Final Project Milestone Two Moonlight Meadery Essay

Final Project Milestone Two: Moonlight Meadery Moonlight Meadery, LLC (the Company), a winery located in Londonderry, New Hampshire, manufactures mead from distilled honey. Michael Fairbrother founded Moonlight Meadery in 1995. Fairbrother started the company â€Å"†¦with a mission to bring ultra-premium meads to the market† (Moonlight Meadery, 2014. para. 2). Mead is a honey-based wine, and it is one the oldest known fermented beverages (National Honey Board, n.d.). Brewers create mead by fermenting honey, water, and yeast with various fruits and spices. The Company currently ships to 32 distributors within the United States, and it exports to a distributor, Calibre Craft Beer Trading Co., in Australia. Recent intentions to expand operations globally spurred interest in Ireland for its economic, taxation, and cultural potentials. Ireland is home to many U.S. corporations and subsidiaries, including Intel, Boston Scientific, Dell, Pfizer, and Facebook (IDA Ireland, 2011). Collectively, U.S. multinationals in Ireland employ over 115,000 people in over 700 firms within the country (American Chamber of Commerce, n.d.). Additionally, Ireland’s corporate tax rate is 12.5%, which remains one of the lowest in the European Union (EU) and that will prove beneficial in support of the Company’s net income after taxes. There are beneficial cultural potentials associated with mead, which â€Å"†¦derives much of its appeal through Irish folklore, which is legendary of this mystical drink with strong

Communication 491 Work Experience Essay - 1728 Words

Communication 491 Work Experience I. INTRODUCTION My life time work experience and professional skills include jobs in some manner with the United States Army since 1996 (16 years in the United States Army and eight years of a civilian job in the Army Corp of Engineers at the Hannibal Lock and Dam) and seven years in chemical operating, have given me extensive skills and knowledge. This experience was acquired through training and continuing education with the United States Army, Cytec Industries (currently, Solvay Industries), and the Army Corp of Engineers Pittsburgh District –Hannibal Lock and Dam. My career has been dominated by the implementation of effective communication skills. I have held various†¦show more content†¦II. DAILY JOB COMMUNICATION 1. Teaching classes One of the important ways of communicating is teaching, which is rich in verbal, written, and nonverbal communication. I have given on the job training and taught numerous classes in the military to soldiers including: basic sk ills, marksmanship training, weapons maintenance, first aid, self-aid and buddy care, land navigation, urban warfare-mount training (entering and clearing buildings), personal hygiene, Military Occupation Specialist (MOS), battle drills, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention (SHARP). (Appendix The Operations Security (OPSEC) required the teaching of the following: identifying crucial information, analyze the threat, analyze vulnerabilities, assess the risks, and plan countermeasure application. As a drill sergeant, additional teaching was required to instruct Drill and Ceremony, combat battle drills, and further weapon maintenance. When I was assigned as the Assistant Convey Commander while deployed in Iraq my duties were comprised of teaching battle drills, rollover drills, vehicle recovery, reaction to Improvised Explosive Device (IED), reaction to small arms fire, and additional weapon maintenance. (Appendix) As Assistant Convoy Commander in Iraq I would instruct the Humvee driver with nonverbal gestures, as needed (due to the noise of theShow MoreRelatedArts of the Contact Zone by Mary Louise Pratt999 Words   |  4 PagesZone†, an article written by Stanford professor Mary Louise Pratt, discusses many different ideas about culture and communication by utilizing what she calls the literate arts. Pratt explains many terms that she believes are beneficial in gaining a further understanding of a literary piece. Key terms such as, contact zone, autoethnography and transculturation are introduced in her essay. 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Clearblue Pregnancy Test-Free-Samples-Free-Samples for Student

Questions: 1.Provide an outline of the consumer decision process for the pregnancy test consumer. Discuss why this process is important for Clearblue marketers to complete. Finally, share your recommendations for Clearblue at each stage of the consumer decision process? 2.Pregnancy tests are an inelastic price category. Discuss how the inelastic nature of priced demand impacts the pricing strategy and tactics for Clearblue pregnancy tests. 3.Pharmacies are an important distribution channel for Clearblue. (a) What type of channel power do pharmacy retailers have over Clearblue? (b) What are the implications of this when dealing with channel conflicts? (c) Provide at least two strategies for managing channel conflict. 4.Clearblue is a global brand. Define and outline why Clearblue should consider the ten commandments of global marketing when adapting in-store education materials from other global markets to Australian retail stores. Answers: 1.A consumer goes through several stages before purchasing a pregnancy test kit. Steps 1 In this step the need of purchasing a pregnancy kit takes place. This need occurs when the women has certain expectations and doubts as to whether they will be conceiving or not. Whenever such a need arises, it should be the aim of the organization to see to it that the first name that comes into mind when they think of pregnancy test is Clearblue`s . For this it needs to indulge in proper advertising. Step 2 Whenever a customer feels that she needs to use a test, she conducts a research to find the best alternative. The company should compare its products from that of its competitors and see to it that the company is the best among all. Its quality and pricing must be the selling point. Advertisements help. Step 3 In this step the company shall evaluate the concept of pricing, quality and recommendation from pharmacy owners. Hence, t is advised for Clearblue that the products are priced accordingly and that the pharmaceutical owners are well aware of the product advantages. Only then will be able to recommend to the customers. Step 4 In this step the company needs to come up with added advantage as this is a stage of purchase. Step 5 Clearblue can engage in a purchase evaluation and analyze the satisfaction of the consumers. The analysis of the customer purchase by Clearblue and closing the process is important for future services. The company can learn where the loopholes re and improve in future 2.Price elasticity helps in measurement of the sensitivity of the quantity with respect to the price of the given product. It is generally observed that the price falls leads to an increased demand as the customers want to take advantage of the lower price. Hence, Clearblue`s pregnancy test has an inelastic demand in the sense the quantity purchased has no effect on the price of the product. This means that greater quantity is demanded the price of the product remains the same. This helps the firm to avoid price wars. Taking advantage of the inelastic pricing system the production and distribution costs need to be considered. The price should be such that these costs are covered by the firm easily, Secondly to price accordingly, Clearblue needs to see that the price of the competitor are observed as the marked price cannot be more than that Proper comparisons must be made on the e-commerce website. Therefore, it is recommended that sensitivity is reflected to the various factors affecting the pricing of the product. The company can consider the listed factors and price its product: Costs of distribution Costs of advertising Competitors price One of the advantages of inelastic price is that the company is able to incur larger profits as its demand is stable and the company can charge after covering all its cost and leaving a sufficient profit margin. 3.A distribution channel can be defined as a source or a medium for the manufacturer to circulate the products in the market. Clearblue is a global leader in the pregnancy test category Therefore; pharmacies form one of the most important distribution channel; for Clearblue. As pharmacies are one of the most critical distributors for Clearblue the company enjoys a relatively strong position in the given relationship. This is because there are not many options available with the test brand were it can showcase its product and therefore the pharmacies are aware of the given fact and enjoy a high position in the setting whereby they tend to dominate the prices and stock levels. Hence, while dealing with channel conflicts, Clearblue needs to take things slowly. As pharmacies are the most critical channel for the business, the company cannot afford to lose out on this and needs to be reasonable and systematic in its conflicts. If the company had enjoyed a greater power than that then it could dominate and rule in the negotiation technique. Recommendations of strategies for managing channel conflicts: Accommodating: As the pharmaceutical is in a position whereby it has great power in the given distribution channel. Clearblue needs to be extremely accommodating in the negotiation process. Compromising- As the pharmacies have a better position, Clearblue needs to be extremely compromising with them. However, the company should keep its own stand also. 4.Clearblue has the aim of opening its stores worldwide and becoming a household name. However, the society and culture of every business is quite different from that of the other countries and therefore a global brand should keep in mind the 10 marketing commandments before designing the materials for the stores. It is important to keep these commandments in mind because: It guides the company to research upon the global branding place. Only when a company is successfully able o research, then it can take advantage and make space for itself. The kind of culture Australians have should be researched and kept in mind. The commandments help the company to create a good infrastructure. This means that the company needs to build in a resourceful system whereby it shall have everything which is important and a proper space to accommodate the brochures and materials Global commandments also teach to make effective use of integrated marketing communication system. Using an effective marketing communication system shall help the company to make proper promotion material for the tests. The global marketing commandments also help the firm to create global equity and spread their name afar. Hence, it is extremely useful to keep these rules in mind before making material or the pregnancy test thereafter keeping in mind the Australian crowd. Three commandments and their application for Clearblue: Not taking short cuts- The Company needs to realize that it needs to prepare a new and customized set of materials for the company for which it should not be taking any shortcuts. Employing IMC- While designing and promoting the product, it can implement an integrated marketing communications tool to see to it that the company enjoys success in its activities. Creating Functional Guides- Since the company has started its operations in Australia a few years back it should follow the functional guised of ho a business should survive in Australia. Through readings and other methods it should also form its own functional guides for designing materials or the stores mapping.

Essay about Inditex Zara

Question: Write essay about Inditex Zaras success explained from the Information System point of view. Answer: Introduction The information system is the infrastructure that is composed of a set of interrelated components for collecting or retrieving, storing, processing and dispensing the information. It helps in sustaining the organizations process of decision taking and control. An information system is utilized for achieving the principle goal of the organization by establishing effective communication and data sharing. It is important to keep track of the effectiveness of the information system used by the organization. Inditex Zara uses a hybrid model of the information system for achieving the core value of their business and align their goals for meeting the customer satisfactions. The hybrid model utilizes both human intelligence and Information technology for the organizations operations. Analysis of Success of Zara using Information Technology Zara[1] has developed the core capability for the effective and minimalistic approach for utilizing IT in suitable knowledge transmission, fast production of goods and empowerment of the employees. The principle motive of the information system is improving the regularity and class of clothing stock kept by the designing and planning panels. The unique information system of Zara helps in developing human supported IT solutions for keeping an insight on the merchandise of less demand. The information system used by Zara is cost effective and helps them for rapidly responding to the diverse customer's demand. The information system provides fine, supervised stock inventories, an effective linkage between the consumers demand and supply and reduction in the cost of outdated products. Zara has introduced online customer help desk that enables the customer from the pain of conventional shopping. The customers can see the products online and buy them using the internet. The success and competition gain of Zara is the result of its hybrid information system that comprises both information technology and human resources[2]. The information system streamlines the information between the stores and headquarters of Zara using the personal digital assistants, customer feedback and marking high demand fashion trends. The managers keep excellent inventory for decreasing the wastage and inefficiency to as minimum as 1% on an annual basis. The company Zara spends 0.5% of its total revenue on the IT development while its competitors spend 2.5% of their total revenue on the same field. It provides Zara an edge in competition over its rivals because of cost effectiveness. Due to the incremental nature of the information system in the organization, Zara has helped them to stay consistent with their business strategies. Conclusion The information system in Inditex Zara is incremental and radically innovative in nature. The compactness of their information system has resulted in the growth of the organization as the most profitable global operating clothing chain. The IT system has resulted in shortening the time expense for designing and delivering the goods. Zara has a web application to support the online market and ease of customer-company relation. It is possible because of the information system and smart technologies prevalent in modern time. The information system of Zara is relatively effective and cost saving that allows the quick response, effective communication and ensures correct pricing of the goods. Bibliography Mayrhofer, Ulrike, and Claire Roederer.Zara: The international success of fast-moving fashion. HAL, 2016. Rao, Kandi Ganeswara. "Successful International Expansion of a Fashion Retailer: A Case Study of Zara."BS Publications(2014): 245. [1] IT, Zara. 2016. "ZARA Official Website".Zara.Com. [2] Miao, L. I. "Analysis of the Development of Apparel Industry through the Success of ZARA."Progress in Textile Science Technology3 (2013): 031.

Research Proposal on Waste Management Essay Example

Research Proposal on Waste Management Essay Waste management is the system of processes and their control which are aimed at the collection, transportation, recycling and utilization of wastes. The term ‘wastes’ means the products of the human activity which are no longer used or must not be used because of their harmful qualities. It is obvious that wastes influence the normal life of people, their health badly; moreover, wastes care harmful for the natural environment, animals, plants and fish. Very often wastes are associated with pollution and it is right, because the industrial and domestic wastes pollute water, air and soil. Due to the system of waste management it has become possible to recycle wastes and produce useful materials from them. The most common way to utilize wastes is to bury them or simply transport them far behind the human settlements. The open air dumps are extremely widespread in the developing countries which have not learnt to recycle and utilize wastes reasonably. Dumps are very harmful for the environment and for the human health, because of the smell and toxicity of various types of wastes which mix together. If there is no possibility to recycle wastes, there are many methods to utilize them: it is possible to bury them (in abandoned mines, landfills, etc.) and burn them down and receive heat, energy and ash. It is very important to develop the system of waste management, because this process saves recourses, energy, space (vast territories are used as dumps instead of using them for the agricultural purposes) and human health preventing pollution and contamination of water, air and soil. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Proposal on Waste Management specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Research Proposal on Waste Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Research Proposal on Waste Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Waste management is one of the most urgent problems nowadays, because very day people produce so much wastes, they do not have space to bury or keep them. Young people who are interested in the topic and want to suggest some wise ideas concerning waste management are able to prepare a research proposal expressing their thoughts and concepts to the professor. The paper is supposed to be brief, interesting, logical and very informative to present the scope of research and research approach, methodology, literature review successfully. One should convince the professor that the topic is worth investigating and the results of the research will be very useful for the humanity. Many students fail the assignment of research paper writing, because they do not know how to organize the writing process well. In order to learn to compose a correct structure of the paper and format the text well, one will need a good free example research proposal on waste management written by an expert online. A free sample research proposal on solid waste management is quite a useful piece of writing assistance for every student who is not sure in his ability to prepare a good paper himself. At EssayLib.com writing service you can order a custom research proposal on Water Supply topics. Your research paper proposal will be written from scratch. We hire top-rated PhD and Master’s writers only to provide students with professional research proposal help at affordable rates. Each customer will get a non-plagiarized paper with timely delivery. Just visit our website and fill in the order form with all proposal details: Enjoy our professional research proposal writing service!

The Basis of Commerce in Al-Andalus essays

The Basis of Commerce in Al-Andalus essays Al-Andalus served as a shining star of Muslim commerce. Strict moral codes governed the operation of the marketplace. These codes were overseen and administered by a qadi (judge), also referred to as a muhtasib. Ibn Abduns Hisba Manual examines market regulations in Muslim Seville . The selected document is from a larger work by Ibn Abdun, Islam from the Prophet Muhammad to the Capture of Constantinople. The reader learns from the introduction that the author of the document was most likely a qadi (judge) or what is also referred to as a muhtasib. The document briefly defines the role of a muhtasib as a market inspector. This definition fails in many details that would aid the reader in placing the document in a clear context. Contrary to the authors description of the hisba (text spelling) as a genre, within an Islamic text the meaning has a larger definition. Within the Islamic sphere the Hisbah is a religious institution under the authority of the state that appoints people to c arry out the responsibility of enjoining what is right, whenever people start to neglect it, and forbidding what is wrong, whenever people start to engage in it . Within the institution of the Hisbah the position of muhtasib exists, his position is not only one based on commerce (market inspector) but also one of a moral and religious nature. Al-Muhtasib is a judge (Qadi) who makes decisions on the spot, at any place and at any time, as long a he protects the interests of the public. His responsibilities are almost limitless in order to implement the following principle: commanding the good and forbidding the evil of wrongdoing. Al-Muhtasib as full judge must possess high qualifications of being wise, mature, pious, well-poised, sane, free, just, empathic, and learned scholar. He has the ability to ascertain right from wrong, and the capability to distinguish the permissible from the non- permissible . Placing the docume...

Competitors and Strategic Performance Management Essay

Competitors and Strategic Performance Management - Essay Example Competitors and Strategic Performance Management is one of the crucial strategies for the success of organizations operating in competitive environments. McDonald has built a competitive edge through robust Strategic Performance Management that aligns the performance of its employees to the corporation’s strategic objectives and organization’s vision. McDonald is without any doubt making significant strides in innovation, business expansion, and cost reduction to outmatch its competitors and increase its market share. Proactive approach in managing its business threats keeps McDonald remain valued in the market. In addition, the corporation understands that, there is a need to keep continuing monitoring its business external environment (competitors) to ensure that it formulates the most relevant strategies to promote and cope with stiff competition (Love, 1999). In order to understand its business environment, McDonald analyses its business competitors as those that co mpete with its â€Å"customers spending power.† Some of the identified competitors are; brand competitors, industry competitors and form competitors. The industry competitors are regarded as the most critical ones since they offer almost similar products and services. The corporation further analyses competitors’ characteristics as serving the same customers, having superior or same technologies in products preparation, similar distribution channels, and same target market. McDonald further recognizes the need to examine their competitors existing strategies and objectives. The corporation analyses competitors’ strengths and weaknesses in regard to its business (McDonald, 1996). By undertaking competitors’ analysis, McDonald understands that it will be able to do business forecasts on the competitors’ plans and strategies. Based on the Cohesion Case analysis of MCD, its three major strengths include; large/strong customer base covering approximately 118 countries. For example in Europe, there is an increase in the number of restaurants from 6,650 to 6,485 which reflects a considerable increase in customer base.  

Answer the Q Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answer the Q - Essay Example Due to the rise of the contemporary issues pertaining to the advancement, kinship, feminism, feminism gender and sexuality, political and legal, nature science and technology in the modern universe anthropology tend to go further beyond its historical set goals. Development of perception from critical perspective of anthropology mainly addresses issues of poverty, gaps in regard to the outlined strategy and results. This makes anthropologist to work in development thus disregard history and the lessons it might offer, reasons for driving development externally rather than having an internal basis, and reasons that make planned development fail. The prevailing distinction amidst anthropology of development and corresponding development anthropology is mainly the application of the anthropological perspectives in regard to numerous branches development studies (Haviland, Fedorak & Lee, 2008). This also takes into account the international development and the international aid as primary objects. Thus, advancement of anthropology encompasses social action in modification of the economic, technical, political and social life for particular locations in the universe. This greatly compromises the historical goals of anthropology. This is because they tend to concentrate on impoverished, formerly colonized regions. Development anthropologists have a commitment to simultaneously critique and contribute to projects and institutions that create and administer Western projects that seek to improve the economic well-being of the most marginalized, and to eliminate poverty. Kinship mainly deals with both the patterns of social relationships in numerous human cultures and corresponding patterns of social relationships in them. Thus, anthropology practically develops associated related concepts and terms entailing descent, descent groups, lineages, affines, cognates and fictive kinship. Nevertheless, kinship patterns developed by anthropology mainly

WHY TO CHOOSE CAL STATE UNIVERSITY SANTA BARBARA Essay

WHY TO CHOOSE CAL STATE UNIVERSITY SANTA BARBARA - Essay Example However, this clause was deleted to allow the upgrading process hence the creation of Cal State University Santa Barbara which became part of the university of California research system. The campus is located in the California, United States, and it covers an approximate area of one thousand and twenty-two acres of land in Goleta. It has conferred various students with various degrees in the past hence it is among the top performing universities in the California university system. California University has had the culture of research for long hence all upcoming universities have to follow suit. Miller (41) asserts that its location is adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, which gives the students an amazing breeze all the time. Moreover, the university is built on Cliffs hence this provides beautiful scenery of the ocean and other places. It has also its own beach, yet none of the other universities owns a beach. This makes the life of the students comfortable especially during the recess period. In addition, the campus has many paths, which make the movement of students, their bicycles, and vehicles, easy. The campus layout is also artistic. This is evident on the strategic location of lecture halls, the sports and athletics fields, the dining halls, laboratories, libraries, washrooms, amphitheaters and conference halls. According to Starr (14) the hostels of the students and the sport fields connect the West and East campuses. This enhances the learning process because it saves the students’ time of moving long distances to rest and attend to their chores. Furthermore, the university affords the disabled lot facilities to use. In fact, it has a school for the disabled students. This makes it a choice of many people who value the less privileged in the society. It also upholds environmental preservation because it has created its own natural preservation center. Its library is located near

Sub Contracting And Partnering And Framework Agreements Construction Essay

Sub Contracting And Partnering And Framework Agreements Construction Essay This course work talks about the subject of sub-contracting, partnering and framework agreements. It further proceeds to evaluate the benefits and disbenefits and assesses the consequences of a possible return to the more traditional model of contracting and sub-contracting within the industry. The work consists of introduction, case studies review, evaluation and conclusion. Partnering can be referred to many different relationships such as single project partnering; multi project, strategic partnering between a contractor and client; the use of a contractor of the same partnering process over many projects as a key building block in total quality management and contractor-employee partnering in the pursuit of safety goals (Kneeland, 1996). The concepts of partnering are, Partnering is a simple way of avoiding disputes; A dispute in this context refers to existing unsolved problems; Partnering involves proactive step to address project problems (Murphy, et al,. 1996). Individual buildings now have to meet more complex and subtle requirements which in turn demand the use of specialist sub-contractors, as the main contractor cannot and would not hope to carry all the works involved (Rietveld, 2004). Contracting firms exist in many different shapes and forms. It is possible to discriminate between contracting firms in terms of their size as well as by the nature of their business. They range from the very small to the very large. Whatever the size of the individual firm it will fall into one of the following categories: general building; specialist trade; specialist maintenance; building and civil engineering, and civil engineering (Headley and Griffith, 1997). In 1988 standard method of measurement for construction cited about 300 work sections, which reflect massive increase in the use of specialist sub-contractors in present construction projects (Rietveld, 2004). The prime aim of integrating the construction teams as suggests in the Reports of Eg an (1998) and Latham (1994) are to convert unnecessary costs into lower price for the clients and create higher assured profits for the materials and service suppliers (Cain, 2003). Long-term of design, production and supply-side partnerships are essential to the introduction of the supply chain management tools and techniques demanded by the Egan Report. The elimination of waste in the utilization of labour and materials as prescribed by the Latham report, 1994 (Cain, 2003). CASE STUDY REVIEW In a project environment, production and services meet. The location of the role of the project actors and the way in which they are linked are fundamental features for project management system beginning with application of organizational structure and delegation of duties, through some of the more sophisticated analysis and decision-making (Pryke, et al., 2006). The construction industry in UK has being accused for its wasteful, inefficiency, and ineffective execution of projects to meet clients objectives and needs, and how it differ from manufacturing industry. The concerns normally focused on areas regarding profit margin, its clients satisfaction and disintegration of the construction teams and procurement process (Anumba, 2000). Latham report (1994) identifies that low productivity, poor value for money and unsatisfaction of the clients objectives are elements of uniqueness, immobility, and variety causes of fragmentation in the construction industry when compared to manufacturing industries. Comparing the construction industry to other sectors, construction is unsophisticated in its approach to the supply chain. It can learn from the experiences of manufacturing industry, where there are standardization and efficiency to meet the customers demands (Egan, 1998). The need for UK construction companies to become more efficient is to follow the recommended management systems in Egan (1998) and Latham (1994) Reports to become more efficient and to improve productivity. The construction industry must be innovative and respond to change and new challenges before it can have potential improvement in aspects of the construction and design processes (Pryke, 2009). Sub-contracting in its own nature encourages fragmentation (Cox and Townsend, 1998). The uncertainty of the main contractor obtaining continuous work with the need to accommodate the different features and requirements of each project brings separation of the teams. Egan (1998) and Latham (1994) recommend reformation of the construction industry through partnering, when they observe there is disintegration between design and production process. In 1922, the first Standard Method of Measurement (SMM) specified only 16 trades in the text, but in 1988, the seventh edition of SMM (SMM7) included 300 different trades which reflect massive increase in the use of specialist sub-contractors in the present construction projects. This movement in the UK reflects many socio -technical economic movement within the industry (Rietvelde, 2004). Advancement in technology and introduction of sophisticated new materials in the supply organizations, method of production and erection sometimes, require new skills and expertise, hence the evolution of sub-contractors to offer these services to the main contractor (March,2009). In supply chain strategy, what to be sub-contracted and what should be done in-house need to be addressed properly. Activities that should be sub-contracted must be those which are not strategic important of the company and it cannot carry it out better than its competitors and is not anticipated that in the future it will improve its importance (March, 2009). A framework is a general term use for agreements that set out terms and conditions for making specific purchases (Edkins, et al., 2009). Framework Agreement has been design for use in both public and private sectors. It is beneficial to construction procurement system in achieving reduction in transaction costs; long-term relationship improvement; better value and greater wealth and risk solutions. It is the principle of applying Rethinking Construction in developing strategic relationship with the supply chain over a long period (Construction Excellence, 2008). Partnering, framework agreement and supply chain management are potential form of integrating the construction team to improve productivity reduce costs and meet a target time; create value for money and satisfy the clients objectives (Pryke, 2009). Supply chain management involves all parties which will contribute to the execution of a project from raw materials and component suppliers, design and client teams, and service providers, right from inception to commission stages (Cox and Townsend, 1998). Partnering in BAA, T5 project, contractors and suppliers worked closely in an integrated team. The benefits of the approach include the necessity to maintain one set of system record and joint quality control system; improved working condition for workers and higher level of safety on site and it encouraged innovation (Pryke, 2009). The Framework program to partner with suppliers provided them opportunity to learn and they included incentive performance targets which challenged them to make continuous supplies for every year during the five years period of the project. In 1998 BAA recruited Tony Douglas as the group supply chain director when BAA had 26000 suppliers with 23 different processes and 17 different systems for managing the transaction, 24 different architects, 23 costs consultants, and more than 70 external project managers and 340 suppliers (Potts, et al., 2009). In 2002, BAA developed second generation of framework Agreement and achieved more accurate project costs and implemented best practices and worked with suppliers in longer-term relationship which did not exist in UK construction industry during the past decades (Brady, el at., 2006). Lean Thinking by Womack Jones (1996), compared the performance of automobile manufacturing companies, those who were operating under traditional method with those who resolved to the then lean production system. The finding was that Japanese Toyota plant was twice productive and three times as accurate as the US General Motors plant by adopting Just In Time (JIT) system of supply, using 40% less manufacturing space and defects were three times reduced. Because of the success of JIT supplying system carried out by Toyota, which is framework agreement, other manufacturing companies follow their suit. The result demonstrates that JIT is not only about delivering of materials, but also to improve management as a whole (March, 2009). Framework agreement encourages collaboration between all key parties and personnel involved in the program of projects to achieve economic benefits and involve contractors at early stage of the project to develop efficiency of work (McKee, 2005). Initially the agreement may be between the client and the service provider, but the service provider may enter into another framework agreement with other service providers in the supply chain to create web that interwoven the major project participants. it contains provision which determines the rights and responsibilities of all the parties involved in the project. The objectives of framework agreement may not be achieved overnight, but its implementation will improve productivity and integrate the teams in the construction industry (Potts, 2009). The light of integration and collaboration as recommended by Egan Report Rethinking Construction and Latham Constructing the Team is rapidly arising in the construction industry during this mille mium, if maintained may set the industry abreast with manufacturing companies to achieve standard and quality of work (McKee, 2005). BAA is the leading implementer of Egans report (1998) and Latham (1994). BAA reduced costs by 10%, defects by 20% and cutting accidents on site by 20%. Construction time prediction rose to 20% through lean construction in T5 project (BAA, Capital Projects). Through contribution of collaboration and integration of all participating teams in partnering, BAA was able to achieve the Health and Safety Award in 2001 (Pryke, 2006). Perth and Melbourne airports applied the supply chain strategy and linked with UKs supply chain team which corresponds with BAAs primary product categories, and were successful to complete within time and budget ( Lee Richard, al et.2002). Charter Institute of Purchasing and Supply, have identified how BAA used professional purchasing team from seven different purchasing departments. 27 different purchasing processes,11 different accountancy systems and more than 12,000 suppliers which projected BAA to win Kellys Award for excellence in purchasing and supply service. The development, the design and the engineering teams in AMA have recognized the importance of partnering and intended to work together to identify the business needs and focus on solution and developed them and have balance in costs, time and quality of work when they undertake a project (Construction Excellence, 2004). BAA executed the extension of the North Terminal (NT) project successfully on schedule through teamwork and management was flexible with the responsible participants. Partnering and framework agreement was the process which made it possible for the company to work successfully in such confined environment without obstruction and destruction. It could have faced delay in cladding on the outside of the building which coincided with wettest and windiest period, but, because understanding among the teams, the procurement route was changed easily (Potts, et al., 2009). During the past century, construction was procured through the use of separate contracts for design and production. BAA could have 2 years time overrun and 40% costs overrun if it had adopted the traditional approach of project execution, but completed on scheduled time. The T5 project was a complex which added 50% capacity to Heathrow Airport, commenced in December 2002 and completed in March 2008. Professionals were employed to share ideas, knowledge and information with other colleagues in the other professions (Potts, et al., 2009). The agreement signed by BAA with the suppliers was clear and was based on a cost reimbursable form of contract, profits were ring- fenced and BAA retained the risks. The core value of the agreement are team work, trust and commitment, and the team members were encouraged in order to drive out all unnecessary costs, including claims and litigation which boost productivity level (Douglas, 2005). BAA learned from historical events of construction projects, such as British library; upgrading of the West Coast Railway Line; London Underground Jubilee Line extension; the Scottish Parliament building and the new Wembley Stadium, and was armed against the mistakes and difficulties they encountered (Potts, et al., 2009). Slough Estates experimented supply chain management process through executing contracts in 1980s and early 1990s when building designs were becoming sophisticated and new materials and new technology were introduced. Skills from architects and specialist contractors and project management teams were required from outside. New era began when the in-house construction teams were retained to carry out the works, and the caliber of the team was improved in which the company won BCO Award for its work through partnering and frame work agreement which constitute the supply change management (Pryke, 2009). The company experiment all the procurement methods including Traditional, Management Contracting and Construction Management methods which are discussed later. However the overall result was unsatisfactory, because overspending for rectification of unacceptable level of defects developing from its projects was high (Potts, et al., 2009). In 1983, the British Property Federation produced its own procurement system to pioneer reformation in the construction industry through introduction of project management profession and consultants were perceived by majority in construction industry as over- bureaucratic and failed to embrace the industry in collaboration manner ( ). Slough Estates Company failed when it first introduced the supply chain management in 1980s and early 1990s. There was no link between specialist contractors and architects or with the consulting engineers. There was no relationship between the parties except the legal binding instruction as provided for as architects instructions (Rimmer, et al., 2009). The company observed that there is no upstream relationship between the contractors and the client during design stage, the client brief the architects and engineers about what he wants and they convert the information into drawings and specifications and transfer them to the contractor. The projects were won on competitive basis without any prior idea or negotiation, the lowest bid was selected. The contractors have no meaningful upstream relationship with the client to work with their downstream relationships with production and service suppliers and it could not allow in-house to continue (Rimmer, et al., 2009). Supply chain manag ement can be improved if clients are willing to negotiate with the contractors and specialists at the early stage (design stage) of the project. All parties in the supply chain should be consulted during the design and decision making stages. Pryke Stephen, (2009) therefore concluded that UK traditional form of procurement is a weak platform from which to add value and reduce cost through supply chain management. Slough Estates observed that Management Contracting (MC) is similar to traditional method but the management contractor has better opportunity to influence upstream relationship with the clients, particularly at the design stage but has no financial interest in the payment of the contractors. His duty is only to concentrate on programming and planning of the project, and defining the role of each player in the construction teams. It encountered a lot of problems when it experimented MC, and shifted to Construction Management (CM), though it is better than MC, the company did not have constant flow of large projects to maintain the recruitment of large in-house management team. CM was better because it allows early involvement of the package contractors and created an opportunity for all parties to take the initiative to involve their own supply chain in the process (Pryke,2009). The strongest platform from which supply chain management can develop is the Design and Build form of procurement where the contractor has relationship with both upstream and downstream parties and in position to add value to work and reduce costs (reference). Contractors are brought on at the initial stage of the project and can deliberate with the architects, engineers and quantity surveyors for a potential framework agreement and partnering (Pryke, 2009). Supply chain Private Finance Initiative is structured to remove any hindrance that will prevent effective relationship among the participating parties. The contractors have full control over finance and design and facilities management expertise within their own teams. There is continuous and systematic improvement and effective partnering arrangement when contractors are able to work on series of similar projects. Construction industry is now matching with the manufacturing industry in terms of supply chain management. Design an d build and PFI have placed construction industry in a position where it can perform better and unnecessary cost of wastes in rectification is reduced (Pryke, 2009). Research conducted on 300 projects by University of Reading discovered that Design and Build projects delivers better quality of work than Traditional method when the projects are complicated and involves high technology (Bennett, Pothcary and Robinson, 1996). During the innovation of Egan (1994) and Latham (1998) reports, Building Research Establishment (BRE) launched a productivity sampling for construction sites (CALIBRE), Slough Estates employed their services to assess two of its sites, and the result showed that collaboration and better construction methods produced about 55% of value producing hours which was low and the cause was from errors in designs, replacement and repetition of work, defects rectification and delays in supply of materials. Slough Estates has found that implementation of changes required information and knowledge sharing across the supply chain (Pryke ,2009). Construction industry is now realizing the necessity to changes the current working practices and attitudes (Pearson, 1999). Organizations such as Ministry of Defense and Tesco , together with BAA, Balfour and Tarmac have developed supply chain management techniques to improve their supply base which has being practiced by other organizations (manufacturing) long time ago and increasingly improve their competitiveness global market. The supply chain management in manufacturing industry involves all the activities associated with the processing from raw materials to the completion of the finished product for the client customer. Construction industry defers from manufacturing industry by lack of standardization, because it does not consists of stable group of interacting partners to deliberate on improving product quality and efficiency of production (Pryke, 2009). The impact of supply chain on construction sites activities is to reduce the cost and the duration of the activities to b udget and time constraint, through establishing a reliable flow of materials and labour on sites. The application of supply chain management in the construction industry requires serious effort , which entails developing upstream integration in the design and production process and operation to link the process into a chain that would increase the opportunity to add value and reduce total cost. With conventional procurement, which is used in both public and private sectors, the majority of the risk is apportioned to the client. The public sector project team is encouraged to produce a project for the cheapest possible initial cost without regard for the long-term maintenance or running cost (Cartlidge, 2006). The report of Mott MacDonald (2002) states that the public sector procurement managers have been over optimistic and naà ¯ve in their estimates of cost and time of large and complex construction projects. This pattern of inefficiency brings the rationale of introduction of alt ernative form of procurement, with less risk for the public sector (Cartlidge, 2006). This harnesses the private sector expertise such as Public Private Partnership. Private sector organization performances are viewed as more efficient than sector organizations. They are more discipline by market force and competition (Cartlidge, 2006). As common as it is to most large public sector providers the National Health Service (NHS) has suffered from the usual problems of late delivery and cost overruns. One of the main challenges to NHS capital procurement is disintegration of the NHS client base for specific healthcare schemes. Several health trusts have responsibility for the delivery of the schemes with differing level of expertise and experience in capital procurement. The solution to the problem is the departure from the traditional NHS procurement method to a procurement known as NHS ProCure21, which is framework agreement with its materials and services suppliers (Cartlidge, 2006). EVALUATION Evaluation of benefits and disbenefits partnership and traditional model of contracting is carried in terms of time and costs saving, quality control, health and safety on sites, value for money and risk management. BAA T5 project could have two years overrun and 40% costs overrun if traditional approach was followed (Keith, et al., 2009). 10 30% cost was saved to BAA on the budget for mechanical and electrical materials and equipment. The Buy Club was early engaged in design stage which promoted lean manufacturing and installation (Keith, et al., 2009). Early agreement on benchmark prototypes with an open book approach reveal issues before they become problems. Collaborative agreement avoids waste of resources (Standing, 2001). Culture has an impact on supply chain manage. The limiting issues are: clash of cultures; lack of trust; lack of coordination between teams; differing procedures and attitudes, and relational risk associated with self-interest focus (Elmuthi, 2001). Partnering has works for the entire project team in the US Army Corp of Engineering; owners. Contractors and design firms all attest to the benefits. Results have exceeded their expectation over 90% of the time in 100 projects. Schedules were shortened and costs fall. Value engineering opportunities are more likely to be identified and implemented (Davy, et al., 1996). MCI Constructors places a heavy emphasis on efficient project management and on prompt identification and resolution of disputes while attempting to avoid litigation at all cost, state: We found that the most successful way to achieve these goals is to utilize partnering (Mitchell, et al., 1996,.53). in the new handbook on partnering, the American Institute of Architects and the American Consulting Engineers Council note that The benefits are clear: Projects are completed on time, within budget, to high standards, and to the satisfaction of everyone (Davy, et al.,1996, p. 290). Traditional construction is fragmented, w hich is solely defined by organizational boundaries (Pryke, 2002). The management using supply chain approach, improves knowledge for academic and practice, which contributes to the management of projects in construction (Pryke, 2009). Leverage affects the flow of information and knowledge throughout the network of actors who constitute the supply chain. It also has an impact on how risk is been transferred fairly, unlike in the traditional process (Cox, 2001). The potential of supply chain is presented for long-term to develop over time and improve and in so doing provide better business solution for the clients, better project outcome for the stakeholder and higher level of profitability for the supply chain members(Pryke, 2009). The concept of supply chains and their management, helps to assemble groups of suppliers and contractors and manage them in a way that emphasizes on value and cost. The groups collaborate to share information and knowledge. They manage and share risk in a manner that is equitable and transparent (Pryke, 2009). The 1994 Latham Report indicates that the level of unnecessary costs generated from inefficiency of use of labour and materials was around 30% of the initial capital cost. Involvement of the specialist contractors and suppliers in the design from outset, means abandoning all forms of traditional procurement which delay the appointment of the specialist constructors, sub-contractors and manufacturers, until the design is well advanced. The traditional forms of sequential of appointment are replaced with appointment of integrated design and construction supply chain from the inception period (Cain, 2003). Sub-contracting in supply chain management should be revisited, because smaller companies are less likely to offer apprenticeships and who would train for the future. In selecting suppliers and sub-contractor in the supply chain many factors should be considered. The location of the project and its proximity to the supplier. The experience of the sub-contractor working in such environment and if he/she can recruit qualified people living in the area or they may be brought in for the during of the project. Accommodation in close proximity for the imported personnel who would stay on the job for long time ( March, 2009). Many case studies revealed that framework agreement is achieving better value of work year by year during the past decade. Though the process is expensive, it does not re-advertise for applying/bidding and awarding of subsequent contracts, therefore great amount of costs is saved. It is able to establish objectives and targets and monitor performance of project and compare successive projects and transfer lessons from project to project (Constructing Excellence, 2005). Partnering is a management system that is based on collaborative approach to work. It is different style of working when compared to the traditional approach which was formerly common in the construction industry. It achieves greater value for money for the client and higher profit for the companies involved, and improves quality of work and is more predictable for project completion ( Bennett and Jayes, 1998). Some the attributed benefits of partnering are: Improved communication among participating parties; better working environment created; reduction of adversarial relationships; Less litigation; Fewer claims; better control over health and safety issues; Improve decision-making that helps to avoid costly claims and saves time and money (Fryer, 2004). Prime contracting(sub-contracting) has been used effectively for high value complex facility procurement projects for many years. It was selected as the procurement model of construction and maintenance services for the defence estates in the 1997 Strategic Defence Review , when it was decided that a more effective and efficient process was required the billion pounds a that the Ministry of Defence spends on its estates (Fryer, 2004). Benefits acquired by MoD include: Easier fault reporting; continuous improvement and innovation; consistent approach across allestates in England and Wales; greater emphasis on quality control and checking as a direct result of a reduction in bureaucracy (Fryer, 2004) CONCLUSION The involvement of the specialists at design stage enabled BAA to eliminate time overrun and cost overrun (Pryke, 2009). There is no production line in construction, hence the difficulty of transferring of this manufacturing-orientated approach. Nevertheless, all other construction companies have to follow the footsteps of the initiators to improve value for money, meeting time constraints, meet budget and quality and lift the industry in high esteem in terms of investment. Supply chain enhances good relationship among the participating teams through integration (Egan, 1998). Despite the impact of the reports of Egan in 1998 and Latham in 1994 there are traditional barriers to reform is proving unassailable. It is recognized that the clients, especially their internal professional advisors within their procurement groups were refusing to change their traditional, sequential procurement practices (Cain, 2003). The inevitable conclusion of the foregoing is that the construction industry is unlikely to be able to transform itself across the board by using SCM-type technique, unless sufficient private clients are persuaded to provide the leadership such as provide by Slough Estates in the 1990s. furthermore, Government and public sector clients need to keep their nerves and let SCM-friendly process like PFI mature into the world class delivers of projects they are capable of becoming (Pryke, 2009 p. 159). The previous specialized knowledge that are trapped within small specialist sub-contractors and suppliers can now become available to clients and designers in a way that is not previously possible (Bresnen, et al., 2009). From Latham (1994) and Egan (1998) there are indications of problems facing UK construction industry. The problems are fragmentation, adversarial relationships, project uniqueness, separation of design from production and competitive tendering. The use of clusters embedded within a partnered supply chain managing approach is cited as solution to the problem (Gray, (1996). It is an improvement of eliminating waste when specialist sub-contractors are brought in during design stage as it is in supply chain management (Morledge, et al,. 2009). It is suggested that where there is a context in construction, involving routine risk minimization coupled with transaction cost emphasis, and this simply creates a situation where costs are cut to achieve competitive status; value added may also be reduced and continuous improvement is unlikely to flourish (Pryke, 2009). Risk comes to rest in the supply chain at the position where leverage is dominant on the part of transferring out project actor. Edkins et al., 2009) suggested that economic power is not relevant to supply chain members and that the power or leverage exercised is supply chain specific and related to the power of other firms within the supply chain. Construction needs structure that provides collaborative relationship and which will maintain the flexibility demanded by the business environment (Smyth and Pryke, 2008). Supply chain management provides means of managing the players comprising the project coalition without the need to return direct employment and management which has improved unsustainable in the British construction industry of the twentieth century (Latham, 1994). The function of supply chain observes that, network of actors linked by number of sophisticated relational linkages (Pryke, 2006). Communication network is more important to the industry, its firms and its clients in the supply chain than the size of the firm. The distance that information or knowledge must pass to reach the actor wh o would handle such material affects the quality of such material on arrival and attitude of the receiver on arrival (Pryke, 2009). More education and motivation is required to maintain partnering, framework agreement and supply chain in the construction industry. As suggested by the government sponsored committees (Egan,1998 and Latham, 1994) reports, this is only possible way standardization. All construction team should participate in the development of partnering strategy for the project for effective result (Davy, et al., 1995). All stakeholders of a construction project should be committed to partnering. Every stakeholders interest should be considered in creating mutual goals,

Employee Rights In The Workplace :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays Work

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Employee Rights violated in the workplace have caused major lawsuits. Many employees' information is not safeguarded; a lot of information is open to the public. There are a lot of web sites where anyone can access and get information some of these sites are: www.anywho.com, www.zabasearch.com, and www.accurateinformationsystem.com. These are some of the sites that are open to the public. Anyone can go onto these sites to find your personal information. Although the sites are very useful for job employment it should be limited who can access this information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For a little money, say $25, one can obtain someone's Social Security number, previous addresses and possibly their driving record. "Most people don't realize how much information about them is out there," says Deirdra Mulligan, staffs counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology. This statement is very true; some can provide detailed financial histories, including information about bank accounts and credit card balances and loans. This information needs to be safeguarded from the public, it is important to have this useful information for a job but, What about when in it not involving your employment? Technology has advanced from the 1980?s and even 1990?s it is scary knowing that it is not hard for hackers and stalkers to get information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are also a few ways to prevent this information from getting out by following some of the suggested steps: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Filling out surveys 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Credit checks (applying for credit cards) 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Registering with a club 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Locking your work cabinets when leaving the area 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Locking your computer when not working   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All of these suggested steps are very useful. One of the laws that are important in the healthcare workplace is HIPAA (Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996). This law to was invented to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes. Patients realized that they need to know that they are protected under healthcare. Although we have this law it is still not protected among the employees in the workplace. Majority of the employees in the workplace tend to translate a lot of other employees information through word of mouth. Disciplinary action should be given when spreading information about another employee.

Cultural and Cross Cultural Psychology Essay

Cultural psychology and cross-cultural psychology is no more new, as it has had its momentum picked up for the past few decades. Developmental psychology is something of the same kind and it was a buzzword in between at the turn of the century. The question is how is it possible to study human’s development though we intend to study. Human development is also reflected from the repeated efforts and interests on culture analysis in getting to know the interpretation of signals, code words and gestures. When it comes to testing, research and analysis in psychology related subjects it is quite difficult to understand the significant relation between the test samples and the findings. As there is never a reliable empirical formula. Cross cultural psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes, including both their variability and invariance, under diverse cultural condition. It’s primary aims are to investigate a) systematic relations between behavioral variables and ethnic-cultural variables, and generalizations of psychological principles. Cross cultural psychology is the science by virtue of the scientific principles and methods it employs. Cross cultural psychology is not primarily concerned with the comparative study of culture, that si the enduring characteristics that mark a culture apart from other countries. (Leonore Loeb Adler, Uwe P. Gieglen, Florence L. Denmark. Cross cultural topics in psychology – Second edition) â€Å"Cross-cultural psychology is the empirical study of members of various culture groups who have had different experience that lead to predictable and significant differences in behavior. In the majority of such studies, the groups under study speak different languages and are governed by different political units† (British, Lonner, Thorndike, 1973, p. 5 – John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition, p. 1) â€Å"Cultural Psycology is the study of the culture’s role in the mental life of human beings† (Cole, 1996, p. 1- John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition, p. 1) Cultural psychology is the study to examine ethnic and cultural sources of psychological diversity in emotional, social cognition and human development. (Richard A. Shweder, Maria A. Sullivan. Cultural Psychology: Who needs it? 1993 – Internet edition Cultural psychology is nothing but the practices, customs and beliefs we follow differs from place to place and ethnicity to ethnicity. It is the study of various cultural practices, customary traditions and beliefs that influence a particular sector of people, who decides to improve their society by improvising the existing practices and trying to reason few satisfactory logic to get convinced with the practices. The degree of variance is sometimes measurable and sometimes not. The most interesting part is to analyze how and to what extent the traditions, customs, practices and beliefs developed in a region based on something are made use in favor of personal purposes. Whereas cross-cultural psychology is the effort to establish a connection between psychology that is being framed on the basis of the customs and traditions practiced. It simply deals with the different set of experiences and different set of environment which shows a significant influence on the behavior of the person in a place. The cultural psychology stops with the traditions, customs, beliefs and practices in a system whereas cross-cultural psychology is deep about analyzing the effect of these cultural practices in the behavior and thought process of an individual in the system. For eg, the traditional practice of Sati (burning a woman alive after her husband’s death) was followed in India. Learning the practice and the origin of Sati and analyzing its logic, superstitious beliefs is the cultural psychology. Cross cultural psychology tends to explain why women in India are able to accept the practice and get convinced when it is not possible with the other women in the rest of the world. Critical thinking in the cross cultural psychology Cross cultural psychology is interesting to deal with, but actually speaking is highly uninteresting when it comes to experiment and research. It is difficult to format a methodology and bring it in practice, even if brought into practice it is not all that easy to interpret the results of the psychological tests and tasks. How can researchers make out the differences between the results obtained for the same tests from different groups though the questions are same and the groups are different based on the brought up and experience. Is it possible to exhibit a connection between the psychology and the culture with just the interpretation of the results of the tests conducted, and the fact being no one knows to what extent the interpretation falls right. The difference in the thinking may occur due to the difference in the culture influenced thought process, still it is difficult as there is no concrete or empirical formula formulated to decide on it. There is no assurance that the difference in thought process is because of the cultural difference, as there could also be reasons such as bewildered nature of the question, the puzzling nature of the tests, the mood and ignorance of the people and the literacy rate and understanding power of an individual. It does not stop with cross cultural psychology as developmental psychology also faced the similar kind of problem in formatting the research to get to know the exact demand of the scientists and the researchers from the test samples. In addition to that few man made minor errors in the research and process leads to an unexpected and unwanted finding and the errors are sometimes left undetected too. The methodology associated with cross cultural research When it comes to methodology of cross cultural psychology, it involves the qualitative methodology to analyze the practices, customs and habits of different cultures, on the other hand it requires quantitative methodology to compare, analyze and juxtapose the difference in psychology of different individuals influenced by the cultures and practices they follow. Psychological and cultural psychology experiments always require the need of qualitative analysis, as the cross cultural psychology is all about analyzing a huge mass of test sample quantitative analysis also comes into picture, perhaps the problem is sometimes the methods are treated mutually exclusive and the results are not compatible all the time. In addition to this, there is a report that researchers employ artificial and unfamiliar methods leading to ambiguous results. The issue is research is done based on the questions answered by individuals in a society rather than the collective answer from a society, that makes the major difference and inconvenience. Conclusion Though the subject is interesting, it is poignant to know the investigation methods have not taken the right direction. Conventional methods and sampling techniques are most desired all the times, perhaps when it comes to bringing out the difference between two cultures and the influence on the thought process of an individual because of the culture, it is advisable not to stop with these conventional techniques, as even previous literature works, media interviews, assumptions can be taken into significant consideration. Apart from all these standard quantitative techniques should be given the appropriate attention too, the results from the conventional sampling techniques and the standard quantitative techniques can be compared and related. This way a convincing analysis can be expected. Reference: Richard A Shweder. Thinking through cultures – Expeditions in cultural psychology John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen . Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition James W. Stigler, Richard A. Shweder, Gilbert Herdt. Cultural Psychology- Essays on comparative human development. Lumei Hui. (2003)Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Cross-Cultural Psychology. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition

National Origins Act

National Origins Act The National Origins Act, a component of the Immigration Act of 1924, was a law enacted on May 26, 1924, to greatly reduce the number of immigrants allowed to enter the United States by setting immigration quotas for each European nation. This immigration quota setting aspect of the 1924 law remains in effect today in the form of the per-country visa limits enforced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Fast Facts: National Origins Act Short Description: Limited US immigration by imposing per-country quotasKey Players: US Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Warren Harding, US Senator William P. DillinghamStart Date: May 26, 1924 (enactment)Locations: United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.Key Cause: Post World War I isolationism Sentiment in the United States Immigration in the 1920s During the 1920s, the United States was experiencing a resurgence of anti-immigration isolationism. Many Americans objected to the growing numbers of immigrants being allowed to enter the county. The Immigration Act of 1907 had created the Dillingham Commission- named for its chairman, Republican Senator William P. Dillingham of Vermont- to review the effects of immigration on the United States. Issued in 1911, the commission’s report concluded that because it posed a serious threat to America’s social, cultural, physical, economic, and moral welfare, immigration from southern and eastern Europe should be drastically reduced.   Based on the Dillingham Commission report, the Immigration Act of 1917 imposed English literacy tests for all immigrants and completely barred immigration from most of Southeast Asia. However, when it became clear that literacy tests alone were not slowing the flow of Europe immigrants, Congress looked for a different strategy. Migration Quotas Based on the findings of the Dillingham Commission, Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 creating immigration quotas. Under the law, no more than 3 percent of the total number of immigrants from any specific country already living in the United States, according to the 1910 decennial U.S. Census, were allowed to migrate to the United States during any calendar year. For example, if 100,000 people from a particular country lived in America in 1910, only 3,000 more (3 percent of 100,000) would have been allowed to migrate in 1921. Based on the total foreign-born U.S. population counted in the 1910 Census, the total number of visas available each year to new immigrants was set at 350,000 per year. However, the law set no immigration quotas whatsoever on countries in the Western Hemisphere. A cartoon showing Uncle Sam putting the Emergency Quota Act (aka the Johnson Quota Act) in place, 19th May 1921. The act limits the annual number of immigrants who can be admitted from any country to 3% of the number of persons from that country already living in the United States according to the census of 1910. MPI / Getty Images While the Emergency Quota Act sailed easily through Congress, President Woodrow Wilson, who favored a more liberal immigration policy, used the pocket veto to prevent its enactment. In March 1921, newly inaugurated President Warren Harding called a special session of Congress to pass the law, which was renewed for another two years in 1922. In passing the National Origins Act, legislators made no attempt to hide the fact that the law was to limit immigration specifically from the countries of southern and eastern Europe. During debates on the bill, Republican U.S. Representative from Kentucky John M. Robsion rhetorically asked, â€Å"How long shall America continue to be the garbage can and the dumping ground of the world?† Long-Term Effects of the Quota System Never intended to be permanent, the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 was replaced in 1924 by the National Origins Act. The law lowered the 1921 per-country immigration quotas from 3 percent to 2 percent of each national group residing America according to the 1890 Census. Using 1890 instead of 1910 census data allowed more people to migrate to America from countries in northern and western Europe than from countries in southern and eastern Europe. Immigration based exclusively on a national origin quota system continued until 1965, when the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) replaced it with the current, consular-based immigration system that factors in aspects such as the potential immigrants’ skills, employment potential, and family relationships with U.S. citizens or legal permanent U.S. residents. In conjunction with these â€Å"preferential† criteria, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also applies a per-country permanent immigration ceiling. Currently, no group of permanent immigrants from any single country can exceed seven percent of the total number of people immigrating to the United States in a single fiscal year. This quota is intended to prevent immigration patterns to the United States from being dominated by any one immigrant group. The following table shows the results of the INA’s current quotas on U.S. immigration in 2016: Region Immigrants (2016) % of Total Canada, Mexico, Central, and South America 506,901 42.83% Asia 462,299 39.06% Africa 113,426 9.58% Europe 93,567 7.9% Australia and Oceania 5,404 0.47% Source: US Department of Homeland Security - Office of Immigration Statistics On an individual basis, the three countries sending the most immigrants into the United States in 2016 were Mexico (174,534), China (81,772), and Cuba (66,516). According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, current U.S. immigration policies and quotas are intended to keep families together, admit immigrants with skills that are valuable to the U.S. economy, protect refugees, and promote diversity. Sources How the United States Immigration System Works. American Immigration Council (2016). â€Å"1921 Emergency Quota Law.† The University of Washington-Bothell Library.Congressional Record Proceedings and Debates, Third Session of the Sixty-Sixth Congress, Volume 60, Parts 1-5. (â€Å"How long shall America continue to be the garbage can and the dumping ground of the world?†).Higham, John. â€Å"Strangers in the Land: Patterns of American Nativism.† New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1963.Kammer, Jerry. The Hart-Celler Immigration Act of 1965. Center for Immigration Studies (2015).

A examination and valuation of Lush Ltd. The WritePass Journal

A examination and valuation of Lush Ltd. Introduction A examination and valuation of Lush Ltd. IntroductionHistoryLeadership teamGlobal brandProductsIngredientsEthos and campaigningBenefits of Listing on Stock Exchange Free Cash Flow Valuation AssumptionsValuation Stages Related Introduction Lush is about passion and innovation: passionate about the nature, environment and growth; and innovative for its handmade, unpacked and fresh cosmetics, seductive perfumes, and natural products. Born from the ashes of Cosmetics to Go, Lush is now headquartered in Poole, Dorset in the UK. The company was initially registered with the Companies House by the name of Cosmetic House Limited in 1994 but was later renamed to Lush in the year 1995. It now operates over 600 stores in 43 countries worldwide. The fuel for this growth has been the result of adopting fresh natural ingredients, ideas and fun. The company’s’ ideology is the most important part of everything that it signifies. Lush produces and sells a range of handmade products, like face masks, soaps, bath bombs, bubble bars, hand and body lotions, hair treatments, etc. Lush uses natural resources like fruits, vegetables, essential oils, and synthetic ingredients without any animal fat in all its products. It is also against animal testing and performs tests solely with volunteers instead. This philosophy of its leaders attracts like-minded people, staff and clients, and communicates the brand essence with a clear vision and direction. History The original incarnation of what is now Lush began in the 1970s when Mark Constantine, an herbal trichologist, and Elizabeth Weir, incorporated a company named Constantine Weir. They began with developing recipes for bath and beauty products and toted them round to potential buyers. Their verdict was: â€Å"Too earnest, very authentic, not at all commercial.†Ã‚   Constantine Weir was one of the associate and suppliers to The Body Shop (acquired by LOrà ©al in 2006), a UK -based company founded in 1976 by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_RoddickAnita Roddick. As The Body Shop grew, Anita made a bid the rights to many of the products produced by Constantine Weir for The Body Shop. It was good to be associated with the fastest growing cosmetic company in the world which was using products and ideas by CW. This association was hampered after The Body Shop floated in 1984, when the partnership became uncomfortably formal. The Body Shop eventually bought the intellectual property rights to the business of Constantine Weir for  £9m in 1991. CW managed to dodge the buyout by starting a new company named ‘Cosmetics to Go’ in 1988. This company was primarily a mail-order business which failed ignominiously in 1994. However, CTG managed to obtain new finance from Peter Blacker, of British Ensign Estates and his finance director Andrew Gerrie, who now form an integral part of the board of Lush. In 1994, CTG was renamed to Lush as result of a contest wherein they requested their existing customers to suggest a new name. Leadership team Peter Blacker and Andrew Gerrie were the first to help Constantine when CTG was already in agony and later were responsible in establishing Lush. Gerrie, an opulent entrepreneur had tremendous experience in cash and finance, was a great support to Constantine after having lost his confidence following the CTG debacle. Gerrie had a catalysing effect on the growth of Lush’s fortunes and is leading the expansion of the company. Constantine’s expertise in producing cosmetics is well complemented by Andrew’s ability of managing finances. Constantine and Andrew are the recognised leaders of the company. Besides being experts in their respective fields, they are socially intelligent, organisationally efficient and have a strong sense of imagination. The leadership team of Lush includes Elizabeth Bennett,  Helen Ambrosen, Karl Joseph Bygrave and Margaret Joan who are also the shareholders. Global brand Lush is a leading global brand with over 600 stores and subsidiaries in 43 countries worldwide and production laboratories in Europe, Canada, Australia, South America, Singapore and Japan. Their aim is to offer â€Å"the freshest products in the history of cosmetics.† All the stores in UK are fully owned by the company and the stores overseas are subsidiaries with local managers. The Lush store partnership model ensures management coherence and commitment with the company. Personal ownership adds motivation while willingness to invest in Lush means that the Lush concept is endorsed. At the same time Lush remains directly involved and able to steer the branch. Lush does not supply any other retailer so everything they produce is only sold in Lush shops or on-line from Lush websites. Products Lush produces many different types of cosmetic products, from hair, face, body, and foot care, all the way to bath and shower care. Lush creates solid products to reduce packaging waste and the need for preservatives. Solid products are sold wrapped in paper or in small bags. Lush encourages customers and staff to purchase products using their own shopping bags to be more eco-friendly and even motivate customers to let their products go naked (without any packaging whatsoever). Some examples of Lushs solid products include bubble bath bars, shampoo bars, hair conditioner bars, solid shower gel, and massage bars. Lush also carries bath bombs, also called bath ballistics, which are solid balls made of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid that fizz as they dissolve in the bath, releasing essential oils that scent the bath and soften the skin, and in some cases glitter, confetti, flower petals or seaweed. They hand-make the products in a factory in small batches based on orders from indivi dual stores in order to keep their products fresh. In order to stay in touch with their fresh standard, Lush does not sell any product in their store thats older than 4 months and most products have a total shelf life of approximately 14 months. Ingredients Lush lists their product ingredients in English as well as Japanese, French and many other languages, and uses fruit, vegetables, other plant products, and safe synthetics. Many products are labeled with a use-by date and who made the product. All Lush products are vegetarian, and less than 30% contain animal products such as beeswax, honey, free range, unfertilized eggs and lanolin. Lush uses minimal packaging (over 70% of their products contain no packaging at all); the packaging that they do use is 100% recyclable and are made from used plastics and cardboard. Products which contain no animal ingredients at all are marked as vegan in Lush catalogues, on store displays, and on the container itself. Lush uses methyl- and propyl- parabens, which have been used in food preservation and are both made of plant materials. Only the liquid products contain parabens; solid products have no preservative content as it is water that can breed bacteria in products. 70% of Lush products are preservative-free. Ethos and campaigning Lush does not buy from companies that carry out, fund, or commission any animal testing. Lush itself tests its products on human volunteers before they are sold. In keeping with its stated ethos, Lush has also begun to phase out its use of sodium palm kernelate. Sodium palm kernelate is derived from trees in the natural habitat of orguntans. Greenwash, a pine scented soap, is the first soap to be made using palm-free soap noodles, but as of 2008 all Lush soaps are made with palm-free soap base. Their aim is to have 100% of [their] packaging easily recyclable, compostable or biodegradable†.   Lush is a supporter of controversial direct action, animal rights operations including the Sea Shepherds, a group that works to protect whales, seals, and other aquatic animals.   In 2007 Lush started openly supporting campaigning groups by sending a dozen cheques for  £1000 each, including road protests groups such as Road Block and NoM1Widening, Hacan Clear Skies (anti-aviation group), and Dump the Dump (which is fighting against an incinerator) They introduced the Charity Pot body lotion, each pot promotes a different small charity on the lid, and the full purchase price (except for VAT) goes to charity. They have also introduced a range of Go Green products that they say are inspired by Rebecca Lush (no relation), a roads campaigner who set up Road Block in the early 1990s and who pied Jeremy Clarkson for his glorification of the car. Benefits of Listing on Stock Exchange Listing on a stock exchange can add value to a business of any size. Moreover, stock exchange listing cast a wider net into the capitalization pool i.e. the potential sources of equity funding, when a company is planning for expansion and leveraging. A listing will also to attach importance to Employee Share Ownership Scheme of Lush. By obtaining a listing on a stock exchange, Lush will gain market exposure to a broader membership of the financial community including market makers, traders, retail investors and various financial institutions. This will eventually benefit Lush it’s a growing business and worth investing. Thus, listing will potentially increase capital investments of Lush, as opposed to private negotiations and networking, providing a better exposure to a larger financial market and wider range of investors.Being listed on an exchange implies that Lush meet the requirements and standards set by the exchange. This will add credibility to its business and therefore enhance its brand equity by improve customer’s perception of value in the company and its products. Moreover, listing will enhance financial information and investor public relations through the information/disclosures made available as required by listed companies. Listing will facilitate Lush to ascertain its Enterprise Value and share price. A need for capital investment is one of the main factors for Lush to lists on a stock exchange. Lush is a product based company and requires capital for producing inventories. Given the fact that they use on natural ingredients, their products are slightly expensive since they have to import or cultivate their ingredients regularly. Stock market listing will provide wider and more accessible forms of investment for both investors and businesses. This will largely support a free market for buyers and sellers to meet, access and trade capital for ownership and vice versa. It could also be used as one of several sources of capital leveraging. Lush finances its production through debt. Their debt gearing is a striking 40.63% which is very high for a product manufacturing company. Also their interest cover of 13.84% is also high. Listing on the exchange will provide a low cost of capital financing. It will also provide increased capitalization through wider market exposure and reduce the reliance on alternative sources of funding such as venture capital firms. This lower reliance for alternative sources of financing will improve negotiating leverage of the company when obtaining financing from venture capital firms whether it be through less liability protection as determined by the stock ownership terms or lower cost of capital. In other words, if the market exposure gained through listing is positive, the effects on financing can also be positive. To summarize, listing a business on a stock exchange may be a good idea for a business seeking improved market awareness, greater potential for capital investment, enhancements to brand equity and negotiating influence etc. Listing on an exchange should probably be in line with or in accordance with business strategy, otherwise the listing may be premature or unnecessary. Free Cash Flow Valuation The discounted-cash-flow approach attempts to determine the value of the company (or â€Å"enterprise value†) by computing the present value of cash flows over the life of the company. Since a corporation is assumed to have infinite life, the analysis here is broken into a forecast period and a terminal value. Ideally, the forecast period should equate with the interval over which the firm enjoys opportunities for relatively high growth. The value of the company derived from free cash flows occurring after the forecast period is captured by a terminal value. To estimate the terminal value, cash flows are projected under a steady state assumption that the firm enjoys no opportunities for abnormal growth. Once a schedule of free cash flows is developed for the enterprise, the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) is used to discount them to determine the present value. The sum of the present values of the forecast period and the terminal value cash flows provides an estimate o f company or enterprise value. Free cash flow equals the sum of NOPAT (net operating profits after taxes.), plus depreciation and noncash charges, less capital investment and less investment in working capital. NOPAT is used to capture the earnings after taxes that are available to all providers of capital (i.e., NOPAT has no deductions for financing costs). Moreover, since the tax deductibility of interest payments is accounted for in the WACC, such financing tax effects are also excluded from the free cash flow, which can be expressed as: FCF=NOPAT + Depreciation – CAPEX – ΔNWC NOPAT is equal to Operating Income x (1-Tc) where Tc is the marginal tax rate (30% equal to the UK corporate tax rate). Assumptions All items were taken from financial statements of Lush. The growth figures of sales for the year 2010 has been taken to be 30% which is the average sales growth form the year 2005-2009. After obtaining listing the company is supposed to have enough funds for operation and will not require any debt financing. Hence, the growth rate is likely to growth at an average 5% for the 1st five years from its listing. This phenomenon was also observed in the case of body shop where its growth shot up rapidly (22.54% in 1984 to an avg growth rate of 37.19% in 1989)over the 1st five years from its listing on the stock exchange. The risk free rate is taken to be 4% as an average risk free rate of debt. Also the risk premium has been assumed to be 4%. The cost of debt assumed is 11.5% because Lush does a lot of short term borrowing and rates are high and generally fluctuate. Also their gearing has been really high and implies that they pay a very high rate of interest. The stock beta has been obtained from The Body Shop (now L’Oreal). The Body Shop has been used as a comparable company since its origination, method of operations and business is very similar to Lush. Some of the items have been expressed as a percentage of Sales to help us in our forecasts (% of Sales approach). The given growth rates of L’Oreal have been used to compute Sales for 2010-SS.2 COGS and SGA can be approximated on the basis of their past relationship with Sales. We have assumed that this relationship will be the same in the future. We have assumed that fixed assets will continue to grow at a rate of 40.75% which represents the average growth in fixed assets between 2005-2009. In reality, it is unlikely that Lush assets will be growing at such high rate forever. The historical depreciation/Fixed Assets ratio (average) is 23.4%. Given that there is no great variation in this historical ratio one can safely assume that the relationship between the two will be maintained in the future. We can then calculate an estimate for fixed assets and as a result depreciation itself as a function of fixed assets. Valuation Stages We assume that the valuation exercise is performed at the end of 2009, i.e. that the first FCF (end 2009) arrives 1 year from the time of the valuation. Terminal Value is then calculated as follows: Terminal Value = FCFSteady State à · (WACC − gss)4 This is the value of all cash flows after 2014 as of the end of 2014 that then needs to be converted to value today (i.e. end of 2009). So it needs to be discounted 5 periods back. PV Terminal Value = Terminal Value / (1+WACC) Then the PV of the FCFs from 2010 to 2014 is: PVFCF2010-2014 = FCF2010/(1+WACC)+ FCF2011/(1+WACC)^2 + FCF2012/(1+WACC)^3 + FCF2013/(1+WACC)^4+ FCF2014/(1+WACC)^5 The Enterprise Value is then given by PV Terminal Value + PVFCF2010-2014 This is the value of the firm to all providers of capital. To get the equity value one needs to subtract the value of total debt (ST Debt + LT Debt) The terminal value growth rate used in the valuation is 15%, which equals the long-term risk-free rate; i.e., the long-term Treasury yield. Cosmetics companies are non-cyclical companies and have very little impact of inflation on their growth. Also Lush is one of its kind, and is therefore expected to growth at 15%. Looking at the its previous growth figures (18.94% CAGR for the past 15 years), 15% is a justified steady state growth rate. The resulting Enterprise Value is 81.02mil and the value of Equity 47.59mil. The corresponding per share figure is 2.13 pence which can then be compared to future actual share prices. References chx.com/content/Trading_Inform ation/Listing_standards.html ht tp://www.nasdaq.com/about/list ing_information.stm cftech.com/BrainBank/FINANCE/U SStockExchs.html http://en.wiki pedia.org/wiki/Stock_exchange http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=OR.PA reuters.com/finance/stocks/financialHighlights?symbol=OREP.PA 1. â€Å"Soap Stars†, The Business FT Weekend Magazine, 08.06.02 2. www.lush.co.uk 3. From a Lush shopping bag and website (www.lush.co.uk) 4. Lush mission statement 5. Marketing: Lush Gets a Makeover, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus Graduate School of Business, available on-line at www.brianlhill.com/projects/ExperienceMarketing_Lush.pdf 6. Reported by Sarah McCartney, Editor of Lush Times 9 Mary Linehan, Lush Press Office 10. â€Å"Living the Lush life† by Marge C. Enriquez, Lifestyle, 10.12.01