Operation management and corporate strategy Essay

Operation management and corporate strategy - Essay Example Marriott’s outputs of the key operational transformation processes The business name is Marriott which is carried by Marriott International Incorporated. This company is undeniably has undergone operations strategies over time to ensure that strategic decisions and actions will result to operation’s main role, objectives, and activities (Slack et al, 2007). Why there is a need to transform inputs it is because they cannot automatically be considered final goods or services. This is clear in the case of making a product and using technology for instance to transform raw materials into something useful by undergoing different processing stages (Thomson and Formby, 1993). The same process applies when it comes to coming up with service offering. The whole process requires transformation of available resources into something useful that can be served for the benefit of the target users, customers or markets (Johnston and Clark, 2008; Stevenson, 2008; Looy et al., 2003; Hill , 2005; Jick and Peiperl, 2002). This means that it is not only in manufacturing organisations there is a need to come up with transformation of the inputs which in this case it is common to hear about the raw materials. However, in organisations where the final product is a form of service, it is important to understand that there are also basic inputs that need to be transformed. Marriott Hotels basically need to come up with staffs as its most important resources. In order for the management to effectively promote its vision, these staffs must be fully equipped with the right information so as to elaborately create a business environment that could satisfy customers. According to Slack et al (2007), staffs and facilities belong to the input transforming resources because they have the ability to act upon the input transformed resources which are commonly in a form of materials, information and customers. Due to input processing of material, information and customer, Marriot Hotel s were able to come up with hotels with complete amenities and everything that a customer may want to find in a hotel. The five performance objectives The five performance objectives are important for an organisation not just for the purpose of obtaining corporate goals but in order to achieve competitive advantage (Slack et al., 2007). Quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost are not only determinants of good performance of an organisation but they are all essential characteristics that can be obviously found in a product or service offering. Outsourcing of service for instance, especially in hotels is found to result to reduce cost, and improve the quality and flexibility of the service (Rodriguez and Robaina, 2004). In reality, there is an observed link between business environment and the choice of operational strategy choice of the five performance objectives especially on dependability (Gyampah and Boye, 2001). Customer service in actual setting always integrates th e issue of the service speed and part of it is the determination of customer satisfaction (Davis and Maggard, 1990). Flexibility issue is widely heard among manufacturing org

Emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry to promote quality Research Paper

Emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry to promote quality - Research Paper Example Therefore, in ensuring that nurses embrace this change, a leader should understand the level of social focus in responding to nurses about changing situations. For health institution to be competitive, this change is inevitable especially in the contemporary society where majority are moving to digital platforms. According to Sadri (2012), being emotionally intelligent allows one to build mental health resilience which helps in successfully managing change. In this case, as a nurse, I will use emotional intelligence as an effective tool for communicating change. It is certainly that I will advocate for training of all nurses. Emotional intelligence as a communicating tool will allow me manage emotions of nurses, cope with stress and uncertainty, and influence my leadership style particularly in deciding who, when and how the training will be carried out. The change I am initiating lies on the premise of achieving high standards as a nurse. Therefore, to achieve positive perspective among nurses, I will use appreciative inquiry tool to win over their resistance. In this case, nurses will be in a position to recognize the need for change and open up their minds to the world of discovery. A better understanding as a result perhaps will subject nurses to challenge for new possibilities (Cooperrider & Godwin, 2010). The two skills will help me as nurse to win over the emotions of nurses and make them be part of change which will reduce resistance to change. In the end, nurses will have confidence with that change being advocated thus facilitating positive

Outline and compare frequentist view of probability and subjective Essay

Outline and compare frequentist view of probability and subjective view of probability - Essay Example Although experts like Frank P. Ramsey have referred to the frequentist methods more specifically and directly, the topic of subjective analyses has also been an important focal point in several academic debates. Building at least outlines of the frequentist and subjective views is thus necessary before embarking on a more detailed comparative analysis. Frequentist View of Probability Frequentist view of probability is relatively more common and popular perspective o probabilistic studies. According to Professor Norman Fenton, probability theory can be regarded as the body of knowledge which facilitates formal reasoning on uncertain events. Furthermore, Fenton states: â€Å"The populist view of probability is the so-called frequentist approach whereby the probability P of an uncertain event A, written P(A), is defined by the frequency of that event based on previous observations. For example, in the UK 50.9% of all babies born are girls; suppose then that we are interested in the eve nt A: 'a randomly selected baby is a girl'. According to the frequentist approach P(A)=0.509.† (Fenton, paragraph 1) Frequentist probability is therefore generally dependent on data collection and manipulation of available sample spaces, where a number of specimens and/or trial/error events can be observed. Contextually, Ramsey has stated that probability is of essential significance not only in the sphere of logic but also in the physical and statistical sciences. Academics and researchers cannot be sure in advance that the most functional interpretation of probability in logic will help in understanding the physical sciences too. The frequentative nature of probabilistic studies can thus be assumed as to have special stress on practical trial and error methods typical to most of the scientific and statistical research works. Subjective View of Probability Subjective view pf probability can be thought of as more affiliated to the philosophical antiquity of the subject. The su bjective view takes into account even the individual perspective of the observer with relation to an array of uncertain events. According to Albert (Paragraphs 3-4): â€Å"A subjective probability reflects a person's opinion about the likelihood of an event. If our event is "Joe will get an A in this class", then my opinion about the likelihood of this event is probably different from Joe's opinion about this event. Probabilities are personal and they will differ between people.† Therefore, subjective view is aimed at exploring the theory of probability from the viewpoint of an observer. Hence, it can be regarded as to have relativistic implications rather than practical fact finding approach. Comparative Analysis Similarities As early as 1926, Frank P. Ramsey pointed out the dualistic nature of understanding the subject of probability as a whole. He pointed out that there are two interpretations, those are subjective and objective views, related to the science and art of pro babilistic enquiry. In furtherance with such an approach, Ramsey (188-189) writes: â€Å"And in a sense we may say that the two interpretations are the objective and subjective aspects of the same inner meaning, just as formal logic can be interpreted objectively as a body of tautology and subjectively as the laws of consistent thought.†

The War on Drugs Essay Example for Free

The War on Drugs Essay Despite large amounts of government funding and agencies working together the war on drugs is the most counterproductive measure the United States has launched because its main focus was to stop drug trafficking and criminal activity, but it has done nothing but increase incarceration and large amounts of spending by the U. S. One of the first bills introduced to the United States was the National Prohibition Act in 1920 and also the 18th Amendment. This bill prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol on a national stage for every day consumption. The only way to get a hold of alcohol at the time was to obtain a prescription from the doctor for medical purposes. This was just another way the government can tax and control the use of alcohol consumption at the time. In 1933 the prohibition act was repealed. Because of the increase of other drug substance abuse outside the abuse of alcohol with the approval of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Department of the Treasury the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was introduced and the adoption of the Uniform State Narcotics Drug Act was established and created. First the war on drugs has been a long and expensive campaign the United States has invested in, to include resources, and manpower. President Johnson was the first president to focus illegal drug use. He be believed half of the crime committed in the U. S. was in drug relation and grow by 90 percent over the next decade. The Johnson Administration was the true beginning on the War of Drugs. President Johnson created the Reorganization Plan of 1968 which merged the Bureau of Narcotics and the Bureau of Drug Abuse to form the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs within the Department of Justice. The belief during this time about drug use was summarized by journalist Max Lerner in his celebrated work America as a Civilization: As a case in point we may take the known fact of the prevalence of reefer and dope addiction in Negro areas. This is essentially explained in terms of poverty, slum living, and broken families, yet it would be easy to show the lack of drug addiction among other ethnic groups where the same conditions apply. (Inciardi The War on Drugs IV, 248) The use of term War on Drug was first used by President Richard Nixon in 1971. President Nixon was also wanting to continue the anti- war precedent set by Johnson. The start of the U. S. to counteract the war, was to implement the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. When President Nixon and Admistration declared the end the war on drugs it was manly stated for laws and acts that was made from earlier prohibitation act and laws not for the new era of drugs to sweep the United States . The actual term war on drugs was coined when in 1971 Congress of the United States released a report that there was a growing trend among the United States serve members from Vietnam that were addicted to heroin and other control substances. The Bureau of Narcotics was replace with the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1973. As early as 1982, with the intense epic of drug use sweeping the nation the United States increased aid and more involvement, tasking the help of the CIA and military indirection efforts national and international levels. Nixons drug force agencies practice illegal acts to make arrest to meet demands of the public, this put a widely held of the arrested made was of African-American personal. The following two presidents Ford and Carter, kept the tradition of continuing to respond with programs of their predecessors. In 1982, Ronald Regan became President with a radical bias within the War on Drugs received a new revitalization. In a speech delivered soon after taking office, Reagan announced, â€Å"We’re taking down the surrender flag that has flown over so many drug efforts; we’re running up a battle flag. Within his first five years of being president he strengthened drug enforcement. He created mandatory sentencing, forfeiture of cash and real estate. In 1986 Reagan was able to pass the Anti-Drug Abuse Act through Congress. This legislation cost the tax payers a additional $1. 7 million to fund, established 29 mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses. Reagans former Vice-President George H. W. Bush was the next in the oval office. He shared the same political views and background as past presidents. Intensifying narcotics regulation when the First National Drug Control Strategy was issued by the Office of National Drug Control in 1989 and doing nothing to reduce sentencing disparities and racial bias carrying over from the Reagan administration. The following three presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama continued with the trend and maintaining the promise to overcome the epidemic of drugs that will not be tolerated and over come during taking office. There are over one million people every year in the United States incarcerated due to drug law violations. With the increase of the youth involvement of drug violation, this has had a everlasting effect of them to include permanent removal of education opportunities, the ability to vote, obtaining employment become far more difficult because of violations of their youth. Studies show that the War on Drugs has made a permanent underclass of people who have few educational or job opportunities, often as a result of being punished for drug offenses which in turn have resulted from attempts to earn a living in spite of having no education or job opportunities. The drug was is said to have wasted billions of wasted tax dollars and misallocated spending. The government has spent more money on the drug war then it was spent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Due to the over whelming account of people being incarnated it has put a financial drain and a puts a stain on the legal and law enforcement resources. Due to prohibition in the United States, criminal organization have found other means of transportation, growing and distribution causing a lost of many lives. Drug cartels are the only organizations that gain profit from prohibition which is regenerated for smuggling, violence and corruption in government networks. The next generation on fighting the war of drugs is coming. The question is to ask are selves to spend are tax payer money on prevention or treatment. The US funded a research study that showed that all of the Governments effects to stop drug trafficking coming into the United States all little to no effect. From the RAND Corporation the study, Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction, was prepared by seven researchers, mathematicians and economists at the National Defense Research Institute, a branch of the RAND, and was released in 1988. (R. Reuter 1988) There have been similar conclusions conducted by seven on organizations. The RAND corporation has also included that budget money for drug enforcement should be spent on treatment other then prevention. In 2008 a declaration was announced to balance a drug policy to the prevention, research, education and treatment. Many people are in favor of treatment and prevention instead of punishment sue to the high amounts of financing for law enforcement and court cost of the tax payers. In conclusion, the measure the United States have implemented to combat drugs, smuggling and drug abuse have been at best unsuccessful, and at worst counterproducvtive. If the United States truly desires to curb drug abuse, new forward thinking methods such treatment and rehabilitation would have to be implemented.

The Crucible - Important Character Analysis :: Arthur Miller

In The Crucible, Arthur Miller establishes the universal theme that good does not always prevail over evil. It shows that fear and suspicion can produce a mass hysteria that destroys public order and rationality. This theme is clearly identified through the character's actions throughout the play. Three characters in the play demonstrate different types of human condition through the decisions they make. Reverend Hale and John Proctor represent the human condition to choose rationally while Danforth advocates a more traditional side. All but Danforth have a change of heart from the given situation. The Crucible argues that even when a society is corrupt, a person with high moral character can follow their conscience to make a good decision. Reverend Hale is called to Salem to help solve the witchcraft chaos. At first he is confident in doing his job as a reverend by following the church standards. He agrees with the court?s tactics, which involves searching for confessions to aid the trial in sentencing people to death. Over the course of the play he experiences a huge transformation. As he listens to both sides of the trial, he realizes that the church and court standards may be wrong, and he begins to question these standards within himself. He stops supporting the court because he can no longer accept the false prosecutions that Danforth continues to make. His final decision in going against the church and following his heart shows the true side of his character. He goes through the rest of the play trying to save people?s lives. When someone asks why he has come back he states, ?Why, it is all simple. I come to do the devil?s work? (986). This shows he feels that doing what may seem wrong to others is actually the right thing to do. His efforts are in vain, however, because in the end the Puritan Court overrules all other opinion. Danforth is the judge of the witch trials and is very stubborn in his ways. His handling of the trials is overbearing and intolerant. He is shocked when Francis Nurse dares to judge his authority and states, ?Peace, Judge Hawthorne, do you know who I am, Mr. Nurse (959). He thinks that he is superior to everyone else and he believes he has the best judgment of all. Because of his job he is feeling pressured to please the majority of the people.

Nsci 280 Week 4 Quiz

Week Four Quiz Chapter 9 Muscular System: Histology and Physiology ________________________________________ 1. Which of the following is NOT a function of skeletal muscle? a. body movement b. maintenance of posture c. respiration d. constriction of organs e. production of heat 2. Which of the following is true? a. Skeletal muscle is capable of spontaneous contraction. b. Smooth muscle is found in the walls of hollow organs. c. Cardiac muscle cells have multiple nuclei. d. Smooth muscle cells are long and cylindrical. e. There is a small amount of smooth muscle in the heart. 3.Which type of muscle tissue has cells that branch? a. skeletal muscle b. smooth muscle c. cardiac muscle d. both skeletal and cardiac muscle e. both cardiac and smooth muscle 4. Hypertrophy of skeletal muscles from weight lifting is caused by an increase in the a. number of muscle fibers. b. size of muscle fibers. c. number of striations. d. number of nuclei within the muscle fibers. e. number of muscle cells. 5 . Actin myofilaments a. resemble bundles of minute golf clubs. b. contain both myosin and tropomyosin. c. are held in place by the M line. d. contain strands of fibrous actin. . are the thickest proteins in muscle. 6. When an action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal, a. calcium ions diffuse into the presynaptic terminal through voltage-gated ion channels. b. acetylcholine moves into the presynaptic terminal. c. a local potential is generated in the presynaptic terminal. d. ligand-gated ion channels in the presynaptic terminal are opened. e. nothing else happens. 7. In excitation-contraction coupling, a. calcium ions must bind with myosin to expose active sites on actin. b. myosin heads bind to exposed active sites on actin. . cross-bridges form between myosin heads and calcium ions. d. movement of the troponin-tropomyosin complex causes actin myofilaments to slide. e. ATP binds to actin myofilaments. 8. Which of the following helps explain the increased tension seen in mult iple wave summation? a. increased motor unit recruitment b. increased concentration of calcium ions around the myofibrils c. exposure of more active sites on myosin myofilaments d. the breakdown of elastic elements in the cell e. decreased stimulus frequency 9. An isotonic contraction is described as a. ction potential frequency is high enough that no relaxation of muscle fibers occurs. b. a muscle produces constant tension during contraction. c. a muscle produces an increasing tension during contraction. d. a muscle produces increasing tension as it shortens. e. a muscle produces tension, but the length of the muscle is increasing. 10. Which type of respiration occurs in the mitochondria? a. anaerobic respiration b. aerobic respiration c. both anaerobic and aerobic respiration Chapter 10 Muscular System: Gross Anatomy ________________________________________ 1.The sternocleidomastoid muscle extends from the mastoid process of the temporal bone to the sternum and medial clavicle. Wh en both sternocleidomastoid muscles contract, the head is flexed. The end of the muscle that connects to the sternum is the a. origin. b. belly. c. body. d. insertion. e. fixator. 2. Which of the following represents a class I lever system? a. crossing your legs b. hyperextension of the head c. standing on your tiptoes d. flexion of the elbow to elevate the hand e. lifting weight with your arm 3. In order to stabilize the hyoid so that the larynx can be elevated in swallowing, the _____ muscle group is used. . Pterygoid b. Infrahyoid c. Auricularis d. Suprahyoid e. hyoglossus 4. If abdominal muscles are contracted while the vertebral column is fixed this will aid in a. vomiting. b. childbirth. c. urination. d. defecation. e. All of these choices are correct. 5. Which muscle will depress the scapula or elevate the ribs? a. levator scapulae b. serratus anterior c. pectoralis minor d. subclavius e. rhomboideus major 6. Which of the following muscles extends the forearm and has its inse rtion on the ulna? a. Deltoid b. biceps brachii c. triceps brachii d. brachialis e. coracobrachialis . The gluteus maximus a. does most of the work in â€Å"sit-ups. † b. accounts for a sprinter's stance. c. allows one to sit cross-legged. d. is used in the knee-jerk reflex. e. is a common site for injections. 8. Label muscle â€Å"A† on the diagram. a. orbicularis oculi b. temporalis c. trapezius d. sternocleidomastoid e. masseter 9. Label muscle â€Å"A† on the diagram. a. linea alba b. serratus anterior c. rectus abdominis d. external oblique e. internal oblique 10. What does â€Å"A† represent? a. Coracobrachialis b. Deltoid c. pectoralis major d. biceps brachii e. serratus anterior

Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay

Some of the key areas of Chipotle’s code of conduct that are of significant importance to the business is the integrity statement and the anti-discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment policy. In the Chipotle’s Ethics and Conflicts of Interest Policy of the Integrity Statement, integrity is about being real and being honest. It means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. That means that you should do the same thing when your manager or co-workers is around or if they aren’t around. No matter what, each of them must accept personal responsibility for doing the right thing. Whether that means when someone is around or not. It also states that they should not accept gifts from competitors, suppliers, vendors, potential vendors, or business entities with which they are conducting business on behalf of Chipotle. When accepting gifts: they should never accept a gift unless it meets all of the following criteria: (1) it is not a cash gift; (2) it is consistent with customary business practices; (3) it is not excessive in value (i.e., is under $150); (4) it cannot be construed as a bribe or payoff; and (5) it does not violate any law or regulation. If you are not sure whether a gift or proposed gift is appropriate, please discuss it with your Manager/Director, who may, in isolated cases, approve your acceptance of a gift that may otherwise have violated criteria (2) or (3). Each year, employees in management positions should be prepared to submit a statement disclosing any entertainment, gifts, or services that they or members of their staff have accepted. Any items that have been accepted must be reported at that time, regardless of whether they were previously discussed with your Manager/Director. Your Manager/ Director will determine if you may keep the gift, return it, or whether it should more appropriately become Company property. You should never offer, give, or provide a gift unless it meets the following criteria: (1) it is not a cash gift; (2) it is consistent with customary business practices; (3) it is not excessive in value (i.e., is under $150); (4) it cannot be constructed as a bribe or payoff; and (5) it does no t violate any  law or regulation. Just like when receiving gifts, if you are not sure whether a gift or proposed gift is appropriate, discuss it with your Manager/Director, who may, in isolated cases, approve your giving of a gift that may otherwise have violated criteria (2) or (3). I think that this is important when receiving or giving gifts because you don’t want to lose your job over something so small. It is also a good idea to have something like this written down because for someone who doesn’t know any better, it will help them out a lot. You may accept entertainment invitations, such as business meals, if they are in line with accepted business practices, could not be constructed as potentially influencing your business judgment or creating an obligation on your part, and if public knowledge of your participation would not embarrass you or Chipotle. When such business activities occur frequently, such costs should be shared or paid for on reciprocal basis. You should always be professional. Act professionally and conscientiously when making business decisions. Personal relationships should never interfere, or give the appearance of interfering, with business actions, judgments, or decisions. When making decisions, weigh all factors impartially and without prejudice and make all decisions solely based on merit. You should honor your agreements and do not encourage or interfere with other parties’ contracts or agreements. Avoid legal speculation or conclusions in your communications. And you should not discuss areas beyond your knowledge or expertise. This is really important because I think that you should act and be professional on any job that is out here. The Anti-Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Harassment Policy states; Chipotle believes in the value of a diverse workforce, equal opportunity, and a workplace free of discrimination and all forms of unlawful harassment. Chipotle prohibits unlawful discrimination, harassment, and sexual harassment. Employees who violate this policy may be disciplined up to and including termination. Chipotle strongly believes that employees and applicants for employment should be treated without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other prohibited basis. This applies to all employment practices. At Chipotle, no form of harassment is acceptable. This includes joking remarks or other abusive conduct (including verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct)  that demeans or shows hostility. Sexual harassment is also prohibited because it may be intimidating or an abuse of power and it is inconsistent with their policies, practices, and management philosophy. Discrimination or harassment of an employee-whether by another employee, supplier, vendor, or customer-is strictly prohibited. This policy I think is the most important because without this policy, so many people can harassed and scared to tell someone about it. Also the anti-discrimination policy is important because of the fact that a lot of women are discriminated against a lot of jobs out here because the mangers think that they aren’t fit for them. Some of the key steps that Chipotle should take to ensure that employees follow the code of conduct would be to have them read it when they are first hired. And then every 2 or 4 months they could give them tests on it to make sure they know and understand it. They can also make sure the managers are up to date on the code of conduct as well. Some ways in which Chipotle can engage in socially responsive activities in the community within it is operated. They can donate all their unused food to homeless shelters. They can do special deals for the senior citizens and for veterans other than Veterans Day. They can build customer relationships. They can do that by having loyalty programs. They must have good customer service or their customer’s will not return. Resources (1) Chipotle Code of Conduct (2) http://www.grouponworks.com/merchant-blog/marketing/four-easy-ways-to-build-customer-relationships-resturant/ (3) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/rules-conduct-resturant-employees-18671.html