Is Total Quality Management Enough For Competitive Advantage Essay

Is Total Quality Management Enough For Competitive Advantage - Essay Example ers are becoming more and more aware, empowered, enlightened, and exposed to more products than anytime on the history of this planet (Tenner, & DeToro, pp. 123-159, 1992). They have substitutes for everything, businesses are being done at global levels and no part of the world is now isolated from the other parts (Ross, & Perry, pp. 78-96, 1999). This situation led the experts to come up with new ways to survive and magnify revenues. The concepts of total Quality Management and competitive advantage are a couple of them. This paper is devoted to the discussion that is total quality management enough for competitive advantage. Before the paper moves any further, it is important at this stage to understand and reflect on the basic concepts of Total Quality management and competitive advantage. Experts view total Quality management as a â€Å"Management or corporate philosophy that asks firms to strive for making the best use of all the available resources and integrating all organisational functions such as Research and development, Planning, Manufacturing, Customer Service, etc so that organisational goals of maximum profit and customer satisfaction could be attained in the best possible way† (Hakes, pp. 12-38, 1991) (Gummer, & McCallion, pp. 45-92, 2007). There are many other elements attached with it. Authorities in Management studies regard total quality management as process through which, companies can successfully move on to the road of continuous enhancement and expansion, enchanted customers, empowered workforce that lead to lowest possible costs and highest possible returns (Ross, & Perry, pp. 78-96, 1999). It is imperative to understand here that there is a huge amount of debate going on the scope and dimensions of Total Quality management and different scholars have different approaches towards it (Gummer, & McCallion, pp. 45-92, 2007). There are a number of ideas regarding total quality management; however, all diverge on the single point of

Global citizenship is an idea whose time has finally come Discuss Essay

Global citizenship is an idea whose time has finally come Discuss - Essay Example It also aims at studying the underlying assumptions and ideology behind the two concepts supported by evidences. The Idea of Global Citizenship In recent times the idea of global citizenship in its various forms is fast gaining momentum all around the globe. It is inspiring youngsters to grow into global citizens; it requires them to be morally responsible, intellectually competent and culturally perceptive to diverse cultures. The trend for global citizenship started with social movements like eradication of poverty, labor rights, environmental protection etc. These organizations claim that they work for the welfare of humanity by ensuring social justice and democratic accountability in the world economy. These organizations claim the global citizenship and hence welfare for the humanity (Giddens, 2010). Global corporations also are working for the propagation of concept of global citizenship by projecting socially responsible public image through their corporate social responsibili ty (CSR) activities. The concept of global citizenship has also seeped into the kind of human capital. The graduates of prestigious universities not only study but also work in global organizations different from their country of origin and have contacts literally all over the world. Such human capital also claims to be global citizens. Global citizenship is not a new phenomenon but it dates back to ancient Greece history. It is reflected in the fact that the word â€Å"Cosmopolitan† is a composite of Greek words for â€Å"order†, â€Å"universe† and â€Å"citizen†. In fact the idea of global citizenship is older than the concept of nationalism. This concept of global citizenship can be attributed to the growing public awareness about the global interdependence. However opponents of this theory which constitutes the intellectuals and political agents discard it as an impractical theory. They claim the concept of global citizenship is not possible in the a bsence of international or global governing bodies and global governments. The proponents of national government find global citizenship especially weak in the realm of politics, political science and legal issues where nationalism plays a vital role (Schattle, 2008). On the wake of global platform for digital communication and the interdependency of world the concept of global citizenship may flourish in other ways in educational institutions, global corporations and social organizations for humanity etc. Globalization and Citizenship Globalization and migration is seen as major threat or challenge to identity, belonging, humanitarian laws and human rights. As the world is becoming more global and open, the need for the protection of citizenship is growing. The major threats to citizenship are political threats, immigration or international migration and mobility, the growing trend of intolerance and religious fundamentalism and the endangered environmental and social security. The re is a trend of restructuring of welfare system to match the changes in demographics. The

Evaluate the Claim That Britishness Is an Ethnic Construction Essay Example for Free

Evaluate the Claim That Britishness Is an Ethnic Construction Essay Introduction The purpose of writing this paper is to analyze and evaluate the argument that ‘Britishness is an ethnic construction’ from the perspective of both its advocators and opponents. The discussion will include evidences that support the claim and also those who go against it in relation to the cultural and ethnic dimensions of britishness in order to provide a better understanding of the events and circumstances that have shaped the past and present of Britain and have led to the development of the identity of britishness. Many sociologists have tried to define britishness in diverse ways. Some have defined it as a ‘mixture’ of races resulting in the emergence of a unique ‘British Race’ with distinguishing characteristics while others have termed it as ‘national character’ that encompasses national customs, traditions, norms and values, molded by historical and environmental factors (On the Meaning n. d. ). Such definitions, however, are not sufficient and deep enough to give a complete explanation of what Britishness really is. Being a matter of perception, britishness has different meaning for different people, but the argument that it is merely a product of ethnic factors is quite debatable. Ethnic groups are often viewed as homogenous, bounded entities with ethnic labels associated with them and referring their connection with a particular material culture. Those who view Britishness as an ethnic identity only argue that it is an unsolidified, diverse and mobile ethnic identity that began 1. X1783213 to establish itself during the nineteenth century with British Monarchy. Concerns regarding religion, ethnicity and national identity have always been at the forefront of political and social debates in modern Britain. Sociologists and political analysts have discussed Britishness among ethnic minorities for many decades, sparked by popular intergroup events such as Rushdie Affair in 1989, Notting Hill in 1958, the Oldham Race riots of 2001 and numerous others. Britishness often tend of get muddled with Englishness, and it is supposed to because there are no clear boundaries that separate Englishness with britishness. An authoritative answer can be a simple ground of differentiation that Englishness is the unique identity of people living in England while Britishness refers to custom values and traditions of Britain citizens (Betts 2007). Whichever definition we present of both the entities, it is clear that there is no clear boundary marking what we can call britishness and Englishness given that the individualistic nature of both the identities are quite similar in terms of ethnicity and social trends. Although the sense of britishness is often considered as a construct of ethnicity, but is can be argued that race and ethnicity are not the only determinants of this national identity as geography, national symbols, political events and historic achievements, diversity, citizenship and immigration trends that have led to cultural diversity in Britain and have influenced the British culture in the realms of language, literature, arts, practices, habits and behaviors, are also equally important tools that have a fair share in shaping up the idea of britishness (Ethnos Research 2005). Although the British Isles and distinctive topographic features like Scottish Highlands and rolling hills, have been subject to influences of conquest and immigration since before the era of Christianity, most anthropologists and sociologists studying and writing about developments of race 2. X1783213 and ethnicity in the region restrain their historical contextualizing to the age following the second World War . The understandable reason for this confinement is that in this period only Britain saw huge numbers of non-white immigrants from different parts of the world. In fact, many diverse non-white populaces had already been residing in Britain before the arrival of Indian traders, (Banks 1996, p. 86). London Docklands was where migrants would arrived not only to sette in the Uk but other parts of the world. Between 1885 and 1905, a number of Eastern Europeans and Russians moved through these and other ports in the UK on their way to North America and South Africa. Between 1876 and 1990 about 2 million adult males left the UK for North America alone. (Green, MacKinnon and Minns, 2003). According to a research conducted by Ethnos Research and Consultancy organization to find out how people living in Britain and belonging to varied ethnicities perceive britishness, it was revealed that the ways in which ethnic groups in Britain, equally sharing britishness, personally relate to their national identity were quite varied (Ethnos Research 2005). The subjects for this research were UK passport holders, knowing that they are British citizens but most of them did not attach any significant value to it. However, white people and those belonging to ethnic minority groups in Wales and Scotland relate to the identity more strongly with the countries rather than with Britain. In England, white participants considered themselves English first and then British, while those belonging to ethnic minorities perceived themselves as British, completely failing to identify themselves as English as they viewed Englishness as something exclusively associated with white people. In short, people from ethnic minority backgrounds residing in England were the ones who identified strongly with britishness (Ethnos Research 2005). It was also revealed that people mainly 3. X1783213 relate to the ethnicity (geographical origins and their traditional cultures), religious and race or cultural sources of identification and these elements of national identifications are widely perceived as being compatible with britishness. It should also be kept in mind that, despite of identity connections and disconnections between people, the advent of internet and modern communication technology has influenced social connectedness, to a great extent, that drives the factors particularly crucial to forming a unified concept of identity including the geographical, socio-economic and cultural factors as explored the research study ‘Connected lives’ undertaken by Victoria university (Wellman et. al 2005). Most of the white population residing in Britain do not consider themselves as Britishers and prefer to register their identity as Scottish, Irish, English or Welsh. But a huge number of people from the ethnic groups confidently proclaim their Britishness and do not feel they are associated to any other national group (Carvel 2002). These issues regarding national identity were explored for the first time in 2011 by a survey conducted by governments general household, an extensive poll of approximately 9,000 British households, issued recently by the office for national statistics. As generally anticipated, the Scots were the ones least tending to assert their identity as British. More astonishingly, citizens old enough to recall the memories of the last war were less likely to acknowledge their Britishness than the young ones (Carvel 2002). Grown-ups were asked to register how they like to describe themselves, picking one or more options from a national identities list including British, Welsh, English, Irish, Scottish or other. The results revealed that, for Britain as a whole, 31 percent people declare their nationality as British and gave 4. X1783213 no other varying reply, 50 percent of participants labeled themselves only as Scottish, English, Irish or Welsh, while 13% claimed both of these (Carvel 2002). Hence from what ground reality depicts, geographical origin and social and political history has much influence on shaping people’s perspectives of identity rather than only ethnic background. Since the cultural influence as part of the region’s diversity has given rise to a mixed society, incorporating various cultural elements; Asian food, black music, morocco drugs, etc. Furthermore, 1997 landslide labor elections brought a more adaptive government to Westminster, which had a flexible attitude towards the matters of national identity as compared to the Pluralist Liberal establishments of the 19th and early 20th century. The concept of britishness has changed over the course of last two centuries, adapting to the changing demands and circumstances. The new version of Britishness not only embraces diversity but is constituted of this multiplicity, that not only engages religiousness and ethnicity, but also races, common customs, traditions, new ideologies and social concepts, geographic inheritance and arts and literature (Ward 2004, p. 10). As stated by Paul Ward, identification categories which people have allocated themselves have not been strictly defined along ethnic lines (Ward 2004, p.115). During a research carried out to address the questions related to national identities, a white youngster belonging to Southall described himself as related to ‘English black’ culture, conveying the wide scale existence of hybridity which is a very significant concept for understanding sense of Britishness that prevails today. According to various studies aimed at understanding the psychological factors behind the notion of Britishness, it was indicated that just like any other concept portraying social identity, the concept of Britishness is to a great extent fluid and flexible, which can be linked with a range of varied and, in 5. X1783213 most cases, contradictory meanings. Yet, even though it has a flexible nature, the Britishness conception is also grounded in a specific social, economic, political, ideological and cultural reality (Ethnos Research 2005). Strong relationships related to age, class, ethnicity, religion and gender are primarily involved in outlining and maintaining the notion of Britishness. It should also be kept in view while drawing out the connections of ethnicity with Britishness that ethnicity itself is not self-enclosed, rigid and exclusive. According to a practical definition of ethnicity, it entails a belief system in realms of cultural distinctiveness or an identification founded on mutual cultural traits (Ward 2004, p. 115). This indicates that ethnicities are not fixed, neither there are any clear cut boundaries defining communities or races because today hybridity and diversity together has blur the lines separating ethnicity, races and communities. Hence the amalgamation of ethnic groups and social communities has changed the rigidness that could have been allied with formation of a hard-edged concept of Britishness. Now there exists a ‘collective’ or ‘combined’ sense of identification owing to the ethnic and racial diversity that have emerged as a result of a long and consistent history of migrations leading to a society with multi-ethnic nature and diverse social and political ideological frameworks that, along with a number of other features, majorly including historical events, immigration trends, socio-economic and political changes, terrain origin, attitude towards gender and racism etc. have a crucial contribution in constructing the concept of Britishness (Ward 2004, p.116). References Banks Marcus1996, Ethnicity: Anthropological constructions, Routledge, London. Betts Alex 2007, Through my eyes: Englishness vs britishness, Albion Magazine Online, 6. X1783213 Carvel John 2002, Sense of britishness more prevalent among ethnic minorities, survey shows, The Guardian Ethnos Research and Consultancy 2005, Citizenship and belonging: What is britishness? , Commission for Racial Equality, London. Spearhead, On the Meaning of Britishness, n. d. , Spearhead Wellman Barry et.al 2005, ‘Connected lives: The project’, in Purcell P (ed. ), Networked neighbourhoods, Springer, Berlin. Introducing the Social Sciences – Part 2, Exploring Social Lives. The Open University. Simon Bromley, John Clarke, Steve Hinchliffe and Stephanie Taylor. 2010 Self Reflection I did enjoy writing this essay quite a lot as I can be quite controversy and did a lot of sourcing on the subject as I hope it shows. However it just comes down to time for me to get it done on time and make sure that its worthy of sending in. 7.

Honda Motor Company Limited Commerce Essay

Honda Motor Company Limited Commerce Essay Sun Zis Art of War is the most famous work on military operations in ancient China. Being the oldest military treatise in the world, it is one of the greatest cultural legacies of the Chinese nation. Sun Zis Art of War is a classic on military operations and the most influential in the world today. In this well-known book, Sun Wu puts forward many important principles in military operations. He says, Winning a victory and subduing the enemy without fighting is the highest excellence. War is not for slaughter; if you win without fighting, the way you can do so is the greatest military strategy, Sun Wu in his book stresses, To attack where the enemy is unprepared and hit when it is unexpected is another wise observation. Military operations should aim at speedy victory and not prolonged campaigns. Know both the enemy and yourself; you will fight a hundred battles without danger of defeat. All these principles are, unquestionably, significant even in military strategies in the world today. The thirteen military essays in The Art of War form a systematic military work. Each essay discusses one problem, but thirteen essays constitute an organic whole, which can never be taken separately. The Art of War actually discusses how to win, which is not limited to military operations. Its significance has been enlarged to many fields, such as commercial affairs, management, athletic competitions, etc. Everyone who reads it carefully may acquire the key to victory (Wee, 2003). Honda Motor Company Limited established by Soichiro Honda who was a legendary man in the Japanese motor industry. He was a dreamer, he dreamed of a better way of making piston rings, founded a small company, and began production. He dreamed of giving people everywhere an economical form of transportation, and began producing small motorcycles, including one built in 1949 called the D-Type Dream (Honda Motor Comapny Ltd, 2012). Honda Motor Company is by far the worlds biggest motorcycle maker. Hondas first motorcycle was born out of necessity in immediate post World War II Japan, where public transportation was desperately overcrowded and gasoline severely restricted. Soichiro Honda started Honda Motor Company in 1948, at the age of 41. Soon after he hooked up with financial whiz Takeo Fujisawa and together they built an empire. Two owners of the company had different priorities. For Fujisawa, the engine innovation meant increased sales and easier access to financing. For Honda, the higher horsepower engine opened the possibility of more successfully pursuing his motorcycle racing ambitions. Indeed, winning provided the ultimate confirmation of his design abilities. Success came quickly, and by the end of the 1950s Honda had won all of the most prestigious motorcycle racing prizes in the world. In 1958 the Honda 50cc Super Cub was introduced. It featured an automatic clutch, three-speed transmission, automatic starter, and the safe, friendly look of a bicycle. Its inexpensive price was due almost entirely to its high-horsepower, yet lightweight 50cc engine. The success of the Super Cub in Japan prompted Honda to consider expanding its target market to other geographic regions. The company had already experimented with local Southeast Asian markets in 1957 and 1958, however, with little success. The European market, while larger, was heavily dominated by its own name brand manufacturers, and their popular mopeds dominated the low price, low horsepower market. Thus, Fujisawa decided to focus Hondas attention on the U.S. market. In 1962 this breakthrough advertising You meet the nicest people on a Honda shattered the myth that motorcycles were only for tough guys and rebels. It reached out and made Honda and motorcycling in general, appealing to everyone. in 1967 it diversified and also began to produce cars and trucks. In addition, the company started to manufacture portable generators, power tillers, lawn mowers, pumps, and outboard motors. In 1967 and 1968 the company introduced two lightweight passenger cars which performed poorly in both the Japanese and U.S. markets. It was not until 1973 and the introduction of the Honda Civic that the company became a real presence on the international automobile market (Honda Motor Company Limited History, 2012). Three years later, in 1976, as sales of the Honda Civic surpassed the one million mark, the company introduced an upscale, higher priced model named the Accord. Sales of the Accord grew rapidly, not only in Japan, but especially in the United States. In 1982, as a result of the burgeoning U.S. market for Japanese carsIn 1986, Honda introduced the Acura, which immediately garnered large sales throughout Japan and the United States. By the end of the 1980s, Honda had developed into one of the leading car manufacturers in the world. After Soichiro Honda died in 1991, the company initiated a comprehensive reorganization, led by Nobuhiko Kawamoto, the companys president and chief executive officer. in 1992 Honda organized the first ever joint venture to make motorcycles in China. Many industry analysts predicted that the agreement would give Honda an initial foothold in what could become the worlds largest and most motorcycle market lucrative. In order to compete in the tough automobile industry environment, Honda focused much of its attention on research and development. In 1994 and 1996, Hondas experiments with alternative power sources for automobiles and a U.S.-made large-size custom motorcycle led the company to win the worlds largest Solar Car racethe World Solar Challengewith its Honda Dream. In 1997 alone, new production lines of different Honda products were started in India, Vietnam, Turkey, Indonesia, and Brazil. In 1998 Honda once again signed a joint venture agreement in Chinathis time to produce and sell cars. Honda was doing quite well but still had weaknesses to surmount. It had come to be known as one of the most efficient car companies in the world. Its strengths were in its research and development know-how, its high level of technological advances, and its global reachHonda was selling markedly more units abroad than in its own country. Civic and Accord model are the most successful product in Honda company 2. Content Sun Zi Art of War is a short book which contains about only 6200 words written in classical Chinese and has 13 chapters. All the principles and concepts of Sun Zi Art of War can be apply into warfare and modern business strategies today. In this assignment, topics that we selected are chapter 3 Strategic Attack, chapter 4 Disposition of the Army, chapter 5 Forces and chapter 8 Variations and adaptability. Chapter 1: Planning Sun Zi Art of War stated that on every war must have studied and examined thoroughly as it is a matter of life and death. In order to do so, there are five factors in planning which contains moral influence, the weather, terrain, generalship, and doctrine and law. These factors enable Maxis Communication Berhad to compare against their competitors such as DiGi, Celcom, U-mobile as in to understand the changing condition and circumstances and assess the victory in the sales over them. There are 7 important consideration should held in the planning process of Maxis in order to enable them to have competitive advantages their competitors. As in planning, there are 12 guidance of strategic planning that could have been held by Maxis over gaining competitive advantages or gain more profit on their product over other telecommunication provider. Sunzi emphasis on the importance of detailed planning in order for Maxis to gain victory over other in the term of sales and goodwill of the teleco mmunication industry. Chapter 3 Strategic Attack In this chapter, Sun Zi said: capturing a whole division intact is a better strategy; destroying it is a weaker option. capturing a whole battalion intact is a better strategy; destroying it is a weaker option. capturing an entire company intact is a better strategy; destroying it is a weaker option. capturing an entire section intact is a better strategy; destroying it is a weaker option. For business application, an organization has to adapt their culture when they enter into new market or invented a new product. Then, organization has to analyse their consumers need and it will be easier to succeed because the products invented are adapt to the customers culture, environments and needs. Besides, organization can save a lot of costs, they doesnt waste more capital in advertising on promotion. However, they have to make sure that the origin elements are maintained. For example, KFC has just introduced a new Flaming Crunch chicken which suited Malaysian taste. This flaming crunch chicken is coated with crunchy cornflakes and some spicy powder. As we all know most of the Malaysians like spicy food such as nasi lemak or curry. Thus, this new flaming crunch chicken meets the needs of Malaysian who like spicy food. Chapter 4 Disposition of the Army This chapter stated that those who were skilful in warfare ensued that they would not be defeated and then waited for opportunities to defeat the enemy. The ability to prevent defeat depends on oneself, while the opportunity for victory depends on the enemy. When the opportunity arrived, all advantages factors are well prepared like financial and material support, just a button, organization can make extremely profit and easier to penetrate the market. Ball is in your hand, can fun play. For example, Apple Inc has become the market leader, control all factors like pricing, products, promotion, policy and place even if Apple Inc was not the first mover for multimedia downloader. It said one does not make mistakes because he adopts measures, policies and strategies that are certain to lead to victory. He wins because he chooses to engage an enemy that is already in a position of defeat. People who are the most successful are who will predict the future, create the market and to realize the prediction. For example, the diamond multimedia is the first mover for multimedia downloader but the timing is not matured, they never predict their future properly and do not have good policies or strategies to create the market. Few years later, Apple Inc produces the same technology products such as iPod. It is more famous as compared to diamond multimedia. It shows that Apple Inc create the trend which bring the organization growth and maximize the organisation profit. However, follow the trend will only give opportunity to the organization but not profit. Chapter 5 Forces Chapter 5 stated that the fact that the whole army can withstand the attacks of the enemy without suffering any defeats is due to the use of the direct and indirect strategies, forces and approaches. When forces are concentrated to attack the enemy, it must be like solid stones hurled against eggs. This is applying the principle of using strengths to strike weaknesses. For business application, organizations have to be creative and innovative so that they can compete with their competitors. They have to change process happen, change their form, culture, structure or product base when it is needed for them to do so. You must breaks the eggs on beach and create a new life in the sea. For example, Starbucks coffee leads the industry with it continuous menu innovation and a wider choice of drinks than any other brand. Recently, everyone is crazy for Chatime, Ochado or Gong Cha which all of them are Taiwanese pearl milk tea. You can see people queue up even if the queue is very long, stil l people wait for it just for that cup of pearl milk tea. To change, we can see Starbucks coffee introducing the Green Tea with Red Bean Frappuccino and Hojicha with Tea Jelly Frappuccino to follow the trend. Thus, this indirect forces used by Starbucks coffee are tactics to surprise their competitors and consumers. Moreover, this can help to solve their problem and pull back their customers. In this chapter, it also stated that entice the enemy by giving away something that he would certainly want to have. Lure the enemy to move with benefits that he desires and then use concealed troops to await and ambush them. For business application, when the enemy is greedy for small advantages, offer baits to lure him. As we all know greedy is one of the human natural instincts. For example, AEON members day has a lots of things are discount up to 70%. Thus, consumer will be greedy for the small advantages, just to get the discount they have actually spent on things that they dont really need. Therefore, the consequence is they have spent more for that particular month or over budget. Chapter 8 Variations and adaptability This chapter is about the importance of being adapting to changing, importance of careful deliberations and preparedness. The world is constantly changing, we need to adapt to this change quickly. The quicker you let go the past, the sooner you can enjoy you happiness. This means that the faster you adapt to change and follow the trend, the faster you can enjoy earning your profit. There are few examples that we can see in our daily life. First, there is a new concept of Kopitiam has been experienced rapid growth over the past few years. These new concept of Kopitiam included Old Town White Coffee, Pak Hailam Kopitiam, Georgetown White Coffee and many more. Just for a short period of time, Old Town White Coffee has over 130 outlets in Malaysia. Soon or later we will hardly find those old style kopitiam. Another example is the sundry shops, as we can see grocery shops have been replaced by all those convenient stores like 7-eleven, 99speedmart; supermarkets and hypermarkets like Aeon, Tesco, Carrefour or Econsave. All these convenient stores or hypermarkets offer wider range of products and cheaper price. For example, we can buy everything we need in Aeon, we can buy clothes, electronic products, vegetables or other daily consumer products at one go. We need not to travel here and there to get what we want. In addition, we can see the advance of the technologies nowadays. Everyone is using Smartphone or smart TV. Samsung has come out their brand new smart phone Galaxy S3, they keep on innovate their products to fulfilled the consumer needs and wants. Furthermore, it leads Samsung to be the leader of the markets. At the same time, this new technologies bring an opportunity to the telecommunication companies to come out with data plan to boost their profits up. To be winner of the market, these telecommunication companies have to review their plans frequently to stay competitive in the market. Lastly, proactiveness is the key to strategic advantage. Nowadays, people like convenience and easy job. Therefore, the new concept of wall paper has been invented by Korea and Taiwan to replace paint. We can customize our own wall paper; you can have your own favourite colour, taste or picture. With this invention, we can save our time, cost and energy; no more pain. Chapter 10: Terrain In this chapter, Sun Zis explain the grounds during the war. Type of grounds are communication ground, entrapping ground, indifferent group, constricted ground, key ground and distant ground. Every ground has its own function during the war. In business application, Maxis Sdn Bhd encounters obstacles in competing against their competitors. It is said that the top management is responsible for the lower management performance. Therefore, the top management holds a great responsibility in Maxis, like a general does. Senior director is responsible to organize an effective strategy to gain victory in the business war. The strategy will be exercise by the middle management to order the lower management in implementing the strategy in Maxis business process. Chapter 13: Intelligence and espionage In Chapter 13, we discuss about intelligence and espionage. According to Sun Zi, there are five types of spies and secret agents. They are living agents, local agents, inside agents, double agents and doomed agents. We discuss about the ability of the agent to gather and effectively use information on the enemy on the enemy. Thus, Maxis Berhad may send its employees to do research on competitors by obtaining information through reliable sources. For example, annual reports, stock warrants, news feed and press conference. This may help Maxis Berhad to gain informative and useful information to analyze its strengths and weaknesses of itself in order to gain competitive advantage over the competitors. Q3. DISCUSSION Chapter 3 Strategic Attacks Sun Zi said: In general, when waging war, capturing a whole nation intact is a better strategy; to shatter and ruin it is a weaker option. Honda motor has to come out with different strategy and method in facing different challenges among competitors in order to compete in car and motorcycle industry. In 2001, American Hondas associate learning and organizational development group that undertook a broad assessment of its approach to training, looking at what was offered, why, to whom and how. One focus of this initiative was to deepen the emphasis on quality, which has long permeated Hondas manufacturing operations, within the internal support and service portions of the organization. The challenge laid out for the development group was to improve and extend the delivery of training for employees, reduce their time away from the job for training, take advantage of expanding technology capabilities and infrastructure and, above all, ensure a tangible transfer of skills that would take internal service quality to an entirely new level. Honda motor also tends to improve their service quality by using a learning management system (LMS) to schedule, administer and track training. The system was applied not only to instructor led offerings but also to pure online training, blended learning and other offerings. Using a customized LMS, Honda employees and their managers learned to define and manage individual training plans as well as enrol in, complete and track their progress courses and curricula through a learner specific Web portal. With LMS, Honda motor able to provide a better service to its customers and win a good reputation among its competitors. Chapter 4 Disposition of the Army Sun Zi said: In ancient times, those who were skilful in warfare ensured that they would not be defeated and then waited for opportunities to defeat the enemy. A good organization must always have a good advance mission and management control to enhance their company strength. Management must always have a well prepare for the organization future development and scoring in the good opportunity arrives thus, organization can make profit on it. Example: Honda Motors company developing abilities and human resource department in their organization which is to provide training to the employees to equip them with necessary skills. Hondas approach to personnel education is based on on-the-job training: building specialized skills and professional capabilities through direct experience. Honda has established on-the-job training programs for each job description, setting qualitative and quantitative targets for the knowledge and skills to be acquired. These programs provide with an opportunity for associates to acquire specialized skills and managerial capabilities while helping supervisors assess and foster the aptitude of the associates they manage. To supplement these on-the-job training programs, Honda also offers off-the-job training designed to provide associates an opportunity to enhance their careers by developing new specialized skills or management capabilities. To support associates who wish to take the initiative to le arn new skills, acquire knowledge, and cultivate themselves in order to fully realize their own potential, Honda offers opportunities for language learning, distance education, and inter-industry exchanges. With this training Honda can enhance their strength of company. Besides that, Sun zi also said that: The ability to prevent defeat depends on oneself, while the opportunity for victory depends on the enemy. The organization must always have a better control on their product pricing, police and place. Furthermore organizations leader also need set a good strategy and market research to take the advantage on the competitors weakness and negligence. Example: In car industry, Honda and Toyota is one of the large competitors of both. Honda and Toyota always have the price differentiate on their product. In 2002 Honda was produce a new model of car which is Honda Civic Dx sedan, the suggested retail price is $13,800 but in the same times Toyota Corolla CE sedan also goes for the market about $13,900. If a buyer they will looking for the product quality and these both cars would have almost same specification, besides that consumer also will compare this two car price. Now the Honda Civic is cheaper than Toyota Corolla. Thus, most of the consumer will make a decision on buying the Honda car. In the case Honda Company was make a good pricing control on their product, Honda was able take a good opportunity to making profit. Chapter 5 Forces According to the study of Sunzi Art of War in chapter 5, which discuss about forces that can be implementing by organizations to face its problem and challenges? Sun Zi said: To manage a large force is similar to managing a small force. So, it is a matter of organization and structure. So, the formations, communications and signals among whole Honda organizations around the world are important to face with challenges. Honda operates in the worldwide market with 134 production facilities in 28 countries and at 31 Research and Development facilities in 15 countries, about 167000 Honda employees and associates serve 23 million customers worldwide annually. So, it is not easy to manage such a large organization. In order to have a better management, Hondas global operations are divided into 6 administrative regions responsible for operating which are Japan, China, North American, Latin  American, Europe and the Middle Near East and  Africa, Asian and Oceania, while hiring and engagi ng the people and philanthropic initiatives locally in the communities that Honda operates. Honda is pushing the independence of their local management and sales operations, at the same time with integrating and forward-looking plan for each region. They operate under the conduct guidelines that help member companies and associates in evaluating and managing risks, complying with laws and regulations, keeping a high level of transparency in operational level, thats all to maximize the worldwide customer satisfaction. In the global business, many top managers still centralize their authority; make most of decisions of  the company. In contrast, Honda follows a different way; most of decisions are made by a group of  responsible persons, including Board of Director, outside directors, outside auditors. Honda decentralizes authority to their associates to maximize the flexibility and diversity in decision making process, and well adapt to the changes of global  market. Making group decision of responsible persons in Honda is extremely effective. The theoretical advantage of this strategy is improving innovation and reducing risk, biased thinking. In fact, this strategic leadership style leads Honda to today success. For instance, the organization of Board of Directors or Board of Auditors includes not only inside companys employees but also external appointees. This feature helps Honda to make the distinction  in global performing and competing. Outside company appointees play the role as su pervising the execution of each board. As the result, the performance of each board becomes effective and efficient rather than organization with entirely inside company employees. By this strategy organizing, the company can ensure that working environment will be fair and strong without dubious cooperation. Honda manages its employees through promoting programs, principles and policies in supporting its organizational human resources. So, when peoples needs are satisfied, they are well motivated, resulting in being eager to contribute more to organization. Honda satisfies not only low  needs (physics, safety, belongings) but also high needs of employees  (esteem and self actualization).  Therefore, Honda is  more effective than a  lot of other companies in motivating people, resulting in efficient,  effective performance of employees and firm as well. Chapter 8 Variations and adaptability Base on chapter 8, it is discussing about the variations and adaptability of a company. This concept is very important because variations and adaptability are the most valuable characteristic of a company. A company that focus on variations will continue to move forward, looking to the future, and know how to shift to fixed current situation successfully. With this characteristic, a company will able to improve their product and services, seeking new opportunities and bringing new things into the market that consumer really need. For example, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that happen in the year 2011 has forced Honda to halve car production at its  British factory because of a shortage of parts from its homeland. Honda began to implement a strategy of temporary adjustments that reduce daily production levels at its U.S. and Canadian auto plants on March 30 2011 as a result of interruptions in parts supplies from Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. By taking this action, Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) will be able to continue production by utilising HUMs flexible working policy. Pay is maintained for all associates. Once full production is resumed, the reduced volume production will be quickly recovered using the banked hours. Ken Keir, executive vice president of Honda Motor Europe, said: Weve taken the decision to reduce our production volumes at HUM as it enables us to continue with our manufacturing activities, thus minimising the impact on Honda customers, dealers and associ ates. As parts supply stabilises and full production resumes, Honda will quickly develop a production schedule to meet the needs of Hondas European customers, said todays statement. The other example are as Honda motor decision making is decentralized, this will facilitates rapid response to change in two or more environments. For instance, when some changes occur in American market, the local company freely makes decision in order to immediately adapt to the market. Instead of waiting the decision from Parents Company, it has authority to themselves decides, resulting in saving time, cost and reducing risk. Hence, Hondas associates more efficiently and effectively in exchange information  together. The third example is Honda introduced  Air Blade Scooter with functions like sport and fashion model which are more fuel-efficient engine technology in Vietnam on April 2007 to attract the youth in Vietnam because Honda Vietnam has recognise that younger people in Vietnams prefer nice and expensive scooter and fashion accessory. So, Honda Vietnams has come out with idea in producing Air Blade Scooter to fulfil the local demand and it has successfully sold 950000 units after introduce Air Blake Scooter. 4.) Recommendations Sun Zi said: If you can analyze your weaknesses or disadvantage, you can always use your strength to cover it and win in the business games. Analysis is very important to a company. A company will know their strength and weaknesses and opportunities about the new market. So, Honda motor should have the analysis and planning before they introduce a new product to the market. By do the survey and research, Honda can know the needs of the market and can improve the quality of product to make sure the product is fit with the needs of market. This will make the product more successful. As mentioned by Sun Zi, in strategic management, product must be differentiated from other similar products, or you will be spurned. Honda motor should introduce a new product that differentiated with other competitor such as Toyota and Nissan. Honda tends to come out with several ways in improving their weakness and exploit their strength in the market to gain profit and advantages over its competitor. Honda motor should focus on this new product, so when the products come out, it will be very strong compare with its competitors products. The proposal to produce this new product must be confidential; the other competitors must not know the plan of Honda motor. When Honda motor introduces the new product to the market, competitor will dont know how to defend, and the new product can be very successful. Besides that, Honda can become first mover to control the whole market situation and let the competitor to follow Honda motor. Employees are the most important sources of a company. So, Honda motor must have a good communication with the worker, try to understand their situation and satisfy their needs. Besides, Honda motor can provide some training to the employee, so that they can upgrade their skill and knowledge about the technologies. Thus, they can use their knowledge to develop new product and help Honda to gain more advantages. On the other hand, Honda motor also can provides motivation campaign for the employees; this can give the chances to let the manager to interact with employees and improve co-operative between them. Furthermore, the manager can become the role model to the employees; this can motivate the employees to be more productive. Honda motor can give the rewards to the employees that have the well performance. This can maintain the employees performance and increase their motivation. Beside, Honda also can gives the appreciate to all the workers so that the workers can know that their hard work are being appreciated and they will work more hard. This can help the company to run more smoothly. In addition, as mentioned by Sun Zi, The main purpose of the war is to win in the battle and not to prolong the battle. Same with the business, speed is one of the ways to reduce the organization operating cost. Most of the business is selling their SPEED concept for example INTEL, UPS and DHL. So, Honda should decrease the operating time because longer time taken to complete a product, more expenses is needed. When the time for operation is shorter, then productivity of organization is increase and improves their value in the market. Indirectly it will become more competitive advantage for the organization.

Lateritic Soils in the Tropics: The Problems and Management Possibiliti

Lateritic Soils in the Tropics: The Problems and Management Possibilities The soil name "laterite" comes from a Latin word "later" meaning brick. It is an appropriate name, as soils under this classification are characterized by forming hard, impenetrable and often irreversible pans when dried (Soils and Soil Fertility 1993). Lateritic soils are also characterized by their low soil fertility. Due to the high rate of weathering, and resulting low charge minerals, the soil is unable to retain the nutrients needed for plant growth (Ibid., Coleman 1989). Laterite soils have many names. In the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization they have been named Ferralsols and Acrisols, and in the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Taxonomy, Oxisols and Ultisols. Ferralsols, like Oxisols have high iron and aluminum oxide contents, whereas Acrisols and Ultisols are characterized by extreme stages of weathering (Oades 1989). Below, we take a look at the formation of lateritic soils, the importance of biota for soil fertility and some suggestions for laterite management. Soil Formation Both climate and parent material are important in the pedogenic processes which go into the formation of lateritic soils. Laterite soils are formed in moist, well-drained, tropical conditions (usually in areas with a significant dry season) on a variety of different types of rocks with high iron content. (See Appendix 1.) Initial stages of weathering lead to the formation of kaolinite and iron oxyhydroxides. Micro and macro-level movements of iron through soil minerals also begins to occur (Nahon 1986). Next, mottled clay layers are formed. Iron oxyhydroxides continue to migrate within the soil profile, becoming more crysta... ...69 - 190. - Oades, J. Malcolm, Gavin P. Gillman, and Goro Uehara with Nguyen V. Hue, Meine van Noordwijk, G. Philip Robertson and Koji Wada. " Interactions of Soil Organic Matter and Variable-Charge Clays" IN: " In: David C. Coleman, J. Malcolm Oades and Goro Uehara (eds.), Dynamics of Soil Organic Matter in Tropical Ecosystems: Hawaii, NifTAL Project University of Hwawii Press, 1989. p. 69 - 95. - Soil and Water Quality: An Agenda For Agriculture, Committee on Long-Range Soil and Water Conservation, Board on Agriculture., National Research Council: Washington D.C., National Academy Press, 1993. p. 218. - Soils and Soil Fertility, Frederick R. Troeh and Louis M. Thompson (eds.), New York, Oxford University Press, 1993. p. 311, 321 - 322. - Wambeke, Armand Van. Soils of the Tropics: Properties and Appraisal: New York, McGraw Hill Inc, 1992. p. 139 - 161.

Essay --

Studies on the presence of jealousy in romantic relationships have been increasingly polarized, with some researchers viewing jealousy as a destructive force in the maintenance of relationships while others view it as a positive measure of commitment (Ammon, 2004). Connected with rejection, jealousy is defined as a combination of feelings, thoughts and actions that arise following a real or perceived threat to one’s relationship (Ammon, 2004). â€Å"Sexual† jealousy evocation stimulates angry impulses and approach behaviours that function to maintain one’s relationship by disrupting affiliations between one’s partner and a perceived or real foe (Harmin-Jones, Peterson, & Harris, 2009). Harmon-Jones et al. (2009) designed a controlled and ethically sound method to arouse jealousy in the lab and observe the pattern of neural activity that is elicited when an individual actively experiences jealousy. Participants took part in a computer-generated ball-tossing game in which individuals were required to choose a partner from an assembly of photos and following the first 2 min of the game, half of the participants were ostracized by their chosen partner (the partner failed to toss the ball to them). The study found that when participants were rejected (especially by the opposite-sex partner); jealousy (feelings of anger) was induced. Additionally, it was found that the experience of jealousy (and anger) was linked to greater activation of the left frontal lobe. This study was successful in highlighting the contextual process of jealousy evocation in budding relationships (in this case, through ostracism) and also paved the way for more complex research on the role of jea lousy in the maintenance of a variety of romantic relationships. As su... ...tners might view other, more attractive alternatives more favourably (absence of perceived superiority) which would provide them with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to move on. Additionally, this study can also provide extension into the understanding of partner abuse, which is twice as likely in on-off relationships (Moses, 2013). When difficulties arise in on-off relationships, couples lack the behaviours and social skills to diffuse conflict which then aggregates the issue into various forms of abuse (Moses, 2013). With an understanding of the positive influences of negative relational maintenance behaviours, it would be beneficial to use the knowledge from the hypothesized results to educate couples to erase negative connotations surrounding behaviours such as jealousy and manage them in ways that would strengthen and overcome relationship struggles.

Project Charter for Payroll System Essay

1Project Background 1.1Problem/Opportunity Description The following problems or opportunities listed below are organizational problems that the proponents discovered after analyzing the process of not having a system for employee’s payroll: Manual Payroll can’t handle large numbers of employees; Multiple works and positions of an employee makes the payroll more complicated; Searching of data (Data Mining) when particular data is needed due to an urgent matter can be very hard for both employees and owner of the business firm; Difficulty in managing and recording of information on work schedule, hours worked units of pay, deductions and leave of absences, distribution of exact amount of wages and salaries in manual payroll that causes delay and sometimes insufficiency in amount of compensation given to employees during payday; And lastly, not all Payroll System are generic. 1.2Benefits One of the most important tasks in running a business is completing payroll. The following shows the prospect hospital benefits in having Payroll System and proponents benefits as well: A fair, on-time, and consistent distribution of income or organization; Accurate recording of time and attendance, information on work schedule, hours worked, units of pay, deductions and leave of absences in the system; Manageability in employee’s work units so that exact amount of wages, salaries, and other bonuses will be financially given on payday; Calculate benefits, taxes and dependencies of the employee; Payroll System that can be used by any hospitals; 1.3Goals Goals are the purpose and direction to the project. The proponent’s goals in Payroll System are the following: Create a system that can cater large number of employees’ payroll; A system that may allow the possibility of having employee’s multiple work units; A system that can accurately record time and attendance, information on work schedule, hours worked, units of pay, deductions and leave of absences in the system; A system that can ensure the exact amount of wages, salaries and bonuses that will be given to employees on payday; A system that is generic and can be used to any company or establishment’s payroll; And lastly, to provide a Payroll System that will be as functional as the other Payroll Systems. 1.4Stakeholders and Clients The stakeholders and clients who will be involved and support this project are as follows: Companies who do not have and would like to have a system for the payroll The proponents who will develop the payroll system The project adviser who requires the proponents to have the payroll system as their project The Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) who will give advices and guide the proponents before the development of the project 2Project Scope 2.1Objectives The objectives of the development team on creating the payroll system are the following: To create a system that can manage data of employees and have a solution in creating their salaries without interrupting the process of the other systems; A system that can provide a flexible system that can easily modify a response to any altered circumstances or conditions; A system that can ensure the safety of data from other possible circumstances that may result to corruption and loss of data; A system that have a user-friendly interfaced so that the user who will administer and use the system will not have a hard time; A system that can generate analytical reports at any time; A system that can calculate accurately the benefits, taxes and dependencies of employees; A system that is generic and can be applied or used to any hospitals; A system that attain the same quality and functionality with other payroll system; And lastly, a system that is accessible and well-integrated to other hospital modules. 2.2Deliverables A deliverable is any tangible, measurable outcome of a project. The following tables consists specific end results, products, or outputs of the project for each objectives: Objective 1 – To provide a system that can manage data of employees and have a solution in creating their salaries without interrupting the process of the other systems. Project Deliverable Work Products/Description Manage data of employees Create a system that will ensure the management of employee’s data Ensure that the computation of salaries will be accurate and will not affect or interrupt other related processes in the system Create a database and specialized table that will generate an accurate computation of employee’s salaries Objective 2 – A system that can provide a flexible system that can easily modify a response to any altered circumstances or conditions. Project Deliverable Work Products/Description Provide a system that can modify a response to any possible circumstances, conditions, or situations that may occur in future Consider situations and possibilities to the risks that may be encountered on payroll and create a risk management solution. Objective 3 – A system that can ensure the safety of data from other possible circumstances that may result to corruption and loss of data. Project Deliverable Work Products/Description Ensure data security Provide a secured database. Back-up and archive all the transactions and reports every day. Provide trusted and effective anti-virus software to avoid corruption or immediate loss of files. Objective 4 – A system that have a user-friendly interfaced so that the user who will administer and use the system will not have a hard time Project Deliverable Work Products/Description Create a user-friendly interfaced system Apply the standards and guidelines in choosing template for the system. Use a user-friendly template for system’s interfaced so that anyone who will use it will not have a hard time. Objective 5 – A system that can generate analytical reports at any time Project Deliverable Work Products/Description Generate analytical reports Include analytical reports that can be generated anytime. Objective 6 – A system that can calculate accurately the benefits, taxes and dependencies of employees Project Deliverable Work Products/Description Calculate benefits, taxes and dependencies of employees Ensure the correct amount of benefits, taxes and dependencies Review every deductions that may happen to the salary of employees Objective 7 – A system that is generic and can be applied or used to any hospitals Project Deliverable Work Products/Description Generic Payroll System Know the different payroll processes in different type of company/establishment and apply the rules in developing the system. Objective 8 – A system that attain the same quality and functionality with other payroll system Project Deliverable Work Products/Description Same quality and functional payroll system Conduct a research about payroll system. Schedule and make an interview with hospitals who has a payroll system. Analyze and combine all the information gathered about the payroll system and create a guidelines that will be used system‘s development. Objective 9 – A system that is accessible and well-integrated to other hospital modules Project Deliverable Work Products/Description Follow database standards Follow the standards implemented to avoid problems in integration and to attain the expected output for the system. Create a flexible payroll system that can be integrated to other related systems Ensure that the processes were correct so there will be no problem when integration was applied. 2.3Out of Scope The items listed below may be related but will not be managed as part of the project. This critical important section of project, allows the proponents to defend scope throughout the course of the work, by declining requests to work on items that are clearly defined as out of scope. Items are as follows: Employee trainings Professional Fee 3Project Plan 3.1Approach and Methodology The methods and approaches of the development team to finish the project are classified into three: Data Gathering Process: The proponents will conduct an interview from different hospitals and other companies that can help to the system development Study and research (using Internet) are also essential to gather information about the system Development: The proponents will be using Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) particularly Waterfall method for the development of the system The system will be built from scratch that will include open source software for the front end and proprietary software for the database. Testing: Create a test plan and test cases to follow the expected and actual results of the system. The development team will also interact to other systems integrated on the system. 3.2Project Timeline The table below shows the project timeline of Payroll System: 3.3Success Criteria The project milestones of this project are the things that must be achieved by the developers to meet their goals and these are the following: Payroll System is fully functional Required reports can be generated All the requirement has been followed Payroll system has become more accessible and conforms on the quality assurance standards Payroll System is well integrated to other Hospital modules in Hospital EIS Generic Payroll System 3.4Issues and Policy Implications The proponents do brainstorming and come up to some dependencies that may affect the process of the system. These are: Human Errors – Wrong input on data in the system Unexpected errors that may cause delays in recording of data Unexpected natural disaster that may cause loss of data Unwanted virus that may corrupt the system 3.5Risk Management Plan There are the factors that can affect the outcome of the project including major dependencies on other events or actions. These factors can affect deliverables, success, and completion of the project. The proponents think actions to some factors that may affect the whole process of Payroll System. The likelihood of each risk are indicated in the Probability and Impact on the project and rated as H (high), M (medium), L (low). 3.6Service Transition (Optional) If the project will change or otherwise impact a previously defined ITS service, here are the proponent’s plan for transitioning project deliverables into service operations. Service transition includes activities such as: Have a system support center to fix problems that may occur while using the system If the support center will have any changes in their management, dissemination of information will be immediately sent through e-mail or phone calls. The implementation will occur only after both parties will approve on the changes. The programmer and other staff who is responsible for the system support may be the one to respond for the system’s problem 3.7Option Analysis We can’t say that the success criteria of the proposed system were a success; here are some options that will help if the process of development has been interrupted: If the interview was not enough, the proponents will ask some IT alumni (who already developed Payroll System) to gather more essential information that the proponents missed during the interview; The proponents decided to conduct another interview to other Hospitals; They will ask programmers who are familiar to the system; If the Production cost was not enough to develop the system, they will ask supports from the IT alumni; If the proponents don’t have a machine (laptop) to develop and create the system, they will rent a laptop or else, if they don’t have a choice, a desktop may do. 4Technical Features This section provides a detailed description of technical requirements stated in terms suitable to form the basis for the actual design development and production processes of the project having the qualities specified in the operational characteristics. Hardware Specifications Hardware Specification Processor Min. requirement of 2.6 GHz and recommended requirements is 3.3 GHz or higher Memory Min. requirement of 1 to 2 GB and recommended requirement is 2 GB or higher Hard Drive Min. requirement of 80 to 250 GB and recommended requirement is 500 GB or higher Servers Dedicated to run one or more services Software Specifications Software Specification Use Windows 7 Operating System For the environment oor platform to be used Java Programming Language For the development of the system MsSQL Database For the storage of records 5Project Organization and Staffing The template provided below includes an organization chart, or both, list of the roles, names, and responsibilities of individuals that will be involved in the project. Role Names & Contact information Responsibilities Executive Sponsor Serve as ultimate authority / responsibility for the project Provide strategic direction and guidance Approve changes to scope Identify and secure funding Project Sponsor