Black Water security and what they do in Iraq as security contractors Essay

Black Water security and what they do in Iraq as security contractors - Essay Example Blackwater is one of the most high profile private security firms working in Iraq. Blackwater Worldwide along with its subsidiaries, Blackwater Training Center, Blackwater Target Systems, Blackwater Security Consulting and Blackwater Canine is engaged in the task of providing security to American officials in Iraq, in keeping with the company’s aim of employing a â€Å"new generation of capability, skills, and people to solve the spectrum of needs in the world of security† (Blackwater Security.com.) The services the company renders, include providing security for the American military bases, the Green Zone, infrastructure, weapons demolition, cash transport, guarding important military, civilian and government dignitaries, gathering of intelligence, covert operations, psychological warfare, and most importantly, training Iraqi security forces. (Government Accountability Office, Rebuilding Iraq: Actions Needed to Improve Use of Private Security Providers (July 2005) (GAO-05-737).) Being the security provider for sensitive and important officials of the government and also the military, Blackwater personnel have to often engage in fights with the locals and in one such incident in Baghdad on September 16, 2007, 14 Iraqi civilians and 18 others were wounded, while escorting a convoy through the city. This incident pushed the company into the limelight and it has had to face some hard truths about the way in which it is running its operations in Iraq. The government of USA has been able to increase the number of ground staff by employing private security operatives. This has helped them to maintain the troop levels on the ground without resorting to draft. These private security operators are a part of a ‘shadow army’ which is better trained and equipped than some of the militaries of many countries. In August 2003, Blackwater officially became the security provider for the U.S. civilian

Big Five Basic Trait Clusters Essay Example for Free

Big Five Basic Trait Clusters Essay In the general field of psychology, the concept of trait of each individual comprises collectively their attitude, behavior, motivational factor, and other significant characteristics relative to their individuality. These specific traits manifest and determine dominantly their actions, perception, and other reasoning in which the characteristics of their trait become the foundation of their personality. In particular to this field, the empirical field of psychology establishes five major personality traits significant in the determination and classification of personality characteristics. These major classifications are established based on the manifested characteristic of the involved individual and its influence on the person’s social characteristics and behavior. In the empirical field of psychology, the five major trait clusters are established as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The trait characteristic of openness is mainly related to the affiliation and sensitivity of the person towards the field of art, adventure, emotion, unusual ideas and eccentricity, with a commonly heightened passion for creativity and imagination. The trait of conscientiousness display great tendency towards self-discipline, responsibility, ductility in action and behavior, and inclination towards achievements. The trait of extraversion is characterized dominantly by restfulness, positive emotion, and a significant motivation from social companionship. The fourth trait namely agreeableness display great tendency towards being compassionate and cooperative towards others with minimal antagonistic behavior in their social relationship. The last trait cluster namely neuroticism is characterized by the person’s susceptibility to unpleasant emotions such as vulnerability towards depression, anger, behavioral instability, and anxiety. Considering the characteristics and fundamental concepts behind each behavioral cluster, this author particularly find much connection towards the group classification of openness and conscientiousness manifested with the behavior and personality of this author. Based on personal assessment, among the dominant behavior of this author are his artistic expressionism, adventurous personality, imaginative design, ingenuity, and a great value towards curiosity. Based on this, this author determine that he is inclined towards an opened behavioral trait yet, his perception towards personal responsibility and discipline makes him also a conscientious person. Based on these factors, the author of this paper belongs to both traits with an equal manifestation of their characteristics. Bibliography Wiggins, Jerry S. (1996). The Five-Factor Model of Personality: Theoretical Perspectives. The Guilford Press. 1st Edition. ISBN-10: 157230068X.

Intellectual Property Essay -- Intellectual Property Essays

Intellectual property are the legal rights (control and ownership) of creations, such as ideas; inventions; designs, etc. for the use in commerce (Bainbridge, 2012). Intellectual law in countries seeks to deter individuals or organizations from copying or capitalizing upon another’s work. The main areas protected by protect intellectual property law include: patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret. Intellectual Property can be categorized under the following: Monopoly Right to prevent copying De Facto Monopoly Contractual Patents Unregistered Trade Marks Trade Secrets Confidential Information Registered Trade Marks Unregistered Designs Know-How Registered Design Copyright This essay focuses on Patents, Registered Designs, Unregistered Design Right and trademarks. A patent is needed to increase innovation and competition. It is an issued document which is applied for and is granted by a governing body that states that an invention which is patented is legally bound to its owner for exploitation i.e. manufacturing, use, sales and imports. A patent is generally issues for 20 years and their costs generally depend on the stage of the application process. In the UK, the total cost of a patent could be estimated at  £5000 over 5 years. International patents (PCT) on the other hand could total  £7000 over 2.5 years. This is because within the UK, the examination of patentability stage is generally cheaper ( £1500) compared to the International equivalent ( £300) but most importantly the closing process in the International patent application could be in a range of  £0 –  £30,000, whilst the UK patent end stage is approximately  £100 (HGF, 2014). Patents could give the product or idea not only a competitive a... ...ion of Time Warner Price paid: $147 billion, of which $128 billion was for IP (87%) Examples of the value of patents include: †¢ Nortel, a former Canadian telecommunications company, had a patent portfolio of over 6000 patents. Notable companies like Google bidding; later sold to other notable companies including Apple, Microsoft, RIM, EMC, Ericsson and Sony for $4.5Bn. REFERENCES Bainbridge, D. (2012). Intellectual Property. Pearson; 9 edition. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Intellectual Property Office, (No date). Designs: How to Protect your Design. London: HMSO Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Intellectual Property Office, (No date). Trade Marks: Quick Facts. London: HMSO Harrison Goddard Foote LLP, (2014). Intellectual property workshop World Intellectual Property Organization, Intellectual Property Handbook, (2008).

Team assignment project

The following project proposal defines why Struck made the decision to expand, what the role is of the consultant and Struck management on the project, the project goals, and the tools that will be used o manage the project. Problem and Opportunity By applying analysis techniques, namely SOOT, and STEEPLE, to company performance Struck gains clarity about the company's strengths and weaknesses.Struck' strengths include its reputation for innovation and creativity, frontrunner's position of its industry with 9,000 cafes in 40 countries around the world, and its strong ethical values and mission. Company's primary weakness is a lack of diversification, which created by its limited portfolio and distribution. Struck portfolio depends heavily on one primary' product: coffee. Furthermore, the company hinders distribution potential by conducting 75% of its business within the United States. The company's weakness presents an excellent purport nits: expansion.Expansion of the company's port folio and expansion into other countries enables the company to both increase presence within its current industry sect and establish presence in other sects (Rapid Business Intelligence Success – Streaming, 2013; Marketing Teacher, 201 3; Rapid Business Intelligence Success – Mission, 2013; Struck, 2013). Roles of the Cons Titan and Management There are certain roles the insulate and the Struck management team must perform to make the project successful. Because there is a lack of diversification, the consultant must focus on how to expand the product line for Struck.The consultant must determine how to create a greater global presence, keep the current clientele, and yet attract coffee drinkers around the globe to visit the Struck establishment. The consultant will need to determine whether the same menu items are equally popular in all areas of the country and if introducing new menu items is advantageous to all the restaurants. Finally, he consultant will need to d etermine if the diversified menu will be appropriate in other parts of the world. Consultant's partner with management to get the job done.Management works with the consultants to provide them with as much information as possible. Management will need to communicate fully with the consultants and encourage the current employees to cooperate so the consultants can collect the most information possible. Defining the Project Goals Introduction of new products and rapid expansion of retail stores with new store concepts with all new distribution channels has to be he primary focus of Struck. To expand the market share, in United States as well as all the regions of its operations, Struck will expand its portfolio of products (Hickman & Hickman, 2008).Struck main product is coffee, the company will focus to expand its operations into other beverages such as tea, grocery stores, rest stops, etc. For this purpose, than introducing a newly start marketing the products, it should concentrate to attain product acquisitions (Hickman & Hickman, 2008). Since most of its operations are based out of United States, Struck will focus to increase its revenues by tarring more stores in emerging markets such as China, India, and Turkey. Tools, Processes, and Methodologies The goal is to expand globally.With this in mind, the consultant will use the association method to gain insight on the competition in the industry in the different desired locations. To ensure clients are frequently informed of the progression, and an outlet stays open for the need for further information, the consultant will maintain contact with the appropriate business managers. All activities will be logged to maintain a good record of the projects progression. This allows the consultant to reflect on the project, learn from the experience, and identify ways to improve future performance (Hickman, P; Hickman, L. 008). Another technique that will be used to manage the project is benchmarking. This method wil l be particularly helpful as this is a large project. Conclusion In conclusion, with the Struck expanding globally, the company will not only increase their current state of diversification, but also increase opportunity to own a presence in other business sectors, and ultimately increase revenue. The consultant on this project will work closely with key business leaders and SE the defined methods to manage the project.

Hawthorne Studies

This essay will review the writings of â€Å"Hawthorne, the myth of the docile worker, and class bias in psychology† an article by D. Bramel and R. Friend. It will then go on to further critique academic articles that both support and disagree with the primary source and demonstrate how the Hawthorne studies have influenced contemporary organizations. The Hawthorne experimental studies conducted at the Western Electric Company Works has attracted considerable amounts of sharp critical scrutiny; it has practically â€Å"become an intellectual battle† (Miner, J. 006. p. 68) as it has been interpreted in various ways. The studies basically concluded that social and psychological factors are responsible for workers productivity and job satisfaction. Many psychologists, sociologist and critics attack the research procedures and criticize the analyses of the data and their conclusions. Bramel and Friend (1981) are a classic example of those exact critics who consider the Hawt horne studies to be contradictive, distorted and overall undeserving of receiving recognition and respect for their research.Bramel and Friend’s main aim in the article however is to â€Å"show not simply that Mayo’s conclusions were unrealistic and politically reactionary† but to alternatively demonstrate that there is â€Å"bias at the level of interpretation of the available data† (p. 868) and how this had a negative influence in effecting the results, due to the assumption that their workers can be manipulated and fooled with ease (p. 869). There are many other critics that strongly support the views and opinions presented by Bramel and Friend in regards to the Hawthorne studies and how they consider the research to be insufficient and misleading.The article â€Å"Shining New Light on the Hawthorne Illumination Experiments† by M. Kawa, M. French, and A. Hedge (2011) reinforces the arguments that feature in Bramel and Friend’s work. Like them they agree that the studies performed at the Western Company Works provided inconsistent evidence and that all experiments conducted including the results were seriously flawed. Basically they conclude that the inadequacies in the experimental designs tell an incomplete and sometimes inaccurate story and show the inconsistent associations between working conditions and productivity. p. 546) The article â€Å"Questioning the Hawthorne effect† shares the exact same views that were established in â€Å"Hawthorne the myth of the docile worker†. It argues that the data collected from the experiments had never been analyzed rigorously, no systematic evidence was implemented and the inconsistent ways in which the experiments were executed has lead to a misleading interpretation of what happened. (â€Å"Questioning the Hawthorne Effect†, 2009, p. 74)Another article that strongly disapproves of the Hawthorne studies is A. Carey’s article â€Å"The Hawthorne Studies: a Radical Criticism†. In Carey’s (1967) opinion the research conducted is nearly absent of scientific merit and the conclusions drawn are supported by so little evidence that it’s basically inappropriate that the studies have gained a respected place within scientific discipline and have held this place for so long. (p. 403) However Carey does believe the importance of the studies is actually declining.In his opinion later studies are struggling to display any â€Å"reliable relationship between the social satisfaction of industrial workers and their work performance†(p. 403). Carey criticizes Mayo’s approach, research and assumptions and claims that his reports are completely bias and invalid. He states that the â€Å"Statistical analysis of the relevant data did not show any conclusive evidence in favor of the first hypothesis† (p. 405) which makes it extremely difficult to develop a correct conclusion.Although there are critics th at attack the Hawthorne studies and downplay the work of Mayo and Roethlisberger there is also many others that completely support the research conducted and believe it has been of crucial importance and consider it to be a â€Å"major intellectual building block of organizational behavior† (Miner, J. 2006. p. 68. ) A. Brannigan and W. Zwerman’s (2001) article â€Å"the Real Hawthorne Effect† completely disagrees with the arguments that were presented by Bramel and Friend. Their article in contrast strongly supports the Hawthorne studies and emphasizes just how valuable they.Brannigan and Zwerman actually view the studies as being â€Å"the single most important investigation of the human dimensions of industrial relations in the early 20th century† (Brannigan, A. Zwerman, W. 2001. p. 55). They recognize the fact that the Hawthorne studies have received harsh critical disapproval over the decades due to potential flaws in the research and experiments cond ucted. However Brannigan and Zwerman are able to look past that and purely see the innovative ideas that grew around these studies.They express that â€Å"the main idea should not be undermined by these shortcomings† and that sometimes the actual idea itself is more meaningful then the evidence on which it is based. (p. 59). B. Reiger’s article â€Å"Lessons in Productivity and People† also disagrees with the negative statements that are directed towards the Hawthorne studies. Reiger’s article aims to show how the studies executed had an enormous influence in the way managers and supervisors now interact with their employees.Which in result has positively affected worker productivity, Due to implementing a less mechanical view and paying more attention to the human influences within the workplace. Not only does Reiger (1995) view the studies as being critical to the positive change in the company and employee relationships but they also â€Å"provided so me clear insights into industrial operations and psychology, personal management, organizational development and human resources† (p. 58).Overall his intention is to show how the studies contributed to the improvement in manager and employee relationships by providing the employees with respect, attention and recognition will then in turn increase their productivity and efficiency. C. Hall (1984) further backs up the views of Reiger in his article â€Å"Hawthorne Effects- Still a Potent Supervisory Tool†. Although the experiments were conducted decades ago Hall still believes that they still have practical value today. (p. 6).Hall concludes that employees respond with greater job efficiency when they sense that they are being observed or â€Å"regarded as important valued members of an organization† ( p. 6) and that The behavioral approach can positively affect performance, group dynamics, encourage cooperation and overall increase work satisfaction. The Hawthorn e Studies and the behavioral approach has played a major role in shaping todays organizations, from the way manager interact with their employees, the way they use open communication and the way they design motivating jobs we are able to detect elements of the behavioral approach (Robbins, S. Bergman, R.Stagg, I. Coulter, M. 2012. p. 54) Telstra’s call centers are a classic example of a contemporary organization that has been influenced by the Hawthorne effect and the behavioral approach. Within the center they have managers, supervisors and team leaders that create a working environment that aims to provide a premium employee experience. More specifically their job entails implementing and executing programs, supervising and motivating their workers to ensure that they are effectively completing their tasks and meeting objectives and to basically respect and pay attention to their staff in order to establish good relations and co operation.The efficient supervision that take s place within the factories has definitely been influenced by the Hawthorne studies. They have recognized through the Hawthorne studies that subtly observing the workers and making them feel like a valuable member of the company keeps them motivated which in result maximizes employee productivity. The Hawthorne studies has played a fundamental role in the progression of organizational behavior and influenced the positive change in the relationship between managers and their employees.Although there have been flaws and inconsistencies in the ideas, research and conclusions that were developed they are still extremely influential. The results emphasized the value of group dynamics, interaction and applying a humanistic management approach. These factors overall are a crucial force of producing greater effectiveness and productivity in employees. Although there are critics that have attempted to crush the importance of the Hawthorne studies through their harsh criticisms it still has done little to shake the essential validity and influence of the research. (Miner, J. 2006. p. 67) References Bramel, D. & Friend, R. 1981). Hawthorne, the Myth of the Docile Worker, and Class Bias in Psychology. American Psychologist. 36,8,867-878. Brannigan, A. & Zwerman, W. (2001). The real â€Å"Hawthorne Effect†. Society, 38(2), 55-60. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM GLOBAL. (Document ID: 65713065). Carey,A. (1967). The Hawthorne Studies: A Radical Criticism. AmericaSociologyReview, 32,3,401-416. Finance and Economics: Light Work; Questioning the Hawthorne Effect. (2009, June). The economist. 391(8634),74. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM GLOBAL (Document ID: 1740340161) Hall, C. (1984). Hawthorne Effects- Still a potent supervisory tool. Supervision, 46 (10), 6.Retrieved from ABI/INFORM GLOBAL. (Document ID: 1322247). Izawa, M. French, M. Hedge, A. (2011). Shining new light on the Hawthorne Illumination experiment. Human Factors, 53,528. Retrieved from Academic Research Library. (Do cument ID: 2532057371). Miner, J. (2006) Organization Behavior 3: Historical Origins, Theoretical Foundations and the Future. America: ME Sharpe. Reiger, B. (1995). Lessons in productivity and people. Training and development, 49 (10), 56. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM GLOBAL. (Document ID: 7011573). Robbins, S. Bergman, R. Stagg, I. Coulter, M. (2012) Management: 6th Edition. Sydney: Pearson Australia Group.

Employee Motivation within Dominos Pizza

Employee Motivation within Dominos Pizza Free Online Research Papers In modern society, motivation is still considered a contentious issue within management circles. The key for managers is to understand and utilise the numerous motivational factors that affect employees within the workplace. Financial rewards are regarded as a key factor in workplace motivation; however, additional factors such as work appreciation, variety, and security remain just as important. These factors can best be described as work outcomes which are a result of employee inputs. Adams’ equity theory identifies both inputs and outcomes as the two primary components in the employee-employer exchange, Kinicki Kreitner (2007, p. 242). An organisation’s employee turnover does not solely depend on the input-to-output ratio alone it also depends on the comparison between the input-to- output ratio of employees fulfilling a similar position, Chapman (2007). An explanation of employee inputs and outputs will be used to identify the perceived equity or inequity of an employee within Domino’s. This will provide a better understanding of how Adams’ theory affects employee turnover. The key factor in retaining employees is to ensure that there is substantial scope for job enrichment. The job characteristics model can assist in ensuring job enrichment through the five core job characteristics. These characteristics can be used to assess the motivating potential score (MPS) formula of an organisation. This formula and its individual values will be discussed to identify the possible outcomes for employees within Domino’s. In conclusion, Vroom’s expectancy theory will be used to explain Rob Cecere’s decision to remain at Domino’s. Vroom’s theory suggests that motivation boils down to the decision of how much effort to exert in a specific task situation, Kinicki and Kreitner (2007, p. 247). This is in contrast to the process-focused model of Adams’ equity theory. ADAMS’ EQUITY THEORY The equity theory of motivation is based on the fact that people are motivated first to achieve and then to maintain a sense of equity. Equity refers to the allocation of rewards in direct parity to the contribution of each employee to the organisation. Within Domino’s, each employee perceives their contribution in differing levels. For example, pizza-makers and telephone operators provide similar inputs as delivery drivers; however, the delivery drivers receive less financial reward creating inequity. Mcshane and Travaglione (2007, p. 154) suggest that employees will experience an emotional tension when they perceive inequities, and, when sufficiently strong, the tension motivates them to reduce the inequities. There are numerous methods that an employee can employ to correct inequity feelings. These include reducing inputs, increasing outcomes, changing perceptions, or changing the comparison other. Ultimately, if these methods do not obtain the desired outcomes, an employee will become de-motivated and may quit their occupation. The motivation of each employee will also depend on the manner in which the organisation is managed. In Domino’s case, the store manager is considered as the force multiplier in terms of motivating, administering and retaining the casual employees, Ryan (2007, p. 8). As stated by Kinicki Kreitner (2007, p. 199), â€Å"Without a steady boss, workers there (Domino’s)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.had a turnover rate as high as 300% a year†. This indicates that previous store managers had experienced under-reward inequity creating a high turnover rate in employees. In contrast to Adams’ equity theory, the job characteristics model (JCM) and its core dimensions measure the motivating potential of jobs through the use of a mathematical formula (MPS). JCM CORE DIMENSIONS AND MPS FROMULA The JCM argues that the motivation to work is a function of three critical psychological states- experienced meaningfulness of the work, experienced responsibility for outcomes of the work, and knowledge of the actual results of the work activities. These three critical psychological states, in turn, are determined by five job characteristics- skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback, Renn and Vandenberg (1995, pp.279-301). These five core dimensions can be utilised to determine the motivating potential score within a specific occupation. Anderson and Rungtusanatham (1996, p. 362) suggest that a jobs motivating potential can be enhanced by increasing the level of any of the core job characteristics; at the same time, if a job scores low on autonomy, feedback, or the weighted sum of skill variety, task identity, and task significance, then the resulting MPS would be relatively low. Within Domino’s the skill variety for employees can be calculated as being within the low-range at a value of 2. This is due to the simple and sometimes repetitive nature of working in the fast food industry. To increase the skill variety for employees, the store manager can implement a job enrichment scheme that is designed to reverse the effects of tasks that are repetitive requiring little autonomy. Some of these effects are boredom, lack of flexibility, and employee dissatisfaction, Fourman and Jones (1997). In addition to skill variety, task identity can also be viewed as having a low MPS value of 2. There are several different positions within Domino’s and although each position has numerous tasks, these tasks are designed to be a small part of the bigger picture. As a result, pizza makers will create the product and drivers will deliver the product. Therefore, the majority of employees cannot complete the work that they begin. The task significance associated with Domino’s employees can be identified as having a mid-range value of 3. The best explanation for this value is that if the product is not prepared or delivered on time, the long term profitability of the organisation will be affected. This can create less demand for the product and ultimately decrease employee motivation due to less working hours. Another job characteristic that has a low MPS value of 2 is autonomy. Ideally, the presence of autonomy in the workforce can lead to the psychological state of felt responsibility for outcomes, resulting in high job satisfaction, Morgensen and Campion (2003, p. 423). However, the nature of the tasks associated with Domino’s employees, are so generic and simple that there is little scope for employee initiative which creates dissatisfaction. Dissatisfied employees can lead to a decrease in motivation and this can be counter-productive. This can be rectified by providing regular feedback on employee performance. Within Domino’s, feedback can be viewed as having a mid-to-low MPS value of 3. This is due to the casual basis of the majority of employees within the workplace and the resultant high employee turnover, Johnston (1992, p. 6). In all five core job characteristics, Domino’s registers low MPS values. Consequently, the total MPS value will also be low indicating a serious need for restructuring and retraining within Domino’s to motivate its employees. Another issue that can be considered is the method in which motivation is quantifiably measured. The validity of the MPS formula is dependant on numerous factors and may not be totally accurate for an organisation such as Domino’s. As a result, alternative theories can provide greater insight into employee motivation. VROOM’S EXPECTANCY THEORY Expectancy theory provides a general framework for assessing, interpreting, and evaluating employee behaviour in learning, decision-making, attitude formation, and motivation, Chen and Lou (2002). According to Thierry and Van Eerde (1996, p. 576) the motivational force for a behaviour, action, or task is a function of three distinct perceptions: expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. Rob Cecere’s expectancy affected his decision to remain at Domino’s in two ways. Initially, Rob expected that his efforts would lead to a good performance due to his expectancy perception, Becker and Landy (1990, pp. 1-3). With greater experience, Rob’s instrumentality perception would have allowed him to observe that good performance would lead to desired outcomes. Hence, the instrumentality perceived by Rob created the belief that if he does meet performance expectation, he could receive a greater reward. Through promotions, pay increases, and bonuses, the outcome valences can be viewed as positive in nature. Rob’s decision to remain at Domino’s suggests that his perceived outcomes are consistent with his values and needs. CONCLUSION As discussed, Adams’ equity theory is built-on the belief that employees become de-motivated, both in relation to their job and their employer, if they feel as though their inputs are greater than the outputs. In Domino’s case, employee inputs have consistently outweighed the outputs creating under-reward inequity. This has ultimately increased employee turnover at all levels and created shortfalls in manpower. In contrast to Adams’ theory, the JCM and its core dimensions utilise the MPS formula to provide a numerical figure to measure motivation. The overall MPS value for Domino’s provided a low-range figure. This suggests that employee motivation is low due to the way in which the workplace is structured and the relatively poorly trained managers. However, the MPS formula can be viewed as slightly inaccurate due to its reliance on specific job characteristics and does not consider key aspects associated with Domino’s pizza. Vroom’s expectancy theory suggests that the relationship between peoples behaviour at work and their goals are not as simple as first represented in other motivational theories. The expectancy theory is based on three employee beliefs in expectancy, instrumentality and valence. Rob Cecere decided to remain at Domino’s due to his perceived expectancy. This expectancy relied on his efforts ultimately leading to good performance and positive outcomes. These outcomes provided Rob Cecere with promotional opportunities, pay bonuses, and investment options. As a result, Rob’s beliefs created a motivational force that ensured job satisfaction and career longevity. WORD COUNT: 1554 REFERENCE LIST: Anderson, J.C. and Rungtusanatham, M. 1996 A clarification on conceptual and methodological issues related to the Job Characteristics Model, Journal of Operations Management 14, pp. 362. Chapman, A. 2007 ‘Adams’ equity theory’, businessballs.com, viewed 28 Mar 08, . Chen, Y., Lou, H., 2002 Toward an understanding of the behavioural intention to use a groupware application. Journal of End User Computing, 14, pp. 1–16. Fourman, L.S. Jones, J. 1997 Job enrichment in extension. Journal of Extension, 35, Number 5. Retrieved from joe.org/joe/1997october. Johnston, W.B. 1992 Symposium The Coming Labor Shortage. Journal of Labour Research, 13, Number 1, pp. 8. Landy, F.J. Becker, W.S. 1990 Motivation theory reconsidered. In: Staw, B.M., Cummings, L.L. (Eds.), Work in Organizations. Jai Press, Greenwich, CT, pp. 1–38. Mcshane, S. and Travaglione, T. 2007 Organisational behaviour on the Pacific Rim, McGraw-Hill, Sydney, pp. 154. Morgenson, Frederick P., Campion, Michael A. 2003 Work Design. In W. C. Borman, D. R. Ilgen, R.J. Klimoski (Eds.), Handbook of Psychology, Vol. 12, pp. 423-452. Renn RW, Vandenberg RJ. 1995 The critical psychological states: an underrepresented component in job characteristics model research. J Manage Vol. 21(2), pp. 279– 303. Ryan, E. 2007 ‘Disagreement on Domino’s’, The intelligent investor journal, issue 238, pp. 8. Thierry, H. and Van Eerde, W. 1996 Vroom’s expectancy models and workrelated criteria: a meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, Number 5, pp. 575–586. Research Papers on Employee Motivation within Domino's PizzaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalResearch Process Part OneAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Project Managment Office SystemThree Concepts of PsychodynamicThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenTwilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Free Essays on Ethiopia

Ethipia is one of the world’s poorest countries. Even in Africa a continent for its poverty, Ethiopia stand out. Its per capita income in the early 1990s was $130, second lowest in Africa next to Mozambique. The Ethiopian economy features a mixture of state control and private enterprise. The Mengistu regime greatly extended state control over the economy in the mid to late 1970s, but the transitional government that took power in 1991 began loosening many of these controls. Shortly after toppling Mengistu, the EPRDF announced plans to sell most state-run businesses and industries. In the early 1995 the government announced its intention to sell a variety f state-run enterprise such as hotels, restaurants, small shops, and food and beverage processing plants. Officials have also pledged to return residential property seized by the Mengistu government to its original owners. Economic performance has generally improved since 1991. Export improved since 1991. Export earnings have risen, although the country continues to suffer from a serious shortage of skilled labor- a problem aggravated by the exodus of political refugees in recent years. And food shortages are still a threat due to irregular rains and inadequate harvests. Until Ethiopia’s agricultural sector can be made more productive, reliance on food imports will probably continue.... Free Essays on Ethiopia Free Essays on Ethiopia Ethipia is one of the world’s poorest countries. Even in Africa a continent for its poverty, Ethiopia stand out. Its per capita income in the early 1990s was $130, second lowest in Africa next to Mozambique. The Ethiopian economy features a mixture of state control and private enterprise. The Mengistu regime greatly extended state control over the economy in the mid to late 1970s, but the transitional government that took power in 1991 began loosening many of these controls. Shortly after toppling Mengistu, the EPRDF announced plans to sell most state-run businesses and industries. In the early 1995 the government announced its intention to sell a variety f state-run enterprise such as hotels, restaurants, small shops, and food and beverage processing plants. Officials have also pledged to return residential property seized by the Mengistu government to its original owners. Economic performance has generally improved since 1991. Export improved since 1991. Export earnings have risen, although the country continues to suffer from a serious shortage of skilled labor- a problem aggravated by the exodus of political refugees in recent years. And food shortages are still a threat due to irregular rains and inadequate harvests. Until Ethiopia’s agricultural sector can be made more productive, reliance on food imports will probably continue....

Hypsilophodon - Facts and Figures

Hypsilophodon - Facts and Figures Name: Hypsilophodon (Greek for Hypsilophus-toothed); pronounced HIP-sih-LOAF-oh-don Habitat: Forests of western Europe Historical Period: Middle Cretaceous (125-120 million years ago) Size and Weight: About five feet long and 50 pounds Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; bipedal posture; numerous teeth lining cheeks About Hypsilophodon The initial fossil specimens of Hypsilophodon were discovered in England in 1849, but it wasnt until 20 years later that they were recognized as belonging to an entirely new genus of dinosaur, and not to a juvenile Iguanodon (as paleontologists first believed). That wasnt the only misconception about Hypsilophodon: nineteenth-century scientists once speculated that this dinosaur lived high up in the branches of trees (since they couldnt imagine such a puny beast holding its own against contemporary giants like Megalosaurus) and/or walked on all fours, and some naturalists even thought it had armor plating on its skin! Heres what we do know about Hypsilophodon: this roughly human-sized dinosaur appears to have been built for speed, with long legs and a long, straight, stiff tail, which it held parallel to the ground for balance. Since we know from the shape and arrangement of its teeth that Hypsilophodon was a herbivore (technically a type of small, slender dinosaur known as an ornithopod), we can surmise that it evolved its sprinting ability as a way of escaping the large theropods (i.e., meat-eating dinosaurs) of its middle Cretaceous habitat, such as (possibly) Baryonyx and Eotyrannus. We also know that Hypsilophodon was closely related to Valdosaurus, another small ornithopod discovered on Englands Isle of Wight. Because it was discovered so early in the history of paleontology, Hypsilophodon is a case study in confusion. (Even this dinosaurs name is widely misunderstood: it technically means Hypsilophus-toothed, after a genus of modern lizard, in the same way that Iguanodon means Iguana-toothed, back when naturalists thought it actually resembled an iguana.) The fact is that it took decades for early paleontologists to reconstruct the ornithopod family tree, to which Hypsilophodon belongs, and even today ornithopods as a whole are virtually ignored by the general public, which prefers terrrifying meat-eating dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus Rex or gigantic sauropods like Diplodocus.

Information Sensitivity and Protection of Data Essay

Information Sensitivity and Protection of Data - Essay Example Each organization significantly talks about the scanning of emails and other information that is being exchanged on internet to ensure that no illegal activity or transaction is being conducted. The use of email for the exchange of confidential information is discouraged by each organization. Authorization controls have been stressed upon so that the persons utilizing the information systems are authenticated to make sure that data does not get disclosed to wrong persons. 2. Each organization has a different form of information that it has to protect. BIDMC stores all sorts of information regarding BIDMC that includes general information and medical records which the employees can make use of for academic and research purposes. Thus, its policy talks about the protection of this specific kind of information that can help its employees in the development of projects and professionalism. Mayo Foundation stores not only general information but also regarding patients that can be useful during transactions for health benefits of the patients.

Competition in Energy Drinks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Competition in Energy Drinks - Essay Example In essence, the Porter’s five theory comprise of five forces namely: existing competitive rivalry between suppliers, threat of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, power of suppliers and the threat of substitute products with the inclusion of technological change (Orcullo 48). Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks and Vitamin Enhanced Beverages United States is one of the countries that serves the market for drink such as energy, sports drinks and vitamin enhanced beverages. Apparently, energy drinks are consumed by young people who want to increase their healthy levels. On the other hand, the sport drinks are mostly consumed by people who constantly watch their fitness and those who engage in sporting activities. In the same way, vitamin enhanced beverages are mostly consumed by adults especially those that have varying health issues (Bangs and Henricks 226). Some of the companies that are involved in the production of these alternative beverages include Coca cola Company, Pepsi Company and the Red Bull GmbH among others. ...It is worth mentioning that most people have opted to consume alterative drinks as opposed to carbonated drinks. This in turn has translated to an increase in the demand for the alternative drinks as compared to other drinks in the market. In response to this, the Coca cola Company and the Pepsi Company have gradually increased their production of alternative beverages. For instance, there has been extension of product line and the development of new products which moves in to capture the demand from buyers (Gamble 77). The Threat of Substitute Product It is often argued that any competition is endangered if there is presence of substitute products in the market (Orcullo 50). Although, Coca cola Company and the Pepsi Company are ancient in the world in regard to production of soft drinks and the gradual production of alternative beverages, other companies such as Red Bull GmbH have come up with substitute drinks with vary ing prices. As a result, buyers have options while purchasing such drinks making the market extremely competitive. The Threat of Supplier Bargaining Power In the same way, the bargaining power of Suppliers is very crucial in any market. In essence, the power depends on issues such as degree of differentiation of inputs, cost of inputs in relation to selling prices of the product, and the presence of substitute products (Bangs and Henricks 226).

Express Delivery Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Express Delivery Sector - Essay Example The performance of the transportation sector – as the broader area in which the express delivery sector operates – has been examined; it is assumed that the specific sector is quite competitive – for this reason it would be appropriately managed in order to increase its attractiveness towards the potential investors. The use of the appropriate CSFs would help the firms of this sector to keep their competitiveness at high levels, despite the market turbulences. 1. Structure of the ‘express delivery sector’ within the wider freight and transportation industry – evaluation whether this is an attractive sector to compete in. In order to understand the position and the performance of the ‘express delivery sector’ within the freight industry, it would be necessary to refer to the characteristics and the performance of this industry – as presented in the relevant literature. The freight industry is an extremely powerful sector; often, the practices of this sector are criticized as of their opposition with the international or the local legal rules. An indicative example of such case is the violation by the truck manufacturers of the anti-trust laws – reference is made to Britain. Such cases, related to ‘air cargo carriers and freight forwarders’ (Handy Shipping Guide 2010), have been developed in Britain. Despite the problems related to its activities, the freight industry is an extremely powerful sector, having the power, if appropriately monitored, to support the growth the economy. In accordance with a series of statistics published in 2007, ‘the amount of fr eight lifted in 2007 (1,869 million tonnes) was three per cent above 2006 (1,813 million tonnes)’ (Department of Transport 2007).... In other words, the industry has managed to stabilize its growth – despite the global crisis. The above fact is highlighted in a relevant report of the European Commission; in the above report emphasis is given on the increase of the ‘EU countries who invested on road freight transport in 2005-2007’ (European Commission 2008) .The potential of the industry to keep its competitiveness at high levels should be taken into consideration when the performance of the express delivery sector – as part of the freight sector need to be measured and evaluated. Moreover, the competitiveness of the freight industry would also lead to the increase of the competitiveness of the express delivery sector; therefore, the evaluation of the attractiveness of the industry would influence the attractiveness of the express delivery sector. Indeed, the trend for continuous growth in the freight industry seems to reflect a relevant trend in regard to the express delivery sector. The above view is based on a report referring to the importance of the express delivery sector for the economy of East Midlands; it is noted that ‘The express industry directly employs over 4,700 people in the East Midlands; Its contribution to regional employment is expected to rise to almost 16,000 by 2014’ (Oxford Economic Forecast, 2006). The Institute of Transport Management presents a similar view– published in 2007; in the relevant report it is sated that the express delivery sector is expected to benefit the British economy by approximately 5 billion each year – reference is made to a long term period, of approximately 20 years. On the other hand, Thompson (2007) notes that the performance of the freight sector is depended on indicators which are not standardized; for

Fibromyalgia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Fibromyalgia - Research Paper Example In the United States, more than six million people are likely to suffer from this disorder. This paper will provide details of the disorder including symptoms, diagnosis and the available treatment. Although research has been done in a bid to identify the causes of Fibromyalgia, there is still limited success; therefore, the causes of Fibromyalgia have remained unknown to many specialists. However, the findings from the recent research have associated Fibromyalgia with certain factors; for example, individuals who come from a family with an evident history of the disorder are likely to develop Fibromyalgia in their life (Elrod 76). This suggests that there is a genetic susceptibility to the disorder. Additional research has also associated the development of Fibromyalgia with the exposure to traumatic events such as involvement in car accidents, repetitive injuries, different types of illnesses or even participating in a war. Moreover, having certain diseases make an individual more prone to developing Fibromyalgia. Such diseases include, lupus diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and other types of arthritis. Prior to the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, an individual may be compelled to seek the help of different specialists because of the persistent pain and fatigue which are the primary symptoms of the disorder. In the past, these symptoms have been confused with the symptoms of other diseases. This served to place a difficulty in the efforts to diagnose the condition. Many doctors have remained unaware of the condition and its symptoms a factor that hindered positive diagnosis. Therefore, many patients suffered without specialized treatment for the condition. However, in the modern day there is increased understanding of the characteristics of the disorder a factor that has led to a possible diagnosis (Ostalecki 56). Many doctors usually consider the patient history

United States National Debt Ceiling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

United States National Debt Ceiling - Essay Example The debate was related with the appropriate level of the Government spending and its impacts on the overall debt and deficit of the country. The crisis was so significant that it affected the US stock market heavily. Prices of the Federal bonds increased like anything and investors were significantly confused about the future economic situations of the world’s oldest democracy. Political fraternity across the country was raising their voices to cut down the governmental expenditures to manage the debt ceiling. Budget deficit was increasing, to tame that deficit debt ceiling was a reactive measure. Due to this economic turmoil, credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded the credit rating of USA for the first time in US history. The debt ceiling of 2011 was introduced to improve the health of the US financial markets. But unfortunately the measure of debt ceiling was not at all beneficiary for the US financial markets. Lower assets prices and the higher borrowing costs had significant impacts on the public spending. People of the country were significantly uncertain related with the fluctuating assets prices and the borrowing costs. They were not willing to spend their money. Credit risk and stock prices volatility were prominent in 2011 and it continued up to 2012. VIX is a volatility index which is used for measuring the implied volatility in the financial market. During that period of time of debt ceiling that index jumped upwards. It stayed elevated for longer period of time (Irving & Engel, 2011, pp. 34-35). During that period of time investors did not invested their moneys as they perceived the situation as significantly risky. As the market was significantly volatile, investors stored their money as the buffer for the future adverse situations. During that period of time S&P 500 index of equity fell drastically. It was almost 17% down. At that point of time there was no sign of improvement. The index remained on the lower side. The fall in

Continuous Professional Development of a Mental Health Social Care Coursework

Continuous Professional Development of a Mental Health Social Care Manager - Coursework Example Merle Recruitment social forethought agencies dependably attempt to make express the connection between keeping up skill and undertaking CPD movement. For numerous professionals, be that as it may, the term proceeding professional development is more about what they do than what it implies. They emphasize the movement itself, (for example, going to a gathering) instead of the reason for the action (staying up with the latest). It is paramount, notwithstanding, that we do the inverse. Going to a meeting does not in itself guarantee that we are sheltered to practice. In any case, if rather, for instance, we distinguish that we have to overhaul our information and abilities in our work with individuals who are extremely introvert and particularly go to a meeting workshop on this theme, this may carry us closer to guaranteeing that our clinical practice is sheltered. It is an unobtrusive, however significant, distinction. As the Assistant Manager at Merle Recruitment social forethought org, I generally expect that they were fit to practice as a recently qualified specialist, say 25 years prior. In any case what matters to you now when you counsel them? For the majority of us, we have to realize that the professionals we counsel about significant matters are equipped to practice, paying little heed to if they qualified yesterday, a year ago or 25 years back. This is the place CPD enters the picture. The most recent day of professional preparing signs the start of deep-rooted taking in (Golding & Gray, 2006). These days, most professional forms have built CPD forms that their parts are obliged to accompany. For numerous professional gatherings, enrollment to practice is expressly connected to confirmation that they embrace methodical CPD.  

United States National Debt Ceiling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

United States National Debt Ceiling - Essay Example The debate was related with the appropriate level of the Government spending and its impacts on the overall debt and deficit of the country. The crisis was so significant that it affected the US stock market heavily. Prices of the Federal bonds increased like anything and investors were significantly confused about the future economic situations of the world’s oldest democracy. Political fraternity across the country was raising their voices to cut down the governmental expenditures to manage the debt ceiling. Budget deficit was increasing, to tame that deficit debt ceiling was a reactive measure. Due to this economic turmoil, credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded the credit rating of USA for the first time in US history. The debt ceiling of 2011 was introduced to improve the health of the US financial markets. But unfortunately the measure of debt ceiling was not at all beneficiary for the US financial markets. Lower assets prices and the higher borrowing costs had significant impacts on the public spending. People of the country were significantly uncertain related with the fluctuating assets prices and the borrowing costs. They were not willing to spend their money. Credit risk and stock prices volatility were prominent in 2011 and it continued up to 2012. VIX is a volatility index which is used for measuring the implied volatility in the financial market. During that period of time of debt ceiling that index jumped upwards. It stayed elevated for longer period of time (Irving & Engel, 2011, pp. 34-35). During that period of time investors did not invested their moneys as they perceived the situation as significantly risky. As the market was significantly volatile, investors stored their money as the buffer for the future adverse situations. During that period of time S&P 500 index of equity fell drastically. It was almost 17% down. At that point of time there was no sign of improvement. The index remained on the lower side. The fall in

Business Writing Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Writing Portfolio - Essay Example The schedule of part timer will be completed in one to three weekly shifts. The stores will open an hour later and will close an hour later. The stores will stay close on Sundays. We would like to inform to all our valued customers that there are going be changes in the stores schedule. The store will be closed on Sundays. From Monday to Saturday the store will open an hour earlier and close an hour later. The overall time that the store will be open will stay the same. Writing business communications is very different than writing academic papers. It is much easy to write business communications because in this type of writing one simply has to express direct messages to a particular group of people. Academic writing requires a lot research. Academic writings are typically much more extensive than business memos or communications. Business writing requires technical writing skills, while academic writing requires people to have extensive knowledge of the English

Case Study - Motivation Essay Example for Free

Case Study Motivation Essay Introduction In this brief introduction, advice for James on how to motivate his Year 5 teachers will be framed by explaining the nature of goal, the dimension of the goal and how it should be set. Secondly, suggestions of the selection of Year 5 teacher will be given. Furthermore, various ways of rewarding the goal achievement will be mentioned while evaluating the role of James during the academic year and the application of goal setting. In addition, unintended consequences of the goal setting methods will be discussed and follow by a conclusion. Nature of goal, Dimension of the goal and how it should be set Refers to Locke (1990 and 1996), goal is an object or aim for an action is the definition of goal and it is something consciously want. Goal can be explained by internal and external factors , goals are thoughts with desired end internally and object or conditions sought externally while a job to be completed is as known as task (Locke 1990 and 1996). In this case, the goal of James is to boost his school average result in NAPLAN test (i.e. the 5 reporting sector ) therefore it is above the national average while the task is to select an appropriate teacher that is able to improve the results of the 5 reporting factors. Dimension of goals can be divided content and intensity and they are not easily separated (Locke 1990). Goal content means the actual object sought and psychological goal that an individual have (Locke 1990 and 1996). Content differs in qualitatively and quantitatively and degree of specificity (Locke 199 0). A positive relationship between goal difficulties and performance is founded, the harder the goal is, the better the achievement (Locke 1996). The second factor is intensity. Intensity refers to the depth of the goal, such as scope and integration of the goal setting process and the importance of the goal, etc (Locke1990). Goals can be set according to S.M.A.R.T. which means that goals must be specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related (Rouillard 2003). A specific goal should be details enough to mention what is to be achieved and accomplished, too general statement is insufficient to motive workers (Rouillard 2003).A goal should be measurable which is quantifiable and provide a standard for comparison while indicate whether the goal is reached (Rouillard 2003). Thirdly, an attainable goal should be able to achievable while challenging, a goal with extreme low and  high expectation is insufficient to motivate (Rouillard 2003). Realistic goal means it is practical, possible and achievable (Rouillard 2003). Time-related means to frame the goal with a given period, an out-dated goal has no effect on motivat ion (Rouillard 2003). In this case, James can set a goal like ‘improve 75% of year 5 students results with a grade improvement in the factors of reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy within one semester (6 months)’. Access of candidates In this case, the aim is to improve the students’ results therefore teacher effectiveness is the main consideration. Teacher effectiveness is a measure of teacher’s ability to produce an academic growth in a given context and situation (Stronge and Hindman 2006 and Bailey 2006). Various sectors are needed for evaluation. (i) Knowledge/ Teaching certification Richard has the highest degree compare to others and Richard is passionate about upgrading himself to a higher level. Moreover, Richard is familiar with the updated education syllabus as he has completed his bachelor degree few years ago. No specific information about Janice’s educational background is mentioned; it is assumed she has the lowest degree among candidates. Although Janice had attended some teacher training, she is not familiar and active about the updated educational changes and practices which makes her less competitive. Ivar has deep knowledge about psychology and enjoy high degree of reputation and he is a high achieving student which shows Ivar has adequate intelligence level. Refers to Mandeville and Liu cited in Campbell et al (2012), students who are taught by higher levels of teacher certification have better thinking skills and performance than the lower level of knowledge. From the above evaluation, Richard and Ivar are more knowledgeable. (ii) Personal ity Richard is young, enthusiastic, active, ambitious and competitive; Janice is mature, sociable with good personal skills, passionate but less active than Richard and Ivar is logical and rational but not good at communication. Personality is not suggested as a standard for selection as there is no direct relationship between personality and achievement of pupils (Borich cited in Campbell et al 2012 ). More factors should be considered. (iii)  Experience Richard has few years of teaching year 2 and 3 but lack of experience on teaching year 5 and 6; Janice has the most experience among 3 of them and she has 5 years experience on Year 5. Comparing to others, Ivar has the least experience in teaching. Teaching experience is a valuable access however there is no direct relationship between experience and student achievement and teaching experience is only a predictor of student outcomes occasionally (Anderson and Doresett cited in Campbell et al 2012). More factors should be concern. (iv) Self –efficacy ‘A belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the course of action required to produce given attainment ‘is called self efficacy (Bandura cited in Campbell et al 2012). Richard and Ivar are very confident about teaching year 5 while Janice is less confident about her skills. It is suggested that students that taught by higher self –efficacy perform better on standardized test and teachers with low self-efficacy have lower expectation of students (Moore and Esselman cited in Campbell et al 2012) . To improve the grade of NAPLAN, advancement of languages and maths are necessary and a teacher with higher self-efficacy is critical as there is positive relationship between self efficacy and the performance of languages and maths of the students (Anderson et al cited in Campbell et al 2012). From the perspective of goal setting theory, an individual with high self efficacy is more willing to set and accept a harder goal while commit to the goals with eff ort (Locke 1996). Richard and Ivar are the better choice. After accessing the above criteria, Richard and Ivar are the better choice since both of them are highly educated and with high self efficacy but Richard is the best choice. Ivar is not specialist in education which shows concern of insufficient knowledge of educational practices while Richard has a better educational knowledge. Refers to Darling-Hammond cited in Campbell et al (2012) , the strongest forecaster of relative achievement compared to others is teacher’s certification therefore Richard will be a better choice based on the element of knowledge. Methods to reward goal achievement The goal cannot be reached by one party’s effort therefore Richard and students should be rewarded. Financial rewards and non-financial rewards are suggested and James should integrate them as a complete reward process in order to work more effectively (Armstrong and Murlis 2007). (i) Financial rewards Merit pay program can be used once Richard reaches the goal. Merit pay is a system that increases the base salary of the employee who achieves the objectives of the business (Snell and Bohlander 2012). James should raise Richard‘s salary with a range of 7 to 9% in order to be motivate (Snell and Bohlander 2012). Financial rewards have no significant in students’ achievement thus financial reward is more appropriate for teachers (Robin 2012). From individual aspect, the increased salary allows Richard to satisfy various needs, such as; help his school fee for his master degree. Richard is competitive, while the financial reward is a tangible form of achievement recognition that satisfies his needs of ego and self- actualization (Armstrong and Murlis 2007). For school, the financial rewards enhance motivation, Richard is more willing to stay in the school and this benefits the school from retaining talents to teach Year 5 students (Armstrong and Murlis 2007). (ii) Non fina ncial rewards Non financial rewards are more effective in motivating (Armstrong and Murlis 2007). James can reward Richard by providing recognition, such as verbally reward with positive feedback, promotion and training and development. James can reward the students by praising the classes and providing extra-circular activities for students to relax and learn. Richard has his own mind in career progression, rewards such as promotion, allows him to reach his individual goal (to have a better career).If Richard is rewarded with training, more knowledge will be received and allow him to have a well preparation for his master degree. Non financial rewards shows recognition which reinforce Richard’s self esteem and self actualization. For the school, non financial rewards bring lasting motivation which maintains Richard’s motivation to work in the school and dedicate more effort for his teaching of Year 5 students. (Armstrong and Murlis 2007) The rewards  motivate the Year 5 students t o study hard in order to get a better result in NAPLAN. James’s role According to managerial competency framework by Quinn, several roles from the framework are selected for James in the application of this case. James is a director, he has to develop a vision and set a clear goal and objectives for his teachers moreover he has to organize and design the whole plan to achieve the goal (Quinn et al 2003). Secondly, James is a mentor, he has to communicate effectively and share his knowledge of NAPLAN with Richard to develop his ability in teaching Year 5 students (Quinn et al 2003). James has to think creatively as he may have to draft new teaching strategies with Richard therefore he has to live and mange the change and his role in this process is innovator (Quinn et al 2003). James is also a co-coordinator, new ideas may suggested by Richard and James has to manage the projects and across the functions to ensure the Richard’s works can run smoothly (Quinn et al 2003).Finally, James is a monitor, performances of students should be reviewed regu larly to keep the process on track while teaching styles should be monitored, for example, James can be a guest teacher in Richard’s class to see how the class runs and provides feedback to Richard (Quinn et al 2003, Mitchell, Ortiz, and Mitchell 1987). Feedback drives performance and motivation therefore feedback should be given frequently, James is able to check the progress of the goal while Richard is able to improve his limitations or retain his advantages (Latham 2007). Unintended consequences  Harder goals drive performance therefore James may set a harder goal for Richard and his year 5 students to achieve (Latham 2007). A harder goal is associated higher risk which may lead to worse performance compare to lower goals, for instance, a harsher teaching style is adopted by Richard but students may face extra pressure and lost their motivation in learning (Latham 2007). Secondly, goal conflicts may happen, such as, the school’s goal is vary from Richard’s individual goal which reduce the motivation and worsen the performance (Latham 2007). In order to reach the goal, James has to co-ordinate with other teachers with the class arrangement, this may lead to disagreement about the decision and conflicts between colleagues may result. With the new class arrangement, other classes need to adopt a new  teacher or teaching style; it influences the academic results and motivation. Others teachers also need to cope with the new goal and assi st Richard and principal in some points yet they do not get any reward, it leads to the problem of unfairness and inequality. Conclusion To conclude, goal and task are strongly linked and dimension of goal is divided into content and intensity. A successful goal should be set according to S.M.A.R.T. After evaluation, Richard is chosen as the teacher. James could motive Richard and students by financial and non financial rewards. Within the process, James has multiple roles as mention before to ensure the goal is achieved. However, unexpected results may happen therefore James should consider more theories application solve the problem and achieve synergy. Reference list Armstrong, M. and Murlis, H. 2007, Reward Management: A Handbook of Remuneration Strategy and Practice, 5th ed., Kogan Page Publishers, U.K. Bailey, K. 2006, Language Teacher Supervision: A case Based Approach, Cambridge University Press, U.K. Campbell, J., Kyriakides, L., Nuijis, D. and Robinson, W. 2012, Assessing Teacher Effectiveness: Different Models, Routledge, Canada. Latham, G. 2007, Work Motivation. History.Theory.Research and Practice, Thousand Oaks, U.K. Locke, E. 1996, ‘Motivation through conscious goal setting’, Applied and Preventative Psychology, vol.5, pp. 117-124. Locke, E. and Latham, G. 1990, A theory of Goal setting and Task Performance, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Mitchell, D., Ortiz, F. and Mitchell, T. 1987, Work Orientation and Job Performance: The Cultural Basis of Teaching Rewards and Incentives, Suny Press, U.S.A. Robin, G. 2012, Praise, Motivation, and the Child, Routledge, U.S.A. Rouillard,L. 2003, Goals and Goal Setting: Achieving Measured Ob jectives, 3rd ed., Cengage Learning, U.S.A. Snell, S. and Bohlander,G. 2012, Managing Human Resources, Cengage Learning, U.S.A. Stronge, J. and Hindman, J. 2006, The Teacher Quality Index: A Protocol for Teacher Selection, ASCD, U.S.A. Quinn, R.E., Faerman,S.R., Thompson,M.P. and McGrath,M. 2003, Becoming a master manager: A competency framework, 3rd ed., Wiley, New York.

Malware And Exploit Protection

Malware And Exploit Protection In todays modern world of information technology, malware and malware protection is becoming a large part of computer security. To analyse this problem various Internet and academic articles have been studied in order to grasp the main concepts of malware and its impacts on information technology as well as current security protection available in todays market. Introduction The purpose of this report is to give the reader an understanding on the concepts of malware and what technologies are being implemented to prevent unauthorized access of computers and networks. This report will also look into how cyber criminals are able to use a variety of measures to infect computers and networks and why it is necessary to implement various security applications to stop them from accessing data. A brief history on the exploit protection of computers and information systems is also included to provide the reader with a basic understanding of computer security and protection before the Internet was developed into a global fixture. The function of Malware and virus security PG 1 PG 1If a computer is communicating with other devices on a network it can potentially be at risk. Documents and files that are stored in that computer can be exposed to anyone who wants to access them especially if there is no security implemented on that particular device. In recent years the lack of security on Internet applications and web sites has been responsible for hackers entering computer and stealing files and private information. Because the Internet is so large and complex it is becoming increasingly hard to protect computers from malware and viruses. Cyber criminals are able to set up spam and can potentially enter a network through a backdoor or loop hole in the system. These actions can be hard to track and many hackers are not caught due to the fact they are accessing the content from a different location (often in a different country). The concept of malware security has taken huge steps in recent years to prevent computers being vulnerable to attacks. This report w ill focus on how computer security is breached by malware and what security measures are in place to deal with aspects such as anti-malware/virus and spyware protection, spam filters and other password based securities built around Internet applications. The history of security and birth of Malware and Viruses Computer viruses have been in existence long before the modern Internet came about. One of the outbreaks of virus activity was caused by mistake in the late 1980s. In 1987 the Vienna virus was developed, computer specialist Ralph Burger decided to investigate the virus so he got a copy of it and wrote his findings in a book titled Computer Viruses: a high tech disease. His book however caused major problems. Because his analysis was so in depth he ended up telling people how the virus worked and how to write them. As a result people who previously had no knowledge of what computer viruses or malware were now getting a beginners guide on how the process worked. Ralph Burgers book was effectively a guide on how to create viruses and in the years after publication his concepts and findings were still being put to use by cyber criminals who wrote thousands of malware viruses based on his methodologies. PG 2 PG 2The 1990s saw a huge rise in information technology security breach with the introduction of the modern Internet. Major viruses such as the Michelangelo and Melissa viruses saw a new dawn in virus activity and as a result the information technology industry started to take notice. New virus technology such as bots and botnets were beginning to take shape. The introduction of malware saw a huge rise in security breaches especially in home and business environments. For the first time confidential information such as user credentials and private details were being exposed over the Internet. The ability for hackers to trace cookies and monitor network activity in real time started to become a major issue for all internet users. During the mid to late 1990s there were many attempts to put a stop to cyber criminals and malware activities but overall the fact remained that there was no major force that could deal with the increasing problem of computer security and exploit protection. The problem had begun to take effect on national security. Because government agencies had confidential information on computer networks there became a real need to not only protect information on their networks but to protect national security. The U.S in particular became increasingly paranoid about their government agencies and there were a number of cases were their networks had been compromised. In 1998 the U.S attorney general unveiled a $64 million dollar scheme to try and counter cyber criminals and the effects of both Malware and Viruses. A command center was set up to protect all U.S computer systems; the National Infrastructure Protection Center was another major step in internet security in the 1990s. As the Internet continues to grow Internet security is still an extremely important issue. With more and more people using tools such as internet banking and purchasing online items there are now a lot more procedures being put in place to keep these applications secure fro m malware and viruses. Types of Malware and viruses In todays world there are a number of major malware, viruses and bugs that are commonly used to infiltrate Internet applications and computer networks. This section of the report will look at what they are, how they work and what tools are available to counter this kind of criminal activity. PG 3 Viruses A virus is a computer program that is able to replicate itself and infect computer devices. In order for a virus to replicate itself it must first be granted access to execute its code. To make this possible most viruses will try to attach themselves to executable files that are commonly apart of legitimate programs and applications. Viruses can be made to do a number of things including damaging data files, corrupting applications and lowering system performance. Viruses can also be transferred between devices especially if the user has no knowledge of the viruses presence. Commonly USB drives and other forms of memory units will transfer viruses amongst computer devices. What is Malware? Malware is an abbreviated term that stands for malicious software. The main purpose of malware is to spy or damage a computer device. Malware can also include things like tracking cookies, which will allow someone to monitor Internet activity and usage. In todays modern information technology malware encompasses a lot of different types of viruses and exploitation. Spyware As its name suggests spyware is used to spy on a computer or device. Spyware is a form of Malware that performs predominantly the same kind of tasks. It is often used in advertisements known as adware that can be used to track activity on a computer. In recent times spyware has be known to log keystroke activity which enables criminals to gather bank account details and other sensitive data. Worms PG 4A computer worm is able to replicate its self and uses a network to send copies of its self to other devices on a network. Worms are a kind of Malware that can infect a large number of devices on a network, once the worm has been released on a computer it can quickly cause damage over a network. Unlike a virus worms do not need to attach themselves to an executable file. Bots Bots are programs that are capable of taking over a computer. Bots allow the hacker to control a computer from a remote location often starting out as Malware. Cyber criminals will often hide their remote control software attaching to a legitimate source such as a game or application. When the application or game is running they are able to run their software in the background and gain remote access whenever the device is online. Hackers usually try to go unnoticed while implementing bots. In a lot of cases hackers will create a lot of bots and set up botnets (an army of bots) these can then be used to send out spam and other forms of illegal activity. Trojans Trojans (also known as Trojan horse/s) are programs that disguise themselves by doing a legitimate task on a computer. In actual fact the Trojans main purpose is to spy on computer activity and steal information such as credit card details and pin numbers. Once the information has been captured it is then sent back to the cyber criminal who initially set up the Trojan. Trojans are commonly sent as email attachments and are NOT viruses. A Trojan does not infect files or replicate it self like a virus and its main purpose is to go unnoticed within the system. Spam Spam is a type of advertising that is commonly sent to a large scale of computer users. Most spam is developed in the form of get rich schemes, suspicious messages and other forms of advertising that are aimed at tricking the user into releasing credit card details and other information that can benefit the person who sent the spam. Because spam costs the sender next to nothing to send they are able to send it on a large scale increasing their chance of success. PG 5 Current Malware protection Security breaches can come in all forms of illegal activity. These are simply the mainstream problems that occur on a day-to-day basis. There are many more forms of malware that put Internet security to the test and cyber criminals continue to develop new ways of infiltrating computers and networks. So what are some of the current developments put in place to stop malware and other forms of illegal activity? Firewalls The term firewall was fist established by fire fighters. The firewall was a large barrier put in place to prevent the fire from spreading. In computing terms a firewall performs relatively the same task. Essentially a firewall operates by working with a router-based application to make decision of wether to forward packets to a device or wether to drop the packets all together. An easier way to think of a firewall is to imagine a police check point on a road, the cars coming into the checkpoint represent packets being sent across the internet, the police check point represents the firewall as well as the process that is taken to determine if the packet (car) is able to continue to its destination (a network or computer). In other words a firewall is a scan that can detect infected or illegitimate data files or programs before they reach their intended destination. In organizations and businesses a firewall will often be set up on an elected computer that is separated from the rest of the network so that incoming traffic does not have immediate access to the rest of the network. One of the main methods that a firewall uses is screen requests to insure that domain name and internet protocol addresses are genuine. With devices such as PDAs and cell phones, firewalls will allow remote access to certified networks by using password based security measures. Anti Malware/virus software PG 6Anti Malware/virus software applications are used to scan files and eliminate any Malware or viruses that are found on a particular device. Current anti virus applications have come along way in protecting users from malware viruses. Anti virus applications will typically use two forms of scanning procedures to identify malware. The first is analyzing the computer programs and looking for any suspicious activities that are not normally conducted. The second is done by scanning a computer using a malware and virus dictionary this is one of the most effective ways of identifying a security breach. The malware/virus dictionary works by examining a database of known viruses that has been established by that particular anti virus Software Company; it will then scan the computer and try to match any piece of code in its database to the files on a computer. If a match is found then the user will be prompted with a message that gives the user options to deal with the malware and/or virus . For this process to be successful in the long term the malware/virus dictionary needs to be updated on a regular basis to keep up with newly written viruses being developed by hackers and cyber criminals. This is the main reason that anti malware/virus software applications will prompt users to update on a regular basis. Anti-spyware based applications work with the same method of spyware dictionary scanning. Spam filters PG 7In todays modern Internet spam is always a constant threat to computer security for users worldwide and will often contain malware viruses. Although most people will ignore spam a small amount of users get sucked in to spammers advertising schemes. Because spammers are sending out thousands of spam based messages at a time they can easily profit from a couple of over trusting users and because spam is cheap to develop there is always a market for them. In past years users would receive hundreds of messages a day by spammers and trying to sift through emails to find a legitimate message proved to be a daunting task for users. For this reason spam filters were introduced. Spam filters work by using a number of procedures. The first is a language-based filter; these are the easiest procedures for a spam filter to implement. The filter will simply scan through emails and remove any that are not in the native language of the user. Settings for this can obviously be changed if a user i s working in a foreign country, the user can simply enable the languages that they would like to receive by changing the settings of the filter. Content spam filters use a complex set of rules to evaluate messages that are likely to be spam-based advertising. The spam is redirected into a spam folder that can later be deleted by the user. This is one of the most effective approaches to countering spammers however on occasion it can result in legitimate emails being sent to spam folders due to a user request of an advertising promotions or news letters. User spam filters can be the most effective filters if used properly. They require the user to input a set of rules for the filter to follow, although this can be an effective method it can be time consuming and is not the easiest tool for users to use. Conclusion Overall there are a lot of security measures that can be implemented to protect computers and networks form malware. Most security measures that are available to users are aimed at protecting computers from malware, adware, spam and various types of common viruses. Although there are a lot of companies providing these services cyber criminals are always looking for new ways to get around firewalls and anti virus software and on some occasions they are successful. Because there are so many hackers and spammers around the globe new ways of getting around these barriers are frequently being developed and catching them can be very difficult. However if users take the appropriate steps such as installing firewalls and anti malware/virus software they will be less likely to fall prey to cyber criminals. PG 8

Hyenas :: essays research papers fc

In the world of animals, there are a lot of unique animals, but the Hyena is the real animal that stands out. Its massive jaws can crush the bones of its prey and usually it eats the whole carcass of its prey. They scientific name for the Hyena is Crocuta Crocuta. They Hyena mostly live in Africa, south of the Sahara, but except in the Congo Basin. Also large numbers of Hyenas live in Ethiopia, British Somalialand, and Ngrongoro Crater. Their habitat is usually a flat grassland. It is mostly dry and sometimes rocky area. There are few trees or plants. Mostly there are shrubs. There are also some mountains in the region. The Hyena eats mostly wildebeests, gazelles, zebra, buffalo, rhino calves, and most species of ungulates. The Hyena mostly gets its food by hunting packs or alone, or by scavenging after kills of other animals or other Hyenas. The hunting usually takes place at night when they are most active. When the kill their prey they rip their prey from limb to limb and usually eats the whole carcass of its prey. To do that Hyenas massive jaws contains teeth so strong and so sharp to crush bones of its prey. Hyenas store their food underwater to to hide from other carnivores stealing the left over meat. One Hyena can eat up to 14.5 kilograms of meat per meal. Hyenas can spot and will usually try to hunt the young, weak, diseased, injured, or dead prey, but if drove extreme hunger it can take down a full grown male lion. The Hyena natural enemies are the lion, wild dogs, leopards, cheetah, and jackals. The Hyena is very competitive with the lion. They both try to take bit of each others kills, but most of the time a Hyena kills its prey, the lion comes and starts eating and the Hyena has to wait. Like the lion hyena tries to take bit of meat from the leopard and cheetah kills. Jackals often annoy Hyenas and try to take bits of meat from the Hyenas kills. The Hyena protects it self in its habitat by the spots on it back used for camouflage. Also if attacked its massive jaws can crush the bones of its attacker and the Hyena is capable of running down and killing an unaided bull wildebeest, 3 times its own weight.

Demand chain management Essay

1.Introduction Purpose of this assignment is to analyse the case study of the Dell Inc, relating to the seven questions asked on the case study. Objective of the case study analysis is to get a deeper understanding of the Global production, outsourcing and logistics. 2.Company overview Dell is a global information technology company that offers its customers a broad range of solutions and services delivered directly by Dell and through other distribution channels. Their focused is to provide technology solutions that are more efficient, more accessible, and easier to manage. Dell Inc. is a holding company that conducts its business worldwide through its subsidiaries. Their global corporate headquarters is located in Round Rock, Texas. In terms of the PC manufacturing market, DELL is at number 3 position (Behind HP & Lenovo) with annual revenue of USD 62,071 Million. They made a net profit of USD 3,492 Million for the year 2012, which would translate to a net profit margin of 5.6%. Dell focuses on 4 main market target segments. SegmentRevenue percentage Large Enterprises30% Public 27% Small & medium business 24% Consumers 19% Table 2.1 – Dell Inc’s marketing segments The product portfolio of Dell consists of selling Servers, Networking, Storage, Outsourced services, Project Management, Support & deployment services, Infrastructure, Cloud, Security services, Applications, Business Process services, Client devices: notebooks, workstations, tablets, smartphones, and desktop PCs For the purpose of the case study, the focus will be on the products & distribution of personal computers. 3.Case study questions 3.1.1.What are the advantages to DELL of having manufacturing sites located where they are? A company once decided to place their productions overseas, must make a decision to whether to centralize their production or to de-centralize it over different countries. A company will look at 3 areas in making this decision. †¢Country factors oPolitical oEconomical oCultural oFactor Costs oLocation Externalities : Skilled labour technology oTrade barriers oTransport cost oFDI rules & regulations oExpected exchange rate stability †¢Technological factors oFixed cost oMinimum Efficient Scale oFlexible manufacturing/Mass customization †¢Product Factors oValue-to-Weight Ratio oServes Universal needs(Hill, 2011) Dell Inc which have a product with lower fixed cost of manufacturing, lower minimum efficient scale and with low requirement for mass customization or flexible manufacturing will opt in for decentralization. Also considering the product factors, Dell has a product which has a lower Value-to-weight ratio and a product which needs to be customized to each market, which indicates the requirement for the De-centralized strategy. Decentralize/Centralize decision will be influenced by the company’s own objectives. Dell specify their objectives as †¢Generating cost efficiencies, †¢Delivering products faster, †¢Better serving their customers †¢Building a world-class supply chain.(Annual Report, 2012) In order to cater to these objectives and support product factors and technology factors, Dellhas taken the decision to De-centralize. Once the decision to decentralize has been taken, they will go ahead with selecting the countries where they will try to exploit the country factors listed above to their advantage. Current locations where Dell has their production facilities are as follows: †¢Austin, Texas; †¢Penang, Malaysia; †¢Xiamen, China; †¢Hortolà ¢ndia, Brazil; †¢Chennai, India; †¢Lodz, Poland. Advantages exploited from each of these locations can be listed as below 3.1.1.1.Market Access – Generating cost efficiencies, Delivering products faster, Dell main objective is to deliver products faster while generating cost efficiencies. The growth countries and regions that they have highlighted are BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). The strategy they have used is to keep best possible market access these strategic regions. Analysing the location they have selected following advantages can be seen. †¢Texas is central to all of the U.S; †¢Malaysia is central to the huge Asia-Pacific region. †¢Lodz Poland close to the big markets of the UK, Germany, and France. †¢Brazil, India and China plants are set up to reach the respective markets quickly 3.1.1.2.Labor costs and quality: †¢China is a low cost manufacturing location †¢Texas is cheaper than Silicon Valley †¢Malaysia is cheaper than Singapore †¢The quality of labor is high in each of these locations as well. Besides having well-educated workers, engineers and technicians, each location has little or no labor union activity. †¢They have also ignored industry clusters such as Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Shenzhen (China) to ensure that labour markets are not tight and expensive. 3.1.1.3.Transportation and telecommunications infrastructure: †¢The Texas locations, for instance, are in close proximity to major highways and to a major Federal Express distribution center. †¢Telecommunications bandwidth, cost, and quality are also factors, especially for call centers and data centers. 3.1.1.4.Government incentives: †¢Major incentives were offered by Texas †¢financial incentives were offered in Brazil by the state government †¢Tax holidays in Malaysia 3.1.2.What are the potential disadvantages of the locations? Political turmoil Political stability is a requirement for a production location. Countries such as Brazil may be affected by unstable political situations. If shutdown, a Whole region will be effected Economical Instability Operations may be effected from economical stability of its countries, especially European region with the current EURO debt crisis. E.g DELL had to close down it Ireland manufacturing arm in 2011, after laying off 2000 employees. Expiration of Government concessions One of the key reasons to locate the production facilities where they are is due to concessions offered by government. Most government concessions will be expired after a particular period, after which operations might be unfavourable. (e.g Texas, china, Malaysian operations). In such situation net expenditure may drastically rise, making financially unfeasible. Why does Dell purchase most of the components that go into its PC market from independent suppliers as opposed to making more itself (Dell does little more than final assembly of components into PC)? Dell purchases many of their products and all of their components from third party vendors. Main reasons for Dell purchasing them from independent suppliers are; 1.Reduce the risk of having large inventories, which can become obsolete quite quickly – In the IT industry generally new products are introduced to the market very rapidly. Therefore exsising products can become obsolete quite rapidly, with the introduction of new products into the market by competitors. 2.Reduce the inventory holding cost- Inventory holding cost includes cost such as warehousing and logistic cost, insurance cost, spoilage and breakage cost etc. However since Dell carries extremely lower level of inventories their inventory holding cost have been reduced to a grater extent. Majority (95%) of Dell’s supplier’s located at closer to the Dell’s factory and most of these suppliers have to supply the products to Dell within 90 minutes after placing the order. This has also helped Dell to reduce their inventory to a greater extent and has enable Dell to practice Just In Time (JIT) manufacturing. 3.Reduce the cost of co-ordination compared to vertical integration – As Dell does not have its own factories, they are not incurring any expenditure by way of establishment expenses, administrative expenditure etc, which generally carries relatively large amounts. Also Dell has been able to reduce the cost of controlling and cost of coordination to a greater extent which otherwise would have to be incurred, if they have been vertically integrated. 4.Obtain flexibility in terms of cost, quality, quantity, delivery, capacity, support etc, as they are purchasing items from several different suppliers depending on the requirement and circumstances. Dell openly shares its daily production schedules, sales forecasts, and new-model introduction plans with vendors using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)’s. Dell’s forecast of supply is normally 75% accurate and if in case it is wrong, â€Å"Demand Shaping† is done to overcome the situation. 5.Reduce the cost – Dell purchases 75% of their purchases from 30 main suppliers (15% of their suppliers), and generally maintains several single-source or limited-source supplier relationships, either because multiple sources are not readily available or because the relationships are advantageous to us due to performance, quality, support, delivery, capacity, price etc. Majority of these suppliers are from Asian countries that have relatively lower labor cost and this has been helped to reduce Dell’s cost to greater extent. Also due to the large volumes that are purchased, their is high bargaining power over their suppliers which has resulted in Dell obtaining vendor rebates and discounts which too have resulted in Dell reducing the cost to a greater extent. 6.Reduce time to market compared to competitors – Time taken to release a new product to market is a critical success factor in IT industry. Since Dell is purchasing most of their components independent suppliers, Dell is able to introduce new products to the market as and when new components are introduced by suppliers. As a result of Dell’s effective supply chain management, they don’t have any warehouse and also their factories have only 72 hours worth of inventory. Also cash conversion cycle (time between an outlay of cash for parts and collection of payments) of Dell is negative 36, where as in industry it is 30 days. Also their inventory turnover has remained around 107 times where as in companies such as IBM it is 17.5 times. What are the consequences for Dells cost structure and profitability of replacing inventories with information? In year 2004, Dell has been able to achieve the lowest inventory levels in the industry that was only three days of inventory on hand, compared to 30, 45, or even 90 days’ worth at competitors. This was a critical advantage in the computer inventory, where component costs account for 75 percent of revenues and typically fall by 1 percent per week due to rapid obsolescence. Replacing inventory with information has contributed greatly to Dell’s business model; it is the cornerstone of their cost structure. Reducing inventory also reduces the need for working capital thus replacing inventory with information boosts profitability. Another aspect of dell’s customer focus was build to order philosophy. Every dell pc has been built this way unlike many other companies who build for sales forecasts. To offer build to order system, companies must have cell manufacturing – team of workers who build each PC from start to finish rather than a typical assembly line production. Cell manufacturing in which one group of people is responsible for building a pc. Among other things cell manufacturing allows you to build to order in an efficient way. Dells original inspiration was to go direct but that only got it off the ground. Dell has made crucial innovations in its business model as it has grown these successive innovations have made it prosper not its adherence to a single rigid idea standards based technology as a point of market entry is one of those crucial points. Then dell began to implement a new model. Its operations had always featured a build to order process with direct sales to customers but dell took a series of ingenious steps to eliminate its inventories. Three golden rules of dell are disdain inventory, listen to the customer, never sell indirect. Note that disdaining inventory was number one. Because of computers and the way they handle information zero or near zero inventory control is going to be a major business factor in the coming years and dell lead the way. Inventory is a drag on any business and particularly pure internet based businesses need no inventory on hand. Inventory means capital investments and that investment is a formidable challenge to any start up. Further holding considerable amount of inventory in a business increase the overall debt position of firms and force them to incur massive amount of interest cost. The strategy to minimize inventory is the only way to maintain start up cost and interest cost at an acceptable level. In the short run it will permit more start-ups because smart companies with tiny inventories come online with minimal capital investment and Dell’s strategy of direct sale through online was a good example for the above. Dell actually funds its operations in large part by maintaining zero inventory. It bills customers immediately but pays suppliers 36 to 45 days later. So it can flat an enormous amount of cash on which it earns a significant amount of additional interest. Besides reducing and reversing capital investment, zero inventory means that stock depreciation and obsolete a central concern in high tech is almost on problem. Maintaining zero inventory naturally keeps a company more agile. In fact true zero inventory keeps a company on the knife’s edge of responsiveness which is where dell likes to be. Dell’s model demand comes first supply second. †¢Cost Structure 1.Inventory acquisition and holding cost 2.Interest cost 3.Re-work cost 4.Obsolete inventory written off †¢Profitability 1.Gross profit and net profit margin 2.Higher return on investment 3.Interest cover 4.Higher EBIT margin Question 6 What is the source of Dell’s competitive advantage? A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and services that justifies higher prices. Michael Porter suggests that accompany can adopt one of the three strategies: Differentiation, cost leadership, or focus in finding its competitive edge. Dell mass produce its components to keep the cost minimum, while postponing the assembly of the computers till the customer final orders are received. The model enabled Dell to gain competitive advantage ahead of competition with â€Å"Low cost structure and customer experience†. Dell’s global business model which is admired by world-over has positions its production plants close their key markets in order to reduce shipping and transport costs and access to labour markets on low wages and with high productivity. The JIT inventory enabled Dell to reduce heavy investments on large inventories and warehousing. Short channel length and optimized supply chain process reduces cost of doing business further internet sales which generates major revenue inflow is an low cost sales channel helped Dell immensely in gaining cost leadership in the industry. Dell offer customers unique experience with its responsiveness through assembled-to-order, speed and convenient purchasing cycle online. How secure is this advantage ? Dell’s practical and economical model combining mass production and customization is a key strength which is well executed by effective integration of business plans aligned with supply chain resources. Evolvement of lean supply chain can give Dell with its drive for innovation to capitalize heavily and come up with better business model enhancing value proposition to the customer. Similarly fast-paced technological developments too will be opportunities for Dell to enhance their competitive advantage. Internet sales channel can further expanded with Brazil and China consisting of one of the largest internet populations of the world. Product life cycle of PC market is at maturity stage and global trend is consumers are demanding for more convenient devices. Treats from low cost new entrants and rivalry among competitors make Dell, more reputed and admired organization to stand tall. Pressure from USA on China on exchange rate, China and Brazil growth as a middle income nation can impact the low cost labour and competitiveness of the product. Lack of culture driving innovation in countries they operate limits options for Dell to move value added services to lost cost labour countries like how HP has moved its design and R/D centre to Singapore. Anti-globalization ideology of China could impact Dells business future. For reputed organization like Dell, Green SC, ethics and CSR will require additional investments will increase their cost structures. In conclusion, we are of the view that considering above situation, Dell’s competitive advantage is not secure and could impact their current advantages. 07. What are the potential risks associated with Dell’s global supply chain strategy? How can these risks be mitigated? Supply chain risk can be defined as follows: â€Å"Unforeseen events that might interrupt the smooth flow of materials.† (Waters, 2008) Unlike local or company-specific risks, system-wide risks are those which significantly disrupt supply chains across multiple operations and a wide geographic area. Systemic risks are created or magnified by the way supply chain systems are configured. So they are not easily resolved by individual acts. In today’s globalized and interconnected world, any major disruption; from a disease to a fire, has the potential to cascade through supply chains and permeate other systems. According to the research of consulting firm Accenture in 2006, over 50% of executives surveyed felt that the risk of supply chains had increased as a result of their globalization of business operations & also significant supply chain disruptions have been found to cut the share price of impacted companies by 7% on average. Further Accenture research done in 2012 indicates that more than 80% of companies are now concerned about supply chain resilience. The World Economic Forum in 2012 conducted a detailed survey on Supply Chain Risk across Europe, North America and Asia via the World Economic Forum’s Supply Chain Risk Radar. The aim was to understand how the risk landscape varied across the three regions and compared with the top five global risks from 2011. Survey respondents considered global risks and their potential to cause system-wide disruptions in global supply chains. According to the survey the following top five disruption figures in 2012 were identified: What risks is Dell exposed to through its supply chain †¢Government Regulations / Legal decisions †¢ Currency / Interest rate volatility †¢ Country Financial Risks †¢ Political & Social Disruptions †¢ Corporate Governance issues †¢ Disruption of key supplier / partner †¢ Theft of intellectual property †¢ Natural disasters Risk Why Dell is exposedMitigates Government Regulations / Legal decisions 50% of the major suppliers are in Asia (Developing countries) Close study on the changes in regulations & the political situation of the countries invested in and limit expansion if the conditions are adverse Currency / Interest rate volatility 200 suppliers of which 50% located outside USA Supply on determined fixed prices for a specific period of time Forward exchange rate contracts Theft of intellectual property 85% of the sales are done through the internet Depend on a resilient core network, appropriate communication tools, and an element of redundancy. 34 This requires IT systems that are scalable, secure and re-routable Natural DisastersMany suppliers & factories Adequate insurance protections World Economic Forum, Building Resilience in Supply Chains January 2012 Conclusion Dell’s effective supply chain management has enabled them to reduce their cost to a greater extent, which has in turn helped them to improve its international competitiveness. Also effective supply chain management has enabled them to increase the value creation to the customer by providing a faster and better service to the customer. When determining the production locations, consideration must be given to country factors, technological factors and product factors prior to finalizing the decision. Strategiclocations of Dell’s production facilities have helped them to minimize cost, improve product quality and enabling better delivery channels. Furthermore Dell’s strategy to purchase components from independent suppliers has facilitates strategic flexibility and helps the company to avoid the problems and costs associated with vertical integration. However unlike locally operated companies, global operatorslike Dell, has system-wide risks which could significantly disrupt supply chains across multiple operations and a wide geographic area other than the inherent company specific risks. In conclusion it is important that global companies like Dell should continue to mitigate these risks and achieving a better supply chain management through close alliances with suppliers and customers in striving for long term business competitiveness.