Free Essay Home Depot History and Business free essay sample

First of all, I would like to thank you for giving me the honor to analyze your well organized and developed company. In this memo, I am going to discuss the strategic factors facing Home Depot, the strategies that the company has been following for the past years, and the distinctive competency Home Depot attain. Also, I am going to give my recommendations and opinion. Some of the strategic factors that Home Depot faces are related to product quality, price, advertising, store capacity, competitors, and customers independency and satisfaction. Most of these strategic factors helped in the growth and popularity of Home Depot. Home Depot offers good quality products such as home improvement products, lawn and garden supplies. Installation services for these products are offered too. Home Depot like Wal-Mart Company offers low prices everyday. Operational efficiency had been a crucial part of achieving these low prices while still offering a high level of customer service. The company assesses and upgrades its information to support its growth, reduce and control costs and enable better decision-making. From the installation of computerized checkout systems, to the implementation of satellite communications systems in most of the stores, the company had shown that it has been and would continue to be innovative in its operating strategy. In year 1994 Home Depot introduced a prototype store format that offered about 32,000 more square feet of selling space and a significantly broader and deeper selection of products and services, as well as a more convenient layout than the traditional stores. These Type (V) stores were designed around a design center, which grouped complementary product categories. Therefore, this wide store capacity enabled Home Depot to stock like 40,0000 to 50,000 products in each store. I think that this is a very good strategic factor that enables the store to offer a wide variety of products. Lowes is the main competitor against Home Depot. Both companies have big stores, and many products. But Home Depot is still number one. Mike Brune from the Rainforest Action Network declared that Its been a busy month for us all as we attempt to find out the implications of the Home Depot victory on the entire DIY (do-it-yourself) industry, get the all important details of Home Depots new policy, and actually determine to what degree the new policy is a victory at all. The short answer is that there is a lot of good news, with some large question marks. Home Depots announcement, and the extensive press coverage it earned, sent shockwaves through all of Home Depots competitors. (Mike Brune. Important Update on Home Depot and Competitor Policies. Retrieved October 5, 1999, from http://forests. org/archive/america/compdebo. htm). Home Depot has stores all over the map nationally, and is expanding worldwide. It recently put competitor Hechinger out of business, and before that Builders Square. (Rob Landley. A Case for Home Depot. Retrieved January 14,2000, from http://www. fool. com/portfolios/rulemaker/2000/rulemaker000114. htm). Congratulations on being number one in your industry. I would like now to discuss the reasons behind this success for year 2002 . I think that the strategies that you and your employees are following and the great customer service are leading to the growth and success of your company. Home Depot uses a clustering strategy to locate new stores closer to existing ones. The short-term effect is to lower same-store sales. On the other hand, this strategy can create a strategic advantage by raising the barrier of entry to competitors. It reduces overcrowding in the existing stores. It also allows the company to spread its advertising and distribution costs over a larger store base. I think that this strategy led Home Depot to have fewer competitors, and lowered the distribution cost. On the other hand, opening too much stores increase the expenses from equipments, products and employees. Even if, the company can afford to open all these stores, I do not think that the company should open many stores in one area. Another strategy that your company is following is focusing on customer service and satisfaction or what is referred to customer cultivation. Customer cultivation is the result of the provision of highly qualified and helpful employees, professional clinics and in-store clinics. When the company was faced with clogged aisles, endless checkout lines, and too few salespersons, it sought creative ways to improve customer service. Workers were added to the sales floor, shelf stocking and price tagging were shifted to nighttime, when the aisles were empty. Therefore, the availability of sales personnel to attend to customer needs was one clear objective of the Home Depot customer service strategy. It gave the DIY (Do It Yourself) customers the support and confidence that no home project was beyond their capabilities. Home Depot attitude of complete customer satisfaction has led the company to constantly seek ways to improve customer service. I think that this strategy is great and was worth all the expenses because the employees were free to sell during the day and focus more on the customers needs. It the good experience that brings the customer again and its the word of mouth that brings other new customers, therefore, customer satisfaction is the most important strategy that any company shall follow. The third strategy that you company is following is focusing on extensive advertisement. In year 2002, Home Depot spent $895 million on advertising, 9. 5 percent more than the $817 million it spent in 2001 and 24 percent more than the $722 million it spent in 2000. Home Depot is one of the nations largest retail advertisers and spends far more on advertising than comparable stores. Home Depot spent nearly eight times as much on advertising in 2002 than its nearest competitor, Lowes Cos. Lowes, which has just half the annual sales of Home Depot, spent about $114 million on advertising in year 2002. Jim Lovel. Home Depot ad spending $895M. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www. bizjournals. com/atlanta/stories/2003/04/28/story1. html). Therefore, extensive advertising is giving Home Depot a distinctive competency against other companies in the same industry. These strategies are implying higher expenses in order to be achieved, especially the huge expenses on advertising. I would l ike to make a comparison between two most growing companies in the USA (Home Depot and Wal-Mart) . In 2002, Home Depot spent 32 percent more than Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , the worlds largest retailer. Wal-Mart with annual sales almost five times higher than Home Depots spent $676 million on advertising last year. (Jim Lovel. Home Depot ad spending $895M. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www. bizjournals. com/atlanta/stories/2003/04/28/story1. html). Therefore, the more money you spend on advertising, does not lead to increase in annual sales but it leads to increase in expenses. Even though, the extensive advertising made this company have a distinctive competency against other companies but Home Depot spent $ 895 million on advertising and Lowes company spend only $114 million. It is true that the annual sales of Home Depot were more than half than Lowes but Home Depot can lower its expenses of advertising to 5 times and can still be able to compete with Lowes company. So, the main question for you is that can you plan a strategy that does not require higher expenses? I am not implying that these strategies are not working but I think that there should be a strategy that keep the company growing but at least lower the expenses. Net Sales had increase 10. 5% year 2003, comparing to year 2002.

Essentials of Finance and Accounting

Question: Discuss about the Essentials of Finance and Accounting. Answer: Introduction: The set up of ASOS happened in the year 2000 with the headquarters located in London. The company has crafted a place for itself in the industry by catering to the tastes of youngsters in terms of fashion. It is popularly known as the fashion point where fashionable stuffs are available. The company has a giant reach as it offers over eighty thousand brand and high end products through mobiles and web services. As per analysis of the annual report it is seen that the company recorded a strong growth in sales that surpassed twenty percent in comparison to the figure of eight percent (ASOS, 2015). The international sales also witnessed a jump of over ten percent. This is entirely by dint of technological improvement and developments made in each year. The company strives to attain the topmost position. Ratio analysis Profitability Ratio The profitability ratios are the ratios which help to determine the level of expenses and profits of a company. These ratios evaluate the companys profit generating levels, by comparing the gains and expenses based on various metrics (Christensen, 2011). Return on assets: the return on assets ratio help the investors calculate and measure the performance of assets in terms of profits generated by the company. This ratio calculates the assets efficiency in earning profits (Christensen, 2011). Higher the ratio, better it depicts the utilization of assets. Following is the formula which is used to calculate the return on assets. Return on Assets for ASOS Return on Assets 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 Net Income 36,866 36,950 40,928 9,904 10,849 Assets 4,77,897 3,79,963 3,11,751 2,06,278 1,36,168 Return on Assets 0.08 0.10 0.13 0.05 0.08 Gross Profit Margin: It denotes the profit made by the company after the cost of goods sold. For the computation COGS is eliminated and then the computation is done. Higher percentage is a good indicator and helps in providing a better result (Needles Powers, 2013). The Gross profit for ASOS for last five years is: Gross Profit Margin 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 Gross income 575000 485000 399000 252000 167000 Sales Revenue 11,50,788 9,75,470 7,69,396 2,38,023 3,39,691 Gross Profit Margin 49.97 49.72 51.86 105.87 49.16 Liquidity Ratio: Liquidity refers to how quickly the company can have access to cash. In order for smooth functioning of a business, company needs to maintain a proportion between its liquid and non-liquid assets. The companys ability to meet with its obligation in due time is calculated with the help of these ratios (Libby et. al, 2011). Quick Ratio: this ratio is a better indicator as compared to the current stock because the inventory part is eliminated at the very beginning and stock is not sold to repay the money. A standard quick ratio denotes 1:1 (Merchant, 2012). This ratio indicates that the funds must be adequate to repay the dents or obligations. The Quick ratio for ASOS is given below: Quick Ratio 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 Current Assets Stock 143 100 90 48 45 Current Liabilities 237 186 152 100 90 Quick Ratio 0.5 0.48 0.592105 0.537634 0.603376 Efficiency Ratio: as the name suggest these ratios are used to determine the efficiency of the company in terms of figures these are determined using the various incentives given by the company to its shareholders like dividends, bonuses, stock appreciation, etc. (Choi Meek, 2011). These ratios help the investor compare between two or more companies of the same industry. Earnings per Share: the earnings per share are calculated by dividing the total earnings of the company by the weighted number of equity shares of the company (Melville, 2013). These help the investors determine the gains made by the company per share issued to them. The earnings per share of ASOS Plc are: Earnings Per Share 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 Total Earnings attributable to owners 36,866 36,950 40,928 9,904 10,849 No of Shares 83,034 83,125 81,751 79,078 74,375 Earnings Per Share 44.40 44.45 50.06 12.52 14.59 Solvency Ratio: the solvency ratios help us to analyse the capital structure of the company. These ratios calculate the relationship and weight age among various sources of funds which are used in the business, as the cost of capital plays a very important role in the development of the company (Melville, 2013). Debt Equity Ratio: Debt equity ratio is the ratio between the total funds of the company with respect to total equity funds. This ratio helps to determine the ratio of outside funds used in comparison to owned funds. Some companies operate better with loan high loan funds whereas some not (Deegan, 2011). The equity ratio of ASOS for last five years is: Equity Ratio 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 Total Equity 2,37,315 1,93,031 1,59,799 1,05,987 72,120 Total Assets 4,77,897 3,79,963 3,11,751 2,06,278 1,36,168 Equity Ratio 0.50 0.51 0.51 0.51 0.53 Price Earnings Ratio of ASOS Plc International Limited: In order to calculate the PE ratio for ASOS Plc International Limited, we are required to collect some information - the price of the shares of the company and its last reported earnings. Using various sources the following data was collected, It can be interpreted that the investor is willing to pay a price that is 18 times the EPS of the company. Share Price movement of ASOS Plc during the year 2014-15 The following graph shows the share price movement of ASOS Plc during the year 2014-2015. It is clearly visible in the graph below that the share price of the company ranged from $ 3.3 to $ 2.7 during the year (ASOS Plc, 2015). No major or sudden movement in the stocks of ASOS Plc was witnessed. Therefore, we can say that the shares of ASOS Plc not highly volatile (Fields, 2011). Analysis of ratios of ASOS PLC The important ratios of the company are already given above. Further the important areas of the company will be put to discussion. Profitability- From the profitability ratio it is evident that the company has made significant achievements. The net profit margin has enhanced from 3 to 5 percent, the highest report was seen in the year 2013 here it clocked near 5%. The return on net assets is stable and is projected to have a strong performance with each passage of time. This report was highest in the year 2013. Liquidity In order to determine the state of liquidity we have calculated the current ratio of the company. The most appropriate liquid ratio for the company is 2. The current ratio is around 1.5 that is not efficient; however it is not harmful for the company. The liquidity is in a moderate state (Northington, 2011). Efficiency The efficiency of ASOS has been ascertained considering the EPS of the company. A good improvement is seen in the EPS of the company in the past five years. The company has correctly. The EPS of the company has enhanced by dint of higher profit and this has strengthened the company. Investment: the investment refers to the capital structure of the company. ASOS structures entirely on equity and does not contain any element of debt. Every activity of the company is supported by the funds raised through issue of shares. The solvency part is balanced by the capital structure of the company (Northington, 2011). The equity ratio of the past five years projects that ASOS has a stable position in terms of equity structure. The company has properly maintained the investment pattern in shares and the equity ratio of .50 is an apt example of the performance. Conclusion As per the research and financial analysis it can be commented that ASOS Plc has shown an impressive run considering the fact that its existence pertains to 16 years. It has attained huge success in a very short span of time. The management policies prove that the strength of the company is strong and fundamentals are justified. Therefore, it should be on the radar list of the investors as it is having a strong run and clocking better results. Moreover, the ratios are in tune with the performance of the company and near to the industry standards. References ASOS 2015, ASOS Annual Report and accounts 2015, viewed 17 August 2016, https://www.asosplc.com/investors/results-reports/2015.aspx Choi, R.D. and Meek, G.K 2011, International accounting, Pearson . Christensen, J 2011, Good analytical research, European Accounting Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 41-51 Deegan, C. M 2011, In Financial accounting theory, North Ryde, N.S.W: McGraw-Hill. Fields, E 2011, The essentials of finance and accounting for nonfinancial managers, New York: American Management Association. Libby, R., Libby, P. Short, D 2011,Financial accounting, New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Melville, A 2013, International Financial Reporting A Practical Guide, 4th edition, Pearson, Education Limited, UK Merchant, K. A 2012, Making Management Accounting Research More Useful, Pacific Accounting Review, vol. 24, no.3, pp. 1-34. Needles, B.E. Powers, M 2013, Principles of Financial Accounting, Financial Accounting Series: Cengage Learning. Northington, S 2011, Finance, New York, NY: Ferguson's.

Your Product Description Template How to Write Converting Product Descriptions

If you want to run a successful e-commerce store, you have a lot of work to do. Youll need to design the store itself, drive traffic to it, and more. However, most importantly, you’ll have to convince visitors to actually convert. Knowing the right strategies and having a product description template, therefore, can come in handy.Once potential customers are on your website, its vital to do everything you can to convince them to make purchases. One of the best ways you can do this is by focusing on your product descriptions. By using the right formatting, language, keywords, and so on, you can create persuasive copy to encourage visitors to take the next step.In this post, we’ll explore several techniques for writing highly-converting product descriptions. Plus, we’ll share a product description template you can use to get started. Let’s take a look! To illustrate this point, let’s look at a few numbers from Salsifys report on digital consumer behav ior:87% of consumers feel that product descriptions are very or extremely important when making purchasing decisions.Detailed product descriptions is frequently rated in the top three influential factors (along with price and ratings/reviews).About 50% of customers have returned a product they purchased online that didn’t match its description.(Chart by Visualizer.)If you want to drive conversions on your e-commerce store, the key is to create detailed, accurate, and compelling descriptions (and if possible to use a product description template). Let’s talk about how to do so.Four tips for writing converting product descriptionsThe good news is that creating product descriptions to encourage sales isn’t difficult. All it takes is following a few basic guidelines. Below, we’ll take a look at the four most important strategies. After, we’ll provide you with a product description template you can use to get started.1. Provide detailed informationYouâ €™ll often hear about how internet users have short attention spans. This can make it tempting to include minimal information about each of your products, in the hopes of not scaring away potential customers. However, this approach can backfire.While people may indeed be impatient in some online situations, shopping isn’t one of them. 85% of online consumers conduct research before buying a product, and 87% are unlikely  to purchase from retailers that provide incomplete or inaccurate information.If you want to convince people to convert, therefore, you need to offer them all the details they’re looking for:This means:Providing the key facts about a product, such as size, color, material, and technical specifications.Highlighting all of the item’s features – what can it do, and how can it be used?Ensuring that everything on your product page is accurate.The more information a potential customer has about a particular product, the more confident they ’ll feel in hitting the â€Å"buy† button.2. Focus on the product’s benefitsWhile it’s important to provide lots of detailed information, this doesn’t mean your product descriptions have to be dry lists of facts. A product page should inform the consumer – but it should also be persuasive.This means you’ll want to create customer-centric product descriptions:People want to know whether what you’re offering can make their lives better. To do this, you can:Make the benefits of your product clear right away.Identify your target customers ‘pain points’ and respond to them. How will your product simplify a task, eliminate a frustration, or enable them to do something new?Don’t just guess what your customers want. Instead, do some research and create a detailed buyer persona.When putting your product descriptions together, you’ll want to front-load this information. Instead of starting by sharing the thread count for a set of bed sheets, explain how the customer will be able to enjoy a more restful night’s sleep. After selling them on the product’s key advantages, you can then get into the details.3. Use powerful wordsSo far, we’ve been talking about the content of your product descriptions. However, the ideas you share arent the entire story. The specific word choices you make matter just as much.Some words encourage people to buy, while others dont. If you want to sell more products, you’ll need to focus on using terminology that’s attention-grabbing, and persuasive:Some of the words you’ll want to incorporate  include:â€Å"You†. It’s important to talk about your product from the perspective of your customers. This way, you’ll make your product descriptions more personal.Sensory terms, such as â€Å"see†, â€Å"hear†, and â€Å"feel†. These words encourage your customers to imagine what it will be like to use your product.Positive ‘power words’, like â€Å"empower†, â€Å"effortless†, â€Å"striking†, and â€Å"delight†. These terms provoke emotions, grab attention, and make your descriptions stand out. Just be careful not to go overboard with these – and make sure your product can back up your claims.It’s also important that your product descriptions are written in an appropriate way for your audience. This means adopting a relevant tone and choice of words – whether youre lighthearted and funny, or professional and no-nonsense.4. Incorporate relevant keywordsOf course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention keywords. Incorporating keywords into your product descriptions has two primary benefits. First, it improves the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of your product pages. About 69% of traffic to your e-commerce site is likely to come through Google, after all.In addition, keywords signal to potential customers that your product is relevant to their needs. If theyre searching for a particular term, and the same phrase appears in your product description, those customers can be more confident of the item matching what they’re looking for:To include keywords in your product descriptions, you’ll need to:Conduct keyword research, and identify phrases potential customers will use to search for products like yours.Select one or more primary keywords for each product (and be sure to include long-tail keywords).Keep these keywords at hand when writing your product description, and include them in multiple places throughout the text.To use keywords effectively, however, you’ll want to avoid over-stuffing your content with them. Its best to only include keywords when they’re relevant, and when they can be worked naturally into the text.A product description template to get you startedPutting these techniques into action can take some practice. To help you get s tarted, let’s check out a product description template you can use, based on the key tips we’ve discussed. Of course, feel free to tweak it as needed, to suit your store’s unique style and audience.Product title [Incorporate the primary product keyword.]Brief product description [1–3 sentences, in paragraph form. Explain the product’s benefits to the customer, and use powerful language.]Key Features:Feature #1 [Describe the feature and its advantages for the customer in 1–2 sentences. Include a primary or secondary keyword if relevant and natural.]Feature #2Feature #3Add as many features as neededProduct characteristics, variations, and specifications [This section will vary greatly depending on the product. Include as much detailed information as possible, and use lists and charts to make it easy to scan.]Call to Action [For example, a Buy Now  or Add to Cart  button. This should be clear and prominent.]Creating an effective product des cription doesn’t have to be hard. All it takes is incorporating the elements and strategies we’ve discussed, and keeping your ideal customer in mind at all times.How to increase your WooCommerce store’s sales even furtherThroughout this post, we’ve been talking about e-commerce stores in a general sense. Our advice and product description template can benefit your business no matter what platform you’re using.Of course, if you’re a WordPress user there’s a good chance your online shop is powered by WooCommerce. If so, we’d also encourage you to check out our own Revive Old Posts plugin: Revive Old Posts Auto Post to Social Media Author(s): revive.socialCurrent Version: 8.4.4Last Updated: October 3, 2019tweet-old-post.zip 78%Ratings 1,969,075Downloads WP 3.5+Requires This tool can be used effectively in combination with WooCommerce, in order to make your product descriptions more visible. By posting them to social media , you get them in front of more potential customers – thus maximizing their impact.You can even create multiple variations of your product descriptions and track which ones are most effective. This will enable you to create more highly-converting copy over time.Go to topConclusionThe goal of a successful product page is twofold. To start with, it needs to provide all the information consumers will need to make a purchasing decision. Plus, it should also be persuasive – making a strong case for buying the product through customer-focused copy and word choice.If you want to create highly-converting pages for your own store, you can use our product description template and remember to:Provide detailed information.Focus on the product’s benefits.Use powerful words.Incorporate relevant keywords.Do you have any questions about how to maximize sales in your e-commerce store, or how Revive Old Posts can help? Ask away in the comments section below! This product descript ion #template will have you writing high-converting #eCommerce copy in no time

The New Art Of Managing People

The New Art Of Managing People Introduction Organizational management is a holistic issue that requires absolute focusing so as to ensure that all aspects making-up the organization are running effectively and they meet the organizations strategic objectives.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The New Art Of Managing People specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Organizational management entails the alignment of the organizations mainstream resources such as the financial resources, the human resource aspect among others towards meeting the obligations of the organization to ensure that the organization is a profitable venture and it meets the needs and wants of the targeted customer. However, it should be noted that human resource is the most important resource of an organization. The effective and efficient running of a business should be based on the belief of continued innovations by the organization, the organization’s ability to adapt to the c hanges in its environment and the overall ability of the organization to integrate itself with the drastic changes in technology. This has made the efficient running of a business hard as there are many problems encountered in the management process. Understanding of the Book The need to develop strategies that are required to resolve issues that relate to management of personnel has been necessitated by the modern organizational management dynamism. The New Art of Managing People is a book that aims at coming up with strategies that can be applied by a management to resolve some of the problems that influence effective management in the organization. The book subject matter articulates around the creation of friendly and productive ties that exist between the management and the employees. The authors of this book have stated that effective management of an organization should build trust between all the relevant stakeholders as this would improve the organization’s performan ce. Therefore, they come up with practical techniques and procedures that can be used to resolve the issues in the organization on matters pertaining interaction between the employees and the management.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The book also suggests several process improvement strategies, proper human resource development strategies, transactional analysis of activities in the organization and effective decision making processes. In order that this book remains relevant as the years go by, the authors have attempted to relate these issues to the modern management. In this book, Hunsaker and Alessandra, (2008) establishes that management can forge an effective employee friendly working atmosphere that will ensure employees productivity is upped. The book develops ways that can be applied to develop interpersonal skills that can be helpful in the process of improving the communication between the management and the employees. The book postulates that the adoption of new skills will improve the employer vis-a-vis the employees relationship (Hunsaker Alessandra, 2008). Such an improved relationship has been cited as the backbone of the modern organizations in the sense that such an organization is grounded on effective relationship of trust and mutual respect. This means that the management does not necessarily need to use coercive forces to induce performance as employees are self-motivated. The book stipulates that the managers of an organization and all the other superior officials of the organization are not aware that there exists a problem in the organization with regard to the building and the maintenance of healthy and productive relationships in the organization’s human resource department. The authors have insisted that managers need to be in good relationship with their subordinates meaning that they should be able to understand the predicaments of their workers. However, this has not been the case. The relationship between the managers and their subordinates has been rocky because managers have not been trained on how they should interact with their subordinates effectively. Hunsaker and Alessandra, (2008), have discovered that many organization’s superiors are well trained in business management, but they have not been technically trained on effective methods to interact with their subordinates.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The New Art Of Managing People specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When compared to their preparedness in dealing with the technical aspect of the organization, the lack of effective training of management of their employees poorly prepares them to deal with people’s problems that may arise in the organization (Hunsaker Alessandra, 2008). Therefore, this book aims at helping managers develop s kills that will enable them to tap the potential of its subordinates in undertaking the activities of the organization which will spell absolute success for the organization, the management and the other organization employees. According to the authors, there are several ways that can guarantee proper treatment of employees. First, the management should respect its employees especially on their abilities to execute their designated responsibilities as hired to perform. Such an approach by the management can help greatly in the process of improving self-autonomy of workers. The authors of The New Art of Managing People have developed strategies that can be applied by people in management positions to evaluate the working conditions at an organization. Hunsaker and Alessandra, (2008), also presented strategies that can be used to improve those working conditions. The authors argue that it is very difficult for the management to change from its old habit of directing the subordinates b y issuing orders that are deemed implementable by the subordinates under the direct supervision of the superiors. Besides this, the book formulates ways that will ensure gradual transition from the old habits of management to new approaches in management issues. It has also been noted that transitions may be prone to mistakes and thus leniency may be required to ensure that employees are not reprimanded for this mistakes. It is further argues that the management should come up with a good transition process that guarantees an effective implementation of the new policy in the relationship between the management and its employees. This process can be achieved using a five-step process that is suggested in the book.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This process ensures that managers employ an interactive approach that will overhaul the interaction process in the organization. It holds that interactive managers have the opportunity of understanding their subordinates and thus, developing the required communication skills that will be applied in the development of mutual relationships in the organization. The book also postulates that an effective approach to management should be one that is promoted by open mindedness exhibited by the management and the organization of employees. These ideas suggest an outcome of friendly and extremely productive working conditions for all the organization stakeholders, thus improving on the organization profitability (Hunsaker Alessandra, 2008). The book holds that it is crucial that the management understands the differences that are exhibited by its employees and thus, take the necessary steps that will maximize the organizations gain from the diversity identified. The identification of the differences in employees behavior should motivate the management to handle this matter in a way that will ensure the differences are harmonized with the organization objectives. Importance of the Book Professor Hunsaker and Dr. Allessandra are seasoned and highly respected management experts and consultants and their combined effort in writing this book has stressed the vitality of an effective and efficient management of any organization. The book has put it in a nut shell that the process of managing the employees of an organization is an ever-changing field. The dynamics of management are constantly evolving; therefore, the management concepts that are proposed and being used at a particular time in an organization are likely to be obsolete in only a few years. The authors of this book have attributed the change in ways of managing organizations to the fundamental realization that human beings are constantly modifying how they accomplish different tasks from the previously used procedures. The business environments and the state policies that govern organizations are changing constantly, forcing the management to conversely adapt to the new demands. These changes have pushed the costs of production, training of employees in the organization and keeping the employees highly motivated up. The authors hold that this will continue escalating over the coming years. Therefore, a need to overcome these unprecedented adversaries in the organization management has to be countered or else the corporate world will be doomed to a disastrous tiding to the management. This book is written with the main agenda of coming up with ways that will overcome the traditional methods that dictated the manager-employee relationship in an organizations practice. The authors have illustrated vividly that an organization that has a friendly and productive employee-management relationship experience substantial benefits that are spread through the organization. The book is very crucia l in offering the organizational management the practical strategies with well laid out guidelines that can be applied by the management to achieve the ultimate goal of developing interpersonal skills that are held by the superiors. The acquisition of these interpersonal skills by the management will help in forging a good employee-employer relationship by identifying the differences that exist in its workforce in regard to appropriate use of knowledge, assessment of the current employee working conditions, improvement of the areas that are deemed to require upgrading, and lastly, in the overall creation of trust between the superiors and their subordinates. The book has identified that the acquisition of person-to-person skills that are held by all the employees of an organization is crucial to the overall central development of good teams. The book has stressed that letting the employees express their individual personalities will aid each one of them to achieve their potential an d consequently, to self-actualize. This reduces the stress and animosity in the organizations workforce that is brought about by strenuous bureaucracy. An overall positive interaction spirit is formulated in all the sectors of the organization. Consequently, this stimulates increment in organization productivity and profitability. The book gives very clear and vivid insights into the world of management to those who want to understand the concept of managing people. The book looks at management from a critical perspective of enhancing productivity through proper leadership skills that are geared towards having a robust working condition and cohesion among workers as a means towards achieving the set goals and objectives. This calls for the creation of a system that is efficient and effective in its dispensation of the identified mandate. Management in form of human resource entails having a workforce that is efficient in its coordination and that is free of stress associated with wo rk may it be long working hours or even the working environment. One of the weaknesses that I found in this book is that it does not cover the issue of stress management. Stress can be defined as lack of the ability to meet the demands that one is required to meet causing a feeling of anxiety and unnecessary pressure. Stress can have internal sources or external sources. Internal sources of stress at workplaces include the levels of bureaucracies and red tapes that are present at a specific work station, the time that workers are required to work and finally from the level of cooperation that is exhibited by the workers. External sources of stress include the conditions at the homes of workers or any other outside stressor. The most profound external factor is the work-family linkage, where social issues of family are imposed upon the workers. It is important to note that family issues will always affect level of competence either directly or indirectly as it affects both emotional and cognitive aspects. Despite the fact that the book was published in 2008, the authors might not have anticipated the impact of changing concepts of business management as the recommendations that the book gives may not be very effective in todays management of human capital. Due to such weaknesses the book may not be very helpful in offering technical insights for advanced levels of management students as there are other books that addresses the issues of management of personnel in more advance methods and offers more modern insights when compared to those offered in this book. This text may be better suited for beginners as opposed to advanced students of management. Another aspect of the book that I felt was a weakness is that the authors did not build on the necessity of creating a positive spirit in a company environment. The author focuses largely on managing the company in a structured way where management of various organizational aspects is given a horizontal approach, me aning that the communication model that is advocated for in the book is more of instructional nature. Such modes of communication bring about the feelings of superiority versus inferiority which may be detrimental in the process of management of human capital in organizations. Although this mode has proved to be efficient in dispensing work instructions, it has been categorized as being an anti-social approach at the workplace. Building a positive spirit in an organization entails letting the employees feel a sense of ownership of the success of the company. This allows them to own the success as being a part of them, which encourages workers to pursue teamwork. This is also crucial in individual empowerment. However, this leads to unnecessary competition as each of the staff would want to get an opportunity to be recognized as the source of a particular success. Another concept that the book has failed to cover adequately is that of seeking to reduce stress that is not related to w ork, but which impacts on the performance of the organization. Managers should, through the human resource desk, be able to have a therapist who should look into the employees psychological state of mind like depression, stress and other habits that may make such employees ineffective in their productivity. It is imperative that although the main areas of focus in workplace stress management are stressors that are work related, external stressors need to be addressed to ensure that the productivity of employees is maintained at its peak to guarantee maximum productivity in the organization. Lastly, although the book gives an insight on how to increase productivity and profitability, it is disappointing to note that some of the suggestions and initiatives given do not meet todays world dynamism of management, although they have a high potential of success. For instance, some books in management advocate that managers should come up with an interactive approach and go on to give the c oncept of a bicycle wheel where the rear wheel is the technical management and the front wheel is said to be the peoples knowledge, it is imperative to mention that the first goal of any institution is to make profit and, therefore, the issue of peoples knowledge is taken as a facade because it doesnt exist in real businesses, reason being that the workers views and opinions are not really taken into consideration. Although the authors advocates for the satisfaction of the employees needs and values as being the long-term measure of increasing their productivity, the satisfaction of employees to their maximum may not be realistic as it may be hard for organizations to meet all the needs of the employees and enable them to get ultimate satisfaction as far as their cognitive and social needs are concerned. Although I do disagree with some of the recommendations and opinions expressed by the authors, I find some of the strategies outlined being authentic and highly valuable. For instan ce, it is important for any organization to have a good working relationship between the management and the employees. This does not only give a sense of ownership of the organization by the employees, but it allows for sincerity and improved levels of competence that does not require the presence of managers to achieve the organizations objective. This means that employees continuously feel that they are appreciated by their employer and thus their commitment to the company remains undivided. When employees own up the organization procedures, they feel that it is their prerogative to deliver to the best of their ability, which translates to improved organizational productivity. In conclusion, it is important to note that Hunsaker and Alessandras work offers wonderful insights as far as management of human capital is concerned. The content of this book can be applied at the workplace in a number of ways. Although it has been noted in this review that this book has some suggestions t hat are not in line with today’s dynamism in management of human capital, the authors have managed to give many new insights that are of great relevance in management of workers. The book is also excellent for management students as it offers the necessary knowledge especially to beginners as they learn what is required of them as managers of human capital. Therefore, the book can be recommended to all management students especially those that are interested in advancing their knowledge on fruitful approaches to management of personnel. Reference Hunsaker, P. Alessandra, T. (2008). The New Art of Managing People. New York: Free Press.

A Critical appraisal of the Torrey Canyon oil spill and the Coursework

A Critical appraisal of the Torrey Canyon oil spill and the Remediative Response - Coursework Example dies show that many experts have been wrong to focus on dispersants as the main source of toxins involved in oil spill events, because oil itself has toxic effects that can outweigh the dangers of low-level dispersant use (Boyd et al 2001). Oil’s bioavailability to marine life is possible through four main pathways: 1) direct contact with the oil, such when birds dive through oil to catch fish 2) ingestion through eating prey covered with oil or that has recently eaten oil-contaminated food, or through preening their oil covered feathers 3) breathing in fumes or oil particulates suspended in the air, and 4) absorption, whereby toxins leach into the skin of sea creatures or the membranes of plants. Of particular concern is PAH, a highly toxic compound found in almost all oils that has a known association with cancers in both wildlife and humans. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are formed when organic compounds are not completely burned off during combustion (Srogi 1997). PAH contamination of the environment occurs through many of our everyday activities both at the personal and industrial levels, such as motor vehicle emissions, asphalt and aluminum production, oil refining, waste burning, and the combustion of fuels in ships and aircraft (Srogi 1997). When in gaseous form, PAHs enter the water system through precipitation and other atmospheric conditions. Oil leaks and municipal and industrial waste and are other sources of aquatic contamination (Srogi 1997). PAH is toxic in both fresh oil and in â€Å"weathered† or decomposed oil that has been exposed to natural atmospheric conditions over time (Neff et al 2011). Researchers have found that oil continues to leach from sedimentation under the water’s surface years after a spill. French, Banta and Swiss... This paper stresses that experience and research are leading the science community and environmentalists in new directions in terms of oil spill responses. Microbial degradation of oil droplets is one area of research that may lead to more environmentally friendly cleanup procedures. Researchers are aware that all natural environments contain bacteria that degrade bacteria. Microbes adapt to their environment; areas with regular spills due to ship traffic have local led developed microbe populations that live off the oils. Many types of these oil-eating microbes work together to break down the diverse compounds found in crude oils and other spilled substances. Researchers have attempted to genetically engineer microbes to enhance their hydrocarbon-eating capacity in future oil spills. This report makes a conclusion that while the U.S. maintains open-mindedness about the use of chemical dispersants, most of the world, rejects non-chemical oil removal in favor of mechanical methods. It is worth noting that the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited, which produces an annual report on accidental oil spills finds that over the past four decades there has been a decrease in the number of large oil spills. Unfortunately, we seem to have far to go in figuring out how to prevent them altogether, however, when we use experience and science to handle spill events more intelligently, we may begin to see less disastrous consequences from our response to spills in the future.

Microbiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Microbiology - Essay Example There are 2 types of photophosphorylation and they are cyclic and noncyclic. In cyclic photophosphorylation, the electron begins in a pigment complex called photosystem I, passes from the primary acceptor to plastoquinone, then to cytochrome b6f (a similar complex to that found in mitochondria), and then to plastocyanin before returning to chlorophyll. In the noncyclic type, first, a water molecule is subjected to photolysis and broken down into 2H+ + 1/2 O2 + 2e- The two electrons released thus from the water molecule are kept in photosystem II. The 2H+ and 1/2O2 are left out for further use. Thereafter, a photon is absorbed by chlorophyll pigments on surrounding the reaction core center of the photosystem. The light excites the electrons of each pigment and this causes a chain reaction. The reaction transfers energy to the core of photosystem II and causes excitation of the two electrons that are transferred to the primary electron acceptor, pheophytin.

Big issue magazine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Big issue magazine - Essay Example The organization behind the â€Å"big issue† magazine is divided into two parts, where there is the part that produces and sells the magazine to the street vendor network. The other part is a nonprofit foundation that helps the street vendors regains control of their lives (Oxfam, 2004). The magazines have transformed lives of many vendors who are in a position to feed and support their families. However, the sales of the magazines have subsided currently, due to the recession, which has affected advertising and general sales. Prior to recession, national and international donor funding are drying up. This paper will outline a brand-audit that should be performed to improve the image of the magazine and improve sales. How to upgrade the image and improve sales of the â€Å"big issue† magazine Image impacts a lot in a business especially when it comes to selling printed articles. This is the case because the appearance of a magazine determines its ability to attract cust omers in a distance. The â€Å"big issue† magazine falls in this category because image rebranding is needed to improve its old common appearance to a more appealing appearance (Rowell, 2012). The marketing managers should critically look into the image issue of the magazine as well as its contents. The new look of the magazine’s cover should be redesigned attractively is that it can stand out and â€Å"beat† the rest of the magazines. The customers should be able to notice and pick up the magazine instantly rather than flick through other magazines in search of the most interesting magazines. More so, the content in the magazine should be able to be captivating enough to keep the customers coming for more copies every day. In order to achieve this, the marketing team should consider on reflecting a shift to deeper and more political content because politics because politics has interesting contents that everyone yearn to know about. Hence, with these two achiev ements of rebranding the cover and contents of the magazines, customer’s will be change their usual perception towards the magazine by being attracted to it which eventually leads to more sales (Rowell, 2012). Customer service is a crucial aspect in any business and the big issue magazine should consider it in order to improve customer’s perception and increase sales. The vendors of the â€Å"big issue† magazine are homeless people and this has lead to situations where passersby insult and under grade them simply because of their status (Oxfam, 2004). The management of the â€Å"big issue† magazine should take another step of collaborating with numerous colleges within the city in order to offer these vendors with basic customer care skills. This will help them learn people body language and the telltale signs of aggression so as to help in confronting and solving possible disputes before they happen. The vendors will also learn how to be friendly and app roachable which in turn engages customers in conversation. This effort will improve vendor’s ability to attract customers and increase sales of the â€Å"big issue† magazine. Advertising is the basic boost of sales of any business because it reminds customers of their favorite product as well as informs them if there are any changes that their favorite product has undergone. In our case, the â€Å"big issue† advertisement could fall in the two categories of informing customers of the current