Introduction of 4ps free essay sample

Marketing The 4 Ps of marketing are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Think of each of these as a variable which you control. The idea is to set these variables in such a way so that sales will take place. You cannot make a customer pull out her credit card, but you can certainly help her in coming to a decision by setting the right price, the retail location, the level of advertising and even product attributes such as colour or perceived quality. You control everything but the customer herself. These variables are all interdependent. Taken together, they constitute a certain mix. This is often referred to as the marketing mix. In defining this mix it is also necessary to take into account your competitors mix as well as your overall corporate goals and objectives. The idea is to come up with a mix that will clearly differentiate your products from those of your competitors while considering your corporate goals. We will write a custom essay sample on Introduction of 4ps or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For example, your company may wish to offer a high-end luxury type of product since your competitors are addressing the mass market and this is consistent with your companys goal of owning  the market for top-of-the-line products of this category. Definition of 4P’s Product: The marketing mix concept has its roots in the 1950s U. S. corporate marketing world, and the practice of marketing has obviously evolved tremendously since this term was invented. One of the changes is that there are a lot more services available nowadays, such as those available online. Also, the distinction between product and service has become more blurry. Either way, product here refers to products or services. The product or service you offer needs to be able to meet a specific, existing market demand. Or, you need to be able to create a market niche through building a strong brand. Price: The price you set for your product or service plays a large role in its marketability. Pricing for products or services that are more commonly available in the market is more elastic, meaning that unit sales will go up or down more responsively in response to price changes. By contrast, those products that have a generally more limited availability in the market are more inelastic, meaning that price changes will not affect unit sales very much. The price elasticity of your product or service can be determined through various market testing techniques. Place: This term really refers to any way that the customer can obtain a product or receive a service. Provision of a product or service can occur via any number of distribution channels, such as in a retail store, through the mail, via downloadable files, on a cruise ship, in a hair salon, and so on The ease and options through which you can make your product or service available to your customers will have an effect on your sales volume. Promotion: Promotion is concerned with any vehicle you employ for getting people to know more about your product or service. Advertising, public relations, point-of-sale displays, and word-of-mouth promotion are all traditional ways for promoting a product. Promotion can be seen as a way of closing the information gap between would-be sellers and would-be buyers. Your choice of a promotional strategy will be dependent upon your budget, the type of product or service you are selling, and availability of said promotional vehicle.

Free Essays on Santa Ana

â€Å"Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna† Santa Anna was born in Jalapa, in the province of Veracruz on February 21, 1795. At age 16, he began his military career fighting for the Spanish, but switched sides to support Augustin de Iturbine as the main man of an independent Mexico. As a young military officer, he supported Emperor Agustin de Iturbide, and at one time courted the emperor's sister. He later rebelled against the government and gained support. By 1833, he was elected to president of Mexico by a democratic election. He then thought that Mexico was not ready for democracy and pronounced himself dictator. In 1835, Texas, which was then a part of Mexico, revolted against the Mexican government. The population of Texas included many settlers from the United States, and cultural and legal differences between Mexicans and the settlers had led many Texans to oppose Mexican rule. Santa Anna rushed north to put down the revolt. He attacked San Antonio and stormed the Alamo in March 1836, with an army that outnumbered the Texans. Santa Anna's troops captured the Alamo, and then met the main Texas army under General Sam Houston at San Jacinto. Santa Anna's army was captured, and he was taken prisoner. The Texans forced Santa Anna to sign a treaty acknowledging the independence of Texas. But the treaty was rejected in Mexico City, and Santa Anna was removed from power. In 1838, the French attacked Veracruz. From 1841 to 1844, he was president of Mexico again. In 1844, there was a revolt against him, and he fled to Jamaica. War broke out with the United States in 1846. Santa Anna returned to Mexico and took command of the army. The American forces defeated him at Buena Vista, at Cerro Gordo, and at Chapultepec. After the fall of Mexico City, Santa Anna left Mexico for several years. In 1853, he returned to Mexico and became president again. He declared himself president for life but within two years was again overthro... Free Essays on Santa Ana Free Essays on Santa Ana â€Å"Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna† Santa Anna was born in Jalapa, in the province of Veracruz on February 21, 1795. At age 16, he began his military career fighting for the Spanish, but switched sides to support Augustin de Iturbine as the main man of an independent Mexico. As a young military officer, he supported Emperor Agustin de Iturbide, and at one time courted the emperor's sister. He later rebelled against the government and gained support. By 1833, he was elected to president of Mexico by a democratic election. He then thought that Mexico was not ready for democracy and pronounced himself dictator. In 1835, Texas, which was then a part of Mexico, revolted against the Mexican government. The population of Texas included many settlers from the United States, and cultural and legal differences between Mexicans and the settlers had led many Texans to oppose Mexican rule. Santa Anna rushed north to put down the revolt. He attacked San Antonio and stormed the Alamo in March 1836, with an army that outnumbered the Texans. Santa Anna's troops captured the Alamo, and then met the main Texas army under General Sam Houston at San Jacinto. Santa Anna's army was captured, and he was taken prisoner. The Texans forced Santa Anna to sign a treaty acknowledging the independence of Texas. But the treaty was rejected in Mexico City, and Santa Anna was removed from power. In 1838, the French attacked Veracruz. From 1841 to 1844, he was president of Mexico again. In 1844, there was a revolt against him, and he fled to Jamaica. War broke out with the United States in 1846. Santa Anna returned to Mexico and took command of the army. The American forces defeated him at Buena Vista, at Cerro Gordo, and at Chapultepec. After the fall of Mexico City, Santa Anna left Mexico for several years. In 1853, he returned to Mexico and became president again. He declared himself president for life but within two years was again overthro...

The effects of Asda's Social Responsibility Policy on the business Dissertation

The effects of Asda's Social Responsibility Policy on the business Practice - Dissertation Example The study adopted a qualitative approach and this study was based purely on secondary data. Secondary data was obtained through different sources which helped in triangulating the data and in conducting the analysis. The study finds that CSR has a major role in enhancing corporate performance which stretches beyond financial performance. Corporations, by addressing their duties towards all the stakeholders, fulfill their legal responsibilities and duties as corporate citizens. ASDA too has been able to achieve this because of its CSR strategy which is sustainable. They have integrated and embedded CSR into their overall business right and it is not implemented for the purpose of public relations or with selfish motives. CSR plays a critical role in bringing continuous improvement in Asda’s market performance. ASDA has been able to bring change in its organizational practices, change in managerial attitude which has helped them demonstrate their readiness to respond to the chan ging business environment. ASDA does have self-motivating reasons for making environmental and social contributions, but these do not impact the quality of contribution to the society and the planet. The study concluded by highlighting the limitations of the study and by making recommendations for further study on the subject. Table of Contents Chapter I Introduction 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Rationale for the Study 3 1.3 Research Aims and Objectives 3 1.4 Research Questions 4 1.5 Structure of the Study 4 Chapter II Literature Review 2.1 Definitions 6 2.2 Advantages of CSR and Corporate Citizenship 11 2.3 CSR in Retail Sector in Europe 12 2.4 CSR in Food Retail 13 2.5 Stakeholders’ Theory 14 2.6 Corporate Ethics 15 2.7 Sustainability 16 2.8 Chapter Summary 16 Chapter III Methodology 3.1 Research Philosophy 17 3.2 Research Phenomenon 17 3.3 Research Design 17 3.4 Choice of Method 18 3.5 Research Approach 18 3.6 Data Collection 19 3.7 Justification for Literature Review 19 3.8 Justi fication for Secondary Research 20 3.9 Sources of Secondary Data 21 3.10 Data Analysis 22 3.11 Reliability & Validity 23 3.12 Ethical Concerns 23 Chapter IV Findings & Discussions 4.1 Findings 24 4.2 Discussion 31 Chapter V Conclusion and Recommendations 5.1 Conclusion 37 5.2 Limitations of the Study 39 5.3 Recommendations for further study 40 5.4 Reflective Thinking 40 References 41 Figure 2.1 Carroll's Pyramid 9 Table 2.1 The Grid of Corporate Citizenship Values 9 Figure 2.1 The ‘Rationale Triangle’ 10 Table 2.2 CSR initiatives by large Corporations 13 Chapter I Introduction 1.1 Background Companies are individual legal entities and hence can be considered to be corporate citizens with legal rights and duties (Marsden and Andriof, 1998). Citizenship entails active commitment and responsibility. It means to make a difference in the society, in the community or the world in which one lives. Good corporate citizenship, therefore, requires understanding and managing the o rganization’s influences on and relationship with the rest of the society so as to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive impacts. Organizations hence need to have self-motivating reasons for making environmental and social contributions. Mounting pressure from people, individuals and groups have urged businesses to be economically, environmentally and socially sustainable, to be transparent in their dealings and to be ethical and more equitable (Batten and Brich, 2005). Corporate citizenshi

Hamlet's Failure as a Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hamlet's Failure as a Leader - Essay Example In order to be a great leader, it is imperative that a king displays confidence in his own self. Hamlet lacks this quality from the very beginning when he immediately over-thinks the request, by his mother, to stay in Denmark. He puts his own desires aside to obey her, but then he over-analyzes his life instead of believing that he has made the right choice: â€Å"Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His conon’gainst self-slaughter! O God, God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world†¦ (1.2.130)† Hamlet shows that he is not strong enough to execute his self-made plan for his life, thus showing a lack of value in himself. Furthermore, once he does make the decision to stay, he feels sorry for himself instead of being confident and devising a new plan. As a responsible leader, Hamlet should have carefully weighed the merits and demerits of stay ing in Denmark, and should have stayed confident with whatever decision he thus made. If he later found that decision inappropriate, he should have left Denmark instantly rather than regretting. His philosophizing again takes over when a ghost appears to him revealing how Claudius had murdered the King. Hamlet casts aside his own beliefs and concerns and only thinks about what his father, in the form of a ghost, has told him. Hamlet is â€Å"from himself be tak’en away† (5.2.220) as madness overpowers his moral beliefs. â€Å"It is not a character marked by strength of will or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment† (Hazlitt, 1819). Hamlet is a philosophical character who possesses the determination to concentrate his thoughts and come up with a plan of action necessary to achieve results; but his over-thinking habit hinders his ability to carry out the necessary actions. This quality is shown in the following lines in Act 1 Scene 5: Yea, fr om the table of my memory I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain, Unmixed with baser matter (1.5.106). When Hamlet speaks these words, he casts aside his Christian morals, in order to avenge his father’s death. Although this could show strength, yet Hamlet lacks the will power to convert these thoughts and plans into actions. He sets out to avenge the death of his father, against all his beliefs of right and wrong as dictated to him by his Christian values. However, if he really didn’t care, he should have killed Claudius immediately rather than waiting to collect evidence to be sure that Claudius is the culprit. His constant thinking and planning shows that Hamlet lacks one of the most vital qualities of a true leader; the commitment and determination of following through on plans and goals i n order to achieve solid results. A final flaw that Hamlet displays is his indecisiveness as he wastes time going back and forth between what he should and should not do. In seeking to get revenge on his Uncle, Hamlet struggles with his inability to act: "Now whether it be , Bestial oblivion ,or some craven scruple, of thinking too precisely on th' event - A thought which , quarter'd , hath but one

Philosophy Questions Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Questions Essay Question One A causal claim, by definition, is a statement about the causes of things. Regular (non-causal) claims are considered to be any declarative statement. While the regular claim can simply be made about anything as long as it is a declaration, causal statements require a certain sense of cause and effect. Causal claims examine the complex processes in which people, forces, events, and other things interact to cause certain phenomena. Causal claims rarely are proven due to the different things that may happen to cause things. Feedback: I agree with the answer because causal claims are definitively hard to prove. It depends on how you look at the event in question. Impartiality is a virtue when exploring causal claims and is often hard to keep when personally involved in the matter. Question Two A real life example of common thread reasoning in advertising is Listerine. Listerine is a mouthwash that claims to kill more germs than any other leading mouthwash. In actuality, mouthwash does not actually kill germs and the rate of germs killed does not meet FDA standards for antiseptics. The common thread would be that all mouthwashes claim to kill germs and they really do not. Most of them also claim they are antiseptics when they do not meet current FDA standards. Feedback: Listerine is a mouthwash which makes false claims as does many mouthwash companies. The common theme among these companies is their determination to market a product with falsehoods. If all of these companies make false claim, then what are they to be called?

Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God

Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God How did the universe begin? Throughout history, that question has probably been the most debated topics between the philosophical, scientific and religious communities. I believe it is human nature in us that continues to seek the answers to why and how and not just sit back on blind faith. Even with todays advances in science about our universe and its origin, we are no closer to providing solid proof for what caused the beginning of the universe or proving if it just always existed. I actually find that very interesting in the fact that through the major advancements in the medical field, scientist have successfully found vaccinations for diseases that have killed millions, robots that perform surgery, cloned animals, and the list could go on and on. But science has provided no solid evidence on how the universe got its beginning. Many philosophers and theologians believed that the existence of the universe needed an explanation. Plato (c.427-347 BCE) and Aristotle (c. 384-322 BCE) were among the earlier philosophers who attempted to answer the question in what became known as the cosmological arguments. According to Plato in his dialogue The Laws he argued that motion in the world and the cosmos was imparted motion that required some kind of self-originated motion to set it in motion and to maintain that motion. Aristotles arguments were centered around the fact that things just dont exist, nothing comes from nothing, there needed to be a cause. During his study he realized that for every cause, there is one before it that caused it to happen, which eventually he realized, caused an infinite backwards cause of causes. Ultimately coming to the conclusion that there must have been a first cause. St. Thomas Aquinas is considered to be one of the greatest Christian philosophers that ever lived. He was also an Aristotelian scholar. Aquinas adapted Aristotles first cause for things in motion but did not stop there. Aquinas began under the assumption that if things are in motion then it had been caused to be in motion by something else. But if that were the case, that would create an infinite regression which he believed to be incorrect because that meant there was still no starting point but he knew at some point, it was set in motion. Aquinas explanation was, there must have been a first-case, the un-caused, cause. Aquinas believed that the un-caused causer was God. Another way he tried to proof his point was the argument for contingency. He explained that there are natural things that are possible to exist or not to exist. But it is impossible for these to always exist. So if it is possible for things not to exist, than at one time, nothing could have existed. Aquinas cosmological argument for the existence of God is known to be the most popular by philosopher and religious scholars. In his theological masterpiece, Summa Theologia, he proposed varies forms of cosmological arguments to explain ways that he thought would prove God exists. Ma ny skeptics do not accept the existence of God because to them, there is no logical explanation for his existence. Some of the oppositions are listed below: If everything has a cause, what caused the first cause God? If God did create the universe, how do we know it was just one God? If we accepted the argument that such a being created the universe, how do we know he had anything to do with religion? The counter argument indicated that the cosmological argument do not necessarily lead to the conclusion that there was a being that is responsible for the creation of the universe. Theists believe that God is self existent. God is omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (everywhere at once), omniscient (all knowing) and omnisapient (has all wisdom). They believe that God is exempt from the uncaused cause because he is eternal and not dependent on a cause for his existence. They go on to say that we may never know why or how creation took place or to explain Gods intentions of the event but he is an omniscient and omnipotent being. God does not need a reason to exist. The cosmological arguments seeks to prove the existence of God. To those that belief in God, there are no questions concerning his existence. For it is him that created everything. They believe that The Bible has scripture that goes along with these arguments and proves his existence. To the non-believers, they think that the cosmological arguments provide no evidence of the existence of God and that it just raises more questions about the origin or the universe. Could it be that there is no explanation? Did the universe just happen or has it always existed? This may be one of those questions that science will never have an answer for and to that everyone will accept. Until then, religion is a personal choice. No answer is right or wrong. I personally believe that God exist and that there is proof, to me everyday that he does.

Case Study Analysis: Erp Implementation for Nibco

Unit 6 – Case Study NIBCO’s â€Å"Big Bang†: An SAP Implementation Professor: Richard Yellen Student: Vo Ngo Lan Phuong Course: Ham 23 ID: 217496 Professor: Richard Yellen Student: Vo Ngo Lan Phuong Course: Ham 23 ID: 217496 Hanoi, 11/2012 CASE STUDY Table of Contents I. Overview3 II. NIBCO’s implementation of ERP solution3 III. Pros and Cons of â€Å"BIG-BANG† approach for ERP4 IV. ERP project implementation: lessons and recommendations6 List of Reference9 Case Study – NIBCO’s SAP Application Implementation I. OverviewThe case shows the implementation of SAP ERP solution in NIBCO, a manufacturer of pipe and fittings, a mid-size manufacturer with about 3,000 employees and revenue over 460 million USD. The company has implemented successfully the full package of ERP solution, provided by SAP, the leading solution provider under the consultancy of Boston Consulting Group. NIBCO has gained the success by good management and project team u nderstanding, determination and experiences. The method of implementation of NIBCO for this ERP solution is running all in one day, this brings the company to a quite risky situation if something wrong happens.But the company has run the system successfully, with positive results. The implementation succeeds because of all the planning, personnel, management and the cooperation with application providers and consultants. NIBCO has over 3,000 employees and operates 10 plants, and 17 centers for distribution over US. The databases and information systems are not integrated therefore cannot communicate and collaborate effectively, which causes time and efforts wasting. Also, over the years of development, the business processes change, the information data increase, the old system cannot meet the demands of cross functional operations.With the consultants from BCG, NIBCO has developed a plan for implementation of new ERP system, using professional solution from a leading provider, SAP. The aim of NIBCO is to set up a new, large, integrated information system to replace the old system, connecting and integrating all the IS from factories, plants and distribution centers all over the country. With the initial project duration estimated as over 3-5 years, the management and project team has implemented the whole system in only 18 months, and successfully. II. NIBCO’s implementation of ERP solutionUsing the consultancy services from BCG, the information system of NIBCO was very weak and poor. The system do not support the provision of information for manager timely, did not support process of decision making, especially for functional departments as accounting, purchasing, selling, marketing and customer supports. Due to the lack of real time data sharing the management and manufacturing meets difficulties to improve quality and efficiencies. Over the years of operation, factories and departments have implemented their own modules or application such as order entry, manufacturing, distribution and accounting.Because of the non-systematic application and implementation, in separate factory and department, each user may have their own software, different version, and separate database. Therefore it is difficult to integrate and cooperate among factories and distribution centers. To implement the new system, NIBCO has used professional consultancy services, purchase leading software application from top vendor, and assigned top managers to manage project team, system development, and IS staff for planning, and integrating, designing, installing the new system.Although the BCG determined that there is a need for a change in information system of NIBCO, the current system is â€Å"poor† and needed â€Å"cut loose† to grow the company and become more global. The BCG’s suggestion for three to five years implementation should be too long, somehow, this can cause more cost and efforts for NIBCO than actual need (Brown, 2012, p. 491). III. Pros and Cons of â€Å"BIG-BANG† approach for ERP NIBCO used the approach called â€Å"BIG-BANG† for ERP implementation, or cutover aiming to put the whole information system to run in the same day, at all the factories and distribution centers, especially for common and key modules.All the business units, most of employees will be affected by the new systems at the same time. In fact, the other approach can be doing a pilot implementation at a factory or distribution centers, or only implement for only a few popular units. But this way can cost more time, efforts and cannot test the capability of the whole system. Also, with the investment in consultancy and purchasing the leading solutions from top ERP vendors, the NIBCO aim to get the new system run for all the business unit, and the real time running can also test the performance of the new system, also save cost and time for implementation.Running all at the same time can also help the testing of int egration and cooperation among factories and distribution centers. The big-bang or cut over approach requires the good skilled personnel, and also training for the new systems, working processes and running, maintenance the new system. The productivity was reported a reduction in the first month after the new system running, but improves gradually in the later months. The accounting reports can be done in two or three day, rather than two to three weeks when using the old systems.Also, with the new system, sharing and collaboration helps reduce inventory, as much as 25%, and also increase the fulfillment ratio from 80% to 95%, service quality has improved to 98%. Source: http://www. nibco. com/ The BCG consultants noticed that the legacy environment and databases are out of control, which cause IS and IT staff too busy with fixing the issues more than focusing on developing supporting system for functional activities.The company used professional consultancy services from BCG but do es not follow the suggestion from BGC, the cutover or big-bang approach was implemented because the management leaders do not support multi years plan; also the fund for the project was 17 million USD, and will take one fourth of the company’s members to involve in implementation for the project. The shorter time the project takes, the better and more effective it will be. IV. ERP project implementation: lessons and recommendations 4. 1. Human resource for ERP projectProject was leaded by the CEO, as the project Champion, Rex Martin, who acted as the project leader and project champion. The top manager plays the key role to the ERP project, because this type of project will involve and affect all people and departments and units of company. With CEO in charge, the project will be supported by all the Vice Presidents in decision making and raising the resources for the project. The CEO set up the Executive Leadership Team to act as the screening and monitoring committee, this team plays a key role in managing the project because it help to make sure that all decisions are made at the highest level.The CIO, and also the Vice President, Scott Beutler was responsible for the ERP package, it means that the VP of IT and IS will be responsible for the functionalities of the software application, during process of project. The Information system managers, Gary Wilson, together with all the IS staff (about 30 people), will be involved in project, support the operations and implementation, development, maintenance. The CIO, IS leaders and IT staff will the support of top leaders will play key roles in assessment of ERP packages, testing, demonstration and operating the systems.The key modules of ERP package for NIBCO, SAP R/3, includes: finance, supply chain, material, warehouse management, production planning and management, sales and distribution. Also, the HR module was purchased but will be implemented later. The leaders have played key roles in running the p roject, for example, Beutler manage the business process; Wilson for technology and software packages, and Davis for managing project activities. Because of the scale of project, and it potential effects, one fourth of the company directors have been appointed to the project management board.This shows the commitment of the managers and also provide enough human resource for project to make sure that it can cut time from 3-5 years to 18 months. The participant of leaders and managers will make the project decisions faster and it may be the key reason for shortening the duration of project. 4. 2. Working with solution vendor ERP project requires both software, hardware, networking partners to involve in implementation. NIBCO has selected IBM as third party provider for the system’s infrastructure, SAP as the software solution provider.For the experts and engineer support, NIBCO and partners appoint six consultants for functional and business processes, who work regularly with the project team. Also, the maximum personnel can be raised to as many as 50 consultants at high time. The other personnel are also provided for training, reporting, programming, technical assistance, knowledge management †¦ All the supports are officially stated in the contract with solution providers and partners. In fact, Wilson has an IS department and personnel number up to 30, also he had mainframe application, HP and IBM platforms.The NIBCO has four legacy systems for order entry, manufacturing, distribution and accounting, but the problem is they are bought separately, with separate databases, which make integration difficult or very hard to implement. NIBCO has considered and evaluated seven ERP packages in depth and in details. With the experts and business from functional departments involving in assessment process by testing the modules, from several vendors. They are also sent to visit the previous or typical customers to get the feedbacks from real users.The key c oncern was the finance and supply chain management modules, using the shared database, and should be able to connecting and integrating all the modules together. 4. 3. Project management team The scope of the project is decided for all the factories and distribution centers, the operation was stared on the same day for ten plants and all distribution center. This decision for scope was quite risky but saving time and cost for NIBCO. The project team was released sooner than planned, the productivity was down a little bit but improve gradually, the project cost was a little under budget.All these factors are because of good experience and collaboration in project management. The key to success may be the Tiger triad, which was led by Wilson and Beutler, who was working full time with ERP project. The Martin was added by CEO appointment to joint Beutler and Wilson as a third co-lead project. David with experience in total quality management could help project focus on change managemen t and maintaining quality. 4. 4. Training inside specialist For ERP project, training and technology transfer is key to success.Core knowledge and skills need to be transferred to IS department and all the functional departments for operation and maintenance. Source: http://www. sap. com/solutions/bp/enterprise-resource-planning/solutions-overview. epx Four director leaders and two business system analysis were selected for review roles, working with other leaders from sales and distributions. One fourth or seven out of twenty eight directors of NIBCO have been selected for project as full time. These people must have good business knowledge to see the potential issues and settle conflicts. 4. 5. Project team assignmentThe project managers are assigned for specialized teams, including: sales and distribution, financial, material management, and production management. Each team work together with experts from solution vendor. Business member will consider process, business functions, power users, business process analysis. IS and IT engineers will be responsible for technical sides, including infrastructure, programming, testing, installation and running. Each team has their supporting IBM consultants, with their technical knowledge to that they could make joint decisions, and also transfer the knowledge to NIBCO core team at the same time.Consultants from solution vendor, SAP, also work together with the team. The final project cost was 17 million USD, and one third for infrastructure cost, including the solution software. One anther third for education, team work and the last one third for consulting (Brown, 2012, p. 501). 4. 6. Experience in change management The cutover approach or big-bang implementation of ERP package as NIBCO used requires a good change management in all business functions and department. Because business processes are changed, much or little depends on the nature of business, therefore all the related staff will be affected.Also, the ap plication in wide range, all ten first factories and distribution centers will be affected same day, same time. The key to success of NIBCO implementation can be the careful planning and actions. The analysis and design, communication and management effectively, as well as the good coordination with consultants and vendors’ experts. The support and direction from top management to departments’ heads involving the implementation of ERP can also contribute to the success. Big bang implementation requires change management that was not key strength of IBM.Training was used widely to increase skills and knowledge of users, with 450 different business activities in 15 locations. Open communication by provision of information to project teams, over 1,200 hours of training, over four months before going online or Go Live. The grace period was used for more scenario training, with more focus on business processes. After intensive, effective and serious training, the company co uld be ready to operate R/3 on its own without solution or partners expert working on site. List of Reference 1. Brown, 2012, Information Technology Management – 7th Edition, Prentice Hall

Organizational Behavior at Accenture Essay

1. Introduction This paper gives an overview of the organizational behavior (Organizational Structure, Culture, and Leadership) at Accenture– the last organization I worked with. Accenture is an international management consulting, technology services and outsourcing organization, with approximately 0.25 million people and clients in more than 120 countries. It has generated net revenue of US$ 27.9 billion for last fiscal year i.e. 31 st August 2012. (Accenture,2012) 2. Organizational Structure 2.1 Accenture’s Structure – At A Glance Organization’s structure divides the organizational activities and co-ordinates them to achieve the aim of the organization. Accenture is organized into various partially overlapping industry areas that allow the clients to choose from a variety of integrated consulting services. It upholds four global operations workforces: 1. Consulting 2. Servicing 3. Solutions 4. Enterprise Table 2.1 highlights five operating groups and their respective 19 industry groups within the organization. (Accenture Facts,2012) Financial services Banking Capital Market Insurance Health & Public Services Health Public Services Communications , Media & Technology Communication Electronics & High Tech Media & Entertainment Product Automotive Air, Freights & Travel Services Consumer Goods & Services Industrial Equipment Infrastructure & Transportation Resources Chemical Energy Natural Resources Utilities Table 2.1 The figure below displays the organizational chart of Accenture and explains how different sub-units interact with each other. Exam Number: B031449 Page 3 of 11 Figure 2.1 Accenture’s Organizational structure (Source: Official board, 2012) 2.2 Analyzing the Structure of Accenture Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) defined seven key elements of organizational structure and in this section, we will see how they relate to Accenture as an organization. It can be easily inferred from the organizational structure (Figure 2.1) and Work group division (Table 2.1) that Accenture is a large complex organization that requires its employees to be highly specialized in the tasks allocated to them to ensure that quality work is delivered. In order to make sure that all the employees are highly skilled with respect to their tasks, an intense induction takes place in the beginning of their journey in the organization. Accenture follows a tall organizational hierarchy structure due to its diverse workforce and workgroups where Span –of –Control for a Manager depends on the size of the project. Within the solutions workforce, in a single project, following hierarchy exists: Figure 2.2 Hierarchies in a project For example, Span of Control for the project in which I worked was a 96: Designation Programmers (10) Senior Programmers (8) Analyst Programmer (6) Team Lead (4) Manager Span of Control One Team lead , supervises 24 resources One Manager supervises 4 team-leads. So total Span of Control = 96 The tasks in each project in the Solutions workforce are departmentalized into different submodules i.e. Analysis, Design & Build, and Testing. Department of Analysis is responsible for creating business artifacts that detail out client’s requirement and proposed solution to achieve it. These artifacts are then passed to the Design & Build Team who create the high-level design documents and develops the products which client has asked for. Once the product is delivered, it is then passed on to the testing team to ensure that the final product is as per the business artifacts and there are no issues encountered. Accenture is highly formalized organization, where each project while working on a client’s requirement has to adhere to the policies, procedures and norms set by Accenture as well as the clients. This is one of the key approaches to gain the client’s trust. Since project managers have the authority to take decision related to their respective projects, we can call Accenture as highly centralized organization. 3. Organizational Culture Culture is embedded and reflected in every aspect of an organization. As stated by Ravasi, D., Schultz, M. (2006), organizational culture is a lay down of shared intellectual assumptions, which guide understanding and action in an organization by defining suitable behavior for diverse situations. Figure 3.1 is a three-layer model for organizational culture developed by Edgar Schein (2004). Figure 3.1: Schein’s three levels of culture – Source (Bohine, Markham, 2003) Insight on Accenture’s Culture 1. Schein’s three levels of Culture a) The first level i.e. Observable level is the most visible layer. Table 3.1 highlights few of the Surface manifestation of culture at Accenture Manifestation Ceremonials Course Norms Slogan Symbol Accenture Fun Fridays, sporting events, monthly birthday celebrations, quarterly awards Greenfield training for the new employees where the number of days varies from 1 week to 6 weeks depending on the employees Code of Business conduct led by multiple policies High Performance Delivered Accenture has six core values (Accenture Core Values) – Stewardship: Fulfilling our obligation of building a better, stronger and more durable company for future generations, protecting the Accenture brand, meeting our commitments to stakeholders, acting with an owner mentality, developing our people and helping improve communities and the global environment Best People: Attracting, developing and retaining the best talent for our business, challenging our people, demonstrating a â€Å"can-do† attitude and fostering a collaborative and mutually supportive environment Client Value Creation: Enabling clients to become high-performance businesses and creating long-term relationships by being responsive and relevant and by consistently delivering value. One Global Network: Leveraging the power of global insight, relationships, collaboration and learning to deliver exceptional service to clients wherever they do business Respect for Individual: Valuing diversity and unique contributions, fostering a trusting, open, and inclusive environment and treating each person in a manner that reflects Accenture’s values. Integrity: Being ethically unyielding and honest and inspiring trust by saying what we mean, matching our behaviors to our words and taking responsibility for our actions Rewards and Recognition in Accenture: Accenture has various ways of acknowledging an employee’s contribution towards achieving the â€Å"High Quality† work. In addition to promotion, few of the awards given by Accenture (specific to solutions domain) are: ACE Award – Accenture Celebrates Excellence is an award given on quarterly basis to the employees who show outstanding performance during a quarter in their respective industrial groups. The nominations for these awards are forwarded by the project manager along with the citation to justify the nominations. Innovator for the quarter – This category of award is held at different project levels and is awarded to an individual or group of people who have innovated something to either add value to the client or helped in increasing automated work to save on efforts. Star of the month – This category of award is also held at project level where the work of an employee performing extraordinary is acknowledged. Propel Awards – This category of award is held at industrial group level where the employees are awarded against different criteria’s e.g. Adding Value to Client, Organizing quality work and anticipating critical situations etc. Celebrating Performance – Celebrating performance is a tool through which Team leads and above acknowledges the work of an individual by giving them some points. These points can be redeemed via a shopping catalog holding a range of different things. c) The third level i.e. basic assumption is invisible layer. It is the perception held by individuals concerning human behavior. As mentioned earlier, this cannot be seen but felt by the individuals and hence is difficult to be described in words for any organization. 2. On analyzing Accenture based on different Cultural framework and Cultural typologies it can be said that Accenture falls into Role culture and Communal culture. The justification for this goes below: ï‚ § Accenture is very much driven by its policies, procedures, and rules, which makes it high on formalization aspect. Figure 2.1 clearly shows the level of hierarchy that Accenture has. Managers at top of the hierarchy work as per their roles and specializations that make Accenture a highly centralized organization and hence putting it into a Role culture. However, if we deep dive to the lowest division i.e. the Projects, the task to be achieved is allocated at the Managerial level and is then cascaded down to different team members based on their expertise. The aim of the team is to ensure the task is delivered on time and with a high quality. For example, in my projects, there were times when a task demanding high expertise on specific domain were assigned to the senior programmers instead of the team leads. This clearly displays that the project division is on to the Task culture i.e. high formalization, low centralization where people are acknowledged based on their expertise and not just position. ï‚ § Accenture has very strict entry criteria and employees who suit the working environment are selected. Once the employees are in the company, another level of assessment happens to check the skills to identify which project who the employee be best suited for. During an initial phase in the project, the employees are giving an intensive training about the core values of Accenture as well as the client that they are working for. The roles and goals for each individual are made clear right from the beginning and each employee is expected to have a degree of flexibility to switch the roles as and when required. All these characteristics make Accenture falls into the category of Communal culture i.e. High Sociability and high solidarity. 4. Leadership Walt Disney said, â€Å"You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality† (Disney, 2011) Accenture groups skills, competencies, and personality traits of effective leaders into three vital pillars (Accenture Leadership): Visionary Evangelist- They see possibilities and inspire others with their vision; they know where the company is headed and what its customers will value in the future. Relationship Builder-They enlist the support and capabilities of others by building loyalty, motivating and engaging. Manager of Execution- They provide structure, discipline and a sense of priorities to get things done. Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard (1998) described the concept of situational leadership. Situational leadership is an approach of identifying the most effective way of motivating, directing, and supporting employees to get the work done. Whether it is the leaders at the top of hierarchy (CEO) or the leaders at the lowest division (project managers), leadership style in Accenture varies depending upon the situation. Figure 4.1 Situational Leadership Model (Source: Davidmerzel, 2012) How Leadership style works in Accenture When an employee is new to a project or the organization, it is ensured that a counselor and a supervisor are assigned to him. It is supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that the employee understand the norms and the working culture of the project and Councilor helps the employee with the career aspirations and issues (if any) faced by him while working in the project. In other words, it can be said that supervisor acts as the coach and councilor supports the employee at the same time. Supervisor and the Councilor are not the same person and it is the councilor who remains the same throughout the journey in Accenture where as supervisors keep of changing as when an employee progresses. Once an employee displays the ability and the skills required to tasks assigned (i.e. generally at Analyst Programmer level), the work is then delegated where very few directions and support are required. At no point in Accenture, you would find a leader portraying the directive leadership. Support and mentoring is always provided until an employee is capable to work on his own. 5. Synopsis Accenture is an organization on the move, one that is engaged in a good range of projects in various locations. Its culture varies from one extreme to another depending on the client and the geographical location of the office in which one reside. Employees, working at the client site, particularly for extended periods, find themselves following client’s culture as well as Accenture’s. It has a youthful environment that helps in making contacts, which lasts as an employee moves from project to project. In spite of the youthful, work-hard/play-hard atmosphere, employees strictly adhere to Accenture’s high standards, which require dedication and discipline on behalf of the employees. People at Accenture genuinely respect and admire each other. Willingness to help others and strong interpersonal skills are more common that being self-centered. This can be easily seen by the prompt responses of peers in different cities and countries towards any technical query being raised at the company’s portal. To summaries, Accenture surely is a strong cultured and centralized organization where the core values of the organization and client’s both are kept in mind and at the same time its ensured that employee’s professional aspirations are also met. I would definitely say a great place to work! 6. References (Arranged alphabetically) 1. Accenture, 2012 – About Accenture Available at: http://www.accenture.com/gb-en/company/Pages/index.aspx Accessed on: 26th October 2012 2. Accenture Core Values: Living Accenture’s Core Values [online] Available at: http://careers.accenture.com/gben/working/overview/values/Pages/index.aspx Accessed on: 26th October 2012 3. Accenture Facts,2012 – Q4 Fiscal 2012 Available at: http://newsroom.accenture.com/fact+sheet/ Accessed on: 26th October 2012 4. Accenture Leadership: Why Leadership and Culture Matters [online] Available at: http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_Why_Leadership_and _Culture_Matter.pdf Accessed on: 27th October 2012 5. Accenture Logo – Accenture UK Limited [online] Available at: http://www.enterprisemanagement360.com/company/accenture-uk-l imited/#.UIqNsm_Mjsw Accessed on: 26th October 2012 6. Bohine, Markham, 2003

Writing College Entrance Essays

Writing College Entrance Essays For most students, the first essay they write as a college requirement is also the most important one. The college entrance essay is a daunting task that requires as much candor as it does nuance, and the formula-driven essay assignments in high school language arts classes are a far cry from what admissions committees typically expect. In addition, competition for admission into the nations top universities is steadily tightening. As students, parents, and guidance counselors recognize the necessity of obtaining a respected degree in todays job market, applicants wisely vie for the slots that will give them the greatest chances in competing for the best career opportunities.So is it possible for the average student to stand out when writing college entrance essays? And how important is it to focus a great deal of time and effort on this endeavor? The answer to these questions is†¦ very! In many cases, a students college entrance essay overshadows his or her grades, extracurricu lar activities, and academic achievements. Admissions committees want to know who a student is as a person; all the impressive numbers and name-dropping do not necessarily reveal that. The college entrance essay is most often the only chance that committees have to see students for who they really are, know their individual struggles and intent, and connect on a personal level with them.Often students ask, How do I know what to write? A 500-word limit doesnt allow a lot of room for ineffective and unnecessary information, and the process of weeding out what is important and what isnt can be overwhelming. That word cap is placed for a reason: committees dont want to read your life story, they simply want a type of written snapshot of your past, present, and future. Think of it as a first impression- the kind of introduction that does not come with a lot of detailed information. With this in mind, the easiest way to begin a college admissions essay is to ask yourself: What first impre ssion do I want to make?When you introduce yourself to a stranger, do you divulge a lot of information about your childhood experiences? Do you get on a soapbox about politics and world peace? Do you make a lot of excuses or offer lengthy explanations about possible faults on your academic record? Or, do you use clear and straightforward tactics to show that you are professional, to demonstrate that you have a sense of humor and self-worth, and to clearly outline what you hope to achieve from the meeting? Hopefully, you choose the latter, and this is exactly what you should do when writing a college entrance essay.The most common mistake that students make when writing college entrance essays is saying too much about what is unimportant and not enough about what is most important. When a student uses two paragraphs of a 500-word count essay discussing his or her academic achievements, it is a waste of opportunity. Such achievements are generally noted on your application and referen ce letters, and do not need excessive reiteration. A sentence or two highlighting the greatest of your achievements is sufficient; any more, and you run the risk of being repetitive.Academic achievements, classes taken, grades, and community service are typically included in your transcripts and application itself, and should be given limited space in a college entrance essay. However, there are pieces of information that are not always shown in the actual application or transcripts. Such information could include why you chose a particular college or career path, who influenced you the most and why, and positive qualities about yourself that will make you a successful college student. These are all questions that the admissions committee will have about you, and questions that will reveal a lot to them about your goals, your motivation, your personality, and your intent.Admissions committees also like to know how serious you are about becoming a part of their school. They like to t hink that if they are turning down another student in order to give you an open slot, it is because you really want the opportunity to attend their school. This is why it is key to include clear reasons why you chose a particular school, and how it stands apart from the rest in your search. Never let an admissions committee know that you have applied to several schools, and that they are simply one of the many on your list. A vast majority of universities still embrace exclusivity, tradition, and loyalty in their decision-making process, and seek students who will be proud of being a part of the campus body.Finally- and most importantly- you should seek to show personality and human-ness in your writing. Often, students assume that the admissions essay should reflect their scholastic ability, and make the mistake of being overly pretentious and academic in their approach to writing. While a college entrance essay should certainly be free of grammatical and structural problems, it is never advisable to talk down to your audience, or write as if you are preparing a dissertation before you even begin your university studies. Humor, in small doses, is an excellent approach to counter the tendency to be excessively academic- as is carefully considered candor. Such writing will create a personal bond between the essay writer and audience, keeping him or her in the position of being a memorable applicant.

Critical Thinking and Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Example

Critical Thinking and Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Example Critical Thinking and Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Critical Thinking and Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Essay Topic: Critical Thinking Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Some think the quote is saying that you need to appreciate beauty where ever you are. That there is beauty in everything,, if you just stop and look. When first reading the quote I thought the same thing. It was my initial judgment. It was a non emotional response. However, after reading it several times and using critical thinking, I came to the conclusion it was about finding beauty within yourself. I think the author was saying you cannot find beauty if you do not have it inside yourself. True beauty to me is defined as courage, compassion, faith, character and strength. Those are people’s inner treasures. When reading some of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Biography understand more about where I think the quote was coming from. A lot of his life he faced hardship, such as his father dying when he was 8 and leaving his family to face finical hard times. Still he finished college and went to work as a Unitarian Minister. The love of his life died only a year and half of marriage which caused him to leave his ministry. He scraped enough money together to do a 10 month tour of Europe. He eventually remarried and had 4 children. I think with just those facts on his life show us at one point he did travel the world to try and find the beauty or meaning in life. I also think he realized it was something he had in himself all along. The courage to go to school when your family barely had enough to eat, the compassion and faith to go into the ministry, and the character and strength to love again after you wife has been taken after such little time with her. I think humanities are more than learning to be human or learning how to use critical thinking. I think its learning about yourself. Learning about the inner beauties we all have and learning ways to display them. Whether it is through writing, music, or art. In today’s society where people are only concerned with making it to the top, I think we lose a little of our beauty or self. And like Ralph Waldo Emerson said â€Å"we must carry it with us or we find it not†.

International Marketing Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Marketing Plan - Assignment Example The Chinese culture has been the inventor of paper, tea etc. The culture is five thousand years old and to the modern days the country has been able to maintain the ethnicity and the distinctiveness of the culture. Ethnic groups like the Huns and the Mongols have ruled the country from time to time. (A brief introduction to Chinese culture, n.d.) Today, China has opened up to the foreign countries in the wake of the globalization of the economy. The westernization of the culture is evident from the dressing trend of the people. The traditional dresses are used during the times of occasion while in normal times they wear modern dresses. Gini & Jony is focused on the modern dresses for the kids. The company will have tremendous scope for growth in the country. (Living and Values, n.d.) Shanghai has been the most populated city in China with a population of 16.74 millions according to the census of 2000. Out of the total population 88.31% is urbanized and the density is 2,657 people/ square kilometer. The fertility rate of the city has been controlled and it was one of the first regions to have a negative growth rate. It has been maintaining a growth rate of -1.9%. The per capita income in the area is 5,596 Yuan, which is higher than that of Beijing and Tianjing. (Shanghai, n.d.). The city offers a good opportunity for a company like Gini & Jony to cater to the high value customers. The fertility rate has been a problem. However, the company caters to children of various age groups. Shanghai opened up to the foreigners in the 1800s. Since then, Shanghai has been flooded by religions from all over the world. The Christians came in with their religion and so did the other religions. There are five principal groups in the city today - Buddhism, Catholicism, Taoism, Islam and Protestantism.  The culture of Shanghai has opened up from the traditional to the modern forms. This is an

Doctoral Study Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Doctoral Study Topic - Essay Example Studies conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Hospital Association (AHA) during the early 2000s project that there will be â€Å"shortages of at least 124,000 physicians and 500,000 nurses by 2025† (Ziwiak 2010 pg 1). The ever increasing demand for care, in terms of escalating growth in the population, aging and enhanced life expectancy, places a hefty onus on the healthcare sector to cater for an exponentially growing number of patients. However, the country is finding it difficult to recruit sufficient number of human resources to meet the requirement. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), taking into account the reports of the AHA (July, 2007) and the American Health Care Association (AHCA) (July, 2008), puts the â€Å"total RN vacancies in the US to more than 135,000† (Rosseter 2012 Pg 2). Thus, it transpires that there exists an acute shortage of nurses in the US and that this trend will rather continue unabated than checked. Though the US government is taking steps to enroll more nurses and trying to increase the age of retirement, these measures hardly seem adequate to fetch the intended results in addressing the issue. Alternatives like recruiting overseas nurses also come with certain disadvantages. Healthcare Industry being service oriented, it becomes imperative that hospitals should have sufficient number of nurses to provide quality healthcare to the patients. In this context, it is relevant that when staff shortage exists in a hospital, the services of available personnel gets overstretched, which may entail in compromising the quality of care to the patients. Thus, the main concern of a hospital manager or administrator is to ensure that the organization has sufficient number of human resources to meet the demands of quality patient care. Besides, eliminating delays in care should be one of the top priorities of hospitals for