becomes an order looser. Similarly, in case of the Specialist DBPs, since these are mostly made-to-order items, the lead time does not give an influential competitive edge over the competition. But at the same time, availability/delivery of the product has to be on time and this becomes an important factor that the customer will take into consideration when he/she is looking to buy a DBP for his/her Vintage Motorbike. Hence availability of the product on time becomes an order qualifier in this case. In case of the OE products, the motorcycle manufacturer will be looking for a manufacturer who can produce the parts and deliver them in the shortest possible time. Hence speed or lead time becomes an order winner. Also, being a local supplier to the local motorcycle industry will give them a competitive edge over other outside competitors as they will be able to respond to the demand much quicker. But, in addition to this, being able to deliver the products on time is going to be a very important factor. So important that initially, some late deliveries may lead to the manufacturer going to an alternate supplier as you are not able to meet his demands on time. Hence dependability becomes an order looser. 1.1.5 Quality Quality or Quality Conformance can be defined as ability of a manufacturer to manufacture products according to the customers requirements. (Slack et al 2002) In case of the Aftermarkets and Specialist DBPs, no one is going to consider buying the product unless you are certain that the DBP is fit to use on their particular motorcycle model. Hence for both these product ranges, quality becomes an order qualifier. That is, only if the DBP is fit to use on a particular customers motorcycle, they will consider buying that DBP. In case of the OE products, since now they are trying to become suppliers of OE products for the first time, quality has to be bang on target. It has to meet all the customer requirements. Any lapse of quality may lead to a halt in the manufacturers assembly line and this is going to cost them a lot of money. Hence any lapse in quality of the OE suppliers part will give a bad impression and hence may lead to the supplier losing the order. Hence quality for the OE product range becomes an order looser. 1.2 Implications on Operations The Polar diagram (above) shows all the competitive factors for all the product range and their relevant importance for winning orders. Hence, in a way, the diagram also helps understand where Operations should concentrate more so that they will be able to produce more products that will be able to win the orders in the market. From the above diagram, we see that for all the three product ranges, Price, Quality and Dependability are the common performance objective that can help give them competitive edge in the market. Hence operations has to focus more on reducing the cost of the product and at the same time try to keep quality at a good level and always deliver the goods on time. Also, we see Brand Name is very important for the Aftermarket and Specialist market. But if operations is able to maintain price, quality and dependability; it will maintain and perhaps even built up the brand name of the product. Also, by concentrating on dependability, operations is going to keep the lead time (speed) of the product to as low as possible to meet the delivery times and hence speed is also taken care of. Hence by concentrating more on price, quality and dependability, operations will be able to cover all the order qualifier and winner factors of all the 3 product ranges. 2 Manufacturing Strategy for the OE product 2.1 Framework Hill, T. (2009) breaks down the process of developing an operation/manufacturing strategy into 5 simple objectives. 2.1.1 Defining the Corporate Objectives The recent future Corporate Objective of Friction Materials is to try and break into the OE product sector. This will help them isolate the financial burden that they have to carry due to the ever decreasing prices because of cheap Far Eastern Aftermarket DBP available in the market. Hence another Corporate Objective is to make them more stable financially by entering a highly profitable and long term contract product range. Other general corporate objective like Profit and Growth and ROI also apply to Friction Materials Ltd. 2.1.2 Defining the Market Strategies to meet these objectives As said in the Corporate Objectives, Friction Material Ltd. is now trying to enter the Original Equipment product market. Volumes initially (during sampling stage) will be low, to the order of 300. But once their samples get approved, they will start producing these products in very high volumes, to the order of about 3000 DBP/week. Keeping these facts in mind, the Marketing Strategy for the OE product range is to produce and deliver high quality low cost DBP on time, every time. 2.1.3 How do products win orders in the market place? As mentioned in Section 1, the major factors that win orders for the OE product is Price, Quality and Dependability (in terms of delivery). Once Friction Materials becomes the choice for OEM for DBPs, they will have to design the brakes themselves and hence Design also becomes an important order winner. 2.1.4 Establishing the most appropriate mode to manufacture these sets of products Process Choice We are in process of getting samples accepted for the new OE product range. Currently we are manufacturing only the Spares and Specialist product ranges and this is done in a batch process flow layout. This is ok for these ranges as they are in small quantities of about 300 DBP/week. But the new OE product range is going to require about 3000 DBP/week. Hence the Batch layout will not suffice to meet this quantity demand. The most appropriate process choice for such a huge demand is the Mass Layout or the Continuous Layout. But the continuous layout calls for a bigger investment in terms of the money involved. Since Friction Materials is only starting to try to establish itself in the OE market, it would not be wise to tie up a lot of the Companies money into something that might not work out to the magnitude expected. Hence the Mass Layout seems to be a more sensible choice. 2.1.5 Provide the manufacturing infrastructure required to support production Providing the infrastructure to support production of the new OE product is going to involve some amount of trade off in the sense of a balance between the various competitive factors that will affect the ability of the product to win orders. For instance, from the polar diagram (Sector 1.2) we see that dependability and cost of product play a very important role in helping the product win orders. In order to always deliver the product on time, we must always have enough stock with us to meet the demand. This can mean that we make-to-stock the product. But if we have a lot of inventory, it means that we have a lot of money held up as inventory and this may lead to increase in the price of the product to help insulate this cost. But this increase of cost may lead to loss of an order. Hence what amount of inventory would be sufficient to always meet customer demands and not hold a lot of money in inventory would be the trade off that we will be keen to look for. This process of trade o ff balance will help the manufacturing/operations to align itself with the corporate strategy. (Slack et al 2002) 2.2 Analysis of Current Operations System Before we can start formulating and making changes to the production system, we must first define what the current system is. We can do this with the help of various tools. We are going to use the SWOT analysis tool to do the same. Once we know where the current production capabilities are, we will be able to make decision taking into account the current scenario. 2.2.1 SWOT Analysis Strengths Weakness The brand name â€Å"Stop Rite† Established producer of aftermarket DBPs in the UK and Western Europe Competency in making the brake pad mixture * Good liquidity and turnover * Bad production planning system even though a MRP system is in place for the same Opportunities Threats OE market will lead to more opportunity in the EU market. OE market will help insulate the competition and market share because of the Far Eastern Competition * Growing to a medium scale company will help in being capable of handling more customers * Competition for cheaper Far Eastern Competition Table 2.2.1: SWOT Analysis Tool The brand name â€Å"Stop-Rite† is one of the main strengths of Friction Materials Ltd. This is what is helping them win orders in the Specialist market and the aftermarket market. This brand name that they have, they have been able to establish it because of being one of the main trusted DBP manufacturer in the UK and Western Europe market. This is also one of the strengths that they should exploit. They have a competency in creating their own mixture for the DBPs, which helps keep the cost of the product down. Also, as we can see from the financials, their Quick Ratio is about 1.03 and their Current Ratio is about 1.8, both of which are very near the acceptable values and hence the company is doing very well financially. And as they say â€Å"Cash is King†, this is their main strength. But even though they are strong in these areas, their production planning system is not very good, or up to industry standards. Even though they have a MRP II system in place, the Planning Controller has to fire fight situation that should not arise because of the system. This shows one of the two situations, either the Planning Controller is not familiar with the system or there is something wrong with their planning system. This can cause a lot of problems if they are to start production for about 3000DBP/week for the OE product. Opportunity wise, the OE product can help gain more market share in the Western European market and hence improve their brand name even further. Also, since this will be a more steady market, this will help insulate some of the market share loss due to the cheaper Far Eastern Competitor products in the Spares market. This will help the company grow financially which is always the main aim of any organisation. Once the organisation has more market share and money, they can easily transition to a medium scale company and hence cater to more customers. The only threat that the company faces is due to the Far Eastern products. They are almost as good as their DBPs, but they are far cheaper than Frictions DBPs and hence this sometimes leads to loss of market share. Entry to the OE product market will help them to insulate this loss. Now that we are clear on where the organisation current strengths and weakness lie, we can develop our manufacturing strategy to complement the strengths and negate the weakness of the organisation. 2.3 Elements of Manufacturing Strategy Miltenburg (2005) divides manufacturing strategy in six main sub-systems and terms them as Manufacturing Levers to reflect the concept that each sub-system can be adjusted to align according to market demands and corporate mission. 2.3.1 Sourcing Current list of all the suppliers to Friction Materials Ltd. are largely UK based. This is good as this help in decreasing the manufacturing lead time of the component. Since currently, their production demands are very low, to the order of 300DBPs/week; they were unable to convince their suppliers to deliver Just-in-Time. But now since they are looking to produce to the order of about 3000DBPs/week; they should be able to convince the suppliers to deliver Just-in-Time. Along with this, they should bring the list down in number and probably sign long term contracts with their most reliable supplier as the demand for the OE market is very stable and this long term contracts will help with the demand and also improve relations with their suppliers. But care should be taken when such contracts are framed, so that if the supplier does not make the delivery, then Friction Materials is free to buy that demand from another supplier. (Quinn and Hilmer 1995) In terms of the product range, since making DBPs is their main expertise, I feel that they should continue to produce all their existing product range so that they do not lose their current market share and customer base. The level of vertical integration should be kept to a minimum and Friction Materials should concentrate on its main competency of making the DBPs. Smaller parts of the product like the packing materials should be bought from an external vendor. 2.3.2 Process Technology Hill (2009) uses a profiling method to help decide what kind of production process is good for a particular type of product depend on the profile of the product. We will use this profiling approach to decide the type of process that we will implement for the OE range of product. Relevant Aspects Characteristics of Process Choice Product Job Batch Line Type Special Standard Range Wide Narrow Order Size Small Large Level of Change High Low Rate of NPD High Low Order-Winner Del. Speed Price Process Technology G.P. Dedicated Flexibility High Low Volumes Low High Key Tasks Meet Spec. Cost Investment Low High Table 2.3.2.1: Hills Profiling Approach (Source: Hill and Hill 2009) For the OE product range, we know the following: The order volume is going to be very high; hence the product is going to be standardised. Since the product is standardised, it is logical to have machinery dedicated to the product so that it can churn out more product and help meet the high demand. This in turn will decrease the flexibility of the process, but that is a trade-off that has to be taken to meet the high demand. We are going to produce only a certain types of DBPs, hence range is very narrow. The variations in the design of the DBPs are going to be minimal. New designs will only be developed when there is a requirement for it, hence the rate for new product development is also low. Order-winner for the OE product as discussed above is a balance between delivery speed and cost. Hence the key task for the process is bringing the cost of the product down. Hence we see from the above table, most of the profile of the OE product fits the Line Process choice. Hence in our case, for the OE product range, it is advisable that we go for a Line process. Currently, the Spares and Vintage DBPs are being produced in a Batch Equipment Paced Line Flow. They are currently running operations with 3 machining centres, each consisting of a pair of inter linked CNC machines with magazine feed. But even with a demand of only 300 DBPs/week compared to a demand of 3000 DBPs/week, the 3 machining centres are running at full capacity and often require overtime to meet the demand. Hence it is only logical for Friction Materials to in some new machining centres for the new OE production line that will be mainly be used for OE production, as they will find it very difficult to cope up with the demand with the existing infrastructure available. In fact, Friction Materials should look to start to invest into some of the other machines that they require for the production of DBPs to help cope up with this new OE demand. It is also advisable to make this new investments into the shop floor as the OE market is a profitable market which has a very stable demand and this demand will be there for quite a few years and hence this investment can be easi ly recovered during the life cycles of not OE product, but probably two or three OE products. The current manufacturing process layout should be adopted for the OE production also. The process has been setup taking into consideration the capacity of the mixer, setup time on the presses and stock levels and hence they are designed to give the whole process a flow. But setting up a completely new production line demands a lot of capital being invested and it will take quite some time before you will be able to break even for this investment. Hence the logical thing to do for Friction would be to invest in some new machining centres, so that they would be able to able to cope with the demand. But these new machining centres should be dedicated to only for the OE products. And over time, with increasing profits from the OE business, they can keep adding more machining centres to create a separate line for the OE product. 2.3.3 Production Planning and Control The production of DBPs has been broken down majorly into two process; namely Pressing and Finishing. The Pressing team takes care of making the brake pads; the Finishing team takes care of machining the DBPs to ensure consistency of the physical dimensions of the pad. Since both these processes are independent of each other, they are connected to each other with some decoupling or WIP inventory (Miltenburg). In our case, the baking process is the decoupling process. The two bin system can be used for inventory control for raw materials. In this system, the buffer stock in kept in the second bin and the current stock in kept in the first bin. Once the first bin is emptied and the buffer stock is brought into use, the purchase team should place orders to the respective material supplier for replenishing the material. For quality control, the organisation is already running on Statistical Process Control charts for the Spares and Specialist market. But this is acceptable for these products as their production volumes are not very large. The OE volumes are going to be very huge and hence SPC may not be the right choice for quality control. SPC looks at maintaining the quality of the products that the processes inside the organisation. Since OE is such a big market and where it is always important to â€Å"get things right the first time, every time†; it is better that Friction Materials looks into implementing Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM not only looks into the quality of parts being produced inside the organisation, but it takes the whole supply chain into account and sees to it that not only are the part being produced are up to quality standards, but also parts entering into the system are of optimum quality as it is unlikely to product good quality parts out of sub-standard part s. (GE Systems). Also in TQM, each worker becomes responsible for keeping the quality of their output up to standard. Hence this virtually removes the requirement of a quality control team in the organisation. 2.3.4 Human Resources The major machines, that require training in the whole manufacturing process at Friction Materials, are the press machines and the machining centres. The current workforce employed at Friction Materials is very well trained and are flexible enough to work on any process within their block. But we see that there is considerable time that goes into the setup of the presses when there is a need to change the design of the pad. So the employees can be further trained in how they can reduce the set up time for the presses. Regular maintenance is being carried out at Friction Materials by the current