The Definition of Cost and the Difference Between Absorption Costing vs. Variable Costing Essay Example

The Definition of Cost and the Difference Between Absorption Costing vs. Variable Costing Essay In this document I am going to explain the definition of cost and the difference between absorption costing vs. variable costing, and also if overproducing is an ethical practice or not. Also I will be showing some calculations and data to explain a get a better idea of this entire situation and how we can resolve some problems in management accountant. Cost is the monetary value of goods and services expended to obtain current or future benefits. The way that a cost will be used defines the way it should be computed. When we talk about cost we need to be specific about what we are talking about. (Atkinson, 2007) Absorption costing means that the manufactured costs are absorbed by the units produced, also it can be known by full costing because is the costing of a finished unit in inventory. It treats all costs of production as production costs regardless if they are fixed or variable; direct materials, direct labor and variable and fixed overhead. (Accounting for management, 2010) Variable costing is a costing system under which those costs of production that vary with output are treated as product costs. This would usually include direct materials, direct labor and variable portion of manufacturing overhead. (Accounting for management, 2010) Variable costing is often useful for management’s decision-making. However, absorption costing is required for external financial reporting and for income tax reporting. (Averkamp, 2010) Not matter the costing method that we use, either in the absorption or variable costing the variable and fixed selling and administrative expenses are treated as period costs and are deducted from revenues as incurred. Now, do I think that overproducing is an ethical practice, well it depends for whom? When the stakeholders do investments they look the income statement. If this is high or goes up they will be ok with the decision but if they need to pay for something like the expenses they might think that the company is hiding some information and they will be disappointed, in other words, they will think that this is not an ethical action because they can be lying. Now I am going to present the calculations required for this project. We will write a custom essay sample on The Definition of Cost and the Difference Between Absorption Costing vs. Variable Costing specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Definition of Cost and the Difference Between Absorption Costing vs. Variable Costing specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Definition of Cost and the Difference Between Absorption Costing vs. Variable Costing specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students

Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students A tiered intervention is one of the most powerful techniques used to both prevent and overcome students behavioral problems. While a Tier 1 intervention presents only basic instructions, the following ones address a certain person and certain problems. Such kind of individualization allows to determine the core of a problem and succeed in solving it.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A Brief Summary of the Article Kern and Wehby (2014) describe a tiered intervention aimed to improve a behavior of one of the students of Highland Middle School, named Isaac. Firstly, teachers try a Tier 1 approach, which is school-wide (Kern Wehby, 2014, p. 45). Since the students behavior does not improve, they supplement Tier 1 with new instructions and proceed to Tier 2. Finally, the last one, a Tier 3 intervention is presented an d proved successful.  According to Kern and Wehby (2014), Isaac has both academic problems, (refuses to do his homework, appears unprepared for lessons, etc.), and difficulties getting along with his peers, which usually lead to aggression and even fistfights (p. 45). The first phase of intervention was based on Highland High Five Expectations, which were Be Ready, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Safe and Be Kind (Kern Wehby, 2014, p. 46). The students were encouraged to meet those demands, as well as aware of the consequences of not meeting them. However, Isaacs behavior remained the same, so a Tier 2 intervention was developed. As Kelley and Goldstein (2014) claim, a Tier 2 intervention is not a replacement of Tier 1, but a supplement. At this stage, personal information is also investigated. So, firstly, all students every day and after each period had to get points (from 0 to 2) for their adherence to each of Highland High Five Expectations. Secondly, the support team studi ed which of these expectations were the most difficult for Isaac and expanded the list for him. Nevertheless, he still managed to gain only the half of the possible points.  Finally, during a Tier 3 intervention, all of Isaacs problems were examined in details. He had to train his organizational skills, solve math problems and attend the homework club. He also got a specific schedule and was taught how to solve conflicts with his peers without any aggression. Finally, the support team members even managed to encourage Isaac to do all of these by letting him attend the sports team. As a result, Isaacs behavior improved, he showed better results in education and stopped having fights with his peers.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Article Analysis The student Isaac, whose story is described in the article, is fictional. However, his behavior model and the problems he faces ( both academic and social ones) are very common. Kern and Wehby (2014) explain how these problems can be solved even in the most difficult cases. As it is stated in Ephesians 6:4, Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In other words, discipline is everything. Students should always be led by right teachers in order to develop their best qualities.  The approach presented by Kern and Wehby (2014) is supported by more than ten sources, including previous studies made in this area, what makes the information reliable. Article material is presented clearly and understandably and also sustained by several tables. I assume, an idea to show how intervention plans work on a particular example is very well-turned because it helps to understand the concept better. Finally, the information presented in this article is valuable since it can be applied to many other cases. As it was already mentioned before, a tiered int ervention is one of the most efficient methods of solving behavioral problems. References Kelley, E., Goldstein, H. (2014). Building a Tier 2 Intervention: A Glimpse Behind the Data. Journal of Early Intervention, 36(4), 292-312. Kern, L., Wehby, J. H. (2014). Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(4), 45-53.

Spanglish Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Spanglish - Essay Example For example, Spanglish might sound like "Vamos a la store para comprar milk" to mean "Lets go to the store to buy milk." A bit more complicated form is the making up of words, or basically switching between languages within a word, by translating a word or phrase literally. The most amusing form of Spanglish is when an English word is Hispanicized (e.g., â€Å"troca† or â€Å"troque† for truck). In all cases, the resulting language or product does not bear the generally acceptable correctness of grammar rules and word usage. The proliferation of a hybrid street language like the Spanglish in dominantly English-speaking United States poses a serious threat not only to the socio-cultural aspect of the country’s development, but also to its economic and political growth. Why is Spanglish a threat to the overall development of the U.S.? Foremost, the language of politics and commerce is English. In a highly globalized economy of nations, there is only one language used: English. It is in no way, therefore, that a mangled and prostituted English in the form of Spanglish can help facilitate the nation’s coping up and rising above the challenges brought about by globalization. Secondly, it is culturally unwell for any nation, much less the U.S., to uphold and encourage the proliferation of â€Å"languages† like Spanglish as doing so would show the people and the world as a whole a lack of healthy cultural identity. Many groups and academicians tag it as an appalling mutilation of the Spanish and English languages, and is an obvious indication of laziness or inability to learn the language properly. These lead to the conclusion that Spanglish is a language of the incompetent and uneducated people, and as thus, is nothing but a hip or a trend totally useless in the mainstream world. Spanglish, given the limits and its lack of clear-cut rules of word usage and grammatical composition, is definitely not even a

INTERCULTURAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

INTERCULTURAL - Essay Example Rules of Social Interaction The rules of interaction among the deaf include maintaining eye contact in order for effective communication. The deaf usually use attention getting mechanisms such as turning the lights on and off, stamping on the floor, tapping on the shoulder, or waving. It is important to hug when greeting or leaving. Pointing to give direction is polite among the deaf. It is important to touch during communication. It is also not important to say â€Å"excuse me† when passing between people using the sign language (Lane, 2005). Language The deaf usually communicate using the sign language. This is a visual-gesture language. It encompasses movement, placement, and expression of body and language. Sign language represents the language among the deaf community. This is a complete language that is able to express humor, emotion, and abstract thoughts. The language has its own language principles and grammatical structure. Whiteness Culture Whiteness culture treats those of the white color as more superior than the others. Racism lies at the heart of that culture. Segregation and discrimination is common among the people of this culture (Warren, 1999). This is normally towards the people who are not of the white origin. Those who ascribe to the whiteness culture do not freely inter mingle with those of other races. They greatly value their race and language. They have racial pride and see others as underdogs. They are conservative and do not freely interact with people of other races. They believe that they should not attend similar institutions as other races. This has led many people especially in America to be discriminated. However, with the advancement of the human rights all races are seen to be equal. Therefore, they are entitled to similar rights and privileges. This culture is slowly fading in America and all citizens are seen as Americans and not as white, Mexican or black. They attend similar institutions where there is free inter r acial interaction. Language Most of the people who subscribe to this culture use a variety of languages in communication; the main ones include English, Germany, Spanish and French. Chinese Culture While there are differences in terms of economic, social and political dimensions between different people of Chinese origin, there are certain core cultural values that are common to all Chinese people. These values are unique and consistently held together by several years and similar language. There is only a single set of core values in China that distinguish their culture from western cultures and Eastern cultures. The Chinese culture has three major element; communist ideology, western values and traditional culture. The traditional culture is diverse and includes several schools of thought such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and religious cultures (Fan, 2000). Confucianism forms the foundation of the Chinese tradition. In this case rules are outlined of the social behavior of e ach individual, governing all the interactions in the society. There are five virtues outlined here faithfulness, propriety, righteousness, humanity and wisdom. There are several values and rules of interaction in Chinese culture. Some of them include bearing hardship, governing should be done by leaders rather than the law, egalitarianism /equality, people being naturally good, veneration for the old in the

Project planning and control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project planning and control - Essay Example Planning and control is constituted by four main activities that include scheduling, loading, sequencing and monitoring, and control. Whereas scheduling is about the timing of operations, loading involves the quantity of work to be done according to available capacity. Sequencing, in turn, involves the order in which the work is to be done (Johnston, Chambers and Slack, 2007). Consequently, monitoring and control involves ensuring that all the other components are going according to plan. Organizations are frequently involved with processes, movement of materials, finished goods and services that need proper planning and control. It is, therefore, important to any firm that wants to effectively perform and compete in today’s highly sophisticated operational business environment (Kerzner, 2009). To successfully coordinate all functions in line with an organization’s goals and objectives, management is increasingly being faced with the need for proper planning and control . Managers, therefore, need to properly understand the basic components of proper planning and analysis of projects. ... All these day-to-day activities of a project coordinator therefore need proper planning and control techniques, and hence my interest in this area. As a project coordinator, I therefore feel most aligned to the selected topic. Effects / Benefits Having pointed out my work as a project coordinator as the main reason for identifying the topic, it is important also to point out the effects or benefits it has on my personal objectives in line with my career. First is the issue of scheduling as discussed in the overview of the selected topic. My work as a project coordinator usually involves a lot of allocations and timing for various events, processes and individuals involved. A critical and comprehensive overview of the component that forms an important element of my daily operations is therefore of great benefit to my work as a project coordinator because it further equips me with the technical as well as the theoretical knowhow on the subject. The success of any project relies on prop er planning, and no project coordinator can ignore planning (Carmichael, 2006). Planning, in turn, depends on appropriate scheduling and control measures that have been put in place to ensure that it succeeds. Another area of project coordination is that of preventing risks associated with failures or uncertainties that are associated with unrecognized future drawbacks in the course of planning. Proper control measures learnt in this topic such as demand forecasting and push or pull control mechanisms will go a long way in ensuring that my work is based on an enlightened point of view rather than working towards a failure. Moreover, managing the staff for a

Tesco Logistic Operations Analysis

Tesco Logistic Operations Analysis The logistic operations Executive Summary The objective of this report is to critically analyse the logistic operations in the newly opened food outlets of TESCO, UKs largest multiple retailer in Central Europe, Thailand and the more recent Fresh and Easy store in United States of America as against the well established logistic operations in the UK. For the purpose of coming up with a critical analysis, we have first studied the operations of TESCO in United Kingdom starting with the initial supply chain operations and then a gradual evolution of an effective and efficient supply chain. Next we evaluated the operation strategies adopted to maintain and manage the international operations and the challenges faced by Tesco to maintain a consistent global brand image. It was found that in order to maintain a consistent service delivery system across the globe; Tesco has been making necessary changes in the service operations like international warehouse management, continuous replenishment policy, and international logistics. The changes made have been in accordance to the legal and cultural sensitivity of the overseas country. The maintenance of international logistics has been critical for Tesco and with the geographical expansion it is imperative for Tesco to adapt to intermodal intercontinental mode of transportation. It is suggested that Tesco develop expertise in sea freight transport by developing dock outs near to sea shore in overseas countries and then transporting goods from docks to the respective central warehouse units. This will help in achieving economical and efficient freight cost considering the scenario that Tesco sources both locally and globally. Highly advanced Information Technology and IT systems have given Tesco a competitive advantage over the competitors on an international platform and has helped Tesco in maximizing the overall supply chain profitability. With the expansion happening across the continents it is important for Tesco to maintain consistent service operations across the globe. This can be done by developing remote station controlling and tracking of movement of goods by latest RFID and satellite sensing technology. Tesco need to develop dual monitoring system both on national and international level. With the usage of upscale Warehouse management system, international fleet management systems and the ERP systems coupled with remote sensing technology, Tesco can monitor and control international operations. 1.0 Introduction TESCO was founded in the year 1924 by John Edward Cohen. The name TESCO comes from the initials of Cohens tea supplier T.E. Stockwell combined with the first 2 letters of Cohen. Cohen is considered to be the biggest retail revolutionary responsible for several small revolutions which has led to the current retail industry. Tesco:OurHistory TESCO is one of the biggest retailers in the world operating around 2491 stores and employing over 350,000 people worldwide with profits exceeding  £3billion. The UK is the companys largest market while it has recently expanded their operations in Central Europe, Thailand and recently in US under the name of Fresh Easy. In United Kingdom, TESCO operates under four banners of Extra, Superstore, Metro, Express, One Stop and Homeplus. TESCO is listed on London Stock Exchange under the symbol TSCO and has a secondary listing on Irish Stock Exchange with the name TESCO PLC. Tesco international operation was in line with the vision of Tesco to become a global retail house. It entered into joint ventures with local partners, like SAMSUNG group in Korea and Charoen Pokphand in Thailand; also it started its US operations under the name of Fresh and Easy. The US operations were intended to be a direct competition to the Walmart. Tesco now operated in Ireland, Czech Republic and Poland as Central Europe operations, Thailand, South Korea, China, and Japan as Asian Operations and recently entered into US. 2.0 TESCO Logistic Strategy Initially under Cohen, TESCO sailed on the principle of Pile it High, Sell it Cheap[ Corina, M (1971)]. The idea was inspired from the USA retail format where bulk procurement was done resulting in low cost and thus better profit realization. However, with the changes in macro environment and increasing competition from other retail stores, there was decrease in profit margins and the company was left with tarnished brand image. Hence under leadership of MacLaurin, who succeeded Cohen, TESCO decided to bring in fundamental, radical and dramatic changes in the business operations and a business re-engineering was done with a focus to build an effective and efficient supply chain aided with the innovative usage of technology.(Tescocorporate.com, History) Currently, Tesco operates both local and global sourcing. There has been continuous evolution in the distribution and operation strategy of Tesco which can be split majorly into four phases. First was the time when there was direct delivery from the suppliers to the stores, this transformed into centralized regional distribution system as the second move in the late 1970s. The third move was a composite distribution strategy in the late 1980s and in the 1990s it was the vertical collaboration in the supply chain as the fourth move. Under its vertical collaboration strategy, the focus has been to streamline the supply chain processes with the usage of technology and sharing of information across the supply chain to build an effective and efficient supply chain. Sharing of information with the suppliers started in 1997 with the establishment of commercially secure data exchange system based on the internet to facilitate the suppliers with the information on the current inventory holdings. This was followed with analysis on the primary distribution (manufacturer to distribution centre) to implement changes that added net value over the entire supply chain. Once the primary distribution was stabilised, there was business motivation to make the logistics and flow of material streamline to generate further cost-benefit competence. This led to negotiation of more competitive distribution rates. This process of continuous change and improvement has led to radical decrease in the lead time to stores and from suppliers. 2.1 Value chain Analysis 2.1.1 Inbound Logistics This is the first step in the value chain, thus posses the first value creating opportunity. Tesco calls this as the primary distribution and the activities include receipt of goods at the warehouse from the suppliers, internal handling and distribution to the stores and finally placing the goods on display at the shelves. Quality control measures are taken at every point to ensure that the customers get true value for money and the unnecessary costs are not transferred to the customers. 2.1.2 Operations Operations form a very important and critical area for the smooth functioning of Tesco. The tasks involve daily inventory management, shelf display and stock management to ensure competitive advantage. 2.1.3 Outbound Logistics This involves delivery to the customer. Tesco offers convenience to the customers by giving them home delivery. Also efforts are made to improve trolley space, parking facilities and other tangibles to maximise feel good for the customers. 2.1.4 Marketing and Sales Through the clubcard initiative, Tesco has successfully engaged loyal customer base and attract more customers by heavy advertising through radio, local newspapers and TV. Tesco has also started their green initiative as a corporate social responsibility and branding itself as a green and responsible company in the eyes of the customer. 2.2 Tesco Logistics: UK Tesco holds a commanding 13% share in UK retail market. The focus has been to grow share in food while increasing the space contribution in hypermarkets. Tesco, at this point of time reached the optimum level of supply chain efficiency and the logistic operations are now benchmarked by the competitors. Currently stock is checked every day on a real time basis and based on the inventory, orders are processed centrally. Production schedule plans are prepared and the same is then transported from deport to the store after approval of depot in charge. Jones and Clarke (2002) 2.3 Continuous Replenishment: UK CR introduced in 1999, replaced the batch data processing with a continuous flow system and then multiple orders are sent to the suppliers thus reducing stock holding and better inventory control. Through this, the risk of high inventory passed to the suppliers. The suppliers got the orders as per the requirements more than once a day through the central batch processing unit. The same were then processed by the suppliers and then assembled as per the batch orders at the Tesco depot. Multiple deliveries are then made to ensure efficient fleet utilization and faster replenishment. Image from book The movement of goods happens through mostly road and railways in the UK. In 1997, Tesco started using canal mode of transportation to ship goods between Manchester distribution facility and Liverpool. The movement happens between a central warehouse and the local depots based on the batch orders generated through the central processing unit on a daily basis. The inventory is maintained by sharing the inventory status data with the suppliers on a real time basis. The control of stock levels is ensured so that no one runs out of any goods. By sharing the information, chances of bullwhip effect are minimized and actual forecasting and schedule planning is done. [Gustafsson K, Jà ¶nson G, Smith DandSparks L (2006)] 2.4 Overseas Operations By 2003, Tesco has started functioning successfully in Ireland, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Thailand and South Korea. It is evident from the 2003 annual report of Tesco Plc that overseas operation now accounts for almost half the Tesco retail space and nearly 20% of sales (Tesco Plc Annual report, 2003). Managing international operations has been a challenge for Tesco. With the experience of managing an efficient supply chain in the UK, Tesco has been able to replicate the operation overseas in a similar manner. However there has been change in procurement strategy. Tesco has adapted to local and global sourcing strategy. Tesco has been able to utilize the local talent and resources and also managed to maintain a consistent global brand image. Local Operation and distribution is done through rail and road between a central distribution facility and the stores. It also uses sea transport to source products from global suppliers, thus maintaining a consistency. The prima ry distribution is kept similar as the UK operations and the use of information technology has enabled Tesco to optimize the supply chain activities and maximize the supply chain value internationally as well. Tesco unlike its UK operations has deviated from the just in time inventory management. To streamline the overseas operation they have identified local manufacturers to develop a cost effective competence over the competitors. The globally sourced products are ordered in bulk as per the fright management system and thus delivery of such products happens as per the stocks levels of the central processing units. Moreover, there have been legal bindings under the food and beverage laws of the various overseas countries and thus Tesco has to effectively manage as per the varying trade and labour laws. Due to global sourcing there has been change in the Continuous Replenishment policy as adopted by Tesco in the UK. The replenishments of globally sourced goods do not happen on a daily basis. The future demand of such goods is anticipated in advance and thus they are procured in bulk and transported through intermodal operations to maximize the overall supply chain profitability. With the onset of international operations, Tesco has realized the need of technology advancement and the high scale information systems to maintain and manage the global operations. The recent use of RFID technology has enabled Tesco to track and find the shipments and the local transportation in real time. Also, the ERP systems have been in place to maximize the supply chain value globally as well. However, to maintain the international standards and global brand image, there has been high cost occurrence on the transportation of goods procured from the international suppliers, thus leading to low margins in some cases. But with efficient supplier management program and real time sharing of information with the suppliers high transportation cost has been offset with the overall increase in supply chain profitability. Strategic Changes made to incorporate international operations Heavy investment is involved to expand geographically and there is need to provide cross cultural training to the employees. International sourcing from standard suppliers is shipped to the new locations through sea transport. RFID technology implemented to track and find the shipments. Utilization of local human and natural resources to achieve better margins. Hub and spoke model implemented to build central warehouses and docks near to sea and then transporting the same to the distant locations. Forecasting and demand estimation done centrally and the inventory details shared with the suppliers on a real time basis to ensure low inventory holding cost. Multiple deliveries from the suppliers ensured fast replenishment and zero stock out situations. 3.0 Transportation Policy Tesco sources both locally and globally. With the geographical expansion of Tesco to Central Europe, Asia and recently in US, it has been a challenge to manage the transportation and distribution of goods at the new locations keeping the quality consistent to that of the global image of Tesco. [Anderson, D. L., Britt. F. E., and Favre. D. J. (1997)] Risks associated with international logistics and transportation (Zhihui Song, Apr 2005) * Easy to lose control of operation and movements * Increase in paper work and documentation binding to the different legal and taxation in overseas countries. * Risk of delays in receiving and arrival of goods internationally. * Difficult to trade and trace as the point of action is remote. * There can be conflict in the customs and culture of the overseas country, * Lack of infrastructure capabilities in the hose country which may hamper the easy movement of goods 3.1 Rail Freight With the extensive rail reach in some of the overseas countries rail freight proves to be an economical on bulk ordering and low value goods. This mode of transport is low on speed and thus need to be used in slow moving goods and in instances where demand forecasting is accurate for a longer period of time. However there is a limitation in this mode because of the slow speed and inflexible service. But rail cannot be solely be relied as a transportation mode as the last mile has to be road. 3.2 Sea Freight With the geographical expansions, sea freight offers a cost effective mode of operation. The service however is slow but there is easy and quick availability of service due to the regular routes and service offered. There is a delay caused in this mode of transportation as it involved additional investment in developing port infrastructure for loading and uploading of goods. 3.3 Road Freight Road freight has to be put in place as a result of the strategic decision to ensure a balance between speed and responsiveness of the inventory management. Road Transport offers a fast and regular service but this can be a relatively expensive mode of transportation. This can be used in combination with roll on and roll off ferry services to cover intercontinental journeys. 3.4 Transportation Model for International and National Operations For the national distribution of goods, Tesco has been following intermodal transportation policy using rail, road and canal as means of transportation. It follows a hub and scope model where in central warehouses are maintained and through them the goods are sent to the local stores. Inventory at both the warehouse and local stores is tracked by a central processing unit. Inventory reports are generated on a real time basis in the local stores and in case of inventory falling under safety limits, warehouse is informed and the stock is dispatched. Freight management system is put in place which makes sure that the least cost incurring transportation is selected. [Bearnon, B.M (1998)] For the international operations, Tesco should look for standardizing their suppliers on an international level. A similar hub and spoke model can be implemented. The warehouses can be suitably located near the sea shore as dock units to ensure that the international supplies can be maintained on a relatively cheaper mode of sea transport. The choice of the dock units need to be made depending on the commercial and labour laws to ensure maximum profitability of the entire supply chain. Central warehouses can be maintained depending upon the location of the final local stores. An extended hub and spoke model can be realized with the goods being transferred from the dock units to the central warehouse and then finally to the end stores. 4.0 Information Technology: Critical Factor Information Technology now finds itself as an indispensable activity for any world class organization operating in any field, technology or sector. IT is now used as a means of competence over the competitors. IT has been used by organizations to restructure and re-engineer the distribution set up to achieve higher service standard, accurate production planning and demand forecasting thereby achieving low supply chain cost and high supply chain profitability. The recent advancements in the Information Technology enable the organizations to have a real time track and management of stock inventory at each level of the supply chain thereby elimination of any chance of information mismanagement and bullwhip effect. IT infrastructure now provides competitive position to a company through reduction of cycle time, implementation and free flow of cross functional information. [Smith, W B (2000)] Companies have now gone into maximum vertical and horizontal integration of supply chain stages by engaging into strategic tie ups with the suppliers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers. This inter organizational development of supply chain has been enabled by strong IT infrastructure, thus providing three distinct advantages of [Mishra R K (2004)] Cost Reduction Higher Productivity New product/ Market Strategies Typical supply chain as in case of Tesco can be split into 2 subchains. The first can be called as movement supply chain. This involves movement of raw material from suppliers to the company shop floor, cross functional movement of work in progress goods and the final movement of finished goods from warehouse to the retail stores. The other part of the supply chain is forward and backward information flow. The later subchain of information flow is rather more complex than the forward movement of the product from assembly line to the final retailing stage because of the integration of the multiple parties involved in the entire supply chain. Critical issue is of providing the right information at the right time at each stage of the supply chain, failure of which leads to passage of erroneous information across the supply chain which gets cascaded at each level. [King, J. (2000)] Also the use of strong IT infrastructure and advanced software services have helped Tesco in identifying the usage patterns of the end customers and has aided in developing a strong loyal customer base. This has helped in accurate demand forecasting, low inventory levels and an efficient production scheduling. Some of the advanced technological developments happening across different industries can be listed below Electronic Commerce: With the increase in internet savvy customers and continuous focus on providing convenience to the customers, organizations have resorted to conduction of business in a paperless environment. This involves emails, electronic money transfer and buying and selling of goods and services electronically on internet. This also involves quick and paperless cross functional movement of documents. Bar coding and Scanner: This is one of the most common technological advancement in the retail industry and can be seen at the checkout counter of the retail outlets. The bar codes carry full information of the products, details of suppliers and the entire product life cycle details. Data Warehouse: Data Warehouse refer to the consolidated database management of the companys entire production system database. This is used in making analytical and strategic decisions like demand estimation, production planning and forecasting by the top management of the companies. Enterprise Resource Planning tools: The SAP, Oracle ERP system forms backbone of the IT infrastructure of almost all the fortune 500 companies. These systems provide complete end to end highly optimised supply chain process flows that reduce the manual activities and help in achieving automated flow of information across the entire chain. With well equipped IT infrastructure, Tesco has developed a competitive advantage against the competitors. Sharing of information with the suppliers at Tesco started in 1997 with the establishment of commercially secure data exchange system based on the internet to facilitate the suppliers with the information on the current inventory holdings. This aided the suppliers to have a real time tracking of the required inventory at the production facility and the warehouse of Tesco, thus low inventory holding cost for Tesco and better demand estimation for both Tesco and the suppliers. With the use of IT, Tesco has become a market leader in United Kingdom, but with the globalization and geographic expansion, Tesco faces a challenge to monitor and manage the supply chain activities in the overseas location as well. For efficient monitoring and effective control it is imperative for Tesco to develop remote monitoring systems that can be used to track and locate the movement of goods locally and internationally. These remote monitoring applications have to be in consistent with the existing policies and the supply chain activities of Tesco, UK. The real time monitoring can be done by using satellite monitoring and tracking of movement of goods by implementing RFID technology, ERP systems to monitor the procurement, order processing and overseas supplier management, warehouse management and fleet management systems. International Warehouse Management System will help in providing buffer between supply and demand considering the fact that Tesco sources products and goods both internationally and globally. It can develop international stock holding facilities through which the goods can be transported efficiently and economically to the remotely located retail outlets. This will also help Tesco to maintain good dispatch facilities and warehouse operational activities. Developing an international Fleet Management System is needed for long term reliability of vehicles. It will help in maintaining scheduling, vehicle maintenance and tracking. This will help in international movement of goods across borders efficiently and economically, Electronic data systems need to be deployed to capture essential data of customers like customer details, usage patterns, order sizes and order details like product and quantity. This can be done by using a database system to select customers delivery, past shopping details across the different countries where the customer has shopped and thus producing a digital report of the special requirements if any of the customer. 5.0 Conclusion The report thus highlights on the critical evaluation on the changes in the supply chain operations especially international logistics and Information Technology up gradations in order to maintain consistent service delivery. Tesco need to adapt as per the legal and culture of the overseas countries, hence need to maintain global monitoring and controlling mechanisms to track the cross continent movement of goods and thus achieving maximum supply chain profitability. With the adaptation to international logistics and high scale information technology systems, Tesco can replicate the success in the UK on a global platform as well. 6.0 References Clarke, P (2002) Distribution in Tesco. Presentation for Tesco UK Operations Day 2002 [online] available from www.tesco.com/corporateinfo/ (12 Jan 2010) Corina, M (1971) Pile It High, Sell It Cheap, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson Jones, D T and Clarke, P (2002) Creating a customer-driven supply chain, ECR Journal, 2 (2), pp 28-37 Tesco PLC (2009), Preliminary Results 2008/09 Additional Information [online] available from http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/ir/pres_results/analyst_packs/ap2009/prelim09/prelim09.pdf [14 Jan 2010] Fernie J and Sparks L (2004) Logistics and Retail Management: Insights into Current Practice and Trends from Leading Experts, Second Edition, London: Kogan Page Gustafsson K, Jà ¶nson G, Smith DandSparks L (2006) Retailing Logistics Fresh Food Packaging: Managing Change in the Supply Chain, London: Kogan Page Smith, W B (2000) Outsourcing supply chain information technology, Logistics Spectrum Jan-Mar pp. 14-22. Mishra R K (2004) Role of Information Technology in Supply Chain Management, Sambhalpur University [online] available from http://www.indianmba.com/Faculty_Column/FC461/fc461.html [16 Jan 2010] Anderson, D. L., Britt. F. E., and Favre. D. J. (1997), The seven principle of Supply Chain Management, Logistics Management. [online] available from http://www.manufacturing.net/magazine/logistic/archives/1997/scmr/11princ.htm [14 Jan 2010]. Bearnon, B.M (1998), Supply Chain design analysis: Models Methods, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 55 pp. 281-294. King, J. (2000), B2B exchanges Tighten Buyer seller Data Links, Computer world, Vol. 34 (10), pp. 42 March 2000. Zhihui S, (2005) Shijiahunag Railway Institute Risk and Uncertainty Analysis, International Logistics, April 2005, Volume 4, No 4 Rowley J and Williamson J, (2009) Logistics Operations, Coventry University

Barbie - A Complex American Icon Essay examples -- American Culture E

As a young girl, I was not very interested in playing with baby dolls. I preferred playing with my many stuffed animals or the only doll I did like—Barbie. With my animals, usually I was rescuing them from some horrible disaster such as a flood or a forest fire. I was their heroic savior and benevolent protector. But with Barbie this was decidedly not the case. Sometimes my Barbie did normal Barbie things, such as get dressed up for an exciting date with Ken or go shopping with her little sister, Skipper. More often, however, I subjected Barbie to strange, sadistic acts of my imagination. Frequently Barbie, in her pink dune buggy, would have tragic head-on collisions with my brother’s dump truck, or the brakes would suddenly go out on her pink Barbie scooter, sending her careening off a steep mountain cliff. Barbie also had the unfortunate tendency to be sucked from her Barbie plane by her lovely long blonde hair while flying at 30,000 feet. Since in every other way I w as a normal child, psychoanalysts might interpret my play patterns with Barbie as childlike manifestation of women’s frustrations at the disparate images popular culture presents for women. Most women I know also experience this love/hate feeling towards Barbie and the mixed messages she represents, especially when their daughters start begging for Barbies of their own. While mothers do not want to encourage the unrealistic beauty expectations that Barbie represents, they also fondly remember Barbie as their own favorite toy. These many women, and their daughters, have made Barbie the most successful toy for girls since 1959, despite Barbie’s many contradictions. Barbie embodies American popular culture’s attempt to respond to women’s changing roles in the era since... ... â€Å"Barbie is a Million-Dollar Doll,† The Saturday Evening Post, December 12, 1964, 72. 23 Douglas, 24. 24 â€Å"All’s Swell at Mattel,† Time, October 26, 1962, 90. 25 â€Å"It’s not the Doll it’s the Clothes,† Business Week, December 16, 1961, 48. 26 Cleo Shupp, â€Å"Little Girls are too Sexy too Soon,† Saturday Evening Post, June 29, 1963, 12. 27 Zinsser, 73. 28 â€Å"The Barbie-Doll Set,† Nation, April 27, 1964, 407. 29 Donovan Bess, â€Å"The Menace of the Barbie Dolls,† Ramparts, January 25, 1969, 25. 30 quoted in Bess, 26. 31 Letty Pogrebin, â€Å"Toys: Bad News/Good News,† Ms., December 1975, 60. 32 Douglas, 27. 33 Douglas, 25. 34 â€Å"Zeitgeist Barbie,† Harper’s Magazine, August 1990, 20. 35 Helen Cordes, â€Å"What a Doll!,† Utne Reader, March/April 1992, 46. 36 taken from December 2004 Toys R Us, Wal Mart, Target, and K-Mart advertisements.

The Rise and Fall of Worldcom

Shaghayegh Davari * Wan-Ting Shao * Ananya Chandra * Niteesh Chinta * Shraddha Rane * Swathi Punreddy The Rise and fall of WorldCom This case study WorldCom is a telecommunications company which was led by CEO, Bernard Ebbers, and CFO, Scott Sullivan. In 1999, WorldCom was not meeting Wall Street’s revenue and earnings expectations, and it appeared that the coming year would produce more bad news. The CFO argued for setting realistic targets. However, the CEO insisted that the company needed double digit growth, and pushed for aggressive targets.A great deal of focus was not putting on â€Å"team work† and being a strong â€Å"team player†, which is said to have been a strategy to reduce dissenting opinions, eventually leading the organization not to follow a â€Å"groupthink† attitude. There is limited evidence to suggest appropriate review financial reporting controls were being reviewed independently and there was a lack of stringent monitoring of the i nternal control system and therefore the quality of the controls around the posting of journal entries to the general ledger was identified as a weak control.The Bernie Ebbers and Scott Sullivan where the leader of the company and influence of their leaderships over their followers which were the subordinates refer to their power and is relied on three bases, coercing power, legitimate power, and information power. Leadership powers can be used by themselves or combined so that the leader has maximum influence. The leader will therefore need to think carefully about which power to use which in this case was not used in a way that at last resulted in decrease which was company’s bankruptcy.Firstly, the main relevant theory in use by these managers for leading company was coercive power, they showed their ability to apply punishment to subordinates and it is originating from the manager’s position and controlling co-worker‘s behavior by forcing them to do whatever is not coming right to their believe. However, good leaders use coercive power only when in the last sort since coercive power can performance in the short term. Coercive power relies on threaten and will backfire badly if used as the only base for using influence.In this case, the employees were publicly berated and intimidated for questioning managers’ decisions and further information. Secondly, the legitimate power by the leaders is used to some extent in this case. It was written in co-worker’s minds that the leaders have right to instruct them and that they have an obligations to follow whatever instructions the leader are providing them and there is no need for whatever is not being provided to them.Legitimate power comes from the authority of the company’s position which can request certain behaviors of others. Ebbers indicated as personal charisma power which could be named as †divine power† and made the board of directors think that he know s the way and the answers and could nurture or guide them; therefore, by producing passive board, rubber-stamped most of his recommendations. Finally, the managers in this case also relies on the information power.Information Management is an emerging field that is concerned with information; the infrastructure used to collect, store and deliver it; and the organizational and social contexts in which it exists. But these two managers did not deploy the information power as a competitive tool because there was no efficient and effective deployment of the resources of the company. However, while you can’t control anyone (except perhaps yourself), you can influence nearly everyone. This is the essence of true leadership.By this definition, Ebbers and Sullivan were great leaders in. One of the tactics influenced in this case involves actively applying legitimate and coercive power by even managers or subordinates usually form a group and tried to influence others by using threats of sanctions to force compliance, threaten, and apply punishment if the subordinates does not comply with the requests. Information control is simultaneously an influence for this case which is linked intimately with influence and power.The managers in this case hold lots of information without telling any of their employees and limited subordinates to have access to valuable information and make them stay in dark about work issue. Assertive might be called â€Å"vocal authority† which was another influence. Using the managers’ positions of power and so as to despise and control the employees will cause a lot of problem and damage of respect over the long term.However, the employees from the WorldCom quoted events that they were denounced for asking about any decisions or asking for information. In this case the managers did not use organizational politics in terms of behavior of interest groups to use power to influence decision making. They both focused on the self- serving and organizationally non sanctioned nature of individual behavior in organization. The most important tactic was developing strong allies and forming power coalitions, and associating with these two managers in their business.They consider threat available in organization settings, it seems quite reasonable to expect that people will find it advantageous to manage the impressions that others form of them, even in situation which subordinates feel that the outcome is failing. In this case almost all the executives and staff identified information as a political tool which is depending on the managers and it comes that the purpose of this tactic may be to burry or obscure an important details the political actors of the company which were these two managers believe that could harm them, when the risk of withholding information is too great.

Creating Activities Based on Learning Theories Essay

Behavioral teaching and learning tends to focus on skills that are acquired by an individual but are likely to be applied at a later stage in life. For instance, an individual may learn computational skills only to apply them when he gets a job. Behavioral theories support a number of approaches to teaching. All of them fall under the category of direct or teacher centered instruction. Operant conditioning on the other hand involves the reinforcement of behavior and mainly it is achieved either through reward or through punishment. The occurrence of a behavior determines whether it should be rewarded or it should be punished. To add to that, the kind of treatment administered after a behavior determines whether it will recur or not The following are some of the activities that are mostly observed in the case of behaviorism, to begin with, there are the tutorials; in this case the learner is informed about new ideas mainly through the lecturer. This mostly happen in classroom settings where the teacher gives the instructions on a particular aspect to be learned and the learner is expected to follow and understand what is being passed across. The second activity is games; this is where the learner takes part in games for instance football, races or other indoor activities that are mainly recreational and at the same time entertaining. The teacher on sets the platform to allow the learner explore the skills in various outdoor or indoor activities involving the full attention and participation of the learner. The other activity involves programmed instructions, integrated learning systems or even the graphically organized activities. In this case the learner will be required to use the ability to see in order to interpret the given information before learning is achieved. CONTRIBUTION OF GORDON SHAW IN EDUCATION Dr. Gordon is credited to have found the non profit educational institute called the MIND institute. This was introduced in the year 1998 as a result of a science research that he conducted at the University of California. Dr. Shaw had one vision of teaching all kids irrespective of their backgrounds. Through his institution, a lot of revolution was realized in the mathematics and music curriculum. His research had great impact in the curriculum offered in arts related subjects. Dr. Shaw argued that music is an element of learning that greatly helps to develop the brain and other mental faculties. Dr. Shaw further insisted that all children have a capacity to excel no matter what their present status are at the moment. He always encouraged the teachers to give al student opportunities to lean and achieve their full potential in the long run. He particularly identified students from disadvantaged backgrounds and pushed for them to be given chances of learning just like the other students. CLASSROOM IMPLICATION OF HIS WORK TO PARENTS AND EDUCATORS Dr. Shaw’s work made it possible for teachers to treat all children equally irrespective of their limitations. Teachers also rose to the occasion to protect the challenged students from the rowdy colleagues. Parents who are challenged either financially of socially were therefore able to educate their children with more ease because of Dr. Shaw’s policies. Parents were also warned against denying their children a chance to pursue education. Parents and teachers had easy time to assist their students because they were made to believe that any child can actually excel. Source Tomasi, M. (2006). Psychology of Education. NY: Oxford publishers.

Democracy In America Essays - Community Building, Free Essays

Democracy In America Essays - Community Building, Free Essays "Democracy in America" Alexis De Tocqueville?s Democracy in America delves deep into how the American States and the federal government would grow politically and socially under the umbrella of democracy. He sees the United States as a unique entity because of how and why it started as well as its geographical location. De Tocqueville explains that the foundations of the democratic process in America are completely different from anywhere else on the globe. The land was virginal and the colonies had almost complete sovereignty from England from the very beginning because they were separated by an ocean and financial troubles. The people who came to America were the oppressed and unhappy in England and all were trying to find a place where they could start anew and create a political structure that would facilitate an individual freedom unlike anything that they had previously experienced in Europe. De Tocqueville believed that the nature of democracy in the New World rested within the fact that all of the emigrants were basically from the same social strata, resulting in the first new country where there was no preliminary basis for an aristocracy. "Land is the basis of an aristocracy?and? [in America] when the ground was prepared, its produce was found to be insufficient to enrich a proprietor and a farmer at the same t ime(41)." He saw that even the soil of America was opposed to the structure of an aristocracy. There were also outside influences lending unvoiced support for the creation of this new democracy. Being an ocean apart from its mother country, who at this time did not have the financial reserves to oversee its colonies, let the Americans govern themselves. If they had not had this sovereignty at the beginning America might have become something completely different than it is today, but that was not the case, so these emigrants now had a fertile place to plant their ideas of a country founded upon the many ideas of the Enlightenment. Another large influence was the lack of neighbors. America had no worries of guarding and protecting its borders because there was not anyone there who could pose a threat. They could put all of their energies toward the creation of their democracy. This democratic nation was to have no aristocracy and only one major division between its people: the North and the South. De Tocqueville saw two very different attitudes in these regions. The North and the South had conflicting views as to how they were going to advance themselves in the economic and political arenas. But the introduction of slavery into labor was the major conflict between the two. "Slavery?dishonors labor; it introduces idleness into a society, and with idleness, ignorance and pride, luxury and distress?The influence of slavery, united to the English character, explains the manners and the social condition of the Southern States(42)." With the advent of slavery, the South was creating a class system amongst themselves that would not exist in the other regions of the States. The few Southern founders were granted huge amounts of land with which to work, and instead of diving into the land themselves like the northerners did with their smaller pieces of land. They instead bought slaves and would eventually divide the country in a nasty dispute over their handling of affairs. He realized that the majority of the influences over public policy were the men in the North. They created the first public school system that was to be readily accessible to the majority of the people. The enlightened idea that every man should have access to knowledge was given exercise in this new nation, creating a highly learned society, but one that is not very intellectual. Schools teach specialized skills so that American can enter the work force as soon as possible, but gloss over any areas that have no value in work. Whereas in England, the few who do go on towards a higher education are actually being challenged and forced to expand their minds, higher education in America is available to many, but it is more specialized and very basic. This unlimited quantity, limited quality relationship is seem by de Tocqueville as an inherent part of a democratic society. This is because, "?there is no class?in which the taste for intellectual pleasures is transmitted with hereditary fortune and leisure and [wherein] ?intellect [is] held in honor(53)." Democracy is a facilitator of a blended society. The masses will be very similar in their thinking as well as their actions. America is a social democracy because the citizens are united

Analysis of Unethical issue in Apple's business Case Study

Analysis of Unethical issue in Apple's business - Case Study Example Two major unethical cases were with Pingzhou Electronics and Foxconn that have hired underage persons. Apple terminated its contract with Pingzhou on learning that management was aware of underage persons on the company payroll. Such actions point out that Apple has a long-standing commitment to ensure that all parties in its supply chain work in a healthy environment and that they are adequately compensated for their services. In Apple’s supply responsibility progress report for 2013, the company has stated that it has over 200 suppliers it deals with directly, majority of whom produce software with a few large ones producing hardware (Apple Inc., 2013). The company has been hit with claims of dealing with suppliers hence it came up with an idea of independently auditing its suppliers. To reduce the many cases of litigation and bad publicity, Apple decided not to deal with suppliers who employ minors or those who underpay workers. Apple said that companies employ minors since the minors do not have bargaining power and are likely to take up any amount of salary. On the case of Pingzhou, Apple entered into a contract with them to manufacture a standard circuit board for its devices. The supply chain lasted for a long time despite a number of audits done by Apple based on claims of the company employing underage employees and paying far too little to its workers. In the year 2012, Apple joined Fair L abour Association, a body that audits and makes public unethical behavior among manufacturer. Apple auditors together with FLA ones went to Pingzhou and found out the company has seventy-four minors on its wage bill, working under deplorable conditions. The company did not make attempts to make their working conditions better or call for the minors to be sent away from working is a fair manner; instead, Apple terminated the contract, absolving itself from any wrong doing. On its hand, Pingzhou had to single-handedly pay terminal dues for the minors. Most of

Simple Network Management Protocol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Simple Network Management Protocol - Essay Example For instance, network operating on SNMP will be associated with three components i.e. managed devices, agents and network management system (NMS). A managed device can be any node configured with SNMP within the network. The primary task of these managed devices is to perform information management in order to publish the information on the NMS (Protocols guide: TCP/IP protocols: Application layer protocols: SNMP: Simple network management protocol. 2007). Example of managed devices includes routers, hubs, switches etc. Moreover, an agent is considered as an application that is installed in a managed device. In addition, an agent also translates information that will be compatible with SNMP. Furthermore, NMS publish information related to performance, power and any conflict that may occur between these managed devices on the network. Currently, there are three versions of SNMP, these versions share some commands and features that are described in the below table (Protocols guide: TCP /IP protocols: Application layer protocols: SNMP: Simple network management protocol. 2007): Management information base (MIB) is a component of SNMP that assist network engineers and managers to monitor the network functionality via interfaces. For instance, if an organization is developing a new application that will be administered remotely, the developer will integrate a MIB within the application. The MIB will illustrate information and variables for generating alerts (SNMP overview, n.d). Moreover, RFC1213-MIB is also referred as MIB 2, it is compatible with all SNMP agents that may operate on TCP/IP supported devices. The MIB-2 management group is essential, as SNMP supported devices must support MIB-2, in order to work adequately (A closer look at MIB-II (essential SNMP, n.d)). The MIB file hosts a sketch that is associated with the object hierarchy on the network device along with ID of the object i.e. OID, permissions and syntax for every single variable.