Operations Management at Kudler Foods

Operations Management at Kudler Foods Free Online Research Papers Operations management is the process used by an organization to obtain materials, the process of transforming the product, and the process of providing the final product to the end user. Operations management consists of three stages: acquiring inputs, controlling the conversion process and delving the product to the user (Gomez, Meija Balkin 2002). At Kudler Fine Foods (Kudler) this translates to purchasing products, preparing them for sale and selling to the customer (Apollo 2008). Kudler Fine Foods (Kudler) has experienced significant growth since its inception five years ago and is now focusing on expanding services while improving the efficiency of its operations. Kudler has made the decision to contract with local growers of organic produce to improve the efficiency of its operation while expanding its services. This paper will identify the business processes at Kudler that could be affected by this decision and will explain how they would be affected. This paper will also describe the affect of this decision on Kudler’s supply chain. Finally, this paper will describe the quality control tools and performance standards that Kudler would need to put in place to ensure the effectiveness of its operations (Apollo 2008). Business Processes Business processes refer to the various systems employed by a business to make it run efficiently (Eduka 2008). For example, the way an organization manages its purchasing, inventory control, quality management and operations systems, are all part of the business processes (Chase, Jacobs Aquilano, 2005). Contracting with local organic growers will most likely have a significant impact on the purchasing and inventory processes at Kudler. Purchasing Currently purchasing practices at Kudler are not efficient. Each of the three store managers are responsible for determining items to sell as well as negotiating individually with suppliers for the best price, quality and delivery possible. In a report prepared by the University of Nebraska addressing the feasibility of working with local growers, it was determined that one of the best indicators of success with a local grower is developing a relationship with the grower (2003). Kathy Kudler is the best person to build that relationship and will need meet with the growers, personally, to negotiate the best prices for the produce as well as to determine the most efficient ordering procedures and delivery schedule to maximize efficiency. Kudler’s store managers are encouraged to work together to place orders, however, without a formal process in place, most purchasing decisions are made separately (Apollo 2008). Kudler’s finance and accounting department has developed purchasing and receiving procedures, but the procedures are not being used by the individual stores. Prepared purchase orders are mailed, handed to the suppliers, faxed or sent via e-mail. These purchase orders become the key to tracking orders and serve as the basis for payment to the suppliers. The purchase order system will need to be refined and standardized for all growers.The current networking capabilities and available inventory reports will need to be used to determine the demand at each store as well as to track inventory. This will require additional support from the purchasing staff at corporate (Apollo 2008). Purchasing organic produce from local growers will require better planning and processes to eliminate waste and bottlenecks. In order to realize a cost savings through bulk ordering, the process flowcharting will need to be revamped in order to consider the combined ordering of organic produce and inventory controls for all stores (Chase, Jacobs Aquilano 2005). Kudler may benefit from conducting a benchmarking study to determine the best practices for purchasing using the practices from a firm such as Whole Foods, just as they are benchmarking Nordstrom’s for best practices in customer service (Apollo, 2005). Inventory Control The individual stores at Kudler, are responsible to receive and verify all shipments to determine if the correct items and quantities were received and in what condition. Received items are documented on a form and sent to accounting to reconcile and pay the supplies. The department managers determine the items to stock as well as the number of them to order, based on data provided from prior sales. Inventory control at Kudler is a challenge because there must be enough product to satisfy the customer needs without having excess inventory wasted through spoilage while tying up valuable resources. Due to the nature of organic produce being generally seasonal, the best way to monitor the inventory would be through updating technology at all levels Kudler to generate inventory and purchase reports. This will allow those responsible for purchasing to adjust purchases in response to the inventory on hand and current demand. The reports generated will increase the accuracy of the forecasting future inventory needs and trends for each of the stores instead of relying on historical data as they do now (Apollo 2008). This will also reduce waste caused by overstocking, since organic produce has such a short shelf life. Operations Systems Kudler’s operations system consists of outdated hardware and software, using Windows 97 with bubble jet printers at the stores as well as a 56k modem to connect to the network. The POS cash register information is transmitted via the network on a daily basis through uploads at the store and downloads at corporate. In a special report written by Liz Parks and published by Supermarket News (Parks 2005), independent grocers were encouraged to invest in technology as a way of streamlining operating costs. Chase, Jacobs Aquilano (2005) discuss the benefits of using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) computer software to manage business operations with a single integrated set of corporate data. Having an ERP in place allows an organization to streamline processes through the reduction of time needed to process supplier payments or process customer orders. Kudler would be able to use an ERP to forecast future needs to assist with accurate purchasing, track vendor and retail pricing as well as other financial information. The ERP would allow Kudler to track the sales performance of new items that are introduced to determine if they are products that they want to bring into inventory. The investment in new technology is highly recommended. New technology may be an option for Kudler, however, cost of the purchase, installation and training would be a major factor which would influence the decision as opposed to upgrading current systems. Supply Chain According to Chase, Jacobs Aquilano (2005) supply chain management is applying a total systems approach in order to manage the flow of the materials (such as organic produce) from the suppliers (local growers) through receiving, to the end user (the customer). Kudler’s decision to use local organic farmers for their produce can have a negative impact on its supply chain. Due to the nature of organic produce being seasonal, optimizing ordering techniques of the produce would benefit the company. Fullscope discusses the unique problems faced with the supply chain of organics in a white paper published in 2007. One of the biggest factors to consider in the supply chain is that of time. When dealing with organics, companies can not use traditional â€Å"order due date† as the driver for their business processes, due to the short shelf life of the organics. Additionally, communication is crucial to the success. Growers will need to communicate shortfalls and Kudler will nee d to be prepared to have alternative sources to keep its inventory at desired levels. Quality Management Current quality control measures at Kudler are subjective and left up to each individual store manager to determine the quality of the product that is received. Quality Control Tools and Performance Standards Quality control measures are crucial to the success of any organization. Four basic methods of managing quality exist: total quality management, kaizen, just-in-time, and process reengineering. â€Å"Total quality management (TQM) is based on the belief that all of an organization’s activities need to be focused on improving its product† (Gomez-Meija Balkin, 2002 p 13). TQM affects management, employees, customers, suppliers and the production process. Kudler’s overall products will not be affected by the decision to purchase produce locally and therefore, TQM is not needed. Kaizen is the process of continuous improvement in the production system using small, incremental improvement in the production process (Gomez-Meija Balkin, 2002). Kudler may want to integrate Kaizen theory when analyzing the suppliers to use as well as when developing new flow charts, in order to eliminate wasted employee activities caused by duplication and redundancies. Just-in-Time-Systems is based upon the concept that the product (organic produce) is available to the customers when they need it, not before. Drawbacks are that it does not allow any buffer and may defeat the goal of having inventory on hand for customers (Gomez-Meija Balkin, 2002). This would not fit the customer service levels that have been set by Kudler and would result in having low stock or no stock more frequently, which could result in lost sales. Process re-engineering is a method of changing the entire production process rather than making incremental changes. All processes of the organization are viewed as a complete process and would involve changing all processes at once. It focuses on the process and not on the individual activities with a goal to reduce waste and improve profitability (Gomez-Meija Balkin, 2002). This method seems to be the best fit to make such a major change and purchase organic produce from local growers. It will involve changing all processes at Kudler from negotiating with the growers all the way through the sale to the end user. Kudler will need to implement quality controls for the organic produce purchased from local growers to ensure that purchases are as defect free as possible. Conclusion In the plan to contract with local growers of organic produce, Kudler will need to take careful steps to ensure the success of this new initiative. Implementing and creating new processes which will stream line operations while keeping down costs, will have many benefits for Kudler. These benefits include improving purchasing procedures, inventory and quality management control, upgrading the existing operating system while maintaining the supply chain. By addressing organizational changes that can be applied to the make the transition smooth, the company will be able to incorporate local organic growers as their suppliers. In doing so, Kudler will be successful in achieving its goals to expand services to its customers and to realize continued growth. References Apollo Group, Inc. (2008). Kudler Fine Foods. Retrieved January 9, 2008. MMPBL/502- Managing the Business Enterprise. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOPL/Business/Kudler/Kudlerho me002.htm. Chase, Jacobs Aquilano (2005). Operations Management for Competitive Advantage. 11th Edition. [University of Phoenix Custom e-text]. The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MMBPL/502- Managing the Business Enterprise. Fullscope (2007) Organic Supply Chain Management. A White Paper. Retrieved from website: fullscope.com/mktg/organic_supply_chain_management_white_paper.pdf?PHPSESSID=c8744999b814c5dcf37fc67c73d23878 Gomez-Mejia, L. Balkin, D. (2002). Management, 1e. [University of Phoenix Custom e-text]. The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MMBPL/502- Managing the Business Enterprise. Parks, L. (2005) Technology Difference. Supermarket News 1/17/2005, Vol. 53 Issue 3, p38. Eduka Solutions (2008) Retrieved on January 9, 2008, from Website: eduka.com/News/Glossary-of-Terms.aspx Research Papers on Operations Management at Kudler FoodsThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfDefinition of Export QuotasResearch Process Part OneNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThree Concepts of Psychodynamic

Creating Awesome Content Quickly With Neil Patel From Crazy Egg

Creating Awesome Content Quickly With Neil Patel From Crazy Egg Creating awesome content quickly is something that many of us aspire to do. Today we’re talking to Neil Patel. Neil is a New York Times author and was recognized by President Obama as a top-100 entrepreneur under the age of 30. He’s co-founded companies including Crazy Egg, Hello Bar, and KISSmetrics. Today we’re going to talk about being super-prolific. Sit back, relax, and get ready for a 20-minute class on content marketing! Information on what has led to Neil’s incredible success with content marketing. Thoughts on why Neil is able to create great content so quickly. Some of the most common mistakes Neil sees when it comes to content marketing. How Neil uses surveys and research to boost his success, what kinds of questions he asks, and what he does with the results. How Neil decides what kind of content to create. Neil’s best tip for marketers who want to create prolific content. Links and Resources: Neil Patel’s blog Crazy Egg Hello Bar KISSmetrics QuickSprout SurveyMonkeyIf you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Neil: If it makes people laugh or amuses them, you’re good to go, but sometimes it takes a lot to create content that really amuses.† â€Å"Go out there and do it. If you can’t figure out how to be motivated to make it part of your daily routine, you’re going to fail because that’s the easiest part.† â€Å"It isn’t just creation and promotion; it is process as well. I think that’s what a lot of people forget.†

You should Learn A foreign Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You should Learn A foreign Language - Essay Example It is also important to have as authentic a conversation as possible in the foreign language. When you move to a different country or region, learning the local language will help you to communicate and integrate with the local community. If a person goes to another country speaking only their own language, they may be viewed as arrogant by the native inhabitants of that country. When one thinks about it, when one makes an effort to speak another language, it is sometimes mocked, and this can create fear. But it is important to at least try. One must not be afraid of being corrected, or asking questions. Each step in this process involves communicating and integrating with the local community. There are many reasons for learning a foreign language; some are more personal than others. If a person has a partner, a set of in-laws, or friends who speak a different language, learning that language will help you to communicate with them. This can relate to a more foundational and better relationship. Often, true communication can occur across various borders. This is true in terms of family, as well as in terms of native fluency. If your work involves regular contact with speakers of foreign languages, being able to talk to them in their own languages will help you communicate with them. Many of today’s professionals act in an increasingly global and networked environment. They need to speak many languages to communicate across national and cultural borders. This involves, at work, generally a more sophisticated level of communication, rather than a basic one. When traveling, a basic ability in a foreign language will help you to ‘get by;† i.e., to order food and drink, find your way around, buy tickets, etc. A basic ability in this sense can be gained through repeating basic phrases and concepts, memorizing phrase and verb forms of a language, and practicing dialogues. Often, dialogues can lead students to a better understanding

Environmental Threats in Order of Decreasing Importance Assignment

Environmental Threats in Order of Decreasing Importance - Assignment Example The increase in temperatures is also linked with unsolicited changes in global climate, resulting in natural calamities such as floods, tsunamis, and hurricanes. This problem is very important to consider because global climate change not only results in natural calamities that damage human properties, lives, and agriculture but also results in damage to the ecosystem. Many areas have reported a loss of biodiversity and imbalances in ecosystems because even subtle changes in the natural climate cycles cause immense damage to many ecosystems and the species that thrive in them. The problem of global warming and its associated global climate change can be eliminated if we live a responsible lifestyle by minimizing our carbon footprint and adopt technologies that have minimum fossil fuel usage, and carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. II - Loss of species and ecosystems Pollution by humans and human activities, and encroachment of natural lands for human settlement and other purposes ha s caused severe losses to ecosystems and species. Loss of many species and, their ecosystems has resulted in a great loss of biodiversity. Many species are currently under threat of extinction. The loss of species and ecosystems is very dangerous as it directly affects the survival of life on the entire planet. Sometimes the loss of a single important species may damage the entire ecosystem. Such losses have global implications. In order to avoid loss of species and ecosystems, it is important to avoid pollution and land encroachment that destroys species habitats and negatively affects natural ecosystems. Better preservation strategies should be employed for species protection and everyone should be made aware of the importance of protecting vulnerable ecosystems and organisms. III - Global overpopulation Human population is multiplying rapidly and the resultant drain on earth’s natural resources is increasingly becoming a cause of concern.  

Limitations of the balanced scorecard Essay Example for Free

Limitations of the balanced scorecard Essay As any other management innovation the balanced scorecard faces certain challenges as it attempt to break away from traditional approaches of management. For one it is difficult to implement a balanced scorecard system in large organizations such as Intel as it requires solvating for support from fellow mangers. Additionally, commitment and cooperation from project managers is fundamental to the success of comprehensive balanced scorecard. This process is both times consuming and tedious. More to that, resistance from managers due to and fear of the unknown is also a challenge to implementing a balance scorecard, thus, top-level managers may be reluctant to give adequate funding to implement a balanced scorecard management system. However despite the challenges associate with implementing balanced scorecards the benefits derived are worth the effort of trying. A balanced scorecard can transform strategic objectives to flow logical resources of performances. This will ensure that the organization efforts are aligned with mission statements and the employees’ investors and customers’ needs are catered for. The first requirement in designing a balanced scorecard is detailing the objectives of the company depending on what is desired at the given moment. .( Bain Company, 2002, Stewart, 2000) These objectives should be in view of the how the customers see Intel, what Intel focuses to excel at, how the company may continue to be innovative in creating value, and how the company intends to change the shareholder perspective of the company (Dickinson, 2003). The second step in designing the balanced scorecard is to describe the strategy that Intel wants to implement say better manage the intangible assets of the company or ensure that quality products are supplied to customers in time and in right quantities. The other step is to align the internal processes of the organization with strategy. In this case, we will be looking at what the company can excel in or what it is good at and capitalize in it while pulling efforts to low performing processes. The next step will be to assign duties to every individual job. Positive impacts of BSC According to the survey conducted by Bain Consulting Company, companies that implement a balanced scorecard in their management system reported higher assets turnover, reduction in indebtedness, elevated margins as well as high inventory turnover (Oorschot, 2002, Norton, 2001). Since balanced scorecards clarify organizations strategies to individuals in the organization, employees at Intel will be more inclined and committed to achieving the goals hence translating to higher profit margins for Intel. Moreover, Intel will be in a position to track financial loopholes within the organization and develop measures to seal the loopholes. This in turn will lead to reduced debts and better allocations of funds. Scorecards provide immediate feedback to managers who measure the performance outcome against visions and missions set. By adopting a balanced scorecard, Intel will be in a position to improve its strategies periodically following occasional review that balance scorecards provider. Implementing a balanced scorecard at Intel will ensure that attention is equally accorded to other issues, save financial ones, such as human issues, and provide metrics that force the company to act for the greater good of the company. In the end, success for the company is guaranteed. The balance scorecard institute puts the major consideration of designing and implementing a balance scorecard into perspective by saying, â€Å"A major consideration in performance improvement involves the creation and use of performance measures or indicators. Performance measures or indicators are measurable characteristics of products, services, processes, and operations the company uses to track and improve performance. The measures or indicators should be selected to best represent the factors that lead to improved customer, operational, and financial performance. A comprehensive set of measures or indicators tied to customer and/or company performance requirements represents a clear basis for aligning all activities with the companys goals. Through the analysis of data from the tracking processes, the measures or indicators themselves may be evaluated and changed to better support such goals. † (Arveson, 1998) Balanced scorecards are performance management tools and Intel Company could benefit from measuring the performance of the company now and in future. Unlike before, where it was not possible to gauge the health of the business, and thereby not know the future standing of the business, implementing a balanced scorecard will ensure that indicators point out whether the company is headed for and develop mitigation efforts to prevent this. Another benefit of a balanced score cared is that its use is compatible with other existing management systems. EVA, SVA, EFQM, IAM and Business excellence model, can be linked to balanced scorecards. If the management feels uneasy to drop all the other financial measures. Normally balanced scorecard is at the center of the management systems since it s easy to use mechanism.

Physics Of Bowling Essay -- Physics Bowling Science Essays

Physics Of Bowling The one thing that interests me is bowling. I have been playing all my life and after a whole semester and a half of being in Mr. Fetter’s class, I realized that everything has physics in it. One night after going bowling with my girlfriend(s) I wondered why when I hit the first pin, only seven went down and thus I lost the game. So, I got on the Internet and found a lot of articles and web sites talking about the physics of bowling. A lot of the web sites were brief descriptions. A guy named Paul Durbin wrote many articles on physics. One of his articles he discussed was about bowling. He mentioned one thing we already went over this semester in physics class. But it seems to me that he neglected to mention other forces the play a big role in bowling and the physics behind it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Durbin said â€Å"In order to accelerate, you need a net force. As soon as I let go of the bowling ball, it’s accelerating. As soon as your fingers are out of the holes, the ball is at its highest point of acceleration (p.2).† According to the author, gravity is the net force acting upon an object, which means it is accelerating. The swinging of my arm (back the forward) being the net force. When my fingers leave the hole, it’s accelerating. Now, how fast it goes is determined on how fast you swing your arm and let go. Now that’s all Durbin basically said on bowling. But I realized that Newton’s Laws, momentum, kinetic and potential energy all have their role in bowling too. Durbin was correct when he explained acceleration. Let me tell you a little something on acceleration. Acceleration is the rate at which the velocity is changing. Because acceleration is a rate, it is measured of how fast the velocity is changing with respect to time of course. The key idea that defines acceleration is change. Whenever we change our state of motion, we are accelerating. A bowling ball that can accelerate fast has the ability to change its velocity pretty fast. A bowling ball that can go from zero to 5 mph in .5 seconds has a greater acceleration than another ball let go by another player that can go from zero to 7 mph in 1 second. (We learned about this in class). So having a high acceleration is being quick to change and not always fast. Acceleration applies to changes in direction as well as changes in speed. When you let go of the bowling ball at a constant speed o... ...t the total amount of energy never changes. Let’s assume that the cue ball has 10J of PE. As it’s hit, PE is at its highest (10J). When the ball is going down the alley, the sum of the ball’s PE and KE remains constant at successive positions  ¼,  ½,  ¾, and all the way down. (This I also read ahead and found in the book). As soon as the ball has reached its highest point, PE and KE are equal (5J), and on the way down KE increases as PE decreases. When the ball lands, KE is 10J and PE is 0. Law of Conservation of Momentum:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the absence of an external force, the momentum of a system remains unchanged. When you hit the cue ball, you have a natural follow through. When you apply that torque (extending the elbow), your momentum changes. You can see that if no net force or impulse acts on a system, then the momentum of that system cannot change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of things mentioned, are things we know that happen, but we don't know why, and usually never wonder why, but for all things, there are explanations, which some of the secrets of mother nature were revealed here. Just remember that there are physics behind whatever you do or see including bowling with your girlfriend(s).

A Trip To A Water Park Essay

?Everybody probably feels the need to set aside all the stress and just be free. Sozo Water Park is a place I go to once in a while when I feel this way. Sozo Water Park, or as I call it, â€Å"adventure world†, is a place filled with a lot of fun and excitement. It is somewhere that gives me memories of good times with my family and friends. Although this place might be an ordinary amusement park for some people, it is one of my favorite places of all time. We got off our car and climbed up the big set of steps. After a while, we arrived at the ticket booths and saw people waiting in never-ending line. My family joined the line and soon, it was finally our turn. We got a ticket each for my mom, my dad, my brother, and me. I held the ticket tightly in my hands and went through the security check. It took a while for all my family members — cousins, uncles, and aunts included — to get through. Finally, we all entered. I saw terrifying roller coasters, entertaining games, and huge souvenir shops all around me. The place was very busy since it was crowed with people. I knew it would be an exciting day. All my cousins were big fans of roller coaster rides. I never rode a real roller coaster before, so I just watched others get on. Even though I wasn’t riding, I still got the butterflies in my stomach. Then, as everyone came off the ride, I asked if we could go to the Hurricane Harbor, which was the water park. However, my cousins weren’t done. They said they had to ride the Twister with me. So they forced me into the ride. It seemed endless, but it came to a stop. I got off and everything was spinning. Although the ride made me a little dizzy, I really enjoyed it. Soon, I was able to ride most of the smaller rides there. Finally, it was time for the water park, the part that I was waiting for the most. We went through the long tunnel and reached the Hurricane Harbor. I saw that the whole place was filled with water slides and pools. My cousins and I changed into our bathing suits and rushed into the wave pool. The water was cool and the weather was great. We all jumped when the wave came at us. After a while, we came out and went to the big water slides at the far corner. We carried a big tube up the stairs and waited in line. A few minutes later, it was our turn. We put the tube down and sat on it. At the count of three, our tube started to move down the slide. It was dark in there and we moved fast. We screamed as loud as we could. After a few moments, we came to a drop and fell into the pool of water. We all laughed as we got off the tube†¦.

Health

Florence Nightingale Act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery. Martha Rogers humanistic science for maintaining and promoting health, preventing illness, caring for and rehabilitating the sick and the disabled. Sister Callista Roy a health care profession that focuses on human life processes and patterns and emphasizes promotion of health for individuals, families, groups, and society as a whole â€Å"†¦ the science and practice that expands adaptive abilities and enhances person and environmental transformation.Imogene King s a process of human interactions between nurse and patients who communicate to set goals and then agree to meet the goal. Betty Neuman unique profession in that it is concerned with all of the variables affecting an individual's response to stress.A Science Knowledge of underlying principles of nursing care based on biological sciences. 2. An Art Skilled techniques in giving adequate care. 3. An Occupation Job requires concentration, learning and dedication to practice as means of livelihood. 4. As a Profession Intellectual capacity Learning: research-basedPractical activities: skill-base Organized group practitioner. Nursing is a continuous caring b) Involves close personal care with recipients of care c) Nursing is concerned with service for the human individual as: Physiological Sociological Spiritual organisms ANA (American Nurses Association) (2003) Nursing is the protection, promotion and optimization of health and abilities, preventions of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities and populations.

How to Identify People by Name

How to Identify People by Name How to Identify People by Name How to Identify People by Name By Mark Nichol How does one introduce a person in narrative nonfiction? What is the style for subsequent references to that person? It all depends on the circumstances of the person and of the content. In biographical content, it is common to name someone on first reference by birth name, including middle name(s) and independent suffixes such as Sr. or III, but this formal version need not be used again, except in a rare circumstance I’ll mention below. Normally, however, the first and last name will suffice, unless a historical personage is generally identified otherwise, such as in the case of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. A biographical treatment, however, might begin with an anecdote from the subject’s youth or young adulthood, and this excerpt might identify the person at first and on second reference (this editorial term refers not just to the second instance but all subsequent mentions) with a diminutive for example, Bobby in place of Robert or a nickname. Then, once the anecdote is complete, the first reference to the main body of the text will formally identify the subject. And what about second reference? An intimate portrait, or a portion referring to the subject’s childhood, might use the first name alone or a diminutive or a nickname. In most cases, however, the subject’s surname will be employed. Exceptions are figures with extended surnames who are known simply by a single element of that surname, such as Spanish artist Pablo Diego Ruiz y Picasso, popularly known as Pablo Picasso or even just Picasso, and French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Pà ©rigord, known to history as Talleyrand. (These two men are among a small number of historical figures known simply by their last name, though their full names are generally used on first reference unless the person is not the primary subject of the text and is mentioned merely in passing: â€Å"Smith was no Picasso†; â€Å"Jones aspired to be the next Talleyrand.†) When else should a full name be used after the first reference? If the person is being discussed as a type, or the writer is referring to the subject being self-referential, the full name perhaps including middle name(s) and/or a suffix is often applied: â€Å"Jones suggested it to Smith. . . . John James Smith was not the kind of person to ignore a challenge like that.† What are the guidelines for when a person is mentioned occasionally? They can be only guidelines, rather than rules, because one must use one’s judgment depending on the length and organization of the content and on the frequency and placement of references to the person. For example, if a person is mentioned in only one chapter or at most a few sequential chapters of a book, the last name alone should suffice on second reference. But if a person not central to the narrative reappears after an interval of a section or a chapter or more, the full name should be used to reacquaint readers with this person. If the person is mentioned only a handful of times throughout a long report or a book, full identification might be best on each occasion. The writer must decide based on the person’s familiarity and the person’s significance to the narrative. (Another consideration is the presence of other people sharing that person’s surname.) Writers can also vary second reference by using personal pronouns and by judicious use of nicknames or epithets (for example, â€Å"the Wizard of Menlo Park,† for Thomas Edison). Other possibilities are occasional use of first and second initials, or even all initials, for those people popularly known by such appellations, such as JFK for John F. Kennedy. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?Used To vs. Use ToHow often is "bimonthly"?

Prepositions That Follow the Verb Alert

Prepositions That Follow the Verb Alert Prepositions That Follow the Verb Alert Prepositions That Follow the Verb Alert By Maeve Maddox I first noticed the nonstandard use of the preposition of following alerted in this item on a site about uncompassionate government policies: After the city council was alerted of the free lunches, it ruled that she would have to acquire a variance to give away food next summer – or pay a fine of $600 a day. When I did a web search of the phrase â€Å"alerted of,† I found hundreds, mostly in headlines: Todd County Sheriff’s Officials Alerted Of Phone Scam Oil Company Was Alerted of Michigan Spill PAC was alerted of chit fund scam in August last year Parents alerted of whooping cough in Elmbrook School  Dist. The verb alert and its past participle form alerted are usually followed by the preposition to: Police alerted to shooter in car Newfane Community Alerted to Home Invasion Parents alerted to improper internet use The adjective alert is also followed by to: Parents must be alert to child predators. Be alert to any change in behavior. The idiom â€Å"on the alert† is followed by for: The troops were on the alert for land mines. The book collector was on the alert for the missing Dickens first edition. Alert entered English in the 16th century from French alerte, â€Å"watchful, vigilant.† The word originated in Middle French as a phrase used by the military: l’herte, â€Å"on the lookout, on the watch.† Alert is used as a noun to mean â€Å"a call or military signal to prepare for an attack; a warning of potential danger; an announcement to look out for.† Some examples of this use are: tornado alert, red alert, Amber alert. As a verb, alert is transitive: The shopkeeper alerted police to the presence of the wanted man. The nonstandard use of â€Å"alerted of† instead of â€Å"alerted to† may be the result of confusing alert with warn. People are warned of danger, but alerted to danger. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 101Rules for Capitalization in Titles10 Humorous, Derisive, or Slang Synonyms for â€Å"Leader† or â€Å"Official†

Leveraging Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leveraging Diversity - Essay Example Organizations need diversity in ideas and therefore they need leaders who can encourage and manage under diverse situations (Kirton, 2007). But sometimes it is not the employee but the corporation that wins. The quality of any work or any team is improved when it is diverse. Leaders who understand that diverse companies have different needs from their leaders will do well. This diversity will improve the companies product line (Carter, 2007). At least this is the theory. Some are successful in implementing and some are not. Harley Davidson is the manufacturer of a high end motorcycle company. They were in bankruptcy not to long ago. Harley Davidson instituted a diversity management program and tools to help make the job easier. Their goal was to improve market share by increasing the innovation in the team. This meant that their management, including their senior management had to be trained in diversity and how to leverage that for the company's improvement. Harley Davidson has seen steady increases in market share since instituting this change (Harley Davidson, 2007). The company's employees have voted it as one of the best companies to work for so in this case diversity is a win-win situation. However, there is also Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart story s quite different. According to Kirton (2007), Wal-Mart has won many awards for their diversity management. They proclaim that they have hired many minority people and that their management staff includes many minorities. It is clear that Wal-Mart has profited from these claims. However, there have been many complaints from Wal-Mart employees. Women employed at Wal-Mart say that they are promoted less than men and the company has been accused of taking advantage of undocumented aliens. This is an example of a company that has leveraged diversity for the good of the company alone Cox (2001), accurately describes the reasons so many organizations are struggling with a rapidly changing environment. It is clear that the advent of diversity management has forced business leaders to radically look at the way they do business. Organizational leaders recognize the importance of leveraging diversity on the bottom line but often they struggle with how to make that happen strategically. In a computerized, web-driven world companies have had to become a part of globalization essentially overnight. According to Global Lead (1998), diversity is a key business strategy and the expectation is that it contributes to an organization both in business growth and successful results. Global lead is a management company that has developed a strategic initiative that incorporates the use of what is called the five key drivers of business (Global Lead, 1998). The business drivers according to Global Lead (1998) are focus on the market, talent, innovation, values, and goodwill. Leadership will determine how well or how poorly diversity does in any given work setting. To assure that this is true, leadership must be well trained in diversity and the need for a diverse workforce. They must understand that a diverse workforce can create a work force that improves the bottom line (Clark, 2007). "Diversity is about empowering people and promoting the human spirit."(Clark, 2007). Diversity is about