An Investigation Into Smes Survival and the Discrimination Between Fgsmes and All Other Smes

Introduction In a competitive global market, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an increasingly important role in a nation’s economy. Today they make a substantial contribution to job creation, innovation, as well as entrepreneurial skills. A report conducted by European Commision(2005) stated that in the enlarged European Union of 25 countries, 23 million SMEs provide about 75 million jobs and account for 99% of all enterprise. SMEs are also the vital attributes for lifting the productivity of economy. This is primarily because SMEs are been considered as having a key role to play in providing new products. Take UK for example, SMEs have become more and more dynamic. SMEs have enjoyed higher productivity growth than large firms since 1998, and the proportion of SME employers reporting that they have undertaken either product or service innovation in the past 12 months has increased from 32% in 2005 to 48% in 2006(BERR,2002). An important aspect of SMEs, especially for the young SMEs, is their survival rate, according to Haugh and McKee(2000), survival means continue to exist in the future. Although we have seen a large increase in new company formations and higher levels of their survival rates than the past, we cannot neglect the fact that the rate of failure of these SMEs is also very high. Some of the firms fail in their infancy stage and some fail within several years after start-up. Some statistics suggest that the failure rate of SMEs in their first five years is more than 50% (Reiss, 2006). There are many reasons that contribute to SMEs’ failure: insufficient capital, poor management skills, poor human resources, lack of innovations and so on. Factors that contribute to small business survival and non-survival In order to prosper, all SMEs need to ensure that they are alert both to opportunities for achieving success and threats to their survival. Only when the company are aware of and deal with these factors correctly, they can survive, grow and succeed. 1. Financial circumstances 1. 1 Access to Finance Obtaining the right finance is a pivotal factor to a new firm’s survival and high growth. For SMEs, there are various types of finance available, including bank loans, borrowing from family and friends, obtaining equity investment from business angels, venture capitals and so on. Obviously, different options have different profits and constraints. The advantage of loan finance is that it will not dilute ownership structure of the firm. However, excessive reliance on loan finance could be a financial threat to their firm’s solvency. Astebro and Bernhardt (2003) stated that there was a significant negative correlation between having a bank loan and the survival of the business. Since loan means a continuing obligations for the firm to repay the principal debt and associated interest on a predetermined timetable. This kind of loan covenants can place strain on a firm’s cash flow position, if a firm’s capital contains a high proportion of debt, then the firm has to generate more cash to cover the repayment obligations, however it may have greater threat to default due to a sudden interruption in income. 1. 2 Financial Health A critical reason for SMEs’ failure is that they cannot identify and react to threats to their financial healthy. For example, the substantial increases in overheads could be a threat to financial healthy since it is a signal of weak cost management. Significantly increasing overheads will reduce the available cash flows and profits, eventually reduce the probability of survival. According to Schaefer (2006), over-expansion is a leading cause of business failure. This often happens when business owners confuse success with how fast they can expand their business. A large amount of bankruptcy is due to rapidly expanding firms. Birley and Niktari (1995) found that, in the opinion of many accountants and bank managers, 70% of SMEs failures were caused by a very large extent to being under-capitalized, to short-term liquidity problems or insufficient working capital. So in order to survive, firms have to look out for financial threats to the firms’ solvency and maintain effective management control over their finances. 2. Human capital In most SMEs, power is centralized in the hands of the owner-managers and the owner-managers always play multiple roles in a company, including general manager, sales manager, production manager, financial manager and so on, so that characteristics of the owner-managers, such as education background, family business background, personal goals, previous work experience, strategic awareness have a significantly impact on firm’s activities and performance. Several studies indicate that in SMEs, the personality of the owner-managers is a critical determinant of corporate structure and strategy(Miller and Droge 1986; Miller and Toulouse 1986). Owner-managers who are inability to motivate staff, rarely listen to others’ advices, have little knowledge of marketing strategy, finance, and personnel management may act as a significant constraint to SMEs’ survival. On the other hand, owner-managers are not experts at everything, many owner-managers in small firms are lack of the leadership and management skills which are necessary for the firms’ survival and growth. Deakins and Freel (1998) found that one of the critical factors in the success of a SME was the ability to build an ‘entrepreneurial team’. The presence of a diversified management team may imply a greater variety of complementary skills: marketing skills, business skills, as well as technological skills, this is also crucial for SMEs in relation to the long term success of the firm. So building a entrepreneurial team will definitely increase SMEs’ viability. 3. Over-dependent Some firms do not have the appropriate strategy and become excessive reliance on a single customer or a small client base. The more a firm relies on a particular client, the more possibly it is damaged by factors out of its control than if it has a wide client base. Natwest (1997) stated that an important reason for SMEs failure is over-reliance on one or two customers and lack of sales. Failures often occur due to firms’ sole customer withdrawing its orders or going bankrupt. The same principles also apply to a firm’s supplier base. If there is a breakdown in the commercial relationship between the firm and its single supplier, the prodution of the firm will be damaged. As a result, if a young firm wants to survive, it should seek to cultivate a wide client (supplier) base instead of depending on a small number of regular clients (suppliers). However diversification strategy can realize this. Diversification across production and services can satisfy different types of customers and reduce the probability of over-dependent. 4. Training One of the factors that contribute to SMEs failure is low level of management performance and inefficient operation, which is a result of lack of training. It is generally acknowledged that the majority of the small-firm owners run their business just based on their own experience and common sense, without getting professional or other formal qualifications. Stanworth and Gray (1992) pointed out that minority of small-firm owners who participate in management training tend to have better educational qualifications, and their businesses have better survival and growth rates than other small firms. Also, Kitson and Wilkinson (1998) found a positive link between training and innovation and growth, as training was provided by 60% of innovating firms but only 41% of non-innovators, and 72% and 68% of medium and fast-growing firms, respectively, compared with 46% of stagnant and declining firms. Training could cover a wide range of areas including accessing to and managing finance, cost management, personnel management, marketing strategy, information use and retrieval, operation management and so on, which equip small-firm owners and employees with the skills necessary to survival and the further growth. So training is also an important factor that contributes to small firms’ survival which can be easily ignored. 5. Innovation In this era of knowledge economy, innovation become inextricably linked with a firm’s survival, successful entrepreneurship always relies heavily on innovation. It is extremely important for new small firms who still enter industries where economics of scale plays a critical role, by innovation small firms could compete on the basis of added value, therefore enhancing the likelihood of survival. On the other hand, innovation intrinsically linked with a company’s diversification strategy, through innovative activity, firms have the chance to produce new products and services so that they can attract more customers and increase their market share. Also, cost reduction can be achieved by innovation in operation processes, marketing and organizational forms. For example, in order to expand, some firms may choose a strategy called e-marketing to reduce cost, they may create a impressive and special site to grab people’s attention, on the website, a convenient online selling system is provided. Also, the firm may send their new products and services details to their target customers and potential customers, sometimes combining with even fun facts. So business innovation is especially important not only for large companies but also SMEs’ survival, lack of innovation could be a barrier to a small firm’s growth. Discrimination between fast growth firms and all other SMEs Different SME tends to have different growth rate, some of them grow rapidly and are recognized as FGSMEs(fast-growth small-to-medium enterprises). According to Caroline and Kosmas, FGSMEs are firms that achieve at least 20% annual compound sales growth over a 5-year period. Birch (1995) found that FGSMEs make up 3% of all small firms. Based on former research, there are many firm-based characteristics, which are concentrated on both customers and organizations aspects, such as satisfaction of customers, financial perspectives, staff retention, number and quality of successful innovations and so on, to discriminate between FGSMEs and all other SMEs. 1. Customer Focus FGSMEs are customer centric, regularly receiving feedback from clients and taking their requests and complaints seriously into consideration (Tan, 2007). They always try to retain clients through improving the quality of products and services or developing new products. According to the BSC, customer perspectives focus on traditional marketing issues such as market share, customer satisfaction and service quality ratings, customer loyalty, and customer perceived value (Kaplan & Norton, 2000). 2. Financial Perspectives FGSMEs tend to spend a lot of time and effort in analyzing the financial health of their firms. On the contrary, other SMEs always analyze cash flows on a regular basis, relying on occasional ‘back of the envelope’ calculations. Financial summaries provided by accountants are used for mandatory reporting purposes instead of financial management (Barnes et al. , 1998). 3. Internal Business Perspective Internal business performance indicators contains traditional operational terms such as tender success rate, data rejection percentages, time per customer (Kaplan & Norton, 2000), on-time delivery, the number of new products launched and product defects (Zaman, 2003). FGSMEs tend to manage and examine their business processes. For example, Liaise marketing (a supermarket broker) CEO, Tony Merlino stated that their firm measures manufacturer sales, market share and store visits to make sure that their sales team operates properly and efficiently. 4. Employee Focus Kaplan and Norton (2000) pointed that innovation, learning, and growth perspectives are closely linked to improve employee job satisfaction and commitment, and develop employees’ technical ability and innovation skills. According to the previous literature, FGSMEs seem to pay a lot of attention on employees. Nicholls-Nixon, 2005; Tan, 2007). So we can see that these fast-growth firms all have a strong emphasis on making their employees as part of the performance measurement system. Staff’s ideas and feelings are very important and cannot be ignored easily. Conclusion This study aims at identifying the factors that contribute to SMEs’ survival. Finding on the study sug gests that effective financial management, outstanding leadership and training play a critical role in SMEs’ survival, while excessive depend on one or two customers(suppliers) will be dangerous and may lead to a death. On the other hand, the study makes a distinction between FGSMEs and other SMEs based on four perspectives, finally draw the conclusion that FGSMEs tend to pay more attention on customers, financial management, internal business operation and employees. REFERENCE Astebro, T. and Bernhardt, I. 2009. â€Å"Dissecting Behaviours Associated with Business Failure: A Qualitative Study of SME Owners in Malaysia and Australia†. Journal of Asian social science 5 (9): 98–104. Barnes, L. , Coulton. T. Dickinson. S. Dransfield, J. Field, N. Fisher, et al. 1998. A New Approach to Performance Measurement for Small and Medium Enterprises†. Performance measurement – theory and practice, 1, 86-92. BERR. 2002. ENTERPRISE: UNLOCKING THE UK’S TALENT. [online]. [Accessed 9th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://www. berr. gov. uk/files/file44992. pdf> Berry,M. 1998. â€Å"Strategic Planning in Small High Tech Companies†. Long Range Planning 31(3) : 455-466 Birch, D. 1995. Who's Creating Jobs? Cambridge: Cognetics, Inc. Birley, S. and Niktari, N. 1995. The Failure of Owner-Managed Businesses: The Diagnosis of Accountants and Bankers. London: Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Caroline, S. T. and Kosmas, X. S. 2005. Firm performance measurement in fast growth small-to-medium enterprises [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: European Commision. 2005. The new SME definition User guide and model declaration [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Enterprise Britain: Growth, Innovation and Public Policy in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Sector. 1994–1997. Cambridge: ESRC Centre for Business Research, pp. 16–27. Haugh. M and McKee. L. 2000. Survival, independence, control: uncovering the shared values in the SME. [online]. [Accessed 12th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Kaplan, R. S. , and D. P. Norton. 2000. The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Kitson, M. and Wilkinson, F. 1998. â€Å"Employment structure, recruitment, labour turnover, training and labour force flexibility† in Cosh, A. and Hughes, A. (eds), Natwest. 1997. Natwest Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain. Small Business Research Trust Nicholls-Nixon, C. L. (2005). Rapid Growth and High Performance: The Entrepreneur's ‘Impossible Dream'? Academy of management executive, 19(1), 77-89. Noor, H. A. 2003. † Start-up financing, owner characteristics, and survival†. Journal of Economics and Business 55 (2003): 303–319. Stanworth, J. and Gray, C. 1992. â€Å"Entrepreneurship and education: action-based research and training policy implications in Britain†. International Small Business Journal 10(2), 11–23. Schaefer, P. 2006. The seven pitfalls of business failures and how to avoid them. Accessed 9th February 2010 Available from World Wide Web: www. usinessknowhow. com/startup/business-failure. html Tan, C. S. L. 2007. Sources of Competitive Advantage for Emerging Fast Growth Small-to-Medium Enterprises: The Role of Business Orientation, Marketing Capabilities, Customer Value and Firm Performance. RMIT University, Melbourne. Zaman, M. 2003. Balanced Score card Implementation in Australian Companies – an Exploratory Study of Current Corporate Practice and Strategic Intent. Paper presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Business.

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STAT - Statistics Project Example From these results we reject the null hypothesis that the average hotel price in Philadelphia is $129.50 since we have proven that the average hotel room at Philadelphia is significantly different from $125 hence its not $ 129.50. Sample size = 250 and they believed that the average is 75%. It means that the confidence interval is at ÃŽ ± = 0.25. We calculate the sample mean as xbar= 250/168 = 1.488 and that the claimed average =0.75 thus t = 1.48-0.75)/ Since the resultant Z statistic test is less than the obtained value of (168/250) = 0.672, we reject the null hypothesis that there proportion of drivers under influence of alcohol are significantly less than 75%. We conclude that the proportion of drivers under the influence of alcohol is not less than 75%. Z = {Sample mean- ÃŽ ¼0}/ ÃŽ ´/√n = {9-6} Ã · 2.47/√100 = 12.146. The critical value of Z is obtained from the tables as Z ÃŽ ± /2 = Z 0.05 /2 = Z 0.025 = 1.96. but since the assumed is greater than the test statistic, we reject the null hypothesis that the mean waiting time will be 6 minutes or that its not true that the average waiting time will be reduced from the current 9- 10 minute. Let us find out the critical value of chi-squared (χ2) = (n-1) s2 Ã · ÃŽ ´2 = (25-1)0.4 /0.3 = 32. This is the obtained chi-square and from the chi-square tables, we deduce the value of the critical region as 36.42 (Bowman par 3). Since it’s a left- tailed test, our rejection region is less than 36.42 i.e. (χ2

The street act 1 Essay Example for Free

The street act 1 Essay The main character in The Street, Ann Petry shows that even in the hardest of times, one should continue to push forward, even if the â€Å"wind [pushes]† them away. The wind is trying to prevent those outside, especially Lutie, from accomplishing their mission/goals. The wind blocks Lutie’s path, almost as if it were the difficult situation she is going through. The wind forced the Lutie to shiver as â€Å"its cold fingers†¦touched the back of her neck, explored the sides of her head†. Petry also shows that the wind is doing every possible thing to discourage the people walking on the street, by finding â€Å"chicken bones and pork-chop bones†, and â€Å"every scrap of paper along the street†. The â€Å"violent assault† of the wind forced not only Lutie, but also every other pedestrian on the street back to their homes as it grew â€Å"difficult to breathe†. also indicating that the wind is a hardship that one must face outside of their cozy, warm home. Looking at lutes’ situation/ troubles, the win seems almost like it has something’s against them and all the pedestrians as if the city was cursed up on. Most of the details are primarily aimed towards the win and what it is doing to the scenario, such as when it â€Å"sucked [the] window shades out through the top† of opened windows, and â€Å"stuck its fingers† inside of people’s coat collars. In other words, the wind is deliberately interfering with its surroundings, creating a stressful situation where one would need a sanctuary to avoid the sinister gusts. The â€Å"flapping† of the shades, â€Å"every scrap of paper† being thrown against the people on the streets, and â€Å"dirt and dust† being lifted into the air â€Å"making it difficult to breathe†, creating a chaotic atmosphere. In The Street, Petry creates the idea that in hard, stressful times, one needs a sanctuary to avoid â€Å"the wind† of life’s powerful gusts. Through three crucial, subtle components, personification, imagery, and selection of detail, the purpose of the story was perfectly conveyed. Petry intended for the wind to have a mind, as it was forcing people back to their sanctuaries.

The Value of Doubt through O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River” Essay Example for Free

The Value of Doubt through O’Brien’s â€Å"On the Rainy River† Essay People value being certain as it gives them a sense of stability, self-reliance and control. Being certain gives one the power to be able to confidently assert beliefs or claims and act upon them. Descartes says as seen in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2005), â€Å"As my certainty increases, my doubt decreases, conversely, as my doubt increases, my certainty decreases. † Doubting threatens the stability and assurance one initially possesses, which is why it is less frequently valued or appreciated. However there is value in doubt, because through doubt, a person undergoes contemplation that may influence a decision or disposition, eventually evaluating the certainty of something. As a consequence the actions of the person toward this certainty may be compromised. This is exemplified in Tim O’Brien’s short story entitled â€Å"On the Rainy River†. The short story â€Å"On the Rainy River† chronicles the events of O’Brien’s life after he has successfully finished his studies at Macalaster College. During his stay in school, he was an achiever. It was the time of the Vietnam War and he then learns that he was being requested to go to battle. Undecided as to whether he should fight or not, he chose to stay and work in a factory but eventually realized that he could not find a way out of fighting. Unable to handle his situation anymore he fled to the Canadian boundary. There he met and spent time with the fishing resort owner Elroy Berdahl. O’Brien contemplated on the events of his life, especially during the fishing trip where he was faced with the option of going to Canada or going off to war. In the end, O’Brien chose to go return to his hometown and eventually decided to fight in the Vietnam War (Sparknotes, 2006). From the summary above, it can be seen that O’Brien doubted joining the war. This doubt that O’Brien felt was a huge contrast to the certainty he had when he was in Macalaster College. In the institution he was an honors student and represented the student body, making him strong and secure about himself, his ideas and his values. One example of this is his stand against war (Sparknotes, 2006). Once he received news of going to war, his initial reaction was to stand by his conviction. However, the notice fueled his thoughts about going to war. He started to contemplate and think about whether he is fit to be a combatant. People making him feel that he had to go to war further aggravated his hesitation. He also realized that it would be hard for him to find an excuse or a way out of combat. Doubting showed his struggle of letting go of what he was certain about, which was not to go to war. Because of internal and external influences that fed his doubt, his certainty on denouncing war diminished and he was unable to handle the burden and decided to run away. However, by leaving and meeting Elroy, he was also able to reflect upon the consequences of going and not going to war. He finally decides that he could not bear the thought of disappointing people he knew, especially his family. This shows the value of doubt because had he not questioned his stand, he would have not considered weighing what was more important to him at that point in his life. As he looked back, whether he was ashamed of his decision or not is not the main point. What is to be stressed is that his doubt was able to question his certainty and it made him act towards this as seen by his decision in the end to join the army. In conclusion, the value of doubt can be seen in the text as it shows how O’Brien’s outlook on participating in the war was affected. First, doubting allowed him to contemplate and reflect on something that he used to be certain about. Second, doubt contributed to changing his conviction, as after much contemplation, he could not bear the embarrassment of not going to war that led him to fight. Doubt is valuable because it has the power to challenge something that one considers as certain, and allows that person to take action. References Sparknotes. (2006). The things they carried study guide: â€Å"On the rainy river†. Retrieved October 24, 2007 from: http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/thingscarried/section4. rhtml Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2005). Descartes’ epistemology. Retrieved October 24, 2007 from: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/descartes-epistemology/

E-commerce techniques used by Toyota Motor Corporation

E-commerce techniques used by Toyota Motor Corporation This report discusses the details of conducting a long-term comparison and analysis of the Automotive Industry-Covisint, specifically focusing on Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). The purpose of this comparison and analyses is to examine e-commerce techniques used by Toyota Motor Corporation. TMC has become the worlds largest automotive manufacturer in regards to sales and production (Schmitt, 2011). With innovative developments such as QR technology and use of e-commerce practices within their corporation, Toyota has become a leader with automotive practices. The practice of e-commerce in the automotive industry has lead to increased savings, profits, and productivity. Its greatest impact within the automotive industry has been in the manufacturing process. E-commerce enables companies to alter their ways in sectors such as Supply Chain Management (SCM) and B2B transactions. Covisnt is a global wide online marketplace for the automotive industry. Ford, GM and Daimler-Chrysler launched Covisint in 1999 with intentions to become an online exchange for supply chain management participants. The online auctioning portal allowed corporations to compete for customers based on buying needs such as price, quality and delivery time. Since Toyotas formation in the 1930s, Toyota has grown to expand into international operations. Despite various obstacles such as recalls and labor disruptions, Toyota has continued to successfully increase production while making efficient decisions within their corporation. Aside from automobile technologies, TMC has also developed technologies that have grown into industries outside of the automotive sector. Such technologies include QR technology, which is a 2D barcode that contains information in both vertical and horizontal directions, unlike traditional barcodes where information is only stored in one direction. QR technology was initially designed for automobile parts tracking, but has become a common social media trait in outside companies. The Toyota Production System has also grown to become a standard in many industries. The practice of using people as people and not as machines has become a success story for Toyota, while being credited as one of factors in Toyotas succe ss. ERP technology has also been a B2B and ERP integration model that has been growing within the automotive sector. E-commerce techniques such as online auctions and paperless transactions, has lead to reduced costs and increased efficiency. The technology has demonstrated to be effective with manufacturing processes and building relationships with buyers suppliers. Aside from B2B interactions, TMC conducts B2C activities. Goals and objectives for TMC are strived towards with the use of business plans, cases, revenue models and value propositions. Identifying strategic partnerships with suppliers will further increase cost savings, create higher quality products and ensure technological advancements. Focusing on e-commerce tools such as cloud computing can be used for information exchange on a global scale. Social networking should also be invested into for global communication. With strong relationships, collaborative goals and shared vision will achieve greater profits for all participants. To ensure TMC remains the worlds largest automobile manufacturer, an investment into its forward thinking culture must be maintained. Historical Background: B2b automotive industry history of covisint Ford, GM and Daimler-Chrysler launched an online marketplace for the global automotive industry by the name of Covisint in 1999. The inintial development of Covisint was to created to act as an online exchange for manufacturers and supply chain members. Covisint encompasses three areas of the vertical buy-side e-markets including e-procurement, supply chain management and e-development. Between 2000 and 2001, manufacturers Renault, Nissan, and PSA Peugeot had joined as investors in Covisint. Also during 2001, Ford saved $70 million in procurement costs by using Covisint (Konicki, 2001). Alongside Covisint, various other e-marketplaces were being developed to source and produce goods. The competition of other e-marketplaces caused a concern for Covisint, who then rebranded its image and services as an automotive industry software solutions provider and standards body (E-Marketplace Evolution). Covisints first step in its plan was to target online auction technologies since auction-driven e-marketplaces were the most popular business-to-business purchasing technology at the time. By using online auctions, corporations had the ability to work with competing suppliers within one platform. With competition, corporations could choose the best fit for their buying needs based on price, quality and/or delivery time. Online auctioning has been credited as an evolution changer as the success for e-marketplaces are based on supplier sourcing and price negotiation. Historical Background: Toyota Motor Corporation In the early 1930s, Kiichiro Toyoda began a trip to the US to learn about the automotive industry. Upon returning home to Japan from a trip Toyoda made from the US visiting carious automotive production plants, Toyoda decided to open up an automobile division named Toyoda at his fathers loom factory. By 1935, the first vehicle prototype was created, while establishments of research centres were made by the mid 1940s. Following World War II in 1945, Toyoda was rebranded as Toyota. Rather than following the American footsteps in producing medium-large sized vehicles, Toyota decided to focus on working towards the creation of small cars. Doing so gave Toyota leverage in the automobile market as the only leader in small-sized vehicles. It was in 1949 when Toyota was confronted a labor and management conflict because of an imbalance in sales and payroll resulting in Toyota paying employees with long-term promissory notes rather than cash (History of Toyota). After the resignation of President Kiichiro Toyoda as well as the executive staff, Eiji Toyoda and Shoichi Saito replaced their positions. Both executives visited the US in anticipation of learning the ways of production in the automotive industry. Toyota discovered international growth during the 1980s when the corporation was ranked second in worldwide production levels. During the 1980s, TMC became more involved with the American culture and joined forces with General Motors to create a manufacturing firm called New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (History of Toyota). It was also during this time when Toyota announced American production facilities as part of their expansion. In 1992, Toyota ownership was transferred to Totsuro Toyoda. TMC had experienced an economic downturn during the recession, resulting in declining profits between 1991-1994. With new ownership, programs were implemented for reducing costs in various areas by 50 percent and production costs were reduced by transferring production to oversea markets (History of Toyota). At the time Toyota president Hiroshi Okuda, introduced Toyotas New Global Business Plan as a way to place focus on innovation and international expansion (History of Toyota). Toyotas New Global Business Plan objective was to localize production, and increase market share. Aside from production facilities, Toyota demonstrated initiatives in eliminating landfill waste and regulating stricter environmental practices. With Toyotas extensive growth in international markets such as Canada, India, UK, France and Turkey and China, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has grown to be one of the worlds largest automobile companies. By the year 2000, Toyota became the largest car company in Japan, while holding the 3rd position worldwide. toyota production system During the late 1950s, Taichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo had established the Toyota Production System (ToyoLand, 2011). Also known as lean manufacturing, the Toyota Production System was based on the theory that people should be used as people and not as machinery. Its concept was based on Fords manufacturing system; Ohno and Shingo had analyzed Fords system to determine where problems were occurring. During the initial stages, Ford had a number of problems dealing with the treatment of its people as machines. The Toyota Production System is made up of Jidoka and just-in-time production (ToyoLand, 2011). As illustrated in Appendix A, the concept of Jidoka is based on automation with a human touch (Toyota, 2011). Jidoka ensures that defects do not pass through the production process, eliminating the production of defective products (ToyoLand, 2011). Just-in-time production focuses on making what is needed, when it is needed, and in the amount needed (Toyota, 2011). Reducing the amount of products in inventory not only reduces required maintenance, but also reduces capital costs and allows for ease in technological advancements. Not only has the system been effective for Toyota, it has been implemented in a range of industries around the world. QR COdes In 1994, QR Codes were developed by Denso-Wave. QR Codes were originally created for tracking automotive parts in vehicle manufacturing (Wave, 2010). Its Quick Response concept was based on 2D symbols, similar to traditional barcodes. It functioned using scanner equipment, where the information contained in the symbol was contained in both vertical and horizontal directions, whereas traditional bar codes contain data in only one direction (Wave, 2010). Presently, QR codes are used in areas beyond the vehicle manufacturing line and are implemented into a range of industries including entertainment, technology, social media, and much more. Specifically in the automotive industry, QR Codes are used as shipping labels and receipts containing customer information, product identification, shipping addresses and much more. QR Codes proved to be beneficial due to significant cost reductions and greater efficiency. how e-commerce has changed the industry The rapid advent of e-commerce has resulted in dramatic changes within the business environment. Due to the unique structure of the technologies, there are more opportunities for businesses to benefit from those advances. Using e-commerce related technologies, a businesses can reach their potential suppliers and consumers worldwide. The automotive industry has benefited significantly from the advancement of e-commerce. General Motors, one of the worlds largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries (General Motors Company, 2011). The industry has come to adopt e-commerce technologies by implementing Business-to-Business, and Supply chain integration models. By using the Business-to-Business model, automotive vehicle manufacturers have achieved efficiency in their daily operations. A typical B2B transaction within the automotive industry can be illustrated by an automakers need for direct material purchases from suppliers, while also having the ability to conduct sales. After the B2B related technology has been widely implemented in the industry, automotive companies are able to save costs by eliminating paper-based systems, and reducing the usage of mailroom staff. Also B2B concepts have assisted companies reduce the potential errors made by the employees in order to improve the companys data accuracy. Without an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system in place, the company would face a potential loss. EDIs can define and transfer standard data without human intervention. Finally, implementing a B2B model can improve the relationship between automobile manufacturers and suppliers in order to reduce procurement costs and improve efficie ncy. For example, Ford cooperated with its competitors creating an auto-exchange website (Covisint) to assist dealers meet suppliers online. By adopting a supply chain integration model, the automotive industry is able to manage information efficiently and create a smooth flow to distributors, suppliers, internal divisions and customers. Majority of automotive manufacturers are using ERP and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems in addition to managing their supply chain management process. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is an industry term for the broad set of activities that helps a business manages the important parts of its business (The, PP. 123). The results obtained from ERP can assist managers evaluate the companys performance and see if it meets corporate objectives. CRM is a model built to help organizations reach customers easily and receive feedback. Since this model integrates customers information to the overall enterprise, the supply chain management is improved efficiently. In the automotive industry, e-commerce platforms are commonly used for automakers to buy material online from suppliers. For instance, Ford uses the system to divide the supplier for different levels based the components of a car. When the firm needs to buy systems or seats, the firm would inform first layer suppliers through its e-procurement platform. With that methodology, Ford can improve its relationship with suppliers, save transaction costs and reduce its inventory levels. industry analysis: current possible future state Current Covisints portal allows participants such as manufacturers and suppliers to trade based on a standardized process. The goal of the Covisint is to create a standardized industry system that any manufacturer and its partners can access. In 2001, Covisint hosted 1,400 auctions, which led to over $51 billion worth of transactions (E-marketplace evolution, 2006). Covisint has currently extended its services to providing a range of applications for its customers. Unlike its original approach of creating revenues based on subscriptions and/or transactions fees from its e-marketplace, Covisint now generates revenues through its extended applications services. Design collaboration, procurement, supply chain management, quality control and portal solutions are some of the extended applications apart of Covisints growth. In order to remain ahead of competition, corporations such as Covisint have begun to increase investment budgets for B2B infrastructures. By investing into new technologies, changes in day-to-day management practices can be shifted to increase efficiency and quality. Also, investment in B2B services can increase the variety of business interactions. Foreign automobile manufacturers are also entering the automotive industry, causing a threat to older corporations, such as Toyota Motor Corporation. The automotive industry faces a large amount of competition, where many factors may influence consumer and supplier decisions. Changes in technologies impact corporations based on their situation analysis. With increased technological advancements, a company may position themselves effectively while focusing on a specific target market. porters five forces Analysis Porters Five Forces (Appendix B) are significantly affected with the advent of technology enabling business to e-business and can be examined in respect to the automotive industry. Threat of New Entrants (Low):  New entrants, specifically foreign corporations, in the automotive industry serve as a threat. With low capital, knowledge and experience, corporations face a difficulty in staying ahead of the positioning curve. Using B2B models, corporations face an easier entry point, as companies are able to outsource more easily. Bargaining power of Suppliers (Low): The power of suppliers is limited and has been determined to be in the hands of the automaker, who chooses to do business with the supplier. If the automaker were to dispose of the supplier, the supplier may be left in a troubled situation. As a result it is important as a supplier to reach and maintain demands/requirements of the purchasing partner. Bargaining power of Buyers (High): The automotive industry faces a great amount of bargaining power by buyers with their influence in automobile prices. With such a competitive market, prices are based on supply and demand. With real time access to information such as research and design, buyer power will begin to increase. Threat of Substitutes (High):  Based on the automakers target market, the threat of substitutes may be a concern. Substitutes include public transit, airplanes, or possibly a competing company who manufactures a different style automobile. Gas prices also act as an influence to substitutes, as one car may cost less than another based on fuel needs. Competitive Rivalry within the industry (Low): The automotive industry is an oligopoly, where the industry is controlled by a small group of firms/corporations. Price based competition is not the focus of competition, but emphasis in value added services have grown with automobile corporations. future possible state Businesses worldwide now use B2B e-commerce to buy over a trillion dollars in goods and services yearly (Boeth, 2009). By shifting the B2B automotive network to a cloud based environment, the future industry can expect reduced costs. Social networking tools are more readily available to help improve alliances and cooperation amongst trading partners worldwide. As technology continues to advance, communication structures enhance communication security, enabling industries such as the automotive sector to share confidential information securely. With an emphasis on an organizations bottom line structure, the practice of outsourcing operations to emerging countries such as India and China is increasing. The future success of B2B in the automotive sector rests within its ability to connect the online marketplace with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. With the use of ERP platforms, costs an organization may incur can be reduced, while improving inventory management and developing positive global relationships around the world. toyota motor corporation: swot analysis A SWOT analysis is used to establish the efficiency of e-commerce within Toyota Motor Corporation, as well as any potential improvements that can be implemented. strengths Toyota Motor Corporation is an established international company and a manufacturing leader in the automotive industry. This allows its efforts in electronic commerce to be powerfully employed. The corporation is specialists in integrating B2B and B2C e-commerce into its business activities. The formation and employment of QR codes has provided TMC with a considerable lead in the automotive industry, ultimately decreasing costs and generating greater efficiency. The companys online showroom allows potential consumers to view the vehicles in customized forms by changing colour and allowing them to read up on added accessories and interior details. These showrooms ultimately promote purchase decisions. By using the internet, TMC has efficiently implemented online storefronts for vehicle purchasing. Toyota also has a strong system of reusing and salvaging parts through the use of e-commerce. Used parts are sold on the web through distributors, as seen in Appendix C. weaknesses Although the company has implemented online showrooms, consumers are unable to make the final purchase. The online storefront allows consumers to select and research the vehicle they wish to purchase, but cannot do so without visiting a certified dealership which they are shown at the end of their purchasing decision. There is room for more advancement in the e-commerce world by allowing consumers to search, purchase, and have a vehicle delivered to the home, ultimately eliminating the absolute need for a brick-and-mortar dealership where the purchasing process is traditionally completed. opportunities Continual international growth through e-commerce is attainable. There is demand for environmentally friendly vehicles, an area of strength for Toyota. By recognizing the extent of this demand, Toyota can use e-commerce to exploit it through online advertising and promotions (Bradbury, 2010). The internet has a great potential in reaching large audiences effectively while being efficient for both the seller and buyer, therefore marketing opportunities are forever huge. There is also room for improvement in regards to manufacturing efficiency by developing social networking concepts and mobile computing practices in order to strengthen relationships with suppliers and buyers. threats The external environment is what ultimately provides threats to any particular business, and Toyota is not an exception. These threats can fall into several categories including; reduced demand for the offered products, inability to meet consumer needs, and competition. Higher gas prices affects the demand for vehicles, making e-commerce efforts which have been promoting growth within TMC, become less effective (Bradbury, 2010). Competition in the automotive industry in respect to e-commerce is major, therefore Toyota must be sure to continuously improve and keep up-to-date with its rivals in terms of e-commerce implementation. By doing so, TMCs efforts in the e-commerce perspective will not be undermined. firm industry e-commerce effectiveness Improvements The Toyota Production System (TPS), also known as lean manufacturing, has become a system looked up to by the automotive industry and has also been implemented into a range of industries on a global scale. This lean initiative not only dominates the automotive industry but has recently has gone beyond the shop floor to white-collar offices and is even spreading to service industries (Likert, 2006). The recognition comes from the fact that with the use of TPS, Toyota continues to produce high quality vehicles faster and for less cost than most of its competition, which results in greater overall profits. They also manage more new vehicle launches annually than most of their competitors, thus creating a steady flow of high quality new products to meet consumer demand (Likert, 2006). Alan Miialty, who took over as CEO of Ford in 2006 was quoted the following about TMC, Theyre arguably the finest manufacturing company in the world, Ive been a student of the Toyota Production System for m y 37 years at Boeing. Ive been to Japan 47 times (Chappell, 2007). Underlying the Toyota Production System are the involvements of people, processes and technology. The Toyota Production System requires underlying principles that effectively integrate many aspects of the organization including people, processes and technology. Toyota is able to accomplish this by creating a learning culture across the organization to include continual, comprehensive, and coordinated effort for change and learning across the organization (Likert, 2006). The use of e-commerce initiatives has contributed to the success of the Toyota Production System. Planning Perspective CEO John Henke Jr. surveyed 231 Tier 1 suppliers, where suppliers graded six automakers based on categories such as: willingness to help suppliers cut costs, pay suppliers for cancelled programs and reward top suppliers with new business (Sherefkin, 2009). Although Toyota has always finished with top marks historically, Honda recently dethroned them in a North American survey as having the best supplier relations in the annual ranking. Honda, Toyota and Nissan remain above the industry average in supplier relations, while the Detroit 3 are below average (Sherefkin, 2009). Toyota engages e-commerce tools such as Covisint to emphasize its relationship management with its suppliers. As studies have shown, large hub firms are able to exercise power over their tier 1 (direct) suppliers (spoke firms) with an estimated 80% to 90% of tier 1 suppliers receiving or using EDI i n Australia (Tanewski et al., 2003). Although Covisint has focused on using XML Technology rather EDI (Tierney, 2004), the examples from Australia show the willingness of business-to-business e-commerce with both OEM manufacturers and suppliers. The use of Covisint allows Toyota to share information electronically with its tier 1 suppliers with lower transaction cost, therefore maintaining its lean production system. The transaction cost perspective is that the firm focus on more than just production costs, but also the associated transaction costs to do business, which include all search and information costs, as well as the costs of monitoring and enforcing contractual performance (Robins, 1987: 69). Prior to the development of Covisint, suppliers were using multiple software packages and file exchange formats to communicate with the different OEM manufacturers for engineering design information (Tanewski et al, 2003). This problem was addressed within the framework of Covisint en suring the benefits of this e-commerce exchange to be benefitted by all its members. Suppliers like Denso, makers of components for fuel saving hybrids, have also flourished due to their cooperation with of Toyota and will likely continue as they strive to become more of a global player. President Koichi Fukaya of Denso recently stated, Its Toyota first, Toyota is our biggest shareholder and originally like our father. Toyota holds a 21 percent stake in Denso and accounts for half of the auto suppliers sales (Greimel, 2007). Keeping close contact with trading-partners like suppliers and information systems portals like Covisint, as well as industry groups has been extremely helpful for manufacturers to lower its costs. Only in this way can manufacturer avoid very costly or rush projects necessary to stay in step with the industry and its customers (Piszczalski, 2003). Covisint has capitalized with the use of the internet to ensure these multi-million dollar auctions run more efficiently. By utilizing the internet compared to traditional fax machine based communicatio n, online auctions can be finished in as little as 10 minutes. Typically, Covisints average auction lasts about 45 minutes, and allows suppliers to instantly see what others are bidding so they know how much to adjust their own price (Loftus, 2002). The ability to see the pricing of other suppliers have both positive and negative impact, as the speed of these auctions, suppliers are warned to know what their lowest possible bid will be before an auctionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as there is hardly enough time to crunch the numbers if the prep work hasnt been done (Loftus, 2002). Significant savings can be realized by Toyota through the online auction function, as well as the progression into paperless purchasing transactions. In 2001, Ford revealed that it had conducted 65 online auctions for the year. The auctions helped Ford save about 19 percent, or $38 million, on purchases worth $200 million (Sedgwick, 2001). The growth of Covisint will only help facilitate greater cooperation and adaptation from both OEM manufacturers and its suppliers in all tier levels. In turn all the manufacturers involved, including Toyota, will realize greater profitability and faster production time. Toyota Motor corporation: e-commerce key concepts Toyota Motor Corporation has exemplified in the field of e-commerce. The corporation has implemented e-commerce concepts targeted towards maintaining strong relationships with their consumers, suppliers, and buyers. TMC has included B2B as well as B2C uses in their e-commerce activities. With the use of business plans, business cases, revenue models and value propositions, TMC has strived towards achieving business goals, benefits, and revenue growth. Aside from Toyotas involvement in Covisint, Toyota has generated their own line of electronic marketplaces targeted for private, public, and consortia sources. Toyotas involvement in business-to-business e-commerce includes transactions for direct materials. Common direct materials purchased and supplied by Toyota include automotive parts for the production of vehicles. Toyotas e-commerce trades are based on vertical marketplaces as they are dealt with only the automotive industry. In the year 2000, Toyota Motor Corporation announced that they would not conduct affiliated e-commerce practices. Based on Toyotas marketplace position, the internet as a middleman was not required, rather they would pursue in the intention of independent business-to-consumer e-commerce activities (Greenberg, 2000). The e-Toyota division was created in January 2002 with intentions of strengthening Toyotas B2C relationship. e-Toyotas components included TID (Toyota Internet Drive) and GAZOO.com (Fujitsu). An illustration of TID can be found in Appendix D. GAzzo.com Toyotas approach of business-to-consumer activities increased during the launch of GAZOO.com. GAZOO, an independent B2C website created by Toyota, was targeted towards prospective and current Toyota consumers. The website offers browsers e-tailing, internet malls, communication forums, vehicle information and much more (Toyota, 2002). Its plans included expanding into online brokering, financing, insurance, and dealers for future automobile purchases. GAZOO developers focused on creating a membership based website, where users obtained free membership by trading personal information. Based on data-mining techniques, Toyota discovered that 13.6 percent of website visitors purchased a Toyota vehicle within 6 months of accessing the webpage (Greenberg, 2000). Towards the end of the year 2000, GAZOOs membership numbers hiked to approximately one million, from its previous 430,000 in the end of 1999. Projected e-commerce revenues by 2003 were US$5billion (Greenberg, 2000). environmental initiative Toyota does not come short when working towards saving the environment. In 2001 Toyota announced their newest B2B e-commerce program. With the use of exchanges and auctioning, Toyotas recycling initiative introduced its promotion for reusing repaired/replaced automotive parts (Toyota, 2011). Used parts are sold nationwide online through part distributers. Appendix C illustrates Toyotas strategy in using e-commerce as part of its recycling initiative. G-book The development of Toyotas G-BOOK in Japan, which was based off of GAZOO, enabled subscribers to connect with navigation, news, weather, entertainment and much more (Toyota, 2002). G-BOOKs design provided information through wireless terminals connected to the Toyota vehicle internally. The technology was later introduced in both Toyota and Lexus line of vehicles. Its e-commerce component included its storefront for purchasing merchandise from GAZOOs Internet mall. e-crb (customer relationship building) Toyota Motor Corporation announced in e-CRB (customer relationship building) in 2004, serving as an e-commerce version for CRM (customer relationship management) (Toyota, 2004). The initiative was based on the G-BOOK technology. The objective of e-CRB was defined as improving the customer service relationships between dealers and consumers. e-CRB focused on improving customer service between the two parties, no matter their location in the world. Community activities Toyota Motor Corporation stands strong behind their motto Make Things Better (Toyota, 2011). Online and offline, Toyota has continued to portray a positive image in involvement in a range of activities affecting the future of the well being of others. According to Toyota Motor Corporations corporate website, the following are examples of Toyotas community involvements: Educational Contributions (ie. Scholarships, improvements) Safety Contributions (Rehabilitation clinics) Special Olympics Canada National Games Environmental Initiatives Volunteering Conclusion This

Feminist Bashing of Tennessee Williams and A Streetcar Named Desire :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

A Streetcar Named Desire and the Gay Roots of Feminist Straight Bashing  Ã‚     Ã‚   Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire is widely considered the highest achievement of 20th Century American theatre. Stanley Kowalski is a symbol of the heterosexual male. Significantly this male icon is portrayed as a rapist. In 1947, Tennessee Williams (through Blanche DuBois) also describes Stanley as "sub human," a term that would inspire outrage if it had been used against Jews, blacks, women or gays. The play is a good example of how Williams, a homosexual, contributed to the "modern malaise" by undermining the legitimacy of heterosexual males, females and the family. Williams' complex motives may explain the motivation of feminists today. Homosexuals have suffered persecution. This doesn't automatically elevate them morally nor immunize them from political criticism. Personally, I believe in live-and-let-live. That's why I wasn't prepared to discover that homosexuals, in particular, lesbian feminists, are not so tolerant of heterosexuals like myself. They are conducting a vicious attack on heterosexual institutions that society no longer can afford to ignore. Currently the attack comes from the feminist movement, which is led by lesbians. In "The New Victorians"(1996), Rene Denfeld documents how feminists are no longer concerned with equal opportunity, but are dedicated to transforming heterosexual society. Heterosexuality is regarded as the root of all oppression and homosexuality is seen as the remedy. "For many of today's feminists, lesbianism is far more than a sexual orientation, or even a preference. It is, as students in many colleges learn, an ideological, political and philosophical means of liberation of all women from heterosexual tyranny†¦" In their ruthless quest for power, feminists behave like Marxist zealots, quietly infiltrating the education and legal systems, government bureaucracy and media. They institute quotas that give women preference in education and employment regardless of merit, regardless that women may already be over represented. They display a cult-like, totalitarian attitude to dissent, refusing to debate, suppressing free speech and slandering people who hold opposing views. It may seem absurd that gays and lesbians who represent about four per cent of the population should attempt to transform society. Of these only a minority is promoting these goals. But these activists have used specious guilt tactics to capture the moral high ground. With the complicity of the media and politicians, they wield power way out of proportion to their numbers.

Where Does Law Come From? Essay -- The Origin of Law

Where does law come from? Law has been defined in many ways by various leaders and thinkers but there is no universal definition. There are numerous sources and the English legal system adopts the rules derived from these various sources to form the English law. Sources of law include common law and equity, legislation, and international conventions such as the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). It must be noted that customs or constitutional conventions are not law. It is a common misconception that customs or conventions are law. The judiciary have repeatedly held that conventions are not law and thus are not binding. The case of Attorney General v Jonathan Cape Ltd aptly demonstrated this point as the court held that the convention of Parliamentary confidentiality is only a convention and does not carry any legal weight. Nevertheless, it is essential to understand what, and how, are sources of law created and what possible dangers may arise from these sources. Common Law Common law first came about during the reign of William the Conqueror who created a common set of laws which was binding on all in the land. In the 15th century, the Chancellor was given the responsibility of deciding cases and he subsequently created his own court, the Court of Chancery which decided cases based on equity. As a result of the Judicature Act 1873, common law and equity were merged into the same courts to ensure that one enhances, instead of opposing, the other. Consequently, the only distinction between common law and equity is the remedies available to litigants. Today, common law is regarded as case laws which are decisions made by judges in cases. Common law is operated on two concepts of equal importance, namely the do... ...e Human Rights Act 1998 Third Edition, 2006 Articles T.H.Bingham ,’The European Convention on Human Rights: Time to Incorporate’ (1993) L.Q.R. 390 Table of cases A-G v Jonathan Cape Ltd [1976] QB 752 Fitzpatrick v Sterling Housing Association Ltd [1999] 4 All ER 705 Miliangos v George Frank (Textiles) Ltd [1975] 3 WLR 758 R v Goldstein, R v Rimmington [2005] UKHL 63 R v R [1991] 4All ER 481 Royal College of Nursing v Department of Health and Social Security [1981] 2 WLR 279,CA Table of statutes and other instruments Statutes: Abortion Act 1967 c87 European Communities Act c68 Human Rights Act 1998 c42 Interpretation Act 1978 c30 Judicature Act 1873 c66 Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 c51 Parliament Act 1949 c103 Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 c23 European Legislation: European Convention of Human Rights (1951)

Making the Right Choices Essay examples -- Literary Analysis, Alonzo M

It may take many people to realize that the decisions they make today could possibly affect the outcome tomorrow and even later in life. When we are children, our parents and guardians are responsible for properly guiding us to make the right choices, they are the people who are supposed to teach us right from wrong and in most cases they are the people who reveals the many harsh realities of the world to us. Through childhood we may not worry about how the bills will get paid, or what job we will have when we are adults because for many people the answer to those questions often change with time. As we grow older it is up to us to follow their guidance and learn from what they have taught us and live in a society as one. Life is full of choices, some larger than others but during all stages of life we are given the opportunity to shape our own futures, make a difference in our community, and try to achieve our life goals. The decisions we make today could have an adverse affect on w hat we do tomorrow. In life, we are all faced with decisions regarding numerous life choices on a day to day basis. In Alonzo Mourning’s book â€Å"Resilience,† based on his experiences Mourning gives his audience suggestions to follow in his path to succeed in life to achieve our goals. We learn as adults that some of the choices we made in the past were not to our benefit, but we may not know the decision was wrong at the time. In many points in the book Mourning talks about the importance of having faith in God and praying about situations, because he feels his belief and faith in God is what gets him through many difficult times. When Mourning spoke with a young boy and his father regarding their common illness he advised the father, â€Å"Pray for it and ev... ... with people who are going to push you to work harder and make something of yourself. Having a strong support system will bring you a long way in life, just having people there to support you through good and bad times is something many others lack and forces them to give up. Through the many peer pressures in life, stay away from people who have bad qualities and indulge in drugs just for a â€Å"thrill† in life. Life is much better sober and once a person is addicted to drugs and other illegal substances, it is hard to recover. In life, friends will come and go, but if these â€Å"friends† don’t have your best interest at heart, then many you should rethink your friendship. Being skeptical is not a bad thing if your being cautious for yourself. As long as you try to follow these suggestions made by Alonzo Mourning, it will help you to succeed in life and achieve your goals.

Direct & Indirect Cost in Retail Essay

What is an indirect cost? Indirect costs represent the expenses of doing business that are not readily identified with a particular grant, contract, project function, or activity, but are necessary for the general operation of the organization and the conduct of activities it performs. In theory, costs like heat, light, accounting, and personnel might be charged directly if little meters could record minutes in a cross-cutting manner. However, this is not practical; therefore cost allocation plans or indirect cost rates are used to distribute those indirect expenditures. Typically, salaries and expenses for auditing, budgeting, payroll, personnel, purchasing, etc. are examples of costs that are considered to be indirect costs. What is the indirect cost rate? The indirect cost rate is the maximum percent of dollars the district can expend from state and federal grants for administrative costs. Indirect cost rates (limits) ensure that state and federal moneys are expended for intended uses and for allowable costs, including expenditures directly traceable to the program (direct expenditures) plus a limited allowance for overhead or indirect expenditures. A â€Å"fixed with carry-forward† indirect cost rate is calculated for each district for all of its restricted federal grants and another â€Å"fixed with carry-forward† indirect cost rate is calculated for all of its unrestricted federal grants. Rates are individually computed for each district and are unique to each district. What does fixed with carry-forward mean? A fixed with carry-forward provision is a rate computed and fixed for a specified future period based on an estimate of that period’s level of operations. However, when the actual costs of that period become known, the difference between the estimated costs and the actual costs is carried forward as an adjustment to a subsequent period for which a rate is established. Indirect rates calculated on the 06-07 F-196 were used in 08-09 (2 year lag). Therefore, if a district’s rate on the 06-07 F-196 was 5.4%, the district could have used a maximum 5.4% indirect rate during the 08-09 school year. But, if at the end of FY 08-09, the rate calculated on the F-196 was only 4.2%, the subsequent indirect rate will be adjusted for the difference and the district will use the adjusted rate for the 2010-11 school year. The rate calculated on the 08-09 F-196 is the rate your district will use in 2010-11. This is the rate provided to iGRANTS. How can a grantee distinguish between a direct cost and an indirect cost? There is no universal rule for classifying costs as direct or indirect. Generally speaking, a direct cost is one that is incurred specifically for one activity. Indirect costs are more general in nature and are incurred for the benefit of several activities. Once a grantee makes an election and treats a given cost as direct or indirect, it must apply that treatment consistently and may not change during the fiscal year. What does organization-wide costs mean? Generally, direct administration costs differ from indirect charges in that the indirect charges are considered organization-wide costs. This means costs which are related to maintaining operations as a business concern but not costs that finance the delivery of services that provide a part of its specific mission. The regulations describe accounting, payroll, and personnel management as examples of organizational disciplines that every grantee or any organization must have. When making a determination as to whether a cost is organization-wide, the question to be answered is: â€Å"Is this cost incurred for general management purposes or does the cost further functions that are the mission of the organization?†

Imperial Presidency

Richard Nixon’s presidency is labeled as ‘imperial presidency’[1] due to its hunt for and utilization of regal authority and supremacy. Certain other presidents in American history like Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt sought kingly control but that expansion in the executive power manifested the merits of that extension. During his presidency, Nixon and his administration put forward legislations to get the maximum control over such areas that remained exclusive domains of Congress like the power to declare war, the power of the purse, and the power of immunity from legislative oversight. This style of administration, absolute authority and legal privileges capacitated Nixon to involve Watergate scandal. Immunity from legislative oversight helped him to cover up his involvement in this scandal. His craving for a absolute authority and measures taken in this regard is best described by his attorney general, Elliott Richardson. He said that â€Å"a government of laws was on the verge of becoming a government of one man.† Despite these absolute powers, his government miserably failed in the domestic arena as he was unable to address the issues facing the American people. Notwithstanding his failure in the domestic affairs, Nixon attained extraordinary progress in the international affairs and explored new horizons for American foreign policy. He established reciprocal and positive relationships with china and was first American president to visit communist China. It goes to the credit of Nixon that he not only developed commercial relations with Russia but also succeeded in signing the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. This marked the beginning of steadier and constructive relations between the two super powers. [1] This term was first used by Arthur M. Schlesinger in his book ‘The Imperial Presidency’ in 1973.   

Disability and Education Disabled People Essay

Legal definition: * â€Å"The term â€Å"disabled person† means any person unable to ensure by himself or herself, wholly or partly, the necessities of a normal individual and/or social life, as a result of deficiency, either congenital or not, in his or her physical or mental capabilities†. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 * â€Å"A condition that in some way hampers or hinders a person in terms of their ability to carry out day to day activities†¦general range of disabilities varies from conditions that are mild (for example, the need to wear reading glasses) to severe (for example, some forms of brain injury).† Parliament of Australia, Parliamentary Library, Social Definitions: * A disabled person is someone who is not able to do things that â€Å"normal† people can do. They have limited capabilities, which restrict the way they live their life. * According to ABS, in 2003, New South Wales had 591800 males and 598800 females that were reported with a disability whether it is severe, moderate or mild. Characteristics Mobility problems or Wheelchair bound Sensory (blind, deaf, mute), intellectual, physical or psychological disability Temporary or Permanent disability May have personal carer Uses specialised equipment to assist with basic duties eg. Elevators, ramps and disabled parking etc. Specific needs (in priority order) Health-As a disabled person they are inclined to have more frequent trips to the local doctors/hospitals depending on their disability. Some disabilities may need medication to keep well and therefore may need adequate and affordable medication costs. Access to services-Disabled people needs access to services such as doctors, facilities, support services and other requires facilities. As a disabled person you want to have the right to access services as they gain more independence. For example a person wheelchair, they may need a car that is wheelchair accessible. Financial support- Most disabled people need ongoing support and treatment from local care centres they can be very money consuming, depending on the severity of the disability. E.g. a quadriplegic is unable to work and cannot financial support themselves and rely heavily on government funding and family income Self esteem- Disabled people are normal people and should be treated no differently. But usually a disabled person self esteem is allot lower than an able person as they feel they fit in society as they do things differently to able people. But disabled people within society are encouraged and treated as though they are normal so they don’t feel alienates or they don’t feel they belong. Sense of identity – It is important that disabled people know that they should be themselves and not treated any differently. If a disabled person feels they don’t fit in, they may try to change who they are and act like someone they aren’t. Safety and security-Safety and security are a need that is required by the disabled on account of their emotional wellbeing. Without their sense of safety and security the emotional wellbeing of the disabled person will be quite short because they feel quite weak to the other members in society. If the disabled person is in secure and safe environment and atmosphere they will grow in confidence and be more active in the community. Housing – Housing is a important need for the disabled community because without shelter and protection they are unable to recover sooner. It is important as well that a disabled person has modifications to their household to allow ease in movement and to apply assistance when they are alone which allows the disabled person to be more independent and confident. Education-Education is needed for the disabled community to ensure that they have knowledge about their disability. The earlier they are educated the greater time there is to enhance their physical and intellectual skills. Without the source of education they will be unable to exist in the communities and feel lost therefore isolate them. With education disabled people will improve their skills and find their place in society. It may be needed that disabled children will have to attend specialised school to suit their condition Employment- For the disabled it is a struggle to get secure and permanent work. This is because they are incapable of doing certain activities, which may be required of them when working, in saying this employer may find that there are other people that will suit the job better and reject their application to work. Equal chance of employment is a need for the disabled because they can gain money to assist with paying their specialised equipment and basic needs. Government policies and regulations The disabled is a group in society with are more likely more disadvantaged and less fortunate that other members within society, Government policies and regulations have be brought up in order to assist them in feeling apart of communities and less discrimination towards them this also helps them to enhance their independence and rights. Some of these following government policies and regulations show that they are unable to be discriminated against and have the same rights as any other individual. Disability Discrimination Act 1988-Businesses are obliged to cater for the disabled by providing disability facilities such as wheelchair ramps, hand rails along stairways, disabled toilets and lifts. Disability Discrimination Act 1992 –Protects against discrimination due to a disability, diseases or illnesses. The same opportunities must be available to all when accessing services. They gains rights to accommodation, employment, education The Disability Services Act 1986 (Cth)-Legalizes Federal Government funding of States and appropriate organisations in relation to the terms of disability employment services and other adequate and still suitable services. The Disability Services Act 1993 (NSW)-Legalises the funding of qualified organisations to provide disability services and regulates NSW Government provision of disability services. NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) –10 Disability Services have adopted standards to assist service providers to meet these objects, principles and applications of principles. This supports disabled people with services such as Post School Program, Accommodation, Community Support Teams and also Respite Care. The Community Services (Complaints, Appeals and Monitoring) Act 1993 (NSW)-Talks on the NSW Ombudsman general functions in relation to monitoring and review of disability services and it allow complaints regarding disability services to be made to the Ombudsman. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986-A person is qualified for the Disability Support Pension if their disability, whether it be physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment, stops them from working. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities- Having the right to education, sufficient standard of living, employment and standard of health. Community responsibilities As a community they have the responsibility to make disabled people feel welcomed, accepted and ad though they are no different to an able person within society. It is considered as a respectable action for the community to support the disabled people within their community and encourage them with their involvement in society, so that they feel they are no different. Within communities there are a few charities that recognize disabled people and as a community they try to raise money to help fund the disabled, so they can have the best possible living. For example raising money to help them adjust their way of living, e.g. housing or community. Also the council and RTA provide access to buildings with things such as putting in ramps, elevators and disabled parking, which shows how communities are taking the responsibility for disabled people within their community. Other ways communities can take responsibility to raise awareness it encourage all communities to not discriminate against disabled people, they can also help create a supportive environment for the disabled people within the group/ community Rights of the group Disabled people are significantly disadvantaged in society, but yet they are still human and they still have rights of their own. Usually the rights to disabled people they right are very similar to any individual within society and have equal rights, its just that due to some of their condidtion that have specific need that assist them to becoming part of their community, for example have ramps to access specific places. Disabled people have a right to: * Be employed and educated without being discriminated against their condition * Have housing and accommodation that allows them to feel safe and secure and additionally move with ease regardless of their disability * Gain respect and dignity, especially to be protected against discrimination * Have assistance from carers, nurses, friends and people so that they are able to help them care for themselves * Have access financial assistance. For example: Centrelink or other supporting government policies and pensions. * Have medical assistance giving them the professional and specialised treatment for their condition. * The same rights as people who don’t have a disability so that they are able to live life as normally as possible Access to resources The disabled have many factors, which can affect their access to resources. The three main factors include disability, socioeconomic status, location and also education; all these factors can have a positive and negative impact on the disabled person’s well-being. Disability- Disabled people are usually on pensions and are financially supported. The one main problem that disabled people have is their accessibility to transport systems as their is less disabled people to able people. But yet they are trying to help make accessibility for disabled people more know as they have started including wheelchair buses, wheel chair taxis and disabled parking for the some types of disabilities they are unable to walk for extensive amounts of time and putting the disabled parking as close as possible helps the disabled accessibility to services/groups better. Socioeconomic status- As disabled people they usually have a lower income as they are also paying for other specific needs that able people don’t have. Many disabled people rely on their family’s income and also the government. They rely on the government for payments from centre link and pensions. Many people do not have access to private health insurance rely on the funding of centrelink. Location- depending on the location you have as a disabled person the access to resources is very much so dependent on your location. See rural communities don’t have many support services as they are usually over a large area and accessing services there is already hard enough for them. And within urban areas they have ramps, rails and disabled parking to help disabled people access service/ resources, unlike rural area which are limited. Education- education for disabled people is very dependent on the severity of the disability. See if you as a disabled person don’t know how serve your disability is you are unable to know what needs to be done. As a disabled person you need to know exactly what your disability is and how it can be treated. Diagnosing the problem is a lot easier due to the education in technology and the communication is improved due to internet and mobiles. Societal attitudes towards the group Society has many different views and perceptions when it comes to recognizing the disabled community. Disabled people are looked upon as weak physically, mentally and are sympathised by society. Some groups in society are all for disabled people and want to support them and intend to help them live a ‘normal’ life as much as possible as they can feel they are mp different to any able person. On the other hand others feel that disabled people are extremely disgusting and should not be seen until cured. Little do these people who look down upon disability by doing this they are isolating them from society and they are affecting them emotionally but discriminating against them they are lowering the confidence in believing they are ‘normal human beings’. Members in society may find that disabled people are extremely disadvantaged as they are vulnerable and dependant on the carers that assists them with help with basic duties and responsibilities. These carers dedicate the time and energy to give their up most energy and care for the disabled people. Sometimes/Most of the time their carers are usually their relatives or friends. Furthermore the carer is there to assist to fulfil the basic needs and capabilities that a disabled person may not be able to do, for example preparing food/ feeding themselves, walking, showering ect. As they are unable to do a wide range of ‘normal’ functions. Society perceives the disabled as to be less privileged. Another type of attitude and perception society may have with the disabled is the idea that the they are considered to be classified as a lower class because they have no ability to perform basic skills and attitudes due to their type of condition. Also disabled people are given names labels for example ‘crippled’, ‘handicapped’ and ‘invalids’. Labels like these cause society to have a negative perception on the disabled community and its also a stereotype of how disabled people are, and they don’t taking into the consideration that not all people are extremely/severely disabled. Society feels they must pity and sympathise the disabled people as they are given charities from the generous people who feel sorry for them. Disabled people do not want to feel like that are any different to a normal human being but society without know excludes them but putting them in the spot light the complete opposite and pushing them aside because they are ‘Crippled’. Issues of concern for the Disabled As a disabled person concerns of the group are feeling safe and secure within their community, belonging, and self-esteem. It is greatly concerned as it creates negative mind sets and can cause other illnesses. Other concerns are things such as; * Discrimination toward the disabled. Discriminatory acts towards disabled people can be a large concern to the group as they can be pushed aside and their self esteem will decrease and can make them feel ‘not normal’. * The way they are seen within society. This is a major concern as the disabled community have equal rights to any able person. The way disable people are seen is very important as educating people to not discriminate is also vital. * Their environment. This is a major concern to not the able people of the community but the disable people within it, for the very reason the environment in different ways is important to the disable as they may need things such as; ramps, rails, elevators or things such as a supportive environment, support services ect. * How they feel is a big concern as they also are the same as normal human beings are have lower esteems as they feel different and excluded from society because of their disabilities Conflict between the group and community interests When the needs of a disabled person are not met, this can begin conflict to occur within the community. Disabled people are discriminated, as to society they are not seen as ‘normal’ but instead are ‘invalid’ and just a waste of space. Employment- If a disabled person is always off work, they may be asked to quit so they can take care of themselves. Some employers discriminate against disabled people and do not hire them; however, under the Disability discrimination act (1995), an employer cannot fire or not employ someone because they are disabled. Employers are to treat a disabled employee like they would treat the other employees. Self esteem- When in public, many people stare at someone who is disabled. A disabled person can feel embarrassed or upset as they feel they are an outcast to the society, as they don’t fir in the ‘normal’ people. This can cause low self esteem, especially if you are temporarily disabled. If you have any hope at recovering, you may feel you’re not worth continuing on in life. Safety and security- Some people see disabled people as easy targets to abuse, as they cannot run, scream or see the attacker. They are vulnerable and can easy be abused by someone they know or even when alone in public. It is important that someone who is disabled feels as though they are independent and if they feel they are at risk to tell someone they trust. Power within the group and the community Disabled people within society are seen as not as important but the disabled community have tried to get their name out they create fundraising within their community to raise awareness and to get others educated about disabilities. The disabled offer to the community by; * They show how lucky people are and how great their ways are living are compared to some disabled people who cannot do day to day things. * They create a sense of community.   * It creates perspective in communities as it can open up people eyes to how disabled people really are. Positive contributions the group makes to the community Disabled people despite their disadvantages they are able to bring positive contributions in society as well. These positive contributions could be; contributing to the workforce and educating other on the lifestyle of their own lives and how disabled people live. Contributions like these allow the wider community understand the perspectives of disabled people and how they go about life. Another contribution that is positive on the community is it the disability within the community improve the technology and medication in the general community. Other ways that disabled people contribute to a positive community is that it shows people how to accept them for who they are and not for what is wrong with them or how they look. Extent to which community service groups assist in meeting the need of the disabled Here are some examples which propose modifications in the social community which aims to facilitate the satisfaction of the disabled community’s needs: * On the central coast they have bowling nights for the disabled. This allows the wider community and groups to get together and have some fun and met other people who also have disabilities. This can create supportive environments for the disabled as they can feel that they are not the only one and they can discuss their disabilities with one another. * Services such as personal care and cleaning services for those who are not mobile and cannot do it themselves, This helps the disabled feel like they do not have to worry about the harder basic needs that they find difficult. * Internet allows people to shop at home. This service is provided for those who cannot get around on their own. Order and pay online and your shopping items are delivered to your door. * Services such as online universities or libraries which gives the opportunity for the non- mobile but they can sit at home and do their uni or read a book without leaving their homes. * Some universities provide for disabled people by providing cart and wheelchairs to get around the campuses. Management strategies to address equity issues faced by the group * As a community the disabled feel they are treated unfairly and are treated differently due to the difference and inability to follow day to day norms. By resolving this they must unjust the treatment management strategies must be make to address these issues faced by the disabled. * The Society have come up with labels for the disabled such as handicap, cripple, retarred which refers to ‘their type’. Often they are used as insults. The general public have changed their perception on disability but still there are some narrow minded people who don’t pay attention to the needs of the disabled community. A way of resolving this is by creating an event such as the Pink Ribbon Day and other things such as Daffodil Day, which try to celebrate and sponsor the disabled community and try to create spread awareness of their issues and try to make people become open minded to their problems. * In the health services, people with disabilities are discriminated against as they are generally on a much lower income, due to this they are unable to afford private health care/ private health insurance and are usually put on waiting lists for problems they may have. If a disabled person is in need of medication and are unable to afford it this could cause them to have a poorer wellbeing. To assist them the government should reduce the cost of private health cover and reduce the of mediation to allow the disabled people to have easier access to them * Some disabled people are physically disabled and therefore need to modify their house. This can be extremely expensive and if the disabled people are not working have to rely on pensions or funding from the government. They may need to modify the houses to be more accessible at they may be wheelchair bound. As disabled people are not as capable to do all the house work and daily jobs they can hire someone to help them. The government should make more services available to the disabled who struggle to leave their homes and they should also reduce the funding to modify housing costs. Bibliography * Legislation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT 1992.† DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT 1992. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Disability Support Pension.† Disability Support Pension. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Disability and Community Care.† Department of Communities (Queensland Government). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Disabilities.† Disabilities. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Australia.gov.au.† People with Disabilities -. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. http://australia.gov.au/people/people-with-disabilities * â€Å"International Day of People with Disability.† International Day of People with Disability. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Thank You ForYour Support.† Daffodil Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Have a Girls’ Night In,to Help the Girls out.† I Heart Pink. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. .