Thursday, October 31, 2019
The Analysis of Boeing Corporation Implementing PCMM Essay
The Analysis of Boeing Corporation Implementing PCMM - Essay Example Critical issues can easily be recognized through the implementation of PCMM; it is the foundation of best practices. Organizations use PCMM for cost reduction, waste and employee’s turnover reduction. Boeing Company’s turnover was 7% in 1998, and it came down by 5% in 1999 due to the implementation of PCMM (Curtis, Hefley, & Miller, 2003). Since 1991, Boeing Company was using the SW-CMM framework for the improvement of software processes and more than eleven thousand people were trained with SW-CMM. Boeing company always attempt to increase its activities, and the business goal of Boeing Company is to improve the quality and reduce cost and for this purpose Boeing conducted the first joint evaluation for PCMM in 1996. The company started the usage of PCMM in 1997 as a framework for the improvement of practices related to workforce, after twelve joint assessments PCMM level 2 was achieved by four organizations (Curtis, Hefley, & Miller, 2003). Boeing improved its software processes, retained skill workers, attracted newly trained workers and attained its business goals. The level of extremely satisfied employees got the increase. The industry benchmark for employees’ turnover was 16% in 1998, and Boeing’s turnover was 10 to 12 percent. Boeing increased it employees’ satisfaction up to 15%; Boeing reduced its defects related post-release, variation in schedules reduced by 38% and efforts variations that occur in labor work got reduce by 35% (Curtis, Hefley, & Miller, 2003). After having the analysis of PCMM, it has been clear that this model should be used as an improvement strategy for all organizational activities. According to human resource department PCMM should not be used only for HRM, rather the utilization of this program should be for the improvement of operational management’s capabilities (Curtis, Hefley, & Miller, 2003). Meaningful early meetings should be fixed with sponsors.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Marketing Planning For Wilson Cycles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
Marketing Planning For Wilson Cycles - Essay Example The case study of Wilson Cycles reveals that the owners have a vision and have implemented an appropriate marketing plan for the success of their business venture. But realizing the demand of the customers and shift in the usage of cycles from leisure activities to health purposes, it is important that the owners make some changes in their marketing plans. According to Brushett and Franklin, there are four most important elements for the successful designing and implementation of marketing plans i.e. knowledge (what are the customer needs and demands), research (information about the industry and product so that the compatibility between the two can be determined), focus (clarity about company’s direction) and communication (ability to reach the customers with right channels so that they make repeated purchases). The sons of the owners are aware of the demands of the customers and want to expand their retail activities by making proper use of online mediums of communication. T he growing trend of the cycling industry along with the changes happening in the global world, it is recommended that they go ahead with the third options that they are considering which is revamping the Wilson Cycles’ image to a retail store that has the good range of branded products at affordable price ranges. After the first year of operations as rebranding Wilson Cycles, next year it will develop the strategy of developing a triathlon shop as it will provide services for the road and time-trial bikes along with the swimming.with the swimming an
Sunday, October 27, 2019
FedEx Organisational Resources Management
FedEx Organisational Resources Management FedEx is a transportation corporation started in 1973, who came in to the industry with a very different approach and tried to outperform their competitors. In fact there were quite successful to a large extent in doing that. This paper contains discussion about the various strategies they have used to do so, as well as the end results. It also contains analysis on how they have made changes to their strategies as there were changes in the Information technology or Economic environments. Introduction Strategy defines how all the elements of what a company does fit together. (Porter, 2001) Having a vision for a company is quite different from having a strategy. Vision is the aims or objectives we have for our business that we would like to achieve over a period of time and Strategy is the design or steps that we use to achieve those objectives. FedEx started in 1973 with a vision to gain the market share by targeting a niche market and providing them with a different service. They want to use the 3 factors which they thought are going to be very helpful to make them succeed. Globalisation Advances in IT Application of new technologies for process efficiencies (Ali and Pauline, 2000) With the implementation of IT and the boom to the internet, they made sure they had the proper use of their Value and Supply chain, thus transforming and making a huge success in the Logistics industry. In this paper I am going to discuss as in how they have managed to achieve the success as well as the mistakes they have made after the success. Strategy Having a Strategy is one of the most important parts of being successful in a business, as sometime that is what leads to the success. Strategy defines the goals for the organisation over a long period of time and helps the organisation in achieving them. Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging business environment, to meet that needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations (Johnson and Scholes, 2008) Strategy can be defined as the rules and actions used to steer a business towards making much more money (Richard Koch and Peter Nieuwenhuizen, 2006) 2.1 Need for Strategy There is a definite need for organisations to have a Global Corporate Strategy, as it not only directs them towards achieving the goals they have, but will also help them in achieving them in a planned way. Some of factors or concepts that organisations depend on while designing their Strategy are What are the goals and aims of the business? How can they face the competition? What does the consumers, employee, management and all the stakeholders expect from the organisation? What are the resources available? 2.2 Porters Generic Strategic Framework According to porter, having a strategy is nothing but making sure the expenses and the cost of production are lower than the sale price, thus making a profit on the initial investment. In other words the firm may choose to provide products at the lowest possible price, or seek to provide products which although perhaps more expensive are differentiated on the basis which the customer finds important. He has identified the three strategies as overall cost leadership, Differentiation and focus. (Marios I. Katsioloudes, 2002) The Generic Strategy framework Adapter from (Michael E Porter, 1985) Cost Leadership Differentiation Cost Focus Differentiation Focus Being Different from the Competition as well as being a Cost Leader is what FedEx has achieved from the time it has started. With the vision they have for company they have started the business different to what their competitors were offering to the consumers. Even though they have started the business targeting a Niche market that were willing to pay a premium to get the goods delivered the next day, FedEx were able to transforms from a focussed Strategy to more of a Differentiation and Cost effective Strategy. 2.3 Strategic Vision behind FedEx Corporation, The aim of having a strategy is to gain advantage over the competition and thus getting the market share to make profits. The goal of strategy is to achieve a superior long-term return on investment and Economic value is created when customers are willing to pay a price for a product or service that exceeds the cost of producing it. (Porter, 2001) Under the leadership of Fred Smith, FedEx not only made sure it had a strategic vision, but it also proved that with by using proper techniques it can grow and gain the market share. Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging business environment, to meet that needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations (Johnson and Scholes, 2008) Human resource management is responsible for how people are treated in organizations. It is responsible for the bringing people into the organization, helping them perform their work, compensating them for their labors and solving the problems that arise (Cherrington 1995, p.5). 2.4 STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES FOR HR PLANNING There are a number of more specific reasons for resorting to HR planning exercises at the level of the undertaking, reasons that can make the exercise essential. These are: 1. To establish the best cost balance between plant and manpower utilization. 2. To determine recruitment, level wise and occupation wise 3. Ensure that we do not inherit surplus manpower hired on account of an incompetent CEO. 4. To provide a basis for management development programs www.jnj.com 3 STRATEGIES FOR HUMAN RESOURCE Recruitment: This is the very basic function of the human resource management dept. The first step in the development of a concerns personals activity is to employ the right type of person to operate the organization. Employing people are one of the most critical step in establishing and growth of business. Recruitment is the major step in the total staffing process. Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the concern. FedEx being a global company, a separate HR dept works out for this function. Given below is the process of their recruitment- Inviting the application Screening and selecting the appropriate applications Aptitude test Interviews (both HR and operation) Placement induction and orientation Remuneration: Right remuneration should be given to employees according to their services rendered to the organization. For deciding fair remuneration following points should be considered: 1) Job evaluation and job analysis. 2) Merit rating of employees/ performance appraisal. 3) Incentive schemes 4) Profit sharing Being a job requiring high level of skills and motivation, FedEx keeps a constant eye on performance of employees to fix remuneration. Promotion, Transfer Termination: Promotion and transfers are essential features of human resource management. For increasing the skills and high level of efficiency, it is essential to frame proper promotion policy. Systematic promotional programmers should be arranged which are based upon seniority, qualifications, period of service, experience, etc. Transfer involves shifting of an employee from one job to another job without changing responsibilities and remuneration .In order to adjust existing staff internal transfers are essential. Within various departments of FedEx and within various group companies, transfers take place. www.cipd.co.uk Rewards Incentives Almost 50% of all FedEx spending goes to employee pay and benefits. Employee compensation is structured to acknowledge individual effort, stimulate new ideas, encourage outstanding performance and promote teamwork. All of these factors are reflected in the employees Compensation and Rewards. 4 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT            Human Resource Management is considered as the philosophy, policies, procedures and practices that are connected to the administration of the employees of an organization. It is connected and related to the administration of the employees of a company. It has a great contribution in successful process of attracting, developing, motivating as well as maintaining a high-performing workforce that helps to add to the competitive advantage of the organization (Sims 2002 pp. 2 3).            Furthermore, HR has a great impact with the institution and the implementation of the different policies, programs and procedures that can affect the success and failure of the performance, competences as well as the loyalty of the entire workforce of the organization. Because of the policies and procedures, individuals are being attracted, retained, motivated as well as developed in order to perform the work of the organization. This is due to the fact that through these policies and procedures, the organization will seek to mold as well as shape the actions of the employees in order to operate successfully. Thus, comply with the different public policies, offer high quality of employment that will help to improve and maintain the position of the company in the market by the process of reinforced ability to compete and serve (Clardy 1996, p. 1).            Above all, the process of incorporating the top managements goals to the HRM practices and policies will help to bring out as well as reward the different types of behavior that are important in achieving the strategy of organization. The effectiveness of the HRM practices can help to improve the competitive advantage in creating both the cist leadership and differentiation (Sims 2002, p. 5). 5 Strategic Human Resource Management             The main goal of the strategic human resource or SHRM is the improvement of the way HR are managed in strategic manner in the organization, with the connection to the definitive goal of the improvement organizational performance, that are judged by its influence on the corporate strategy of the company, and the concern of the customers and shareholders (Brewster Mayrhofer 2000, p.6).            HRM can help to determine the HR needs in order to support the strategic objectives as well as to ensure that all of the employees are selected, trained, evaluated as well as rewarded in ways that helps to achieve the objectives of the business. In addition, the strategic HRM is a linear, balanced process that begins with the identification of the goals that will server as guidelines in the HR practices. Above all, the integration of the HR programs with the goals of the entire organization can help to increase the value of the organization (Burke Cooper 2004, p. 92). 6 FedEx Express and Strategic Human Resource             One of the most important strategies of the company that made them different from their competitor is their superior customer service and effective and efficient on-time deliveries. On the other hand, since the same basic and vital technologies are also available and offered in other competitors such as UPS and DHL, the workforce of FedEx is considered as the crucial competitive advantage for the company (Ahmed Ullah 2006).            The overall HR strategy of the company focuses on the process of building a committed, competent as well as customer-oriented workforce.            Training is considered as the most important events at FedEx, in order for the company to meet their goal of 100% customer satisfactory. It has a promotion from within policy. It undertakes as well as arranges extensive training for all of the employees as well as the managers that covers the quality management, leadership concepts as well as the philosophy of the company (Ahmed Ullah 2006).            The retention of talents is also one of the most important strategies of the company. It has a turnover rate of 1%, having to show that they have the most effective way of keeping their employees. The main reason behind the said success is that the company is offering high career opportunities, the result of the policy that employees are being promoted from within. Because of the said policy, the company had been able to recognize the efforts of its people through awards, open communications as well as other incentives. Employee retention is directly connected with the recruitment and employee relations of the company. They influenced each other. In the case of Federal Express, it begins its retention efforts by the process of centralizing its recruitment efforts. By doing the said activity, the company had been able to maintain and retain their employees, and improves their skills, by making sure that each and every employee is receiving proper training in terms of job performance skills (Denton 1992). It helped the productivity of the company, by making sure that all of its employees are experienced and knowledgeable. People-Service-Profits             Like any other companies, Federal Express Corporation believes that people is its greatest asset. The main focus of the company is to promote a good working environment where in all of the stakeholders will feel respected, satisfied as well as appreciated. The main thinking of FedEx is that there people are the primary entity in the value chain, that is why it is important to focus on the employees first.            The People-Service-Profits policy is being implemented by asking as well as answering different basic questions, such as what are the expectations and things that must do. The company tries to spend times in order to answer the questions for their personnel by extensive orientation programs that will show and define the entire values of the company (Denton, 1992).            Above all, the company strictly implements their promotion from within and with connection to the progression policy. It also uses Information Technology or IT in order to implement an extensive job posting system that will enables the employees to be informed regarding the different opportunities. When a specific position is open and available, notices are all posted in the entire vicinity of the company in order to inform the employees (Denton, 1992) 7 Recommendation            It had been showed that FedEx has a strong relationship with the most important entity or stakeholder, the employees or human resource. The company had been able to retain their talents that helped them to maintain productivity, thus maintain competitive advantage of FedEx. There are different aspects that must be maintain and done such as the career development. This is an ongoing, formalized effort of the organization that aims on the development and enrichment of the human resource of the company that will target both the needs of the employees as well as the entire organization (Denton 1992).            Another important thing that must be considered is the internal communications. By doing this, the company will be able to maintain their direct and sound relationship and communication with the employees that will enable them to know what are the employees needs and demands that will help and push motivation. 8 Conclusion Even though there were major dips in the profits I personally feel FedEx having the advantage of the Brand name behind them would be and should be able to gain the advantage back on its consumers and adding on to that the company anticipated having to spend 100 million dollar over the changes they have made and the new method they have implemented (Ali and Pauline, 2000) Even though it was a major mistake not to include their acquisitions in to their brand as and when they were acquired, as well as merging the subsidiaries who were in to the same logistics business was a huge mistake that should never be done and especially considering the fact that FedEx is a huge corporation, it learned it mistake and hopefully will be able to achieve what Smith has mentioned before the rebranding in 2000 (Ali and Pauline, 2000) Organizations are driven by human capital and it is crucial to have a scientific look at this factor of production. Human resource is a key economic resource, and a scare one. It therefore demands the same attention a company gives to planning sales, investment or profits. It is this fact that has led to the development of manpower planning among an increasing number of business organizations. For the company, the returns from manpower planning can be measured in term of higher efficiency and productivity as a result of better utilization of its manpower resources and the elimination of waste in recruitment, training and other personnel schemes. The benefits to the individual employee and the country are not less important.
Friday, October 25, 2019
The Physiological Breakdown of Hamlet Essay -- The Tragedy of Hamlet
The Physiological Breakdown of Hamlet    In Shakespeare's masterpiece Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet is overcome by a physiological breakdown. Hamlet was a sensitive man who was destroyed by a corrupt environment. Hamlet's dead father, the deeds of his uncle and mother, and the frequency of death caused the destruction of Hamlet.             First of all, the loss of any close family member is very traumatic. Hamlet is not immune to such effects. In the first of Hamlet's soliloquies, Hamlet cries "How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fie on't! ah fie!'tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely" (III. ii. 134-137). It is obvious that this is a window to Hamlet's tortured soul. This is only the beginning of the end for Hamlet. In Act I. Scene iv. Hamlet confronts the spirit of his dead father. This is also disturbing to Hamlet. John S. Wilks writes in J. Leeds Barroll's Shakespeare Studies how meeting the ghost of his father "...throws his conscience into doubt and error, must naturally begin with the malign source of that confusion, the Ghost" (119). Hamlet is also incensed when he learns the reason for his father's torture. Old Hamlet was murdered by his brother when he was sleeping. T his leaves Old Hamlet walking in limbo for his afterlife. After learning this, Hamlet decrees "O all you host of heaven! O Earth! What else? And shall I couple hell?" (I. v. 92-93). Also knowing that his father was miserable in the afterlife weighed heavily on Hamlet's mind (Knight 20). Clearly, the death of his father and speaking to the ghost of his father started the corruption of Hamlet.  The deeds of his uncle and his mot... ...rruption of Hamlet can be attributed to the ghost of Hamlet's father, the actions of his mother and uncle and the many deaths that occur in this play. Hamlet is a sensitive man who could not take all trauma of all the events that happened in his life. His corruption was the only way for him to escape the tribulations he faced.  Works Cited Knight, G. Wilson. The Wheel of Fire. London: Oxford University Press, 1930. Mack, Maynard, et al, eds. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Sixth ed. Vol 2. New York: Norton, 1992. Skura, Meredith Anne. "Hamlet and Psychoanalysis" Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Ed. Robert B. Heilman. Englewood Cliffs: MLA, 1984. 84-93. Wliks, John S. "The discourse of Reason: Justice and the Erroneous Conscience in Hamlet. Shakespeare Studies. Vol XVIII. Ed. J. Leeds Barroll. New York: MLA, 1986. 117-144.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Philip K. Dick Essay
During his lifetime, Philip K. Dick was able to achieve some success in the publication of his science fiction short stories and even published 16 novels in the course of just seven years in the early 1960s, but the author was always frustrated with his lack of mainstream success. The problem, of course, was that Dick was a man ahead of his time. Since his death, seven of his works have been made into motion picturesâ€â€a number surpassed only by Stephen King (Sutin 1). But the reasons for the change may have as much to do with a changing society as it did with the man himself. Arguably, Dick may not have been easy to work with. During the initial work on â€Å"Blade Runner†, Dick who was not directly involved in the project gave an interview criticizing the film adaptation. He was later shown a preview of some of the special effects and the working script before his death and is said to have been pleased with it (Sutin 1). Regardless of his later reaction to the script, Dick was a troubled man. He was first diagnosed as a schizophrenic when he was in seventh grade and later mental evaluations both differed and verified the diagnosis. Regardless of the specifics, it is clear that Dick suffered from a severe form of mental illness in addition to a drug problem (Sutin 1). And, in 1974, he had what most people would have classified as an encounter with extraterrestrials. Though he never called it such and openly discussed the possibility that the visions and auditory events may have been hallucinations brought on by his mental illness, the reports of the incident did nothing to make him appear more stable. Since his death, the rights to his work have been handled by a trust comprised of his three children who seek to maintain his work as he envisioned it (â€Å"Philip K. Dick†1). But it is also more likely that the sudden interest in Dick’s work has more to do with the work itself than the loss of the man that created it. Most of his science fiction deals with a dark future, much more bleak than the greed is good 1980s would have found appropriate. Indeed, science fiction films before â€Å"Blade Runner†and especially before â€Å"Star Wars†were more fantastical voyages beyond the stars than the complex moral and ethical dilemmas set forth in Dick’s work. â€Å"Blade Runner†forces the viewer/reader to contemplate issues of humanity and the questions of genetic research and to some extent the definition of life and the soul. â€Å"Minority Report†asks questions about free will and â€Å"Total Recall†makes us evaluate greed when it applies to things we have always taken for granted, like air. ‘Paycheck†leads to the question of whether a person would be willing to sacrifice all his memories for money and if, having said yes, he should be able to change his mind. Like Fitzgerald needed the Jazz Age, Dick needed the modern word. â€Å"Total Recall’ fit perfectly into the end of the decade of greed when people were beginning to rethink their priorities. After the cloning of Dolly the sheep and seemingly endless technological advances, the ethical dilemmas of â€Å"Minority Report†, â€Å"Blade Runner†and â€Å"paycheck†no longer seem like such outlandish ideas. These are true horror stories of real life ethics. And, Dick needed George Lucas to pave the way. Until the 1970s, science fiction was still a small branch of mainstream fiction. There had been Lost in Space and Star Trek, to try to bring the genre to the masses, but it was still a fringe culture until â€Å"Star Wars†made science fiction a real movie genre with real viewers. By taking a classic plot line and superimposing it on a background of outer space with special effects and a love story and an action movie, Lucas changed the face of science fiction. More readers were attracted to the genre and more viewers were attracted to science fiction movies. Then, studios could approach the body of work already completed by â€Å"Dick and not have to deal with any of the original writer’s foibles or personality defects and have a readymade supply for their newest hit genre. So, they did. Works Cited â€Å"Philip K. Dick†, , Accessed December 16, 2007. Sutin, Lawrence. â€Å"Philip K. Dick, 1928-1982†, 2003, Accessed December 16, 2007.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
The American Way: Courage, Pride, and Honor
The American Way: Courage, Pride, and Honor â€Å"These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country: but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. †These words, uttered by the great Thomas Paine on December 23, 1776, embody the true courage and sacrifice of the many American Patriots during the earliest stages of our country. It is words and ideals such as these that shaped and molded our country into the place we know it as today.As both an American citizen and student of US history, I believe that a man’s true character reveals itself in times of adversity. The leaders emerge and men and women of smaller fortitude weed themselves out, sometimes sooner rather than later. The early stages of our country were marked with great struggle and rebellion against the powers that kept us down. There has been struggle throughout the entire histor y of our country, and still is today, but not many quite like our struggle to gain independence and freedom.Our country made its first true attempt to gain independence from King George the III by declaring ourselves an independent nation free from any bondage to Great Britain. This led to the Revolutionary War, in which over 4,000 men gave their lives and another 6,000 were wounded, in the attempt to gain freedom for all Americans. General George S. Patton later explained what drove these men to go to any length for their country when he said, â€Å"The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on.Discipline, pride, self-respect, self-confidence, and the love of glory are attributes which will make a man courageous even when he is afraid. †Thousands of men have died throughout the history of this country so that we may be able to live the life we live today, with nobody ruling us and the freedom to worship as we please, live how we please, and aspire to make the most out of ourselves in every aspect of life. Our country takes pride in the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and hopefully we shall never be so foolish to forget the sacrifices made.We fly our flags at full height to remember these men, we celebrate independence day, and we celebrate veterans day because we need to remember the violence and adversity in order to appreciate the peaceful and prosperous lives we are able to live today. I’ve already spoken about the freedom fighters in the beginning of our time as a nation. However, many others have fought for freedom and equality in order to shape our nation into what it is today. The African-Americans had to fight in the 1960’s for equality.Imagine coming to Lackawanna College and whites and blacks drinking from separate water fountains and eating in different cafeterias. This would truly be a sad representation of the character of the average American man. Even before this the Irish immigrants were hated and discriminated against, but also the Italian and Polish immigrants. So many people have struggled and persevered for the better of our nation. I believe the American experience is one of courage, hardship, perseverance, freedom, and equality for any man who chooses to come here and pursue these ideals.John F. Kennedy described perfectly the importance of these beliefs and standards when he said, â€Å"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear an burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty†¦ We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed. â€
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