Reaction: Sin Tax Law Essay

I am so glad of the very purpose of passing the sin tax law which is to protect the health and save the lives of the countrymen. This simply means that the government officials are concern about the good health of all Filipinos but this doesn’t mean that I am into this bill, for some reasons that the government or most of the senate themselves failed to look unto. Firstly, I would like to agree with Sen. Marcos who said that farmers stand to lose their livelihood because of the measure. This is very true, we all know of the fact that Philippines’ one trademark in the field of import and export of raw materials is the tobacco, there have been a lot of Filipino families who are dependent on their incomes from tobacco industries and wine manufactories. And here comes this bill passed without proposing alternatives that would help these people; it should be taken an account in the first place . It is even harder for the government to generate jobs for thousands of jobless Filipinos who have finished their degrees how much more these people. Is the government expecting them to easily shift to another source of income? What kind of income would that be? Smuggling? Second, given the proposed prices of alcohol and cigarettes, I see it as so illogical for the government to risk their time and effort on this issue , giving the people-friendly prices at the end of the day I suggest this is not supporting to their proposal, because for the people who have been addicted to cigarettes and alcohol, like the need of rice no matter how you increase the price since it is what they needed and wanted they’d rather take the risk to get a source of money just to buy those things. Sin tax is a form of an excise tax. It is a tax levied on some commodities but not all commodities unlike sales tax. This is how the government generates more revenues However, the opposition claims that this bill will backfire on its goals. Since the price of the price of the commodities will rise, the demand will decrease. Thus, there will be no revenues to generate which contrast one of the goals of the bill since industries such as tobacco will die. However, the p roducts under sin tax are vices. Some people are already addicted to them. Even if the price of these products will rise , people will still buy though some price conscious such as the poor sector and students will cut their consumption .Plus, even the demand for the sin products will decrease; the increased tax will make up for the loss demand. Thus, the industries will not die. The opposition also said that the rate of smuggling will worsen. Thats all i can say this law. REACTION: SIN TAX LAW Sumptuary taxes are ostensibly used for reducing transactions involving something that society considers undesirable, and is thus a kind of sumptuary law. Sin tax is used for taxes on activities that are considered socially undesirable. Common targets of sumptuary taxes are alcohol and tobacco, gambling, and vehicles emitting excessive pollutants. Sumptuary tax on sugar and soft drinks has also been suggested.[1] Some jurisdictions have also levied taxes on illegal drugs such as cocaine and marijuana.[citation needed] The revenue generated by sin taxes is sometimes used for special projects, but might also be used in the ordinary budget. American cities and countries have used them to pay for stadiums, while in Sweden the tax for gambling is used for helping people with gambling problems. Sin taxes have historically triggered rampant smuggling and black markets, especially when they create large price differences in neighboring jurisdictions.[citation needed] †¢ Critics of sin tax argue[who?] that it is a regressive tax in nature and discriminates against the lower classes, since taxation of a product such as alcohol or cigarettes does not account for ability to pay, therefore poor people pay a greater amount of their income as tax. Sin taxes are not normally value added in nature meaning that expensive, high-quality products more likely to be purchased by the wealthy will have the tax comprise a much smaller proportion of its final purchase price, thus ensuring that the lower classes pay a much greater proportion of their lower income in tax. Sin taxes fail to affect consumers’ behaviorS in the way that tax proponents suggest, for instance increasing smokers’ propensity to smoke high-tar, high-nicotine cigarettes when the per-pack price is raised and increasing the rate of people mixing their own drinks rather than buying pre-mix alcoholic spirits

Foxy Originals

Executive Summary With the growing popularity of its products, Foxy Originals was running the risk of becoming over-saturated in the Canadian market. In an effort to avoid this problem, the company decided to enter the U. S. market by January, 2005. To achieve this goal, Foxy Originals had to make a vital decision regarding its distribution strategy: Would the company attend trade shows or hire sales representatives? Foxy Originals’ strengths reside in its owners’ experience, stylish products, pricing strategy, and its current market presence.The company’s weaknesses include local market saturation, lack of international market experience, and the high cost of securing retail accounts. Tapping into the US jewellery market creates virtually unlimited opportunities for Foxy Originals. The company will gain a larger customer base, wider brand exposure, and greater international market experience. Although entering the US market presents Foxy Originals with huge oppo rtunities, it also presents significant threats.Threats the company may face are the risk of being eliminated by stronger, better marketed competitors; potentially low demand for its product and expensive marketing and distribution. Foxy Originals is trying to decide on the best strategy for expanding into the US market. The company must overcome its unfamiliarity with the US jewellery market, its lack of a solid marketing and distribution strategy, and the high costs of acquiring new retail accounts.The company currently has three options: Foxy Originals can sell its products at trade shows; or it can hire sale representatives to sell their products; or the company can benefit from using both distribution methods. The company must carefully evaluate expected profits, market-entry time, and the complexity of each alternative The costs of hiring sales representatives are much lower than any other alternative, and the expected revenues are much higher.Sales representatives have experi ence and contacts to make quick sales, assuring Foxy Originals a quick introduction into the U. S. market. By the end of 2004, in major US cities, with a cost of $19,182. 50, Foxy Originals should will and train four sales representatives. Working with recruiters and following its regular employment procedures, the company should hire, train, and equip four ambitious, aggressive, enthusiastic account executives, assigning each to a major US metropolitan area.Because the company will face fierce competition in large urban cities, Foxy Originals should focus on slightly smaller markets with less competition and higher demand. Foxy Originals also must develop a distinctly American collection—stylish and affordable. By differentiating itself, offering unique and affordable products, Foxy Originals will insure profitable expansion into the US market. Foxy Originals Executive Summary With the growing popularity of its products, Foxy Originals was running the risk of becoming over-saturated in the Canadian market. In an effort to avoid this problem, the company decided to enter the U. S. market by January, 2005. To achieve this goal, Foxy Originals had to make a vital decision regarding its distribution strategy: Would the company attend trade shows or hire sales representatives? Foxy Originals’ strengths reside in its owners’ experience, stylish products, pricing strategy, and its current market presence.The company’s weaknesses include local market saturation, lack of international market experience, and the high cost of securing retail accounts. Tapping into the US jewellery market creates virtually unlimited opportunities for Foxy Originals. The company will gain a larger customer base, wider brand exposure, and greater international market experience. Although entering the US market presents Foxy Originals with huge oppo rtunities, it also presents significant threats.Threats the company may face are the risk of being eliminated by stronger, better marketed competitors; potentially low demand for its product and expensive marketing and distribution. Foxy Originals is trying to decide on the best strategy for expanding into the US market. The company must overcome its unfamiliarity with the US jewellery market, its lack of a solid marketing and distribution strategy, and the high costs of acquiring new retail accounts.The company currently has three options: Foxy Originals can sell its products at trade shows; or it can hire sale representatives to sell their products; or the company can benefit from using both distribution methods. The company must carefully evaluate expected profits, market-entry time, and the complexity of each alternative The costs of hiring sales representatives are much lower than any other alternative, and the expected revenues are much higher.Sales representatives have experi ence and contacts to make quick sales, assuring Foxy Originals a quick introduction into the U. S. market. By the end of 2004, in major US cities, with a cost of $19,182. 50, Foxy Originals should will and train four sales representatives. Working with recruiters and following its regular employment procedures, the company should hire, train, and equip four ambitious, aggressive, enthusiastic account executives, assigning each to a major US metropolitan area.Because the company will face fierce competition in large urban cities, Foxy Originals should focus on slightly smaller markets with less competition and higher demand. Foxy Originals also must develop a distinctly American collection—stylish and affordable. By differentiating itself, offering unique and affordable products, Foxy Originals will insure profitable expansion into the US market.

Managing Rapport through talk across Cultures Essay

Spencer-Oatey certainly does not neglect the concept of culture in her book, the second component of the rather lengthy title, though she concedes that ‘culture’ is ‘notoriously difficult to define’ (Spencer-Oatey, 1). In support of this, she cites several authors have noted that â€Å"†¦despite a century of efforts to define culture adequately, there was in the early 1990’s no agreement among anthropologists regarding its nature,† (Apte 1994, p. 2001) Due to the ambiguity of the term, Spencer-Oatey (2000, 2) defines culture as: â€Å"†¦a fuzzy set of attitudes, beliefs, behavioral conventions, and basic assumptions and values that are shared by a group of people, and that influence each member’s behavior and his/her interpretations of the ‘meaning’ of other people’s behavior. † This definition opens up the field for several issues. At one point, culture is manifested â€Å"at different layers of depth, ranging from inner core basic assumptions and values, through outer core attitudes, beliefs and social conventions, to surface level behavioral manifestations† (Spencer-Oatey, 2). The second issue concerns the sub-surface aspects of culture as influencing people’s behavior and the meanings they themselves attribute to the behavior of other people, i. e. personality. Due to the fact that the members of a cultural group â€Å"are unlikely to share identical sets of attitudes, beliefs and so on, but rather show family resemblances,† (Spencer-Oatey, 2), she puts forth the thesis that there is â€Å"no absolute set of features that can distinguish definitively one cultural group from another† (Spencer-Oatey, 2). This is of course stemming from the thesis that culture is associated with social groups. In the social sciences it is a given that all people simultaneously belong to a number of different groups and categories, e. g. ethnic groups, professional groups, gender groups, etc. Another important term directly related to culture is the concept of ‘cross-cultural,’ which for Spencer-Oatey (2000, 3) refers simply to comparative data, i. e. ‘data obtained independently from two different cultural groups. ’ A related term is that of ‘intercultural’ – interactional data obtained ‘when two different cultural groups interact with each other’ (Spencer-Oatey, 3). The speaking component highlighted in the book’s title itself refers to the management of social relations as a specific aspect of communication. Spencer-Oatey goes back to the work of earlier authors such as Watzlawick, Beavin and Jackson (1967, as cited in Spencer-Oatey, 1) who had initially proposed that â€Å"all language has a content component and relationship component. † In a similar study, Brown and Yule (1983) had identified two main functions of language: the transactional (information-transferring) and the interactional (maintenance of social relationships), with two corresponding goals – the coherent and accurate conveying of information (transactional) and communication of friendliness and good will in a comfortable and unthreatening manner (interactional). In both cases, culture definitely plays a significant role, and in the two studies it is utilized as an explanatory variable. Attempting to use culture as an explanatory variable to account for similarities and differences in communication across cultures necessitates appropriate ways to â€Å"unpackage† culture before it could be linked to communication outcomes and operative psychological constructs (Spencer-Oatey, 2000). There are dimensions to cultural variability which could be viewed as psychologically comparable among cultures, and these are often used as the tools to account for the differences. There remains however a number of problems in the use of cultural-level values to account for variability in communicative behavior across languages and cultural groups. Following Gudykunst (2000, as cited in Spencer-Oatey) cultural level variables, e. g. individualism and collectivism, prove to be insufficient if one aims to establish a framework providing causal explanations of social behavior. Cultural level variables may have a direct effect on social behaviors through its influence on cultural norms and the rules specific to a particular culture yet it is important to note that the members of a culture are not socialized in the same way, nor do they adopt a culture’s rules to the same extent. As such, the socialization processes at the individual level clearly play a mediating role in the influence of cultural level variables on social behaviors. With regards to communication, for Spencer-Oatey et al (2000) pragmatic variables, i. e. factors influencing how people both produce and interpret communicative behavior, can possibly yield important dimensions of cultural variability at the individual level. Of particular interest are two influential aspects of socio-linguistic pragmatics – interactional ‘rules’ (maxims) and contextual factors. The view that it has now become necessary to move beyond a value approach in the conceptualization of culture has merit, and Spencer-Oatey provides the needed empirical illustrations to give strength to the argument of the need to explore new ways of conceptualizing culture. Contemporary development in linguistics suggests two important ways in which culture can have an impact on language use: pragmatic maxims, and the conventions of use of a particular language (variety). In illustrating the limits of culture as an explanatory variable, a discussion on politeness theory is presented. ‘Politeness’ often refers to the â€Å"use of relatively formal and differential language† (Spencer-Oatey, 2), though as Fraser and Nolan (1981, 96) carefully point out, it is in actuality also a contextual judgment in the sense that â€Å"†¦no sentence is inherently polite or impolite. †¦it is not the expressions themselves but the conditions under which they are used that determine the judgment of politeness. † Furthermore, politeness maxims appear to have ‘universal valences,’ wherein one pole of a given dimension is always viewed as more desirable than the other (Spencer-Oatey 2000). Yet interestingly, in different cultures and even in different speech contexts within the same culture, there are different points on the continuum that are more favored over others. There is already a significant body of work researching the universal and culture-specific aspects of politeness behaviors available. House (2000, cited in Spencer-Oatey) conducted a series of analyses contrasting the English and German spoken and written discourses over the past two decades. Among the interesting findings is the tendency of German students to use less verbal routines than their English counterparts, which appear to lend credence to the insight that they are more direct, content-oriented and self-referenced (House, 162). A temporary cultural dissonance is said to result when participants are unable to retain emotional equilibrium (House, 2000), i. e. they are overcome by a sense of misunderstanding and disappointment. Emotional reaction for House (2000) is often a â€Å"major factor responsible for a deterioration of rapport and for the mutual attribution of negative personal traits which, in turn, prevent any recognition of real differences in cultural values and norms. † Crucial to Spencer-Oatey’s work is the concept of ‘rapport management’ as an analytical framework, of which a detailed discussed is presented in Chapter 2. As several attempts have already been undertaken to create language use universals, the concept of ‘face’ as a â€Å"universal human need and the key motivating force for politeness and rapport management† has been proposed by Brown and Levinson (1987, as cited in Spencer-Oatey 2000, 12-13). Two related aspects comprise the ‘face’- positive (representing the desire for approval) and negative (desire for autonomy). Meanwhile, critics such as Matsumoto (1988), Ide and Mao (1994) relegates prime importance to that of social identity, as illustrated in Chinese and Japanese cultures (as cited in Spencer-Oatey, 67-68). A discourse-processing approach is a powerful analytical tool towards in-depth comprehension of how rapport can be mismanaged across cultures through communication. It involves detailed descriptions of the processes utilized in the production and comprehension of discourses, as well as illustrations of how misunderstandings can occur between and within cultures. Emphasis is on the discourses invoked by the participants. With regards to communication processes, prime importance is given to how the discourses are socially constructed and then understood and internalized by the participants of the discourse. Contrastive discourse studies (Spencer-Oatey 2000) in particular, as illustrated by the researches presented in the second part of the book, are of prime importance when one aims to explain intercultural misunderstandings. Meanwhile, in a pragmatic transfer approach to the study of intercultural communication, its explanatory power in accounting for intercultural encounters is largely based on existing pragmatic knowledge in the communication process (Spencer-Oatey 2000). ‘Pragmatics’ is â€Å"the study of the relationships between linguistic forms and the users of those forms† (Yule, 4), i. e. it is mainly concerned with the notion of implied meanings. The pragmatic transfer framework draws on the perspective of relevance theory. For one to be able to communicate effectively and competently, one needs to know how to choose the appropriate form and the appropriate meaning in order to avoid inter-cultural pragmatic problems. Related to the first two frameworks, Accommodation Theory nonetheless presents a rather different theoretical perspective to account for intercultural discourse. Focus is on the various manner in which speakers themselves can ‘attune’ their talk more or less to each other (Spencer-Oatey 2000). Thus though all three frameworks are to some extent concerned with processes involved in communication, in contrast to the other two frameworks there is a strong dynamic aspect to human agency in Accommodation Theory, though the manner and extent wherein one can be accommodating in ‘talking’ is still within socio-culturally prescribed boundaries. In terms of the merits and weaknesses of methodologies, cross-cultural or comparative studies are very useful in providing a rich array of baseline data. However, comparative studies suffer when used for analytical purposes, particularly in providing a comprehensive analytical framework to account for intercultural encounters. As such, the researcher(s) have to go back to and rely on the explanatory power and analytical categorizations provided by theory in order to provide a comprehensive account of the factors influencing performance both in the individual and social levels. We find in Chapter 6, â€Å"Telephone Conversations in Greek and German: Attending to the Relationship Aspect of Communication† the uses of speech act analysis as a research method of collecting data. It recorded observations concerning the opening and closing sections of conversations in authentic Greek and German. Analysis involves a comparison between the two groups of their preferences to attend to the relationship aspect of communication, though of course there are significant limitations to the variables that could be studied, i. e. those which could possibly affect the management of rapport as it could not encompass all cultural groups and languages. Different styles and beliefs about argumentation of people in initial encounters, which are still largely facilitated by variables of culture, can have a negative effect on how people evaluate their initial interaction, as gleaned from Chapter 10’s empirical study of the negotiation of rapport in Chinese-German conversations. It utilized authentic conversation analysis between Chinese and German students meeting for the first time. Different methodologies have their own strengths and weaknesses, and a triangulation of methods (e. g. use of survey questionnaire and observational field data) is commonly utilized to cover more extensively the nature of the variables under study. A critical reading of the various inter-cultural studies presented in the book presents one the insight that selection of the appropriate methodology (e. g. conversation analysis, surveys, face-to-face interviews, among others) and analytical framework – discourse processing model, pragmatic transfer, accommodation theory, etc. – for a research undertaking ultimately depends on the nature of the questions being asked and the aims of the research, wherein one has to select the corresponding methodology which would facilitate the gathering of relevant data for analysis. Works Cited Birkner K. & Kern, F. (2000) Impression Management in East and West German Job Interviews 2000 In H. Spencer-Oatey (Ed. ) Culturally speaking: Managing rapport through talk across cultures. London: Continuum Gudykunst, W. B. (2000). Methodological issues in conducting theory-based cross-cultural research. In H. Spencer-Oatey (Ed. ) Culturally speaking: Managing rapport through talk across cultures (pp. 293-315). London: Continuum. House, J. (2000). Understanding misunderstanding: A pragmatic-discourse approach to anaysing mismanaged rapport in talk across cultures. In H. Spencer-Oatey (Ed. ), Culturally speaking – Managing rapport through talk across cultures (pp. 146-164). London: Continuum. Spencer-Oatey H. ed. (2000) Culturally speaking: Managing rapport through talk across cultures (pp. 293-315). London: Continuum. Yule, G (1996). Pragmatics. In H. G. Widdowson (ed. ) Oxford introductions to language study. Oxford University Press.

Defend your view of the ethical obligations of advertisers to Essay

Defend your view of the ethical obligations of advertisers to consumers - Essay Example The above advertisement includes the facts supporting the above argument. Because of these facts, it is suggested that bottled water should not be advertised as better than the tap water, since there is no such case, as proved through the figures provided through the above advertisement. In the particular advertisement reference is made to all aspects of bottled water aiming to show that bottled water is worse than tap water; explanations are given by referring to each particular phrase used for advertising bottled water. In general, in terms of quality, bottled water cannot be characterized as better for human health compared to the tap water. The phrase that bottled water ‘is better for you’ as used by advertisers for promoting the specific product is not valid; this view can be based on the following facts, as presented through the particular advertisement: In accordance with the case study, bottled water is checked as of its quality just once a week – under th e existing legislation, as monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency – while the tap water is checked about 100 times a month. Moreover, it is noted that the country’s municipal water systems – estimated to about 55,000 – have to pass a thorough quality test every 3 months. Through this procedure, it is ensured that the quality standards of the tap water are higher compared to the bottled water. This view has been proved in practice in the case of the Fiji bottled water. More specifically, in an advertisement of Fiji water (as included in the case study) consumers are asked to prefer Fiji just because ‘it is not bottled in Cleveland’ (part 2 of the case study). In the research made as of the quality for Fiji water, the above bottled water was found to include arsenic (6.3 micrograms/ liter) while in the tap water of Cleveland no such ingredient was identified. In accordance with the above, tap water can be characterized as better for c onsumers, compared to the bottled water. The advertisements based on the argument that bottled water is better for consumers compared to tap water should be rejected as invalid. Another common argument used by advertisers promoting the bottled water is that the water of this type ‘smells better’; however, no such case exists, a fact, which is proved through the findings of the research provided in the advertisement. From this point of view also, the advertisement of bottled water is unethical. In the case study reference is made to a blind taste conducted in 2001 in Good Morning America regarding the taste of water; the tap water of New York gathered a percentage of 45% of the votes of the participants – compared to well known bottled water brands, such as Evian (12%) and Poland Springs (24%) (part 2 of case study). Reference is also made to another study – conducted in Yorkshire among 2800 people – where the 60% of the participants were not able to distinguish between the tap water and the bottled water brands used in the research (part 2 of the case study). The experiment conducted during an episode of the television series Penn & Teller: Bullshit, has also proved that bottled water does not have better taste than tap water. In the above experiment, tap water was served as bottled water to the customers of a restaurant; customers, thinking that it is bottled water, highlighted its exceptional taste and freshness of the bottled water, while, in fact the water

Why are people still willing to live in primitive conditions in Research Paper

Why are people still willing to live in primitive conditions in today's modern society - Research Paper Example Thinking about primitive people makes us conjure up negative images of them and we think of those who probably lived prior to the rise of the civilization. â€Å"The images are often of people who are sickly, squatting half naked with stained teeth, scavenging through the jungle, short, poorly nourished, living desperate lives in a hostile environment† – Thom Hartmann (We Think Primitive People Live In Fear) Our assumption is that since such people do not have any settled agriculture they have to continuously look and struggle for food, that they are constantly afraid of going hungry and starving. Besides, they are also not acquainted with technology and thus they live at the whim of nature. They cannot protect themselves from their enemies and cannot make their life easier by using technology. From our understanding we do not consider such people as being completely human. The general view is that such people are not a part of our current world. Rather, they belong to the pre historic time which was a very murky period indeed. That was what led to the arrival of civilization when at last man achieved success and became a proper human being. The reason why such myths are present is because of the limited mindsets prevailing. The general population does not have any kind of an exposure and their minds are limited to what they have read and heard. From our history we know that colonization too pace and the savages bettered their lives to become what we are today. However, we do not really know how exactly those people had lived. Our thinking is that we do not have to understand the way they use to live because we do not need to. â€Å"It was an inferior lifestyle and we are good to be rid of it. There is nothing we can learn from these people† (We Think Primitive People Live In Fear). However, such is not the case in reality. If we actually try and look into the way they live we will find out that their lives are not at all the way we imagine them to be. In actuality those living in primitive conditions have a normal life; they are not struggling for food nor are they always angry, depressed or schizophrenic. They live a healthy life and when we compare our nutrition with theirs, we would find that they have a better and more varied diet. Besides, such people suffer from lesser diseases as we do and it is not necessary that they die early; they can also have a long life. They are not barbarians and do not grunt at each other. Rather, they have their own language which might be pretty complex for us but it is their language after all. Like us, they also have their traditions and customs and legal systems. Like every human being of curse there take place battles but they are not on such a huge scale. Their concept of war is not as cruel as is ours. Of course that doesn’t mean that their lives are perfect; there can definitely be problems. However, they do not have a brutish or savage life. They do not always keep f ighting with each other or hit each other. They do not have a very modern life like ours, but they are not the ones ruining Mother Earth; it is us. One such example of primitive people is the Bushmen living in the Kalahari Desert. They live in bands of about 50 people and together they travel and hunt. â€Å"For the Bushmen, education is the learning of survival skills† (Rogers and Feiss 12). They have to be able to understand that they have to take in at least as much calories as they burn. Therefore, it is according to this factor that they decide whether they should be hunting a particular animal in regard to whether it would be able to give them the same amount of energy as they would use up in hunting. Women, on the other hand,

Stress Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Stress - Coursework Example If things were entirely out of my control, I would leave the matter to God understanding the fact that I have made the necessary effort. Some new techniques of stress management that I have learnt in this module include exercise and yoga. I would definitely like to try these techniques because they have many benefits in addition to relieving stress. For example, exercise keeps you physically fit and healthy while nourishing the brain (Nordqvist, 2009). Your body has a direct impact on your mind. The healthier the body, the healthier the mind gets. Likewise, yoga helps you concentrate and focus your attention, which helps relieve anxiety and depression because the mind gets free of ambiguities. My decision to start school requires me to make certain changes in my life. For example, to be able to achieve this goal, I would have to be more punctual. I would have to develop better time management skills. Furthermore, I would have to develop interest in academics and be dedicated to my wo rk to be able to achieve perfection in this

Financial derivatives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial derivatives - Essay Example While common types of derivatives include assortment of financial contracts which are; Future contracts, options, deposits, forward contracts and swaps. However, derivatives are categorized into three main parts including financial instruments, equities (stocks and shares) and debt (mortgages and bonds). Foreign exchange risk is the risk embodied to earnings or capital arising from change of foreign exchange rates. Foreign exchange risk is related to cross- border investing and operating activities. Position-taking and Market-making in foreign currencies should be placed under price risk. Foreign exchange risk is also branded as translation risk. The risk ascends from holding accrual accounts with foreign denomination currency, including bonds, debts and deposits. This also embodies foreign currency denominated derivatives such as structured deposits, synthetic investments, structured notes, and off-balance-sheet derivatives used to mitigate accrual exposures (Shim & Siegel, 2008). Accounting conventions need periodic revaluation of these accounts at current exchange rates. Periodic revaluation decodes the foreign- denominated accounts into U.S. dollar currency. Banks should record these accrual-based products under appropriate systems that detect, calibrate, monitor, and regulate foreign exchange exposure. This may be useful to banks in managing Foreign exchange risk (Shim & Siegel, 2008). Financial derivatives are used either for management of risk i.e. hedging risk by provision of compensation in case of unwanted situation arbitrage between markets. Derivatives can be used for speculation purposes i.e. making financial bet. This difference is vital because risk management is a discreet aspect of financial management and operations for a lot of companies across different industries while speculation purpose offers managers and investors a risky chance to increase profit, which may not be revealed appropriately to

HIV in Nursing Issue according to Different Research Works Annotated Bibliography

HIV in Nursing Issue according to Different Research Works - Annotated Bibliography Example Even if the study of Taher and Abdelhai (2011) refers to a specific part of the population, the nurses, it could be effectively used for controlling the expansion of HIV in various social and professional groups. The research conducted by Taher and Abdelhai (2011) was divided into three phases: in the first phase, the two nursing groups were asked to complete a questionnaire (p.145). During the ‘health education intervention’ (p.145) that followed, nurses were given material related to HIV. After the completion of the above program, nurses were asked to complete another questionnaire (p.145). The comparison of the pre-session and after-session questionnaires helped the researchers to identify the role of IEC programs in controlling the expansion of HIV among nurses. It was proved that the intervention led to the increase of awareness of nurses in regard to HIV. An important increase of the general knowledge score was reported: From 7.29 before the intervention to 8.01 after the intervention (p.146). Also, undergraduates seemed to be more benefited by the intervention than the postgraduate nurses (p.146). The IEC programs can be effective in controlling the expansion of HIV within various social groups. The perceptions of nurses on caring and communicating with people that suffer from HIV can influence the performance of nurses in regard to the above activities. It is probably for this reason that Stavropoulou et al. (2011) have decided to focus on the particular subject. A key issue, also explored in the study mentioned above, is a potential effect on education on caring for people with HIV. The research has been conducted through a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to nurses of the Technological Educational Institution of Crete, Greece. In total, 100 questionnaires were completed (p.291). A high percentage of the participants, about 40%, stated concerns for caring people with HIV (p.291).  

Industrial Relations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Industrial Relations - Assignment Example omprehensively covered and provided for at the federal level under the Fair Work Act 2009, which provided for the formation of the Fair Work Commission as the body regulating labor in Australia (Cooper & Ellem, 2009:287). The legislation aimed at replacing numerous state labor laws that were established by different states individually, which did not balance or provide for the requirements of the workers equitably. Nevertheless, this legislation did not take over all the labor responsibilities from the territorial and the state authorities. It only took the responsibility of regulating some of the labor functions nationwide, while leaving some of the labor functions such as safety and health of the workers, workers compensation and workers leave being regulated at both the territorial and the state levels (FWC, 2014:n.p.). However, it is important to understand that the provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 as regulated at the federal level overrides all the other provisions of different laws enacted both at the territorial and the state levels. This is because this legislation seeks to have the control of the whole labor force field in general (Sheldon, 2008:236). Despite this law being the primary labor law in Australia, there are certain aspects of the labor that are exempted from the coverage of the law. In this respect, the roles of the Australian Fair Work Commission as provided under the Fair Work Act 2009 include: Under the function of the creating fair work places, the role of the Australian Fair Work Commission is to set the minimum wages and minimum work conditions that must be met by the employers (Australia gov.au., 2014:n.p.). In doing this, the Fair Work Commission serves to create a safety net where the employees are protected in terms of the remuneration they receive from the employers, by ensuring that all employers are providing wages that are in line with the set minimum wage requirement. This way, the Australian Fair Work Commission makes

Marketing strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing strategy - Essay Example Pizza Hut follows this strategy: Starting its operations from Kansas, USA and gradually becoming the largest local fast food leaders they entered in Canadian market by opening it first international franchise. Now, Pizza Hut holds the largest number of its pizza chains around the world. To keep their customers knotted with the restaurant, Pizza Hut introduced a variety of different and refined products to satisfy the taste buds of their customers both at local and international level. Pizza Hut guarantees its customer best pizzas in town at competitive prices. Pizza Hut has targeted specifically those customers or the segment of the society those who like to eat out and has a taste for fast foods. Marketing Strategy of Pizza Hut is aimed to target people that fall in the age bracket of 18-55, love to eat out and never hesitate in experimenting something â€Å"new.† Looking at its international marketing strategy, Pizza Hut has entered the international market with touch of local taste mixed with its traditional recipes. Pizza Hut has positioned itself an international and local fast food leader. It offers variety of different fast food items on its menu. Pizza Hut has gained a strong hold in the local market as well. It is known for introducing new products in the market. Pizza Hut always has the advantage of introducing new products in the food industry therefore; Pizza Hut should focus on bringing something innovative in the market on the basis of their customers’ advices and

Gender Stereotypical Attitudes Past Essay Example for Free

Gender Stereotypical Attitudes Past Essay It has been generally observed that workplace attitudes on gender have continued to influence decisions and direct actions in organizations. These attitudes have tended to be directed more at women than men. The result has been a hindrance in the effective participation of women in decision-making at the workplace. Most men, and sadly women, have had the opinion that women lack the ability to function in management positions that require strategic decision making within the organization. They are said to lack the ability to decide on their feet, as somebody would put it. Research findings unfortunately seem to point at the existence of this sad scenario in most organizations. A research carried out by Wood (2008) provides a lot of insightful information on the effect of gender stereotyping of women at the work place. Out of a total of 30 respondents selected for this study, there were 19 men and 11 women, who happened to be in various management positions in their organizations. It is interesting to note the gender stereotyping began right from the sampling. One wonders why the researchers decided to use 19 male and 11 female managers and not 15 male and 15 female managers. A good number of the female managers in the US felt it would take over 10 years for women to achieve equal representation with men in terms of job placement. A number of male respondents from the US shared a similar view and supported his position by submitting that in the organisation where he works, there are very few women, and even then most of them take long durations in lower positions. Some female respondents were of the opinion that it would take more than a decade for women to realize 50% representation in senior management positions. A female respondent was of the opinion that 50% representation might not be realized. She however opined that this was not because women lacked the ability to perform in these high positions, but because they were not simply interested in taking up such positions. This position is tandem with the respondents who were asked if they aspired to be promoted. Whereas 68% of the men said they aspired for promotion, only 55% of the women were willing to be promoted. It is however unclear whether their lack of aspiration is due to lack of skills, knowledge and abilities. Whereas 58% of the men said that they had successfully achieved promotion, only 27% of the women shared this position. It is however debatable whether their failure to secure promotion was based on their lack of interest, lack of ability or because of their smaller number in organizations. It would appear that children hinder women from aspiring for management positions because one respondent said that women who wish to get these positions put off bearing children. Some respondents said that senior management positions are not open to everybody, but to a small clique of old boys who operate like a closed shop. Breaking into this network requires people with unique abilities, and not many women have the stamina to push through. The few who have been able constitute the small percentage. Some managers were of the view that achieving 40/60 percent representation for women and men respectively in more than 10 years could be more realistic than 50/50 percent representation. They argue that it takes time to develop somebody to management level, which not many women are willing to wait for patiently. Even when they reach the top, some of them opt out and might not be replaced by other women, but by men. It was also felt by some respondents that management positions require performers, which not many women might be. They feel that 50% representation at any time might be quite ambitious, but 10% would be realistic. Cumulatively, out of the female respondents, 1 felt that it would take 5 – 10 years to have 50% female representation, 2 said it would take more than 10 years while 4 said it would take 10 years or more. Only one female respondent said women will never achieve 50% representation. 1 said it would take another 5-10 years, while two said it would take more than 10 years from that time. 1 out of the 19 male respondents said it would take between 5-10 years to achieve 5% female representation, while 1 said it would take more than 10 years. 6 said it would take another 10 years or more. 5 male respondents said women will never achieve 50% representation, while one said it would take them more than ten years to achieve a paltry 10% representation. The results from this research could have major implications in the actual working environment as far as female aspirations for higher managerial positions are concerned. The first implication which is more theoretical in nature is that women are being negatively influenced as far as their career advancement is concerned. When the results make it abundantly clear that chances of achieving a 50% female representation on the workplace are slim, most of the female employees will get demotivated and will find no reason to aspire for high managerial positions. Such a decision is likely to keep them at the lower level of then organization hence inhibiting their career advancement. Making top management positions appear like a private members’ club which requires connections before joining could easily scare away women from venturing. Not many women are able to weave their way through male dominated networks. The few who are able are possibly the ones who share such positions with men. Some women would like to be mothers as well as career women. Making it appear as if advancing in one’s career can only take place at the expense of family life is enough deterrent to a woman’s career advancement. The practical implication of the research findings is that organizations might fail to sufficiently utilize the skills, knowledge and talents possessed by women. It is known that women have some unique abilities which could be harnessed and utilized in the organization. Scaring them away from management positions where important decision making is done denies the organization opportunity to benefit from their input. Apart from being scared by the attitude of men, fellow women also play a role. References Wood, Glence. 2008. Gender Stereotypical Attitudes Past, Present and Future Influences on Women’s Career Advancement. Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 27 No. 7, pp. 613-628

Process Design and Management Essay Example for Free

Process Design and Management Essay Increased co-production of goods and services (Process Design and Management) The Internet has opened new ways for the customer to interact directly with a firm. Simple direct entry and monitoring of orders is only the first step in the progression of value-added services made possible through information sharing. 1. 0 Introduction The topic of process design and management will generally goes on explaining the word ‘design’, in its broadest sense, is right at the heart of operations management. The design is an activity that can be approached at different levels of detail. Design must reflect the needs of customers, and able applies to products, services and processes. It can be managed as an operations transformation process in its own right. Moreover, the design is starts with something very abstract which represents a concept and ends with something very specific, which means by the final design. Some defines that to ‘design’ is to conceive the looks, arrangement, and workings of something before it is created. First, the position of the process according to its volume and variety characteristics must be defined. Eventually the details of the process must be analyzed to ensure that it fulfills its objectives effectively. Product/service design and process design are interrelated. Small changes in the design of products and services can have profound implications for the way the operation eventually has to produce them. Similarly, the design of a process can constrain the freedom of product and service designers to operate as they would wish. The relationship between designing products and services on one hand and designing the processes that make them is an important point to consider. It is possible to separate product design and process design in manufacturing sector, however it is impossible in practice to separate service design and process design. This is because many services (especially high visibility services) are the same thing. Even in manufacturing industries there has recently been considerable effort put into examining the overlap between product and process design. There is a growing recognition that the design of products has a major effect on the cost of making them. Many of the decisions were taken during the design of products (for example, choosing the material from which the roduct is going to be made, or the way in which the various components are fastened together) will all define much of the cost of making it. , Therefore, to evaluate the various choices which the designer faces in terms of their effect on manufacturing cost as well as on the functionality of the product itself. Also, the way in which product and process design overall has a significant effect on the time between starting the initial concept design for the product and eventually getting it to market. 2. 0Discussion 2. 1Internet Contributed in Online Purchase Process With the advancement of technology, many aspects of the face-to-face interpersonal dynamics in service encounters between sellers and customers have been replaced with technology-based Internet interfaces. Internet can be regarded as sets of connected firms. A retailer can use an Internet presence to reach consumers all around the world. The Internet makes the expanded range of products, services, and information accessible for consumers from geographically distant and/or emerging markets. In recent years, e-commerce has grown dramatically in terms of volume and variety of goods and services traded. This has created significant opportunities to serve customers through internet stores. It is important for internet stores to focus on achieving higher customer satisfaction to increase co-production of goods and services and to retain customers. According to Field and Smith, internet interaction between a retailer and a customer from the point the customer arrives at the retailer’s website to the point the retailer fulfills the customer’s order, has quickly emerged to become an important class of service operations (Field et al. , 2004; Smith et al. , 2007). Co-production of goods and services in internet is growing steadily. For example, in the third quarter of 2009, internet retailing sales in the U. S totaled approximately $34 billion, a 4. 5% increase from the previous quarter. The quality of the internet on the purchase process has been found to affect customers’ purchase decisions, satisfaction, and loyalty in online retailing (Zeithaml et al. , 2002; Wolfinbarger and Gilly, 2009). Hence, to be competitive in the market place, internet is the paramount and as the new ways for the customer to interact directly with a firm. Besides that, the internet is responsive and convenient for customers in the online purchase process. Through internet, the firms being able respond to the unique needs and wants of individual customers by providing the â€Å"right content in the right format to the right person at the right time. † Retailers can facilitate a convenient and responsive online purchase process, serve their customers better, improve customer satisfaction and increase retention. Customer satisfaction is the ultimate result of meeting a consumer’s expectation from the performance of products. Most satisfied customers normally have the intention to re-purchase the products if product performance meets his or her expectation. Like traditional business, online businesses also need to satisfy their customers. Customer satisfaction is one of the central constructs in the study of consumer behavior both in traditional and online business environment (Alam et al. , 2008) found that website design is one of the unique features affecting online shopping environment (Shergill and Chen. , 2005) identified web site design characteristics as the dominant factor which influences consumer perceptions of online purchasing. It can be argued that online shoppers want to receive the right quality and right quantity of items that they have ordered within the stipulated time offer by the e-tailers. In addition, time and cost saving are the main advantages of online shopping. Time efficiency and store efficiency are reflected in time cost and price savings respectively (Devaraj et al. , 2002). These are the determinants of satisfaction. Delivery performance has significant influence on customer satisfaction (Lee and Joshi et al. , 2007; Ahn et al. , 2004; Ho et al. 2004); Grewal et al. , 2004 and Shih et al. , 2004). One of the examples of online firm that successfully increase their co-production of goods and services via internet is Amazon. In an annual study tracking customer satisfaction ratings with the top 10 online retailers, perhaps the biggest takeaway is that Amazon is the world’s biggest e-retailer for a reason that it just plain makes customers happier than their competitors (show by Table 1 below). Amazon continues to set the standard for e-retailers. For instance, upon arrival at the Amazon. om website, a registered customer is greeted by the customer’s name. The customer is then provided with recommendations of products that the customer might be interested in, based on the product searched for or those previously bought by the customer. The website provides the option of receiving reminders of special events like birthdays of loved ones or information about the arrival of the latest books by their preferred author. When the customer is ready to make the purchase, the website retrieves the personal account information such as shipping and payment. In the early stages of Internet development, trust is a critical factor in stimulating purchases over the Internet. Trust is not only a short-term issue but the most significant long-term barrier for realizing the potential of Internet marketing to consumers. An experiential survey of U. S. -based online surfers, new to Internet based shopping, found the shoppers fascinated by international shopping opportunities on the Web, but they were skeptical about actual purchasing from overseas sites. Others report widespread distrust among consumers about Internet-based merchants. To improve customer loyalty, some websites offer discussion groups in their websites and promote common interest to pull targeted customers. When the website contains valuable information about the product then the customer would be motivated to visit the website again. Just like any other medium of business, internet business should also focus on making their customers feel ‘special’. In any business, customer loyalty is a result of exceptional personal services and exceeding customer expectations. 2. 2Internet Strive to Born Global Firms More and more firms’ even very small ones have operations that bridge national borders soon after their founding. Due to the Internet and related information technologies (IT) that enable many of them, this new breed of firms began emerging in the 1990s and is dubbed â€Å"born-global† because their operations often span the globe early in their existence. The definition of born global firm is â€Å"a business organization that, from inception, seeks to derive significant competitive advantage from the use of resources and the sale of outputs in multiple countries. Born global firms begin with a borderless world view, and immediately develop strategies to expand themselves abroad. This is striking, given the great changes that have taken place in the marketing environment due to introduction of the Internet and other modern technologies that enable bypassing of conventional channels (Frazier et al. , 1999). It therefore seems justifiable to study the Internet-based channel strategies of born globals (Moen et al. , 2002). It is particularly interesting to examine the global expansion of the born globals and their use of the Internet as a sales channel (Servais, Madsen, amp; Rasmussen, 2007). A few studies have investigated the role of information and communications technologies in the international performance of born global firms. Loane (2006) examined the role of the internet in the internationalization of small entrepreneurial firms from various countries (Loane, 2006). Born globals use the internet for communication, for marketing communications, and to lesser degree for managing customer relationships as well as sales transactions and fulfillment activities. Most of the investigated firms also se the internet to support off-line sales, and about one-quarter used the internet to support distribution channels and intermediaries. A significant number of firms used the internet to support relations with partners, suppliers, clients, agents and distributors, Ramp;D partners, and software coding developers, both nationally and internationally. The born globals also used the Internet as a tool for acquiring knowledge, such as market and competitive intelligence, which then become part of the collective wisdom of the firm. The internet makes borders between countries less relevant and facilitates direct interaction between all types of business entities around the world. Born globals use the internet to convey their market presence abroad, support relationships with foreign partners, offer services related to their products, facilitate product development, and maintain relations with foreign customers (Servais, Madsen, and Rasmussen et al. , 2007). Logitech, the computer peripherals company, is perhaps one of the best early examples of a successful born-global firm. According to Benjamin M. Oviatt and Patricia Phillips McDougall, â€Å"Global Start-Ups: Entrepreneurs on a Worldwide Stage. † Focusing first on the PC mouse, the company was founded by two Italians and a Swiss. The company’s operations and research and development were initially split between California and Switzerland, and then it expanded rapidly with production in Ireland and Taiwan. With its stylish and ergonomic products, Logitech captured 30 percent of the global computer mouse business by 1989, garnering the start-up a healthy $140 million in revenues. 2. 3 . Value and Productivity in the Internet Economy Nowadays, many business companies had started practiced in using internet to make interaction with consumer, business people, corporate, and trading partners. The product and service designs and the management play an important role in their profitability and their company sustainability. The company had created the website as haphazard compilations of company brochure ware or static personal web pages as well. These things had come out it with the images that users merely shared with friends and family. It has quickly evolved into a myriad of highly sophisticated online pplications and business processes. On the other hand, the forward thinking company had introduced to attain new heights in productivity and the forward thinking companies could created by leveraging the internet massive public technology infrastructure. To increase the co- production of goods and services, the innovation and awareness of using internet are important to create value through the technologies component. Other than that, the human capitals are also important in operation of the business and managing the design in the company. Therefore, the employers must to be selective in recruiting, and hiring people, whomever that he or she are able to give their efforts into the jobs or task. The value added service could be made by proposing the internet way user whereby the customer can interact directly to the company to improve and enhance their quality service and product through fulfil the customer needs and satisfaction. All of these elements are need depends on the capability of the human resource which in not only posses the technologies equipment. The company have to construct the internet economy’s structure by referred the economics performance in traditional, among other things, technology, the transportation infrastructure, availability of raw materials, and the quality of a skilled labor force. In contrast, the Internet economy comprises the four-layered model shown in Figure 1. The Internet’s infrastructure consists of two layers which are including the global high-speed IP-based networks and applications, and consulting, training, and integration services. Each Internet economy layer has a complementary relationship with every other layer. For example, with advances in layers 1 and 2, ? rms at layers 3 and 4 can provide media-rich content to consumers as well as offering new digital products and services Besides that, complementary relationship implies that the value of doing more of one factor increases by doing more of another. Internet applications and e-commerce are strong complementary relationship between the network infrastructures in the Internet economy. For example, as the Internet bandwidth increases dramatically with the spread of broadband technology, application vendors are rushing to develop powerful multimedia software that can take advantage of the increased bandwidth. These factors lead to increased economic activity on the Internet in the form of media-rich content. The Internet had open the nature stimulates innovation in the network and applications infrastructure, leading to the vastly accelerated development and deployment of new technologies in the Internet marketplace. Figure 2 shows an import/export view of the Internet and physical economies that groups businesses in ? ve categories: 1st : pure digital-products businesses that offer content, knowledge, or services directly over the Internet. 2nd Internet-based companies that deal with physical products, importing goods to be sold from the physical economy. 3rd Traditional businesses that sell some of their products or services directly over the Internet. 4th content developers, Internet service providers, Web and applications hosting services. 5th companies that do not sell directly over the Internet. Unlike the physical economy, which relies heavily on physical resources, the Internet economy thrives on information and knowledge to create value, productivity, and efficiency. Firms that rely on these intangible assets are more likely to succeed in this new world than those that continue to focus on physical processes. The Web’s information and knowledge intensity is a crucial factor in driving performance metrics like online revenue and gross margin, and every partner in a value Web must adopt the Internet in its daily operations to maximize the bene? s of electronic business. T here were few examples for these phenomena that might be able to be the related with it. One of the example is car assembly lines, which had ? rst appeared in the dictionary in 1930 (Hirschhorn, 1984: 9), were argued to be the keystone to prevailing 20th century concepts of human management (Emery, 1976). It is thus hardly surprising that industrial value production was conceptualized in terms of the value chain. The taxation system developed at that time re? cts this. In industrial value creation, customers were seen as destroying the value which producers had created for them. On the other hand, the accounting systems emerging at that time thus wrote down the value of what was acquired to zero over a shorter or longer depreciation period. The end user in this scheme equals the ? nal customer. For producers, industrial value was realized in the transaction, which joined and separated them from customers. Value here equalled the price which the customer paid: in competitive terms, value is the amount buyers are willing to pay for what a ? rm provides them (Porter, 1985: 38); or, value is what customers are willing to pay (Porter, 1985: 3). 2. 4 The Impact Of Design Management And Process Management On Quality: An Empirical Investigation. Design management and process management are two important elements of total quality management TQM implementation. They are drastically different in their targets of improvement, visibility, and techniques. In this paper will review the establishment of framework for identifying the synergistic linkages of design and process management to the operational quality outcomes during the manufacturing process internal quality and upon the field usage of the products external quality. Through a study of quality practices in manufacturing plants from multiple industries, the both design and process management efforts have an equal positive impact on internal quality outcomes such as scrap, rework, defects, performance, and external quality outcomes such as complaints, warranty, litigation, market share. A detailed contingency analysis shows that the proposed model of synergies between design and process management holds true for large and small firms, for firms with different levels of TQM experience, and in different industries with varying levels of competition, logistical complexity of production, or production process characteristics. Finally, the results also suggest that organizational learning enables mature TQM firms to implement both design and process efforts more rigorously and their synergy helps these firms to attain better quality outcomes. These findings indicate that, to attain superior quality outcomes, firms need to balance their design and process management efforts and persevere with long-term implementation of these efforts. The manufacturing strategy literature has viewed product quality as one of the major competitive priorities for attaining a sustainable competitive advantage Hill, 1994. Recently, the speed of new product introduction has also been added to this list of priorities Kim, 1996 . From a quality management perspective, the speed of new product design and development indicates the importance of designing quality into new products. Because design efforts often have a limiting impact on attainable product quality, several researchers have stressed the importance of designing quality into products Juran, 1981; Juran and Gryna, 1993; Hauser and Clausing, 1988; Dean and Susman, 1989; Taguchi and Clausing, 1990; Boothroyd et al. , 1994; Mizuno and Akao,1994 . External and internal quality outcomes the notion that overall market and business performance can be realized through long-term product quality improvement is a cornerstone of the contemporary quality revolution George and Weimerskirch, 1994; NIST, 1998. Customers form their impressions about a firms products based upon their current and past experience with these products Garvin,1987. A satisfactory field performance of the products is accompanied by lower customer dissatisfaction, greater customer loyalty, and improved market share Crosby, 1979; Buzzell and Gale, 1987; Hardie,1998 . We label this aspect of quality outcome as external quality because it is related to the customer’s perspective of the products upon field usage. It captures Juran’s fitness for use dimension of product quality Juran, 1981; Juran and Gryna, 1993 . Specifically, we focus our attention on four long-term indicators of external quality: warranty work, litigation claims, customer complaints, and market share. The quality of products passing internal tests of reliability should affect the experience of customers who use the products in two prominent ways. First, customers perceive product quality in terms of their net value defined as the ratio of performance to cost: Artzt, 1992. Thus, for products with the same performance levels, lower price will drive customer choice and satisfaction. Second, customers willing to spend a certain amount of money will choose the products that offer maximum performance for that money. 2. 5Internet as tool to enhance global strategy It’s can’t be deny that the internet plays a major role in every aspect of our modern life. Moreover, Internet technologies play a major role in business. The internet has contributed to the success and growth of businesses. This journal article is emphasizing on Internet are used to enhance global strategy. Internet is a driver of globalization. Observing the more successful applications, commentators and researchers have suggested a number of industry characteristics which promote Internet use (Andal-Ancion et al. ,2003): digitizability of the end product (e. g. , most information-based products such as directories and encyclopedias), time sensitivity of the end product (e. g. , airline travel), high search costs (e. g. , books), potential for customization (e. g. , clothing retailers), insufficient matching of buyers and sellers (e. g. , business- to-business exchanges and consumer-to-consumer auction sites), and a tradeoff between richness and reach (e. . , retail brokerage, Evans and Wurster, 1999). First at all, the internet makes communication fast and cost efficient. Businesses use internet technologies such as Skype internet and video calls, email and video conferencing to make communication virtually instant. Next, the internet plays a big role in the growth of businesses. It gives businesses an opportunity to reach a wider global audience. Promoting through the internet is also a way to increase sales and reach the desired growth level. Business can also expand by having an online division. The effect of this decentralization of transactions and information transfer raises major questions about the role of bodies which would have traditionally had functions of control, such as governments and regulatory institutions. In terms of transferring, accessing information, companies are now much less dependent on local infrastructures. In the aspect of marketing, Internet was playing important role in advertising. Most businesses are taking advantage of the internet to market their products and services to a global audience. The most notable internet technologies here include search engines such as Google. Social networking websites play a role in business networking by connecting like-minded professionals. Through the internet, people have found business partners and great employees. Moreover, the internet has helped cut costs by outsourcing services to countries where it is cheaper to provide these services. Apart from that, outsourcing enables businesses to concentrate on their core services and become more efficient. One role of internet in business is the birth of ecommerce websites and online payment solutions that allow people to shop online from the comfort of their own homes. Furthermore, the internet has opened up new business opportunities and giving rise to a group of successful online business owners. This is a powerful role as anyone can now start an online business. Cost and speed advantages are also substantial. The Internet is a much less expensive way to send information, and this information can be received in real time anywhere in the world. For global businesses this has massive implications for the possible scale and scope of operations and redefines the traditional trade-off between richness and reach, allowing both to be achieved for relatively little cost. Internet also brings effects on global products and services. Global products and services are seldom totally standardized worldwide, but they are designed with global markets in mind, and they have as large a common core as possible. Some industries and categories, such as personal computers and air travel, allow the potential for a very large common core, while others, such as furniture and legal services, allow for less commonality. Deciding on the extent of global standardization poses a major dilemma for MNCs. Use of the Internet and websites eases this dilemma by making it easier to offer an array of global, regional, or local products, and local customization options for standard core products. While the same can be done through traditional media (brochures or sales calls), but the Web provides more options and the interactivity of the Internet provides for customization by the customer. This can seen from Dell Computer’s ordering system. As the lesson 4 in this article has mentioned the use of the Internet enables both globally standardized and locally customized products and services. Companies can now use the Internet to lessen the globalization tradeoffs they have had to make in regard to products and services. Now, let have a seen on co-production, which means delivering public services in an equal and reciprocal relationship between professionals, people using services, their families and their neighbours. Where activities are co-produced in this way, both services and neighbourhoods become far more effective agents of change (David B amp; Michael H. ) the co-production has a significantly role in the process design and management. As the Internet has designed to interrelated the product and service jointly to the customer. For instance, Dell Computer has promoted Dell Online Self Dispatch to the customer as it is a comprehensive part dispatch program designed to support efficient hardware resolution. Dell also declared the Dell Online Self Dispatch (DOSD) as one global portal for efficient hardware resolution. The customers can access the Website through Internet to had the hardware support from Dell by self-service. 3. 0 Conclusion In summary, product/service design and process design are interrelated. Small changes in the design of products and services can be profound implications for the way the operation eventually has to produce them. The process design and management is right at the heart of operations management. The design is an activity of approaching at different levels of detail and it must be reflecting the needs of customers, and able applies to products, services and processes. The design is starts with something very abstract which represents a concept and ends with something very specific, which means by the final design. The company must follow the processes designs according to its volume and variety characteristics. Eventually the details of the process must be analyzed to ensure that it fulfills its objectives effectively. The proposed model of synergies between design and process management holds true for large and small firms, for firms with different levels of TQM experience, and in different industries with varying levels of competition, logistical complexity of production, or production process characteristics. Finally, the results also suggest that organizational learning enables mature TQM firms to implement both design and process efforts more rigorously and the synergies between design and process management help these firms to attain better quality outcomes. Q5. Raising senior management awareness of operations as a significant competitive weapon (Job Design and Performance Management). 1. 0 Introduction Many senior executives entered the organization through finance, trategy, or marketing and built their reputations on work in these areas, and as a result often take operations for granted. The executives have creatively used operations management for competitive advantage. Raising senior management awareness of operation as a significant competitive weapon refers to the job design of the senior management and the performance of the management. Theoretically, workers  are  motivated  by  jobs  in  which  they  feel  they  can  make a  difference  in their perf ormance and the way the  tasks  give are  combined  to  for complete  jobs. Clear  job  descriptions  will motivate  workforce  and  be successful  in completion  of  tasks. It also important to have both of the employer and employee needed to share understanding of the work to be done with it and comfort with working environment. The employee and employer also need to face the challenges associated with employing a large of people in a wide variety of people in a wide of capacities. Most of the employee is assigned to do a job because they are perceived to be able to fill its requirements. Many  tasks  depending on ability time allotment and other constraints. The role of HR in the present scenario has undergone a sea change and its focus is on evolving such functional strategies which enable successful implementation of the major corporate strategies. In a way, HR and corporate strategies function in alignment. Today, HR works towards facilitating and improving the performance of the employees by building a conducive work environment and providing maximum opportunities to the employees for participating in organizational planning and decision making process. Today, all the major activities of HR are driven towards development of high performance leaders and fostering employee motivation. So, it can be interpreted that the role of HR has evolved from merely an appraiser to a facilitator and an enabler. Performance management is the current buzzword and is the need in the current times of cut throat competition and the organizational battle for leadership. Performance management is a much broader and a complicated function of HR, as it encompasses activities such as joint goal setting, continuous progress review and frequent communication, feedback and coaching for improved performance, implementation of employee development programmes nd rewarding achievements. The process of performance management starts with the joining of a new incumbent in a system and ends when an employee quits the organization. Performance management can be regarded as a systematic process by which the overall performance of an organization can be improved by improving the performance of individuals within a team framework. It is a means for promoting superior performance by communicating expec tations, defining roles within a required competence framework and establishing achievable benchmarks. A  performance management process  sets the platform for rewarding excellence by aligning individual employee accomplishments with the organization’s mission and objectives and making the employee and the organization understand the importance of a specific job in realizing outcomes. By establishing clear performance expectations which includes results, actions and behaviours, it helps the employees in understanding what exactly is expected out of their jobs and setting of standards help in eliminating those jobs which are of no use any longer. Through regular feedback and coaching, it provides an advantage of diagnosing the problems at an early stage and taking corrective actions. To conclude, performance management can be regarded as a proactive system of managing employee performance for driving the individuals and the organizations towards desired performance and results. It’s about striking a harmonious alignment between individual and organizational objectives for accomplishment of excellence in performance. 2. 0 Discussion 2. 1 JOURNAL: THE EFFECT OF MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT TO SERVICE ON EMPLOYEE SERVICE BEHAVIORS: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF JOB SATISFACTION Refer on the journal; the proposed model in the Thai hotel work setting indicates that management service initiatives, particularly training, rewards, and empowerment deliver a strong message to employees that the management is devoted to quality service, ultimately creating the positive affect (i. e. , employee satisfaction). Furthermore, the result showed that when employees are satisfied with their job, this positive feeling about their job motivates them to go the extra mile for customers and help co-workers and supervisors in need. Currently, not all hotel operators in Thailand favour the four management service initiatives because those options can be costly. However, it seems to be clear that management should consider allocating more resources to implement such initiatives. Among the four management service initiatives, rewards displayed the largest effect on Thai hotel workers’ job satisfaction, with the largest path coefficient. In general, two kinds of rewards are available: financial and nonfinancial rewards. Rewards also range from a simple thank-you note for an exceptional service to a large reward such as wage increase and promotion. Rewards given to employees, regardless of the type, must be meaningful to the employees and the organization. In other words, rewards should be based on employees’ job performance and reflect the organization’s goal and service standard. Most rewards in the Asian culture, including Thailand, are in monetary form. However, because of the growing influence of the Western style of management, rewards in the form of recognition, such as being selected as employees of the month (or the year) with a certificate, are getting popular in Thailand. This kind of recognition can increase employees’ morale and make workers feel that they are appreciated and valued as a member of the organization, leading to job satisfaction and organizational loyalty. Panmunin (1993) reports that Thai hotel employees suffer from low self-esteem because the Thai caste system disparages servants as low caste individuals. The result of the present study seems to emphasize the importance of appropriate rewards for Thai frontline hotel workers, who may be often neglected and unappreciated in the caste system (high-power-distance culture), to improve their work morale. Next, this study demonstrates that training cannot be overlooked to satisfy hotel workers. Through training, Thai employees master the basic skills necessary to perform the daily duties of the position and develop job competence. In addition to the basic skills, more Thai hotels are offering training such as dealing with guests’ complaints. It is a new type of training that originates from the Western hotel companies. Typically, when Thai employees encounter disgruntled or difficult guests, they have supervisors or mangers handle the situation. This new training program broadens frontline employees’ responsibilities and teaches proper techniques to resolve conflicts and deal with problems immediately to build customer satisfaction. The result of this study seems to suggest that Thai hotel personnel are satisfied with this new, additional training. Third, this study implies that empowered Thai employees are satisfied and exert more positive service behaviours. This result contradicts the proposed hypothesis. Despite the vertical culture, more and more hotel organizations in Thailand are embracing the concept of empowerment by allowing frontline personnel to make more decisions to take care of in-house guests. Although empowerment is a relatively new concept for hotels in Thailand, the result indicates that line employees are quickly adopting such a work practice and are happy about it. In general, frontline employees are much younger than managers in Thai hotels. The young generation has been more exposed to the global influence of U. S. culture. Thus, young Thai hotel employees may regard a Western management practice such as empowerment highly. We also speculate that the positive empowerment outcome is attributed to the new additional training and the Western style of rewards. Research has shown that empowerment often involves training and rewards to be more effective. Another possible explanation regarding the positive effect of empowerment is the growing size of tourism. Thailand is one of the popular travel destinations in the world, and hotels are receiving large numbers of international customers. In Western countries, it is common to see frontline employees empowered to meet the guests’ needs immediately. Travelers, particularly from the United States and Europe may be accustomed to such a level of customer focus and expect Thai hotels to offer a comparable level of service. The management in Thailand is becoming aware of the phenomenon and therefore expending more effort to make use of empowerment to please international hotel guests. Finally, there is no significant effect of organizational support on hotel employees’ job satisfaction. In this study, organizational support focuses on help offered to frontline workers when necessary, appropriate job design, and support for frontline employees’ goals and values. This insignificant result may be partly associated with the high power distance between supervisors and subordinates. In the Thai hotel organization, managers are more likely to be valued and respected than frontline personnel, and Thai managers with authoritative leaderships are least likely to place a high priority on the well-being of frontline employees and assisting in their job. Although the organizational culture is changing slowly, and large Thai hotel companies are adopting Western management styles, it takes a long time for employee perceptions to change. Thai frontline personnel are more likely to recognize strong organizational support (i. e. , they feel they receive enough help at work, their job is designed to be rewarding, and their goals and values are as important as managers’ goals and values) in the future. In the conclusion of organizational behaviour, service quality initiatives such as rewards, empowerment, training, and organizational support have been a revolving theme tied with employee satisfaction and performance. This study presents how these initiatives work in a culturally different setting such as Thailand. The results of this study indicate that the service quality initiatives, which mostly originate from the U. S. or Western (horizontal) culture, are worthy of trial in Asian hotels (with a vertical culture) because such initiatives may help improve frontline employees’ morale and self-esteem and ultimately increase the overall effectiveness of the hotel operation. In summary, hoteliers should continue to increase decentralization of authority, develop attractive compensation, and improve frontline workers’ knowledge and skills through ongoing training. Then, all these efforts are likely to pay off by yielding happier, committed staff members who care about guests and other co-workers. 2. 2 ARTICLE JOURNAL: SHAKING UP INTELS INSIDES Performance-based, standardized job descriptions provide employees with clear and attainable job duties and responsibilities as well as the resources needed to accomplish them (Mahdieh,2013). We work with employees to explain the tools and their importance to achievement of the organization’s mission and goals a critical factor in retaining valuable staff and preventing costly burnout. Employees are an organization’s most valuable resources. Companies spend considerable amounts of money and time developing and supporting their human resources. A critical component of this development and support is employee performance management. An employee’s performance is a measure of the ways in which their work-related behavior contributes to achievement of the organization’s business objectives. In this article, they have problem in new employee, employees are now on stage when theyre meeting with customers and off stage when theyre in a back office handling paperwork. And he implemented an exhaustive playbook that has scripts for everything down to the language with which tellers are supposed to greet customers. Still, at one Boston branch McGee visited, Paul J. Hillson, a consumer marketing manager, concedes that he encountered initial resistance from some FleetBoston tellers: What you hear is, But I already know that customer. McGee agrees that changing employee behavior is still a work in progress. . Managing this performance is the key to producing high achieving and reliable human resources. Performance management is a process by which managers and employees work together to plan, monitor and review an employee’s work objectives and overall contribution to the organization(Memoona,2013). More than just an annual performance review, performance management is the continuous process of setting objectives, assessing progress and providing on-going coaching and feedback to ensure that employees are meeting their objectives and career goals. In this case we can see analysts said, has been the efforts of McGee and his team to overhaul Fleets branches, from products to training to culture. To lure new customers, BofA dangled free checking and free online bill-paying, a service for which many New England banks still charged. And while the old FleetBoston simply gave customers the 800 number for an outside mortgage lender, BofA has outfitted roughly two-thirds of Fleet branches with special software that approves or rejects a customers application for a mortgage or home-equity loans within 30 minutes. As a conclusion, this is in line with results in the emotions and justice literature that negative appraisals are influential drivers of employee behaviours and attitudes (Brown et al. ,2011). Performance appraisals are a basis component of human resource management, the outcomes of appraisals are used as the foundation of many human recourse decisions. While organizations devote considerable resources and time into performance appraisal this collected study has demonstrated that the quality of the employee performance appraisal experience are different. There are employees with low quality performance appraisal experiences while at the other end of the scale, there are some employees who state high quality experiences of the performance appraisal process. Moreover, this research demonstrates that organizations pay a price for letting low quality performance appraisal experiences, when employees have low quality performance appraisal experiences the organization will likely to bring a penalty in forms of lower job satisfaction and higher intentions to quit. 2. 3 ARTICLE: BOFAS HAPPY SURPRISE In this world of competition as organizations effort to remain competitive and sustainable, human resources professionals and strategic planners should collaborate strongly in designing strategies which are more productive and useful (Dazel. 2103). Among these functions, one of the most critical ones that bring global success is performance appraisal . It is more considerable than other processes because its results show the success of the awareness of the other areas in the field of Human Resources and other personnel activities. In the other perspective, assumptions of corporate management show that performance appraisal makes people to be really engaged in the business of the organization. In this situation, the article shows hes making it clear to employees that, under his leadership, Intel truly are entering a new era. Otellini, who officially takes the helm on May 18, will be the first chief executive without an engineering degree at a company where gear heads have reigned supreme. He believes that to keep Intel growing, every idea and technical solution should be focused on meeting customers needs from the outset. So rather than relying on its engineering prowess, Intels reorganization will bring together engineers, software writers, and marketers into five market-focused units: corporate computing, the digital home, mobile computing, health care, and channel products PCs for small manufacturers. The development of an organisational culture indicator followed a review of the organisational culture literature, in which particular attention was given to the instruments that have been most commonly used in its measurement (Michael, 2013). In this article, we can see that the new regime will cause a jolt to the culture. For decades, employees have been compensated for their own work. Now teams will be judged as a whole. Engineers, long the top dogs, may resist working with others. Its like saying to a baseball player, Gee, were deciding to play pro football, says Edward E. Lawler, a professor at USCs Marshall School of Business. All of a sudden, the rules of the game are very different. Otellini has begun to put the pieces in place. Now hell need the teamwork of his people to pull it off. As conclusion, this article established that there was no existing tool which adequately met our requirements for a comprehensive, up-to-date measure, easily completed by all levels of the workforce. Through the review process we were able to identify the cultural dimensions most frequently assessed in organisations and deemed important in this extensively researched field. A parallel search of literature on current manufacturing practice highlighted other areas less traditionally examined in culture research, but which we thought relevant in capturing critical aspects of organisational culture in the manufacturing sector. Performance  management  is a significant tool in business  management  today. Management activity of this type makes it easier to evaluate the productivity of individual employees as well as entire departments. As a result, the company will function more efficiently, may keep overhead low, and has a better chance of succeeding. There are many benefits of  performance management  that have a direct bearing on the day-to-day operation, which in turn makes the overall picture for the company much brighter. Inside the company of The New York Times, there have a lot of job design and performance management that occur and be built by the employer to their employees. Many advantages can we get by doing the implementation of job design and performance management. Through the implementation of performance management, the employer can get the result for what actually their employees doing in managing their work. The use of specific metrics in a performance management program allows employer to make decisions regarding performance breakdowns. Initially, it allows employer to pinpoint problems and take the proper corrective actions to immediately rectify them. For example, as our research in year 2003, according to the journal of The New York Times, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. , the current proprietor, faced what seemed to be a publishers ultimate test after a loosely supervised young reporter named Jayson Blair was found to have fabricated dozens of stories. The crisis was emerged between the employer and its employees after the employer getting know about their employee’s attitude. The employer can strictly blot for whom employees that making a wrong attitude and breaking the rules of their job ethics. The effects of these crisis has causes the company’s performance lagging. The companies had difficult moments eventual through allegations received due to errors employees. However, it can be improved by making implementation of performance management. Performance management allows employer to make decision and focus their feedback on issues or crisis directly related to the achievement of the individual employee’s goals and objectives. Any other issues or crisis distracting the employee that don’t contribute to the unit or department’s performance can be quickly and effectively handled and eliminated. One of the examples of performance management that can be found in the journal of The New York Times is where Keller has made so many high-level personnel changes whereby two-thirds of all newsroom workers now report to a new boss. Other than that, Keller has also put into practice a string of reforms suggested by several internal committees formed in the wake of the Blair affair. Meaning to say, these include the appointment of a standards editor and a public editor, or ombudsman. After making this system, the company performances was increase and improved and at the same time the whole of operation managements can be run smoothly. According to journal, The Times posted its gains despite boosting the price of a subscription by more than 20% on average. As a conclusion, a good performance management system works towards the improvement of the overall organizational performance by managing the performance of teams and individuals. That is for ensuring the achievement of the overall organizational ambitions and goals. The Times can built more an effective performance management system that can play a very crucial role in managing the performance in an organization such as ensuring the employees understand the importance of their contribution to the organizational goals and objectives. Other than that, by ensuring each employee understands what is expected from them and equally as pertaining whether the employee possess the required skills and support for fulfilling such expectations. Ensuring proper aligning or linking of objectives and facilitating effective communication throughout the organization and facilitating a cordial and a harmonious relationship between an individual employee and also the line employer based on trust and empowerment. 2. 4 The Effects of Job Rotation Practices on Motivation: A Research on Managers in the Automotive Organizations This article is about the use of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to calculate and analyze the level of technical, allocate and cost efficiencies of Australian hospital food service operations. As we know, every provision of food to the patients is the responsibility of each individual hospital. To prepare the food their must cooked and plated and serve it in hot condition, that can we call as a â€Å"cook-serve system†. Therefore this system required substantial labor input and always created tension arising because of the necessity of working tight schedules and need to achieve high quality standards. In 1970, the new system of foodservice was introduced which is the introduction of the hybrid and cook-chill system. These new system require large initial capital investment. There has been an essential expansion in the use of cook-chill systems throughout the different states because of the technology changes. However, the last health service report published that inefficiency is still a problem with most hospital foodservice operation because of the underutilization of production capacity. Actually, this is the on how performance management taking place to overcome this problem. There are a lot of the significant of making implementation of performance management. The primary reason to make sure performance management processes are functioning properly is to tighten the link between strategic organizational objectives and day-to-day actions. Effective goal setting (including timelines), combined with a method to track progress and identify obstacles, contributes to success and bottom line result. Frequently tracking progress against performance goals and objectives also provides the opportunity to recognize and reward employees for performance and exceptional effort, contributing to job satisfaction and productivity. Employees want to feel successful, to do well at their job and feel there are making a valuable contribution. In order to ensure this happens, employees need a clear understanding of individual goals and how they fit into the larger organization. New technology-based solutions offered can provide goal visibility across entire organizations, offer extensive reporting option and can reduce paperwork by as much as 90%. Clear visibility, regular individual analysis and company-wide employee appraisals help identify corporate competencies and skill gaps. With this valuable data, organizational can identify training and development plans. Performance management best practices result in a wide range of the advantages for employees, employer and whole organizational. In a nutshell, the performance management inside every organizational is one of the essential tool to gain a goal and objectives of organizations. Therefore, the organization like hospital can considered more about their performance management to overcome their problem. At the same times gain successful services to their patient. 2. ARTICLE JOURNAL: THE FUTURE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BUSINESSWEEK Human Resource is the most important resource compared with other resources like machine, material, land, etc. In the organizational context, the effectiveness of human resource depends on designing the job according to human capability and characteristics. Job design is the most important function of Human Resource Management. It indicates that, designing of contents, methods, func tions of a job. The performance of an employee is that, how well an employee performs his or her task duties and responsibilities. Employees’ performance is also crucial. Because the achievement of goals and objectives of the organization is assessed by performance of its resources, employees’ performance should be assessed and maintained periodically. At work, in a human-focussed approach, the human oriented process designs have shown its importance as much as the technical issues, from a productivity aspect. Several human-focussed applications such as increasing motivation at work, improving workers’ physical working conditions, obtaining job security, and increasing job satisfaction, increasing quality nd productivity, decreasing costs to become competitive are increasing it’s importance by the day. Within the natural development process of work, maybe human-centred problems exceed technical problems and even the cost of investment in personal has gone beyond the point of technical investment. Job analysis, training, performance measurement, re-organisation projects, re-engineering studies and especially applications related to job design which support this approach have an important place among human resources applications. Job design related applications began to take shape with a scientific management approach in the 1900s. Models related to job design able to be classified as job rotation, job enlargement, job enrichment, job engineering, quality of work life, social information processing approach and job characteristics approach, have extremely important effects on increasing the productivity of human resources. It is predicted that job satisfaction and productivity will be highest when both job enlargement and job enrichment are jointly applied to redesigning work systems From a conceptual perspective, job design is defined as determining the specific job content, the methods used at work and the relationships between jobs to correspond the firm’s technological and organisational, and the employees’ social and personal expectations. In accordance with this definition, it is stated that a well-designed and defined job increase employees job satisfaction, increases motivation, decreases workplace-related stress, encourage learning efforts and is therefore have a positive effect on employees’ performance. There are many studies published in related literature investigating the relationship between job design and employees’ motivation. The common points of these studies is that the application of job design has a positive effect on the specifics of job performance, like motivation, flexibility, job satisfaction, self-control, and skill development. The relevant studies are shown in Table below.