Management Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management Practices - Essay Example The general manager’s position was left under Gary’s son, Gary Jr. Currently; the management of the company is under four directors in charge of Operation Management, Sales and Marketing, IT and Procurement, and Human Resource Management. Although the personnel are qualified, there are a number of problems in their respective departments that needs to be addressed. Handling the customers have become quit a problem because some of them demand more services than can be offered e.g. Quick & Tasty Food Chain. This has made the company to use logistic companies to carry out distribution of the products. A logistic company by the name of FeshDist has become very problematic because it is not consistent in the collection of products. This leads to accumulation of product in the warehouse (Thomas, 2007). Tom has been away for quite some time due to sickness and, this has resulted to failure in his department. The staffs are conflicting over small issues with excuses of Tom†™s absences. They have led to complains in the warehouse where Bryan notices that different products are made in one shift. There is also a problem when a new brand is launched. It leads to confusions and complexity in the production schedules because the general manager gives it the first priority. This has led to narrowing of profit margins causing a great risk to the future of the company as noticed by the marketing director. The technology and the IT in the company are not modern and, these have resulted to wastage of electricity and also slow operations of the production process. Ivan in charge of the technology complains that the ovens are left on leading to wastage of energy. He also complains that, if the ovens are put off, they take a lot of time to heat again. Many of the departments in the company use manual methods of maintaining records and information. Bryan uses spreadsheet to record stocks while the sales and marketing department has to prepare records and then tak e them to other offices instead of using the modern information technology. INTRODUCTION Achiffa Organization is a company that manufactures potato based frozen food products. It was started by a man by the name Gary Achiffa Sr. who was growing potatoes in Idahi Falls. He later stopped growing potatoes after sensing the growth of fast food sector in US and stated processing the potatoes into French fries. Today, the company has grown and, it produces a variety of potato products which are then distributed in many cities. Although there is a significant growth in the organization, there are a number of things in terms of technology and operation management that needs to be changed in order to realize tremendous growth. The major products manufactured by the company are hash browns, wedges, waffles and French fries. If the company adapts the new technology, it will be in a position to make other products e.g. potato flakes, potato granules, potato powder among many more potato product s (Moffatt and Hanley, 2001). The founder of the company stopped farming immediately he realized that the sale of the products could do well. When Gary opened the company, he decided to delegate the management duties to his friend’s son, Tom Granham. The founder of the company retired in the late 1990s leaving the management to his descendants. The company is still under the management of his children. Gary Jr. who is the current managing director

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act - Essay Example This refers to the involvement of the federal government’s computers or prescribed financial bodies in instances where the committed crime is of an interstate nature. To clarify the provisions of the original Act further, trafficking in passwords, rebuffing service attacks and malicious distribution of codes was also criminalized by the CFAA. The Act also underwent several amendments in a bid to eliminate overlaps and fill loopholes between 1989 and 2008. With examples, this paper will question the legitimate effect of the CFAA: Has it been a success or failure in preventing computer fraud and abuse? This question is driven by the vagueness of the law, which has the potential of exposing it to flaws and prosecutorial abuse. By its definition, the Act can be perceived from two angles in terms of the computers it covers (Granville, 2003). The covered computers are referred to as protected computers, and in this sense, theoretically, a protected computer is defined as one meant f or exclusive use by the government of the United States or by a financial institution. It also refers to any other computer which uses the government or financial institution is injuriously affected by conduct that constitutes an offense. This includes computers not within the United States, which affect foreign or interstate communication and commerce of the United States. ... Since Congress did not describe clearly what was meant by that, it raises questions as to whether prosecutors will be of the opinion that a violator of terms of service of a website deserves time in jail or not (Jarrett & Bailie, 2010). Would such an opinion be reasonable or excessively harsh? Further, does the law need to separate the way it treats criminal intentions on the Internet that result in grave harm to the security of social, civic, and financial institutions from what is considered everyday Internet activity? In the light of the current scramble for the Internet, lawmakers need to quantify the effectiveness of the CFAA and decide on how to respond to various stakeholders and interested parties. For instance, some foreign countries are seeking control over the Internet; powerful individuals and corporate organizations want it shaped in ways beneficial to them while undermining national interests; military regimes are spying, attacking and oppressing both private and public institutions; and intelligence and law enforcing agencies are seeking to monitor and mine it (Jarrett & Bailie, 2010). An analysis of these areas will enable lawmakers to determine the success or failure of the CFAA so far, and whether or not reforms are required. In the widespread example of the Aaron law, it is open to argument whether Aaron Swartz committed a federal crime by downloading content from JSTOR, a well-known archive for academic documents, on which he had an account. After JSTOR administrators became aware of the downloads in 2011, they blocked them and did not pursue criminal charges.  

Transformational corporate leaders are born not made Essay

Transformational corporate leaders are born not made - Essay Example or is of the view that transactional leadership is the most common form of leadership where the focus is on the exchange that occurs between leader and his sub-ordinates. Politicians who promise â€Å"more development,† managers that reward their employees with â€Å"promotions† and classroom teachers, which grade students on their completed work, engage in transactional leadership. According to the definition of transactional leadership, â€Å"it refers to the leaders who guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements† (Robbins, pp. 44-51, 2001). However, â€Å"transformational leader are those who inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests and who are capable of having a profound and extraordinary effect on their followers† (Robbins, pp. 25-31, 2001). As the definition implies, transformational leaders have a boarder vision and go one-step further than transactional leaders. These people actually make an effort to engage and develop and connection with their sub-ordinates or followers and then work towards increasing their motivation levels and making them realize their full potential. More importantly, during this process not only the leader transforms his followers but also finds a transformation in him as well. Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most cited examples of tr ansformational leadership. He influenced the Hindus of the South Asia, raised their hopes and demands, made them felt their needs and rights and during this process he ultimately found himself transforming from Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to â€Å"Mahatma Gandhi† (Tichy & Devanna, pp. 85-97, 1990). Other examples include A. G. Lafley of Procter & Gamble, Andrea Jung at Avon, Jim McNerney of Boeing and Orin Smith at Starbucks, Steve Jobs founder of Apple Computer, Mary Kay Ash from Mary Kay Ash cosmetics and others (Daft, pp. 41-49, 2007). A study conducted with five corporate leaders, which have performed like transformational

Human Resource Organizational Development in a Company Research Paper

Human Resource Organizational Development in a Company - Research Paper Example olo Machiavelli once said that â€Å"There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things† (Hitt, 1988, p. 20). This paper therefore is a discussion of the essential elements in implementing organizational change, the role of the human resource during change, and a brief on the factors that brings change. Organizational development (OD) is about a long-term change that involves either the entire system or a sub-system of an organization towards more productivity. It necessitates dealing with culture and learning and of change agents internally and externally. The OD is a â€Å"change management strategy† known to be based on behavioral sciences that looks into the purposes and roles of the people and the organization for a better efficiency and productivity using â€Å"human and social processes† (Wamwangi, 2003, p.2). The OD practice develops â€Å"continuing capacity for learning and deepening understanding through practice† (Polotan-dela Cruz, 2008, p.4) Since 1950s, three change models have been known and applied by OD professionals in accordance to the development goal of the institution. One of the famous is Kurt Lewin’s change management model which concentrates on three developmental stages: unfreeze, change, and freeze. The unfreezing stage happens during organizational diagnosis when data shows discrepancies of organizational behavior or output desired versus what is currently exhibited (Cummings and Worley, 1993, p.53). Change stage is the process of introducing and developing the desired behavior while the freezing stage is the establishment of mechanisms like policies and new organizational structures to sustain the attained changes on behavior and attitudes. The other famous change model is the planning model by Lippitt, Watson, and Westley which approach is on the viewpoint of the external OD agent. This model with seven stages that includes scouting, entry,

Terror is Foreign Western Media's portrayal of Islam Essay

Terror is Foreign Western Media's portrayal of Islam - Essay Example A major complain from the Muslims all over the world is Western media’s falsification, over-generalization, distortion and sensationalization of stories that touch on Islam (Asadulla 195). The main problem is brought about by ignorance or carelessness, prejudice, or because the Western media does not have the ability to separate myth from reality, or probably because they do not understand the social, religious and political dynamics of the Muslim societies (Hafez 19). In his speech in Cairo University in 2009, President Obama spoke favorably of Islam saying that Islam has always been a part of America’s history. He even added that Arab-Americans had fought in American wars, served in the government, stood for civil rights, started businesses, taught at American universities, had excelled in their sports arenas, won Nobel prizes, built their tallest buildings and lit the Olympic torch (FAIR 1). This undeniable facts articulated by the U.S President should be what the We stern media focus on, but unfortunately their portrayal of a whole lot of 1.5 billion Muslims is nothing but sickening. This paper intends to shed light on the gross misrepresentations of Arabs and Muslims in the Western media by exposing these biased stereotypical misrepresentations. It will be found that the Western media propagate an inaccurate and unfair image of the collective Arabs and Muslims due to their lack of ethical principles of truth, fairness, objectivity and balance. In addition, this paper will explain why this phenomenon continues and see just in passing what can be its solutions. To begin with, negative stereotyping is the putting of unpleasant labels and characteristics on a group of people based on unfounded allegations while forgetting to account for their individual differences. This is where the Western media is particularly in error. There is a strong inclination in Western mass media to categorize Islam as a fanatic, and violent religion characterized by th e chopping off limbs, violation of the rights of women, and representing a strong opposition towards cherished Western ideas and values of freedom, human rights and democracy (Poole 17). Poole observes that there is equation of Islam with politics and association of Islamic politics with extremism and this extremism with terrorism. This linkage results in the interpretation of political violence without taking into consideration its social and political context (23). Following the September 11 attacks, Arabs and Muslims were repeatedly misrepresented in the Western media on an unprecedented scale. It is important to note that the attacks were not the genesis of this phenomenon. As Jack Shaheen has prolifically researched and written, it dates back to the first years of the twentieth century and has progressed with growing intensity (174). Shaheen provides vivid examples of television programs dating back to the 1970s that casts Arabs and Muslims generally in bad light. He lists Holl ywood movies and productions such as Dennis the Menace and Charlie’s Angels among others that completely vilify Arabs and Muslims as terrorists. In his seminal work on the image of Arabs and Muslims on Hollywood productions, Shaheen took the task of analyzing approximately 1000 movies with Arab characters which results he published. The conclusions were baffling. Only a dozen displayed positive portrayals, a handful displayed balanced portrayal while the rest presented negative portrayals. In essence, Arab in television stands for hijacking, terrorism, bombings or war. Such

Sports tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sports tourism - Essay Example As a result, this experience takes on a perceptual role that entails catering to pivotal contents of accommodation and often the key motive for traveling to a given tourist destination. My target market is students looking for a summer or winter holiday and vacation that fulfills their sporting needs extensively. Sporting at the edges of beaches should bring about an educational and incidental experience for higher learning students from across the globe. A beach known for health-promoting properties in terms of sand and air quality should catch the attention of sports fans who are especially conscious of their health. In addition, a reasonably distant location should make for an affordable sporting ground for students. A target market of students should allow me to combine the sporting event with a set of fascinating 12-hour trips into the nearby areas to gain an understanding of its tradition, geography, and history. The sports experience would cost a maximum of $300 per student for one weekend that begins on Thursday evening. Out of this total cost, $105 caters for accommodation at a 3-star hotel close to the beach, sports grounds, and tracks. Local guides would get $45 of this package fee and $75 for sporting equipment and trainers. Students, in conjunction with their guardians and even schools in some cases, should be able to afford this experience for their summer or winter holidays. This sporting experience is not international as the beaches, sports fields, and tracks are local. Guides will be able to walk guests to nearby sites such as ports, towns, and other landmarks. Being close to the beach is advantageous to guests interested in beach and water sports such as swimming and beach volleyball. A local sporting experience removes transport costs from the overall cost and allows students to engage in their favorite sports at a

Nature Presented in Multiple Ways Research Paper

Nature Presented in Multiple Ways - Research Paper Example Nature has been said to inspire awe, it has been cited as having all the power and has been seen to be filled with a beauty that can only be referred to as being dangerous. Nature has also been said to have fences which humans being cannot be able to transverse, whether the task is too daunting for the emotions or impossible for the physical body. "For my part I feel that with regard to Nature I live sort of a border life, on the confines of a world into which I make occasional and transient forays only. . ." (Thoreau, 1862) This seems to be the notion that Thoreau tended to exemplify in â€Å"Walking†. Thoreau further said that due to these confines of nature, human beings were more or less insignificant and that their existence amidst the very nature was largely untenable. Nor need we trouble ourselves to speculate how the human race may be at last destroyed. It would be easy to cut their threads any time with a little sharper blast from the north. We go on dating from Cold Fridays and Great Snows; but a little colder Friday, or greater snow would put a period to man's existence on the globe (Thoreau, 1862). The sentiments expressed by Thoreau are largely drawn from the belief by Jonathan Edwards that nature has the forces in which God aims to show his glory to mankind. Therefore, in case we go against what nature desires from us, then it can be ruthless. Here, human beings are being cautioned to appreciate nature and to follow the rules of natural justice. Among the many qualities of nature is its elusiveness. Thoreau and Emerson claim that many people lack the capacity to grasp the massiveness of nature. In many cases, nature, excluding what people perceive physically is considered infinite. There is a thrill therefore in chasing the elusiveness of nature in attempting to understand its dynamics and it a bid to discover what others have not about it. Although both philosophers felt that they were so close to reaching the periphery of nature, they could not quite do that but this only aided in their push for that elusive fact that would tell them apart from the others. The enigma of such an endeavor can only be