Managing Activities to achieve results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing Activities to achieve results - Essay Example NIKE’s mission statement is â€Å"to bring inspiration and inspiration to all athletes in the world, if you have a body, you are an athlete† (Epstein et al, 2012: p341). NIKE has a preference for using Environmentally Preferred materials, or EPM, which have a lower environmental impact on waste or water, energy, and chemistry. They contend that sustainable products can only be achieved via addressing the product materials, which they do by forging closer relationships with suppliers to ensure they deliver against their needs, for instance, sustainability. One way that NIKE optimizes material use is through the continuous assessment and reduction of overall numbers utilized in production. The focus also aids in management of complexities and cost in the supply chain and design phase. The shift from traditional materials to EPMs requires comprehension of the material characteristics and their availability. The structure of NIKE An organizational structure activities like supervision, coordination, and task allocation that are directed to achieving the aims and objectives of a company. Organizations are, basically, clustered entities with variations. Depending on objectives, the company can be structured in various ways, which determines its operative and performance mode (Daft et al, 2010: p34). It allows for the allocation of responsibilities with regards to various processes and functions to entities such as the individual, workgroup, department, and branch. It also affects the action of the organization by the provision of the foundation for standard procedures of operation and routine, as well as determination of the individuals who participate in decision making and shape the actions of the company (Daft et al, 2010: p35). NIKE has a matrix organizational structure, also known as the flat organizational structure (Epstein et al, 2012: p342). In the flat organization at NIKE, the employees report to the product or project teams that are led by p roduct managers and to the department manager. Every brand possesses a department with this department making independent decisions. The departments also have sub-departments that are responsible for mini-tasks in the department. The product team and managers are involved in decision making with regards to production and specifications with the managers at the department level involved, primarily, in issues to do with policy, for instance, sustainability (Epstein et al, 2012: p342). The production team is able to react and take decisions faster than traditional department heads as these are removed from the line of production. NIKE’s Vision A vision statement is definitive of what an organization will perform in the future, as well as why it will be in existence tomorrow with defined goals with set dates of accomplishment (Daft et al, 2010: p45). Vision statements involve the organization’s current status and acts as a direction on the path the organization wishes to t ake. It can also be useful as a marketing tool since it acts to announce the organization’s purpose and goals to the media, vendors, clients, suppliers, and employees. NIKE has a clear vision that entails decoupling growth of profits from resource constraints (Epstein et al, 2012: p345). The vision is one that views the world in transition to a sustainable economy from an industrial one with renewable

Valuation and Investment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Valuation and Investment - Term Paper Example More than 60 percent of the potential customers come from US alone. Carnival is a 23.78 billion company by market capitalization. It has 100 ships in its possession and runs 15 hotels comprising of 3420 guest rooms. The company also possesses 395 motor coaches. The company markets its vacation tours through travel agents and operators. The company gets competition from several smaller cruise liners but due to scale of operations the company is in better position to weather them. (Carnival Corporation 2011) Compared to Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean (RCL) is a smaller company with market capitalization of only $5 billion; however, RCL claims to have the newest fleet in the industry that provides a lot more open space in their fleets. Operationally, they are smaller than Carnival Cruise but hope to pick them fast. Royal Caribbean manages 40 ships and handles traffic of almost 4 million passengers. The Celebrity Cruises segment is meant for premium customers. This segment comprises 9 shi ps and offers some of the premium services. (Royal Caribbean 2011) Financials It will be appropriate to go through the financials of both the company. The following table shows side by side some of the important key parameters. Some Key Financials Cruise Corporation (CCL) Royal Caribbean (RCL) Market Cap (intraday) 23.78bn 5.06bn Current Ratio (mrq) 0.23 0.40 Total Debt/Equity (mrq) 41.26 103.7 Operating Cash Flow (ttm) 3.82billion 1.42billion Qtrly Earnings Growth (yoy) -18.30% 74.0% Trailing P/E (ttm) 12.53 8.71 200-Day Moving Average 38.41 38.41 52-Week High 48.14 49.99 52-Week Low 29.36 23.03 Beta 1.53 3.19 Source: http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=CCL http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=RCL Liquidity The above table displays some of the important liquidity ratios for both the company. On liquidity ground the Cruise Corporation stands better than Royal Caribbean as debt-equity and current ratio both are higher in the case of Royal Caribbean; however, the reason for this lies in the recent addition of some of the luxury ships in its fleet increasing its long term debt. Obviously, this has also reflected in its earnings growth too. Earnings Growth As per the quarterly earnings growth, Royal has displayed an impressive 74 % year to year growth against the negative earnings shown by Cruise Corporation. This indicates that though Cruise has larger fleet to cater to the vacation needs, the segment to which it serves is price sensitive and the Cruise is unable to raise its effective rates due to recessionary conditions. The situation for the CCL may improve with the change in economic conditions as being envisaged after nine months and then higher vacation charges may improve the earnings. Nevertheless, robust growth of the economy is not envisaged in near future so the advantage of booming economy that CCL may have because of its larger fleet and capacity to handle larger traffic is several years away. Risk Perception by Market CCL commands higher P/E compared t o RCL as can be seen from the above table. Risk perception (Beta) by market for RCL is much higher than CCL as later commands smaller Beta of 1.53 against 3.19 of RCL. High Beta indicates high volatility in the market price of the stock. In case of some adverse market conditions or due to some other eventuality the price of RCL may see the vertical fall; however, that also indicates that substantial rise in stock price is possible with

Capital from profit Essay Example for Free

Capital from profit Essay Describe the sources of internal and external finance, available to Barneys business.  There are two main ways that business can access financial resources:  1. Internal sources ( within the business)  This is the money you can get within the business:  Owners savings- I believe Barney has some money for himself if he is thinking to start a new business, because its the owners who are often invest in their company to cover the setting up costs. It might be the only source they available immediately for them as for sole traders like Barney, banks or other financial institution unlikely to offer a loan as there is too much risk involved, and if you have that kind of money it is really good for the business as you will not have to pay it back by monthly or pay an interest. Capital from profit- this will become available after the business set up and operating. Once they have run for certain time, they may make some profit to invest into the business to run or buy more stock or buy new machinery to grow the business  2. External sources (outside the business)  There are number of different external sources that business can get money from to help them to set up or invest in. Banks- they can offer loans, overdrafts and business account to businesses but you will have to have a good business plan to get it. Loans are not easy to get and might not be a good option for small business as you must pay it back with interest in certain amount of time and if the company goes down the owner will end up with huge debt. The choice I would suggest is the overdraft for him as it is flexible and you wont have to pay a penny unless it is used, there are some banks who offer interest free overdraft, if you can get it will be a win! Friends/Family- you can always seek for help from your friends and families and you can even offer them a share for return of their investment or just borrow some money from them to put towards the business if they are nice enough. I would say it is the best option of borrowing money as you dont pay interest and it is your family they will not give you to court unless you run with their money. Government grants- these are available from the EU, national/local government. A grant is money you can receive as a business man; a good thing about it is that you dont have to pay it back. If Barney falls under the age group of 18-30 he can get a low interest loan from Princes Trust.  (a) The purpose of budgets, and how they can be used to monitor and control the performance of Barneys business, including, the monitoring of actual performance against budget and the use of variance analysis. Budget is a written plan with spending which will occur and a revenue that is need in the future to cover these costs. The purpose of it is it gives you clear understanding of what to expect to spend/receive in the future (coming year) to prevent or act any crisis before it happens. It also can be used as a communication between the employees to understand the objectives of the business and work towards it. For owners they can see how well their managers managing the budget plan and performance of them.

Style of Writing :: Education Writing Essays

Style of Writing In both of the books various elements of style are mentioned, William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White’s The Elements of Style and Joseph M. Williams’ Style Toward Clarity and Grace, clarity and concision are to be the most important. I think that in order for your reader to be able to enjoy and understand what they are reading, it has to be written clearly and concisely. I believed that everyone has his or her own style: whether the style be that of one’s hair, clothes, or writing. I always knew that having your own style did not mean that yours was the best or even decidedly correct. After I finished toiling through Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style and William’s Style Toward Clarity and Grace, I learned that there is a dress code, even for writing. Yes, you could have your own style, per sey, but you must follow the rules and guidelines necessary for good writing. The Elements of Style and Style are interesting because separately, they tell two different versions to the same story. In Strunk and White’s book, a mere ninety-five pages of instruction, tell you in brief and curt words the rules for writing clearly. This books intention was to be short, a sort of handbook for quick reference. In its introduction E.B White writes, â€Å"It was Will Strunk’s parvoum opus, his attempt to cut the vast tangle of English rhetoric down to size and write its rules and principles on the head of a pin† (Strunk and White xiii). This intention seems innocent but it is my belief that it leaves the reader wondering, without precise reason in mind what clear writing is. Joseph M. Williams’ book, on the other hand, elaborates in detail of te guidelines and principles for writing the English language clearly and concisely. Each of his systematic principles for good wiring are padded with an abundance of example and explanation. Joseph Williams’ acknowledges this in his preface: â€Å"you should understand this is not an afternoon read. We offer detailed ways to put into specific practice the clichà ©s of style ‘Be clear’ ‘Omit needless words’†¦ We suggest you read this book a short section at a time, and then look at your won writing the writing of others† (Williams xiii).

Pci, Case Study, Mia Case Study

INTRODUCTION The issue started on February 2008 when the new appointed Managing Director of PCI Sdn Bhd, En Ghani reviewed 2007 Financial Report and found out there were recent increases in costs of goods sold and inventories. The rate of increase in costs of goods sold had been disproportionate with growth of sales. En Ghani was informed that one of the reasons for the increase in cost was because of the current purchasing system that contributes to redundant purchasing and high inventory holding costs.Siti Aminah, the Chief of Financial Officer was asked to review the current purchasing system and suggested the need to implement a new computerized purchasing system that would help relieve some of its manual operations and at the same time would ensure it has the proper controls in place. En Ghani requested a formal report on current purchasing system and suggestion for a new system before the next management meeting which would be in two weeks time. En Ghani assigned Siti Aminah on the special task instead of the senior Chief Production Officer and she did not have any experience in system and technology.The new system must be able to reduce costs, enhance control and provide easy management of users and services in qualitative and quantitative ways. CHARACTERS En Ghani : as the new appointed Managing Director of Penda Cable Industry Berhad, who reviewed past year Financial Report and asked for formal report from Siti Aminah. Siti Aminah : the Chief of Financial Officer that being asked to make formal report instead of the Senior Chief of Financial Officer. CURRENT PURCHASING SYSTEM IN PCIPurpose : to ensure the purchase of raw material (exclude external Aluminium cable scap) that was required for the manufacturing of cable, conductors and associated products. 1) Monthly Raw Material Summary Cik Lim General Manager of Material Resources and Planning En Razi Assistant Purchasing Manager (MRMS) Review 1st week of Forecasted Monthly Every month Material Requirem ent En Sam General Manager Purchasing (MMR)MRMS Planning Section En Razi 2) Cik Anne Purchasing Clerk >RM100 000 En Ghani Filing En Min Raw Material Storekeeper

Analysis Of Hills Like White Elephants And Good...

In â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†, and â€Å"Good People† Ernest Hemingway and David Foster Wallace identify the political and moral problems of abortion and how it effects on loving affairs. Even though the characters in their story share similar behaviors, shown by the dominant males promoting the operation to remove an unborn child, the females who value even though they face some difficulties of child rearing, as well as the two couples’ refusal to discuss conflicts with each other, both authors have different conclusions resulting from the sharp differences in setting, diction, and role of religion; Hemingway indicates love is bare and dull as well as presented by woman’s submissive role to the male’s prerogative while Wallace†¦show more content†¦The entire story is lengthened out between the time it takes Sheri to turn and Lane to look up at her, the perspective of the story seems to be taking place from the the inside of the pro tagonist’s head, who is recalling events that have recently happened so he is able to choose whether or not he is able to have the strength to accept Sheri’s decision. Hemingway s and Wallace’s geographical imagery symbolizes the couple’s reluctance to simply address their decisions on the abortions. In â€Å"Hills Like White Elephant† , Jig compares the mountain to â€Å"white elephants† which literally means a burden that is difficult to communicate and share; the â€Å"white elephants† figuratively represents the problem about the abortion (Hemingway 924). In â€Å"Good People†, Wallace implicitly states that Lane and Sheri’s pregnancy is â€Å"half hidden from their friends and the community†, while also acknowledging the dire situation of their relationship is like â€Å"downed tree† with â€Å"exposed roots† even during the beautiful season of spring â€Å"grass is () green† and the â₠¬Å"air suffused with honeysuckle and lilacs† (Wallace 927). Also, Lanes’ posture shows she has a feeling of anxiety, reluctance and shame as she looks from a â€Å"hole in the ground† to â€Å"the individual† from the other side of the lake but not at Sheri who sits with â€Å"her faceShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"the Lottery† and â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† Essay881 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† Regardless of the type of society people live in controversial topics and cowardly individuals can create conflict. The stories â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† by Ernest Hemingway implement this concept. â€Å"The Lottery† is about a small town that holds an annual lottery in which the winner will be killed. â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† is the story of a couple’s discussion over the decision they must make of whether orRead MoreEvaluation Argument Hills Like White Elephants1388 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Ernest Hemingway: Hills Like White Elephants A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession, but also it means a rare and sacred creature. In Ernest Hemingway’s short story Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses an unborn child as a white elephant. This short story depicts a couple of an American man and young women at a train station somewhere in Spain. Hemingway tells the story from watching the couple from across the bar and listening to their troublesome conversationRead MoreCompare/Contrast: A Good Man Is Hard to Find with Hills Like White Elephants917 Words   |  4 PagesCompare/Contrast: Good Man with Hills Currently, a plethora of outstanding stories have been written. What makes a story, though? The answer is the elements that the author includes into his or her writing, such as symbolism and imagery. Hills like White Elephants, written by Ernest Hemingway, and A Good Man is Hard to Find, written by Flannery OConnor, are just two examples of admirable work. Each writer incorporated plenty of elements to improve the story. Since the amountRead MoreBad Hooks Catch No Fish862 Words   |  4 PagesBad Hooks Catch No Fish A good hook is what, best, brings a reader into any form of writing. If not, then all could be lost, unless it is mentally forced upon. This is especially true for a novice, or introductory, reader getting into the finer aspects of literature or composition. Such as, Paul Rankin’s (2005) essay, on Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills like White Elephants,† lacks a motivated lead. The opening transition word could throw a reader in the opposite direction Rankin would have hoped for. The beginningRead MoreCompare and Contrast to Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin and Hills Like White Elephants by Earnest Hemingway641 Words   |  3 PagesTo some people a baby can be the best thing that ever happened to them, but then there are others who have decisions to make. They will go through an important stage in any relationship, the make it or break it stage. The two stories that I will be analyzing will be â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† by Kate Chopin and â€Å"Hills like White Ele phants† by Earnest Hemingway. In both stories the characters found out how babies can be a deciding factor in a relationship, and that’s what I will be focusing on. In â€Å"Desiree’sRead MoreEssay about Modernism: Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway1578 Words   |  7 Pagesthe restricted human spirit. It had no trust in the moral conventions and codes of the past. One of the examples of modernism, that breaks the conventions and traditions of literature prior to Modernism, is Ernest Hemingway’s short story â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†. The short story uses plot, symbolism, setting, dialogue, and a new style of writing to allow human spirit to experiment with meaning and interpretation. Some of the characteristics of Modernism are: a desire to break conventions and establishedRead MoreAn Exploration of British Injustice in Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell1612 Words   |  7 PagesBritish people, to make them aware of the injustice and cruelty of Imperialism in the colonies. The author’s aim is to make the reader feel disturbed and uneasy by describing in detail his negative experiences in India. This rhetorical analysis explores the success of the author in portraying the negative impact that Imperialism had on those being governed under it, but also on the impact on those in power. The way Orwell used the words for describing the scene of shooting the elephant, his aimRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story The Story Of An Hour Essay1554 Words   |  7 PagesENC1102 T/R 5:40PM TO 9:00PM WOLFSON CAMP ANALYSIS OF FEMALE CHARACTERS IN â€Å"THE STORY OF AN HOUR† â€Å"HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS† AND â€Å"THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS† JUAN FELIX CASTILLO BATISTA PROFESOR JOSEPH FALLAD This essay is an attempt to describe the females’ characters between three of the most powerful short stories I ever read. My goal is to describe and compare three different women, in theirRead MoreHills Like White Elephants1266 Words   |  6 Pageshotly debated topic among many people (families, religions, and governments). Exploration of such a challenging topic does not require us to look too far before we run into controversy. It is readily available in print, music, art, media, and on the worldwide web, in addition to other channels. In this analysis, I shall attempt to examine some aspects of the core issue of abortion through a short story, and observe the climax, tension, and heart felt emotions people endure because of their differentlyRead MoreThe Many Styles Of Ernest Hemingway1768 Words   |  8 Pagesreader everything they need to know about the topic. The iceberg effect is a style of writing that Hemingway made famous. The iceberg effect focuses on the surface story and details, and does not go in very in depth. Lots of implying and careful analysis is crucial when reading a Hemingway story. Hemingway believed that the deeper meaning of a story should not be evident on the surface. Since he would not discuss the major themes of each story, a careless reader could mistake his writing style

Black Market Organ Harvesting Is it Truly Inevitable

When there is a product, there is a black market for that product. This is true with drugs, seafood, electronics, art, jewelry, music, designer clothing, and more. This is also true for human tissue and bodily fluids. Human tissues are a product in high demand with little supply. People ask if there is a way to stop this. There is not. The black market trade in organs, bones, blood, and plasma is inevitable due to the ambiguity surrounding organ donation and transplant laws, a shortage of organ donors, and the lucrative nature of selling human tissues. Law and economics recognize three types of markets with varying degrees of legality: white, gray, and black. The trade in human flesh has evolved into its own category of commercial†¦show more content†¦This was also applied to organ donation, with fantastic results. However, the inability to know who donated what to whom has severely compromised the system, thus opening it for black market trade (Carney). In addition to the editing of the donation system, a new act, the Organ Harvesting and Transplant Act, also had a massive positive effect on organ donation as it is today. â€Å"The Organ Harvesting and Transplant Act ...permit[ed], for the first time, transplants from deceased donors (McGrath). Before this, all organs were taken from live donors, which is much more difficult than simply taking organs from the dead or brain-dead† (McGrath). Unfortunately, despite these wonderful advances, people who need an organ often have an incredibly difficult time getting one, and only have word of doctors that they will even get on at all. Part of the problem is all of the restrictions placed on donations to make them ethical make it very easy for America’s more criminally minded citizens to make a profit on human tissue (Carney). The system of donating blood, organs, and bones anonymously is not perfect. There is still a desperate need for these commodities, and even though people cannot pay for their donated tissue, they do still pay in the long run. After all, medical services are by no means free, or even cheap. InShow MoreRelatedArticle: Performance Appraisal and Performance Management35812 Words   |  144 Pagesmembers and use it objectively to optimize them as a vital resource (Biswajeet 2009). In the present highly competitive environment, organizations have to ensure peak performance of their employees continuous ly in order to compete and survive at the market place effectively (Prasad 2005). Performance of an individual can be defined as the record of outcomes produced as specified job functions or activities during a specified time period (Bernardin 2007). The term performance refers to a set of outcomeRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesMeyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman:Read MoreMonsanto: Better Living Through Genetic Engineering96204 Words   |  385 PagesT R O D U C T I O N Preparing an effective case analysis: The full story Hearing with the aid of implanted technology: The case of Cochlearâ„ ¢ – an Australian C A S E O N E high-technology leader Delta Faucet: Global entrepreneurship in an emerging market C A S E T W O DaimlerChrysler: Corporate governance dynamics in a global company C A S E T H R E E Gunns and the greens: Governance issues in Tasmania C A S E F O U R Succeeding in the Sydney indie music industry C A S E F I V E Nucor in 2005 C ARead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 Pagesproject and of project managers. What Is a Project? What do the following headlines have in common? Superbowl half-time show scores a touchdown Citywide WiFi system set to go live 1000 acre Wind Farm turns on the juice Apple’s new iPhone hits the market City receives stimulus funds to expand light rail system All of these events represent projects. Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photobank via AP Images The Project Management Institute provides the following definition of a project: A project