West Marine Case free essay sample

Once West Marine can determine their root cause for error in their supply chain, corrections can be made. Decision Criteria Analysis of alternatives Perhaps the easiest approach to the acquisition of BoatU. S. is to leave BoatU. S. ’s current demand and forecast planning untouched and separate from West Marine’s planning processes. This would be inexpensive and non-disruptive to the current corporate culture. The drawbacks, however, could be a slow steady decline in profitability and reliability of the BoatU. S. brand, hence the reason for the acquisition in the first place. However, management can use the testament of various metrics in the Supply Chain at West Marine since the EB Marine acquisition, and implement a SOP and CPFR system into the BoatU. S. brand line. The benefits to implementing such a comprehensive SOP and CPFR plan are clear in the literature such improved customer satisfaction, increased in-stock percentages (2-8%), and inventory reductions of 10-40%. We will write a custom essay sample on West Marine Case or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page (Lapide) These benefits will be a crucial help to the BoatU. S. brand and better align them with their competitive competencies. Which includes catering to a more sophisticated boater who highly values customer service. Improving in-stock percentages will solve a current problem in BoatU. S. ’s stores with high volume/high margin items missing from stores; perhaps adding to customer service as well. (p. 21) Also, the reduction in inventory will contribute to relieving the dilapidated distribution center in Maryland. Giving management time to evaluate the need for a new better planned warehouse, or renovate the current one for more efficient operations. Recommendations and Justification of Decision Our team proposes West Marine’s management proceed with the acquisition of BoatU. S. and immediately devise and implement a strong Sales and Operations Planning strategy to strengthen the internal demand planning and forecasting within BoatU. S. To accomplish this, top management must take a top-down as well as a bottom-up approach with clear financial performance goals. First, comprehensive information systems must be installed to collect accurate point-of-sale and warehouse data and report it in a way managers can make decisions. Here are my thoughts. While the adoption of the CPFR has shown improvement in supply chain issues, they need to incorporate a SOP program to shape the demand and improve forecasting and planning. Having recently adopted the CPFR standards, are they up to implementing another big endeavor such as this? I think they should take on the acquisition of Boat US as a pilot program. Not only should they adopt the current CPFR standards that have shown improvements, but they should also begin the top down and bottom up planning efforts as described in the SOP literature. As I mentioned in an email, the case narrative doesn’t mention any in-depth planning from the top- level management. They do state that product clusters have people responsible for setting prices and determining margins independently. Also, West Marine’s performance measures are pretty much all financed based, that is they are focused on ROI, EPS and so on. By focusing on the collaboration with the suppliers, they are addressing concerns such as stock outs and delivery times, but how are these translating in to the overall company goals?

Direct-Object Pronouns in Spanish

Direct-Object Pronouns in Spanish In Spanish as in English, a direct object is a noun or pronoun that is directly acted upon by a verb. In a sentence such as I see Sam, Sam is the direct object of see because Sam is who is seen. But in a sentence such as I am writing Sam a letter, Sam is the indirect objects. The item being written is letter, so it is the direct object. Sam is the indirect object as one who is affected by the verbs action on the direct object. A difference with Spanish, however, is that the set of pronouns that can be direct objects differs slightly from those that can be indirect objects. The 8 Direct-Object Pronouns of Spanish Here are the direct-object pronouns along with the most common English translations and examples of their uses: me - me - Juan puede verme. (John can see me.)te - you (singular familiar) - No te conoce. (He doesnt know you.)lo - you (singular masculine formal), him, it - No puedo verlo. (I cant see you, or I cant see him, or I cant see it.)la - you (singular feminine formal), her, it - No puedo verla. (I cant see you, or I cant see her, or I cant see it.)nos - us - Nos conocen. (They know us.)os - you (plural familiar) - Os ayudarà ©. (I will help you.)los - you (plural formal, masculine or mixed masculine and feminine), them (masculine or mixed masculine and feminine) - Los oigo. (I hear you, or I hear them.)las - you (plural feminine formal), them (feminine) - Las oigo. (I hear you, or I hear them.) The differences between these pronouns and the indirect objects are found in the third person. The indirect third-person pronouns are le and les. Note that lo, la, los, and las can refer to either people or things. If they are referring to things, be sure to use the same gender as the name of the object being referred to. Example: Where the noun is masculine: Tengo dos boletos.  ¿Los quieres? (I have two tickets. Do you want them?)Where the noun is feminine: Tengo dos rosas.  ¿Las quieres? (I have two roses. Do you want them?) If you dont know the gender of the direct object, you should use lo or los: No sà © lo que es porque no lo vi. (I dont know what it is because I did not see it.) Word Order and Direct-Object Pronouns As you can see from the above examples, the location of a direct-object pronoun can vary. In most cases, it can be placed before the verb. Alternatively, it can be attached to an infinitive (the form of the verb that ends in -ar, -er or -ir) or a present participle (the form of the verb that ends in -ndo, often the equivalent of English verbs that end in -ing). Each sentence in the following pairs has the same meaning: No lo puedo ver, and no puedo verlo (I cant see him).Te estoy ayudando, and estoy ayudndote (I am helping you). Note that when the direct object is added to a present participle, it is necessary to add a written accent to the last syllable of the stem so that the stress is on the proper syllable. Direct-object pronouns follow affirmative commands (telling someone to do something) but precede negative commands (telling someone not to do something): està ºdialo (study it), but no lo estudies (dont study it). Note again that an accent needs to be added when adding the object to the end of positive commands. Le as a Direct Object In some parts of Spain, le can substitute for lo as a direct object when it means him but not it. Less commonly in some areas, les can substitute for los when referring to people. You can learn more about this phenomenon in the lesson on leà ­smo. Sample Sentences Showing Use of Direct Objects Direct objects are shown in boldface: Me interesa comprarlo, pero ms tarde. (I am interested in buying it, but much later. The me in this sentence is an indirect object.)Tu nariz est torcida porque tu madre la rompià ³ cuando eras nià ±o. (Your nose is bent because your mother broke it when you were a boy. La is used here because it refers to nariz, which is feminine.)Puedes vernos en el episodio 14. Nos puedes ver en el episodio 14. (You can see us in Episode 14. Both of these sentences mean the same thing, as the direct object can either come before the verbs or attached to the infinitive.)Te quiero mucho. (I love you a lot.) Key Takeaways A direct object is a noun or pronoun that is acted on directly by a verb.In Spanish, direct- and indirect-object pronouns can differ in the third person, unlike in English.When the direct object of a verb is the equivalent of it, in Spanish you need to vary the gender of the pronoun according to the gender of the noun being referred to.

Should public policy be directed exclusively at growth promotion for Essay

Should public policy be directed exclusively at growth promotion for the attainment of overall societal goals - Essay Example Social goal responsibility is the art putting goals of a certain co-corporate, institution knowledge or prosperity to be of collective concern within the community or society. This is generally speaking out the message of ‘we’ and ‘us’ rather than ‘I’ and ‘me’. Since the public policy is centered at the needs of the majority, then social goals becomes of great concern within an organization. Just like in a classroom, pupils or students usually have a collective goal of passing exams through discussions and consultations. While the only way of ensuring collective success in a society or a business organization is through the involved individuals having a collective goal at the expense of targeted and non-targeted society (Kimberly & Tamar, 2009). On the other hand individualistic goal is centered on one’s interest and desire that all opportunities that come on the way are utilized individually. This is directly linked with per sonal development and success. Therefore, public policy has more to do with promoting societal goal oriented programs rather than individualistic. Methodology This research study was conducted using qualitative data from library written materials like journals and electronic research like websites. However, some organizations hold their internal information private and hence full information is not available. Literature review According to John Long & Nerida Aitken, individual agreement is works well for employers as compared agreements of collective interests. Citing an employee pay in Australia, the employees covered by workplace agreement earns much better that those guarded by federal enterprise agreements. In addition the individualistic goals lowers the cost concerning company activities like documentation, transaction costs e.tc. Hence it is a more efficient way. It is also noted that individualism is equal to flexibility. The term flexibility can be used in wide range of iss ues including remuneration, operational requirements implementation of change by a company. However, individual practices do not necessarily warrant flexibility or individualized activities (Diener, 2009)). Practically, flexibility is dependent on the nature of the company enterprise, the proposed form of flexibility, the way in which the management and the employees are related as we as the number of employees and their benefits. This means that sometimes some employees of the company may decline to cooperate or to sign workplace policies offered by the state (Long & Aitken, 2001). The way individual agreements discussed and formed, are just done on individual basis. In addition, within an individualistic agreement their may still exist a collective ideology. However, concerning the individual agreements by the top management team, they will all have uniform individualistic idea concerning all the entire employees with some disagreements on the payroll, description of job as well a s the length of working hours (Long. J & Aitken. N, 2001). Individualistic goals are important in fostering increased commitment at work places. The is usually increased interaction between the individual employees and the employer hence individualism strengthens the psychological contract at the work place (Brown, W. 1999). This usually explains the role the employees in the company as well direction and stability of the business. On the issue of societal goal within a company, the employees can create a sense of mistrust to the employer if the perceived societal agreements are

Exam Reviewer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Exam Reviewer - Essay Example The mission and vision is important to the stakeholders, especially customers and suppliers (Etzon & Struben, 2011). Analysis of stakeholders’ Importance Government. The Israeli government’s importance includes creating laws ensuring a level electric car selling field. The laws include environmental laws and labor laws within the production and sale of electric cars. Without government intervention, chaos arises to unfavorably affecting the free market. The Israeli government implements ISO standards. Investors. The investors’ importance is placing funds into Better Place’s coffers. The funds are used to hire employees, buy production and sales equipments, and pay other operating expenses (selling and marketing expenses). The funds fill the needs of the current and future global electric car customers. Further, the investments will include setting up battery charging stations in strategic locations. The locations include malls, sidewalks, train stations an d offices. Customers. The importance of the current and future customers of Better Place is purchasing the Better Place electric car products. The initial 20,000 Israeli customer’s payments are used to compensate for the marketing, production, and administration expenses of Better Place. The electric car users may purchase a home charging equipment for less than $301(Etzon & Struben, 2011). ... Further, the above stakeholders’ will judge Better Place’s performance. The performance includes the timely delivery of quality electric car products, accessories and services. The customers will discouragingly complain for lackluster performing electric car products. The lack of electric car battery charging stations will discourage Better Place customers. The stakeholders may be hindrances to Better Place’s performance. The Israeli government may institute laws that hinder Better Place’s attaining higher revenue targets. Specifically, governments instrumentally required manufacturers to reduce hydrocarbons, nitrogen and carbon monoxide exhausts. These exhausts contributed to air pollution. Some electric utilities use fossil fuel to generate the electric car batteries’ electricity charges. Line of business. The firm, Better Place, is established to fill the electric car and other related needs of the current and future customers. The related needs include adequate electricity supply (Etzon & Struben, 2011). Adequate supply entails abundance of electric car battery supplies. Adequate supply includes the current and future customers’ easily access to the company’s electric car models. Further, the firm exists to generate profits (Soosay et al., 2012). Specifically, Better Place offers several electric car plans. The customers purchase Electric Recharge Grid Operators (ERGOs). The car drivers buy the batteries from the battery suppliers. Better Place sets up electric car battery charging stations. The drivers pay for the required vehicle repairs and maintenance expenses, specifically the electric car’s power train maintenance expenses. Lastly, Better Place helps its customers avail of tailored

Philosophy - Is Memory Reliable Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Is Memory Reliable Essay How would I prove that my memory or reasoning processes are reliable? There really is no good way to answer this question. My first thought was, well that should be easy, because I can prove my memory is reliable by the fact that I remember where class is every day that I show up. If I can remember where the classroom is, that must show my memory is reliable. But then I realized that I’m relying on a memory to come up with that example. This makes the question seem like a paradox to even try and answer, because in order to figure out if there is a way to prove my memory is reliable, I must use my memory to recall memories that might apply, and I must also assume the accuracy of the memories I might draw from as example. I cannot prove memory reliability by using logic drawn from the assumption that the memories I used are reliable. This seems to create a fallacy in logic before even getting started. In reality it seems easy to say that yes, although our memories are sometimes wrong, generally more often than not they are right. We know this because we recall from our memory many times each day to do the simplest tasks. If our memory was that flawed, we would be unable to survive on a day to day basis. Where do I get water? How do I get food? How do I drive a car? While this does show that we are able to rely on our memories to complete everyday tasks, it doesn’t prove our memory is consistently true. We cannot be sure that any memory we’ve ever had actually happened exactly the way we remember it (unless material sources are used, like video or pictures to back up the memory) because of a multitude of problems with memory like delusion and distortion. Memories can be easily manipulated and altered in many different ways, from simple re-telling where little details may be unwittingly changed each time a memory is told, to the power of suggestion in which an entirely false memory can be implanted into a persons mind and believed to be true by that person. Although these memories may seem very real to us, even to the point where we are willing to fight for their reliability, they are still factually false. This actually happens a lot! Although it practice these issues with memory exist, they are mostly ignored because we typically use other methods beyond memory alone to help collaborate what we remember. We are validated by others who share the same memory, photos, ect. So although in a philosophical world it seems impossible to find solid clear evidence that memory is truly reliable, but it seems silly, and even dangerous to continually doubt that memory can be reliably called upon. For example, I decide to cross the road without looking both ways because I cannot be sure that being hit by a car would kill me. I might have seen and heard of people being killed by cars in the past, but if I doubt my own memory how could I be sure that speeding cars have the potential to actually kill people. Because of this seemingly correct logic I might then be hit by a car and become a victim of what many would say is clear common sense. So although there is no good way to prove the reliability of memory, we must still rely on it all the same.

Paradise Lost by John Milton :: sin, death

The family reunion that takes place with Satan, Sin and Death foreshadows the fall of man. Sin and Death are personifications against broken heavenly laws: narcissism, incest and lust. Satan becomes enamored by his own creation because he sees himself in her image; "...who full oft/Thyself in me thy perfect image†¦" ll. 763-764. However, he goes on to commit two other sins as he lusts and goes off "in secret" with his own daughter. Sin, in turn, gives birth so painfully, she describes it as such, "breaking violent way/Tore through my entrails". The sins within the family are further compounded by Death who rapes his mother. Sin in turn give birth to howling dogs that forever cause her pain. Milton's allegorical representation here works with the rest of the poem because it is the most poignant example of Milton's misogynic attitude. His attitude towards women is sprawled though out the poem as depicts Eve, thus there is a parallel between Sin and Eve. Milton represents both of them as inherently evil. Aside from the fact that Sin was created from Satan's twisted thoughts, she commits no offenses against God's laws. For example, Sin gave in to her father's sexual advances and ran in fear from her son's. One can arguably say that she, as Satan's daughter acted "appropriately" submissive to her father's command. To add, she feared the vileness of her son's advances. Milton gives ample indication of Sin's unwillingness to have sex with her son when he says, " I fled, but he pursued†¦and swifter far,/Me overtook his mother all dismayed,/And in embraces forcible and foul" (ll. 790-793). Yet, the punishments for these vile sexual encounters are su ffered only by Sin. The latter advance being so vile that she suffers it incessantly as she experiences the painful births of the dogs over and over again, "hourly conceived/And hourly born" (ll796-797). This gross imagery foreshadows what Eve will soon experience after the fall of Eden. It is also important to note that Sin carries the entire burden of her family's vice within her womb as would Eve and all of her daughters. According to Milton, the original sin of procreating via sex began in the non-mortal world, and the woman suffers it by painful births.

Mission Statement of Nokia Essay

Nokia Corporation defines its mission to connect people through mobile phone technology and quotes its mission statement as follows; â€Å"Our strategic intent is to build great mobile products our job is to enable billions of people everywhere to get connected.† Operations Management Mission of Nokia: Nokia Goals and objectives in the market are as follows: To build great mobile products. To help people feel near to what matters to them. To enable billions of people to get more of life’s opportunities through mobiles. To capture volume and value growth to connect the next billion people to the Internet in developing growth markets. OM Department Mission of Nokia: Product design: Nokia cares about developing products that meet specific need of its customers. Thus for example, all the products of Business Solution mode are tailored to the requirement of specific entrepreneur seeking the  optimal solution for him. While in mobile phone section, the lifestyle of the target group is also analyzed. Quality Management: As the customer is the driving force in Nokia, so managing the quality is started with familiar with customer requirements and then processes are continuously improved according to the feedback received from the customers. Process Design: Nokia has design the capacity to ensure meeting all the demand (capacity built in view of demand supports the credibility of Nokia). Location: As a global company, Nokia operates in over 130 countries with the headquartered in Espoo in Finland, in the origins of Nokia. To create cutting edge technologies, it carries out researches in technologically advanced countries. Moreover, according to its diversity and location policy, Nokia wants to cooperate with companies form different locations as gaining new markets is one of the company’s goals. Layout Design: Nokia as an international company also uses global manufacturing network that gives them the ability to respond quickly to changes in demand and technology. They have suppliers in all parts of the world so that they can easily introduce changes to their processes and the utilization of resources is optimal. Human Resources: One of the Nokia strength is the employees. That’s why it aims to create them the best working environment and growth opportunities. It conducts several programs to encourage them to submit their own ideas and contribute to the company’s growth such as  ´Listening to You ´ annual survey or conducted by intranet â€Å"Ask HR† that gives a quick and openly published response for all queries. Supply Chain Management: Nokia’s supply chain includes direct sourcing (material supply for Nokia products, such as components, parts, packaging, contract manufacturing, software development, and research and development) and indirect sourcing (office equipment, services etc.) Inventory: Thanks to joint ventures and close cooperation with their supplier, Nokia can optimize their inventory levels. The suppliers as Nokia partners also participate in product development process, what helps better assess the needs of the future production. Efficient management of the inventory is also supported by the diversification of the location of suppliers. Moreover Nokia builds its inventory in view of demand, minimum levels of the inventory has to be maintained. Scheduling: Average life cycle of a mobile phone is about 2 years and during one year many new models are introduced. That’s why production of one line of products is done simultaneously with the research and design process of new products. Scheduling and taking measures in anticipation of new ventures is in this case a critical issue. Maintenance: Providing training and development for their employees is one of the Nokia’s promises. They pay much attention to be in touch with all new technologies and maintained the high level of well trained staff.