Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management at General Electric Essay

Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management at General Electric - Essay Example This is much higher than the industry average, due largely to the knowledge management systems in place at this multi-national enterprise. General Electric is a top-down, centralized management hierarchy with divisional management reporting to executive leadership at company headquarters, led by Chairman Jeffrey Immelt. In order to establish appropriate cost control and generalized leadership controls, the company requires this centralized organizational structure due to the interdependence between all divisions and the high volume of employees at GE. The centralized nature of General Electric somewhat confounds the traditionalist viewpoint of knowledge management systems, as it is generally recognised that in order to effectively manage knowledge, employees must be more interactive in decision-making through autonomous learning and job role functioning (Davenport, Jarvenpaa, and Beers, 1996; Swan, Scarbrough and Robertson, 2002). The centralized structure of General Electric is what prompted analysis of this particular business case as it defies the argument that a decentralized structure ensures more efficient knowledge management processes. In order to manage knowledge and promote organizational learning, GE relies on technology, experiential learning processes, the SECI model promoted by Nonaka, and bounded rationality as key approaches to facilitate KM practices. GE is governed by leadership that understands the complexities of multi-national business operations. Offers Jack Welch, previous CEO of GE, â€Å"you can’t manage what you can’t measure† (Seymour 2008: 28). Time constraints, the practical market environment and its unpredictability in certain markets, and the differing cultural dimensions of diverse employee populations create difficulty in creating concrete and time-sensitive decisions without recognizing the boundaries associated with rational decision-making. Thus, GE’s approach to knowledge management is based on p racticality rather than ideology which drives aspects of its cultural development focus and short-term business objective planning. This report highlights the knowledge management and learning practices at GE with a focus on the systems in place to promote such activities. GE cultures, systems, structure, and practices General Electric follows the SECI model which focuses on the relationship between socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization. Despite its centralized hierarchy, General Electric prides itself on its commitment to building positive interpersonal relationships between management and employees, building a culture of innovation, cooperation, team work, and loyalty. Thus, against the SECI model, GE is most closely focused on socialization in order to effectively manage knowledge and promote organizational learning. The knowledge that resides within GE is largely tacit, this being the knowledge that is largely intangible and attached closely to individ ual implicit expertise (Dinur 2011).

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Relations - Essay Example This would involve the Americans thinking the worst about Iran and to act out of self-interest. This probably would mean that Iran would be bombed. The second approach could be a liberal one which would involve the U.S. acting within the bounds of the international system. Both of these approaches will be explored in this brief essay. Realism involves looking at the political system in a way that takes self-interest as the paramount motivator for actors. There is not really any such thing as altruism in this theory, only power and efforts to accumulate power. In order to have power, a country must have security (Bell, 2008, p. 25). For the United States, Iran represents a serious security threat to the world order it has established. Iran threatens Israel and to a less extent Saudi Arabia. A lot of the rhetoric from Iran is poisonous and also suggests Iran is a threat. Washington can only take Iran at its word when it says that it wants to destroy Israel, America's ally. The way that Iran treats its own people lends all of this credence too. Because of these factors, the United States should act decisively. Clearly, negotiation has not been successful. For many American realists, the only thing that Iran will understand is force. Following this theory through to its conclusion, it seems necessary for America to bomb Iran. Politicians like Dick Cheney might be described as realists.

Literature Review Of Forecasting And Definitions Business Essay

Literature Review Of Forecasting And Definitions Business Essay Forecasting is supposed to be one of the oldest management activities. In biblical times there were frequent allusions to clairvoyants and prophets. Nowadays it is becoming increasingly necessary for companies to make forecasts; those that do not give the prospect to their competitors a clear advantage. No forecasting is a main cause of most of todays business failures. In the past, goods could be sold on company reputation alone and forecasting was not too important. In todays more competitive times, sentiment does not apply, and firms that do not challenge their selves to make an accurate forecast on which to base their future production will find it increasingly difficult to survive (Lancaster G.A. Lomas R.A., 1985). Forecasting is important for many aspects of the modern business. Organisations make plans which become effective at some point in the future so they need information about prevailing circumstances (Waters, 2003). This information must be forecast; but unfortunately forecasting is a difficult situation and despite its importance, progress in many areas has been limited (Waters, 2003). According to literature forecasting can be defined: Forecasting is predicting, projecting, or estimating some future event or condition which is outside an organizations control and provides a basis for managerial planning (Golden J. et.al, 1994, p.33) Forecasting is generally used to predict or describe what will happen (for example to sales demand, cash flow, or employment levels) given a set of circumstances or assumptions (Waddell D., et.al, 1994, p.41) Forecasting is a projection into the future of expected demand, given a stated set of environmental conditions (Mentzer J.T. Moon M.A., 2005, p.9) 2.3 Importance of Forecasting Todays globalized business market, the systematic move from push to pull manufacturing, and the rise in consumer oriented economies, have led to a much more complex forecasting world (Lapide, 2006). Forecasters are being asked to create plans for expanding geographies, increased numbers of sales channels, and broader, more diverse, and shorter life cycle product lines. This complexity means that markets are more dynamic and the business environment is not stable (Lapide, 2006). The importance of forecasting is finding in a great range of planning and decision making circumstances. It is essential to mention those perspectives that forecasting can become a useful tool for management in many departments of an organization. In marketing, a great amount of decisions can be improved significantly by connect them with dependable forecasts of market size and market characteristics (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989). Having this in mind for example, a company that produces and sells electrical devices should be able to forecast what the demand will be for each of its products by geographic region and type of consumer (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989). In production an essential need of forecasting is the area of product demand. This relates with the both prediction of volumes mix so as the organization can plan its production schedule and organize appropriate its inventories (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989). Another area that the recent years have linked a lot with forecasting is finance and accounting. These departments must forecast cash flows and the rates at which various expenses and revenues will occur if they are to maintain company liquidity and operating efficiiency (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989). Due to the nowadays difficult economic conditions that the whole business markets face up the importance of forecasting has become more imperative than ever. Marketing practitioners regard forecasting as an important part of their jobs. For example, in Dalrymple (1975), 93% of the companies sampled pointed out that sales forecasting was one of the most critical aspects, or a very important aspect of their companys success. Also Jobber, Hooley and Sanderson (1985), in a survey of 353 marketing directors from British textile firms, found that sales forecasting was the most common of nine activities on which they reported (Armostrong J. S. et. al, 2005). Moreover Dalrymple (1987), in a survey among 134 US companies, found that 99% prepared formal forecasts when they developed written marketing plans. Winklhofer et. al (1996) notes some basic factors that the importance of forecasting has become widely essential for the organizations in recent years: The increasing complexity of organizations and their environments led to difficulties for decision makers to take account of all the factors relating to the future growth of the organization into account; Organizations have moved towards more systematic decision making that contains explicit justifications for individual actions, and formalized forecasting is one way that these actions can be maintained; The development of the forecasting methods has enables not only forecasting experts but also managers to become familiar with these techniques. 2.4 Forecasting Methods Moving on, the next step is to present and to analyze the forecasting methods. Forecasting methods can be divided in three basic categories: a) Quantitative or Statistical b) Qualitative or Judgmental c) Time Horizon 2.5 Quantitative or Statistical Quantitative Forecasts base on mathematical models and suppose that past data and other relevant factors can be combined into reliable predictions of the future (The Journal of Business Forecasting, fall 2000). In preparing a quantitative forecast it should begin with a number of observed values, past data, or observations (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989). These observations may represent many things, from the actual number of units sold to the cost of producing each unit to the number of people employed (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989). Quantitative Forecasts can be divided into two alternative options; projective and casual. 2.5.1 Projective Methods These methods rely on historical data and they are known as time-series. These can be used to discover systematic, seasonal deviations in the data, cyclical patterns, trends and growth rates of the trends (Korpela J. et.al, 1996, p.162). Time-series analyze the data to find out which patterns exist and then develop a suitable forecast equation (Mentzer T. and Mark A.M., 2005). The main forecasting techniques included in this category are moving averages, exponential smoothing and a model for trend and seasonality. A short review of these methods follows. Moving Average Moving average takes account of the calculation of the average of the sample and then forecast the next period having as a driver this average. This is a proper method in order to predict from a series of data which has shown regular historical patterns and where there is a long series. Also they are suitable of predicting seasonal sales but they cant predict accurate rapid modifications in markets. Exponential Smoothing Exponential smoothing is the most popular and cost effective of the statistical methods. It bases on the principle that the latest data should be weighted more heavily and smoothers out cyclical variations to forecast the trend (Armostrong J. S. et. al, 2005). It relies on the idea that as data gets older it becomes less relevant and should be given less weight (Waters, 2003). In order to make this calculation it is needed the old average, the actual new demand and a weighting factor (Wild, 2002). Model for seasonality and trend The techniques that have been discussed so far have assumed that the basic underlying pattern of the past sales data has been horizontal. Waters (2003) proposes a model for use under some specific circumstances such as seasonality and trend in the demand. Demand can be divided in separate parts and more specifically: a) underlying value, which characterizes the main demand that should be adjusted for seasonality and trend b) trend which is the change in demand, c) seasonality which is the cyclical variation around the trend and finally d) noise which is a random effect. 2.5.2 Casual Methods The core assumption behind the casual methods is to use refined and specific information concerning variables to develop a correlation between a lead event and the event being forecasted (Korpela J. et.al, 1996, p.162). The idea based on the hypothesis that there is a discernible relationship between the forecasted variable and a measurable independent variable (Lancaster G.A. Lomas R.A., 1985). A typical example of casual methods is regression method. Regression Method By using a regression method the demand forecast is based on a relationship of one event to another. The use of regression method requires a large amount of data for the forecast variable and the casual variables. 2.6 Qualitative or Judgmental Qualitative Forecasts (The Journal of Business Forecasting, fall 2000) are based on opinions, knowledge and skills rather than more formal analysis. They are used where there is no historical data. These types of forecasts are one of the simplest and widely used forecasting approaches available (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989). Its core idea rely on the corporation of the executives by discussing and deciding as a group what their best estimate for is for the item to be forecast (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989). The most important judgmental methods are Delphi, Market Surveys and Historical Analogy. Delphi In the Delphi method at least two rounds of forecasts are obtained independently from a small group of experts. This group can be between five and twenty experienced and suitable experts and poll them for their forecasts and reasons (Armstrong J.S, et.al, 2005). The experts never actually meet and typically do not know who the other panel members are (Wisniewski, 2006). After each round, the experts forecasts summed up and reported back to the experts (Armstrong J.S., 2006). The cycle can go on from a second to a third round and so on if appropriate (Lancaster G.A. Lomas R.A., 1985). Typically the Delphi method is used to produce a narrow range of forecasts rather than a single view of the future (Wisniewski, 2006). Market surveys Logic dictates that the most sensible approach to preparing a sales forecast might be ask ones customers (Lancaster G.A. Lomas R.A., 1985). It is a simple matter to ask customers what their likely purchases will be for the period it is desired to forecast. So companies make surveys in order to collect these data from customers and then by analysing their answers produce the forecasts. This method is best used when the number of users is small, when they are likely to state their purchasing intention with reasonable accuracy and when the forecaster knows the extent of competition in the market-place and the companys likely share of the total market (Lancaster G.A. Lomas R.A., 1985, p. 131). Historical Analogy Under limited circumstances it may be possible to produce forecasts based on observed patterns of some similar variable in the past (Wisniewski, 2006).The concept of this method based on the product life-cycle which assumes that the most of the products follow the reasonable stages of introduction, growth, maturity, decline (Lancaster G.A. Lomas R.A., 1985) as the figure 2.1 shows. The product life-cycle theory has been applied in many industries and has proved useful in identifying future strategies for products and services (Lancaster G.A. Lomas R.A., 1985). Maturity Sales/Profit Decline Growth Introduction Time Figure 2.1: Product life cycle Source: (Wisniewski M. (2006), Quantitative Methods for Decision Makers (4th Edition), Prentice Hall, p. 295) 2.7 Time Horizon Forecasts can be classified in terms of time span they cover in the future. The basic types of time horizon forecasts are long-term, medium-term and short-term (Korpela J. et.al, 1996, p.161). The long-term forecasts cover a time span of 3-10 years and they are used in the analysis of standard commitments and can be characterized as strategic decisions. The medium-term forecasts are made for one year to support production planning in the face of highly cyclical demand and can be characterized as tactical decisions. Finally short-term forecasts cover a time of one week to three months and they are used to control manufacturing levels and stock replenishment in the face of short demand variation. Short-term forecasts are concerned for operational decisions (Korpela J. et.al, 1996; Waters, 2003). 2.8 Forecast Error Inaccurate forecasts are the single most common problem that every company faces. Nowadays due to the rise of the technology there are many events or areas that can be predicted such as 1) seasonality, 2) average relationships, 3) average cyclical patterns, 4) emerging technological trends and their influence and many other factors. But on the other hand because future is something unknown there are always situations that are very difficult to predict such as 1) special events, 2) competitive actions or reactions, 3) sales of new products, 4) the start and depth of recessions, 5) changes in trends, 6) changes in relationships or attitudes, 7) and technological innovations (Makridakis and Wheelwright, 1989). Golden J. et.al, 1994, points out three ways-aspects that can reduce the forecast error by taking into consideration the followings: Knowing the market: take the pulse of those who will actually buy and use the product. Be independent. Deflate forecasts for a margin of safety. It is generally known that every forecaster knows that he/she should measure forecast errors. Most of them do it however only for the reason to see how well they are doing. The important is to measure forecasting errors for two primary reasons: to learn from them and to manage demand risk (Lapide L., 2007). Regarding learning from them, forecasts errors should be analyzed to access where errors are too high or have gotten to large so that more focus can be placed in those areas for improvement (Lapide L., 2007). Regarding managing for demand risk, users of the forecast need to know how accurate they are in order to leverage risk management strategies designed to mitigate the risk (Lapide L., 2007). 2.9 Forecasting methods criteria When carrying out market demand forecasts, one often confronts with the problem of the inappropriate selection of a forecast method. It should be noted that in every actual forecast situation methods have their advantages and disadvantages, hence, it is important to define and analyse forecast method selection criteria (Pilinkiene, 2008). In order to select the appropriate method several criteria should be considered such as a) forecast accuracy degree, b) time span, c) amount of necessary initial data, d) forecast costs, e) result implementation and applicability level (Pilinkiene, 2008). According to Cox and Mentzer study (Table 2.1) (1984;cited by Mentzer and Kahn,1995) identified accuracy (92%) and credibility (92%) as top criteria for choosing a forecast technique. Criteria Sample Size % Important Accuracy 205 92 Credibility 206 92 Customer Service Performance 199 77 Ease of Use 206 75 Inventory Turns 198 55 Amount of Data Required 205 46 Cost 205 41 Return on Investment 199 35 Table 2.1: Top criteria for choosing a forecast technique (Source: Mentzer J.T Kahn K.B., (1995) Forecasting Technique Familiarity, Satisfaction, Usage, and Application, Journal of Forecasting, vol.14, p.474) Moreover another important research made by Yokum and Armstrong (1995) (Table 2.2) which based in a survey among 322 experts in forecasting identified the most important criteria. There were 94 researchers, 55 educators, 133 practitioners (i.e. forecast preparers) and 40 decision makers (i.e. forecast users). From this study accuracy was the dominant criterion -rated 6.2 on average-, next was timeliness in providing forecasts, and cost savings resulting from improved decisions. After that five other criteria rated based on ease such as ease of use. Mean agreement rating Question Avg. Decision Maker (DM) Practitioner (PR) Educator (ED) Researcher (RS) Accuracy 6.20 6.20 6.10 6.09 6.39*DM,PR,ED Timeliness in providing forecasts 5.89 5.97 5.92 5.82 5.87 Cost savings resulting from improved decisions 5.75 5.97 5.62 5.66 5.89 Ease of interpretation 5.69 5.82 5.67 5.89 5.54 Flexibility 5.58 5.85*PR,ED,RS 5.63 5.35 5.54 Ease in using available data 5.54 5.79 5.44 5.52 5.59 Ease of use 5.54 5.84*PR,RS 5.39 5.77*PR, RS 5.47 Ease of implementation 5.41 5.80*PR,ED,RS 5.36 5.55 5.24 Incorporating judgmental input 5.11 5.15 5.19 5.12 4.98 Reliability of confidence int. 4.90 5.05 4.81 4.70 5.09 Development cost(computer, human resources) 4.86 5.10 4.83 5.02 4.70 Maintenance cost (data storage, modifications) 4.73 4.72 4.73 4.75 4.71 Theoretical relevance 4.40 3.72 4.43*DM 4.20*DM 4.81*DM *denotes significantly higher ratings (p Table 2.2: Importance of criteria in selecting a forecasting technique (scale- 1 unimportant to 7 important) (Source: Yokum, J. J.S. Armstrong (1995) Beyond Accuracy: Comparison of criteria Used to Select Forecasting Methods, International Journal of Forecasting, 11, p. 593) 2.10 Planning Practices for Improving Forecasting After the analysis of the available forecasting methods and their selection criteria the next step is to propose some planning practices that can improve forecasting, It is known that these practices are not necessary best fit with every company and before someone wants to implement them an evaluation of companys core practices should be made. That can help a company to identify its advantages and disadvantages in order to survive in todays tough market environment and with the help of these practices can become the leader of the market. The complexity and uncertainty that exist in the todays business environment creates many problems to every function of a company. This also affects supply chain management which its initial target is to meet the needs of the final consumer by supplying the right product at the right place, time and price (Helms et.al, 2000). This complexity elevates forecasting accuracy and effectiveness as an elusive target. Many companies are, however, making significant, improvements by using an approach that supports and facilitates the concept of supply chain management by improving the forecasting practices (Helms et.al, 2000). So the planning practices that can improve forecasting are: a) Sales and Operation Planning (SOP) and b) Collaborative Planning Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR). These practices will be analyzed and explained in the following subchapters. 2.10.1 Sales and Operation Planning****FRAMEWORKS*** Sales and Operating Planning (SOP), is a cross-functional process that brings together teams of individuals on a routine basis to plan for where businesses are going on a operational/tactical basis and is considered a supply chain best practice (The Journal of Business Forecasting, 2005; Lapide, 2006). Sales and Operations Planning (SOP) has emerged as a powerful decision-making tool for executives and managers (Wallace et.al, 2005). It is a set of decision making process that 1) balances demand and supply, 2) links a companys day-to-day operations with its strategic and business plans and 3) integrates operational planning with financial planning (Wallace et.al, 2005). ***ÃŽâ„ ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ £ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ©ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ £ ÃŽÂ ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ ÃŽÅ ¡ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ © ÃŽÂ £ÃƒÅ½ÃƒÅ½-ΜΑ ÃŽâ€Å"ÃŽâ„ ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ ÃŽÂ ¤ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 1,2,3** Each team member brings to the process a specific perspective during the development of supply and demand plans/forecasts (Lapide, 2006). Each SOP team member may have to generate, review and revise demand forecasts that reflect the aspects of a business with which they are most familiar (Lapide, 2006). SOP, leverages Supply-Demand Matching, an operating principle that involves balancing supply and demand over time in order to satisfy demand, optimize operations, and minimize wasted resources (The Journal of Business Forecasting, 2005). Under an SOP process, a companys sales and marketing plans are aligned with the plans of operations, logistics, manufacturing, and procurement in order to jointly optimize future demand-supply operations. It is a process from which the final constrained and unconstrained demand forecasts are developed and then used to drive operational planning activities (The Journal of Business Forecasting, 2005). ***Ά¢ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ £ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ÃƒÅ½-ÃŽÂ £ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ ÃŽÂ ¤ÃƒÅ½Ã… ¸ ÃŽâ„ ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¤ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¡ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¤, ÃŽÂ ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ ÃŽâ€Å"ÃŽÂ ¡ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¨ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ©*** The major input for the implementation of SP is the behavioural change of the people inside the organisation and is regarded to be as the most difficult element (Wallace, 2010). Other elements such as software tools, data and the specifics of the process may be essential, but theyre of far less significance. Taking this as a standard the point is that a successful implementation of SOP is a matter of change management. The amount of change is significant. Its not a matter of doing something better; its about doing things differently-to be better (Wallace, 2010). In order to understand SOP process in is important to present and explain the four fundamentals which are demand and supply, volume and mix figure 2.2. Volume (How much?, Rates, Product families) Supply Demand Mix (Which ones?, Timing/Sequence, Products/SKUs) Figure 2.2: The Four Fundamentals Source: Wallace T. Stahl B., (2005), Sales Operation Planning- The Next Generation, pp.6) SOP is a tool to balance demand and supply at the volume level. It deals with rates of sales and production, aggregate inventories and backlogs. It is typically expressed in product families or other aggregate groupings; it answers the question how much. At the mix level the matter is about with which individual products run first, second, third and which customer orders will ship when. It answers the question which ones giving the details (Wallace et.al, 2005). Another important mission for SOP is to tie together the companys operational plans with its financial plans. The financial plans represent, critically essential evident, to deliver X amount of revenue and profit dollars for a specific period of the year. These commitments are made to some very important people such as the corporate office, the board of the directors, the Wall Street and ultimately to owners of the business: the stockholders (Wallace et.al, 2005). On the other hand, the operational plans focus on things like procurement, production, sales, inventories and so on. When these operational plans are not aligned with the business and financial plans, there is a detach. (Wallace et.al, 2005). 2.10.1.1 Sales and Operation Planning Benefits Implementing SOP in a business the benefits will be essential and immediate. These benefits can be categorized into two groups, the hard benefits and the soft benefits. As far as it concerns the hard benefits these can be the following (Wallace et.al, 2005): Higher Customer Service, by developing the ability to ship on time and complete at a higher rate than before SOP. Lower Finished Goods Inventories, by doing a better job of shipping to customers with lower, not higher, inventories. Shorter Customer Lead Times, through an enhanced ability to manage the customer order backlog and keep it at a low level. More Stable Production Rates, due to the ability to predict the future shifts in customer demand sooner and thus make smaller adjustments to production rates. Higher Productivity, by avoiding extreme fluctuations in production volumes with their attendant layoffs and rehiring. Moving on to the soft benefits these include (Wallace et.al, 2005): Enhanced Teamwork, at both the executive and operating management levels, resulting from the holistic view of the business that SOP provides. Better Decisions, by decreasing effort and time. SOP offers, increases effectiveness which improves the quality and the structure of decisions on demand and supply issues. Greater Accountability and Control, due to the backward and forward visibility that SOP provides. 2.10.1.2 Examples of Implementing Sales and Operation Planning a) Coca-Cola Midi (CCM): In France there is a manufacturing regional plant that produces -over 700 SKUs, encompassing 79,000 tons- soft drinks concentrates and juice beverages bases for Europe, Asia and Africa. SOP was implemented at CCM when the plant was started in 1991. SOP is for CCM the backbone for planning, manufacturing and supply-chain activities. SOP enables disciplined and formalized communications across the company, and between all the suppliers, partners and customers. Continuous improvement in customer service, inventory management, obsolete products, and freight costs were some of SOP benefits after the implementation. (www.partnersforexcellence.com). b) ***ÃŽÂ ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ ΒΑΆºÃƒÅ½Ã‚ © ΑΆºÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒÅ½Ã… ¸ ÃŽÂ  ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¡ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â€ž ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Å"ΜΑ*** 2.10.2 Collaborative Planning Forecasting Replenishment (CPFR) Collaborative planning forecasting and replenishment (CPFR), is a revolutionary business practices where in trading partners use technology and a standard set of business processes for Internet-based collaboration on forecasts and plans for replenishment (KJR Consulting, 2002). CPFR can be categorized into these collaborative business practices that enabled trading partners to have visibility into ones other critical demand, order forecasts and promotional forecasts. The objective of CPFR is to improve efficiencies across the extended supply chain, reducing inventories, improving service levels and increasing sales (KJR Consulting, 2002). Wal-Mart and Warner-Lambert embarked on the first CPFR pilot, involving Listerine products, in 1991. In their pilot, Wal-Mart and Warner-Lambert used special CPFR software to exchange forecasts. Supportive data, such as past sales trends, promotion plans, and even the weather, were often transferred in an iterative fashion to allow them to converge on a single forecast in case their original forecast differed (Avin Y., 2001). As a result of CPFR implementation Warner-Lamberts service levels increased from 87% to 98%, while the lead times to deliver the product decreased from 21 to 11 days (Boone T. et.al, 2000).***ÃŽÂ ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ ΆÃƒÅ½Ã‚ © ÃŽ-ΜΆ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¡ÃƒÅ½Ã… ¸ÃƒÅ½Ã…“ÃŽ-ÃŽÂ ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â€ž ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ** Also this pilot was very successful, having as a result an increase in Listerine sales and better fill rates, having also a reduction on inventory investment (Avin Y., 2001). The key idea behind CPRF is that the trading partners (retailer and manufacturer), work together in order to produce a common forecast. Both the retailer and the manufacturer collect market intelligence on product information, store programs etc., and share it in real-time over the Internet. In most cases, the retailer owns the sales forecast; if the manufacturer agrees with the forecast, automatic replenishments are made to the retailer via predetermined business contracts so that a specific level of inventory or customer service is maintained (Boone T. et.al, 2000). In the case that the retailer and the manufacturer cant agree on the forecasts or if there are exceptions, such as unusual demand season or a store opening, the forecasts are reconciled manually. An important point is before the implementation of CPFR when the partners should agree on several key questions such as how to measure service levels and stock-out, how to set inventory and service targets (Boone T. et.al, 2000). The difference between CPFR and other business process tools and initiatives, such as Efficient Consumer Response (ECR), is that the other models require critical mass before any benefits are realized. Promotional plans and the business goals are the most famous areas of collaboration between the trading partners. After that order/replenishment plans, inventory status and sales forecast seems to be very critical themes for this relationship. 2.10.2.1 CPFR Process Model ***ÃŽÂ ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ ÃŽÂ ¤ÃƒÅ½Ã… ¸ ÃŽÅ ¾ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ © ΑН ΒΠ¡ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ © ÃŽÅ ¡ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¤ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â€ž ¢*** 2.10.2.2 CPFR Benefits There have been recorded and identified many benefits of CPFR. The CPFR documents that are available on the VICS Committee sites show that there is a 30%-40% improvement in forecast accuracy, significant increases in customer service, sales increase between 15% and 60% and reduction in days of supply 15%-20% (Sheffi Y., 2002). AMR Research (2001) reported a range of benefits that came through CPFR implementation in many companies and there are divided into retailer benefits and manufacturer benefits as it is shown in table 2.3. Retailer Benefits Typical Improvement Better store shelf stock rates 2% to 8% Lower inventory levels 10% to 40% Higher sales 5% to 20% Lower logistics costs 3% to 4% Manufacturer Benefits Typical Improvement Lower inventory levels 10% to 40% Faster replenishment cycles 12% to 30% Higher sales 2% to 10% Better customer service 5% to 10% Table 2.3: Typical CPFR Benefits Source: Sheffi Y.,(2002), The value of CPFR, RIRL Conference Proceedings As far as it concerns the retailers benefits the highest is the reduction in inventory levels which has a drop from 10% to 40%. After that the increase in sales from 5% to 20% is another essential benefit. On the other hand the manufacturers benefits relate again with a elimination in inventory levels from 10% to 40% and also it offers a faster replenishment cycles from 12% to 30%. In accordance with a questionnaire constructed by KJR Consulting and sent via e-mail to 130 GMA (Grocery Manufacturers of America) companies that have implement CPFR best practice a great range of benefits raised that can indicate the importance of CPRF for the modern complexity businesses. These benefits have been categorized in the following Figure 2.1. Figure 2.4: Anticipated Benefits of CPFR Sou

The Repetitive, Meditative Style of Lawrences Birds, Beasts, and Flowe

The Repetitive, Meditative Style of Lawrence's Birds, Beasts, and Flowers D. H. Lawrence is not a formalist. He derives his free verse style from prolonged experience with imaginative essays in which he objectively and vividly contemplates things, people, and places in their singleness rather than in their relationship to each other. Lawrence's purpose, according to Gilbert, is "knowledge through meditation": he essays "to know something . . . intuitively . . . obliquely . . . fragmentarily; not through orderly ratiocination, but through emotional perception." As his style developed, Lawrence's essays became "increasingly idiosyncratic, increasingly elliptical, spontaneous and jazzy, as though reflecting the process rather than the product of thought." Gilbert finds Birds, Beasts, and Flowers, Lawrence's sixth volume of poetry, written in a "casual, improvisational, unfinished style" that "functions not only as a means of communication but [also] as a process of discovery" (131-32). Building on Gilbert's studies, an examination of "Fruits," the first sequence of the nine-part Birds, Beasts, and Flowers, reveals that Lawrence's repetitive, meditative style employs three types of repetition. "Fruits," an archetypal sequence about eating fruit and being changed by its magical properties, admits readers into Lawrence's meditations and his Blakeian journey to the natural world (Gilbert 333). The poet/narrator tantalizes his prissy countrymen by suggestively dangling fruits that hold "a secret that can be experienced with the senses, but cannot be grasped intellectually" (Lockwood 105). Lawrence accomplishes his poetic journey through revisions of myths. The opening poem, "Pomegranate," which alludes to the myth of Pers... ...h life with "family and friends" (Unterecker 241). Works Cited French, Roberts W. "Lawrence and American Poetry." The Legacy of D. H. Lawrence, Jeffrey Meyers, ed. New York: St. Martin's P, 1987. 109-34. Gilbert, Sandra M. Acts of Attention: The Poems of D. H. Lawrence. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1990. Lawrence, D. H. Birds, Beasts, and Flowers. New York: Thomas Seltzer, 1923. Lockwood, M. J. A Study of the Poems of D. H. Lawrence: Thinking in Poetry. Houndsmills, England: MacMillan P, 1987. Murfin, Ross C. The Poetry of D. H. Lawrence: Texts and Contexts. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1983. Unterecker, John. "Of Father, of Son: On "Fergus Falling," "After Making Love We Hear Footsteps," and Angling, a Day." On the Poetry of Galway Kinnell: The Wages of Dying, Howard Nelson, ed. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1987. 227-41.

Brazil Employees Expectations Essay

In Brazil the maximum working hours per week are usually 40 to 44 hours, depending upon whether the employee works 5 or 6 days a week. The Brazilian Labour Law prescribes an annual vacation of 30 days which should be taken all at once or divided in two parts (one half must be of at least 20 days). Brazilian workers are eligible for full-time employment already at the age of 14 but there are certain protective regulations covering adolescents aged 14 to 18. Brazilian labour unions There are several thousand unions and umbrella organisations in Brazil which are supposed to support full-time workers. The Brazilian Trade Union Federation (Central Unica dos Trabalhadores) has made protection of employees and health policies one of its top priorities. Yet as most employees in Brazil work without an official work contract they have no access to the support of a labour union. Link: http://www.justlanded.com/english/Brazil/Brazil-Guide/Jobs/Working-in-Brazil Employment Agreements Since labor laws are statutory in nature, labor contracts must fit squarely within their narrow parameters. Employment contracts cannot deviate from the law in any way that waives, releases, or circumvents a worker’s rights. Some employers get creative and choose to frame the relationship as that of an independent contractor, rather than an employee. However, structuring the relationship in that manner has little effect if a Labor court finds that the independent contractor was in fact performing activities of an employee as legally defined. Courts will consider variables such as work hours, place of work, subjectivity to the employer’s administrative rules, reporting requirements, and compensation, among others, in determining whether the individual is indeed an independent contractor or in fact an employee. Unfortunately for companies, courts tend to favor protecting the employee and usually grant whatever statutory benefit for which the individual has petitioned. Employee Wages and Hours After your company has established the type of relationship that it will have with the individual, it must comply with strict labor requirements. In Brazil, the minimum wage (â€Å"salà ¡rio mà ­nimo†) is currently set by the federal government at R$545.00 per month, although some regions may require a minimum that exceeds this baseline. Accompanying the minimum wage is the concept of the workday, or jornada, defined as the time the employee is available to the employer, whether performing his function or not. A workday cannot exceed eight (8) hours per day and 44 hours a week. Employees whose working hours exceed the maximum hours of work prescribed by law earn overtime, one of the major sources of labor litigation. Generally, the employee will earn time and a half for overtime hours worked. However, if overtime is earned on weekends and holidays, then the employee will earn two times the regularly earned wage. Employees working on commission are treated no differently, and are entitled to either double or time and a half commissions for all overtime hours worked. The legal workday varies depending on the industry involved. For example, bank workers, telephone operators, and doctors enjoy shorter workdays. Shift workers are also subject to different standards. If an employee works any one shift (morning, afternoon, or night) on any given week, his or her shift must be limited to six (6) hours. Employee Benefits Brazilian employees enjoy many benefits. For example, Brazilian law calls for a â€Å"thirteenth salary† (â€Å"dà ©cimo terceiro†), plus 30 days of vacation time that all employees earn at the end of each year. Disbursement of at least half of the â€Å"thirteenth salary† must be made by November, or in the month when the employee takes vacation, if he or she has solicited the thirteenth salary in January. The last portion must be paid by December 20. Employers must also comply with social contributions and the FGTS (Fundo de Garantia por Tempo de Servià §o, or â€Å"Guarantee Fund for Time of Service†). Both regular earnings and the thirteenth salary are subject to the FGTS, which corresponds to an eight (8) percent withholding of the monthly salary plus 0.5 percent of social contribution by the employer. This fund provides financial support in certain employment termination situations. The federal government administers the fund through mandatory deposits in accounts opened by the employer for the employee’s benefit with the Caixa Econà ´mica Federal (one of the largest government-owned banks).

Film Music Critique Essay

Action, suspense, love, and drama are all the makings for a great film. None of these key features to a film could have any substance or feeling without the help of music. Composers play a big role for setting the tone of the movie, developing characters, moving along or supporting action, and depicting the time and place the movie is taking place. In the movie Heat, Elliot Goldenthal does just that. Goldenthal was born in NY in 1954 and studied music under John Corigliano and Aaron Copeland. His partner is Julie Taymor and he won an Oscar for the movie Frida which Julie directed. Goldenthal has composed for several films as well as concert halls, theater and dance. He also has written an opera Grendel, which premiered in 1996 by The LA Opera Company. The movie opens with the main title fading in from black accompanied by a light string tone with horns backing them up (with a quick electric guitar when De Niro’s and Pacino’s names appear). This sets the overall tone for the movie presenting more of a serious / dramatic feel. The LA Metro begins to immerge into the background. The music complements the train passing, closely resembling the way Quincy Jones scored the opening of In Cold Blood with the bus passing by. There is a little change to the music when Robert De Niro’s character appears on screen which has a jazz tone that lets the audience know that this is in the city, in this case downtown Los Angeles. The music follows De Niro to an emergency hospital. At this point the music turns more intense with guitar and a prominent bass line moving the action along. There is a use of low strings moving very rapidly in the background that helps push the action along even more as he walks through the E.  R. This music carries on when the scene cuts and goes to Val Kilmer making a purchase in a construction yard. The music connects the two characters by carrying over through the scene. It also has an ominous feel that suggest that these two characters are more than likely the villains in the movie. The scene cuts to the hero, Al Pacino, with his wife and the music abruptly stops. This distinguishes his character of the hero, from the other two villain characters. At the end of the movie Robert De Niro’s character is trying to escape the country with the girl while Al Pacino’s character is right on his tail. There is a moment when De Niro realizes he cannot make it out with the girl and in and unspoken stare he leaves. The music matches the feeling of the moment using long drown out chords creating that sense a wanting and loss. As Pacino chases De Niro through a field the music stops to intensify the action and set up the final scene. The music fades back in shortly before Pacino shoots De Niro. The music carries into a high key riff that is repeated with strings playing four tones slowly behind the keys. The music grows louder adding more instruments such as large cymbals and carries into the credits. Goldenthal’s score was replaced in the final scene with Moby’s â€Å"God Moving Over the Face of the Water. † Director Michael Mann felt that Moby’s music better represented a feeling of relief, that it was over, that Pacino finally got his guy. At the same time the music related the two characters. Opposite from the beginning where the music separated the two, here it connects them demonstrating how they were not that different and had respect and admiration for each other.

European Automotive Industry Simulation The WritePass Journal

European Automotive Industry Simulation Part 1 Initial strategic position and intentions European Automotive Industry Simulation , p.88). The intense rivalry drives down the margins especially for the small companies. Initial resource audits The initial investment value for ABD is  £ 16, 310. 34 million and the total capital employed at the start of the simulation stood at  £ 30, 054.30 million. Intended Strategic Direction for the next 5 simulated years (decision periods) Mission Statement The mission of ABD is to be the leading provider of sheer driving pleasure and safety to Europe and beyond. The ABD brand combines dynamic performance and superb design to the customers at relatively affordable prices. Overall Target Markets and Strategy ABD motors targets mostly the younger drivers and strives to give then fun, safety, modern technology and design. The company relies heavily on advertisement as a marketing method although it also gives the products a chance to market themselves through quality and efficiency. Financial and Strategic Objectives In order for the ABD motors to establish and maintain a competitive edge, it strives to localize its operations through increased local sourcing in order to penetrate the European market. In terms of pricing the company aims at pricing its products competitively in order to attract more customers.    Assignment Part 2 Strategy development and progress against your plan over the 5  to 6 simulated years.    Your strategic analysis for each trading period – such as changes in the macro environment (PESTEL) and competitive environment (including any changes to the industries 5 forces and critical success factors as well as to your company’s internal position).   Ã‚   In the round 5 results the company produced 1643 units of ABD LXY and then sold 3939 in the same period. This implies that all the units produced were sold together with some that remained from the previous round. The performance of this period on the model is an indication that the company failed to produce enough units of ABD LXY model as evidenced by the zero units in stock. This could have been as a result of the 2296 units that remained from the previous period which prompted the company to produce less of the same model. Although this decision was partly right, the company should have laid plans for immediate production of more units when they realized that the sales went up compared to the last trading period. Having zero units in stock is not healthy for the company because the inconsistencies in production cause unnecessary inconveniences to the customers. Furthermore, the market share for the model is 0.57% which is relatively low. For the ABD 400, the sales stood at 65714, and 29610 is still in stock. The market share stands at 1.26% which is not bad.   ABD A5 all the units produced were sold just like in the previous period as evidenced by the zero units in stock. The market share stands at 0.14% but the company can still take it higher given that it may not be producing enough units for the market because of the zero units in stock. Lambooo model has many units in stock but the 1.51% market share indicates that the units were produced in excess during the previous period.   For the Skittles their case is somewhat similar to that of ABD A5 although the market share is higher than it by a margin of 0.01%. b. How your short term plans and strategic objectives/tactics have been adjusted in terms of the above changes to the external environment and also your company’s changing internal position   Operations strategies (capacity, production inventory changes) The operational strategies of ABD are in some ways out of touch with the reality on the ground as evidenced by the zero units in stock for some models and excess units of other models. This is not good for business as the excess units of some models are tying up funds for the other models, the company should therefore base its production depending on how first the merchandise is moving in order to improve the overall performance in terms of consistency and efficiency. Marketing strategy (4P’s) In terms of the marketing strategy, the company is producing the right products as evidenced by the market share. The automobile industry has a very strong competition especially from the well established brands like Toyota, BMW, Honda and General Motors. However, the company should consider designing new products in order to improve its financial performance. In terms of pricing, the products are well priced because there is no evidence suggesting that the price of the models is affecting sales. In fact the expensive models like ABD LXY and Lambooo performed relatively well. The ABD LXY sold all the units whereas Lambooo was only second to ABD 400 in terms of total sales. In terms of promotion the company still needs to do a lot of marketing especially for model ABD 400 which still has a lot of units in stock. The same should also be done for Lamboo and all the other models in order to improve their market share. On the last item of marketing strategy which is place, the company should try to establish itself out of Europe by trying other markets like the other companies. A global approach will give it a wide customer base and in process enable it to benefit from economies of scale. a. Financial management The company does not have enough money for the chosen projects and still needs better financial and strategic plans for success in the short run. The balance sheet indicates that the company has negative net current assets, negative net total assets less current liabilities and a huge bank overdraft.   The company should therefore produce more of the well performing brands and reduce the less performing ones to raise the additional funds for reinvestment. b.  Human Resources The team has an adequate workforce that is competent and efficient. The workforce only had 3 days of strike which implies that they are relatively happy with the terms of the employment and working conditions at the company. The productivity index of 0.73 is also healthy meaning that the human resource department is working efficiently. c. Your changing corporate portfolio of products (SBU’s) Generally, the company made some strategic decisions aimed at improving the performance from the previous period. These decisions were fruitful for some models like the ABD LXY but some failed short of expectations like the Lambooo. In the case of the Lambooo the competitors managed to neutralize the plans of the company as the brand failed to perform as expected.   Assignment Part 3 Final Report – A Reflective Portfolio The team ended with a closing balance of  £ -47009.05 million which is not good for the general health of the company. This poor performance is as a result of the big loss of  £ -30,554.30 million suffered by the company. The profit and loss account reveals a problem with the pricing of the final products, the sales stood at  £ 1694.44 million and the cost of sales is  £ 1386.34 million. In this case the gross profit is  £ 308.01 million which is not even enough to cover for the operational expenses and still generate revenue for the company. The implication here is that the price component of the marketing mix element has a problem. The cost of production is very high and this is weighing down heavily on the company and if the trend persists then this could even force the company out of business in the long run. The company can solve this problem by pursuing two approaches either jointly or partly. The first option is to reduce the cost of production through looking for different suppliers and adoption of better technology to reduce operational costs. This will increase the profit margin for the company. The other option is to raise the price of the final company products. However, because raising the price of the products may backfire as it may turn off some customers; it is advisable for the team to first consider lowering the cost of production. 3.1 Description of your company’s successes and failures and your learning’s in implementing your strategy against your set mission/vision and plans as given in part one of your report. Generally the products of the company have been accepted by the consumers as evidenced by the market share of the different models. The company has managed to live to its mission statement, with the only problem now being revenue generation. This is the reason why the management now needs to come forward with better financial and strategic plans that will steer the company forward and start generating huge profits like the other companies in the industry. The first possible method is to reduce the cost of production through using better technology or getting better suppliers or even both if possible. 3.2 Include in your final report your reflections on this learning exercise This learning exercise has made me realize the essence of planning and understanding the nature of the industry before venturing into business. I have also learned that at times things do not work as planned and that it is always critical to review decisions in order to correct mistakes and also learn from the techniques used by the competitors as methods of succeeding in the competitive business environment.   3.3 company’s â€Å"end game† position (trading period 5), strategic recommendations for the next five years for the Executive company. The strategic recommendation for the company in the next five years is that it should deploy ways of lowering the cost of production. It can do this through outsourcing some of its operations to countries with lower costs of labor. This should be done in tandem with efficient and exhaustive marketing of the company products in order to generate more sales. Additionally, the company should widen its range of products so as to increase its sources of revenue. Lastly the company should adopt the concept of competitor profiling as a technique of staying ahead of the competitors in business. Competitor profiling and competitor analysis entails studying the techniques used by other companies in the industry and then devising ways of outdoing them in business. Bibliography Baines, P., Fill, C., Page, K. (2013). Essentials of marketing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chandrasekar, K. S. (2010). Marketing management: Text and cases. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill. Edelhoff, J. (2009). The European Automobile Industry: Technological change, changing of production and changing of organization. München: GRIN Verlag. Faarup, P. K. (2010). The marketing framework. Aarhus: Academica. Freeman, R. E. (2010). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Jerenz, A. (2008). Revenue management and survival analysis in the automobile industry. Wiesbaden: Betriebswirtschaftlicher Verl. Gabler. Kubik, J. (2011). Analysis and evaluation of chosen resources of Volkswagen in Germany and in respect of the Indian minicar market and the role of Suzuki as a Joint Venture prospect. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH. Nitschke, C. (2011). Outsourcing vs. Insourcing in the Automotive Industry The Role and Concepts of Suppliers. Munich: GRIN Verlag GmbH. Peng, M. W. (2009). Global strategy. Mason, Ohio: South-Western/Cengage Learning. Peters, N. (2011). The impact of the global downturn on the car manufacturing industry. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH. Pride, W. M. (2011). Marketing principles. South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning. Wells, P. E. (2010). The automotive industry in a era of eco-austerity: Creating an industry as if the planet mattered. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. West, D. (2009). Strategic marketing. Oxford: Univ. Press. Witcher, B. J., Chau, V. S. (2010). Strategic management: Principles and practice. S.l.: Cengage Learning.

Hobbes Leviathan

Hobbes Leviathan A society is defined as a group of people uniting in a common interest. Even though some people do not always seem to have parallel perspectives, they do share one common interest, which is survival. The survival of man is dependent on mans ability to adapt to their needs and surroundings. This concept is known as evolution. The society of man has evolved in its journey through time to help ensure mans survival. According to Thomas Hobbes Leviathan, it is in the nature of men to thirst for power, or the ability to control. Hobbes writes, ...a general inclination of all mankind, a perpetual and relentless desire of power after power, that ceases only in death. (p.330) He believes that the thirst for power is insatiable, and will only stop after death. The thirst for power is insatiable because he cannot assure the power and means to live well...without the acquisition of more. (p.330) Man can only guarantee his own survival by acquiring more power. Hobbes believes that mans struggle for power begins in a setting that he describes as state of nature. The state of nature is the name for a society that has no government, no rules, and everyone is granted equal power. An example of a society being in a state of nature would be the island in which The Lord of the Flies takes place. A group of young boys are stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. Since there are no adults, there are no rules, nor governing body, and everyone has an equal voice in their society. But it is not long before the nature of man takes effect. The natural thirst for power causes the boys to become enemies, and the island is separated into two groups. With two groups on the island, it is only natural that one group craves to strip the power from the other group. In doing so, the two groups become enemies, and a ...

How to Turn Lead Into Gold

How to Turn Lead Into Gold Before chemistry was a science, there was alchemy. One of the supreme quests of alchemy was to transmute  (transform) lead into gold. Lead (atomic number 82) and gold (atomic number 79) are defined as elements by the number of protons they possess. Changing the element requires changing the atomic (proton) number. The number of protons cannot be altered by any chemical means. However, physics may be used to add or remove protons and thereby change one element into another. Because lead is stable, forcing it to release three protons requires a vast input of energy, such that the cost of transmuting it greatly surpasses the value of the resulting gold. History Transmutation of lead into gold isnt just theoretically possible; it has been achieved! There are reports that Glenn Seaborg, 1951 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, succeeded in transmuting a minute quantity of lead (possibly en route from bismuth, in 1980) into gold. There is an earlier report (1972) in which Soviet physicists at a nuclear research facility near Lake Baikal in Siberia accidentally discovered a reaction for turning lead into gold when they found the lead shielding of an experimental reactor had changed to gold. Transmutation Today Today particle accelerators routinely transmute elements. A charged particle is accelerated using electrical and magnetic fields. In a linear accelerator, the charged particles drift through a series of charged tubes separated by gaps. Every time the particle emerges between gaps, it is accelerated by the potential difference between adjacent segments. In a circular accelerator, magnetic fields accelerate particles moving in circular paths. In either case, the accelerated particle impacts a target material, potentially knocking free protons or neutrons and making a new element or isotope. Nuclear reactors also may be used for creating elements, although the conditions are less controlled. In nature, new elements are created by adding protons and neutrons to hydrogen atoms within the nucleus of a star, producing increasingly heavier elements, up to iron (atomic number 26). This process is called nucleosynthesis. Elements heavier than iron are formed in the stellar explosion of a supernova. In a supernova gold may be transformed into lead, but not the other way around. While it may never be commonplace to transmute lead into gold, it is practical to obtain gold from lead ores. The minerals galena (lead sulfide, PbS), cerussite (lead carbonate, PbCO3), and anglesite (lead sulfate, PbSO4) often contain zinc, gold, silver, and other metals. Once the ore has been pulverized, chemical techniques are sufficient to separate the gold from the lead. The result is almost alchemy.

Time Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Time Management - Research Paper Example It is important to define what essentially time management is. It is the basis of properly allocating time dimensions to a particular activity so that all the tasks and activities that need to be completed by this individual are done within a stipulated time period. If the activities are not done within this allotted time, it would mean that there have been serious transgressions within this field and hence the overall time has been compromised upon. The people who are unable to manage time feel that they are a victim of their own doing as they blame themselves for the lack of adherence to time domains. But then again, there are people who are always punctual and believe earnestly within the reigns of time management. What is needed here is a balance between managing time activities and letting go of the issues which plague the timely completion of activities, tasks and actions (Haynes, 2009). This balance can only come about when people realize that their actions are being kept a ch eck upon, if not by somebody else then their own selves as well. However, it becomes quite a hectic job to track each and every move that human beings undertake, and hence is a good idea to stick to the avenues of time management as much as possible. This makes things easier as far as the future undertakings of life, career and other fields are related. Some of the most significant principles within time management is to make sure that the priorities are broken up into different zones.

What is cost Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is cost - Assignment Example A person that decides to use his time studying for college has the opportunity cost of the money he could make working in the private industry. At a minimum college students have the opportunity cost of the federal minimum salary of $7.25 an hour. Economics can be divided into two time phases which are the long run and the short run. In the short run the quantity of at least one input in fixed and the quantities of the other inputs is varied, but in contrast in the long run the quantities of all inputs are varied (Moffatt, 2010). Two inputs that are usually fixed in the short run are land and capital. The law of diminishing returns takes effects in the short run (Tutor2u, 2010). The production of firms changes in levels of output during the long run. When a person goes to a car dealership having knowledge of economics can help the buyer negotiate a better deal. The car sales business operates in cycle. We are currently in November which implies that the dealership has to get rid of its entire 2010 inventory to make room for the 2011 models. I can argue to the car salesman this point in order to ask for a price reduction. Another argument that I can use in order to obtain a price reduction is to talk about the state of the economy. Due to the fact that unemployment is current close to 10% there are not that many people buying new cars. I deserve a price discount since your company cannot afford to lose my business. A third way to negotiate a better deal is by showing the auto dealership your credit score. I could argue that a person with an excellent credit score deserves a price discount. There are many types of costs that are relevant for a firm. One of the largest expenses accounts in the corporate world is the payroll account. The salaries of employees are a major source of the cost structure of a company. Another cost driver in corporation is the cost of materials. In the retail industry cost of

The play, Everyman Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The play, Everyman - Research Paper Example Considering the reality of death, the author has portrayed death as someone who calls Everyman, the protagonist of the play to meet God and reply for his deeds. The protagonist asks Death that he wants some time to get some friends to accompany him in his journey to his destination to meet God. He gets some time, but he realizes that the friends who were dear to him are not ready to accompany him. The author perceives and treats death as a call from God to enable people realize what is good for them in life. Everyman as the name suggests represents every man on earth. The play as a whole is a play that portrays Christian values and can be understood as an allegorical or morality play. The play starts with God’s call to Death where he claims that human beings in the world are not following his commandments and are committing sins (Lester, 1981). He asks the Death to bring Everyman to answer for his committed deeds. Death works as God’s messenger who brings God’s m essage to Everyman that he should appear before God to answer for his deeds. God sends for Everyman as he says, â€Å"...Go thou to Everyman, And show him, in my name, A pilgrimage he must on him take, Which he in no wise may escape; And that he bring with him a sure reckoning Without delay or tarrying...† (Everyman, 1987, 65-71) Death is asked to tell Everyman to conduct a pilgrimage in order to reach God. The sending of Death ensures that Everyman has to leave the world and its belongings in order to reach the court of God. Death also represents the abolition of life and reaches Everyman to inform him of his ending to reach his final destination before God. The representation of death in Everyman is not fearsome, but educative as the figure when comes forth Everyman, he is not frightened at seeing him. However, when he is told that he is going to come before God, he is frightened considering himself alone and secluded. He thinks that he will gain someone’s sympathy i n his journeying towards God and this sympathy will lead him to have Heaven (Spinrad, 1987). Death comes and informs Everyman, â€Å"Death: In great haste I am sent to thee From God out of his Majesty. Everyman: What, sent to me?† (Everyman, 1987, 90-92) At hearing a call from God with Death as God’s messenger, Everyman gets disturbed considering him incapable to appear before God in his present condition. He calls Death â€Å"gentle† And asks him for some time, in which, he can arrange for some friends to accompany him in his pilgrimage. Everyman says, â€Å"O wretched caitiff! whither shall I flee That I might 'scape endless sorrow? Now , gentle Death, spare me till tomorrow, That I may amend me With good advisement.† (Everyman, 1987, 171-75) He sees no place to escape and seeks mercy from Death. He regards himself extremely sorrowful and distressed not because of appearance of Death, but because of being called by God when he is not ready to appear. As mentioned earlier on, death is portrayed not as fearsome and horrible as it was supposed to appear at that time when the play was written. In medieval times and middle ages, death was portrayed with skeletons or someone with frightening appearance that at once made the observer to tremble (Cawley, 1970). Death in Everyman was portrayed as a messenger of God who was so merciful that he gave some time to Everyman to search for his companions for the journey. Death let everyman to ponder over the differences between right and wrong that assign him the title of

Flawed identifications are responsible for many wrongful convictions Essay

Flawed identifications are responsible for many wrongful convictions. Why What should be done - Essay Example acknowledging the efforts exerted by organizations like the Innocence Project and the Innocence Commission of Florida that review convictions to ensure rightful castigation of the real suspects while freeing the innocent groups. Innocence Project and Innocence Commission of Florida also advocate for payment and compensation of the wrong convicts among realization of the mistakes. The value of such like compensations depends on the damage caused to the innocent convict and the length of time spent in prison. There are many reasons that explains flawed identification that eventually lead to false testimony against a suspect. The first reasons rely on the short memory of human beings and poor attention abated to transpiring criminal activities. This kind of confusion is prevalent when a witness is presented with two suspects; with one white and the other black. In most cases, individual witness will not be able to differentiate whether the main criminal was black or white in color perhaps due to poor attention and concentration as at the time of the crime. In some cases police officers patrol and make arrests after criminal offences and perhaps take photos of the suspects, release the individual suspects and presents witnesses with various photos to identify the actual perpetrators. Due to the length of time lapse after the crime, witnesses’ memory may have faded away and may not make true identification of the suspect but may only desperately point at the suspect with suspicious f ace. The above descriptions narrow down to the theory of own-race bias effect. According to the theory, human beings encounter difficulty in identifying and recognizing individuals from different races and ethnic groups. The theory portends that human beings can make accurate facial identification and recognition when it comes to differentiating people of their own race and ethic divisions. The demises attached to the flawed identification of criminals make it necessary for the

The Case of Raleigh Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Case of Raleigh - Essay Example The company evidently as its humble beginning started from nothing to something. However, Raleigh was able to survive tough times due to its implementation of competitive strategies. It was able to survive the Great Depression due to its introduction of value-for-money products. Not only that, even if in between 1950 and 1962, Raleigh was still able to consider a competitive strategy which involved focusing on bicycle sales. Focus is a generic strategy which was then applied to Raleigh. This strategy particularly includes concentrating on a certain segment of product line that at some point would benefit the entire organisation in reaching its competitive advantage in the international market (Porter, 1998). By then, Raleigh started to acquire other rival groups in order to dominate in the market and then it started to expand overseas where there were potential for its product offerings. Not only that, Raleigh was good at ensuring promotion of its product line by sponsoring road raci ng team in Europe. Raleigh survived as it continuously obtained subsidiaries which in 2005 came to be around six in all, which include Derby Cycle Werke, Raleigh America, Raleigh Canada, Raleigh Taiwan, Raleigh UK Limited, and Raleigh International. This simply shows how marketing at Raleigh has become more complex as it continues to expand in the international market. 1.1 Q1 1.1.1 Marketing issue... 1.1 Q1 1.1.1 Marketing issue Marketing today is about creating a need or demand for certain product or service offerings and various firms are actually good at doing this for this is an essential step in order for a certain business to survive (Boone and Kurtz, 2006; Kotler et al., 1999). Although the basic idea of marketing is about meeting the needs of the customers, firms actually have significant influence in order to create a need for their service or product offerings. Raleigh was good at doing this stuff. In fact, its ability to create a significant sale amidst tough economic times just proved that it was essentially good at creating a need for its product offerings. 1.1.2 Keegan’s approaches to the study of culture However, modern marketing tries to integrate the idea of understanding the entire market and its prevailing language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions which are dynamic variables that are integral components of culture (Czinkota and Ronkainen, 2007). Keegan (1989) had different approaches in the study of culture and these include anthropological approach, Maslow’s approach, the Self-Reference Criterion, diffusion theory, high and low context cultures and perception. In the case of Raleigh, all of these can possibly be applied, but on a general or universal context, it is much applicable to use the Maslow’s approach which is entirely about understanding the hierarchy of needs. Modern marketing after all, is about understanding the needs of the customers and even trying to create them on the part of the firm (Kotler et al., 1999; Boone and Kurtz, 2006). Thus, the decision to standardised or adapt a customised approach

American Presidents, Religious Cultural Heritage, and Nuclear Weapons Dissertation

American Presidents, Religious Cultural Heritage, and Nuclear Weapons Decisions - Dissertation Example In 1945, nuclear bomb was dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and it showed the extent of the devastation and death, which resulted from the use of nuclear bomb. Through it, people became aware of the magnitude of destruction because of the nuclear bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In turn, these events ushered a new phase in war and military armaments –nuclear warfare and nuclear weapons. It changed the manner in which international relationship among countries was conducted and it altered the view of international politics as the international community adapted to the reality of the threat of nuclear war. In this context, the necessity of understanding the threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear war falls not only from the perspective of politics, but also from the view of religion. Since, religion plays an important role in the shaping and defining of the values and beliefs of the society and then individual. However, this research will focus on the effect of religion pertinen t to nuclear decision-making of some Presidents of the United States. Although war has long been part of human story, WW II is different from all other wars noted in history. It is not because technology is adopted in the development of war armaments. In fact, technological innovations are applied in war regardless of the period. For instance, this shows that idea of applying technology in war is not a distinguishing attribute of WW II. Rather what distinguishes it from other wars in history is the reality of nuclear atomic bomb. The determination of the potential of nuclear atomic bomb and the first nuclear atomic bomb was established by the Manhattan Project at a cost of $2 billion. This project was known only to a few people and the intention was to build an atomic bomb. The scientists under the direction of Robert Oppenheimer were in a race against the Nazis who they thought were also building atomic bombs.6 When it was first tested and was exploded in the desert of Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945, it was described as â€Å"flashing with t he brightness of several suns at Midday† 7 The nuclear atomic bomb was first used during WWII. It was dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to stop the Japanese onslaught in Asia. 8 On August 6, 1945, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola gay dropped

The Case of Raleigh Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Case of Raleigh - Essay Example The company evidently as its humble beginning started from nothing to something. However, Raleigh was able to survive tough times due to its implementation of competitive strategies. It was able to survive the Great Depression due to its introduction of value-for-money products. Not only that, even if in between 1950 and 1962, Raleigh was still able to consider a competitive strategy which involved focusing on bicycle sales. Focus is a generic strategy which was then applied to Raleigh. This strategy particularly includes concentrating on a certain segment of product line that at some point would benefit the entire organisation in reaching its competitive advantage in the international market (Porter, 1998). By then, Raleigh started to acquire other rival groups in order to dominate in the market and then it started to expand overseas where there were potential for its product offerings. Not only that, Raleigh was good at ensuring promotion of its product line by sponsoring road raci ng team in Europe. Raleigh survived as it continuously obtained subsidiaries which in 2005 came to be around six in all, which include Derby Cycle Werke, Raleigh America, Raleigh Canada, Raleigh Taiwan, Raleigh UK Limited, and Raleigh International. This simply shows how marketing at Raleigh has become more complex as it continues to expand in the international market. 1.1 Q1 1.1.1 Marketing issue... 1.1 Q1 1.1.1 Marketing issue Marketing today is about creating a need or demand for certain product or service offerings and various firms are actually good at doing this for this is an essential step in order for a certain business to survive (Boone and Kurtz, 2006; Kotler et al., 1999). Although the basic idea of marketing is about meeting the needs of the customers, firms actually have significant influence in order to create a need for their service or product offerings. Raleigh was good at doing this stuff. In fact, its ability to create a significant sale amidst tough economic times just proved that it was essentially good at creating a need for its product offerings. 1.1.2 Keegan’s approaches to the study of culture However, modern marketing tries to integrate the idea of understanding the entire market and its prevailing language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions which are dynamic variables that are integral components of culture (Czinkota and Ronkainen, 2007). Keegan (1989) had different approaches in the study of culture and these include anthropological approach, Maslow’s approach, the Self-Reference Criterion, diffusion theory, high and low context cultures and perception. In the case of Raleigh, all of these can possibly be applied, but on a general or universal context, it is much applicable to use the Maslow’s approach which is entirely about understanding the hierarchy of needs. Modern marketing after all, is about understanding the needs of the customers and even trying to create them on the part of the firm (Kotler et al., 1999; Boone and Kurtz, 2006). Thus, the decision to standardised or adapt a customised approach

Pakistan and Policy Essay Example for Free

Pakistan and Policy Essay National integration is unity in diversity. It means a feeling of oneness. It implies social, political, economic, linguistic and cultural unity. It is the development of a mental climate that would help reacts in terms of oneness, irrespective of the region, language or religion of the people concerned. It means a heaven of freedom where the world has not been divided into fragments by narrow domestic wells. It is based on feeling of oneness, common ideals of life and a common code of behavior. It implies confidence in nations future, deep sense of values and obligation of citizenship, mutual understanding and respect for the culture of different sections of the nation. Need for National Integration National integration is the feeling that binds the citizens of a country. Its aim is to put individuals best efforts for the optimum growth, prosperity and welfare of the country as a whole. It does away with inter-state, inter-linguistic, inter-religious and inter-cultural differences. It promotes a spirit of tolerance and respect for the view-point of other cultural groups. To Kanungo, Every country at every time needs national integration but India needs it the most. Indias passing through a critical period these days. The integrity of India is in danger. Therefore Indians will have to act carefully. In India national integration is needed due to following reasons: Threat of Foreign Aggression National integration is vital for Indias survival especially at a time when the country is under the threat of foreign aggression and internally the people are divided on the basis of castes, religions, regions, communities, languages and Races For the Development of National Character National integration is an essential element for the development of national character. These days there is lack of national character. Corruption is increasing day-by-day. We are sacrificing national interests for the sake of money. National character can be formed only when we have the feeling of national integration. For Success of Democracy India is a democratic country. National integration is an essential pre-requisite for the success of our democracy. It is a basic need for the success of democracy; otherwise, the fissiparous tendencies in the country may lead to serious consequences. For Diversity National unity is essential for any country at any time. There is unity in diversity in India but now unity is in danger. Therefore, national unity is essential in order to maintain the eternal value of unity in diversity. For Peace National integration is essential for keeping peace at national and international level. Modern age is the age of science. It has changed the whole world in a family. Every nation is dependent on one another. Therefore, scientific achievement should be used for constructive work in order to provide peace to humanity. This feeling can develop only when we have the thought of national integration.

Issues Of The Work-Life Conflict

Issues Of The Work-Life Conflict Work-life conflict occurs when time and energy demands imposed by our many roles become incompatible with one another; participation in one role is made increasingly difficult by participation in another. Work-life balance (WLB), from an employee perspective, is the maintenance of a balance between responsibilities at work and at home. When the employees have conflicts between their work life and personal life it creates distractions in their work, preventing employees from performing in their best level, which creates obstacles in the achievement of organizational and individual goals. Therefore failure in managing work-life conflict among the employees could lead to problems within the organization. Hemas Hospital is a newly started hospital in Sri Lanka in the year 2008. It is a multi specialty hospital which caters for the whole family by providing highly specialized medical services according to the highest international standards. Around 100 consultants practice in this hospital. As a newly started hospital working for 24 hours they are confronted with problems of employees struggling to strike a balance between their work and life. Employees commitment to their service is vital to provide to provide a according to the standards. At Hemas Hospital Nurses play a major role. Professional nursing is a highly skilled practice directed towards improving the health status of individuals, groups and communities. Nursing activities encompass promoting health, preventing disease, aiding and supporting people in daily living as well as during recovery and rehabilitation, and helping people to die comfortably and with dignity (Nursing, n.d.). The purpose of this essay is to highlight and discuss on the issues of work life conflict how it affects further to discuss about the solutions that could be applied to tackle the conflicts. Secondary researches have been used in order to support the discussion in an effective way. 2.0 Causes 2.1 Womens Family Commitment Over recent years there has been an enormous increase in the number of women employees entering to the paid workforce labor of Hemas Hospital Wattala. Despite the rapid growth in womens involvement in the paid workforce; it appears that little has changed for women in terms of their family commitments. Culture plays a big role in Sri Lanka in relation to this topic. Traditional gender roles prescribe for women to place the role of wife and mother above all others; men are expected to be the family breadwinner. Given the burden of household responsibilities and child care, women employees (doctors, nurses, receptionists) face the demands of multiple roles, which often go beyond the general three roles working mothers generally take on (wife, mother, and worker) to include responsibilities such as: caretaker of aging parents, sister, aunt, cousin, etc. (Scott Coltrane, n.d.) As a result of these multiple tasks work life conflict has been identified as a common problem among most women employees at Hemas Hospital. 2.2 Personal Health Problems Health is the general condition of a person in all aspects. Having problems is a part of life. Most of the researches have found that effects of stress affect the health. The reason is the stress and health is closely linked. And also they have found that the risk factors for health caused by chronic stress causes as much as 60 to 90% of all illnesses. The impact it has on your health, both physical and mental, can be very harmful. And individuals stress does contribute to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other cardiac risk factors such as addictions and obesity. We found that 55% of Hemas hospitals nurses getting sick because of the stress they have. Some of the shifts they have to cover up without taking breaks. Therefore they cannot balance their personal lives with the work they have. So that stress arises and automatically they get ill. 2.3 Tight Work Schedules Workers have to control their working hours to enjoy a better life. Most of time nurses have to do night duty and also they have to do over time work because of this reasons lack of flexible working hours can be arising. Most of times who worked as nurses are young mothers so then they have do their children work, they have to care about children and also their home work. It is very hard to do night duty person who has small child then they might feel time is more important than money after that there can be arise a stress on work place. Organization culture can shape the work life balance. According to our culture most of time mothers are house wifes and also childrens need care of mothers. If mother busy with her job then there will be arises social problem and also family problems. In Hemas hospital every nurse has to do two night duties in each week and then there arises conflict between work life balances. 2.4 Lack of Employee Rewards and Appreciation As a nurse Caring for the sick and dying has never been easy. Though it is a respected, intellectually stimulating, and deeply meaningful career today it offers limited benefits and many challenges. Though its been 2 years Hemas Hospital started their management hasnt introduced proper rewarding system for the nurses. This will directly affect the employees morale; therefore employee productivity would be less. 2.5 Transportation Issues Transportation is one of the main issues that Hemas Hospital employees are facing. Since there are both day and night shifts, the employees main problem will be the transportation. In Sri Lanka with the cultural situations most of the people think in negative way when the females doing the night shifts and/or when they arrives at home in mid night, Since the public transportation is not too safe for female after around 7.30 8.00 pm the transportation will be highly regarded when comes to night shifts. 3.0 Effects 3.1 High Absenteeism Absenteeism is an expensive problem in both public and private sector organizations. Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in the impact of womens family responsibilities, personal health problems and transportation problems on absenteeism. Many women employees at Hemas Hospital find it hard to achieve their desired combination of work and family time. For example, family responsibilities appear to constrain a womans choice of occupation. Women taking leave due to illnesses of children or their elder parents. 3.2 Less productivity Due to personal health problems, lack of rewards and appreciations and tight work schedules employees productivity getting reduced. This situation is not good for a working place like hospital. Productivity is one of the most important factors when it comes to work. When employees are not healthy they are unable to work properly. Therefore their productivity comes down and the job they do cannot be performed properly. When working in a hospital, the employees have to work very effective manner, because they are the savers of patients lives. It will be a big disaster if they forget or neglect to give proper medicine or giving wrong medicine to a patient. This would highly affect to Hemas hospital if they do not work properly up to the standard. 3.3 Dissatisfaction While the majority of reasons for dissatisfaction usually point to elements of the workplace itself such as: management style, environmental conditions or opportunities for growth, lack of rewards and appreciations, tight work schedules etc. (A guide to grow your personal growth, n.d.). It was found that especially nurses are dissatisfied with their job. Due to this they may move towards competitors or leave the job. Therefore Hemas Hospital has to consider ways of minimizing the work dissatisfaction. 3.4 Stress Stress is the most hated part of the job of healthcare employees. This can be occurring due to personal health problems, womens family commitments and tight working schedules. Therefore it leads nurses to be dissatisfied with their work. Due to the dissatisfaction they will not perform efficiently and effectively through less performance. Furthermore their loyalty for the company will be less and will tend to move towards competitors or leave the job. One of the respondents at the Hemas hospital said that, Too much pressure on this shift Scanty facilities very meageryou feel really exhaustedamounting to tensions and conflicts which are often displaced onto people aroundyou knowyelling at colleagues 3.5 High employment turnover This can be happened due to all of the causes mentioned above. More than the cultural influences nursing is a more stressful and challenging job therefore its a must to recognize them as very precious for the hospital to make them retain in the hospital. The impact of turnover has received considerable attention by senior management, human resources professionals, and industrial psychologists. It has proven to be one of the most costly and seemingly intractable human resource challenges confronting organizations. Analyses of the costs associated with turnover yield surprisingly high estimates. The high cost of losing key employees has long been recognized. When consider the Hemas Hospital the situation also same. It appears high employment turnover, especially nurses. 3.6 Work overload for other employees Due to health problems and family commitment some employees cannot perform their duties to the expected level. So others will have to carry out the sick employees work load too. Some times since they havent time to fulfill the work load they might not do even their assigned duties properly. They do not care about the patients very well. Then again it will affect to the overall performance of the Hemas hospital. In addition, inadequate facilities, improper functioning of other employees and neglected responsibilities created pressure and conflict among the personnel. These inadequacies eventually reduced the tolerance threshold, which in turn contributed to the conflict experienced. One of the respondents at Hemas hospital said that, We cant ignore the fact that heavy workload and shortage of skilled human resources affect our performance; despite our effort to get used to the situation, we are limited in coping. When you see that the supervisor stops backing us up and never steps into the ward to listen to us it makes us feel our rights have been violated. 4.0 Solutions 4.1 Paternity leave Paternity leave is the time a father takes off work at the birth or adoption of a child. This kind of leave is rarely paid. A few progressive companies offer new dads paid time off, ranging from a few days to a few weeks. Hemas Hospital can arrange paternity leave for doctors and therefore can avoid the absenteeism and dissatisfaction towards the job. 4.2 Dependent care arrangements Many nurses will be faced with issues of child or adult care giving. Without adequate support, these can create a host of distractions from work. There are many ways that the Hemas Hospital can support their nurses with their personal responsibilities. Some of the ways are on or off site child and adult care centers, lactation programs, dependent care referrals, etc. 4.3 Job sharing Job sharing is a form of permanent part-time work in which a full-time position is divided between two or more people, each of whom shares responsibility for the entire workload. Each job sharer receives conditions of employment and entitlements on a pro-rata basis in proportion to the hours worked. Job share arrangements are suitable for both professional and academic positions. A change from full-time work to a job sharing arrangement does not break continuity of employment. Job share arrangements can facilitate increased workplace flexibility because job sharers can relieve or cover for each other without loss in efficiency and effectiveness. Hemas Hospital also can implement this program and can get the maximum benefit out of it. 4.4 Flexible work schedules A flexible work schedule is a type of flexible work arrangement that allows employees to vary when they begin and end their work day to accommodate their individual and family needs. This flexibility greatly eases the burden of busy employees as they try to juggle their work and home lives Flexible work schedules benefits both employees and organization it self. For employees Increased satisfaction and productivity, reduced stress and health care costs, decreased absenteeism and reduced commuting time. For organizations improved retention and reduced turnover, higher levels of loyalty and commitment ,no change in managers supervisory time, attracts diverse employees who may not be able to conform to rigid schedules (i.e., disabled) 4.5 Incentives As a result if the hospital is not rewarding nurses well the Sri Lankan culture influences them to be not loyal towards hospital and as well to perform poorly. If an employee appreciated or rewarded it will influence them to work hardly than the before and also motivate to keep the work and personal life in a balance. For that reason this is the best time for Hemas to start an appropriate rewarding and appreciation system for their nurses to make them satisfy and happy situation between work and life. 5.0 Recommendations 5.1 Short Term Out of the number of solutions available, according to the situation, a strategy needs to be developed according to the problem but this would consume lots of time and energy to be done, So till a proper strategy is developed, in the short term the hospital can reward employing workers with an incentive programmed to facilitate them to balance their work /life.Hemas Hospital can reward financial non financial incentives to encourage their work force. Under financial incentives they can grant child vouchers and can have a special funding system for employees children. Furthermore the management of Hemas Hospital can introduce a transportation allowance system for the employees who come from distance areas. Under non financial incentive system Hemas Hospital can arrange family friends benefits or annual trips or get together, so that they have sometime to spend their leisure time with their colleagues. Furthermore nurses can be given promotions, scholarships or they can select best nur se annually to encourage nurses. 5.2 Long Term But in the long term proper strategy should be developed to address this problem, because incentives cannot be a solution for all the problems of the employees. While developing strategies the different situations of nurses need to be considered to facilitate them. Providing a flexible work options is a good method that could be developed, because job satisfaction is directly connected to a persons work schedule, especially to a nurses healthy mentality it is very important when dealing with patients. A variety of schedule options could be made available to fit their priorities and life styles. Full-time Options include: Three 12-hour shifts Five 8-hour shifts A combination of 8 and 12-hour shifts Part-time Options include: 8-hour shifts 12-hour shifts A combination of 8 and 12-hour shifts Weekend Program This program is an appealing option for nurses who are in school or who care for children during the week. This option provides short-term disability coverage. Weekend nurses work 24 hours each weekend They receive pay equivalent to 32 or 36 hours The schedule begins Friday at 7:30 a.m. and ends Monday at 7:30 a.m. Casual This option is appealing to nurses who want to work fewer hours but maintain a relationship with their unit and with Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Casual nurses work 40 hours during a 6-week schedule Float Pool Nurses may choose the flexibility and variety of working on multiple units through the Float Pool. Float Pool nurses are required to work two weekend shifts per month. Options include: Full-time work Part-time work Dynamic scheduling to accommodate personal work requirements. Schedule Choices Many nursing units offer nurses a Self Schedule option. They are able to select the days on the upcoming schedule they want to work. When their manager creates the schedule, he or she will balance the schedule requests with current patient needs in the unit (Careers, n.d.). The best recommendation would be to make available lots of flexible work schedule options and offer the nurses with a self schedule option, so that they can use choose a schedule according to their life style. These work options should be for the mutual benefit of both the employee and the employer so that employee can fulfill their responsibility towards their work place and as well as their families. 6.0 Conclusion There is a big difference between doing things and getting something done. Most work-life efforts by HR and work-life balance teams fail despite lots of doing. The problem is that all the doing didnt get anything done. If the organization wants to get something done that produces strong positive results and feedback, it should be start by taking an action in order to ensure success. Good work-life balance seems to be something that well-run firms in competitive markets do naturally. They need to treat their employees well to keep them if not; their competitors will hire them away. Government policies on work-life balance should take this into account. Whether the organization just introducing a work-life program or making an already great one better, the organization will be substantially improving its bottom line results and changing individuals lives for the better. To be an effective worker he/she has maintain a better balance in between work life and the personal life. We can see that there is a clear link between causes for the conflicts and effects of them. So that if Hemas can implement the above mentioned recommendations we think that Hemas can be the best hospital by getting the maximum use of their employees while providing them a conflicts free work life environment. Hence the entire organization and employees will be proud of the results.