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Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Ed Boehm Essay Example for Free
Ed Boehm Essay Edward Marshall Boehm Inc. Case Study The Edward Marshall Boehm case talks about a company whose main objective is to produce the highest possible quality porcelain products while keeping a focus to nature. The following report will include the company’s vision and mission statement, their main objectives, a SWOT analysis and their specific plans in great detail. Edward Marshall Boehm’s vision for the company is â€Å"to capture that special moment and setting which conveys the character, charm and loveliness of a bird or animal in its natural habitat†with his highest possible quality porcelain products. His mission is similar to his vision statement in that he wants to make the world aware and protective of endangered wildlife by making them aware of nature’s charm. As stated in the introduction, the main objective is to make the highest objective porcelain products focused on nature. Other main objectives include trying to establish the company to stay profitable for the long run. The company is particularly focused on making their quality products with the purpose of raising awareness and raising a profit, rather than mass producing for quantity. With these objectives, they believe it will put them where they want to be in the long run. After reviewing the case we have completed a SWOT analysis to get a better idea of where they are headed. The company’s strengths are numerous and promise success. They use a very high quality porcelain clay equal to the finest in the world and have the skill to make many different beautiful figurines. Mr. Boehm is not only extremely artistically talented but also has unlimited knowledge about the art market. He also leads promotion for the company and possesses great merchandising skills. Mr. Boehm could be named as a strength himself. The porcelain figures are becoming increasingly recognized as unique, and irreplaceable as well as many becoming collector’s items; the most intricate have been priced at over $20,000. The weaknesses are less numerous than the strengths but are still existent. First, the figure making process is complex, including 52 steps. This makes it extremely hard when orders become numerous and they start to get backordered, it is hard to catch up because Mr. Boehm is the only artist. Considering at the time this case was written Boehm was 55 years old, it may be hard to view the long-term vision for the company because he may not be around to always be able to create the same quality products he once was able to produce. There is also the expense of creating the products, and the travels Mr. Boehm makes in order to bring back live models of his birds. The company may look at several opportunities in order to improve their company. First, they should consider expanding into international markets; doing this could get their name out there and attract more customers. Mr. Boehm should look into teaching other people how to make the same high quality figures so they are able to create more products efficiently and have less backorders. Finally they should look into selling their porcelain clay to other businesses in order to make more money. We feel that this company faces many threats. As mentioned before Mr. Boehm’s age could potentially be a threat for the businesses. The fact that they have backorders may start to frustrate the customers and cause them to stop ordering from the company because the wait isn’t worth it. A rise in the cost of materials to make the figures may cause him to raise the cost of selling them which will in turn cause the loss of customers. New competitors could always be a threat and they may find a more efficient way to get the figures to customers quickly without backorders. We have a few specific plans that will help this company continue to thrive in the future. The most important thing to do is for Mr. Boehm to train other people in his craft. This is crucial if the company is to plan for long term. Another plan is to hire more than one company to distribute the product. Right now they only have one distributor, Milton China. With more distributors he could reach a larger market. The final plan we came up with is to work on technological advancements to make the long tedious process of making the figures quicker. The largest problem of the company is that it has so many backorders, with technology they could possibly speed up the process and narrow down the amount of backorders. We feel with our analysis that Edward Marshall Boehm Inc. is in good position for the future but they could make vast improvements if they capitalize on their opportunities and focus on the specific plans we provided.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Management Functions :: essays research papers
Outline I.     Overview II.     Current Technology Assessment III.     Value Chain Analysis A.     Value Chain Defined B.     Value Chain and the Customer C.     Technology Supporting Business Functions in the Value Chain D.     Technology and Partnering Activities IV.     Social Contract      A.      Social Contract Defined      B.      Social Contract in History      C.     Social Contract in the Business Perspective      D.     Regional issues with Social Contracts V.     Global Issues VI.     Managing Changes VII.     Conclusion Overview      â€Å"In 1991, Microsoft Corp. became the first software company to create its own computer science research organization. Microsoft has developed into a unique entity among corporate research labs, balancing an open academic model with an effective process for transferring its research to product development teams. Microsoft recognizes that to create the foundation for future technology breakthroughs, it is necessary to support long-term computer science research that is not bound by product cycles†(http://www.calibex.com/serv/calibex1/buyer/outpdir.jsp?search=microsoft+products). Today, the world-renowned scientists of Microsoft Research make up one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most highly respected software research organizations in the world  one that will help define and redefine the computing experience for millions of people for decades to come†Microsoft offers a variety of products such as operating systems, business/personal management software, multi-media software, databases, and exchange servers. They also provide help centers online and provide services over the telephone to help you with any problem you are having with their products (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?LN=EN-GB). Value Chain Analysis      Before you can discuss Microsoft’s value chain, you must first understand what a value chain is. According to the Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc., the value chain can be described as: A way to analyze the specific activities through which firms can create a competitive advantage by modeling the firm as a chain of value-creating activities. (QuickMBS.com) The article further describes the value chain as maintaining five primary activities (Inbound Logistics, Operations, Outbound Logistics, Marketing & Sales, and Services). The goal of these activities is to â€Å"create value that exceeds the cost of providing the product or service, thus generating a profit margin.†(QuickMBS.com) The primary activities can be defined as: â€Å"Inbound logistics include the receiving, warehousing, and inventory control of input materials. Operations are the value-creating activities that transform the inputs into the final product. Outbound logistics refer to the activities required to get the product to the customer, including warehousing, order fulfillment, etc. Marketing & Sales are those activities associated with getting buyers to purchase the product, including channel selection, advertising, pricing, etc. And Service, defined as activities that maintain and enhance the product’s value including customer support, repair services, etc.†(QuickMBS. Management Functions :: essays research papers Outline I.     Overview II.     Current Technology Assessment III.     Value Chain Analysis A.     Value Chain Defined B.     Value Chain and the Customer C.     Technology Supporting Business Functions in the Value Chain D.     Technology and Partnering Activities IV.     Social Contract      A.      Social Contract Defined      B.      Social Contract in History      C.     Social Contract in the Business Perspective      D.     Regional issues with Social Contracts V.     Global Issues VI.     Managing Changes VII.     Conclusion Overview      â€Å"In 1991, Microsoft Corp. became the first software company to create its own computer science research organization. Microsoft has developed into a unique entity among corporate research labs, balancing an open academic model with an effective process for transferring its research to product development teams. Microsoft recognizes that to create the foundation for future technology breakthroughs, it is necessary to support long-term computer science research that is not bound by product cycles†(http://www.calibex.com/serv/calibex1/buyer/outpdir.jsp?search=microsoft+products). Today, the world-renowned scientists of Microsoft Research make up one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most highly respected software research organizations in the world  one that will help define and redefine the computing experience for millions of people for decades to come†Microsoft offers a variety of products such as operating systems, business/personal management software, multi-media software, databases, and exchange servers. They also provide help centers online and provide services over the telephone to help you with any problem you are having with their products (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?LN=EN-GB). Value Chain Analysis      Before you can discuss Microsoft’s value chain, you must first understand what a value chain is. According to the Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc., the value chain can be described as: A way to analyze the specific activities through which firms can create a competitive advantage by modeling the firm as a chain of value-creating activities. (QuickMBS.com) The article further describes the value chain as maintaining five primary activities (Inbound Logistics, Operations, Outbound Logistics, Marketing & Sales, and Services). The goal of these activities is to â€Å"create value that exceeds the cost of providing the product or service, thus generating a profit margin.†(QuickMBS.com) The primary activities can be defined as: â€Å"Inbound logistics include the receiving, warehousing, and inventory control of input materials. Operations are the value-creating activities that transform the inputs into the final product. Outbound logistics refer to the activities required to get the product to the customer, including warehousing, order fulfillment, etc. Marketing & Sales are those activities associated with getting buyers to purchase the product, including channel selection, advertising, pricing, etc. And Service, defined as activities that maintain and enhance the product’s value including customer support, repair services, etc.†(QuickMBS.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Explain why the Environment is such a discursive subject
It is a fact that the planets weather is becoming more erratic, and ultimately warmer. The causes of the changes to our weather system are undeniable, but the real debate is if they are entirely man made. Evidence of carbon emissions increasing is available, but there is no â€Å"smoking gun†that categorically proves that the two are linked (sceptical science website – accessed 20/04/11). Until this can be proved beyond doubt one way or the other, people will disagree on mans impact on the earth. Since the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century there has been a growing concern on the impact of economic development in nature (Moran, 2005, p338). Different individuals and different political parties will have differing views on the impact and relevance of environmental issues in the modern political world. Despite the awareness of the issue, environmental issues would not enter mainstream politics until the 1960's. Previously there was little thought given to the natural resources consumed by man, but in the modern world their finite nature has been realised (Bentley, 2006, p137). By the late 1980's all mainstream political parties would have adopted and developed their own environmental agendas (ibid, p138). Pressure groups such as Greenpeace, the CND, Friends of the Earth and the World Wildlife Fund were campaigning in the UK and around the world during the 70's and 80's in order to bring the environmental agenda to the political forefront. But it was not just pressure groups bringing environmentalism to the political landscape, but also a whole new political party. The Green party was started in 1985 with the aim of moving politics away from what it felt was the continued pursuit of economic growth and focusing more on clean sustainable living (Moran, 2005, p338). The Green party has continued to rise since it's inception. The party currently has 109 elected local councillors, 2 European MP's and in the May 2010 election gained their first seat in the Westminster when party leader Caroline Lucas won Brighton and Hove (Green Party Website – accessed 20/04/2011). With the Green parties growing influence in British Politics, the real threat of global warming, a globalized economy and the existence of more and more pressure groups, we can be assured that the environmental agenda will remain in British Politics for many years to come. There are many examples of environmental campaigns that have already been and gone and the results of which can still be seen today. In 1982 and Englishman named Des Wilson began a campaign called CLEAR, with the aim of reducing the impact of lead pollution from petrol. Lead pollution was known to have serious impact on the health of young children, as well as the environment as a whole. Fortunately for the members of CLEAR, the campaign had already begun to reduce lead pollution in the UK. These campaigns had support in some very influential places. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution had already stated its desires for lead free petrol, and the German government had been appealing to the rest of Europe over the danger to German and other European forests. A European Union directive shortly followed and the majority of Western states installed lead-free petrol in their petrol stations by the end of 1983 (Leach, 2006, p423). In 1972 International think tank â€Å"the club of Rome†published a book called â€Å"The Limits of Growth†, and warned that the existing economic growth was putting a serious strain on Earths natural resources and warned of an impending catastrophe for mankind. Awareness of environmental issues was growing in Britain too, with the National Trust, the Council for Protection of Rural England and the RSPB some of the long standing organisation's joining the environmental campaign. Also, newer groups such as Transport 2000 and the Centre for Alternative Technology sprung up and joined many UK affected and/or based campaigns (Leach, 2005, p424). There is little doubt that the campaigns of these pressure groups helped to bring the environmental agenda to the forefront of British Politics. Environmental issues will affect all other policy areas of political parties and governments in a way that few other issues can. As stated previously with the CLEAR campaign, the effect of placing lead free petrol on the petrol station forecourt would of been non-existent had the lead-free petrol been twice the price of leaded fuel. As such, the British government encouraged the switch by placing reduced taxes on unleaded petrol, so the impact of making the environmentally conscious policy affected taxation in 1983 (ibid, p423). Any new development of roads, rail track or real estate will need to go through certain environmental checks prior to any planning permission being granted. An excellent example from recent times of environmental issues affecting a political decision relates to the planning permissions of the new Olympic Games site in Stratford. As part of the process for obtaining planning permission, the Olympic Delivery Authority produced a 40 page Environment statement on how they planned to maintain the sites wildlife before, during and after the Olympic Games (London 2012 website – accessed 20/04/11). Rather then possibly serving as a hindrance to the project, the environmental impact and sustainability became a key component of what the project wished to achieve. This is clears evidence that environmental issues are so ingrained in political thought that they are no longer considered as an after thought. This is, in my opinion, a clear indication of how the early environmental lobbyists were successful in their pursuit to bring environmentalism to the mainstream political agenda. International agreements on environmental issues will also affect the thinking of a governing political organisation. In 1997 186 states agreed on limits to their carbon emissions. The aim was to reduce the carbon emissions of signed countries to 5% below 1990 levels by 2012. Although initially successful (the 2002 targets set out by the agreement were met) the problems with the Kyoto began when the US withdrew from the agreement in 2001. Although President Clinton had agreed to the treaty in '97, there were serious issues getting it through the senate, and in 2001 President Bush pulled the US out of Kyoto declaring that it would gravely damage the US economy. The principal of the agreement on Kyoto would see states given a set quota of emissions each year, and these limits they would be allowed to trade off against one another. This would see high emission nations such as the US buy unused credits off of less polluting countries such as The Netherlands. Nations could also earn extra credits by getting involved in environmental conservation works in their own country or in a developing nation (BBC website accessed 19/04/2011). Kyoto would ultimately fail because the principal of trading emissions quotas would be unsustainable, and no significant reductions in emissions were achieved though the life of the treaty. The last attempt to broker an agreement in the international community was in December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. As John Vidal wrote in the Guardian â€Å"The so-called Copenhagen accord â€Å"recognises†the scientific case for keeping temperature rises to no more than 2C but does not contain commitments to emissions reductions to achieve that goal†. After the conference, G77 executive director Lumumba Di-Aping described the deal as having â€Å"the lowest level of ambition you can get†, and John Sauven of Greenpeace UK described Copenhagen as a â€Å"crime scene†(Guardian Website, accessed 19/04/11). The simple truth is that environmental issues are here to stay. The early work of environmental pressure groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace has clearly had an effect on modern political thought. Every political party will have an environmental policy outlined in its pre-election manifesto as well as in the policy section of its website. As we saw with the Olympic Stadium, the environmental impact of the construction process and post games legacy was a major factor when the whole project was outlined. Environmentalism in politics is here to stay. Major international agreements may fail like Kyoto, or fail to even appear as was the case with Copenhagen, but the pressure groups are growing is strength and influence, and any move by the political system to remove environmentalism will be met with strong opposition and serious repercussions.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Comparison (Kite Runner and East of Eden) - 1871 Words
William Hall once said, â€Å"People have a lot in common with one another, whether they see that or not.†This fact was made evident through reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni and East of Eden by John Steinbeck, two novels about the lives of people thousands of miles apart but take on the similar challenges and try to lead decent and fulfilling lives. There were minute differences between the novels, but for the most part the books were very similar. Through analyzing themes, motifs and symbols within these novels, one cannot help but recognize the cords that unite humankind and defy all boundaries. The dynamics of father-son relationships are central to both novels. In The Kite Runner, Amir has a very complex relationship with his†¦show more content†¦In Hassan’s case, Amir sacrifices him for the blue kite and Baba’s love. In Sohrab’s case, his sacrifice is the exploitation of an innocent child and is eventually stopped by Amir. However, both sacrifices have life-changing consequences for the â€Å"lambs†and everyone involved. Physical characteristics are used within both novels as symbols. In The Kite Runner, Hassan’s cleft lip (which he was born with) is his most noticeable features during childhood and is used most to describe him. This deformity is used to symbolize Hassan’s status within society as a Hazara, one of the things that separates him and Amir, simply because he cannot afford to have cosmetic surgery. I believe he was born with this defect to show that the prejudice started against Hazaras at birth and could never be stopped despite all efforts (in this case Hassan’s cosmetic surgery). Social status, ethnicity and religion played a major part in the novel, which Amir admits himself, â€Å"In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing (Hosseni 32).†These dividing factors eventually begin to distance Amir and Hassan and the community’s views about Hazaras began to aff ect Amir’s thinking. He is unable to fully view Hassan as a friend (or brother) because of his race and superior social status. greatly contributed to his ability to allow Hassan to be taken advantage of – something he’d forever regret. In East of Eden,Show MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words  | 30 PagesFarm, by Olive Schreiner (1883) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (1884) Pharaoh, by BolesÅ‚aw Prus (1895) What Maisie Knew, by Henry James (1897)[23] 20th century[edit] The Confusions of Young Tà ¶rless, by Robert Musil (1906) Martin Eden, by Jack London (1909)[24] The Book of Khalid, by Ameen Rihani (1911)[25] Le Grand Meaulnes, by Alain-Fournier (1913) Sons and Lovers, by D. H. Lawrence (1913)[26] Of Human Bondage, by W. Somerset Maugham (1915) A Portrait of the Artist as a YoungRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words  | 1617 PagesSUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL 24 Diagnostic Survey and Exercises 24 Personal Assessment of Management Skills (PAMS) 24 What Does It Take to Be an Effective Manager? 28 SSS Software In-Basket Exercise 30 SCORING KEY AND COMPARISON DATA 42 Personal Assessment of Management Skills 42 Scoring Key 42 Comparison Data 42 What Does It Take to Be an Effective Manager? 43 SSS Software In-Basket Exercise 43 PART I 1 PERSONAL SKILLS 44 45 DEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS SKILL ASSESSMENT 46 Diagnostic Surveys for
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