Kraft Foods Board of Directors Essay

Reviewï ¼Å¡ Kraft Foods Inc. is a global snacks powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. will discharge the Board’s responsibilities relating to compensation for executives and independent directors. In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Committee will have full access to all of Kraft’s books, records, facilities and personnel. The Committee will also have the authority to conduct investigations and to retain independent counsel and advisers, as it determines necessary to carry out its duties and responsibilities, including sole authority to engage, retain, approve fees and other retention terms of, and terminate compensation consultants. ————————————————- HP’s Board of Directors Name/Title| Current Board Membership| Ralph V. Whitworth, 57Independent Non-Executive Chairman| Sovereign Bank, Na (pennsylvania), Hewlett-packard Co.| Meg Cushing Whitman, 57President, Chief Executive Officer & Director| Hewlett-packard Co., Zipcar, Inc., The Nature Conservancy, Inc., Teach For America, Inc., Zaarly, Inc., Procter & Gamble Co.| Marc L. Andreessen, 41Independent Director| Tinyco, Inc., Zend Technologies, Inc., Glam Media, Inc., Kno, Inc., Ebay, Inc., Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Hewlett-packard Co., Hewlett-packard Development Co. Lp, Facebook, Inc., Skype Sarl, Tidemark Systems, Inc.| Ann M. Livermore, 54Director| Hewlett-packard Co., United Parcel Service, Inc., Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital| Rajiv Lochan Gupta, 67Lead Independent Director| Hewlett-packard Co., Information Resources, Inc., Avantor Performance Materials, Inc., Stroz Friedberg Llc, The Vanguard Group, Inc., Delphi Automotive Llp, Affle Pte Ltd., Tyco International Ltd., The Conference Board, Inc., Delphi Automotive Plc| Shumeet Baner ji, 53Independent Director| Hewlett-packard Co.| Gary M. Reiner, 58Independent Director| Hewlett-packard Co., Box, Inc., Norwalk Health Services Corp., Appirio, Inc., The Norwalk Hospital Association| Patricia F. Russo, 60Independent Director| Alcoa, Inc., General Motors Co., Kkr Management Llc, Kkr & Co. Lp, Hewlett-packard Co., Merck & Co., Inc., The Partnership For A Drug-free America, Inc.| Ray J. Lane, 66Lead Independent Director| Alertenterprise, Inc., Spikesource, Inc., Virsa Systems, Inc., Visible Path Corp., Xsigo Systems, Inc., Elance, Inc., Hewlett-packard Co., Special Olympics, Inc., Greatpoint Energy, Inc., Ausra, Inc., Quest Software, Inc., Kenandy, Inc., Carnegie Mellon University, Enigma, Inc., Hara Software, Inc., West Virginia University, Luca Technologies, Inc., Think North America, Mevio, Inc.| Reviewï ¼Å¡ HP announced changes to its board of directors. Raymond J. Lane has decided to step down as chairman of the board, to be replaced on an interim basis by Ralph V. Whitworth. The board is commencing a search for a permanent nonexecutive board chairman. In addition, John H. Hammergren and G. Kennedy Thompson, after eight and seven years of service to HP stockholders, respectively, have decided to leave the board. Both directors will continue to serve until the May board meeting. The board is commencing a search for two or more new independent directors. This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. ———————————— ————- Macy’s Board of Directors Name/Title| Current Board Membership| Terry J. Lundgren, 61Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer| Macys, Inc., National Retail Federation, Procter & Gamble Co., The Partnership For New York City, Kraft Foods Group, Inc., Federal Reserve Bank Of New York| Steven F. Bollenbach, 70Independent Director| Time Warner, Inc., Ludwig Institute For Cancer Research Ltd., Los Angeles World Affairs Council, Mondelez International, Inc., Macys, Inc., Kb Home| Craig E. Weatherup, 67Independent Director| Macys, Inc., Starbucks Corp.| Sara L. Levinson, 62Independent Director| Macys, Inc., Harley-davidson, Inc., Cmi Marketing, Inc.| Joseph L. Neubauer, 71Independent Director| The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America, The Barnes Foundation, The University Of Chicago, Catalyst, Inc., Macys, Inc., Verizon Communications, Inc., Aramark Refreshment Services Llc, The Horatio Alger Association Of Distinguished Americans, Aramark Holdings Corp.| Paul C. Varga, 49Independent Director| Brown-forman Corp., Macys, Inc.| Marna Cupp Whittingt on, 65Independent Director| Macys, Inc., Oaktree Capital Group Llc, Phillips 66| Meyer Feldberg, 71Independent Director| New York City Ballet, Inc., Managed High Yield Plus Fund, Inc., Global High Income Fund, Inc., Macys, Inc., Revlon, Inc., Strategic Global Income Fund, Inc.| Deirdre P. Connelly, 52Independent Director| Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers Of America, Macys, Inc., Human Genome Sciences, Inc.| Joyce M. Rochà ©, 66Independent Director| Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., Tupperware Brands Corp., Macys, Inc., Association Of Governing Boards Of Universities & Colleges, Dillard University, At&t, Inc.| Review: Managing a nation-wide retail business requires a team of committed, talented and experienced executives. Macy’s stores and direct-to-customer business compete with many retailing formats in the geographic areas in which they operate, including department stores, specialty stores, general merchandise stores, off-price and discount stores, new and established forms of home shopping (including the Internet, mail order catalogs and television) and manufacturers’ outlets, among others. In addition to competing with these other retailers for customers, Macy’s also must compete very aggressively for executive talent. These talented executives are accountable for the performance of the business units they manage and are compensated based on that performance.

The Great Cat Massacre Review

The Great Cat Massacre entails understanding history differently. It is the story of vengeance of some ill fed journeymen at the face of their bourgeoisie master’s attitude. The pranksters carry out their master plan by killing the Cats and then staging a mock trial. What the author point outs is the humor that they share at the face of this cruelty and he urges the reader to understand the Rabelaian humor contextualizing the event against the backdrop of the peasant society of the Ancien Regime.Darnton shows why they chose the cats and how cats are metaphoric in western linguistic and cultural tradition. He brilliantly depicts the relation Cats bare with female sexuality, witchcraft, routine slangs and so on. The killing of cats is not just a frenzy killing that came out of a berserk reaction against the bourgeoisie, but it was metaphorically ravaging the bourgeoisie master whom they cannot reach out for physically at least. In the analysis of folklores of the Red Riding Hoo d or the La Renarde Darnton believes that these folklores help us understanding the pulse of the peasant society of France.He gives an entire overview of the French peasantry and the hardships they endured following, which he gives a fascinating folktale of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which includes a number of shape shifting charisma of the man and the devil following the eventual victory of man and the author follows that this reflected the essential idea of fighting over scarce resources. The use of culture here is â€Å"strictly in the Geertzian sense, as expressed, for example, in The Interpretation of Cultures as â€Å"an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic form by means of which men communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and attitudes towards life.†Under what conditions can a historian legitimately make use of a definition of this sort? What attitude does it imply vis-a-vis texts that give access to the â€Å"symbolic forms† that functioned in ancient societies? Is it sufficient to the founding of a new way of writing cultural history†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chartier) While methodologically of course, Darnton shows us a newer archive, and there is nothing that could be said against it but on the other hand can the folktales be used transparently as a clean glass to interrogate the complexities of the peasant society? The killing of the Cats as a symbolic ritual and what it meant to the peasants is only speculated by Darnton, thus the job of the historian being that of the speculator is the historian only an astrologer of the past?The killing of the cats might be just without the baggage of the symbolic element that the cats carried as Darnton argues. It is possible that Cats did had immense importance as Darnton shows since Sorcery was a theme recurrent but I am merely speculating that it might not similar to the speculating exercise Darn ton himself does.

Starbucks Delivering Customer Service

Lifetime Value For Unsatisfied, Satisfied And Highly Satisfied Customers The story of Starbucks transformation from a small independent coffee shop tucked away in a corner of Seattle’s Pike Place Market to a cultural phenomenon spanning the globe is legendary. A number of factors have been attributed to the success – one being a keen understanding of its patrons. There are multiple methods used to obtain customer information and the value derived therein. Customer lifetime value is one. Customers are assets, and their values grow and decline.Segmenting customers based on their lifetime value is a powerful way to target them because marketing mix activities can then aim at enhancing customer value. (Ho, 2006) Roughly translated, customer lifetime value is the projected profits that a customer will generate during their lifetime. We used the case data to segment Starbucks customers into three distinct categories of unsatisfied, satisfied and highly satisfied. Fortunately, the case provided some useful data to make our initial assumptions about the stream of expected revenues from each category.Exhibit 9 UnsatisfiedSatisfiedHighly Satisfied Number of Starbucks Visits/Month3. 904. 307. 20 Average Ticket Size/Visit$3. 88$4. 06$4. 42 Average Customer Life (Years)1. 104. 408. 30 The data allowed us to calculate the annual expected revenues by taking 12, the number of months in a year, times the product of each component given in Exhibit 9 for each category of customer. UnsatisfiedSatisfiedHighly Satisfied Expected Lifetime Future Revenue$ 199. 74$ 921. 78$ 3,169. 67To derive the CLV it is necessary to determine the profits. This requires taking costs against the expected future revenues. The expected costs are typically any amount incurred from attracting, selling and servicing customers. The best representative cost of servicing the customer from the given data was the gross margin from Starbucks financial statements. After all, this number reflects the true costs incurred in servicing each customer, while leaving out extraneous expenses such as depreciation and other corporate overhead that have little relation.FY 1998 FY 1999 FY 2000 FY 2001 FY 2002 Average Net Revenue1,308,700,0001,686,800,0002,177,600,0002,649,000,0003,288,900,0002,222,200,000 Gross Profit730,200,000939,200,0001,215,700,0001,536,200,0001,938,900,0001,272,040,000 Operating Profit109,200,000156,700,000212,300,000281,100,000310,000,000213,860,000 Net Income68,400,000101,700,00094,500,000181,200,000215,100,000132,180,000 Gross Profit Margin55. 80%55. 68%55. 83%57. 99%58. 95%56. 85% Operating Profit Margin8. 34%9. 29%9. 75%10. 61%9. 43%9. 48% Net Profit Margin5. 23%6. 03%4. 34%6. 84%6. 54%5. 0% The average of the five years of financial statement data was used for the margin to take against revenue. The figures below represent the CLV for each category using a discount rate of 12% to give the present value. A discount rate between 10% – 20% is typically used in these applications. Starbucks is a mature company at this stage of development and the cost of capital is likely to be toward the lower end of the spectrum. Unsatisfied Satisfied Highly Satisfied Expected Lifetime Future Revenue $ 199. 74 $ 921. 78 $ 3,169. 7 Gross Margin56. 85%56. 85%56. 85% Discount Rate 12% CLV Undiscounted $ 113. 55 $ 524. 03 $ 1,801. 94 CLV Discounted$105. 88 $405. 59 $1,137. 64 Finally, we calculated the annual CLV for each category to provide information for our upcoming problem facing Starbucks about investing in increasing staffing levels. The annual amounts were derived by annualizing the products of visits/month and average ticket size/visit. Unsatisfied Satisfied Highly Satisfied Number of Starbucks Visits/Month 3. 90 4. 0 7. 20 Average Ticket Size/Visit$3. 88 $4. 06 $4. 42 Customer Annual Value $ 103. 23 $ 119. 10 $ 217. 10 Traditional Customer Annual Value (textbook version)$209$241$440 For comparison, our group also decided to calculate the textbo ok version of CLV by taking the average retention rate of 75% derived from Exhibit 8 and inputting it into the formula used in the text. We used the same discount rate, 12%, and took that rate times the product of the number of Starbucks visits/month and average ticket size annualized.CLV = m * r/(1 + I – r) Exhibit 8 % of Starbucks’ customers who first started visiting Starbucks . . . In the past year27% 1–2 years ago 20% 2–5 years ago 30% 5 or more years ago 23% Average25% $40 Million Investment In Improving Its Customer Service Using the data provided from Exhibit 3 in the case in regards to sales data broken down for each company operated store in North America we derived the figures in the table below. DailyWeeklyMonthlyYearly Average Store Sales$2,194$15,400$66,733$800,800 Average ticket/visit$3. 85$3. 85$3. 85$3. 5 Average Customer Count5703,99017,338208,050 One assumption made was the investment in improving customer service would be restricted to North American stores (4,574) from our calculations regarding the forecasted cost of $40 million. As mentioned in the case, â€Å"the company had plans to open 525 company-operated and 225 licensed North American stores in 2003. † (MOON, 2006) Consequently, these were the figures used to determine the forecasted North American store growth in 2003 and the same growth projections were made for subsequent years.Additionally, using the customer count derived from the calculations in the previous table we projected the change in customer count by using the same retention rate of 75% calculated from Exhibit 8 to determine the amount of retained customers. This is also supported by the fact the Starbucks’ cannibalizes its existing store revenue by opening new stores in geographically clustered markets. But this is offset by the total incremental sales associated with new store concentration. That figure was then used to provide the new customers by taking (1 – 75% = 25%) the percentage times the retained customer count.Thereby, our total projected customers equaled the sum of the two and those amounts were continually projected forward. YearCustomers Retained/storeNew Customers/storeTotal Customers/storeNumber of Stores 2002208,0504,574 2003156,03839,009195,0475,324 2004146,28536,571182,8566,197 2005137,14234,286171,4287,213 2006128,57132,143160,7148,396 2007120,53530,134150,6699,772 2008113,00228,250141,25211,375 One final assumption, the growth rate in stores was halted in 2008 to reflect the effect of the recession.All of these amounts allowed the $40 million investment in customer service to be broken out per store over our projected period spanning years 2002 – 2008. Year2002200320042005200620072008 Customer retained/store156,038146,285137,142128,571120,535113,002 New customer/store39,00936,57134,28632,14330,13428,250 Total customer count /store208,050195,047182,856171,428160,714150,669141,252 Number of Stores4,5745,3246,1977,2138,3 969,77211,375 Improvement/Acquistion Cost per store$8,745$7,513$6,455$5,545$4,764$4,093$3,517As shown, the growth in stores allows for a considerable reduction in the per store cost over the projected period. The initial acquisition cost was made by simply dividing the initial $40 million cost by the number of stores in 2002. From the information provided on Page 11 Fig A – Customer Visit Frequency, we calculated the customer base for each satisfaction level. Added to this information was the data derived from the prior table to break out the forecasted revenue stream less the acquisition cost to arrive at the profits made from improving customer service. 002200320042005200620072008 Number of Customers208,050195,047182,856171,428160,714150,669141,252 Customers – Unsatisfied87,38181,92076,80072,00067,50063,28159,326 Customers – Satisfied76,97972,16767,65763,42859,46455,74852,263 Customers – Highly Satisfied43,69140,96038,40036,00033,75031,64129,663 Total R evenue per store$800,800$840,840$882,882$927,026$973,377$1,022,046$1,073,149 Acquistion/Improvement Cost for store-$7,513-$6,455-$5,545-$4,764-$4,093-$3,517 Total Revenue – AC$833,327$876,427$921,481$968,613$1,017,953$1,069,632To increase the profitability based on the CLV data, the maximum bang for the buck is gained by increasing the customer level from satisfied to highly satisfied. Making this switch, Starbucks not only will see an increase in average ticket size from $4. 06 to $4. 42, but the frequency is also increased from 4. 3 to 7. 2 visits per month. All gains yield an additional $98 in incremental gross profit per every customer moved up in satisfaction. Additionally, customer life increases from 4. 4 years to 8. 3 years.As shown in the table below, it makes more sense to pursue after switching satisfied customers to highly satisfied customers as the NPV is far greater than the alternative. Using the NPV from the table and improvement cost for each store we can cal culate the minimum number of customers that we need to switch in 2003 per store. The minimum number of customers to be switched in 2003 = Improvement cost / NPV of satisfied to highly satisfied. = $7,513/$497 = 16 customers/store = 16 * 5,324 stores = 85,184 total customersCustomer LTV/yearChange in revenue by moving up in customer satisfaction levelAvg Customer LifeNet Present Value Unsatisfied$103 Satisfied$119$164. 4 yrs$51. 86 Highly satisfied$217$988. 3 yrs$497. 31 As Starbucks expands and builds more stores, improvement cost per store that is needed is reduced. This, in turn, has a direct effect in reducing the number of customers it needs to switch up one level. Qualitative assessment of Starbucks’ challenges Expectancy-Value ModelKey Attributes (Exhibit 10)Customer Ranking (Exhibit 10)Weights (Exhibit 11)Customer ranking (Exhibit 11)Combined ProbabilityRanking of Importance Treated as a Valuable Customer0. 75free cups after certain number of visits0. 190. 14251 Friend ly Staff0. 73Friendlier, more attentive staff0. 190. 13872 Appropriate Prices0. 65Reduce Prices0. 110. 07153 Fast service0. 65Faster, more efficient service0. 10. 0654 Knowledgeable Staff0. 39More knowledgable staff0. 040. 01565 Selection of merchandise0. 5Better Quality/Variety of Products0. 090. 00456 There is a direct relationship between customer satisfaction and number of visits and revenue which eventually leads to higher profits, Starbucks’ should raise the customer satisfaction levels of its current customer base by making them visit stores more frequently. By using key customer attributes from Exhibit 10 and the consumer weights which was given in Exhibit 11, we can use the expectancy value model to see what are the perceived values to the customer.We can then rank the attributes that consumers would value the most. The expectancy value model shows that faster service is not the highest in perceived value to consumers. There are others that rank higher. Specifically, Starbucks should focus on treating the customer as a valued consumer by rewarding the consumer with free cups of certain coffees after so many purchases. This would surely build more loyalty to the their brand, especially among both the newer and older customers.Starbucks can achieve this by doing one or more of the following: †¢Prices and Promotions – Since Starbucks’ typical customer profile is evolving, the company should look in to running promotions such as discounted prices or a free drink after so many number of visits which could generate additional revenue and possibly increase the average ticket size and customer life for both unsatisfied and satisfied customer level as well as build loyalty among newer and older customers. Improve value to customers with friendly staff – Knowledgeable staff who offer attentive service by greeting and knowing regular customers as well a remembering their drinks would help to improve the value proposition for Star bucks’. This will also try to bridge the gap between Starbucks’ and various other independent specialty coffee shops. †¢Cleanliness – Starbucks’s should ensure that the store is clean at all times (i. e. , restrooms, countertops, trash cans, seating areas, etc. as store cleanliness was ranked as key attributes in creating customer satisfaction (Exhibit 10) †¢Convenience – next on the list is convenience. Starbucks’ could continue to offer customized drinks and further promote sales of its SVC cards to help customers pay for their concoction at their convenience. †¢Improve the customer snapshot measuring techniques to strike a balance in measuring customer satisfaction level. †¢Improve the quality and variety of the coffee Explore additional opportunities to earn peripheral revenues in selling pastries, sandwiches, lunch menus or even liquor. †¢Study in making store atmosphere more conducive to ethnically concentrated geographical locations. WORKS CITED Ho, T. -H. (2006). Incorporating Satisfaction into Customer Value Analysis: Optimal Investment in Lifetime Value. Marketing Science , 260-277. MOON, Y. (2006). Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service. Harvard Business Review .

Open letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Open letter - Assignment Example The article is opposed to the opinion expressed in an AlterNet article: GMO might cause horrible diseases to the cattle, including defects in the newly born like limb deformities (Paul). However, use of genetically engineered food has already became a usual thing for our society with most American crops being modified (Kantor). At the same time, the researchers conducted in a great sample of cattle allowed the scientists to conclude that use of GMO in cattle feeding causes no unnatural or disturbing effects both in cattle and on people who consume meat of a GMO-fed animal. Though the topic is debatable and there is no decisive position in the world, Entine appeals to the authority of researchers and simple logical arguments: if the unnatural harmful effect caused by GMO use in feeding of livestock was so widespread and disturbing, farmers and scientists would have already noticed that (Entine). Moreover, sick animals are not used for producing meat, and if there were a lot of those, there would have been problems with meat supplies already. Generally, GMO is often considered to be the salvation of the future that is able to save humanity from famine. At the same time, GMO is economically beneficial as it acts as a catalyst for the production process and makes crops resistant to diseases. Entine, Jon. â€Å"The Debate About GMO Safety Is Over, Thanks To A New Trillion-Meal Study†, Forbes, from:

Vatican Council II and Catechism of the Catholic Church Essay

Vatican Council II and Catechism of the Catholic Church - Essay Example The modern man through appreciation of mystery has encountered challenges due to the lack of faith among the generation. To add on the perception of mystery, Casel states that many things interfere with one’s ability based on the liturgical experience (Casel, 6-9). During this time, you are supposed to take into account good disposition when it comes to the issue of liturgy. Based on the practice of religion, nowadays humanity also termed as Modern man goes against the norm of Christianity. Casel analyses the character of the church and suggest that every Christian should take into account the Sacrosanctum Concilium. The use of sacraments makes them to identify themselves as real Christians and hence the mission and Gospel of Lord Jesus Christ is spread all over the world. The practice of religion has been under siege due to negligence that comes from modern man behaviours as far as church liturgy is of concern. Casel says that the mystery is three things and one meaning that one needs to understand that God is of trinity ( God the father, son and Holy Spirit) and Christianity life is depended on all of them (Flannery, 13-16). 2. In 3-4 paragraphs, explain Casels understanding of the role of worship (liturgy/sacraments) in the mystery of Christ, including the content of the mystery of Christian worship, its sacrificial nature, and the necessity of the rites themselves. It has been noted that Eucharist that is associated by liturgy celebration is an essential moment in the life of a Christian. On this account, the role of worshiping is to unite everyone and having time intimacy with God. As far as the mystery of Christianity is of concern, Casel tells that Christians through worship also known as liturgy that is administered through sacraments, meets God through Body and soul, flesh and spirit in the sacramental life (Hahnenberg, 9-13). Worship, however, makes one encounter the love that God has over us, but this is accompanied by

The Library Organisational Project Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Library Organisational Project - Case Study Example Different data-gathering methods were used, such as conducting interviews, distributing questionnaires and searching information from various sources, to gather as much information as the project requires. Team members were assigned to conduct interviews with each senior manager. I was responsible for interviewing Mr. Antony Brewerton, Head of Academic Support. Initially, I asked Mr. Brewerton to fill out questionnaires with the intention to analyse his perspective against his employee's perspective. Afterwards, I proceeded to interview him on leadership and management so as to analyse his leadership style and how he manages his department. Organisational Diagnosis Questionnaire (ODQ) designed by Robert Preziosi (1980) was used and the questionnaires were distributed to cover the five departments in the library. Using this questionnaire, a variety of dimensions of an organisation could be studied-such as purpose, structure, leadership, relationships, rewards, helpful mechanisms and attitude toward change. The questionnaire was used the in the analysis because of its benefits, as enumerated below- With the data gathered from the questionnaires, I conducted the qualitative analysis. ... b) Questionnaires: Organisational Diagnosis Questionnaire (ODQ) designed by Robert Preziosi (1980) was used and the questionnaires were distributed to cover the five departments in the library. Using this questionnaire, a variety of dimensions of an organisation could be studied-such as purpose, structure, leadership, relationships, rewards, helpful mechanisms and attitude toward change. The questionnaire was used the in the analysis because of its benefits, as enumerated below- Relatively easy to analyse, People familiar with the questionnaire, A large sample of the given population can be conducted, Information is collected in a standardised way, The questionnaires can be used for sensitive topics, which users may feel uncomfortable speaking about to an interviewer, and Respondents have time to think about their answers because they are not usually required to reply immediately. After finishing the interview with Mr. Brewerton, I asked for his cooperation to distribute the questionnaires among his staff through emails and to kindly forward the responses to me. c) Various sources: To get acquaintance with the organisation, I searched the information from different sources such as library websites, articles and documents provided by the Librarian. 2. Data Analysis The findings were divided into two categories, which are qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis- a) Qualitative analysis With the data gathered from the questionnaires, I conducted the qualitative analysis. The ODQ questionnaires were grouped under the seven dimensions and I calculated the average ranking for each of the dimensions. I plotted graphs in MS

Preparation for Graduate Employment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Preparation for Graduate Employment - Essay Example I would like to work for a magnificent company such as yours in a responsible position, in which I will contribute through my professional, personal and inter-personal skills. My long term career goal is to move on to higher positions with greater responsibilities within investment banking possibly after having studied for an MBA in between. However, I prefer to remain with the same company as part of my career aspirations. Although transitioning from education to a professional environment can be quite challenging, I have gained significant experience in my various stints at several companies, which has provided me the necessary insight into the corporate world. having been performing successfully in every such challenging environment, I am confident of being able to bring in the same level of commitment and energy into my work in my future employment. I have travelled extensively and have interacted with people from over 50 nationalities. As such, I love to bond with diverse people and share ideas and thoughts with them. I believe that any profession that incorporated my educational skills and professional experience to the highest level would be my ideal job. Combining my knowledge in Finance with my experience in handling customer oriented responsibilities along with computer and administrative capabilities have helped me, my co workers and my company in attaining their objectives. It is also one of the predominant reasons for me to consider myself as a valuable addition to the team at Goldman

Final assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final - Assignment Example Project management is a crucial part of organizational management that ensures the accomplishment of a series of organizational objectives within stipulated timeframes and budgets. Project management enables organizations to successfully pursue competitive strategies in their bid to achieve the desired organizational performance. Unlike conventional approaches, current literature acknowledges project management as a vital business process (Jamieson & Morris, 2004). This paper explores the significant principles of project management and how to use project management as a discipline to successfully achieve organizational objectives. Project Life-Cycle Management and the Benefits of Project Management to an Organization Project Life-Cycle Management Successful projects and campaigns usually rely on quality research, proper and careful planning, insights and regular adjustments on the basis of feedback. Project management life cycle basically has four interrelated phases (Gido & Clement s, 2012). For instance, in a packaged water project that I was involved in some time back, the project was divided into four phases: initiation, planning, execution and conclusion or closure. The figure below represents phases of project management life-cycle. ... It is essential top conduct a review in order to establish the viability of the project during the initiation phase. This will help in determining the likelihood of achieving the desired deliverables of the project. Also, a proper project team must be created that will ensure the accomplishment of every project task within the right timeframe. The creation of project office will set clear all the tasks that are supposed to be executed for successful completion of the project. The project charter is crucial for identification of the vision and objectives of the project, scope, project deliverables and overall implementation strategy among others. Finally, there is need to review the overall performance of the initiation phase so that any deviation can be rectified before it is late (Gido & Clements, 2012). Planning Phase This entails the development of schedules, strategies and necessary tools for implementation. This is where project plan is created. The organization develops plans f or resource acquisition and use, financial, risk, quality, acceptance and communication. The organization uses project team to accomplish the tasks involved in this project management phase. Execution Phase This phase focuses on building project deliverables. It entails transforming organizational needs into actionable objects. The project team designs and develops the planned solution and authenticates the solution in accordance with organizational requirements. This phase also involves monitoring and control, which entails time management, cost management, quality control, risk management and procurement among others. Closure Phase This is the final phase of project life-cycle. It

The Barriers For Nurses In Managing Post-Operative Pain Literature review

The Barriers For Nurses In Managing Post-Operative Pain - Literature review Example The studies recommend improvements in the knowledge and experience of nurses in pain management as well as future studies on effective pain management covering a larger population. These studies would help improve the evidence base on the subject matter. Review of Related Literature: This chapter shall provide a review of relevant literature. First, it will present a rationale to the literature review and then establish the questions that this review will answer. The aims and objectives of this review shall also be established. Background/Rationale to Literature Review Pain is one of the most disturbing symptoms which any person can feel. Regardless of its intensity, duration, or location, it can impact on an individual’s psychological and physical well-being (Yildirim, et.al., 2008). During the post-operative period, pain is a common complaint or symptom for patients. Such pain can further increase the impact of the surgery and can sometimes delay the patient’s physical and emotional recovery (Van Hulle, 2005). Nurses have the unenviable task of ensuring the consistent and effective management of post-operative pain. Their role during this time involves the assessment of pain levels, the administration of pain medicati ons, and providing emotional support for the patients (Textor and Porock, 2006). As nurses, they also have the duty of notifying the doctors about significant changes in the patient’s condition, mostly in relation to unrelieved pain or pain which manifests with other symptoms including fever, decreased or increased heart rate, unrelieved severe and continuous pain, as well as bleeding at the incision site (Plaisance and Logan, 2006). Based on these significant considerations, pain management is a crucial element in ensuring effective post-operative care. The nurses administering skills therefore have to have the right skills, interventions, and knowledge to ensure effective post-operative care (Ferrell and McCaffery, 2008). This topic was chosen because there is a need to study gaps in the nursing management of post-operative care, including new and possibly more effective means of pain management (Lui, et.al., 2008). This topic was chosen now because nurses have become more and more involved in the management of post-operative care patients and there is a need to evaluate and improve their efficacy in pain management (Matthews and Malcolm, 2007). I am personally interested in this area because I consider this an area which is highly specialized and any skills I can learn through evidence-based practice can also help me improve my practice. It relates to my practice because I work in the post-operative care unit and I have personally encountered an instance when the patient manifested severe pain after surgery and I reached a point when I became doubtful of the efficacy of my skills as a nurse in managing the patient’s symptom. This literature review can help me establish evidence-based practice on effective post-operative management of pain (McCaffery, 2002). It can also help improve the nursing practice, most especially post-operative nursing care. The delivery of pain relief to patients is also an important benefit for this literature review a s it ensures that the pain relief measures would refer to patient-centered and evidence-based care (Joint Commission Resources, 2010). Research Question: This literature review will help to answer the question: What are the barriers for nurses in managing post-operative pain? Aim This review will review studies discussing the barriers encountered by nurses in post-operative pai

Bipolar World Essay Example for Free

Bipolar World Essay Polarization means the union of like- minded countries into a single homogeneous unit in order to safeguard their national interests. Polarization thus, naturally means that various countries with similar ideas on various problems confronting the world unite around a super power with a view to giving united front. Polarization has been facilitated by the scientific and technological advances under which the world has shrunk in area and distance. In this way, when two centers of power, i.e. two poles appear round which the other countries of the world revolve, the system is known as Bipolar. I would prefer living in a bipolar world order because it tends to reduce international violence. The advantages of bipolar system are: †¢Reduction in Tension With only two world powers, their areas of influence are clearly demarcated. This leads to reduction in tension. In Cold War era, both the Soviet Union and America were concerned with happen ¬ings in different areas of the world. The USA was mostly concerned with America continent and West Europe, whereas the USSR’s sphere of interest was Asia and East Europe. This has led to a solid and determinate balance. Expansion was not so easy, aggrandizement was not a simple work. †¢Leads to balance resulting in peace  In a bipolar system, there are only two rival blocs; competition in every field is relative which keeps the balance, usually resulting in peace. Both the power blocs are equally -or at least similarly- engaged in space race, economic growth, military preparedness, propaganda struggle and domestic issues. â€Å"Policy proceeds by limitation of the other power, with occasional attempts to outflank.† A super power never escapes calculation in terms of international balance and always evaluates the other power’s reaction. By asserting the interests of the two great powers in even minor matters, the balance is sought to be achieved in everything. Neither of the parts can act in a careless manner and this is in favor of stability. †¢Equality of Power  Thirdly, the most important stabilizing factor is the nearly constant presence of pressure and the recurrence of crises. I mean crises are natural and even desirable in a condition of conflict. If crises do not occur, it means that one side or the other is neglecting its own interests. Maintenance of balance will then mean large or small wars. As long as there are only two major powers, the power of both will be almost equal. There will be equal and opposite reaction in crisis instants. (i.e. Cuba Crisis) This will check any one of the two powers to embark on a policy of aggression. †¢Any change anywhere in the world The changes in some parts of the world do not affect the basic position of two powers. Finally, the preponderant power of the two super states means that minor shifts in the balance are not of any great importance. For example, the U.S. lost China due to the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949 and the Soviet Union lost China after Sino-Soviet border conflict in 1962, but neither change dras ¬tically altered the Russian-American balance. The two states were so strong that they could accommodate change easily. The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. confronted each other on almost every issue but none of the issues was of decisive importance and none led to war. To sum up, in addition to advantages, there are also disadvantages of bipolar system, like continuous pressure in international system. Yet, the balance of power always hinders the crises getting more serious. The world witnessed two world wars in thirty years in a multipolar order, but a third world war never happened in almost fifty tense years between 1945 and 1991, the bipolar Cold War era.

Death And Concentration Camps In The Holocaust History Essay

Death And Concentration Camps In The Holocaust History Essay The Holocaust was a horrifying crime against humanity. Adolf Hitler led a nation of Germans who were trying to rid inferior races. Hitler had a final solution to take care of anybody who he saw as inferior. The plans included in the Final Solution included the deportation, exploitation, and eventual extermination of European Jews. (Grobman) His method was to kill any undesirables. He would use concentration camps and death camps. Within the years 1941-1945 over eleven million people were killed. Six million of those who died were killed simply because they were Jewish. Over one million children were also killed during the Holocaust. Nazis, Hitlers followers, killed over two thirds of the Jewish population in Europe. Groups that were brought to concentration camps and death camps included Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, mentally or physically disabled people, and people who did not agree with the government. The first concentration camps were established in 1933. In the beginning concentration camps were places that held people in protective custody. Victims for protective custody included those who were both physically and mentally ill, gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, Jews and anyone against the Nazis. By 1934 there were at least fifty concentration camps throughout Europe. In the beginning these camps were watched over by the police, and then Hitler had his security take over. Camps were set up for different reasons. Some for forced labor, others for medical experiments and, for death. Camps were set up along railroad lines, so that the prisoners would be close to their destination. As they were being transported either to a camp or from one to another, the soldiers kept telling the Jews to have hope. The conditions on the train were terrible. Many people died of starvation before they arrived. Most families ended up being separated when they arrived at a camp. Jews were forced to obey the guards orders from the moment they arrived at the camps. The prisoners usually had marks on their clothes or numbers on their arms to identify them. The conditions of the camps were terrible and inhumane. Within the first few days of being at the camps, thousands of people died of hunger, starvation and disease. Other people died from the cruel punishments of the guards beatings and torture. In 1937, seven thousand Jews were in camps. By 1938, ten thousand more Jews were sent to camps. Jews were taken to camps if they expressed negative feelings about the government, if they married a non-Jew, if they were sick, mentally or physically, or if they had a police record. When someone escaped from the camp, all the prisoners in that group were shot. Nazis, who claimed that they did not necessarily hate Jews, seemed to enjoy making the Jews suffer. They also felt that slavery was better than killing their prisoners. Surrounding some of the camps in Poland was a forest that the Jews who planned to escape would flee into. Before the escaped prisoners got very far, they were killed. The people who could not run away from the camps thought about revolt. Joseph Mengels, one of the most notorious Nazi doctors, selected his victims for the gas chambers or medical experiments. His women victims for sterilization were usually twenty to thirty years of age. Other experiments included pu tting inmates into high pressure chambers to test the effects of altitude on pilots. Some inmates were frozen to determine the best way to revive frozen German soldiers.(Bauer) Auschwitz, located in Poland, was Nazi Germanys largest concentration camp. It was established by order of Hitler on April 27, 1940. At first, it was small because it was a work camp for Polish and Soviet prisoners of war. It became a death camp in 1941. Auschwitz included camp sites a few miles away from the main complex. At these sites, slave labor was used to kill the people. The working conditions were so poor that death was an almost certain result. In March 26, 1942, Auschwitz took women prisoners, but after August 16, 1942 the women were housed in Birkenau, another section of the camp. When the Jews arrived at Auschwitz, they were met with threats and promises. If they didnt do exactly as they were told, they would be beaten or deprived of food. They were assured that things would get better. The daily meals in Auschwitz consisted of soup, once a day, with a small piece of bread. Most of the prisoners were extremely malnourished and on the brink of death. The bad sanitary cond itions, the inadequate diet, the hard labor and other torturous conditions in Auschwitz, most people died after a few months of their arrival. The few people who managed to stay alive for longer were the ones who were assigned better jobs. In place of toilets, there were wooden boards with round holes and underneath them concretes troughs. Two or three hundred people could sit on them at once. While they were on these troughs they were watched in order to assure that they did not stay too long. When people were loaded onto trains to be taken to the gas chambers, they were told that they were being placed in new labor camps. This was one of the many lies told. It was impossible for the Jews to make out which buildings were the gas chambers because they seemed normal from the outside, just like any other building. Over the gas chambers were well kept lawns with flowers bordering them. When the Jews were being taken to the gas chambers, they thought they were being taken to the baths. At first, there were five gas chambers in Auschwitz, the procedure for gassing was About 900 people were gassed at a time. First they undressed in a nearby room. Then, they were told to go into another room to be deloused; they filled the gas chambers like packed like sardines. After a few minutes of horrible suffering, the victims died. The bodies were then transported to ovens where they were burned.(Weapon of War) The gas chambers were not large enough to execute great numbers at a time, so crematoriums were built. The crematoriums would burn 2,000 bodies in less than 24 hours. Many Jews and non Jews tried to escape from Auschwitz. Some succeeded. Of course they wanted to inform the world of what was going on. Those who escaped wrote descriptions of the horrors they suffered. Information spread to many countries,yet no countries seemed to do anything to help the situation. In fact, as the war progressed, the number of prisoners increased. In total, between one and a half and thr ee and a half million Jews were murdered at Auschwitz between the years 1940 and 1945 Usually, the death camps were part of existing camps, but some new ones were just set up for this purpose. When the prisoners first arrived at the camps, those sent to the left were transferred to death camps. Once in the death camps the prisoners were again divided. Women were sent to one side to have their hair shaven and the men to the other. There were six death camps; Chelmno, Treblinka, Auschwitz (Birkenau), Sobibor, Maidanek, and Belzec. These camps used gas from the shower heads to murder their victims. A seventh death camp, Mauthausen, used a method called extermination through labor. Basically they worked their prisoners until their bodies couldnt handle it anymore and they died. In conclusion, The Nazis, organized the destruction of the Jews. Why they did it is unknown. Perhaps it was because of a history of tension between the Christians and Jews, or perhaps, because Hitler needed a scapegoat for Germanys problems. People throughout history have been murdered; but never as many people as during the Holocaust in such a short period of time. One third of all the Jews in the world were eliminated. Hitlers method of killing the Jews and other undesirable people was first by torture and then by plain murder. In the early days of his leadership, he took away their rights as citizens and then as people. They were treated like slaves and lived like animals. After 1942, his goal was to exterminate all Jewish and impure(Stillman) people. Many Jews were killed before that date, but they were a small number compared to the mass murdering of the Holocaust.

Frankish Kingdom :: essays research papers

The Frankish Kingdom was seen as a great military power in the time of Clovis. Early medieval Europe was primarily under the control of the Roman Empire. Syagrius, the king of the Romans and his son Aegidius were living in the city of Soisson when Clovis decided to show off his military excellence. Clovis marched against Syagrius and eventually defeated him by disposing of his army and forcing him to flee the area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Syagrius fled to the kingdom of Aralic. In another show of his power, Clovis scarred Aralic into giving Syagrius up or he would be marched on as well. Out of fear, Sygrius was given up to Clovis and secretly killed. This was the beginning of the power and respect that was to come for Clovis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clovis did not believe in Jesus as being a true god. His mind would change in the near future. He married a woman who was a believer in the Christian religion. The way he would be converted to the Christian religion was very fitting for this military leader. Clovis’ wife would try to convince him that the Christian religion is the one for him. He would not change his mind until he was on the battlefield. He was in the middle of a conflict with a man named Alamanni and his army. Clovis’ troops were being annihilated, so he would ask Jesus for help in exchange for his faith. He looked to Jesus to help him survive this battle. If he would survive, he would hold the god of his wife as the same holy god for himself, and would be faithful to the lord. As Clovis asked for the aid of the lord, Alamanni retreated and soon after was killed. In this event, Alamanni’s troops surrendered and Clovis was then victorious. After this, Clovis kept his word and converted to the Christian faith. Along with himself, three thousand of Clovis’ followers were baptized on Christmas day. The conversion of Clovis in 496 was a decisive event in the political and religious future of continental Europe. By converting to the Christian religion, Clovis would gain the favor of Constantinople and among the people and clergy of the Roman population in Gaul   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Under the leadership of Clovis, the Franks acquisitioned the former Roman territories in Gaul and in Germany. Clovis would also gain the Burgundian people. They would abandon Arianism, along with many other peoples.

Broken Dreams :: essays research papers

Luke is jogging down the ground, followed closely by a stalker. He feels the hot, heavy breath of his follower on his neck, and can see his large shadow looming in front of him. He tries to fun faster to get away, dodging and weaving, but cannot seem to shake him; he is with him every step of the way. There is no escape. A call from a mate is an enormous relief; Luke has been rescued. He passes the ball to his mate, and continues running towards goal. Ryley lines up for goal about forty meters out, and with a superbly executed drop punt, sends the ball sailing through the goal posts. He kicks the first goal of the 2005 premiership season, and puts the Falcons six points in front, after only three minutes into the first quarter. The crowd erupts into applause and begins to chant, ‘Falcons, Falcons!’ Luke knew that this season would be a lot better than the last. This year he is going to be injury free and the critics have already ranked him highly in the running for the b est and fairest player at the end of the season. The Falcons were also tipped to finish in the top four this year, even though they did not have a full coaching staff. The game continued with a bounce from the umpire in the centre of the oval. The ruckmen battle it out, wrestling each other to get the tap needed for a break out of the centre. The football falls to the ground and is immediately smothered by desperate players trying to help their team. The umpire blows the whistle and signals another bounce. Again, the ruckmen struggle against each other, but this time the ball is punched forward. Luke jumps high into the air to seize the football, however comes crashing down and lands awkwardly, with other players falling in a pile on top of him. Everyone quickly jumps up and chases the pack of players following the ball. Luke is left lying on the ground, curled up in excruciating pain, holding his knee. The Falcon’s team runners come sprinting onto the field to attend to the injured player, signaling for the stretcher. Luke stands up, ignoring the stretcher, and is helped off the ground by two trainers. He is carried down into the clubrooms, where a physiotherapist attempts to identify the severity of the injury.

The Use of ERGs for Early Glaucoma Detection :: Medicine Medical Medicinal Essays

The Use of ERGs for Early Glaucoma Detection Glaucoma is a degenerative disease which can be caused by high intraocular pressure (IOP) (Glaucoma, 2002). This IOP arises in the aqueous humor, the area between the cornea and the iris, where a drainage system allows the aqueous to drain from this area and recycle (Learn about Glaucoma, 2002). A specific balance of the production and removal of aqueous determines the IOP. Either malfunction or malformation of this drainage system can cause a rise in pressure. The elevated pressure causes irrevocable damage to the optic nerve and retinal fibers as well as damage to the other areas of the visual system, which leads to a gradual and permanent loss of vision if not treated (Glaucoma, 2002). Damage to the optic nerve causes loss of vision because this nerve, or group of ganglion axons, is responsible for transporting images to the brain from the eye. While there are other possible causes of glaucoma, such as variations of the myocilin gene, IOP is thought to be the main cause (Learn abo ut Glaucoma, 2002). Treatment, especially with early detection, can slow or cease continued damage. Types of Glaucoma There are several types of glaucoma, the most prominent types being Open Angle, and Acute Angle Closure and the more infrequent types including Secondary Glaucoma, Congenital Glaucoma, Normal Tension Glaucoma (NTG), and Pigmentary Glaucoma. Open Angle Glaucoma (OAG), the most prevalent form of glaucoma (Glaucoma, 2002), is painless, and can go unnoticed without the help of an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Obstructed drainage channels, which develop over a period of time, characterize this type of glaucoma. These obstructions are not present at the openings of the channels, rather they occur inside the channels. The aqueous cannot recycle because of these obstructed channels, the IOP rises, and damage results (Learn about Glaucoma, 2002). Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma, however, is much more painful and results in rapid vision loss. In this case, the iris and cornea are not wide enough apart which can cause the edge of the iris to block the drainage channels (Learn about Glaucoma; and Glaucoma, 2002). Secondary Glaucoma results from other eye diseases or problems, such as diabetes, trauma, and tumors . Congenital Glaucoma is a rare glaucoma found in infants (Glaucoma, 2002). Normal Tension Glaucoma occurs in those with normal IOP’s but have damage to the optic nerve. Pigmentary Glaucoma results from parts of the pigment in the iris breaking off and slowly clogging the drainage channels. The Use of ERGs for Early Glaucoma Detection :: Medicine Medical Medicinal Essays The Use of ERGs for Early Glaucoma Detection Glaucoma is a degenerative disease which can be caused by high intraocular pressure (IOP) (Glaucoma, 2002). This IOP arises in the aqueous humor, the area between the cornea and the iris, where a drainage system allows the aqueous to drain from this area and recycle (Learn about Glaucoma, 2002). A specific balance of the production and removal of aqueous determines the IOP. Either malfunction or malformation of this drainage system can cause a rise in pressure. The elevated pressure causes irrevocable damage to the optic nerve and retinal fibers as well as damage to the other areas of the visual system, which leads to a gradual and permanent loss of vision if not treated (Glaucoma, 2002). Damage to the optic nerve causes loss of vision because this nerve, or group of ganglion axons, is responsible for transporting images to the brain from the eye. While there are other possible causes of glaucoma, such as variations of the myocilin gene, IOP is thought to be the main cause (Learn abo ut Glaucoma, 2002). Treatment, especially with early detection, can slow or cease continued damage. Types of Glaucoma There are several types of glaucoma, the most prominent types being Open Angle, and Acute Angle Closure and the more infrequent types including Secondary Glaucoma, Congenital Glaucoma, Normal Tension Glaucoma (NTG), and Pigmentary Glaucoma. Open Angle Glaucoma (OAG), the most prevalent form of glaucoma (Glaucoma, 2002), is painless, and can go unnoticed without the help of an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Obstructed drainage channels, which develop over a period of time, characterize this type of glaucoma. These obstructions are not present at the openings of the channels, rather they occur inside the channels. The aqueous cannot recycle because of these obstructed channels, the IOP rises, and damage results (Learn about Glaucoma, 2002). Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma, however, is much more painful and results in rapid vision loss. In this case, the iris and cornea are not wide enough apart which can cause the edge of the iris to block the drainage channels (Learn about Glaucoma; and Glaucoma, 2002). Secondary Glaucoma results from other eye diseases or problems, such as diabetes, trauma, and tumors . Congenital Glaucoma is a rare glaucoma found in infants (Glaucoma, 2002). Normal Tension Glaucoma occurs in those with normal IOP’s but have damage to the optic nerve. Pigmentary Glaucoma results from parts of the pigment in the iris breaking off and slowly clogging the drainage channels.

Terry Gilliam

To tell you the truth, last Friday I really did try to watch the movie and keep myself awake but no matter what, I still kept on dozing off. Although I was able to understand a bit, I still had to watch It again for me to have a better and deeper feel of the story. Knowing that It was produced In 1985, I would say that the plot and setting was pretty genius. The lead actor had to be really good to pull It off or else everything would have been so awkward.Well actually, the movie did not Interest me t all, I got really bored watching It, not because It Is badly written nor directed, It Is Just that It Is not my kind of movie but I really did appreciate Brazil; Its story, actors, direction, technique, script and everything else, I find It really brave of them to produce a movie such as that. I think it was really risky since not everyone can grasp the full implications of satire movies. L, too, had a hard time understanding everything: I had to read articles online just so I could full y get it.The message that the film wants to convey to the viewers is really extreme, to the point that not everyone can get it since some would think that it is only mere entertainment. I think it was creatively presented but it did not have any impact on me. There are those movies that would make you realize stuff about life, there are those that will make you cry and sad, there are those that will make you want to fall in love but Brazil, well it is imaginative but it really is not my kind of movie.

Operation Strategy(Dell, Amazon.Com & Ibm) Essay

Question: Discuss operations strategies of three companies. Answer: Operational Strategy: Amazon.com Introduction: Amazon.com has become the largest customer friendly online retailer and provides one click purchase facility to its wide range of products including books, music, toys, gifts, electronics etc. For 2011 Amazon’s net sales documented the value of $48077 million to earn net income of $631 million (Annual Report, 2011). Currently, Amazon is serving more than 137 million of its customers with its 56200 employees all over the world. Moreover, International traffic also ranks Amazon at 16th position. However, Amazon achieved this milestone through deploying its three fold strategy of limitless inventory, customer convenience and low price. The purpose of current study is also to explore that how Amazon achieved its objective by using its digital channel. 1. Mass Customization: Primary difference between a physical retailer and Amazon is its online operations that allow Amazon to adopt mass customization. Amazon.com provides an opportunity to offer huge collection of books, music or other products without keeping them physically on shelf. Millions of books are available at Amazon for purchase while a large brick and mortar store is required to keep such huge inventory. In 1999 Amazon consistently added new product line or capabilities after every six weeks to increase its sale revenue. Currently, its product range can be divided into 34 broad categories. Such product customization differentiates Amazon with its competitors. It is argued that product customization is a critical source of competitive advantage even as compared to price competitiveness as it allows customers to select products according to their needs and wants at one place. So, one can attribute such mass customization to the success of Amazon.com. 1.1 Amazon Operating Models: However, to provide such mass customization Amazon follows its three  operating models. First, it sells its own inventories and manages customer relation and supply chain on its own through Amazon.com. Second, Amazon also act as third person and allow other companies to place their products at Amazon.com for sale. However, Amazon only manages front end customer relations while logistic issues are controlled by sellers. In 1999 Amazon offered Z shop facility that allows small companies to sell their product through Amazon.com. His strategy was to compete with e-bay who was also providing similar services of auction. At last Amazon has also introduced its e-commerce solutions and design web sites and offer hosting services to its customers. In other words these three operating models provide huge collection of products that is consistent to its business strategy limitless inventor y. 2. Integrated Business Operations: Success of Amazon strategies lay within its integrated business operations. Figure 1 illustrates that how Amazon fulfill its customers order through integrating its operations. Amazon.com server uses the supply chain optimization software to predict demand and also optimize its supply chain. In first step customers’ data for credit card is processed to finalize their orders. Amazon warehouse is also information about customer order in this respect for coordination. This is done to find out stock information at Amazon warehouse. However, in case of shortage at Amazon warehouse appropriate suppliers are selected. This information is transferred to publishers, music companies and electronic OEM for further process. After receiving order information publishers, music companies and electronic OEM dispatch required products physically to the nearest Amazon warehouse. At Amazon warehouse these items are packed and also send to customer place through UPS or US postal services. In this way Amazon develop integrated business operations that share information over its network for effectiveness. Figure 1: Amazon Network of Fulfillment Amazon integrated system speeds up the process and customers can receive their product at same or next day. This will positively contribute to customer’s loyalty. Moreover, Amazon also made required changes to its fulfillment system when needed especially for huge order fulfillments. For instance Amazon received record advance order of 275000 for single volume of Harry Porter. This challenged information staff at Amazon. During such event  Amazon mailed to its customers for confirmation of delivery information. Moreover, before shipment data regarding each package was updated. For Shipment purpose Amazon contracted with FedEx for shipping 250000 orders at released date that scheduled 100 flights to fulfill orders. In this way, Amazon successfully met such huge order fulfillment on released date. 2. Low Cost Strategies: Porter (1980) argued that firms can gain sustainable competitive advantages through adopting differentiation, cost leadership or focus strategies. While on the other hand Loudon & Loudon, (2006) argued that firms can gain cost leadership through online operations as it reduces ordering and inventory cost. Mass customization at Amazon also augmented its profitability through high activity with low variable cost. Fixed cost per unit decreases with the increase in activity as compared to variable cost per unit (Drury, 2006). While in case of Amazon fixed cost of system dominates as comp ared to nominal variable cost. Cost of technology, many parts of fulfillment cost and advertisement costs are fixed in nature. On the other hand Amazon is bearing nominal variable cost. This indicates that high activity will lead to low fixed cost per unit cost that Amazon can use to settle for low prices. So, this mass customization will also lead to high productivity that ultimately will optimize profits through decreased fixed cost per unit. Moreover, Amazon also reduces its costs through cross docking shipments. For instance Amazon place its different items like books, toys, electronic etc simultaneously in single order to the closest warehouse located near to customers. To do so, Amazon uses its â€Å"12 technologies† to optimize solutions and to predict demand. 3. Customer Fulfillment Network (CFN) Strategy: On the other hand Amazon has also adopted the customer fulfillment networking (CFN) strategy that emphasize to augment gross profit margins through purchasing books directly from publishers rather than involving distributors who add their profits. CFN strategy was developed to integrate customer relationship management and order fulfills management applications. CFN system compares customers’ demand with their capabilities to recognize that whether Amazon can fulfill their orders with reasonable profits or not. It also allows predicting dynamic demand that ultimately reduces the carrying cost and transportation cost at Amazon warehouse. Moreover, it also allows improving their cash flow as less cash is tired up in inventory and increase inventory turnover that ultimately augments firm’s  profits. 4. Customer Centric Strategies: One can also explain Amazon’s success in respect of its ability to extract and use of customer information. Amazon keeps a complete record of all of its customers. Amazon main a data base that knows that when and what a customer orders. If a customer has not been placing order for some time then Amazon sends him an e-mail coupon containing information regarding entirely different or related product line to stimulate customers for reordering. For instance it is possible that you will receive an e-mail regarding computer equipments products if you last purchased a notebook. 4.1 personalized Options: Similarly, Amazon.com also provides convenience in selecting products over its website through customization. Web pages are customized according to the liking of their customers. One can easily personalize his selection when he login as a customer at Amazon.com. All the Amazon products are divided into 34 broad categories. A person can select and search within these 34 broad categories easily. It is consistent with their strategy of providing convenience to customers. 4.2 Customer Review: It is argued that digital means of information can be used to communication product quality and also creates a bond between buyers and sellers especially within online markets (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2006). Amazon also stimulates its customers to write editorial and review of book they purchased. This option of book review communicates positive information to other potential customers and increases the like-hood of purchase. It is also consistent with Chevalier and Mayzlin, (2006) who also argued that improvement in scores obtained by a book through book review contributes to purchase intentions and lead to high sales revenue. 4.3 Quick Shipment: Providing hassle-free fulfillment of customers’ order is also viewed as one of the key success areas of Amazon. For most of the product Amazon offers same or next day fulfillment. This is what makes different Amazon with other online retailers. However, Amazon does this through its integrated order fulfillment process as demonstrated in figure 1. Operation Strategy: Dell Introduction Dell is a technological sales company which performs their business in the whole world as is possible to see in the following diagram. With net revenue of $61,133,000,000 is the second largest computer manufacturer company in the word and the number one in United States. Dell focuses on Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C) commerce to satisfy their business and individual customers. Dell differentiates between classes of customers because the needs of their business customers, who buy large quantities of computers, are different than the individuals who want to configure a single unit. The present document is oriented to analyze Dell just since the point of view of operations management starting with a review of the company, after a look over Product design process, the internal process and the technology associated, how Dell forecast the coming productions rates, how Dell manages their inventory, which is the quality model followed by the company, which is the human resource strategy to finalize with conclusions and reflections. 1. Operations Strategy Identify the operations strategy of Dell is go almost in all the main activities of the company where operations is relevant. Under this perspective, the list of strategies is related to some areas of operations inside of the company: * Be the greenest technology company on the planet and the first computer company to achieve carbon-neutral operations by the end of 2008. * Continue leadership with the climate strategy and global recycling programs. * Partner with customers in energy-efficiency and climate-protection initiatives. * Broaden the Global Citizenship commitment. * Recommit efforts to improve sustainability governance. 2. Product design process For Dell, Globalization has impacted directly in the management of the product life cycle involving more stakeholders during the process of product development; thereby the complexity of this process has become more complex  as well. The most important factor introduced in the product life cycle is the environmental issue. For Dell, the design products have to be energy efficient, to avoid unnecessary materials and to be easy to use, which is supported by rigorous business controls and supplier audits that consider (Dell, 2008): * Energy Efficiency: Dell delivers optimized performance per watt, and help customers deploy systems efficiently. In this way, IT is an important avenue to decreasing cost of ownership and enhancing productivity while reducing a customer’s carbon footprint. * Precautionary Chemicals and Materials Use: Dell design to eliminate the use of unregulated substances if we believe they possess hazard characteristics similar to other, regulated substances. If alternatives are not yet viable, Dell works to develop reliable, environmentally sound and commercially scalable solutions. * Supply Chain Sustainability: We expect suppliers to uphold the same commitment to environmental responsibility as we do, as a condition of doing business with them. Dell design activities are compliant with this internationally recognized standard for environmental management system criteria (ISO 14001 certification program) Other main stream of definition of what Dell is doing in terms of product design rely on the participation of their own customers. The website â€Å"Dell Idea Storm† (http://www.ideastorm.com) where customers participate directly in the conceptualization of products giving their own ideas of develops, voting for another ideas already posted or simply criticizing products from the company. This website is a very comprehensive platform to cover an appropriate SWOT analysis of products design due to the huge variety of post and group discussion on it. 3. Processes and Technology 3.1 Production process The well known operation model of Dell called ‘Dell Direct’ base its value added in just work on demand eliminating intermediaries in procurement, manufacturing and distribution processes. The technology used by the company in the manufacturing process is the base of success and therefore play a very important role in its operations. Dell’s technology allow to the company to combine its resources, its relationship with suppliers and its consumer communication capabilities, developing one big advantage over its competitors. Dell is in â€Å"Mass Production† process category due to mainly the stable demand of products, the assembly work as a main line of production and with a good level of efficiency. To consider Dell as a manufacturing or assembly company is a constant discussion even for the employees of the company. Due to the nature of the products (mainly computers) they build new products that do not exists in the market, in this sense they are manufactures. But in another sense they just assemble component which production is on suppliers, in this sense could be considerate that dell â€Å"buy to sell†. In this document the company will be considered as a manufacturer company. The generation of innovative ideas for the production line is pulled due to the necessity of new kind of products defined basically due to the interaction with suppliers and customers. All the Dell manufacturing centers use the same processes enable by the same systems and are measured in the same way. This insurance consistency award quality across the global network and also allows identifying and implementing best practices. The standardized process of manufacturing is divided as is illustrated in the following diagram. Final Test and labeling Order accumulation area Software Installation and Testing Customer Order Pull Kiting Boxing Build These processes are described as follow: * Customer order pull: receive the electronics orders closer to the ship destination. In this point the order is transferred from Dell order management systems to the Manufacturing scheduling system. The servers of the facility keep the track of order process associating serialized parts with unique codes. * Kitting: the build to order process of Dell generate request for materials which is delivered to the factory. Since there are no warehouses the inventory system is very important and every part is serialized and labeled since this is received from suppliers (which are basically important for Dell quality system). The scanning of these tags associated to the order indicates to the personnel which components should be part of a specific order, and at the end of the kidding line, all the parts of a single unique order are ready for the next step. * Build: the scan of the code associated to the single order gives to the personnel specific instructions to builders based in the customer requirements. In this step, Dell associates every single component using bar codes to the order allowing a better quality control for the company. * Software Installation and Testing: Directed by the main brain, the central gives specific instruction to ensure all the components are presents and operating properly before to install any software in machines. * Boxing: This process ensures all the components required by the user are properly stored and ready for the ship. Once finished the boxing, the order goes straight for shipping or the order accumulation area. * Order accumulation area: When the client creates and order, all the required products start at the same time but not all of them finish at the same time due to process variability. Once all of them are finished the shipping process starts. * Depending form the order, there is an external synchronization with others manufactures as monitors or printers manufacturers for example, which allow to Dell to reduce inventory with extern products to the production line. 3.2 E-business E-business is central to Dell’s entire operations and Dell uses e-business extensively across its entire value chain to deliver high levels of service to its customers and suppliers. Dell basically does trades with two of the four main kind of e-business (B2B, B2C, C2B and C2C) and both of them based in the internet architecture * B2C: the main stream is represented by direct communication between Dell and their customers. Internet allows this direct communication avoiding intermediaries. This guarantees a good quality service for the customers, efficient processes, decision makers in real time, higher customer expectations and globalization. * B2B: this stream of communication connects Dell with their suppliers allowing and efficient process of communication with the same benefits described in B2C. Also, the when big corporations and governments are clients, the definition of relation is established in a very particular way treating them as a special customers that need a special attention. 3.3 Technology In terms of technology, Dell in all its experience in all the manufacturing centers has implemented a large number of solutions in order to accomplish a constant improvement in the value chain. Basically, the main source of constant improvement has been Internet, helping Dell to establish good relations with both their suppliers and their customers. The high level of integration that this technology has allowed is on simple evidence through the corporate website (www.dell.com) where for example suppliers are allowed to follow their material as it used throughout Dell’s operations. They can log-on, drop off invoices, check engineering change orders; review negotiated and forecasted cost reports, and track their overall performances and progress. The â€Å"Dell i2 Supply Chain Management (i2SCM)† is the name of the solution implemented to cover communications necessities with suppliers. This implementation enabled to Dell to reduce costs providing component suppliers and Dell planners with global views of product demand and material requirements. In partnership with IBM, both have managed to maintain high employee productivity. The join in between companies to design the productions lines provide near unlimited availability to their IT infrastructure. Another outcome of this partnership is the use of electronic catalog with appropriate search functionality. As an example time ago, Altiris Recovery Solution was selected by Dell for integrated delivery of backup and disaster recovery. Altiris along with Dell Open Manage Client Administrator (OMCA) will provide â€Å"Direct integration of Altiris backup and recovery technology with Dell OMCA which helps ensure business continuity and helps provide additional cost savings for Dell customers through proactive IT management†. These factors implemented into a concrete disaster recovery plan provide Dell and IBM with the confidence to scale and complex IT network. 3.4 Production Layout Dell is by definition an assembly manufacturer company, where basically the process is only one and the assembly line as well. Dell does not build any part or piece of the computers, lodging basically in their own suppliers which have the necessary expertise and commitment with dell’s production line. If we consider Dell and their suppliers as a unique company it will be represented as typical â€Å"Process Layout†, and Dell will be of course in this exercise the assembly department. The main advantages of the â€Å"Product layout† (or assembly line production layout) are: * The amount of time for a product to be ready is faster in general if it is compared with other kind of process layout. * The set up cost of the product layout is low due to the facilities does not vary in position and functionality. * Due to the tasks of every stage are very specific, the efficiency of this kind of distribution (production layout) is higher than others types of layouts. This very related with the high continuity of the assembly line. * The necessary planning in order to be concern about matters like synchronization is very low if it is compared with other layouts, this because is just one continue line. * The required level of expertise is not so important as well considering that the main task is to assemble. There is no much hard production processes to take care about. * For Dell the level of inventory is very low, maybe too much low considering the average industry in â€Å"Products Layout† companies. This is because the technological advantage of Dell using Internet. As negative point in Dell layout oriented to product, it is possible to say that the required infrastructure is more expensive than other layouts because the high degree of cohesion that should exist in the assembly line which it demands a high technology and dedicated machinery. 4. Supply Chain As is possible to appreciate, Dell Company is in the middle of all the operations since suppliers till the final customer. The simplicity of this model put on evidence the absence of intermediaries in the supply chain, which is synonymous of low cost, fast answer to client’s orders. The communication between Dell and suppliers is by Internet, and in real time which it means that the suppliers are constantly monitoring the status of components in order to prepare new orders and negotiate the prices on demand. Usually suppliers have warehouse building nearby Dell’s Manufacturing Centers in order to reduce the risk of lack of components in the main assembly line of Dell and assuming at the same time the inventory costs that Dell is avoiding. The suppliers usually feed the starting point of the Dell’s assembly line, but as the illustration show, it is possible to have some suppliers after the production line of Dell (even out of Dell facilities). Partnership with screen or printer manufacturers, allow to the final user to order for products that are absolutely out of Dell’s production lines, and it is just necessary to complete the order in their warehouses to finally ship the order to the client. Is important to recognize that the use of Internet is the blood of this system, without this technology would be impossible to coordinate such value system. In order to make the service easier for customers within this supply chain, Dell has divided their home page into a number of major customer groups: * Home & Home Office, * Small Business * Medium and Large Business and * Government, Education & Healthcare 5 Forecasting, Planning and Scheduling 5.1 Forecasting As a forecasting method Dell, as many other big companies, base their analysis on the records stored on the internal Customer Relationship Manager system (CRM). This system stores every registry made by customers in order to analyze the tendency of the actual behavior and predict demand for certain products in the future. Now considering daily operations on Dell, there is a â€Å"Short Range Forecast† process that operates constantly. Dell uses state of the art production planning programs that forecast the quantities of components needed to build  the computers. After those forecasts are made, supply chain systems pass those forecasts to suppliers, who respond with cost estimates and plan their production as a result. As the CRM, the mentioned i2SCM (technology section) is another provider of forecast information as well, providing real-time factory scheduling and inventory management. These methods used by Dell are considerate â€Å"Quantitative Forecast Methods†, leaving for decisions makers, the forecast that comes from â€Å"Qualitative Forecast Methods†. 5.2 Scheduling Dell bases its scheduling process in the system i2SCM system output. One of the basic tasks of i2SCM is to streamlines the supply chain in order to keep a constant flow of component in the starting point of the assembly line, and considering this, as a consequence is in charge of provide a manufacturing schedule the whole plant. This scheduling process is refreshed every 2 hours. 6. Inventory Management Dell has implemented â€Å"Just-In-Time Inventory System† which operates on only 6 days of inventory. This simple number implies a huge benefit for Dell because this enable to the company to reduce the warehousing costs, also is not necessary to hire people to put in charge and maintain the inventories and though technology become obsolete very quickly, for Dell this is not a problem because they don’t hold obsolete technology in its small inventory. The way how Dell controls, in terms of basic definition its inventory and the costs that this means is being a â€Å"Demand Pull Company† (used as well as a Lean system method), whereas one of its top competitors (Compaq HP for example) is strictly a supply-push company and operates in a more traditional manner. 7. Quality model Since several years, Dell has been operating their manufacturer plants using the production standards ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 (Dell). Dell operations in China have been distinguished by Ministry of Information Industry (MII) and China Quality Management Association for Electronics Industry (CQAE) receiving wards such as â€Å"Excellent Quality Management Corporation†, â€Å"Excellent Quality Management Team’s and â€Å"Excellent Quality Management Individual†. It demonstrates Dell’s commitment to providing high-quality products and superior customer experience (Dell). The main support behind this award is the constant focus in the customer-centric strategy, and the will for a constant improving in the quality management system. In Dell, the quality control process starts from engineering design and the early testing stages during which design for reliability is the priority. Been conscious of quality standards in early analysis of failure mode, the product design is based on typical customer profile and operation requirement. It is important to consider that reliability test and improvement are also keys factors to ensuring the best quality. In addition, Dell has extended the â€Å"quality chain† putting great emphasis on suppliers’ quality management, as the company always regards the quality of the components as crucial factors for product quality. According to this, Dell has established a set of scientific and complete management process, which ensures final product quality through rigid selection and process control of industry-leading suppliers. Considering the whole process, the Quality Management during manufacturing process is the strongest guarantee of Dell products’ quality. Engineering pilot and employee training are conducted before any new product launch. Through Statistic Process Control Quality Analysis, Dell is able to detect and improve incoming material and process issues, which guarantee the best manufacturing quality. 8. Human Resources Strategy Dell’s direct business model influenced an organizational structure that fosters direct communication and open-minded listening. As an strategy to  accomplish this objective is to listen employees, and this is done through â€Å"Tell Dell† program, a voluntary and confidential employee opinion survey. This program is developed to encourage employees to speak frankly and privately about Dell’s principles, values, strategies, policies, managerial effectiveness and employee engagement. In this way the HRM department, after taken the measurement, is able to act in direct response to surveys. Some responses to these kind surveys were for example in the past: * Implementation of an employee purchase program * Greater work-life flexibility * Streamlined decision-making processes * Increased focus on employee development * Improved customer solutions Less formal but equally important strategy to get employees feedback is Employee Storm. A tool that enables every Dell employee to bring experiences and creative solutions to Dell and our customers. With the objective to reduce mistakes and its consequences, Dell has implemented a strategy related to ethic tools. This strategy defines for example policies of communication in order to allow employees approach the company when they feel is necessary according to the defined Dell Code of Conduct. These policies are: * Open door policy * Global Ethics and Compliance Team * Ethic helpline Since Dell is committed to inclusion and diversity, their mission is to succeed in the marketplace by fostering a winning culture in which Dell employees are highly talented, committed, reflective of our global customers, and recognized as our greatest strength. For Dell â€Å"diversity† is the core of their values and winning culture. For this Dell has implemented the following activities: * Employees networking groups. A program that connect employees that share the same nationality, gender, ethnicity, etc. * Diversity Education and Training. Providing quality professional development opportunities to all employees. * Work/Life Effectiveness. Committed to balance the employees contribution to the company with their personal lives. Other areas of strategy where Dell has been working on are: * Global talent management * Employee health and wellness * Employee sustainability engagement Conclusions It is very interesting to remark that Dell, a multinational company with a big size, is successfully capable to repeat basically the same formula of manufacturing process in every manufacturing center that the company has. Dell has been able to repeat the best practices across the borders around the world which by definition represent a big challenge for any company. Never the conditions will go to be the same: restricted markets, cultural shocks for employees, different cost structure are some of the factor that usually affect multinational companies with operations in many countries around the world. Dell strategy found its success in basically the correct and optimums use of technology; Internet is practically the blood of Dell system, or the base of Dell success. Dell’s business model bases its success basically in Information technology. There is not a revolutionary change in the way how to do business, is just a perfect example of how to take advantage of technology to become the most efficient competitor in the computer sales industry. Even though Dell business model is very well know, has been a model very difficult to imitate basically because the huge investment that companies should do together with their suppliers. The supply chain structure in this case is the key of success. Is not a matter of investment coming just from Dell to have success, is a sacrifice coming from Dell, suppliers and partners that in some way are trusting in Dell way of doing business. Trust in the value chain, is definitely a very big competitive advantage for Dell. The product mix from Dell is not as broad as directs competitors are doing it, which in one way has allowed to Dell specialization, focus and expertise in the field. But is a risk at the same time because depending basically on a very limited amount of product and services it does not open many alternatives to explore new markets or develop innovative solutions amount the products and services. Even though Dell is considered a very successful business model, the company has been having problems. These problems are reflected in financial reports which indicate that Dell is not reaching the rate of growing that they were expecting. Although Internet is the base of its success, it has been a big problem for Dell as well, since the point of view that important bloggers has been complaining in the net about the pour quality of services and this has spread quickly between users a non god image of the company. Dell is working on this blog phenomenon taking care of every comment done in the net about their products and services. Another problem faced by Dell is that Dell is becoming victim of its size because they are trying to keep the rate of growing in a market where the value of their products fall significantly every year , this means that to keep the rate of growing is necessary to have a higher rate of sales. As a final weak point in the way how Dell is approaching businesses, Dell is relaying increasingly on new markets which it means that Dell is just applying best practices and knowledge in the field rather than go deep with a study of the new entrance. This could be a risk considering the diversity and cultural matters in between their customers. Operation Strategy: IBM Introduction: IBM or International Business Machines is a well known American computer manufacturer, founded by Thomas J. Watson (born 1874-02-17). IBM is also known as â€Å"Big Blue† after the color of its logo. The company has made  everything from mainframes to personal computers and has been immensely successful selling business computers. Drawing on the strength of the full strategy and change practice: Operations Strategy is one of the four competencies within IBM’s larger Strategy and Change team. The three parallel competencies are Business Strategy, Organization Change Strategy and Technology Strategy. Operations Strategy helps clients resolve a variety of critical issues from strategy and planning to day-today operational improvements. IBM practitioners specialize in identifying the capabilities that are required to execute business strategies and in defining how operational models should be configured, implemented, and continuously improved. With deep experience in operations strategy, IBM provide clients with the support needed to address the operational issues that are crucial to success. Helping clients with critical business issues: Clients look to Operations Strategy for help with these critical business issues: * Cost efficiency and performance improvement * Focus on company’s core business * Increasing shareholder value * Continuous process improvement * Maintaining competitive edge * Improving customer service quality * Migration to new technology * Product innovation management * Merger synergy realization. IBM experience in successfully formulating and implementing operations strategies lies in three main areas: * Helping clients formulate operations strategies that align corporate and business strategy with organization, technology and process strategy. * Providing process expertise for business process change, reengineering and operational improvement, cost reduction, Six Sigma, innovation management, and post-merger integration. * Assisting clients with outsourcing strategies and their execution, including make/buy/partner decision strategies, domestic and global outsourcing, and creating scalable operations. Utilizing a proven, consistent approach: All Operations Strategy engagements incorporate the following key elements: * Mobilization – Utilizes preparation and planning to help increase the odds of successful and timely project completion. * Situation assessment – Establishes a shared assessment of the current and future situation with senior client management. * Strategy development – Defines strategic options and specifies strategic initiatives which are Designed to create significant value for the client. * Implementation planning– Determines critical success factors and establishes change programs to implement the strategic initiatives. * Learning – Measures and adapts the strategic management process in real time utilizing key Performance indicators. Providing a full suite of offerings: Operations Strategy has a diverse range of capabilities, including: Rapid process change: * A solution for rapidly identifying and delivering a step change in process, organizational and systems performance. Rapid process change focuses on achieving tangible operating improvement results in an accelerated time frame. Six Sigma/Lean Sigma: * Strives to create both operational excellence and a strategic change in the culture of a corporation, division or business unit. These engagements  are designed to increase customer satisfaction and drive out costs by helping to improve processes linked to company strategy and key performance indicators. Six Sigma also helps build an enduring capability within the organization that can create and sustain competitive advantage over the long term. Design for Six Sigma: * Extends Six Sigma principles to the development of new products, services, processes, and plants that are designed to precisely meet client current and future needs. Strategic profit improvement: * A framework designed to deliver improved financial performance, including: increasing revenues and margin, reducing costs and assets, strengthening infrastructure, and positioning for future growth. Service after the sale: * Helps clients lower their customer service costs and find new sources of revenue and value-added differentiation. Product innovation management: * Supports the business decision making component of product development. These engagements are designed to reduce time-to market and product development costs and they help increase the pace of innovation. Enterprise focus: * Determines which components of a business are strategic and critical to success of the enterprise and which are not. Then identifies opportunities for improvement and transformation by comparing critical business requirements and operational capabilities. Shared services implementation: * Our team builds a business case for the transition to a shared services operational model, designs a custom shared services solution, and then works with the client to successfully implement the change. Outsourcing governance: * Helps organizations establish a program management office capable of supporting outsourcing Initiatives throughout their lifecycle, from qualification and assessment to development and Operation. Demonstrating success at numerous clients: At one client, a leading consumer electronics manufacturer, benefits of the project included: * Reduction of overhead costs due to redundant / inefficient overhead services and infrastructure in Corporate HQ and five worldwide product divisions. * Annual savings of over $400 million, including: agreements in infrastructure sharing and Governance, shared services and elimination of cost drivers and redundant resources, and establishment of a project management office for active savings tracking and reinforcement. At a large manufacturer of aluminum products, we developed and implemented a new operating model. The scope and results included: * Analyzed operations for 15 business units in 10 countries * Creation of global process models * Over $300 million in annual savings, including improved processes, continued focus on cost Controls, and adoption of best practices across business units. Finally, we developed an outsourcing strategy for a leading manufacturer of semiconductor equipment. The scope Included: * Working with client executive team to develop a vision and operating model * Implemented the model, focusing new investment in core business processes and developing and implementing the roadmap to outsource all non-core processes to save client significant cost and increase competitive advantage. IBM Clients: A small sample of IBM clients includes leaders of every industry and all levels of Government: ABB| Ford Motor Company| Motorola| Aetna| Goodrich Corporation| Novell| Alcoa| Halliburton| Panasonic| America Online| Honda Motor Co.| Raytheon| Ashland| IKON Office Solutions| Royal Philips Electronics| Atkins Nutritionals| International Truck and Engine Corporation| Selectron| Bloomberg| Lam Research| Siemens| BP| Lexmark International| Sony| Chevron Texaco| MCI| Tyco International| Circuit City Stores| McKesson| United States Department of Agriculture| Dupont| Medtronic| Verizon Communications|