Convergence Of Twain Essays - United States, Canada, United Kingdom

Convergence Of Twain Thomas Hardy experienced great difficulty believing in a forgiving, Christian God because of the pain and suffering he witnessed around him. He also endured some pain, with the loss of his wife and suffering during the five years he spent in London that made him ill. As a young man, Hardy wanted to become a clergyman. This vocation was quite a turn around of what he pursued--a career as a famous agnostic writer. He lost faith in his religious, Victorian upbringing. As such, he shared a belief with many modern poets in the futility and waste of human existence. Hardy did believe in a "supreme being" or as he liked to call him "The Immanent Will," but he did not think of Him as a forgiving God like other Christians. Instead, Hardy believed Him to be portrayed as a vengeful God, which we learn from his poem, "The Convergence of the Twain: (Lines on the loss of the 'Titanic')". Thomas Hardy wrote this poem with a very noticeable chronological disruption midway through the poem. Unlike most poets who keep their poems in chronological order to maintain suspense throughout the poem, Hardy believed that the subject of the Titanic was so well known that there was not any reason to keep the readers in suspense of what impending doom awaited the Titanic. Instead, he commenced his poem with a description of the Titanic at present: "grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent"(st III). Then he proceeds to the "fashioning"(st VI) of the famous ship and continues to that famous April evening where the "consummation"(st XI) of the two "titanic" masses occurred--the grand ship made from human hands and the silent iceberg made by the "Immanent Will"(st VI). Hardy does not confine himself inside the walls of set syllables per verse; every stanza has a different number of syllables in each verse. In the first part of his poem the rhythm is very alluring. With proper uses of caesuras, stresses and slacks, Hardy seems to capture the solitude of the sea that he is describing with his steady, gentle sway of words, a "rhythmic tidal lyre"(st II). While reading this poem, the words seem to move persistently slowly up and down like the tide: I In a solitude of the sea Deep from human vanity, And the Pride of life that planned her, stilly couches she. (lines 1-3) Hardy also numbers all of the eleven stanzas of his poem. The numbering indicates the separation of each one of the stanzas as if to imply that we have to look at this poem as eleven different poems in one. This method gives us a chance to understand the poem more efficiently by studying one stanza at a time. A first reading of the poem would reveal five stanzas describing the "gilded gear"(st V) at the bottom of the sea and six stanzas that refer to the ship and to the iceberg converging at a point so "far and dissociate"(st VII). However, an enjambment occurs between stanza VI and stanza VII, as if these two stanzas were meant to be one: "The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything / Prepared a sinister mate"(lines 18/19). Ironically, these two stanzas describe both the creation of the ship and the creation of the iceberg that are destined to come together later in time. Hardy takes more of an antithetical approach toward the story of the Titanic than most people think of or 'chose' to think of when they hear of the tragedy. Most people want the story to be told through a tragic, yet romantic, point of view that relates the tragedy of the men, women, and children who were lost on that gruesome night. People relate emotionally to the story of the Titanic by watching the movie that was released in the past year because it is from the point of view of the people on the ship. We see a romantic mood portrayed be the people on the ship and the tragedy suffered in the loss of their loved ones. Consequently, Hardy does not want us to share in this travesty that they have experienced. Instead of a tragic poem of the people involved in this tragic event, Hardy distances himself from the picture, far enough just to see the two grand and noble objects, a Godlike view solely focused on the two gigantic entities. Through his poem, Hardy explains to us that it is a vengeful God that planned the collision. In the section of the poem that contrasts both

Free Essays on Town and Country Lovers

Social and Racial Boundaries Between â€Å"Lovers† The social and racial boundaries in South Africa are clearly portrayed in Nadine Gordimer’s short story â€Å"Town and Country Lovers†. There are two characters in the story that come from completely different backgrounds. They become lovers and are found out by the police. Gordimer illustrates the differenced between the two lovers and how their society reacts to them. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf is a well-educated man from Austria. Gordimer describes him as being a â€Å"geologist absorbed in his work† (1854). He is a well-cultured man who enjoys â€Å"an occasional skiing trip, listening to music, [and] reading poetry† (1855). Leinsdorf’s work has taken him to many different places, including Peru, New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa. â€Å"He has no interest in the politics of the countries he works in† (1855), or of becoming a permanent resident in South Africa. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf â€Å"[accepts the] social distinctions between people but [doesn’t] think they should be legally imposed† (1861). The girl in the story is young and black. She comes from a poor family and is of low class, so low that she does not even have a name in the story. The girl works in a supermarket where she assisted Dr. Leinsdorf in purchasing razor blades, and later did all his shopping for him. â€Å"She was one of nine children of a female laundry worker. She had left school in Standard Three (Eighth Grade) because there was no money at home for gym clothes or a school blazer. She had worked as a machinist in a factory and a cashier in a supermarket† (1861). The young girl followed Dr. Leinsdorf’s habits, learning how to make real coffee, not â€Å"synthetic flavoring† (1857); how to cook; and she learned how to type Dr. Leinsdorf’s notes. These two manage to come together as lovers and friends, but still the differences between them a prevalent. When they are caught, n... Free Essays on Town and Country Lovers Free Essays on Town and Country Lovers Social and Racial Boundaries Between â€Å"Lovers† The social and racial boundaries in South Africa are clearly portrayed in Nadine Gordimer’s short story â€Å"Town and Country Lovers†. There are two characters in the story that come from completely different backgrounds. They become lovers and are found out by the police. Gordimer illustrates the differenced between the two lovers and how their society reacts to them. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf is a well-educated man from Austria. Gordimer describes him as being a â€Å"geologist absorbed in his work† (1854). He is a well-cultured man who enjoys â€Å"an occasional skiing trip, listening to music, [and] reading poetry† (1855). Leinsdorf’s work has taken him to many different places, including Peru, New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa. â€Å"He has no interest in the politics of the countries he works in† (1855), or of becoming a permanent resident in South Africa. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf â€Å"[accepts the] social distinctions between people but [doesn’t] think they should be legally imposed† (1861). The girl in the story is young and black. She comes from a poor family and is of low class, so low that she does not even have a name in the story. The girl works in a supermarket where she assisted Dr. Leinsdorf in purchasing razor blades, and later did all his shopping for him. â€Å"She was one of nine children of a female laundry worker. She had left school in Standard Three (Eighth Grade) because there was no money at home for gym clothes or a school blazer. She had worked as a machinist in a factory and a cashier in a supermarket† (1861). The young girl followed Dr. Leinsdorf’s habits, learning how to make real coffee, not â€Å"synthetic flavoring† (1857); how to cook; and she learned how to type Dr. Leinsdorf’s notes. These two manage to come together as lovers and friends, but still the differences between them a prevalent. When they are caught, n...

Sonoco Products Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Sonoco Products Company - Essay Example It is evident from the study that to become globally competitive in its industry and ensuring the reduction of functions’ cost by 20% or significantly $2.8 million were the primary reasons of Sonoco’s new CEO Harris DeLoach in mandating Cindy Hartley, senior vice president of human resources (HR), to go for alternative restructuring of HR. This significantly is in line with the new CEO’s goal to control companywide cost to support a new business model that is expected to compete in the global setting and would ensure the top-line growth of the said company. It is in line with this that Hartley is faced with two alternative organisational structures for HR, the centralization and hybrid. In either of them, Sonoco’s CEO is concerned with the corresponding cost to be incurred. On the other hand, in either of them, Hartley would be more concerned on meeting three essential objectives in the HR such as the following (quoted from the case): 1. To increase GM’s accountability for talent management. 2. To distribute HR talent and support more evenly across the company’s divisions and make HR systems and process consistent. 3. To optimise HR’s ability to provide customized, strategic support to the GM’s businesses. It is important to implement strategies to meet these objectives considering the fact that the packaging industry was facing major transformation due to evident tough competition. Key players were looking forward to look for their competitive advantage. For instance, heavy manufacturing moved from the United States to countries like China and India where a substantially low labor cost could be possible. Moreover, many firms from the US started to invest outside the country. In addition, packaging companies essentially were able to draw on the full potential of emerging technologies and application of innovative tools. Most importantly, companies learned to appreciate the importance of reducing the initial-packaging-concept-to-market-delivery cycle just like in the case of Hershey which originally relied on hundreds of packaging suppliers but decided to reduce them into 20 by the end of 1990s. These were substantial reasons that Sonoco should consider to formulate effective strategies in order to stay in its business. As a result, Sonoco decided to consider being more attentive to the needs of the end consumer by the late 1990s and not only to the needs of Gillette, Kraft, Nestle and Procter and Gamble. These companies were actually also looking forward to the needs of their customers and what necessarily attracted them. Between 1998 and 2008, customers significantly viewed packaging as more influential than advertising. Thus, it was for this reason that Sonoco should potentially create a move to consider not only the needs of its primary customers but the end customer as a whole just to be able to create the right response in the ongoing trend in its entire market industry. In this paper, the proponent tries to create an important link between the prevailing events in Sonoco’s industry and its eventual moves in the midst of them most specifically from the point of view of its human resources. Diagnosis Unfortunately for Sonoco, talent was not viewed as a corporate resource. Furthermore, compensations were not viewed as costs in need of control or tools that can drive behavior. These are some of the problems faced by Sonoco as impacts of its contemporary organisational structures for HR.

Education In the US Prison System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Education In the US Prison System - Essay Example This subject matter is what will be discussed in the following. Since 1980, America's prison population has "more than tripled" (Patel and McMurray, n.d.). Out of this abundant figure, 19% of adult inmates are illiterate; while the United States' national adult illiteracy stands at a comparatively mere 4%. Stemming from this figure are the rates of recidivism in the United States, which are also at a particular high - 41% to 71% of prisoners who are released into the community end up back in prison only a short time after their acquittal. This can quickly be assessed as the obvious impact of expecting unskilled, undereducated, and often improperly socialized persons to be released into the community and make it on their own. In a world where high education is required for practically anything and everything, the thought of having high expectations for a person being thrown back into the world from a life of solitaire and no education in prison seems highly impractical. Although at one time rehabilitation was a critical goal of the prison system, funding for most educational and rehabilitative programs "has been severed, prioritizing punishment and profit over people." ("PARC", n.d.). The real mission of the prison system now seems to be that of total containment, rather than assistance. Recent studies have shown an increasing need for special skills for America's workforce for the future. "Inmates, who traditionally do not have good workplace skills, can benefit from education provided during incarceration." (Yeonopolus, n.d.). There are numerous innovative programs for inmates available in prisons across America, some of which are even enforced with penalties if persons decide to resist. In certain prisons, prisoners are being compelled to attend school for specified periods, and those who refuse to comply may be denied parole hearings or "be prevented from participating in alternative forms of 'treatment' until they comply." (Davidson, 1995). The educators who teach in the prison system understand they the persons they are educating require more than just educational skills, they also lack the knowledge of proper personal skills, such as making decisions, working with others, using resources appropriately, and so on. It is this understanding that has, and seemingl y will continue to, keep prisoners from reentering the prison system after their release. There are two basic types of correctional education programs - vocational training, which focuses on the learning of skills that are related to the workplace, and literacy development, which is used to heighten a persons reading and mathematical skills. Each state has a separate list of educational programs offered to inmate; Colorado for example, employs the Correctional Education Program, which strives to provide inmates with skills which will be transferable and useful to them once they leave the penal system by: ensuring their reach the highest academic achievement level possible, preferably obtaining the General Educational Development (GED) Diploma, and

Neighbourly Relations Essay Example for Free

Neighbourly Relations Essay Examine the argument that neighbourly relations are characterised by friendly distance. Neighbourly relations are an aspect of life which affects every single one of us at some point in our lives. When we look to live somewhere we not only consider the property and general area, but are also curious about our neighbours. A common question when viewing a property is ‘what are the neighbours like? ’ and the answer is usually ‘they are really nice’ whether they are or not! But what makes a good neighbour? Some people get on with their neighbours but just as many don’t and usually it’s due to what can appear as trivial disputes. This essay will look at the term ‘friendly distance’ which plays a huge part in how neighbours interact with each other. Many studies have asked the question ‘what makes a good neighbour? ’ and social scientists have found that despite different back grounds or settings the majority of people want the same set of standards from the people living near or around them. People need to be friendly and be there for each other but at the same time respect each others’ ‘need for privacy and reserve’ (Willmott. , cited in Byford, 2009, p. 253). So you have to be friendly but keep your distance at the same time. So how do we do this? Neighbouring relations comes with it’s own set of unwritten rules. These rules are constantly being portrayed and carried out in our day to day lives subconsciously. A 2004 study carried out in Manchester neighbourhoods further shows that this is a widespread practice. Neighbours of various areas demonstrated similar actions and practices of what is expected from neighbours, a common one being that they will chat with their neighbour when they are outside of the house if they see them but wouldn’t they wouldn’t go in each other’s house (Harris and Gale, cited in Byford, 2009, p. 55). This type of understanding of what is expected of a neighbour is also echoed in another study where neighbouring is seen as an ‘occasioned activity’ (Laurier et al. , cited in Byford, 2009, p. 256). This study showed that whilst neighbours can exchange pleasantries quite happily with one another if they meet in a public place, they would only directly go to the neighbours house and ring their door bell if there was something specific they wanted of if something was wrong. Although similar studies were carried out in the USA and findings were very much the same as the UK, other countries and cultures can be quite different. In 1970, the anthropologist Stanley Brandes visited Spain to study how modernisation and urbanisation affected small rural communities there. He resided in the village of Becedas and observed the daily life of it’s residents. What he found there was quite different to the UK, in that neighbours would enter each other’s houses without knocking or a second thought. They introduced themselves immediately by name and offered their help and went out of their way to make Brandes feel welcome. (Brandes, 1975, cited in Byford, p. 260). But as Brandes resided there longer he came to understand that what appeared at first as welcoming and friendly practices, it actually belied a community that in reality was quite mistrusting and critical of each other. Privacy was not seen as necessary and someone who required it would be considered rude and impolite. The poor status of the village meant that the villagers relied on each other for daily help with manual labour and other traditional activites. Without each other they felt they couldn’t surive even, but this high dependence on each other masked the underlying feeling of distrust they had for each other. But what about when neighbouring goes wrong? As human beings we can’t get it right all the time and relations can break down leading to disputes and disagreements. Noisy neighbours is a common complaint and one that is suffered more commonly in overcrowded housing estates where insulation is poor. This in turn leads to a lack of privacy and leads to a neighbours making adjustments within their daily life to prevent embarrassment of being overheard. These adjustments can referred to as ‘distancing mechanisms’ (Bourke, 1994, cited in Byford, p. 266). Such adjustments could include turning the bed away from the adjoining wall, and other ways of preventing noise from being heard. So although people can do what they like in their own homes, they are expected to take necessary steps to minimise what other’s can hear. Another much more serious example of neighbourly relations going wrong is exhibited within the cases of the murders of Catherine Genovese and James Bulger. Although neighbours assume they offer security to one another and ‘look out for each other’ (Attwood et all. , cited in Byford, p. 271) the public exposure of both the above cases uncovered a massive breakdown in neighbourly relations. In both cases a large number of residents heard screams, or observed unusual behaviour which left them concerned but they failed to do anything. A number of studies were carried out to study ‘bystander intervention’ to determine why these people didn’t help. One study carried out showed that if one person helps out then nother may do as well, but people are led by each other’s actions (Latane and Darley, cited in Byford, p. 279) and this was referred to as the ‘bystander effect’. In another study by Levine (1999) he found that the percieved relationship between the three boys in the Bulger case led to the reason why no-one intervened. People failed to get involved because they assumed the boys were all brothers and it was nothing to do with them. As neighbours we commonly share a social identity, or even a collective identity through our relationship with each other. This shared identity should profer a loyalty to each other as people within a shared group usually ‘stick together’. However, it would seem neighbourly relations are alot more complex than merely a shared identity. Neighbouring practices are carried out without thinking within our normal day, and these practices allow us to manage the fine line of private and public space. Neighbourhood life is ordered and defines how people should live together, and go about their daily lives without interfering but also by being there for each other too.

Change Management Within Cadbury Schweppes

Change Management Within Cadbury Schweppes In todays changing and vague environment, challenges and ambiguities are growing in the market (Boatright, 2007). Globalization and rapid technological advancement placed organizations under immense pressure and necessity to coop with changes in the market. If organizations seek to avoid risks, then they must be prepared to make the required management changes that preserve their position in the market (Stanleigh, 2008). If planned effectively, change will turn a key success factor. Organizations cant implement the change without planning. In fact, change must be realistic, achievable and measurable.ÂÂ  Therefore, organizations must allocate and align all needed resources and capabilities for the project. In late 2003, Cadbury Schweppes, an international confectionery and beverage company, began working with Future Considerations, a management consultancy, to develop a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) learning tool. This tool was designed to make a change in corporate values and move them from booklets and posters into processes, actions plans and culture change inside and outside the company. Thus, this was considered a priority on the desk of the board room of Cadbury and all managers and stakeholders were prepared and engaged in order to adapt the change challenge. This study will examine thoroughly how Cadbury successfully managed this change and prepared the appropriate and suitable capabilities and resources and educate the company, especially their senior managers and employees, about CSR. However, we will start by literature review section about change management and its drivers, key success factors and approaches to make the change a successful project. Then, a brief summary about the case that we are studying-Cadbury Schweppes- will be presented. Finally, a conclusion summarizing the key points in the case and lessons learnt will be offered. Literature Review To start, defining any concept in the area of research and academic work is indeed the first step before moving and discussing the framework and applications and the concept of change management is no exception. Thus, it is important to define what is meant by change management and how can we tell that a certain managerial project is a change or not. Making this differentiation unambiguous from the beginning is pivotal in order allocate the needed capabilities, communication plans and managerial tools and avoid wasting time and resources. For the purposes of Cadbury Schweppes case study, change management is defined as a set of organizational methods and procedures used for effective and prompt handling of change (ITIL, 2000) in the way the business operates and its management approaches (Worren, Ruddle and Moore, 1999). In fact, change management is a discipline that prepares and endures that organizations meet new or existing management objective in a rapid and effective way. To do so, the most appropriate management tools and communication facilities are chosen in order to help the organization, including managers and employees, create the right management disciplines and processes, organization structures, culture, competencies and capability for superior human performance so that change goals are achieved and sustained (Worren et al., 1999, p.277). Drawing on this conception and understand of change management, two important concepts are identified. The first concept is the importance of human performance in change management; thus the organization must prepare the necessary tool, resources and capabilities to increase the contribution and readiness of its managers and employees to adapt the change and build the human performance in their organizations (Michael and James, 1993). The second concept relates to the importance of stakeholders awareness; therefore it is important to help stakeholders who are engaged and affected by the change to determine ways to manage the change process effectively to ensure this occurs. In order to understand more change management, we need to shed light on the drives the make a company decide to employ the change. According to Stanleigh (2008), the following are some drivers: Decisions of mergers and acquisitions with other companies Innovation Adapting new business concept Advent in technology and the need to deploy a new technology Restructuring the organization (downsizing) Globalization Expansion and growth Any of these drivers leads to a change in the way companies management approaches and they way they perform and do their business activities. These drivers are then translated into business objective. So, for example, if a certain company decided to adapt a new technology then adapting this new technology is the objective under which it should prepare the appropriate management tool and project in order to meet the objectives of the change (Storey, 2001). After defining change management as a concept and examining the drivers of the change, it is important know to answer very important question: What make a change project successful? The literature is full of information, best practices and implementation guidelines (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007, Schuler and Jackson, 2006, Storey, 1989) that should be followed in order to manage the change and obtain the foundations for success. However, for the purposes of Cadbury Schweppes case study we will highlight the relevant success factors of a change tool. According to Salaman, Storey and Billsberry (2005) and Kotter and Change (1995), the following factors, which can be used as an approach for successful change, are keys for successful implementing change management: Setting a clear vision and objectives for the change Planning and programming Senior and top management determination Engaging managers and employees Managing change at all departments Telling the organization the benefits of the change Working with staffs in teams on the change program and expecting change to occur Giving time for staff to vent first and then change As it appears clear, a clear vision and objectives at early stages of the change are essential since they are predetermined for change tools and processes. In order to emphasize more the centrality of the vision and objective in any change, we will use here the works of Kotter and Change (1995), leader authors in the area of change management. According to them, a vision always goes beyond the numbers that are typically found in five-year plans. A vision says something that helps clarify the direction in which an organization needs to move. Themes of engagement and effective communication are also important for change management as explained in factors of successful change. It is impossible for the change to achieve its objectives unless managers and employees are motivated to contribute and help. Managers and employees will not make the needed sacrifices unless they believe in the benefits of the change. Here comes the role o the organization, especially the team responsible for implementing the tool for change management, to launch a credible communication that gain the hearts and mind of managers and employees (Ulrich, 1997). To recapture, clear vision, well articulated plans and effective communication are all what a change is about (Ulrich and Beatty, 2001). The aims and objectives of the change project have to be clear and transparent. In addition, need resources, teams and capabilities should be allocated. The company managing the change must be learning company. It must accumulate its experiences and benefit from other companies who failed or successes in their change project in order to avoid sources of failure and adopt factors of success. In the following section, a good example of successful change management tool, namely Working Better Together CSR tool, created and implemented by Cadbury Schweppes will be offered. The Case: Cadbury Schweppes Cadbury is a leading global confectionery company with an outstanding portfolio of chocolate, gum and candy brands. We create brands people love brands like Cadbury, Trident and Halls. The companys heritage starts back in 1824 when John Cadbury opened a shop in Birmingham selling cocoa and chocolate. Since then the company have expanded its business throughout the world by a programme of organic and acquisition led growth (Cadbury Schweppes, 2009). On 7 May 2008, the separation of the companys confectionery and Americas Beverages businesses was completed creating Cadbury plc with a vision to be the worlds biggest and best confectionery company. The strategy at Cadbury Schweppes is clear. The company believes that the business still has significant untapped potential both in terms of top line growth and returns. By exploiting the strength of its leadership positions to continue to grow its market share and significantly increase its margins and returns, the company aims to achieve its vision of becoming the biggest and best confectionery company in the world (Cadbury Schweppes, 2009). In addition to the strategy, Cadbury Schweppes is keen to maintain its special and unique culture in order to achieve its objectives. The company is led by its performance driven values. The key success factors are: a clear vision, performance scorecard, priorities and sustainable commitment. As a culture the company value performance, quality, respect, integrity and responsibility (Young, 2006). The company works as one team across geographic and functional boundaries to be the best.ÂÂ  The company works hard and have fun along the way. This requires form the company to listen to its consumers, customers, suppliers, shareowners, colleagues and communities. Understanding and responding to their need is the driver of the sustained success of the company. The company believes that doing good is good for business (Cadbury Schweppes, 2009). This belief is at the heart of the way the company works today and will remain as key to its future success. Origin of the Change, Setting objective and Planning the CSR New Tool As mentioned in the introduction, Cadbury Schweppess new project included the development and introduction of a new learning tool which required a change in the way the company operates and does its business (see figure 1). The title of this project was Working Better Together a kit of 50 organizational development tools. Figure 1 Working Better Together Template Adapted from (Young, 2006) In fact, the aim of the company from this transformational project was to build collaborative behaviour among different departments inside the company and across all its stores and offices in different countries especially US and UK (Vogel, 2005). In addition, this collaboration includes communication and engagement of the companys stakeholders in order to teach them that CSR is integral and cornerstone for the companys business and the way it deals with its stakeholders. In brief the main objective of the change project at Cadbury Schweppes is to make the company socially responsible in everything it does. At the heart of this project is the commitment of the company to foster the notion of CSR which is a key to Working Better Together. This is the vision of the company and the general objective under which the whole changing process and application phase will work. Thus, we need know to examine how Cadbury Schweppes translated this vision into action and achieved its objective. The first name given to the tool was Ethical Risk in order to respond to the challenges facing CSR. At early stages, a team of 50 most senior HR and CSR managers was formulated to manage the change project (Young, 2006). The first thing this team did was to change the name of the tool which was rebranded the CSR Living Our Values Learning Tool to reflect the interrelation and synergies between CSR and Cadbury Schweppess values (Sharma et al., 2009). Then, CSR at the company was defined by five main pillars: Human rights and employment standards Ethical responsibilities Marketing, food and consumer issues Environmental, health and safety responsibilities Community relationship This HR-CSR joint team recognized that the tool needed development in order to engage the whole organization especially line managers and employees. In the following section we will explain how Cadbury Schweppes prepared the organization for the change and what tools did the company use to successfully implement the project. Implementation Phase Employee Engagement Employee engagement and contribution to CSR (Davis, 1973, Frederick, 1994, Lantos, 2001, Orlitzky, 2000, Porter and Kramer, 2006), which is intrinsic to the values by which any company does business, was priority Cadbury Schweppes. In fact, employees engagement and raising their readiness for the change is essential part of any change project (Buyens and De Vos, 2001). In light of this understanding, the company formulated a team activity around values-based decisions. The main task for this team is to consult employees in relation to what are the best CSR programs, ides and initiatives that provide the framework to integrate the companys values into its practices, culture, values and daily activities (Young, 2006, Sharma et al., 2009). Also, the team discussed real and relevant business issues including making decisions about products and marketing. The company felt that in order for the change to be implemented successfully, its employees must be aware of the projects and what are CSRs objectives and why the company is adopting this concept. Engaging senior managers The HR-CSR joint team lunched a series of meetings with senior managers at Cadbury Schweppes. The aim was to educate them and raise their awareness toward the five CSR pillars and study the role and contribution of senior managers at the company in embedding CSR into their departments in collaboration with all other departments (Young, 2006). All departments are working under the umbrella of CSR. The HR-CSR team worked in practice with all senior mangers on the tool and showed them how it should be applied. This practical insight provided engaged managers more effectively than any other theoretical description through a seminar or booklet. In addition, the team was keen to get a feedback from senior managers on the practicability of the tool and areas of improvement (Vogel, 2005). In fact, the HR-CSR team succeeded to choose the appropriate and mostly effective means of communication. It is important to note here that the mean of communicate that a company encompass is decisive in any change project (Hemingway and Maclagan, 2004). It is highly recommended to couple practical exercise with theoretical aspects of any learning tool. Learning design Following the feedback obtained from employee teams and series of meeting with senior manager, many refinements were made to the learning tool. The competitive nature of the tool was toned. So, instead of assigning CSR pillars, the tool ranked the possible answers to CSR issues from most to least preferred. This refinement and change deepened the dialogues and prompt the possibility to weight one option against another (Said, Zainuddin and Haron, 2009). Flexible application The key of having this tool was flexibility. At Cadbury Schweppes, the CSR tool was not just used by mangers and within all departments but also with local, functional, leadership teams and new hires in induction programs. In addition, the tool was used with a procurement team and served the original CSR objectives. Thus, the flexibility of the tool makes the change flexible not rigid. This dimension is very important in change management because if the change was static this could restrain its applicability to very specific context and limit the effect of the change and the success of the project. In Cadbury Schweppess case, the CSR tool was applied and adapted in different contexts (Said et al., 2009). For example, HR discloses CSR report to employees and they are asked to sign the statement of business principle and track its adherence. Also, HR used the CSR tool to embeds CSR in the culture of the organization (Young, 2006). This is how the change is translated into different org anizational process, policies and practices. Partnership in change management: HR and CSR The training and communication facilities used to instil the CSR culture among employees, line mangers and the entire Cadbury Schweppess company is indeed a neat example of how the partnership between the CSR and HR department is key a success factor in managing change. Make employees learn and practice CSR activities was the role of HR, while the CRS department helped to define what CSR priorities and pillars. The training of employees through CSR Living Our Values Learning Tool at Cadbury Schweppes is a good example of partnership between HR and CSR (Sharma, Sharma and Devi 2009). Later the HR department included social responsibility in the latest management development initiatives like the global Passion for People management skills programme. Conclusion To conclude, Cadbury Schweppess new learning succeeded to achieve its objective. However, behind this success is well articulated and synthesized change management. Themes of communication, plans, feedback, collaboration, engagement, refinement, flexibility and partnership are indeed the secret behind this success. All these themes are needed and necessary in any project aiming to change behaviours, values and traditional management approaches. The whole organization must be informed about the change (Hemingway and Maclagan, 2004) because, by way of example, the contribution of employees and potential ideas and skills they offer should not be undermined. Any change without employee engagement and contribution runs the risk of sustainability and long-term survival (Amabile and Conti, 1999, Grant, 2002, Kotter and Change, 1995, Stanleigh, 2008).

Internship at malaysiaairlines Essay

As a part of requirement of Bachelor in Accountancy Programme, an internship training programme for six months is mandatory for every student in 7th semester. Therefore, it is necessary for me to complete my internship session in any company which offers relevant job scope and experience to my area and specialization. Previously, I had experienced working in an audit firm and now, I chose to be working in industrial and commercial sector in order for me to experience a new working environment. Hence, that is the reason why I decided to undergo my internship programme with Malaysia Airlines. I began my internship programme on 1st February 2013 with MAS and it ends on 31st July 2013. During that time, I was attached to Accounts Payable Department, 4th Floor, Admin 2 Building, MAS Complex A, SAAS Airport, 47200 Subang, Selangor. The department is headed by Cheah Paik Un and the Manager of the department is Pn. Nik Azlina Bt Nik Yusoff. I was put under the supervision of Nurul Izzati Bt Noordin and my immediate supervisor was Azizah Bt Azmi. 2.0 MALAYSIA AIRLINES (MAS). 2.1 Company Overview Malaysia Airlines (MAS), formerly known as Malaysian Airline System Berhad was found in the year of 1947. It is a Malaysian-based company engaged in the business of air transportation and the provision of related services. Basically, it operates in two segments. The first segment is airline operations, which engaged in the operation of aircraft for passenger and the second segment is cargo services which related to the operation of aircraft for cargo and mail services. In addition, MAS’s other business segment also includes catering, engineering, computerized reservation services, trucking and warehousing services, retailing of goods, terminal charges and tour and travel related activities. Up to now, MAS has over 20 subsidiaries with 13 of them are fully owned by MAS. Some of the subsidiaries are Abacus Distribution Systems (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd, FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd, MAS Golden  Holidays Sdn Bhd, and many more. Malaysia Airlines has its headquarters and registered office on the third floor of Administration Building A at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor. 3.0 WORK EXPERIENCES. 3.1 Duties and Responsibilities. Since I was attached to the Accounts Payable department, basically my tasks involve the handling of incoming invoices from arrival to post. Usually, I would first classify and sorts the invoices into various categories. Then, after performing invoice verification, I would enter the park invoices and update it using SAP system. After that, the superior may have to check and approve the invoice and if there are no variances, the invoice is posted into the accounting system. Apart from that, I also need to update the manpowers’ time sheet and summary as well as the fuel uplift quantity and buffered flights using the Integrated Fuel Management System (IFMS). Therefore, I can state that I already had a clear picture on how exactly MAS handle their accounts payable. In addition,I am well aware that accounting departments are constantly challenged when it comes to validating the accuracy of invoices, obtaining agreement and sign off for expenditure and taking measures to eliminate double payment occurrences. 3.2 Exposure to the Airline Industry. As a part of exposure to the airline industry, Finance Business Support Department has provided all the practical trainees the Internal Finance Module (Basic Airline Economics) on 26th February 2013. I found it very beneficial to me as I am able to apply my knowledge on costing specifically for airlines industry. I was exposed to different cost classification which MAS applied on its expenditure incurred, for example variable costs can be divided into flight related,traffic related and revenue related. After that, on 4th April and 12th April, I went for a half-day visit to Engineering Hangar and Malaysia Airlines Academy where I had the opportunity to observe how the aircrafts are being maintained, CCTS mock up, flight safety demonstration and so on. 3.3 Achievements. During my training period, I have acquired many new skills and knowledge on accounting mainly for airline industry. First, to me it was a success when I was given the opportunity to learn in depth on what type of expenditure incurred by MAS, and other related issues in the way of settling it. Next, this internship programme has certainly enriched my curriculumvitae (CV) and my interpersonal skills as I was given the chance to interact with most staffs from every different level. This has largely broadened my perspectives on career opportunities available in the accounting profession as they always provide me with good advice on it based on their experiences. Thus, I am able to shape my career goals more clearly and it will surely benefit me in the near future. Lastly, I am more familiar with accounting systems such as SAP and ESKER solutions as well as IFMS which is a system mainly developed for managing fuel. I can confidently use it with ease and I found that these systems really make accounting as one of the most enjoyable fields to deal with. This is because, from what I have observed, since ESKER is being used by Accounts Payable Department on 3rd of June 2013, it helps on reducing the problem related to traditional invoice processing method. Some of the problems linked to traditional method are increase in the chance of error due to multiple sources and paper invoices are also hard to monitor as well as labour intensive. Therefore, ESKER solutions really make paper-free AP a reality and helps in cutting operational and administrative AP costs as the invoice approval workflow is simplified and consolidated. 4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS. I must recommend MAS to create a more structured training programme where supervisors are directed to plan a more comprehensive and organized training schedule for every trainees in order to optimize the training period with significant tasks in developing the trainees’ knowledge and skills rather than focusing on the same task for the whole period. Next, I suggest that Accounts Payable Department should once in a while organize a team building exercise for its staffs in order to bring them closer and I am sure that  this would encourage them to appreciate the importance of team work and able to share personal experiences and ideas. 5.0 CONCLUSION. In conclusion, I can state that my internship at Malaysia Airlines was a rewarding experience. This is because, it provided me with some new perspectives that I did not come across during my studies back at the college and the work experience I gained here was very different compared to the private practice sector due to the specific job scope. Next, I would like to attest both of my supervisors (Nurul Izzati Bt Noordin who was my senior supervisor and Azizah Bt Azmi who was my immediate supervisor) at Accounts Payable Department, MAS for the good job. Above all, working together with them was a true pleasure and theirs faith in my abilities was a real source of motivation. I really appreciate the way I have been guided through this internship programme with MAS, beginning from the opportunity to take the time I needed to refresh and expand my knowledge in several issues concerning every single expenses incurred by MAS and ways to make payment, over a somehow protected period where I could discover and learn to value my new working environment, and finally earned the confidence to deal with assignments myself. Last but not least, I need to stress that all the staffs in this department contributed greatly to making my stay at MAS a very enjoyable one. It is through them that I did enjoy my work every day and I am very grateful for the internship opportunity given by MAS.

Case Study †Operations Management Essay

1.0 INTRODUCTION Operations management is defined as â€Å"the activity of managing the resources which produce and deliver products and services† (Slack et al. 2010 p4). This encompasses the entire activity carried out within the organization. With increasing pressure on organizations to deliver optimally at reduced cost, the role of operations has been transformed from that of strategy implementer to one of strategy driver. Operations strategy looks at the patterns of strategic decisions and actions in a bid to set the roles, objectives and activities of the operations (Slack et al. 2010). An understanding of these strategies is important in ensuring that organizations are well aware of the requirements needed to meet the corporate objectives set about by management. The report looks at a case study of Concept design services (CDS); a product based manufacturing company looking to break into service operations. It seeks to identify current strategy types evidenced in the organization and the role operations play in the implementation of this strategies. Also considered is the relationship between the core functions highlighting possible conflicts, current practices and perceived strengths and weaknesses. Issues such as servitization and growth strategies are considered in relation to the companies push for development in line with its desire to become a service provider. An analysis of the impact it will have on the company’s manufacturing and service departments is also considered. Finally, recommendations that will ensure operations develop with the new growth plan is presented to management. 2.0 STRATEGIES IN CONCEPT DESIGN Within CDS, there is evidence of an amalgamation of strategies. With a diversification of the company’s portfolio, the corporate strategy of the organization had to be reflecting the changing scenario of the business environment. To identify the different strategy types within CDS, there is first a need to understand what strategy is. Strategy can be defined has â€Å"the total pattern of decisions and actions that  position the organization in its environment and that are intended to achieve its long-term goals† (Slack et al. 2010 P79). Strategy has also been described as the long term direction an organization intends to go (Johnson et al. 2011). In achieving an over arching strategy, three levels of strategies have to be considered; corporate level, business level and operational level. The formulation of these strategies will determine how the different organizational strategies will interact with one another (Zanon et al. 2013) While corporate level strategy deals with the overall purpose and scope of an organization such as where to locate the business, what type of business to engage in; business level strategy is more concerned with the various ways the business can compete successfully against other competitors in its segment. Functional strategy looks at ways in which individual functions can contribute to the overall objective of the organization. Operations strategy is concerned with the strategic decision and actions that set roles, objectives and activities of the operations (Slack et al. 2010). It focuses more on how the different parts of the organization can deliver on set strategies through the management of resources, processes and people. Operations strategy’s primary role is to implement strategy, but with continuous business growth, operations is expected to support and drive the organizations strategy. This will see it contributing to the competitive advantage of the firm (Slack et al. 2010). This is aptly captured in Hayes and wheelwrights four stage model of operations contribution. Figure 1. Hayes and Wheelwrights four-stage model of operations contribution. Adapted from Slack et al. 2010 Slack et al. (2010), identified four different perspective to operations strategy; Top-down, bottom up, market requirement perspective and resource based perspective. He noted though that all four perspectives are required for proper understanding of operations strategy. Although the strategies employed by organizations may differ, it remains important to reconcile the needs of the market with operational resources  (Slack and Lewis 2008). Hence, it is important to analyse the process through which market needs are aligned with operational realities, thereby ensuring that operation can deliver what it is being asked of them and that this alignment will endure over time (Zanon et al. 2013). Evidenced in CDS operations is the implementation of two of the identified perspectives; Market requirement and Operations resource perspective. 2.1MARKET REQUIREMENT PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS A market requirement perspective focuses on what market position requires of operations (Slack et al. 2010). Its focus is not just on the industry, but it considers where the organization intends to compete as well as the nature of competition ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­ (Lowson 2002). Hill (1985), suggested that to win orders in the market place, organizations operations strategy and the marketing strategy need to be in sync. CDS Marketing function identified a trend that seems to have worked for retailers in the decorative product industry. They realised the importance of fashion trends and its appeal to people. This market requirement led to the creation of a whole new industry. The need for premium, high quality household product characterised by the many different colour range became a market qualifying criteria that drove marketing’s strategy. This strategy was in line with the overall organizations strategy that saw a shift in the focus of its production of industrial injection-mould plastics to popular household items. In a bid to meet markets demand, supply services had to upscale its machineries by procuring additional large injection moulding machines to cater for the rapidly growing volume of products. Also, the design team had to be one step ahead of the competition by ensuring that they had a range of products that will keep customers engaged. Hence, the case study has shown that CDS have been able to develop its operations strategy by allowing operations meet the performance criteria required by the market (Slack et al. 2004). 2.2OPERATIONS RESOURCE PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS In the case of operation resource perspective or resource based view (RBV),  focus is on the organizations operation resources, competencies and capabilities (Lowson 2002). It focuses on the key strengths of the organization, looking at internal resources that cannot be purchased externally, thus providing the firm with competitive advantage through superior performance (Clulow et al. 2007; Fahey and Smithee 1999; Barney 1991). With operations-led, strategy is developed through sound understanding of current operational capabilities and an analysis of how it can be developed in the future (Slack et al. 2004). An understanding of the organizations strength will then influence the decision as to which markets should be considered for the deployment of current or future capabilities, and which competitors can pose a threat or can be taken advantage of (Hayes et al. 2005). CDS have clearly shown the strength of their operations over the years. Early experience gained from the manufacturing of industrial products have set them miles ahead of competition. This is evidenced in the quality of their product which drove sales to record highs and resulted in retail outlets signing up for the organizations product. The company prides itself on its technical abilities which has been achieved not just from years of experience but by investing in machineries. CDS have acquired latest precision equipment’s with the best quality moulds available. The technical knowledge of the employees also provides the company a unique advantage. Another area of operations that provides competitive advantage for the organization is its design expertise. CDS have in its employ professionally respected designers with the know-how of translating difficult technical designs into manufacturable saleable products. This has provided the organization leverage when dealing with design houses. The company is clearly leveraging on its operations resources, competencies and capabilities to obtain competitive advantage. 3.0AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CORE FUNCTIONS Within the context of any organization, there are 3 functions that must exist for the organization to realize its goals of meeting customers need. They are; 1) The marketing function 2) The product/service development function 3) The operations function The marketing function which also comprises of the sales unit is primarily responsible for communicating what product/services the organization has to offer to consumers in a bid to generate customers’ requests for the service. The product development functions’ responsibility is to create new and modified products and services in order to generate future customer request for services. And lastly, the operations function is responsible for fulfilling customers request for service through the production and delivery of products and services (Slack et al. 2010). The ability to effectively work with other functions in the organization is a key responsibility for the operation function (Slack et al. 2010; Zanon et al. 2013). Research as shown that in most organizations, different functions within the organization usually employ their own strategies to assist them in realizing their functional objectives. This unfortunately is a basis for corporate misunderstanding, inter-functional differences and rivalry (Hill 2005).While the objective of the operations function remains the production of goods and services whilst managing resources, it has to also manage its relationship with other functions of the organization. Due to the nature of its strategic importance, the operations function usually has conflicts with other functions. MARKETING In determining an organizations strategic objective, operations and marketing usually adopt different approaches. While marketing tends to emphasise improved service features that appeal to customers, operations focus more on efficiency and cost control (Nie and Young 1997). Erickson (2010), stated that the main reason operations and marketing functions in an organization have conflict is due to their perceived differing objectives. Largely, trade-offs are responsible for the conflicts between these functions as they attempt to balance competing priorities (Tang 2010). It is therefore important that organizations manage trade-offs in a manner that will ensure that they don’t compromise the over-arching organizational strategy for gaining competitive advantage. Zanon et al. (2013) in their research identified certain paradigm that organizations needed to implement for the  successful collaboration of the two functions. They argued that there is a need for alignment between market needs and operational realities. The objective here is to satisfy market needs while using appropriate operational resources and jointly developing those resources so that the operations department can acquire new capabilities and provide the firm with sustainable competitive advantage. The marketing function at CDS have been able to effectively market/communicate the value of their products to the market, this is evidenced in the phenomenal growth of the company. Through innovation, extensive advertisement – both on TV and in illustrated magazines, they have been able to drive sales of CDS products. The function have successfully carved a niche market for the organization through the portrayal of its products has been â€Å"classy† and for the upwardly mobile individual. Product differentiation, design partnership and extensive research, combined with a marketing manager with lots of experience and autonomy working with an experienced, technically astute manufacturing department has resulted in the success of the CDS products. The function has also been able to market itself and the value it can give to design houses in Europe. Through its marketing activities, CDS is moving from being just a manufacturer of commodities to a provider of services. Despite the progress that have been recorded by CDS, there still seems to be a misalignment between the marketing and operation functions. With the success of CDS products and the continuous innovation drive of the organization, it would seem that the marketing function is failing to acknowledge the limitations of the company’s capacity. CDS have a problem with the storage of finished goods and this has impacted on the delivery of product availability from supply services. They are currently struggling to ensure that they meet SKU stocking levels. Another problem has been the issue of proper planning and effective forecasting by the marketing team. The seasonal nature of CDS products requires that the marketing function carries out comprehensive forecasting to try and anticipate demand. Currently, poor forecasting by the function is costing the organization. Supply services have to deal constantly with issues of utilization,  efficiency and growing scarp rates; this is as a result of ad-hoc requests for urgent production to meet with un-planned demand. To minimize wastage and ensure proper alignment, marketing and operations will have to network and collaborate better (Johansen and Riis 2005) to ensure that the over corporate objectives are met. NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT (NPD) â€Å"NPD is defined as the transformation of a market opportunity into a product available for sale, through a set of activities executed in a logical way, sequentially and concurrently† (Almeida and Miguel 2007). It allows organizations to gain competitive advantage, attract new customers, retain existing customers, and strengthen their ties with the distribution networks (Kotler and Keller 2006). Organizations that successfully introduce new products do so through a well-developed process that leads from creative designs to a successful launch of the product by focusing on satisfying specific customer needs (Chandra and Neelankavil 2008). The attainment of this task will require NPD to collaborate closely with both operations and marketing. NPD, in comparison to other functions is usually characterised by a high degree of uncertainty, risk and high cost to make changes to initial decisions made (Slack et al. 2010). For CDS, NPD is responsible for transforming designs from marketing into workable design moulds. Operations then ensure that the products from the mould are standardized and tested appropriately and efficiently. The moulds then have to be tested on the production machines. A great deal of inter-functional collaboration is required to ensure that proper scheduling is in place to enable NDP carry out testing without disrupting production. Getting this right is easier said. The reality is that there is usually a delay in getting the moulds from the suppliers in South Korea. This will then result in a need for an urgent test of the moulds. That said, CDSs’ NPD function are technically sound. They have managed to build for themselves a reputation of being able to overcome problems with designs regardless of its nature. The NPD function contributes to the organizations unique operations resource. 4.0 AN EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENT ON THE OPERATION OF THE  MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE DEPARTMENTS CDS like most manufacturing organizations are starting to appreciate the intrinsic value of adopting servitization as a practice. Servitization have been described as the process of transforming manufacturers to compete through product-service systems rather than products alone (Baines et al. 2007). The rationale for this transition from ‘purely product’ to ‘product- service’ or ‘purely service’ can be viewed from three perspectives (Oliva and Kallenberg 2003). They identified the reasons as; First, economic. Research has shown that substantial revenue can be generated from products with a long life cycle; also services in general have higher margins than products and services also provides a more stable source of revenue as they are resistant to the economic cycles that drive investment and equipment purchases. Secondly, there is pressure on organizations from customers demanding more services. This has led to firms adopting a narrow definition of core competencies while increasing their dependence on technology to help in their bid to specialize. Lastly, it is viewed as providing competitive advantage. The less visible a service is, and the more labour dependent it gets, the more the probability of imitation reduces (Oliva and Kallenberg 2003). Manufacturing has long moved beyond production alone and a combination of both products and service business model are now generally accepted as playing a key role in the success of any modern business (Baines et al. 2014). Companies that have adopted the concept of servitization will probably not follow the product-service classification, but will instead seek to distinguish on the basis of the value proposition with their customers (Baines and Lightfoot 2013). This is the case in CDS, where the company have had to adopt differing service model while dealing with the design houses and retailer service market. While the design houses have adopted a proposition that sees both companies working together – that is the customer wants the company to work with them (Baines et al. 2014), the retailers on the other hand, are happy to leave the management of the entire operation to CDS. Baines et al. (2014) have identified this differing forms of proposition has been ‘base’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘advanced services’. The relationship between the retailer services market and CDS can be classified as advanced. This categorization of product-service offering is centred on  the idea that due to the competencies of the company, maintenance and workability of the operations should be managed by the provider of the service. A feature of this type of offering includes customer support agreements, risk and reward sharing contract, and revenue through use contact (Baines and Lightfoot 2013). To meet with demand, and ensure that customer’s needs are met in terms of product availability, CDS will have to increase its production lines and increase holding capacity. Storage facilities will have to be located closer to the location of their customers. Localised facilities will ensure that store replenishment lead times are reduced. CDS will also have to invest in ICT. Setting up an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system will help connect the stores database with that of CDS. That way, they can easily track inventory levels and are able to respond in a proactive manner. Also, Oliva and Kallenberg (2003) argued that a good practice will be to set up a new service department whose focus will be to drive and improve performance objectives. The consolidation of the service offered is usually accompanied by a strong initiative to improve the efficiency, quality and delivery time of the services provided, and the creation of additional services to supplement the service offering. The consolidation of services also comes with the development of a monitoring system to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the service delivery. This monitoring system allows managers realize the size of the service market and account for services’ contribution to the firm’s operations (Oliva and Kallenberg 2003). Internally, these changes create the transparency of numbers needed to get a clear sense of direction and to monitor the success or failure of executed changes (Oliva and Kallenberg 2003). Externally, the improvement of quality will establish CDS as a reputable service provider among its clients. CDS has seen steady and continuous growth over the years, albeit its focus had been centred on a single product type. With the recent direction of the organization, there are real concerns surrounding it rapid growth and its diversification into services. Southard and Swenseth (2003) identified certain issues that evolving organizations encounter due to rapid growth, they include bottle-necks, back-orders, and decreased profits despite increased sales. Some of these issues are evidenced in CDS. The rapid growth  of the organization has resulted in capacity related issues. There is one in every twelve chances of a product not being available, continuous scheduling disruption due to demand surpassing supply and the popularity of its product and wide acceptance usually leads to stock outs. The manufacturing function seems to be stretched to the limit with support services equally struggling. It would seem that the organization is currently unprepared for the changes. 5.0RECOMMENDATION TO MANAGEMENT In line with the company’s objective for growth, it has become imperative to address the operational issues that can hinder the organizations growth strategy. Using the product/service lifecycle to analyse the organizations current operations, it is obvious that the transition from being a purely product based manufacturing company to a product-service based organization is still in the infancy state. This is characterised by uncertainty as customer’s needs are not well understood. Hence, operations management will be required to develop flexibility to cope with any changes and be able to give the product/service performance that will ensure quality is maintained (Slack et al. 2010). Other issues to be considered by management includes; the issue of capacity management. To meet with the demand of the market and its growth strategy, CDS will be required to get more warehouses and hold more inventories. The plastic business is clearly one of volume; hence CDS has to ensure that it maintains its status of been a reliable supplier. It also has to effectively operationalize it marketing strategy. The company is currently plagued by poor forecasting and planning. There is a need to upscale the competencies of the sales representatives. This will enable them gather appropriate data that can then be fed into the organizations planning to help reduce scheduling related issues, stock outs and disruptions. Also required is an alignment between the strategies of the core functions. Regular business meetings, where issues relating to each function get tabled will help build better understanding among the different functions. REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY ALMEIDA, L.F. and MIGUEL, P., 2007. Managing new product development process: A proposal of a theoretical model about their dimensions and the dynamics  of the process. Unpublished Phd. thesis, Universidade de Sao Paulo. BAINES, T., LIGHTFOOT, H. and SMART, P., 2011. Servitization within manufacturing. Exploring the provision of advanced services and their impact on vertical integration. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 22(7), pp. 947-954 BAINES, T. et al., 2013. Servitization of Manufacture. Exploring the deployment and skills of people critical to the delivery of advanced services. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 24(4), pp. 637-646 BAINES, T. and LIGHTFOOT, H.W., 2014. Servitzation of the manufacturing firm. Exploring the operations practices and technologies that deliver advanced services. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 34(1), pp. 2-35 BARNEY, J., 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), pp. 99-120 CALANTONE , R., DROGE, C. and VICKERY, S., 2002. Investigating the manufacturing -market interface in new product development. Journal of Operations Management, 20, pp. 273-287 CHANDRA, M. and NEELANKAVIL, J.P., 2008. Product development and innovation for developing countries. Journal of Management Development, 27(10), pp. 1017 – 1025 CLULOW, V., BARRY, C. and GERSTMAN, J., 2007. The resource-based view and value: the customer-based view of the firm. Journal of European Industrial Training, 31(1), pp. 19-35 FAHY, J. and SMITHEE, A., 1999. Strategic marketing and the resorce-based view of the firm. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 10, pp. 1-21 JOHNSTON, R., 1999. Service Operations Management: return to roots. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 19(2), pp. 104-124 KOTLER, P. and KELLER, K.L., 2006. Marketing management. 12th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. LIGHTFOOT, H., BAINES, T. and SMART, P., 2013. The servitization of manufacturing . A systematic litera ture review of interdependent trends. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 33(11/12), pp. 1408-1434 LOWSON, R.H., 2002. Operations strategy: genealogy, classification and anatomy. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22(10), pp. 1112-1129 MILLER, A. and DESS, G.G., 1993. ASSESSING PORTER’S (1980) MODEL IN TERMS OF ITS GENERALIZABILITY, ACCURACY AND SIMPLICITY. Journal of Management Science, 30(4), pp. 553-585 OLIVA, R. and KALLENBERG, R., 2003. Managing the transition from products to services. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 14(2), pp. 160-172 PRASAD, S., BABBAR, S. and MOTWANI, J., 2001. International operations strategy: current efforts and future directions. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 21(5/6), pp. 645-665 RAMASESHAN, B., ISHAK, A. and RUSSEL, P.J., 2013. Interactive effects of marketing strategy formulation and implementation upon firms performance. Journal of Marketing Management, 29(11-12), pp. 1224 -1250 SOUTHARD, P.B. and SWENSETH, S.R., 2003. Transitioning operations to accommodate growing pains in evolving companies: an application of product profiling to a service company. Management Decision, 41(6), pp. 578-586 ZANON, J.C. et al., 2013. Alignment of operations strategy: exploring the marketing interface. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 113(2), pp. 207-233

Seven Sisters Colleges Should You Go to One

Seven Sisters Colleges Should You Go to One SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're looking at applying to elite liberal arts colleges, you've probably come across the Seven Sisters schools. But what schools are Seven Sisters colleges, and what makes them so special? In this article, we explain what the Seven Sisters schools are, which of them still exist, and which of them are still all-women's colleges. I'll also use my expertise as an alum of a Seven Sisters school to break down what the benefits are of applying to a Seven Sisters school and five tips for getting admitted. Feature image credit: Nicholas Knouf/Flickr What Are the 7 Sisters Colleges? When people refer to the Seven Sisters colleges, they're talking about this specific group of seven historically all-women's colleges in the Northeastern United States: Barnard Bryn Mawr Mount Holyoke Radcliffe (now part of Harvard) Smith Vassar Wellesley The name of the group comes from Roman mythology, where the Seven Sisters were the seven daughters of the god Titan and the nymph Pleione. All of the Seven Sisters colleges were founded in the 19th century between 1837 (Mount Holyoke) and 1889 (Barnard), with the goal of providing post-secondary education opportunities for women that were of similar caliber to what men were getting at colleges like Harvard and Yale. The Seven Sisters schools not only sought to give women access to a high-quality education but also actively searched for female faculty and administrators so that the schools were also led by women. These values continue through to today, with at least one of the Seven Sisters (Wellesley) never having had a male president. In the 1970s, when top formerly all-male schools like Harvard and Amherst were going co-ed, some women's colleges began to think about the same question. Radcliffe made the decision to merge with Harvard and no longer exists as an independent undergraduate college. While Vassar was offered a similar partnership with Yale, Vassar turned it down and decided to go co-ed on its own (a story which you'll definitely hear told on the campus tour). The rest of the Seven Sisters schools remained more or less women's colleges, but each of the five remaining non-co-ed Seven Sisters colleges has exchange programs with nearby co-ed schools that allow students to take classes outside of their own college. How much these intercollegiate academic programs affect life on campus vary widely from school to school. For instance, because of Barnard's close partnership with (and physical closeness to) Columbia University, there's a lot of crossover between the two schools. On the other hand, while Wellesley has an exchange program with MIT, Babson, and Olin, there aren't usually a lot of non-Wellesley students in classes, probably because of having to bus or drive between schools. There's a good bus system that allows students to take classes at Smith (pictured here), Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, Amherst, and UMass Amherst. Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos/Flickr. List of the 7 Sisters Schools We've created a table for you to compare the names, locations, admission rates, sizes, and co-ed policies of the original Seven Sisters colleges. Name Location Admissions Rate Total Undergrad Enrollment Co-Ed?* Barnard New York, NY 13.9% 2,562 No Bryn Mawr Bryn Mawr, PA 34.1% 1,360 No Mount Holyoke South Hadley, MA 50.9% 2,208 No Radcliffe Cambridge, MA n/a n/a n/a Smith Northampton, MA 31.0% 2,502 No Vassar Poughkeepsie, NY 24.6% 2,456 Yes Wellesley Wellesley, MA 19.5% 2,534 No *Note: For the most part, the policy of the Seven Sisters schools is that anyone who identifies as female or who was assigned female at birth and doesn't identify as male may apply. If you're concerned you may not qualify, you should check with the individual school as to the specifics of their policy. RIP, Radcliffe College. Boston Public Library/Flickr. Why Apply to a 7 Sisters College? As someone who applied to and ended up choosing between Vassar and Wellesley for college, I have thought about this question a lot. Five reasons really stand out to me for applying to and attending a Seven Sisters college. #1: Get a Good Liberal Arts Education By going to a Seven Sisters college, you'll get a lot of the benefits you'd get from a good small liberal arts school, including... small class sizes good student-faculty ratios a strong focus on academics You'll also be encouraged to take classes outside your own school to broaden your academic horizons. Every one of the Seven Sisters schools has partnerships with nearby schools that allow you to take classes there. Whether you just want to take some co-ed classes or you're interested in a different learning environment, the net result is that you'll get a more diverse academic experience. Barnard's affiliation with and nearness to Columbia University means that Barnard students can easily cross-register to take classes there. Boston Public Library/Flickr. #2: Have a Higher Chance of Admission The Seven Sisters colleges are much less selective than comparable co-ed schools. This is illustrated in the table below, which lists five of the top liberal arts colleges in the country and their admissions rates. School Name Admission Rate Amherst 12.8% Bowdoin 10.3% Swarthmore 9.5% Wellesley 19.5% Williams 13.0% Despite being one of the top colleges in the country, Wellesley has 1.5 times to nearly double the admissions rate of comparable colleges. This is true across most of the remaining Seven Sisters colleges. Why are the admission rates higher for Seven Sisters schools? Well, since all of the remaining Seven Sisters colleges (except Vassar) do not accept male applicants, the pool of potential students is basically cut in half. Instead of competing against 8,000 students for 1000 spots, you might only be competing against 4,000 other students, which means you'll have a better chance of getting in. The comparatively decreased selectivity of the Seven Sisters schools has nothing to do with the quality of the schools - Wellesley and Smith in particular are known for their academic rigor. But by simple math, you have better chances of getting into a Seven Sisters school than you do an equally academically-rigorous co-ed school. #3: Gain a Life-Long Network The counterpart to the "good ol' boys" network of the Ivy League schools is the network created and fostered by graduates of the Seven Sisters colleges. If you go to a Seven Sisters school, you will gain access to a strong and supportive alumnae network that stretches beyond whatever individual school you attended to include all those who attended Seven Sisters schools. The benefits of this network range from having an advantage when job-searching because you have that inside connection, to getting tips on housing and settling in a new location after college or grad school, to connecting socially in a place where you might not know anyone. Become part of the interconnected network of Seven Sisters alums (ivy garland not included). Above: 1917 Smith College Graduation. Richard/Flickr. #4: Learn in an All-Women's Environment That most of the Seven Sisters colleges are all-women's schools is often a deciding factor for students considering whether or not to apply. For some, the idea of going to an all-women's college is unthinkable and may even seem archaic in the 21st century. However, one of the most valuable features of all the Seven Sisters schools (including Vassar), particularly in this day and age, is that they all promote the importance of women taking leadership roles and succeeding in the world. I personally didn't place a huge amount of importance on this factor when I was applying to colleges- in fact, Wellesley was the only all-women's college I applied to. But as a Wellesley student (and now alum), I found that being almost entirely surrounded by smart, driven, and confident women meant I felt compelled to rise to meet those standards myself. #5: Be in an LGBTQ+ Friendly Environment All of the Seven Sisters lean socially liberal to some extent, which includes having robust LGBTQ+ cultures on campus. The degree to which this is the case varies from school to school, and this is not to say that there aren't socially conservative students at Seven Sisters colleges, because there are. However, the overall environment at the Seven Sisters schools is generally social progressive and LGBTQ+friendly. If this is something you don't care about much one way or the other, you'll still be able to have a great experience at any of the Seven Sisters schools. And if being at a school where being LGBTQ+ is not just safe, but celebrated and part everyday normal life, then you should definitely consider applying to a Seven Sisters college. On the other hand, if you do not want to attend a school where LGBTQ+ students and culture are a significant part of campus life, a Seven Sisters school is probably not going to be a great fit for you. 5 Tips to Get Into the 7 Sisters Colleges Now that you've learned more about the Seven Sisters schools, you're probably champing at the bit to find out how to get accepted. I've gathered up five top tips for getting into a Seven Sisters school below, based on my experience as a prospective (and then admitted) student. Tip 1: Excel in School Just because the Seven Sisters colleges are relatively less selective doesn't mean that you can slack off academically. You'll still need a top GPA and test scores and strong letters of recommendation to have a good chance of getting in. Letters of recommendation are particularly important for Seven Sisters schools because of the value that those schools place on how you can contribute to their community. Because the alumnae networks are so central to the Seven Sisters colleges, the expectation is that if you are accepted and attend one of the schools, you'll be part of the community for a long time. Admissions officers at Seven Sisters schools want to be sure you're someone who exemplifies the quality of a Seven Sisters student, which means they don't just care about your grades; they also care about how you interact with teachers and other students. The bottom line is that to get into a Seven Sisters school, along with good grades, test scores, and GPA, you want your recommender to be able to describe your leadership, your personality, or your ability to work well both individually and as part of a group. You do not want them to write something impersonal like "Laura was a good student who succeeded academically in my class." Tip 2: Interview With an Alum Depending on where you're located, it might be tricky to set up an alumnae interview, and so it's not a required part of the application process. If at all possible, though, you should make sure to interview with a representative of the college, ideally with someone who attended the college themselves. Not only will interviewing with an alum give you a better idea of what the environment is like at that particular school, but it will also provide another data point for the admissions office about what you're like beyond a set of numbers. As I stated in the previous tip, the Seven Sisters colleges place a lot of value on choosing students who will flourish in their particular environments. Because of the strength of the alumnae network and the connection many alums feel to their alma maters, alumnae interviewers are as invested as you are in making sure not just that you're the right choice for the school, but that their school is the right fit for you. I honestly believe that my interview with an alum is what clinched my acceptance at Wellesley. Yes, I had a strong transcript and good SAT scores, but without the alumnae interview I did (that ended with the interviewer saying "You're the most Wellesley applicant I've seen in a while"), I don't know how things would have turned out. And just as importantly, that interview made me realize "Oh. Yeah. This school seems like a really good fit for me." Bryn Mawr. Mark Goebel/Flickr. Tip 3: Research the School All the Seven Sisters schools have a "Why [school name]?" component to their application. The question of why you want to attend the school isn't there just to boost the schools' egos; it's there because the admissions officers genuinely care about your reasons for applying and wanting to be part of those schools' communities. Because of this requirement, you need to thoroughly research whichever of the Seven Sisters colleges that you apply to. Don't just write an essay for Barnard and expect it to work for every Seven Sisters school. Instead, look into what makes each school unique and highlight the aspects that you value in your "Why [school name]?" essays. As with setting up an alumnae interview, the benefits of researching the school are not just that you'll increase your chances of getting in because you'll demonstrate your interest to the college, but that you'll also learn more about whether or not the specific school is the right fit for you. For instance, if you research Vassar, you'll learn that the campus is a designated arboretum and also gorgeous. Adam Jones/Flickr. Tip 4: Embrace That You're Applying to a 7 Sisters School It might feel like you're being too enthusiastic or overselling it if you emphasize the fact that you're applying to one of the Seven Sisters and that that's important to you. While you don't want to overemphasize it ("I truly believe that Smith, one of the Seven Sisters, is a great fit for me. From the first time I visited the women's college Smith, I knew I wanted to attend it"), you should not shy away from directly stating that attending a historically women's college is something that appeals to you. It's not some big secret that the Seven Sisters colleges were traditionally women's colleges that promoted women's education and women's success in the world; the schools are well aware of their own history and what they stand for. Even for Vassar, stating that you value the history of the school and the long tradition of valuing women's education will only help you (assuming you don't come off as insincere). You can be honest about doubts you have about applying to a non-co-ed school, but you still need to show that you appreciate the value of attending a college with a tradition of high-quality education for women. For instance, I'm pretty sure that in my "Why Wellesley?" essay, I wrote that I hadn't considered applying to a women's college until I visited Wellesley, but that after I visited campus and learned more about it I knew I wanted to apply (which was all true). If you can't come up with a way that you value that the school you're applying to is a Seven Sisters school, then you shouldn't be applying to a Seven Sisters school. Mount Holyoke. Barry Stock/Flickr Tip 5: Don't Call It an All-Girls School When you write your personal statements or your "Why [school name]?" essays for one of the all-women's Seven Sisters, do not call the school an "all-girls school;" call it a women's college. This might seem like a relatively minor point compared to the other things I've mentioned, but it's actually a really useful tip to keep in mind if you're applying to any of the all-women's Seven Sisters schools. The term "all-girls school" is not one that the schools ever use to refer to themselves, so using that term demonstrates that you have done pretty much no research into the school. It also implies (even if you don't mean it to) a certain disdain for the school, as if attending a non-co-ed school is for children. So make sure to check all of your application materials and change any instances of "all-girls school" to "women's college." It's a simple change that will create a positive, or at least neutral impression if you do it, but will leave an extremely negative impression if you don't. Boston Public Library/Flickr. What's Next? Planning out your college visits but not sure where to go? Our guides on how to choose a college and what colleges you should apply to will help you organize your trip. What do I mean when I say that the Seven Sisters schools are top liberal arts colleges? Find out what a liberal arts college is with this article. Do you have what it takes to get into the most competitive schools? Get the inside scoop on the most selective colleges and which colleges have the highest SAT and ACT scores. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Free Essays on From The Others Perspective

From The Other’s Perspective Anthropologists have the opportunity to immerse themselves in various cultures throughout the world. They must not only play the role of the researcher but they must also interact with these various cultures in a non-obtrusive or offensive way. Many of the journals and field-notes we have gone over in class are all written from a one-sided point of view. If an anthropologist were to immerse him or herself into my culture I’m sure there are various parts of my daily life that I would alter in order to not revel too much about my self as a person. I would not only hide some things of my life, but I would also be curious as to why this person was here and observing my every move. However I’m sure that different people and cultures respond in different ways. I suppose at first I’d be a little timid and shy towards an outsider into my group of friends, it would take me a little time to warm up to an individual whom I’ve never met before. I’d almost be o n guard especially if this individual was documenting my behavior, I would change my personality to seem to be cool and relaxed. I assume the anthropologist would know my language so I would attempt to communicate with him or her, asking them various questions; such as what is you name, where are you from, and why are you here; this would give me the chance to â€Å"feel† this person out and give me some idea of their intentions. As I got to know this individual I would become more comfortable, I’m sure this is why anthropologist spend so much time in a given culture. I would begin to show my true personality and act as I do around my various friends. Some things I’m sure would be a little difficult to discuss, such as my personal finances, my mother and father’s divorce, my brothers legal mishaps and other personal knowledge. Eventually I would disclose these facts once I trusted the anthropologist, this also takes time; I would expect the a... Free Essays on From The Others Perspective Free Essays on From The Others Perspective From The Other’s Perspective Anthropologists have the opportunity to immerse themselves in various cultures throughout the world. They must not only play the role of the researcher but they must also interact with these various cultures in a non-obtrusive or offensive way. Many of the journals and field-notes we have gone over in class are all written from a one-sided point of view. If an anthropologist were to immerse him or herself into my culture I’m sure there are various parts of my daily life that I would alter in order to not revel too much about my self as a person. I would not only hide some things of my life, but I would also be curious as to why this person was here and observing my every move. However I’m sure that different people and cultures respond in different ways. I suppose at first I’d be a little timid and shy towards an outsider into my group of friends, it would take me a little time to warm up to an individual whom I’ve never met before. I’d almost be o n guard especially if this individual was documenting my behavior, I would change my personality to seem to be cool and relaxed. I assume the anthropologist would know my language so I would attempt to communicate with him or her, asking them various questions; such as what is you name, where are you from, and why are you here; this would give me the chance to â€Å"feel† this person out and give me some idea of their intentions. As I got to know this individual I would become more comfortable, I’m sure this is why anthropologist spend so much time in a given culture. I would begin to show my true personality and act as I do around my various friends. Some things I’m sure would be a little difficult to discuss, such as my personal finances, my mother and father’s divorce, my brothers legal mishaps and other personal knowledge. Eventually I would disclose these facts once I trusted the anthropologist, this also takes time; I would expect the a...

Doctrine of Precedent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Doctrine of Precedent - Essay Example This is opposite to the European legal system as it is founded on legal examples and possibilities. The substance of precedent is known as "common law" and it bonds future determinations. When parties are in disagreement in the future and if the nature of the conflict is similar then the common law court bases its decision with the help of Presidential decisions of applicable courts2. The court is bound to follow the reasoning of a past similar disagreement in which the issue was resolved. This principle is called ‘stare decisis’. But if the present disagreement is different from all other previous cases then the judges have the right and responsibility to formulate new law which thus creates a precedent as in Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803); "It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases, must of necessity expound and interpret that rule. If two laws conflict with each other, the courts must decide on the operation of each". From then on, the new verdict became precedent, and is binding on future courts. The English legal system is based on the common law and the precedents. The doctrine of precedent is defined as ‘The common law principle which binds a judge or a magistrate to follow previous similar decision of higher courts in the same hierarchy; also known as stare decisis’ (Vickery & Pendleton 2006), which implies the decision stands. The doctrine of precedent derives from common law and law of equity, which is ‘English-made’ laws that aims to be fair and treat all equally, so that the decisions by the courts are predictable and consistent in resolving disputes. There are binding and persuasive precedents, of which binding precedents are known as ‘ratio decidendi’ when the final order or ‘res judicata’ by the

Analysis + personal experience - Is Google Making Us Stupid by Essay

Analysis + personal experience - Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas Carr - Essay Example Carr has argued that rapid approach to information by using the internet has led us to become impatient and anxious with reading and has encouraged us to develop the habit of just skimming through material instead of reading it thoroughly. He says â€Å"Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.†(534) He has further elaborated that the brain of a human acts in response to alterations in technology and so our concentration spans have fallen owing to the impact of the Internet as he says, â€Å"The brain,† according to Olds, â€Å"has the ability to reprogram itself on the fly, altering the way it functions.† (536) Moreover in order to preface his stance he has used some tales from bloggers and has quoted examples from the researchers who have investigated on the topic. He has emphasized on the point that humans have adopted the speed that computers and internet have conveyed them. Carr cites the Kubrick’s prediction â€Å"as we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence.† (541).The article discusses the deteriorating reading habits of students and the dehumanizing effects of the internet on the lives of the people extensively using it. ... to be devoid of emotions and they work like machines as he quotes â€Å"In deciding when to eat, to work, to sleep, to rise, we stopped listening to our senses and started obeying the clock.†(537) Before the invention of the clock people worked according to their own strength and capability but in today’s century we measure our biological needs from the time shown by the clock. As Carr states â€Å"Thanks to our brain’s plasticity, the adaptation occurs also at a biological level.† (537).Ironically we have taken on the unremitting speed of the machines that were invented to make things easier for us. Carr supports his stance by saying â€Å"When the mechanical clock arrived, people began thinking of their brains as operating â€Å"like clockwork.† (537) Moreover there has been a trend in students to browse and paraphrase whatever they find with a few clicks and instead of analyzing their material properly, they are determined to just skim through i t. Carr in his article states that â€Å"It is clear that users are not reading online in the traditional sense; indeed there are signs that new forms of ‘reading’ are emerging as users ‘power browse’ horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for quick wins.† (535). The author of the book ‘The death of "why?† the decline of questioning and the future of democracy’ Andrea Batista states â€Å"young people are barely reading what they find anyway_ because internet is changing the very way they read.† The technique with which students now read on the internet is different from the conventional way that had been followed since long. Even Carr states that it is difficult for him to sit and read â€Å"The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle.†(534) students have developed