Business Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Information Systems - Essay Example As the demand for BMW products increases, the firm has benefited from a positive relationship with its customers including non boat owners. To ensure that its operations are smooth and that the needs of its customers are met, BMW emulates various departments that include finance, warehousing, manufacturing, human resources, marketing, and distribution among others. In order to remain competitive in the UK market, the company has embarked on an expansion plan that will result to increased number of investors. In addition, the company has embarked on adoption of technology that will be vital in curbing the various problems that are currently been experienced in the manufacturing, design, human resources and customer care departments. This paper seeks to discuss how BMW can use technology to address managerial and other issues that is affecting its operations. Enterprises Resource Planning (ERP) One of the major issues that are experienced in the warehouses is the uncertainty in the del ivery of raw materials. As a result, the workers in the production facilities are not sure on when to start working on any order as specified by the consumers. One of the major strategies that BMW should adopt in order to improve the rate of information flow from external stakeholders including the suppliers who are based in Middle East and Far East is enterprises resource planning (ERP). ERP is a vital information system that enhances the flow of information between all the departments within a firm as well as with other stakeholders (O’Brien, 1999). Based on the need to satisfy its customers by providing their products in a timely manner, it is imperative for BMW to put in place a two-tier ERP. This entails use of software and hardware that will allow the company to run two ERP concurrently. For example, BMW should establish production centers in various regions thus reducing the time taken to deliver the raw materials to the main production center. Similarly, the company s hould establish a database that has the information such as the telephone numbers of the individuals responsible to delivering the raw materials as well as their emails. In this way, the company will be in a position to track the transportation of raw materials from the suppliers to the subsidiaries production centers or to the main production center. Cost benefit analysis and online accounts Being a manufacturing company, BMW should not overlook the composition of their workforce. Key problem that is currently been experienced in the manufacturing department is that it is unclear how many staff the company require to meet the increased demand for its products. To address this issue, it is vital for BMW to emulate an effective scheduling of its activities. This entails allocating each of the employees a particular task and the actual time that it requires for it to be accomplished. To identify the number of workers required in the manufacturing department, it is essential for the su pervisors to undertake a cost-benefit analysis that entails computing the cost of producing a single component and the benefits arising (Laudonet al, 2009). This can be done by determining the hourly wage for the employees and the sales arising from the products. In this way, the supervisors will notice the components that are generating more profits thus increasing the number of staff. To identify individuals with the necessary skills, it is fundamental to come up with clear job description.

Islamic Arabia Essay Example for Free

Islamic Arabia Essay Signs of Islam using the Koran as the foundations of its life and values being more accepting of women whether they are married or single are easier to see than in Christianity that made use of the Bible as the basis of its spiritual teachings. Accommodations in Islam which means accepting women as people of sacred, substantial, cultural, social and moral worth began its call even before pre-Islamic Arabia (Smith 52). Increasingly, however, Christians are turning women into little more than just sex objects. Many other societies have actually demoted women with two pieces of skimpy cloth walking down the ramp, viewed on tubes for global audience use, drowning the usual human values, robbed of natural human distinction. The core of a woman is being destroyed by the image of being just sex objects. Mankind should remember that the origin of all is just one pair. Eve’s progeny reminds mankind to be grateful for her willingness to be the mother of the first children earth ever had and the generations later should be proud of the founding of humankind. Femininity is a tribute to society. Childbearing honors women who bear a child in her womb for nine long months, who goes through the pains of giving birth, and the burden of breastfeeding. Being a woman and a capable mother have great societal significance to Muslims, recognizing and accepting women’s role. There are two top religions in the world today that is reaping much awareness and credit. The 1st is Islam, which is the cult of those who believe in Muhammad as a messenger of God, differing according to culture, and Christian religion, the cult of those who believe in Jesus Christ the son of Mary, modified according to culture,. Though Muhammad and Jesus Christ have both been influenced by some patriarchal views (Fiorenza 316), they have also in many ways differing concepts about women in their respective time and society. Like, in one occasion when it came to the knowledge of Muhammad that a couple committed adultery, he ordered them to be stoned to death right in front of his mosque (Mishkat 267), on the other hand when Jesus received the report from a witnessed a woman committing adultery, and so she must be penalized according to Jewish law, Jesus said sternly, â€Å"Let him who is without sin among you throw the first stone at her†, discarding double standard of morality (John 122). However, in his personal affairs Muhammad advised his men to treat their women with kindness (Al-Bukhari   80). Today, long time after Jesus and Muhammad, these values have so much evolved as intellectual education intensifies bringing about much understanding of human nature and modifications to a changing ecosystem. It can not be denied however that there still exist varying scales as to acceptability of women in Islam or in Christianity. Accepting of women in society is relative when looked upon the perspective of Islam after the time of Muhammad as against those of the Christians after the time of Jesus without neglecting cultural values. In Islam women were raised on a pedestal over 1, 400 years ago (Jumuah 62), when Muhammad directed his followers to regard women with compassion (Al-Bukhari 1, 55, 62, 80). They were acknowledge   to be the sisters of men, bestowing rights: to education up to the highest intensity, the right to decide on their marriage partner, the right to end an unhappy marriage, the right to inheritance, and the rights of a full citizen of a state (Jumuah 62), though, cultural differences still exist. While Christianity is more liberal, it leaves women to find its own level in the strata of society (Luke 81). Christian codes do not specify and provide rights for women. Christians adopts rights for women founded by men as cultural dictates (Fiorenza 1083) incorporated in individual state and governmental laws, which changes from time to time as revised to suit a presumed social need (Luke 89). Islam considers that men and women are at par when it comes to value as pieces and parts of humanity (Jumuah 63), but, these changes from customs to ethnicity. A man can not be victorious in his life without a woman. Their rights and tasks crossover and balance their totality because their roles are harmonizing and shared, although their duties might clash in certain areas of life in accordance with their basic physical and psychological disparity, where each is equally liable for their actual tasks (Jumuah 63), according to culture. Not one sex is either better or lesser than the other in any way, depending upon the Muslim culture where one belongs. There are however those who practice primarily according to their culture, which is not definitely a teaching of Islam according to its advocates, because culture does not crossover nor influence the Islamic code which is likewise the Qur’an, since the Qur’an is all embracing and above anyone’s culture. They oppress women which is simply a reflection of local customs that are definitely inconsistent and contrary to the teachings of Islam (Jumuah 62). Not only material and physical rights are given to women. They have also the right to be treated with kindness and consideration because it is provided for in the Qur’an. Under Islamic law the following provisions are given to women: when a Muslim woman marries she does not lose her maiden name in place of her husband (Jumuah 63). She has the right to keep her identity. She is given a gift by her husband to be, prior to their marriage which is also called a dowry (Ali 759). It is a personal gift that is at her disposal or which she can spend to buy properties, invest on whatever she feels she must without the influence of anyone from her family (Ali 759). The man must provide for the needs of his wife and the family even if she has the money of her own (Ali 759). She is not in any way obligated to spend anything for the family, which relieves the woman from the burden of earning a living. She however has the option to work if she finds it necessary. As the family is similar to any systematic organization, leadership is bestowed upon men. The Qur’an Clearly states that the husband is to some degree higher than the wife being the leader and guardian of the family. This does not in any way presume a right nor a license to be the tyrant of the household. It is rather the complete responsibility of the husband to care for the family (Jumuah 63). Karen Armstrong in a biography said, the emancipation of women was dear to the Prophets heart, describing: women were treated inferiorly with no rights like slaves in pre-Islamic time, but Muhammad allowed them to stand as witnesses and gave them the right to inheritance (Armstrong 191). The concept of women’s dress is of Islamic moral, social and legal values. By their observance of proper dress code, men and women alike protect their honor and reputation in a society contributing to it largely along peace and order. It is also A Qur’anic revelation While Jesus did not marry, Muhammad had several wives after Khadija his first wife, for different reasons such as: widows who needs provisions (Ali 53), widows with orphans who needs a fatherly attention (Ali 129), literacy of a woman, wealth of a woman, the widow being the wife of the enemy (Ali 129), political alliances and as a virgin wife like Aisha (Mishkat 3:13). A woman has four reasons to marry: wealth, family status, beauty and religion (Al-Bukhari 16, 32). Divorces were allowed even before pre-Isalmic times (Smith 52), while it was only a male prerogative in the Jewish law (Deuteronomy 176). But, Jesus made it irrevocable (Mark 56). Jesus helped women, honored them like the hunchback, one he called daughter of Abraham after she was healed from illness (Luke 93), and praised another for anointing him with oil (Mark 62). Jesus parables showed his compassion for women (Matthew 34).

Comparison and Contrasting Between 3 poems: - The Flea (John Donne), Es

Comparison and Contrasting Between 3 poems: - The Flea (John Donne), Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day (William Shakespeare), and Jenny Kissed Me (James Leigh Hunt) These three love poems or sonnets were all written pre 1914 but by very different writers. The authors of these poems use different styles of writing love poetry. For instance, John Donny is very clever. His poem, 'The Flea' brings out an angle of smart sayings to get people to have sex. William Shakespeare focuses more on actually love, while James Leigh Hunt focuses primarily on a blunt approach. Two of these three poems are very short, merely one verse if you can call them that. 'Jenny Kissed Me' by James Leigh Hunt rhymes creating a quicker tempo and bringing a real life experience to the readers mind. It brings over the fact that someone is infatuated with another. Someone 'stole' Jenny's love in this poem. ''Time, you thief, who love to get' indicates that someone picked their time to steal her love. However, much like Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day', this poem is about love, and not infatuation. It shows that the love has stayed through the course of time. William Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' is a very popular sonnet. It is about love, very much unlike John Donne's the flea, which is merely about sex. It is easy to see the love shown in this sonnet by a variety of quotes. 'Though art more lovely and more temperate', 'Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines', 'Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest', and 'So long as men can breathe or eyes can see'. Almost every other line there is a reference to the beauty of the subject of this poem. 'Shall I compare thee to a summers d... ...onne's 'The Flea' is about someone trying to seduce a woman to have sex with him before marriage, while William Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' is more about how love can be good, but can also hurt. A complete contrast to both is James Leigh Hunt's 'Jenny Kissed Me', which has a theme about someone being loved once, and clinging on to that memory, which could be for a few reasons. The actual dates of the poems reflect something about them. For instance, both Donne's 'The Flea', and Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summers day' were written around the same time and culture, however, 'Jenny Kissed Me' by James Leigh Hunt was written about a hundred years afterward, this may reflect the dramatic change in styles of writing, just like the old English of the past and the contemporary writing styles have a remarkable difference.

Causes of Conflict between India and Pakistan Essay

INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The history of Pakistan as an independent country started in 1947. This event happened when Great Britain’s subcontinent India was divided into two regions, and the partitioned part is known today as the countries of Pakistan and India. The separation is the start of a series of changes due to the formation of the All-India League in 1906 in seeking political rights for Muslims. The main person behind the forcing of the separation was Mohammed Ali Jinnan who served as the leagues’ president. His first movement was in working in â€Å"India’s Congress party for a free united India† through doubting respects of Hindus into the rights of Muslims. In 1940, a separate Islamic state was insisted by Jinnah, and when the British departed in 1947, the Pakistan became a   renowned member of the British Commonwealth of Nations(Bajpai 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  When the British departed, a lot of Hindus migrated to India likewise a lot of Muslims fled to Pakistan. A fall of economy then followed Pakistan because of shortage of Hindus working for them. Religious confrontations and communal riots occurred and the worst series of wars is happening among them(Bajpai 2003). The partition brought a bloody affair wherein millions of Hindus and Muslims, including the innocent ones, were killed. Series of accusation increased the tensions. The main reason of the conflict between India and Pakistan is under national interest and being monitored. CAUSES OF CONFLICTS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Junaggadh at Gujarat, so far is the first cause of conflict. Pakistan’s Governor General Muhammad Ali Jinnah accession of the area in September 1947 started the misunderstanding. Despite of his argument that Hindus and Muslim could not live as one nation from his Two Nation Theory he still fell to the scheme of avarice. So, India’s defense Minister Sardel Patel insisted to make the accession void and hold a plebiscite at Junagadah because if it was permitted to go with Pakistan, it could cause a communal unrest across Gujarat. Knowing that the existing democratic government is the Arzi Hukumat at Junagadah, Patel regulated the annexation of Junagadh’s three principles since it is facing a financial collapse and can’t resist Indian forces. India claims that it was them who first invited to accept their reins. Therefore, to give an answer to where the city will go with, a plebiscite was conducted in December 1947 to which it showed 99% of Junagadh civilians prefer India than Pakistan (Sadiq 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The territorial disputes is the second a highly controversial issue. Kashmir is a Muslim-majority princely state hat is being ruled by a Hindu, Hari Singh that would neither go with India or Pakistan’s ruling. The conflict is initiated when the Pakistan heard rumors that Hari Singh wants to assent Kashmir over India. Eager too take control, the paramilitary forces of Pakistan invaded Kashmir in September 1947. Although Kashmir is well equipped and ready to face the Pakistan, the trouble in weakening the law and the position of order was put into consideration by Hari Singh so he asked for India’s help to deal with the problem. But Kashmir is not under the jurisdiction of India so through desperation, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession. On October 27, 1947 at the Kashmir’s capital, Srinagar, the Indian troops secured the area and the valley itself. Intense fighting was visible during that time. But, through Indian Prime Minister Nehru, he declared a ceasefire and sought U.N. intervention and promised a plebiscite. Until now, both countries hold a division of the state under the Line of Control (LoC) which distinguishes the ceasefire line that was agreed in 1947. Furthermore, some of the other territorial quarrel includes the clash in Siachin glacier and disagreement on Sir Creek. Also, Pakistan’s Baglihar Dam is a heat of discussion after being built in the Indian managed Kashmir part.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fourth comes from the Bengal refugee situation. Although there is signed a trade agreement, and commitment to resolving bilateral disputes through peaceful means, hundreds of thousands of Hindus returned to East Pakistan, after a lot refugees flooded into West Bengal and other states from East Pakistan(Sadiq 2006). The crisis is due to communal violence, intimidation and repression from Muslim authorities. Yet, the agreed affairs did not take long, mainly because of the dispute owing to Kashmir.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the fifth crisis, it was the 1971 War in Pakistan and the Afghanistan involvement. Brought by political problem in Pakistan, Indian intervention (Mukti Bahini of the Indian Military) in favor of the rebelling Bengal helped Eastern Pakistan win its independence creating Bangladesh. This leads to an assault by Western Pakistan to India. For the Afghanistan issue, Pakistan effectively supported Afghanistan from its twist against Soviet Union policies. Pakistan has been involved in many anti-Soviet activities of Afghanistan too. So, the prime intelligence organization of India entered the anti-Soviet forces at Afghan region in order to dismantle it. Adding more, the Taliban regime at Afghanistan is strongly supported by Pakistan to which it is firmly opposed by India and therefore criticizing Pakistan for its support to the terrorist group. The continues terrorist attacks, the sixth one, played role in the conflict., After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that happened to United States , there was a worldwide awareness and monitoring   in   terrorist organizations specifically to al-Qaeda in Pakistan because suspected militant activities is present and working in the country . The surveillance was proven true after a High-ranking al-Qaeda members were captured by Pakistani officials and the evidence showed broadcast that they are operating in the country. Also, conflict with India is another dilemma that Musharraf is encountering. News on terrorist attacks is regularly heard and that this usually occurs in Jammu and Kashmir wherein the claim is due to Islamic extremists that was encouraged by policies of Pakistan.   Citing some examples of the terrorist events are Wandhama massacre in January 1998, assassination of Abdul Ghani Lone in Srinagar, the July 20, 2005 Srinagar bombing and the Budshah Chowk attack on July 29, 2005(Chellaney 2006).This event have lead into an all-out-war with terrorist globally.   The seventh worst reason of the crisis is the human rights violation .Both countries have been accused for human violations and have been always denying. Indian Security Forces was blamed by Pakistan Kasmiri organization for occurrence of human right abuses at the state (Bajpai 2003).   It was absolutely denied by India, claiming that only a few incidents was their fault, and it was emphasized by them that most of the crimes and violence in Kashmiris are   toiled by insurgents. Districts of Baramula and Anantnaq in Kashmir are mostly affected. Frequency of different crimes such as rape and moves on kidnapping is evident. Raiding and rioting from time to time appear and laundering of people’s money almost happen everyday. This intensified type of insurgency appeared during 1980’s. Finally, the Kargil problem is a situation that needs to be greatly considered. Attempts to restart a dialogue between the two nations are then being put into each mind for a solution to the conflicts. A major boost happened in   February 1999 when a meeting was held by both   Prime Minister at Lahore upon   their signing of an   agreements(Shakil-ur-Rahman 2007). However, the policy was not respected in May 1999 after the intrusion of Pakistani forces into Kargil at Jammu and Kashmir which is an Indian Territory. The â€Å"Kargil conflict† resulted into a strong battle among the   forces of both country (Shahin 2004). It was the Indian army who successful regained Kargil. And for the Pakistan, a military coup effort overturned Nawaz Sharif government of October 1999 and proved a need for a mutual relation. At, 2001, Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf talks for an agreement with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vaipayee fell through in Agra summit. And, in June 20, 2004, with India’s new administrator, an extension in the ban of nuclear testing was agreed by both countries. Also, both   requested for   hotline set up   between their foreign secretaries so that   misunderstandings which could lead to nuclear war would be avoided (Shahin 2004).So far, these treaty although valued by both countries, is still monitored because chances of conspiracy could still be possible. Right now, awareness at this issue is the spotlight of U.N. CONCLUSION   Giving a probable answer for the situation, the best way to end the Kashmir violence is going into negotiations between Pakistan and India with the Kashmiris voice involvement. Yet, here are some specific possible solutions; (1) the status quo, where the Line of Control (LoC) would be formalized and accepted as the international boundary. But the main factor for this to be opposed by Pakistani is that, the country will get less little control over the region for it desires a greater part. Likewise, political parties of Kashmir would definitely be against it, due to the presence of referendum resolution from United States that would be violated. And (2), Kashmir could go to be an independent  Ã‚   sovereign republic. For sure, most of the Kashmiris would support it since it’s’ tourism being the largest source of income would make them economically viable. But, this would be strongly disagreed for it requires both Indian and Pakistan (also China) in giving up the territory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To understand where is the crisis is going, regardless of who wins or looses from the battle, the   Strategic Foresight Group (SFG) has presented the facts and figures about the cost of conflict between India and Pakistan(Ismail 2004).   According to relevant information about the military costs, both India and Pakistan are involved in arms race at various levels of lethality or tools. This is made in such manner that the projected figures can tear down images of both countries. The expense for these conflicts should not be taken critically by both countries because the dispute, practically speaking, obliterates them. To when will the conflict ends is still a question and needs further analysis. Regardless of how superior the prides of both countries go, it should always evaluate its own   status to how long the situation will go,   aside from the battle going within them, there are many more other factors within each country that needs an   unswerving focus to deal with(Ismail 2004). Time to act and give a definite solution at this matter as soon as possible before further intimidation could arise from these two unsettled neighboring country. WORKS CITED Bajpai, K. S. (2003) Untangling India and Pakistan.   Volume, DOI: Chellaney, B. (2006) Let Pakistan not set the agenda.   Volume, DOI: Ismail, M. (2004) Cost of Conflict between India and PakistanVolume, DOI: Sadiq, M. (2006) India-Pakistan Peace-Process and the Mumbai Bomb Blasts.Volume, DOI: Shahin, S. (2004) Haunted by colonial ghosts Volume, DOI: Shakil-ur-Rahman, M. (2007) Peace talks slow but steady: India Volume, DOI:

Quality Health Care Essay

Quality health care is defined as â€Å"the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge†. The Institute of Medicine’s 2001 article, To Err Is Human released the statement that medical errors were responsible for between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths annually in the United States (McEwen and Willis, 2014). An immediate demand for accountability and quality in the health care system requested and many quality improvement/management initiatives were undertaken that directly impacted the discipline of nursing. A recent announcement was made that The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimated 1.3 million fewer patients (a 17% reduction) were harmed in U.S. hospitals from 2010 to 2013. The estimate of 34,530 deaths prevented in 2013 was nearly 10 times greater than the reduction estimated in 2011. The cumulative cost savings during the period analyzed was nearly $12 billion. Healthcare quality and safety experts call the reductions impressive, but they also emphasize that there is still a long way to go to improve the safety of the nation’s hospitals (Rice, 2014). The majority of these medical errors result from faulty systems and processes, not individuals. Because errors are caused by system or process failures it is important to adopt various process-improvement techniques to identify inefficiencies, ineffective care, and preventable errors to then influence changes associated with systems. Each of these techniques involves assessing performance and using findings to inform change (McNally, Page, and Sunderland, 1997). Our textbook and this class provide us with the insight on specific theories, models, and framework applicable to nursing administration and management. Quality management (QM) is responsible greatly for the work done on the reduction of medical errors. We will discuss components to leadership in a QM environment and essential roles and responsibilities of these leaders. We will also learn that quality improvement and evidence-based practice are cornerstones of a successful and high performing health care organization. McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2014). Theoretical basis for nursing (4th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott. ISBN: 978-1-4511-9031-1 McNally M., Page M., and Sunderland V. (1997). Failure mode and effects analysis in improving a drug distribution system. American Journal of Health System Pharmacy. (54) 17-7.  Rice, S., (2014). 1.3 million adverse events prevented in U.S. hospitals since 2010, feds say. Retrieved December 4, 2014 from: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20141202/NEWS/312029936.

The Joys of Motherhood essays

The Joys of Motherhood essays In Buchi Emechetas The Joys of Motherhood novel, the main character, Nnu Ego shows what it means to be a woman and a mother in Nigerian society. Also, Emecheta explores the idea that women having the ability to bear children are the only way to define femininity and womanhood in the novel. However, The Joys of Motherhood plays two important roles to the women at that time. First, even though society is changing, some women are still maintaining the traditional roles, the customs and the values in the Lagos City. At the same time they defeated the standards of feminist theory. Secondly, the novel gives an understanding of some of the aspects of the feminist theory and encourages women to achieve social equality among men and women. However, men still dominated women during that time. Nnu Ego is one of the women who had been trying to be traditional in a modern urban setting (81). In The Joys of Motherhood, she plays many general roles - as a daughter, a wife, a mother, a woman, a worker and a senior wife. As a daughter of Nigerian Chief, Nwokocha Agbadi, Nnu Ego always listens to her fathers disposition and she never opposes him. Therefore, she agrees to marry the man whom her father has chosen for her. After she is married to her first husband, Amatokwu, she wants to be a good wife, which means that she is able to conceive a child with him. However, the first marriage failed because she did not bear him a son (49). In the traditional society, if the married woman is not able to bear children and offer her husband a son, she is considered a failure and has failed to fulfill her gender role as a wife. She will also bring disgrace not only to her husband but also to her father. Her first marriage, Nnu Ego has condemned herself as a failed woman. Later she married a man, Nanife, who works on the coast in a British colony. She is able to bear children with her second husb...

The dog house Essay Example

The dog house Essay Example The dog house Essay The dog house Essay The Importance Of Theme In the story Navajo lessons, Cline and her brother Josh, go on a voyage to spend the summer In the Navajo reservation with their grandma. As soon as Cline got there she thought that it was going to be boring, throughout the story Cline gets more and more mature by realizing to care about others other than herself. In this story my theme is coming To Age. At first, Cline thinks that shes going to hate it there, so s soon as she got there she missed her friends and the city, thinking that its going to be boring. She also didnt like it because she couldnt understand the Navajo language, so all Cline did was listen to music. Cline does what she usually does. Until one day her grandma gets sick and Cline rushes for help (this shows that Cline is starting to care about others other than herself). Cline got there and didnt know what to say until the words Just blurt out of her (this kind of shows the universal theme of fate). After Cline realizes how Important It Is to care about others, she starts to care more. Like for example at the end she doesnt really boast about her saving her grandmas life. She actually Insists on the doctor to talk in Navajo, which doesnt reflect in the beginning of the story when she didnt like the Navajo language (this shows Coming Of Age). In conclusion, the theme of this story is Coming Of Age. This theme affects the way Cline acts because, Cline starts as regular careless girl who hates the Navajo reservation and ends up as a young responsible girl who loves the reservation. The theme proves that Cline has a change of heart, and she is Coming To Age.

Battle of Fuentes de Onoro - Peninsular War - Duke of Wellington

Battle of Fuentes de Onoro - Peninsular War - Duke of Wellington The Battle of Fuentes de Oà ±oro was fought May 3-5, 1811, during the Peninsular War which was part of the larger Napoleonic Wars. Armies and Commanders Allies Viscount Wellingtonapprox. 38,000 men French Marshal Andre Massenaapprox. 46,000 men Buildup to Battle Having been stopped before the Lines of Torres Vedras in late 1810, Marshal Andre Massena began withdrawing French forces from Portugal the following spring. Emerging from their defenses, British and Portuguese troops, led by Viscount Wellington, began moving towards the border in pursuit. As part of this effort, Wellington laid siege to the border cities of Badajoz, Ciudad Rodrigo, and Almeida. Seeking to regain the initiative, Massena regrouped and began marching to relieve Almeida. Concerned about the French movements, Wellington shifted his forces to cover the city and defend its approaches. Receiving reports regarding Massenas route to Almeida, he deployed the bulk of his army near the village of Fuentes de Oà ±oro. The British Defenses Located to the southeast of Almeida, Fuentes de Oà ±oro sat on the west bank of the Rio Don Casas and was backed by a long ridge to the west and north. After barricading the village, Wellington formed his troops along the heights with the intention of fighting a defensive battle against Massenas slightly larger army. Directing the 1st Division to hold the village, Wellington placed the 5th, 6th, 3rd, and Light Divisions on the ridge to the north, while the 7th Division was in reserve. To cover his right, a force of guerillas, led by Julian Sanchez, was positioned on a hill to the south. On May 3, Massena approached Fuentes de Oà ±oro with four army corps and a cavalry reserve numbering around 46,000 men. These were supported a force of 800 Imperial Guard cavalry led by Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessià ¨res. Massena Attacks After reconnoitering Wellingtons position, Massena pushed troops across the Don Casas and launched a frontal attack against Fuentes de Oà ±oro. This was supported by an artillery bombardment of the Allied position. Surging into the village, troops from General Louis Loisins VI Corps clashed with troops from Major General Miles Nightingalls 1st Division and Major General Thomas Pictons 3rd Division. As the afternoon progressed, the French slowly pushed British forces back until a determined counterattack saw them thrown from the village. With night approaching, Massena recalled his forces. Unwilling to directly attack the village again, Massena spent most of May 4 scouting the enemys lines. Shifting South These efforts led to Massena discovering that Wellingtons right was largely exposed and only covered by Sanchezs men near the village of Poco Velho. Seeking to exploit this weakness, Massena began shifting forces south with the goal of attacking the next day. Spotting the French movements, Wellington directed Major General John Houston to form his 7th Division on the plain south of Fuentes de Oà ±oro to extend the line towards Poco Velho. Around dawn on May 5, French cavalry led by General Louis-Pierre Montbrun as well as infantry from the divisions of Generals Jean Marchand, Julien Mermet, and Jean Solignac crossed the Don Casas and moved against the Allied right. Sweeping the guerillas aside, this force soon fell on Houstons men (Map). Preventing a Collapse Coming under intense pressure, the 7th Division faced being overwhelmed. Reacting to the crisis, Wellington ordered Houston to fall back to the ridge and dispatched cavalry and Brigadier General Robert Craufurds Light Division to their aid. Falling into line, Craufurds men, along with artillery and cavalry support, provided cover for the 7th Division as it conducted a fighting withdrawal. As the 7th Division fell back, the British cavalry harried the enemy artillery and engaged the French horsemen. With the battle reaching a critical moment, Montbrun requested reinforcement from Massena to turn the tide. Dispatching an aide to bring up Bessià ¨res cavalry, Massena was furious when the Imperial Guard cavalry failed to respond. As a result, the 7th Division was able to escape and reach the safety of the ridge. There it formed a new line, along with the 1st and Light Divisions, which extended west from Fuentes de Oà ±oro. Recognizing the strength of this position, Massena elected not to press the attack further. To support the effort against the Allied right, Massena also launched as series of attacks against Fuentes de Oà ±oro. These were conducted by men from General Claude Fereys division as well as General Jean-Baptiste Drouets IX Corps. Largely striking the 74th and 79th Foot, these efforts nearly succeeded in driving the defenders from the village. While a counterattack threw Fereys men back, Wellington was forced to commit reinforcements to break Drouets assault. Fighting continued through the afternoon with the French resorting to bayonet attacks. As the infantry assault on Fuentes de Oà ±oro faltered, Massenas artillery opened with another bombardment of the Allied lines. This had little effect and by nightfall the French withdrew from the village. In the darkness, Wellington ordered his army to entrench on the heights. Faced with a strengthened enemy position, Massena elected to retreat to Ciudad Rodrigo three days later. The Aftermath In the fighting at the Battle of Fuentes de Oà ±oro, Wellington sustained 235 killed, 1,234 wounded, and 317 captured. French losses numbered 308 killed, 2,147 wounded, and 201 captured. Though Wellington did not consider the battle to be a great victory, the action at Fuentes de Oà ±oro allowed him to continue the siege of Almeida. The city fell to Allied forces on May 11, though its garrison successfully escaped. In the wake of the fighting, Massena was recalled by Napoleon and replaced by Marshal Auguste Marmont. On May 16, Allied forces under Marshal William Beresford clashed with the French at Albuera. After a lull in the fighting, Wellington resumed his advance into Spain in January 1812 and later won victories at Badajoz, Salamanca, and Vitoria. Sources British Battles: Battle of Fuentes de OnoroPeninsular War: Battle of Fuentes de OnoroHistory of War: Battle of Fuentes de Onoro

Pros and Cons of Teacher Websites Research Paper - 1

Pros and Cons of Teacher Websites - Research Paper Example Classroom websites have been recognized for their simple yet valuable contribution to the educational world, but not without a fair share of negative points. Either way, the users of this tool should evaluate whether these flaws outweigh the contribution that it makes to learning. The main function of a classroom website is to serve as an additional and convenient method for the teachers to share information with their students. From this, spring the many advantages of having a classroom website. The fact that it is a technology-based tool, however, has certain disadvantages. One large advantage of this is that teachers can always leave notes as reminders for the student on this website. The notes can be pertaining to any important matter discussed in class, which the teacher does not want the students to forget. This especially includes things like homework, announcements, and class rules. A student who cannot recall the homework assigned for a subject can simply log on to the website to see the reminder that the teacher left for the students. This however, requires the teacher to update the website after every single lesson (Greenspan, 2002). This can be a time-consuming activity, especially for teachers who have multiple classes to manage. Apart from this, the teacher may also use this website to make announcements and share news. This includes announcements such as informing the class of an upcoming fieldtrip or the cancellation of a class. The need for such announcements usually arises after class stands dismisses. Thus, if the teacher posts such announcements online, this saves the teacher the trouble of having to inform the students through other, lengthier means, and it also ensures that the news is displayed.

Summary and Analysis of Collapses Chapter One Essay

Summary and Analysis of Collapses Chapter One - Essay Example They book is highly influenced by the issues in ecology. One other reason of the book being a best-seller is that people perceive it to be a sequel of his book ‘Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies.’ Collapse follows on the ideas presented in this book. Jared Diamond himself has been doing research in the field of evolutionary biology and was a student of it. His studied and researched many animals and birds in the natural places they lived. Because of the fact that he is an evolutionary biologist it is highly probable that while looking at the history of civilization he would be influenced by concluding something which is influenced by Social Darwinism. It has become an inherent predilection in evolutionary biologists. According to Jim Blaut, almost every major thing that has shaped humanity since the beginning of times has been because of changes in environment. To be more accurate, all the major distinctions among human societies, all those distinctions which allowed some of the societies to rise in the world and the others to falter was because of that particular society’s domestic environment or the geographical placement of those people on the globe. If the history is summarized then it represents these differences. Culture is not that important in this context because all the important occurrences in history are explained by the environment rather than the culture. Culture only produces marginal changes. Jared Diamond in a very organized and structured manner moves through the major parts of history and tries to reveal through evidence that how each part of history in a particular area can be explained by the forces of environment affecting that area. The end result of these phenomena is the supremacy of Europe (‘’Jared Diamond’s Collapse’’). In the first part of Collapse, the author gives his pessimistic views regarding the deteriorating environmental conditions in Montana in the Unite d States of America. He has used Montana as microcosm and as a useful test sample. Below the apparently clean and clear surface of the region of Montana there is a huge amount of dangerous toxic waste which is lying there. There are thousands of mines in Montana which have been abandoned and are full with dangerous chemical and industrial waste like arsenic and sulfuric acid. All of this goes into the rivers. This is not only harmful for the natural habitat in the area but for the humans dwelling there as well. The condition of forests and the animals residing there are not much better either. They are helpless which makes Diamond write that it was previously observed in the first chapter as to how Montana was undergoing environmental changes which were detrimental and were having economic consequences. The goals and values that have been outlined, if implemented would result in different ways of solving these environmental problems. These approaches are associated with different pr obabilities of getting the required results or failing in them. Currently there is a great difference of opinion regarding the success of even the best possible ways of solving these problems. It is unknown which approach would be chosen by Montana and whether it will be successful or not (‘’Jared Diamond’s Collapse’’). It is not a good thing that the American Indians are not mentioned at all in the initial pages of the chapter. This is surprising because if someone for example writes about the environmental problems prevalent in Alaska, how the indigenous population of Inuits could not be mentioned at all. This is all the more surprising because the author has been very interested in showing the fact that pre-capitalist societies were just as

The case for Bainbridge Borough Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The case for Bainbridge Borough - Essay Example First and foremost, this person will undergo intensive labour to deliver the baby. This entitles the person to have some time to rest in order to be able to recover from the pain likely to be experienced during the period of giving birth. Secondly, the mother needs to nurse the newly born baby by suckling her and providing other necessary gentle care. Instead, Carol was offered two consecutive 90-day reasonable purpose leaves which amounted to 6 months of leave. This is a relevant contract provision which states that leaves of absence for a limited period without pay—not to exceed 90 days—shall be granted for any reasonable purpose. What Carol wants is leave to be with her adopted baby so this unpaid leave is just as good as maternity leave. In other words, it can be seen that Carol just wants to be controversial over nothing since she has been given another alternative to maternity leave which is specifically meant for mothers who have given birth naturally. 2. As an attorney for AFSCME Local 10, I think the council’s rejection of Carol’s unpaid maternity leave request violated the collective bargaining agreement. Article X, Section 4.A which deals with issues related to maternity as indicated by the final agreement between Bainbridge Borough and Local 10 state that maternity leaves not to exceed 6 months shall be granted at the request of an employee. As stipulated in this provision, it can be seen that Carole has requested for the leave, therefore she should be granted the opportunity to get it. Maternity leave covers various issues related to child bearing and rearing hence Carol should also be granted this leave since she intends to take care for her newly adopted baby. The baby needs mother care and this is the reason why I believe that Carole should be granted the leave. The refusal by the council to grant Carol this leave can be regarded as discrimination since the law is very clear that this leave can be granted to the

Summarise the strategic options that are appropriate to ZARA and make Essay

Summarise the strategic options that are appropriate to ZARA and make definitive for ZARA to sustain its future position in the - Essay Example This difficulty of the imitation is one of the foundations the leadership strategy relies on. Zara has managed to successfully exploit its economic of scale through its size and volume of production. Passemard observes that there is a relationship between firm-size measured in terms of volume of production. Based on this understanding, and considering that Zara sells medium quality fashion clothing at affordable prices, its unit production is minimum. The optimum volume of production is reached when the average cost per unit production is minimal. (Passemard, 2006). Zara has also managed to sustain the leadership strategy because of its volume of production. Passemard, points out that with a high level of production, a company is able to purchase and use specialized manufacturing tools which other small companies are not able to afford (Passemard, 2006). The study indicates that the merchandize in the rain facility has a capacity of only 45,000 folded garments per hour and that this facility has its limitation unless more capacity can be created elsewhere. A further study by Adams observes that cost advantage may be associated with division of labor, which apparently is one of the key ingredients of Zara efficiency of work. The study indicates that at Zara, the design collections are developed by creative teams rather than groups of designers. In general implementation of leadership strategy requires firms that are able to produce relatively simple standardized products and at the same time are able to sell those products at comparatively low prices. This mechanism contrasts other companies who pursue business or corporate strategies from Zara. Zara has managed to keep its low cost production by ensuring that they maintain the supply and provide the variety to the taste of the supplier. The study points that Zara stores is stocked with items tailored to the taste of the local clientele and that one would never end up looking like someone else. According to Adam s, for the cost producer strategy to work best, buyers must be able to use the product in the same way and have much same needs and requirement when buyers are large and have significant bargaining power (Frankl & Rubik, 2000). This is underscored by Porter in his analysis of the buyer power while examining the Porter’s Five forces. Porter points out that this strategy will be efficient if the industry’s product is a standard product which is readily available from variety of sellers. In the case of Zara, there are several outlets providing almost the same ambience all over Northern Spain and the rest of the world. In observation of the Porter Five forces, Zara has been able to protect itself from the rivals, buyers, suppliers, potential entrants and substitutes. The study reveals that Zara has managed to keep off the new entrant by sheer reduction of prices for artificial purposes as well as using its dominance and economies of scale to contain the competitors like GA P. Identify the corporate level strategies In identifying corporate growth strategies, this paper will consider that use of Ansoff matrix. Zara has exploited the use of the matrix.Ansoff matrix portray alternative corporate growth strategies. This strategy explores the present and future potential growth of the business based on the products and markets. While looking at the position of Zara, it is important to points out that

A hypothetical situation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A hypothetical situation - Essay Example First, data gathering and analysis need to be conducted (Slide 5). Over 55 percent residents have at least a bachelor degree (Plano Economic Development [PEC]a). Thus, switching to another company should not involve a long transition period, as most workers already possess basic knowledge needed for the service industries. Following is the second phase, or selection of a local development strategy (Slide 5). Since the IT sector is strong in Plano, emphasis should be on supporting these companies and furthering their success (PECb). By 2012, most companies that experienced strong growth were in the IT sector (PECb). Third phase is selection of local development projects (Slide 5). Again, support should go to the IT sector. In phase four, action plans should focus on coordination with companies, and stimulation through additional workshops given to labor (Slide 10, 12). Then, project details specification, preparation and implementation could be conducted. Plano’s strength lies in its educated workforce and presence of successful service oriented companies. As a result, layoffs can be counteracted by the growing IT companies, which are in need of additional labor as a result of their

Summarise the strategic options that are appropriate to ZARA and make Essay

Summarise the strategic options that are appropriate to ZARA and make definitive for ZARA to sustain its future position in the - Essay Example This difficulty of the imitation is one of the foundations the leadership strategy relies on. Zara has managed to successfully exploit its economic of scale through its size and volume of production. Passemard observes that there is a relationship between firm-size measured in terms of volume of production. Based on this understanding, and considering that Zara sells medium quality fashion clothing at affordable prices, its unit production is minimum. The optimum volume of production is reached when the average cost per unit production is minimal. (Passemard, 2006). Zara has also managed to sustain the leadership strategy because of its volume of production. Passemard, points out that with a high level of production, a company is able to purchase and use specialized manufacturing tools which other small companies are not able to afford (Passemard, 2006). The study indicates that the merchandize in the rain facility has a capacity of only 45,000 folded garments per hour and that this facility has its limitation unless more capacity can be created elsewhere. A further study by Adams observes that cost advantage may be associated with division of labor, which apparently is one of the key ingredients of Zara efficiency of work. The study indicates that at Zara, the design collections are developed by creative teams rather than groups of designers. In general implementation of leadership strategy requires firms that are able to produce relatively simple standardized products and at the same time are able to sell those products at comparatively low prices. This mechanism contrasts other companies who pursue business or corporate strategies from Zara. Zara has managed to keep its low cost production by ensuring that they maintain the supply and provide the variety to the taste of the supplier. The study points that Zara stores is stocked with items tailored to the taste of the local clientele and that one would never end up looking like someone else. According to Adam s, for the cost producer strategy to work best, buyers must be able to use the product in the same way and have much same needs and requirement when buyers are large and have significant bargaining power (Frankl & Rubik, 2000). This is underscored by Porter in his analysis of the buyer power while examining the Porter’s Five forces. Porter points out that this strategy will be efficient if the industry’s product is a standard product which is readily available from variety of sellers. In the case of Zara, there are several outlets providing almost the same ambience all over Northern Spain and the rest of the world. In observation of the Porter Five forces, Zara has been able to protect itself from the rivals, buyers, suppliers, potential entrants and substitutes. The study reveals that Zara has managed to keep off the new entrant by sheer reduction of prices for artificial purposes as well as using its dominance and economies of scale to contain the competitors like GA P. Identify the corporate level strategies In identifying corporate growth strategies, this paper will consider that use of Ansoff matrix. Zara has exploited the use of the matrix.Ansoff matrix portray alternative corporate growth strategies. This strategy explores the present and future potential growth of the business based on the products and markets. While looking at the position of Zara, it is important to points out that

African american women underrepresantation in higher education Dissertation

African american women underrepresantation in higher education - Dissertation Example The African American women play a very important role in the academic field This alone calls for further research to find out the issues that surround the African American women in higher education.Since the beginning of 21st century, women have been integrated into the administration in most institutions of higher learning.However, they are hardly recognized and are only seen subordinates to the white women or black men. They are seen as a group that has no experience, even though they are equally competent with their colleagues (Anderson and Ramey, 1998). Still, there is a lot that needs to be done despite the fact that research has been done concerning the same. Research has in the past mainly concentrated on the students and the administration as a whole. This leaves the plight of the African American women unattended to. This literature review examines the following aspects. For one, I consider the policies that have been made by the judiciary, legislature and the executive conc erning the African American women in higher education. Secondly, the literature review focuses on the implementation of these policies, with an in depth focus on the state of Georgia. The third aspect that I will consider is the place of women in higher education. I will approach this by giving a comprehensive description of the same. Lastly, I will consider the future considerations of the policies that can enhance women’s representation in future. Main problems faced by African American women administrators ... This further leads to lack of influence and bottlenecks in achieving authority in these institutions. The third aspect that challenges these women is the prejudice on whether they are competent enough to lead other or make good management decision. Their families are also demanding, giving them limited chances of advancing in their careers. Fourthly, they face inequities in the opportunities of promotion and pay increase in these institutions (Eaglya and Johnson,1990). Many women have not been exposed to the opportunities of presidency. More so, they are still underrepresented in the faculties and in the senior most positions in the higher learning institutions. African American women have had to face limited chances in enrollment in the universities (Robson, 1985). This is mainly in North America, where a majority of women have no access to education. This explains why it is hard to have representation in the universities in such areas. The women also have balance between the tradit ional roles as homemakers and their professional careers. They are expected to do more than men, limiting their chances of rising as professional in any field (Eaglya and Johnson,1990). Further, their own views on what they are supposed to do in every day of their life, which limits their chances of fighting for their promotion in higher learning institutions (Robson, 1985). The responsibilities are both demanding, which means that a woman has limited chances of further education and thoroughness in their professionals. These are the very factors that warrant promotion and enhancement of leadership skills. Still, many women feel that their professional careers are secondary to their family roles and duties. Black women lack support by their spouses in the progression of their

Modern Virtue Ethics Essay Example for Free

Modern Virtue Ethics Essay To what extent do modern virtue ethics address the weaknesses of Aristotle’s teaching on virtues? (35) Virtue Ethics looks at a person’s good traits, known as ‘virtues’ and negative traits, known as ‘vices’; a person is considered to be a good person if they are virtuous and a morally bad person if they have developed lots of vices. Deontological and teleological ethicists argue that good or bad behaviour is far more important than a person’s good or bad characteristics whereas Virtue Theory argues it is only by becoming a better person that we will engage in the ‘right’ behaviour; Virtue Theory looks at the agent in itself and rather than the action. The key concepts of Virtue Ethics were first penned by the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle and in more recent times have been adapted and added to by Alasdair MacIntyre. Aristotle’s theory is made up of many key features, including Moral Virtues, The Doctrine of the Mean, Eudaimonia, and Friendship and the Community. According to Aristotle, everything has a purpose, for example, pens, their purpose is to write, if the pen fulfils its purpose and writes well, it is a good pen. In the same way, if we equate Eudaimonia to the pen, Eudaimonia is the supreme goal of human life, if a person reaches Eudaimonia, they are a considered a good person as the purpose was to be happy, therefore they have reached their purpose, just as the pen reaches its own. He also argued that every action comes down to this aim, every human being desires to be as happy as possible. An example of this is to ask a Doctor or a Lawyer why they chose such professions, the majority would answer that they chose this profession because it pays well and they believed that being paid well would lead to an easier and happy life, or Eudaimonia. Aristotle’s theory also says that relationships and friendships play a very important role in how we behave as people and how our actions are determined; we should all aim to individually achieve Eudaimonia, which would therefore achieve the greatest good for society as a whole as everyone would be happier; Aristotle sees our communal friendships and relationships as a vital part of our moral code and flourishing as a virtuous being. As previously mentioned, a good life involves developing a good character and these are known as moral virtues which are cultivated by habit; one must practice these good virtues in order to adopt them. Some of the key virtues Aristotle spoke of include modesty, generosity, patience, truthfulness and friendliness. Aristotle also spoke of Intellectual Virtues and Cardinal Virtues. Aristotle believed that we should aim to be virtuous people and avoid vices. Aristotle’s theory is centered around the concept of The Doctrine of the Mean; this states that there are two different vices that accompany every virtue- the Vice of Deficiency and the Vice of Excess. The Vice of Deficiency refers to a distinct lack of virtues, whereas the Vice of Excess refers to too much of the virtue being present. For example, modesty, if there is a distinct lack of this virtue, it may result in shamelessness and if there is too much of this virtue, it may result in shyness. Aristotle argued that the ‘Golden (or Virtuous) Mean’ is the middle of these to extremes and that is what people should aim to have. Aristotle’s theory is very logical and encourages people to adopt good characteristics which in an ideal world would result in every individual being as happy as possible; however there are many criticisms of this theory. For example, it is somewhat unclear of what is considered a virtue and what is considered a vice and it is also unclear of who is responsible for deciding these; as well as this, it could be argued that it is not possible to measure these virtues. It could also be argued that if every individual had exactly the same characteristics, everyone would be the same and the world be become mundane and monotonous. Virtue Ethics also does not provide clear guidelines or rules of how to act in specific circumstances and is vague and subjective. Alasdair Macintyre is a Scottish philosopher, whose writing dates to the 20th Century CE. He made an attempt to alter Aristotle’s theory in order to make it more relative and contexualise the ideas. Macintyre felt that morality had become lax and felt that they had become far hypothetical. He felt that people focused more on how an ethical theory would hold up under uncommon and unrealistic circumstances rather than situations where morality counts. He believed that we should understand the context of ethics before attempting to fix modern moral dilemmas. Macintyre’s belief in context as the central part to ethical decision making shows us that he is relative in his ideology. He believed that virtues would change over time naturally, for example, bravery for us is a person that confronts a gang of youths, throwing rocks at windows, or a police tackling a burglar, however 2000 years ago, bravery was considered as a man dying in battle, for his country. This is an attempt at addressing a weakness of Aristotelian Virtue Ethics, as it would encourage the person to look at the time and place before deciding whether the character traits are good or not. It has to be said that what may be considered good in the Congo may not necessarily be considered good in Brixton, London. Finally Macintyre addresses the issue of External and Internal goods. Internal Goods are what he calls, the qualities of a person’s character. The External Goods are the things that a person relies on, for example,food or a decent living arrangement. He states that although these are valuable to the human nature, they can be considered good or bad. However the Internal Goods are the most important. This gives more relativism than Aristotelian Virtue Ethics which can be considered an improvement. In conclusion I feel that Alasdair Macintyre has made a good attempt to improve and change Aristotle’s version of Virtue Ethics, however we can still see some weaknesses. For example, it is even more relative than Aristotle’s version and this can lead to ambiguity when facing a moral dilemma. This has not been addressed, in the modern version by Macintyre. It also does not eliminate the idea of universal virtues to achieve Eudaimonia. This is problematic. So, I feel that his attempt must be congratulated but I do not feel that it has been entirely successful as there are still elements which could be improved further.

Illy Ground Coffee Marketing Analysis

Illy Ground Coffee Marketing Analysis Nowadays, Illy can be characterised as one of the leading producers of high quality ground coffee in the coffee manufacturing industry. Illy has entered the coffee sector in 1933 by Francesco Illy, and in 1990s had its most important innovation, which began to look for the best coffee in Brazil, Africa, Central America and Asia (italtrade.com, 2010). It is based in Italy with a workforce around 700 people and operates in a wide range of global network (Datamonitor, 2009). Illy ground coffee can be used in all methods of coffee preparation and especially for espresso machines. The product comes in various forms of medium roast, dark roast and decaffeinated. While medium roast is about a smooth flavour mixed with aromatic bits of caramel and chocolate, dark comes to enrich the flavour with notes of cocoa (illy, 2010a). Similarly to medium roast, decaffeinated contains aromatic flavour of caramel and chocolate with reduced caffeine (illy, 2010a). Within the industry, Illy is known as an innovation pioneer, as it focuses on coffee perfection rather than creating something trendy and seductive. Achieving â‚ ¬280 million with net profits of â‚ ¬8 million, Illy succeeded by attaining 54% of total sales through exportation (illy, 2010b) The country and coffee market attractiveness PEST Analysis Regarding Morisson (2006), PEST analysis can assist the business in building up the best possible knowledge of the external environment in which the company is planning to operate in, so as to avoid costly mistakes. Therefore, an analysis has been carried out and can be viewed in Appendix 1 below. Upon reflection, the most important key environmental influences of PEST analysis have been considered and highlighted below: Economic Events: The recent global recession had directly affected the industry where people buy only essentials products, as their incomes have been decreased (Euromonitor, 2010a). Regulations: Legislations that the law establishes can directly affect the industry. Taxes and business regulations are rather heavy, making it hard to conduct business (Euromonitor, 2010a). Globalisation: Globalisation can be characterised as one of the most powerful factors that have changed the conditions and situations of the world economies, and especially for businesses (BBC, 2010). The reduction of national boundaries and the freedom of companies to transport is also important factor of change. Grounds Coffee Market Analysis McLoughlin and Aaker (2010) suggest that an examination of the market can assist to determine its current and future attractiveness. Even in the negative impact of recession, the Turkish coffee industry has shown a positive growth. Statements show that during the last years, ground coffee had a 5% increase in volume sales with the total of 33.6 TL million which is expected for a further 4% increase until the end of 2014 (Euromonitor, 2010a). With Nestle controlling 61% of the markets share and coffee unit prices increasing in recent years, the market has as consequently shown a positive growth (Euromonitor, 2010b). Considering the distribution channels, the market includes various ways of supply such as restaurants, bars, cafes, stores and so on. Competitive Analysis In order to identify the attractiveness of an industry, Johnson et.al (2008) argues that the five forces framework is a helpful tool for such a process. Thus, a Porters five forces Analysis has been carried out in Appendix 2. From the analysis summary, we can see that even with its growing direction, the coffee industry can be defined as an industry where brand loyalty is of major importance to the existence of a business. A strong emphasis is required in order to achieve good customer relationships and market share over the current competitors. In addition, the threat of new entrance is still high even throughout strong competitive conditions that exist in the market. Finally, the threat of substitutes is high as new alternative products can satisfy the need of coffee. Tea and hot chocolate are the major players for substitutes. Buyer Analysis Nowadays, competition has become stronger than other decades. Therefore, creating a good understanding of the potential customers (Buyer Behaviour) can be a vital tool for the company to get one step ahead of the competition. According to Euromonitor (2010a), ground coffee has been punched by the instant coffee where its sales are increasingly becoming much more than ground coffee, with young people preferring the more convenient method of instant coffee. On the other hand, older people insist on the traditional ground coffee. In addition, people try to get a cup of coffee mostly from bars, restaurants and coffee shops rather than to drink at home during every season of the year, while during winter; the consumption of coffee usually has a higher demand. 3) Opportunity Statement Casson and Buckley (2010) defines opportunities as the advantageous position that products, services, raw materials and methods include in order to increase company profits in the new market. 4) Marketing Objectives Brassington and Pettit (2006) suggest that objectives are important drivers of what the companys marketing strategies must be able to achieve. Following SMART concept (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time able), Illys main business objective is to manufacture and market products in such a way as to create a value that can be continued over the long term from stakeholders (Hollensen, 2010). Another important aspect of marketing objectives is the brands reputation that the company must achieve in the new market. A smart and long-time promotion with the combination of customer satisfaction can lead to the brand awareness and to profitable sales. The company can understand the significance of loyalty where illy must build on that as without loyal customers the company would not exist. As a consequence of customer loyalty, customers are willing to buy more from the same brand/company. Therefore, the company must be prepared to establish a wide range of coffee ground selections (MindTools, 2009). In addition, illy must manage to maintain its promise to follow and respect all applicable local laws in each of its potential markets.

George Washington Carver Essay -- essays research papers

George Washington Carver was a African American scientist who showed many intriguing thoughts of nature throughout his life span of being one of the most dedicated scientist. George was born in Diamond Missouri, but his exact date of birth is not known by people. Never the less, one of the most remarkable inventors was born. Many people speculate that he was born sometime in January in 1964, while others believe he was born in June. George was born as a small and weak baby, and he had his first challenge of overcoming various obstacles as a baby. Possibly one of his biggest goals that he had to overcome was growing up without having any parents. His father was killed in an accident while he was just a baby. George lived in a small cabin with his mother and brother James. Everything was going fine for George until one night when a raiding group of people came breaking into there home. They kidnapped George, along with his mother, while James went in the woods for a place to hide so h e won’t be captured. James would be leaded by his owner’s Moses and Susan Carver. Eventually George would escape from the people who capture him, and join his brother again as they would be guided by there owners. As being a black slave, they never adopted the last name from there parents. Only after the end of the Civil War, both James and George picked Carver to be their last name. George would stay with his owner’s that took care of him, and he would help out with the chores to show his appreciation. He became very fond of plants and at a early age George would plant and maintain the garden on the farm. He became so good at planting and gardening, his owner’s would give him the name â€Å"The Plant Doctor.† The Carver’s taught George many of the basic things that every child should know at the ealy age. George learned how to read and write with no problems. Many people thought and knew that George had an excellent future ahead of himself due to the fact that he has a quick ability to pick up on new traits that he learns. At first things didn’t look to bright for Carver’s future, he tried to enlist into the school in Diamond Grove, but was turned down because of racism. They told Carver that African American’s were not permitted to attend the school. With the news of this, George left home on his own, to attend a color school in the community of Neosho. He had to find someone who ... ...d inventions. When asked why Carver said â€Å"God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?† Carver was never a married man, and in 1940 he gave his life savings of $33,000 to the Tuskegee Institute. As an appreciation to his donation and effort that he brought forth, the money was used to establish the George Washington Carver Research Foundation for agriculture research. Carver received many awards for his accomplishments, in 1916 he was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London. In 1923, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded him the Spingarn Medal for distinguished service in agricultural chemistry. In 1939, Carver received the Theodore Roosevelt Medal for his contributions to the world of science, and in 1951 the George Washington Carver National Monument was established in Missouri on the farm where Carver was born at. Carver died at Tuskegee, on January 5, 1943 and is buried on the grounds of Tuskegee Institute. To show the prosperity and gratitude that George Washington Carver brought to the world of science, Congress declared every January 5th a day to honor Carver, and all of his wonderful achievements that he gave us.

Role of Managers in Company Management

STUDY GUIDE FOR THE Management Role of Managers in Company Management for BMCF TM study – course M_RMCM Role of Managers in Company Management Karel Havlicek Ing. Karel Havlicek, PhD. , MBA Management – Role of Managers in Company Management  © Karel Havlicek, 2011 Management – Role of Managers in Company Management Contents : 1. Role of management in hypercompetitive environment 1. 1 Owners and managerial strategy 1. 2 Managerial strategies and managerial planning 1. 3 Involved persons – Stakeholders 1. 4 Key terms 1. 5 Test questions 1. 6 Recommended literature 2.Role of management within marketing management 2. 1 Marketing management 2. 2 Marketing policy 2. 3 Marketing researches 2. 4 Marketing planning 2. 5 Key terms 2. 6 Test questions 2. 7 Recommended literature 3. Role of management within sales management 3. 1 Sales management 3. 2 Sales planning 3. 3 Management of forecasts 3. 4 Trade receivables management 3. 5. Customers communication managem ent 3. 6 Key terms 3. 7 Test questions 3. 8 Recommended literature 4. Role of management within financial management 1. Financial management 2. Financial planning 3. Controlling 4.Management of relations with banks 5. Costing 4. 6 Key terms 4. 7 Test questions 4. 8 Recommended literature 5. Role of management within quality and innovation management 5. 1 Quality management 5. 2 QMS models 5. 3 TQM models 5. 4. Balanced Score Card 5. 5 Innovation management 5. 6 Key terms 5. 7 Test questions 5. 8 Recommended literature 6. Role of management within team building 6. 1 Managerial team building 6. 2 Recruitment of managers 6. 3 Implementation of managers in teams 6. 4 Motivation and education 6. 5 Establishment of organizational designs 6. 6 Key terms 6. 7 Test questions . 8 Recommended literature 1. Role of management in hypercompetitive environment 1. 1 Owners and managerial strategy 1. 2 Managerial strategy and planning 1. 3 Stakeholders 1. 4 Key terms 1. 5 Test questions 1. 6 Recomme nded literature 1. 1 Owners and managerial strategy The term strategy has been frequently used in various contexts, which often leads to many misunderstandings and confusions. It originates from Greek – we can translate it as the art of a leader, general. Within business terminology it used to mean the ability to make decisions on the basis of high expertise and professionalism.However, there is another term with the same root used in English – â€Å"stratagem†. The term is generally translated as an act performed by company management within its top managerial activities. By the term strategy we mean certain scheme (process) that outlines how to achieve the set objectives under given conditions. It is a summary of steps and activities to be adopted â€Å"being aware† of partial lack of knowledge of all the future circumstance, conditions and connections, where not every possible alternative is identified, and individual advantages and disadvantages can't be determined for the purpose of future decision making.The objective is to establish adequate coordination of all the company's activities, and create unified complex of its perspectives. The strategy in small or medium enterprise should be defined in a short or mid-term horizon, not for more than 5 years ahead. Such horizon should be sufficient for medium sized enterprises. An enterprise of this size should anticipate a flexible change required by general trends. Flexibility is one of the major competitive advantages of small and medium enterprises compared to multinationals and large corporations. Thus it is not necessary to set up long term strategies, as their continuous changes are likely.The maturity of mid- and long term investment loans can be used for orientation with regards to the period of compiled strategy. In normal practice we discern owners' and managerial strategic aspects. Owners strategy is basically outlined by owners (shareholders, partners), and has a global character. The owners determine what is their mid- and long term objective. These can be for example: – financial requirements (ROE, EVA, profit, dividend, available CF etc. ), – marketing and sales aspects (market position and share, turnover etc. ), – strategic objectives (market value of the company, synergic effects etc. . Managerial strategy is based on the owners strategy, developing concrete strategic plans in order to achieve the owners' objectives. This strategy is prepared by the company management at the level of sales, marketing, financial, production, human resources or other directors. strategic objectives and strategies are identified on the basis of analyses, frequently in cooperation between the top management and owners. As mentioned before, the company management is responsible for achievement of strategic objectives, represented by the executive or general director.Controlling body can be an advisory or supervisory board of the company, or bo ard of directors, provided the board is not the management at the same time. This always depends on particular model and organizational design (structure) of the company. 1. 2 Managerial strategies and managerial planning The following steps are usually understood under the term â€Å"company strategy†: a) Description of current status by SWOT analysis. b) Determination of target status in a mid-term horizon. c) Outline of strategic objectives. d) Strategy of achievement of these objectives. ) Establishment of control mechanisms of the achievement. Strategies and strategic objectives are above all the activities and departments of the company. They are the starting point of plans and concepts of individual departments, divisions etc. The objectives of financial, sales, marketing, human resources and production have to be based on global strategy, when formulating partial plans and goals, and the short term objectives of these departments have to be modified in accordance with overall strategic objectives, which is an essential precondition of their achievement.This process is illustrated in the Figure 1-1. Figure 1-1 Illustration of the company strategy and its links to the plans of individual departments Individual strategic issues are not definitive, heir implementation in the company depends on its orientation, size, organizational design etc. It is obvious there will be no production strategy implemented in a trading company etc. Another strategies and consequent plans we may come across are innovation, quality, logistic and others. It is possible to combine certain strategies as well.Typical example for the small and medium enterprises is the amalgamation of marketing and sales strategy into one sales and marketing plan. Human resources plan in SMEs is sometimes substituted with a simpler motivation plan. Marketing strategy Marketing strategy is the basis for articulation of all the company's objectives. We may claim a successfully implemented sale s and marketing strategy is decisive for the enterprise's efficiency. Basis is the marketing mix, from which we derive the following marketing strategies: -product (product mix, life cycles, brand strategies†¦) -price (costing, pricing strategies) distribution (distribution channels mix, approach to the management of distribution conflicts) -communication (strategy of setting up internal and external communication mixes) The strategy consists of analytical and implementation parts. The analytical part describes current status, or history in all the strategic issues defined above, and together with the marketing research they are the basis for identification of strength and weaknesses, opportunities and threats – so-called SWOT analysis. The principles of marketing management of the company are defined in the marketing strategy and its implementation part.Fundamental is the marketing plan, as it includes marketing objectives, strategy of achievement and control mechanisms . Sales strategy The sales strategy is built on the marketing plan, and SWOT analysis. History of sales is described in the analytical part in the following breakdown: – product groups or individual products – customer segments, or individual customers – foreign or local territories The implementation part describes principles of sales management, and with regards to the above mentioned breakdown it includes the sales objectives to be developed further into detailed sales plans.Financial strategy It is created in the context of sales plan, with regards to the marketing research, SWOT analysis, and marketing and sales objectives. The analytical part includes history and updated summary f financial results and indicators in the structure relevant to the size and orientation of the company, and financial requirements of the owners. The implementation part consists of an overview of the required financial objectives in the horizon of several years. The achievement o f objectives is defined in the financial management policy, which is the basis for development of financial plans and budgets.The financial plan consists of balance sheet, profit and loss account, and cashflow statement. Annual budget is the basis of company's operating management. The financial strategy is a result of marketing and sales strategy. The marketing and sales plan has to come before the financial plan. This means the marketing and sales information – to who, for what price, where, in what form and with what marketing cost – has to precede the budget. Sometimes wrongly used reverse process tends to unrealistic forecasts, and may cause existential problems to the enterprise. Financial director is responsible for the financial strategy.In order to be able to prepare it credibly, the director needs timely and correct information from the marketing and sales department, at minimum in the form of sales plan. Production strategy Similarly to the previous cases th e production strategy includes analytical and implementation parts. The analytical part describes history of production, namely with regards to capacities, technologies, processes and individual sections, productivity and relation to the fulfillment of sales results. The implementation part describes how many products, in what quality ad structure, time and efficiency will be produced in the strategy's horizon.The production strategy defines overall management of the production, sometimes also the management of procurement and technologies. Its results are local production plans – basis for dispatch plans (can be included logistic or warehousing plans). The production strategy in smaller companies is usually complemented with procurement policy and investment strategy related to new technologies. The marketing and sales, and financial plans have to come before the production plan. The director of production is responsible for the production plan and strategy.This procedure ha s to be emphasized once again! In many enterprises so-called manufacturing approach survives: â€Å"The production has produced and now it's up to you – the salesman – to sell it! † Production directors and managers as the driving forces in companies are a mistake. It is not possible for the production departments to decide on the product range, price and quality. It is the customer who decides, and his decision is mediated in the company through marketing and sales department. As an example we can take the transformation of so-called Eastern bloc.High demand in former East-European countries in early nineties that often exceeded the supply of both traders and manufacturers, was a unique phenomenon, result of the transition towards market environment. Such situation is really unlikely in future. Logical consequence of company management was tremendous pressure of production and financial departments on sales – priority was HOW to produce and HOW to secure funds, WHERE to place the product or service was a secondary concern. The sales (actual sales, not the trading) were often simpler than the very manufacturing concept.Incoming multinationals and consequent growth of competition in general, stricter legislation, more cautious banks, higher pressure on quality and saturation of the market – these are the basic attributes that change the view of still frequent process: manufacture – finance – sales – marketing. The supply today exceeds the demand in most cases. Overproduction and surplus products come as a result. The enterprise capable of assessing market development and placing its products in variants, products that are sold, is more competitive and successful.The priority now is WHERE to place the product, WHAT price is the customer and the consumer willing to accept, WHAT quality is expected by the customer and the consumer, WHAT distribution channel is optimal for customers, WHAT means of communicatio n will be used to offer the product, and only then: HOW and FOR HOW MUCH to produce the required product (to ensure profit at the end of the day). The Figure 1-2 illustrates trends of supply – demand relations in eastern Europe. It means in most cases it is the customer who decides on quality, design, parameters, price and placing of the product, not the manufacturer.The manufacturing approach is thus replaced with customer-oriented, sales/marketing approach. There is gradual transfer from production-oriented marketing towards the modern marketing philosophy of customer relationship management. This process was typical for the whole period of nineteen nineties, and due to the dynamic development of market environment, relations and competition it was very intensive. Figure 1-2 The trends of supply – demand relations in Eastern Europe in 90s Human resources strategy Human resources strategy has an analytical-historic part, and implementation part, too.It consists of hum an resources policy, followed by the plan of human resources management, so-called human resources plan. The plan describes in detail recruitment system, inclusion of employees in teams, creation of organizational designs, training and motivation of the staff. Personnel (in larger companies human resources) director is responsible for its preparation. In smaller companies, where there is no post of personnel director created, the human resources strategy falls within the executive director's responsibility.In some medium marketing-oriented companies the bearer of personnel policy can be the marketing and sales director, who includes in his marketing plan the area of so-called internal marketing. Internal marketing in this case is a philosophy that treats the employees as customers – the main point being communication with the staff. They are informed of what is going on, why it is going on and what is required from them in order to ensure efficiency. In smaller companies the human resources plan is often substituted with motivation plan. The importance and sequence of managerial strategiesThere is a change of priorities and sequences of managerial going on presently. The effects of overproduction and surplus products lead to the necessity of considering the market information first – where to sell the product, under what conditions and quality. This means the marketing and sales plan is a cornerstone of further strategic planning, i. e. human resources, financial, production, quality, logistics, innovations, procurement etc. It is important to understand the planning in relation with the annual budget, as illustrated in the Figure 1-3 Figure 1-3 Strategic planning in small and medium enterprises related to annual budget . 3 Stakeholders One of the definitions of modern relations marketing talks about the tool of marketing philosophy of creation and distribution of values for targeted and identified markets – customers. Therefore correct id entification of the customer, understanding the desires, values expected from us (the enterprise), for which he is willing to pay, are the basis of any marketing approach, and the starting point for the treatment of any marketing case. Basically we recognize two types of users of our products: – customers who buy or pay for the products and services we provide, but they do not necessarily use them (e. . purchase of gift for somebody, pet food, toys for children), – consumers who use the products ad services, but they do not necessarily buy them (husband uses aftershave from his wife, children play with toys from their parents). Another possible interpretation of the term customer is provided by P. Kotler and G. Armstrong (Marketing. Grada Publishing, Praha 2004), working with the following division: – organization whose purchasing behavior includes goods and services for the manufacture of another products to be sold, rented or provided further. These are also w holesale and retail companies.They operate in so-called industrial markets, – consumers (individuals and households) that buy goods and services for their own needs, the transactions take place in so-called consumer markets. Thus every enterprise has several different groups of customers and consumers, each of which expects different values from the relationship. We may even develop this idea further, and include another parties that neither buy nor directly use the services, still influencing the enterprise's behavior. Those interested in particular company, because they can influence or be influenced by its activities (production, sponsoring, communication etc. are called involved persons, or stakeholders. In the relation marketing theory you may come across one statement – survival of an organization depends on its effective management, and wide range of involved persons. The satisfaction of the may and often conflicting interests of involved persons is a task for e very manager within an organization. Involved persons – stakeholders, and their expectations are identified in the model shown in the Table 1-1 As seen in the table, the involved persons include several groups not to be called customers in our sense; however, on the other hand we would call the customers stakeholders.The term â€Å"stakeholders† is thus considerably wider than the term â€Å"customers†. The success and managerial skill does not mean maximum satisfaction of just a part of the stakeholders, but adequate satisfaction of everybody, if possible. The word â€Å"adequate† is used on purpose, as it is almost impossible for the reason of often conflicting interests to satisfy everybody to maximum extent. Involved persons |Expectations | |Employees |Financial remuneration, satisfaction from work, sureness | |Shareholders |Growing capital, dividends | |Suppliers |Regular and paid deliveries |Customers, consumers |Quality, value | |Government |Employ ment, legislative environment, payment of taxes | |Managers |Prestige, acknowledgment, career opportunities | |Minorities |Employment without discrimination, equal approach to values | |Creditors |Payments in time, safety of investments | |Municipality |Employment, taxes | Table 1-1 Involved persons and their expectations 1. 4 Key terms Owners strategy Managerial strategy Marketing strategy Sales strategy Human resources strategy Production strategy Sales plan Marketing plan Financial plan Production plan Human resources plan Industrial market Consumer market Stakeholders Shareholders Customers Consumers SME / Small and medium enterprise 1. 5 Test questions 1. What objectives definitely belong to the owners strategy? ) achievement of the defined turnover b) achievement of higher market share c) achievement of the objectives defined in quality policy d) achievement of the defined ROE 2. What has to precede the financial plan unconditionally? a) quality management plan b) marketing r esearch c) human resources management plan d) logistic management plan 3. Who pursues the market requirements within an organization? a) production director b) sales and marketing director c) financial director d) technical director 4. B2B means to trade in: a) industrial markets b) commercial – consumer markets c) the area of employees' purchases d) the field of state contracts 1. 6 Recommended literatureHavlicek, K: Management, Role of Managers in Company Management, chapter 1 Hellriegel, D. – Jackson, E. S. – Slocum,J. W. (2005) : Management , A Comepetency-Based Approach. Thomson South-Western, Mason, chapters 1, 5, 6, 7. 2. Role of management within marketing management 2. 1 Marketing management 2. 2 Marketing policy 2. 3 Marketing researches 2. 4 Marketing planning 2. 5 Key terms 2. 6 Test questions 2. 7 Recommended literature 2. 1 Marketing management Marketing management is an essential business activity, without which no company can do, even more so if it has an ambition to export its own products, and to conquer new territories.Marketing management in CRM mode is defined as continuous process of analysis, planning, implementation and control of all the company's activities. (Source: Kotler, P. , Armstrong, G. : Marketing. Grada Publishing, Praha 2004). The goal of marketing management in a company is to satisfy business objectives of the entity or entrepreneur by satisfying the customers' requirements. K. Havlicek and M. Kasik in their publication Marketing management in small and medium enterprises (Management Press, Praha, 2005 ) created practical model of marketing management (Figure 2-1) when applying the philosophy of managed relations with customers: 2. 2. Marketing policy Each enterprise should have its marketing policy defined by the marketing director.This is a simple document that describes basic philosophy of the department, including product portfolio, customer segments, proposal of corresponding distribution, communi cation, and human resources. It should be linked to the overall strategy. The purpose of marketing policy is to provide simplified map of the main line of work of the department, what are the current customer segments, what marketing and sales activities are being prepared in the horizon of one year, who implements the current activities, how is the evaluation organized. The policy is prepared once a year, it should be in the form of a document given to every employee of the marketing and sales department, and to the company director. Marketing policy document usually includes: Organizational design of the marketing and sales department.Simple graphic chart of the organizational design is enough, where marketing director is on the top (in smaller companies marketing and sales director), followed by other team members, managers, sales representatives for domestic or foreign markets (so-called front office), sales assistants, background personnel (so-called back office), etc. Everythi ng depends on the orientation, size, and organizational design of the enterprise. It is important to highlight the relations between possible subdivisions and hierarchy, i. e. who report to whom, who is responsible for whom. It is quite easy in smaller enterprise, but tens of staff members in the marketing and sales department are not an exception, of which some are field sales people, others work in branch offices or abroad. In such a case the organizational design is very important – from both control and transparency point of view.Main product groups and territorial division of the customers This means the overall product and territorial division, and major customer segments. The product division does not have to be detailed (individual products), but it should correspond to the group structure according to sales plan, maximum ten basic product groups (depending on the scope and orientation of the products). Territorial design means the division to individual countries, or regions. Customer segments should also be divided to maximum ten categories. It should be clear who is the customer, and what product mix will we offer. It is important to include concrete personal responsibility for all the above mentioned categories in the marketing and trade policy document.Human resources status and activities Complete list of all the department's employees, their job assignments, classification within the organizational design of the team or projects of marketing and sales character, or projects of another departments and sections. It is useful to include e-mail addresses, mobile and fixed phones in the list. The fact that such document can be a major communication tool for some staff of the marketing and sales department should be taken into account. Motivation system The motivation system represents team motivation, system of evaluation aimed at departments, groups, or projects, concrete motivation instruments leading to the best performance of the staff, an d consequently to prosperity. In other words – the system of remuneration should be clear from this document, i. e. nder what conditions, when and for what, in what way and by whom the remuneration will be approved and provided. Summary of individual evaluations, or even individual incomes should definitely not make part of this public document. Communication within the department When and where regular meetings take place, in what intervals, who takes part, what source materials are required, where the minutes are archived etc. The dates of â€Å"brainstorming† meetings, workshops, project sessions, innovation committees etc. can be provided as well. Marketing department directives In case there are directives of any kind used in the department, they should be included to the marketing policy as well.These can be for example directives related to quality policy, or internal directives of the department, such as a directive on the management and administration of trade receivables. 2. 3 Marketing researches For both large companies and small and medium enterprises the continuous market research is a cornerstone of their activities. It should not relate only to a particular goal or immediate plan; its ongoing implementation and monitoring are advisable. Product life cycle gets naturally shorter in the era of growing competition. Endless flow of information on new trends, competition, groups of customers and suppliers are key of further company development.The objective of marketing research is systematic planning, collection, analysis and evaluation of the information needed for an effective solution of marketing problems. This applies to all types of organizations in general. In small and medium enterprises the research is adequate to their possibilities, but even here it is necessary to understand that sound research is a basis for other activities. This implies the necessity of system approach, i. e. to apply the research of external environmen t aimed at the following aspects (so-called STEEP analysis): – sociological, – technological, – economic, – environmental, – political. This research is crucial, namely in the case of more remote territories, market environment of which is not well known.When researching the internal competitive environment it is convenient to use factor environment analysis (so-called Porter's model of competitive environment): – number and strength of competitors, – customers, – suppliers, – substitute products, – potential competition. It depends on the purpose, type of business, size of the competitive environment, market share, power of the organization etc. The research includes collection, processing and analysis of the information, and a report has to be prepared, and maybe its results presented. To cover the information needs plan of the research can require collection of secondary data, primary data or both. The secondar y data includes information that has been already collected for a different purpose. On the contrary the primary data is collected for a specific purpose.In the first case the enterprise makes use of its databases, and open external sources (public electronic databases, associations, chambers, media etc. ). In the second case ordinary accounting and economic data from the database of deals and customers will be the source, including minutes from meetings. However, it is good to realize that the market research does not mean just some spreadsheet and statistic methods, tens of pages of various papers, and expensive agencies providing professional surveys. The very research can be simplified in the small and medium enterprises under the slogan: â€Å"Collect and use the information from the market and its surroundings†, and it is up to the managers' abilities to get the information on continuous basis.It means to keep communicating with the customer, to listen, to ask for feedb ack. It should be a precondition for the managers conducting marketing research to improve their education in this field further, to travel and learn new methods, to extend their general overview. To clinch a good deal is often not a matter of high expertise, but of general overview of politics, culture, sports, history, religion etc. Marketing department personnel should be able to absorb various kinds of information, and use and implement it further. General overview and fast work with information, as well as the ability to recognize their importance, are key criteria of recruitment of people for marketing and sales posts.Apart from the marketing research being performed on continuous basis, and the important data being archived, we obviously organize targeted research, depending on the upcoming events, which can be in the small and medium enterprises for example: – business or investment goal, – opening foreign market, – launching new product groups in the ma rket, – establishing communication with a new customer segment, – expansion of resent production – increase of production capacity. It is also recommendable to update the marketing research on regular basis, when preparing annual sales and marketing plan. As a comprehensive document it should include an opening page and provide reasons why it has been conducted, information on the date and person, or contact to cooperating agency. Sales and marketing directors should be in charge of all the researches, not just relying on heir subordinates to do the work.The activities relate to significant, often sensitive data, which may be possibly carried away to a new employment. Successors usually start working on these data, which often represents the only document that provides characteristics of the product, customer segment and particular customers. At the level of small and medium enterprises it is useful when such research is performed by individual experts supervise d by their manager, or directly by the marketing and sales director. This means the sales people who will be directly responsible for the researched segment or territory. Sales and marketing departments in SMEs usually do not dispose of a team of market research specialists, which is rather advantage.The research can be very well evaluated by the commercial success or failure of the responsible sales person, in comparably short time. However, this required good skills of the sales people. Apart from usual business skills and sales psychology training these people (often sales representatives) should be regularly trained in the basis of marketing in order to understand mutual connections of marketing, trade and communication. Marketing research is a necessary source document for the marketing and sales plan. 2. 4 Marketing planning Marketing plan belongs to basic pillars and documents needed for a successful management of the whole enterprise.Within SMEs, where we discern sales and m arketing management, the sales plan is often part of the marketing plan, called marketing and sales plan. The sales and marketing parts of the plan are still independent, mutually connected documents, use of which can be: – (A) Annual, as a fundamental document for the management of marketing and sales department. – (B) Individual, as one of the basic documents for various activities and fields, for example: – business or investment goals, – opening of new foreign markets, – launching activities in new regional territories, – launching of new products in the market, – restructuring of enterprises.Marketing plan comes before financial plan, production plan, and human resources plan. Marketing plan is developed by the whole sales and marketing team, finalized by the marketing and sales director, who submits it to the enterprise's director and bears responsibility. Marketing plan has to comply with the selected sales and marketing policy , and to be based on the whole company's strategy. Within the time sequence of individual plans it is always on the first place, i. e. being developed in September – October of previous year. It is linked to marketing research, good quality of which is fundamental for the success or failure of the marketing and sales plan. The marketing plan (Figure 2-2) includes: SWOT analysis of the enterprise, – department (whole company) objectives, – strategy of achievement, – control mechanism of (assessment) achievement. Figure 2-2 Process of creation of marketing plan SWOT analysis To evaluate the result of enterprise's or its department's activities the frequently used and well-known analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats – SWOT is used. The strengths are compared with opportunities (creative thinking), and the weaknesses with threats and potential risk (basis for risk analysis). SWOT analysis in general is considered to be a very imp ortant strategic tool, which exceeds the framework of marketing.It provides information from the viewpoint of customer relationship management on what works (and what doesn't work), and on the changes in the interface between us and our customers. It is obvious we usually prepare SWOT analysis on the basis of previous research of external and competitive environment. The basis for SWOT analysis has to be thorough prior marketing research, otherwise we will not be able to compare our strengths and weaknesses, neither to define the opportunities and threats. Another danger of SWOT analysis is frequently a long list of wishes and limitations that remain the same for years. That is why it is important to focus on areas we can manage and influence.We use SWOT analysis not only as a necessary part of marketing plans, but also when evaluating personnel, annual reports and the like. Every salesperson and marketing staff member shall know the SWOT analysis and be able to make use of it withi n trading negotiations. The point s not to make too detailed analyses, 3 – 6 apt facts are enough for each area, expressed in the form of easily remembered slogans. The purpose of marketing plan should be considered. In case it is a regular document (see A) annually prepared for the company management, it is a description of status, opportunities and threats of the marketing and sales department, or the whole enterprise (in smaller companies).In case of plans prepared for certain event (see B) the SWOT analysis relates to one activity only, it is a partial or professional SWOT analysis, which is used for the decision on how and whether to perform the activity. SWOT analysis should be brief (three to five points to every issue), communicated to the whole sales team, which should possibly participate in its preparation. It is not just a basis for next decisions in the sense of feasibility of the set objectives and consequent method of their achievement, but also a good basis fo r negotiations of sales people with partners. Knowledge of the weaknesses and strengths, opportunities and threats of the enterprise due to its environment should be a matter of course for the whole company management.Strengths generate opportunities, some of which may even become objectives, on the contrary the weaknesses can lead to threats come true, and represent a basis for risk analysis. As well as the whole marketing plan the SWOT analysis should be created by team, while the final version and expressions are task for marketing and sales director. The very form of SWOT analysis within marketing plan can be one page, graphically clear matrix. Following the SWOT analysis we define the export department's or company's objectives. To systemize these factors a simple form is used (Table 2-1). SWOT analysis of a food processing company is provided as an example. | | |COMPANY STRENGTHS: |OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MARKET: | |– team of specialists in the company's |– new cus tomers recruited among chain | |management |stores | |excellent safe input material |– new product range – finished | |– well established network of supplied |food for the existing customers | |entities |– CR in EU – new customers | |– modern technological background | | |– wide assortment of products | | | | | | | | |COMPANY WEAKNESSES: |THREATS FROM THE MARKET: | |– language barriers |– strong competition in the market of | |– communication within the company, and |foodstuff suppliers | |towards external customers |– foreign competition | |– no product certified as â€Å"TOP product† |due to Czech Republic in EU | |– efficient approach to sales promotion |– orientation of multinational chains to | |missing |the products of their home countries | Table 2-1 Example of SWOT analysis of a food processing company Marketing objectives When defining the objectives we again di fferentiate between the plan as a managerial document (see A), or a plan of implementation of particular project (see B). In both cases the objectives should comply with several parameters, initials of which gave the method of their setting its name – SMART. They should be: – Specific (repeatability), – Measurable (turnover, margin, customers numbers), Achievable (in accordance with the enterprise's objectives), – Realistic (possibilities of the enterprise, market capacity), – Time (realistic delivery terms, possible to control). The objectives are based on SWOT analysis, i. e. on actual possibilities and opportunities of the enterprise. It should not be difficult to set objectives using SMART method, provided the marketing research was performed well, or carefully updated. It is definitely not correct to go deliberately for high targets with the idea they do not have to be really achieved, but still we will have some good results. The proverb â₠¬Å"if you want to go high, you have to aim even higher† does not apply here.It is recommendable to â€Å"stand on the ground† and create safe buffer, while keeping necessary and expected efficiency. It is because motivation plan is linked to the objectives, which would otherwise not make sense – unreal objectives would be rather de-motivating. It is not exceptional that the motivation plan is not related to the achievement, but exceeding the target, which once again confirms the need to set the objectives in a realistic manner. In the first case (A) we set the objectives for one year ahead, maximum of ten easy to remember and measurable objectives are recommended. Considering joint sales / marketing plan, its first objective should be to fulfill the sales (commercial) plan.Other objectives can come from a wide range of marketing activities, depending on the company's focus, financial possibilities and realistic ambitions in the upcoming year. In the second case ( B) fewer objectives are recommended (maximum five). Here the objectives logically relate to a project to be implemented. As one of the first objectives it is advised to set the fulfillment of sales plan for specific project or territory, to which the whole plan refers. Other objectives can be for example aimed at winning certain number of customers, penetrating specific territories, organization of foreign trade fairs, implementation of particular reference deal, launch of a new product etc.It is not the most convenient in small and medium enterprises to set objectives related to achieved percentage of market share, for example to increase the share by x%, because the market share of small entities is hard to measure, and there is not necessarily a possibility of credible verification of its achievement, and the motivation for these objectives is not easy either, as it is not an exception to obtain quite different data on our market share. Specific marketing objectives in individual markets can be expressed as: – given desirable volume of sales, – financial indicators – achieved profit, return on investment, – customers relationship – increase of spontaneous awareness of the brand within the target group, increase of customers' loyalty.The objectives should fulfill the above mentioned SMART criteria, they have to comply with main company goals, and geographically outlined. Organization of active marketing is quite costly even in domestic markets, and definitely more in foreign markets. Therefore it is necessary to set the amount of anticipated income and revenue for the planned period. The work on formulation of department's or company's objectives should be a task for the whole sales and marketing team. Every participant should be able to complete and substantiate own sales plan, depending on the knowledge, market research, last years' results, skills and experience, and factual data, and provide adequate reasons.This is ano ther reason why a specialist shall perform the marketing research, which consequently addresses the specified segment, or implements the selected product in the territory. The form of objectives: – it is sufficient to describe the chosen objectives in pregnant terms (one page document), – it is necessary to mention who is responsible for the achievement (name, position), – deadline has to be provided with each objective (specific date). Strategy of achievement of objectives The strategy of achievement of the set objectives describes how we shall implement them. In a sense it is a small business plan, â€Å"timetable† of HOW we want to achieve the set objectives.It is the most important part of marketing activity in the company, where creative, analytical and theoretical skills have to be combined, as the method of execution of the set task has its own system and order. When planning the strategy of achievement of objectives it is necessary to select the p rocedure that not only complies with the character of our business, but also covers the whole marketing area. It is convenient to use 4P or 4C marketing mix. Every step we are going to implement has to be compared back to the company's possibilities in financial, marketing, personnel, and production sense; sometimes the compliance with quality policy is verified.That is why the team work with financial manager (or quality manager)is good for development of the strategy, it is proper to involve production managers who should create feedback to production and capacity conditions, and give the sales and marketing strategy adequate direction. This process is not in conflict with the previous principle of pressure on production and preferential position of marketing in the sense of product decision making. In case of a dispute the production shall not have veto right, as this should be the power of company's director to decide on further procedure, based on the views from marketing and s ales, finance and production.However, this does not mean that the salespeople will not consult the strategy with financial and production managers. It is considered ideal situation, when there are variants emerging during discussions, acceptable for all parties. One should always be aware of the human resources opportunities of the department, which does not relate strictly to financial matters. Even if we have sufficient resources in budget to pay new salespeople, we do not necessarily find them in the market, and we may thus sacrifice the objectives. Following the above-mentioned, the qualification of sales and marketing staff should not be limited to expertise and general knowledge, they should be able to provide sound arguments and negotiate within internal discussions as well.For this purpose they have to know the company's environment, capacities and possibilities. Major advantage is their basic knowledge of financial terms, which means at least the ability to read the budget, and defend their sales and marketing procedures properly. Figure 2-3 illustrates possible process of defining the strategies of achievement of objectives. This can obviously vary depending on the focus, size and goals of the enterprise. Figure 2-3 Possible process of defining the strategies of achievement of objectives 2. 5 Key terms Marketing management Marketing policy Marketing director Qualitative marketing research Quantitative marketing research Marketing planning Far environment Near environmentInternal environment Product group Product range Pricing policy Pricing strategy Distribution strategy Marketing targets Communication mix Customer segment 2. 6 Test questions 1. SWOT analysis is a basis for: a) marketing research b) managerial plans (sales, marketing, financial) c) establishment of company information system d) company's annual report 2. Enterprise can't control in any significant way the factors defined in: a) STEEP analysis b) SWOT analysis c) Porter's analysis d) customers analysis 3. Questionnaire survey is a part of: a) quantitative marketing research b) qualitative marketing research c) risk analysis d) analysis of strengths 4. CRM is: ) the highest level of marketing management b) database file c) information system d) credit customer system 2. 7 Recommended literature : Havlicek, K : Management, Role of Managers in Company Management, chapter 2. Hellriegel, D. – Jackson, E. S. – Slocum,J. W. (2005) : Management , A Comepetency-Based Approach. Thomson South-Western, Mason, chapters 3, 5, 16 3. Role of management within sales management 3. 1 Sales management 3. 2 Management and development of sales plans 3. 3 Management of forecasts 3. 4 Trade receivables management 3. 5. Customers communication management 3. 6 Key terms 3. 7 Test questions 3. 8 Recommended literature 3. 1 Sales managementSales management is linked to the marketing strategy, in many respects complementing the marketing management. It is often quite difficult in SMEs to tell the boundary between marketing and sales management. In any case, it is not possible to simplify the very sales activities only to the purchase – sales level. For example the management of forecasts and receivables belongs to major managerial activities that exceed the borders of sales significantly, being of crucial importance for the company. Karel Havlicek in his publication Marketing management of foreign trade (Eupress, 2006) summed up the basic aspects of sales management to the following four areas ( Figure 3-1 ) : 3. Management and development of sales plans The sales plan is an essential document for the sales department; in smaller companies, where there are mostly joint sales / marketing departments, it is also a part of marketing plan. That is why it is convenient to incorporate the objectives of sales plan in the objectives of marketing department. This fact of rather technical character does not change a word said about the sales plan being cruc ial for the budget, strategic document that has to comply with certain requirements. Some enterprises, mainly the smaller ones, often ignore the marketing plan, and use only sales plan for commercial management.From short-term viewpoint this is possible, but it can't be effective in a long run, as the enterprise is going to lose contact with market reality sooner or later. Such plan is then more or less routinely re-written every year, some per cent added or subtracted here and there according to the current view of sales people. Innovation impulses are missing, as well as new trends and feedback, the control over competition is lost, communication with customers chaotic, distribution without concept, and prices frequently at random, i. e. according to what the customer asks, regardless of the overall market and company situation, not to speak about the prolongation of development trends.In these circumstances the staff can be hardly motivated, and the discussions concerning sales p lan figures are difficult. Sales people are not continuously forced to collect new information (which they may like at times), and they lose so important arguments for business negotiations, they have problems describing major competitive advantage of the company, and they face difficulties when defending it against competing offers. It is up to the personality of marketing and sales director and general director to be consistent when requiring the preparation of marketing and sales plans, be it very simple documents of few pages. Absence of such policy is mostly due to the fact that company directors don't know how to apply it.This â€Å"lack of knowledge† is being argued: â€Å"we have never needed that, we have read the market for a long time, everything has worked fine so far, you are making up useless things†¦Ã¢â‚¬  etc. It is one of serious mistakes and managerial faults to be rigorously eliminated. In case the sales plan makes part of annual budget it should be developed for one year ahead (submitted in October the previous year), divided in months and quarters. In case of export activities it is correct for every conquered territory to have its own sales plan, even very simple one. This brings the possibility of easy monitoring of every market by assigning overhead and personnel cost to each territory, and working actively with the price map. Complete sales plan is then total of all the territories, or other monitored groups.Overall sales plan for foreign markets is usually divided by: – product groups (sometimes we talk about commodities, or product lines), – customer segments or specific major customers (in mix by the product groups and territories), – territories (every foreign territory separately, individual regions can be sub-groups), Detailed sales plan can include other sub-categories, as well as some plans can ignore certain above mentioned points of interest. It is definitely useful to divide the plan at lea st in two categories, and cross-compare the results and forecasts (see below). This is good for the management of forecasts, and this way we compel the sales people to think about the plan and the prognoses. Sometimes the plan is complemented with â€Å"by sales people† or other category. is logical that the end and total monthly figures have to be equal in the individual categories. From these data we can tell immediately where a major difference occurs, and what should be our focus. For example – if we plan smoothly by product groups, but there are problems with planning and formulation of expectations by customer groups, it means we have a good overall picture of the market, but the work with individual groups of customers and relevant prognosis is difficult. In other words the communication between us and the customer is not exactly perfect one, which can lead to losing them over time. This means we need to respond and look for a remedial measure.Another important aspect of the division is the immediate overview of individual market segments, as we can measure their trends and performance in these segments, and following the data we can develop further marketing activities. These obviously vary depending on the groups and segments, often in all the marketing mix aspects. Sales plan indicators Major indicators of sales plan are turnover, sales, or own output. This indicator is always provided in one measurable currency – CZK, EUR or other. The data regarding measuring units can be also included in the sales plan; they are significant, but not crucial. It can be a major mistake, when some companies use as their main sales plan indicator such measuring units as number of pieces sold, square meters, tons etc.The control gets more complicated, as measuring unit can change its price in a short time, but most importantly – we can't measure immediate efficiency. The fact that more tons are sold does not mean increasing turnover or outpu t. Sometimes other indicators are measured, such as margin, but once again – it should be measured as a sub-category, and evaluated on continuous basis. This indicator is important namely for trading companies, where the turnover may grow and plan be achieved, but at the expense of lower margin, which can influence the whole company's economy at certain stage. It is necessary to adopt strategic measures in time. How to develop a sales plan? When compiling a sales plan, we most often utilize mixture of the following primary and secondary methods:Data from previous periods This is the most simple and available method, by which we track our sales results in given product groups, territories and customer segments in previous periods. In case we have been in the market for a longer time, we follow trends in specific categories, overall turnover figures, the margin and seasonal trends. Such information is definitely important for the development of plans, but not crucial. The preco ndition here is we've already made business in the territory. Market research from the viewpoint of competitive and external environment The basis is continuous or specific research of a foreign market, which is described in previous chapters.Apart from other data we are interested in the sales of our competition, trends and purchasing behavior of our customers, price policy of our suppliers, the threat of substitute products, capacity of foreign markets etc. In more remote territories we would track sociological, technological, economic, environmental, or political factors. The market information collected during marketing research of external and competitive environment is usually the most important basis for correct estimation of revenues. Professional intuition, experience and market estimates This is rather complementary method of estimation of revenues, which is nevertheless very valuable. Only the experienced sales staff can afford this, capable to foresee the behavior of con sumers in selected markets.Foreign traders who operate in foreign territories on our behalf, and know the purchasing behavior of local population very well, can serve as an example. These experienced managers are priceless, but even here we need to think of their estimates and intuition, prognoses and forecasts as a complementary factor for plan development. Form, reporting and approval of the sales plan The sales plan has to be well arranged with regards to given period – usually prepared for individual months. The best would be to fit it within one page for the sake of good orientation. Budget, forecast (see below) and reality columns should be included. Differences have to be regularly monitored and evaluated. The sales plans of individual sales persons should be regularly (usually once a week) reported (e. g. lectronically via the company's information system) to the marketing and sales director, and made part of regular meetings of the marketing and sales department, or export department. Total annual sales plan is a work f the whole export team, marketing and sales director is responsible for its completion on the basis of individual plans. Individual sales persons are responsible for their partial sales plans. It is the task for marketing and sales director to evaluate each individual plan objectively, to provide a healthy opponency and cooperate on the final figure, which can be either the revenue, turnover, or margin. The sales persons bear absolute responsibility, and their motivation aspects are derived from the plan.It is recommended to set motivation bonuses for exceeding the plan, as the financial budget should be built on basic salary and fulfillment of the sales plan, or achievement of economic result. This means bonus shall be paid on the basis of exceeding the plan in certain ratio determined by the company's management, with a reserve for marketing and sales directors (following the logic: exceeding the sales plan = exceeding the tota l economic result). 3. 3. Management of forecasts The importance of management of forecasts is bigger than generally perceived, and it goes far beyond the framework of marketing and sales department. The term â€Å"forecast† is used in foreign companies in the meaning of â€Å"estimate†. Other used terms are â€Å"sales prognosis†, or â€Å"expectancy†.Foreign companies have learned to use the forecasts as an essential managerial act – basis for the whole company's strategy . There is some lack of willingness of sales persons and managers regarding forecasts in our country. It is a strategic mistake, which should be avoided by marketing and sales directors. This insufficient willingness is more or less due to the fact that the sales people don't know how to prepare the forecasts, or how to estimate the purchasing behavior of their customers, and sales of their products in the horizon of few upcoming months. But first let's have a look at the sequen ce and importance of the management of forecasts.Sales person submits and substantiates the following data within the sales plan development: a) sales plan – usually one year ahead, by months (territories, segments or product groups), b) continuous forecasts – always several months ahead, prepared every month (tracking the differences between the plan and forecasts), c) reality – i. e. actual result by months (tracking how the reality differs from budget and continuous forecasts). Importance of the management of forecasts We prepare the forecasts usually every month, always for 3-6 months ahead, i. e. in January for Jan-Jun period (six-month prognosis), in April for Apr-Sep period, in November for Nov-Apr period (in this case we overlap in two sales plans – of the current and following year), etc.We see the importance of management of forecasts in the following aspects: 1. We monitor the differences from budget sales plan By continuous monitoring of the t rends and preparing prognoses (e. g. sic months ahead) we track the differences between actual and budget figures, i. e. the effects on budget economic result. There are basically three options: – Continuous forecasts do not vary from the budget – it means we have prepared the budget very precisely, there will be likely no effects on the economic result. – Forecasts are higher than the budget – it means our revenues will be probably higher than the budget expects, which may leads to many positive effects, but possible negatives should be considered.These can include higher receivables due to larger volume of sales, and consequently possible need to supply external resources to cover operating capital, which is not necessarily a matter of short time (guarantees). Moreover, the overdue receivables may grow, which is another complication when supplying external bank resources. However, there can be a reverse effect, i. e. cash surplus, which is obviously a p ositive. Even in such a case it s good to know in advance, as we can cancel loans, change funding or develop another investment project, where the resources can be used. This is a matter of several months, therefore continuous information on higher forecasts in the horizon of months is very important for us. Continuous forecasts are lower than the budget – undoubtedly negative message, in such situation the economic result is at stake, sometimes even general company's existence. Here the timely indication in the form of six-month advance is twice as important, as it is necessary to adopt immediate measures. These may include an application for external resources, which is a matter of several weeks, or even months in banks. These may also be considerable cost cuts, such as layoffs, which is once again a matter of months (considering the compensations and notice periods). 2. We force the sales people to collect market information and communicate with customersThis is another ve ry significant aspect of both marketing and psychological importance. It requires prognoses in six-month advance (there are companies, namely multinationals, which require even annual forecasts with monthly breakdown). This means the sales people have to collect new, updated information on regular basis, i. e. to work with the market. On