Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Atlas Group Research
Atlas Group Research Free Online Research Papers The foundation of the Atlas Group was laid in 1962 with the establishment of Shirazi Investments Limited with a capital of half a million rupees and three men doing business in trading shares and real estate in Pakistan. Now, Shirazi Investments is now one of the leading investment companies in Pakistan, engaged in trading shares, fund management, underwriting, real estate and warehousing. The company has played a key role in the promotion and acquisition of the Atlas Group of Companies. Shirazi Investments (Pvt) Limited, the parent company of the Atlas Group, started operations in 1962. It is engaged in capital market, fund management, under-writing, real estate, warehousing and venture capital investments to name a few of the operations. Shirazi Investments (Pvt) Limited took on the key role in sponsoring the acquisition of many group companies. Until 1978, when management agencies were abolished in Pakistan, Shirazi Investments also acted as managing agents for all Atlas Group com panies. The growth of the Atlas Group is the result of its focus on good corporate governance. Today Atlas Group is a diversified group dealing in engineering, financial services and trading. It consists of seven public limited companies out of which six are quoted on the Stock Exchanges in Pakistan, and five private limited companies. Atlas shareholders equity now stands over 25 billion rupees; assets have increased to over 60 billion rupees; personnel strength is over 7000 and annual sales have crossed 60 billion rupees. The Group paid taxes of rupees. 15 billion over 2% of the total government revenues. All this progress is due to the Groups reliance on the intellectual capital, dedicated efforts and team spirit of all the stakeholders. Today my assignment research topics will talks about one of the subsidiary companies of the Atlas Group in Pakistan. The company that I chose for my research topic is called Atlas Battery Limited. The battery company is established in 1966 in Karachi, Pakistan. The company pioneered the manufacture of dry charged hard rubber batteries in Pakistan. It produced automotive and motorcycle batteries packs. The batteries are classified as light, medium and heavy batteries type. Now the company manufactures a complete range of polypropylene and hard rubber batteries which caters to the needs of passenger cars of varied capacities, trucks, tractors, heavy vehicles, construction and road building equipment, as well as host of stationary and industrial applications. Motorcycle batteries have also been added to this range. The company has always been at the vanguard of development in the automotive industry in Pakistan making great strides in the fields of research and development. The AGS bra nd has, over the years, earned a solid reputation as a product of latest Japanese technology with consistently high levels of performance and reliability. The sustained and continued high level of quality is ensured by Atlas Battery Limitedââ¬â¢s Quality Department with its exacting standards and state-of-the-art lab facilities manned by highly trained professionals monitoring the quality of batteries being produced. The focal point of the companyââ¬â¢s philosophy is customer satisfaction through continued product excellence. Atlas Battery Limited is always aggressively pursuing new ways to serve the needs of the consumers better, and in line with that vision, Atlas Battery has recently test-marketed a new type of battery, which is set to become the industrial standard amongst the car manufacturers in the near future. Atlas Battery Limited aims at maintaining its lead in technology with the help of its in-house research and development program, interfacing with Japan Storage Battery Company Limited. Atlas Battery Limitedââ¬â¢s technological superiority is matched by its vast national network of over 600 dealers and retail outlets ensuring availability and prompt delivery of its products. All our regional and zonal offices are equipped with service center and are staffed with trained to provide technical personnel to provide an efficient service backup. The technical personnel also regularl y tour their sales and territories monitoring service needs, problem and trouble-shooting. Our associates are ably supported by a steady supply of instruments and equipment imported and supplied by us, to enable them to carry out testing and repairing services with prompt attention and efficient resolution of operational complaints. Atlas Battery Limited ââ¬Ës goal is to achieve market leadership through technological edge, distinguished by quality service and customersââ¬â¢ satisfaction, emphasis on employees long term welfare and ensure adequate return to shareholders. It also aims to be a good corporate citizen of the society and country through harmonized endeavor. Board of directors: Chairman Yusuf H. Shirazi Chief Executive Officer Talha Saad Directors Aitzaz Shabaz Hiroshi Tateiwa Iftikhar H. Shirazi Javaid Anwar Muhammad Atta Karim Company secretary Muhammad Iqbal The companyââ¬â¢s stand out points: Vast experience of more than 30 years, having been incorporated in 1966 in collaboration with Japan Storage Battery Company Limited Leading OEM Motorcycle battery manufacturer in Pakistan. Pioneer in Dry-Charge and Heavy Duty Batteries. The only battery company in the industry having a joint venture with a foreign company (G.S. Yuasa Japan). The first company to launch free maintenance batteries in Pakistan. Equipped with sophisticated Laboratory having the latest equipment for testing the performance of battery and Spectrophotometer of testing metals engaged in manufacturing of lead acid batteries. The key technical and management staffs are foreign qualified and trained. First one to introduce UPS, CNG, Diesel Rickshaw Batteries. Frequent visits by Japanese battery experts to ensure the international quality. Well-equipped In-house research development facility. Automatic assembly plant. Obtained ISO-9002 Certificate for Quality Standard. Obtained World Quality Commitment Award, awarded by BID Madrid, Spain. Largest dealer and service network in Pakistan. The 2nd largest manufacturer of automotive batteries; therefore tries that much harder to beat the market leader in quality. Photo sample of automotive batteries Customers for light batteries: Atlas Honda Ltd. Dawood Yamaha Ltd. Delta Innovations Ltd. Fateh Motors Ltd. Sindh Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd. Super Asia Motors Ltd. D.S. Motors N.J. Auto Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. Customers for medium and heavy batteries Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Ltd. Pak Suzuki Motor Company Ltd. Indus Motor Company Ltd. Dewan Farooque Motors Ltd. Sigma Motors (Pvt.) Ltd. Ghandhara Nissan Ltd. Master Motor Corporation Ltd. Competitorââ¬â¢s battery companies: Goliath Automotive Battery Company Limited Exide Pakistan Limited Pakistan Accumulators Ltd Qalandri Battery Limited (Source extracted from atlasbattery.com.pk/) b) Collection and Analysis of Data Financial Ratio Analysis A statistic has little value in isolation. Hence, a profit figure of 100 million is meaningless unless it is related to either the firmââ¬â¢s turnover (sales revenue) or the value of its assets. Ratios are very important in standardizing the numbers and facilitate comparisons. It will also reflect the weakness and strengths of the company. Accounting ratios attempt to highlight the relationships between significant items in the accounts of a firm. Financial ratios are the analystââ¬â¢s microscope; they allow them to get a better view of the firmââ¬â¢s financial health than just looking at the raw financial statements Ratios are used by both internal and external analysts Internal uses: Planning Evaluation of management External uses: Credit granting Performance monitoring Investment decisions Making of policies Categories of Financial Ratios The accounting ratios can be grouped in to five categories: 1. Liquidity Ratios shows the extent to which the firm can meet its financial obligations. An assetââ¬â¢s liquidity describes the ease with which it can be converted to cash. This ratio evaluates a firmââ¬â¢s ability to generate sufficient cash to meet its short-term obligations. 2. Asset Management Ratios shows that how effectively the firm is managing its assets. This ratio is used to measure the firms success in managing its assets to generate sales. For example, these ratios can provide insight into the success of the firms credit policy and inventory management. 3. Debt Management Ratios or also known as Solvency Ratio shows the extent to which a firm uses debt financing or financial leverages. It showed the companyââ¬â¢s ability to meet the obligations created by its long-term debt. This ratio will indicate the companyââ¬â¢s level of debts standing. 4. Profitability Ratios relates profits to sales and assets. Profit is the ease with which a company generates income. This ratio measures the companyââ¬â¢s past performances and helps to predict its future profitability level. 5. Market Value Ratios are a measure of the return on investment. This ratio relates an observable market value, the stock price, to book values obtained from the firms financial statements. (Source extracted from bized.co.uk/compfact/ratios/index.html) Financial Analysis Comparison: Liquidity Ratio Year 2006 Year 2007 Remarks a) Current Ratio 1.53 1.24 Standard Ratio: 2. The ratio dropped from 1.53 in year 2006 to 1.24 in year 2007. Its liquidity position is weak. b) Quick Ratio 4.86 0.38 The quick ratio dropped significantly from 4.86 in year 2006 to 0.38 in year 2007. The company ability to pay short term debts in weak and deteriorating. Asset Management Ratio Year 2006 Year 2007 Remarks a) Inventory Turnover Ratio 5.55 5.2 The ratio dropped from 5.55 in year 2006 to 5.2 in year 2007.This is not good because the company inventoryââ¬â¢s ability to convert into cash is decreasing. b) Days Sales Outstanding Ratio 13.96 11.9 The company is more effective in collecting receivables in year 2007 in comparison to the previous year. c) Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio 5.04 5.1 The ratio is improved as in year 2006, it was 5.04 times and now it has been slightly increased to 5.1 times. The company is able to generate sales more from the fixed assets. d) Total Asset Turnover Ratio 2.15 2.1 The productivity of assets in year 2007 is not as good as it was in previous years. In 2006, it was 2.15 times and now it has been decreased to 2.1 times. Debt Management Ratio Year 2006 Year 2007 Remarks a) Debt Ratio 53 55 This is not good as the debt of the company increased by 2% to 55% in year 2007. b) Time Interest Earned Ratio 4.7 6.5 The company is able to cover the interest expense at a higher margin of safety. Profitability Ratio Year 2006 Year 2007 Remarks a) Profit Margin Ratio 3.42 5.5 The company has been successful in raising their sales to 5.5 in year 2007 and thus increases the profitability. b) Return on Asset Ratio 7.34 11.5 The company has been able to use its total assets more efficiently over these years and have been successful in raising net profit as well. c) Return on Equity Ratio 15.62 26 The company has been able to raise the value of the investments by 11% in year 2007 made by the shareholders. Market Value Ratio Year 2006 Year 2007 Remarks a) Price Earning Ratio 9.5 11.7 The companys earning per share has been increased by 2.2 to 11.7 times in year 2007. b) Price Cash Flow Ratio 2.46 4.82 The companys price per share has increased to 4.82 in year 2007. 5 Forces Analysis Method: In this research, I will use the Five Forces model method as the framework for industry analysis. Just a brief introduction, the 5 forces model is developed by Michael E. Porter and acts as an analysis method that is used as business unit strategy tool to make an analysis of the attractiveness value of an industry structure. (Michael Porter). The five competitive forces model is probably one of the most often used business strategy tools and have proven its usefulness on numerous occasions. Porters model is particularly strong in thinking outside-in. The Five Forces Analysis helps the marketer to contrast a competitive environment. It has similarities with other tools for environmental audit, such as PEST analysis, but tends to focus on the single, stand alone, business or Strategic Business Unit rather than a single product or range of products. The competitive forces analyses are made by the identification of 5 fundamental competitive forces as shown in the diagram below: (Source from training material handouts on Topic 5: IS and Competitive Edge, by Mr. Low Kok Han) As you can see from the diagram above, the 5 forces analysis looks at the key areas namely the threat of new entry, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and competitive rivalry. These 5 forces elements are major challenges that are faced by any business company around the world in todayââ¬â¢s time. The threat of new entry o Profitable markets that yield high returns will draw firms. This results in many new entrants, which will effectively decrease profitability. Unless the entry of new firms can be blocked by incumbents, the profit rate will fall towards a competitive level. It is not only incumbent rivals that pose a threat to firms in an industry but the possibility that new firms may enter the industry also affects the market competitions. o All products are subject to rivalry including baterries. If a new battery company emerged in the market with a better product or cheap pricing, it will definitely affected the sales of Atlas Battery Ltd company. The power of buyers o The power of buyers is the impact that customers have on a producing industry. In general, when the buyer power is strong, the relationship to the producing industry is near to what an economist terms a monophony a market in which there are many suppliers and one buyer. Under such market conditions, the buyer sets the price. The buyer power is high when the customers have many choices of whom to buy from, and low when the choices are few. o The customers are the main battery buyer. Without them, there will no sales achieved. Atlas Batteries Ltd need to produce the best products with quality with the best price in order to keep the customers satisfied. The power of suppliers o A producing or manufacturing industry requires raw materials such as labour, components, services, machines, and other supplies. This requirement leads to buyer-supplier relationships between the industry and the firms that provide the raw materials used to create the products. Supplierââ¬â¢s power, if itââ¬â¢s powerful can exert an influence on the producing industry, such as selling raw materials at a high price to capture some of the industrys profits. The supplier power is high when buyers have few choices of whom to buy from, and low when there are many choices. o Batteries are made from different components and Atlas Battery Ltd need to source different suppliers for the best pricing for raw materials. Therefore the networking and relationship between suppliers must be wide and strong. The threat of substitutes o The existence of close substitute products increases the propensity of customers to switch to alternatives in response to price increases.To the industry, a threat of substitutes exists when a products demand is affected by the price change of a substitute product. A products price elasticity is affected by the substitute products as more substitutes become available, the demand becomes more elastic since customers have more alternatives. A close substitute product constrains the ability of firms in an industry to raise prices. o A clone battery product will definitely brings threats to the sales of Atlas Battery Ltd because of the pricing and quality issue. Competitive rivalry o For most industries, this is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. Sometimes rivals compete aggressively and sometimes rivals compete in non-price dimensions such as innovation, marketing and others. This is what we called competitive advantage. This is most likely to be high where entry is likely; there is the threat of substitute products, and suppliers and buyers in the market attempt to control. This is why it is always seen in the center of the diagram. o Atlas Batteries Ltd faced a lot of competitions in the battery market from Goliath Automotive Battery Company Limited, Exide Pakistan Limited, Pakistan Accumulators Ltd, Qalandri Battery Limited and others. The competitive edge is very important to keep Atlas Batteries Ltd company in front of their competitors. c) Application of concepts: IT System Recommendations The management of Atlas Batteries Ltd is aware of the escalating costs in every aspect such as raw materials, distribution and so on in the industry market. The management plan to reduce the necessary costs of the company in order to compete in the competitive environments, judging by the current economic turmoil. From the companyââ¬â¢s profit and loss statement, the cost that can be likely reduced is the raw material cost which will lead to reduction in the production cost. In this research, I would propose an IT product solution in order to achieve the management plan to reduce the raw material cost. After the initial requirements study and financial analysis, I can conclude that the raw materials cost are the most expensive cost and the major obstacle for the company to achieve higher profits. The company purchased $1,019,970,000 in raw materials in year 2006 and the cost escalated to $1,294,026,000 in year 2007. This showed an increase cost of 27% or $274,056 in raw materials purchasing and the figure is going to increase in years to come. In view of this, the management needs to be aware of the current economic condition and make provisions to counter the raw material cost in case of price increase. The system that I would like to propose to the management of the Atlas Battery Ltd is the Central Purchasing Management System (CPS). This system will integrate all the purchasing order in an online central products portal. Every supplier companies of various raw materials related to Atlas Battery Ltd will be given online access to the particular portal and will be able to view the current stocks information and condition level that Atlas Batteries Ltd had in the companyââ¬â¢s database. The requirement of the portal accessibility is internet connection. If any of the stocks are found not at sufficient level, the suppliers can make a submission or proposal for the purchasing manager to decide. The purchasing manager does not need to go or make a call to various supplier companies to enquire about the needed information with this new system because he can make the purchase directly based on the submissions placed by the various suppliers from the information portal. He will able to see all the information such as stock code, quantity, stock arrival, stock types and pricings in the portal itself and have the choice to choose which suppliers he wish to make purchases. Thus it reduces the traditional purchasing methodââ¬â¢s hassles such as making calls, invoicing, ordering and follow up. All the information details will be tracked, recorded and stored for management viewing purpose. The information will be stored on a separated secured database in the IT department. This system will be able to provide various reporting such as inventory reports, management reports and others as well. After the order is placed, the suppliers can view the order and proceed with the necessary preparation to deliver the raw materials on time to the company. Once the order is confirmed by the purchasing manager, the order will proceed to the account department for verifications, approval and make payments upon product deliverance. A copy of purchasing summary reports will be extended over to the management for their record keeping on monthly basis via email. This system will able to cut down the costs of papers, telephone billings, manpower, resources and time as well. This new system will bring more benefits and the offered system functions will help to reduce a lot of cost in future. This system also helps to improve the overall purchasing process, reduce the response time, produce accurate results and increase the productivity activity. Atlas Batteries Ltd will be able to save certain costs in purchasing in long term run. Sample of CPS Process Flow: (Source extracted from kensoftsolutions.com/Prod02-cps.html) d) Recommendations: System Installation approach: I would like to recommend Atlas Batteries Ltd management to purchase the CPS system directly from the software company because of the following conditions as stated below: Advantages of system purchase: Ready made product available for set up Faster installation time Provide support maintenance Provide installation and trainings Expertise to resolve the technical issues Disadvantages of in house system developing: Extra recruitments, supervision, and personnel management responsibilities. Long-term expense of maintaining a technical staff. No contractual (legal and financial) leverage over development, implementation, and maintenance. Possibly a lower level of productivity than with contractor personnel and thus higher development cost. Staff turnover and training requirements. Cost Benefit Analysis A cost benefit analysis is done to determine how well, or how poorly, a planned action will turn out. This analysis is a powerful, widely used and relatively easy tool for deciding whether to make a change. Cost-benefit analysis is mainly, but not exclusively, used to assess the value for money of very large private and public sector projects. This is because such projects tend to include costs and benefits that are less amenable to being expressed in financial or monetary terms (e.g. environmental damage), as well as those that can be expressed in monetary terms. Although a cost benefit analysis can be used for almost anything, it is most commonly done on financial questions. Sample of Cost Benefit Weighing Scale: (Source extracted from 12manage.com/methods_cost-benefit_analysis.html) Costs calculation: Equipments: Items Price CPS System Price (Including training ) $ 100,000 10 network PCs with software @ $ 2,500 each $ 25,000 2 Database server @ $10,000 each $ 20,000 3 network printers @ $ 800 each $ 2,400 Cabling installation @ $10,000 $ 10,000 3 years maintenance support @ $ 5,000 $ 5,000 Total cost: $ 162,400 Conclusions: As you can see from the CPS system costing table above, the pricing reflected is economical and the system can be used to save a lot of costs in a long term run. The system is available for 24 hours * 365 days and can be used for number of years to come. Itââ¬â¢s easy to use and can be done by one person through a single click in the system to make purchases. Thereââ¬â¢s no need to call the suppliers, fax, invoice orders, paper works, and so on. Definitely the benefits of this system outweigh the cost of the system in long term. The pay back time of the CPS system cost can be achieved easily in few months time after the implementation. Everything will be controlled, tracked and logged for monitoring purpose by the management. The system will increase the battery production and cut down the overall cost of goods produced. Suppliers and Atlas Batteries Ltd can interact better through this system. Benefits of CPS system introduction: User friendly and easy to use Faster purchasing process Increased battery product production Better networking and relationship with suppliers Centralized the purchasing process into a single process Better management of manpower and time resources Process control is in place. Research Papers on Atlas Group ResearchAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesTwilight of the UAWDefinition of Export QuotasOpen Architechture a white paperResearch Process Part OneThe Project Managment Office SystemPETSTEL analysis of India
Monday, November 4, 2019
Executive report (Management of Information System) Assignment
Executive report (Management of Information System) - Assignment Example The report focuses on the facts that have been taken into account by Global Bike Inc in their expansion to the overseas. This will be helpful in their expansion to the developing and the developed countries of Asia. The Management Information Systems have been worked out excellently by Global Bike Inc and the operations that are conducted are satisfactory in other countries. This marks the fact that it will have no problem in its expansion to the Asian countries taking into account the network infrastructure that will be developed by the necessary investments that might be needed in different countries. The Strategic Information System Planning will ensure that the system is not only comprehensive but also much formalized to the extent that is needed. The customer relationship will be maintained in the same standard way as it is in other countries in which Global Bike Inc is operating. ... Introduction Global Bike Inc is a world class bicycle company that serves both the professional and the ââ¬Ëprosumerââ¬â¢ in not only the off road racing but also in touring. The companyââ¬â¢s primary focus is on the quality, the toughness and the performance that it promises to deliver. In all its time in history to date, Global Bike Inc has been able to deliver innovative high performance bicycles continuously to the most demanding riders in the world. (Magal, 2011). Strengths Awareness of the brand name amongst the customers. Known for high-performance. The operations of Global Bike Inc are global. Excellent relationship with the suppliers of the company. Research and Development facilities. Company focuses on innovation in its products. A larger product line with the company offering different products in order to make the customers feel more comfortable when riding their bicycles. Maintaining a complete and updated information system helps the company to promptly act on any change in the environment. Maintaining IT Systems gives the company an edge over the competitors that it may have in the market. Weaknesses The company is not able to measure the future analysis with great accuracy. Lack of the established manufacturing capabilities in the Asian market. The company relies a lot on the existing suppliers for its production. Increased number of competitors in the Asian markets. Lower establishment of IT in rural areas. The billing plans are usually complex. The external threats to the Information Technology due to the threats of hacking, viruses and malfunctions. (Garcia, 2002) IT Infrastructure The infrastructure that is designed for IT consists of the physical hardware that is used to connect the computers with the customers.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Race and Class Responses Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Race and Class Responses - Article Example Most of them have related their answers to their professional background and principles that they have when it comes to the issue of racism. In the same respect, the ideas that have transpired from the interviews are also based on gender contexts since experiences vary between men and women. At the same time, advocacies and principles are present in the interview that really showcases the dedication of people in addressing the issue of racism in all possible aspects. Despite of the principled engagements and answers provided by the interviewees, there is still the problem that they try to resolve: how to really prevent racism from occurring? There have been instances that have cited the role of culture, especially on how it induces conflict and on how it comes along the process of resolving the problem. It is noticeable in the interviews that there is a degree of sensitivity with the issue of racism. It is noticeable that the interviews deal with the issue of racism with a certain degree of objectivity. If there is a noticeable bias, it is intended as a mechanism to uphold the need to eradicate the said detrimental practice. When it comes to the issue of racism, it is important to point out that it happens everywhere and anytime. What seems to be problematic is that there are still people who do not address these transgressions as pointed out Singh and Mizrahi. Rather, the occurrences of racial judgments are not reprimanded. However, there are efforts that I have seen to be engaging and critical about the issue. There are efforts to organize and to join advocacy groups to lessen the occurrence and eventually stop racism. Both of the interviews have been focusing on the efforts to regulate and address the issue of racism, which has been a long practice since Western domination has started. Both of the interviews share a common view about
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Production and Operational Management in the auto Industry Term Paper - 1
Production and Operational Management in the auto Industry (Forecasting, Quality, Quantity, Profits, Assembly) - Term Paper Example They even had a great deal of say in the political sector of USA. Their political power was due to a fact that had been narrated by the CBC News article in the following words: ââ¬Å"The L.A. Times recently calculated that since 1990, the auto industry as a whole has donated $100 million US to Republicans and $34 million to Democrats.â⬠From the year 1951 to the year 2007 Ford had been ranked third in all the automotive manufacturers of the world. After maintaining this position for fifty six years the company lost its position worldwide. It, however, still remained at third position in the US auto industry. The recent times have however depicted a recession of Ford and GM in their native countryââ¬â¢s automobile industry. This recession has given space to foreign automobile manufacturers to establish their position by introducing their models in the industry. Currently these foreign automotive industrialists are leading the industry. BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM. Ford and GM w ere the largest vehicle producing giants in USA once. They assisted their countryââ¬â¢s economy massively by producing generous revenue and benefit packages for labor. Ford and GM held their importance in the US automobile industry not only because of their size but also because of their business volume. Their loosing of their stature, however, was owing to a number of reasons. Those reasons can be summarized as follows: This meant that a major number of operations in them were distributed into unions or rather termed as being ââ¬Å"Unionizedâ⬠. This led to a rising labor cost that incurred to these industrial giants. The labor costs of their international emerging counterparts were however very less as they did not practice unionization. Even the counterparts that had their manufacturing units in the US did not face the said problem. (Van Praet, 2008). WHY THE RECESSION? A number of issues led to the downfall of Ford and GM along with other US automobile manufacturers. Qua lity Compromised Among various issues was that of the maintenance of Quality by these giants. Stephen Robbins (2009) mentions their carelessness and compromise in the maintenance of their products in his book ââ¬ËManagementââ¬â¢ in the following words: ââ¬Å"U.S. car industry is often used as a classic example of what can go wrong when managers focus solely on trying to keep costs down. In the late 1970s, GM, Ford, and Chrysler built products that many consumers rejected...... When the costs of rejects, repairing shoddy work, product recalls, and expensive controls to identify quality problems were considered, U.S. manufacturers actually were less productive than many foreign competitors. The Japanese demonstrated that it was possible for the highest-quality manufacturers to be among the lowest-cost producers. American manufacturers in the car and other industries soon realized the importance of TQM and implemented many of its basic components.â⬠(Robbins, 2009) The abov e statement clearly highlights how the erroneous strategy of leading automobile manufacturing giants of USA gave room to their foreign counterparts. Even though they learned their lesson and tried to improve on their mistakes but it was too late then. The market shares that they once lost were not repairable. So was the inclusion of these counterparts in the industry. Retailers knew they had equally better options to go for and that too often at lesser costs. Product SUVââ¬â¢
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Summary of Inturnship Experience Essay Example for Free
Summary of Inturnship Experience Essay There are many approaches, strategies, techniques, methods, or styles floating in the internship atmosphere but there is no such thing as perfect approach, perfect strategy, perfect method, perfect technique, or perfect style because at the end of the day it is all about how the intern delivers his skills and how they cater pressure. In my 31 days of internship I have learned that everything should start on a plan, I started with the visualization on how I will make my task easier yet efficient without jeopardizing the quality of service our Hotel renders. In my experience while I am doing my plan, I was so puzzled with what I should do first, my mentor made me realize that the guestââ¬â¢s needs must come first because they are the most important factor in the hotel and restaurant management. I was able to gain experience at a job that I potentially had interest in. I learned about the hospitality field and if it was right for me. Along with the work experience, I also had to write an essay about my experience and keep a daily log. This experience helped shaped who I am now at the end of my college career as I feel more comfortable with working with people in different settings. For my internship experience I worked at Casablanca Hotel and Condominium in Freeport Subic. It was a long couple weeks before I finally found the right hotel to perform my internship at. The mangers and other employees at Casablanca were welcoming and helpful while I worked with them. I learned all major front desk duties of working at a hotel as well as other various aspects such as walking around the hotel and making sure everything was running smoothly. I never realized how everything done in a hotel actually goes through the front desk and because of this I was always busy doing something to help improve the hotel into a better experience for future guests. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience helping guests make reservations, check in, and check out of the hotel. My job was to be welcoming and helpful toward each guest in any way possible. During my 31 days I was able to gain practical experience under professional supervision while implementing classroom experiences and theories that i have acquire during my early years in college. I also develop the ability to work with people, both individually and as part of a group while comparing our theories and concepts learned in the classroom and related real life experiences. I also tested my own personal skills and competencies to be able to become familiar with routine procedures and responsibilities of the agency. I seek for experience opportunities to learn, observe, and practice a variety of administrative experiences for me to evaluate myself in relation to the field, and in relation to my professional preparation in addition to this I have establish realistic goals for professional growth and development moreover establish career goals and objectives upon conclusion of the Internship experience. This experience will help me finish my degree in many aspects by working at the hotel I learned the major keys in running a hotel. I also worked with many guests and customers and in doing so I was able to work on my communication skills. Being a business major and wanting to get into sales or other customer service jobs after I graduate I know I am going to need great communication skills as I will be interacting with people whether in meetings or helping out guests. After my internship was over I feel more relaxed in interacting with others and feel more ready to finish my degree and more engaged to working in the business world.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Understanding The Personality Of Athletes Psychology Essay
Understanding The Personality Of Athletes Psychology Essay By 1992, more than 1,000 articles had been published on aspects of sport personality (Ruffer, 1976; Vealey, 1989, 2002). This voluminous research demonstrates how important researches and practitioners consider the role of personality to be in sports. With that in mind, this research attempted to determine if there is a relationship between types of personalities and sports preferences. Athletes from different sports and non-athletes will play a part in this particular study. The primary interest of this study is to examine their personalities and make a comparison. There are lots of concerns on does personality of an individual give way to the types of sport chosen to be played. This would trigger questions such as, is there a relationship between personality type and sport preference? How do people choose the sport they participate in? Would it be a matter of personality preference? Are certain personality types more attracted to certain sports, like in careers? Why some people pre fer individual sports over team sports? What do team players have in common? It seems reasonable to propose the idea that people will perform more to their potential if they understand themselves better and what drives their motivation. Most people do not know what they are capable of achieving. The reason is that they do not know themselves well enough. To know who we are and what we are able to do is especially important in sports. If a person knows more of his or her potentials and what they are able to accomplish, there will be a much greater chance for that person to find success. Therefore, more research should be done in this area in order to be able to help athletes and people in general to decide which sport would be best for them. This is especially relevant for young people, because they are trying to decide which sport they might play and they might even have an inspiration to turn professional later in life. This could relate to a quote by Paul Harris, which states, Personality has power to uplift, power to depress, power to curse, and power to b less. Understanding the personality of athletes also prove to be beneficial to achieve a greater achievement and success in their range of sports participation. According to Cristina Bortoni Versari (2008), her research on basketball team indicated that teams exhibit a predictable personality profile and that by understanding the psyche of the athlete, performance and team productivity can be enhanced. Interpersonal communication amongst players and coaching staff can improve; players can take advantage of their personal preferences and strengths and work on developing other areas identified in the assessment process. Optimal communication and performance can be achieved by identifying the athletes preferred learning and personality styles. Personality types are attracted to and succeed in certain sports just like they do in certain occupations. The more athletes and coaches understand about their personalities and the team profile, the more productive they can be. In their review of the relationship between sport and personality, Eysenck, Nias and Cox (1982) list a number of important conclusions. Based on the three well defined dimensions of personality, extraversion, neuroticism and psychotism, a number of findings are apparent: both average and superior sports person tend to be extraverted and tend to be lower on neuroticism but high on psychotism. On the other hand, extraverts are likely to be at a disadvantage in sports which the emphasis is on accuracy, such as rifle shooting and archery which call for calm, slow and deliberate preparation as researched by Davies (1989). By the same token, participants who are more extroverted might choose a team sport and where there is body contact and more aggressiveness. People who are introverted might be prone to an individual sport and a sport where there is no personal contact. Participants who involve themselves in an individual sport will be more egoistic. Nearly all researchers and reviewers in the area have pointed out the serious methodological shortcomings in this area. Essentially, two reasons clearly exist for this disappointing research. Most such research is weak in both conception and design. In fact, it would be surprising if the result werent contradictory and confusing. With this in mind, the researcher will conduct surveys utilizing the examination of athletes, non-athletes, gender, extroversion, neuroticism, sensation seeking, calmness, and other variables. The researchers will then compare findings and interpret the data gathered among different types of sport, and between athletes and non-athletes. All participants will have to complete a demographic questionnaire that assess gender, age, college major, sport they participate in (only for athletes) and GPA. Personality test will be conducted inclusive of Eysenck Personality Inventory (Eysenck Eysenck, 1975), Global 5 (2008) and Scale from the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personal ity Questionnaire (Zuckerman, 2002). This study is concerned with correlations between measures of personality and different sport involvement within sport participation. One focus of interest is to ascertain what personality is the best for a particular sport, enabling the athletes and non athletes to find more success and interest with the least effort. Most people do not know what they are capable of achieving. The reason is that they do not know themselves well enough. To know who we are and what we are able to do is especially important in sports. If a person knows more of his or her potentials and what they are able to accomplish, there will be a much greater chance for that person to find success. This is especially relevant for young people, because they are trying to decide which sport they might play and they might even have an inspiration to turn professional later in life. Researchers have asked for example, what causes one student to be excited about physical education class whereas others dont even bother to dress out. Researched have questioned why some exercisers stay with their fitness program whereas others lose motivation and drop out. All the lack of interest and drop outs of fitness programs could give way to greater problem for a normal average person because they may not get involved in sports anymore. This situation may have caused the alarming raise of obesity cases in Malaysians aged 18 and above, whereby the statistics showed that obesity cases had increased by 3 times from 4.4% in year 1996 to 11.6 % in year 2006. With the huge increment in obesity cases, it is rather sad to see only a slight increment of 3% for the same years taken, for Malaysians involving in sports. Therefore, the study on personality could give an indicator for a person to select the sport that best suit their behavior and with that, they could stick the regime to i mprove the quality of their life. Understanding the personality of athletes also prove to be beneficial to achieve a greater achievement and success in their range of sports participation. According to Cristina Bortoni Versari (2008), her research on basketball team indicated that teams exhibit a predictable personality profile and that by understanding the psyche of the athlete, performance and team productivity can be enhanced. Interpersonal communication amongst players and coaching staff can improve; players can take advantage of their personal preferences and strengths and work on developing other areas identified in the assessment process. Optimal communication and performance can be achieved by identifying the athletes preferred learning and personality styles. Personality types are attracted to and succeed in certain sports just like they do in certain occupations. The more athletes and coaches understand about their personalities and the team profile, the more productive they can be. This study is apparently the early attempt to study the relationship between personality type and sport preferences in Malaysia. The focus of interest in to ascertain the type of personality best suited for a particular sport, enabling athletes to find more success with the least effort. Besides that, it is easier to encourage non athletes to pick up certain physical activities or sports after their type of personality being known. This collides with the human nature whereby, whenever a person knows of his or her potential, they will further gain interest and develop deeper involvement and passion in it. This theory was originated by Sigmund Freud in 1933; with a number of psychoanalytic theorists have proposed modifications to the original theory, namely Carl Jung, Erich Fromm and Erik Erickson (Mischel, 1986). This theory is based primarily upon self analysis and extensive clinical observation of neurotics. However, this theory has had little direct impact on sport personality research, due to their clinical and psychological focus. In Freuds view, the id, ego and superego form the tripartite structure of personality; in a sense the id is the pleasure seeking mechanism. In contrast, the ego represents the conscious, logical, reality oriented aspect of the personality. The superego represents the conscience of the individual; it is the internalized moral standards of societies impressed upon the person by parental control and the process of socialization. From the view of social learning theory, human behavior is a function of social learning and the strength of the situation. An individual behaves according to how he or she has learned to behave, consistent with environmental constraints. The origin of social learning theory can be traced to Clark Hulls 1943 Theory of Learning. Hulls stimulus response theory says that an individuals behavior in any given situation is a function of his or her learned experiences. According to Bandura in the year 1977, behavior is best explained as a function of observational learning. A considerable amount of research in sport psychology has utilized the social learning approach. The basic position or factory theory is that personality can be described in terms of traits possessed by individuals. Traits are considered to be stable, enduring and consistent across a variety of differing situations. Individuals differ in each trait due to genetic differences. Among the most ardent advocates of trait psychology are psychologists such as Alport, Cattell and Eysenck. The great strength of this theory is that it allows for the easy and objective measurement of personality through the use of inventories. Conversely, the weakness of the trait approach is that it may fail to consider the whole person, since personality according to this approach is represented by a collection of specific traits.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Nike Sweat Shops Essay -- essays research papers Business
Nike Sweat Shops I am writing this letter to express my concerns over Nike's labor practices in Asia. There has been much debate and controversy recently concerning Nike's Asian labor practices. It is very difficult to determine which side of the argument to defend, as both acknowledge the problems yet put a completely different spin on the facts. I will try to show that Nike has created a cloud of smoke in Asia that the public cannot see through. Nike does not own any of the factories that produce its products in Asia, and subsequently they do not directly employ the workers or management. They contract out work to factories that make all of the products and run all of the factories. They have a massive amount of leverage when dealing with these factories because of the huge contracts they supply. To ensure good labor practices, Nike has a Code of Conduct that every contractor must agree to in order to receive a contract. The Code of Conduct in theory condemns and prohibits child labor, requires that workers be paid fair wage, imposes caps on the days and hours that a worker can be forced to work, prohibits mistreatment or discrimination of workers in any form, and states that factories must implement programs that benefit worker?s health and safety. There are 1000 Nike employees worldwide monitoring operations across the globe. The most consistent criticism of Nike is that the workers in the factories are not aware of the Code of Conduct that was agreed upon, espec...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)