Management

            This involves the interconnecting of functions which includes the organization, creation of business policy, planning scheming as well as directing the organizations resources. This task of management in an organization aims at getting the best outcome from the resources in the business which involves even the human resource and ensuring that the results of this management are valuable. Management is concerned with the exploitation and manipulation of the financial, human, technological and the natural resources so as to attain the goal (Pillai 2011).

            Effective management involves the employment of a wide variety of skills where each of the skillfulness compliments the other. Therefore the core goal of every manager is to ensure that they develop and sustain all the various skills so as to enable the team of employees to meet their objectives and also to be effective and efficient (Pillai 2011).

            One of the core qualities of an effective manager is the ability to understand the way the employees and the entire team work so as to be able to create a good working relationship. This will enhance the team to be quick in performing and producing good results (Pillai 2011). A manager should also be able to strike a balance when choosing his/ her team of employees so as to ensure that different perspectives, abilities and personalities are well represented for efficient team performance.

            Motivation of the employees is another management skill that is important while managing a team. Managers who are able to motivate themselves and also their team end up giving the best results. As the managers get to know the personal lives of the employees, they are able to motivate them as well as get feedback from them.

            Good communication skills are also good qualities of a manager. This enhances the managers to keep their managers well informed and updated so as to ensure that they are able to perform efficiently in the business (Pillai 2011). This allows proper delegation of tasks to the employees within the organization and this enables the manager to see that the task is well done and at the right time.

            Favoritism is one of the bad qualities of any manager and it leads to failure of the management task. It is important for any manager to create a good relationship between the manager and the employees but when it comes to business a separation between individual friendship and the business.

            Indecisiveness is another bad quality of a manager where the manager fails to analyze and re-analyze situations in the business so as to predict the end result. They therefore regard every idea as good and implement it without weighing the advantages and disadvantages.

            A quality of a manager varies from one organization to another. This is because each organization has different objectives and policies; however the core qualities are similar all over the organizations. Some organizations have a different motivation program and thus this quality is not carried out by the manager in an extensive way but rather a selective way.

            According to the management quiz I agree with their results since management is rather not a one person success but the success of the team. This is essential as the manager is not only a manager but rather a leader and hence he should ensure that the task is done well (Paul 2013). Open minded working flexibility is important in the organization as it will ensure that an engaging environment is provided alongside ones co-workers.

References

Paul. S. (2013).What’s your management style? Retrieved from.

            http://playbook.amanet.org/ama-quiz-whats-your-management-style/

Pillai, K. (2011). Essence of a manager. Berlin: Springer.

Management style

One major question that can be encountered in this section is being required to state and explain what your management style is. This question might seem awkward but it should be answered in a way that shows that given a chance you can be a real leader who is veracious for the group and again ensure to avoid sounding too meek. One main secret here is being confident and deprived of being arrogant.

To get it right for this question starts by setting the constraints of how virtuous management ought to be adjudicated. This will come by first explaining what you believe makes a strong manager so that the possibility of all things an administrator could probably be is pointed down a little (Freedman, 2009). This will ensure that the interrogator and you are on the same page on how to evaluate the view you are about to give. Some of the qualities that make a strong manager are giving clear directions wherever they are required. A manager is also required to be a pretty remote person who is always ready and accessible to offer direction.

After outlining what the qualities of a good manager is and stated that it is who you are typically. You can go an extra mile in giving what you can do beyond the qualities required of a manager. This is the quality that you think makes you an exceptional manager like going out with to make sure you are updated on when your team needs help. This means much care on what the workers are doing both in their overall job gratification and their mental well-being (Benfari, 2013). This topic can be supercilious and hence you can consider giving the interviewer an evidence of your management prowess by giving a brief story that demonstrates the qualities you described.

Some other qualities that a manager got to have is the key factor of being results oriented. Every business has results that that they are working towards and will find all means possible from management to every corner to ensure that the goal is attained (Benfari 2013). The management style of a good manager will include goal orientation where he always will be motivated towards reaching their objectives. The manger must be proud of their achievements, naturally competitive, more ambitious which leads to obtaining goals that surpass standards and break records in being the best. Ability to delegate and to lead alongside assertiveness are also key in making a good manager (Freedman, 2009).

In answering the same question of management style you should also highlight some traits that would like to avoid when working. One of traits may include unpredictable mood swings that would make you unapproachable (Benfari 2013). This will also make the workers to lose trust in you because they are not sure of what to expect from you as their boss hence making communication innovation and their engagement suffer. Telling people what to do might also be another source of inconveniencing their attitude and hence it would be prudent to a great manager by involving people in decision and improvement making.

With reference to the management question I would agree that there is need for this good qualities to ensure the success of the `whole team of workers. This good qualities are to be used in all fields, a good manager should always be good with all the traits regardless of the prevailing situations. These qualities are what define the management style of any manager in whichever field he or she wishes to manage.

References

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Benfari, R. (2013). Understanding and changing your management style: Assessments and tools for self-development.

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Freedman, H. (2009). How to Get a Job in a Recession. United Kingdom: Infinite Ideas.

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Job analysis

            The reason as to why Starbucks has a good recruitment process is because their workers are important to the company’s success. The employees can build or break the company, thus if a customer has a good connection with the worker, the customer will come back for the service.   If the connection between them is negative, the customer will probably go for good.  That is the main reason as to why Starbucks recruit and hire the right people, train them well, encourage them to do their best and motivate them to stay in the company (DeCenzo, David, Stephen, Robbins &Verhulst, 37).

            Attracting talented employees includes recruiting qualified individuals and the selection of those who can fit the firm’s needs.  Development of the company needs both the employee point of reference and the training and advancing the knowledge of the current workers.  For making a human resource management plan, the organization’s managers are very aware of the jobs that the organization needs to be done. They plan the information about any job by having a job analysis to recognize jobs, accountabilities and the skills that it have.  When done with analyzing these jobs in the organization, the Human resource managers must prospect the future needs of the hiring process (DeCenzo, David, Stephen, Robbins &Verhulst, 37). 

            The hiring process in Starbucks was well done as there are three reasons as to why the organization needs the prospect of the hiring process. The HR managers first identify the resources that are currently available in the firm, they them prospect the needs of the human resources that can be made to accomplish the firm’s organization and the mission.  For instance, Starbucks might realize that they need many new employees to work in their stores.  After analyzing the dissimilarity sandwiched between deliver and the expectations require, the HR directors must make up tactics for balancing the needs of the organization.  Based on the information given on the recruitment of original workers and the types of positions to be crammed, the HR executive then makes up a plan for hiring likely workers.  Employing or hiring is the course of identifying potential individuals and motivating them to be relevant for aperture in the association.  The first tread in the recruitment is to identify the capable applicants (Schuler &Randall, 280). 

            The candidate must be intelligent to carry out specific tasks in the occupation analysis and must have ability, familiarity of the duties that are described in the job specification. The Starbucks Company wants to recruit a person who possesses a certain image, the person who has qualities such as a good attitude, a go-getter and a team player.  For the company to have people who satisfies certain principles, the organization looks into the inside and outside of the organization.  Hiring inside have a positive sign to the workers that they can move up in the company and this creates a huge motivation device and a compensation for instance in Starbucks. As the interior candidate is well known in the company, thus the managers can as well predict their performance (Schuler &Randall, 281). 

Hiring outside the company will also give the company a chance to create fresh ideas and the aptitudes into the Starbucks Company.  Thus the Entry- Level jobs have to be filled from outside the organization.  Before having any notifications of a Starbucks hiring process, the candidates must first give their personal information, work history and their references.  After the HR mangers review that information, the candidates are notified for the interviews.  The questions that are asked to the candidates during the hiring, is about the knowledge of the company about the past experience in the coffee shop industry (Schuler &Randall, 286). 

Work cited

DeCenzo, David A, Stephen P. Robbins, and Susan L. Verhulst. Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. , 2015. Print.

Schuler, Randall S. Managing Human Resources. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Pub, 1998. Print.

The One-Drop Rule, Jim Crow, and Racial Politics 

Outline

Introduction

Racial discrimination has undermined social equity in Canada. The non-natives such as the blacks and Europeans have suffered and therefore there is need for social improvement.

Thesis

Basing my argument on social and racial equality, this paper will detail concrete reasons why Canada should adopt the One Drop Rule as an approach to tackle inequality issues currently facing Canada as a state.

Paragraph 1

A brief historical background of the One Drop Rule

Paragraph 2

Why Canada need this rule in combating racial discrimination

Paragraph 3

Tracing the effects of this policy in the United States

Paragraph 4

The One Drop Rule will make the Canadians to appreciate their multicultural state

Paragraph 5

One Drop Rule would help in giving the Canadians an identity which would give them a sense of self-worth and personal dignity.

Paragraph 6

The One Drop Rule will also contribute to the concept of color blindness to the Canadians just it is to the Americans.

Paragraph 7

The One Drop Rule will also help in distinguishing between cultural traits and racial traits.

Paragraph 8

The One Drop Rule would promote assimilation majorly for the physically visible groups other than the blacks

Conclusion

Canada should therefore adopt the One Drop Rule

Introduction

For the purpose of the paper, I have settled on as one of the challenges facing Canada, which is race inequality. Even though in today’s Canada there exist legal protection of the victims who suffer abuse in the hand of racial prejudice, there still exists inequality in the country based on race. Racial inequality is defined as an imbalance of power, opportunity and economic resources in a country. In a recent study, for example, it was examined that black people are three times more likely to be carded by the police regardless of where they live in the capital city. The racial discrimination in the level of financial independences is not only common among the blacks but also with the other immigrant races from Asia and Caribbean in Canada (Currie, 2013: 393). The immigrants are vulnerable to poverty for a variety of reasons such as the low educational attainment, poor in the commonly spoken languages in Canada and poor, small work experience. Basing my argument on social and racial equality, this paper will detail concrete reasons why Canada should adopt the One Drop Rule as an approach to tackle inequality issues currently facing Canada as a state.

Following the racial classification in the United States of America, it took another format in 930 (COOPER, 2008: 6). Racial uncertainty and classification boundaries were further defined through a policy known as The One Drop Rule. This is a social and legal principle that was incorporated in the racial classification which asserts that every person who is attached to an ancestry of the Sub-Saharan African society would be considered black or Negro. The classification was prominent in the United States but later evolved in the 19^th and got adopted in other states like UK (SWEET, 2000: 443). Digging a little bit deeper to the historical background of the One Drop Rule, the policy was put to distinguish a generation of people with mixed up colors. The mix-up came as a result of interracial relationships between people of different races such as the whites, Africans, Indians as well as the Europeans. The generation was generally accepted in the majority culture just through the general appearance without considering the ancestral background of the person. The One Drop policy had a significant impact concerning racial equality because it marked a new approach to how different races are handled. People came to appreciate diversity as a result hence making a tremendous move towards the reduction of racial discrimination.

First, Canada should adopt this policy for the purpose of bringing to an end the issue of racial discrimination. Though racial inequality is not currently witnessed in naked eyes, racial discrimination still exists in Canada. United States is known for having done a racial mess but from the history to the current state, Canada has been worse. With all the consequences that accompany the racial inequity issue, Canada has therefore become a victim of the discrimination issue. A survey conducted recently by the human recourses show that a significant percentage of Canadians get discriminated over various issue including gender deference, sexual orientation and race[1]. From a speech delivered by the vice president of the human resources confirms that despite Canada having the best human rights laws that prohibit discrimination, the country has a huge task to handle in eliminating discrimination of its citizens. Most of the racial discrimination acts include the denial of privileges in the work place, unfair rulings in the court of law as well as denial of civil rights that ought to be enjoyed by every Canadian regardless of their race.

The impacts of introducing the One Drop Rule are substantial considering the impacts it had to the United States. The new policy introduced in 1830 was associated with two remarkable related effects to the racial classification (COOPER, 2008: 10). First, it erased the racial boundary between the whites and the blacks on the basis of color differences. The use of the Negro term when referring to the blacks reduced by a considerable rate because the clear line between the blacks and the whites was done with. The social legitimacy faced drastically hence improvement of the social equality concept (SWEET, 2000: 443).

Secondly, the One Drop Rule will make the Canadians to appreciate their multicultural state. With the reduced supremacy of the whites on color basis, Canada will be able to appreciate different cultures and base their view of intelligence and worthiness on personalities rather than color (SWEET, 2000: 443). Borrowing from the United States, the One Drop Rule would break ethnic boundaries just as America has done by choosing biracial president Barack Obama. Racial relations have significantly changed and commentators have recently argued the position of president Barack Obama will cause a fundamental change to race relations. There are other biracial celebrities and philosophers in the united state such as Tiger Woods and Halle Berry who have lead the states in the most admirable way. Canada should therefore embrace this policy as a step towards totally discarding the issue of racial discrimination.

One Drop Rule would help in giving the Canadians an identity which would give them a sense of self-worth and personal dignity. The policy would help people to appreciate who they are and the duties they are assigned in their respective fields (COOPER, 2008: 52). Canada is already a multicultural state and mixed-up offspring may end up losing their cultural identity. With the new borrowed policy, Canada is significantly going to have strong people who know their background. Having a sense of identity is important specifically to the Canadians. First, it allows individuals to stand out and fight for their rights. On this note, it is important to know that most people get discriminated over issues that can be solved when individuals stand out. This shall allow the different cultural groups to fit into the dominant group of the whites in Canada.

The One Drop Rule will also contribute to the concept of color blindness to the Canadians just it is to the Americans. As soon as the citizens understand their racial identity, the confidence of being dominance as an entity to the political or social system gets eliminated. For instance, the standing in for president Barack Obama proved that dominance has nothing to do with leadership qualities of a person States (Kemmelmeier & Chavez, 2014: 137). This however will call the minority ethnic groups to boldly stand to in the political and social entities. The color blind concept shall help the Canadians to choose their leaders on the basis of intelligence rather than skin color or being in the majority teams. This will therefore be a remarkable move in bring racial discrimination to an end.

The One Drop Rule will also help in distinguishing between cultural traits and racial traits. These two traits have mistakenly interchanged majorly in Canada when it comes to the need to understand anthropology. Race classifies all human beings based on the traits normally physical that are conveyed by genes and not by blood (Currie, 2013: 398). Culture on the other hand refers to a pattern or a behavior that passes from one person to another through socialization. It is a learnt trait and anyone can adopt because it is not dependent on blood. Culture gives people an identity that brings them closer together. From the brief distinction of culture and race, it is clear that Canada consist of a homogenous culture of Canadians who come from different races. The One Drop Rule therefore confirms that the diverse racial differences are just but from the basis of blood but all Canadians share the same cultur[2]e (Currie, 2013: 401).

The One Drop Rule would promote assimilation majorly for the physically visible groups other than the blacks (COOPER, 2008: 6). There are many Europeans immigrants in the United States who have found themselves at the top after climbing the ladder in all dimensions of life. This is much contributed by intermarriages and relationships that occur in a multi-cultural society leading to a cultural and social assimilation[3]. However, the assimilation might be slow in Canada but it can advance just as the United States has moved. Young people are therefore free to intermarry with knowledge of exactly who they are marrying without making assumptions on racial identity. The One Drop Rule is more accurate since it incorporates the use of DNAs for racial identification.

In general, the One Drop Rule shall help the Canadians to let go the perception racial difference is only based on color. Racial discrimination due to color difference therefore shall lose meaning in Canada. The One Drop Rule will help in reducing discriminative pressure on the blacks because it shall bring the Canadians to realization that there exist other races other rather than focusing on the blacks. There is much potential in biracial Canadians who are very intelligent though their thoughts are disregarded. However, the One Drop policy will expose very prominent people who are biracial (Currie, 2013: 393). Their success will be a challenge to the natives who still value the sovereignty of the whites.

In conclusion, the proposal of the One Drop Rule into the Canadian constitution will have a diverse impact on the social, cultural and racial perspectives. This will assist in restoring a discriminative free society whereby people will appreciate themselves as well as appreciate others. Borrowing from the United States of America, Barack Obama being a biracial president has brought significant impact on the history of the United States (Kemmelmeier & Chavez, 2014: 139).  The same can still apply in Canada whereby biracial prominent people will be able to stand out and claim their rights through the human rights clause of Canadian constitution[4]. The policy will also help people to appreciate diversity since Canada is comprised of very many people from different cultures. Assimilation in the Canadian culture will also progress at a significant rate hence creating a homogenous culture of people who share the same culture despite differences in their racial backgrounds. The rule will discard uncertainties of the racial discrimination and therefore it will have to cease.  

References

Currie, C, Wild, T, Schopflocher, D, Laing, L, Veugelers, P, & Parlee, B 2013, 'Racial Discrimination, Post Traumatic Stress, and Gambling Problems among Urban Aboriginal Adults in Canada', Journal Of Gambling Studies, 29, 3, pp. 393-415, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 13 June 2016. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=9eac0f46-56a4-4557-b3b8-9fbb0ea02bd7%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=101069119&db=hjh

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SWEET, F. W. (2000). Legal history of the color line: the rise and triumph of the one-drop rule. Palm Coast, Fla, Backintyme. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=kezflCVnongC&pg=PP3&dq=history+of+the+color+line:+the+rise+and+triumph+of+the+one-drop+rule.+Palm+Coast,+Fl,+Backintyme.&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=history%20of%20the%20color%20line%3A%20the%20rise%20and%20triumph%20of%20the%20one-drop%20rule.%20Palm%20Coast%2C%20Fl%2C%20Backintyme.&f=false

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COOPER, E. F. (2008). One ‘speck’ of imperfection---Invisible blackness and the one-drop rule an interdisciplinary approach to examining Plessy v. Ferguson and Jane Doe v. State of Louisiana. Dissertation Abstracts International. 69-07. [Bloomington, Ind.], Indiana University. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3315914.

Kemmelmeier, M, & Chavez, H 2014, ‘Biases in the Perception of Barack Obama’s Skin Tone’, Analyses Of Social Issues & Public Policy, 14, 1, pp. 137-161, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 13 June 2016. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=befe7fa0-1bfc-43ce-8b28-c22b26f9db50%40sessionmgr106&hid=121&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=100145163&db=aphBottom of Form

[1] COOPER, E. F. (2008). One 'speck' of imperfection---Invisible blackness and the one-drop rule an interdisciplinary approach to examining Plessy v. Ferguson and Jane Doe v. State of Louisiana. Dissertation Abstracts International. 69-07. [Bloomington, Ind.], Indiana University. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3315914.

[2] Currie, C, Wild, T, Schopflocher, D, Laing, L, Veugelers, P, & Parlee, B 2013, 'Racial Discrimination, Post Traumatic Stress, and Gambling Problems among Urban Aboriginal Adults in Canada', Journal Of Gambling Studies, 29, 3, pp. 393-415, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 13 June 2016.

[3] SWEET, F. W. (2000). Legal history of the color line: the rise and triumph of the one-drop rule. Palm Coast, Fla, Backintyme.

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[4] Kemmelmeier, M, & Chavez, H 2014, 'Biases in the Perception of Barack Obama's Skin Tone', Analyses Of Social Issues & Public Policy, 14, 1, pp. 137-161, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 13 June 2016.Bottom of Form

BUSINESS PRACTICES

Ginny Erickson was faced with a challenge of unethical practices in a radio firm where she was working as an intern. The firm had practiced unethical practices that pushed the sales agent as Ginny to the edge (Dessler, 2013). This was in consideration to the motto of doing the best to the company and not the client. This was conflicting to Ginny as it was not what she learned in class. It is true to say that Ginny was in a dilemma. It would be appropriate to advise her despite how badly she needed the experience as a sales agent and having a good reference practicing such was not worth it. There is always a way out in every situation. I would tell her to put in consideration whether she was gaining or losing more. The moral values she was losing as she pushed clients to the edge just to make it up for the company.

I would like her to analyze the consequences of practicing the unethical practices and if really the experiences gained while practicing unethically were going to help her in her career and the bad reputation she was likely to get if it came to light. Blowing the whistle and bringing the matter to attention is also something she can do to enhance sanity in the firm's practices (Quakers, 2014).

The influence of unethical practices was also a concern to all other classmates. Looking for an alternative out is a form of a solution. One can seek a company that performs its practices ethically rather than engaging in such practices. It is also agreeable to say that with such unethical practices to gain experience a lot is placed in jeopardy and it will not assist in the proper performance of anyone’s career as well as balancing visions with practices (Quakers, 2014).

Reference

Dessler, G. (2013). Human Resource Management . Upper Saddle River, NJ : Pearson.

Quakers and Business Group. (2014). Good business: Ethics at work : advices and queries on      personal standards of conduct at work.

WELLNESS AT WORK

Smoking is considered as a habit of pleasure to individuals who smoke. Howard Weyers is an employer who let his four employees leave because they refused to smoke. Just like any other employees smokers are protected by some laws from discrimination. However, there are challenges to the laws due to the health hazards related to smoking. The conflict also arises due to the nonsmokers at work who are considered as second-hand smokers if subjected to a smoking environment (Dessler, 2013). To begin with smoking at work raises the company health insurance hence; there is the need to ban it from the work place.

Firing employees because they are smokers is not a justified way. This is discrimination against such employees based on the fact that they are smokers. There are many ways that the smokers can be regulated and contained within a certain framework. Measures such as having designated smoking areas at work that will not affect other employees is one of them. Strictly prohibiting smoking at workplaces is also a measure that can be applied. There should be strict fines posed on the smokers who break this rule at the workplace such as losing their jobs than firing those who smoke (Blanpain & Anderson, 2005).

In the discussion with my fellow peers, we agreed that smoking is a habit that requires time to quit. This is because of the addiction that comes with it. Every employee should be employed despite being a smoker so long as they do not violate any safety or health act. Ensuring the safety of other non-smoking employees and teaching them the health complication that comes with smoking should be paramount to any employer (Blanpain & Anderson, 2005).

Reference

Blanpain, R., & Anderson, G. (2005). Smoking and the workplace. The Hague: Kluwer Law        Internat.

Dessler, G. (2013). Human Resource Management . Upper Saddle River, NJ : Pearson .

Table Of Content

1.0 Executive Summary. 3

2.0 Introduction. 4

2.1 Company Profile. 5

2.2 Product background. 5

3.0 Environmental scanning. 5

3.1 SWOT Analysis. 5

3.2 Competitor Investigation. 7

3.3 Statement of Major Potential Issues. 7

4.0 Marketing Communication Aims. 8

5.0 Marketing Communications Strategy and Implementation Tactics. 9

5.1 Eating Habits. 9

5.2 Selling Price. 10

5.3 Burger Huts Location Strategy. 10

5.4 Pricing strategy. 11

5.5 Burger Hut Burger Types. 12

6.0 Proposed Marketing Communication Equipments. 12

6.1 Online Marketing. 12

6.1.1 Social Media Tools Marketing. 13

6.2 Public Relation Activities. 13

6.2.1 Banquet Public Relation Strategy. 13

6.3 Advertising. 13

6.3.1 Lucky Charm Adverting Strategy. 14

6.4 Sales promotion. 14

6.4.1 Online promotion. 14

7.0 Recommended Evaluation and Control Strategies. 14

7.1 Customer’s Satisfaction Level 15

7.2 Publicity Level In Regard To the Company’s Brands and Services. 15

7.3 Competitors Making and Production Trends. 15

7.4 Sales Generation Report 15

7.5 Consumer’s Responses. 16

8.0 Conclusion. 16

References. 17

            Burger Hut

PURCHASING MANAGEMENT

            Introduction

            Purchasing is considered as the traditional action and over the past decades it has had its long history. However, in the present times there has been a widespread identification among businesses on the significance of efficient purchasing. Earlier on the activity of purchasing was viewed as a clerical function s well as a service function that is basically meant to spend on finances but over time this idea has faded away as businesses and multi corporations are widely accepting the procurement process thus increasing awareness on the essence of supply activity as an element of corporate activity. Therefore the purchasing operation is greatly gaining attention as it contributes towards success of the organization. In this is case, this paper will deeply explain the purchasing process, supply selection criterion and purchasing cost analysis as they are great influencers of the organizations performance.

            PETRONAS (Petroliam National Berhad) is a national oil firm based in Malaysia. The company was established in the year 1974. The organization is under the government ownership and it aims at adding value to the resources that it deals with. The company’s headquarters are found in, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the PETRONAS towers. The organization produces products such as petrochemicals, petroleum and natural gas (Plunkett et al 2006). According to a research that was carried out in 2013, the company was ranked as in position seventy five worldwide. It is not only the largest and most profitable business in Asia but also in the world it stands as the twelfth most profitable business. Over the years it has extremely grown into being incorporated global oil and natural gas industry and has expanded its business interest to thirty five nations and they all together form the PETRONAS group.

This group is involved with petroleum activities such as production of petroleum products, marketing and supplying of these products (Plunkett et al 2006).

            Supplier Selection Criteria and issues

            The main objective of this organization is to safeguard state-run control over the oil and natural gas reserves, to strategize on the present and the future state need for the petroleum products, to fully participate in marketing and distribution of both the petrochemicals and petroleum products at reasonable prices and to promote and spread the profit of the petroleum industry all over Malaysia (Malaysia 2015). In order to meet these goals the company must understand the significance of not only the purchasing power but also the essence of supply selection (WANG et al 2005). This process is the most important and critical process in the organization and supply decision is an important element of decision making process in the company. The company’s success heavily relies on the suppliers’ performance thus supply selection is as important as any other purchasing process. However the suppliers should be able to understand and effectively meet the needs of the customers so as to ensure that they perform well (Gon&aeacute et al 2004). Selection process is a complex and easier said than done thus the procurement department in the PETRONAS should ensure that they offer materials as well as the services needed so as to effectively evaluate and select suppliers. There are numerous criterions that can be applied in the selection of the most appropriate supplier amongst the pool of other potential suppliers. The company may decide to consider the price of the product, quality of the products reliability as well as the after sales services so as to enhance the project manager to clearly make the best decision.

 Other considerations while selecting a supplier may be the technical capability, the reputation and position of the industry on the business, the attitude of the supplier, the suppliers’ geographical location, communication systems and the management and organization of the supplier retail business.

            In this case, I would recommend the linear weight model since it allows both the tangible and intangible criterion of evaluating and selecting the best suppliers. For the purchasing manager to be able to come up with the right decision using this model I should first establish a threshold. This is later followed by the determination of the criteria with the maximum threshold and the one with the minimum threshold. Later, the weights are assigned to each and every attribute in agreement with the relative weight of the measure among the others. Comparisons are made and this enables the purchasing manager to come up with the most appropriate and wise decision on the selected supplier (WANG et al 2005). The highest score is yielded by the best supplier while the second supplier is regarded as the most appropriate supplier who can be able to meet the requirements (Dominic et al 2010). Therefore in making decision, the company may decide to choose on the suppliers who have the desire in that line of business with the same goal of increasing profit. These suppliers once selected, they ensures that they supply goods to all parts of the nation and they ensure that the supplied goods maintain their original quality and with no much price difference that might scare customers off (Gon&aeacute et al 2004). The suppliers also ought to ensure that they are reliable to their customers and that they meet the needs of customers thus generally increasing the company’s sales.

            ICT for Purchasing Operations

            The company is working hard to unlock the energy of the present day and the future and they are working responsibly top see that the Malaysia citizens and their environment will flourish in the days to come.

Therefore the company has applied high standardized principles and technologies so as to ensure that the company’s operations expand their resource base and that they offer essential energy which will support the economic, communal and the environmental development (Jehngir et al 2011).

With the growing energy demands, the company is inspired and strengthened to steadily drive for new solutions and pushes borders towards a sustainable energy production for the future. Innovative approaches to technology have been implemented ion the company so as to ensure that the energy sources are unlocked from the all over even the most inaccessible and difficult environments. The company’s fully incorporated value chain covers from discovery to marketing, logistics to technical infrastructure, with purchasing process all the world. As the company has been developing over the years, with its expansion in networking and steady development in trajectory, it has constantly and effectively put into operation different social, environmental as well as communal programs that are guided by the company’s large corporate sustainability structure. These implementations have helped out in carrying out the big business in a collectively responsible and holistic way with an aim of benefiting the present and the future generation to come.

            The Malaysian government is strongly supporting the company in making technological advancements which are aimed at increasing and developing worldwide business attraction and the social economic growth (Ishak et al 2011). The rapid growth in information and technology has enhanced the company to push the business into a global competition and also allowing them to be competent amongst the other competitors in the world (Savita et al 2015). This has also ensured that the citizens of Malaysia are widely exposed to the social Medias and the media sources as they form a platform for the creation of awareness of the company and its products, prices and their stores.

 This has resulted to the increase in the number of sales as all people are aware of the PETRONAS products and their uniqueness. The introduction of the data base management system is important for the recording of the information or data collected on the procurement process. However, there should also be the integration of the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) which is an application that would help to efficiently and quickly analyze data so as to assist the purchasing manager to make conclusion from the results and be able to improve on the purchasing process as well as know whether to ask for more finances for a new purchasing strategy and implementation.  This will produce far better, efficient and quick results than the manual analysis by human resource personnel.

            Purchasing Cost Analysis

            Each and every single business can profit from implementation of an effective pricing strategy to their purchasing procedure. However as the price analysis is examining on the entire price cost analysis is involved with analyzing the individual cost component that includes the total planned price. Basing on the purchase these components vary but they generally compose of the labor costs, material expenses, logistics and indirect costs. This is a complex strategy that involves the examination of the direct and indirect costs thus resulting to the final price of the products (Weele 2010). The direct costs are directly traceable and thus it is important that the purchasing manager should first identify the direct costs which directly attribute to the final cost of the products in the PETRONAS Company (Mahlia et al 2010). Some of these direct costs are the expenses spent on payment and hiring of labor on the company, the materials needed such as the raw materials that is the crude oil and natural gas, packaging materials, the machines needed in the company and in general all the assets required in the business. The cost for insurance covers and freight also form part of the material costs.

The conversion costs are also part of the direct costs as they involve the expenses spent on the processing of the petroleum raw materials into finished products for instance the maintenance costs, utilities as well as the manufacturing cost. The logistics costs involve the cost that is undertaken by the company in distributing, transportation, taxation and warehousing costs (Weele 2010).  Overhead costs are also referred to as hidden costs which are not traceable but are indirectly profitable. In this case the company may purchase a business car which will be used by the employees to run the company’s related errands which are important to the business.  Indirect costs such as advertising costs, marketing costs, communication costs, office supply expenses and insurances, repairing costs. These costs are generally factored with profit which is significantly the difficulty of the task performed and the risk that is assumed during the performance of the work (Weele 2010). Therefore, the price of a product is basically defined by the addition of cost and profit. However, it is essential to determine whether the price of the products after the cost analysis are fair and reasonable as well so as to ensure that it has a competitive edge in the market.

            Conclusion

            PETRONAS Company is not only an important source of revenue to Malaysia but also to the entire world. It has proven to be the best in the industry and hence quite clear that it manufactures quality products. The company’s objective is to add value to the resources with more production of sustainable energy. This is an indication that the company is not only short visional but rather it’s having a long term vision to its customers. The continuous determination and hard work amongst the company’s management has seen the company throughout their development process.

            Supply chain is the most important component in any business company and the PETRONAS is not an exception. Therefore in implementing the right selection procedure of the suppliers and innovating new and better supply chains in the business such as extensive distribution chain will see the company through their success.

            Pricing is essential in the demand and supply of the company as the company focuses on delivering goods at affordable and reliable prices hence attracting more businesses into the business. It is thus important to note that the procurement department is quite effective in their responsibility in ensuring that the price strategy and cost analysis are well balanced and minimal costs are spent.

            References

Dominic, P. D. D., Whab, A. A., Kannabiran, G., & Foong, O. M. (2010). A new hybrid model    for the supplier selection decision. International Journal of Business Information Systems, 5(3), 230-247.

Gon&aeacute;lez, M. E., Quesada, G., & Mora Monge, C. A. (2004). Determining the      importance of the supplier selection process in manufacturing: a case study. International      Journal Of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 34(6), 492-504.         doi:10.1108/09600030410548550

Ishak, Noormaizatul Akmar, and Hartini Ahmad. "Emerging themes of the leadership and green innovation of the government-Linked companies." IBIMA Business Review (2011).

Jehangir, M., Dominic, P. D. D., & Khan, A. (2011). Towards digital economy: the development             of ICT and e-commerce in Malaysia. Modern Applied Science, 5(2), 171.

Mahlia, T. M. I., & Yanti, P. A. A. (2010). Cost efficiency analysis and emission reduction by             implementation of energy efficiency standards for electric motors. Journal of Cleaner       Production, 18(4), 365-374.

Malaysia: Mineral, mining sector investment and business guide. (2015). Place of publication      not identified: Intl Business Pubns Usa.

Plunkett, J. W., & Plunkett Research, Ltd. (2006). Plunkett's energy industry almanac, 2007: The            only comprehensive guide to the energy & utlities industry. Houston, Tex: Plunkett       Research.

Savita, K. S., Dominic, P. D. D., & Ratnam, K. A. (2015). The Role of Green IT and IT for          Green Within Green Supply Chain Management: A Preliminary Finding from ISO14001             Companies in Malaysia. In Advanced Computer and Communication Engineering            Technology (pp. 883-894). Springer International Publishing.

WANG, D., TIAN, Y., & HU, Y. (2005). EMPIRICAL STUDY OF SUPPLIER SELECTION             PRACTICES IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN MANUFACTURING    COMPANIES. International Journal Of Innovation & Technology Management, 2(4),       391-409.

Weele, A. J. (2010). Purchasing & supply chain management: Analysis, strategy, planning and   practice. Andover: Cengage Learning.

DISCUSSION

Policies and Organizational Culture

Citing from the similarity that existed in the answers presented by the students, it is factual that if the assignments did not allow collaboration, group work might be regarded as unethical and intolerable. However, the case presented in the article appears to be contradictory as for the Duke University MBA Program it says that the students exhibited collaboration but for the Centenary College Chinese MBA Program, it says that students answers exhibited plagiarism (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Thus, judging from the perception of these two cases, it is perceptible that collaboration is not acceptable in one situation where in the other case, plagiarism marks the unethical conduct. This means that for the case in the Centenary College Chinese MBA Program, collaboration in offering ideas and thoughts is acceptable though how to express the answer in the answer sheet should be different. Therefore, it was alright to give Chinese students in Centenary College an option on either to get a refund or to take a comprehensive exam. However, for the students in Duke University, the case required thorough assessment on whether the cheating could have been regarded as collaboration or dishonesty. However, if the exam sheets made an informed consent on such as case, then, this could have been regarded as cheating. This contention is based on the fact that most of take-home assignments are not restrictive to collaboration though for the final exam it might be different. Thus, if the students were aware of the issue of collaboration that it can be regarded as cheating which is intolerable in the final take-home exam, then, the decision made was ethical.        

Case 9: Defender Direct, Inc.: A Business of Growing Leaders

Synopsis

Defender Direct, Inc. was opened as a start up organization in Indianapolis, Indiana. This privately owned company dealt with installation and sale of ADT security systems together with Dish Network Satellite Television in U.S (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Precisely, the company was founded by Dave Lindsey in his bedroom home back in 1998. Lindsey decided to start the business as an entrepreneur following a transition from being an employee in Medeco Security Locks, Inc where he worked in new-product development department.

To start the current Defender Direct, Inc., Lindsey used his personal savings together with those of his wife which added up to $30,000 to start the business that he initially gave the title Defender Security Co. Thus, after the business continued to operate successfully, Defender Direct endured rapid growth within a 10 years period recording and average annual growth rate of approximately 60% (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). This made the company become the dominating satellite and security systems wholesaler in the Midwest. Precisely in 2008, the company ranked among the top 500 rapidly growing companies in United States after recording revenues of approximately $150 million (Pearce & Robinson, 2013).

According to Lindsey’s assertions, his company’s stellar growth and development in the U.S market was promoted by emphasizing on direct-marketing and nationwide expansion. Therefore, in order to achieve this, Lindsey was motivated by the notion that “businesses don’t grow – people do”. This means that the basis of Defender’s culture and value emphasized on employee development. Lindsey believed that their growth was not fostered not by competence to offer quality security systems and installation services but rather because of the development of the employees. Thus, Lindsey believed that doubling the team members was directly proportional to the overall growth of Defender Direct, Inc. thus, in this case the major problem with Defender Direct, Inc. is based on how to manage and control the growth rate as it can be detrimental to the future progress of the company (Pearce & Robinson, 2013).

Alternative Solutions

• Defender Direct, Inc. may implement diversification strategy in order to maintain and control the stellar growth. This might be achieved through venturing in other related businesses such as selling and installation of electronic products connected to the security systems.
• The company might also execute defensive strategy that will reduce the probability of materialization of risk associated with incurring losses in future. Citing from the high growth rate experienced by Defender Direct currently, future losses might appear huge to the company to an extent of hindering further expansion and growth.
• Lastly, Defender Direct might decide to start producing their own security systems as a strategy of maintaining the growth rate. This would help them in future particularly in dealing with potential market changes that might be resulted by demand changes on the associate’s products used by the company.  

Selected Solution

Implementation of diversification strategy by Defender Direct, Inc is very imperative to the company particularly with regard to control and maintenance of their growth rate. It is factual that there is stiff competition in security systems market particularly in United States as large number of new entrants continues to be recorded annually. Thus, since Defender Direct depends basically on business associates who produce those security systems and satellites, competition effects can be very detrimental to the success of the company.

Therefore, diversification strategy will help the company with the control measure particularly in lessening the effects of competition or failure of the associates to the overall success of the company. Venturing in another but related business will additionally generate more revenue for the company that might be used for future recovery just in case the risk materializes.    

Implementation

Diversification strategy can be implemented through venturing in other related businesses such as selling and installation of electronic products connected to the security systems. These related business environments will make sure that the business is still on track but still can generate revenues externally. This will reduce the probability of suffering from future risks associated with failure of business associates and stiff competition.

Diversification strategy can be used before implementing other strategies such as defensive strategy and production of their own security systems and satellite. Precisely, diversification will prepare the company in making defensive strategy and producing their own products by giving them experience regarding other markets. Therefore, after venturing in the selected market, the company will perform successfully and will be able to maintain and control their growth rate.

Conclusion and Recommendation 

Generally, Defender Direct, Inc. is obliged to implement strategies that will help the company maintain and control their growth rate together with minimizing chances of risk materialization in future. It is factual that rapid growth endured by Defender Direct can pose future effects to the success of the company such as huge losses. Therefore, using diversification as one of the strategies to be implemented in the company is significant to the future success particularly with regard to control and maintenance of their growth rate.

Other strategies that might be significant for the future success of Defender Direct, Inc. include defensive strategy and production of their own security systems and satellites.  These strategies will watch over future risks that the company can incur particularly with regard to the deceleration of the company’s success.

Reference

Pearce, J. A., & Robinson, R. B. (2013).Strategic management: Planning for domestic & global competition (13th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

APPENDIX 

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

1. Marketable product line
2. Competent employees
3. Effective systems that retain the values of the company

Weaknesses

1. Highly dependent on employee development
2. Less focus on product development
3. Increased bureaucratic propensities

Opportunities

1. International market expansion
2. Sales increase particularly through internet promotion

Threats

1. Stiff competition
2. Lack of own products
3. New entrants

Intel Corporation

1. Why did Intel fail to capture share in the emerging market for tablets, ultra lights, and smartphones?

Intel mainly failed to capture the shares of the emerging markets because of the strategy that the company was using. This was Moore’s theory which stated that after every 18 to 24 months, the number of transistors double on the silicon chip, thus increasing the performance of the transistors and on the other reducing the costs. This made the company to invest in the transistors thus designing new transistors which would be able to work effectively in both PC’s and smart phones. When the company was still under the control of Otelleni in the year 2005, it mainly worked on improving the performance of the transistors hence improving the performance of the PC’s (Krajci, & Cummings, 2013). This mainly saw the company realizing huge profits since the use of Personal computers had really grown. Furthermore, the new transistors were able to allow people to carry their computers from one place to another at ease since they were able to store power. Under the control of Brian Krzanich as the CEO, the company still maintained its strategies instead of changing them due to the changing market. This therefore saw Intel purchasing McAfee which was able to provide security to the personal computers. The purchase of McAfee made it difficult for the company to be able to gain shares in the emerging market since it had hugely invested on McAfee. Moreover, the company designed transistors which could be able to save power hence making the PC’s to be able to run sophisticated software’s such as Microsoft Office (Jones, McCormick, & Dewing, 2012). On the other hand, the mobile phones used simply applications which could be easily downloaded hence making it a disadvantage for Intel to be able to have a share in the emerging markets.

2. How does the ARM business model differ from Intel’s? As you look at the long term, how would you evaluate Intel’s chances of competing effectively?

ARM mainly focuses on licensing transistors which can be used by smart phones and tablets. On the other hand, Intel manufactures its own transistors and this consequently becomes a disadvantage (Krajci, & Cummings, 2013). Since ARM only licenses the transistors, it makes it easy for the company to be able to get the best transistors from companies which manufacture them. Hence providing the best transistors which can be able to provide a longer battery life. Thus many mobile and Tablet companies have therefore adopted the use of ARM licensed chips since they are effective and thus provide very good results for phones and tablets. Since Intel’s success depends on the type of chips they manufacture, it consequently makes it hard for the company to be able to perform better as compared to ARM because its transistors do not provide a longer battery life. Hence ARM have adopted a simpler business model which makes it easy for the company to be able to acquire high quality transistors which can work effectively on mobile phones which require them to have a longer battery life.

According to my point of view, Intel can be able to compete effectively simply because of the types of strategies that it has currently put in place (Jones, McCormick, & Dewing, 2012). Intel has partnered with different mobile companies in order to come up with chips which are compatible with their products. This consequently makes it for Intel to be able to compete with ARM. On the other hand, most mobile companies have adopted Intel’s software tools which are not compatible with ARM’s chips hence making them to rely on Intel for both the software’s and the chips.

3. How effective has Intel been at responding to the ARM threat? Why has Intel diversified into software?

Intel has been working with mobile manufacturing companies in order to provide the best software applications for the companies at a cheaper price. This has consequently increased Intel’s market share since most mobile companies have adopted to the Intel’s software. This is also advantageous since Intel’s software is not compatible with ARM’s licensed CPU’s and thus making it easy for Intel to be able to beat ARM (Krajci, & Cummings, 2013). Intel can therefore be able to beat ARM if most companies adopt to Intel’s software’s due to compatibility issues. Furthermore, Intel chips have a high horsepower compared to ARM’s chips. Most mobile companies, due to the commoditization of their products, have opted for chips with a high horsepower. Intel is also working on improving its weaknesses and using ARM’s weaknesses in order to be able to beat the company. Intel has therefore employed this factors in order to be able to deal with the threats which it is facing from ARM.

Intel has mainly diversified into software in order to be able to expand its market beyond PC’s and servers. This will consequently made it easy for the company to be able to reach a wider market and hence being able to realize profits. Moreover, the company acquired McAfee which is responsible for providing security and firewall for its chips (Jones, McCormick, & Dewing, 2012). This will therefore allow Intel to be able to come up with the best software’s ever with a very strong security. Diversifying into software is therefore a strategy which has been adopted by Intel in order to increase its market share in the mobile world. This is also one of the best strategies that the company can be able to beat its competitors and hence reaching a very wide market.

4. What is the rationale for the McAfee purchase? Do you believe the acquisition will create value for Intel and its shareholders? Why or why not?

Intel purchased McAfee in order to provide strong security to its chips. Furthermore, since the company has diversified into software, this has consequently made it easy for the company to be able to secure its software. Thus the software provided by Intel will be secure and cannot be easily hacked into. Furthermore, this will really help in creating market for Intel’s software since it has a very strong security. This will therefore see the company being able to carry out different activities at ease without any problems at all (Krajci, & Cummings, 2013).

According to my point of view, I think Intel has failed in buying McAfee. This is mainly because the company has resulted in adopting software in order to be able to regain the mobile market share. This move is very risky as it may backfire hence leading to a very huge loss. The company should have integrated its chips in order to make them compatible with smartphone and tablets. This move would have made it easier for Intel to be able to beat ARM in the market. This is mainly because Intel has high horsepower chips which many companies are are looking forward to working with. This move is therefore likely to backfire since most smartphone companies are currently working with software companies which provide them with the best software applications which are end user friendly (Jones, McCormick, & Dewing, 2012).

Reference

Krajci, I., & Cummings, D. (2013). Android on x86: An Introduction to Optimizing for Intel® Architecture.

Jones, T., McCormick, D., & Dewing, C. (2012). Growth champions: The battle for sustained innovation leadership : the growth agenda. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.

            Principles of Logistics Management

            Hyflux Limited

            Introduction

            Hyflux Company is a global company that deals with water treatment and its headquarter is located in Singapore. The company is ranked among the internationally leading companies in the water treatment sector.  The company has set up desalination and water recycling plants across the world. The company and the general business were established by Lum Olivia who was a former Glaxo chemist pharmaceutical in the year 1989.  The company began by selling water systems in Singapore the home market as well as Indonesia and Malaysia. It later began manufacturing its own membranes and it plays an essential role in the cities where there is water scarcity.

            Hyflux limited is generally involved in the generation of solutions to the issues of water.  The cooperation provides distinct solutions in the membrane based areas on water recycling and desalination.  The cooperation utilizes solutions of water wastages as recycling   by utilizing bioreactor innovation and treatment of water which is treatable.  The company operates through industrial and municipal sectors in the municipal sector the company utilizes innovative water supply and treatment of water using fluid treatments to the government and municipalities which include operation, maintains and commissioning of a wider range of liquid and water treatment by using self-designed operate arrangements of transfers.  The segment of the industry that the Hyflux Company is involved in refers to the separation of liquid for the sectors of manufacturing like in biotechnology, pharmaceutical-petrochemical, and processing of food industries (Hyflus, 2016).

            Currently, Hyflux Company has been involved in fresh markets explorations in Africa and in Latin America as it aims a building its individual presence across china, India, Middle East and Southeast Asia.  The company has been involved in different ventures and partnerships across the world in developing and implementing water treatment projects and also developing plants which are purposed to treat water. The company is, therefore, essential in delivering water treatment solutions thus eradicating social issues generated due to water scarcity. The company is necessitated to utilize technological and innovational management in marinating its continued success by developing operating, productions and distributions procedures (Hyflus, 2016).

            Interface

            In the aim of ensuring that products manufactured and the services of the company are delivered to the customers, the core functions and logistics theories interact in distinct ways.  Hyflux Corporation is involved in the business strategy which is grounded on industries to industries.   The company plays an essential role in ensuring that it develops the best measures in meeting the needs of the clients who are mostly industrial and municipal based.  The interface in the delivery system occurs in that the company is involved in operations and maintains services to other industries.  The company is thus involved directly with the clients who generate the basic interaction for the purpose of increasing its production, product development as well as marketing (Ailawadi, 2012).

            Several other businesses interact with the company as they act as the retailers in delivering the products to the customers. The   business, therefore, plays an essential role in promoting the services and products of the company. Since the company provides portable water services it is able to interact with the customers while delivering water in the cities where scarcity of water is the norm (Ailawadi, 2012).

            The production sector could highly be affected by logistic management.  This is because the productions core functions highly depend on logistic management (Burrows, 2012). Logic management is thus designed to ensure that the processes of production and of operations are effective in meeting the market needs (Burrows, 2012).   The presence of quality logistic management will work to ensure that the company produces goods that will not result in wastes. Additionally, good logistic management will ensure that the operation and production costs are minimized by establishing the production number that will not result in wastes.  The needs of the customers may thus be established by both the retailers and the organization since they are engaged in the delivery of products and services.  Poor logistic management may, therefore, necessitate the company to produce more that the existing market demand which will result in increased cost of production (Burrows, 2012).

            The company is therefore required to invest in forecasting as well as research in the market.  This will ensure that the company’s financial budget is not affected by operations of productions procedures.  Production forecasting will work to ensure that the production made is relevant to the demand in the market and therefore, the inventories will be well utilized (Burrows, 2012).  Additionally, this will help in establishing the demands details of their clients Based on the trending market strategies.  The market study will help the organization in generating more information about their products as well as the level of satisfaction that their services and products drive to the consumers.  This is, therefore, essential in providing guidance to the company on the changes that should be made and also the production estimation alongside with cost budget. The supply and marketing functions are bound to interface with logistics principles. This is because the company has to ensure that their supply management and promotional procedures are enhanced by ensuring that the company achieves maximum gains from the market. This can, therefore, be accomplished by utilizing effective marketing tools that will enhance products promotions (Burrows, 2012).

            Company’s Order Cycle

            Order cycles refer to the company’s process of maintaining and routing via the progression of the order lines.  Order cycles, therefore, contain the processing steps and actions. The process phases are separated by cycle’s time (Cecere, & Chase, 2013).  The process of order cycles is generated by enquiring which goes through the process of assessment processing and then delivery (Cecere, & Chase, 2013).  The success of the order cycles dependents on order management which operates in ensuring that the company generates a good position where the clients can make their inquiries and thus allow the company to make the deliveries.   Order management is essential in ensuring that the cooperation pays less for the operation costs because the delivery is made based on demand and not assumptions (Cecere, & Chase, 2013).  Additionally, the process increases the production efficiency as the goals of the process are properly defined and located which helps in boosting the level of revenue. The company should, therefore, ensure that the employees that are involved in order management are effective in utilizing the generating information in developing processes and production.  This is to ensure that the order cycles be well organized and recorded to help in developing production ranges in order to cut down the production costs. The production of order cycle is illustrated in the diagram below.

            Hyflux Limited Order Process

            Order process directly refers to the process of selecting, packaging and delivering the packed products to the carrier of shipping.  This, therefore, involves the engagement of the distribution centers which helps in delivering processing fulfillments (Hyflux, 2016). Order payment can be described as the interval of time that exists between the time which the consumer places an order to the period in which the organization will receive the directed order.  The process can thus be made in different ways which include telephone, mailing or electronic inquiry.  The methods thus differ based on the benefits that they generate.  Moreover, the methods are characterized by different costs in making an order, time, convenience and the errors occurrences frequencies. The procedure begins by the company’s retailers acquiring orders from the consumers which are then collected by Hyflux Company for processing and distribution.  Production is then directed by the generated orders and assessments are then made to determine whether the available production would be adequate to make the deliveries.  The produced are then packed and made ready for delivery and if services are required the administrator selects, individuals, to attend to the needs of the customers (Hyflux, 2016).  This at times utilizes time and resources since the company depends on a single administrator to conduct the assessment. More cost is incurred because when the production is not readily available the cooperation is necessitated to generate quickly which is a bit expensive. 

            In eradicating the issue the company should ensure that the process is characterized by a good flow (Hugos, 2010). The company should additionally ensure that all the departments’ works together in assessing the order information to ensure that there is efficiency. This will help in conserving time as well as reducing the production and operating costs.  Order time development will ensure that Hyflux limited is capable of delivering products to the consumers within the shortest time period (Hugos, 2010).

            Inventory Management

            Inventory management plays a significant role in ensuring that the company purchases adequate resources for production. This, therefore, ensures that the company has the capability of adequately storing goods that are effective in handling the market demand without straining.  In the current scenario, Hyflux limited the management of inventory will involve the treatment options of water and the required raw materials, ready services as well as developed products.  The company is involved in inventory storage as well as keeping records of the activities in the warehouse. This is essential in ensuring that the company does not fail in the provision supplies to the clients (Narayan, 2008).  These activities are essential in ensuring that the company clearly understands the consumer goods as well as the remaining from the total produced goods and services (Narayan, 2008).

            The company is faced with a major issue because it has no reliable record of the products demands. As a result, the company fails in approximating its production and thus uses more resources. The company is therefore necessitated to keep a record of the daily activities by noting down the resources that are utilized daily.  This will, therefore, be essential in establishing fresh market trends which will help in developing customer’s satisfaction by sustain the raw materials levels (Narayan, 2008). With the rising level of competition in the market, Hyflux limited as continuously been able to maintain its market position.  The company has gradually developed from a domestic based to an international corporation because of effective making and production strategies.  In maintaining the competitive advantage the company has adopted several innovative and technological changes.  This has thus been aimed at increasing customer’s satisfaction in growing the market base by attracting more customers (Narayan, 2008).  This has thus resulted in the growth of the market segment globally because the customers have increased significantly.  The customers of Hyflux company ranges from industries, small business, and government as well as home steeds.  The customer-centric theory has helped the company in maintaining its   competitive market position. This is because the operations and the production of the company are aimed at satisfying the growing demands of the customers. This is achieved by ensuring that the company utilizes innovation in meeting their needs. The company should adopt a technological and advanced marketing strategy to increase the trends information sources in ensuring that the other companies do not prevail in obtaining the competitive advantage (Hugos, 2010).  This will thus ensure that the rising customer needs and supply demands are meeting without challenges.  Efficiency is, therefore, crucial in ensuring that this is effective and therefore the cycle order must be improved (Hugos, 2010).

            Conclusion

            Hyflux limited is a globally established corporation that deals with water treatment.  The company is effective in providing solutions that are effective and accurate. This has therefore earned the company huge loyalty from the consumers thus maintaining a competitive advantage as it is capable of maintaining and attracting more customers.  The competitive advantage may, however, slow the company because the corporation fails in establishing better strategies to improve their relation with the customers.  The company should, therefore, conduct research on the best strategies for developing plans to ensure that there is a steady demand for the company’s services and products.  The company should, therefore, ensure that the sectors that would best interface with logistical theories real utilized to ensure that the manufacturing process  runs effectively. This can, therefore, be accomplished by investing in logistical management which aims at ensuring that the operation, manufacturing, and delivering process are well established. Proper inventory storage should thus be maintained to ensure that the order cycles are well organized and delivered.  This is because the preferences of the clients keep changing and in order to maintain the competitive advantage in the market proper order cycle management must be developed by the company. This must be incorporated into the best strategies researched from the existing market of Hyflux Company.

            References

Ailawadi, S., & P, S. R. (2012). Logistics management.

Burrows, R. P. (2012). The market-driven supply chain: A revolutionary model for sales and        operations planning in the new on-demand economy. New York: American Management        Association.

Cecere, L. M., & Chase, C. (2013). Bricks matter: The role of supply chains in building market-   driven differentiation. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Coyle, J. J., Langley, J. C. J., Gibson, B. J., & Novack, R. A. (2012). Supply chain management: A logistics perspective. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Hugos, M. H. (2010). Essentials of Supply Chain Management. New York, NY: John Wiley &     Sons.

Hyflux, .(2016). Hyflux ltd. Singapore. Retrieved from        http://asia.nikkei.com/Company/05J2XM-E

Narayan, P. (2008). Inventory management-principles and practices. Place of publication not       identified: Excel Books.

THE IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIC CONTROLS

Strategic control can be delineated as a process of tracking the progress of the strategic implementation made in an organization. Precisely, it is associated with assessing and detecting problems that might arise in strategic implementation while making appropriate adjustments. Therefore, implementation of strategic control is conducted in four different ways which include premise control, implementation control, special alert control and strategic surveillance (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Under the strategic surveillance, strategic control utilizes RFID technology which helps in tracking the tags on the objects in inventory recording. According to Pearce & Robinson (2013), RFID chips attached to the objects has effectuated inventory recording where the company can be able to keep a precise record of their inventory.  This technology has helped retailers such as Walmart significantly as they are able to execute strategic control on their inventory recording. Additionally, Walmart and other retailers which utilize RFID technology are able to practice strategic surveillance which promotes efficiency of the employees and inventory recording (Pearce & Robinson, 2013).

Precisely, Walmart utilizes strategic surveillance in tracking their products in shelves, warehouses and during eventual sale of these products to their customers. On the other hand, Walmart utilizes special alert control to implement changes and adjustments with regard to market changes. Lastly, Walmart uses implementation control to execute adjustments anticipated to increase the efficiency of their operations. Some of the improvements that I might suggest regarding strategic control are based on implementation control which ought to include employees motivation as one of the activities and assessment of human resource policies that promotes effective utilization of implementation control. The reason for suggesting these improvements is based on the fact that implementation is the most vital segment of strategic control (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Therefore, enhancing its effectiveness will play a significant role for the rest of the strategic control process.     

CASE 2: ANN TAYLOR: SURVIVAL IN SPECIALTY RETAIL

Synopsis

This case about Ann Taylor Company offers detailed information regarding the challenges that faced both the stores corporation and the general retail department in the company back in 2008 when the economic recession was announced (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Ann Taylor Corporation, a women’s clothing specialty retailer had been successful in producing a complete product line that fulfilled the demands of their target consumers. However, in 2008 the company endured stiffening competition and instant economic recession. In addition, it was exhibited that the success between two segments – Ann Taylor Stores (AT) and Ann Taylor LOFT which was the newer segment in the organization (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Precisely, the difference in success was cited from the differences in roles played by the two segments where Ann Taylor Stores (AT) focused on offering sophisticated, adaptable and quality brands and Ann Taylor LOFT dealt with lower priced informal products (Pearce & Robinson, 2013).

It is factual that ANN was not the only retailer organization that was affected by the economic recession that occurred in 2008 (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). The entire retail industry was greatly affected by the unpredictable change in the economic environment. As a result, the industry was encouraged to assess the operations in order to implement strategies that would mitigate the issue. Therefore, Kay Krill the current CEO of the company was proposing implementation of several initiatives (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Precisely, Krill had already implemented some of the initiatives that would help in reestablishing the reputation of the company. Most of these initiatives that were implemented by Krill were based on acknowledging the importance of their customers to the long-term success of the business.

In order to promote effective operation and growth of ANN, Krill had to identify areas of opportunity that the company had. She focused on revitalizing Ann Taylor AT product and dampening the development of Ann Taylor LOFT (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Furthermore, Ann Taylor launched a new venture in beauty market by extending fashion brands and extending their target market to segments dominated by potential female customers at the age of 55 to 65 (Pearce & Robinson, 2013).

Alternative Solutions

• ANN ought to change the reputation of their organization and their brands. This can be achieved by updating the appearance of their clothes in both segments. Precisely, Ann Taylor AT ought to make more official and sophisticated brands whereas Ann Taylor LOFT should more casual products that comply with the changing market demands.
• Separation of the two business segments in the company. Precisely, ANN should separate Ann Taylor AT and Ann Taylor LOFT by taking off the name of the company in one of the stores particularly LOFT. This will help in minimizing the effect of the poor economic condition on the overall success of the organization.
• Training the employees to spend more time with the potential customers of the company. This will enhance the acknowledgement of the significance of the customers in the overall success of the company.

Selected Solution

Separation of the two business segments of Ann Taylor Corporation is the most vital solution for the challenges that faced the company during the economic recession period in 2008. It was reported that after the decline of the economy, the company was among the organizations in retail industry that had to close nearly 6,000 outlets (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Therefore, it is noteworthy that citing from the number stores that each company had to close, ANN’s both segments was affected greatly.

Thus, in order to lower the effect of poor economic environment in future, it is recommendable that the ANN separates its two stores where each store will adhere exclusively to its products. This will also help in enhancing the reputation of each segment’s brand and making effective implementations.

Implementation   

The implementation process can be conducted through distribution of outlets and advancing sales through e-commerce. This will help separate the two business segments of the company as each takes different title and reputation. Additionally, each will operate independently and separately. This will increase the customer base served by the company thereby increasing sales.

On the other hand, advancing sales via e-commerce will be a strategy for making sure that the company adjusts to the changes in the market. In order to recover from the losses incurred in 2008, the company might extend their sales to e-commerce in order to increase their sales.

Recommendation and Conclusion  

Generally, ANN should implement initiatives that will change the reputation of the company after being affected by the economic recession. Revitalization will be the most appropriate solution for the challenges endured by the company. Therefore, one of the initiatives under revitalization includes separation of Ann Taylor AT and Ann Taylor LOFT to operate independently.

On the other hand, each of the two segments should adhere to revitalization of its brands to make sure that they comply with demand changes in the market. Precisely, Ann Taylor AT should focus on formalizing and sophisticating its brands whereas Ann Taylor LOFT should produce more casually designed products.

APPENDIX

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Recognized brand name
• Experienced CEO
• Two functional segments

Weaknesses

• Centralized products supply system
• Poor customer services
• Financial challenges

Opportunities

• Increasing demand in the market
• New and oversea market
• Profitability growth

Threats

• New entrants
• Substitute brands
• Effects from poor economic environment