Payroll Accounting Chap. 3 Matching and Questions for Review

CHAPTER 3 Matching Quiz E1. Employee’s FICA Tax Rates D2. Form SS-4 H3. Semi Weekly Depositor J4. Taxable for FICA A5. Non Taxable for FICA I6. Self-Employed’s FICA Tax Rates C7. Form 941 B8. Monthly Depositor G9. Taxable Wage Base F10. Form SS-5 CHAPTER 3 Review Questions 1. If the person employs 1 or more individuals for performances of services in the US unless such services or employment are specifically exempt by law. 2. Defined by the common-law relationship of employer/employee 3. If the business has the right to tell a worker how, when, and where to work 4. a person who follows an independent trade, business, or profession.Where they offer their services to the public the following is the â€Å"test†: Hire, supervise, & pay assistants Determine the sequence of their work Set their own hours Work for as many employers as they wish Are paid by the job Make their services available to the public Have an option for profit or loss Furnish their own tools Have a substantial investment in their trade May be dismissed only under terms of a contract 5a. They must collect the employee’s FICA tax on tips that each employee reports. Then deduct the FICA taxes from other wages due to the employee 5b.Employers are liable for their share of the FICA tax on any tips subject to the employees FICA tax 6. After 6 months of consecutive calendar months the sick pay is not taxed. Period off work MUST be consecutive any return to work restarts the 6 month count. 7. They are subject to FICA tax but the employer’s match portion is tax free. 8. YES!!!! The amount of over payment is credited against the employee’s federal income tax for the year. Instructions are given on the Individual Income Tax Return (Form 1040) that explain how the over payment should be treated. So file your taxes John!!! 9a. 3. 3 % 2013-Projected 10. 4% for OASDI 2. 9% for HI b. Usually the net business income of individual as shown in their income tax returns make up their net earnings from self employment for the purpose of the social security act. The max taxable income for an individual is $110,100 for OASDI but for HI the total income is taxable 10. The EIN’s can be obtained directly from the IRS website. No registration is required and the EIN is recognized by the IRS immediately or they can call the IRS or mail or fax the SS-4 (Application for EIN) 11. The requirements are based on the â€Å"lookback† period.The amount of employment tax the employer reported on the quarterly returns for the 4 quarters in the lookback period determines if they are a monthly or semi monthly depositors. Each Nov. the IRS notifies employers weather they will be monthly or semimonthly depositors. 12. Pretty much all employers except those with a $2,500 or less in ? tax liabilities that pay when they file their returns. 13. Generally by touch tone phone, personal computer, or online 14. Generally 3 months of each calendar year 15a. A certain % of the amount of tax required to be reported will be added to the tax. . 5% of the undeposited taxes c. 2% of the amount (if less than $1,250 then penalty is $25 or the amount of the check, whichever is less) Practical Problems A (please see the Excel file for the rest of the problems and then I am mailing in the forms used for problems 3-11A, 3-12A, 3-13A, 3-14A, & 3-15A) 3-15A LO4,5 b. 1. Jan. 182. Feb. 63. Feb. 204. Mar. 65. Mar. 20 6. Apr. 3 3-16A LO5 1. Apr. 15 2. a250. 52505 * 10% = 250. 50 b. 12. 532505 * ? % = 12. 53 c. 3. 712505 * 3% * (18/365) = 3. 7118 days late d. 266. 74 Total Penalty Imposed

How does Dickens present the poor and poverty in A Christmas Carol?

In the novel A Christmas Carol Dickens shows that there is much poor and poverty going on in the world. In the novel a families are exposed of going through poverty and being poor, Bob Cratchit and his wife and Tiny Tim and his other children, Bob Cratchit is a man who works for Mr Scrooge. He has a small family who depend on the income he gets from Mr Scrooge. This is already showing the readers that if Mr Scrooge did not pay him his earnings then Bob would be in trouble with his family. How will he manage to feed them?. Even though this family is poor, they seem to be in high spirits at all times. Bob's family are all depending on Mr Scrooge to pay him if not then they will not continue to exist. Showing the readers this family is very unfortunate to not have as much money as Mr Scrooge has. This shows that the Cratchits may not be as happier as they are now if they had no money at all, Yet going through poverty does not stop tiny Tim from praying to god â€Å"to help them all†. Fred, Scrooges nephew seems to be happy enough with the money he has and comes to share his happiness with Mr Scrooge but he neglects Fred's offer to have dinner at his home. Fred who had married a lady who was not as rich as Mr Scrooge was happy despite the lack of money he is determined to celebrate Christmas. He is always glad and joyful regardless of how much money he has. Men and women â€Å"should open their shut up hearts freely†, Even if you opened your heart freely what if money was stopping you? You have all the money you could ever wish for, yet your still not as happy as other are? Fred does not worry about what you think money can bring. Open your heart freely. Mr Scrooge shows not feeling but seems to be in a bad temper at all times even though he has more money than he needs. Fred shows he is better off without all the money that Mr Scrooge has, he has his wife, his family his friends even though he is going through poverty and Dickens is showing this by making Fred go round to his uncles work and invite him to his Christmas dinner and is ignored by Mr Scrooge by calling Christmas a â€Å"Humbug†, He is showing that even though you may be poor and are going through poverty there should be nobody to stop you from being in a excellent mood. Fezziwig, another business man just like Mr Scrooge has many more people and families who depend on him and rely on him to keep them alive with his money. Fezziwig is seen giving all his workers a day off and smiling and laughing away with them, Scrooge seems to think why Fezziwig will do such a thing (Spend so much money for his workers). Although Fezziwig is rich and has his family and friends with him he spends some of his money on his workers this expands the happiness he already has, and also makes his workers cheerful in the season of Christmas. Mr Scrooge seems to think that what Fezziwig is doing is also a â€Å"humbug† he cannot come to terms with the fact that sharing is caring. Fezziwig is better off giving money to the poor and being happy unlike Scrooge who has so much money but does not share at all he dislikes wasting money he dislikes spending his money altogether. Dickens is trying to show the readers that even having to be poor and going through tough times with getting to have a shelter and leaving in a place your family can sleep well, being happy about Christmas and the more merrier you are the more merrier your Christmas will be. The readers can tell that Scrooge is very different from Fezziwig the two differences that they have is that Scrooge hates spending his money, even though he is rich he is miserable rotting away in his work place and in his house on his own. Whereas Fezziwig is as rich as Scrooge, he spends a modest amount of money to make the life of his workers a little more enjoyable. What Dickens is trying to show the reader is that Scrooge is the type of person who is greedy at first and will want to keep his money to himself and all his thoughts and feelings kept inside himself. His character has formed for his past. Scrooge was a lonely boy and then as a young man he was employed by a kind and giving man. All the same, Ebenezer had magnificent ambitions. He also wanted to earn as much as he could ever get and this is what had distorted Scrooges personality as well as himself. His fear of having to lose all his money and Business, has changed his social life, and his personal life, it's affected him mentally and physically. He has neglected his friends and his family, he also seems to disregard himself and forget how he is, forgetting his health and well being for his money. This fear of poverty has taken over his life and changed him. Dickens is trying to show us that poverty is something very powerful, having no home or money could change the way you think of money completely you may steal to get money or even beg, but before when you did have the money you had taken it for granted. So once you have lost all of the money you once had you may want it back again and will do anything to gain it back. Dickens as a child had also gone through poverty as he used to work in a workhouse in his early ages, poverty was a great inspiration for Dickens to create A Christmas Carol as it shows so much that people may not understand, Charles Dickens is trying to show us how a Christmas should be spent without al the grief but full of joy and happiness. Dickens experience of poverty had also changed his way of thinking and has made him realise that poverty possibly will affect some ones family and their own self in a bad way. Just before his father's arrest, the 12-year-old Dickens had begun working ten-hour days at Warren's Blacking Warehouse. He earned six shillings a week pasting labels on jars of thick shoe polish. This money paid for his lodgings with Mrs. Roylance and helped support his family, So Dickens knows how Bob Cratchit will feel about his family being dependent on him for the money he earns for Scrooge. At this time there was a lot of poverty in London and it was not unusual for such a story as A Christmas Carol to occur. Transformation The transformation that took place had changed the way that scrooge used to think about Christmas, He was at first a very lonely and miserable old man, who used to keep everything to him self, his feelings were never expressed and by no means ever smiled. Scrooge is very touched by the visions that the ghost of Christmas past shows him; his transformation begins. He remembers the feelings he had for the love of his life, but he had left her for his business and his wealth. The scenes he had seen were appalling and he had realised that he could steer clear of ending his life in misery. He had seen the consequences of his actions, and stirred away from them. In the novel A Christmas Carol Dickens links Scrooge to `bad weather` on page 12 Dickens metaphorically describes Scrooge, â€Å"No Warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he.† â€Å"The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often `came down` handsomely, and scrooge never did.† Dickens had described Scrooge as being so â€Å"cold† that the heaviest rain and coldest weather were better off than him. He is compared to his nephew Fred who with such a uncle, who comes from such bad weather; â€Å"he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.† This is showing us that Fred is a much happier person than scrooge. And even though he is from the same background as Scrooge, he is a completely different person to scrooge. Dickens is trying to show us that Scrooge and Fred have a complete contrast between them. Fred is â€Å"Warm† and Scrooge is â€Å"Cold†, As soon as Fred has entered the room the atmosphere had changed; from cold to warm, showing us how cold Scrooge really is. Furthermore Dickens shows Scrooge how the industrial revolution had changed London and the affect it had on the poor people. On Page 77 the phantom later takes Scrooge to an â€Å"obscure part of town, where Scrooge had never penetrated before, Although he recognised its situation and its bad repute.† Being so rich Scrooge had never stepped into the bad parts of town, which because of them that part of town was in that bad state The onset of the Industrial Revolution marked a major turning point in human society; and these poor people who had no jobs and no money had to stay at the dark parts of town which was in a bad condition. The industrial revolution had introduced many new things which had rapidly changed the whole world.

Getting casual at work

Title: Acquiring CASUAL AT WORK1. AbstractThis paper seeks to set up the effects and deductions of acquiring insouciant within the work environment of Bank of America. The Bank of America being the largest bank ( by assets ) , it is known for its high degrees of professionalism and its workers ‘ formal frock codification. This paper will therefore discourse the bank ‘s service bringing to its clients while at the same clip foregrounding the facets of effects of possible causal attacks that may be employed by the bank employees in dispatching their responsibilities. This treatment will be done consistently with particular accent on different subdivisions that will consist of a tabular array of content, debut, literature reappraisal, method of analysis, consequences of analysis, the decisions and recommendations made, a list of the mentions used in the aggregation of the information and eventually a list appendices demoing the extra stuff used in this treatment.2. Introduct ionThe Bank of America Corporation is based in Charlotte which is in North Carolina, it is considered to be one of the largest fiscal establishments that offer fiscal services, it is besides considered to be the largest bank in the assets class ( it ahs the highest plus value ) .The bank is besides the largest commercial bank by sedimentations. It is besides ranked as the 2nd largest bank on the footing of market capitalisation in the United States. The bank ( company ) is known to keep about 12.2 % of the entire U.S sedimentations. It besides holds the figure one place of subventioning the planetary high output debt, it is considered to be the 3rd largest investment banker of planetary equity. The Bank plays a really of import and critical function as an advisor to the planetary amalgamations and acquisition ( it is hence placed at the 9th place as an advisor on planetary amalgamations and acquisitions. The entire Numberss of clients served by the Bank of America originate from more than 150 states from across the universe. It has the highest per centum of relation with the U.S Fortune 500 companies ( this per centum stands at 99 % ) .Its relation with the luck Global 500 bases at 83 % ( of these companies ) .The bank is a really of import constituent of the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( DJIA ) and besides an influential member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ( FDIC ) .The bank demonstrated its ability to endure the 2007 recognition crisis and emerged as the healthiest fiscal establishment during that period. It subsequently plunged in market value after incurring heavy losingss as a consequence of buying the Merrill Lynch. The 2009 first one-fourth net incomes were valued at 4.2 billion with 3.7 billion holding originated from the Merrill Lynch.Professional frock.Before prosecuting in an enlightening treatment on the possible impacts of insouciant dressing at the work topographic point or any other associated facets of insouciant attitude in the work environment, it is of import to understand the construct of professional dressing and its significance in the professional universe of concern. Professional dressing has a batch of significance particularly in the Financial sector ( which the Bank of America is portion of ) .There is great significance that is attached to the colour of the professional frock, this is mostly due to the different significances expressed by the different type of colours.For illustration, deep and dark colourss are associated with wealth.Nuetral and the basic colourss are most appropriate for concern garb. In the Bank of America most senior directors frock in Dark colored suits which is a symbol of authorization, the dark colourss besides symbolize power. Blue is a colour that conveys self-respect. Green has been labeled as a really inappropriate colour for a male suit ; this is because it is a common colour for many hotel uniforms has can non populate up to the position demanded by the professional universe. Gray is a common colour that represents success and trustiness. The female employees have realized that the black colour is an of import and is able to complement many of their professional frocks. They hence need to take their apparels carefully based on solid colourss that can easy intermix with every bit many colourss as possible. Female employees can ever soften the basic colourss for their professional frocks like brown and black by adding gem tones, these normally demonstrates their assurance and energy, which is much needed by clients they serve in the professional environment of Bank of America. The corporate and professional criterions must be respected during the choice of the Professional frocks ; the colour of these frocks is a cardinal factor to doing a good a choice. The type of cloth is besides a factor in the choice procedure merely because it is symbolic ( For illustration the natural fibres like linen, wool, cotton and silk are a symbol of position. The most preferable type of cloth for both male and female employees in the Bank include 100 % pure wool. It is the most appropriate cloth for the professional frocks, followed by cotton. The likes of suede, leather, velvet and satin are cloths that are inappropriate for professional frocks. There have been different readings for the significance of professional dressing in America ( different provinces have their readings, for illustration the Texas and some Western provinces believe that a concern adult male can have on polished cowpuncher boots and their concern suits and remain professional ) .Florida and California has a more insouciant dressing standard compared to New York. There are States that have remained really conservative with their dressing manner ( intending they tend to dress professionally more frequently than non ) these provinces include D.C, Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago ) .It is common cognition that professional dressing has its of import significance, in the sense that it builds assurance of the employees and besides helps to construct a professional environment within the Bank environment which is a asset to the image of the Bank of America. It necessary that the clients or the Bank clients invariably feel that they are covering with professionals who will at all tomes give them professional advice to assist them protect the investings and besides give them sound fiscal advice. It is interesting that professional dressing helps to construct this environment. A good professional image for the male employees within the bank is to guarantee that they wear good quality suits that are solid and have dark colourss. These suits should be complimented with good quality ties. They need to keep a conservative manner of dressing, merely because Bank of America as explained in this debut is an international bank and has clients all over the universe and hence employees within the American Branch have a high potency of functioning clients from all over the universe and must stay professional if they are to manage such clients who invariably need confidence that the bank is professional and has safely kept their sedimentations.Casual dressing at workThe major possible causes of the emerging tendency of the insouciant dressing tendency in the fiscal sector with specific involvement in the Bank of America include ; the demand to return to a province of elegance as a new at tack of showing professionalism and decelerate but progressive alteration from the formal frock codification. This paper will therefore will turn to the history or beginning of the insouciant dressing and its possible effects within the Bank of America. Some of the insouciant dressing tendencies besides adopted by other banking establishments or concerns include the insouciant Fridays and the dress-down yearss.3. LITERATURE REVIEWBackground/historyThis subdivision of the paper will concentrate on the corporate history of the bank in an effort to follow the grounds for the Bank ‘s dress codification policy in relation to the type of clients or clients that they serve. It must be noted that the term ‘getting insouciant at work ‘ does non specifically refer to the dressing codification but can be loosely discussed in the context of the employee behaviour within the bank ; this behaviour could besides be referred to as being informal be it in the hierarchical degree or towards the bringing of services to clients. The Bank of America does non truly hold an highly rigorous type of frock codification but insists on smart concern insouciant or any other dressing manner that excludes jeans-shirts or in appropriate dressing, suits are non really common within the Bank ( this is with mention to the junior employees who are non portion of the direction squad ) . There are different types of insouciant dressing which include: Smart insouciant, Business Casual and athleticss wear. The most normally used insouciant dressing manner is the concern insouciant followed by the smart casual.Definition of the insouciant wearsSmart casual: This type of froc k codification is slackly defined and is really distinguishable compared to the concern casual. The lone challenge is that its definition is non really precise and many confuse the term smart insouciant with the term concern insouciant, this definition of smart insouciant contains dress pants even though other definitions include jean pants. It besides includes long sleeve frock shirt, idlers, tie ( is optional ) , a belt, a athletics coat. For female employees this could intend a skirt ( either long or short ) , a stylish belt, a jacket, a jumper that complements the frock that the employee has worn. The adult females are free to have on jewellery that regards there type of dressing. It must be noted that this type of dressing is largely appropriate in academic circles that majorly involves events where the said expert or professional speaks in forepart of an audience during talks.Business casualThis is a frock codification that emerged in many white neckband occupations in a figure of western states ; this tendency emerged in the early 1970 when there was the energy crisis. During this period the authorities had decided to raise the thermoregulator puting which so led to many directors authorising their employees to make manner with ties and jackets. The popularity of the concern casual had surpassed the concern formal garb wear. There are different definitions with respect to the concern insouciant wear, intending there is no by and large accepted definition for this sort of wear, every organisation defines this type of wear harmonizing to their reading which is majorly structured to accommodate the aims or the involvement of the organisation. A definition give n by the New York Times cites occupation hunt engine Monster.com states that a concern insouciant wear means dressing professionally and looking neat while at the same clip staying pulled together. Business insouciant for female employees comprises of a skirt of sensible length or even full length bloomerss of non denims stuff. This can be complimented with a top. The concern insouciant wear for work forces is considered as a combination of a collard shirt, belt and places ( e.g. idlers ) with socks. The cervix ties and cufflinks are by and large non recommended for concern insouciant wear.A brief corporate history of the Bank of AmericaAmadeo Giannini founded the Bank of Italy in the twelvemonth 1904 in San Francisco. The chief map of this bank was to provide to immigrants. Amadeo was brought up by the Fava household ; this happened after his lost his male parent, who was shot seeking to roll up a debt. Opportunity knocked at Amedeo ‘s door measure when the San Francisco temblor struck in the twelvemonth 1906.He was able to deliver all his financess from the bank ‘s edifice which was ruined. He so used the reclaimed financess to loan out to persons who were willing to reconstruct. He got his lucks in the ulterior twelvemonth after all his debitors paid up their loans. He used his money to get down the bank of America and Italy in the twelvemonth 1922 ( this was in Italy where he had bought Banca dell'Italia Meridionale which had been established in the twelvemonth 1918 ) .In the twelvemonth 1927 Amadeo consolidated his Bank of Italy which already had 101 subdivisions with the Liberty bank of America which had 175 subdivisions. This resulted into the Bank of Italy National Trust & A ; Savings Association which had a capital of $ 30,000,000 and had resources deserving $ 115,000,000.It was subsequently in 1928 that he merged with Bank of America Los Angeles, he subsequently renamed his Bank of Italy to Bank of America in the twelvemonth 1930.The Merger was completed in the twelvemonth 1929 and resulted into BANK OF AMERICA.The function played by the ClothingThere is great importance pegged to the dressing manner in the corporate universe and this includes the Bank of America. It is common for executives within the bank to be associated with Business suits which normally symbolize the executive position. This merely means that the dressing styles acts as a codification of distinguishing the employees within the bank. In instances where the corporate organic structure has a corporate uniform, there is increased easiness of employee designation by the clients ( this greatly helps to advance the corporate image ) .Since there is ne'er a 2nd opportunity to do a permanent feeling to the clients, it is of import for the employees to recognize that the appropriate vesture for a given function within the bank can assist better the image of that employee within that function or even potentially help the employee win other functions within the bank. There is an interesting fact about vesture and the function it plays in puting persons within a given societal order. It is undeniable that there are different societal orders that exist within the Bank of America, and these societal orders are characterized by the dressing manners that are adopted by the employees ( this normally happens whether they are cognizant or non ) .It is advisable for the employees to place the type of function that they want to play and so dress the portion. Status is another function played by the type of vesture chosen by a bank employee. A museum specializer called Barbara Dickstein argued that vesture was the major thing that represented an single as opposed to the jewellery they might have. Wallach besides stated in the twelvemonth 1991 that vesture was a manner of saying the position, the function of an person in life and his societal place.Role of vesture ( illustrations ) . Blue velvet represented or symbolized the Gallic aristocracies ( this was in the 17th century ) .The European tribunal functionaries in the past wore apparels that were royal blue and purple in colour. In Germany, vesture that were red in colour were merely designated to the members of the upper category. The ‘casual revolution ‘ begun in the twelvemonth 1990, it was noted that during this period many employees including the company Managers were easy following this emerging tendency of insouciant wear. Apart from bank of America the tendency was mostly noticeable in downtown fiscal territories, concerns and corporate suites in America. The feature of the tendency is that employees would be casually dressed but look really presentable at the same clip. As mentioned in the debut there are different types of insouciant wear, the most common being the concern wear ( It is a really interesting dressing manner in the sense that it allows the employee to experience comfy piece at the same keeping his or her professional image ( illustrations include cotton shins, jumpers, and khaki bloomerss. Care must be taken during the choice of the insouciant wear, merely because some of them are in appropriate for an office environment. Many employees have ignored the fact that insouciant does non connote that one should dress in a sloppy mode, illustrations of inappropriate insouciant wear include sleeveless shirts, armored combat vehicle tops and athleticss wear. It is appropriate for the female employees to avoid apparels that are uncovering as these autumn under inappropriate dressing. The chief ground given by many accounting houses like Delloite and Touche and KPMG is that the insouciant wears affect the professional image of these professional companies that are ever expected by their clients to keep a corporate and professional image. John Molloy who authored the book ‘Dress for Success ‘ mentioned in his book that ‘Rulers of the Corporate and Political America wear suits-always have and ever will, ‘ There are some big American companies that have besides embraced the construct of insouciant dressing, illustrations of these companies include General motors and the Ford ( they have come up with insouciant frock policies that cover the full hebdomad as shown by Rothenberg, 1995.Another noteworthy illustration is the Chrysler auto company, where the employees at the central offices are to dress as they please, twice in a hebdomad, there is a possibility of this tendency wholly taking over the dressing policy of the company. The client outlook is an indispensable factor when it comes to taking the most appropriate type of dressing. The direction squad of the Bank of America strongly believes that the frock codification could impact the perceptual experience of the clients towards the company e.g. inappropriate or unprofessional dressing severely dents the professional image of the company. The Human Resource Manager of Price Water House Coopers ( Pat Cooper believes that â€Å"Appro priate frock reflects good judgement and clients experience person who has good judgement will give good advise† ( Walker, 1993 ) .There is demand for clear frock policy within the bank to help with the definition of the insouciant wear that is acceptable to the clients and the bank finally.The different beginnings of insouciant dressingThe current tendency of insouciant wear within the Bank can non be traced to one peculiar beginning but can be attributed to the classless motion in the concern and industrial environment in the early 1980.This besides brought with it the thought of authorization and teamwork which aimed at cut downing the differentiations that resulted from category. The frock codifications are greatly influenced by the client and employee demands. The bank merely recommends really insouciant dressing for those events that are considered charitable.Consequences of Casual wearPositive effectsThis subdivision of the paper will research the different facets of in souciant wear with regard to their impact on employee behaviour towards clients and even the Bank direction squad. It can be argued that appropriate insouciant dressing brings with it positive effects. These positive effects benefit both the employer and the employee. If the direction squad of Bank of America would dress more casually so they would be more comfy and hence expression accessible to the other employees and this could in a great manner encouragement interaction with the direction squad which could ensue into sharing of thoughts that would otherwise non be shared.There is a turning popular realisation that companies can vastly derive from more comfy and flexible employees, it is an interesting fact that insouciant wear normally creates a more relaxed environment therefore doing the employees to hold sense of freedom. If this sort of environment was enhanced through positive control, so the productiveness degree of employees within the Bank of America can be improved grea tly. The insouciant ware besides has its secondary impact in the vesture industry. The emerging tendency of insouciant wear has led to an increased gross revenues volume for many insouciant wear clothing houses ; hence they have experienced positive growing in footings of net income borders. The manner houses have besides engaged in extended runs to promote the houses to follow the insouciant wear for their employees. Departmental shops like Jacobson ‘s have realized that they can advance the tendency and in bend boost their gross revenues volume in the long tally. They have opted to taking the run to the door stairss of these fiscal establishments or Banking corporations by giving them free seminars on the type of insouciant dressing that can be adopted.Negative impacts of insouciant dressingIt is undeniable that the concern insouciant wear and many other types of insouciant wear which were popular in the early 1990 have sent daze industry across the fiscal establishments that had adopted them. The focal point of this paper will be on the negative impacts of this insouciant on the Bank of America. The treatment will therefore gaining control both facets of the term of ‘getting insouciant at work ‘ . The facets in this instance will mention to the concern insouciant frocks used by the employees and the insouciant attitude adopted by the employees towards dispatching their responsibilities. The current statistics show that this once popular tendency is on the diminution after the Bank realized that this peculiar type of dressing was projecting an image that was perceived by the Bank clients as unprofessional therefore gnawing the assurance of the clients in the bank. The issue that alarmed the Bank is the statistics that showed that employees who dressed more casually at work tended to be more insouciant at the topographic point of work in the sense that they discharged their responsibilities more casually. This meant serious deductions for the Bank. The insouciant garb was the largest subscriber to the damaging of the corporate image, it besides led to insouciant interaction among the employees for illustration it encouraged slacking off in the work productiveness. The employees tended to jest more often, engage in non productive treatments through remarks that encouraged coquettish behavior therefore making an environment that could promote sexual torment within the work topographic point. This straight meant that the bank could potentially lose skilled employees through tribunal instances and tribunal punishments. It besides posed the hazard of dragging the Bank ‘s image into these tribunal instances ( this could dent the Bankss image ) .It besides led to the loss of manpower hours. Evidence from a study conducted by a jurisprudence house farther supports this fact. There study which was conducted in 1,000 companies revealed that 50 % of these companies had noticed an addition in absenteeism and tardiness after implementing a insouciant frock policy.30 % of these companies besides realized that coquettish behaviour had risen. Another challenge that faced the insouciant frock was the fact that there was no clear definition of what insouciant concern garb should imply. Many employees interpreted the insouciant wear as what they normally put on at place ( some even walked around in the office without places. This had the potency of doing the work environment non contributing. Molloy ‘s research showed that adult females who were seeking to acquire in front in the corporate universe found it increasing disputing to be taken earnestly when they were casually dressed. The concern insouciant wear in the bank sent a strong subtextual message to the clients who interpreted the message to intend that the Bank employees were traveling to manage their fiscal demands including their difficult earned moneys in a really insouciant mode. This signal sent to the clients was non the message the Bank would at any one point want to direct to its clients and clients, therefore insouciant wear sends a contrary message to what the bank wishes to direct to its clients and clients. A critical reappraisal of the insouciant dressing policy reveals that the policy has more disadvantages than the advantages the Bank would desire to accomplish at the terminal of the twenty-four hours. Hence the Bank has become really disbelieving of the proposed advantages the concern insouciant wear would convey to the Bank environment. The bank bases its statement on the far making effects the insouciant wear would hold on its clients who are the Banks figure one precedence.4. METHODS OF ANALYSISThe following techniques were used in the analysis of informations and information that was collected in this research paper: Case survey, this involved conducting enquiries in order to look into the phenomenon of ‘getting insouciant at work Ã¢â‚¬Ë œ within its existent life context, this was done on intent because the boundary between the phenomenon and the context was non really apparent. It involved the extended usage of qualitative informations that was drawn from interviews and observations. It hence was used to pull a clear apprehension of the construct of acquiring insouciant at work. It involved the scrutiny of studies that were conducted in companies that had the insouciant wear policies and its chief focal point was on the Bank of America. The 2nd technique used was the Experimental Design, which is an fact-finding technique that provided maximal control. It enabled the relationship between the insouciant attitude and dressing at the work topographic point and its possible impacts to the Bank of America in footings of employee productiveness and client relation, to be isolated and so step accurately in a carefully controlled experimental environment ( where there is the experiment and the control )Methods of roll upi ng DataThe type of informations that was collected in this instance was qualitative informations which was structured ; this sort of information was produced through closed inquiries. This involved the usage of questionnaires, which made the procedure of informations analysis easier and more efficient. The questionnaires were administered to the employees, clients, and even directors of the Bank of America. It of import to observe that the questionnaires can merely let the prescribe inquiries and restricted responses. The design of the questionnaire was mostly influenced by the type of informations analysis. Interviews were besides used to roll up the information, in this peculiar instance the structured interview attack was used to acquire information straight from the bank employees, clients and directors.Consequences of AnalysisThese will presented through the usage of charts and graphical tabular arraies5. Decision AND RECOMMENDATIONSThis paper has demonstrated that ‘getti ng insouciant at work ‘ poses a possible menace to the image of the Bank of America and can therefore the insouciant wear can non be adopted as a possible frock codification for the bank, this is mostly due to the fact that the disadvantages the insouciant wear holds outweighs the advantages of this construct of ‘getting insouciant at work ‘ . It is of import for the bank employees to keep a professional image by keeping or seting on professionally recognized frocks. The female employee can dress in the upper category type of concern wear that are largely of natural fibres and respect cultural criterions.6. ReferenceButton, G. ( 1995, November 6 ) . No bathrobes, please. FORBES, 130. Davies, R. ( 1992, September ) . Pull offing by listening. Nation ‘s Business, 6. Himelstein, L. ( 1996, April 1 ) . Levi ‘s vs. the frock codification Business Week, 57. Rothenberg, A. ( 1995, June ) . What to have on? Ward ‘s Auto World, 32-33.7. Appendixs

Ethical Problem Solution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Problem Solution - Essay Example Here, I want to mention that the wife of the therapist was pregnant and she was admitted in a hospital waiting for her delivery in a day or two. Coming back to the situation, the therapist was busy arranging patients’ records when the receptionist entered the room and told him about a telephone call waiting for him. The call was from his mother in law who told him about his wife’s critical condition in the delivery room. The news made the therapist panic and he wanted to leave the clinic in order to see his wife who was in the hospital. The therapist was just about to leave the clinic when a man came to the clinic along with his son who had severe pain in his right leg caused due to an injury. The man requested the therapist to check his son and prescribe a proper treatment plan. The situation became very critical for the therapist because on one side there was his wife who was in serious condition in the delivery room while, on the other side, there was a child who had severe pain in his leg. So, it became very difficult for the therapist to decide whether he should rush towards the hospital or not. How is this An Ethical Problem? This is really an ethical problem because, as a physical therapist, it is the duty of the therapist to check the patient and provide him with proper treatment no matter how serious the situation is. But one thing to be considered is that a person should also consider his or her state of mind before taking any decision. The mental state of a person can lead a person take different decisions. In our case, the condition of the therapist’s wife would not have let him concentrate on his job properly. Being a professional, the therapist should have helped the patient restore his physical mobility before leaving for the hospital. Ways to Handle This Problem There are two ways for a person to deal with this kind of situation. First way is to check the patient first and then leave for the hospital whereas the second way i s to leave for the hospital asking the patient to come some other time. The consequences of the first solution can be the improper treatment of the patient because of the disturbed state of mind of the therapist whereas the consequences of the second solution can be the poor reputation of the therapist. A therapist needs to concentrate more towards his job responsibilities as compared to other matters of life. How the Problem Could Have Been Avoided?

Soviet Emphasis on Film Editing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Soviet Emphasis on Film Editing - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that the Kuleshov workshop studied three basic functions or cutting methods, which would very well enhance the film quality. The first function of serving a cut would be in the narrative sense of the film. Through this type of cut, the director, as well as the editor, can very well analyze the actions that have been produced from the psychological processes, which happen within an individual. The second function of a cut was with regards to the intellectual responses, which were generated from the characters in the film. This could very well delve into the interpersonal relationships that could be produced, due to the various thought processes. The third kind of cut that was taught in the Kuleshov workshop was, with respect to the emotions that were being produced within a film due to the interactions among the various characters. Hence such responses were purely produced by the emotions deep within the minds of the individuals. In the case of the second type o f cut, that is considered to be purely for an intellectual purpose, was found not only to be serving and challenging the mental thought process but also will sometimes serve the purpose of the narrative cut. As far as Russian films are concerned Eisenstein’s is the greatest master of Montage, which in other words means editing. As per Eisenstein, the essence of the principle of Montage could very well be considered, as the combination of contrast, collision, and conflict. The significance of the basic plot of Battleship Potemkin was that it was a film that was produced in order to depict Russia’s general workers’ revolt. The entire plot revolves around two basic events, one that involved the revolt of the rebellion that took place on the Potemkin that was a battleship. The second event was based on the Odessa reprisals, which occurred between the Cossacks and the Czar’s troops.

The Influence of Information Literacy on Scholarship, Practice and Essay

The Influence of Information Literacy on Scholarship, Practice and Leadership - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that biased and false information are some of the components considered in determining the relevance of the information. Information literacy influences a number of fields especially the professional field for different reasons. Some of the uses of information literacy include research, determination of consumer choices, academic reasons. In addition to that, it helps in understanding the political arena. The effect of information literacy is such that over the decades, countries have introduced programs that ensure students are equipped with skills to not only operate in an information-rich society but also acquire and rightly apply that information. Different models have been designed to understand the ever-growing body of literature. A closer look at information literacy shows that it has an influence on scholarship, practice, and leadership. Scholarship refers to lifelong learning. This means that a person is constantly learning to improv e his or her skills in their area of specialty. On the other hand, practice refers to one’s behavioral patterns within their workplace. In other words, the practice not only looks at one’s technical skills but social skills in a work environment. Leadership explores one’s ability to have a positive influence in their academic, professional, and personal lives. Thus, information literacy analyzes one’s ability to recognize the need for information. This is critical for any leader as they are called upon to locate, evaluate, and apply the knowledge they have for the benefit of the society. Leadership greatly determines the success or failure of an institution. Time has proven that poor leadership only leads to an institution’s downfall.

An Overview of the USA Patriot Act, its impact on local law Research Paper

An Overview of the USA Patriot Act, its impact on local law enforcement, and the potential for net widening - Research Paper Example The patriot act aimed to address this by effecting drastic changes in its intelligence agencies. This enables them to work more efficiently by removing the barrier that impeded their work. The act also aimed to seal the loopholes that terrorist were using to their advantage making Americans vulnerable to terrorist attacks. The act reduced the restrictions that the agencies enforcing the law were facing during their endeavor of intelligence gathering in the country. The act also went further and increased the mandate of the treasury by giving the secretary in the department authority to control financial exchanges, and transactions in order to choke out the supply of funding for terrorist activities in the country (Scheppler, 2006). They especially emphasized on the transactions that foreigners made that were suspicious or had terrorist links. In addition, the immigration department was given the go ahead to deport or detain individuals who are suspected of being terrorist or are aidi ng terrorist acts through their actions. The act also delved into domestic terrorism by expanding the definition of the act in order to seal the loopholes that terrorist might exploit. Through this act, the intelligence agencies and law enforcers were unshackled from restrictions that would have impeded their fight against terrorism. The current administration has extended the mandate of the act in order to guarantee that the security of the US is safeguarded. The act has had a significant impact on law enforcement in that the agencies have been empowered to be able to carry out their duties efficiently, without coming into conflict with the law, or encroaching into the rights of individuals. The act has also widened the net of the intelligence communities to be able to thwart acts of terror on the US population. The act came about when the American government was pushed to act after a devastating terrorist attack

Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 26

Compare and contrast - Essay Example This fact is illustrated in the medical field in CT scan services. The CT scan machines were offering the same product and in the long run, they became unprofitable venture. This is due to the prices declining as many identical products are continually being introduced in the market. Farmers’ market is a good example of competitive market structure (Hubbard, p450). Competitive monopoly on the other hand has dominating firm(s) that control prices unlike in perfect competitive markets. Both market structures have many buyers and sellers and the entry to these market systems are considerably similar. The entry to the both market structures is significantly easy. The only difference is the product being sold. In competitive market, the products are similar in all aspects while in competitive monopoly, the products are differentiated. Starbucks and other coffee houses compete in a competitive monopolistic market structures. They offer the same products but adequately differentiated (Hubbard, p465). Competitive monopolistic firms also offers prices that are greater than their marginal costs. In the short run, competitive monopolistic firms should have marginal revenue below its demand curve to realize profits. In the long run, competitive monopolistic firms make profit if their total revenue is greater than their total costs (Graph B1 and B2). Oligopoly differs from competitive monopoly and competitive market structure in the ease of entry. Entry into oligopoly market structure is considerably hard because of the barriers of entry present in the market. Companies like Microsoft and Google fall in this category. New firm venturing into this market experience stiff competition among other barriers and its survival is barely minimal. This because, Microsoft and other firms in this market structure have economies of scale and there are also several governmental imposed barriers to such

Substance Abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Substance Abuse - Research Paper Example This paper shall discuss substance abuse and its impact to the human body and the daily functioning of a person. This paper shall also evaluate how the work environment I am currently part of is affected by substance abuse. Possible solutions which can be carried out through social controls will also be discussed. The different social and economic benefits which can be seen after implementation of these social controls will also be discussed. This paper is being conducted in order to establish the different important details which are needed to understand substance abuse. Discussion Substances which are subject to abuse include drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. People often have different reasons for such abuse and more often than not, society pays heavily the price for substance abuse. The impact of this abuse can be seen in the increase in admissions in the hospitals for drug overdose, alcohol poisoning, and other more encompassing incidents like road accidents caused by drunk or drugge d drivers. The courts are also often tied up with a long list of crimes where drugs and/or alcohol are involved in their commission. Substances subject of abuse These substances which are considered addictive contain ingredients which produce symptoms of dependence. Tobacco for example contains the addicting substance known as nicotine. Inasmuch as people use tobacco or cigarettes to relieve stress, to improve performance and vigilance, to relieve depression, and to control weight, it also contains thousands of chemicals which impact negatively on our body. Such effects may come in the form of heart disease, lung disease, peptic ulcer, stroke, and lung cancer (WebMd, 2011). Alcohol also contains addictive elements. It is used by people as a â€Å"pick me up,† however it can also cause decreased muscle control, can slur speech, and it can decrease inhibitions. It is also attributed as the cause of thousands of car accidents – some of them fatal. Illicit drugs like marij uana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and other so-called club drugs (ecstacy, PCP, ketamine, GHB, and similar drugs) are also used to produce various effects, including pleasure sensations, and general feelings of well-being or â€Å"high†. It can however cause massive organ damage, as well as cause heart, lung, and kidney problems. Impact on the current work environment In my current work environment, substance abuse impacts in terms of the quality of work given to each task by each employee. For those who suffer from an addiction problem, I noted that their addiction is sometimes so debilitating that it incapacitates them – making them frequent absentees and slackers at work. These workers can also make the workplace a dangerous environment with some of them showing up drunk and disorderly or hung-over (OSH, 2008). In carrying out their duties, their concentration can sometimes be compromised and in the process, they can place their lives, as well as the lives of other co-workers in danger (OSH, 2008). In the area I work in – in the Quality Control division of a cosmetics company, substance abuse affects the quality of work. For those who are alcoholics and drug addicts, I noted that they were often inconsistent in their attendance. They were often absent or late. As a result, the rest of us had to make the necessary adjustments to make up for their absence or their lateness. They were able to

Prostate Among African American Men Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Prostate Among African American Men - Essay Example The genetic coding of the cells responsible for control of multiplication is interfered with, making the cells to lose control off their multiplication activities (Thompson, 2002). In the case of prostate cancer, the cells that multiply uncontrollably are those found in the prostate gland. The danger of the cancer is that the cells might migrate to other organs of the body. This is called "metastasis" (Robbins, 2007). When they get to these other organs, they make the cells here to also multiply. This makes the organ to become cancerous also. This form of cancer has some effects on the patient. It might lead to pain and difficulty when passing urine and erectile dysfunction (Rosenberg, 2008). This paper is going to look at the issue of prostate cancer among African American men. This is because it has been noted that there are disparities between the occurrence and effects of prostate cancer between African American men and Caucasian, American men. There is a variation in reported incidences of prostate cancer around the world. Countries from the Asian continent, for example china and Japan, report fewer cases than the European or American continent (American Prostate Cancer Association [APCA], 2009). America records one of the highest rates of prostate cancer around the world. ... Another important aspect is that it rarely has symptoms (Washburn et al, 2004). It might manifest itself in form of other complications like that of erectile dysfunction, but no direct symptoms. This, coupled with the fact that majority of those inflicted are above sixty years, makes it hard to diagnose. In fact, the patient might die from other diseases (Arterburn, 2006). African American men record the highest incidences of prostate cancer around the globe (National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2008). They make up about a quarter of all prostate cancer cases (NCI, 2008). They are also more likely to die from it than other men. In fact, they are three times more likely to die from it than their white counterparts (NMA, 2008). Prevalence of Prostate Cancer amongst African American Men This cancer is very significant to the African American man. As far as non-skin cancerous conditions are concerned, it tops the list in terms of occurrence amongst this segment (Washburn et al, 2004). It the most diagnosed cancer among these men. The American Prostate Cancer Association estimates that approximately 40,000 cases will be reported this year alone (2009). This is among the African American men. It is fact that the mortality rate from prostate cancer is dropping (APCA, 2009). But still, it occupies the second position as far as cancer mortalities amongst African American men is concerned (APCA, 2009). In 2005, more than five thousand black men in America succumbed to this cancer (Robbins, 2007). This dropped to about four thousand in 2007 (Robbins, 2007). The mortality rate has been in decline though. For instance, between the years 2000 and 2003, approximately sixty men out of 100,000 died.

GFP Bunny Essay Example for Free

GFP Bunny Essay Oswald Chambers once said that, We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do (http://home. att. net/~quotesabout/god. html). In a society which is constantly making progress, human beings do not understand the repercussions of new scientific discoveries and often cross the delicate line of being human and playing God. Science gives us security as it is considered to be the cure to all evil. What eludes us is that in the act of eradicating this evil, we inadvertently bring into being a newer, more powerful evil. Victor Frankenstein, the focal character in Mary Shellys novel Frankenstein and Aylmer, the antagonistic character in Nathaniel Hawthornes short story The Birthmark both become so devoted in their pursuits of creation, that they forget their human limitations ending up with chaos and destruction. In the story, The Birthmark, Aylmer tells his newly wed wife that he is shocked by the birthmark on her face, as it is the visible mark of earthly imperfection (Hawthorne 1131). His thoughts and words hurt his wife greatly, which drives her to a point where she would rather die than live on another day with the hideous birthmark on her face. As Georgiana imparts on to her husband, her wish to get the birthmark removed once and for all, Aylmer is fueled to succeed at all costs. He rents out an extensive apartment where he observes Georgina and delves in a variety of natural philosophies so that he can remove her birthmark once and for all. Aylmer is so engrossed in playing God to remove a human imperfection so his wife can get rid of her mortal nature that he does not realize that he lacks the powers to make things around him flawless. It is this obsession, which eventually eradicates the birthmark. But along with the birthmark, a fair Georgiana becomes a martyr for her husbands cause. Similarly Victor Frankenstein, the character created by Mary Shelly, wishes to indulge in the secrets of heaven and earth (Shelley 45); however, despite having the intentions to banish disease from the human frame (Shelley 47), he is completely careless in accepting responsibilities for his creation. After his mothers death, Frankenstein becomes a victim of fate. It is fate coupled with his eternal thirst for knowledge that leads to the monsters creation. An ambitious Frankenstein eventually goes against Mother Nature by creating the monster. Frankenstein and Aylmers actions of creating life and beauty respectively parallel the nature of recent cloning efforts by the Clonaid Corporation. According to The Economist On December 27th Clonaid, a firm associated with the Raelians, a religious sect, announced that it had succeeded in producing the worlds first human clonean allegedly healthy baby girl called Eve, born to an unnamed American woman at an undisclosed location (61-62). Cloning has been going on for years and numerous animals have been cloned. Critics, skeptics and supporters have paid minimal attention to this sensitive subject because it has never affected our lives in a direct way. But as our own species are being cloned, we cant help but to stop and think about the implications of cloning. In sciences great pursuit to take over gods duties, one wonders whether creating clones is ethical and moral, not only to the clone that may suffer serious deformities but to the society it will be unleashed upon. Science is trying to create a life which they cannot govern later on as natures will eventually take over. Paranoid. Human Beings have always been inclined towards art and beauty. It is in our nature to lay emphasis on beauty and creation. It is something that mesmerizes us and wheels us into great depths. Art that is created naturally can be exquisite at times, but when our obsession with superficiality drives us to inject science into this artistic force, we are looking at a grotesque and unethical piece of creation. Aylmer was so fixated on his wifes beauty that he saw the birthmark as a sign of her mortal nature. He saw the birthmark as a symbol of imperfection, sorrow, decay and death; all things ugly. He is eager to remove the birthmark and tells Georgiana, his humble wife that he is convinced of the perfect practicability of its removal (Hawthorne 1132). Aylmer with his previous experiences at taming nature sees no reason why he should not further beautify his nearly perfect wife upon whom nature has placed its ugly stamp. Frankensteins creation The monster has also been judged at a superficial level from the very beginning. Following the birth of his creation, he instantly gives the monster a feeling of being on the outside of society. Victor responds to his creation by saying, I beheld the wretchthe miserable monster whom I had created (Shelley 61). It is his initial rejection which leads the monster to plead with Frankenstein: You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? they spurn and hate me (Shelley 94). The creature struggles with the thought of being unwanted because of his grotesque looks. The monster was a benevolent creature, but as he was shunned by people for his external appearance, he turned miserable and vengeful.

Sexual Harrasment Essay Example for Free

Sexual Harrasment Essay He is trying to make her feel if she doesn’t continue the relationship with him it will cause a big problem and will spoil her name in society. He is forcing her to continue the relationship only with him. Linda offers sexual favors to her professor in order to get a passing grade. The professor agrees, and Linda receives a passing grade. Even though Linda offers sexual favors without professor compulsion, this is also a Sexual Harassment. Because, the professor is making use of Linda’s need to get passing grade. It clearly shows that Linda will get only passing grade if she does the sexual favor. A demand or request for sexual favor to do anything is clearly a sexual harassment. Mary, a supervisor, asks her male employee, Stan, to join her for dinner so they have will some quiet time away from the office to go over his performance evaluation. We are not clear about the intention of Mary here. If Mary really asks Stan to join her for dinner to discuss his performance evaluation it is good. Even if she discuss about performance, if she force Stan to join her for dinner it is harassment. It seems like, if Stan joins her for dinner, then only she is willing to go over his performance evaluation. Bob, a supervisor, makes comments about on a regular basis to his secretary, Susan, about how she is dressed for the day. Comments about clothing, personal behavior, or a person’s body are also one form of Sexual harassment. Bob’s comments on Susan’s dress for the day are Verbal Sexual Harassment. A customer in a restaurant grabs the rear end of a waitress. She complains about the customer to the manager, who says, â€Å"Ignore it, you’ll probably get bigger tip. Manager asking his waitress to ignore it for bigger tip is clearly the sexual harassment. Because, Manager is not willing to lose his customer on behalf of this and he is also encouraging these things to happen. Don posts pictures of scantily clothed women on his office walls. This is a more pervasive form of sexual harassment involving work conditions or behavior that make the work enviro nment hostile for the woman to be in. Display of pornography or sexist/obscene graffiti is an example of a hostile work environment. This is also one of the forms of Sexual Harassment.

Atlas company overview and market analysis

Atlas company overview and market analysis Atlas Sri Lankas favorite stationery brand is the brainchild of Ceylon Pencil. Co. (Pvt.) Ltd. Established in 1959 it has grown from strength to strength and has successfully gained the majority market share in school, corporate and home stationery products. Today the company is the No. 1 manufacturer of ballpoint pens and exercise books. Atlas stands not only for quality but also for innovation. They have manufactured all their products using cutting edge technology, adding sophistry and efficiency to the stationery products. Atlas products are guaranteed to give an enhanced experience; and high value for money. HISTORY The Company started out by producing its maiden product the varsity Pencil, today it manufactures over 300 stationery products and is proud to be the only stationery brand available all over Sri-Lanka. Atlas has even tapped into international markets by forming strategic partnerships with Atlas pencil company UK. During the 80s and the 90s Atlas brought about fruitful change by establishing Atlas Plastics (Pvt.) Ltd. and Care Products (Pvt.) Ltd. ( the former dedicated to the production of adhesive tapes and strapping tapes, the latter for personal care and cleaning items.) Vision, Mission Values Every organization has a main objective or goal, which can also be termed as its end product. All these are merged into a corporate vision and mission. That of Atlas is given below: ATLAS VISION STATEMENT Our vision is to be the most preferred brand for office and school products in south Asia. The vision is simple but strong. It shows that before declaring world domination Atlas would need to take small steps and first try to conquer the South Asian market. The vision of Atlas isnt farfetched, one day in the near future Atlas would be able to fulfill its vision, if it grows in its steady pace. CORPORATE VALUES We at Atlas firmly believe in upholding high moral values and in being an ethical corporate citizen. In doing, so we continuously inculcate high values in our workforce and strive constantly to give them sufficient independence to use their imagination and creativity. The above given values of Atlas clearly states, that it cares not only about giving high quality goods to its customers. But it also focuses on protecting and helping its staff grow and become better employees. The main objective of the Company is to provide quality goods at a reasonable price to its customers while successfully facing competition. To achieve this the company uses technologically advanced means of production and also uses high quality raw-materials, because of all of these steps the company was awarded with ISO 9001:2000 certification for its stationery items manufacture under the Atlas trade name and numerous other social awards like the community leader award. Product Portfolio Along with its subsidiaries Atlas has a wide range of 300 products including stationery items, plastic (tape) and Care products. These products are icons of quality and are used by many students and corporate bodies around Sri Lanka. The product portfolio/line of Atlas company is stated below: Figure: 1 Product portfolio of Atlas (Authors work, based on information receives from SO) Marketing Philosophy Marketing philosophy or marketing concept used by the company should be clearly identified. With the growing importance of society organizations were enforced to act as good corporate citizens. Therefore businesses were made to realize the importance of being socially responsible. That is why Atlas has chosen the Societal Marketing Philosophy, under this philosophy marketing decisions have to be made balancing 3 criteria- à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consumer needs and wants à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Societies interests à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Profit maximization through customer satisfaction for Company welfare Figure: 2 (lecture notes) As a result of choosing this marketing philosophy Atlas has achieved many awards such as: Ceylon Pencil Company (Pvt) Ltd. was awarded with ISO 9001:2000 certifications for its stationery items manufacture under the Atlas trade name. This proves that Atlas caters to consumer needs by providing quality products. The Community Leader Award from the Chartered Institute of Sri Lanka was awarded to Ceylon Pencil Company (Pvt.) Ltd., for Corporate Social Responsibility activities for the contribution made to education sector. Ceylon Pencil Company (Pvt.) Ltd. received a Merit award for 5S standard by competing with Jastica Society. Market Summary The Ceylon pencil company (pvt) Ltd is the leading stationary manufacturer in Sri Lanka with a wider range of products with the brand of Atlas. The stationary market in Sri Lanka is an Oligopoly Market with few manufacturers offering very similar products. The competitors of Atlas are Richard Veny, Weerodara, Reynolds, Cross, Parker and Pilot. Atlas stationeries mainly focus the customers that school students, and office workers. Customers in stationary market mostly prefer the products that convenient, attractive, affordable, creative and innovative. Introducing this product can lead to trend because Atlas Wiz Maker will attract younger customers due to, Conveniences Attractiveness Innovativeness It is also being noted that younger customers have an attitude of wanting products which includes above criterias. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analysis for Atlas Wiz maker. Strengths Brand loyalty of customers Atlas is a well known brand which has been operating in the Sri Lankan market for more than 50 years. Therefore even though its a new product customers will purchase it because of the confidence they have about the brand. Quality Atlas products are known to be of good quality. This will attract customers to purchase this product. Larger market share Atlas is the market leader in the stationary sector therefore it could be a challenge for their competitors to grab that market share from them. Convenience, attractiveness and innovativeness. Atlas wizmaker is a convenient, attractive product using innovative technology, because of the fact that it has a pen , pencil , highlighter and eraser all in one its a convenient product. Also the fact that it comes in a variety of colors makes it attractive to both school children and university students alike. Weaknesses Limited Product assortment The Atlas stationery company is lacking variation in products. The products that Atlas has brought out at present are similar to their competitors, it doesnt draw you away from buying the products which are offered by other competitors Opportunities Because of the busy life style of people they look for convenience. There for coming up with this product will bring opportunities to Atlas since this products main advantage is convenience. Improve Technology Atlas company has recently formed a partnership with Atlas stationeries UK, this partnership allows them to use new technology to produce the best quality products. Export possibilities The recent partnership that Atlas has formed with Atlas stationeries UK, has allowed it to tap into the foreign markets like that in South Asia, UK, US etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ because of its ability to provide high quality products at reasonable prices. Threats Substitutes Other competitors might come up with a similar product. Also companies like bic and cross have invented stationeries with pen, pencil and stylus. Importers The Sri-Lankan market is slowly being flooded by imported stationeries, who are slowly capturing the Sri- Lankan market share. Competition for the Atlas Wiz maker Competition could be known as a contest between two companies, individuals, countries etc in order to perform better than its competitors by providing a product or service which will lead to more market share and long term profits. Substitute products There are many substitutes for this product in the market as well as many brands. By the time of the new arrival of the Wiz maker many other established brands such as Weerodara, Richards and Reynolds will come up with a counter product. And also there is a higher possibility of strong competitors being active in the market. When looking at the stationary market there are a few competitors to Atlas who are; Radiant Pilot Rotomac Weerodara Parker Among them the direct competitors of Atlas would be; Rotomac Pilot Parker Barriers to entry into stationary market There are many barriers to entry in this market. These barriers are not common to all companies because of structure, financial strengths etc. Because of high initial investment needed to produce stationary items many companies will avoid coming into the market. Technology of the firms will have to be high tech and updated at all times. For this to proceed much cost will be incurred. Thus many companies will not be able to afford this Many of these stationary items require standards to be met (e.g.-ISO 9001, ISO 14001).For these standards to be checked a payment in different steps must be done. Advertising to promote a product such as the Wiz maker can only be done with a budget which Atlas or a large rival company possess. Different customers have different preferences. Some might find Atlas unique and easy to use but some might prefer other brands. Thus customer loyalty and preference will be a hard factor to fight against for new companies. Market structure of the stationary market By analyzing the stationary market in Sri Lanka it is clear to us that it is of Oligopoly nature. That is where there are only a few large firms in the market. Thus it is dominated by a few interdependent firms. The Wiz maker will thus be competing with only a few items which will be able to substitute its features. MARKETING OBJECTIVES Objectives are building blocks of an organizations marketing plan. It states what a company wishes to achieve in the near future. What objectives a company would have will be determined after carrying out a comprehensive Environment analysis such as SWOT. INFLUENCES ON OBJECTIVES The environment affects the organizations objectives. There are internal and external factors influencing an organizations objectives. Internal Influences Corporate culture- This refers to the values of the company as a whole. The company values of Atlas is to be an ethical corporate citizen and tries to inculcate high values in their workforce by giving them sufficient independence. Staff Aspirations- It differs from department to department and team to team. Atlas wishes to give its staff sufficient independence so that they can grow as an individual and increase satisfaction in the labor force. All this ensures that the workers contribute to the maximum to produce high quality goods. Resource constraint- In the beginning Atlas used to import its raw material, but now in order to help the local market the raw materials used by Atlas comes from Sri-Lanka itself. Atlas has also formed a partnership with Atlas stationery UK which helps them get a hold of modern technology which helps Atlas produce quality products at minimum cost. External Influences Customer/ Market- Atlas stationeries focuses on serving to three main categories in the market- school children, graduates or university students and office worker. Atlas is the only stationery company in Sri-Lanka which has an island wide market. Economies- Atlas has been recognized as a company which provides high quality products at really affordable prices. Thus it has a wide scope in the market. Competitors- Being the only stationery company which is sold island wide Atlas has only a handful a competitors like weerodar, pilot, bicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which dont seem to be a threat to Atlass market reach. CORPORATE OBJECTIVE The corporate objectives of a company includes, trying to achieve maximum profitability and market share. Atlas plans on achieving maximum profitability by providing maximum satisfaction to its consumers by using innovative technology to manufacturer high quality good at minimum cost. Atlas can increase its market share by catering to the nees of its consumers by providing quality products at reasonable prices. SMART MARKETING OBJECTIVES A smart marketing objective should be: Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time bound Based on the above factors its safe to assume that Atlas plans to achieve the power of branding i.e. Atlas strives to provide high quality goods. So it wants to build a good brand name with its consumer. Segmentation This is dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers with different needs, characteristics, or behavior who might require separate products, services or marketing mixes. In order for market segmentation to be useful they should be measurable, accessible, substantial, differentiable and actionable. Bases in consumer segmentation for Atlas Wiz maker. Geographic segmentation This shows how you divide the market into different geographical segments. Such as countries, cities etc. Atlas focuses on urban areas. Demographic segmentation This includes dividing the market into different demographic segments such as age group, gender etc. Atlas focuses mostly on the younger generation. Psychographic segmentation This is dividing the market into different groups based on social class, life style etc. Atlas mainly focuses on the middle class Behavioral segmentation This is when u divide the market into groups based on attitudes of the consumer , use of the product etc. Atlas mainly caters to the needs of younger students. Targeting The process which evaluates the segments attractiveness and selecting segments to offer their products is called targeting. In this step companies have to decide what is the most suitable segment to achieve their objectives. Its based on the result of ranking the segments. The target market which a set of buyers with common needs and characteristics that company decides to serve is selected by evaluating the followings. Market Attractiveness Competitive Factors Company objectives and resources Evaluating the segments Segments of Evaluation School Students University Students Office Workers Professionals Market Attractiveness Size of the group Growth rate High Average High Relatively Low Average Low Very Low Very Low Competitive Factors Level of competition Competitors High percentage of competition Reynolds, Richard Veny Average percentage of competition Renold Richard Veny Parker Average percentage of competition Renold Bic Cross Pilot High percentage of competition Parker Pilot Bic Cross Company Objectives and resources Contribution to market share High contribution Relatively high contribution Average contribution Low contribution Rank 1 2 3 4 Source : Authors Work Positioning Atlas Wizmaker is the new product. It stands not only for quality but also for innovation. Wiz maker product is a different positioning product .That means it competes for a smaller and less competitive market to locate a brand. wizmaker product check Positioning strategy focuses on, this products differentiation strategy. This new product is unique and will be profitable (for the market).And it also has other distinctive criterias that will differentiate it from the many other products. Points of differentiation Must be important and valued by your customers (for example, being marketed as an economical product in a give you an enhanced experience; and high value for money) Positioning your product needs to be focused on delivering A valued and distinctive product to a specific market and delivering in a way that customers accept (thats the hearts and minds part of the equation).This Atlas Wiz pen Good product positioning will make it easy for intended customers to define why they want to buy the product (they will see the unique benefits). Market leader (first in) This Wiz pen being challenged by market followers, focus the marketing message to reinforce this pen is the first (the real thing, rather than the imitation). Wiz pen positioning to Conduct market segmentation. Define the target market. Identify the product attributes. Determine the products share of heart and mind. Being first in the market usually is a significant benefit in mindshare. Place your product in the right space (e.g. economy market; low volume; Quality etc.) Positioning Map Display the consumer perceptions of their brand versus the competing product on important buying dimensions. This Atlas wiz product we can show like this Price Pilot Atlas wiz Parker H L H Quality L POSITIONING STATEMENT The positioning statement of Atlas Company is Be creative and that of Atlas Wizmaker is Atlas wizmaker- Its All You Need. The reason that it says so is because it has all, the pen, pencil, highlighter and eraser together in one product. Marketing mix Product The product which is being marketed is the Atlas wiz maker which is a stationary item which includes 4 main items important to any student, worker or employer. Several factors must be considered when this product is being marketed. Product levels Source: Core product The core product is a stationary item that includes a pen, pencil, eraser, and a highlighter together. Basic product This includes value for money, affordability and convenience. Expected product The buyer expects a product which is; Affordable Has value for money Convenient Augmented product A product with many features together. Potential product Individual product decisions Source: The Product This is an item which includes different items in one body. Thus it will be more portable and affordable. This is a revolutionary idea which has not been developed in the Sri Lankan market. Due to that special quality the demand will be much higher leading to greater profits. The body of the item has a simple cylinder shape which includes a detachable pencil head in one end. The other end of the cylinder consists of a ball point pen head which can be extended or withdrawn at will. The cylinder shape of the item is infused with an eraser which is mounted to the top of the device. It also has a highlighter included in it which comes in 3 colors which are pink, blue and purple to match the color of the pen. Branding This product is being manufactured by Atlas stationary limited (Pvt) therefore the brand of this produce will be Atlas. The company being a very well reputed brand in the Sri Lankan stationary market, people will be drawn to use the product because of low psychological fear created by strong brand image. Packing Packaging of this product is done with a plastic molding done on top of a cardboard structure (the structure is mainly a simple cylindrical shape). To be eye catching the product is packed in 3 different color schemes which are Blue, white and Pink. (This feature makes it stand out from the rest of the products packaging). Labeling This product will have the name of the product which is Wiz maker written on the body of the product. Availability Atlas has made sure its product is readily available. This product can be found in any book shop or any communication outlet. This includes major supermarket chains as well. Forecasted Product life cycle for Atlas wiz maker Source: Authors work Price The amount of money or the monetary value which is charged for a product can be defined as price. (Kotler 2006, p: 307) Special characteristics of price Most flexible element in marketing mix Only element of marketing mix which generate revenue. Pricing a new product is the most challengeable decision which managers have to take. Because customers buying decisions mostly depend on the price of the product . Therefore taking a successful pricing decision is very important to the company. Factors, influence to price Internal factors Company and marketing objectives With regard to Atlas company maximization long run profit, market share leadership and enhance the positive image of company and its products are main company and marketing objectives. Marketing mix strategy When deciding the price of Wiz Maker it must be matched with its design, distribution and promotion. Cost The cost of the product Wiz Maker will be directly affected to its pricing decision. Costs are mainly divided as fixed cost and variable cost. wiz makers fixed cost includes expenditures such as plant, equipment and executive salaries etc. Variable cost includes labor, material and other direct expenditures. External factors The nature of the market Atles Company has oligopoly market with few manufactures/distributers. The nature of demand There is no direct competitor to wiz maker in existing market. Therefore the demand will be inelastic to a certain extent. Competitors cost, prices and offers Company must consider the cost and prices of the stationeries in local market before setting the price. Customer expectations Customer expects convenience product in affordable fair price. Customer should be satisfied with the price and the value on return. Other external environmental factors Company must consider external environmental factors such as government policies, changes in tax policies and existing economic conditions before setting the price. Pricing Process Source: Authors work Selecting the pricing objectives The first step of pricing process is selecting an overall pricing goal for the company. Mainly the pricing objectives of Atlas company can be summarized as follows. Maximization long-run profit Maintain market share Enhance positive image of company and its products Be regarded as fair by customers. Determining demand Demand is a relationship between two variables which price and quantity. The quantity which customers are willing to buy is depend on the price if other factors are equal. Further demand and price have negative relationship. The result is if price is increased the demand will be decreased. Also Wiz makers demand will mainly depend on price. There are different methods to estimate demand of wiz maker. Conducting product experiments By asking customers that how many units they would buy at different proposed prices Estimating cost Mainly the cost of a product can be divided into two categories as fixed cost and variable cost. With regard to Atlas wiz maker fixed cost includes cost of purchasing needed machineries, equipments and other indirect expenditures such as executive salaries. Direct labor cost and materials such as plastic, ink and rubber will be included in variable cost. Total cost per unit Pen Special Pencil Highlighter Eraser Total cost Source : Authors work Analyzing competitors cost ,price and offers Atles market is a oligopoly market with few manufacturers. Further Atlas wiz maker is a innovative product. There is no same product to this malty task pen in stationery market. But customer will compare the prices of pens, pencils, erasers and highlighters in stationary market before buying wiz maker. Selecting the pricing strategy Considering all the above findings and overall pricing objectives market penetration strategy is the most suitable strategy to Atlas Wiz maker. But because this is a innovative product companys main objectives are maximum long run profit, maintain market share and provide the products in fair prices. This policy stimulates growth of the market for the new product and allows a large market share to be more quickly obtained. ( Hisrich Peters,1991 p:346) Selecting the final price The final step of pricing process is set the final price. After considering all the above facts Atlas Wis maker can be priced as follows. Pen Rs. 10.00 Special Pencil Rs. 20.00 Highlighter Rs. 40.00 Eraser Rs.5.00 Final price of Wiz maker Rs. 75.00 Place Place is the physical space of or virtual location where the product will be made available at the market place for target consumer. (lecture note) Distribution use to get the offering into the hands of the customer. These include: On-premise Sales involves the sale of your offering using a field sales organization that visits the prospects facilities to make the sale. Direct Sales involves the sale of your offering using a direct, in-house sales organization that does all selling through the Internet, telephone or mail order contact. Wholesale Sales involves the sale of your offering using intermediaries or middle-men to distribute your product or service to the retailers. Self-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering using self service retail methods of distribution. Full-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering through a full service retail distribution channel. Of course, making a decision about pricing, promotion and distribution is heavily influenced by some key factors in the industry and marketplace. These factors should be analyzed initially to create the strategy and then regularly monitored for changes. If any of them change substantially the strategy should be reevaluated Consumer Market Chanel (1Level) Distribution channel Is set of interdepended organization involved in the process of making a product available for customer The Nature of Distribution Channels Most businesses use third parties or intermediaries to bring their products to market. They try to forge a distribution channel which can be defined as All the organizations through which a product must pass between its point of production and consumption Why does a business give the job of selling its products to intermediaries? After all, using intermediaries means giving up some control over how products are sold and who they are sold to. The answer lies in efficiency of distribution costs. Intermediaries are specialists in selling. They have the contacts, experience and scale of operation which means that greater sales can be achieved than if the producing business tried run a sales operation itself. Functions of a Distribution Channel The main function of a distribution channel is to provide a link between production and consumption. Organizations that form any particular distribution channel perform many key functions: Information Gathering and distributing market research and intelligence important for marketing planning Promotion Developing and spreading communications about offers Contact Finding and communicating with prospective buyers Matching Adjusting the offer to fit a buyers needs, including grading, assembling and packaging Negotiation Reaching agreement on price and other terms of the offer Physical distribution Transporting and storing goods Financing Acquiring and using funds to cover the costs of the distribution channel Risk taking Assuming some commercial risks by operating the channel (e.g. holding stock) All of the above functions need to be undertaken in any market. The question is who performs them and how many levels there need to be in the distribution channel in order to make it cost effective. Numbers of Distribution Channel Levels Each layer of marketing intermediaries that performs some work in bringing the product to its final buyer is a channel level. The figure below shows some examples of channel levels for consumer marketing channels: Sale points Book shops, Food Cities (Cagiels, Arpico, Keells) http://tutor2u.net/business/marketing/distribution_introduction.asp

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Bride :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Bride I wouldn't want anyone to think that I'm trying to have the last word here but I thought it only appropriate that the bride speaks and those of you who know me well enough will agree that it's usually hard to keep me quite. Well today is no exception, so here we go! I feel privileged to be sharing our day with most of the friends and family who have been important to us during our lives. Many of you have travelled from afar:- South Africa, Botswana and even the UK, and some of you have had 0to take time off work to be here. Thanks to all of you for the efforts and sacrifices you have made to be with us today. Of course there are those who are unable to be with us and there is one person in particular who I would dearly have loved to be here today to see me married and that is my Dad. He's certainly been in our thoughts today,a s he is everyday. I'd like to thank Allan for his earlier compliments and would like to add how wonderful he looks today. Allan and I have been together for about 14 years (as has been mentioned a number of times tonight) and during that time we've been through a lot. But he has many wonderful qualities - charms, brains & beauty are sadly the only ones missing! No seriously, I would like to thank Allan for being the person that he is. He is good company and is funny, affectionate and loving and he's a friend as well as a partner and it means a lot to be is wife after so many years. I would now like to drink my own private toast to him and or future together. To Allan, you know everything about me and love me just the same. Now I don't mean to bore you with repetition but I would like to say a few personal thank you's to some very special people who have contributed enormously to our day:- * Firstly, to the most wonderful mother a child could ever have – not only for all the love, support and guidance over the years but also for everything you've done towards today. Your massive contribution has been priceless and without you we would never have managed and today would not have been possible, never mind so special.

Steven Kerr Essay -- Business, Creativity, Diversity

As Kerr is an educator and a professor in universities and not an economist, he examines his idea or creativity in the organization by making inquires starting from top management to the bottom in the organization and also to people who knew what the buyer or customer should be; then he would run it through his network in and outside GE to cross examination and double check or assessment (Davenport et al). Kerr’s successes effectively with the standing of ideas and creativity mainly rely on his continuing exploratory research with great creative thinking skills, expertise and motivation, and they also depend on his outstanding leadership and exceptional organizational culture of innovation in GE (Davenport et al, 2003). On the issue how to link his idea to his organization or business, Kerr simply collected and gained quick feedback and recommendation about how to present or make use of the idea or creativity to his sixty-five top executives in GE; he would assessed and examined his idea with his top management team first before link it to GE (Davenport et al). Davenport, Prusak & Wilson (2003) analyzed and claimed that getting instant comment or criticism is very critical and vital for a idea, as Kerr in his interview argued: â€Å"Gaining quick feedback and translating it into action and results is what advocating ideas is all about† (p. 207). In strategic planning, management must measure or evaluate the courses of idea and creativity or development and expansion to ensure they obtain the best and maximum returns from platforms (Davenport). In ideas and organizational management, feedback, criticism and suggestion not only could turn or develop into the guidance, objective and dire ction or target and focus of innova... ...resent diversity within the labor force and â€Å"each of them will also have networks of professional associates whose knowledge they can tap in order to solve problems and accomplish tasks. Needless-to-say, diverse people will have diverse networks and provide your company with a vast and diverse meta-network at your disposal† (p.1). In short, in supporting of creativity, innovators essentially need the backing from top leaders, and without that support, many initiatives may break down or die on the vine (Harvard). For any idea to be successful, it is vital that it is aligned with company strategy; there is more likely to occur naturally when top executives involve and take the lead with a idea or creativity initiative and this is a main reason why management commitment is a key factor in the accomplishment of any idea or innovation process (Baumgarther, 2010).

Management Information Systems Essay -- essays research papers

1.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Motors has several internal and external influences that are challenging them to reduce their operating costs and become more efficient. In doing an analysis of the General Motors using Porter’s Competitive Model these influences become clear and opportunities for the company to reduce costs and increase efficiency using information systems becomes obvious. Porter’s Competitive Model is a model used to describe the interaction of external influences; specifically threats and opportunities that affect an organizations strategy and ability to compete [Laudon & Laudon, 2005, p. 103].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Starting at the center of the model is the current industry, which includes General Motors and their typical competitors, such as, Ford, DaimlerChrystler, and the Japanese [Laudon & Laudon, 2005]. All of these traditional competitors are able to produce cars at a much cheaper cost than General Motors. Looking at the supplier portion of the competitive forces model, part of the reason General Motors was unable to produce cars inexpensively in comparison to their competitors was that they were producing a lot of their own parts. Their competitors were able to purchase parts from outside vendors at lower prices. General Motors viewed this as an opportunity and has since shed a lot of workers and factories and are currently searching everywhere for the lowest prices on parts. Also General Motors was very slow at producing cars because of old information systems and outdated processes. A lot of General Motor’s systems could not communicate with each other, which was causing a major lag in the production of automobiles. By integrating these systems they were able to become faster and leaner and were able to increase their customer focus [Laudon & Laudon, 2005]. In the competitive forces model, General Motors also has influence from new products and services to reduce costs and increase efficiency. General Motors wants to experiment with new ways to serve their customers, one of which was online shopping, allowing customer to shop for car models and colors online and giving them dealerships in the area that were currently in possession of the car they preferred. By utilizing the Internet, GM was able to provide additional services to their customers and allow them to also purchase vehicles online. Gen... ...rketing tool, businesses also use the Internet to provide customer service. Instead of having a call center where a customer needs to talk to a physical person they can use the Internet and browse frequently asked questions to get information or answers. They also can send emails to the business and expect a response in little time. Using the Internet for customer service allows the customer to be in control and tailors to the customer’s time schedule.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many benefits in using technology to gain customer information. The most popular is as a marketing function to provide customers with the products that are most popular. Also, it allows them to provide salesman type services without a physical salesperson or customer service representative. This is saving businesses money by reducing the cost of employing this person and is tailoring to the flexibility needs of the ever-demanding consumer. References Laudon, K.C. & Laudon, J. P. 2005. Essentials of Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm. Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management Information Systems Essay -- essays research papers 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Motors has several internal and external influences that are challenging them to reduce their operating costs and become more efficient. In doing an analysis of the General Motors using Porter’s Competitive Model these influences become clear and opportunities for the company to reduce costs and increase efficiency using information systems becomes obvious. Porter’s Competitive Model is a model used to describe the interaction of external influences; specifically threats and opportunities that affect an organizations strategy and ability to compete [Laudon & Laudon, 2005, p. 103].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Starting at the center of the model is the current industry, which includes General Motors and their typical competitors, such as, Ford, DaimlerChrystler, and the Japanese [Laudon & Laudon, 2005]. All of these traditional competitors are able to produce cars at a much cheaper cost than General Motors. Looking at the supplier portion of the competitive forces model, part of the reason General Motors was unable to produce cars inexpensively in comparison to their competitors was that they were producing a lot of their own parts. Their competitors were able to purchase parts from outside vendors at lower prices. General Motors viewed this as an opportunity and has since shed a lot of workers and factories and are currently searching everywhere for the lowest prices on parts. Also General Motors was very slow at producing cars because of old information systems and outdated processes. A lot of General Motor’s systems could not communicate with each other, which was causing a major lag in the production of automobiles. By integrating these systems they were able to become faster and leaner and were able to increase their customer focus [Laudon & Laudon, 2005]. In the competitive forces model, General Motors also has influence from new products and services to reduce costs and increase efficiency. General Motors wants to experiment with new ways to serve their customers, one of which was online shopping, allowing customer to shop for car models and colors online and giving them dealerships in the area that were currently in possession of the car they preferred. By utilizing the Internet, GM was able to provide additional services to their customers and allow them to also purchase vehicles online. Gen... ...rketing tool, businesses also use the Internet to provide customer service. Instead of having a call center where a customer needs to talk to a physical person they can use the Internet and browse frequently asked questions to get information or answers. They also can send emails to the business and expect a response in little time. Using the Internet for customer service allows the customer to be in control and tailors to the customer’s time schedule.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many benefits in using technology to gain customer information. The most popular is as a marketing function to provide customers with the products that are most popular. Also, it allows them to provide salesman type services without a physical salesperson or customer service representative. This is saving businesses money by reducing the cost of employing this person and is tailoring to the flexibility needs of the ever-demanding consumer. References Laudon, K.C. & Laudon, J. P. 2005. Essentials of Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm. Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management Information Systems Essay -- essays research papers 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Motors has several internal and external influences that are challenging them to reduce their operating costs and become more efficient. In doing an analysis of the General Motors using Porter’s Competitive Model these influences become clear and opportunities for the company to reduce costs and increase efficiency using information systems becomes obvious. Porter’s Competitive Model is a model used to describe the interaction of external influences; specifically threats and opportunities that affect an organizations strategy and ability to compete [Laudon & Laudon, 2005, p. 103].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Starting at the center of the model is the current industry, which includes General Motors and their typical competitors, such as, Ford, DaimlerChrystler, and the Japanese [Laudon & Laudon, 2005]. All of these traditional competitors are able to produce cars at a much cheaper cost than General Motors. Looking at the supplier portion of the competitive forces model, part of the reason General Motors was unable to produce cars inexpensively in comparison to their competitors was that they were producing a lot of their own parts. Their competitors were able to purchase parts from outside vendors at lower prices. General Motors viewed this as an opportunity and has since shed a lot of workers and factories and are currently searching everywhere for the lowest prices on parts. Also General Motors was very slow at producing cars because of old information systems and outdated processes. A lot of General Motor’s systems could not communicate with each other, which was causing a major lag in the production of automobiles. By integrating these systems they were able to become faster and leaner and were able to increase their customer focus [Laudon & Laudon, 2005]. In the competitive forces model, General Motors also has influence from new products and services to reduce costs and increase efficiency. General Motors wants to experiment with new ways to serve their customers, one of which was online shopping, allowing customer to shop for car models and colors online and giving them dealerships in the area that were currently in possession of the car they preferred. By utilizing the Internet, GM was able to provide additional services to their customers and allow them to also purchase vehicles online. Gen... ...rketing tool, businesses also use the Internet to provide customer service. Instead of having a call center where a customer needs to talk to a physical person they can use the Internet and browse frequently asked questions to get information or answers. They also can send emails to the business and expect a response in little time. Using the Internet for customer service allows the customer to be in control and tailors to the customer’s time schedule.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many benefits in using technology to gain customer information. The most popular is as a marketing function to provide customers with the products that are most popular. Also, it allows them to provide salesman type services without a physical salesperson or customer service representative. This is saving businesses money by reducing the cost of employing this person and is tailoring to the flexibility needs of the ever-demanding consumer. References Laudon, K.C. & Laudon, J. P. 2005. Essentials of Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm. Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚