Critically Appraise the Importance of Effective Operations Management Essay

Critically Appraise the Importance of Effective Operations Management in Improving Productivity in Retailing - Essay Example 5). Operations management brings in an element of efficiency in the business operations by looking to it that that business operations rely on an optimal exploitation of resources and tend to meet the consumer expectations in an efficient and satisfactory manner (Lowson 2002, p. 10). Operations management pertains to the management of all the processes associated with the conversion of inputs like finances, raw materials, energy and labour into the intended outputs like services and goods (Bassett 1992, p. 20). In an operational context, the efficiency in operations management has a lot to do with the policy decisions made by the senior management. It is usually the top management in the organizations that plans the strategy in operations management and tends to revise it as per the altering needs and requirements, while the line managers assure that the policy decisions get implemented in an accurate manner by taking the apt tactical decisions. Operations management in the area of r etail is pivotal to the influx of improving productivity. Operations management in retail requires an optimal management of varied associated operations like cost control, logistics and merchandizing associated with the movement of products from production facilities and stores to the hands of the consumers (Nersesian 2000, p. 153). Primarily retail is about curtailing costs so as to extend to the customers the required goods and services at most competitive prices. Operations management in retail has to do with managing and controlling the operating costs within the affiliated organizations (Nersesian 2000). It encompasses all the related and affiliated activities that have to do with the production, distribution and delivery of services of goods and services in a retail organization (Nersesian 2000). Current Characteristics of retail Industry Retail industry is an area of business that has quiet a wide spectrum. It involves small stores serving the select neighbourhoods to behemot h stores catering to the needs of large urban hubs. By its very nature, the retail industry tends to be immensely dependant on consumer spending. This is more so, considering the current economic meltdown, which has greatly compromised the spending ability of the consumers. The small retail stores are already a thing of the past because they failed to meet the customer aspirations in a cost effective and efficient manner. The internet, which has emerged as a ubiquitous medium for conducting retail transactions has added one new dimension to retail. The big departmental stores are also losing their appeal and they are trying hard to reposition themselves. The big departmental stores are under immense pressure to reposition their product lines to meet the fast changing consumer aspirations and preferences (Miron 2002). The emergence of discount stores in the retail scenario is one more salient trend that is poised to stay (Davies & Ward 2002). Discount stores offer varied incentives t o the consumers like competitive low prices, money back guarantees, etc. This is combined with varied other features like floor help and an easy access to the merchandise. The coming of Category Killer retail stores is one other major development. Category Killers concentrate their focus on a specific product category and try to outrun their competitors in that category by appropriating a lion’s share in that category (Davies & Ward 2002, p. 105). Category Killers have appropriated a major share of the retail segments in which they are operational and have drastically reduced the number of players in these segments (Davies & Ward 200

Common Misconceptions Essay Example for Free

Common Misconceptions Essay Commonly thought of as belligerently walking the streets late at night, or at any time in fact, the Irish culture is inaccurately perceived as the drinking type, at any point of the day on any day of the week, though usually all of the above. Americans drink, French people do too, as well as our friends from Great Britain, but for some reason people always accuse those Irish people of being too drunk too often. It just so happens to be that I am Irish, and American, though I am not drunk at this time of writing this paper. I may just be the exception, as many people believe or have believed at some time that they are just heavy drinkers. There are the stories we are told, how the potato famine in Ireland was a result of the Irish being too drunk to realize something’s wrong with their potatoes, and possibly continue to believe nothing is wrong. Then they came over to America and brought their drinking problems and potato famine ignorance with them and the rest is history that they will soon forget. With them jumping seas, it gave us Americans an excuse for our own belligerent ways; we could use those drunken Irish as a scapegoat! Now, if we are caught by our friends in a bush after a long night, we may say â€Å"It’s alright, I’m Irish, I’m just respecting my ancestry† or we have an excuse to celebrate the holiday St. Patrick’s day, which is more of a reason to drink than celebrate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. If this myth helps All-Americans get out of sticky situations through deception, than it sure is doing its job, just be sure to say â€Å"I’m Irish† and wear that green clover hat every once in a while. Some could find it offensive, such as the Irish who didn’t jump ship because they paid good attention to their potatoes. So instead of reading the myth as â€Å"those drunken Irish are always drunk†, it should read â€Å"those drunken Irish who forgot about their potatoes are always drunk†. Now, where’s my shot glass?

Race and Racism - Racial Implications of an Advertisment Essay

Race and Racism - Racial Implications of an Advertisment The other day, as I was trying to find a picture for this assignment, I stumbled across the picture at the top of the "personals" section of a local paper. On the surface, it seemed racially balanced. It certainly wasn't structured to make an outward statement about race. However, just the way it's laid out reflects subtle and probably unconscious judgements of the nature of race, and how it affects us. It has small, individual photos of six people, of varying race and age. The two people farthest to the left are a bit older, perhaps in their forties. I was not sure about one of the pictures: my first opinion was that it was a young Hispanic man, but she is really a partially African female. In short, there was variety here. However, the ad uses race to sell by avoiding the implication of interracial relationships, showing predominantly "white" people, and showing a mix of people from different races. The ad does not explicitly show an interracial couple, even though people of many races advertise in the personals. The ad seems to avoid pairing people together as couples too much. There aren't any words like "Look what perfect couple found each other!" The people probably are not professional models, either. The implication is that the people shown represent either the people who are advertising or all potential readers of an ad that one might place. Perhaps it is significant that there is a bit of a bias toward men in the ad; they are placed more to the left. A reader will generally see the men first as he scans the ad. This could mean that the service is trying to sell more to women. If so, it is also avoiding the implication that a customer might be placed in a ra... ... even though it is not likely. How many people look at the personal ads and decide not to date because they don't see their race there? Not many. That is what the creators of the ad intended. In a liberal society, people should not be overly concerned about racial differences when they are dating. They should not worry about class differences either. I have heard advice that it is harder for interracial couples to have a successful marriage, because of cultural differences, but the person who issued this hastily remarked that this was the only problem, and that one says a false doctrine by saying that one race or another is inferior. In the end, one could use this ad in racist or race-unifying arguments, in spite of the intentions of the authors. I am simply glad that I don't have to use it to find potential dating contacts. (At any rate, I haven't done so yet.)

Psy/285 Final Week 9

PSY/285 Elizabeth Davis November 11, 2012 Bettye Griffin I am well rounded, independent, and unique. I believe that being well rounded means that you are not just one way or another. It means you have a little bit of every thing. I think that independent means for a person to be out on their own in life. It means to be able to take care of them selves in life, along with other people. I am independent not interdependent. I do not rely on others for any thing. Meaning I do not get help with bills, money, school, child, car, or any other aspect in life. Interdependent means you get help from others or depend on other to do things for you.I think that self serving bias is some thing that every one has to some degree or another. I think that it is a bias opinion that enhances or widens your ego or self esteem. For me I am self bias towards my self in the fact that I am a very vain person. I believe I am very attractive meaning my self esteem is great about how I look when others are arou nd. Locus of control theory is where people believe that they can control events that can affect them. External locus of control is a person that believes the whole world is out to get them, luck does exist, and that life is unfair.Internal locus of control is when a person has feelings of being responsible for the outcomes that happen in their lives. I know that confirmation bias is where a person has a tendency to favor information that goes along with their own beliefs. A person does this by gathering or when they remember information by picking out pieces of it. I think then that confirmation bias is some thing that we all do. I know for my self I have selective hearing. With this I pick out what I want to hear from a conversation, perceive it, and use it how I want to.My experiences that I have had with beliefs generating from their own confirmation have not always ended well. I know that nothing in life will happen exactly how you want it to. I do this all the time and plan ou t how others will react in a certain situation I am always wrong. I know that my behaviors influence my attitude a lot. I simply put my desires and actions first. My attitude or my intention only pushes my desires and actions further. Our text did suggest that there are several ways that genetics influence gender identity. My gender identity is influenced by my genetics because I was raised by my great grand parents.This means I am more apt to take on the old fashioned ways or believing in what a woman should act or be. I think that my gender identity has been shaped by the environment that I was raised in. I think that some evidence to support this would be that I do believe that me as a woman should do the cooking and cleaning. A woman should be married to one man in her life. A woman place in the world is behind her man. A woman must be able to do what a man does and work as hard as they can. I think that now in life that I am not at a great risk of conforming.I know that growing up at one point or another I was influenced to conform to a great many different aspects of life. I am stable in who I am and what I am today. I think as a person grows older in life it is harder to sway to conformity. I just don’t feel the need to impress or to be or act like some thing I am not. I have always had a hard time with both authority and also obedience. I think that in my opinion they go hand and hand with each other. I think that fear of authority or the stubbornness of just not wanting to both has a clear view of why the obedience will then not look.I think that the foot in the door technique has had a lot of influence on me doing things in my life. I think the biggest foot in the door was when I was younger and with my friends. When I would hang with them and they would start to do some thing illegal or dangerous. That means I would have a choice of walking away or since I am all ready there so why not concept. Oh, of course I have used the foot in the door t echnique on others. This is used in peer pressure situations when some one does not want to do some thing but convince them to using the foot in the door.I think that when I am in the presence of others I am very stand back and watch kind of person. I like to take in what is going on around me. I think that with or around others I know that I act with respect and honesty. When alcohol is involved that bearer that was there to just sit, watch, and be kind of shy is lost. When that is gone I am just full of confidence and the life of every one else around me. I know that no matter what group project that you get your self in to that there will always be some kind of social leafing.I volunteer at our church a lot, and at the veterans hall we work in groups and there is always one or two people who I have to pick up the slack from, because they refuse to help in any way. I don’t think that it will get any better in the future. I don’t think that it will because I can not c hange other people and how they see life. Only that person can make the conscious decision to change is them selves. I believe that Deindividuation is a concept that is mostly thought of as one loosing their self awareness in other groups.I think that deindividuation is where people sway into other groups other than what they would usually. It is acting different in a group than you would usually, that would be completely out of character for you. People that are in groups over time lose their own self awareness and self restraint because of the group they are in. At this point they would loose their own self as an individual and become more like the others. I think that people whom are in groups would do things that they would not on the account that the person would then be less responsible for their own actions.I think that I was influenced and have gotten in a lot of trouble in the past because of deindividuated presence of other people. I am not now though taken over in any gro up nor do I want to be my life is fine with out getting in trouble. I think that there are many different levels that a person can be attracted to another person. I think that at first it is the attraction of what a person looks like. I think that personal things you have in common helps. I also think that being around a person for long time will increase the chance of being attracted to one another.There is so many things that can make a person attractive to me. I do know that the preference at attractiveness is different between each person. I think that there are many things that you can do to help sustain relationships. Here are some of the things that I do to help sustain a relationship is trust, compassion, compromise, and respect. I think that all of these are needed to have a healthy relationship. I think that trust is big to be able to feel at ease. Compassion is needed for your self the most to put it into the relation ship, and also to be healthy for you to have compassio n towards other things in life.I would say that compromise is like picking your battles. This would come along with talking to your partner. I would also say that to have respect is both for your self as well as the other person. When I have to resolve a conflict there is just a few things that I do to help with this. I first pick a time to talk about it. I make sure not to go into talking about it when I am angry or mad. I would also take into consideration to bring in an out side party to monitor the conflict, if we can not come to a compromise or agreement about the conflict.I am glad that this class has opened my eyes to so many different views and ideas of what I need to take a look at in life. I think that it is good to know what the things are that centers around who I am and also why I am that way. I think that I have been able to change some of my views and ways from what I have learned in this class. Although, I do know that even though this class has made me aware of some of my actions and beliefs, that I am just not ready to take control of and change. It has also made me aware of why others act in the way they do.I will not be so judgmental of certain behaviors or actions in the future. I am more aware of the world around me, including my self and other people who I choose to surround my life around. I loved what this class has taught me and will keep it with me in my mind and thoughts for ever. I wish that other people would take vane and learn why things are what they are. To find reason for behaviors this makes it so that maybe some time knowing why will become action to change to some thing better.

Single User System for Startup Business

The purpose of this exercise is to design a single user system, to solve the needs of a startup business. The business I chose is a service oriented, automotive oil change company. This system will need to satisfy the business needs of a small company, including database queries, inventory management, customer tracking, form generating, accounting, and many other functions. This must be accomplished in an easy to use, simple, single user format. This system should be a point of sale system utilizing separate databases. One for customer tracking used to notify previous customers via postcard printouts. In addition, these should be sent after a three-month period from their last service. There could be coupons issued as well. Accounting and inventory information, such as daily, weekly, monthly, etc. sales, current inventory needs, cost of inventory, profit margins, employee records, sales tax, etc. should also be stored. Another, dynamic database would hold manufacture specifications. This would provide real-time query access for make/model vehicle specifications for referencing filter part numbers as well as other technical information. This would need to be updated as manufacturers change specifications. This system should contain redundant features as it is business critical, providing dual, mirrored disk drives, as well as an efficient backup device. This would reduce down time due to drive failure. The need for this amount of safety lies in the necessity of maintaining fast, uninterrupted service. There would need to be two printers. One, a dot matrix for printing customer receipts, as well as a hard copy for business purposes. The second printer would be for the service personnel. This would print out the work orders with specific information, such as the make and model of the vehicle as well as the filter numbers and quantity of oil needed. This printer would be located in the service area. This system should be capable of printing and displaying timely accounting reports including sales figures and current inventory quantities. These should be available on screen (a color VGA monitor would be required), as well as in printed form. All this must be extremely user friendly. With very little training required. The projected employee skill and pay level is expected to be entry level minimum wage. When researching a business solution to fit this need, one company was mentioned in most interviews and research. Auto Dataa was highly recommended by the independent area shops that provide this service. Auto Dataa provides a complete software system specifically engineered for this market. This package is called POS-I-LUBEa. This is a all-encompassing point of sale software package that provides complete support of an automotive service company. This system provides comparative accounting reports, real-time inventory management, work order creation, reliable specification information via a secured connection, employee time-clock accounting functions, full cash register functions and professionally printed receipts, as well as a complete service history for each of your customers. This system will provide the ability to check inventory levels anytime. Supply payroll information with their time card feature. Generate accounting reports ranging from comparative sales figures from one period to another, period financial reports, profit margins, inventory costs, personnel costs, withholdings, sales tax figures, essentially all the accounting information necessary to successfully run the business. This is in conjunction to the real-time product specification query function and work orders. The time that is saved by the vehicle specification query, which previously had to be done through hard copy cross-reference, looking up make, model, engine, options, etc., now can be used to assure that you have a timely customer turnaround time, as this is all done automatically through this menu driven system. The customer history database can be queried to provide essential data for mass mailings and coupons. These are all time saving functions that work to improve customer satisfaction, while maintaining a strong presence in the marketplace. POS-I-LUBEa utilizes a Fox Pro database for it's customer history and tracking, as well as its accounting data. For the vehicle specification database, POS-I-LUBEa uses a licensed Check Chart subscribed database available through a secured connection. This is where the monthly fee ($250.00) comes into play. Recommended hard drive size is 1GB by the manufacturer Auto Dataa. This menu driven package is designed to be mouse driven, with no typing required, offering less opportunity for mistakes. This also make the system very user friendly with very little training required. This all-inclusive package offers greater reliability than many other products available in the marketplace. The STAR Pro VII @ $ 1847.00, and the Shopman Standard Version 3.0 @ $299.00 are alternatives. While the STAR Pro VII offers much of the inventory, report generating and accounting functions of the POS-I-LUBEa system it does not offer the database query functions to reference vehicle specifications. The budget priced Shopman Standard Version 3.0 only offers the repair orders and invoices. This reliability of the POS-I-LUBEa system is due partly to the fact that it is all inclusive and not pieced together from non-compatible software. The initial cost of this software is under $2,000.00, with a small annual fee for real-time database queries ($250.00). The hardware is user supplied and can fluctuate in cost depending on the specifications desired by the user. For the requirements that I desired, Della provided the best solution for the money. I decided on the Workstation 410 with the following features. Dual 9.1GB SCSI, Ultra2/Wide LVD (7200rpm) hard drives The dual hard drives add a redundancy that is essential when your business is so reliant on such a system in case of failure on one drive. The Zip drive is for maintaining current backups and off-site storage for disaster recovery. Total cost of Della system is $94.00 per month on their business lease plan. This fully meets, and/or exceeds the system specifications required by Auto Dataa (see operations manual). I chose the lease program as it offers a service agreement throughout the extent of the lease, as well as the option to periodically upgrade due to the moderate terms of the lease (3 years). In addition to this, there are the required periphrials, as follows. Okidata Microline 321 Turbo parallel printer @ $451.91 Star Micronics SP322C Printer @ $379.00 3COM 56Kb Internal Modem @ $95.00 Symantec PCanyWhere v9.0 @ 169.95 Indiana Metal Cash Drawer @ $315.00 The dot matrix printer is for the creation of the customer billing record and receipt, while the other printer produces the employee work order in the service area with all the vehicle specifications. As required by Auto Dataa, all software must be installed and tested by their technicians at their facility at an additional cost of $100. Shipping is not included and runs approximately $25.00. In addition to these costs, there are also the costs of printer cables, forms, multi-jack surge and phone line protector, or small UPC system with active system protection. This is figured into the cost as a miscellaneous expense of $400.00. The initial total cost to this system is under $4,200.00. With a monthly expense of $345.00 plus costs of forms, backup tapes, printer maintenance, etc. Overall, this is a very cost effective solution that can be written off as a tax deduction as a cost of doing business. The initial startup expense is very low due to the leasing program offered by Della. All systems testing should be completed when system is completely installed, less the inventory information, as preliminary testing has been done at the time of the software installation. This testing should consist of entering vehicle specifications while cross- referencing returned data with a known, reliable source, verifying printouts to both the service area as well as the customer billing form. Upon successful completion of testing, all inventory information must be inputted into the database, along with cost figures. After the inventory data has been inputted, more testing will be required in order to test the inventory tracking procedures and cost analysis. When the system is tested and proven, the training of employees may commence. Auto Dataa provides, at an additional cost, remote training, although with this menu driven system this is not usually necessary. The employees will be prompted for the information required in the service process. The accounting information is available for management and will require additional training. This will be the final step in the implementation process. Maintenance should consist of no more than servicing the printers and running the backups. This is the most complete as well as cost effective solution I have found, utilizing off the shelf hardware and materials at an affordable cost. The hardware is common, providing easy replacement in case of failure. This is important in such a service-oriented, time-based company. For more user information, please see the accompanying user's manual.

Free Essays on Youth Gang Explosion

I found this to be very interesting when considering the origins of youth gangs. I was not aware of the popularity and rivalries that had been established about break dancing. To be honest, I wasn’t even aware that there were break dancing competitions. What I found so interesting about this is that here was a group of kids whose agenda was far from the gang agenda that I picture in my head. When I pictured the origin of gangs, I have the image of a strong, aggressive man that uses predatory tactics to gain the compliance of others. The gang is formed and begins to operate in accordance to the leaders demands. This could have not been further from the truth. These drill teams were concerned with only winning break dancing competitions. Sure their competitiveness led to fights with other drill teams but they hardly carried the mentality that is associated with youth gangs. It wasn’t until others began to call them gangs that they actually began to act like modern gangs. It is important to realize the importance of placing labels on others. This is especially relevant in the aggressive policing tactics being used in the inner cities. Today we are constantly hearing about police brutality and discrimination. The term ‘Driving While Black’ is as common as any other utterance. The label of being a gang member is as negative as any other stereotype being applied to a young black person. Those in authority seem to be no longer concerned with the well being of inner city youth. As a result there is a abundant sense of hopelessness prevalent in the inner city. On top of not being able to find a job or not being able to get a decent education, youth have to deal with these stereotypes. It is not difficult to see why they abandon the middle class ideals and morals. The system is working against them so they put no faith in it. Instead they turn to the gang and with it they find an avenue that prom... Free Essays on Youth Gang Explosion Free Essays on Youth Gang Explosion I found this to be very interesting when considering the origins of youth gangs. I was not aware of the popularity and rivalries that had been established about break dancing. To be honest, I wasn’t even aware that there were break dancing competitions. What I found so interesting about this is that here was a group of kids whose agenda was far from the gang agenda that I picture in my head. When I pictured the origin of gangs, I have the image of a strong, aggressive man that uses predatory tactics to gain the compliance of others. The gang is formed and begins to operate in accordance to the leaders demands. This could have not been further from the truth. These drill teams were concerned with only winning break dancing competitions. Sure their competitiveness led to fights with other drill teams but they hardly carried the mentality that is associated with youth gangs. It wasn’t until others began to call them gangs that they actually began to act like modern gangs. It is important to realize the importance of placing labels on others. This is especially relevant in the aggressive policing tactics being used in the inner cities. Today we are constantly hearing about police brutality and discrimination. The term ‘Driving While Black’ is as common as any other utterance. The label of being a gang member is as negative as any other stereotype being applied to a young black person. Those in authority seem to be no longer concerned with the well being of inner city youth. As a result there is a abundant sense of hopelessness prevalent in the inner city. On top of not being able to find a job or not being able to get a decent education, youth have to deal with these stereotypes. It is not difficult to see why they abandon the middle class ideals and morals. The system is working against them so they put no faith in it. Instead they turn to the gang and with it they find an avenue that prom...

Authenticity in John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath Essays

Authenticity in John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath Essays Authenticity in John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath Paper Authenticity in John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath Paper Essay Topic: The Grapes Of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath is a novel written by John Steinbeck. In the bulk of modern literature, it is consider a masterful epic unmatched in the realm of the written word. The novel centers around a family of workers who are immigrants The Joads. When the novel takes place they are in California attempting to survive the scarce conditions of the depression. Steinbeck monitors and recounts the ups and downs of the family and their experiences in United States. Much of the plot is Steinbecks commentary on the rampant capitalism which literary sucked the land and the people dry during the 1930s. The story is based on real life excerpts of John Steinbecks field research. The real life conflict was created by greedy business men, and lending institutions which bought up land and employed workers to farm. The majority of these workers were lower class immigrant families that were paid so little that their struggles have often been paralleled to that of slavery which plagued the United States in the 16th and 17th centuries. The old adage was particularly relevant when examining this novel, as the rich get richer, the poor end up dead worked to death. Steinbeck is not casual in his assault of capitalism and it not fearful to express his disgust for the supposed American dream. He has a clear political viewpoint and asserts: the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away. And that companion fact: when a majority of the people are hungry and cold they will take by force what they need. And the little screaming fact that sounds throughout all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed. (333). A major theme developed by Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath is his believe that the survive of the lower class is based on their dedication to family. His approach is a delicate mixture of Marxism and Socialism, both of which promote cooperative living. In the context of the time, Steinbecks beliefs were not just controversial but also dangerous. The United States went through a two periods in which the government hunted after individuals they considered unamerican, the 1920s and the 1950s. This novel was written in the the 1930s. However, Steinbeck intricately weaves a tale of family strife, struggle, and survival, in The Grapes of Wrath, which has become a beloved and honored classic since its publication. Steinbecks depiction of the devastating conditions during the 1930s is historically accurate. In particular, Steinbeck articulately describes what a Dust Bowl actually is and how it was created. He explains that the great plains experienced the greatest droughts ever during the great depression. The Dust Bowl was created due to lack of rain and also the over use of the land. Once pieces of land are over farmed they lose their nutrients and crops will not grow. These areas, once plush with grass and trees became â€Å"virtual deserts. † It was this drought which forced families, hungry and tired, to see out new hope in the west. The west promised folks clean and cheap living, and with access to regular work. Steinbeck describes the Dust Bowl in the following way, â€Å"The wind increased, steady, unbroken gusts. The dusts from the roads fluffed up and spread out and fell on the weeds besides the fields . . . the sky was darkened by the mixing dust, and the wind felt over the earth, loosened the dust, and carried it away. † For the people living in these devastated lands, this was a very accurate account as to what the â€Å"weather† was like for weeks and months.