Saturday, December 28, 2019

Women and War Essay - 1055 Words

Women and War Trying to hold the homefront together while there was a war waging abroad was not an easy task for women during World War I and II. Women were not only asked to complete the daily chores that were normally expected of them, but they were asked to go to work. Suddenly their very private lives were turned into a very public and patriotic cause. Traditionally the womans place was thought to be in the home. She was responsible for cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, and looking her best. So when war broke out it was clear that America would not be able to win either of the World Wars without the help of their women, the traditional housewife and mother turned into wartime worker. This is the†¦show more content†¦In some respect one could call it a sense of nationalism, much like what the American women had during both the World Wars. The Nazi women, unlike the American women, went through three phases as Hitler was coming to power. The first, women struggled shoulder to shoulder with their male comrades. And After Hitler gained control he ordered employed women to relinquish their jobs and dedicate there full energies to rearing large families. The third phase was when they were preparing for a war and Hitler sent the women back out to work. But throughout each of these stages the women were considered unimportant by the Nazi men, yet crucial if they should succeed. (Koonz 97) American women were crucial to the success for the World Wars, and they were never considered unimportant. In fact, they were considered so important that after the first World War they were granted suffrage as a reward for all their hard work and support during the war. After World War I when they received their equal rights women began cutting their hair short. The new fashion trend was both a trend and a political statement. It was a blurring of the gender lines showing that both men and women could be considered the same and equal. Some critics found two aspects of the new styles particularly offensive: first, their ability to blurShow MoreRelatedWomen in War843 Words   |  4 PagesWomen at War In the years before the Civil War, the lives of American women were shaped by a set of ideals that historians call â€Å"the Cult of True Womanhood.† As men’s work moved away from the home and into shops, offices and factories, the household became a new kind of place to private, feminized domestic sphere. â€Å"True women† devoted their lives to creating a clean, comfortable, nurturing home for their husbands and children. During the Civil War, American women turned their attention toRead MoreThe Vietnam Womens Memorial Foundation Essay583 Words   |  3 Pages There is little official data on female Vietnam War veterans, because the military mostly favored recording the achievements of men in the army. The Vietnam Womens Memorial Foundation estimate that approximately 11,000 women were stationed in Vietnam from 1962 to 1973. Only about ten percent of women served as soldiers. The ones who did were normally treated as second class soldiers; their role was perceived only as a helpmate instead of a soldier, and they were often put in dangerous situationsRead MoreThe Argument Against Women s Combat1122 Words   |  5 PagesDebunking the Arguments Against Women in Combat There are many who would argue that allowing women, who are physically unprepared, to fight in combat would affect the cohesiveness and combat readiness of the units in which they serve. Government officials and military personnel are a just a few of the leaders behind this opposing argument. When asked about women in ground combat, President Bush summed up his position in four words, â€Å"No women in combat† (Curl and Scarborough A01). He supportedRead MoreThe Fear Of Women And Women In The War1123 Words   |  5 PagesThe United States entered the war with something to prove, and enough attitude behind them to make a difference. Men and women alike flocked to volunteer after such events like Pearl Harbor, and once the men had left to fight the big fight, women found themselves left behind. The psychological day to day of these women is a seemingly insurmountable mountain of odds all stacked on top of each other. People were worried about losing everything, about the spread of Hitler and his fascist ways. WartimeRead MoreWomen Of The Civil War1553 Words   |  7 PagesWomen of the Civil War The Civil War is a very important part of American history – simply put, it determined what kind of nation the United States would be. The Civil War resolved whether the United States is what determined the survival of the Union or whether the Confederacy would gain independence. It is the battle that determined whether the largest slaveholding country in the world would continue to exist as such since it thrived on the fundamental idea that â€Å"all men are created with an equalRead MoreWomen In The Civil War1674 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Women Who Fought In the Civil War Submitted By: Tierahnee Balfour History 2010 Enhanced Mrs. Teresa Prober 19 October 2012 It is an accepted convention that the Civil War was a man’s fight, but to the women in that time period, it was not. Many women sacrificed their lives to fight for their family and for their country. The Civil War is symbolic in American history because it shaped society, as we know it today, â€Å"Free of slavery†. During the Civil War, women were mostlyRead MoreWomen Of The Civil War885 Words   |  4 Pages For women in the 1860s it was predictable wisdom that a â€Å"woman’s place is in the home,† but the Civil War challenged this view (Civil War Academy, 2015). There were many women who played an important role in the Civil War. It is normal to think the Civil War was a man’s fight. However during the war, many women challenged the role of the women and took on different roles. While the men marched off to war, the women had to work hard and try to provide for their families. Women became doctors, spiesRead MoreWomen in Civil War1004 Words   |  5 PagesWomen, Slaves, and Free Blacks in the Civil War What roles did the Northern women play in the war effort on the Union side during the Civil War? What roles did the Southern women play in the war effort on the Confederate side during the Civil War? How did the war affect each group? â€Å"There were just shy of 400 documented cases of women who served as soldiers during the Civil War, according to the records of the Sanitary Commission.† (Brown, 2012) Women during the 19th century, according toRead MoreWomen Of The Civil War1720 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Civil War, it was erected to make sure the men would not have died in vain, and after reading it I could not help but to ask myself, â€Å"Are we to let the women?† Kids will learn of the Civil War starting in elementary school, and will continue to do so as far as their education leads them. They will learn of the brave men who fought for their beliefs and rights, brother who fought against brother, and the men who led these soldiers into battle. There is, however, one side of the Civil War which isRead MoreWomen Are The Victims Of War1481 Words   |  6 Pagesinequalities† (Pope Francis). Just as women are victims of economic systems, they are also the victims of many, if not most, acts of terrorism and violence. These can include domestic violence, sexual slavery, emotional abuse, human trafficking, etc. In these ceaseless cases of oppression and violence, women a nd children bear the brunt of it all. In short, they are the casualties of war. The spoils of war. The victims of war. Two prominent ongoing acts of conflict which impact women are ISIS’s widespread regime

Friday, December 20, 2019

The Issue with Traditional Testing Methods Essay - 3581 Words

The Issue with Traditional Testing Methods So what’s the big issue with traditional testing methods? They’ve been instituted for years and no one seemed to have a problem before now. Well, in the past decade, the nation’s citizens have become increasingly compassionate towards students and their individual needs. President George W. Bush has gotten generous praise for his No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 as a result of popular concerns among communities across the country. While the act may still have areas in need of improvement, it illustrates that educators, parents, and students alike have been desirous of reform within school systems. â€Å"The number of calls complaining about high-stakes exams coming from parents...are†¦show more content†¦Many students learn best when a combination of different media is used. â€Å"Teachers should structure the presentation of material in a style which engages all or most of the intelligences. When teachers center lessons on the students needs, it optimizes learning for the whole class† (Nolen, 2003). However, this has been recognized for decades and has been generally regarded as common knowledge. We are now just beginning to accept that learning differences also translate into the assessment realm. Assessment Transition Teachers cater to many students’ common strengths of learning, yet have not begun to accommodate assessment strengths until recently. Many standardized exams are described as being â€Å"high-stakes,† meaning that a single exam has the ability to either significantly assist or destroy the students’ future. â€Å"The results are used for guiding decisions on statewide policy, school reform, and individual students† (More, 2000). Some of the new accommodations include incorporating performance-based assessment, comprehensive portfolio analysis, and evaluation of public demonstration of knowledge in contrast to the former, more traditional approaches to testing. Some of these alternatives include â€Å"debates, discussions, interactionalShow MoreRelatedSoftware Development : Systems Development1233 Words   |  5 PagesDevelopment CW1 Intro to Agile [3] â€Å"Agile methods are iterative and incremental, each successful development iteration, it delivers the product to the client and so satisfies the customer faster than traditional development†. Agile methodologies are a relatively new set of software development approaches created to tackle traditional method’s issues and increase productivity and accuracy of software systems produced by a self-organised team of developers. Agile methods increase productivity which means moreRead MoreAlternative to Animal Testing Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesAlternatives to Animal Testing Animal testing has become a controversial issue among many people in the world today. Some of these people involved in this controversial debate believe that animal testing is unethical and should be replaced by other methods. The other group of people in this debate believe that animal testing is necessary in order to research new products that cannot be tested on humans. Traditional animal testing forces animals to undergo numerous experiments for different formsRead MoreSoftware Development : Systems Development1543 Words   |  7 Pages evolve, realize, [3] â€Å"Agile methods are iterative and incremental, each successful development iteration, it delivers the product to the client and so satisfies the customer faster than traditional development†. /**Agile methodologies are a relatively new set of software development approaches created to tackle the issues of traditional methods and increase productivity and accuracy of software systems produced by a self-organised team of developers. Agile methods increase productivity which meansRead MoreImportant Skills A Student Needs Help Learn For Their Future929 Words   |  4 Pagesarticle for Clearing House, which focused on the nurturing of students. Not only are thinking skills important for a student’s future, but they also need the skill to deal with difficult life issues. Students may be able to achieve academically, but lack what is necessary to cope with difficult life issues. Teachers have to abandon teaching students what is not related to the standardized tests, which then makes them lose sight of what is important for the students. A whole child is not simply composedRead MoreCommunicative Language Testing1187 Words   |  5 PagesTeaching and testing are so close ly interrelated. It is obvious that the development of different theories and approaches of language learning and teaching also affects the history of language testing. Therefore, it is common to see evolution of both language teaching and language testing. There has been a shift from analytical to integrative approach in both language teaching and language testing falling into three stages: ⠝â€" Grammar –translation ⠝â€" Structural Read MoreCost-Benefit Analysis and Project Budget995 Words   |  4 Pageshave  £10,000 from our own funds and we will be using this fund for the promotion of the app with  £10,000. The council has also provided us with  £10,000 subsidy. We have used our funds on Feasibility, User Requirement and Analysis, Design, Coding, Testing and Operation. This is very useful as it is a one-off cost, and we will not be spending on this again but it will benefit us in the long run.   The total population in the Kingston upon Thames Borough is 160,400 according to the Office of NationalRead MoreThe Internet Testing ( Uit )831 Words   |  4 Pages Unproctored internet testing (UIT) is a test administration medium that involves the administration of pre-employment tests online, without a proctor, outside of a traditional testing environment (Tippins et al., 2006). Applicants are free to complete the test at their own convenience anywhere they have internet access. UIT most commonly involves the use of biodata, situational judgment items, and/or personality items to screen out applicants who are unlikely to be hired (Gibby, Ispas, McCloy, BigaRead MoreThe Development And Design Of A Database1429 Words   |  6 Pagesand design of a database doesn’t follow simple or single approach; it connects multiple processes and individuals who collectively play key roles in the process. In some instances, database development using agile methods engage in rushed deploy ments, neglecting the importance of testing. There are daily deployments of databases without getting the key aspects right which can create a lot of frustration. The agile process still has several benefits, though, which include the elimination of unnecessaryRead MoreTraditional Vs. Alternative Medicine902 Words   |  4 PagesTraditional versus Alternative Medicine Traditional versus alternative medicine is an issue that requires a great deal of inspection and assumption. The purpose of both types of medicine is to have a healthy, strong, and fit body. Specialists differ in their opinions on this topic and their views are based on the advantages and disadvantages of both types of medicine. This essay will define in clearer terms how alternative medicine is better and different from traditional medicine in its definitionsRead MoreIssues Among Today s Latent Fingerprint Detection Techniques1281 Words   |  6 PagesIssues Among Today’s Latent Fingerprint Detection Techniques Zachary Fisher Even with the advanced state of forensic sciences some surfaces and circumstances prove difficult to successfully lift, or even detect, fingerprints from. There are now several methods of enhancing latent fingerprints for collection. These methods use chemicals, light sources and other techniques to enhance latent ridge marks on materials that prove difficult to successfully identify and lift prints from. These surfaces include

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Human Resource Management for Performance Reviews - MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theHuman Resource Managementfor Performance Reviews. Answer: Introduction Performance Management Performance management is one of the most important core functions of human resource management as it is concerned with the optimising of workplace performance. Performance management is an approach that helps business organisations in planning, monitoring and analysing the performance of the individuals, departments and an organisation on the whole. Performance management is important in the present day business world because of the increasing competition between rival firms in the market. Company Background Accenture, one of the top multinational companies in the world, recently planned to drop its performance reviews in order to bring about a massive change in its internal operations because the seniors of the company identified that the system of performance reviews failed in achieving their primary purpose of fostering better performance amongst the employees. Instead of performance reviews, Accenture has planned to implement a system of performance feedback, which is a major change for a company having a workforce of almost 330,000 employees. Therefore, this report is aimed at gaining a deeper insight into the case of Accentures performance management system and the impact that it will have on the business operations of the company in the future. The report also makes certain recommendations that the company can use to strengthen its new performance management system. Abandoning Formal Performance Reviews The business world is evolving and is experiencing changes at a rate that could have never been predicted by even the top multinational companies in the world. The changes in the business world are making survival for business organisations tougher than ever before and is forcing them to drop certain traditional practices altogether, no matter how effective they have proven to be in the past. Performance reviews is one such traditional human resource management practice that has become obsolete and needs to be either modified completely or dropped altogether (Melnyk, Bititci, Platts, Tobias, Andersen, 2014). According to the Harvard Business Review, almost one-third of the U.S. companies have already dropped performance reviews. Companies like Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, etc. have taken a firm decision to drop their performance management systems because of the existence of inefficiencies in them and their failure in achieving what they were intended to achieve (Tavis, 2016). To some extent, the decision of such multinational companies to abandon their performance reviews is justified. Accenture has already identified that its performance review system is causing a great wastage of companys resources. The company is investing excessive time, money and effort in conducting its performance reviews but the system in inefficient in itself (American Management Association , n.d.). The management of the company believes that assessing the employees on the bases of forced rankings and plotting distribution curves to assess their performance is in no way helping in achieving higher performance and is rather causing dissatisfaction amongst them (performance-appraisals.org, n.d.). A system of performance ratings is becoming obsolete and is merely causing the employees to lose their morale and engagement because of the inability of the companies to effectively use that data that they collect through performance ratings (Rock Jones, 2015). On the other hand, Accenture has a better performance management system in its mind. The company wants to implement a performance management system where it would assess the performance of the employees in the roles that they are given to play. Rather than forcing performance objectives and rankings upon them, the company is aiming at adopting a strategy under which it would empower the employees to take business decisions and drive their performance on their own and is planning to make it more effective by strengthening its recruitment process to recruit the right people for the right job (NISEN, 2015). Therefore, if a system of performance reviews is costing a lot of time and money to the company and is still failing in achieving what it is intended to achieve, it is justified on the part of the company to drop the performance review system and implement new strategies that will help in enhancing workplace performance and fostering a positive work culture in the organisation. Consequences of Dropping Performance Management Reviews Performance management systems are an important part of human resource management because the employees tend to perform better when they feel that their performance is being monitored and that the performance they will show will help the company in achieving its organisational gaols and objectives (Patricia, 2015). To a certain extent, abandoning performance management system altogether, can have some serious implications for the company in the longer run. Even though abandoning the performance review system might look like an attractive proposition to the company because of the cost and other resource benefits associated with it, it can have some long lasting impact on the organisation in the long run (Beehivesoftware, 2017). Certain implications of dropping the performance review system for Accenture are discussed below: First of all, dropping a performance management system will have a serious impact on the competitive environment in the workplace. Performance reviews have been found to have a positive impact on the competitive environment of a workplace, especially when they are attached with performance appraisals. Abandoning the performance reviews will foster leniency in the workplace and the competition amongst employees will drop down (Michael Armstrong, 2014). Secondly, removal of performance reviews will have a direct impact on the performance levels of the employees. It has been found that employee performance levels can decrease by 10 percent in case a company removes its performance management system because it becomes difficult for the managers to manage the employees without having some serious information in hand and also because of the fall in employee engagement levels (CEB HR, 2016). Thirdly, it will become more difficult for the managers to carry out their job duties and responsibilities. Managers are the people who have to lead others by keeping a check on what they are doing. In absence of employee performance system, the managers will have no knowledge about the performance of their juniors and it will ultimately become difficult for them to communicate with their juniors (Sarvani, n.d.). Fourthly, in absence of performance management system, the employers will be unable to communicate the performance expectations to the employees and the employees will feel less engaged because of absence of clarity of goals and objectives. Thus, the staff will be less engaged and will show less job satisfaction and job commitment (Hanks, n.d.). Fifthly, the organisation itself will lose the ability to keep a check on what all is going on in the organisation. In absence of a performance management system, the management will only be able to recognize certain issues when they will pile up and will give rise to certain major issues in the longer run. By that time, they would also lose the ability to deal with the problem, which will further make the situation more difficult (Smith, 2011). Sixthly, the management will also not be able to identify performance gaps and take necessary steps to bridge them using training and development programs, which will be a collateral damage to the organisation. Ultimately, the company might start losing its competitive edge in the market in the longer run (Hansen, n.d.). Lastly, the overall scenario will make it difficult to manage the human resources of the company properly and the employee turnover ratios will mount up, which will be the worst case scenario for a company like Accenture (Reh, 2017). Recommendations for Improvement Dropping the performance management system altogether might have some serious implications for Accenture, as discussed above. As a result, the company should try to improve its performance management system rather than killing the annual performance reviews. Certain recommendations that the company can look into in order to strengthen its performance management system are discussed below: First of all, Accenture should put an end to performance ratings but should implement a system of performance feedback. In a performance feedback system, all employees working in an organisation receive feedback from the employees who are working around them, such as peers, juniors, seniors, managers, etc. (Landy Farr) It acts a self-assessment tool that can help the employees in keeping a track of their performance and analysing the skills that they lack. Further, these feedbacks are anonymous and getting multiple feedbacks for assessing the performance of a single employee will make the information more reliable and accurate (Zenger Folkman, 2012). Secondly, the management at Accenture can also include the S.M.A.R.T. goal model in its performance feedback system (Bogue, 2005). The SMART goal model proposes the important of formulating S.M.A.R.T goals i.e. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound, as they can have a great impact on the performance of the employees (Conzemius O'Neill, 2011). Thirdly, the company should try to make the performance management system more oriented towards the future rather than laying more stress on what has happened in the past (Abd, 2014 ). Using the information collected through performance management systems to shape the future human management practices can prove to be of a greater benefit than using the same information to look into the past and continuously discussing on what went wrong (Ben-Oz Greve, 2012). Fourthly, rather than considering performance management system as an annual practice and conducting performance appraisals once a year, Accenture can start using it as a regular human resource management practice. The company can provide performance feedback to the employees on a regular basis, such as weekly or monthly and can provide the employees with certain rewards and recognitions for the performance levels that they show (Wyse, 2015). Regular performance feedback will help in fostering a competitive workplace environment and rewards will help in re-enforcing positive behaviour amongst the employees (Malik, Butt, Choi, 2015). Lastly, Accenture can also introduce a system of self-review where the employees will be asked to provide an assessment of their own performance levels every month. The self-review document will also ask the employees to formulate certain goals and objectives for themselves and the time frame in which they plan to accomplish them. Such a system will allow the employees to assess their own performance levels and identify performance gaps if they fail to achieve their goals and objectives in the desired time frame (Ahlrichs, 2015). If the company can spare more time and resources, it can also include a self-development plan in the self-assessment strategy, where the employees can mention the skills or competencies that they wish to achieve in the near future. Such initiatives will foster a lot of positivity in the workplace and will help in engaging the employees (Roberts, 2003). Further, it will also become possible for the company to offer better growth opportunities to the employees . Recommendations/Conclusions The decision of the company to drop its performance review system is justified on the grounds that it is proving to be a wastage of important resources as it is failing in meeting its objective of fostering a better performance level in the workplace. Even though the company might be able to save a lot of resources (in terms of operational costs and time) but will have to face some serious implications in the longer run, that might have a detrimental effect on its business activities and market position. Thus, the company should carefully consider all options and should look into the above recommendations to strengthen its performance management system rather than dropping it altogether. Bibliography Tavis, P. C. (2016). The Performance Management Revolution. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2016/10/the-performance-management-revolution Rock, D., Jones, B. (2015, September 8). Why More and More Companies Are Ditching Performance Ratings. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2015/09/why-more-and-more-companies-are-ditching-performance-ratings NISEN, M. (2015, August 18). How Millennials Forced GE to Scrap Performance Reviews. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from www.theatlantic.com: /www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/08/how-millennials-forced-ge-to-scrap-performance-reviews/432585/ CEB HR. (2016, May 12). The Real Impact of Removing Performance Ratings on Employee Performance. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from www.cebglobal.com: https://www.cebglobal.com/blogs/corporate-hr-removing-performance-ratings-is-unlikely-to-improve-performance/ Smith, M. (2011, March 29). Martin Smith. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from martin-smith.biz: https://martin-smith.biz/2011/03/29/performance-management-the-impact-of-not-addressing-issues/ Michael Armstrong, S. T. (2014). Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice By Michael Armstrong, Stephen Taylor. Kogan Page Publishers. performance-appraisals.org. (n.d.). Is There A Cost To Poor Performance Management and Employee Reviews? Retrieved May 21, 2017, from performance-appraisals.org: https://performance-appraisals.org/faq/costperformancemanagementpoor.htm Melnyk, S. A., Bititci, U., Platts, K., Tobias, J., Andersen, B. (2014). Is performance measurement and management fit for the future? . Management Accounting Research, 25(2). Zenger, J., Folkman, J. (2012, September 7). Getting 360 Degree Reviews Right . Retrieved May 21, 2017, from hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2012/09/getting-360-degree-reviews-right Mindtools. (n.d.). SMART Goals How to Make Your Goals Achievable. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from www.mindtools.com: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm Malik, M. A., Butt, A. N., Choi, J. N. (2015, January). Rewards and employee creative performance: Moderating effects of creative self-efficacy, reward importance, and locus of control. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(1). Ahlrichs, N. (2015, September 2). Ten Ways to Improve Performance Management. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from indyshrm.org: https://indyshrm.org/ten-ways-to-improve-performance-management/ American Management Association . (n.d.). When Measurement Goes Bad. Retrieved May 22, 2017, from www.amanet.org: https:///www.amanet.org/training/articles/when-measurement-goes-bad.aspx Beehivesoftware. (2017, February). The Good, The Bad And The Ugly of Performance Management System . Retrieved May 22, 2017, from www.beehivesoftware.in: https://www.beehivesoftware.in/good-bad-ugly-performance-management-system/ Patricia. (2015, September 15). Advantages and Disadvantages of Performance Management . Retrieved from smartchurchmanagement.com: https://smartchurchmanagement.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-performance-management/ Sarvani. (n.d.). Advantages and Disadvantages of Performance Management. Retrieved May 22, 2017, from content.wisestep.com: https://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-performance-management/ Hanks, G. (n.d.). Common Examples of Performance Management Problems . Retrieved May 22, 2017, from smallbusiness.chron.com: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/common-examples-performance-management-problems-70031.html Hansen, J. (n.d.). The Disadvantages of Poor Performance Management . Retrieved May 22, 2017, from www.atiim.com: https://www.atiim.com/blog/the-disadvantages-of-poor-performance-management/ Reh, F. J. (2017, March 31). Employee Turnover . Retrieved May 20, 2017, from www.thebalance.com: https://www.thebalance.com/employee-turnover-2275788 Bogue, R. L. (2005, April 25). Use S.M.A.R.T. goals to launch management by objectives plan. Retrieved May 22, 2017, from www.techrepublic.com: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/use-smart-goals-to-launch-management-by-objectives-plan/ Abd, M. R. (2014 , October 30). HRM - Performance Appraisal Methods . Retrieved May 21, 2017, from linkedin.com: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141030184448-208256548-hrm-performance-appraisal-methods Wyse, S. E. (2015, July 1). 5 Reasons Why Feedback is Important . Retrieved May 23, 2017, from www.snapsurveys.com: https://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/5-reasons-feedback-important/ Landy, F. J., Farr, J. L. (n.d.). Performance rating . Psychological Bulletin, 87(1). Conzemius, A., O'Neill, J. (2011). The Power of SMART Goals: Using Goals to Improve Student Learning . Solution Tree Press. Ben-Oz, C., Greve, H. R. (2012, November 28). Short- and Long-Term Performance Feedback and Absorptive Capacity. Journal of Management. Roberts, G. E. (2003, March 1). Employee Performance Appraisal System Participation: A Technique That Works. Public Personnel Management .

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Operations Production International Journal -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Operations Production International Journal? Answer: Introduction: Value chain is a framework which explains about the various activities of an organization in context with managing the various activities and the performance 0of the company. The concept of value chain has come through Michel porter in 1985 through his business marketing book. Basically, value chain expresses about the process and production view of an organization. It looks over the manufacturing process of an organization and assists the company to manage the process. This project report has been prepared to evaluate the process of value chain and its components of an Australian manufacturing company which name is PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd. This company is handling its business in Australian as well as Canadian and New Zealand market. The vale chain analysis study has been done on company through evaluating the various components of the company. On the other hand, the value chain process of the company has also been evaluated. And on the basis of study, recommendation has been given to the management of the company about the performance and the position of the company. Company overview: PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd is an Australian manufacturing company. The company is handling its business in Australian as well as Canadian and New Zealand market. The main functions of the company are to manufacture the packaging material for companies. Basically, the companies outsource the packaging material to this company. It is one of the largest packaging material manufacturing companies in Australia. The company supplies various packaging products and the services to various industry such as food and food processing industries, warehousing, logistic, agriculture markets, FMCG, retail market etc. (Home, 2018). The company is operating its business since 1987 in Australian market. The main motto of the company is to provide innovative and great range of products. Value chain: Value chain is a concept of managing the activities and operations of production companies. This framework assists the companies to maintain the production process and the activities related to the production. Basically, value chain expresses about the process and production view of an organization. It looks over the manufacturing process of an organization and assists the company to manage the process. Value chain components of PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd are as follows: Primary Activities: Primary activities of value chain include ordering the raw material; process the raw material into finished goods and disposing off the material into the market. Following is the primary activities of PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd according to the value chain analysis: Inbound logistic: PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd arranges all the inbound activities through movements of raw materials, finished inventory, parts from suppliers to warehouses, companies and the clients of the company. Operations: At this stage, PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd arranges all the operations and the functions of the company to converts the raw material, labour, energy etc of the company in finished goods (Toomey, 2012). Outbound Logistics: At this stage, PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd arranges its process in such a way that the storage of the final products could be done in a better way. It assists the company to manage the inventory of the company. Marketing and sales: At this stage, PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd arranges its process and creates, communicates, delivers and exchanges values of the products with its clients. Though, most of the times, company produces the product according to the order. Services: This stage includes all the operations and the activities which are required by the company to satisfy the customers and deliver the goods in a proper way (Sweeney, 2013). Support activities: Support activities of value chain include all the extra activities of the company which is required by the company to maintain the process and the manufacturing process of the company. Following is the secondary activities of PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd according to the value chain analysis: Firm infrastructure: This process includes activities such as legal, finance, public relations, accounts, accounting, quality assurance; general management etc. company is managing all the departments and their activities in a better way. Human resource management: This process includes activities such as recruiting, training; hiring, developing, compensating etc. company is managing all the HR activities in a better way (Mihm, 2010). Technology: This process includes that all the equipment, software, process, technical knowledge etc of the company. Company is managing all the HR activities in a better way. Procurement: This process includes outsourcing of the goods from market and other companies. PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd is not following is to following the same process. Value chain planning is the first step for an organization to analyze and set up a plan for manufacturing process and managing the activities of the company. The value chain planning must be done by the companies after considering all the relevant factors to given a responses to a wide market. The planning has been done by PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd after analyzing the process of the company, activities, processing time, delivering time and various strategies (Ou, Liu, Hung and Yen, 2010). The planning of the company has been evaluated and it has been found that the company has managed and planned a good strategy to manage the value chain position and reduce the cost of the company. Strategy for value chain planning: Value chain planning management requires the perfect prediction and the planning about the process and the planning of the activities of the company. PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd is following the inventory control strategies. This strategy explains that the decision about the inventory must be taken y the organization and the management through evaluating all the related factors. For inventory control, the company includes the statistics of economic order quantity. EOQ is the level of the quantity where the holding cost and the ordering cost of the company would be less. It also evaluates the security units of the company which must always be hold by the company (Lysons and Farrington, 2012). This strategy copes up with various uncertainties and manages the demands and the supply process of the company in better way. The most efficient and effective contribution of this strategy is to manage and identify the inventory turnover ratio of the company for a better conclusion. Competitors position and potential rival: The position of the company has been evaluated against with the competitors and the industry of the company and it has been found that the PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd has positioned itself in a well manner in the industry. The performance of the company in concern with the value chain is quite impressive. Due to value chain analysis, the company has managed, processed and delivered the goods to its clients on the right time. It has also managed the cost of the company and due to it the profitability position of the company has been way better. More, it expresses that the economics of sales of the company has been enhanced due to competition position. The planning and implementation of value chain has assisted the company to improve the market entry and it has also helped the company to utilize the production capacity at its best. Further, it has been found that due to it, the company has positioned itself in a good manner. Information for manufacturing and selling budget: Further, it has been evaluated that budget making is a good step for every manufacturing company as due to budgeting process, it becomes easy for them to evaluate the position and the demand of the goods in the market in near future (Hussey, 2007). For the budget preparation, following items are significantly required by the company: Historical data Future trend Current position of the company New customers of the company Client behaviour Marketing position of the company Significant changes into the economy Suppliers Demand of the products in the market Price per unit etc. (Arndt, 2008). Further, it explains that the manufacturing and selling budget makes it easy for the company to manage the process and the performance of the company in near future. Controlling: Controlling is the last process of value chain in which the planned outcome is compared with the actual outcome and the reason behind differences is measured. The main aim of this step is to make new strategies to control over the process and the differences of the company. It is a significant function as it controls the error of the company and makes corrective action against the performance of the company. Monitoring on selling and manufacturing plans: Through the evaluation on PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd, it has been found that this company could make control over its manufacturing plan and selling plan through analyzing and evaluating the data and the related information. Firstly, the company analyzes the budgeted and actual manufacturing and sales figures of the company and further it measures the total differences among those variables (Chopra and Meindl, 2013). Further, the related factor could be evaluated and through it a conclusion could be made that why these differences have occurred and lastly, the new strategies and policies have been made which would assist the company to monitor its selling plans and the manufacturing plans. Balance scorecard: Balance scorecard of the PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd is as follows: Balanced Score Card: PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd Customer's perspective Objectives Measures Targets Initiatives Retain high value customers Customer retention % Provide various new products and the services to the customers Analyze and evaluate the customer's value in company Customers service Customer retention % discounts and rewards could be offered to the company Evaluate the customer service and the products quality through offering them various new products, discounts and rewards Process Perspective Objective Measures Targets Initiatives Productivity % of output Company's production level Removal of extra activities Employee qualification qualification measurement Company must hire the qualified employees Training must be given to the less qualified people (Cetinkaya, 2011) Innovation and learning perspective Objective Measures Targets Initiatives Skilled Employees Total % of skilled employees Production's increment level Alterations into HR policies Process Innovations Increased output Technology measurement Technology of the company must be changed. Financial Perspective Objective Measures Targets Initiatives Reduce Cost total % of cost High dividend yield Continuous Supervisions Increase Revenues Total Revenue High revenues Continuous Supervisions It explains that the above balance scorecard is followed by the comapny to measure and evaluate the performance of the company. Decision making: Decision making is an ongoing process in which various decisions about the process and changes into the organization are taken by the management or the company. The main aim of this step is to evaluate all the alternatives and reach over a good conclusion. It is a significant function as it controls the error of the company and assists the company to make a better decision. Expand at national or international level: It is one of the most important decisions which are made by every organization at the time of growth. For this process, PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd should identify the main decision which must be done and after it, the information must be gathered by the company such as the foreign economy, their policies, culture etc. Further, the alternatives must be identified by the company which are national level and international level. In addition, the evidences must be weighed by the company through drawing the information about every alternative and after it, the best alternative must be chosen by the company (Beske and Seuring, 2014). And this decision must be implemented by the company through entering into the foreign market. Target a specific group or diversification: Focusing on a specific target or diversify the market is also one of the most important decisions which are made by every organization at the time of entering into the market or expanding the business. For this process, PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd should identify the main decision which is focusing on a specific target or diversify the market. After it, the information must be gathered by the company such as the target group or other groups etc. Further, the alternatives must be identified by the company which are current target group and diversify market (Assey, 2012). In addition, the evidences must be weighed by the company through drawing the information about every alternative and after it, the best alternative must be chosen by the company. And this decision must be implemented by the company through focusing on the diversification or specific target group. Summary: The above study explains about the value chain and the management process of the company. Through study over planning, controlling and decision making of the company, it has been evaluated that the planning of the company is too good and it has helped the company to make more competitive. Further, the controlling power of the company could be evaluated through its balanced scorecard and lastly, the decision making process of the company covers all the related aspect. Recommendation: The above study on PRO-PAC Packaging Ltd explains that the company is managing all its activities, process and operations in a well manner. Still, few alternations are required by the company to be done for the betterment of the business. It explains that the company should focus on the quantitative data more rather than the qualitative data and the management of the company is required to cover all the significant and important information and the data related to performance of the company. References: Arndt, H., 2008. Supply Chain Management, Germany: Gabler Verlag Assey, J.J.M. 2012. A New Introduction to Supply Chains and Supply Chain Management: Definitions and Theories Perspective, Journal of Business and Economic. 5 (1). pp. 194-207 Beske, P. and Seuring, S. 2014. 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A structural model of supply chain management on firm performance, International Journal of Operations and Production Management. 30 (5). pp. 526-545 Sweeney, E 2013. The people dimension in logistics and supply chain management its role and importance, Supply Chain Management: Perspectives. Issues and Cases. McGraw-Hill: Milan, pp. 73-82. Toomey, J., 2012. Inventory Management: Principles, Concepts and Techniques, Germany: Springer Science and Business Media