Writing an open MEMO Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Writing an open MEMO - Term Paper Example Having been dismissed three times, De La Campa still insists that she was discriminated against and her supervisors said words that were against her gender. Yes she has a case since the words spoken to her by her supervisor and employer are sexually discriminating and she therefore needs justice Answer No in these cases, first De La Campa appeals against her case with her employer and supervisors about her sexual arrestment. Having gone to three courts both dismissing her cases against her supervisors as containing no intentional inflictions of any emotional distress on De La Campa based on her sexual orientation. In this case, De La Campa alleges that Garcia and Teixeira subjected her to a pervasive and severe pattern of sexual harassment. This included and not limited to comments that were derogatory that were homosexually related, unwelcoming abusive conducts and acts that were directed to her due to her sexual orientation, and since she asked for her right to work freely without discrimination, all these were given to her. She claims that Teixeira advised her that Grifols was not very pleased by the way that she was sexually oriented and that this could lead to her termination. She also claims that she was excluded from social functions and corporate sponsored functions due to her sexual orientation.... CREAC [Contention] De La Campa has a case against her employer and her supervisors due to the harassment that she got from her sexual orientation and the exclusion that she got from her sexual orientation. It is also evident from the actions of the employers that threatened the termination of De La Campa that she was going to be terminated due to her sexual orientation. . Aguilera also has a case due to the injury that she got from the machines that were operated by the company. Mrs. McCarson is also entitled to sue the insurance company for failing to pay for her medication yet she had been insured. [Rule] The only element of the Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress tort that is in dispute is the â€Å"outrageous† element. The Florida Supreme Court defines an outrageous conduct as a conduct that is â€Å"so outrageous in character, and so extreme in degree, as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency.† Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. McCarron, 467 So.2d 277, 2 79 (Fla.1985) (adopting standard set forth in the Restatement (Second) of Torts, section 46 cmt. d (1965) for evaluating claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress). What constitutes outrageous conduct is a question for the trial court to determine as a matter of law. Johnson v. Thigpen, 788 So.2d 410, 413 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001). [Explanation] from this it is clear that a person is guilty of sexual discrimination only if he/she does anything that s considered outrageous and that goes beyond any possible bounds of decency. It is very important to consider an act as outrageous since this will be the factor to make the employer guilty or not. Due to the distress that De La Campa experienced, it is evident that she has a case here

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 35

Strategic Management - Essay Example Bargaining power of the buyers or customers is also considered as an important factor affecting the operations of the hotel. The customers of Aber Gardens include the Leisure and Business travelers along with guests and customers in need of organizational space settings to conducts events and conferences. The number of customers is high during peak season and at this time; the customers are identified to have high bargaining power. The availability of substitutes is medium to low in nature, as there are very few alternative to Aber Gardens available for the customers (Cheng, 2013). In case of premium segment, the hotel operates in a number of subsidiaries at different locations. Product differentiation is high, as services offered are differentiated from the services provided by competitors. In this respect, the hotel with differentiated products and brand value is able to retain premium customers. Customers exhibit low switching costs and high requirement of capital for making investment in staff development and infrastructural facilities. Respectively, barriers to entry are low for other hotels operating in the area (DÃ ¤lken, 2014). Threat of substitutes is medium, as competitors that include Kimps Hotel Group and Turnover hotels are engaged with similar services that include room service, leisure accommodation and corporate guestrooms. The switching costs are low and the value of substitutes is low, as there are chances of high informal accommodation during peak season (Amrollahi & Akhgar, 2013; Bardis, 2012). Finally, an important factor that can affect the business environment of Aber Gardens is the ‘Degree of rivalry’. The number of competitors is less as Aber Gardens falls in a premium segment, but the attractiveness is high, as Aber Gardens attracts customers based on discounts and quality services.

Operations Management of Supermarket Retail Shops

Operations Management of Supermarket Retail Shops Operations are a primary activity for a supermarket retail business. As such, a business that wants to be successful needs to have a leading operating model. Staff plays very important role in this model. It is necessary to put a sustained focus upon how to develop best operational staff to ensure the supermarket industry is fit to embrace the significant future developments that are expected and to excel in customer service (Sramek, Mentzer Stank, 2008). As per Martyn (2010), operations must be viewed with the appropriate level of importance, so as to support an ambition to create a world-class operating environment, which consists of people, process, technology and organization. A good operational team staffed by good operational individuals can create a competitive advantage, keeping customers satisfied, having a company that is efficiently, economically and effectively run, and creating a band of loyal and committed employees (Foster Jeffrey, 2008). It is worth being ambitious for the operations function and the associated staff it will make a difference to the business According to Willis (1998), operational management is the systematic management and control of processes that transform resources into finished products and services. The operation includes support for a significant proportion of the workforce and material assets in most organizations. Managers are involved in each step in the operations. They determine what kind of equipment, labor, tools, equipment, materials, energy and information must go into the operating system and how these materials can be the best way to go and use to meet the needs of the market (Banker and Khosla, 1995). Managers are responsible for critical activities such as quality management and monitoring, capacity planning, materials management, purchasing and planning (Goodale and et al. 2010). Without the assistance of staff, these activities cannot be successful. Operations management is also known for production and capacity management and operations management area is a multidiscipline that focuses on operations of the organization (Lashley Taylor, 1998). Schniederjans Cao (2009) states that OM includes many decisions such as the scale of operations, including managements decision regarding the design, planning, and managing a number of factors that affect the operation. (Shin Collier, 2000). Operations Manager needs to apply the ideas and technology to increase productivity and reduce costs, increase flexibility to respond quickly to changing customer needs, shorten delivery times, improve product quality, and improve customer service. These are the important areas to be taken care of for the success of a company or a branch. There has been dramatic increase in the importance of operations management. Significant foreign competition, shorter product and service life-cycles, better-educated and quality-conscious consumers, and the capabilities of new technology have placed increasing pressures on the operations function to improve productivity while providing a broader array of high-quality products and services (Williams Anderson, 2008). With the globalization of markets, firms are recognizing that the operations function can be used to strengthen their position in the market place. Managers in operations management play a strategic and tactical role in satisfying customer needs and making their firms strong international competitors. Organizations should follow the competition. If an employee is away from work or not paying attention then the company will lose customers and its competitors are able to take this opportunity, the company can lose its popularity and profitability. For gaining efficiency quality is the key to success and which is an effective treatment, especially for continuous improvement (Soteriou Chase, 1998). Excellent customer service is essential to the success of any business. Officials must be monitored at all times, if they offer a good customer service or not, so they can better perform and can excel in customer service and their work should be assessed frequently. It takes time to really excel in customer service, but this ability can be learned with proper training. Employees should leave the bad attitude, family problems and personal issues at the door. Generally, customers will not see the owner or management f the company. Instead, they see that the customer service and this is how t hey judge the whole business. Employees are the mirror of the company so the employees should show their best services through their good attitude. Employees should sincerely welcome every customer with a smile, they are valuable. A participatory management and team work are major components of successful operations (Hays Hill, 2006). Motivation, leadership and training are essential too. In addition, materials management and quality, these are two important areas. Materials management is becoming increasingly important in many organizations as the cost of purchasing materials is more than 50% of the total cost products (Shin Collier, 2000). Quality management programs and quality products are essential to compete in todays business environment. The supermarket retail branch staff should have the qualities to win the heart of the customers by their services. For excelling in customer service employees should consider that customers are not easy to deal with but if employees have the patience and the people skills to overcome that, it would be easier for them to excel in it (Sramek, Mentzer Stank, 2008). Perhaps the most essential thing the employees should always remember when on a customer service job is to keep a positive attitude. For instance, if one works at a call center, the first thing the employee should expect from a call from online is a burst of angry customers (Soteriou Chase, 1998). Although sometimes this may not be the case but it is better if one is prepare for it. To develop that pleasant and relaxed attitude, it is best to smile even if one is only on the phone. The action of smiling automatically buffers the outbursts you are going to get from your client. In the case of working in a retail business, smiling will go a long way with the customers. When the customers are greeted with a friendly face, they will start t o give their interest. The next thing the employee must remember is how to respond at a time when they come into contact with customers. For a retail customer service, employee does not follow the customers around when they come into the store (Hays Hill, 2006). This is a common mistake made by the store customer service staff. Employees must make it possible for customers to have the freedom to explore the product without tailing behind him. They should let them walk around and check out the goods. When they are ready to ask questions, they talk to employees. Employee must comply with them if they seem to ask, is the signal for the employees can go up to them and ask how they can help them out (Sramek, Mentzer Stank, 2008). All this will result in having good reputation in the market. The working operations can output more than they would work alone as the organization has developed sophisticated systems and equipment that increase worker productivity (Horvathova, 2010). The company also provides education and training for their workforce to increase their knowledge and improve their skills. As a result of improvements in productivity and improved training, more outputs are produced and the standard of living increase for all. Employees should think of customers as individuals. If they think so, they realize that their business is their customers, not their products or services. Put all the attention for goods in shops, or companies offering their services, leaving the most important component: each individual customer. For good customer service, employees must go the extra mile. They should include a thank you note to the package to a customer, send a greeting card, clip articles, and write a note of congratulations when they get a promotion (Martyn, 2010). There are many ways for employees to stay in touch with customers and make them closer. An effective operations strategy can provide a competitive advantage. Managers must rethink many of the basic principles of good managers of operations who worked in the past (Schniederjans Cao, 2009). Companies should adopt a strategy for improvement that fits the specific needs of the organization at that point. Assigning a team to perform a task may not always be the best idea. Sometimes it is better to allow an individual to work alone. Foster Jeffrey (2008) believe that the main purpose of Operations Management is to plan, organize, direct, and control the process of bringing together people, equipment, materials, and methods to accomplish a broad range of operational tasks outlined below in the most cost-effective manner. The manager of the branch should understand how people think and act accordingly to motivate workers by creating a harmonious workplace. Proper management of the operations function has led to success for many companies. For example, in 1994 Dell Inc. was a second-tier computer maker that managed its operations similar to others in the industry (Schniederjans Cao, 2009). Then Dell implemented a new business model that completely changed the role of its operations function. Dell developed new and innovative ways of managing the operations function that have become one of two- days best practices. These changes enabled Dell to provide rapid product delivery of customized products to customers at a lower cost, and thus become an industry leader. As change is the law of the nature, the operations of the supermarket retail branch should be flexible so that they can adapt the changes in the future. For operations management to be successful, it must add value during the transformation process (Willis, 1998). The greater the value added, the more productive a business is. Activities that do not add value are considered a waste; these include certain jobs, equipment, and processes (Banker Khosla, 1995). In addition to value added, operations must be efficient. Performing well at lowest possible cost results in greater efficiency. An important role of operations is to analyze all activities by eliminating those that do not add value, and restructure processes and jobs to achieve greater efficiency (Goodale et al. 2010). Todays business environment is more competitive than ever, and the role of operations management has become the focal point of efforts to increase competitiveness by improving value added and efficiency. This can be possible by employing new methods, new technology and by training employees. As customers demand ever higher quality in their products and services, companies have been forced to focus on improving quality in order to remain competitive. With TQM everyone in the company is responsible for quality. TQM was practiced by some companies in the 1970s and became pervasive in the 1990s (Foster Jeffrey, 2008). Quality is the area of the operations management which can never be ignored by companies. The importance of this movement is demonstrated by the number of companies joining the ranks of those achieving ISO 9000 certià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cation (Foster Jeffrey, 2008). ISO 9000 is a set of quality standards developed for global manufacturers by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to control trade into the then emerging European Economic Community (EEC) (Foster Jeffrey, 2008). Today many companies require their suppliers to meet these standards as a condition for obtaining contracts. To have effective operations management, the company must employ T QM. Competition based on time is the one of the recent trends in the companies. It has many aspects like development of the new products and services and reaching the market first and meeting customer orders most quickly (Schniederjans Cao, 2009). For example, two companies may produce the same product, but if one is able to deliver it to the customer in two days whereas the other delivers it in five days, the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst company will make the sale and win over the customers. Time-based competition requires specifically designing the operations function for speed (Schniederjans Cao, 2009). Supermarket branch should cater to the needs of the customers more quickly in order to gain competitive advantage. Supply Chain management plays a vital role in appropriate operations management. Willis (1998) states that supply chain management (SCM) involve managing the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow of materials and information from suppliers and buyers of raw materials all the way to the final customer. Its aim is to reduce the overall cost and improving the quality and the delivery of the service. Team approach is essential in supply chain management. It requires the co-operation from all the departments such as marketing, purchasing, operations, and engineering. It will result in more satisfied customers (Banker Khosla, 1995). It has become possible with the development of information technology (IT) tools which assist in collaborative planning and scheduling. The technologies help to combine the supply chain execution and design collaboration, which enables companies to respond better and faster to changing market needs. The companies which have achieved great success through supply chain management are Dell Computer, Wal-Mart, and Baxter Healthcare (Banker Khosla, 1995). Today businesses must think in terms of a global marketplace in order to compete effectively. This includes the way they view their customers, competitors, and suppliers. Key issues are meeting customer needs and getting the right product to markets as diverse as the Far East, Europe, or Africa (Willis, 1998). Operations management is responsible for most of these decisions. Operations Management decides whether to tailor products to different customer needs, where to locate facilities, how to manage suppliers, and how to meet local government standards (Williams Anderson, 2008). Also, global competition has forced companies to reach higher levels of excellence in the products and services they offer. The use of best supply chain management should be used in supermarket retail branch for excellent management of the operations. There should be an effective, consistent and impartial way to benchmark service levels in all the supermarket retail branches, and Mystery Programmes can provide the solution. The employees should have thorough understanding of what the branch offers in order to win and retain the customers. Moreover, the employees must fully understand the position of the branch in the market and what is expected of them (Horvathova, 2010). Mystery shopping programmes support the management and development of service delivery in supermarkets, transforming an intangible asset into exactly what one promises to the customer a vital competitive advantage in todays uncertain market (Hays Hill, 2006) . This programme is very helpful for making improvements among the staff. It will help in identifying areas for revenue improvements, recognizing and rewarding employee and customer service initiatives Mystery shopping programmes should be developed to reflect own unique quality protocols. These systems wil l help to measure the staff performance. Continous monitoriting of the service improvements can be done through this programme. One can define and monitor staff in many ways. These programmes should be designed in such a way so that these can check variables like employee product knowledge, check consistently the quality check standards and uniformity, and monitor customer care and communication (Martyn, 2010). Benchmarking should also be employed in the branch in order to make the comparison among different branches. Otherwise, it is complex to identify the areas that need improvement. Employees should be rewarded on the basis of their performance and there should be incentive plans which will reward the employees when they outperform. This will be very helpful for effective operations management. At the end, it is concluded that for the success of the retail branch operations the employees should pay full attention rather than taking their personal performance for granted. The quality of the service will decline if they dont co-operate. The employees should be checked at all times whether they are providing good customer service or not and there should be training conducted from time to time so that they can learn to excel in this skill and their work should be evaluated frequently. They should also be trained so that they can acquire new skills. There should be an effective, consistent and impartial way to benchmark service levels in all the supermarket retail branches. Todays business environment is more competitive than ever, and the role of operations management has become the focal point of efforts to increase competitiveness by improving value added and efficiency. This can be possible only by employing new methods, new technology and by training employees. By behaving strategically, the supermarkets or companies can pave their way towards effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and prosperity.

Literary Theory And African Am :: essays research papers

â€Å"Race is defined as one group of the populations constituting humanity.† (Coon 62)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the 1970’s, the conclusion has been stated that race is a social, cultural and political concept based largely on superficial appearances. The notion of ‘race’ is so emotionally charged that objective discussion of its significance in relation to social problems is extremely difficult. There are three theories that have been very significant in re-defining the term â€Å"race† throughout their composition. This essay attempts to define the current North American concept of â€Å"race† among the African American culture and other racial notions that have been created throughout the configuration of the Post-Modernist, Feminist and Post-Colonial theories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Post-Modernism is a complicated term, one that has only emerged as an area of study since the mid-1980’s. Post-Modernism, by it’s very nature, is virtually impossible to come up with one single definition, though, Post-Modernism in it’s totality is the movement in arts, music, literature and drama which rejected the past Victorian ideas of â€Å"modern†. The movement contributed to the realization that art has no single meaning and overturned the problems with culture and language boundaries that cut away at art’s meaning, worth and truth. Today, the state of mind of the human world is called Post-Modernism, since it is a multi-cultural era. Racial Post-Modernism calls attention to those understandings that are shared across the boundaries of class, gender and race. To take racism seriously, one must consider the plight of the underclass people of color, a vast majority of whom is black. For African Americans Post-Modern conditio ns have been and are characterized by continued displacement and despondency. There is increasing class division and differentiation, creating a significant black middle-class concerned with racism to the degree that is poses constraints on upward social mobility. However, this is also building a vast and growing black underclass that embodies a kind of walking rejection that manifests pervasive drug addiction, alcohol abuse, homicide and suicide. (Biddiss 17). Now, because of de-industrialization, we also have a devastated black industrial working class. I am referring to a sentiment of tremendous hopelessness. Very few African American intellectuals have talked, or written, about Post-Modernism. In J.F. Loytard’s book â€Å"the Post-Modern Condition†, he confronts the lack of recognition of black presence that much Post-Modernist theory reinscribes and the resistance on the part of most black people to hearing about real connections between Post-Modernism and black e xperience.

Islamic Philosophy Essay

* Ibn Sina – â€Å"Philosophy is the exercise of intellect, enabling man to know Being as it is in itself. It is incumbent upon man to do this by the exercise of his intellect, so that he may ennoble his soul and make it perfect, and may become a rational scientist, and get the capacity of eternal bliss in hereafter. † * It is not necessarily concerned with religious issues. They have the following: HADITH(the traditional sayings of the Prophet) SUNNA(the practices of their community). FIQH(Islamic law, which discusses particular problems concerning how Muslims ought to behave) * It is not exclusively produced by Muslims. * Philosophy helps the Muslim to understand the truth using different techniques from those directly provided through Islam * It is the continuous search for Hikma(Wisdom) Nature and Origin * Philosophy in its fullest sense began in the third century of hijra(The hijra was in 622 ad; it is the first year according to the Muslim calendar) * The main sources of early Islamic philosophy are the religion of Islam and Greek philosophy. Greek philosophy because most their works on philosophy like logic, medicine mathematics and so forth were translated into Arabic. During the middle ages, both Muslims and Christian philosophers relied upon the Greek Philosophy, their main resources are the works of Aristotle and Plato along with few others. Hikma and Falsafa * Hikma (wisdom) -Philosophy as hikma has the advantage of referring to a wide range of conceptual issues within Islam. * Falsafa-an Arabic expression designed to represent the Greek philosophia. Islamic Philosophy of Education. Islamic education is an essential need derived from Islam as a religion or way of life, as Allah wanted. Thus Islam sources are the same for Islamic education. The Quran is the main source of Islam, which contains every principles of Islamic thought. Islamic education also is uniquely different from other types of educational theory and practice largely because of the all-encompassing influence of the Quran. The Quran serves as a comprehensive blueprint for both the individual and society and as the primary source of knowledge. Some examples of the proof that the importance of education is repeatedly emphasized in the Quran: Al-Quran * â€Å" †¦ Say: â€Å"are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition† (Az-Zumar : 9) Sunnah * â€Å"Who so walks in path seeking for knowledge therein, God will thereby make easy to him the path of paradise† (Abu Hurairah and Muslim) The aims of Islamic Education * Imam Al-Ghazali * Education should make a child aware of the laws though the study of Qu’ran and Hadith. * Education should make the child firm in religious beliefs otherwise he will be led astray. * Ibn Khaldun * Knowledge of God and faith in Islamic laws will make Muslims know the reality which in turn will lead to good and possession of good character. * Ibn Sina * Education as the overall growth of the individual: physical, mental, and moral; followed by the preparation of this by individual to live in a society through a chosen chose trade according to his aptitudes. * According to Contemporary Perspectives * To provide the teachings of Holy Quran as the first step of education. * To provide experiences which are based on fundamentals of Islam as embodied in Holy Quran and Sunnah which cannot be changed * To develop such qualities of a good man which are universally accepted by the societies which have faith in religion * To bring man nearer to an understanding of God and of the relation in which man stands to his creator * To produce man who has faith as well as knowledge in spiritual development These aims and objectives of Islamic education distinguish clearly from the modern system of education which is based on Western philosophy of life. This approach of Islamic education was endorsed in the First World Conference on Muslim Education held at Mecca in 1977 in the following words: â€Å"Education should aim at the balanced growth of the total personality of man through the training of Man’s spirit, intellect, his rational self, feelings and bodily senses. Education should cater therefore for the growth of man in all aspects: spiritual, intellectual, imaginative, physical, scientific, linguistic, both individually and collectively and motivate all aspects towards goodness and the attainment of perfection. The ultimate aim of Muslim education lies in the realization of complete submission to Allah on the level of the individual, the community and humanity at large. † Mohamad Johdi (2009) synchronizes that Islamic education aims at the balanced growth of the total balanced-personality of human, acronym JERISAH – Jasmani- physical Emosi- emotional Rohani- spiritual Intelek- intellectual Sosialisasi- social Alam- environment Hamba Allah- humbleness towards Allah.

Explain Why the American Economy Expanded so Much and so Fast Between 1890 and 1920.

Explain why the American economy expanded so much and so fast between 1890 and 1920. Between 1890 and 1920, the American economy expanded hugely at an extremely fast pace. This growth saw, by 1900, people employed in manufacturing, mining, construction and services rise from 4 million to 18 million and the USA was producing 30% of the worlds’ manufactured goods. There were many factors that caused this growth such as the development of the railways, immigration, a large supply of natural resources, the idea of the ‘American Dream’ and monopolies. One of the biggest factors of the rapid economic expansion was the development in transport and communication systems. The development of the railway provided links that allowed the creation of a national market and access to raw materials. Also, the building of the railroads was a stimulus to industrial development in itself. By 1890, the revenue from railroads was over $1,000 million; double that of the federal government, and the mileage had increased from 30,000 miles to over 190,000 between 1860 and 1900. This development of the railway was partly due to the mass immigration that came from Europe. The huge, sudden growth in population formed an unending supply if cheap, eager labour. Men were paid considerably small wages to complete tasks such as building the railways. Developments in communications such as the telegraph in 1944 and the telephone in 1876 were also very significant. This allowed large scale management to communicate effectively nationwide and meant that companies could establish operations all over the country with no communication problems. Industrial development, sales and purchases were also now much easier to deal with and wide scale marketing and advertising spread across the West. Another important factor of the economic growth is the fact that America had an almost unlimited supply of useful natural resources such as coal, iron, lead, copper and timber. These great numbers of natural materials meant that America could almost become self sufficient and needed not to rely on other countries in order to be stable. The USA was able to put high tariffs on the land to protect their goods from foreign competition and the development of he railway meant that the transport of these goods from place to place was made much easier. Furthermore, the powerful entrepreneurs, such as J. P. Morgan, the Rockefellers of New York and Carnegie also played a big part in this economy expansion. The fact that there was barely any regulations on big business meant that people could pretty much do as they pleased when it came to business a nd companies. These entrepreneurs, controlling much of the economy and the political scene, had a huge amount of control over production and marketing. The development of monopolies; with one firm controlling an entire market with absolutely no competition, and vertical immigration; with one firm controlling all stages of production, these firms were able to become very powerful and rich. This idea of money and power spread to the everyday citizens in America and became a source of inspiration. These entrepreneurs were living proof of the ‘American Dream’ and gave people more reason to believe that if they too worked hard, they would achieve success. The ‘American Dream’ was a big pull factor for immigrants. It gave the immigrants hope and belief that they could move to the USA and start a new life. In conclusion, there are many explanations and reasons as to why America’s economy expanded so much in such a small period of time. The rise of big business meant that the economy was thriving and America were almost self sufficient. However, evidently the arrival of immigrants was a huge factor as they mostly built the entire railroad system, allowing huge advances and developments to be made.