Eymp 1 Context and Principles for Early Years Provision

EYMP 1 – Context and Principles for Early Years Provision Part 1 An explanation of the legal status and principles of the EYF and how national and local guidance materials are used in settings The legal status and principles of the Early Years Foundation stage is used with children aged from birth to five years. The Government have outlined three primary and four specific areas and seventeen early learning goals that they think are important to a child’s development and planning is used to meet a child’s individual needs.An explanation of how different approaches to work with children in early years have affected current provision in the UK Over the years many people have made studies of what they believe were the important factors in providing for children’s needs. All of these pioneers believed that there should be an integrated approach to the early years provision. One of these pioneers that had the greatest influence was Freidrich Froebel.Froebel foun ded the first kindergarten in 1840 and learned how important it was for children to have real experiences and to be physically active, learning outdoors as well as indoors. He believed that schools should be communities where parents could join their children, and that parents were the first educators of children. Other pioneers were Maria Montessori who devised a structured teaching programme based on watching children with learning difficulties and building on the work of Froebel.She have a different view to him in some areas, for example believing that children should learn to work alone to help them become independent learners and did not see the benefit of play. Rudolf Steiner believed that the first seven years of a childs life were the most important and that they needed a carefully planned environment to develop in a rounded way. Margaret McMillan used many of Froebel’s ideas and thought that play was very important. She believed that nurseries were an extension of th e home and not a replacement for it.In the 1920s she set up nursery schools that were copied across the world, having gardens and welcoming families and not just children. One of her most important achievements was introducing school medical services and school meals. She did this because she believed that children could not learn of they were hungry or sick. All of the work of these and other pioneers had an impact on the way that the current provisions in the UK have developed. Why the early years framework emphasises a personal and ndividual approach to learning and development The early years framework emphasises a personal and individual approach to learning and development because valuing a child’s individuality, ideas and feelings is an important part of developing an individual approach to the learning and development. A child has universal physical needs such as food, drink and shelter and psychological needs such as love, affection, security, friendship which are es sential to maintaining their quality of life.In recognising and trying to meet an individual child’s needs each child’s age, physical maturity, intellectual abilities, emotional development, social skills and past experiences and relationships need to be considered. Part 2 An explanation of the partnership model of working with carers This enables different services and professionals to join together to prevent problems happening. It is used to support children, young people and families to help secure improved outcomes.A review of the potential barriers to participation of cares and an explanation of how these barriers may be overcome There can be barriers to effective partnership working these include problems in sharing information, people not being clear on their roles and concerned that they may make a mistake. An explanation of strategies that can be used to support carers who may react positively or negatively to partnership opportunities Some people may feel th reatened that new approaches are being used which mean that they have to work in different ways to which they have been used to.Some may also not like being managed by someone that has different skills and experience from their own. To overcome these issues team meetings can be used for everyone to help them work together. It will also allow everyone to fully understand the roles and responsibilities of the other services and practitioners. An explanation of how effective multi-agency working operates within early years provision and benefits children and carers The Common Assessment Framework is used to by practitioners to assess the additional needs of and their family and to help identify the services that will be required to meet their needs.The Common Assessment Framework starts with assessment and information sharing of the childs development within the EYFS, the care and support offered, the overall family and environment. Using this information the lead professional will wor k with the team and the parents to put in place a plan to support the child’s development. The Common Assessment Framework has a standard form that is used to record and share with others the details of the assessment. The things that are important are clear and effective communication between the professionals and the agencies, keeping accurate records and maintaining confidentiality.

List of Ministers and Advisors

List of Ministers and Advisors | SL| Name| Designation| Joining Date | Distribution of Ministry/Division | Name| From| To| | | 1| Sheikh Hasina  | Prime Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Armed Forces Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | Cabinet Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Ministry of Defence   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Ministry of Public Administration   | 28-04-2011  | Till Date  | | | 2| Mr. Abul Maal Abdul Muhith  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Finance   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | Finance Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Economic Relations Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | |Internal Resources Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Bank and Financial Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | 3| Begum Matia Chowdhury  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Agriculture   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 4| Mr. Abdul Latif Siddique  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Textiles and Jute   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 5| Barrister Shafique Ahmed  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | Law and Justice Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | |Parliament Secretariat   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | 6| Air Vice Marshal (Rtd. ) A K Khandker  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Planning   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | Planning Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Statistics and Informatics Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | 7| Mr. Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Labour & Employment   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | | 8| Advocate Shahara Khatun  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Posts and Tele-Communications   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | | | Syed Ashraful Islam  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | Local Government Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Rural Development and Co-operatives Division   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | 10| Engr. Khandker Mosharraf Hossain  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 11| Mr. Suranjit Sen Gupta  | Minister  | 28-11-2011  | Without portfolio. | 17-04-2012  | Till Date  | | 12| Dr. Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir  | Minister  | 15-09-2012  | Ministry of Home Affairs   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | 13| Mr. Md. Rezaul Karim Hira  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Land   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 14| Mr. Abul Kalam Azad  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Cultura l Affairs   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 15| Mr. Enamul Hoque Mustafa Shaheed  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Social Welfare   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 16| Mr. Dilip Barua  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Industries   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 17| Mr. Obaidul Quader  | Minister  | 28-11-2011  | Ministry of Communications   | 5-12-2011  | Till Date  | | Roads Division   | 5-12-2011  | Till Date  | | |Bridges Division   | 5-11-2011  | Till Date  | | | 18| Mr. Ramesh Chandra Sen  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Water Resources   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 19| Mr. Ghulam Muhammed Quader  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Commerce   | 5-12-2011  | Till Date  | | 20| Mr. Hasanul Haq Inu  | Minister  | 15-09-2012  | Ministry of Information   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | | 21| Mr. Muhammad Faruk Khan  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Civil Aviation an d Tourism   | 5-12-2011  | Till Date  | | 22| Dr. Md. Abdur Razzaque  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Food   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | 23| Dr. Md. Afsarul Ameen  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Primary and Mass Education   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | 24| Dr. A. F. M. Ruhal Haque  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Health and Family Welfare   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 25| Dr. Dipu Moni  | Minister  | 8-01-2009  | Ministry of Foreign Affairs   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 26| Mr. Nurul Islam Nahid  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Education   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 27| Mr. Abdul Latif Biswas  | Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 28| Mr.Shajahan Khan  | Minister  | 31-07-2009  | Ministry of Shipping   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | 29| Dr. Hasan Mahmud  | Minister  | 28-11-2011  | Ministry of Environment and Forest   | 29-11-2011  | Till Date  | | 30| Mr. Abul Hasan Mahamood Ali  | Minister  | 15-09-2012  | Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | | 31| Mr. Mostafa Faruque Mohammed  | Minister  | 15-09-2012  | Ministry of Information & Communication Technology   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | | 32| Mr. Md. Mazibul Hoque  | Minister  | 15-09-2012  | Ministry of Railways   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | | 33| MR. H.T. Imam  | Adviser  | 7-01-2009  | Public Administration Affairs   | 5-06-2011  | Till Date  | | 34| Dr. Mashiur Rahman  | Adviser  | 7-01-2009  | Economic Adviser   | 22-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 35| Professor Dr. Syed Modasser Ali  | Adviser  | 7-01-2009  | Health & Family Welfare and Social Welfare Affairs   | 22-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 36| Dr. Alauddin Ahmed  | Adviser  | 7-01-2009  | Education, Social Development and Political Affairs   | 22- 01-2009  | Till Date  | | 37| Dr. Tawfiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury, BB  | Adviser  | 14-01-2009  | Adviser to the Hon'ble Prime Minister   | 14-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 8| Dr. Gowher Rizvi  | Adviser  | 9-07-2009  | International Relations Affairs   | 9-07-2009  | Till Date  | | 39| Advocate Mostafizur Rahman  | State Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Land   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | 40| Capt. A B Tajul Islam (Rtd. )  | State Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Liberation War Affairs   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 41| Arch. Yeafesh Osman  | State Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Science and Technology   | 5-12-2011  | Till Date  | | 42| Begum Monnujan Sufian  | State Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Labour ; Employment   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 43| Mr.Dipankar Talukdar  | State Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 44| Mr. Ahad Ali Sarkar  | State Minister  | 6-01-2009  | Ministry of Youth and Sports   | 6-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 45| Advocate Md. Shahjahan Miah  | State Minister  | 24-01-2009  | Ministry of Religious Affairs   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 46| Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan  | State Minister  | 24-01-2009  | Ministry of Housing and Public Works   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 47| Advocate Md. Kamrul Islam  | State Minister  | 24-07-2009  | Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | |Law and Justice Division   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Parliament Secretariat   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | 48| Advocate Shamsul Hoque Tuku  | State Minister  | 24-01-2009  | Ministry of Home Affairs   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | 49| Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak  | State Minister  | 24-01 -2009  | Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | | Local Government Division   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | Rural Development and Co-operatives Division   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | | | 50| Mr.Md. Motahar Hossain  | State Minister  | 24-01-2009  | Ministry of Primary and Mass Education   | 24-01-2009  | Till Date  | | 51| Mr. Muhammad Enamul Huq  | State Minister  | 31-07-2009  | Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | Power Division   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | | Energy and Mineral Resources Division   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | | 52| Mr. Mozibur Rahman Fakir  | State Minister  | 31-07-2009  | Ministry of Health and Family Welfare   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | 53| Mr. Promode Mankin  | State Minister  | 31-07-2009  | Ministry of Social Welfare   | 16-09-2012  | Till Date  | 54| Begum Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury  | State Minister  | 31-07-2009  | Ministry of Women and Children Affairs   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | 55| Mr. Md. Mahabubur Rahaman  | State Minister  | 31-07-2009  | Ministry of Water Resources   | 31-07-2009  | Till Date  | | 56| Mr. Omor Faruk Chowdhury  | State Minister  | 15-09-2012  | Ministry of Industries   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | | 57| Mr. Md. Abdul Hyee  | State Minister  | 15-09-2012  | Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock   | 15-09-2012  | Till Date  | | 58| Maj. Gen. (Retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique  | Adviser to the Hon'ble Prime Minister  | 8-01-2009  | | | | |

Psychosocial Development as Seen in the Movie the Blind Side

Psychosocial Development Psychosocial development is an integration of the principles of personal, psychological and cultural or social development. The psychosocial view of problems focuses on the idea that problems are rooted in relationship issues. Heinz Kohut said humans have narcissistic needs that are satisfied by other people, represented as self-objects. If the child receives enough mirroring (positive attention) from self-objects (chiefly the mother), the sense of self develops appropriately and affects their social life.If there's too much mirroring, the child won't be able to deal with frustrations. If there's too little, the development of the self is stunted. In the movie â€Å"The Blind Side† Before meeting Tuohys, Michael was reserved and had very few friends. It is apparent that he did not receive sufficient mirroring from his parents while growing up which resulted in his ‘psychosocial dysfunction’. At school he was ridiculed because they thought he was dumb in the sense that he did not speak to anyone and he wasn’t cognitively smart.As he gradually bonded with Sean Junior he ‘came out of his shell’ and began expressing himself and communicating with others even more effectively than before. For example when he saw the children at the park playing and he went towards them, his approach scared them away, but after he was told to smile and present a warm approach to the children to let them know that he is friendly the children were willing to allow Big Mike to play with them. This improved his social abilities to a great extent. Michael was introduced to a different milieu, he not only learnt from the new family that adopted him but he also taught them something.This is seen when Michael stayed over for Thanksgiving and while everyone else was watching television and eating their meal in the living room he was seated around the table. When Mrs Tuohy saw him around the table she demanded that the entire fam ily sit around the table. This goes to show that this was a social grace or something customary to Michael that was not a part of the Tuohy’s socialization. One other theorist, Karen Horney suggested that Psychoanalytic Social Theory is built on the assumption that social and cultural conditions, especially childhood experiences, are largely responsible for shaping personality.People who do not have their needs for love and affection satisfied during childhood develop basic hostility toward their parents and others and, as a consequence, suffer from basic anxiety. In addition, watching the movie â€Å"The Blind Side†, I have observed the main character Michael as being socially handicapped as a result of his family background and experiences. Michael’s hostility was that of silence as it can be assumed that his need for love and affection was not satisfied during his childhood due to his parents’ absence.His father was not involved in his life at all but his mother was there for him or she wanted to be there for him but because of her drug addiction it disabled her ability to supply his needs as a child. According to Albert Bandura most human learning is observational learning, not conditioning and occurs by observing what others do and imitating what one sees. One need not actually perform the behaviour oneself. Taking for example in the movie where Michael was not cognitively intelligent in other subject areas but he was tested 98% in protective instincts.This might have been because of his past experience as a child and growing up he had to fend for himself, not because he saw persons fending for themselves but because he was left with no other option. This especially was due to the fact that he was a ward of the state and was placed in foster care but did not want to stay. His protective instinct could also have been adapted from observing how the gangsters from his community would defend themselves in gang fights , hustling in the streets etc. Therefore, his strong area of social development was in protecting himself/ his blind side.Another instance in which Big Mike’s psychosocial development was evident was in the connection between the time Mrs Tuohy saw him walking in the cold and asked him if he had somewhere to stay. Because of his hesitation she said â€Å"don’t you dear lie to me. † He ended up developing meaning from this dialogue and learnt that lying is wrong. In the ending after being questioned by Mrs Granger, out of rage and anger he repeated the same phrase to Mrs Tuohy (â€Å"don’t you dear lie to me†) when he tried to find out from her whether or not she was forcing Big Mike to go to the college of Mississippi.

Effective Team and Performance Management Essay - 8

Effective Team and Performance Management - Essay Example Thus it has become an obligation for the organizations to develop competencies in order to cope with the prevailing challenges. This study seeks to examine the problems faced by Electron, a small manufacturing company of UK. The report will be divided into four sections and each section will focus on certain areas related to the subject. The first section will present a brief overview of the company. Once, the company becomes familiar, the next task of the report is to identify the prevailing issue that the company is currently dealing. The report will try to identify most of the problems, but will put emphasis and thrust on the major issues which are currently the major concern for the company. The possible impact of the problem on the company as well as the company will be determined with the help of reviewing the literature and theories proposed by scholars about the area of concern. At the initial glance, it has been observed that the case tries to put emphasis on the issues of t eam management. Therefore literature related to team performance and management will be considered. It is believed that literature as well example regarding the subject can be found in large numbers and hence the theories can even be contextualised. The literature to be considered for this study is Managing Teams for Dummies by Marty Brounstein, Team Players and Teamwork: New Strategies for Developing Successful Collaboration by Glenn M. Parker and Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders by Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy. The principal reason behind choosing the aforementioned literature is that it has the ability to contextualise the theories. 2.0 Introduction Electron is a small company involved in the manufacturing and marketing of telecommunication components. The company was established in the year 1997 and is currently headquartered at UK. The company employs around 150 people in the headquarters and among them 90 people belongs to the manufacturing depart ment. Previously, Electron was one of the divisions of one of the large telecommunication company of UK. However, in the year 2007, the Electron parted its ways and started to conduct business activities separately. In the meantime, the company had also purchased the manufacturing segment as a plan to embrace development. The parent company is still the largest customer for the company and has been responsible for ensuring growth of the company. The company operates with the traditional organizational structure, which comprises of manufacturing department, engineering department, human resource department, sales and marketing department and the finance department. The manufacturing department of the company is divided into 8 teams and have been named as per the colours which are red, blue, white, green, silver, aqua, purple and yellow. Each of the team consists of ten members and among them some are temporary and some are permanent. Most of the employees are of the age 25-50. The co mpany practices concertive leadership in order to monitor and manage the employees. Although at the initial days of its operation, the company was doing well, but in the mid of 90s, the company was lost its way and was finding difficulties in operating effectively in the market place. The situation further worsened for the company due to severe competition from the electronic manufacturers. However, the

Philosophy Inquiry Study Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Philosophy Inquiry Study Review - Assignment Example The study aimed at evaluating the existing differences in responses particularly from the black children as compared to the other children in the classrooms chosen for the study. This objective involved the role of questioning in socialization and  language. Variation of questions  was evaluated  in  proportion  to other types of responses or utterances contained in the three circumstances, as well as the uses of different questions and the assumptions on the functions of questions as established by the author. The objective of the research work was to  indicate  verbal strategies, and how the resultant ethnographic data in the home and community settings could be applied in comparing the collected data in the functions of  language  studies carried out in the classrooms. The research involved collecting  information  beyond the confines of the classroom, i.e. the interactions at the children’s  home  and also the teachers’ homes. This provided the  right  criteria for effective schooling ethnography. The research also aimed at demonstrating the desirability of long term  research  as shown in the author intermittently engaging health in the study for a period of 5 years. The study also aimed at demonstrating the  utility  of incorporating a  clear  frame of reference for use in the study.  The frame of reference used for this particular study was the ethnography of communication and language socialization.  These two elements are recent developments are interdisciplinary in cultural anthropology. The study also had direct  potential  of  application  for  education  improvement in the classroom through the interaction of the community and the  school. Research method The research presents  data  on the  usage  of questions in three different  circumstances. The  study  setup  was carried  out in a city located in the Southeastern United States, known to  comprise  o f black residents of the working class  community, children from this  community  who attended the classrooms selected for the study, and also comprising of the teachers’ homes who teach in the mentioned classrooms. The field work  was carried  out for a period of five years in both institutional and community settings. Results of the study  were shared  and discussed among the institutional and community settings. The first phase of the study  was carried  out in a group comprising of only black residents with the members identifying themselves as a community, both on the basis of  group  membership or spatial members. This  group  was referred  to as  Trackton  in order to  differentiate  the  group  from the entire  public  community. Majority of  Trackton  households had one or more of their members between the ages of 21 and 45, and worked in jobs that provided  high  or  equal  salaries to the teachers. Rulings of segregation often  put  black children to be taught by white teachers, in classrooms that were  formerly  for white students. The key focus on field work was the acquisition of language uses, ways of satisfying needs of children by learning language use, information transmission, asking questions, and convincing other children and adults that they were  competent  communicators. Data  was collected  for a period of five years while observing and participating in the classrooms and some homes for the teachers. Data  collection  was done  across a broad range of  circumstances, as well as longitudinally following the

Comparison of Marketing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Comparison of Marketing Strategies - Essay Example It is renowned for being the flag carrier air service company of United Kingdom. The company is the biggest airline in the country on the basis of the fleet size, the total number of flights in the international land, the international destinations etc. British Airways is the second largest among all the airline companies on the basis of the total number of travellers carried. British Airways Board was formed in 1971 for controlling two big domestic airline companies, BEA and BOAC and also two small airline companies, Northeast Airlines and Cambrian Airways. On 31st March 1974, all the four companies merged and British Airways was formed. The company started expanding its operations by the acquisition of British Caledonian (in 1987) and Dan Air (in 1992). The company also formed strategic alliance with Cathay Pacific, Qantas, American Airlines and Canadian Airlines. The alliance is counted as the third largest alliance, next to Star Alliance and Sky Team. British Airways is a subsidi ary of International Airlines Group, which has been listed in London Stock Exchange and FTSE 100 Index. The loyalty of the employees as well as the former colleagues along with the collection of beautiful arts has helped British Airways to gain competitive advantage over its competitors. As already mentioned, the company is a merger of the four companies BEA, BOAC, the North East Airlines and Cambrian Airways. The current alliance with the Qantas, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines and Canadian Airlines has made British Airways the third largest alliance. ... BA CityFlyer, a fully owned subsidiary of British Airways provides services to twenty different destinations in Europe. Although the main focus is given on the financial markets by the company, it has recently extended the operations and achieved a remarkable position in the leisure market. There are many other services provided by the company like car rental service, hotel service etc. The excellent services provided by the company in both international as well as domestic land have helped it to achieve a successful position in the market. Service marketing mix for British Airways in UK’s and USA’s perspective 7P’s of marketing gives set of policies related to the product, price, promotion, place, physical evidence, process and people which generally affects the purchasing decision of the customers. These policies are set by the management. The success of a business involves a long process where achieving success depends on the marketing; the success related to marketing depends on the marketing strategies and finally the marketing strategies deal with the elements of 7P’s of marketing. Thus the implementation of appropriate strategies in 7P’s of marketing is very important for the achievement of success by a business enterprise. A service marketing mix is the mix of the marketing plans of the company (Belohlavek, 2008). Product The product or service strategy of a company should be such that it gains the attraction of the customers easily. The product or service strategy should be planned in such a manner that it provides satisfaction to the needs of the customers and have a differential advantage over the product offerings by the competitors (Hobbs, 2011; Masterson & Pickton, 2010). British Airways provides quality services to its

Business Environment and Strategic Management of Primark Essay - 2

Business Environment and Strategic Management of Primark - Essay Example From this study it is clear that Primark’s product categories include the ladies wear, children’s wear, men’s wear, lingerie, cosmetics, fashion accessories, and the home products. Primarily Primark’s merchandise is made especially for its own brands, but it also stocks other products from other recognised (well known) brands like the Disney, Haribo sweets, Warner Brothers, and Nivea. According to the paper the company’s apparel products lines typically showcase simple designs and fabrics in the popular sizes. Primark usually launches its stores in the high street locations and most of its products lines are usually stocked in bulk at every location. Its main competitors are BHS, Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, George at ASDA, Debenhams, and TK Max. Recognised globally for its quality in apparels and clothing at the budget prices, the company provides clothing for all sizes, ages, and sexes with different department for the household goods. Its succe ss is largely attributed to a highly organised business structures that provides its customers with what they need at within a reasonable prices. Primark’s cost leadership means that the company’s market research team are usually on the pulse of the fashion changes by providing products that are similar to its rival companies quickly. The majority of the company’s sources of supply is in the overseas countries such as China, India, Bangladesh, Philippines and Turkey. The company has developed the computerised customs clearance, the dedicated.

The paper is on how leaderhship plays an important role in the movie Essay

The paper is on how leaderhship plays an important role in the movie Gladiator - Essay Example Here Maximus Decimus Meridus is seen to have evolved through all the ranks from glory to grass and back to the glory again. He was first a general, then a slave, then a gladiator and finally a hero. His evolution through all these stages bequeathed him with the charisma of a leader. He portrays the desire to see his fellow slaves set free, and his gladiators succeed to freedom without having to kill each other. His strong character and will take risks propels him to glory as a hero in Rome through conquests that he stages. He exercises the power of charisma as a leader and wins the hearts of many people including his fighters to fight for the common good of all. Leaders in the movie portray leadership through abilities of decision-making processes. In times of war, they inspire their soldiers to fight for the good of their nation. This shows that leadership should be taken as a source of inspiration. This authority helps in deriving a persons authority in a group. Leadership in this context is seen as an exercise of power, the power of information is used to exact control upon the people. Information is only spread at specific times under the control of the King or the ruler. Information gathering through spying and its dissemination among the power elites enables the ruler to stay on top of issues. He makes sure that he is well informed as a leader of every situation that is going own within his territory. Leadership in this movie is also strengthened much through the power of relationships. Leaders have established both formal and informal networks both within and without their territories. Leadership is strengthened by the appreciation of the power of expertise. Leaders rely so much on the council of senators and other influential figures including the most talented gladiators. These experts are used either in the development of specialized knowledge are being communicated

A promotional plan to launch the new brand Assignment - 1

A promotional plan to launch the new brand - Assignment Example Human needs can only be satisfied by a product. Additionally, such products need to have a distinct identification. Such identification adequately distinguishes the new product from those that exist in the market. This identification creates a product brand. Additionally, besides branding, packaging and advertising contribute towards a brand name. For instance, Coca Cola is globally identifiable for its name and brand that uses red writings against white backgrounds. Brand naming may be used as a strategy in successful business. Therefore, a brand name can only be launched after thinking of the long term effects of the name on the consumers. Once established, changing of brands may incur huge expenses. A brand of a product serves both the buyer and seller since it helps the consumers to differentiate the products form other varieties. Sharp, effective, memorable and distinguishable branding helps in ensuring customer loyalty. Consumers are believed to use a product repeatedly only wh en they are fully satisfied by the product (Haig 2005, pg. 65). For new products in the market, branding involves various terminologies that are distantly distinctive. These terms include trademark, brand, brand mark and the brand name. According to (Haig, 2005) a brand can be a format, design, term, symbol, name or a combination of these elements. Mainly, a brand needs to distinguish the manufacturer and distributors of the product from those that exist in the market. Alternatively, a brand name refers to the pronounceable brand identity of the product. A good brand name may contribute towards product popularity. Often, a brand name needs to be patented to hinder replication and imitations. On the other hand, a brand mark needs to identify its products using a distinguishable symbol. In most cases, consumers identify the manufacturer of a product using the symbol. For instance, other products manufactured by Coca Cola can be

Corporations Law in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporations Law in Australia - Essay Example A limited liability company, also called a limited liability corporation, usually functions on a smaller scale than a limited liability partnership (Wikipedia 2008), hence, it's method of management and, therefore, it's level of limited liability, though in many aspects the same, does differ from that of a partnership. A company is generally run by the managers, who are responsible for the general functioning of the corporation. Hence, although they are protected by limited liability in that they are just responsible for their investments, they do have to manage any monetary issues that may be faced by the corporation which are beyond the fiscal capacity of the corporation (Wikipedia 2008). The tax liability level might also differ (Wikipedia 2008). On the other hand, a partnership functions on a larger scale, hence, it's method of management and operation differs, giving it different protection under the liability. A partnership is directly run by its investors (Wikipedia 2008), who are all protected by the liability clause, and generally are not responsible for monetary issues beyond their investment. Whereas they are subject to tax payment, the partnership itself, in some cases, maybe tax transparent (Wikipedia 2008), that is, exempted from paying taxes. Hence, the liability of the partners is decreased. Q3: In the context of corporate law, there have been, and still are, many incidents where the law has to be defined and determined in order to solve court cases. In the process, many a time an established act of law is challenged, clauses are redefined and established, or new stipulates are formed. A case in point is the Salomon v Salomon & Co. [1897] A.C. 22 (H.L.). Following is a discussion of the case, and the act that was formed as result of this case. Aron Salomon, a leather merchant, formed a company after establishing a successful business of leather goods (Wikipedia 2008). His decision was supported by his family who formed the shareholders in his company, a total of seven shareholders as per the corporate law of the time. Aron Salomon remained the company's principal shareholder and its principal creditor, and was the managing director of the company (Wikipedia 2008). He established Salomon & Co. Ltd., a limited liability company that was under the protection of the limited liability clause of the corporate law. He held the majority of the shares, and the whole company was practically a family business. However, it went into liquidation (Wikipedia 2008). The liquidator filed a case against Mr. Salomon and the company, and the judge seconded the appeal on the grounds that Mr. Salomon had established the company merely to transfer his business into the corporation in order to obtain limited liabilit

Costs and benefits of the migration Essay Example for Free

Costs and benefits of the migration Essay The costs are highly experienced in the developing countries than the developed countries. The migration of the practitioners leaves the medical system being completely inadequate to carry out its mandate on top of the many other problems such institutions already faces. Therefore, the first major cost faced due to the migration is the lack of the institutions to provide the required medical care to the citizens. This becomes worse when it is not possible for the institutions to replace the manpower lost. This means that those left behind to work in the institutions will have to be overworked while still being paid the little amount they used to receive. The more the employees are strained, the more they are pushed to look for better working conditions elsewhere making the situation worse (Stewart, Clark Clark, para 11). The other cost comes in form of the investment that has been used in the training of the practitioners who migrate. Most of the developing countries subsidize or entirely sponsors the training of these practitioners. It thus implies that the investment the government puts in such personnel is lost when they migrate to the developed countries. The major benefits that this migration brings can be categorized into the remittances that the practitioners send to their home countries, and the skills they get due to the exposure. The amount sent home is more important in improving the economic life of those left behind and the nation as a whole. This remittance plays a significant role in the practitioner’s country of origin’s economy in form of foreign funds. This has made some countries like the Philippines to train more nurses and sent them to practice in developed countries and thus contribute to the Gross National Product growth (Tujan, para 15). Most of the developing countries do not have enough medical facilities. Therefore, when the practitioners moves temporarily to the developed countries, they get to be exposed at high levels of technology which makes them have improved skills that will plays a significant role in developing the medical system in their home country when they go back. This implies that the country of origin might save a lot in terms of what could have been spent in specialized training or higher education for the practitioners. The major problem with this however is that, many of the practitioners do not return home, and when they do, they have retired hence not productive. In the developed countries In the country of origin, the migration causes a lot of costs than the benefits. However, on the receiving countries, the benefits accrued are higher than the costs incurred. The issue of recruitment within any organization is usually a costly affair. Recruitment of the immigrants is thus more costly than local recruitment. This can force the organization and the government to pass the extra costs to the consumers increasing the cost of living in the society. The cost can also be experienced in the course of resettlement of the immigrants (Stilwell et al, para 7). There are some instances in which the immigrants are willing to take up some policies set by a government more than the local practitioners. For instance, working in form of contracts or part-time. Many of the locals do not agree with this, hence when the immigrants seem to agree with such a policy, they are usually recruited in favor of the locals, and this will generally affect the wages of the local practitioners, which will further go down affecting the tax bracket of the receiving country. In a case where the locals see that they are competing with the immigrants, there can be low morale and reduced commitment in the working. This might be looked at in the micro economic level as affecting only the firm; however, the macro-economic effect has to be put in consideration. The most important benefit of the professionals inflow from the developing to the developed countries is experienced when there is no shortage of the practitioners. This means there shall be improved provision of health care services. The local practitioners in developed countries mostly would need to be paid higher remunerations as compared to the immigrants. Therefore, if the immigrants are employed, it means they shall provide medication at a cheaper rate which will go down reducing the cost that could be passed to the consumer. On the other hand, the government will benefit from the taxes that will be collected from the foreign practitioners (Crush, pp 7). Conclusion Both countries have some benefits and costs they get when the professionals migrate. However, as argued, most of developing countries get more costs than the benefits from these acts. It is thus important that the concerned stakeholders should come up with policies that would see ethical migration between the receiving and sending country so that no country benefits at the expense of another. Work Cited Crush J. The Global Raiders: Nationalism, Globalization and the South African Brain Drain, 2002. Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 56, Issue 1, pp 4-7. Kapur D Mchale J. Should a Cosmopolitan Worry about the Brain Drain? 2006, Journal of Ethics International Affairs, Vol. 20, Issue 3, pp 11-15. Stewart J, Clark D Clark P F. Migration and Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals: Causes, Consequences and Policy Responses, 2007. Retrieved on October 28, 2008 from http://www. focus-migration. de/The_Migration_and_Re. 2496. 0. html? L=1. Stilwell B, Diallo K, Zurn P, Dal Poz M R, Adams O Buchan J. Developing evidence-based ethical policies on the migration of health workers: conceptual and practical challenges, 2003. Journal of Human Resources for Health, Retrieved on October 28, 2008 from http://www. human-resources-health. com/content/1/1/8. Tujan A. Health Professionals Migration and its Impact on the Philippines, Journal of Asia Pacific Research Network, 2002. vol. 6, Issue 1. Retrieved on October 28, 2008 from http://www. aprnet. org/index. php? a=showc=Volume%206%20March%202002t=journalsi=5.

Carlos Villaluz Francisco Essay Example for Free

Carlos Villaluz Francisco Essay Carlos Villaluz Francisco, born in 1914, was the son of Felipe Francisco and Maria Villaluz of Angono, Rizal. Francisco studied at the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Fine Arts. Before the war, he did illustrations for the Tribune and La Vanguardia, and later, with Victorio Edades and Fermin Sanchez painted sets for the Manila Grand Opera House, and the Clover Theater. He was also a member of the Thirteen Moderns a group formed in 1938. After WWII, Francisco taught at the University of Santo Tomas, simultaneously working in film-making with Miguel conde, as the scriptwriter for Ghenghis Khan, Putol na Kampilan (Broken Sword) and Tatlong Labuyo, (Three Wild Roosters). He also designed costumes for Romeo at Julieta, (Romeo and Juliet) as well as Prinsipe Tenoso, (Prince Tenoso) Ibong Adarna, (Adarna Bird), Siete Infantes de Lara, and the Juan Tamad series. Francisco belonged to the first generation modernists who, with Edades and Galo B.  Ocampo, constituted the pioneering triumvirate which attempted to change the direction of Philippine art from the tenacious influence of the Amorsolo school in new and fresh idioms of visual expression. In the struggle for modern art, Francisco was one of the artists/protagonists in the center of the fray. His painting :Kaingin (Swidden), a modernist composition with strong design and rhythm, won him the first prize in the historic first national art exhibition of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) held at the National Museum in 1948. Francisco, along with Edades and Ocampo were commissioned to do a number of murals for lobbies and for private residences such as that of the architect Juan Nakpil. These murals featured stylized figures in flowing curvilinear lines: nymphs dancing or playing the flute, often against a background of tropical vegetation. Through these works, the artists contributed towards developing a Filipino imagery, drawing inspiration from the the customs and traditions of the Philippine people, as well as from familiar environments. In the quest for a Filipino modernist idiom, Francisco, who chose to be based in his fishing village of Agono, observed Philippine folk aesthetics and researched Philippine histon,, customs, and traditions. He arrived at an idiom which was both Filipino and Asian. Francisco employed bold folk colors, flowing rhythmic lines and decorative patterns often covering the entire field of the painting. He evoked the communal life of Philippine gatherings and celebrations. His images of women were drawn from mythology. uch as Mariang Makiling; from history and legend, such as Princesa Urduja; from customs of the past, such as the maiden carried on a hammock across the mountain in Antipolo; and from contemporary folk, such as the woman preparing fish for sinigang. Fisherfolk were among his favorite subjects since he lived in a fishing village. He showed his closeness to the folk in paintings such as the Camote Eaters, his last and unfinished work. Franciscos first important mural was done for the 1953 International Fair held in Manila. On the theme of 500 years of Philippine History, its scope covered the legendary origin of the Filipino with the first man and woman Malakas and Maganda springing from the primal bamboo, up to the administration of then incumbent President Elpidio Quirino. The mural was finely executed in wood by the Paete woodcarvers. Foreign visitors to the Fair were impressed by Franciscos mural which received full Newsweek, but local sentiment was lukewarm and the work was promptly carelessly disposed of after the fair. Franciscos major masterpiece is the mural for the Bulwagang Katipunan of the Manila City Hall, commissioned by Manila mayor Antonio Villegas during his administration. Filipino Struggles through History chronicles the history of Manila from the first great Rajahs of Tondo, the Spanish colonial period, Balagtas, Rizal and the Revolution of 1896, up to the American colonial period which becomes the history of the entire nation itself. In this work Francisco often integrated several historical episodes, in smaller scale, under one period. The episode groups, however, are not static but flow into each other by means of various linking devices, such as a winding river, flames branching out, or clouds coiling in spirals. The murals are marked by artistic vigor and inexhaustible inventiveness, a lively characterization of the numerous historical figures, and unifying all, a strong sense of design. Andres Bonifacios figure makes a compelling visual impact as he is shown forging forward, leading the Katpunero with their long bamboo spears, rifles, and bolos. Among the many dynanic scenes is the encounter between Limahong and the Spanish soldiers as they thrust their weapons at each other. A smaller mural is the Pageant of Commerce in four sections: two sides on the history of Philippine trade, from commercial relations with China and Arabia to the Manila Acapulco alleon trade: a section on the development of modern industry in factories, travel and communication; and the central one of a Filipino couple in native costume, the woman slipping a coin into a bamboo alkansya, with the spirit of commerce hovering above. Francisco also did the murals on the Life and Miracles of St Dominic for Santo Domingo Church, 1954; and the Stations of the Cross for Far Eastern University, 1956. He worked with Victorio Edades and Galo B.  Ocampo on the mural of Rising Philippines for the Capitol Theater and murals for the Golden Gate Exposition, the State Theater, the houses of Pres Manuel Quezon, Ernesto Rufino, and Vicente Rufino. Franciscos Kaingin won first prize in the 1948 painting competition of the Art Association of the Philippines. He received the Patnubav ng Sining at Kalinangan Award from the City of Manila in 1964. He was proclaimed National Artist in painting in 1973.

Sainsburys Opportunities for Expansion: Analysis

Sainsburys Opportunities for Expansion: Analysis 1. Introduction The aim of this report is to analysis the accessibility and strategies for Sainsburys to entry India retailer market. Based on findings, the report employs Dunning OLI theory and Porters diamond framework to discuss the possibility of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), gives recommendation on whether Sainsburys should access Indian supermarket sector or not. Furthermore, it provides some available strategies for addressing and strengthens risks and opportunities in India. Strategies comprise of several elements, which include entry mode, location choice, main products, human resource strategy and marketing strategy. As known, with huge domestic demand and fast growing GDP rate, India is one of the fastest growing emerging markets. Although, bearing various restraints for MNEs, it also has high potential in economic development, which makes India one of the ideal destinations for multinational enterprises (MNEs). Strict commercial regulations set by Indian government pose additional potential risks for MNES to cooperate with local enterprises. By giving emphasis on regulation aspect, this report also examines Sainsburys ability for surviving in the competitive market. Wal-Mart and Tesco have invested capital into India market for a while. Some people keep positive think that they can successful survive in local competitive market. But some people still keep looking this new market. No matter what difference of MNEs consideration, Invest in India seems a new trend in many industries. Based on very different opportunities and risks, what kind of strategy does Sainsburys can develop in India, and that is our group learning from here and concerning. 2. Company profile Sainsburys is the third biggest supermarket retailer in the UK. There are more than 290 convenience stores and 502 supermarkets across the UK. According to statistic provided by Datamoniton (2010), more than 18 million customers visit Sainsbury every week. The financial performance is excellent for the past few years, as reported the pre-tax profit increased by 57.3% from  £466 million in 2009 to 733 million in 2010. (Key note, 2010). Food and grocery are the main products, despite of displaying high-end products from other independent suppliers, the own brand which accounts for 40% of its sales, also showed promising driving power. Moreover, its new strategy is to develop more products of private labels and promote local organic products (GMID, 2010). 3. Macro and micro investment environment analysis The macro and micro investment environment analysis integrated two methodologies. Basically, this report adopts Dunnings (1988) OLI theory to critically examine Sainsburys ownership, location and internalization conditions in India. However, due to the limitations of OLI theory, the report also employs Porters diamond theory to help to give full interpretation. It would contribute to give a depth and board analysis of investment environment. 3.1 Ownership analysis Table1. Ownership analysis Advantages Disadvantages Capital advantage High reputation for offering good quality food to customers Low demand of electric energy Less FDI experience in Asia Relatively weak demand of matched customers Low level infrastructure and poor electricity supply In terms of Sainsburys ownership, there are three principal advantages. 3.1.1 Strong capital position Sainsburys has stronger position that superior to the Indian local biggest retail companies. Compared Pantaloons Retail Limited, which is the biggest Indian retailer with an asset of Rs 1030.16 million, Sainsburys has a net current assets  £4,966 million in 2010 ( £1=Rs47.273, Feb, 2011) (Sainsburys annual report, 2010, refresh annual report, 2009-2010, Yahoo finance, n. d.). Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar, the subsidiaries of Pantaloons, are the first and second biggest retail shops in India (Techchandani, n. d.). 3.1.2 Serve for customers Sainsburys has strong awareness of offering good quality foods to customers. In the UK, proprietary, a system that retailers indicate quality assurance by selling products under their own labels as their brand products, is a common method (Holleran, Bredahl and Zaibet, 1999). Under this system, Sainsburys sells foods as its brand, and consumers trust its brand (Cotterill, 1997). It is because the high quality own brand merchandise that enhanced Sainsbury brand influence, also improved supply chain management, to fulfill the customers, suppliers and Sainsburys needs (Baidu, 2011) 3.1.3 Low electric energy store operating skills During 2009 to 2010, Sainsburys reduced its consumption of energy 2.5% despite of extending over 6% of its space by introducing eco-light bulb for store operation (Sainsburys, 2010). India is fifth biggest energy consume county and its energy supply is in a poor condition (India Energy Market Overview, 2010, Central Electricity Authority, 2010). Therefore, operating stores in instable electric condition, this low energy store operating skill might be competitiveness when competing with others (Sainsburys, n. d.). 3.1.4 Weakness On the other hand, there are also limitations. Though, Sainsburys is operating a head office in Hong Kong and it trades Asian products directly to Sainsburys in the UK, the operating type is not a retailer. Without investment or operations overseas as a retailer company, Sainsburys is lack of experience (Import Bureau, n. d.). 3.2 Internalization analysis As relative data mentioned, it shows that immature supply chain management and poor quality of infrastructure and technology skills are keys to add transaction costs. Recently, Sainsburys is aggressively developing strategy of private label, it includes food and non-food product (GMID, 2009). In order to maintain high quality and low costs own-brand, logistics management and advanced technology play critical roles. However, India supply chain is not well developed. For example, many food suppliers cannot prevent food spoil in hot weather. Therefore, Sainsburys cannot exploit local logistic to link present strategy of private label (GMID, 2010). Furthermore, it is a challenge for Sainsburys to decrease transaction costs effectively in India. Tsao et al (2010) reported that it is high spoilage rates around between 25% and 30% in grain supply chains. Besides, lack of information technology, logistics concepts make the service price greater crop costs approximately over 2.4 times. Sainsburys incurred high costs by 210% despite the fact that wholesalers, retailers and the intermediaries are the foundation for determining the final price. By contrast, in the western countries, the rates are approximately 3% and between 50% and 100%. Therefore, in this immature environment, Sainsburys may greatly shrink its margin. 3.3 Location analysis Advantages 3.3.1 Market size (Porters diamond) The organized retail sector makes up 5% of the Indian retail market. According to a research, investment in the organized retail market was around $ 503.2 million in 2009, and will increase to $1.26 billion in the next four to five years. Indias retail sector is expected to have a 10% increase in its compound annual growth rate and also estimated to reach US$ 833 billion by 2013 and US$ 1.3 trillion by 2018 (Business maps of India). 3.3.2. Increasing demand (Porters diamond) Nowadays, potential investors are attracted to the Asia Pacific retail market because of their population size and growth prospects, the relative immaturity of many markets in these regions helps them to take advantage by organizing the retail sector and increase the share of overall retail sales (Business Environment Outlook, 2010). The A.T. Kearneys annual Global Retail Development Index for 2010 categorises the retail market in India is as the fifth largest destination in the world and also the third most attractive emerging market for investment in the retail sector (Market Overview, 2010). 3.3.3. Low Labor costs (Eclectic paradigm) A new survey shows that labor costs in India are euros 2,024 a year, while the financial cost of employing a worker in Belgium, Sweden and Germany is more than euros 50, 000 per year (SiliconIndia news, April 2005). Besides, there is a high level of qualified English speaking workforces in India. 3.3.4. Competition condition According to the retail market data, the table shows that India maintains the 2nd position with a high score of 63 for its market entry potential. This simply reflects Indias underdeveloped retail market as well as the absence of local and multinational competition. India also recorded a good score for the value of retail sales and prospects for retail growth. In this market, there are local mom and pop family stores and the existing supermarket brands occupying the majority domestic market, as well as multinational brands which are planning to enter. Mom and pop family stores still dominate supermarket business. Since the large super market chain has not build an effective supply chain yet, it leads to the increase of products prices. Moreover, people prefer the service, as most of these shops offer home delivery, easy credit, and gifts and discounts for customers, by contrast, large supermarket cannot offer as good service as Mom and Pop. In addition, more than 2000 supermarket chain closed in 2008 due to these little shop and economic downturn. It is a significant challenge for the most supermarkets now and future (Srivastava, 2009). Despite of the existing 15 stores spanning India, Marks Spencer Reliance India are planning to open 35 stores over the next five years. Carrefour SA, the largest retailer of Europe, is planning to open who lesale stores in India by 2010 and has planned to set up the cash-and-carry outlet in the National Capital Region. Mahindra Retail, a part of the Mahindra Group, is also planning an investment at about $ 19.8 million. Threats Table2. Asia pacific retail business environment ratings Source: India Retail Report Q3 2010, pg. 10 3.3.5 Limits of Potential Returns Within the country structure category, India drops to the bottom of the table with a score of 40 indicating that a high score for the size of its population is balanced by low scores for its small urban population and spending capacity of its general population (Business Environment Outlook, 2010). In terms of retail market data, the table shows that India maintains the 2nd position with a high score of 63 for its market entry potential. This simply reflects Indias underdeveloped retail market as well as the absence of local and multinational competition. India also recorded a good score for the value of retail sales and prospects for retail growth. 3.3.6 Risk of Realisation of Returns The market risk data shows that India has the second lowest score. This signifies that the regulatory environment would affect factors relating to market entry. The country risks data also rating India as the second lowest. This shows that India possesses a high score in the areas of economic instability and policy, moderate in the areas of financial risk, short-term economic rating and short-term political rating. Finally, India has a poor score for long-term inflation, institutions, physical infrastructure, market orientation and labour infrastructure (Business Environment Outlook, 2010) 3.3.7 Infrastructure of advanced factor (Porters diamond) The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 reports that Indias infrastructure is in serious need of upgrade especially in respect to transportation and energy supply (World Economic Forum). In relation to this, much of Indias farm produce gets to rot to market because of few refrigerated trucks and lack of modern transport logistics management (The Telegraph, 2011). Table3. Indias development stage Source: Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 The diagram above shows the stage of development in comparison with the rest of the world. The diagram indicates that India is still in stage 1 which is the factor driven stage. India scores 3.5 out of 7 with respect to its infrastructure which is quite poor and needs an upgrade. It is very important to possess efficient infrastructure because it is a critical determinant for economic growth and it determines the location for economic activities and this helps to connect markets between regions and also reduce the cost of marketing in another region (World Economic Forum) 4. Recommendation Based on analysis of Dunning OLI theory and Porters diamond, the shortages makes Sainsbury cannot fulfill all elements at the same time. Despite of Indias huge market size and fast growing economy, there are still shortcomings which will affect Sainsburys investment. It lacks good infrastructure, high level of corruption, long-term inflation, unstable government policies and issues with government regulations on FDI. Furthermore, it is facing the competition from both local competitors and other multinational enterprises which are investing or planning to. A good example for lack of infrastructure is the need for more enough refrigerated trucks to preserve farm produce during transportation to the markets and this can also be related to the lack of a modern transport logistics management. Lastly, it may not have cost efficiency as invest supermarket in India. Therefore, we strong recommend Sainsburys do not direct invest supermarket in India now. However, we support the second option for Sainsburys. We suggest that Sainsbury enter India in the term of operating as a supplier business. It based on followed reasons: 1. In July 2010, Dean Nelson reported that India is making a move to deregulate its retail sectors so as to allow British supermarket giants like Tesco and Sainsburys has the opportunity to set up new stores throughout the country. 2. More also, Britain is hoping that India will lift its restrictions in various sectors like banking, insurance, financial and professional services so as to allow law and accountancy firms to practice there. It is believed that the establishment of British Universities in India would help meet the high demand for higher education (The Telegraph, 2011). The purpose of this relationship is to exchange knowledge and technology that can both benefit the two nations and can help the growth of mutual trade and investment. Although the relative regulation has not passed yet, it actually can give investors more confidence. Hence, we suggest Sainsburys can start with supplier business and prepare for establishing supermarket someday when the timeliness is rape for it. Furthermore, it will benefit Sainsburys to own more competitive advantages in the future. 4.1 Entry modes of Sainsbury There are several modes that the multinationals can apply, such as joint venture, mixed venture with the government and take part in privatisation. However, as mention above, there are various regulations making the joint venture the only possible mode. There are both advantages and disadvantages regard with joint venture. 4.1.1 Advantages From ownership aspect, it can reduce the capital of investment since local government accounts for 51% and organization owns 49% share. This can decentralize the risk and save the capital because this model can substantially reduce risks of being subject to nationalization or other types of adverse government interference. Another benefit is Sainsbury take the advantage of partnership in terms of original channel, reputation, knowledge, technique and existing system. For example, Sainsburys can share local knowledge and marketing experiences with local partner, such as management system, skills, language and culture that are necessary for competing in India. Moreover, the local company can help to handle many issues with local government, such as labour dispute, environment and union issues. 4.1.2 Disadvantages Nevertheless, this entry mode also is facing several shortcomings, such as the multinationals are easy to lose control over the technology, unable to engage in global strategic operation, and easy to lead to conflicts over goals and objectives. Because of Indias restrictive commercial laws, instead of operating as a retailor, Sainsburys can only form an alliance with domestic conglomerates to undertake wholesale-only operation, such as outlet, cash-and-carry wholesale stores, before the government loosen its restriction over this field. 4.2 Wholesaler advantages in India Sainsburys is good at developing own brand product in UK. And, some India enterprise start to realize the advantages of own-brand, such as decrease unites costs and enhances customer loyalty. The market orientation of Sainsburys is upper class level in the retailer or wholesale areas, and the main customer group is targeted at middle class and even higher. Moreover, in terms of the consumer behavior is rapidly changing in India; some tend to seek for the high-quality product with low price and the brand name. Thus, it successfully increases the market demand of the own brand goods of Sainsburys. In sum, Sainsburys can adopt high-end and differentiation strategy via private label for increasing competitions in market (GMID, 2011 Key note, 2011). 4.3 Localization Kerala state is chosen as the best location for Sainsburys subsidiary because of the optimal investment environment and considerable population of middle class. From the investment environment perspectives, in addition to the well-constructed infrastructure, the education popularization, universal health insurance is the highest across India and as well. The average income in local around $1,040, and the economic growth rate around 13.5 % and high level of FDI ($2.6 billion) between 2000 and 2008. Retailer, tourism, education, IT and IT service are main industries there. Literacy rate is 90% of local residents, and it has a widely influence of making people to accept a concept of higher quality food and other product. (Ministry of economic affairs of ROC, 2010) The follow table gives more information in terms of competitive advantage by Porters diamond. Table4: competitive advantage on Kerala state Factor endowment Educated population rate higher than other state in India Developed natural resources and agricultural environment Well Infrastructure Demand condition Increasing awareness of brand and food quality in south India. People have well educated and higher consumption capacity Health food is excepted to become important to urban consumers Relating and support industries Generate spillover effect due to flourishing farming industry Develop rapidly in Service industry Firm strategy, structure, and rivalry Increasing rivalry including local and international enterprise, e.g. Hindustan Unilever, Nestlà © Export-oriented food industry in local enterprise Sources: GMID, 2010 Moreover, according to OLI analysis in previous sections, it can substantially reduce threats if Sainsburys invest in Kerala. For example, the skill of food manufactory and infrastructure are superior to other places in India. The local government intends to build advanced transportation network to link with other big cities. It can release the stress of food spoil, and it will cover a greater region in south India for Sainsburys. Furthermore, high degree of education is the key to implement Sainsburys strategy (i.e. quality product and own brand). 4.4 Marketing strategy When Sainsburys run business in India, its high quality reputation will be able to opportunity on it marketing activities, on the other hand, cultural differences will be a risk. To utilize the opportunities and manage the risk, target marketing strategy and localization strategy might be useful (Salomon, et al., 2009). For example, Sainsburys high quality reputation is its competitiveness, so if it focuses on quality sensitive Indian customers it can make clear discrimination with competitors. Also, localization of products, promotion and price is also important for Sainsburys to success its business in India. For example, over 80% of people are Hinduism and they do not eat beef and many people are vegetarians (Hill, C. W. L, 2011). About the population, young age structure (0-14 years) is 30.5% and it is higher than U.K. and it might affect its offering products promotion (Central Intelligence Agency, n. d.). 4.5 Human resources management Superior human resource management (HRM) can be a sustained source of high productivity and competitive advantage in the global economy (Hill, 2011). There are three types of staffing policy. According to the International Business, if Sainsburys use the global standardization policy, it has two advantages which use HRM efficiently, and build a strong culture and unofficial management networks (2009). However, it still has some disadvantages, such as high cost, and limitation from national immigration policies. When Sainsburys invests in India, it needs to estimate the consumption ability and business performance of India, and then to calculate initial personnel cost which has to accordance with local regulations and culture, to carry out with Sainsburys organization chart recruitment. There are two stages of recruitments (see Table 1). Table5. Strategy of recruitments Strategy Advantage Disadvantage Short term Internal recruitment External recruitment Part time recruitment To build human resource database Have more time option and retention talents High cost of HRM Lack talents Expatriate failure Middle and Long term To train staff Cultural training Practical training Compensation Department rotation To develop international view To decrease culture myopia To improve local responsiveness Training and relocation costs increase Need a higher compensation structure Source: HRM, n. d.; International Business, 2011 As can be seen from the above table, the short term illustrates that internal recruitment is the fastest method for HRM, but it does not have any assist to build a new HR database in India. At the beginning of the investment, Sainsburys needs to spend high price for HRM (HRM, n. d.). After this stage, training staff is very important, because it can get some benefit such as developing international view for employees which will cost a lot than before. Sainsburys needs to consider this point and makes a balance about the cost.

Satire, Surrealism and Dark Humor in Vonneguts Cats Cradle :: Vonnegut Cats Cradle

Satire, Surrealism and Dark Humor in Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle "And there on the shaft in letters six inches high, so help me God, was the word: Mother" (48) "'If that's mother,' said the driver, 'what in hell could they have raised over father?'" As the reader soon finds out, 40 cm of marble, as directed by Felix Hoenikker's will, that says "FATHER" (49). Vonnegut stops you short and plucks at your hand like a little boy who has just shaved the cat and can't wait to show you what he's done: you can't, as a responsible adult, laugh at the absurdity of the bald and shivering feline because you know that you should be astonished, offended, annoyed, anything but burst out laughing, which you desperately desire to do. Vonnegut acts as Wrang-Wrang in this scene; two men in an ice storm, marveling at a towering alabaster penis given in memoriam to a mother by her children. Vonnegut's use of the surreal (and, by the way, this is also an episode of, if not dark, then very twisted humor) in the scene discourages the reader's scrutiny so that Vonnegut can slip his point across without notice. What point? Possibly, and this could be just me thinking aloud, the scene describes the strength of the mother and the dual roles she had to play; the father was also a child, as simple and pure in his intellectual ecstasy as, well, a marble cube. "The marker was an alabaster phallus twenty feet high and three feet thick" (48), Vonnegut crows, inviting you to stand in the cold with him and wonder with the driver exactly what in hell is going on†¦ Satire is thrown into CC early and often, so much that it seems almost unfairly easy to extract examples, but it is such an integral component of the novel that it requires at least a look-see. One of my favorite parts of the book is the scene on the airplane where Jonah meets not one but two stereotypical "Ugly Americans," a term coined by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick in the title of their 1958 novel of the same name. The Mintons are well educated, speaking "six or seven" (65) languages between the two of them but see the people and places they have seen during their diplomatic careers as "About the same" (65). They are what Bokonon calls a duprass that will, as Jonah points out, die at very nearly the same time when the world is overcome by ice-nine.

Hajj :: essays research papers

The Hajj: Pilgrimage Mecca is also known as Makkah and its full name is Makkah al-Mukkaramah. Mecca is a city in the Hijaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It is known as the holiest site in the Islamic religion. The history of Mecca goes back as early as the fifth century. It was an independent and powerful city in pre-Islamic times. It is the religious center for Islamic people and it houses the Kaaba and the Great Mosque. It is also the birthplace of Muhammad, the first capital of caliphate, and the center of present day mosques. In 630 Muhammad and some of his followers went into the city of Mecca and captured it. Mecca is said to have started one of the most important religions in the world and it brings together the Islamic religion. When people think about Mecca one of the first things that might come to their heads is the pilgrimage or the black stone. Muhammad is one of the reasons that Mecca is what it is today. Muhhamad was a prophet born 570 in Mecca. He was orphaned as a child and sent to ended up living with his uncle. Muhhamad would get away from everything by going to the desert to meditate. One night while alone at Mt. Hira he was visited by an angel named Gabriel. After this Muhhamad began to accept Allah and started to believe. Some of the things Muhhamad believed was Jihad, holy struggle. He also began to believe you live for Allah. He believed all those who did would be rewarded and the rest punished. Not everyone believed the way Muhammad did. People at first thought that his teachings were a threat to the religious and material order. He was accused of making up what the Angel Gabriel had told him. He got followers from the poor and people who thought they were being unequally treated. Muhha mad took these people and then left and went to Medina to find more followers. He then returned to Mecca later and took over the city and converted everyone to Islam. In the Islamic faith there are five pillars that they must follow to their best ability. The Salaht, the Hajj, they must give to the poor, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and repetition of the creed, "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." These pillars are more like obligations in the Islamic religion.

My Life :: Essays Papers

My Life Some people may be writing this essay not so much about themselves, but about the things that they do or the activities they enjoy. Ex. I listen to this band The Obnoxious Yellers, they are so great they yell and scream and its great music, I went to their concert the other day too it was so fun we got cotton candy and crown surfed and everything. This is not an essay about the writer, it is about someone else, and somewhere else. I intend on informing whoever is going to read this piece of who I am, why I am, what I am, and what I intend to become. I was born in Brooklyn, NY. I lived there for 2 years before moving to Greenwich, CT. Until now I never really thought much of the town, for I never really had a glimpse of any other aspect of living. Then through my adolescence, which technically I am still in, I traveled, for vacation and just for plain curiosity. I took the train to Philadelphia when I was 13 just to see what it was like, and returned later that day with a more enlightened state of mind. I have done the same for many towns through the years, and come to appreciate the surrounding that I live in now. It came to me when reading TIME magazine, I came upon an article that in on sentence compared one of the poorest living areas in the U.S., to one of the wealthiest ones. Compton Vs. Greenwich. After just seeing those two words together like that meant something, the writer was viewing Greenwich as top living conditions, and I’m here. Weird. I like to go out at night, I like to go to parties, I like to have parties, I do not like a night without a party. This summer I worked on the weekends at 6:30 in the morning which meant that the normal person would have to wake up pretty darn early, not me I would just find the party that was going to go on the longest and stay there all night until work. Typical amount of sleep from Friday to Sunday was 4 hours. That’s what I like to do, well at least after I figured out the meaning of life and decided not to hold anything back. Life was meant to be lived, we were not put here to work, or do anything for that matter.

Global Limited System Essay

Global Limited is a global provider of infrastructure information systems, whose services cater to a wide range of industry sectors. One of Global Limited’s business objectives is information security for their clients. In order to provide their clients with information security, Global Limited has utilized a risk management approach to protect their client’s information. From a security standpoint the step taken by Global Limited are sound and will maximize the security of their client’s information. The main weakness as such will remain at the user level. If the end users both internal and external are not security conscious and vigilant in their security awareness then there is a risk of a vulnerability being exploited. The access controls Global Limited implemented using access tokens and PIN numbers for authentication provides a level of security to protect unauthorized access to data and systems. The additional use of the Data Loss Prevention (DLP) product to manage data across the network is integral to compliance of the CIA triad. Global Limited’s approach of layered security from end- point to end user utilized several different methods of controls thus providing their clients with a single comprehensive strategy. Although there is no real way to have complete security against all threats, Global Limited has provided their clients with a secure solution without being so intrusive that the end users cannot do their jobs. If a company or organization’s data and systems are not secure, be it from lack of proper controls or improper physical security, then they would be out of compliance with industry standards. According to the SOX act a company is supposed to have internal controls in place to prevent and detect unauthorized access of financial data. Global’s risk management approach was a key factor in the success of their efforts to protecting their cl ient’s information assets. By utilizing risk management strategies Global was able to detect vulnerabilities where there were the  most likelihood of threat and implement controls to detect and/or prevent breaches of the security controls. The risk management process ensured Global addressed security measures at all levels of the IT/domain. Having remote external access to Global’s network poses many threats. Lack of physical controls over devices could result in breaches. If a person lost a laptop that ad sensitive data or kept their login credentials stored on their phones, an unauthorized person could gain access. If data is not properly classified and protected it could be compromised through VPN. Some other tools that are comparable to those used by Global are Biometrics and cryptographic keys used for authentication. Titan CMS is similar to Global’s DLP suite in that it classifies, monitors and secures data across a network. Clone Guard provides vulnerability scanning, intrusion detection, and penetration testing to test an organizations defensive countermeasures and identify threats. References Managed Network Security, IDS IPS Solutions Provider – Clone Systems, Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://www.clone-systems.com/?gclid=CPCGzpWn1r0CFaVxOgodtEcAeQ Titan CMS content management systems. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://titancms.com/home.htm

Dell Supply Chain Management

Research Publication Date: 12 November 2010 ID Number: G00208603 Case Study for Supply Chain Leaders: Dell's Transformative Journey Through Supply Chain Segmentation Matthew Davis Faced with ever-changing customer needs, product commoditization, unique global requirements and new, low-cost competitors, Dell embarked on a three-year journey to segment its supply chain response capabilities. The company designed its supply chains based on a mix of cost optimization, delivery speed and product choices that customers value, while aligning internally across all functions to execute against this vision. Key Findings Dell's market and business strategies changed, requiring the company to move from a single supply chain to a customer segmentation supply chain approach. A unified, cross-functional business strategy with collaborative, decision-making processes across sales, marketing, product design, finance and supply chain is essential for segmentation. Segmentation is enabled by a cost-to-serve (CTS) methodology to dynamically allocate costs to business decisions, highlight net profitability and drive the right actions for each supply chain. Supply chain segmentation is a multiyear journey enabled by the development and alignment of organizational skills to the needs of the journey's different phases. Recommendations Start with segmentation of your company's customers and channels to understand the different demand rhythms and cycles. Focus on decreasing the time required to sense or shape changes to end-customer demand. Begin the design of your supply chain portfolio by isolating and quantifying costs of an end-to-end supply chain that optimizes for operational efficiency. Repeat this analysis for supply chains that require different supply chain responses (for example, agility rather than efficiency). Use a clear set of goals to align cross-functional metrics and incentives to your portfolio in order to drive the right business decisions for each supply chain.  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Gartner is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. or its affiliates. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without Gartner's prior written permission. The information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information and shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in such information. This publication consists of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Although Gartner research may include a discussion of related legal issues, Gartner does not provide legal advice or services and its research should not be construed or used as such. Gartner is a public company, and its shareholders may include firms and funds that have financial interests in entities covered in Gartner research. Gartner's Board of Directors may include senior managers of these firms or funds. Gartner research is produced independently by its research organization without input or influence from these firms, funds or their managers. For further information on the independence and integrity of Gartner research, see â€Å"Guiding Principles on Independence and Objectivity† on its website, http://www. gartner. om/technology/about/ombudsman/omb_guide2. jsp Refine and govern your supply chain portfolio continually by establishing crossfunctional review processes between sales, marketing, product design, finance and supply chain. Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 2 of 11 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Dell revolutionized supply chain management with its direct model, configure-to-order (CTO) manufacturing, just-in-time inventory model and impressive cash-to-cash conversion cycle. The company has been a staple in the top five of the AMR Supply Chain Top 25 every year since it started in 2004. But demand for commoditized products, changes in customer channel preferences, emerging market growth, component cost declines, a more capable supply base and globalization have challenged the singular supply chain. In this case study, Gartner examines Dell's period of transformative change as it segmented customer requirements to create a portfolio of supply chain capabilities that provided multiple offerings focused on cost efficiency, speed to customers, choice of features and personalization and/or services. We follow the journey from the perspective of key leaders within Dell's supply chain transformation: Annette Clayton, VP of global operations and supply chain; Jennifer Loveland, disruptive strategy senior manager; Perry Noakes, director of global business excellence and lean; and Bruce Raven, global supply chain optimization senior manager. CASE STUDY Introduction Dell responded to changes in the market by determining how different segments of customers derive value from its products and services. The company's analytics showed customer demand had become quite complex. The B2B market demands predictability, speed, customization, services and precision delivery. Consumers want multiple channel options, the ability to personalize for niche products, low-price options and devices that deliver content. This complexity will only increase as content and virtualization begin to drive the market. To address these issues, Dell segmented its supply chain as part of a multiyear transformation (see Figure 1). Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 3 of 11 Figure 1. Dell Supply Chain Evolution Source: Dell (November 2010) Historically, Dell was organized by products and/or region. As part of globalization, the company aligned organizations to customer value consistently across regions. In 2008, it began to leverage its partner network of suppliers where capability, quality performance and cost had improved. Dell would retain its in-house network where strategic differentiation was valued by customers and provided a competitive advantage. This work was a precursor for and an enabler of supply chain segmentation. In this research, we review the â€Å"Customer Value — Segmented Supply Chain† portion of Dell's transformation. The Challenge Dell had three main challenges to solve in end-to-end segmentation: Long-term demand sensing to continually refine its portfolio — Dell's direct model provided extensive customer insights, with over two billion online customer visits per year. But the company also had to figure out how to predict where the market was headed, define a three-year outlook of customer needs and support multiple global customer groups. Supply chain design for a new environment — It had to address a changing business strategy, product commoditization and proliferation, emerging markets, global supply networks and multichannel sales and fulfillment. Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 4 of 11 Complexity reduction — Dell had to carve out an end-to-end, â€Å"low-cost† supply chain focused on efficiency, while maintaining its responsive heritage provided by its CTO capability. This required simplification of product designs, configuration management and planning processes. Approach The transformation moved through six different phases, resulting in a governance process focused on continued improvement and portfolio evolution: Identify Customer Values Dell used historical customer knowledge from contracts, survey results, business intelligence (BI) data and platform sales to begin its customer-centric view of value. To provide a robust, outsidein perspective, Dell invested in resources to complete detailed configuration profitability analysis, targeted surveys and external marketing insights from multiple industries. Understand Dell's Strengths As Mr. Raven stated, â€Å"We had to figure out what we needed to change and what we needed to retain based on what customers value. We were trying to identify what skills would be most important for long-term supply chain excellence. † The company identified the following core competencies: deep customer relationships, supply chain agility and a lean culture that continually improved and automated processes. Understand the External Environment An external perspective was provided through partnerships with Dr. David Simchi-Levi (then professor of engineering systems at Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Dr. John Gattorna (then a visiting professor at Cranfield School of Management), cross-industry leaders and various consulting firms. According to Ms. Clayton, â€Å"The perspective of looking outside in is extremely important. We learn from who we believe is doing things best from a variety of industries. † Dell's competitive analysis focused on price points by configuration, new market entrants, such as tablets and smartphones, emerging market requirements and supply chain services. Chart Clear Course and Benefit With a good understanding of customer requirements and the direction of the market, Dell began to design the new supply chain portfolio. It started by defining the supply chain extremes of agility and efficiency (see Figure 2). Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 5 of 11 Figure 2. Chart a Clear Course: Align Product Strategy to Customer Values Source: Dell and Dr. David Simchi-Levi (November 2010) This basic framework was the first step in creating a range of supply chain capabilities. The key was to define the right number of supply chains to fill the gap between most efficient and most agile. Dell went through an extensive exercise to complete this analysis. The company defined 18 potential options, and then simplified to six supply chains. The final result was a portfolio based on a mix of configurations predetermined by Dell and products configurable by customers, paired with â€Å"need it now,† planned and flexible delivery cycle times. Dell also aligned the warranty and services processes to its new portfolio for complete, end-to-end customer solutions. Engage the Entire Organization Segmentation of Dell's supply chain required extensive cross-functional collaboration: IT transformation had to occur in tandem with supply chain transformation, supply chain had to work with finance to enable a CTS methodology and process, and supply chain capability had to be fully integrated with product design throughout the development cycle. Plus, aligning the go-tomarket plans with sales and marketing was essential to driving the desired demand patterns. Continue to Govern and Refine Portfolio The result of Dell's customer channel and supply chain segmentation was the creation of an endto-end model in which multiple capabilities can be arranged in unique configurations to satisfy specific customer requirements (see Figure 3): Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 6 of 11 Figure 3. Engage the Entire Organization: Transformation Is End to End Source: Dell (November 2010) Dell used the â€Å"voice of the customer† value chain to identify the range of capabilities it would need in different functions. The different combinations of these capabilities is what creates the unique supply chain offerings. The company created a standard process to introduce new supply chain requirements. It has a dedicated center of excellence (COE) that intakes requirements from sales, marketing and operations, evaluates the customer benefit and business strategy, and then enables the right changes within product development and supply chain design. Critical to this effort is continuous improvement that utilizes lean methodologies to maintain a focus on what the customers value and conducts benchmarking to provide an outside-in perspective. Results Dell's transformation yielded both financial and qualitative gains: Stronger connection to customers — In Ms. Clayton's words, â€Å"We knew we had to leverage supplier capability and scale, but still control the things that are most important to the customer. We redeployed our resources focused on controlling imaging, delivery and parts of design. We enable best value solutions †¦ giving the customer the exact value they want. † Complexity reduction — Product options had become too complex. In response, Dell reduced configuration complexity in line with customer requirements. As Mr. Noakes stated, â€Å"Product offerings had exceeded customer requirements and were adding unnecessary cost and responsiveness waste in the supply chain. † Improved internal collaboration — Identifying and managing functional interdependencies have driven collaboration across product design, supply chain, marketing, sales and finance. Dell also simplified interactions by centralizing global operations, while aligning to customer verticals. Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 7 of 11 Cost reduction — â€Å"We have realized approximately $1. 5 billion of operational cost reductions between 2008 and 2010. This transformation was a critical factor in that reduction,† said Ms. Clayton. Key drivers in this improvement were leveraging supplier capability and scale, building out new capabilities for the customer, simplified design and reductions in complexity. Improved forecast accuracy — The reduction in complexity and better connection to demand resulted in a three-times increase in forecast accuracy at the product, platform and configuration levels. Critical Success Factors Dell identified four critical success factors: Start with customer value — Historically, customers were segmented by verticals (e. g. , consumer, corporate, government and small business) as well as regions and size. Dell had to look across an aggregated view of these existing groupings to identify shared values relating to product features and supply chain capabilities. A global view was critical to this process. As Mr. Noakes stated, â€Å"[Our] growth markets are not in traditional regions. We need to adjust our model to the new requirements. † A unified, end-to-end business strategy — The Dell team stated this effort was â€Å"truly a corporatewide transformation. † Key to this was the ability to clearly articulate the need for change, the vision and the role of different organizations. To support this communication, several leaders started an internal blog to keep people up to date. Executive sponsorship — The segmentation strategy and potential benefits were shared with the entire executive leadership team to drive cross-functional alignment. Vice Chairman Jeff Clarke was the sponsor of the effort throughout design and implementation. Ms. Clayton added, â€Å"We conduct a weekly, cross-functional executive production governance [meeting] where we spend two-thirds of our time on the future quarters and one-third of our time on how our current quarter plan is being executed. Our planning has become much more unified and strategic. † Dedicated COE — Dell identified 12 key work streams. Each has a VP sponsor, with small teams coordinating and program-managing the change. The company also integrated lean techniques to look across work streams, with four to five value streams to ensure the customer needs were being met by the proposed changes. Lessons Learned According to Mr. Noakes, â€Å"Dell's industry-leading supply chain history has given us the skills to be agile and flexible. It's this history that provides the framework and skills to reach the next levels of success and supply chain leadership. † Five lessons are critical for this evolution: Implementation of Supply Chain Segmentation Is a Journey Dell recognized that the scope of this change would require a multiyear plan and investment. The company set short-term goals to show traction against the overall plan. A key component of the strategy was to pilot capabilities manually, while designing the automated, scalable solution in parallel. This allowed quick wins to build momentum and mitigated risk during the transformation. Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 8 of 11 Different Skills Needed Throughout the Journey Dell had to adapt the following COE skills: Phase 1: vision/design — The skills required are an outside-in perspective focused on customers, knowledge of market and other industries, end-to-end supply chain design and business acumen. Phase 2: change management — The skills required are process design, lean/Six Sigma expertise, data analytics, systems optimization, process automation, program management, organizational influence and communication. Phase 3: orchestrating the ecosystem — Phase 3 denotes a continuously evolving organization focused on translating customer eeds to supply chain capabilities by coordinating and influencing internal and external partners. Cross-Functional Participation Very Necessary Communication across organizations can be difficult, so messages must be tailored to each group. As Ms. Loveland stated, â€Å"The broader the span of communications, the more simplified the message needs to be. † For example, Figure 3, which mapped the portfolio, was simplified when shared across functions (see Figure 4). Figure 4. Engage the Entire Organization: Target Messages by Organization Source: Dell (November 2010) To ensure long-term, cross-functional collaboration, Dell integrated supply chain design into existing product design processes and created a phase-gate review process to standardize future changes to the supply chain. â€Å"Phased releases drive step-function improvements, rather than constant adjustments,† said Ms. Clayton. Finally, metrics across all functions were aligned to the goals of the supply chain portfolio. Transparency of Data Essential Dynamic visibility to customer requirements, demand, cost, materials, forecasts, product road maps, revenue mix and multiple views to margin are required to drive the right decisions. Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 9 of 11 A Balanced Scorecard With Clear Accountability Required Ms. Clayton said, â€Å"We are now able to better balance customer metrics with operational metrics. We're aligned to customer value. For example, we can even provide better ‘green' solutions for customers by balancing logistics nodes with cycle times to take advantage of low-carbon transportation and packaging methodology. The key for Dell is that end-to-end segmentation is an ongoing, evolving journey. Optimization is never done, but rather continuously realigned to changing customer values. RECOMMENDED READING â€Å"Supply Chain Segmentation on the Increase, With High Tech Leading the Pack† â€Å"Supply Chain Strategy for High-Tech Manufacturers: The Handbook for Becoming Demand Driven† â€Å"Supply Chain Segmentation Helps Plexus Evolve From Contract Manufacturer to Pr oduct Realization Partner† â€Å"Top Supply Chain Planning Processes† â€Å"Key Issues for Cross-Industry Supply Chain Leaders, 2010† Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 10 of 11 REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS Corporate Headquarters 56 Top Gallant Road Stamford, CT 06902-7700 U. S. A. +1 203 964 0096 European Headquarters Tamesis The Glanty Egham Surrey, TW20 9AW UNITED KINGDOM +44 1784 431611 Asia/Pacific Headquarters Gartner Australasia Pty. Ltd. Level 9, 141 Walker Street North Sydney New South Wales 2060 AUSTRALIA +61 2 9459 4600 Japan Headquarters Gartner Japan Ltd. Aobadai Hills, 6F 7-7, Aobadai, 4-chome Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0042 JAPAN +81 3 3481 3670 Latin America Headquarters Gartner do Brazil Av. das Nacoes Unidas, 12551 9 ° andar—World Trade Center 04578-903—Sao Paulo SP BRAZIL +55 11 3443 1509 Publication Date: 12 November 2010/ID Number: G00208603  © 2010 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Page 11 of 11