Bcg Growth â€Share Matrix

BCG is an acronym which stands for Boston Consulting Group Growth –share matrix. This is a mode which is recommended for all companies to use in the event of marketing and resource allocation. The information collected by experts in business environment indicates that there is no strategic management which appears to be successful without using the BCG growth model.Boston Consulting Group is a model widely used by many multinational and domestic companies as instrument in portfolio management in the event of employing a strong base to face their competing companies in the industry they are operating.The BCG matrix helps to play as analytical tool where a certain company is faced with problems of constant market growth rate and lack of advancement in general (http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2007/11/bcg-matrix. html). Boston consulting group (BCG) growth now comes in as a firm which gears its efforts in giving consultation services to other companies in general organization management where need arises. This firm is highly respected in the business industry due to their efficient and effective job.This firm was started in the 1970s as a business firm but today it has the leading level in terms of business schools and executive education Programmes around the world (http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2007/11/bcg-matrix. html). Boston Consulting Group labels As a management tool Boston Consulting Group-share matrix can be used to classify product portfolio in four businesses types which are based on four graphic lebels. this include stars cash cows question marks and dogs.it also stipulates priorities which should be extended to a companies product portfolio. According to Boston Consulting Group, priorities in company’s products portfolio can be given by use of the products portfolio cash usage and cash generational, i. e. input and output. Consequently the model gives the company a high light on how to deal with various product lines. For mult inational companies the model acts as an indispensable tool for analytical purpose in this event of evaluating their organizations diversified product lines (http://bankelele.blogspot. com/2007_07_01_archive. html). Market growth and relative market share are the two dimensions in which BCG growth-share matrix can be based on. The two aspects reflect the level in which an organization has excelled in the industry it is operating. Products which are in fast growing market should be highly valued because they bring into the organization the highest profit margin in the organization and this can only be revealed through use of BCG growth-share matrix.Due to correlation between relative market and products cash generation, BCG helps to capture market share of a strategic business unit as well as analyzing how the units in an organization can be well advanced to have a competitive advantage against those of the competitors. The underlying assumption in BCG is that the more an organizatio n is engaged in a particular activity the more they save costs which could have been incurred during the time of trading (http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2007/11/bcg-matrix. html).This is a suggestion that the effect in experience curve requires that market share to be increased to enable the company to lower the cost in the process of business operation. For those companies with dominant market share then its clear that they will have a cost advantage over competition companies because they have won a greater share of the market (http://bankelele. blogspot. com/2007_07_01_archive. html). The Boston consulting group (BCG) matrix is based on a products life cycle theory which states that a product has four main stages in growth i. e. introduction in to the market, developed through strategic planning, maturity stage after it has gained market adaptation and finally decline stage whereby it starts loosing its taste and demand goes down.According to BCG matrix the product life cyc le determines product portfolio of a business unit. The four categories in which BCG matrix use in placing products in portfolio includes; cash cows whereby, these are units in an organization which have high market share but are slow in growth. Generally these are units which generate cash in excess of the amount of cash needed to maintain the business.All operating companies would like to own and maintain many of cash cow units to maintain the operations in their industries. They are referred to as stand and boring now that investing to this kind of unit might lead to low returns in a business companies normally invest low but they gain a harvest a lot from them,. These units should be well maintained for growth of other units in a business (http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2007/11/bcg-matrix. html) Dogs are units with low market share in mature slow growing industry usually referred to as pets.These units have got little or no cash generation which can be used to run or maint ain the affairs in a business market share. From accounting perspective these units can only be good in a business in the matter of creating job opportunities to the jobless but in strategic market view they are un worth to be maintained or included in a business product line. Such product units should be removed from business operating system to avoid negative consequence in future. This is because they depress a profitable company’s return on assets ratio used by many investors to judge how well a company is being managed (http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2007/11/bcg-matrix. html).Question marks are the third class in product portfolio. They are units with high growth rate but low market share and thus they consume a lot of cash though they generate very little of it and this results to high rate of cash consumption in the business. These units have a potential of accelerating to a star level but when the market growth slows, they turn to be cash cows. If the market gro wth declines completely leading to low consumption, then question marks becomes Dogs.Therefore question marks should be carefully scrutinized to see whether they are worth investing in and corrective control measures to be taken. Stars are leader units in the market industry. They are units with high market share in a fast growing industry (http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2007/11/bcg-matrix. html). To maintain Stars in a business requires a lot of cash and therefore cash cows becomes the support of Stars. This is possible only if the business is worth to be leader in the market industry. If not well maintained Stars, can fall from being leader in the market and become cash cows.Due to the market trends, products in a particular organization keep on changing direction from Stars to Dogs. The natural cycle for most businesses units is that they start as question marks then turns into stars. Eventually the market stops growing and business unit changes from Stars to Cash cows and then Cash cows turns to Dogs with time. BCG growth-share matrix in Unilever Company For a fast growing company and a multinational one for that matter, Unilever Company which engages in different product lines have got no other option but to use the BCG model.This is because an invaluable analytical tool in their diversified product lines as it has been witnessed. According to FMCG and Retail marketing Blog article in February 2008, Unilever Company grew to sputter as P &G and it has taken market share in India. The Unilever Company sells household foods and other consumer related goods. According to the article released on February2008, the speculation of the company seems to notice a global revenue growth slow in the year 2010 as Procter and Gamble Company (http://universityessays. tripod. com/bcg_growth_share_matrix_boston_consulting_group.htm) Being the second world’s largest consumer product maker, Unilever has heavily relied on accelerating shipments of Surf Excel deter gent in India to make up for sluggish sales in Europe. One of their branches is stocking Olay-skin-care products after nearly having the local prices of Ariel and Tide in 2004. The speculation states that there will also be a down fall of the Unilever’s product market share in Asia and Africa where the company has heavily marketed their products since its start of operation (http://www. amazon. co. uk/review/product/1403944539?showViewpoints=1) The estimated fall in Unilever overall sales growth is expected to be 4. 9 per cent in 2010 from estimated 5. 3 per cent in 2007. Its competitor, Procter &Gamble will have a market share increase in the year 2010, according to Bloomberg survey analysts. Unilever Company has various companies and factories in every continent and research laboratories at Colworth and Port Sunlight in England. It started a five year feasibility company initiative in their goal and making sure that they achieve their competitive strategy purposes and specu lations.This was aimed at converging the marketing and disparate arms in their business including personal care and consumables into an umbrella function displaying the breadth of their contributions to personal vitality. As stated by its chief executive officer, Patrick Cescan, the company is planning to take a strong stance on sustainability in the market. Apart from Breyers and Ben and Jerry’s, all its ice cream business is done under the umbrella called Heart brand which was launched in the year 1999 and modified in 2002 as a way of promoting international brand awareness and cross-borders synergies in manufacturing and marketing.The company has the biggest market share in the ice cream industry with an annual turn of â‚ ¬5 billion (http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2008/02/unilever-growth-to-sputter-as-p-takes. html) According to Boston Consulting Group, development of matrix requires the assessment of a business portfolio, which includes an organization’s a utonomous divisions in terms of their profit or activities. Unilever company has advanced its strategic management plans to ensure that their products are competitive in the market.Being a consumer goods producer, it has observed global values in terms of cultural diversities and other related issues in their marketing to ensure that they are not faced out of market. Although the model is not used as it was used in the past, BCG growth/share matrix it has one advantage in that it has an ability of providing a comprehensive snapshot of the positions of a company’s various business concerns. It also draws attention to the cash flow investment characteristics and needs of organization to know how to manage and also help the organization to know how to manage and maintain a balanced portfolio.Unilever Company has collected the highest profits from their sales in Africa than any other continent where they have been involved in trading despite the decline in capital investment (Mer cer, D, A 1993). In India and Asian countries investment is increasing and pound for pound profits are much higher than Europe. In the 1970s the Unilever company created an intricate services discount and bonus system in its Danish subsidiary, margarine selskabet aiming at selling as much as margarine as possible.This helped the company put business at a competitive position (http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2008/02/unilever-growth-to-sputter-as-p-takes. html) BCG matrix has been widely used in Unilever especially in house hold goods whereby tastes and preferences change every time where applied BCG matrix helps not only in market growth but also position of cash flow in the organization. BCG matrix has acted as good indication of Unilever markets strength and future potentials and attractiveness to future competitors. Now that BCG matrix ranks only market share and industry growth rate it implies the actual profitably and purpose of any business unit in relation to the 4 graphi c cycles in product portfolio.Unilever Company has dropped many products and developed new ones in the event of satisfying the market demands. In Africa consumer goods from Unilever company has highly excelled due to clear plan and matching with consumer interests. This has been possible through use of BCG matrix which helps identify the position of product in the market and take the possible measures for instance the cash cows business as units will gain their expected profits very fast which give s the management team an easy jobs.The house hold goods in Unilever including soaps and other types of ointments have excelled nicely in African and Asian countries. This helps to reveal good position in Unilever Company among other practicing multinational companies. This helps the company to make wise investment to get the targeted profits. The company has also experienced a lot of problems in certification of some the products in certain countries. This forces it to use extra cash to m ake aggressive promotion in already existing market to increase their sales.In 2005, the company had to permit Glidat Strauss to export its brand of ice cream to United States due to strict kosher certification of products in Israel where by ice cream and Krembo may be sold only in kosher supermarket and other important shops. The company has also invested much in some of its product brand like in personal care products which are believed to be in the question marks. Some of these personal care products cannot become cash cows hence this is seen as wastage of money. The idea behind investing instars and questions is to enable them become cash cows.If they don’t achieve real market dominance then it is advisable for the company to disinvest and try to get whatever possible cash out of the question marks that were not selected (http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/management/Sc-Str/Strategic-Planning-Tools. html0).One of the limitations of Boston Consulting Group matrix is tha t high market share is not the only indicator for success factor but there are some other underlying forces which needs also to be considered. Also market growth is not only indicator for attractive ness of market.Sometimes Dogs can earn even more cash just the same as cash cows. All in all BCG matrix method can help understand or identify a mistake which is repeatedly done by an organization in the strategies they use. This is because there is a well installed system of checking the approaches to strategies used such as generic growth target or generic reform on capital invested for the entire corporation. If the company is experiencing a problem with some of the brand product lines they can dump them just as it is proposed in BCG matrix.Unilever Company used the BCG model as a tool for understanding where their power has in business situation. This is possible through understanding of both strength of their current position and strength of the position they are anticipating for.Th e company has put a strategic plan for 5 years which is aimed at saturating the whole world with their products which are competitive and consumer friendly. A team has been put in place to act on this by improving the company’s weaknesses to strength and stipulate the best methods which would be followed.All this is done to make sure that the company is performing at a level of fulfilling the set goals and standards (http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/management/Sc-Str/Strategic-Planning-Tools. html). For the case of stars most companies’ uses prices skimming to penetrate the market. The prices are normally high and this can lead to low sales. In most cases price skimming can only take very short periods of time which later affects demand of those products hence this products ends up entering in another level of the cycle like â€Å"Questions marks† which denies the company from enjoying its benefit (www.eduessays. com/Essays-x02887. htm). The Boston consulti ng group model has got other related limitations in that when used can make a company end up loosing market share. The BCG matrix model only insists an allocation of resources rule using cash but it does not specify the specific amount of share which a company will receive from this allocation and the market rate. Unilever company have ventured in very many consumer products and it becomes really hard to know which products is in stars or question marks hence it might end up fueling cash to a no growth products line.In some other instances a high market share does not lead consequently to a high profit margin it is clear that low business share are profitable, this can blind font the management to run their company at a loss without knowing if they insist on using more cash to such products. This is instigated by the fact that the model insists on only two dimensions i. e. market share and growth rate of which other factors are held constant in theory but not in real practice (http: //www. kmtalk. net/article. php? story=20070103041059823).The comparison given by BCG matrix is between the product and strategic business unit (SBU) only with a strong competitor in same level yet it disregard small competitor with fast growing market share. Like in consumer goods the Unilever Company has market share. Like in consumer goods the Unilever Company has targeted only the multinational companies without knowing that there are other small companies growing in their industry which can affect their sales in certain countries they have invested. This can lead to a company being put out of place in the market industry.Company which needs to be a leader in terms of market share should produce new products and charge them at a lower price to penetrate to the market. On the other hand BCG model is helpful to management in evaluating the firm’s current balance among stars cash cows, problem child and dogs. And it is also applicable to multinational companies to seek large volume and experience effects because it is easy to understand. This model provides management with basis for understanding and deciding upon how to prepare for the contingent future causes of action.This is useful especially when allocating the limited resources (www. eduessays. com/Essays-x02887. htm).References Economic matrix in big enterprises, available at: http://bankelele. blogspot. com/2007_07_01_archive. html, accessed on July 24, 2008.Executive performance incentive plan of the Unilever Company, available at: http://www. secinfo. com/dkrf. 66. 8. htm, accessed on July 24, 2008 The product portfolio of a business unit, available at: http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2007/11/bcg-matrix. html, accessed on July 24, 2008.The BCG growth-share matrix, available at: http://universityessays. tripod. com/bcg_growth_share_matrix_boston_consulting_group. html accessed on July 24, 2008.The FMCG & RETAIL Marketing Blog, available at: http://fmcg-marketing. blogspot. com/2008/02/uni lever-growth-to-sputter-as-p-takes. html accessed on July 24, 2008.Strategic planning tools, available at: http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/management/Sc-Str/Strategic-Planning-Tools. html accessed on July 24, 2008.Limitations / problems of the BCG Matrix, available at:http://www. eduessays. com/Essays-x02887. htm accessed on July 24, 2008.Mercer, D, A ((1993) Two Decade Test of Product Life Cycle Theory pp 269-274, British Journal of Management, Vol. 4 http://www. newint. org/issue172/keynote. htm accessed on July 24, 2008.Unilever company and product lines, available at: http://www. amazon. co. uk/review/product/1403944539? showViewpoints=1 accessed on July 24, 2008.Strategies in Unilever Company, available at: http://www. kmtalk. net/article. php? story=20070103041059823 accessed on July 24, 2008.

Eradicating risk Essay

Judges, Chairman, Members of the Floor. Life is full of risks. Even in our day to day lives we encounter many situations which could include risk: playing sport or travelling to and from school. And it is of course important to understand this risk, whether that is by merely educating yourself of the risks attached to a specific activity, or by taking small steps to try to reduce that risk. Using the example of driving, there are hundreds of thousands of traffic accidents that occur in the UK each year. You could therefore say that it is purely common sense to wear a seatbelt when travelling in a car. However, I would argue that there is a huge difference between taking the sensible action of wearing a seatbelt and condemning the roads as just being too dangerous and deciding to stop driving altogether. I feel that, in our society, we are too quick to see the downside and the negative aspects of risk and not sufficiently tuned in to the need to see risk as something that occurs naturally and simply needs to be understood and taken wisely into account. School trips are arguably one of the most enriching parts of your education as they help to reinforce the curriculum that you learn in the classroom. However, there is a risk that the numbers of school trips will fall due to the huge amount of paperwork required. Before a school trip can take place, an extensive risk assessment has to be carried out, outlining all the possible hazards that might occur during this trip. And the claims culture that exists today only serves to worsen this problem. Teachers are rightly uneasy to participate in school trips as they are immediately liable for any injury, however minor, that may occur. We are at the point now where schools are considering removing playground equipment to avoid being sued when children suffer minor injuries. Kent County Council has paid out ? 700,000 to children since 2008 and claims have become so common that schools face mounting bills, even when children get hurt while breaking school rules by climbing walls or trees. To quote Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, â€Å"Schools become so risk-conscious they no longer present children with challenges and they are wrapped up in cotton wool†. The staggering number of personal injury lawyers offering â€Å"no-win no-fee† deals will attest to the fact that claims are so commonplace in our society that they only way for any organisation to reduce their liability is to attempt to eradicate risk involved. The huge popularity of insurance nowadays is just another example of how we have become obsessed with eradicating risk. There are not only many insurance companies, but also a huge number of different types of insurance. Gadget and mobile insurance, a relatively new industry, is now estimated to be worth ? 1. 24 billion across Europe. Even the scandal over PPI (payment protection insurance) was essentially due to banks frightening their customers into thinking that they needed insurance to ensure that they paid off their debt. In conclusion, risk is not something that we should fear, nor is it something that we should seek to eliminate completely from our lives, as I believe we, as a society, are increasingly in danger or doing. As I have demonstrated, risk is simply a consequence of the combination of a set of circumstances and this combination simply needs to be understood so that sensible precautions can be taken to manage or mitigate the risk, but there is certainly no requirement to eliminate this. Indeed, a life without risk would be a very boring life indeed. â€Å"This House believes society has become obsessed with eradicating risk†

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X - Essay Example Nevertheless, the two authors seem to share feelings regarding the white run American society in which they lived. The two authors put blame on the whites for the prevailing racism; however, they agree that it was up to the black s to end the problem. Although Malcolm X and King used the black society, they had their own notions of how to deal and stop racism because Malcolm X favored the use of violence while King acknowledged the need use a nonviolent approach. King in his essay suggests a peaceful revolution although he is aware of eminent violence if peaceful demonstrations are unheeded; however, Malcolm X uses a direct and an aggressive approach in his article. Although all whites were not involved in supporting the problem of racism because some were trying to help fight for the blacks, it took Malcolm X a lot of time to figure that out. Malcolm in his essay â€Å"A homemade education† points out that he never felt truly free in his life until the time he was in prison. King in his essay talks about overestimating goodness because he acknowledges that few members of a race that oppressed another can understand the yearnings of those that have been oppressed. However, even after finding out he never received much white support as he hoped but he never lost faith in the white community (King 1; Malcolm 121-127). King in addressing the issue uses resources and references from the bible and religious icons in getting attention of the clergymen regarding the laws of segregation. Although this was an indirect route, he managed to attain what he wanted. King’s response to the clergymen uses peaceful rhetoric in presenting his arguments; moreover, he uses religious metaphors and imagery throughout his work in order to show peacefulness. King uses religious metaphors because he understands that the audience is made up of religious leaders and capable of relating to the religious symbolism he uses. King uses religion to

Third Party Logistics (3PL) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Third Party Logistics (3PL) - Research Paper Example It refers to outsourcing the service from another organization. The service is rendered on their behalf this has been effective in a way that all the company saves on cost. They are all provided under the supply chain management and they defer in services provided. The practice has been adapted by many organizations and business with the aim of saving on cost. Introduction Determining how outsourcing logistic service is more effective in the supply chain is the main aim of the study. How it’s created the issue of completion and effectiveness (Wisner, 2011). The process of evaluating the best in logistic service provider will be studied and evaluated. Procedures and criteria of the selection process will be laid and stated upon. A study was carried with the aim of providing a process and suggesting on the method of selecting the best in the industry. Evaluation was done on firms that have engaged on the practice. Methods used in the study and ways forward will be discussed. The study will try and discuss the merits and demerits of the company under research (Blanchard, 2010). The third party logistic will also be put in under scrutiny on how it operates and eventually propose a way forward. Best channels will be laid on how to conduct third party logistic economically laid. Determination of key players in the logistic industry will be laid down and their role in ensuring smooth service delivery studied as well (Gibson & Novack, 2008).Different roles of the logistic in service delivery will be investigated. The process of selection and how effective it is will be discussed. Abbreviation 3LP refer to the study refer to third party logistic. Literature review The concept of third party logistic is a new trend supply chain management and has been adapted by the many in the business sector. They include the activities of the warehouse which include packaging, value addition and storage. Transport and handling of goods is also a function of logistic. It expands beyond this and lay emphasis on it being a management function. It entails many phases which are determined by the policies laid upon by the given firm (Shah, 2009). They usually include logistic as a specialization, it being a coordinated function, it being a process and as a function in supply management. Of which they are interested in material flow and distinctly. The new trend in logistic is the third party logistic which entails outsourcing. it entails seeking for the services of a different organization to aid in the functions of supply chain management. This enables the company focus on the external environment which includes the competitors and the other services performed by the outsourced organization. It usually comes with its success and down f all as well, it may either affect the brand loyalty or promote it depending the rights given by the outsourced company in service delivery (Wisner, 2011). Data and methodology In an effect to determine the effectiveness of the t hird

Writing121 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Writing121 - Essay Example One of the questions asked is whether women and men should be permitted by law to dress as they wish in any society or should restrictions be placed on the ways in which people dress in public. It should be a freedom for people to wear as they please regardless of their gender or race. Giving the people this kind of freedom is going to make them feel free to wear as they please. They will feel that they are not restricted by the laws and will be a happy people. However, dictating or putting limitations on how the people of the nation will wear may make them uncomfortable and hinder them from feeling free to do as they wish. Men should be allowed to wear as they please and women as well in order to strengthen the bond within a nation. Restrictions will have more negative effects on the society than positive effects. Individuals that are better to a point are not usually cooperative. They face the challenge of needing a way to have unique identity and how to experiment on different things. However, due to the restrictions, they end up bottling it up which may with time make them bitter; especially is they do not agree with the reasons behind the restrictions. This does not m atter whether the individual is male or female. The mode of dressing in a nation where the people are free is also the freedom to express one self. The way on dresses is a reflection on their individuality as long as it is their own choice. Therefore, when women and men are given the freedom to dress as they please, they are also awarded the freedom of expression not only in speech but in dressing. They will be free to show what they believe in and dress in a manner that makes them feel comfortable. The individuals in such a nation will not feel obliged to act in a certain manner that suits their dressing code even if they do not believe in it; putting restrictions on the dressing code will force them to act in a

The world price of copper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The world price of copper - Essay Example In fact, the trade of copper began prior to the Bronze Age when Cyprus began to receive copper objects from Egypt for cuneiforms purposes. In Ancient Greece, copper has been used for architectural work and currency development while the demand for better material due to technical developments and emergence of stamping press have raised the need for copper during Industrial Revolution. Indeed, the rise of copper usage is seen dramatically as Bronze Age entered because copper has been used for several purposes. From Industrial Revolution up to the Contemporary Era, the figure below showed the worldwide changes in the prices of copper from year 2004 to 2011. From a price of $2,424 in January 2004, the price of became high amounting to $8,046 in May 2008. However, price rates fell rapidly to $3,072 in December 2008 and somewhere in 2010. With these data, one might ask â€Å"What drives the changes in the world price of copper? What are the reasons for the increase in world price of copp er? What are the reasons that made the price of copper low?† To answer the questions above, let us examine factors that may affect the price of a product – a perfect example of which would be the law of demand and supply. This could be illustrated in the table below: To guide you in understanding the figure, the horizontal line (Q) in the left figure refers to the number of quantity being demanded while the vertical line refers to the price of the product. In this paper, let us use copper to refer to the product; whereas on the right figure, it represents the relationship between quantity and price using arrows. According to Mankiw (2012), the law of demand states that as the price of the good falls, the quantity demanded rises; whereas, the law of supply states that as the price of the good rises, the quantity also supplied rises (p. 85). These relationships with price explain why the demand curve slopes downward and the supply curve slopes upward. In addition, the arr ow representation of the law of demand is seen on the right figure above. Let us apply the law of demand and supply to the worldwide changes in the prices of copper from year 2004 to 2011 (refer to the figures below). From year January 2004 to May 2008 (period of worldwide increase in copper), assumptions derived from the law of demand and supply will lead to hypotheses that the quantity of copper being demanded must have decreased or the quantity of copper being supplied must have increased for its worldwide price to escalate. Meanwhile, the reverse phenomenon in which the quantity of copper being demanded must have increased or the quantity of copper being supplied must have decreased since December 2008 for its worldwide price to de-escalate. To prove our hypotheses, let us take a closer look at the copper market. As stated earlier, copper has been of major importance to the metal industry and its prices are largely determined by the interaction of demand and supply. Thus, it is essential to allocate resources equally to attain state of equilibrium or balance. In the year 2003 to 2008, the need for copper increased dramatically as China, India, and other Asian countries accumulated supplies for structural reasons (Lipsey and Chrystal, 2007, p. 151). After 2008, world market price of copper began to collapse

Preferred Learning styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Preferred Learning styles - Essay Example This study was based on descriptive study. Quantitative data was collected from the closed ended questionnaires where the number of students were tallied and presented in a table form. The findings of the study showed that there is no perfect learning style as they have some fault. The study thus recommends that the learning institutes should recommend the best learning style based on the personal traits of the individual. CHAPTER ONE 1.1 Introduction This report focused on analyzing learning style in the learning process. The study focused on analyzing how the learning styles in a classroom set up is influenced by the gender or sex of the students. The study also focused on how the extroverts react to learning styles in a classroom set up. More so, this study focused on how social aspects of the students influence the learning styles. This report focused its premises on the Honey & Mumford learning style in its theoretical framework. In the independent variable, the study had the le arner’s gender and characteristics. 1.2 Literature review This reports based its arguments on the recent literature reviews. The literature in this scope of study shows how learning style concepts have been accepted. It is alleged that several studies that have proved that learning styles area true measure of students’ self evaluation (Rosenberg, 2009) though there is a disagreement on the best way of measuring the various learning styles. It is also alleged that there are several researches that have been done on learning styles but most researchers have not agreed on the importance of designing learning programs (Hall, 2009). In addition, Coffield et al (2004) concludes that provision of correct learning strategies, contexts and methods is better as compared to matching individual student preferences. Marzano (1988) posits that tactile and graphic presentation of subject matter produced noticeable effects the outcomes of learning regardless of attempts to match the g raphic and tactile methods with learners’ modalities. In a recent by Baker (2002), visual studies were quite advantageous among all adults despite the rate of learning style with preference to the visual images. It was also advantageous for learners with strong preferences in the verbal process. According to Merrill (2000), instructional strategies should be determined first by focusing on the goals of the instructions and the learners’ learning preferences and styles are used to adjust the fundamental learning strategies. CHAPTER TWO 2.1 Research methodology The descriptive research design was used in this study. Hypotheses were set and later test made on the participants. The study was conducted in a workshop and follow up activities in the classroom set up. The study involved one classroom and all the students were participants in this study. Questionnaires were administered and the responses were analyzed in a table form. The test score for the various theories was analyzed in a table. The questions were aimed at critically analyzing the self evaluation of the respondents by determining the learners’ style. There was no time limit to this questionnaire. The accuracy of the results depended on how honest you were. There was no right or wrong answers. If you agreed more than you disagreed with a statement, you had to put a tick next to it. If you disagreed more than you agreed a cross was put beside it. 2.2 Participants The research participants were students in a classroom set up.

Vitamin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Vitamin - Essay Example btain vitamins was from eating the right balance of the right food containing exactly the right about of which vitamins you needed, a process that was difficult and not always exact. However, now we can take vitamin pills to make sure we receive all of the vitamins we need in order to be healthy. These vitamin supplements allow us to receive the right amounts of all the vitamins out body needs, and allows us to stay healthy without having to eat more food than we really need. Vitamins are very important to our body, and we need to be sure to take the right amounts of the vitamins we need. Eating fruits and vegetables can make up most of these vitamins, which are already part of a healthy diet. Vitamins are important nutrients that our body needs in order to survive. These nutrients work with our body to help several of our body’s functions work properly, and help many of the different reactions that take place inside the body. Without these important vitamins to help start, or even sometimes end these reactions, our body would be left with no outlet to which conduct these important reactions. Vitamins are important in many chemical reactions that take place inside the body, such as the extreme importance of Vitamin K in the bodily process that leads to blood clotting. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamins). In the past, vitamins were only originally let into the body by food intake. This means that a person only received the vitamins that they needed directly from the food they ate. However, foods have different balances of vitamins, so if you change your diet or are eating the improper amount of certain foods, you could end up with a huge vitamin deficiency and not be healthy. This can lead to adverse effects in the human body, and eventually â€Å"Disease caused by a deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D and E) has always been rare. Levels of water-soluble vitamins (all B-vitamins and C) can become deficient state in the body in a matter of days (hours in

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change Essay - 1

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change - Essay Example Change of leadership entails huge implications for an organization. For one, this change accompanies a new vision, to where the direction of an organization will be set for a period of time. This change in vision can entail major overhauls within the organization, which include changes in the organizational structure, leadership style of the new leader, processes, etc. Thus, a change in leadership will cause stress within the organization and implementation of this change has to be handled with a smooth transition. Stephen Robbins, in his book Organizational Behavior lists some of the more popular approaches to managing change. But of the three that he mentions, which include Lewin’s classic three-step model of change process, action research and organizational development, Lewin’s model of change is the one most pertinent to a change in leadership, which does not center only on a specific process to be improved or a certain problem that needs to be acted upon like the other two. The first step to managing a change within the organization is to unfreeze the prevailing norms within the company. In order to unfreeze these prevailing norms, or the status quo, overcoming resistance among individuals and conformity among groups is crucial. In Lewin’s model, the shift to a desired state can be done by one of the three: lowering the restraining forces to change; increasing the driving forces to get into the desired state; or both. The change in leadership entails a new vision. And in order to carry out this vision, there are specific steps the new leadership lays out which will be the cause of individual resistances within the corporation. The first alternative is to increase the driving forces. Driving forces usually come in the form of incentive, for employees to accept and comply to change. It may assume other forms, but driving forces

Principles of manegement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of manegement - Essay Example Each level of management has its role and contribution to the overall affairs and processes of running an organisation. This is because each unit and each section of an organisation has its function and this comes together in the organisational chart of an organisation which coordinates affairs. The strategic level of management is the topmost level of management and it is involved in the long-term planning and setting the tone for the running of the entire organisation (Hill & Jones, 2012). The strategic level of management is involved with defining the tone of business and affairs because it is made up of the topmost managers who derive their authority directly from the owners of the organisation (Cole, 2013). The operational level management of an organisation consists of the middle ranked managers and they take up management roles that are based on targets and standards set by the top level management (Freeman, 2010). They take up instructions from the top of the organisation and implement them. Usually, they also give instructions to the tactical level management. They are involved in medium term planning and functional units of an organisation (Freeman, 2010). Tactical level management are in charge of the actual implementation of ideas and instructions from the operational level on the ground (Barlow, 2013). They are seen as the frontline managers and they act as supervisors to the working core and the main workers. They are responsible for short-term decision making and they deal with the operational core of the organisation. In Tesco, the CEO and the Board members form the strategic management unit. Down the line, the regional functional managers and store managers who come below the top managers in the organisational chart form the operational core. The supervisors and teams on the retail floor are the tactical managers and they take decisions that are in charge of the day-to-day running of the organisation. Management culture refers

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations Essay Example for Free

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations Essay Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28.14. What does this command of Jesus mean? Thomas Kee 9/10 In todays society people can make others into disciples without realising it. The world relies on a few people to act as examples and model Christians to set an example for others. These are people like Mother Teresa who stepped aside from the normal routine of life to give up theirs to help others. In 1948 Mother Teresa was granted permission to leave her post at the convent and begin a ministry among the sick. In 1952 Mother Teresa opened the Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart) Home for Dying Destitutes in Calcutta. Subsequently she extended her work to five continents. The rich young man ( Matthew 19:16-30), A wealthy Jew asked Jesus what he needs to do to receive eternal life. Jesus answers him that he needs to obey the commandments. The man then asks him what he needs to do to be perfect. Jesus answered him that he needs to give up everything he owns and to follow Jesus. However, the man refused and walked away sadly. This story is an example of someone who cannot give up all his money to be a true disciple, but people like mother Teresa who give up everything they have to help the sick, poor and those in need. By doing this they help people on the road to discipleship by acting as examples. Happy are those who are humble, You can lead people on the road to discipleship by being a good Christian. You dont have to preach to them and show off how holy you are, but be kind, generous and helpful and they will learn from you. People can recognize you and learn how to be a good disciple from you, if you do missionary work in another country. If you have the money and time you could go to a poor country and set up a school or a hospital. For some this can be too much, so even small sponsorships or helping the local parish can set an example to others and make them think how they can help. By helping your local church you can set an example, you could help the priest in preparing the sermons or you could read at masses, Happy are those who are spiritually poor. Matthew 5v3 You dont have to make a great scene, but try to be discreet and people will recognize you. Those who are ashamed of me I will be ashamed of them on the last day. By standing up and defending the church against those who oppose it, others will notice you and follow you as an example. Thomas Kee 10/10 There are many people who have taken up the challenge of doing great good; each and every one of them is a great example to the world. Happy are those who are prosecuted for doing what God requires. Terry Waite was a special envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was a negotiator who was trying to free hostages in Lebanon but was taken hostage himself. For five years he was chained to a tiny cell 23 hours of the day. Throughout this time he didnt lose his faith I am not a man who wears his faith on his sleeves, Ive never believed it is an insurance policy: we dont live in a just or fair world. If you have faith you can say suffering neednt destroy, that something good can emerge from it. But faith is there to shape your life, not to give you special protection. Terry Waite Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, This commandment can present a problem in modern day context. Although it is the word of God, people may not be interested in the teachings of Christianity. For It is Gods wish and command that people should preach the word of God. By preaching you are giving others the chance to receive eternal life. There is nothing bad about Christianity, its morals are all good. People are not forced to become Christian, they have the choice. Against You may want to discover Christianity for yourself, you may not want it told to you. Preaching may put people off. It is wrong to force it onto people. In some countries it is illegal to be a practicing Christian. By preaching Christianity in these countries you are encouraging them to break the law. I believe it is a Christians duty to go out into the world spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ. However I understand that people will not always welcome Christianity into their lives. It is probably true that actions speak louder than words and by setting an example by being a good Christian is more effective then preaching in spreading the word of God. Bibliography Encarta 99 Class notes The Bible

Gender Segregation in the Workforce

Gender Segregation in the Workforce The occupational sex segregation in various countries It has commonly been assumed that, the gender inequality in occupations is reflected in many aspects, such as the pay gap, gender discrimination, education qualification, traditional patriarchy concept and welfare. The essay are mainly focus on the occupational sex segregation, it is likely that senior job position almost attribute to male, female often stay lower statues in career. For example, women are often excluded from tradesmen, as the spelling of the word implied, tradesmen seems like male-dominant. The segregation is quite obvious in occupations, (Barbalescu and Bidwell 2013) found that men prefer the job in construction, medicine, law, engineering while women are defined as cheap labor force and the substitute of men, their job are considered as unskilled, non-professional and less paid (England, 2005). In the UK, women were expected out of labor market in the past, in 1980, less than 1 percentage women are profession and male as breadwinner in family. By 2002, the percentage of women profession increased by 40. By 2011, there is about 30 percent increase in female earner and small grow in dual-earner which exceeds the percentage of traditional male breadwinner (Rubery and Rafferty, 2013) but women are still underrepresented in certain jobs. According to Cotter et al (2004), in US, men remain supervisory position in the past, but their status are decline gradually with the continued increase of womens participation in labor market even in male-dominate job, currently, a majority of women are emerged in the work such as teachers, nurse and clerk (Preston, 1993). The essay is based on the literature research to explore the reason of the gender segregation in occupations and how it result the undervaluation of womens work. Cases of male-dominant and famine-dominant job Cejka and Eagly (1999) suggested that the male-dominant job requires physical strength, because it is full of competition and under high pressure environment. The masculine character is described as aggressive, brave, courage, endurance and resolute, they are more likely to handle the hard work. For example, construction work are dangerous anytime, with the possibility of death, frequently hurt and getting ill (Health and Safety Executive, 2001,Jones et al., 2003) which always be linked to masculinity. In film and TV industry, women are less likely to hold the job, according to the study of Lang (2015), in 2014, the proportion of female is just 14à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ¦as film industry directors and only 20à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ writers, 8% cinematographers. Besides, there is no obvious increase of womens involvement in this period (Follows, Kreager and Gomes, 2016). Female are limited to direct the film, as a result, they are restricted to be employed or only employed for certain types of work. Furthermore, women have limited ability to gain experience and recourses thus remain lower status. Skillset (2007) described that, a majority of women are more likely to be employed in make-up, dress up, personal assistant and cleaning work. Although the proportion of the entrance to the film and IT industry is nearly half and half, segregation start after they come into the industry ( Follows, Kreager andGomes, 2016). Besides, the job nature are long working hours, women cannot meet physical standard, Gi ll and Pratt (2008) added that it is difficult to keep and balance friendship, family life and other relations. Another case are going to be demonstrated is nurse, people apply for nurses are almost female. Base on the data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the ratio of female to male in nurses filed is differential, in Kentucky, female ratio is 12 while male is only 1, the biggest difference is in Iowa and south Carolina, the proportion is 15 female to 1 male, even the smallest gap is 6 to 1 in California. Female are dominant role in nurse, although there has seen some increase in mens participation but still underrepresented (Rappleye, 2015). Another example of male-dominant job is engineering and science, from Marder (2012) statistic, in 2008, 41 percent men of college student are going to choose the science and engineering as their major while women are only 30 percent. After graduation, men also exceed women in science and engineering field, women obtain only 20 percent degrees which also affect their working condition (Hill, Corbett Rose, 2010). According to the the report, women shows more interest in the field of biology, social and behavioral sciences than men, but lag in computer science field, as data reveals, women only account for 19 percent of software developers compared to mens leading role in computer science and physics (Marder, 2012). Jobs can be done by anyone regardless of gender There are some arguments that, women employed in male-dominant job when the labor is short, they are regarded as labor reserve and substitution. Most people insist that women are weakness that cannot bear the primitive work environment and hard job (Health and Safety Executive, 2001, 2003; Jones et al., 2003). A majority of female chooses male-type work gradually that break the traditional deep-rooted male privilege and inequity gender segregation (Paechter, 2007). According to Grusky and Charles (2004), in developed countries, the ratio of men and womens dominant work are nearly equal. NHS, start to open permission to anyone, finally, get more profits (Rubery and Rafferty, 2013). As figure shows, women has become an main labor force, in middlesborough, womens participation achieve 55 percent, in Liverpool, the number is 54.5, as for Glasgow and Manchester, the percentage is 51.5, even in Sheffield, it is 50.8 percent (Blackburn, Browne, Brooks, and Jarman, 2002). It is convictive that the gender difference is not the whole thing, women are lack of opportunities to challenge and transform the situation. With more and more tradeswomen emerging, it is proved that most of the construction work can be done by women and overturn the ideology that women cannot do such work, the traditional statu s of men as supervisor also face the threat, they are lacking power to drive women out of the labor market (Ness, 2012). Further focus on medicine to explore the jobs can be done by anyone. Based on the numbers, there is an increasing amount of women who are qualified as doctors from 1970, which was seen as mens work formerly, in 2007, most of women are working in medicine field and the number are 10 times greater than before (Crompton Lyonette, 2011), Now, women doctors even outweighs male doctors in the UK. Khan (2012) predicts that this trend will happen to general practice as well in the further. Male also increasingly access to female-dominated job which is reflected in nurse. Men are excluded from nurse field previously, now, university encourage men to choose nurse major. From the information collected, only about 3 percent registered nurse is male in 1970 while in 2011, the number increase to about 10 (US Census Bureau, 2013). According to the man who worked as a nurse now, when he is in school from 2008 to 2009, the percentage of male choose to study nurse is only six percent, until he graduates and works in hospital, there is an apparent increase of men work as registered nurses from 147000 of 2.9 million in 2000 to 168000. Wilson (2009) explain that, people believe nurse is the title of female, but after engagement, people recognize this is not a sexualization job. The undervaluation of womens work It is suggest that sex bias still exist, women are often defined as lower productivity, unskilled, cheap labor force and flexible substitution that are less likely for senior position, even at the time of labor force are not enough, employers are not willing to hire women, so they have limited choice on job and receive lower pay (Blackburn, Browne, Brooks, and Jarman, 2002). Base on the date from Office for Budget Responsibility (2010), women job losing rate are reaching to about 56 percent in 2011 compared to about 37 percent in 2009, by 2014-2015, more than 330000 women have no job, it is estimated that the percentage will continues. In addition, exclusionary make women be hostile when they enter male-dominant job, because male believe women will threat their supervisor status (Ness, 2012). As winter (2006) state, women are always excluded from infantry, not only because their physical drawback but also the loyalty matters (Woodward and Winter, 2006). According to a mining engineer Gina, man could do what they are supposed to do while women have to concern on what they are able to do (Herman, Lewis Humbert, 2013). So the next section is going to explore what factors cause this situation. Why OGS result in the undervaluation of womens work The motherhood and part-time status of women One of the most important reason reflecting the development of womens career is motherhood. Mother are not supposed to be an idea worker that they undertake main responsibility for family, they have to combine childbearing with the job, hence women shift their full time job to unskilled part-time job or remain unemployed. (Crompton, Lyonette, 2011) state that having children means great conflict with womens work but unchanged for men, for example, women are not suitable in some professional position, therefore they often delay to have children. When women becomes a mother, they invest less in their career and no interested in promotion thus find lower paid job, their finance are almost depend on their husband, consequently, they neglect the training and human capital, happy to stay in low status and earn less (Mincer and Polachek, 1974). In UK, the childcare system is not comprehensive that women care their child themselves, consequently, the job and working hours are restricted for women (Dale, 1987). From statistics, womens part-time work increase by 33 percent from 1971 to 1991, while women with no child are only 29 percent work as part-time (Blackwell, 2001). Specifically, most of women are family-centered, as a mother of 3 children clams, she will focus less on work and take care children primarily, because the baby will not wait to grow up. The factors of supply and demand 5.2.1 The supply side In terms of the supply side, culture and social factors shape different preference and interest in choosing job of men and women which result the segregation in occupation. Barbalescu and Bidwell (2013) summaries 3 factors influencing the choice, reward level, identification and expectations. While some argue that individuals preference is easy to be changed. It is no doubt that everyone prefer the most valuable job both intrinsic reward such as money and external reward including parent leave, flexible working hour. For the meaning of identification, people apply the job which is most compatible with them. According to research, when people start a new career, they are likely to keep consistent with their identification and the standard (Cross and Markus, 1994). To exam the gender preference, a survey from Barbalescu and Bidwell (2013) found a trend that men are more likely to apply for consulting, trading and finance-related job whereas management, care and service work are more common among women, including human resources, nursing, marketing, teachers, these are perceived as femininity which consist with womens identity. The survey also found the belief of employed in finance filed is quite small among women due to the consideration of their ability and identification. It is tested that the propensity of womens job are greatly influen ced by their motherhood identification. Besides, women often choose the job with most female. Refer to expectation theory, the successful outcome in job can be a great force to motive men and women making choice, applicants expect their effort are useful to guarantee the job position (Barbalescu and Bidwell, 2013). The brief and expectation of they can success in the work also reflect their decision, the theory are able to be explained in the example that women are believed limited in engineering or finance filed, thus they are less likely to apply and employed in masculine job because lack of self-identity (Tomlinson, Olsen and Purdam, 2009). In addition, if the organization has sex discrimination previously, they will refuse to enter the organization (Barbalescu and Bidwel, 2013). As explored above, the 3 factors are interconnected that the preference is the consequence of socialization and culture structure. It is likely that, women prefer job with work-life balance and expect regular time off, men are more likely to pursue reward and power than women while women show less desire on money. 5.2.2 The demand side The demand side will emphasis on employers important role that decide whom will be employed through their behavior (Glick, Zion, Nelson, 1988). It is likely that womens career opportunity is limited while men occupied in the most desirable job (Blackburn and Jarman, 1993). The reason why women are excluded and hard to be employed in some field is men and women are treated differently, from employers perspective, male are dominant and prerogative (Reskin, 2005) thus they prefer hire male especially in gendered work. It is believe that women should balance the work and life, so they often work part-time, as a result, employers offer more training to man to maximize their profit (England, 2005). Besides, labor surplus make employer regard women as cheap labor reserve and substitutes, it is because of the scanty of men in labor market when female are employed in male-dominant work (Reilly et al, 2006), According to statistics, women who have experience on industry and IT filed previously are more likely to be offered a male-dominant job. To test the reason affects the gender segregation in hiring progress and the perspective of employers discrimination and inequitable brief, first, arbitrary culture make employers hold the view that different job fit for the specific sex. For example, only female are regarded as good carer and resist men applying for such job. Women are also considering not competent in math due to their limited ability (England, 2005). Second is statistical discrimination, which means they regard a group as average to predict individual, the discrimination often against women entering high skill, profession work even men and women are hold same qualification (Cohen, Bianchi, 1999), consequently, women are long-term worried to apply for the job. The discrimination also reflects on the pay gap which is a reason for gender segregation. Markus (1977) point out that women are less paid and the pay level are conflict with their ability, the lower pay is also a result of excessive female job due to few wom en entre into male-dominant job (Bergmann 1974). Education, policy and partarchy Lack of equality legislation includes minimal wage standards and subsidy (Rubery and Rafferty, 2013). High level of legislation will offer men and women equal opportunities and help to balance their dual roles. As Dench et al (2002) described, after carry out the legislation about fair opportunity, female employment rate in UK raise from 48 to 57 percent. In addition, in France, policy on paid childcare support, parental leave are provided for women to manage their family and work (Faulkner, 2009) According to Jarman and Blackburn and (1993), in 1938, the education degree is 2 percent and only 0.5 fewer for women. It is likely that low education level will be discriminated and women hold high qualification and skills are benefit for their career, hence, the absence of education and training investment on women is another factor result in the distinct occupations on gender (Crompton Lyonette, 2011). It is important to notice that, inflected by traditional gender class and the theory of patriarchy, men dominant and controls the society and they are the meaning of power and leader, it is hard for women to have equal opportunity (Blackburn, Browne, Brooks, and Jarman, 2002). According to Cockburn (1991), women and men will be allocated to different job accordingly reduce the competition, thus prevent mens job being attacked by women. Besides, man are seen as active in labor market as breadwinner while women concern on domestic work which make womens work undervalued by such segregation (England, 2005). 6. The acceptable work for male and female and conclusion As the essay explored above, women seems more acceptable to work as nurse, school teacher, human resource manager, childcare worker, custom service staff and accountant (Elkins, 2015). The essay also collect the data that male are more likely to do the job in engineer, electricity, industry, army and also a majority of men work as computer software engineer and doctor. The essay then base on the example to prove that womens work are treated unequally, not only the pay gap but also the exclusion of senior position, in addition, women are often regarded as unskilled and cheap labor force because their weakness in physical strength (Health and Safety Executive, 2001, 2003; Jones et al., 2003). These inequities provide the evidence that sex discrimination is an issue should be noticed. Finally, the essay find out the reason behind the phenomenon, first, women as a role of mother should combine work and life which made them have limited time and energy enroll the job, thus, women often wo rk as part-time and some are even unemployed. Second, the shortage of education, training and equal policy for women made employers not willing to hire female, they are often regarded as labor reserve and have limited choice and opportunities. The traditional patriarchy also results in the undervalued work of women. Then the essay concentrates on the supply-demand side, both applications preference and employers discrimination impact the result. Elkins (2015) state that the disproportion should be concerned and the equally gender proportion in occupations would increase the productivity. For further study, the essay will look closely to find more details about the occupations in each filed and make the data more up to date.

Electronic Business Vs Traditional Business Information Technology Essay

Electronic Business Vs Traditional Business Information Technology Essay 1. Introduction to e-Commerce Electronic commerce, commonly known as (e-shopping) e-commerce or ecommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage. The use of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems(Wikipedia). Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point in the transactions lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as well. 2. Definition of E Commerce A while back, e commerce referred to any type of business conducted over the Internet. The meaning of the phrase has changed though, and now it means selling an actual product (hard goods) online. This is different from selling a service, such as article writing. (Masteringwebsitemarketing.com) 3. Some Examples of E Commerce This list will show you some products and services-all considered to be a part of e commerce. Online Goods and Services EBooks (Sample example below): CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD eBOOK Software Retail services Ordering flowers, food or clothes Marketplace Services Auctions Online wallet (An online wallet is a program or web service that allows users to store and control their online shopping information, like logins, passwords, shipping address and credit card details, in one central place. Wikipedia) Advertising 4. More on Definition of E Commerce and Introduction to E Commerce- Its History Ecommerce began in 1994 when a man named Jeff Bezos started Amazon.com, selling things out of his garage. Ever since, more and more businesses have attained a reputation online-companies like eBay and Target. Across the world there are around 8 million people who shop online. A study has shown that by 2011, profits from online retail sales will pass a quarter of a trillion dollars! So, you can see how important e commerce is to the lives of many people. 5. E Commerce characteristics The understanding of the e commerce paradigm varies among academics and practitioners. According to ALTER (2002) e-commerce is the practice of performing and coordinating critical business processes such as designing products, obtaining supplies manufacturing selling and fulfilling orders and providing services through the extensive use of computer and communication technologies and computerized data, DRUCKER (2002) however talks about ecommerce as the explosive emergence of the internet as a major world wide distribution channel for jobs and services, which in the end results in changes in markets and industry structure as well as economics in general. An extensive study shows that ecommerce do not have a common accepted definition which is a sign of research area that is still emerging and maturing and one that involves different research domains as marketing, computer science or strategic management (WILKINS 2000). Summarizing the definitions of ecommerce and in accordance with the organization of economic cooperation and development, 5 major characteristics can be concluded, (OECD1999): Use of information and communication systems to standardize, automate and integrate transactions. Transformation of marketplaces and creation of new industries Increased connection and interactivity of and between the business partners over electronic networks. Alteration of the relative importance of time and resources Catalytic effects of inter and intra organizational transaction 6. Benefits Starting an e commerce store has benefits to you, the merchant, and to your customers. Some of the biggest benefits are cheaper products and setting up and maintaining your online store-all done more easily than you can with a brick-and-mortar store. To conclude the introduction to and definition of e commerce, lets look at its benefits. 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week With an e commerce website, you can serve your customers 24/7! They can order any time of day or night. Want to sleep in? Go on a vacation? No problem! Your customers can keep shopping and ordering, even when youre not there. (Powertips.com.au) Opportunities to Create Relationships E commerce opens the door to new opportunities for relationships with your customers, both new and old. When your business is online, it is accessible to customers the world over; so there are many new opportunities for new relationships. You would not have most of these customers if your business wasnt online. Increase in Sales Starting an e commerce site is a great way to increase the sales for your brick-and-mortar store. Many store owners dont think of how much their business could increase if they attain an online presence. It just doesnt occur to them! However, it is a great way to increase sales at your offline store. Brand Awareness The ability to reach millions of potential customers all over the world will increase knowledge of your product line. You can get people talking about your products, which is free, word-of-mouth advertising! Expands Your Customer Base As we mentioned briefly, having an e commerce business means that you can get customers from all over the world. There are almost no limits as to who you can sell to, and where. Offline stores are limited to getting customers locally. But e commerce removes these restrictions! At the very least, target Canada, the UK and Australia as well as the USA. Builds Customer Loyalty With an e commerce store, its simple to show off your goods to customers in a unique way. If your store is easy to access and shop with, you will have loyal, lifetime customers. Promotion is Easy! Its easy to deliver information to your customers over the Internet! Make your promotions, data, and information easily accessible. Of course, youll want to put a lot of this information in a newsletter that you send to your customers on a regular basis. Decreases Your Expenses Going online can decrease your costs, too. If your business is online, you wont need much staff (if any!) Plus, theres no real location necessary, so you wont have to pay for rent or maintenance. Increases Your Earnings If you have a Business already, opening an e commerce site can be a big pick-me-up for your business. Its important to increase your profits, and going the e commerce route can be a big help. More sales = More profits = Bigger budget for your business. Smaller Target Group While your customer base can extend well beyond your local area using e commerce, its also easy to tighten your niche. Online, you have more control over who your business targets. You can target young couples, singles, teens, seniors, men, women, or a specific ethnic group. This type of targeting is done by using keywords that are popular to the demographic you are trying to reach. The meaning of Electronic Commerce (e-commerce) has changed over the past 30 years as today it is considered to be the buying and selling of products or services over an electronic system i.e. the internet. Â   Since the spread of this, the amount of trade conducted electronically has grown tremendously. Now the World Wide Web (WWW) is being used by modern e-commerce, which is generally considered to be the sales aspect of electronic business and consists of the exchange of data to facilitate the financing and payment of business transactions. Â   7. Comparing electronic business to traditional business Now days, technology has made human life easier and better. It has developed many fields to perform their task easier such as, manufacturing, constructions and many more. Business sector has also changed a lot with the improvement of technology from traditional business it evolves to e-business and bringing a big difference in three major areas that is time, trust and as we all know that time is precious for many people, the same thing is applied in by the entrepreneurs in their businesses. The advantage of e-business is convenient because people do not need to go out and talk to customer or find for customers instead they can sit in the house and do their work through internet. Besides, e-business makes our life easier because any business transaction can be done through the internet and also safe our time from travelling up and down. Some example of e-business is e-shops; e-commerce and e-auctions, with this new technology on e-business people are able to make their life even bette r. Where as, on the other hand traditional business is totally opposite then e-business because it is not so convenient because we need to go out and find customer, the advantage of this traditional business is that they provide good service and gain customers trust but amount of energy wasted is not really worth it sometimes. Further more, traditional business waste energy because need to travel a lot and quit a lot of paper work need to be done for one transaction and sometimes time and also waste time because lets say if the supplier want to buy a product from the manufacturer the supplier need to send letter to get the quotations and he must survey around which manufacturer offer the cheapest and etc. by doing this way the supplier is actually wasting a lot of time. (E-business amazon vs. borders) One simple thing that certainly differs e-business from traditional business is the technology that underpins the business itself. E-business is built electronically on a network; therefore, without a network its completely impossible for an e-business to survive. The use of technology will bring a huge impact on the way of a business communicates with its customers. This business communication models are categorized by Schneider into three different types [1] Personal contact (one to one) In this type of communication model, the organization assigns its employees to identify and reach the prospective customers [1]. The simplest example for this approach is the sales person who calls the potential customer and introduces the products offered by his company. This approach has been widely implemented by traditional business. Mass media (one to many) The mass media approach allows the organization to broadcast advertising and promotional materials on its products [1]. Examples for this approach are advertisement on television, radio, newspaper or magazine. This approach has also been widely adopted by traditional business. The web (many to one or many to many) The internet is neither a mass media nor a personal contact device [1]. It stands on the middle of the fine line where mass media is allocated at the first side and personal contact at the other side. The web provides more interactivity than mass media does to its audience but less than personal contact could offer. For example, an internet user can type in his keywords on a search engine tool (e.g. Google) and click on the products that catch his attention. The web is the approach that is adopted by e-business. So, what impacts that the web can bring to-business as its business communication model? The communication model adopted by e-business will surely raise new barriers that need to be brought to attention. The low level of trust Unlike traditional business who can gain trust from its prospective customers through a straight, personal contact, the web eliminates the customers privileges to experience such personal contact with both the products and organization they want to buy the products from. In traditional business, customers come to a store and have personal interaction with the organization through its sales person and then, possibly, have personal contact with the product. These types of experience somehow develop trust towards the organization and are very important for certain types of product. The need of good electronic marketing strategies It is undeniably that internet provides the facilities for business to broadcast their advertisement. However, it doesnt have such power to force its audience to view or click on the ads [2]. An audience has the opportunity to create a list of product by using search engine tool (e.g. Google) and click on the product that catches his attention. Therefore, some traditional marketing strategies are not applicable in e-business. New marketing strategies such as how to increase the rank of a company on search engines are more likely to gain attention in running an e-business. E-Business is changing the relationship between merchant and customer, whether it is business to business or business to consumer Business, or the government isomers of these. Relationship building is paramount. Savvy Internet users know that if they cannot get good service, which also means an easily navigable web site, they can move on and quickly. The Internet is providing customers with growing power and purchasing control. Shopping agents will find the lowest price; scams or poor service will quickly be identified and passed on. In addition there is still a strong ethic of free stuff on the web. Consumers in particular are looking for free information and services. Providing these aspects is a crucial part of relationship building which will form the basis of electronic Business into the future. With the potential speed and efficiency of electronic communications and transactions, the nature of inventory is changing. A virtual shop on the web may carry no stock at all, relying on suppliers to fulfil orders; a small, on-site inventory can be replenished with just-in-time manufacturing E-business improves the benefit and efficiency of traditional business, comparing with traditional business, E-business has the following advantages: E-business improves the benefit and efficiency of traditional business, especially international trade. Compared to traditional models, 8. E-business has six main advantages compared to that of traditional business: (1) Reduces business cost. Firstly, e-business can improve the marketing efficiency and decrease promotional costs by network marketing enterprises. According to statistics, advertising on the internet can increase sales volume by 10 times, while the cost is only 10% of traditional advertisements; Secondly, E-business can reduce stock cost, because it can find more suppliers with the most favourable prices in the global market by internet enterprises, and sharing information with suppliers can also reduce problems caused by long communication chains. Some studies indicate that using EDI usually can save stock cost for enterprises by 5%-10%. (2) Decreases stock, Decreases Waste. Enterprises should maintain a certain stock of products and materials to deal with fluctuant market requirements. The essential reason for stocking up is lack of information, a lack of information E-business based suppliers and manufacturers dont have. They can send information of market requirements to enterprises to make decision and produce by internet, and enterprises requirement information can be transferred to suppliers to supply on time, leading to zero-inventory management. (3) Shorter production cycles. To create a saleable product is often the cooperation of many enterprises. The products design, produce and sales may be managed by many different related enterprises. Using E-business can change the stage-cooperation method caused by lack of information into coordinated work methods, improving business to business (B2B) relations. (4) Increases business opportunities. Traditional trade is limited by time and space, but E-business is a global 24 hour operation. Business on the internet can expand in the market that the traditional marketing and advertisement promotion can not reach. (5) Reduces material dependence. Traditional enterprises must have a certain number of materials to develop business, but the E-business in internet can built virtual enterprise, such as shop and bank on network, they dont need many practical basic instruments, and the enterprises can transfer the saved cost to customers, this is the reason that Amazon, a book shop on network can supply customers discount that the traditional book shops can not supply. (6) Cuts out the middle man. E-business redefines the traditional currency mode and reduces middle links in B2B relations and international trade. E-commerce allows the possibility of direct transaction between manufacturers and buyers, across borders, thereby changing the economy of the entire world. 9. Conclusion Today, ecommerce is the latest mantra in increasing your sales. This is because instead of selling your goods and services through a local store, you can sell online and gain a greater customer base. Apart from providing shipping services, you will need an online ecommerce merchant account to accept credit card payments to make your venture a success. These days, even a restaurant is running under ecommerce system. Ecommerce solution provider performs many jobs for the Restaurant, such as, they put online restaurant menu, online restaurant ordering systems and bed and breakfast booking system. There are many ways to get your products and services online, from a simple brochure site to a high-end database driven site. In this way, we see that ecommerce has changed the people to do the business in a different way. Every thing in this world has been being globalize and of course business is no exception. Global ecommerce business has been new trends in ecommerce business and plays a pivotal role in global economy. Also the role of ecommerce business solution providers cannot be ignored because you cannot imagine successful and fruitful ecommerce business without their assistance.

Vladimir Lenin :: Vladimir Lenin Essays

Vladimir Lenin, who’s real name was Vladimir Ilch Ulyanov, played an important role in shaping the character of the twentieth century western world. He oversaw the most far-reaching revolution that in 1917 radically changed the political and social structure of Russia and balance of power in the world. Being an important historical figure in Russia, Lenin is treated more like a god. To the Russian public, he is presented as strong, wise, courageous, and kind. Lenin’s infallibility, or accuracy, was so strong that his words pervaded every level of daily life. Such as newspapers, storybooks, etc. Children were taught to follow his example and adults were told to follow his path and advice on how to be hardworking, loyal communists. Since the revolution more than 350 million works by Lenin have been published in the former USSR. He is the ultimate mentor and guide for all soviets, like he was a god or idle. He had the final authority on every aspect of their life. Anyone who visits the Soviet Union then and now is bound to be shocked by the utter extravagance of the nation’s adulation with him. Americans today can not even grasp why the Soviets idolize one man so much. It inspires guilt in Americans about their own revolutionary past. But, to the extremes of which the worship of Lenin is carried makes us ask ourselves who he really was. As you will see the man and the myth are often difficult to distinguish. Lenin’s likeness appears before the Soviets very often and in many different ways so that he is almost too easy to forget about. An example would be, in a park in Kiev, a floral arrangement is fashioned to resemble his face. In Moscow this adulation reaches an absurd height. In Red Square people wait in an endless lone to see his tomb. While in this line an eternal flame honors the millions of soviets who died in World War Two. Who was Lenin really? A god, a man, or something else. Where did he come from? What did he believe? Why did the Soviets immortalize him so relentlessly? Lenin was born in the backwater town of Simbirsk in 1870. He grew up in a well educated family in provincial Russia. He excelled at school and went on to study law. At university, he was exposed to radical thinking, and his views were also influenced by the execution of his elder brother, a member of a revolutionary group.

Frankenstein, Community, and the Individual Essay -- Literary Analysis

Many innovations throughout the modern world have made life significantly easier, safer, of higher quality, and are said to be done for the "greater good of humanity". However, these accomplishments come at a cost, as expressed through the concepts of creation and responsibility that lie at the core of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It is through these concepts that Shelley explores how society has changed during Romanticism and the Industrial Revolution, with lessening importance on shared knowledge and the "public sphere" and more emphasis on individual achievement and identity, leading to a fractured and isolated society. In this paper I argue that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein criticizes the impacts of Industrial Revolution and Romantic era-inspired individualism on the community and individual, using Victor Frankenstein's disruption of the reproductive process and subsequent relationship with his creation as examples of potential negative consequences. To begin our analysis, I will look to how Mary Shelley positions Victor Frankenstein's motivations to create life against natural laws within the ideas of individualism, as Victor can correlate directly to the educated human at the center of Enlightenment, Industrialism, and Romanticism values. With the burgeoning interest in scientific discovery during the Industrial Revolution "transform[ing] British culture" and "changing the world"(Lipking 2065), many concepts of society were also changed, which Shelley looked to explore through Victor's actions. Rooted in the scientifically curious spirit of Industrial England, Victor's attempt to create life can show many examples of how an importance of the individual acquisition of knowledge and accomplishment can disrupt society. Victor's... ...athetic Community In Frankenstein And 'The Structure Of Torture'." Science Fiction Studies 36.2 [108] (2009): 205-216. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 9 May 2012 Hogsette, David S. "Metaphysical Intersections In Frankenstein: Mary Shelley's Theistic Investigation Of Scientific Materialism And Transgressive Autonomy." Christianity And Literature 60.4 (2011): 531-560. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 9 May 2012. Lipking, Lawrence I, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume 1c. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print. Melton, James V. H. The Rise of the Public in Enlightenment Europe. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Print. Stillinger, Jack, Deidre Lynch, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume D. New York, N.Y: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print. .

Korean American :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Korean Experience in America, 1903 – 1924† The Korean experience in America during the years 1903 to 1924 is very unique. When compared to other East Asian immigrants, Korean immigrants were relatively small. Most of them were students and agricultural laborers who emigrated to Hawaii as plantation laborers. Many of them decided to come to America due to constant invasion by Japan and also to earn lot of money. Those immigrants happen to be an important factor on Korean history. During the years 1903–1905, 7226 immigrants came to Hawaii. These immigrants hoped to earn enough money in 3 or 4 years and open a business in their homeland. Of the 7,226 immigrants, roughly 6000 were male adults, 600 were women, and 500 children. Just about 60% of them stayed and rest went back to Korea or moved to the continental United States. Within less than a decade, the Korean immigrants found themselves in danger of losing their homeland to Japan. This would mean that they wouldn’t have their own country to go back to. In 1910, Japanese took over Korea. That’s when many Korean immigrants started to get involved in the Korean independence movement. After nine years of Japanese Annexation of Korea in 1910, around 540 student were admitted for study at American schools. Most of these students were political refugees so they became an addition to the Korean community. Korean immigrants started to form anti-Japanese programs to free their country. This was a great concern to Japan. Japanese government decided to grant Korean women who were willing to move to America as marriage contracts to calm Korean immigrants from contributing to anti-Japanese programs. This decision didn’t change Korean immigrants from involving in Korean independence movement but made them more desperate to get their country back for their daughters and sons. By the time 1915 – 1920, Korean immigrants made enough money to start small business like laundry, barber, restaurant, shoe repair services, and so on. This meant that they were able to donate more to political activities. Korean immigrants built school for their children and churches. Korean immigrants were getting settled in America. They even had Korean newspapers to tell people what was going on with Korea. On the other hand, Korean political activists started to rise to start a movement, like Syngman Rhee, An Chang-ho and Pak Yong-man. These leaders tried to free Korea by trying to attract the attention and support of the American public.

Biotech Ethics and Advancement Essay

Biotechnology: Of Ethics and Advancement Thousands of years ago, early man, like the rest of earth’s fauna and flora, was at the mercy of the elements; we relied on nature’s gratitude when it came to finding food and survival. As Charles Darwin would say, only the fittest could survive Mother Nature’s test. Eventually, however, a fully-evolved man turned the tide of the competition; we began to domesticate the once savage beasts we hunted and competed with like wolves and horses turning them into livestock and our own companions bred out of their natural ferocity, to grow our own food for our own and tart agriculture, and eventually we started to settle down into permanent communities. Man had transcended nature when the first steps of human civilization began to grow. Since then, man had crafted its own grand design for himself; the discovery of metals like Bronze and Iron, to the Pyramids of Egypt and Cities of Rome, and the rest, as they say, Is modern history. In the Modern world, we still have that said control, and with It we have now intrinsically used our knowledge to design nature herself In our Ideal Image. Technological Advancements have allowed us wield it as we pleasure. We can now edit Mother Nature’s work and remake It anew through our vast Interference with the body that is Science. The presence of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), Dolly and all her Cloned brethren, and Real life Cyborg-Animals are Just samples of what weVe done to her. Eventually, because of this, someone Just had to say It: â€Å"When will it be too much? When will we know when weVe gone too far? † That Is where Ethics falls in, our man-made balance of whether or not, In the most basic sense, what we do Is right or wrong. Ethics has long been a question of how much more we can do to these once â€Å"all natural† things and make them â€Å"artificially enhanced. When can we truly say that we, the â€Å"masters† have abused our power? One cannot mistake, however, that human alteration of natural things Is only a recent occurrence. Like I said, since the earliest ages of man we already tampered with nature as we sought. We turned once vlclous and wild wolves, through our process of selectively breeding the weaker ones, Into the loyal and lovable K9 friends we have today minus the genes of aggression. Pavlov strapped down dogs to make psychological breakthroughs In condltlonlng. World War 2 scientists strapped bombs to dogs, dolphins, and even bats to assist them In fighting the enemy. Indeed, this tinkering of human hands has always been there. It now falls onto us people of today to see If things can still be set as Is. How much more can we do for our species’ own satisfaction? The Ethical question must always be present whenever we trod upon something as sensltlve as the condltlon of llvlng things. Animals, Ilke any other llvlng being, have xtremes in straining those rights to our needs. The uncertainty of Science itself shows that we cannot always control what happens to them come experiment time. The fear of abusing these innocent creatures is always on the minds of the very ethical/moral such as Animal Rights groups and such. Modern Genetics and Technology have sometimes crossed lines for the sake of advancement, such as taking away a creature’s autonomy to turn them into â€Å"natural robots. † If this is truly how far Advancement has gone into sacrificing Life’s basic rules, then these righteous† people really do have a reason to riot and protest.

Riordan Manufacturing Executive Report

Riordan Manufacturing Executive Report Warren Buffet once said, â€Å"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. † With a company that has over five hundred employees, four locations worldwide, and $50 million in annual sales, placing the value on the organization is simple; look at the bottom line and see the profit. This is the situation at Riordan Manufacturing where the price it paid to do business was less than what it made, defining a clear value in what Riordan provides.Riordan’s Sales and Marketing department has a clear value; $50 million is sales to show of it. But how do we show the value for other departments within the organization such as Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT) solutions? While the IS and IT costs and what Riordan pays for it are clear from looking at the financials, the value is not. This brings us to the question of what value does Riordan Manufacturing get out of its IS services and IT department. This question is th e problem that Riordan Manufacturing has had for many years.Recently, Riordan executive management hired a new Chief Information Officer (CIO) to improve its infrastructure and to answer this question. While management wants to use more IS and IT solutions throughout the organization, it has had trouble finding the perfect fit in all aspects of its operations. Even though IS and IT costs have risen, the puzzle pieces still have not come together; the value and benefit has not been clear to the company. As we will see throughout this review, it is time to focus and find the value that technology and information brings to the organization.It is time to find the efficiencies and savings that the company needs to clearly see the value. With Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), or Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems, there has got to be value in the way they are used. There has also got to be value in using outside services such as Application Ser vice Providers (ASPs) than can help realize and utilize the value of these systems. Finding the best way to utilize technology will allow Riordan to find the best value in the IS and IT departments.Business systems analysis and recommendations Riordan Manufacturing prides itself on its public reputation as the leading edge manufacturer of plastic injection moldings that is backed by a powerful and innovative research and development team. However, internally, the organization is suffering greatly from severely outdated, labor-intensive, pencil and paper processes in the sales and marketing departments. Additionally, the business processes that are automated are departmentalized suited for the use of a single job function or department.Existing automated processes belong to the finance and accounting department as well as the inventory office of the manufacturing department. There is no connectivity between systems, and worse, attempts to establish communications between similar syst ems across the organization’s national and multinational locations have been fruitless. It is impossible for organization decision-makers to have a clear idea of the interworking of the organization and its financial health.Chief Operating Officer (COO), Hugh McCauley, has developed a comprehensive strategic direction for the organization decomposed into individual strategic initiatives and further broken down into various programs that are the responsibility of relevant departmental leaders to accomplish. Riordan’s COO has done an excellent job of initiating a strategic direction and smaller goals to ensure the organization maintains industry leader status, but the missing link that will truly drive each program’s success, is an information technology linkage.To remain ahead of competition and to transform into a more agile organization, it is recommended that Riordan’s management evaluate the benefits of enterprise-wide information systems. Enterprise-w ide information systems Organizations commonly implement enterprise-wide systems to improve access to information and as a result experience growth, reduce costs, and improve efficiencies. The benefits of enterprise-wide systems such as enterprise resource management (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), and supply chain management (SCM) directly align with Riordan’s strategic direction.Proper implementation of these systems will add value to Riordan’s business model. However, enterprise-wide implementations are characterized by large investments and large time commitments. Therefore, the organization must evaluate which systems will help it achieve the majority of its goals, in a reasonable time frame. In doing so, decision-makers can determine if each system’s value is worth its costs and the order in which to invest in and implement each system. Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) Pros.An ERP system is a necessary investment for Riordan because it i ntegrates all departments and their respective functions across the organization into a single IT system (UMaine, 2009). There are three main benefits of ERP systems that directly address problems with Riordan’s operations. One benefit is a logical solution to a mess of incompatible applications currently in use by the organization. ERP also allows global access and sharing of organizational data as well. Additionally, implementing an ERP system will help the organization bypass the difficulties and expenses of replacing legacy systems (UMaine, 2009).An analysis of Riordan’s current issues with its Finance and Accounting department reveal an immediate need for an ERP solution. Riordan’s current process to complete the general ledger, income statement, and balance sheet is so labor intensive that accountants cannot complete the task until two or three weeks after month’s end. Additionally, external audits are required monthly. Riordan’s process docu mentation is difficult to analyze, making this important task costly and labor intensive as well. Compliance with new, stricter government regulations is also extremely difficult for this department.Riordan management finds these issues unacceptable and expects them to be addressed first (University of Phoenix, 2012). An ERP solution will correct these error-prone, labor-intensive processes through automation (Business-Software. com, 2010). This will help employees of the Finance and Accounting department complete Riordan’s financial statements in a timelier manner. Further, ERP will ensure that all workflows and procedures are formally documented, allowing external auditors to complete their job more effectively and produce timely and accurate feedback for Riordan management.ERP systems also ensure there is only â€Å"one version of truth† by feeding data to one centralized, integrated database (Business-Software, 2012). Not only does ERP help the organization deliver timely, accurate information to its customers and suppliers but is also necessary for regulatory compliance. Cons. Although an ERP system will lay the foundation for modern, efficient enterprise-wide business systems, Riordan must weigh the risks of implementing the system. The first risk is cost. For a multinational company like Riordan, the cost of installation can range from $30,000 to $500 million (Demand Media Inc. , 2012).Riordan will need to do an extensive financial analysis to determine if the organization has enough capital to expend on an ERP implementation as well as enough contingency funding to bail the organization out should the implementation fail. Another risk of ERP implementation is the level of complexity that and ERP system will add to Riordan’s processes. Riordan’s current staff may find the system to be too difficult to use and rebel against the system as a result. Riordan may also find that a portion of their existing staff may turnover as a r esult of the implementation and will need to hire a more specialized user base as a result.These specialized employees may require higher salaries than those they replace. To avoid this, Riordan will want to provide comprehensive training to affected users, but it will be a time-consuming processefficiency benefits of the system will not be measurable until the organization adjusts to the changes that the ERP system will bring (Demand Media Inc. , 2012). An important risk of ERP implementation to consider is data integrity. Because the ERP system’s database will be the single source of Riordan’s data, it must be accurate and secure.Integrating the ERP system with existing systems may require some software modifications. It will be important to ensure that the integration of system results in data that is single version of the truth as well as securing any new transactions between systems. It is also important to note that some ERP systems will be too inflexible to work with Riordan’s current business process and strategy (Demand Media Inc. , 2012). The organization must evaluate vendor and implementation options to ensure the ERP system help drive Riordan’s objectives, not hinder them.Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Pros. Riordan’s strategic direction and initiatives are highly customer-centric. Riordan’s strategy is to compete in its market by serving the top 15 customer clusters, and driving this strategy by providing the highest level of customer satisfaction to its 20 most important account holders. Additionally, the COO wants the organization to transform the Riordan brand into a significant competitive advantage (University of Phoenix, 2012). A CRM system is an excellent way to drive the success of this customer-centric strategy.CRM manages all aspects of an organization’s relationship with its customers to help increase customer loyalty, retention, and the organization’s profitability (UMain e, 2009). Additionally, CRM systems are synonymous with building brand awareness and loyalty. A modern definition of a brand is the summation of hundreds of small interactions between an organization and its customers (Yarmoff, 2001). A CRM system can capture the data that results from these actions for analysis by the marketing department. Marketing analysts can determine what is unique about the organization that draws customers to it, helping Riordan build its brand.In the upcoming fiscal year, Riordan is launching an aggressive sales and marketing program to grow its revenue, expand its customer base, and retain its best customers. The sales and marketing department will find difficulty in successfully completing this program considering their outdated, pencil and paper processes within the department. It will be difficult for Riordan’s marketers to target customers effectively by sifting through hundreds of paper files of historical sales records to conduct market analys is.It will be difficult for the sales department to document special customers’ needs, and ensure they are served throughout the organization’s order fulfillment processes by using the disparate sales systems currently in use. For back office analytical purposes, CRM can assist the marketing department in drawing upon data from a single data source to reveal trends, explain outcomes, predict results of campaigns, and identify the organization’s most profitable customers (UMaine, 2009).Analytical CRM helps the marketing department understand what Riordan’s customers like, dislike, and what appeals to them and indicate if Riordan is meeting or is capable of meeting customer’s needs. Analytical CRM provides this deep understanding of an organization’s customer base through data analysis and business intelligence tools (UMaine, 2009). It sends pertinent information to the marketing department for campaigns and to the front-end part of the system to provide the sales force with the information it requires. On the front-end, operational CRM can assist the sales representatives.Technology will include a contact management system, and opportunity management system. In this use-case, the CRM system will alert the sales representative regarding what the customer likes/dislikes to enhance cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. Front-end CRM will also help the sales representatives in resolving customer issues by providing web-based customer self-service tips and call scripting to better equip the representatives with handling the most common issues (UMaine, 2009). The CRM system can log recurring customer issues.This will assist Riordan’s sales representatives in solving difficult problems that have been previously addresses as well as assist management in targeting recurring scenarios that require improvement, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and retention rates. Cons. Like other enterprise-wide systems, CRM systems are characterized by expensive and difficult implementations. Riordan management has to ensure that the CRM initiative is well planned, historical data is input accurately, and ensure workflow is properly defined to reduce the risk of project failure (Gartner Research, 2000).Success will also be highly dependent on cooperation with the ERP and SCM initiatives, as they eventually will become integrated systems dependent on one another’s data inputs and outputs. Solutions must be chosen with compatibility and interconnectivity in mind. In CRM, over-automation is always a risk (Gartner Research, 2000). CRM is about bringing a company and its customers closer together, and some human-to-human interaction is necessary for customers to feel as if they are being heard. Finally, CRM systems are difficult systems to measure numeric outcomes and value (Gartner Research, 2000).Riordan management must define what unique, possibly intangible outcomes they want to measure from the CRM system to ensure it is providing its intended value. Supply Chain Management (SCM) Pros. As a manufacturer, Riordan would experience many benefits from the implementation of a SCM system. As part of its business strategy, Riordan is currently striving for supply chain excellence. The organization will drive this strategy by streamlining time-to-market processes, achieving 90% of customer requested ship dates, and reducing inefficiencies associated with its current shipping methods (University of Phoenix, 2012).A SCM system can help the organization achieve these goals as it manages the information flows between and among stages in a supply chain to maximize total supply chain effectiveness and profitability (UMaine, 2009). A SCM system captures data from the five phases of the supply chain management process; planning, sourcing, making, delivering, and returning. This data translates into complete visibility and awareness of one’s supply chain, and in turn, competitiv e advantages. A SCM will be most effective in the planning phase if Riordan leverages information from an ERP and CRM system.With that data, the SCM system uses metrics to forecast and accurately meet customer demand. Riordan will eliminate waste from its inventory by having the right amount of materials on hand to fulfill customers’ orders as they are placed, reducing costs stemming from holding onto excessive inventory. Developing insight across all inventory locations will also permit better sharing of resources on-hand to meet emergency customer needs. In the sourcing phase, the SCM system will provide vendor management capabilities. Riordan can input data about eliable suppliers it has partnered with in the past as well as suppliers that have provided inadequate services to document differences in quality among vendors. Riordan can also capture pricing data to determine which vendors provide the best value for their products. This will make sourcing easier and more effec tive. The deals Riordan obtains from strong vendor partnerships could translate in more discounts for customers farther down the line in the supply chain. In the â€Å"make† phase of SCM, a SCM system can ensure Riordan is manufacturing its products in accordance with the organization’s quality standards.Managers can determine the desired quality levels, translate the quality levels into metrics, and have these performance metrics monitored with the SCM system. The system will indicate when manufacturing is in line with quality metrics, surpassing metrics, or below metrics. A good deal of Rirodan’s reputation is dependent on manufacturing high quality products, so performance metrics in this area are important. The deliver phase is important to monitor with the SCM system as Riordan is experiencing inefficiencies in its logistic processes.The SCM system will help Riordan deal with processes and controls of logistic process to create efficient and effective trans port and storage of its products as they are delivered to the customer (UMaine, 2009). A SCM system can analyze delivery times and help management determine where inefficiencies are occurring and why. The results may prompt management to create more conveniently located inventory facility locations to create more reliable transit times. The system will also help Riordan coordinate more effectively with its outsourced trucking company.The ability to share information between both parties will allow Riordan to load its trucks to 100% capacity, resulting in cost savings for itself as well as less trucks and drivers for its partner. Finally, the return phase of SCM will be most effective when combined with data from the CRM system. The return phase of SCM pertains to the process allowing customers to return defective and excess products (UMaine, 2009). It is important to capture why customers are returning products to serve them better in the future and learn from errors. It is also imp ortant forRiordan to be instantly aware that a return process has been initiated, so it can send out a replacement to a customer immediately. The customer may be dissatisfied as it is, so handling returns effectively can encourage the customer to continue using the company for future orders. This phase will help Riordan meet its goals of serving customers better as well as retaining them. Cons. Riordan must consider the many risks of supply chain management because this system is dependent on the cooperation of external business partners. The first roadblock is gaining trust from business partners.Riordan and its suppliers must be willing to exchange some confidential information in exchange for increase supply chain efficiency. Next a supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so if Riordan’s suppliers cannot provide quality goods in proper time frames, Riordan cannot get the most out of its SCM system (Wailgum, 2008). Internally, there will be resistance to change as well. Employees will need to adjust to stricter data entry requirements as well as higher scrutiny of their performance. Training will be crucial, as mistakes with the system will be made initially.A SCM system cannot absorb a company’s history and processes in the first few months (Wailgum, 2008) Management will have to be patient and continually feed the system clean data to reap visibility benefits. Recommendations The success of implementing enterprise-wide business tools is dependent on the creation of a single data source, populated by accurate and relevant information. To lay the foundation that will capture and integrate all information from Riordan’s unique workflows and processes, it is recommended that Riordan first invest in and implement an ERP system.Once this implementation is complete, and the organization is accustomed to the changes this system will bring, a CRM implementation can be considered. The ERP system’s centralized database will ser ve as the data source for the CRM system, making this implementation an easier transition for the organization. Once the CRM system is successfully implemented, a SCM implementation can be considered as Riordan’s financial health and strategic initiatives permit. A SCM system is recommended as the final enterprise-wide system to implement as it is reliant on information captured by both ERP systems and CRM systems (Wailgum, 2008).The success of these implementations will be dependent on a number of factors such as implementing the solutions in-house versus outsourcing the efforts, and implementing a performance metric system to ensure that the systems are continually providing the value intended. Outsourcing Models Riordan needs to consider outsourcing some of its business functions to reduce upfront cost and integration challenges faced while implementing enterprise applications ERP and CRM. There are many outsourcing models to consider and many benefits and advantages.There fore, a thorough analysis and understanding of outsourcing models is necessary for Riordan’s long-term strategic alliance with vendors. This section outlines outsourcing models and services provided by the application service provider or ASP and other outsourcing models. ASP Model Application service provider is one who has expertise in implementing and managing IT operations of the business applications over a secure Internet on behalf of its customer or client.ASP also known as Managed Application provider (MAP), or managed services â€Å"combine hosted software, hardware and networking technologies to offer a service-based application, as opposed to a company-owned and operated application† (Sans Institute, 2006). ASP services include end-to-end solutions necessary for executing and operation of ERP, CRM, accounting, payroll, cloud computing, and customized applications. In the ASP model, the provider typically identifies the applications common to many organization s (for example, ERP) and hosts them in their data centers.The access to applications provided via a browser-based or thin client software. According to Pearlson and Saunders (2010), â€Å"ASP not only provides access to software, but infrastructure, people, and maintenance to run it in a customized fashion for a client. † Hence, the objective of ASP is to provide a secure, error-free environment of application systems and infrastructure round the clock. The ideal candidates for taking the advantage of ASP are Riordan’s non-core applications, which relaxes IT resources and make them available for core applications.Another instance of ASP is Software as a Service (SaaS), which host multiple companies (multi-tenant) to use the same set of software and hardware, but still provide a user experience of single application. The application accessed via Internet, and provides rich web interface using technologies like AJAX and XML. The web applications delivered via SaaS is cus tomizable and integrates into in-house application using web services and ETL tools. For example, Sales Force applications from SalesForce. com are multi-tenant web applications used by many organizations as their primary CRM application.Engagement with ASP involves service level agreements (SLAs), which contains many clause and vendor expectations. SLAs consists of sections on â€Å"availability, accessibility, performance, maintenance, backup/recovery, upgrades, equipment ownership, software ownership, security, and confidentiality† (Pearlson & Saunders, 2010). ASP may provide cost-effective solution in their area of their expertise. However, for security professionals, the move to use the ASP model comes at an often-high cost. The ASP may be an expert in its domain, but its security function may be immature (Schoenfield, n. d. ).Hence, one should consider risk assessment and analyze the end-to-end solution of ASPs and their security models. Many ASPs available in the marke t, Riordan should evaluate them once the outsourcing requirement finalized. The table below provides list of ASPs and their domain expertise. Table 1 List of ASPs Application Service Provider Domain expertise Appshop www. appshop. com Oracle 11i ebusiness suite Applications BlueStar Solutions www. bluestarsolutions. com Managing ERP solutions with a focus on SAP Corio www. corio. com Specializes in Oracle Applications Outtask www. outtask. com Integration of budgeting, customer service, sales anagement, and human resources applications Surebridge www. surebridge. com High-tech manufacturing, distribution, health care applications USi www. usinternetworking. com Ariba, Siebel, Microsoft, and Oracle customer base Note. Adapted from â€Å"Information Systems Sourcing,† by K. E. Pearlson and C. E. Saunders, 2010, Managing and Using Information Systems. A Strategic Approach. Copyright 2010 by John Wiley & Sons Inc. According to Subramanian and Williams (2007), a complex scenario o f services provided by single or multiple vendors offer multiple benefits. The long term agreements are necessary to reap higher benefits.This model provides competence needed in the initial stage and provides better quality, increases productivity, and reduces cost as time progress. Service provider takes full end-to-end responsibility by investing on new technologies, mitigating risks to maintain business continuity and building high-level of trust. Figure 1. Services offered by managed Services. Note. Reprinted from Infosys White Paper (p. 5), by Subramanian and Williams, 2007, Copyright 2011 Infosys Limited Crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing is a new outsourcing model introduced in 2006 by Jeff Howe in an article titled â€Å"The rise of crowdsourcing† in WIRED online magazine.In the traditional outsourcing model, the work of an employee outsourced to external service provider. In this model, the available skilled resources and ideas limited to service provider and its industry and domain experience. Crowdsourcing reach out to a larger community over the Internet to complete a job or task. Thus, organizations gain access to a wide range of skills and resources available online. According to Jeff Howe the definition of Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people, in the form of an open call.Companies and individual make an open call to perform a job for a small amount. Open call to an Internet community of collective intelligence can increase productivity. With the advancement of Internet and Web 2. 0, many websites like elance. com, odesk. com and guru. com provide abundant resources of freelancers available globally. Riordan can make use of this model where the projects need specialized skills and risk is very low. Resources picked on reviews and rewards obtained from past assignments.For example, Riordan’s websites along with dyna mic B2B and B2C pages using PHP and open source technologies is a good candidate of Crowdsourcing. Disadvantages of Crowdsourcing are low quality, communication issues, and researching for reliable resources with required skill set. Full Outsourcing Full outsourcing refers to outsourcing overall IT functions in an organization to an external service provider. This is similar to ASP model but the hardware and software remain on-site and vendor resources may collaborate with employee on-site or remotely, depending on the IT functions.For example, an enterprise may outsource helpdesk and desktop support. In this case vendor’s resources remain on-site to provide support on hardware and software issues. Some of software issues rectified remotely. Software development and maintenance happen in the vendor’s location. Companies typically choose this model if their perspective of IT does not support organizations strategic initiative. Doing so managers, and employees can concen trate on other value-adding assignment. Companies outsource completely to accommodate growth and respond to their business environment (Pearlson & Saunders, 2010, p. 09) with SLA’s and multiple vendors. Riordan should not opt for full outsourcing because of risk in exposing copyrighted material, formulas, trade secrets, and unique manufacturing methods to competitors. Selective outsourcing fit well for Riordan. Selective Outsourcing Selective outsourcing allows IT executives with options of retaining few IT functions in-house for strategic reasons. Selective outsourcing gives greater flexibility and often better service because of competitive market (Pearlson & Saunders, 2010, p. 210). According to Subramanian and Williams (2007), another name for selective outsourcing is â€Å"Strategic out-tasking. IT executive will have total control, manage projects, and review deliverables in-house. Only few IT functions like new application development, enhancing application due busine ss changes, fix non-critical issues outsourced and vendor take responsibility. Selective outsourcing is best suited for companies new to outsourcing. Riordan must outsource short-term assignments and small projects before venturing outsourcing in a bigger scale and when they cannot find resources with specific skills or to gain strategic advantage.Outsourcing versus in-house implementations Rose India Technologies PVT. Ltd (2011) defines outsourcing as â€Å"the process by which a company contracts another company to provide particular services†. These services and functions would be otherwise carried out in-house by the company’s own employees. The main reason companies outsource supply chain management are to reduce cost, free up internal resources, save time, to gain better control of managing functions, not enough internal resources to handle the job and share the risk with a partner.Some of disadvantages of outsourcing SCM include the underestimation of cost due t o communication, inadequate governance meaning that an in-house overseeing committee needs to be set up, reduction of technical, key information and crucial knowledge control, dimensioning leadership with the business relations managed by supplier, increase in business continuity, increased cost due to salaries raises in other companies, and unethical suppliers. Outsourcing SCM will save the organization money in IT expenditures.The system becomes is streamlined and use by all location, more energy and money is left for core business strategies. The vendor will handle the development and implementation of custom finance software along with an accounting package along with the establishment of a joint venture offshore back office operation of the company’s invoicing, revenue processing, and auditing services. Some IT functions should not be outsourced such as core business competencies, functions that are knowledge based, and are company proprietary information.Multidisciplina ry, Interdepartmental, factuality, and critical business function that may involve political risk should not be outsourced as well. Riordan should not outsource its core business function this part of the project should be done in-house so that Riordan maintain and controls these function to keep down all risk whether they are security risk or political risk. The reason most companies outsource ERP system is because they do not have the experience and the expertise to implement an ERP package.When it comes to implementation the supplier has a perfected system for installation and implementation, and most organizations do not want to assign full time staff to implementation thereby taking away from the day-to-day work as well as ERP package can be confusing and frustrating to employees due to false starts and downtime. Outsourcing ERP tends to be a good decision when it comes to medium to lager companies because more than likely outside help will be need for consultation, references, credentials, implementation, and monitoring and check consultants.Stress within the company is one disadvantage because employees must learn a new system, and process that may affect productivity and efficiency. The effect can be short and long term. Other cons such cost overruns during and implementation, converting, training and customized modules. The ERP system should be outsourced to a vendor can handle the testing and coding of the new system to insure it integrates with the existing or new MRP systems well verification and documentation leaving the IT Department free to oversee vendor and other IT functions ( Janstal,1999).Many ERP vendors and consulting firms, who have professional implementation and customization skills for manufacturing ERP software less adjustments, are necessary because they will design software specifically for Riordan Manufacturing. The cost for the production of ERP software purchase depends on the size and functions of the software and the extent of the adjustment (Baihaki,2009).The business of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is evolving and changing in the market on a constant and constant base to meet the growing and demanding need for new strategies that increase business profit margin by having an application that create interactive analysis of the customers’ requirements and leading to the customers satisfaction. C. R. M s’ are all over the market place the need is to choose one, implement, install and train. Simple jobs no need to outsource. Value of Implementations and Outsourcing RecommendationsSupply Chain Management Implementation Studies show that the effective supply chain management (SCM) enables organizations to perform better and maximize profitability by aligning their supply chains with the market demand (Baltzan & Phillips, 2010). SCM implementation helps the organization to reduce inventory levels, minimize order-processing costs, improve responsiveness to customer needs, and compress or der cycle time by streamlining and automating information flow among the different components of the supply chain process (Sumner, 2005).SCM implementation enables an organization to gain competitive advantage by reducing operating costs and increasing process efficiencies to meet market demands and to ensure timely delivery of products or services. Customer Relationship Management Implementation Intense market competition is forcing organizations to change their business models from sales-focused to customer-focused making customer satisfaction a paramount for the organization’s success (Baltzan & Phillips, 2010).Customer relationship management (CRM) implementation will enable organizations to gain insight into customer buying behavior and purchase patterns and develop business strategies to improve customer satisfaction and service quality (Baltzan & Phillips, 2010). Riordan can improve customer satisfaction, service quality, customer loyalty, profitability, and sales volu me by implementing CRM systems to manage its interactions with the customers efficiently. Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation Business leaders require access to real-time business information to make business-related decisions in an efficient manner to improve performance.Enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation integrates organization’s business processes into an information technology (IT) system facilitating an integrated view of enterprise-wide business information (Baltzan & Phillips, 2010). ERP enables Riordan to streamline, automate, and integrate business processes to improve efficiency of business functions to reduce operating costs, improve customer service, increase revenues, eliminate redundancies, and improve decision-making (Baltzan & Phillips, 2010). Outsourcing RecommendationsOrganizations have to find ways to improve performance of business operations to sustain in the global competition. Outsourcing enables an organization to increase produc tivity, reduce operating costs, and improve flexibility by taking advantage of low labor cost regions and difference in time zones (Morello, 2003). Riordan should consider full outsourcing model for the implementation of SCM, CRM, and ERP systems to another organization while ensuring appropriate knowledge transfer to its employees during the implementation process.Service providers expertise in the implementation of SCM, CRM, and ERP systems will help the organization to streamline, automate, standardize, and fine tune business processes to increase efficiency of business operations. Knowledge transfer to Riordan’s employees during and after implementation process will enable the organization to gain and retain adequate knowledge to support business systems efficiently. Riordan can use the selective outsourcing model for ongoing maintenance of the SCM, CRM, and ERP systems.Outsourcing only the IT support services to another organization will enable Riordan to keep critical b usiness process knowledge in-house while ensuring round-the-clock IT support to its global business operations. Outsourcing redundant IT support services to another organization will help Riordan to concentrate more on business critical functions to increase productivity and improve operations performance. Providing Continued Value Once IT implementations are completed assessing the value of new systems is the next step.When companies invest in IT initiatives they want to see the added value to the organizations IT and IS departments. Setting up a process to measure continued value is essential in achieving this. For Riordan is recommend using IT metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to measure value. KPIs also known as Key Success Indicators will help the organization define and also measure progress toward organizational IT goals. KPIs are quantifiable measurements that are agreed upon, reflecting the critical success factors of the organization.If Key Performance Indicator s are going to be of any value there must be a way for it to be accurately defined and measured. Equally important, KPIs once defined should be consistent year to year. The organization should also look to set targets for each Key Performance Indicator. Once KPIs are defined a way to measure it needs to be set up to collect information, a target, has to be established. Below are some KPIs for Riordan in assessing success of IT initiatives: IS and IT implementation adds tangible value to organization Implementation reduce IS and IT costMeasuring Effectiveness Measuring the effectiveness of a system can show its value to the organization but also set a benchmark to continually assess the system year after year. Using Effectiveness IT metrics measures its effectiveness on IT systems from the standpoint of a business tool. The metric can measure how IT affects specific aspects of a business and the business process such as conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and sell-through increa ses. Specifically, the metrics goal is to show how well a company is doing in reaching its objectives.In constantly questioning, it determines if the right decisions are being made to reach these objectives. One way we can measure effectiveness is through surveys to IT, finance and HR departments. The survey giving to employees can give insight as to if the system is helping make work more productive to Riordan employees or caused increased difficultly. The surveys should look to answer these questions: Is the system increasing daily productivity? Does system work seamlessly with critical IT systems? Are there any disadvantages to the new system?Is the system easy to support? Easy to use? Is more staff training needed? Establishing benchmarks is a typical way of measuring performance of IT Effectiveness. Benchmarking puts IT in greater demand to align with the business and demonstrate the company economic value. IT benchmarks can show how competitive IS and IT services are, and if t here are ways to improve the process or increase efficiency of delivery of services. There are different models that can be used for Riordan to asses IS values. These are recommended:Peer/ industry comparisons Customer satisfaction IT effectiveness/value IT efficiency/cost Business IT process Cost benchmarking will address the problem of cost and quality of services. It can show what can be done to reduce cost and improve performance by showing best practices in the industry. Figure 2. Cost Benchmarking. Reprinted from IT Benchmarking: A Baseline for improving performance, by Ambuhl and Bitterman, 2004. A successful benchmark is valued by the actionable recommendation that yield immediate and long-term results.Be sure to outlining specifics in improving efficiency and effectiveness or it will have no significant value. Measuring Efficiency Measuring IT effectiveness is only one aspect to determining IT value. Efficiency IT metrics while similar has differences. This metric will meas ure the performance of an IT system. It measures performance such as throughput, speed, and availability of a system. This will also determine how well the newly implemented system works with established systems. To measure performance organized documenting and reporting process must be in place.Efficiency IT metrics can be used to measure the throughput, how fast information is travelling throughout Riordan’s intranet or the speed of transactions with its suppliers and customers. Additionally, it can measure traffic to a website. Traffic measures how many people come to a website in a given period of time. Additional benefits to the Efficiency IT metric, it not only measures the efficiency of a IT system for evaluating and improving its performance, but it makes sure the system is being used the right way, ensuring the effectiveness of the processes, and that they are in step with business objectives.Utilizing methods such as KPIs, Effectiveness IT metrics, Efficiency IT met rics, and benchmarking will help Riordan establish a clear dashboard, adding value to its IS and IT departments with every successful IT implementation. It will also show continual value of its IT systems by performance, which systems continue to add value and which do not. Conclusion As we have seen, Riordan Manufacturing’s utilization of information systems and information technology leaves a lot to be desired. With so much potential, they continue to have manual processes for tasks and information that can and should be automated and interconnected.Because of the lack of technology, executive management is not capable of seeing the big picture they need across the entire organization in order to make the best decisions. Because of this, it is hard for the company to see the value of the continued IS and IT investments. However, with the implementation of such systems as ERP, CRM, or SCM, value can be added, value can be see in the benefits they provide. While different sys tems may have a better fit within the organization, Riordan must determine what is best for them; they must determine how they will be used in the most beneficial way.With any major infrastructure change, there are new risks and costs to the organization. The correct hardware must be purchased; the right software must be installed; the business rules and requirements must be met; the systems must be maintained over time. Putting these puzzle pieces together might not always go as well as planned. This is why Riordan must consider some of the outsourcing solutions discussed. Deciding on using an ASP, running in a SaaS model, or installing and maintaining the systems themselves, each require extremely detailed analysis.While it is easy to see the cost of each of these systems and deployment methods, Riordan must continue to go back to determining the value of each system at the same time. If the value is a reduced IT staff; if the value is a more integrated system; if the value is a m ore productive manufacturing process, the systems will show their value themselves. Riordan Manufacturing wants to receive the value out of what they pay for. Yet we see that value is not a pay for what you get model, but value is in how you use what you paid for. References Ambuhl, C. , & Bitterman, M. (2004). IT Benchmarking: A Baseline for mproving performance. Retrieved from http://www. rfgonline. com/events/highperformance. pdf Baihaqi (2009). Riordan Manufacturing. Retrieved from http://riordan-manufacturing. com/category/riordan-manufacturing and http://riordan-manufacturing. com/category/riordan-manufacturing-mission Baltzan, P. , & Phillips, A. (2010). Business Driven Technology (4th ed. ). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Brook Schoenfield (n. d. ),’ Evaluating Application Service Provider Security for Enterprises’, retrieved from http://www. cisco. com/web/about/security/intelligence/asp-eval. tml Business-Software. com. (2012). Why do you need an ERP solution? Retrieved from http://www. business-software. com/erp/about-erp/why-do-you-need-an-erp-solution. php Demand Media Inc. (2012). What are the cons of ERP? Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/list_6591648_cons-erp_. html Gartner Research. (2000). Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Perspective. Retrieved from http://lamarheller. com/technology/crm/whitepapers/crmdataperspective. pdf Janstal[v1] , S. (1999) Enterprise Resource Planning: Integrating Applications and Business Processes Across the Enterprise.Retrieved from http://www. dpu. se/CTR/ctrerp_e. html. Morello, D. (2003). The Organizational Implications of Offshore Outsourcing. Retrieved from http://www. gartner. com/resources/118100/118136/the_organizational_implicati_118136. pdf Pearlson, K. E. , & Saunders, C. E. (2010). Managing and Using Information Systems. A Strategic Approach (4th ed. ). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Rose India Tecnologies Pvt. Ltd. (2011). Outso urcing Services – Outsourcing Company in India. Retrieved from http://www. roseindia. et/services/outsourcing/index. shtml Sans Institute (2006). Application Service Providers (ASP) Policy. Retrieved from http://www. sans. org/security-resources/policies/Application_Service_Providers. pdf Subramanian, M. & Williams, R. (2007). Outsourcing Models: Aligning Source Strategy to Business Objectives retrieved from http://www. infosys. com/global-sourcing/white-papers/Documents/aligning-sourcing-strategy. pdf Sumner, M. (2005), Enterprise Resource Planning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. UMaine. (2009). Enterprise Systems: SCM, CRM, & ERP.Retrieved from http://www. slideshare. net/mgraham213/enterprise-systems-scm-crm-erp University of Phoenix. (2012). Riordan Manufacturing intranet. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOP/Business/Riordan/RioMfgHome002. htm Wailgum, T. (2008). Supply chain management definition and solutions. Retrieved fro m http://www. cio. com/article/40940/Supply_Chain_Management_Definition_and_Solutions#scm_abc Yarmoff, L. B. (2001). Strike up the brand. Retrieved from http://www. destinationcrm. com/Articles/Editorial/Magazine-Features/Strike-up-