Improving Decision Making in the Coca-Cola Company Case Study

Improving Decision Making in the Coca-Cola Company - Case Study Example The experience of Coca-Cola which is discussed above has become a classic marketing tale documenting the mistakes that managers can make in their decision-making process. The failure of Coca-Cola can be largely attributed to two factors namely, narrow definition of its marketing research problem and poor judgment in interpreting the research planning strategies around it (Kotler and Armstrong 2001). The experience of Coca-Cola which is discussed above has become a classic marketing tale documenting the mistakes that managers can make in their decision-making process. The failure of Coca-Cola can be largely attributed to two factors namely, narrow definition of its marketing research problem and poor judgment in interpreting the research planning strategies around it (Kotler and Armstrong 2001). Managers became narrow-minded and myopic in diagnosing the problem that Coca-Cola was facing. Instead of looking at all the factors which may be influencing the buyers in their purchases, thes e managers only look at the taste of the product. Their research has focused only at the taste ignoring the customers’ feelings about dropping the product. It turned out that Coke’s symbolic meaning in the United States is more important than taste. Coca-Cola’s managers also failed to use wise judgment in the introduction of New Coke. Even though their decision of dropping the old Coke is warranted by the 60% acceptance rate of the new formula, they did not anticipate that the 40% might still like the old Coke better.  Conclusion Decision-making process must not be too narrow to overlook some of the important factors and details. As the situation of Coca-Cola shows us, managers should always avoid hasty generalizations and marketing myopia. In the business environment, decisions should always be grounded on all the factors affecting performance. Focusing on one aspect only will yield a one-sided and inadequate decision.

Marketing Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Marketing Communication - Essay Example Partnership with an agency will pool resources and promote a project with more people, expertise, and capabilities working towards the same goal. As a result, an organization can produce a synergistic effect greater what it could achieve on its own. Choosing a communication agency or what some call an information agency is, therefore, a pivotal task for the success of a particular communications project. There is no standard selection process for this task since organizations follow different approaches tailored according to their requirements. However, it should be done in a systematic manner so that the organization does not lose time, effort and money. All processes in communication agency selection start with the decision to seek an agency and henceforth, a definition of exactly what the organization will require from the agency (in terms of capabilities, skills, tasks, etc.) as well as the expected nature of the client-agency relationship. In defining agency requirements, a marketing audit may be performed. Current services must be analyzed to determine who is served well and how well. Marketing audit, Greg Clarke (2000) wrote, is a systematic information gathering process that highlights clearly where an organization stands along a scale ranging from no marketing to total sophistication. (p. 184) The idea is that by employing such approach a communication agency’s niche – a portion of a market segment in which that provider can meet specialized needs that are not being met by other providers as well as the specific services, capabilities, commitment, and experience offered – will be identified. An organizati on can, hence, filter out the agencies that would not meet their requirements. The downside of this process is that it could be a daunting task when performed early in the process.  

The Status Of English In Pakistan English Language Essay

The Status Of English In Pakistan English Language Essay It is a fact that English is known as lingua franca all over the world. Most of the People communicate in English all over the world. Through this process, it is a natural phenomenon that many words of the local languages become part of the variety of English that is spoken in a specific region. This research aims at finding Urdu and other local words that have become part of the English language spoken in Pakistani culture. It is a study of Urdu and other local words that have become the part of English in everyday communication. For this study we have selected the language of newspaper as it represents the language in use. English daily the Dawn and the news were selected for this purpose as they are the most recognized and reliable newspaper in Pakistan. The paper elucidates that there are a large number of local words which are part of English due to many factors. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Newspapers have become the necessity of modern man. Most of the people start their day by reading the newspaper they cannot make up their morning without newspaper. This is the reason that newspapers have got their way all over the world. They are available in every language all over the world that even a common man can get benefit of them. Newspapers reveal and expose that what is happening around you and keep us in contact with the society. Usually, they reflect all the fields of life whether they are general, public, local, social, political, cultural etc. English newspaper is a major source of language learning for English language learners. By reading newspaper they can improve their skill of reading. But it never means that they have to read the newspaper thoroughly,  they can usually find out their interested topics and scan it if it is interested  they read it thoroughly. When they read the newspaper on daily basis and may absorb a lot of information and have a good storage of vocabulary. Newspaper is a great tool for language teachers to demonstrate the skills of reading and writing and it also helps to form the structure of English. By reading the newspaper the student will be able to comprehend the concepts of grammar and its application. It is the beneficial for the learners to learn English inside or outside the classroom. By using the newspaper the students may also update their current knowledge with learning English. It is a common analysis in Pakistan that when we observe the content of English newspaper we usually find such words that are emerged from English into Urdu or other local languages due to culture association and bilingualism. One must have command on English language to describe the ideas in an effective way because the news profession is associated with proper usage of words and phrases. English plays a vital role in every field of life, it is necessary for news editors and reporters of Pakistan to play an effective role in news editing. This research is an analysis of language conversion in Pakistani English newspaper due culture association or bilingualism. Based on the data gathered from Pakistani English newspaper, this research shows the English words that have been converted into Urdu or other local languages of Pakistan. This research demonstrates how the English language is used in anon-native context. This also indicates that that different verities and changing are associated with bilingualism and multilingualism. This research aims to show the different verities of English due to language conversion in Pakistan and indicates the vital role of Urdu and other local languages to form the Pakistani English. We have discussed those specific features that have been occurred as a result of conversion. We have analyzed the data which is concerned with Urdu words and phrases. This research describes the various causes due to which language changes occur in Pakistani context. English is a global language that a unique status all over the world. It is the language of millions of people around the world. It is an observation that the amount of non-native speakers of English is more than the native speakers. English is an international language and it used widely all over the world because the trend of speaking English is increasing day by day and the people have started using English in their daily conversation. When they use it in a non-native context it expands as a replaced and reoriented language. English has acquired a dominant position in Pakistan. It is not only useful for being professional but it is considered the sign of victory, authority, and social supremacy. This kind of authority is clearly seen in Pakistan and the people swap from their local languages to English to be dominant member of the society. On the other hand, Urdu is also considered an official language as English. It is the language of literacy in Pakistan. The educated people of Pakistan consider it an ordinary thing to use Urdu feature into English. When two or more languages exchange or get in touch with each other it causes conversion. English has its own social and cultural status that is distinguished from the other languages at the word and phrase level. It is natural phenomenon that when English language gets in touch with Urdu it borrows a lot of words from Urdu and other local languages. A large amount of Urdu and other loan words have been entered in Pakistani English. They may at word, phrase or clause level. This research is to see through the conversion data in Pakistani English newspapers. The data has been collected from the following printed Pakistani English newspaper and magazines: 1. Dawn (daily) (Lahore) 2. The news Statement of the Problem: This research is based on the analysis of English newspaper and to check the frequency of words occurred in Urdu or other local languages. Objective of the Study: This study aims to find out the words of other Pakistani languages that have been occurred in English newspaper, in Daily Dawn and The news. To compare the common words occurred in both newspapers. Significance of Study: This study of newspaper provides us a thorough survey to what extent the Urdu words have been used in English newspapers. This is a beneficial research for language improvement of policy makers, teachers, students and assessment institutions. Limitation: We have studied thoroughly the reasonable amount of English newspaper Dawn Daily Lahore and The News. We have classified the section of newspaper. On the basis of this classification we have checked the frequency of the Urdu words occurred in English. Delimitation: We have studied ten newspapers of both Daily Dawn and The News on daily basis due to the time cost constraints and because they are the oldest source of information. Design of Study: This study is qualitative in nature. It is based on the Meta analysis of newspaper. The use of this method is appropriate with the purpose of this study. Research is conducted while using qualitative approach. Because the result of the data analyze is in the descriptive phenomenon such as words and sentences. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW What is language? When we discuss about what is language? It can be defined in different aspects. A language may be related to a specific field. Language can be a dominant position than all than language because its a natural language. According to Adebeyo (1995) Language is one of the major source through which the people organize their thoughts and expresses the feelings. It means that its only human language by which a man can arrange or express his thoughts in a better way. This supports the different senses of language. If the language will not be there no one will be able to express his thoughts and share his experiences with others. As a result people will not able to learn from them. Communication is a great tool that links the people of the world and makes the world a global village. These are some evidence that proves that communication is the most important factor of the society. It is proved by media, internet among others. Ormrod (1995) suggests that language may be described as a basic form of communication. According to behaviorist, language is learned through behavior like thinking, acting and feelings. Origin of language The interesting facts of living and human evolution are discussed in the origin of language. If we talk about written language it leaves some traces but spoken language has no traces. At the beginning, different system of verbal language emerged from non-linguistic and proto-linguistic source of communication. Before 4 million years human beings and chimpanzees had common ancestor. So, since the last centuries human beings have not found any signs how actually language developed because verbal communication leaves no trace. All human beings are born with the same linguistic ability, and no one has a biological ability to adapt a specific language. Any child learns the language from his social surroundings, if a child is left in a non-native context he will not be able to learn his native language and adapt the language of the society in which he is living. From this we can say that language is not an inborn ability. It is learned by the family, people living around you. Language is the only factor that discriminates the human beings from the animal. Changing in languages If we talk about language changing varieties of languages are spoken all over the world. In this part of study we will focus that when language gets in touch with other language it causes language change. When the speakers of a language use varieties of languages in a situation the language comes in contact. Traditionally language changes due to contact have been described into three categories. Borrowing Code-Switching Bilingualism Borrowing Thomason and Kaufman (1988:37) describes that borrowing is the involvement of the characteristics of other language into the native language of a speaker. The language of native speaker does not change but the change occurs due to adding incorporated characteristics. Coetsems (1988) defines the borrowing as when the language speaker is using the language in any other context, it incorporates the features of other languages. If Urdu speaker is speaking English language the transfer of the English language into Urdu is called borrowings. According to Bloomfield (1933), who was the first who attempted this study and classified the lexical borrowing into dialect borrowing and cultural borrowing. Dialect borrowing is where the borrowings are from the same speech and cultural borrowing is where the borrowings are from different languages. (Bloomfield 1933: 444). In cultural borrowing the words from the other cultures are borrowed. The word spaghetti is an Italian word which is used in the culture of language from where it is borrowed. Certainly, it is an essential phenomenon especially when we talk about the effect of different languages on English. Researchers are in the view that borrowing is a different phenomenon than the other language contacts such as emergence, code-Switching, and transfer. Poplack and associates (Poplack 1980; and Meechan 1995) are in the opinion that the phenomenon of code-switching and borrowing vary from each other. Code-Switching Code-Switching is a crucial consequence of bilingual or multilingual speaker. A person who is bilingual or multilingual selects the language according to his/her context. The language that is selected by the speaker must be comprehensible for the addressee and the participant must understand it. (Hudson 1996). In communities where the people speak more than one language, they use different languages in different situations. The language is selected according to the rules of society in which he/she is living. Languages are varied according to situation. There is the difference between the language used in home and the language that is used in other places for various purposes. Switching refers overlapping between two or more than two languages. It switching is the interchanging between two languages or more than two languages. According to Di pietro in (Francois, 1982:145) code-switching is when the communicants communicate in more than one language in the implementation of speech act. Valdes Falhis in (Francois, 1982:145) refers that the code-switching is the interchanging of more than one language. Another definition that is proposed by Scotton and Ury says that the use of different linguistic varieties of two or more languages in the same context or conversation is called code-switching. But according to Weinreich (1953) definition, the people exchange a language to other because they want to change the situation of speech. When we observed the above definitions, it is very obvious that nobody can define the code-switching terminology. We have found divergence among the sociologists and linguists because the writers admit that there is uncertainty in this term. Types of Code-switching Code-Switching have been classifying by the scholars in diverse types. They have given different names to these types after observing the various cases. Poplack in (Romaine, 1989) illustrates these types as: Tag-switching, inter-sentential and intra-sentential. Tag switching: Tag switching means to connect one language into the other language and to switch a mark of a language into the other language. It can be at word or phrase level or both. Inter-Sentential switching: Its means the occurrence of switching outside the boundaries at clause or sentence level. This type of switching can also take place between the conversations of the speakers (Romaine, 1989; Myer-Scotton, 1993; Hoffman, 1991). Intra-Sentential switching: This type of code switching includes the various types of switching that take place within the phrase, sentence or clause. There are different styles of the language so we can not say that code-switching only occurs in the speaking of bilinguals. It can also occur among the monolinguals because of the styles of the language. Bilingualism Bilingualism refers to a person who can speak two different languages. In defining the term of bilingualism we have found the disagreement among linguists. Some linguists emphasizes that a person who is bilingual must have the command on two different languages. He should be fluent and accurate as native speaker in both languages. A bilingual person has a feature to develop the knowledge of second language and the ability to speak it. Types of Bilingualism Here are discussed three major types of bilinguals. Monocultural-Co-ordinate Bilingual: This type of bilingual learns the other language or second language to fulfill his requirements and to access the information related to his needs, to research the academic subject matter. He becomes bilingual but not bi-culture because he develops his language within a culture. Bicultural-Co-ordinate Bilingual: A bilingual person learns the second language within the speech community of second language for many reasons such as studied literature of their culture, history and tourism purposes. Bicultural-compound Bilingual: this type of bilingual learns two cultures and two languages. One at home and the other of the society in which he is living. The only way to tackle with these various definitions is to know that bilingualism is an individual feature and one can learn more than one language if he is competent enough, he can get the complete mastery of two languages. Pidgins Pidgins are one of the major aspects of language change. Pidgin Languages Pidgins languages developed from the distinguish language varieties. They are created by the efforts of different people who speak varieties of languages. We can not say that pidgin is the native language of some person. It is learned when people get in touch with the people who speak their language in their own context. The people who do not have the common language to exchange their ideas, pidgins develop as a source of communication between them. Holmes (2001) states that when two groups having different languages communicate with each other in such situation where a third language has position, this may called pidgins. When the people from various language contexts come in contact with each other pidgins languages are needed for their survival. For the slaves, the only way to communicate with their masters and with one another was pidgin that was their masters language. Cultural Impact on Language Language changes with the time and there are a lot of features that causes that change. As a person grows a lot of factors like family, region and culture can influence the language development of a person. A culture can introduce different words which gradually become part of the language. Human beings can express thoughts and communicate with each other through language. Simply the word that is uttered by a person carrying some meaning is known as language, whereas, the culture may be referred to the activities and doings of people. Every culture has its own identity. Culture includes religion, dress, art, games, music, rituals and law. Language policy, multilingualism and language vitality in Pakistan Pakistan is a country with multilingual speaker. Urdu is its national language and it is the mother tongue of almost 7.57 percent people of Pakistan, although it is used at a wide range in the urban areas of Pakistan. English is still official language of Pakistan as it was when British ruled in the subcontinent. There are some other major languages of Pakistan that are: Pakistani languages Languages Percentage of speakers Punjabi 44.15 Pashto 15.42 Sindhi 14.10 Siraiki 10.53 Urdu 7.57 Balochi 3.57 Other 4.66 Source: Census 2001: 107 English is the official language of Pakistan. It is government law, military language, language of business contracts, signs of shops, many street signs and other enterprises use English. It is the language of the courts also. In most of Pakistani schools, medium of instruction is English and it is taught to all Pakistani students at school level, while at university and college level medium of instruction is English. English is boasted by the media and press of Pakistan at large scale. All the major newspapers of Pakistan are published in English. A major news channel of Pakistan is Dawn news. Status of English in Pakistan English language performs various functions in Pakistan. English is Politics language. It is the medium of instruction in Pakistani schools and colleges. It is the source of education for the people because all scientific theories are in English. English is the language of press and media. It is the lingua franca. This indicates if someone has not the knowledge of English language, it is impossible for him to get a high status in society. Most of the people in Pakistan speak English just to communicate. They dont know the standard version of English. There are some people who are given the duty to use standard version of English. Some people say that English is not their mother language even then they can understand and speak the language. Some people in Pakistan like language teachers, policy makers, broad casters, and other institutions try to follow the standard version of language but some people just goof by the communication is affected in a bad way. Non-native Varieties of English According to Kachru (1978) who was the first introduced the nativized English variety in South Asia and he calls it English of South Asian people. In Kachrus point of view South Asia English is another linguistic phenomenon that helps in the identity of culture. He states that nativization should be considered the result of innovative trend in linguistics. These innovations are determined through the localized form of second language. After this development the new and non-native varieties of English were gradually recognized like Indian English, Sri Lankan English, Singaporean English, Nigerian English and Pakistani English. New varieties of English are termed as there are many recognizable varieties of written and spoken by a large number of people. No new variety of language is developed in isolation but it is dependant on the peoples communication needs who speak and write it. This kind of variety is known as interference variety because there is interference of culture and langu age in the culture and first language of the user. Several changes occur when the people of a language use it in various cultural situation or social context. When the non-native speakers use second language, they develops totally new version of expressions according to the communication requirements. If the bilingual person is the user of non-native variety then the different kinds switching transcription of codes, mixing and alteration are manifested in creativity. When two or more languages get in touch with another it causes the innovation. One of the major means of creativity in language is bilingualism (Talaat, 2003). The non-native verities are widely spread and have stable position that they are regarded as native like English. (Quirk, 1983:8). Bilingual Creativity in Pakistani English Newspaper The stylistics innovation and experimentation has found its pinnacle in literature and journalism. English writing tradition is old before the partition. But in present decades writing is a recognized at a national level. A national award is awarded by a national academy of letters for literature and journalists every year. English press has a large influence the sub-continent, the reason is that the educated class which is involved in the policy making reads and utilize it. One can find at least a recognized English newspaper in an average-sized city. English has become a medium of communication and to convey the message for many years but the cultural aspects are not conveyed in English language. This term is adopted by the news reporter to report the news items. These trends are used for various purposes like irony, cultural meaning and satire. Urdu symbols and metaphors are used regularly and frequently in Pakistani English. These kinds of symbols and metaphors represent the localized behaviours and attitudes and Pakistan social traditions. It is necessary the reader/listener to be familiar with the situation and cultural background to understand the metaphor and the meaning carried by speaker/listener. According to Littlemore (2001) the metaphors are inferred through the knowledge that is shared to a culture because these metaphors are culturally associated. Rationale of the Study This study shows that there is a lot of Urdu and other local words are used in English newspapers. This kind of conversion is introducing a new variety of English in Pakistan and even the vocabulary is changing. The major cause of this changing in vocabulary is the switching of English with local languages of Pakistan. An intensive and detailed study of newspapers indicates that in Pakistani English columns especially in news section localized words are found to a great extent. The comparison of the News and The Dawn shows the difference between the local and standard variety of English. This research indicates that the emerging trends in English newspaper have a great influence on Pakistani English at words and phrase level. This research shows the varieties of English when it is used by non-native speakers of English. Newspaper is a great source of language learning for students but if the language will not be comprehensible they may get confused and will not be able to learn langu age properly. So the language of newspaper must be clear and free from slang expressions that are used by Pakistani press. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURE Research Method Population Population in this research was all newspapers daily, weekly, monthly, annually. This defined population is pretty suitable for this research as it is designed to seek the effects of local languages on English Newspapers. Sampling Sampling is a process of drawing representative elements forms the larger population or universe is called sampling. Obvious advantages of sampling are especially saving in time and money. Steps taken for sampling: Identification of the problem Determination of required sample size Required sample size Selection of sample We have randomly selected two newspapers The Dawn from May 31, 2012 to June 9, 2012 and The News from May 12, 2012 to May 21, 2012. Data Collection Pakistani English daily Dawn and The News was selected for the research. Founded in 1941 by the Quaid-e-Azam, Dawn News and The News are Pakistans oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. The Dawn Group of newspapers is Pakistans second largest media group. The newspapers for the ten days were selected for the analysis. The borrowed words were isolated from the paper and their frequency of use was also recorded. The words then were tabulated according to their frequency of occurrence. Data was collected using a corpus of twenty English newspapers. The newspapers were scanned carefully and all Urdu and local language items were taken out. Data Analysis Data of this research was analyzed by using simple percentage and comparing the words of both newspapers The News and Dawn. At first the frequency of the words taken from the newspapers was compared and checked in parts then the highlighted items from all the newspapers were compared at the end. CHAPTER 4 ANALYSES OF THE DATA This chapter presents an analysis of the data that is gathered from English newspapers. In this chapter the result of reading ten newspapers are discussed i.e. The News and The Dawn. For this purpose, the findings are clearly presented in tables. These findings are also divided into different sections and frequency of the findings is also mentioned. Table 4.1 Content Analysis of The News May 12, 2012 and Dawn May 31, 2012 News Section the News fREQUENCY dawn fREQUENCY Bandwagon Tolas Kanals Marla Pehlwan Madrassa Bazaar Ghee Shriat Kilos Lashkar Hajj 1 7 2 1 1 1 4 15 1 1 1 1 Jo muhajir suby ka ghaddar hai wo maut ka haqdar hai. Sipah-i-Sahaba Shalwar Seth Sahib Qaumi Aman Jirga Sasti Roti Ashiana Haj Patwaris Fard Malkiat 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 Sports Section the news frequency dawn frequency Subh-e-Nau 1 In this table, the most frequently used word is ghee and after it tolas is used. The words in the table have their equivalents in English language like shariat is the Arabic translation of Islamic decree and haj has its equivalent in English. All the words like pehlwan lashkar jirga have their translation in English but they are used in local languages in the newspaper due to culture association. In the table above The news has more words as compare to Dawn. Table 4.2 Content Analysis of The News May 13, 2012 and Dawn June 1, 2012. News Section THE NEWS FREQUENCY DAWN FREQUENCY Jiyalas Posh Area Hudood Zina Kuch khas Tazir Hiraba Jungle Kanal Tamgh-i-shujat Dahi baras Shalwar kameez 2 1 4 4 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 Qaumparasti Shalwar Qameez Muttahida Mahaz Zila Fatwa Ulema Naqis-ul-iman Alim Sajda Naqis-ul aqal Pakora Wagon Bharpoor Patwaris Darul Amman Panchayat Jirga 1 3 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 3 3 Showbiz Section THE NEWS FREQUENCY DAWN FREQUENCY Awami suit Yahan log sirf dou wajah sy nahin rokta bara gaari aur bara darhi Ajrak Boy girl scene he nahin khatam hota No bank ki naukri, No denting painting ka kam Walayati Naughty toh hamari Veena Malik ya Nargis lagti hain. Aurat doshmany namanzoor Janubi Punjab Tabla 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 In this table the most frequent word is hudood. This word is translated as limitation in English language but that is used in the newspaper as an Islamic term that relates to the culture of Pakistan. In the table above The News has more words than Dawn. Table 4.3 Content Analysis of The News May 14, 2012 and Dawn June 2, 2012 News Section THE NEWS FREQUENCY DAWN FREQUENCY Nazim Maulana Musalmanon ky zawal sy dunya ko kia nuqsan pohncha Daku Raj Lakh Mandi Baboos Kanal Sardar Mela Ulema-e-islam Qabristan Shaheeds Insaf ho to aisa ho wah wah Pakistani qanoon zindabaad Patwaris Thanedar Jihadist Nazim-e-aala Madrassa Nazim Peshawar sadar tehrik ke ainay mein and baghaat-e Peshawar Roti kapra aur makan Masala Darbar Mufti Yaar Dosti Sardar Burqas 3 4 1 1 3 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 <

Essay on Justice vs. Morality in Measure for Measure and Merchant of Ve

Justice vs. Morality in Measure for Measure and Merchant of Venice    There are many similarities shared between Shakespeare's plays, "Measure for Measure", and "The Merchant of Venice".   The underlying theme of each work is well defined by the phrase "Justice without the temperance of mercy, is power misused".   I will support this claim by drawing upon some of the characters and situations that are consistent in each story. In each story a man's life depends on the interpretation, and sanctioning of justice.   In the, "Merchant of Venice", Antonio (who I believe represents mercy), had sealed a bond with Shylock offering a pound of his flesh for the loan of three thousand ducats.   Unfortunately he forfeits this bond, (Merchant III,ii) "Sweet Bassanio, my ships have all miscarried.... my bond to the Jew is forfeit....".   Shylock (who to the strict letter of the law represents justice), is unyielding to any type of compassion and desires nothing other than what he feels is justice, (Merchant III,iii) "I'll have my bond... beware my fangs. The Duke shall grant me justice...".   In, "Measure for Measure", it is Cladio (representing mercy), whose life hangs in the balance of law and morality.   Cladio has slept with Julietta out of wedlock, (Measure I,ii) "I got possession of Julietta's bed... she is fast my wife... Save that we do the denunciation lack...".   For this crime Angelo (who in place of the duke, representing justice), much as Shylock, desires that Cladio's sentence be carried out exactly as stated by the law, (Measure II,i) "  Ã‚   'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus Another thing to fall... Sir, he must die". In both cases the guilty parties have committed a crime punishable by death, additionally each man also r... ... of the law, and by not yielding to human decency and compassion, Shylock would have been   given his just deserts.   The same was true for Angelo who desired Cladio's head as the unaltered law required.   It certainly seems to me, that Mr.. Shakespeare was simply stating that in within the realms of these plays' one could easily say that "Justice without the temperance of mercy, is power misused". Works Cited Black, James. "The Unfolding of Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Survey 26 (1973): 119-28. Leech, Clifford. "The 'Meaning' of Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Survey 3 (1950): 69-71. Shakespeare, William. Measure for Measure. The Arden Shakespeare. Ed. J.W. Lever. London: Routledge, 1995. Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. The Riverside Shakespeare. Eds. G. Blakemore Evans and J. J. M. Tobin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997.

Consulting Report of Solberri Hotel

Solberri Hotel January 20 2012 This report is in response to the request by Solberri hotel group for a review of its facing issues and identification of possible solutions. Consulting report ? STATE OF AFFAIRS Solberri is a group of resort hotels registered as a listed company with 12 resort hotels in Europe. Established in the 1980s, it had run successfully until 2003 and also incurred losses in 2005 and 2006. To improve the situation, Solberri implemented strategy changes to the hotel operating environment such as the pricing changes and a refurbishment program. With these adjustments, situation gets better with a large forecast cash surplus in this financial year. Currently the chain of hotels is faced with critical issues revolving around its operation including human resources that are better explained with the help of SWOT analysis in Appendix 1. It is important for Solberri to make use of the management tools to understand the current situation and to achieve the revenue target, increased share holder value and better customer satisfaction. ? ISSUES IN HAND Solberri is faced with multiple issues that act as a barrier to meet their goals and target. From our review and understanding of the environment we put forth the below issues and rank them as priority and other issues. Priority issues: †¢Poor customer experience that could be a result of ethical issues such as oPoor treatment of General manages and senior employees. oMisdistribution of tips oInvestment in unprofitable environmentally friendly initiatives. †¢The potential need to borrow money to enhance spas before the 2007/08 Peak season †¢The need to raise occupancy rates and earnings generated from extra charges to hit the planned revenue for the financial year ending September 2008 †¢The poor share price and vulnerability of Solberri Other issues: †¢Installation of solar panels †¢Non-participation in the international star ratings system †¢Potential problems with the quality of outsourced services †¢Upgrading website to include a virtual tour of facilities . ? ISSUE ANALYSIS In this section, the analysis is done for top priority issues. Customer service and relevant HR issues. The quality of customer service is crucial to companies’ survival in service industry. Unfortunately, the service provided by Solberri failed to meet the expected standard of its customers. The main reason for poor customer service is employees’ lack of skills and motivation. The majority of Solberri employees are temporary, with limited knowledge of the hotel industry and relevant skills. Besides, all short-term employees only receive two days introduction training which is apparently insufficient. The customer service can be improved in two aspects. In the short term, Nick Silva, customer service Director, needs to review staffing level immediately to meet the upcoming demand. Strict selection and a specific regular training program are needed to ensure the quality of its employees. In the long term, adjusting the ratio of the number of long-term employees to that of short-term ones is necessary. Too many temporary employees lead to poor customer service and low stock of talents, resulting in General managers working long hours and under high stress (more details in ethical issues). Though more long-term employees mean more costs, the benefits from improved customer service will outweigh the costs. Furthermore, because recognition of employees’ efforts can stimulate them to offer better service, some motivation measures are recommended. According to ERG theory, people in different levels have different needs. Most temporary employees are in the existence level, they need money to maintain their existence requirements, and therefore incentives such as bonus will be useful. However, most long-term employees are in relatedness and growth level, so incentives such as vocation award or decision making involvement will be suitable. With the new recruitment, training and incentives, it’s estimated that an additional employee cost of â‚ ¬7. 5 million will be incurred, a 12% increase from last year. Ethical issues Two ethical issues will be discussed in this report. a. Poor treatment of employees. General Managers and key senior employees are working under high stress over 16 hours every day. Solberri gets into ethical issue of overworking employees and paying no compensation. Due to a shortage of senior employees, their workload is unlikely to be reduced immediately. Therefore, the hotel should compensate for their overwork. To solve this problem fundamentally Soberri should reserve sufficient elites by increasing its long-term employees. b. Misdistribution of tips. When Solberri collected all the tips and evenly distributed them to employees, an ethical issue arose for the transparency and fairness of such distribution. Such controversial tips distribution should be changed back to the traditional way—employees can keep the tips for themselves. For those non-facing-customer employees who don’t get tips, Solberri is recommended to increase their bonus to make up the difference. Forecast cash surplus investment issue Before analyzing the four proposals, it’s important to know how much cash is available for investment. Since Solberri is under loan covenants and other financing alternatives such as rights issue can’t raise funds in a short time, the only source of funds is the internal capital. It’s estimated that 59 million cash will be generated from operations in this financial year. After deducting finance costs, tax, dividends and additional HR reform costs in the first issue, there’s only â‚ ¬30. 9 million cash available. (Appendix 2. 1) The total amount for the four proposals is â‚ ¬123 million (Appendix 2. 2). Solberri has to perform a cost benefit analysis to choose the most profitable proposal as it is clear that Solberri doesn’t have enough funds to implement all of them. Proposal A is to extend the number of rooms at the four â€Å"Premier† hotels by adding each another 200 rooms and supporting facilities. It’s estimated to generate â‚ ¬10 million NPV for each hotel over a 5-year period based on an 80% occupancy level. However, this may have some negative effects since the additional rooms and facilities make the hotel more crowded and less comfortable. Therefore, the 80% occupancy level is not guaranteed. Besides, it’s just the first year that Solberri has had such high occupancy levels. Extending the number of rooms in such a large scale is too risky. Proposal B is to invest in refurbishment and extend spa facilities at the remaining hotels. The forecast cost is â‚ ¬6 million for each hotel. The high level of bookings at the 4 â€Å"Premier† hotels during the 2008 Peak season has demonstrated the success of the refurbishment plan. So this proposal contains relatively little risk. Furthermore, spa facilities have become a key selling point in resort hotels. This new trend provides great opportunity for Solberri to escape from the Red Ocean, the very competitive market of traditional resort hotels. By differentiating itself by providing exclusive spa facilities, Solberri can successfully grab the Blue-ocean market, namely the profitable and rapidly-developing market of resort hotels with exclusive spa facilities. Finally, refurbishing the hotels can improve Solberri’s profit margin. However, refurbishing all the remaining hotels simultaneously is beyond Solberri’s financial ability. It’s recommended that Solberri refurbish only three hotels—two â€Å"Superior† and one â€Å"Super Plus†. Refurbishing the â€Å"Super Plus† hotels is riskier since there is no previous experience and the refurbishment will need to close permanently 15 rooms in each hotel. But if Solberri only refurbish â€Å"Superior† hotels, in a short time, there will be a gap in middle-priced hotels, which is unfavorable to the company’s strategic development. Proposal C is to acquire an additional resort hotel costing 24 million. The expected NPV is â‚ ¬39. 2 million (Appendix 2. 3). Besides, the breakeven occupancy level is 60% (Appendix 2. 4), which is quite easy to achieve. So Proposal C seems profitable with reasonable risk. However, the initiate cost is too large as it’s for only one hotel. Compared with Proposal B, it’s too risky for Solberri in its first year with such good performance. Proposal D is to invest in environmentally friendly initiatives including the installation of solar panels costing â‚ ¬6 million and other environmental initiatives costing â‚ ¬9 million. Though investing in these initiatives cannot generate profits for the company directly, it can help establish Solberri as a socially responsible company which will be positive to its image. But funds are so limited that investing in all these in unrealistic. It’s recommended that Solberri invest in the solar panel project first since it can produce cost savings of 0. 6 million per year and defer the others. Loan covenant restriction The â‚ ¬20 million loan negotiated at the end of 2007 has loan covenants restricting the company’s further loan financing within 2 years from December 2007, resulting in a probable capital shortage for its future development. Solberri can try negotiating with the bank for removal of restriction by showing them the latest forecast figures and the high level of bookings. However, the good performance of only one year wouldn’t be convincing enough to the bank. Solberri can also try refinancing by issuing additional stocks through public offering or private placement. However, due to the relatively high standard and costly registration of public offering, private placement is preferable. With low threshold for issuing, private placement is feasible for Solberri whose business just began to pick up after slow seasons. With the good performance this year, it’s probable that the Solberri will attract strategic investment from institutional investors via private placements to ensure its future development. The poor share price and vulnerability of Solberri RECOMMENDATION Customer service and related HR issues. It is recommended that Solberri immediately work out a plan for recruitment and training, to ensure job fit and effective training among all employees. Employees who can’t provide the high standard of service will be refused or assigned to non-facing-customer positions. Moreover, Solberri should set up appropriate motivation mechanisms such as bonus and vacation rewards. It is also recommended that Solberri enlarge its long-term employee proportion by training some short-term employees to be skillful long-term ones. In this way, more employees will cultivate a sense of responsibility and can handle the previous temporary employees’ work in non-peak season. Ethical issues It’s recommended that Solberri compensate for employees’ overwork. In the long run, the company needs to enlarge its senior employee reserve. It’s recommended that Solberri abandon its controversial tips distribution and set up a bonus system for non-facing customer employees to make up their income difference. Forecast cash surplus investment issue It’s recommended that Solberri spend its forecast cash surplus on Proposal B to refurbish and extend the spa facilities at two â€Å"Superior† hotels and one â€Å"Super Plus† hotel, which costs â‚ ¬18 million in total. Since it’s just the first year Solberri has performed so well in these years, it’s better for it to be conservative towards investment. It’s also recommended that Solberri invest in the installation of solar panels at all 12 hotels costing â‚ ¬6 million and postpone other environmentally friendly initiatives due to its limited funds. These two plans will result in â‚ ¬6. 9 million cash retained Appendix 2. 5), which will help improve the liquidity of Solberri. . Loan covenant restriction It is recommended that Solberri try to negotiate with the bank for removal of the restriction. If it’s not workable, Solberri could try seasoned equity offering to refinance either by public offering or private placement, while private placement seems to be most feasible for Solberri and thus is highly recommended. If external financing doesn’t work, it is highly recommended that Solberri try all means to control its costs. The poor share price and vulnerability of Solberri ? CONCLUSION Solberri is now at a crucial time since it’s the first time it has had such good performance in these years. It is now facing several important issues. The most important ones are how to solve the poor customer service problem and which investment proposal to choose for its future development to increase the occupancy level for all the hotel rooms. It is believed that the analysis and recommendations above can serve as useful references for its decision-making. Solberri has to differentiate itself in the market through a shift by showcasing its spa facilities as its forefront in capturing holiday makers. With a change in visa regulations in Europe Solberri may opt to pay more attention to its local clients by offering the day use of the hotel’s services and facilities during non-peak seasons. To position itself as a â€Å"holiday resort hotel†, there should be a refurbishment of Solberri’s hotels to â€Å"Premier† standards ? SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS †¢Good reputation with a long history; †¢Proven track record of range of spa facilities †¢Successful refurbishment program †¢Many of long-term employees have worked for Solberri for over 10 years with rich experience. †¢Stable co-operation with several travel agents. Experienced board directors. †¢High sense of Corporate Social Responsibility( 1 hotel won a bronze award in the Green Tourism business awards, 2007 †¢High level of bookings for Peak season 2008 with large cash surplus forecast WEAKNESS †¢Outdated information technology systems. †¢Restrictive loan covenan t. †¢Difficulty in enforcing agreed quality service levels. †¢Declining share price compared to 2002 †¢Poor customer service with disappointing customer feedback. †¢Low level of repeat booking. †¢Lack of motivation of short-term employees. †¢Poorly structured financial planning. †¢Resignation of Finance Director. OPPORTUNITIES High level of bookings and a forecast cash surplus of â‚ ¬59 million which can be used for further expansion, refurbishment program, paying dividends, and(or) meeting CSR by investing in environmentally friendly initiatives; †¢ Huge potential market for Spa service †¢Pricing structure changes to boost occupancy levels †¢Effective use of variety of media to generate more sales THREATS †¢ External completion from other hotel industries †¢ Understaffing and poor service to meet the high level booking that could impact reputation †¢Resistance from †¢Competitors having state of art information technology can be market eaders. †¢ Fall in spa revenues of one â€Å"premier† hotel due to a rival business operated by an ex-manager. †¢Difference of opinion amongst management staff may delay the strategy implementation. WORKINGS 2. 1. 1 Investible surplus â‚ ¬59 million is cash generated from operations before finance costs, tax and dividends, which should be deducted. Besides, the additional operation cost incurred by human resources management should also be deducted in order to get the available cash for investment. 2. 1. 2Cost of finance S. No. AmountRate of InterestDetailsDuration for CYInterest Cost a. 12 m10%Oct- Dec ‘073 monthsâ‚ ¬0. 3 m b. â‚ ¬6 m8%Repayable in Sep 20101 yrâ‚ ¬0. 48m c. â‚ ¬15 m11%June 20121 yrâ‚ ¬1. 65m d. â‚ ¬20 m10%Jan-2008 to Dec ‘149 mthsâ‚ ¬1. 5m Totalâ‚ ¬3. 93 m Notes: a. â‚ ¬12 million loan at 10% repayable in December 2007 -As its repayable date is in December 2007, the interest expens e incurred in this accounting period is only for three months (October 2007 to December 2007). â‚ ¬12 million*10%*3/12 = â‚ ¬0. 3 million b. â‚ ¬6 million loan at 8% repayable in September 2010 -â‚ ¬6 million*8% = â‚ ¬0. 48 million c. â‚ ¬15 million loan at 11% repayable in June 2012 -â‚ ¬15 million*11% = â‚ ¬1. 5 million d. â‚ ¬20 million loan at 10% beginning in January 2008 and repayable in December 2014 -As this loan began in January 2008, the interest expense incurred in this accounting period is only for nine months (January 2008 to September 2008). â‚ ¬20 million*10%*9/12 = â‚ ¬1. 5 million 2. 1. 3 Tax expense As stated in the case, the post-tax profit for the year ended September 2008 will be â‚ ¬27 million. Based on the tax rate of 32%, the taxable income = â‚ ¬27 million/(1-32%) = â‚ ¬39. 7 million . Therefore, the tax expense = â‚ ¬39. 7 million*32% = â‚ ¬12. 7 million 2. 1. 4 Dividends In 2007, Solberri made a profit of â‚ ¬5 million and paid â‚ ¬2 million for dividends, which equals a dividend per share of â‚ ¬0. 083. It’s recommended that Solberri double the DPS this year, making the total dividends expenditure as much as â‚ ¬4 million. 2. 1. 5 Additional operation cost As is mentioned before, the high occupancy level this year will incur additional operational cost due to the employee recruitment, training and motivation. It’ estimated to be around â‚ ¬7. 5 million based on an estimated 12% increase compared with 2007 when the staff costs were â‚ ¬62 million. Cash Available for Investment( in million) Investible surplus( before deduction)= â‚ ¬59. 00 Less: Interest cost –â‚ ¬3. 93 Tax expense –â‚ ¬12. 7 Dividend expense –â‚ ¬4. 00 Additional operation cost –â‚ ¬7. 5 Net surplus= â‚ ¬30. 9 2. 2. Total cost for all four investment proposals : ProposalInvestment cost per hotelNumber of hotelsTotal cost Aâ‚ ¬9 million4â‚ ¬36 million Bâ‚ ¬6 million8â‚ ¬48 million C****â‚ ¬24 million Dâ‚ ¬15 million Total costâ‚ ¬123 million **Total cost for Proposal C = acquiring cost + refurbishing cost + marketing cost = â‚ ¬5 million +â‚ ¬16 million+â‚ ¬3 million = â‚ ¬24 million Total cost for Proposal D = â‚ ¬15 million 2. . Expected NPV of Proposal C As is shown in the case, when occupancy level equals 95%, the NPV will be â‚ ¬100. 0 million. When it’s 80%, the NPV will be â‚ ¬35 million. When it’s 50%, the NPV will be –â‚ ¬25 million. And their probabilities are 25%, 60% and 15% respe ctively. Therefore, the weighted average NPV = â‚ ¬100. 0 million*25% + â‚ ¬35. 0 million*60% +(-â‚ ¬25 million)*15% = â‚ ¬42. 2 million However the marketing cost of â‚ ¬3 million is excluded in the above NPV, so the expected NPV of Proposal C = â‚ ¬42. 2 million – â‚ ¬3 million = â‚ ¬39. 2 million 2. 4. Breakeven occupancy level of Proposal C When occupancy level equals 95%, the NPV will be â‚ ¬97 million. When it’s 50%, the NPV will be -â‚ ¬28 million. Thus, when the occupancy level decreases by 1%, the NPV will decrease by â‚ ¬2. 78 million. [â‚ ¬97 million – (-â‚ ¬28 million)] / (95-50) = â‚ ¬2. 78 million In this way, when the occupancy level changes by about 35% (97/2. 78), the NPV will decrease to zero. Therefore, the breakeven occupancy level is around 60%. 2. 5 Estimated cash retained Estimated cash retained = cash available for investment – investment costs = â‚ ¬30. 9 million –â‚ ¬24 million = â‚ ¬6. 9 million Comparison between Solberri and Shangri-la Asia Limited with the DuPont Model 3. 1 DuPont Model of Solberri 2007 Return on Equity (ROE) 0. 568 Return on Assets (ROA) 0. 3086? Equity Multiplier (EM) 1. 8409 Profit Margin 0. 0314? Total Asset Turnover 0. 9815 1 /(1—Debt Ratio 0. 4568) Net Income/Net Sales Net Sales/Average Total Assets Total Liabilities/Total Assets 3. 2 DuPont Model of Shangri-la Asia Limited 200 7 Return on Equity (ROE) 0. 1046 Return on Assets (ROA) 0. 1029? Equity Multiplier (EM) 1. 016 Profit Margin 0. 3069? Total Asset Turnover 0. 3354 1 /(1—Debt Ratio 0. 0159) Net Income/Net Sales Net Sales/Average Total Assets Total Liabilities/Total Assets Comparison between Solberri and Shangri-la Asia Limited with the DuPont Model 3. DuPont Model of Solberri 2007 Return on Equity (ROE) 0. 0568 Return on Assets (ROA) 0. 3086? Equity Multiplier (EM) 1. 8409 Profit Margin 0. 0314? Total Asset Turnover 0. 9815 1 /(1—Debt Ratio 0. 4568) Net Income/Net Sales Net Sales/Average Total Assets Total Liabilities/Total Assets 3. 2 DuPont Model of Shangri-la Asia Limited 2007 Return on Equity (ROE) 0. 1046 Return on Assets (ROA) 0. 1029? Equity Multiplier (EM) 1. 016 Profit Margin 0. 3069? Total Asset Turnover 0. 3354 1 /(1—Debt Ratio 0. 0159) Net Income/Net Sales Net Sales/Average Total Assets T Solberri Hotel January 20 2012 This report is in response to the request by Solberri hotel group for a review of its facing issues and identification of possible solutions. Consulting report ? STATE OF AFFAIRS Solberri is a group of resort hotels registered as a listed company with 12 resort hotels in Europe. Established in the 1980s, it had run successfully until 2003 and also incurred losses in 2005 and 2006. To improve the situation, Solberri implemented strategy changes to the hotel operating environment such as the pricing changes and a refurbishment program. With these adjustments, situation gets better with a large forecast cash surplus in this financial year. Currently the chain of hotels is faced with critical issues revolving around its operation including human resources that are better explained with the help of SWOT analysis in Appendix 1. It is important for Solberri to make use of the management tools to understand the current situation and to achieve the revenue target, increased share holder value and better customer satisfaction. ? ISSUES IN HAND Solberri is faced with multiple issues that act as a barrier to meet their goals and target. From our review and understanding of the environment we put forth the below issues and rank them as priority and other issues. Priority issues: †¢Poor customer experience that could be a result of ethical issues such as oPoor treatment of General manages and senior employees. oMisdistribution of tips oInvestment in unprofitable environmentally friendly initiatives. †¢The potential need to borrow money to enhance spas before the 2007/08 Peak season †¢The need to raise occupancy rates and earnings generated from extra charges to hit the planned revenue for the financial year ending September 2008 †¢The poor share price and vulnerability of Solberri Other issues: †¢Installation of solar panels Non-participation in the international star ratings system †¢Potential problems with the quality of outsourced services †¢Upgrading website to include a virtual tour of facilities . ? ISSUE ANALYSIS In this section, the analysis is done for top priority issues. Customer service and relevant HR issues. The quality of customer service is crucial to companies’ survival in service ind ustry. Unfortunately, the service provided by Solberri failed to meet the expected standard of its customers. The main reason for poor customer service is employees’ lack of skills and motivation. The majority of Solberri employees are temporary, with limited knowledge of the hotel industry and relevant skills. Besides, all short-term employees only receive two days introduction training which is apparently insufficient. The customer service can be improved in two aspects. In the short term, Nick Silva, customer service Director, needs to review staffing level immediately to meet the upcoming demand. Strict selection and a specific regular training program are needed to ensure the quality of its employees. In the long term, adjusting the ratio of the number of long-term employees to that of short-term ones is necessary. Too many temporary employees lead to poor customer service and low stock of talents, resulting in General managers working long hours and under high stress (more details in ethical issues). Though more long-term employees mean more costs, the benefits from improved customer service will outweigh the costs. Furthermore, because recognition of employees’ efforts can stimulate them to offer better service, some motivation measures are recommended. According to ERG theory, people in different levels have different needs. Most temporary employees are in the existence level, they need money to maintain their existence requirements, and therefore incentives such as bonus will be useful. However, most long-term employees are in relatedness and growth level, so incentives such as vocation award or decision making involvement will be suitable. With the new recruitment, training and incentives, it’s estimated that an additional employee cost of â‚ ¬7. 5 million will be incurred, a 12% increase from last year. Ethical issues Two ethical issues will be discussed in this report. a. Poor treatment of employees. General Managers and key senior employees are working under high stress over 16 hours every day. Solberri gets into ethical issue of overworking employees and paying no compensation. Due to a shortage of senior employees, their workload is unlikely to be reduced immediately. Therefore, the hotel should compensate for their overwork. To solve this problem fundamentally Soberri should reserve sufficient elites by increasing its long-term employees. b. Misdistribution of tips. When Solberri collected all the tips and evenly distributed them to employees, an ethical issue arose for the transparency and fairness of such distribution. Such controversial tips distribution should be changed back to the traditional way—employees can keep the tips for themselves. For those non-facing-customer employees who don’t get tips, Solberri is recommended to increase their bonus to make up the difference. Forecast cash surplus investment issue Before analyzing the four proposals, it’s important to know how much cash is available for investment. Since Solberri is under loan covenants and other financing alternatives such as rights issue can’t raise funds in a short time, the only source of funds is the internal capital. It’s estimated that 59 million cash will be generated from operations in this financial year. After deducting finance costs, tax, dividends and additional HR reform costs in the first issue, there’s only â‚ ¬30. 9 million cash available. (Appendix 2. 1) The total amount for the four proposals is â‚ ¬123 million (Appendix 2. 2). Solberri has to perform a cost benefit analysis to choose the most rofitable proposal as it is clear that Solberri doesn’t have enough funds to implement all of them. Proposal A is to extend the number of rooms at the four â€Å"Premier† hotels by adding each another 200 rooms and supporting facilities. It’s estimated to generate â‚ ¬10 million NPV for each hotel over a 5-year period based on an 80% occupancy level. However, this may h ave some negative effects since the additional rooms and facilities make the hotel more crowded and less comfortable. Therefore, the 80% occupancy level is not guaranteed. Besides, it’s just the first year that Solberri has had such high occupancy levels. Extending the number of rooms in such a large scale is too risky. Proposal B is to invest in refurbishment and extend spa facilities at the remaining hotels. The forecast cost is â‚ ¬6 million for each hotel. The high level of bookings at the 4 â€Å"Premier† hotels during the 2008 Peak season has demonstrated the success of the refurbishment plan. So this proposal contains relatively little risk. Furthermore, spa facilities have become a key selling point in resort hotels. This new trend provides great opportunity for Solberri to escape from the Red Ocean, the very competitive market of traditional resort hotels. By differentiating itself by providing exclusive spa facilities, Solberri can successfully grab the Blue-ocean market, namely the profitable and rapidly-developing market of resort hotels with exclusive spa facilities. Finally, refurbishing the hotels can improve Solberri’s profit margin. However, refurbishing all the remaining hotels simultaneously is beyond Solberri’s financial ability. It’s recommended that Solberri refurbish only three hotels—two â€Å"Superior† and one â€Å"Super Plus†. Refurbishing the â€Å"Super Plus† hotels is riskier since there is no previous experience and the refurbishment will need to close permanently 15 rooms in each hotel. But if Solberri only refurbish â€Å"Superior† hotels, in a short time, there will be a gap in middle-priced hotels, which is unfavorable to the company’s strategic development. Proposal C is to acquire an additional resort hotel costing 24 million. The expected NPV is â‚ ¬39. 2 million (Appendix 2. 3). Besides, the breakeven occupancy level is 60% (Appendix 2. 4), which is quite easy to achieve. So Proposal C seems profitable with reasonable risk. However, the initiate cost is too large as it’s for only one hotel. Compared with Proposal B, it’s too risky for Solberri in its first year with such good performance. Proposal D is to invest in environmentally friendly initiatives including the installation of solar panels costing â‚ ¬6 million and other environmental initiatives costing â‚ ¬9 million. Though investing in these initiatives cannot generate profits for the company directly, it can help establish Solberri as a socially responsible company which will be positive to its image. But funds are so limited that investing in all these in unrealistic. It’s recommended that Solberri invest in the solar panel project first since it can produce cost savings of 0. 6 million per year and defer the others. Loan covenant restriction The â‚ ¬20 million loan negotiated at the end of 2007 has loan covenants restricting the company’s further loan financing within 2 years from December 2007, resulting in a probable capital shortage for its future development. Solberri can try negotiating with the bank for removal of restriction by showing them the latest forecast figures and the high level of bookings. However, the good performance of only one year wouldn’t be convincing enough to the bank. Solberri can also try refinancing by issuing additional stocks through public offering or private placement. However, due to the relatively high standard and costly registration of public offering, private placement is preferable. With low threshold for issuing, private placement is feasible for Solberri whose business just began to pick up after slow seasons. With the good performance this year, it’s probable that the Solberri will attract strategic investment from institutional investors via private placements to ensure its future development. The poor share price and vulnerability of Solberri RECOMMENDATION Customer service and related HR issues. It is recommended that Solberri immediately work out a plan for recruitment and training, to ensure job fit and effective training among all employees. Employees who can’t provide the high standard of service will be refused or assigned to non-facing-customer positions. Moreover, Solberri should set up appropriate motivation mechanisms such as bonus and vacation rewards. It is also recommended that Solberri enlarge its long-term employee proportion by training some short-term employees to be skillful long-term ones. In this way, more employees will cultivate a sense of responsibility and can handle the previous temporary employees’ work in non-peak season. Ethical issues It’s recommended that Solberri compensate for employees’ overwork. In the long run, the company needs to enlarge its senior employee reserve. It’s recommended that Solberri abandon its controversial tips distribution and set up a bonus system for non-facing customer employees to make up their income difference. Forecast cash surplus investment issue It’s recommended that Solberri spend its forecast cash surplus on Proposal B to refurbish and extend the spa facilities at two â€Å"Superior† hotels and one â€Å"Super Plus† hotel, which costs â‚ ¬18 million in total. Since it’s just the first year Solberri has performed so well in these years, it’s better for it to be conservative towards investment. It’s also recommended that Solberri invest in the installation of solar panels at all 12 hotels costing â‚ ¬6 million and postpone other environmentally friendly initiatives due to its limited funds. These two plans will result in â‚ ¬6. 9 million cash retained (Appendix 2. ), which will help improve the liquidity of Solberri. . Loan covenant restriction It is recommended that Solberri try to negotiate with the bank for removal of the restriction. If it’s not workable, Solberri could try seasoned equity offering to refinance either by public offering or private placement, while private placement seems to be most feasible for Solberri and thus is highly recommended. If external financing doesn’t work, it is highly recommended that Solberri try all means to control its costs. The poor share price and vulnerability of Solberri ? CONCLUSION Solberri is now at a crucial time since it’s the first time it has had such good performance in these years. It is now facing several important issues. The most important ones are how to solve the poor customer service problem and which investment proposal to choose for its future development to increase the occupancy level for all the hotel rooms. It is believed that the analysis and recommendations above can serve as useful references for its decision-making. Solberri has to differentiate itself in the market through a shift by showcasing its spa facilities as its forefront in capturing holiday makers. With a change in visa regulations in Europe Solberri may opt to pay more attention to its local clients by offering the day use of the hotel’s services and facilities during non-peak seasons. To position itself as a â€Å"holiday resort hotel†, there should be a refurbishment of Solberri’s hotels to â€Å"Premier† standards ? SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS †¢Good reputation with a long history; †¢Proven track record of range of spa facilities †¢Successful refurbishment program †¢Many of long-term employees have worked for Solberri for over 10 years with rich experience. †¢Stable co-operation with several travel agents. Experienced board directors. †¢High sense of Corporate Social Responsibility( 1 hotel won a bronze award in the Green Tourism business awards, 2007 †¢High level of bookings for Peak season 2008 with large cash surplus forecast WEAKNESS †¢Outdated information technology systems. †¢Restrictive loan covenan t. †¢Difficulty in enforcing agreed quality service levels. †¢Declining share price compared to 2002 †¢Poor customer service with disappointing customer feedback. †¢Low level of repeat booking. †¢Lack of motivation of short-term employees. †¢Poorly structured financial planning. Resignation of Finance Director. OPPORTUNITIES †¢High level of bookings and a forecast cash surplus of â‚ ¬59 million which can be used for further expansion, refurbishment program, paying dividends, and(or) meeting CSR by investing in environmentally friendly initiatives; †¢ Huge potential market for Spa service †¢Pricing structure changes to boost occupancy levels †¢Effective use of variety of media to generate more sales THREATS †¢ External completion from other hotel industries †¢ Understaffing and poor service to meet the high level booking that could impact reputation †¢Resistance from Competitors having state of art information techno logy can be market leaders. †¢ Fall in spa revenues of one â€Å"premier† hotel due to a rival business operated by an ex-manager. †¢Difference of opinion amongst management staff may delay the strategy implementation. WORKINGS 2. 1. 1 Investible surplus â‚ ¬59 million is cash generated from operations before finance costs, tax and dividends, which should be deducted. Besides, the additional operation cost incurred by human resources management should also be deducted in order to get the available cash for investment. 2. 1. 2Cost of finance S. No. AmountRate of InterestDetailsDuration for CYInterest Cost a. â‚ ¬12 m10%Oct- Dec ‘073 monthsâ‚ ¬0. 3 m b. â‚ ¬6 m8%Repayable in Sep 20101 yrâ‚ ¬0. 48m c. â‚ ¬15 m11%June 20121 yrâ‚ ¬1. 65m d. â‚ ¬20 m10%Jan-2008 to Dec ‘149 mthsâ‚ ¬1. 5m Totalâ‚ ¬3. 93 m Notes: a. â‚ ¬12 million loan at 10% repayable in December 2007 -As its repayable date is in December 2007, the interest expense incurred in this accounting period is only for three months (October 2007 to December 2007). â‚ ¬12 million*10%*3/12 = â‚ ¬0. 3 million b. â‚ ¬6 million loan at 8% repayable in September 2010 -â‚ ¬6 million*8% = â‚ ¬0. 48 million c. 15 million loan at 11% repayable in June 2012 -â‚ ¬15 million*11% = â‚ ¬1. 65 million d. â‚ ¬20 million loan at 10% beginning in January 2008 and repayable in December 2014 -As this loan began in January 2008, the interest expense incurred in this accounting period is only for nine months (January 2008 to S eptember 2008). â‚ ¬20 million*10%*9/12 = â‚ ¬1. 5 million 2. 1. 3 Tax expense As stated in the case, the post-tax profit for the year ended September 2008 will be â‚ ¬27 million. Based on the tax rate of 32%, the taxable income = â‚ ¬27 million/(1-32%) = â‚ ¬39. 7 million . Therefore, the tax expense = â‚ ¬39. 7 million*32% = â‚ ¬12. 7 million 2. . 4 Dividends In 2007, Solberri made a profit of â‚ ¬5 million and paid â‚ ¬2 million for dividends, which equals a dividend per share of â‚ ¬0. 083. It’s recommended that Solberri double the DPS this year, making the total dividends expenditure as much as â‚ ¬4 million. 2. 1. 5 Additional operation cost As is mentioned before, the high occupancy level this year will incur additional operational cost due to the employee recruitment, training and motivation. It’ estimated to be around â‚ ¬7. 5 million based on an estimated 12% increase compared with 2007 when the staff costs were â‚ ¬62 m illion. Cash Available for Investment( in million) Investible surplus( before deduction)= â‚ ¬59. 00 Less: Interest cost –â‚ ¬3. 93 Tax expense –â‚ ¬12. 7 Dividend expense –â‚ ¬4. 00 Additional operation cost –â‚ ¬7. 5 Net surplus= â‚ ¬30. 9 2. 2. Total cost for all four investment proposals : ProposalInvestment cost per hotelNumber of hotelsTotal cost Aâ‚ ¬9 million4â‚ ¬36 million Bâ‚ ¬6 million8â‚ ¬48 million C****â‚ ¬24 million Dâ‚ ¬15 million Total costâ‚ ¬123 million **Total cost for Proposal C = acquiring cost + refurbishing cost + marketing cost = â‚ ¬5 million +â‚ ¬16 million+â‚ ¬3 million = â‚ ¬24 million Total cost for Proposal D = â‚ ¬15 million . 3. Expected NPV of Proposal C As is shown in the case, when occupancy level equals 95%, the NPV will be â‚ ¬100. 0 million. When it’s 80%, the NPV will be â‚ ¬35 million. When it’s 50%, the NPV will be –â‚ ¬25 million. And their probabilities are 25%, 60% and 15% respe ctively. Therefore, the weighted average NPV = â‚ ¬100. 0 million*25% + â‚ ¬35. 0 million*60% +(-â‚ ¬25 million)*15% = â‚ ¬42. 2 million However the marketing cost of â‚ ¬3 million is excluded in the above NPV, so the expected NPV of Proposal C = â‚ ¬42. 2 million – â‚ ¬3 million = â‚ ¬39. 2 million 2. 4. Breakeven occupancy level of Proposal C When occupancy level equals 95%, the NPV will be â‚ ¬97 million. When it’s 50%, the NPV will be -â‚ ¬28 million. Thus, when the occupancy level decreases by 1%, the NPV will decrease by â‚ ¬2. 78 million. [â‚ ¬97 million – (-â‚ ¬28 million)] / (95-50) = â‚ ¬2. 78 million In this way, when the occupancy level changes by about 35% (97/2. 78), the NPV will decrease to zero. Therefore, the breakeven occupancy level is around 60%. 2. 5 Estimated cash retained Estimated cash retained = cash available for investment – investment costs = â‚ ¬30. 9 million –â‚ ¬24 million = â‚ ¬6. 9 million Comparison between Solberri and Shangri-la Asia Limited with the DuPont Model 3. DuPont Model of Solberri 2007 Return on Equity (ROE) 0. 0568 Return on Assets (ROA) 0. 3086? Equity Multiplier (EM) 1. 8409 Profit Margin 0. 0314? Total Asset Turnover 0. 9815 1 /(1—Debt Ratio 0. 4568) Net Income/Net Sales Net Sales/Average Total Assets Total Liabil ities/Total Assets 3. 2 DuPont Model of Shangri-la Asia Limited 2007 Return on Equity (ROE) 0. 1046 Return on Assets (ROA) 0. 1029? Equity Multiplier (EM) 1. 016 Profit Margin 0. 3069? Total Asset Turnover 0. 3354 1 /(1—Debt Ratio 0. 0159) Net Income/Net Sales Net Sales/Average Total Assets Total Liabilities/Total Assets Comparison between Solberri and Shangri-la Asia Limited with the DuPont Model 3. 1 DuPont Model of Solberri 2007 Return on Equity (ROE) 0. 0568 Return on Assets (ROA) 0. 3086? Equity Multiplier (EM) 1. 8409 Profit Margin 0. 0314? Total Asset Turnover 0. 9815 1 /(1—Debt Ratio 0. 4568) Net Income/Net Sales Net Sales/Average Total Assets Total Liabilities/Total Assets 3. 2 DuPont Model of Shangri-la Asia Limited 2007 Return on Equity (ROE) 0. 1046 Return on Assets (ROA) 0. 1029? Equity Multiplier (EM) 1. 016 Profit Margin 0. 3069? Total Asset Turnover 0. 3354 1 /(1—Debt Ratio 0. 0159) Net Income/Net Sales Net Sales/Average Total Assets T

The Effects and Implication of Mentoring for Beginning Teachers in the Philippines

Research Problem:The Effects and Implications of Mentoring for Beginning In-service teachers in Western Mindanao State University – Philippines Statement of the problem Teachers face many challenges during the first years of teaching, such as planning and implementing curriculum and instruction, conducting assessments, motivating students, managing student differences and behaviour, and generally feeling overwhelmed (Roehrig et. al. 2006).They are being asked to teach technological and analytical skills to students from a broad range of backgrounds, prepare them to read and write scholarly, to think critically, and to apply their knowledge to solving real-world problems. In other words, the skills teachers need to develop are both complex and demanding (Borko & Livingston, 1989). To reduce the challenges that new teachers face and to improve the quality of their teaching a popular approach was introduced purposely to provide support via mentoring which is prevalent in the US ( Roehrig et. l. 2006). In fact, beginning teachers are being required to participate in mentoring programmes, often as part of the process for permanent certification in some states in America. Unlike in some developing countries, like the Philippines wherein its department of education has been under-performing for years, and has no clear cut policy on mentoring program, professional advancement and in-service training to improve the teachers’ competence once hired (Luz, 2008).Hobson (2008) defines mentoring as the one-to-one support of a novice or less experienced practitioner (mentee) by a more experienced practitioner (mentor), designed primarily to assist the development of the mentee’s expertise and to facilitate their induction into the culture of the profession. Mentoring can have a variety of purpose or goals, can involve a variety of practices and strategies to achieve these purpose and goals, and can take place at different stages of a mentee’s profess ional development and over different durations.Based on this assumptions and preconception of mentoring, the primary purpose of this research is to determine the possible effects and implications of mentoring to novice teachers in my institution. Research Questions: This research project aims to develop insights into the mentoring process and seeks to explore how mentoring can assist beginning in-service teachers in my home institution in developing their confidence, teaching competencies , skills in motivating students as well as classroom management. Moreover, it seeks to examine my own lived experiences as a mentee.Furthermore, it aims to answer the following research questions below. ?As a mentee, what were my experiences that made me recognized the worth of mentoring scheme provided by senior teachers. ?How did these experiences assist me in becoming a more reflective and dynamic teacher? ?How can these experiences assist me in mentoring new teachers? Methodology: This research is an auto-ethnography that focuses on my own lived experiences as a teacher and as a mentee and the connection of my life story with the experiences of other teachers from my home institution.According to Ellis and Bochner (2000), an auto-ethnography is a form of study that makes the researcher’s own experience a topic of investigation in its own right. It utilizes data about self and its context to gain an understanding of the connectivity between self and others within the same context (Ngunjiri, et. al. 2010). The intended purpose of this study is to provide a detailed, in-depth description of my mentoring experiences, its effect and implication on my practice as a teacher. This methodology is suitable for this research because, according to Chang (2007), auto-ethnography is a qualitative research.As a research methodology, it takes a systematic approach in data collection, analysis, and interpretation about self and social phenomena involving self. This systematic and i ntentional approach to the socio-cultural understanding of self sets auto-ethnography apart from other self-narrative writings such as memoir and autobiography. Moreover, Ngunjiri (2010) explicitly emphasized that auto-ethnography is distinctive from other research because it is self-focused and context-conscious. The esearcher is at the centre of the investigation as a â€Å"subject† (the researcher who performs the investigation) and an â€Å"object† (a participant who is investigated). Auto-ethnographic data provide the researcher a window through which the external world is understood. Although the blurred distinction between the researcher-participant relationship has become the source of criticism challenging the scientific credibility of the methodology (Anderson, 2006), access to sensitive issues and inner-most thoughts makes this research method a powerful and unique tool for individual and social understanding (Ellis, 2009).Lastly, auto-ethnography is context -conscious, which means it intends to connect self with others, self with the social, and self with the context (Wolcott, 2004). The focus on self does not necessarily mean â€Å"self in a vacuum. † A variety of others, â€Å"others of similarity† (those with similar values and experiences to self), â€Å"others of difference† (those with different values and experiences from self), and â€Å"others of opposition† (those with values and experiences seemingly irreconcilable to self), are often present in stories about self (Chang, 2007).This multiplicity of others exist in the context where a self inhabits; therefore, collecting data about self ultimately converges with the exploration of how the context surrounding self has influenced and shaped the make-up of self and how the self has responded to, reacted to, or resisted forces innate to the context. Research methods To answer my first two research questions, I will use personal reflection and narrative inquiry as my research methods. Personal ReflectionPersonal Reflection as define by John (2004), is being mindful of self, either within or after experience’, as though looking through a window which will enable the practitioner ‘to view and focus self within the context of a particular experience, in order to confront, understand and move toward resolving contradiction between one’s vision and actual practice’. It is a process of examining and evaluating the impact of personal values, culture and beliefs in relation to certain issue.My own retrospection allows me to recount the support, assistance and emotional as well as intellectual guidance that were provided to me from my senior colleagues and how these support made me traverse the obstacles that were on my path during the first few years of my teaching. In addition, my personal reflection will enable me to envision the possible mentoring that I will provide when my opportunity to become a mentor com es. Advantages/Strength As it is about you it requires you to be honest and open about your life and feelings about a specific thing ?It is often used by the person researching and writing to explain how they have felt during the process and their reaction to the topic ?Allows people to learn from experience Limitations ?Should be used in conjunction with others ?Very difficult or Impossible to quantify ?Some topics could cause friction within the family Narrative Inquiry Narrative inquiry is my main methods to represent my voice and engage readers in my text.This method focuses on studying a single person, gathering data through the collections of stories, reporting individual experiences, and discussing the meaning of those experiences for the individual (Creswell, 2008). The use of stories, discourse and my personal history will be my way of describing my mentoring experiences as a teacher and as a mentee and critically reflect on its effect and implications in my teaching practi ces. Although my personal narratives will be the major component of my data, other individuals’ life experiences and stories will be also considered (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990).Strengths ?No need of comprehensive procedure to follow for it is just my own experiences. This means no standard formality involved. It is a matter of my availability of time and retrospective mood. ?Ability to present data accurately as I have a good long term memory. Limitations ?Risk of missing information due to memory fatigue. ?Some experiences may not be presented as it may have harm to third party. Although the stories are my experiences, by telling them may have an impact on the life of a third party. Thus to be ethical I may not be able to tell every story (Cohen et al, 2000). Limited ability to present emotional stories. I am not a confident writer, therefore my limited writing skills will be a limitation. Quality standards Any educational paper regardless of which paradigm the researcher p osition himself should have some quality standards associated with it. In the context of auto-ethnographic research, the standard use in judging the quality of any research needs to be considered carefully. Member checking Is basically what the term implies – an opportunity for members (participants) to check (approve) particular aspects of the interpretation of the data they provided (Doyle, 2007).It is a â€Å"way of finding out whether the data analysis is congruent with the participants’ experiences† (Curtin & Fossey, 2007). The usual practice is that participants are given transcripts or particles from the narratives or written stories they contributed and are asked to verify their accuracy. Participants may be asked to edit, clarify, elaborate, and at times, delete their own words from the narratives; although Creswell (2008) stressed that member checking is best done with â€Å"polished† interpreted pieces such as themes and patterns emerging from the data rather than the actual transcripts.Member checking can be an individual process or can take place with more than one person at a time, such as in focus group settings, as a discussion with the researcher (Doyle, 2007). Member checking is often a single event that takes place only with the verification of transcripts or early interpretations. Sometimes though, it is done at a few key points throughout the research process with some scholars recommending it be done continuously (Doyle, 2007). As the researcher I will regularly provide my other participants with their nterpretations of the narratives for the purpose of verifying plausibility (Curtin & Fossey, 2007) and asking: Am I on the right track? Did I understand this in the same way you meant it? Authenticity Refers to the reliability and verifiability with which the account of the event corresponds to the â€Å"real† details of the event (date, time, place, people, and words spoken). Truth claims can be made only if certain procedure has been followed to guarantee to the greatest extent possible that the researcher’s account matches or corresponds to the event.A study is authentic when the strategies used are appropriate for the true reporting of the participants’ ideas, when the study is fair, and when it helps participants and similar groups to understand their world and improve it. It means that there is new insight into the phenomenon under study (Holloway & Wheeler, 2002). I can only achieve this in my research through member checking. The data should be continually revisited and scrutinized for accuracy of interpretation and for meaningful, coherent conveyance of the participant’s narrative contributions (Creswell, 2008).Moreover, fairness is one of the standards under authenticity to make sure different constructions are presented, clarified, checked, and taken into account in a balance manner (Cohen et al, 2000). To ensure fairness, I will certainly involve all stakeholders in constructions and interpretations of data. I will make sure that the data collected are accurate in terms of a vis-a-vis agreement with participants. Transparency Is the benchmark for the presentation and dissemination of findings, the need to be explicit, clear and open about the assumptions made and the methods and procedures used.Seale, et. al (2004) recognizes the researcher’s need to be transparent and reflexive about conduct, theoretical perspective and values. The credibility of any qualitative study lies in the transparency of its specific paradigm assumptions. In planning, designing, and carrying out qualitative research there must be a conscious examination of research strategies, selection of participants, and decisions made in collecting and interpreting the data (Duarte, 2007). Methods of inquiry, which includes he procedures of data collection and data analysis and interpretation must be clear enough for others to replicate, and therefore must be transparent. This is possibly the important difference between qualitative and quantitative inquiry, the emphasis is on the procedures being replicable, and not the findings (Sparkes, 2001). Qualitative inquiry requires a thorough critical self-exploration of the researcher’s assumptions, presuppositions, decisions, and self-interests. It is important to stress that reflexivity must be applied to the entire research process, and is not merely a consideration of potential sources of bias.The researcher has a crucial participatory role in any inquiry. Transparency and reflexivity therefore go hand in hand, since without transparency, reflexivity is impotent, and in return, reflexivity effectively promotes transparency (Bruce , 2007).

Free Essays on Landscapes

Wherever one goes, one can see certain homes covering the landscape. Each home varies as do the owners themselves. The only limits are money and social acceptance of what one can build. In this paper I shall talk about the similarities and differences in house types and building materials used in India (Punjab), Canada (B.C.), and Mexico. There were three types of homes that were most prevalent in Mexico. These types were as follows: the squatter homes, adobe brick homes, raw brick (brick that hasn’t been fully kilned) and the cement covered brick homes. The squatter homes in Mexico are made from anything that is cheap and readily available. Usually these homes consist of raw brick for walls and a metal or Spanish tile roof. The home itself is built on a plot that has no essential services such as electricity or running water. These homes are not very large it all depends on the amount one can afford and they range from a simple square of 8 by 8 feet or a rectangle of 8 by 12 feet. Adobe brick homes are not found in squatter settlements in Mexico. One could speculate that building on a hilltop away from any good source of clay soil makes the availability of adobe limited at best. Accordingly adobe structures are more noticeable in some cities and farming communities in Mexico where clay soil is plentiful. In this picture one can see the extensive use of Adobe. This building is built simply and cheaply and most likely not to code. The structure itself consists of wooden poles every couple of feet. These poles are placed vertically and are weight-bearing poles, holding up the roof and keeping the walls intact. There are smaller poles, which are placed horizontally, and these tie it all in. After the wooden structure is erected and the soil is mixed with water, the Adobe is ready to be applied to the wall. The adobe, which I once believed was cow manure, is actually soil mixed in with water and then kneaded like flour;... Free Essays on Landscapes Free Essays on Landscapes Wherever one goes, one can see certain homes covering the landscape. Each home varies as do the owners themselves. The only limits are money and social acceptance of what one can build. In this paper I shall talk about the similarities and differences in house types and building materials used in India (Punjab), Canada (B.C.), and Mexico. There were three types of homes that were most prevalent in Mexico. These types were as follows: the squatter homes, adobe brick homes, raw brick (brick that hasn’t been fully kilned) and the cement covered brick homes. The squatter homes in Mexico are made from anything that is cheap and readily available. Usually these homes consist of raw brick for walls and a metal or Spanish tile roof. The home itself is built on a plot that has no essential services such as electricity or running water. These homes are not very large it all depends on the amount one can afford and they range from a simple square of 8 by 8 feet or a rectangle of 8 by 12 feet. Adobe brick homes are not found in squatter settlements in Mexico. One could speculate that building on a hilltop away from any good source of clay soil makes the availability of adobe limited at best. Accordingly adobe structures are more noticeable in some cities and farming communities in Mexico where clay soil is plentiful. In this picture one can see the extensive use of Adobe. This building is built simply and cheaply and most likely not to code. The structure itself consists of wooden poles every couple of feet. These poles are placed vertically and are weight-bearing poles, holding up the roof and keeping the walls intact. There are smaller poles, which are placed horizontally, and these tie it all in. After the wooden structure is erected and the soil is mixed with water, the Adobe is ready to be applied to the wall. The adobe, which I once believed was cow manure, is actually soil mixed in with water and then kneaded like flour;...

Organisational factors Essay Example

Organisational factors Essay Example Organisational factors Essay Organisational factors Essay Purpose: To study and find out the organisational factors which play a significant role in the successful implementation of ERP and finally find out the relation between the factors which helps us in narrow down the factors so that we can get the most influenced factor to concentrate upon. It’s quite difficult for the company to take care of all the factors, so our next aim to find the major factor(s) which have more criticality over the others. Methods: During research project we collected the data from Primary and Secondary source.We prepared around 16 questions and get them answered from the employees and managers of the company who are currently using ERP. Apart from it we interviewed some top management level people for the detailed knowledge and its importance. Findings: After getting the results we found that we can group these factors into three groups according to the impact over the other. Introduction Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are adopted by many or ganisations to meet various challenges of information flow and competition. ERP systems help to make the key business processes to be automated and integrated in an organization.ERP systems help in timely flow of the information which can help in making efficient strategic decisions. Following pattern is followed, the related literature is reviewed. Then, hypothesis and objective is presented followed by research methodology used for study. Next, observation, findings and analysis are discussed. Finally, conclusion and suggestions are given. Literature Review 2. 1 ERP implementation success Several factors may affect ERP implementation in organizations. These factors include, lack of top management support (Supramaniam and Kuppusamy, 2011; Shah et al. , 2011; Finney and Corbett, 2007; Bhatti, 2005; Wong et al. 2005), business requirement gap (Shah et al. , 2011; Wong et al. , 2005), user involvement (Francoise et al. , 2009; Rasmy et al. , 2005) and vendor support (Al-Mashari et al. , 2006; Thavapragasam, 2003), communication and co-ordination which may cause ERP implementation failure. ERP systems always require changes in work flows which need organizational alignment which requires top management support. Top management commitment and support is noted as a critical factor which has a positive effect (i. e. positively related) on the success of ERP implementation success (Rasmy et al. 2005; Supramaniam and Kuppusamy, 2011, Shanks and Light, 1999; Shah et al. , 2011). Finney and Corbett (2007) also stated that top management support has the 1st most critical success factors regarding ERP success in his research. 2. 2 Organisational factors influencing successful ERP implementation Determining factors that are positioned behind a successful ERP system implementation has been a key research question in previous research. Implementation of an ERP system is a complex process including a great many factors and conditions which can potentially influence successful mplementation. These factors might have a positive effect on the ERP implementation project outcome, whereas the lack of these conditions could create trouble through ERP implementation. Many researchers have recognized that there are many factors that could be critical to the successful implementation of ERP. For example, [36] Somers and Nelson (2004) recognized that there are 22 critical success factors including Top management support, Education on new business processes, User training on software, On the hand, [1] Al-Mashari et al. 2003) found out that thre are 12 critical ERP factors such as ERP selection, project management, training and education, business process management, cultural and structural change management while [39] Umble et al. (2003) divided the factors into 10 categories including Commitment by top management, Clear understanding of strategic goals, Excellent implementation project management, Great implementation team, Successfully coping with technical issues , Organizational commitment to change, Data accuracy, Extensive education and training, Focused performance measures, and Multi-site issues resolved.Based on [12] Dezdar and Sulaimans (2009) work the factors can be grouped into 17 categories which subsequently can be re-organized into three main categories; organizational, project and system. [53] Dezdar (2010) found organizational factors to be quite instrumental in determining the ERP implementation success. This research focus on the following aspects of the organizational factors, i. e. Top management support, Organizational size , cooperation and coordination ,ERP training and education, and role of business vision and mission . These factors are discussed in detail in the following paragraphs. . 2. 1 Top management Top management support, has been emphasized, as a crucial factor in successful ERP implementation by many ([1] Al-Mashari et al. , 2003; [39] Umble et al. , 2003; [47] Zhang et al. , 2005). [29] Ngai et al. (2008), discussed that top management support, plays a significant role in the ERP implementation success because ERP are normally done on a large-scale and require extensive resources. Top management support has two major aspects or factors in ERP implementation projects: providing the necessary resources and providing leadership.Even the survey done for this project has shown the same results that management plays a very critical role in successful ERP implementation. 2. 2. 2 Training and education As mentioned earlier ERP is a complex system thus adequate training and education must be provided so that the users to use them effectively and efficiently ([8] Correa and Cruz, 2005; [47] Zhang et al. , 2005; [3] Bradley, 2008) and with ease. Training and education would enhance the users level of knowledge, understanding and efficiency, thus increasing individual performance and subsequently organizational performance. [27] Nah et al. 2003) stated that sufficient training can increase the pr obability of success of ERP system implementation, while inappropriate or no training can hinder its success greatly. Adequate training and education may also help the organization to build positive feelings towards the system. More important it may help ERP users to adjust to the organizational change-taking place with the implementation of the system. In addition, training increases ease of use, user acceptance and reduces user resistance, which, in turn, enhances the likelihood of ERP systems use and success ([3] Bradley, 2008). 2. 2. 3 Business mission:In order to successfully run a business, an entrepreneur needs a clear vision as to where the business is going. In other words, a business needs to know what its purpose is and where it is going. A mission statement is the perfect tool to develop in order to define a new businesss purpose, activities, and values . A mission statement should act as a lighthouse. If a company loses track of itself, it will be able to look back on t heir mission statement and be reminded of their overall purpose. In general, a mission statement should inform your workers and customers what the business is all about and where it is headed.A mission statement helps p a business to create a culture that is integrated with its overall purpose For purposes of this study, two notions, i. e. organizational mission and goals from the strategic management literature, are used to describe business vision. That said, many organizations in fact adopt ERP to meet their organizational objectives (business vision) ([8], [9] Davenport, 1998, 2000; [5] Bingi et al. , 1999). Sadly, it has been observed so far that many organizations fail to articulate their IT implementation strategy vis-a-vis overall business vision ([24] Keen, 1993; [10] Deloitte Consulting, 2000 According to [9]Davenport (2000), companies with a desire to implement ERP must be clear about their strategic intent before going for such an exercise. He quotes: In the same categor y of things that need to be settled beforehand if youre going to get value from an [ERP] is the notion of strategic clarity certainty as to what business the company is in [ ] ([9] Davenport, 2000, p. 47). 2. 2. 4 Organisation Size The journal â€Å"The impact of organization size on enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations in the US manufacturing sector† clearly states that organisation’s size plays a very important role in successful ERP implementation.The greater the size more the need to use standardized ERP for proper information flow. In the research done, it has been found out the organizations having branches ;gt;10 are implementing ERP package. 2. 2. 5 Employee resistance The research document â€Å"Resistance to change and ERP implementation success: the moderating role of change management initiative†. It clearly states that employee resistance plays a very important role in success of ERP. Even the research conducted stated the same result s. 2. 2. 6 Standardization of single packageThe research document â€Å"Understanding the Impact of ERP Standardization on Business Process Performance† states that standardization on a single ERP package contribute greatly in success of ERP implementation. Even the study conducted also showed the same results. 2. 2. 7 Connectivity across different companies The research document â€Å"Issues in multinational ERP implementation† try to state that connectivity across the organization play significant role in ERP implementation. This research carried out even stated the same results. 2. 2. 8 Range of branches: ERP implementation is beneficial when the organisations have wide range of branches.Various studies has been conducted which tried to state that only companies which has wide range of branches usually go for ERP implementation as it has more benefits in terms of information flow and resource allocation. Research Objective: â€Å"Our objective is to find out that o rganisational factors play a significant role in successful ERP implementation. † The relationship between each factor and the success of the ERP implementation is analysed in this research. The research analyses the data and information taken from various companies. Hypothesis: Null Hypothesis (H0):Organisational factors does not play significant role in successful ERP implementation. Alternate Hypothesis (Ha): Organisational factors play significant role in successful ERP implementation. Methodology: The methodology which we used in finding the survey data is from Primary and Secondary source both. We first examine the existing literature on critical success factors of ERP implementation (Secondary Data) and then assess the company perception on the criticality of these factors (Primary Data). The questionnaires were distributed to selected managers and employees of companies adopting ERP systems.We also gathered some data by taking interview of the Top management of some pr estigious company. This approach helps us in finding out various factors from practical scenario which really helps in the success of the ERP implementation. Few companies from where we gather the data are:– TCS, Ford, LnT, Renault, Daimler, Microsoft, Motherson Sumi Systems, John deer, Tyco, NCR Co. India Pvt. Ltd. , Yamaha motors Pvt. Ltd. , Infosys, and some experienced and knowledgably faculties of prestigious B-Schools e. g. IMT Hyderabad. Later we find the criticality of every factor by: Factor Analysis and Regression.We took 100 samples but only 54 relevant responses were found out. Number of sample questions in each survey are 16, some questions are objective type which can be answered on the likert scale and some are descriptive type because we are interviewing or gathering the data from the top management and employees of the company about the major factors and their importance. Therefore, we presented the mixed types of questions. While doing the project we come ac ross few limitations of the research: Firstly, the ERP implementation success dimensions were measured using subjective and perceptual measures.This was due to the difficulty in securing the related factual data from the participating organizations. Secondly, there can be some biasness in giving the data, as the companies who are currently in use of ERP and spend so much will give the biased information. The questionnaire is attached in annexure with all the responses from the industry i. e. primary source. Results: Linear  Regression  Results| The  REG  Procedure Model:  Linear_Regression_Model Dependent  Variable:  Success  in  implementation(Benefi  Success  in  implementation(Benefit  perception+Increase  in  satisfaction  level)| | Number of Observations Read| 52|Number of Observations Used| 52| | Analysis of Variance| Source| DF| Sum of Squares| Mean Square| F Value| Pr  ;gt;  F| Model| 8| 44. 19446| 5. 52431| 6. 46| ;lt;. 0001| Corrected To tal| 51| 80. 98077|   |   |   | Error| 43| 36. 78631| 0. 85550|   |   | | Root MSE| 0. 92493| R-Square| 0. 5457| Dependent Mean| 5. 51923| Adj R-Sq| 0. 4612| CoeffVar| 16. 75831|   |   | | - - - Note:  Model  is  not  full  rank. Least-squares  solutions  for  the  parameters  are  not  unique.Some  statistics  will  be  misleading. A  reported  DF  of  0  or  B  means  that  the  estimate  is  biased. | - Note:  The  following  parameters  have  been  set  to  0,  since  the  variables  are  a  linear  combination  of  other  variables  as  shown. | Top Management Influence =| 4 * Intercept| | | | Parameter Estimates| Variable| Label| DF| Parameter Estimate| Standard Error| t  Value| Pr  gt;  |t|| Intercept| Intercept| B| 3. 28844| 1. 89106| 1. 74| 0. 0892| Standardization of Single Packag| Standardization of Single Package| 1| 0. 10219| 0. 08832| 1. 16| 0. 537| Top M anagement Influence|   | 0| 0| . | . | . | Connectivity across different co| Connectivity across different companies| 1| 0. 19473| 0. 08456| 2. 30| 0. 0262| Organizational Size|   | 1| -0. 23147| 0. 19982| -1. 16| 0. 2531| Range of branches|   | 1| 0. 29018| 0. 11756| 2. 47| 0. 0176| Less degree of employee resistan| Less degree of employee resistance| 1| -0. 22751| 0. 17244| -1. 32| 0. 1940| Coperation and Cordination|   | 1| 0. 65358| 0. 24454| 2. 67| 0. 0106| Role of Business mission and vis| Role of Business mission and vision| 1| -0. 38776| 0. 23768| -1. 63| 0. 101| Training and Development|   | 1| 0. 35042| 0. 19639| 1. 78| 0. 0814| | Correlation of Estimates| Variable| Label| Intercept| Standardization of Single Packag| Connectivity across different co| Organizational Size| Range of branches| Less degree of employee resistan| Coperation and Cordination| Role of Business mission and vis| Training and Development| Intercept| Intercept| 1. 0000| -0. 2150| -0. 3886| -0. 7468| 0. 2264| -0. 4380| -0. 4969| -0. 5696| -0. 4536| Standardization of Single Packag| Standardization of Single Package| -0. 2150| 1. 0000| 0. 2258| 0. 1309| 0. 0552| 0. 0616| -0. 1327| 0. 2571| -0. 917| Connectivity across different co| Connectivity across different companies| -0. 3886| 0. 2258| 1. 0000| 0. 2307| 0. 1232| 0. 4621| -0. 0188| -0. 0187| 0. 3353| Organizational Size|   | -0. 7468| 0. 1309| 0. 2307| 1. 0000| -0. 1477| 0. 0832| 0. 3870| 0. 1966| 0. 2829| Range of branches|   | 0. 2264| 0. 0552| 0. 1232| -0. 1477| 1. 0000| -0. 1528| -0. 1183| -0. 4683| -0. 2168| Less degree of employee resistan| Less degree of employee resistance| -0. 4380| 0. 0616| 0. 4621| 0. 0832| -0. 1528| 1. 0000| -0. 0598| 0. 3169| 0. 3236| Coperation and Cordination|   | -0. 4969| -0. 1327| -0. 0188| 0. 3870| -0. 183| -0. 0598| 1. 0000| 0. 0296| -0. 1252| Role of Business mission and vis| Role of Business mission and vision| -0. 5696| 0. 2571| -0. 0187| 0. 1966| -0. 4683| 0. 3169| 0. 0296 | 1. 0000| 0. 0922| Training and Development|   | -0. 4536| -0. 1917| 0. 3353| 0. 2829| -0. 2168| 0. 3236| -0. 1252| 0. 0922| 1. 0000| | | Factor  Analysis  Results| The  FACTOR  Procedure| | Input Data Type| Raw Data| Number of Records Read| 52| Number of Records Used| 52| N for Significance Tests| 52| | | Generated  by  the  SAS  System  (Local,  W32_VSHOME)  on  February  24,  2013  at  7:27:27  PM| | | Factor  Analysis  Results| The  FACTOR  ProcedureInitial  Factor  Method:  Principal  Components Prior  Communality  Estimates:  ONE  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  | | Eigenvalues of the Correlation Matrix: Total = 8 Average = 0. 88888889| | Eigenvalue| Difference| Proportion| Cumulative| 1| 2. 11694553| 0. 24953625| 0. 2646| 0. 2646| 2| 1. 86740928| 0. 50755333| 0. 2334| 0. 4980| 3| 1. 35985595| 0. 49497679| 0. 1700| 0. 6680| 4| 0. 86487917| 0. 32219842| 0. 1081| 0. 7761| 5| 0. 54268075| 0. 02774770| 0. 0678| 0. 8440| 6| 0. 51493305| 0. 0 7920770| 0. 0644| 0. 9083| 7| 0. 43572535| 0. 13815443| 0. 0545| 0. 9628| 8| 0. 29757092| 0. 29757092| 0. 0372| 1. 0000| 9| 0. 00000000|   | 0. 0000| 1. 0000| 3  factors  will  be  retained  by  the  MINEIGEN  criterion| Factor  Pattern| |   | Factor1| Factor2| Factor3| Standardization of Single Packag| Standardization of Single Package| 0. 69014| -0. 26162| -0. 23207| Top Management Influence|   | 0. 00000| 0. 00000| 0. 00000| Connectivity across different co| Connectivity across different companies| -0. 49203| 0. 54147| -0. 48463| Organizational Size|   | -0. 55073| -0. 48025| 0. 33725| Range of branches|   | 0. 20013| 0. 34213| 0. 80756| Less degree of employee resistan| Less degree of employee resistance| 0. 17237| -0. 68893| 0. 30760| Coperation and Cordination|   | 0. 7166| 0. 28393| -0. 13602| Role of Business mission and vis| Role of Business mission and vision| -0. 17059| 0. 74207| 0. 43129| Training and Development|   | 0. 73842| 0. 22839| 0 . 07819| | Variance Explained by Each Factor| Factor1| Factor2| Factor3| 2. 1169455| 1. 8674093| 1. 3598560| | Final Communality Estimates: Total = 5. 344211| Standardization of Single Packag| Top Management Influence| Connectivity across different co| Organizational Size| Range of branches| Less degree of employee resistan| Coperation and Cordination| Role of Business mission and vis| Training and Development| 0. 59859241| 0. 0000000| 0. 77015031| 0. 64768308| 0. 80925749| 0. 59896039| 0. 55025088| 0. 76578116| 0. 60353504| | | Generated  by  the  SAS  System  (Local,  W32_VSHOME)  on  February  24,  2013  at  7:27:27  PM| | | | | | | Findings: * The Regression equation is as follows: Success in Implementation = 3. 28844 + 0. 10219 * (Standardization of single package) + 0. 19473 * (Connectivity across different companies) 0. 23147 * (Organizational Size) + 0. 29018 * (Range of Branches) 0. 22751 * (less degree of employee resistance) + 0. 65358 * (Coope ration and Coordination) 0. 38776 * (Role of Business vision and Mission) 0. 35042 * (Training and Development) * R Square Value = 0. 5457 * Significance: 1. Corporation and Coordination, range of branches and connectivity across different companies has t-value ;gt; 2. 2. Standardization of single package and Training ;amp; Development have positive t-values but less than 2. 3. Organizational Size, Less Degree of Employee Resistance and Role of Business Mission and Vision have negative t-value. * In Factor Analysis, the organisational factors as 9 independent variables can be grouped into 3 factors: * Factor1 (Infrastructural and Structural factor)Standardization of single Package Organisational Size Cooperation and Coordination Training and Development * Factor2 (Organizational cultural factor) Connectivity across different companies Less degree of Employee resistance Role of Business Vision and Mission * Factor3 (Size factor) Range of Branches Discussion: Following is the interpr etation from the regression results: * The Organizational factors that have t-value greater than 2 will have significant positive impact on the successful implementation of ERP. These factors are: 1. Connectivity across different companiesFor the Organization to implement ERP successfully it should develop and maintain proper and high connectivity across different companies. 2. Range of Branches The organization which has large range of branches is more likely to be successful in ERP implementation. 3. Co-operation and Co-ordination There must be good cooperation and coordination among the employees working in the organisation as it is very crucial factor for the success of ERP * The Organizational factors that has positive t-value less than 2 will have positive impact on the successful implementation of ERP but not very significant. These factors are: . Standardization of single package All the different functional areas of company like HR, Finance, Marketing, and Sales and distrib ution should be standardize on single ERP package for successful implementation. 2. Training and Development The employees of the company should be given proper training on ERP modules for it to be successful in future. * The Organizational factors that have negative t-value will have negative impact on the successful implementation of ERP. These factors are: 1. Organisational Size If the organization size is small the ERP can be implemented quickly as compared to large. 2.Less Degree of Employee Resistance From our results, we found that the Less Degree of Employee Resistance factor will not contribute more for the successful ERP implementation. 3. Business Vision and Mission From our results, we found that the Business Vision and Mission factor will not contribute more for the successful ERP implementation. * Top Management influence is present everywhere the ERP was implemented. This shows that it is the most critical factor for the successful implementation of ERP. The R square value â€Å"0. 5457† shows that these independent variables are covering about 54% of variation in the output i. . , successful implementation of ERP. When we run the factor analysis we were able to group these 9 independent variables into three factors and these factors contributed about 66% of deviation. 1. The first factor which is the most important factor is having the independent variables as follows: * Standardization of single Package * Organisational Size * Cooperation and Coordination * Training and Development These independent variables show the common element of infrastructure and working structure of the organization. So, the first factor is named as Infrastructural and Structural factor. . The second factor which is the next crucial factor is having the independent variables as follows: * Connectivity across different companies * Less degree of Employee resistance * Role of Business Vision and Mission These independent variables show the common element of organ izational culture. So, the second factor is named as Organizational cultural factor. 3. The third factor is the next crucial factor having only one independent variable as: * Range of Branches This independent variable has the element as size of the organization. So, this factor is named as Size factor.From the correlation matrix we found high correlation among the independent variables that are in the same factor group which confirms our parity of results. Conclusion : The companies which have high connectivity across different companies, high range of branches, high cooperation and coordination among employees, and good training facilities are most likely to effect the successful ERP implementation. From our findings we found that the top management influence was an important and critical factor for success of ERP in companies. Recommendations:For the company to successfully implement ERP it should invest heavily in Training ;amp; Development facilities. It should encourage high c ooperation and coordination among employees. Because the organization cannot concentrate on 9 organizational factors and work upon that. So, we divided the 9 organizational factors into 3 factor groups and the company can choose one of the factor groups that can be Infrastructural and Structural factor. Simultaneously, it can work on the independent variables that are present in this factor to enhance the probability of success of ERP implementation.Sources : sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S0378720601001343ttp://fico-forum. com/? p=147 https://dspace. lboro. ac. uk/dspace-jspui/handle/2134/8091 researchersworld. com/vol2/issue2/Paper_07. pdf