Saturday, August 31, 2019
Effective Performance Appraisal Essay
In spite of this fact, however, there are some elements which are common to all effective performance appraisal systems, regardless of the actual method(s) used in the system. These elements will be discussed shortly. However, before examining these common links, a brief overview of performance appraisal as it is currently practised in American organisations is in order. Current Trends in Performance Appraisal As previously noted, controversy over the ââ¬Å"bestâ⬠performance appraisal system continues. The dilemma was highlighted in the 19 May 1980 issue of Business Week where the editors concluded that managers want a system ââ¬Å"that will pinpoint specific marginal behaviour that should be reinforced or discontinued, serve as a personnel development tool, provide a realistic assessà ment of an employeeââ¬â¢s potential for advancement, and ââ¬â a particularly hot issue in the 1980s ââ¬â stand up in court as a valid defence in discrimination suits. â⬠Has the search for a ââ¬Å"bestâ⬠system affected what companies actually do in performance appraisal? A study conducted by Taylor and Zawacki[2] in 1981 set out to answer this question y sending a mail questionnaire to 200 firms located throughout the United States ââ¬â these companies were selected at random from the Fortune 1000. Eighty-four (42 per cent) were returned and used in the study. The size of respondent firms ranged from less than 1,000 employees (nine), 1,000-5,000 employees (63), and more than 5,000 employees (12). Non-respondent firms did not vary significantly in terms of size. This study, which duplicated a previous one conducted in 1976, asked what kind of performance appraisal system was used for management and blue-collar employees. It also asked for the interval between ratings, productivity and employee reaction to the appraisal system, anticipated changes and respondent satisfaction to the present system. While it is not possible to go into all the detailed findings of this study, some of the most pertinent information is summarised below. ? While in 1976 43 per cent of the respondent firms had used a traditional performance appraisal system (e. g. , forced distribution) and 57 per cent had used a collaborative system (e. g. , MBO), in 1981 these figures had changed to 53 per cent and 47 per cent respectively. In other words, the proportion of companies using a traditional approach to performance appraisal had increased while the proportion of those using a collaborative approach had decreased. Several respondents provided written comments stating that they had changed to quantitative (i. e. traditional) systems in recent years in reaction to legal challenges to their previous collaborative system. In 1981, 39 of the 41 organisations using a traditional system used a graphic rating scale. Of the collaborative forms, 23 firms used MBO and 11 used a BARS system. The percentage of firms not satisfied with their current appraisal system increased from only nine per cent in 1976 to 47 per cent in 1981. In addition, those with collaborative systems were more likely to be satisfied, while the majority of firms with traditional systems expressed dissatisfaction. As far as the effect of the type of system used on employee attitudes went, 37 per cent of the ? IMDS January/February 1988 13 ? companies using a traditional approach felt that it had improved employee attitudes while 63 per cent felt it had not. Of those companies using a collaborative approach, 77 per cent felt it had improved employee attitudes and 23 per cent felt it had not. ? Of the 22 firms indicating that they anticipated changing their performance appraisal system in the near future, 12 were moving from a collaborative system to a traditional system. This is especially interesting in light of the fact that, in the 1976 study, the majority of firms indicating that they were considering a change said that the move would be from a traditional to a collaborative approach. While the 1981 study did not delve into the reasons behind this shift in attitude, Taylor and Zawacki conjectured that it was due to governmental and legal pressures for precise (i. e. , quantitative) measures which overwhelmed a desire to help people develop and grow towards becoming more effective employees. Of the firms surveyed, 49 per cent felt that their performance appraisal system had improved employee performance (roughly the same proportion found in 1976). However, the number of firms that did not believe employee performance had improved as a result of the appraisal process had gone from four per cent in 1976 to 19 per cent in 1981 ââ¬â and none of these firms anticipated changing their system! (5) The appraiser should be given feedback regarding his/her effectiveness in the performance appraisal process. (6) The performance appraisal system, regardless of the methodology employed, must comply with legal requirements (notably, Equal Employment Opportunities guidelines). Since the factors listed above are consistently highlighted in the literature as essential elements of an effective performance appraisal system, each of them warrants individual attention. Performance Goals Must Be Clearly and Specifically Defined Special emphasis should be placed on this phase of performance appraisal, since the lack of specifically defined performance goals will undoubtedly undermine the effectiveness of the entire performance appraisal process. The key performance areas need to be identified, assigned priorities and stated in quantifiable terms whenever possible. The mutual goal-setting process between a manager and subordinate associated with Management by Objectives is a particularly beneficial way to foster acceptance and internal motivation on the part of the employee[3]. As is often the case, if multiple goals are established, they should be ranked so that the employee has a clear understanding of which areas may warrant more attention and resources than others. Furthermore, every attempt should be made to describe performance goals in terms of their time, quality, quantity, and monetary dimensions. This will reduce the opportunity for misinterpretation about what is to be accomplished and what limitations there are. The quantification of goals will also make it easier for the manager and the employee to measure the employeeââ¬â¢s progress towards achieving the objectives. The need for quantifying objectives is succinctly summed up by George Ordione: ââ¬Å"If you canââ¬â¢t count it, measure it, or describe it, you probably donââ¬â¢t know what you want and can often forget it as a goal. There is still too much, ââ¬Ëdo your bestââ¬â¢, or ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ll let you know when itââ¬â¢s rightââ¬â¢, going around in todayââ¬â¢s organisations. If you canââ¬â¢t define the desired type and level of performance in detail, then you have no right to expect your subordinate to achieve it. ââ¬Å"[4] ? To summarise, it would appear that while most firms wish to use a collaborative form of performance appraisal, they feel thwarted by outside forces (notably Equal Employment Opportunities requirements) in their attempts to implement such a system within their organisations. The dilemma, then, is finding a workable solution which will meet both constraints. The remainder of this article will take a look at these two seemingly conflicting areas (effectiveness vs. efensiveness) and how they can be integrated into a meaningful performance appraisal system. Elements of an Effective Performance Appraisal System While various authors use different names and modified descriptions for them, the following factors seem to be universally accepted by most authorities on the subjects as requisites for an effective performance appraisal system : (1) Performance goals must be specifically and clearly defined. (2) Attention must be paid to identifying, in specific and measurable terms, what constitutes the varying levels of performance. 3) To be effective, performance appraisal programmes should tie personal rewards to organisational performance. (4) The supervisor and employee should jointly identify ways to improve the employeeââ¬â¢s performance, and then establish a development plan to help the employee achieve his/her goals. The Varying Levels of Performance While setting performance goals is a crucial first step in the process, managers also need to concentrate more attention on identifying what constitutes the varying levels of performance. If the organisation uses the typical ââ¬Å"poor, fair, good, very good and excellentâ⬠scale of performance, the manager has a responsibility to identify at the beginning what levels of performance will produce a ââ¬Å"very goodâ⬠or ââ¬Å"excellentâ⬠rating. However, setting specific goals for organisational performance is not enough ââ¬â managers also need to relate performance to the individualââ¬â¢s rewards. Agreeing on what is to be accomplished and what varying levels of performance represent in terms of evaluation and rewards is crucial for the performance appraisal process to be effective[5]. Since the first two steps of this process (i. e. , defining performance goals and setting performance standards) IMDS January/February 1988 14 are closely connected, an example of how these steps might be achieved is warranted. A prerequisite for setting performance goals is to establish job tasks. To measure performance realistically, objectively and productively, we must base our reviews on job content rather that job constructs. Constructs are broad, often self-evident terms which describe a general task, activity or requirement. Richards refers to them as ââ¬Å"garbage wordsâ⬠in terms of their usefulness as performance standards). An example might be ââ¬Å"communication skillsâ⬠. While few would argue the need for skills in communication for many employees, the problem is how to define the term in light of the requirements of the specific job in question. Will the employee be required to: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Write memos? Write letters? Conduct interviews? Deliver public speeches? Present proposals to clients? Describe features and benefits of a product? Resolve face-to-face conflicts? Handle customer complaints? Write job descriptions? Describe and define job standards? Manage meetings? Present ideas to top management? Initiative: Resourceful in taking necessary or appropriate action on own responsibility. Unsatisfactory Poor A routine Often waits unnecessarily worker; usually for direction. waits to be told what to do, requiring constant direction. Satisfactory Good Excellent Seeks and gets added tasks for self; highly selfreliant. Assumes responsibility. Does regular Resourceful; work without alert to waiting for opportunities directions. or Follows improvement directions with of work. little follow-up Volunteers suggestions. Table I. drinks per bottle, etc. In turn, these indicators should be broken down into measurable standards, as shown in Table II. As shown, when identifying what constitutes the varying levels of performance, we need to decide what we can expect in terms of outstanding performance, what is satisfactory and what is the minimum level of perfo rmance we can tolerate. One could argue that these are subjective determinations, and this is of course true. What is important, however, is that once these determinations have been made, performance can be measured objectively against the standard. It is important to keep in mind that standards should be set based on what we require or need in the performance of a job and not on our assessment of a specific individualââ¬â¢s ability to do the job. Unless we specify the behaviour we want in the context of job content requirements, it will be near impossible objectively to measure someoneââ¬â¢s performance under the generic construct of ââ¬Å"communicationâ⬠. We must determine the sort of communicating the job requires of the employee. Some organisations attempt to aid supervisors by providing rating scales which are anchored to descriptions of performance (i. e. , the BARS approach), such as the one shown in Table I. While this type of scale is certainly a vast improvement over those that offer no anchors (rating descriptions) at all, we could still argue over the ratings. The standards are subjective and unmeasurable, both undesirable traits in any performance appraisal system. To overcome these problems, the job should be broken down into responsibilities, with a series of performance indicators provided for each responsibility. In turn, these indicators should be accompanied by objective and measurable performance standards. An example will help illustrate the process. A bartenderââ¬â¢s job can be broken down into several responsibilities, including mixing drinks, cost control, inventory control, house keeping, safety, law enforcement, supervision, customer relations, etc. In turn, each of these responsibility areas can be broken down into several performance indicators. For example, performance indicators of the job responsibility ââ¬Å"mixing drinksâ⬠might include complaints, returns, brands used, appearance, speed, number of Personal Rewards and Organisational Performance To be truly effective, performance appraisal programmes should tie personal rewards to organisational performance. Too many reward systems are based on time on the job, are divided evenly among employees, or offer too little incentive to increase motivation significantly. As noted by Harper[3], performance appraisal systems need to be designed with the three ââ¬Å"Eââ¬â¢sâ⬠of motivation in mind. The first â⬠E â⬠refers to the exchange theory, which states that people tend to contribute to the organisationââ¬â¢s objectives as long as they believe they will be rewarded. The second â⬠E â⬠refers to the equity theory, which states that motivation is tied to the relative, rather than the absolute, size of the reward. For example, if person A does 25 per cent better than person B, but gets only five per cent more in a ââ¬Å"meritâ⬠increase, then person A is likely to feel that management has actually punished him or her for doing noticeably better than person B. The third â⬠E â⬠is the expectancy theory of motivation, which asserts that motivation is a combination of the personââ¬â¢s perceived probability (expectancy) of receiving a reward and the worth of the reward. Even when the reward is great, motivation may in fact be quite low if the employee does not believe that he or she has a reasonable chance of achieving the necessary level of performance to get the reward. Conversely, if the employee believes that the probability of receiving the reward is high, there will be little motivation if he or she does not need or value the reward. IMDS January/February 1988 15 Job: Bartender Job responsibilities Mix drinks, etc. Indicators Complaints Returns Measurements used (recipe) Brands used Appearance Time No. of drinks per bottle, etc. feedback to managers about the quality of their performance appraisal ratings would seem to have several advantages: ? ? It is relatively inexpensive and easy to develop and implement. The feedback is based on ratings made by each manager as part of the formal performance appraisal process. This enables the feedback to be tailored to the individual. The feedback can provide managers with a basis upon which to compare their ratings with those made by other managers. This normative type of feedback is rarely available to managers; as a result, there is very little information upon which they can evaluate how lenient or strict they are. A feedback system should help to ensure comparability of ratings among managers, which in turn may increase employee satisfaction with the appraisal process. That is, employees are more likely to perceive that their performance has been evaluated equitably since managers are using the same standards when evaluating performance. ? Job: Bartender Standards Job responsibilities Mix drinks Indicators Minimum Complaints 4/week Satisfactory 2/week Outstanding 0 ? Table II. In summary, then, for a performance appraisal programme to be successful in this area, it must: (1) Tie rewards to performance (2) Offer a high enough level of reward (3) Have the level of reward reflect the relative differences in the various levels of performance (4) Tailor the rewards to the needs and desires of individual employees. Development Plans Ideally, the performance appraisal programme should be comprised of two separate sessions between the manager and the employee. In the first session the manager and employee review the level of performance from the previous period ââ¬â what went well, what did not, and why. This session also identifies the employeeââ¬â¢s strengths as well as the areas that need to be improved. The manager then encourages the employee to prepare a development plan to be discussed at the second meeting. The development plan is intended to identify areas that should be improved upon during the coming period. The subordinate should be encouraged to: (1) Concentrate on those areas that will affect results (2) Select three or four particular areas for improvement rather than an unrealistic and unmanageable number (3) Set improvement goals that are specific and measurable[6]. Whatever the end result happens to be, the employee needs to be the principal author (although the manager should offer help and suggestions) since people tend to be more motivated to accept and implement a plan of their own making. IMDS January/February 1988 16 Indications of the usefulness of such a feedback system were documented in a study by Davis and Mount[7] in which managers were provided feedback vis a vis the ratings they gave to employees. In response to a questionnaire distributed one week after they had received feedback regarding the quality of their performance ratings, 79 per cent of the managers indicated they were either satisfied (seven per cent) or very satisfied (72 per cent) with the feedback; 93 per cent said they considered it when making subsequent performance evaluations; 70 per cent said it influenced their ratings either appreciably (47 per cent) or substantially (23 per cent), and 79 per cent said the feedback had utility for making managersââ¬â¢ ratings more comparable. The test results from this study indicated that the feedback also significantly reduced the presence of leniency error (the tendency to skew the rating distribution towards the higher rating categories) in the managersââ¬â¢ ratings. This is significant from an organisational perspective because of the multiple uses of performance ratings in organisations. Often, performance ratings are the criterion on which selection tests are validated and often provide the basis on which merit pay increases are determined. According to Davis and Mount, improving the psychometric quality of the ratings may enable the tests to be validated more effectively and provide a more equitable method for distributing pay increases ââ¬â an important consideration, as previously discussed. Conforming to Guidelines Obviously, in addition to the other factors which have already been discussed, another practical consideration which must be taken into account is that any performance appraisal system, regardless of the methods employed, must comply with all Equal Employment Opportunity guidelines. While a complete discussion of this important area is beyond the scope Feedback Regarding Effectiveness It is surprising how infrequently organisations provide their managers with information about their performance appraisal ratings. However, providing of this article, the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, put together by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and several other agencies in 1978, deserve special mention. These procedures were meant to clarify the exact requirements which appraisal and other selection systems must meet, and include the following points: (1) To continue using an appraisal system that has adversely affected one or more protected groups, the company must demonstrate that the system is ââ¬Å"validâ⬠, that it is job related, and that it accurately measures significant aspects of job performance. (2) The company must establish that there is no other available method of achieving the same necessary business purpose that would be less discriminatory in its effects, and none can be developed. According to the courts, the plaintiff (employee), rather than the defendant (company) must show the availability of the alternatives. The EEOC has told employers what they cannot do, but it has not provided them with definitive guidelines for solving the performance appraisal puzzle. However, some help in this regard was provided in the Autumn, 1980 issue of EEO Today[8]. (1) Base your appraisal on a comprehensive job analysis. EEOC guidelines dictate that you measure job performance against specific, clearly defined standards of performance. The performance you appraise, says the EEOC, ââ¬Å"must represent major critical work behaviours as revealed by a careful job analysis. â⬠Without a clear, written statement of job responsibilities, you increase your risk of EEO liability. (7) Submit the appraisal to several reviewers, especially if it is negative. To prevent conscious or unconscious bias from creeping into the appraisal process, develop a multilevel review system. Have your superior review and sign the appraisal. This system of checks and balances will reduce the risk of losing a court action. Final Comment As can be seen from the foregoing discussion, an effective performance appraisal system involves much more than a mere annual or biennial evaluation of an employeeââ¬â¢s past performance. Nonetheless, astute managers are becoming increasingly aware of the value of their human resources, viewing them as an investment rather than merely an expense or overhead to be minimised. Accordingly, many organisations are taking the time and effort necessary to develop an effective performance appraisal system in order to help their people achieve their personal goals, which in turn allows the organisation to meet its own objectives[9]. Unfortunately, many managers still object that they just do not have the time to make performance review and development an ongoing process. However, if management is defined as ââ¬Å"the ability to get things done through peopleâ⬠, and if we accept the fact that an effective performance evaluation process helps in getting the most important and productive things accomplished, then what else should managers spend their time doing? References 1. Fletcher, C. , ââ¬Å"Whatââ¬â¢s New in Performance Appraisal? ââ¬Å", Personnel Management, February 1984, pp. 20-2. 2. Taylor, R. L. and Zawacki, R. A. ââ¬Å"Trends in Performance Appraisal: Guidelines for Managersâ⬠, Personnel Administrator, March 1984, pp. 71-80. (2) Know the details of your companyââ¬â¢s 3. Harper, S. C. , ââ¬Å"A Development Approach to Performance nondiscriminatory policies. You and every other Appraisalâ⬠, Business Horizons, September-October 1983, pp. manager in the company should aim for the 68-74. uniform application of all appraisal guidelines. 4. Mellenhoff, ââ¬Å"How to Measure Work by Professionalsâ⬠, Management Review, November 1977, pp. 39-43. (3) Avoid subjective criteria. According to the Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody decision, subjective 5. Richards, R. C. , ââ¬Å"How to Design an Objective PerformanceEvaluation Systemâ⬠, Training, March 1984, pp. 38-43. supervisory appraisals of job performance are 6. Kellogg, M. S. , What to do About Performance Appraisal, inherently suspect if they produce adverse impact American Management Association, New York, 1975. against a protected group. To stand up to the 7. Davis, B. L. and Mount, M. K. , ââ¬Å"Design and Use of a scrutiny of the courts, these judgements must Performance Appraisal Feedback Systemâ⬠, Personnel be considered fair and job-related. Administrator, March 1984, pp. 1-7. 8. Block, J. R. , Performance Appraisal on the Job: Making it (4) Document! Keep records. That is the only way Work, Prentice-Hall, Inc. , Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1981. you can support whatever subjective judgeà 9. Butler, R. J. and Yorks, L. , ââ¬Å"A New Appraisal System as ments creep into the appraisal process. (They Organizational Change: GEà ¢â¬â¢s Task Force Approachâ⬠, are inevitable. ) Personnel, January-February 1984, pp. 31-42. (5) Aim for a group of appraisers who have common demographic characteristics with the group being appraised. This criterion was established in Rowe v. General Motors. When only white males appraise blacks, Hispanics, women and other protected groups, the courts question the fairness of the. system. Once a system is challenged and shown to have adverse impact, the company must prove its validity. (6) Never directly or indirectly imply that race, colour, religion, sex, age, national origin, handicap, or veteran status was a factor in your appraisal decision. Making any disciminatory statement, orally or in writing, will make your organisation subject to court action. Additional Reading Kaye, B. L. and Krantz, S. , ââ¬Å"Preparing Employees: The Missing Link in Performance Appraisal Trainingâ⬠, Personnel, May-June 1982, pp. 23-9. ââ¬Å"Performance Appraisal: Curre. â⬠Practices and Techniquesâ⬠, Personnel, May-June 1984, pp. 5799. Heneman, R. L. and Wexley, K. W. , ââ¬Å"The Effects of Time Delay in Rating and Amount of Information Observed on Performance Rating Accuracyâ⬠, Academy of Management Journal, December 1983, pp. 677-86. ââ¬Å"The Trouble with Performance Appraisalâ⬠, Training, April 1984, pp. 91-2. Gehrman, D B. , ââ¬Å"Beyond Todayââ¬â¢s Compensation and Performance Appraisal Systemsâ⬠, Personnel Administrator, March 1984, pp. 21-33. IMDS January/February 1988 17
Friday, August 30, 2019
What Role Does International Relations Play in the Shaping, Defining, or Legitimating of Masculinity or Masculinities?
ââ¬Å"There may be numerous ways in which international relations are implicated in the construction of masculinities and masculine identities; through the direct disciplining of male bodies, through numerous political and institutional practices, and through broader cultural and ideological links. â⬠Unquestioningly, more and more people believe that ââ¬Å"the personal becomes politicalâ⬠nowadays, we can see that even for subjects that suppose to be those of intimate details of private lives have become something that are constructed and structured by social relations. More obvious, lives of women are especially in the main stage, but not in a very good way. How? There are many forms of gender oppression towards women. This performance of discrimination ââ¬Å"deprives women from equal rights, whereas men have been judge on their merits as individuals, women have tended to be judged as female or as a group. â⬠This is to say that apparently, the world of international relations is precisely a manââ¬â¢s world, both in practice and theory. Be that as it may, to be success in this particular world, one must pass the criteria measured by masculine traits: power, autonomy, and independence. Also, it has been said that the privilege and power that achieve by men are not due to their physical, but because of their cultural association with masculinity. Having said that, Hooper also proposed that ââ¬Å"it is the quality of masculinity that is closely associated with power, rather than men per se, and the term masculinism, which implies a privileging of masculinityâ⬠. Coupled the stories that I have just described with the picture of international politics which is dominated by diplomats, soldiers, and international civil servants, most of whom are men, in defining the governmentsââ¬â¢ policies, it is not exaggerate to assume that world politics is a manââ¬â¢s world. Regardless of the fact that international relations is one of the last social sciences to be affected by gender/feminist analysis, many agree that it is because it has been so strongly masculinised by the works of those people that I have just said. Moreover, considering the current trend of world politics that is based mainly on the ideology of realism, not only that it helps legitimate the masculine world, but also it contributes to the international relations theory and practiceââ¬â¢s focal point on power, sovereignty, and security. Nonetheless, in this paper I will first discuss about the significance of identity towards international relations which I believe will provide the basic clarity of why we have to study about the importance of IR towards the masculine identity, then I will turn to the talk about the meaning of patriarchy and who defines or what legitimates that notion. Next I will try to answer the question of this paper by making it seems more practical. For example, I will depict the picture of the world after Cold War in which realism claims its explanatory power and its effect in shaping, defining, or legitimating masculinity or masculinities, along with the illustration of how the United States have inscribed the idea of gender into IR, and used it to legitimate their actions, etc. Lastly will be the conclusion part. Identity and IR In the famous article of Marysia Zalewski and Cynthia Enloe, Questions about the Identity in International Relations, they have asked us many questions that many always want to know the answers: what our identity is and who defines us. Knowingly, ââ¬Å"identity is being fashioned and constructed by others who have a stake in making up certain social categories and in trying to make people conform to them. â⬠However, if any chance the final result came out showing that your identity is ââ¬Ëa womanââ¬â¢, then ââ¬Ëtoo badââ¬â¢, because you will have to live with this so-called inferior status for the rest of your life. Asserting Zalewski and Enloe, ââ¬Å"gender and specifically that which is identified as belongings to femininity acts as a pre-emptive deterrent to certain modes of thought, action and speech. â⬠Funny as it may seem, who would have known that the social construction of women identity has been manufactured by mainly male theorists in order to keep them from accessing the public world, the world designed only for men. Patriarchy and the Misogynic World ââ¬Å"The term patriarchy was originally associated with ââ¬Ëthe rule of fatherââ¬â¢ but feminists broadened its use to cover other aspects of male domination. â⬠Obviously, international relations base its assumption and explanations almost entirely on the activities and experiences of men. Furthermore, according to Connell, there are several reasons why feminists have seen the state as patriarchal institution. ââ¬Å"the state is the core of the whole structure of power relations in gender with the total exclusion of womenâ⬠â⬠¢Ã¢â¬Å"the state has a well-marked internal gender regimeâ⬠with the example of strong gender division of labour â⬠¢Ã¢â¬Å"it is typical of modern states that the centres of state power, the top decision-making units, are heavily masculineâ⬠â⬠¢Ã¢â¬Å"the state has the capacity to do gender, it generates policies concerned with gender issuesâ⬠Given these reasons, it can be said t hat only men can benefit, ââ¬Ëpatriarchal dividendââ¬â¢ in the form of money, authority, respect, safety and power, from the world of gender inequalities. Although not all men can receive the benefits of patriarchal world, and not every woman suffers from it either, still the way in which elites men who possess the power in influencing and making decisions in governmentââ¬â¢s policy tend to focus on dichotomous thinking is mainly in order to sustain the gender order in the way that they want and the way that they can privilege from. Hooper suggested that in defining masculinities ââ¬Å"the academic discipline of IR is not exempt from the general observation that the more men align themselves with hegemonic masculinities, the more they boost their own credibility and perpetuate that hegemonyâ⬠. And in defending this more valued status, we can see masculine practices work their ways to maintain such position, whether self-consciously or not, as well as to make sure that they meet the threshold of requiring elitesââ¬â¢ privileges. Hooper also claimed that ââ¬Å"masculinities are not just domestic cultural variables; both political events and masculine identities are the products of menââ¬â¢s participation in international relations. â⬠Also, ââ¬Å"international relations reflects a world of men in that they influence international affairs through their physical capacities, through practices at the institutional level, and through the symbolic links between masculinity and power. For real supporting example of such argument, I find that many scholars believe that the United States in the post-colonial era had been dominated by politicians, diplomats, and other international players. These were groups of people who had been strongly influenced by European values of hegemonic masculinity. Asserting Hooper once again, ââ¬Å"such institutions still tend to churn out a high proportion of international elites. â⬠In sum, the international arena and men require each other. This is to say that, while international relations needs men to design and work on its structure, most men, especially white elites men, also need the international relations to hold on to and to maintain their status quo. International Politics and its effect on Masculinities The Realism World ââ¬Å"Paradigms such as realism, pluralism and structuralism/globalism are ontologically and ideologically committed to seeing a particular picture of the international, as a result which they are also theoretically and epistemologically constrained. â⬠States are considered to be principal actors in the international relations. Why? To answer this question, one might have to go back to the traditional ideology of realism ââ¬â which regards states as unitary and rational actor- that has been in the main focus of world politics for quite some time now. Especially in the era of Cold War, foreign policies of both the United States and the Soviet Union led to the institutionalization of masculinity. They fought each other with, besides the arms race, the definitions of masculinity and femininity. However, if we dig deep enough to the core of policy makers and intellectuals that dominated the world, we can see that most of them are men. Thus, as we live in the world that dominated by a masculineââ¬â¢s culture, anything that is relating to the traits of hegemonic masculinity can be seen as in a higher position, superior status to those that associated with feminine. Also, the way in which we mostly concentrate our ideologies after cold war with realism led us to the emphasis on power politics, which finally renders us the reinforcement of masculinities. And, ââ¬Å"for realist, security tied to the military security of the state. Given their pessimistic assumptions about the likely behaviour of states in anarchic international environment, thus war could break out at any time because nothing can prevent it. This rendered states to rely on their own power capabilities to achieve securityâ⬠. Hence, it can be easily detected that realism is oriented by masculine-linked characteristics. ââ¬Å"Characteristics associated with manliness, such as toughness, courage, power, independence, and even physical strength, have, throughout history, been those most valued in the conducted of politics, particularly international politicsâ⬠. Cited example from Zalewski and Enloeââ¬â¢s work, ââ¬Å"the current Chinese officials making nuclear policy were all men and they made at least some of their nuclear decision in order to prove to the Russians and the Americas that they too were real men in international politics. â⬠In spite the fact that realism notion can only explain a partial view of reality, still just when we think about the national security, it means that we have already entered into an almost exclusively male domain. Tickner argued that ââ¬Å"in the post-World War II world, this bipolar balance of power became what less sanguine observers termed a balance on terror that rested on the vast array of nuclear weapons possessed by the United States, the unprecedented buildup and maintenance of hugh military arsenals in a time of peace led to a new branch of international relations scholarship known as national security studies. While national security scholars are realists in their basic assumptions and explanations, during the Cold War era they focused almost exclusively in designing a military strategy for the United States with respect to the Soviet Union. As national security specialists have moved between academic and government, American national security policy has rested on the realist prescription of increasing security through preparation for warâ⬠. However, the statement that I have just cited is not exaggerate since when we look back into the world history, particularly for the Greeks, the way to achieve status and recognition as an honored man, one needed to participate in war in the form of heroic performance. We can assume from these given facts that realism focus only on men, while oppress women. Tickner gave us clarity that ââ¬Å"The high politics of war and Realpolitik, the traditional Western academic discipline of international relations privileges issues that grow out of menââ¬â¢s experiences; we are socialized into believing that war and power politics are spheres of activity with which men have a special affinity and that their voices in describing and prescribing for this world are therefore likely to be more authentic. â⬠This rendered the pattern of gender discrimination that happens in the world nowadays. To give an insight on this area, I shall point to the work of many well-known realists, namely Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Morgenthau. But first as most international relations student know that the Greek city-state was a community of warriors, and intellectuals and theorists back in those years like Hobbes, he said that people in the state of nature are in international arena. This is to say that, nature is in control of men; thus, it helps legitimate hegemonic masculinity. While for Machiavelliââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"the Princeâ⬠, he highly praised for warrior-prince. Given this fact, many feminists regard warrior-citizenship neither as a negative, unavoidable characterization of human nature, nor a desirable possibility. Rather, they defer it as a revisable, gendered construction of personality and citizenship. Machiavelli also argued that for a person to possess to quantity of manliness, one must have virtu, which literally means manly activity. According to Tickner, ââ¬Å"Machiavelliââ¬â¢s virtu is insight, energetic activity, effectiveness, and the courage: it demands overcoming a manââ¬â¢s self-indulgence and laziness. â⬠On the other hand, he perceived women as fortuna. Or else, it is a feminine power in men themselves against which they must continually struggle to maintain autonomy. For him, ââ¬Å"fortuna is a threat to the masculinity of the citizen-warriorâ⬠Furthermore, he always regarded women as weak, fearful, indecisive, and dependent. Also, Tickner claimed that the real test of manly virtue in that era was victory in battle. In Morgenthauââ¬â¢s popular book ââ¬Å"Politics among Nations,â⬠he has constructed his argument almost exclude women. When he claimed about the struggle for power between individuals for dominance, women hardly occupy any claims of such area. Thus, we can assume that when Morgenthau talks about domination, he is referring to men primarily. Having said these, we can presume once again that state continues to derive much of its legitimacy from its security function; especially for national security that citizens are willing to make sacrifices without doubt. Additionally, Connell said that ââ¬Å"while state power is a resource for the struggle for hegemony in gender, hegemonic masculinity is also a resource in the struggle for state power. â⬠And this explains why political parties often choose military heroes or prominent generals as candidates. Tickner proved that ââ¬Å"the presidentââ¬â¢s dual role as commander in chief reinforces our beliefs that qualities we associate with the manliness are of utmost importance in the selection of our presidents â⬠To understand this logic, we first have to realize that ââ¬Å"soldiering is characterized as a manly activity requiring the masculine traits of physical strength, action, toughness, capacity for violence, and, for officers, resolve, technical know-how, and logical or strategic thinkingâ⬠and that ââ¬Å"military combat in the pursuit of war is a clear example of how international relations help to shape men â⬠. It is the most complete version of masculinity. Those who went to war and came back had been highly praised for their sacrifice. In this case, the dead were also heroes. Rather, in many cases we can that those men who avoid going to fight in war had been greatly looked down on as soft and feminized. Further we can see that ââ¬Å"war are fought for many reasons; yet, frequently, the rationale for fighting wars is presented in gendered terms such as the necessity of standing up to aggression rather than being pushed around or appearing to be sissy or a wimp. Support for wars is often garnered through the appeal to masculine characteristics â⬠. In the realism world where war is central to the way we learn about the international relations, the vicious cycle and the security dilemma relied greatly on the war, and since war demands manliness, for combat is the ultimate test of masculinity, thus ââ¬Å"war is a gendering activity at a time when the discourse of militarism and masculinity permeates the whole fabric of society â⬠. One of the most interesting examples of to show how international relations and masculinities had interrelationship after reading the work of Hooper is when he claimed that ââ¬Å"Pluralist and liberal perspectives were being feminized by Waltz un order to put them down. Theoretical overcomplication that creates confusion is akin to so-called feminine woolly mindedness, in signifying lack of masculine reason and purposefulnessâ⬠¦ Such failings contrast neatly with Waltzââ¬â¢s own punchy, curt, and slightly aggressive prose. Given that example, we can infer easily of the direct consequences that international relations use the gender perspectives in upgrading their own point of view. Thus, using this same tactic the United States nowadays in order to fight the war on terror, most of the policymakers in the Capitol Hill, which most of them are men, have been tried to implicate the rhetoric of gender in which they portrayed those who refuse the use of patriot act as being soft, t he characteristic most likely to associated with women. Imperialism and Post-Colonialism Traced back in time we can see that imperial also intervened in domestic life or somehow found the way to link the issue of domination with gender of people in their colonies. For example, one of the greatest works in international relations studies of Edward Said ââ¬ËOrientalismââ¬â¢ rendered us the idea of a male perception of the world And Tickner showed that ââ¬Å"colonized people were often described as being effeminate, masculinity was an attribute of the white man, and colonial order depended on Victorian standards of manliness â⬠. Similar to the same tactic using above, sometimes we can see that the imperial countries often portray the countries which they ruled with the picture of female or even children. For example this is how Latin America was perceived by the United States. Thus, ââ¬Å"it is not the action themselves but the gendered interpretations placed on them that are crucial in determining which activities count as masculine and valued and which count as feminine and devalued . â⬠International Political Economy and Gender Division of Labour ââ¬Å"The power of gendered dichotomies and the way in which strategies of masculinization and feminization work to promote inequalities between the sexes can be seen clearly in the gendered division of laborâ⬠. Recently political economy has become more and more powerful in its explanatory power. Depicting Japan and Germany, two countries saw as aggressors of World War II, these two countries nowadays have emerged as the economic superpower contrasting to the ideology of realism. Yet, this does not imply that military, power have declined their strengths, rather in many countries still military and arms purchase still prior to other economic budget. True that political economy is another important field of international relations, and it has increased its popularity over time, still, as irony as it may seem, the more global economy has shown its face to the world, the more it shows the cold war imagery of masculinity. ââ¬Å"Post cold-war era in for the United Sates reflected not only a reconfiguration of Anglo-American hegemonic masculinity in conjunction with economic estructuring, workplace changes, and new management styles, but also reflected a more local phenomenon: the Americanization of the City of London and of the culture of international finance â⬠. Even for liberalism that tends to give attention to economy, or liberalism rational economic man, most people still agree that that idea is based heavily on the hegemonic masculinity characteristic s. Be that as it may, this gave birth to the gender or sexual division of labour in which men have dominated the intellectual fields while women have been assigned the domestic tasks necessary for physical survival , especially in the light industries . Enloe said that ââ¬Å"this sexual division of labour has had the effect of further masculinizing national and international politics. For governments to possess heavy industries which most men control is held as proof that a country has graduated. â⬠Also many Marxist feminists believe that capitalism is the source of womenââ¬â¢s oppression and lower levels of human capital , radical feminists claim that ââ¬Å"women are oppressed by the system of patriarchy that has existed under almost all modes of production. Patriarchy is institutionalized through legal and economic, as well as social and cultural institutions â⬠. Moreover, ââ¬Å"if capital is being rewarded disproportionately to labour in the world economy, then men are being rewarded disproportionately to women â⬠and that ââ¬Å"women are oppressed in specific ways that are attributable to patriarchy rather than capitalism â⬠Conclusion ââ¬Å"IR symbolically becomes a wholly masculine sphere of war and diplomacy, at the furthest extreme from the domestic sphere of families, women, and reproduction in the private/public/international divides of modernityâ⬠. In answering the paperââ¬â¢s question, Hooper said that ââ¬Å"international relations has played an important part in not only reflecting and legitimating specific masculinities, but also in constructing and defining themâ⬠. With all the proving examples that I have stated in this paper, I do not think that gender hierarchies that privilege male characteristics and menââ¬â¢s knowledge and experiences, and sustain the kind of attitudes toward women in foreign policy will change any time soon.
Computerized Payroll System Essay
INTRODUCTION Technological advances in the past few decades have greatly increased the competitive nature of the economic business world. Companies have used software, computers and the Internet to transform their businesses from local places of business to national and global market competitors. Many companies have responded to these changes by automating their business processes and capturing industry-related information and using it to their advantage. Technology has also forced businesses to remain flexible, adapting their operations to newer and better technological advances. Payroll system is the sum of all financial records of salaries for an employee, wages, bonuses and deductions. In accounting, payroll refers to the amount paid to employees for services they provided during a certain period of time. Because money was involved company convert their payroll into a computerized to provide accurate result and to finish the work in no time. The manager is not aware of the time of admission o f the employee because of this, the manager canââ¬â¢t compute accurately of what time the employee enter. Therefore it is necessary to have an automated timekeeping system. Todayââ¬â¢s automated timekeeping technology is a powerful resource for businesses, both large and small. It is designed to offer exceptional convenience, and to substantially improve profit margins by reducing the cost of labour. Many companies that are considering an automated timekeeping system are motivated primarily by the convenience it provides. However, what is often overlooked is exactly how much companies save by tracking their employees with an automated solution. An integrated and automated timekeeping approach will not only pay for itself year-after-year, but will also return immense savings. It is therefore a great advantage if the proposed computerized payroll system with automated timekeeping is applied. It would greatly help the manager to monitor his employee if there are always late and it easily to compute for the salary of each employee. Applying the computerized payroll system will give much m ore accurate computation of the salary. 1.1Statement of the problem General Problem How to develop a Computerized Payroll System and Timekeeping Monitoring with Fingerprint Technology for the Municipality of Kawit? Specific Problems â⬠¢How to develop a module that will compute the employeeââ¬â¢s salary? The Human Resource Management Officer 4 will compute the salary based on the timekeeping of the employee. They use MS Excel in computing the salary, even though they use MS Excel they need to input all the necessary information needed for the computation. It is prone to typographical errors and can be easily manipulated. â⬠¢How to develop a module that will generate essential reports? Preparation of reports such as payslip, payroll summary and government reports they use MS Word and MS Excel. It is a very tedious process in the part of the accounting personnel and again prone to typographical errors and miscalculations. â⬠¢How to provide a module that will be able to monitor the time ââ¬âin /out of the employee? The organization is currently using Bundy Clock to monitor the attendance of employees. But it didnââ¬â¢t literally track the attendance because it easy for the employee to fake the records. 1.2 Overview of the Current State of the Technology Presently, all employee start at 8:00 AM and ends at 5:00 PM. The company uses Bundy clock in logging in and out of their employees. From Monday to Friday, at 8:00 am, the HR collects the time card to ascertain the present headcount of the company. The purpose of checking is for verification of the employeeââ¬â¢s attendance. The employee should inform the company before 7am in filing absence. The employee must report to his respective supervisor if he is late for information thus it will be deducted to his salary. If the employee forgot to log-in then the HR will decide what to do to that employee. The HR or Human Resource Management is the one who prepares the salary of the employees. HR also collects the time card from the storage and also checks if the employee time in and time out, afterwards the HR will give the time card to the accountant. The Accountant will compute the salary and deductions then the accountant will give it to the treasurer to prepare the vouchers for each employee and prepares the budget for the salary, and then the treasurer will give it to the Municipal Mayor, the one who will approve the budget releasing; afterwards the HR will ensure the cheque for the withdrawal of the budget. Their cut-off is every 10th and 25th of theà month. After the cut-off period the attendance of the employee resumes, if there will be absences and late for the permanent worker it will be deducted in the vacation leave while the casual worker if there are absences and late it will be deducted to their salary. If they didnââ¬â¢t log-out for a day, it will be considered as under time. For permanent employee it will be deducted to their vacation leave. For every employee they have 15 vacation and sick leave. In applying vacation leave the employee must file the request 10 days before the leave. In applying sick leave the employee must provide a medical certificate if he is absent for more than three days while if he is absent for 1 to 3 days he can go back to work without providing a medical certificate. 2.1Proposed Research Project 2.1.1General Objectives To provide and develop a Computerized Payroll System and Time Keeping with Fingerprint technology that will improve the current Payroll System and Time Keeping of Municipality of Kawit. 2.1.2Specific Objectives â⬠¢To develop a module that will compute the employeeââ¬â¢s salary. The proponents will develop a module that will compute the salary of every employee accurately based on the integrated timekeeping of the employee. â⬠¢To develop a module that is able to generate essential reports. The proponents will develop a module that will be able to generate reports such as daily time Reports (serves as replacement to the time card), contribution reports based on the record of the employee â⬠¢To provide a module that will be able to monitoring time ââ¬âin /out of the employee. The system will automatically monitor and record the attendance of the employee by fingerprint technology so that the employee must time ââ¬âin/out by themselves unlike previously it can fake the records. 2.2.3 Scope and Limitations 2.2.3.1 Scope This study is about the coverage of the proposed payroll system and timekeeping. It covers the following qualification. File maintenance Module Employee file module ââ¬â includes all information about the employee such as fingerprint of the employee, work schedule, position, department, and basicà information. Includes adding, updating and archiving employee records Department file module ââ¬â includes the organization department and department code Transactions Salary Computation ââ¬â The system will compute salary base on employeeââ¬â¢s attendance and contribution. 13th Month Pay ââ¬â A module for employeeââ¬â¢s that are acceptable for 13th month pay. All employees that will work until the end of the year will receive the 13th month pay. Agency contribution ââ¬â includes the deducted fee for the government agency such as GSIS, PAG-IBIG, Philhealth and withholding tax. Employee leave ââ¬â includes the employeeââ¬â¢s leave such as vacation leave, sick leave Employee Loan- includes all employeeââ¬â¢s information such as load type, loan amount etc Other Deductions and Earnings ââ¬â a module that includes other deduction and earning such as bonuses or other incentives. Reports Payslip ââ¬â contain all information about the employeeââ¬â¢s salary and deduction. GSIS Contribution Reports ââ¬â Reports that contains employeeââ¬â¢s total contribution per month for GSIS. PhilHealth Contribution Reports ââ¬â Reports that contains employeeââ¬â¢s total contribution per month for PhilHealth. Pag-big Contribution Reports ââ¬â reports that contains employeeââ¬â¢s total contribution per month for Pag ââ¬â Ibig BIR/Withholding Tax Report ââ¬â reports that contains employeeââ¬â¢s total tax for a month. Payroll Summary Report ââ¬â -reports that contains information about employeeââ¬â¢s payroll. Daily Time Reports ââ¬â reports that contain the attendance of the employeeââ¬â¢s. Serve as an alternative to the time card of the Bundy Clock Leave form ââ¬â a blank leave form for leave request. System Security Password- for security purposes that only the administrator and the HR knows the password. Administrator Level ââ¬â have the full access on the system.à HRMO Level ââ¬â can only access the attendance and monitor the leaves and absence of the employee. Accountant Level ââ¬â can only access the transaction and the computation of the employeeââ¬â¢s salary and the one that sets the computation in the option. Audit trail- serves as additional security thatà measure all the login activities using the system, it will logged into the table including the username, time, date, and the task done. Timekeeping Fingerprint Technology ââ¬â module that uses fingerprint technology for timekeeping Numeric Keypad Module ââ¬â Module that uses numeric keypad technology that serves as an alternative if the fingerprint technology having technical problems. Timekeeping Entryââ¬â module that manually input the employeeââ¬â¢s attendance, it serves as a back-up for the system. Back-up and Recovery The system has backup capabilities allowing the user to create a backup of the database which will be stored on secondary storage devices. It will also automatically back-up every cut off. If the program file of the payroll system are damage or corrupted there will be a duplicate copy either on the CD or secondary hard disk. Limitation The study is limited and focused only in the payroll system and the timekeeping monitoring of the organization however its capability is limited and cannot do the following task: â⬠¢Employees are subjected to have only 2 accounts in regards to timekeeping (time-in and time-out). â⬠¢Only employees that work in the municipality building are included in the proposed payroll system. An employee working outside the municipality is not required to time in and time out in the municipality. â⬠¢In case of power failure, the attendance of the employee will record temporarily on a log book until the power come back. The data gathered on the log book will be transferred to the computerized system. Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework 2.1 Introduction Information System (IS) implemented within an organization for the purpose of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of that organization. Capabilities of the information system and characteristics of the organization, its work systems, its people, and its development andà implementation methodologies together determine the extent to which that purpose is achieved. Transaction Processing System (TPS) is a type of information system. Transaction Processing System collects, store, retrieve and modifies data that stored in an information system of an organization. Transaction processing system guarantees immediate action to negotiations made by persons and companies involved. It ensures a smooth flow of transaction, isolating particular transactions that have no credible assurance of the collected dataââ¬â¢s authenticity A theoretical framework is a collection of interrelated concepts and provides definitions of relationships between all the variables. Theoretical framework helps researchers to determine problem areas, research questions that need to be addressed and the methodology in which helps to find an answer to the research questions. 2.2 Time Keeping Timekeeping is the monitoring of attendance of employee in time! A timekeeper is an instrument or person that measures the passage of time; in the case of the latter, often with the assistance of a clock or stopwatch. In addition, the timekeeper records time, time taken, or time remaining during events such as sports matches. They can then make operational decisions to increase productivity and reduce labor costs. 2.3 Fingerprint Technology Fingerprint technology refers to the automated method of verifying a match between two human fingerprints. Fingerprints are one of many forms of biometrics used to identify individuals and verify their identity. 2.4 Payroll System A computerized payroll calculates and tracks employee salaries, wages, bonuses, tax withholdings, and deductions. It prints employee pay checks, provides reports to better manage employee pay records, and generates complete weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual payroll tax-related forms and reports. It is also used in automating and providing timely and accurate payroll processing for all types of employees. The computerized payroll is designed to process all types of payroll transactions for the purpose of computing and paying employees hence, computerization makes generatingà payroll a much simpler and quicker process than if trying to perform these duties manually.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Divisions of the APA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Divisions of the APA - Essay Example The current president of this division is Dr. Kim Fromme from the University of Texas at Austin. The division oversees the publication of the journals which deal with addiction such as the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors and the Addictions Newsletter. Interestingly, the information provided about the division on the APA website makes it clear that alcohol and smoking are not the only psychological addictions a person can have. It was a new realization for me to note that the division considers things such as gambling, eating, sexual behavior and even spending to be addictions (APA, 2007). As the history of the division makes clear that the division has been active for many years, the current activities of the division also signify that research works as well as studies on addiction are being conducted by the division at the present time (APA, 2007). I personally feel that the study of addiction is an important aspect of psychology and the department will remain a positive force for the APA and its partner organizations in the
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Research report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Research report - Essay Example Prior to the split up, the entire central Asian region fell under administration of Moscow. Moscowââ¬â¢s administration had structured mechanisms meant to ensure equitable distribution of water and energy resources within the region (Murodbek 261). However, independence from Soviet Union ushered in unprecedented challenges to the nations under consideration. Main rivers supplying domestic and agricultural water to the five nations originate from mountain ranges within Tajikistan and the neighboring Kyrgyzstan, and then flows downstream through the other remaining three nations and finally drains into Aral Sea. From a rational perspective, the two nations within the upstream region should ensure undisrupted flow of water to nations lying on the downstream region. On the other hand, downstream nations are rich in oil and gas energy sources. This means that they will return the undisrupted water supply favor by pumping oil and gas to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan (Murodbek 261). This pla n worked efficiently under the Soviet Union administration before secession of Central Asian sovereign territories. Despite the fact that this resource sharing strategy sounds simple and logical, current state of affairs between the nations involved does not conform to this strategy. Consequently, lack of conformance to equitable sharing of resources has led to technical hitches within economic, social and political relationships between nations in the entire region. As an illustrative example, generation of hydro-electric power by nations in the upstream region like Tajikistan as met vehement disapproval from downstream counterparts (Murodbek 263). At this juncture, this essay will develop a comprehensive analysis on causes and effects of the water-energy crisis. In addition, an extrapolation of the theme will examine existence of similar problems in other nations around the globe. Nations lying within the upstream section of Central Asia, especially Tajikistan engages in intensive agricultural activities as their main economic activities. In the recent past, necessity to expand the nationââ¬â¢s economic sector led to expansion of agriculture through irrigation. As a result, Tajikistan diverted large volumes of water from the two main rivers serving the region into the irrigated tracks of land. This increased supply of water to farms was not going to be seasonal. The huge tracks of land lie within an arid and semi-desert regions of the nation. This means that irrigation requires sustained amount of water supply to meet agricultural production demands. In this case, extensive irrigation of cotton and wheat farms remained as the central economic activity in the lower part of Tajikistan (Murodbek 263). In addition, other nations including Kazakhstan tapped river water in the middle of flowing channels conveyed them directly to their farms. In this regard, every nation tried to expand its agricultural sector by utilizing the only available water from the two m ain river channels. Consequently, this caused a pronounced shortage of total water flowing down stream. This means that economic and social activities of people living within the affected nations would experience difficulties (Murodbek 265). At this juncture, expansion of irrigation fed agriculture featured as one of the main cause in the water-energy crisis in Central Asian region. Apart from irrigation, energy generation through hydro-electricity played a significant role in causing the water-energy
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
ENG 102 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
ENG 102 - Assignment Example People are losing opportunities due to actions that they committed on the web years back. Despite the fact that our image might not be tarnished at the moment, future consequences still await every person who uses the web wrongly. The question that every person should therefore ask themselves is: Just how much are we losing via entering private data on the web? Research has shown that these inconveniences can be curbed by implementing the idea of expiry dates. This is whereby the information entered by the user disappears after a stipulated period of time unless the user specifies otherwise (Rosen, 1). This would be an excellent way to ensure that the web does not keep in store any sensitive or unwanted data. However, in my opinion, it is our responsibility to monitor and regulate the information that we share in the websites because; after all who knows when the machine might decide to refute the instructions given? People should therefore, just understand that they cannot control their reputations via the internet. Every adult or young person should just understand that what the society really cares about is our privacy and our actual personalities. Hence, every person should sit back and just ask; which is the right way to use this over-exciting technology? Rosen, Jeffrey. "The Web Means the End of Forgetting." The New York Times [Ney York] 21à Julyà 2010: 1. Web. 30à Aug.à 2012.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Drawing on one area of public policy, discuss the role and impact of Essay
Drawing on one area of public policy, discuss the role and impact of International Organisations in the policy process - Essay Example Notwithstanding the above mentioned, the present day mandate of the Bank is broader; alleviation of worldwide poverty in collaboration with its affiliate, the International Development association. The principal aim was to come up with worldwide economic rules which would avert a recap of the Great Depression and its aftereffects (World Bank, 2002, p.1). The USA was on the forefront in these negotiations as it was already evolving from the war with a clear cut technological, military and economic superiority over all other Western partners. The United Kingdom did constitute a measurable portion of the party; not because of its position in the alliance as at that time, but also by the virtue of its representation at Bretton Woods by the globally legendary economists. John Maynard Keynes. As per the Bretton Woodsââ¬â¢ planned new system, the IMF was placed at the core of a new-fashioned monetary system, being in control of a system of fixed but at the same time adjustable exchange rate and lending on an austerely short-term basis to countries facing short-term balance of payments crises. Investment in the post-war economy would be smoothed by the World Bank (the International bank for Reconstruction and Development), which would solicit capital in money markets and advance it at expedient rates to war-torn and developing countries. The very original plan of the Bretton Woods was for the first time considered by the Cold War (World Bank, 2002, p.1). The Marshall Plan publicised in 1947 availed the United States of America with a more instantaneous bilateral way of assuring investment, stabilisation and reconstruction in Western Europe. Nonetheless, by the 1950s, both the World Bank and IMF were unpretentiously taking on a key position in the international economy. While the IMF was concerned with the above-mentioned exchange rate system management role, the World Bank was involved in
Sunday, August 25, 2019
An Unlicensed Engineer for Constructing Engineers Case Study
An Unlicensed Engineer for Constructing Engineers - Case Study Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Charles Landers, unlicensed engineer for constructing engineers forged his partner Henry Wilsonââ¬â¢s signature and used his professional seal on at least 40 documents. The falsified documents certified to the Anchorage City Health Department that local septic systems met all city wastewater disposal regulations. No violations of standards except for the forgery and misuse of the seal were reported. The circuit judge Michael Wolverton in his judgment banned Landers for one year from practicing as an engineerââ¬â¢s assistant. Furthermore, he sentenced him to 20 days in jail, 160 hours of community service, $4000 in fines and a year of probation. The judge cited that Landersââ¬â¢ actions constituted a breach of public trust as the public relies on the word of professional engineers to ensure the safety of systems. The first important element is that of forgery of signatures and unauthorized use of an engineerââ¬â¢s seal. This i s not only wrong in engineering but also in other professions where specialized professionals are required to provide their expertise on an issue. This can lead to a destruction of property, loss of lives and reputational damage to the profession among others. The second element is the aspect of canvassing and behaving like a competent engineer while in the real sense one is not. This amounts to deceiving the public for purposes of individual gains, which is unethical as this could still have far-reaching consequences because a violation of standards may be experienced. The third element concerns relationship with fellow engineers such that they are supposed to respect one another in the provision of their services. The relationship is important for personal and also for professional growth.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Strategic Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Strategic Management - Research Paper Example The mission of the company needs to be different and very clear. The important areas of mission statement include who we are, what is our business, what products do we offer, and why we chose the particular business. The important issues that will be addressed by the company in the global business environment include equal employment opportunities, child labor, and environmental factors. INTRODUCTION Tolapp Corporation is a successful US manufacturing company located in Tennessee that builds power tools, lawn mowers, lawn furniture, microwaves, and ranges. All products are manufactured locally and sold through large retailers like Sears, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart. They have sale papers inserted in every Wednesday and Sunday paper. Although they have a thriving business in the US and Canada, Tolapp is trying to break into the global marketplace. DISCUSSION Part 1 A). How would you go about defining the identity of Tolapp Corporation and creating its mission statement? The identity of Tol app Corporation can be defined by understanding the industry in which it operates i.e. power tools and lawn equipment industry. An important factor in defining the identity of Tolapp Corporation is competitorsââ¬â¢ profile. In order to establish an identity, it is critical to focus on specific market segments and products. For instance, the company can focus on appliances or power lawn equipment. There are different ways through which the mission statement of the company can be developed. The most important factor that should be considered when creating a mission statement is the overall objective or scope of the industry. After this, it is important to identify and evaluate mission statements of other companies operating in the industry (Abrahams, 2004). The mission of the company needs to be different and very clear. The important areas of mission statement include who we are, what is our business, what products do we offer, and why we chose the particular business. The mission statement of Tolapp will be communicated to all employees in order to ensure that they share common goals. The purpose of communicating mission statement to all employees and stakeholders is to ensure that it remains real. B). Where would you look for the information? The places that would be accessed for information include websites of companies operating in the power tool industry, industry reports, industry publications, and scholarly journals. In addition, industry reports of lawn equipment and appliance industry will also be accessed. C). What do you already know about Able that can help? Following are the things that we already know about Tolapp Corporation: The first thing about Tolapp Corporation that we know is its origin. Tolapp Corporation is a company that is located in the United States. The company is present in Tennessee, a U.S. state. The second point about Tolapp Corporation is its business. The main business of the company is manufacturing. The products of the com pany include lawn furniture, lawn mowers, microwaves, and other products. The third point about the corporation is its production and distribution. The company manufactures its products locally. The products are distributed and sold with distributors such as Sears, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. All these are famous retailers. The company is operating successfully in the United States and Canada. The company is also striving to expand its operations to other parts of the world. The company launches sales
Friday, August 23, 2019
Business analysis of Guajilote Cooperativo Forestal, Honduras Essay
Business analysis of Guajilote Cooperativo Forestal, Honduras - Essay Example As a business enterprise, Guajilote Cooperative is a socially oriented not-for-profit organization of illiterate farmers who serve the market of furniture makers by providing low-priced, high-quality mahogany lumber. The cooperative does not seem to have any sufficient strategic direction beyond the good intentions of its original project proponents, the USAID (the foreign aid agency of the United States government) and COHDEFOR (the forestry development service of Honduras), to develop a sustainable model that can be imitated by other national parks for social, environmental, and political motives. Strategic direction is lacking because there are no specific plans to assess the cooperativeââ¬â¢s strengths and weaknesses and how these can help address the opportunities and threats it is currently facing. The cooperative needs a strategic plan because without one, it may lose its viability as a business enterprise and collapse from the external and internal pressures that similar organizations face when dealing with the market. This strategic direction that will allow Guajilote to continue to exist and compete in the marketplace is also known as the organizationââ¬â¢s competitive strategy, a concept that we define below. Without a strategy, the cooperative can fail as a business venture and a model project, causing serious social consequences: the shortage of mahogany lumber; the return of its members to a life of poverty; dashed hopes for Honduran farmers in other parts of the country who want and expect the project to succeed; and many other imaginable political, economic, and social costs. The strategic plan begins with an assessment of the enterprise and its business environment, and there are three popular tools we can use: the SWOT analysis (Andrews, 1971/1987; Ansoff, 1965; Chandler, 1962), the PEST(EL) analysis (Steiner, 1979; Andrews, 1987), and Porterââ¬â¢s Five Forces model and
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Development finance and funding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1
Development finance and funding - Essay Example if not irrational housing underwriting, increased unemployment and retrenchments, reduced compensation, a high price correction, tax credit for first time home buyers, rising foreclosures, decline of appraisal quality, expanded market times and a number of other challenges (Yudelson, 2009, p.45). The increased level of sales in the latter half of 2009 was encouraging; a recovery in housing department was later attained in 2012 by an increased employment rates and greater consumer access to credit. The number of sales jumped as inventory declined. The co-op sales in 2008 increased at an incredible rate of 28.3%. This level of sales is more than 3 times of the first quarter of 2009 which is considered then low point of market activity tipping in the fall of 2008. There is a consistency with the 10 year quarterly amount. The diminishing in the level of inventory in the market is attributed to the robust level of sales in the last quarter of 2009. The monthly absorption rate fell to 7.3 months due to the higher number of sales and lower inventory. The fourth quarter of 2009 represented 51.1% of all apartment sales which was an increase from 43.2 in the previous year (Miller, Spivey, & Florance, 2008, p.51). This represents a significant change for the same period a decade ago when the market shares of co-op sales were way below that. Of the total c-op stock, 97.3% were considered resale listings and 2.7% comprised of new development of condo-ops apartments with condo rules. These sales have led to a steady development of commercial property in the Manhattan region (Abbey & Richards, 2009, p.23). The increase in the number of market days as listing discount jumped. The average days on market was 151 days a decrease from the previous 152 days in 2008. Listing discount continued to increase reaching a mark of 18.3% as compared to 4.5% in the previous year. The combination of increasing number of sales and decreasing inventory suggested that the amount of remaining
Dog whistle Essay Example for Free
Dog whistle Essay The win for republicans relied on two factors. They played in the areas they were the weakest and they targeted voters and groups of voters. This was known as the ââ¬Å"dog whistleâ⬠implying that Bushââ¬â¢s speech was only heard by those targeted groups. They kept away for the conventional political indicators such as economy, jobs and health. ââ¬Å"The Bush strategists found a new way to identify and communicate with potential supportersâ⬠(Morgan, 2005). By doing this it changed the established ideas of what elections are about and why individuals vote the way they do. John Kerryââ¬â¢s lead was only in indicators that usually determined winner or loser in western democracies. ââ¬Å"Majorities, sometimes large majorities, favored abolishing offshore tax havens, reforming healthcare writing labor and environmental protections into trade accords, and protecting benefits levels and spending on education and health, while 45 per cent opposed Bushââ¬â¢s tax cuts for the richâ⬠( Morgan, 2005). All of the tax policies were supported in the Democratic Party. Republicans strategy was to play on the conservative voters hoping to draw them to the polls by appealing to their most basic values, fears and prejudices. They also plagued Kerryââ¬â¢s campaign with hints about his trustworthiness. ââ¬Å"Research by the University of Wisconsin indicates the Republicans ran 101,000 advertisements attacking Kerryââ¬â¢s character, while up to 95 percent of Kerryââ¬â¢s ads were based on issuesâ⬠( Morgan, 2005). When looking at the reasons why 35 percent said it was because they didnââ¬â¢t trust him. Another 23 percent didnââ¬â¢t because of his stance on gay marriage and 18 percent because of the issue of abortion. The Republicans also relied on TargetPoint a republican firm that relied on every database that the republicans could get then; they cross referenced this to the buying power of the citizens. This would enable direct mail marketers, telephone volunteer and door to door campaigning. This type of marketing is effective and was seen all across America. I canââ¬â¢t count how many people I came across during that elections that would have some type of comment on how much they got in the mail or how many phone calls they received during this time. I donââ¬â¢t really want to call his issue ââ¬Å"feel goodâ⬠but rather conservative rationale mixed with fear that gave the vote towards the Republican side of the yard. Reference: Magleby, D. B. , Oââ¬â¢Brien, D. , Light, P. , Peltason, J. W. , Cronin, T. E. (2006). Government by the People: National, State, and Local 21st. Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Morgan, S. ( March 18, 2005). It worked for Bush. New Statesman. 134(4736).
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Strategic Quality and System Management in Damro
Strategic Quality and System Management in Damro Abstract: This report critically evaluating the strategic objectives, policies and practices standards of quality and consistency of products and services of Damro a SirlankanFurniture Company. The company has existing audit practices and makes recommendations for future action. Research Methods included: a brief overview of the industry, analysis of internal organization documents, interviews, focus groups with key stakeholders, short standard quality system and provide literature on comparative analysis similar organizations. Various theories as a model and Pareto value chain Analysis was used to clarify the process and quality inspection. And finally, clear objectives consistent with overall strategic business goals, senior management responsibility for quality management systems and evidence consistency between strategic objectives and focus as a company exploring the quality of the current context to identify and it was based on recommendations and action plan audit quality. Introduction Operational management is part of the companys global strategy. Operation The management ensures that the product should be made in accordance with customer requirement, based on market demand. It would probably be the marketing department communicates their needs to the operating divisions, which Demand. Effectiveness is available and the effectiveness of the two important success of the operation. Right from manufacturing high-speed Right to output delivery. TASK1 DEFINE operation management According to Stevenson (2002) Operations Management is to manage this part of the organization responsible for the production of goods and / or services. Operations Management is part of an organization responsible for business planning and coordinating the use of organizational resources to convert inputs into outputs. Operations are a function of the three main business organizations, the other two marketing and finance. Operating function is present in both product and service oriented focus on organizations. Operations involve the design decisions and operational decisions decisions. Design decisions related to capacity planning, product design, design process, layout of plant, machinery and selected locations. Operating decisions relating to quality assurance, scheduling, inventory management and project management. The concept of operation management Operations Management focuses on the production processes and management distribution of products and services. Included in operating activities often product creation, development, production and distribution. It covers all operations within the organization. Related activities include managing purchasing, inventory control, quality control, warehousing, logistics and assessment. The nature of how the management operations in organization depends largely on the nature of the goods or services organization, such as retail, manufacturing, wholesale, etc. In operations management and efficiency are emphasized Process efficiency. Efficiency is achieved when processes at the lowest possible cost. The efficiency of the legal process creates the most value for the company. In addition, the operations Depends not only on decisions made by the management. If the management decisions, comes the concept of ethics Managers who fail Systems to provide leadership and facilitate the incorporation of ethical share responsibility with those who knowingly receive corporate mistakes. Executives who ignore ethics run the risk of personal responsibility and enterprise. Damro Introduction: Damrois a Sirlankan, company that own their own manufacturing facility. Mainly The product portfolio includes furniture, bedding, furniture, other plastic chairs and furniture for home and office. It is the best placefor wooden furniture. The company has developed its activities in India and other Parties from the Asian region. Damro among the most important furniture in the world producers offering a wide range of modern furniture and traditional. Since Damro in 1987, she had early success and extended to more than 80 showrooms across the world who now have 40 showrooms Island field. Damro success is past its ability to produce high quality furniture at affordable prices with exceptional customer service. Damro is so able to sell directly to you, then cut in the middle man. . Total number of people were working 1500.Damro recognized by manufacturing and marketing company in the best Sir Lanka, Damro Company to carry out other competitors, such as cost of product itself too smaller suppliers of other products, but now all of a kind where the supplier Damro One of the good society Why operation management is needed Effective use of all resources, such raw materials consisting primarily of plastic, plastic timber for furniture. Prudent use of cars Machine must be used for more than 10 years. effective services Rental cars are produced and require special. Cost Repairs breakdown of machinery costs extra money for the company. Indeed, growth Total cost for the company, which reduces the public interest. Meanwhile, combine to create employment and daemon. Operation management of Damro and its importance to achieve goal Manufacture of furniture according to customer needs. Production Programs should be made to maintain efficiency. Operation The management ensures that the best raw materials and suppliers of outsourcing best Selected on the basis of selection. So the final product to ensure quality each time, the operational highlight of which could further improve the production. For example, with appropriate coordination between marketing and operations- It is important. Most times, the operation could happen with new splitting products to the hospital three elements to existing elements products. Actually increases the operational management Avenue investment in production. Damro operations management Source www.cbpa.ewe.com Could achieve economies scale . Could significantly reduce costs through mass production based on the claim. Damro plastic chair has a higher demand. The company economies of scale achieved through the product range. What did May efficient operation department? In fact, economies of scale carry out are: * Cost reduction * Increased revenue * Reduced investment * You can improve innovation Input Processing Process Layout Materials Management Information System Customers If the company makes good quality product, which directly influence weaker corporate policies and the market, so each The Company must be high quality product. Impact on their businessmanagement system, even if the team management and their policies are good All drugs also affect this system. Customers also another important part of society, and quality management system important for the organization to continuously improve the effectiveness efficiency and performance. (Department of Trade and Industry, 2006). Processing Resources Process * Treatment of materials * Information processing Customers Product Release: Furniture designed for market requirements, various designs Furniture Color The important role of CEO to manage the operation accept the design, planning, control, performance improvement, and operation strategy. To include indirect interaction with other managers, which have an impact on operations? For example, marketing, finance, accounting, and engineering personnel. Making a decision is an important role of operational manager- The decision related to 1. Production process of goods and services 2. Quality of the goods or services 3. Amount of goods or services (operations capacity) 4. Material stocks (inventories) are required for goods or services 5. Human Resource Management TASK2 Total Quality Management Progress we are being used in many organizations is labeled Total Quality Management (TQM). It is this approach to ensure that the organization functions with a commitment tocontinual improvement of quality and meeting consumer needs. With any change there will always count The slow road bumps can help your company grow employee morale, production, profit and general positive environment do business. The intense pressure on the market pressure Wall supports business and to compete globally for new ideas explored. The objective of the TQM program to increase efficiency organization. During the era of decline and restructuring, many The U.S. companies to determine who should learn to manage effectively. Management is currently running on older systems as well as workers who use more sick days and abuse of company production process. TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT Source www.erawsoft.com Objectives include: It is directly implied gross profit of the production cost. Effective Source plastic goods especially effective, quality furniture may environmentally friendly substances, such as wood used for furniture. But that only wood from trees replanted. The materials supplied as part of the management and operation. Selection of suppliers based on quality, consistency of supply, and ethically it is very important to achieving business objectives, already established. From the supply side quality chain and to work as a result of achieving company objectives. Creating a culture of innovation, better management of human resources to achieve results innovation in the enterprise. Employees should be encouraged to propose new ideas whenever possible. Therefore, developing innovative products that could be achieved as a result business objectives. But time and only if, simultaneously, to plan work schedules also important. This will ensure less waste, reduce inventory furniture, better accuracy and the resources used at the right time. While the company could use more income than is appropriate traditional method. Coordination between departments is essential for success objectives. Most of the marketing department to identify exactly what customer needs? Therefore, the furniture should be drawn up dealing with the marketing department. Otherwise, offer toys department has developed, which rejected the marketing department. While regular communication between other departments such as marketing, sales are important, He reviews the best outcome to change. Cross training is also important when it comes to achieving corporate objectives, Employees can work in marketing operations for two months understand customer needs when it comes to furniture types needs of various sectors such as hotels, hospitals and other offices Efficiency is important for successful application organization. The operational objectives are always based on organizational goals. Qualified Persons Employees of important furniture design company. Creativity is important for people to come out with innovative Products successful sales and marketing people to be important for better terms company. New machines are machines used to find us Innovative products Machines it is important that the production company focused. System at present Good marketing information system to show that new products meet or furniture They should reach out to different markets. Customer information is competitive necessary to change or modify products and attract new customers The companys total capacity to increase production or profit, including plant and raw materials in our laboratory. The Business Process coordinated series of activities and the activities people and equipment to assist with the organizational structure objectives. Resources used in polycarbonate plastic DAMRO also use PVC (polyvinyl Chloride), and other resources used plant and machinery, human resources and so forth. Damro is very careful in choosing materials, because The integrity, quality and safety an integral part of the furniture its commitment to customers. The human resources of more than 1,500 people work in both countries. Strictly by employees and effective skills necessary for the proper functioning of business. Thus, employees are required for work performance process. Quality control system: Quality control as part of quality management undertaken to determine the quality requirements. Quality control instruments: 1. Flowcharts-curve analysis of regular production of furniture, significant turnover. Indeed, the correlation was selling new products could grow by him. Meanwhile, it gives mention that at the time, increase sales? Is this because Examination of the season? So many different issues could be addressed by using flowcharts. At the same time, the diagrams can be used to understand the production and effectiveness, Defective product as well. A good analysis of debit cards could result in reduced defect rates and increase production. 2. Run chart 3. Scatter Diagram- could use a diagram to understand that in the period furniture to move quickly and the best turnover. Indeed, Could understand the rationale. quality system audit / practice management and quality control Quality control and quality assurance The quality control system of quality activities to access products or services from a customer perspective. Quality control system in general inspection and testing using rapid technical. A quality assurance management system designed to monitor activities all measures to prevent quality problems and to ensure that products are secure reaches the client. Benefits of Quality Management System To encourage active and effective leadership Give and empower staff Staff clearly understand their responsibility ensure consistency Focus on problem Quality audit Quality should be applied to any organization. quality operation The construction quality and brand marketing, merchandising ethical, Customer service ethic is important for the overall quality Company. Periodic, independent and documented assessment and verification activities, records, processes, and other elements of quality system determine compliance with the requirements of quality standard, such as ISO 9000. If they can successfully implement its publication and may lead to revocation of certificate of qualification. Also called the line evaluation or audit of the quality system Internal Audit: for all operations internal discussion here. functions of marketing, sales, operational efficiency and effectiveness measured. One of the most important objectives of internal audit performance effectiveness of the organization. Quality management system to direct and quality control organization. It is essential for organization to implement effective quality management. How to check value Nonconformities identify and correct, with some products defect.eg Furniture is a mix of different colors associated with the original version. So, before they should be sent to the retail agent to take out of stock. These products must be distributed non-compliant Market Place. Damro would compromise the image. Identify opportunities to improve and enhance procedures bizarre .- The company would increase Damro furniture standards. Even when costs rose to open more sales after a certain time. So this must be regarded as long term investment . Value added include * Improved consistency and less variation * Reduction in errors, rework, cycle time and leg ISO 9000 Damro products is the International Standards Organisation (ISO) 9000 systems, production standards were Damro Client Team low pay Average working less value for money Client / personal dissatisfaction No team in service deadline Low quality May durable goods Materials Damro review existing standards, and the opportunity to integrate different needs in product quality and safety procedure with Global Manufacturing, and lunch products in Asia and all other countries around the world. Total Quality Management (TQM) Total Quality Management is a systematic approach to planning and proven management activities. The objective of TQM is to ensure that each activity contribute to achieving corporate objectives, and it is effectively. The basic philosophy of TQM to do the right things right In the first place. The importance of quality management system in DAMRO Total quality must be considered in any business. Security Guard As CEO must make. Therefore, each organization must disclose employee buy-in quality that actually enhances the overall business society. To pass by todays competitive market your company must provide products and services according to customer requirements and minimum cost. To do this, the company must understand its role in the market Instead, arrange to play this role. And ensure that Dedicated commitment to serve the customer first. To errors, all staff members to give priority to quality manufactured. Not detect and correct errors A good way, because this approach is costly and not necessary to ensure that quality. SMC Damro designed based on International Organization Standardization (ISO) 9000. A quality system consultant Damro SMC and also seek validation by reference to practices and learn from others with great quality control systems. Task3 Strategic quality change in organization Definition of the objectives set by top management that guide how you can meet or move toward the goal of the grand vision and mission. Most of the strategic objectives and maximize return for business. Objectives of the organization must both be included organizations current situation and where the organization wants to go to the objective is what you want to achieve. The strategy for direction objectives. Quality change in organization Source www.hbft.com The manager must properly plan for staff training. It may be know the style and task procedures. If they are good ant training output certainly be false. Staff training and good Communication should have top to bottom. Monitoring and evaluation is also correct Must be between the team down at the bottom. Otherwise, they are not get quality production. The value chain model: Porter value chain model that helps to analyze specific commercial activities through which companies can create value, and competitiveness advantage. THE basic of porter value chain model Source www.themanager.org Integrated logistics: This is the first step in the Porter model, including the value chain acquisition, storage, transportation, testing and information systems product, service or product. Start: Procurement refers to the handling of raw materials or semi- from different suppliers in different countries and get ready to prepare or storage. Damro team perfectly well equipped for the reception furniture goods. Storage: Damro have their own houses well-equipped for storing materials and semi-finished products. Purchases of goods may be received and stored for a long time without deteriorating quality and freshness. Transportation: Damro Many modern vehicles to transport goods to and from deposit, So fast and reliable transport company. Give delivery within two days of delivery. Test: Another feature is that the company should have, as people Srilanka is more conscious of quality in order to verify the quality is very essential.Damro a team of quality control checks of the goods properly and take action where necessary. Information System: This is the system of internal communication among staff relating to land acquisition, receipt, storage, analysis and reporting standard goods. Damro is fast and reliable. Operations: She steps in the value chain where the model inputs converted to other retirement package. The process includes the following Maintenance and equipment: Machine is a very important factor in any organization that accelerates work. At this stage of processing raw materials into finished products car. Damro is well equipped with modern machinery in place for the production mechanical engineers to solve the problem if the machine. So Faster service can be done without compromising on production activities. SWOT OF DAMRO : Strength S1-market leader in Sri Lanka S2 best qualified technical staff S3-market penetration in India Weaknesses: 1-term needs time to introduce new products 2-team is not continuous culture Opportunity 1-marker spot in other countries like Europe 2 people are most concerned about lifestyle furnitures user-friendly changes 3-best economic development in Sri Lanka, after post-war 4-ability to receive orders online Threat: T1-competition Limit use of plastic- T2 T3-tax policies and rising costs for raw plastic materials Strategy Forms There are certainly have some threat but damro can overcome those by using the SWOT S1, S2, which used to build a competitive advantage Opportunities may O2, can be compete and overcome T1by force S1, S2 and O2 can be achieved . Successful operational objective to achieve organizational goals 1. To be the market leader in the furniture industry and keep up to 60% market share in the furniture industry in 2011. 2. Increase of 10% gross margin by reducing waste production efficiency and plant growth in 2011 3. To produce environmentally friendly furniture market in Europe and America, interest $ 2 million in sales in the product line 4. Increase the profitability of the portfolio and an increase of 15% 2011 5 May-penetrate the Indian market with local products Furniture quality in mind. Maybe create a factory in India to reduce logistics costs and cost of the tax on exports. 6. to 10% market share in the region from India by 2012 7. To be most business value through corporate social responsibility quality furniture for the people of Sri Lanka. Damro objectives Every business decision has a direct impact on the organization objectives. Purpose of the organization is important because Objectives are ongoing end purpose that can be achieved in the long term to ensure to achievement of the goals . The objectives: Increase productivity to reduce waste by 13% by 2012 Increased profitability by 15%, adding new brands in 2012. Reduce staff turnover by 2% to 0.5% in two years To achieve these objectives, the company must meet basic culture of total quality requirements. This is coming very much to focus on: It should reach sustainability in the furniture line Plastics are used in organic Quality of product marketing, The development of products based on market needs TASK4 The implications of proposed changes in the organization Any change in the organization to be affected by internal and external forces. Internal forces are primarily in response to changing process; it can change suddenly for motivating employees. Just in time. JIT learning is also known as production or stockless production. It produces the necessary units in necessary quantities time. For example, the company has around SriLankna dealers sell Damro furniture products for customers. The extranet can establish the Damro Stocks could be the size tolerances required to produce. Otherwise waste production increased more money. If any organization the inventory can be reduced. This eliminates waste and improve productivity. Should increase revenue through stock level, improving product quality, production times and delivery time and so forth. Benefits 1 Reduce operating costs 2 More performance and flow 3 Improve the quality 4 Fast delivery 5 Create a culture of innovation JIT create a uniform load on each point of continuous daily work production and inventory to meet demand during the end of time. Be reduced or use the site as possible, through better planning, product redesign, and process redesign. Flexible workforce, employees participate in production process. This will improve employees skills and give more responsibility and accountability. Implementation For successful implementation Damro involves the following steps: * Reduce all unnecessary stock. * Help employees make decisions. Employee regular feedback to improve products furniture * Maintain good relations with suppliers. Relationships with suppliers are important. Since when implementing JIT and only if they play a crucial role providers. Because if the providers not the necessary raw materials such as plastics, textiles, Damro will not be able to participate only on the concept of time and just in case. So keep good relations with suppliers and be informed on the progress of the operation is important for success. In fact, improves short and long term profits. Meanwhile, he also encouraged employee. TASK 5 Recommendations for damro to do better * Damro needs to improve product design and supervision quality product. Internal and external audit is necessary to maintain quality. * Quality Audits to ensure that everyone working under SMC. * Ensure that proper application of ICP * Provide adequate training to employees * Take corrective measures and monitoring procedures Conclusions Corporate objectives should shareholders be happy to lead to infection to be successful in the market. Business objectives could be achieved by increasing revenue (more sales) and production efficiency. Therefore, the operating division to provide greater accountability for their work to achieve corporate objectives. Damro strategy should be how the company increase profitability by 20% over last year. But that is not healthy for Damro financial development, because it could achieve long-term development without environmental focus .Thus, ethics and ethical development of innovative products is important. Social responsibility is an important goal of the company activity, which cannot be met without creating the best environment for employees, offering ethical products for customers and society.
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