Introduction to Management Science free essay sample

When formulating a linear programming problem constraint, strict inequality signs (i. e. , less than lt; or, greater than gt;) are not allowed. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: formulation 2) When formulating a linear programming model on a spreadsheet, the measure of performance is located in the target cell. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: spreadsheet solution ) The standard form for the computer solution of a linear programming problem requires all variables to be to the right and all numerical values to be to the left of the inequality or equality sign Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: formulation, standard form 4) The standard form for the computer solution of a linear programming problem requires all variables to be on the left side, and all numerical values to be on the right side of the inequality or equality sign. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: formulation, standard form 5) Fractional relationships between variables are not permitted in the standard form of a linear program. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: formulation, standard form 6) A constraint for a linear programming problem can never have a zero as its right-hand-side value. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: formulation, standard form 7) The right hand side of constraints cannot be negative. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: formulation 8) A systematic approach to model formulation is to first define decision variables. Answer: TRUE Diff: 1Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: formulation 9) A systematic approach to model formulation is to first construct the objective function before determining the decision variables. Answer: FALSE Diff: 1Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: formulation 10) In a linear programming model, a resource constraint is a problem onstraint with a greater-than-or-equal-to (? ) sign. Answer: FALSE Diff: 1Page Ref: Ch 2 review Main Heading: Formulation and Computer Solution Key words: formulation 11) Determining the production quantities of different products manufactured by a company based on resource constraints is a product mix linear programming problem. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2Page Ref: 111-116 Main Heading: A Product Mix Example Key w ords: formulation, product mix problem 12) Product mix problems cannot have greater than or equal to (? ) constraints. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: 111-116 Main Heading: A Product Mix Example Key words: product mix 13) When using a linear programming model to solve the diet problem, the objective is generally to maximize profit. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: 116-119 Main Heading: A Diet Example Key words: objective function 14) When using a linear programming model to solve the diet problem, the objective is generally to maximize nutritional content. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: 116-119 Main Heading: A Diet Example Key words: objective function 15) In formulating a typical diet problem using a linear programming model, we would expect most of the constraints to be related to calories. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: 116-119 Main Heading: A Diet Example Key words: formulation, diet example 16) Solutions to diet problems in linear programming are always realistic. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: 116-119 Main Heading: A Diet Example Key words: diet example 17) Diet problems usually maximize nutritional value. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: 116-119 Main Heading: A Diet Example Key words: diet example 18) In most media selection decisions, the objective of the decision maker is to minimize cost. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: 124-127 Main Heading: Marketing Example Key words: marketing problem, media selection 19) In a media selection problem, instead of having an objective of maximizing profit or minimizing cost, generally the objective is to maximize the audience exposure. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2Page Ref: 124-127 Main Heading: Marketing Example Key words: marketing problem, media selection 20) Linear programming model of a media selection problem is used to determine the relative value of each advertising media. Answer: FALSE Diff: 3Page Ref: 124-127 Main Heading: Marketing Example Key words: marketing problem, media selection 1) In a media selection problem, maximization of audience exposure may not result in maximization of total profit. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2Page Ref: 124-127 Main Heading: Marketing Example Key words: marketing problem, media selection 22) In a balanced transportation model, supply equals demand such that all constraints can be treated as equalities. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2Page Ref: 127-131 Main Heading: A Transportation Example K ey words: transportation problem, formulation 23) In an unbalanced transportation model, supply does not equal demand and supply constraints have ? igns. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2Page Ref: 127-131 Main Heading: A Transportation Example Key words: transportation problem, formulation 24) Transportation problems can have solution values that are non-integer and must be rounded. Answer: FALSE Diff: 3Page Ref: 127-131 Main Heading: A Transportation Example Key words: transportation problem, solution 25) In a transportation problem, the supply constraint represents the maximum amount of product available for shipment or distribution at a given source (plant, warehouse, mill). Answer: TRUE Diff: 1Page Ref: 127-131 Main Heading: A Transportation Example Key words: transportation problem, formulation 26) In a transportation problem, a supply constraint (the maximum amount of product available for shipment or distribution at a given source) is a greater-than-or equal-to constraint (? ). Answer: FALSE Diff: 2Page Ref: 127-131 Main Heading: A Transportation Example Key words: transportation problem, formulation 27) In a transportation problem, a demand constraint for a specific destination represents the amount of product demanded by a given destination (customer, retail outlet, store).

Improvement In Development Of The Software â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Improvement In Development Of The Software? Answer: Introduction Web design should follow all software development methodologies as requirement from good practices of software development. In website development, responsiveness is an aspect which has to be met in order to produce quality product. In this regard, this report will focus on evaluating the quality of the makezine.com website. This will be done by determining which good practices has been met, violated and how they have been met of violated. Further, this evaluation and assessment will have to determine how violated software good practices can be solved and possible areas of improvement in the development of the software. The main goal of the report will be focusing on user interface interaction and functionality of the software (MARCOTTE 2014, p. 59). To have an effective website, developer has to focus mainly on functionality of the system because failing to achieve the core function of the system means inability to develop quality software. System functionality should be met since f ailing to achieve website functionality is a total failure and waste of resources. Finally, system user interface has nowadays been an important aspect in system design and development. Interface which gives a point of interaction between user and the system has to adhere to various software development principles. Website Overview The website evaluation in this case would be makezine.com. It is registered as Make and Maker Faire under Make and Media Inc. Trademark. The website main goal is to encourage all young and growing innovators present their ideas to be assessed and where possible be developed to actual product. It targets exposing young and upcoming developers to expose their ideas to the entire world. This website has been built with very attractive idea of exposing upcoming generation but it does not meet some of good practices required in software development. Its interface is very congested with content and images making it difficult to work on. Good website development practices anticipates to have simple and clear website to use so that users do not strain when making use of it (FRAIN 2012, p. 97). A close observation of Makezine.com website shows that, links are clustered all over the webpage with so many pictures. Though it is very attractive website by the look, on its usability to customers, it might be very challenging due to its poor arrangement. Placing of images on the entire webpage might seem to make website attractive but according to good practices of system development, this makes system very congested and difficult for users to operate. It would be good idea if Makezine.com developer had collected all images on a gallery section where interested users would use a certain link to access. According to PETERSON (2014, p. 119), this would one of the organized way to make website more appealing and professional. Though the developer of the website might imagine of working with young innovators to present their ideas, it would be good to factor how they would make use of the system to post their ideas. Main features of the website ROSE (2015, p. 21) stipulates that, main features of any software are realized through its functionality. To make any system features clearly in the market, it should present its functionality is a clear and cohesive manner. In this case, Makezine.com has managed to give out its functionality through projects being undertaken. Under the project section, users are able to view which project is under development and which one has been presented for assessment by experts. This should serve as the main goal of the entire website because without either the upcoming projects or accomplished projects, makezine.com would not have achieved the mission of developing the project (PATEL 2014, p. 225). The website acts as a collection point of young ideas which need to be developed and be exposed in to the market for use. It aims on every idea since there is no specification of which ideas are being collected. Some of the projects which are available from project section include; science, crafts and design, drone making and Technology. Similarly, on the latest section of design, all projects that has been presented for considerations are available to help users be able to view ideas of the presented projects. Consequently, according to SIMMONS (2013, p. 15), website developers need to established guide section where any needed help can be obtained. This section helps users of the system to get help on how some of the featured items are used by creating demos to guide them. Every item that has been created and developed in partnership with makezine.com has been supported by an operation guide to help all interested parties. Available guides are; drone, 3D printer guide, systems board guide and gift making guide. Moreover, there is a shop section where materials available can be obtained from. It is only through this section that, all interested buyers can get subject product. By clicking an item, all materials under that section gets displayed with relative prices and shipping cost. Lastly, get involved feature is provide by the system to help users who are able and willing to take part in any of the events be part of it. All sections including camp feature for training are available to he lp participants get some training on how to be part of the community (CALLAHAN 2012, p. 56). Positive and negative aspects of the website Ideally, all systems have their strengths and weakness which makes it stand a particular position in the market. According to Karimov, Brengman Van Hove (2011, p. 272), some of the positive aspects of Makezine.com are; well layout of the menu bar which presents very attractive pop ups. Next, the color used on systems interface is very attractive to the eyes of the user. First onsite to the system presents very appealing as it gives user zeal to know the purpose of the system. Background color is user friendly because it does not make users eye strain while working on the website (Atuahene?Gima, Slater Olson 2005, p. 468). Background color aspect is very important because it determines time the users of the system are going to take on the system. If background is not user friendly by having very bright color, users will tend to leave the website without even accomplishing their mission of visiting the software (Burd et al 2012, p. 55). Additionally, website links should be well pres ented at the top of the system to make website navigation from one webpage to the other easy. Despite all these advantages, there are some negative aspects which are observable from makezine.com. First, the website spans to several pages which is not being advocate in nowadays software development. Kim Lennon (2013, p. 34) argues that, current website development procedures and methodologies are emphasizing on one page website which is complemented by modal pop ups. Next, placing so many of images on a webpage might seem to make system attractive but it is not a good practice in system development procedures. The entire makezine.com system is full of images and content which makes it look unprofessional as described from good practices of software development. Further, it is not easy to trace the name of the software because it has not been presented at the top of the webpage. Name used on a website should closely depict the functionality of the website by having first glance on it (Ding et al 2010, p. 99-101). Lastly, Makezine.com does not have a homepage which can be used to introduce user to the system. Additional participants review Evaluation of website is quite challenging and an individual opinion may be biased due to some aspects. In this regard, it is most preferred to have some additional people who have various backgrounds on system use for comparison purpose (Koo Ju 2010, 377-378). In my evaluation, I was lucky enough to get my brother who is a system developer to help in evaluating the system. Smith is 29 years and an independent software developer working with various companies. Mostly, Smith deals with embedded software but that did not limit him on evaluating makezine.com website and give his views. According to Smith, makezine.com developer had good intention of developing the website which are clearly captured on website functionality. Having captured all system functionality very well, Smith says makezine.com developer did little to make website interface user friendly in terms of use and arrangements of menu. Smith view on system interface design correlates highly with my opinion that, it does n ot look so professional. Similarly, I had my friend Christine, 35 years who is just a novice system user. Christine has been working as a call center support and receptionist. Christine has been working on various system and this makes Christine a best choice in my evaluation. Christine knowledge and skills was of great help in my analysis because novice users were well represented. Christine has been working with various systems for over 10 years and this gives me confidence in type of response provided. Christine response on system functionality is that, the purpose of the website well met but its interface was not in accordance with principles of good system design (Wang, Hernandez Minor 2010, p. 940). From analysis of the system, both Smith and Christine ideas about the functionality and user interface correlates with my opinion. Website improvements and recommendation An analysis of makezine.com website by all involved parties shows that there is need for change in design of website interface. Website interface need some improvements on arrangement of its menus (Tyagi, Solanki Wadhwa 2010, p. 19-21). Links need to be presented on a menu bar at the top of the homepage. This facilities easy transition from one page to another. Additionally, makezine.com does not have a home page where all connections can be referenced. Failure to have a homepage makes it difficult to navigate from other webpages. Consequently, According to Rocha (2012, p. 380), to make website more attractive appealing and professionally presented, images and content should be arranged well. Content and information has been scattered all over the webpages making it difficult to understand functionality of the website. Furthermore, website need a well presented and name which can be used to identify the system. Websites name has to explain clearly the functionality of the system. Fi nally, makezne.com website should be made to be a one page website. One page website makes it easy to use and looks more professional (Youngblood Mackiewicz 2012, p. 582). Chrome device simulator To evaluate makezine.com website, it was recommended to make use of Chrome device simulator as a basic tool. In the use of chrome simulator to review the website, it proved to be a convenient, simple and easy to use (Nebeling et al 2015, p. 24). It did not require so many configuration to be used. It can be used by even novice users of the system with just few steps to follow. It was quite accurate because it displays website very clearly with all content being visible for observation. To make use of this simulator, one does not need to buy simulator as it is readily available on all chrome applications. It would be difficult find it as it free from internet and can be downloaded any time. Similarly, Nagesh Caicedo (2012, p. 56) stipulates that, simulator can be used in various devices with different resolutions. This makes it very applicable in many devices for use by the same user. In my makezine.com analysis, chrome was available in both my laptop and mobile phone. Simulation usi ng these two devices helped in getting various scenarios to make conclusion from. Through use of chrome as a simulator, some of its advantages realized are; compatibility with many available devices. Chrome simulator can be installed in many devices including mobile phones, laptops and desktops (Madaudo Scandurra 2013, p. 25). Next, it is very simple use in various scenarios. Chrome simulator does not need users who are computer experts for it to be used (Walker Chapra 2014, p. 56). Additionally, to users with already installed chrome application, it is free of charge to use chrome simulator. Those who do not have chrome application on their system, it is very cheap to get one. Provided an individual has the right device, one need to buy some bundles get online and get application for free, then make use of available simulator (Luterbach Hubbell 2015, p. 65). Besides benefits, chrome simulator cannot be used by illiterate computer users. This means some computational skills are required in order to make use of chrome simulator. It would not be easy to have a novice system user without computational skills being able to use chrome simulator to test website responsiveness. Alternatively, instead of using chrome simulator to test for website responsiveness, website analyst can make use of internet explorer and Mozilla though with varying results (Bazard Bhardwaj 2011, p. 33). Important to note is that, using different simulators gives different results. Conclusion Using various analyst and system users helps in giving out varying view point in order to draw quality conclusion on usability and functionality of the system. The main features of makezine.com websites are; project section which explains various projects being assessed and which has been implemented and are already in market. The shop feature provides users with ability to purchase several items which has been developed and are ready for use in the market. Additionally, guide features helps system users to get necessary help after purchasing an item from the system. Some of the product available from the website include; robots, computers and their accessories such as motherboards, crafts and design products ranging from handcrafts to engineering products. Makezine.com has several advantages which makes it stand a market position. These are; system functionality which has been actualized effectively and efficiently, good background which is user friendly and use of relevant images o n webpages. Similarly, there are some disadvantages which has been observed from use of the makezine.com website. These include; lack of homepage to display links in form of menu bar, unprofessional mages and content display which has been placed all over the webpage. Finally, the website is not a one page as required in good practices of software development. From analysis, possible recommendation are; creating a single page website, introducing a homepage for the website, displaying images and contents professional and arranging links in a more presentable manner, mostly in a menu bar. Finally, chrome simulator has proved to be a best tool to use in analyzing of website due to its ability to work on different set of devices such as laptops and smartphones. Chrome simulator alternatives are; Mozilla, internet explorer and safari. References Atuahene?Gima, K., Slater, S.F. and Olson, E.M., 2005. The contingent value of responsive and proactive market orientations for new product program performance. Journal of product innovation management, 22(6), pp.464-482. Bazard, M. and Bhardwaj, S., 2011. Overview on AndroidThe New Mobile Operating System. International Journal of Science, 2(1), pp.25-34. Burd, B., Barros, J.P., Johnson, C., Kurkovsky, S., Rosenbloom, A. and Tillman, N. 2012. Educating for mobile computing: addressing the new challenges. In Proceedings of the final reports on Innovation and technology in computer science education 2012 working groups (pp. 51-63). ACM. CALLAHAN, B. 2012. Responsive design. Freiburg, Germany, Smashing Media GmbH. FIELDING, J. 2014. Beginning responsive web design with HTML5 and CSS3. FRAIN, B. 2012. Responsive web design with HTML5 and CSS3: learn responsive design using HTML5 and CSS3 to adapt websites to any browser or screen size. Birmingham, Packt Publishing Ltd. Karimov, F.P., Brengman, M. and Van Hove, L., 2011. The effect of website design dimensions on initial trust: a synthesis of the empirical literature. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 12(4), p.272. Kim, J. and Lennon, S.J., 2013. Effects of reputation and website quality on online consumers' emotion, perceived risk and purchase intention: Based on the stimulus-organism-response model. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 7(1), pp.33-56. Koo, D.M. and Ju, S.H., 2010. The interactional effects of atmospherics and perceptual curiosity on emotions and online shopping intention. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(3), pp.377-388. Luterbach, K.J. and Hubbell, K.R., 2015. Capitalizing on App Development Tools and Technologies. TechTrends, 59(4), pp.62-70. Madaudo, R. and Scandurra, P., 2013. Native versus Cross-platform frameworks for mobile application development. In VIII Workshop of the Italian Eclipse Community MARCOTTE, E. 2014. Responsive web design. New York, A Book Apart. Nagesh, A. and Caicedo, C., 2012. Cross-platform mobile application development. In ITERA 2012 Conference, Indianapolis, in. Nebeling, M., Husmann, M., Zimmerli, C., Valente, G. and Norrie, M.C. 2015. XDSession: integrated development and testing of cross-device applications. In Proceedings of the 7th ACM SIGCHI Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems (pp. 22-27). ACM. PATEL, S. K. 2014. Responsive web design with AngularJS: leverage the core functionalities of AngularJS to build responsive single page applications. Birmingham [England], Packt Publishing. PETERSON, C. 2014. Learning responsive web design: a beginner's guide. Sebastopol, CA, O'Reilly Media. Rocha, A, 2012. Framework for a global quality evaluation of a website. Online Information Review, 36(3), pp.374-382. ROSE, D. 2015. Responsive web design with Adobe Photoshop. SIMMONS, C. 2013. Instant Responsive Web Design. Packt Publishing. Tyagi, N.K., Solanki, A.K. and Wadhwa, M., 2010. Analysis of server log by web usage mining for website improvement. International Journal of Computer Science Issues, 7(4), pp.17-21. Walker, J.D. and Chapra, S.C., 2014. A client-side web application for interactive environmental simulation modeling. Environmental Modelling Software, 55, pp.49-60. Wang, Y.J., Hernandez, M.D. and Minor, M.S., 2010. Web aesthetics effects on perceived online service quality and satisfaction in an e-tail environment: The moderating role of purchase task. Journal of Business Research, 63(9), pp.935-942. Xin Ding, D., Hu, P.J.H., Verma, R. and Wardell, D.G., 2010. The impact of service system design and flow experience on customer satisfaction in online financial services. Journal of Service Research, 13(1), pp.96-110. Youngblood, N.E. and Mackiewicz, J., 2012. A usability analysis of municipal government website home pages in Alabama. Government Information Quarterly, 29(4), pp.582-588.

Get Started Writing Cloud Computing Essay Topics With Research

Get Started Writing Cloud Computing Essay Topics With ResearchYou may be interested in knowing how to prepare for a Cloud Computing Essay Topic. Well, this article is going to explain this. It's simple really. It's all about researching.Cloud computing is all the rage. Everyone from Microsoft and Cisco, to Google and Facebook are all working on it. Many people are using it already, but in a limited way. Most people haven't even tried it.Now you have a good idea of why you need to do research before you begin writing. One question you may have is: 'Is this going to be a requirement?' If you use cloud computing essays to improve your college application or job application, then it will definitely be a requirement. But, as you can see, it is not a big deal.You will be able to do this because most companies that use these services also offer job interviews. You may not get hired right away, but they are actually very hard to get a job at first. This can be attributed to how difficult it is to use them.So, if you can't get a job right away, maybe a little bit of research will help you find one, or at least show you what other jobs are available. And if you look around, you will see that there are companies that are hiring all the time. So that means that you may even get some interviews and get hired.So now you need to get started researching. One thing that you need to do is to research the company, which is how you found the job. You should find out what their clients are and find out what they do. This is where your research will help you with both of these questions.Tcloud computing essay topics Another thing that you need to do is find a college that has any kind of computer science or engineering related classes like college courses for thesis writing. These programs are usually offered at schools like University of Phoenix, and they are an excellent way to learn and expand your skills before you go on to writing your thesis.

The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connell Essays -

The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connell The short story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell is about the hunter and the hunted but later in the story it becomes ironic because it turns into a game were the hunter becomes the hunted. It turns into a chase of competition and of survival. Two sailors Rainsford and his partner Whitney sailed in to the darkness of the of sea. Their purpose was to hunt, they called it the greatest sport. They were hunters and headed to the Amazon to hunt vicious animals such as Jaguars, and tigers. They sailed to an island called Ship-Trap Island. Sailors feared this island and had curious dread of such a scarry place. The sky was filled with darkness when suddently he heard Three gun shots that were fired, and heard them again and again. Then he heard a scream while smoking a pipe when suddently the pipe fell and as he tried to reach for it he whent down into the sea were the waves swallowed his screams. Nobody could have heard him as the ocean swallowed his screams and the only chance of survival was to swim. Rainsford swam towards the screams and ended up in the Island. He walked on the shoreline and later found a place that looked like a mansion. There he met General Zaroff who bought the island to hunt. He was indeed a sporstman who invented a new sensation of the hunting game. His game was to train those men who's ships were wrecked and ended up in that island, and then provide them with food and a knife for three days. Once they were trained they were led out into the island as a head start while Zaroff chase after them and tried to hunt them down. If They survived during those three days they had won the game and they were let free but in the other case if they were found they were killed. Zaroff never lost the game so if one of the men being hunted was about to survive he would release the hounds to chased after them. Rainsford rested and the next morning had a dispute with Zaroff and told him that this hunting style was to brutal. In this argument Zaroff got mad and at this point in the story Raisford became the hunted. He was let loose into the island were he was to prepare himself for the most dangerous game of his life, the survival of the fittest. The first night was panicking and worried Rainsford as he hidded on top of a tree. The next day he set up a trap but Zaroff did'nt fall for it and he almost got caught when Zaroff was right next to the bushes were Rainsford was hiding. the last day he set up a pitfall and while Zarroff and his servant were serching, his servant unfortunately fell into the pit. Rainsford got out of the Island trying to escape by swimming out into the ocean and swam back to the mansion and when Zaroff returned Rainsford switched the game around and proposed him to become the hunted. I like this short story because Rainsford was wise in making traps wich allowed Zaroff to take more time trying to find him and did them successfully wich helped him survive those three days. I also liked how the story ended it was kind of ironic the way Rainsfored changed the game around and became the hunter and Zaroff became the hunted. I thought it was a good idea because this way Zaroff would realise that his game of hunting people was wrong and this would teach him a lesson.

Riordan Manufacturing Strategic Plan Essays

Riordan Manufacturing Strategic Plan Essays Riordan Manufacturing Strategic Plan Paper Riordan Manufacturing Strategic Plan Paper . Riordan Manufacturing Strategic Plan University of Phoenix Strategic Management MGT/498 Riordan Manufacturing Strategic Plan A world renowned plastics manufacturer employing nearly 550 workers worldwide, Riordan Manufacturing Co. a leader in the industry of plastic injection molding, has more than $1 billion in revenue. With operations based in California, Michigan, Georgia, and China, review of current resources within Riordan’s business structure reveal numerous areas in need of redefining to improve operational efficiency company-wide. Implementation of this proposed strategic plan will address issues areas of improvement including Ethical and social responsibility considerations Competitive advantages, strategies, improved innovation, and sustainability in domestic and international markets Strategy effectiveness measurement guidelines to be used Internal dynamics, cultural, and structural leadership Business continuity Assessment, feedback, and alternative directions as needed Since the founding of the company in 1991, Riordan manufacturing enjoys status as Fortune 1000 company and shares a number of competitive advantages with many other companies in various lines of business. Riordan shares the competitive advantages of direct selling along with customer, employee, and shareholder commitment with global Internet retailer Amazon. com and juvenile product and toy retailer Toys†R† Us. Riordan provides revenue and profitability growth as they provide products at the lowest cost along with a commitment to the communities Riordan serves. Riordan also shares the advantage of strong brand recognition in their industry just as Nike, Ford Motor Co. , Homes. com, and Federal Express have in their markets. Riordan is also known for their strength of quality in engineering on par with the Ford Motor Co. Strategic Plan Riordan was founded by Dr. Riordan, a professor in chemistry in 1991 (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). Over the years Riordan has expanded the business from development, to manufacturing and, to production. Riordan was able to accomplish this expansion by acquiring a manufacturing plant in Pontiac, Michigan, and an additional plant for production in Albany, Georgia. In 2000 Riordan took their operation global and opened a manufacturing plant in China. Riordan has been able to manage three locations successfully to date. However, Riordan recognizes the need to develop a strategic plan to increase profitability by establishing new accounting and marketing systems. A strategic plan must be realistic and attainable. Riordan’s strategic plan should serve as the framework for future decisions, it should inform, motivate, and involve their stakeholders. The strategic plan should include benchmarking and performance monitoring. The plan should stimulate change and become the building block to future plans within Riordan Manufacturing. Riordan’s strategic plan should address the finance and accounting department’s inability to obtain seamless data reporting within the three locations that cause delays in month end reporting (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). The ability to provide timely month end reporting to the board of directors is essential to recognizing potential financial threats and trends in the business. In addition the strategic plan should address the antiquated marketing system. Riordan has achieved several accolades over the years. However, most of this data is filed away and not easily accessible to the marketing department. The development of a marketing information system will give research and development the ability to use historical data for tracking units, volumes, and products sold for developing new marketing strategies (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). The Role of Ethical and Social Responsibility Ethical and social responsibility will have an intricate role in Riordan strategic management plan. Ethics involves knowing right from wrong and simply doing the right thing. Riordan must ensure they are reporting true and accurate financial records to all stakeholders. Today Riordan uses three separate accounting systems to compile financial data. This data is often re-entered by the headquarters office in San Jose. Manual entry of information is subject to reporting inaccuracies that may question Riordan’s ethics. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 mandated a number of reforms to enhance corporate responsibility, enhance financial disclosures and combat corporate and accounting fraud. Riordan has a social responsibility to ensure the manufacturing plants are producing quality materials. Riordan must ensure they establish an effective quality control program consisting of design reviews, engineering analysis, adequate recordkeeping of raw materials and finished goods, inspection of incoming materials, testing during the manufacturing process and finished part inspections. These records should be of sufficient detail to document the steps that were performed in manufacturing the product. Such records should include results of design reviews; supplier information, product testing and inspection; equipment calibrations; and product tracing information (AM Trust North America, 2010, p. 4). The records will assist in timely detection of safety hazards and trends within Riordan Manufacturing. Environmental Scan To better understand what Riordan’s competitive advantages are and which competitive strategies Riordan should use to improve innovation and sustainability, members of Team A must first perform an environmental scan. The simplest and most effective way of con ducting the scan is by performing a SWOT analysis on Riordan (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). Riordan possesses manyuch strength’s as the team observeds fromin the internal environmental scan. The corporation’s brand is widely recognized in the automotive parts, aircraft, and appliance manufacturing industries as well as with the Department of Defense, beverage makers, and bottlers. The company manufactures its products on two different continents, so it can reach an international market and reduce some costs by manufacturing in a more underdeveloped country, China. This adds to Riordan’s ability to offer their products at lower prices while maintaining revenue and profitability growth. The manufacturing firm also boasts high standards of quality as it exceeds ISO 9000 standards (Apollo Group, Inc. 2008). Riordan has several weaknesses. The first is their costs of goods are directly related to the rising cost of oil. Because Riordan’s products are made from polymer and derived completely from oil, profit margins are greatly affected when oil prices rise. Riordan’s finance and accounting systems in each of their manufacturing branches are not com patible with one another. This has resulted in higher labor costs, costly monthly auditing, slow reaction time to financial dilemmas, compliance to government regulation strains, and high inventory costs (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). The external environmental scan shows some opportunities for Riordan. Consumer demand and capital spending remain steady in the midst of a global economic downturn. Globalization is also allowing manufacturing companies to lower operating costs by producing their products in underdeveloped countries where labor costs are much lower. Finally, Brazil is becoming the leading producer of bioplastics and recently has discovered technology to compete with current oil derived plastics prices (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). Threats to Riordan could be devastating to the company if not approached correctly. The downturn in the economy is affecting every industry and thus the supplier of polymer parts. Oil prices are rising each year and increasing the costs of producing plastic materials and parts. Finally, more consumers are pushing for environmental practices and products from large corporations (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). Competitive Advantages From this SWOT analysis, Team A observes Riordan’s competitive advantages. Like Toys R US and Amazon, Riordan provides low prices to its customers and maintains revenue and profit growth. The firm has strong brand awareness and provides the highest quality in manufacturing (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). Competitive Strategies and Measurement Guidelines To improve innovation and sustainability in both domestic and international applications, Riordan must approve and implement a few competitive strategies. Riordan managers must reduce inventory costs by 30% and lower labor costs in its existing plants and headquarters by 10%. This strategy can be accomplished by seamlessly integrating each Finance and Accounting department of each branch manufacturing plant and the corporate headquarters. By implementing a state-of-the-art ERP manufacturing, distribution, and financial software application software, Riordan can reach the above stated strategic goals (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). The cost of the integrated system is $1,350,000. Riordan’s CFO will need to make two payments of $250,000 over the next year, and the remaining will be financed through the bank with 8% interest, which will be paid over 60 months. The investment will include manager training and additional licensing for expansion. The system implementation and training will take one year. The second year will be used to observe opportunities to minimize labor and inventory costs. By year three, audits should be reduced by half, labor costs by 15%. Inventory cost will also drop to 30% by year three because invoices and accounting information will be delivered in real-time, which will allow the company to ship products quickly after they have been produced (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). Measurement guidelines must be in place to ensure these strategies effectiveness. By the end of the second year of deployment, labor costs should be minimized by 5% with the remaining 10% reduced by the end of the third year. Inventory costs should drop by 10% by the end of the second year and the remaining 20% by the end of the third year of implementation. These percentages will be monitored quarterly by the executive management with the current budgets, income statements, and balance sheets. The next proposed competitive strategy is to expand to new markets and increase the company customer base and revenue by 25% in five years. This will be accomplished by moving to a joint venture with Braskem, the world’s leading producer of bioplastics. Based in Brazil, this venture would allow the corporation to broaden its customer base by manufacturing products for the medical device, cosmetic, food packaging, and personal-hygiene industries. The move would also protect Riordan from fluctuating oil prices by diversifying its resources with plastics made from renewable resources, which are now competitively priced with oil-derived polymers. Providing products out of renewable resources or green products would allow the company to reach more environmentally conscious customers (Morales, Pulido, Ticas, 2009). The venture would cost $15 million dollars, which would be funded by Riordan Industries and would surpass the 12% hurdle rate. The investment includes infrastructure, logistics, labor, marketing, and additional machinery and supplies (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). The measurement guidelines to ensure the strategy’s effectiveness are based on a percentage of yearly growth added to the company’s current revenue growth from established locations. By the end of the second year of implementation, 2% growth must be recorded, 7% at the end of year three, 15% at the end of year four, and 25% by the end of year five. These benchmarks will be monitored by the executive management against current revenues. Metrics for new clients, life of existing clients, and lost clients will be monitored monthly to ensure strategy effectiveness. Cultural and Structural Leadership Cultural and structural leadership strategies need to be implemented at Riordan Manufacturing, â€Å"Strategy implementation is a process by which strategies and policies are put into action through the development of programs, budgets, and procedures. This process involves changes within the overall culture, structure, and management system of the entire organization† (Wheelen Hunger,  2008,  p. 1). The culture and structure of the organization must be compatible with the new strategy. The strategy implementation is reviewed by the top management team and is conducted by middle and lower lever managers of the organization. Leadership in an organization is vital at all levels of the organization. Ongoing communication is nec essary at all levels of the organization as Riordan moves forward to implement the strategic changes (Wheelen Hunger,  2008). The mission of an organization is the purpose for the company’s existence. The mission tells what the company does. The vision of an organization describes what the organization would like to become. The mission and vision should capture the culture of the organization (Wheelen Hunger,  2008). The current mission of Riordan consists of four parts: focus, customer relationship, employees, and future of the company. The focus of Riordan is Six Sigma, having the leading edge of research and development (RD), and exceeding ISO 9000 standards. Their focus also includes continuing to be the industry leaders in using polymer materials and identifying industry trends. The mission of their customer relationships is to strive to be a solution provider for their customers and not be part of customer challenges. The focuses of the long-term relationships are to maintain quality control, a responsive business, innovative solutions, and reasonable pricing. The mission for their employees is to maintain an innovative and team oriented working environment. The focus of their future is to achieve and maintain reasonable profitability to ensure that the financial and human capital of Riordan is available for sustained growth (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2008). Corporate culture should be considered when implementing the business strategy for Riordan, †Corporate culture is the collection of beliefs, expectations, and values learned and shared by a corporation’s members and transmitted from one generation of employees to another† (Wheelen Hunger,  2008,  p. 149). Intensity and integration are two attributes of corporate culture. The cultural intensity consists of the degree to which members of a unit accept the values and norms associated with the organization. The cultural integration is the extent to which the units throughout the organization share a common culture. The corporate culture on an organization reflects the mission and the values of the founder. The culture also reflects the organization’s values (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). Divisional structure, functional structure, strategic business unit structure, and matrix structure are types of the organizational structures that could be considered by Riordan to implement their business strategy. Divisional and functional structures are examples of the basic organizational structures. In the divisional structure the employees tend to be functional specialist organized according to the product/market distinctions. The divisional structure is used in large corporations with many products lines in several related industries. In the functional structure the employees tend to be specialists in the business functions vital to that industry. The business functions include manufacturing, marketing, finance, and human resources. Functional structure is commonly used in medium-sized organizations with several product lines in one industry. The strategic business unit structure is groups or divisions composed of independent product/market segments. These groups are given the primary authority and responsibility for the management of their own functional areas of the organization. In the matrix structure the functional and product forms are combined at the same level of the organization. The matrix structure the employees have a functional manager and a product manager (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). Team A has determined that the best organizational structure for Riordan to implement their business strategy would be the divisional organizational structure. Riordan products include plastic bottles, fans, heart valves, medical stents, and custom plastic parts. Riordan must manage a diverse product line in different industries. The divisional organizational structure will allow Riordan to decentralize the decision-making authority. Implementing the divisional organizational structure will allow Riordan to maintain their functional specialization in each division. Evaluation and Control Once the company’s strategies have been integrated into its operation, the final stage of strategic management is utilizing applications that will properly and accurately assess the performance outcome within a corporate, a divisional, and a functional viewpoint. Employing measures that will evaluate and control the implemented strategy by Riordan will enable the firm to ensure that the company is in the direction of reaching its goals by simply comparing its actual performance outcome with the expected results consisting of its performance data and its activity reports, which will provide the compulsory feedback for management to evaluate results and to take corrective action, as necessary (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). Evaluation and Control Process The evaluation and control process will provide Riordan with a general outlook of the firm’s productivity. Primarily, it is usually initiated when a gap appears between a company’s financial objectives and the expected results of current activities (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). Evaluation and control consist of a five step process that assesses and establish guidelines that will address the efficiency and the effectiveness of Riordan’s integrated plan. The five steps are 1) Determine what to measure, 2) Establish standards of performance, 3) Measure actual performance, 4) Compare actual performance with the standard, and 5) Take corrective action. In summary, the process evaluates and establishes a level of standards on the elements of concern of any new stratagem and then comparing its actual outcome with its level of standards. Should the outcome fall below the set standards, only then remedial actions would be necessary. Figure. 1 depicts the evaluation and control process:   [pic]Figure. 1 Measuring Performance Measuring productivity following Riordan’s integrated plan is done by evaluating the firm’s performance level. Utilizing the numeric values extracted from its activity and financial reports can calculate the effectiveness or lack of the company’s performance, in an effort to expose any unwanted flaws or unexpected discrepancies. There are specific tools that Riordan can use to measure performance in order to analyze its results within the present time or to foresee possible outcomes. Return on Investment (ROI), Earnings per Share (EPS), and Return on Equity (ROE) are tools typically used to evaluate the corporation’s or division’s ability to achieve the firm’s profitability objective (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). Each tool can only calculate earnings during the present time and does not foresee likely profitability; however, ROI, EPS, and ROE are done only when all the accounted figures from the company’s financial and activity reports have been documented. In contrast, these feats would not be ideal when evaluating social responsibility or employee development (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). A more appropriate tool to better evaluate Riordan’s overall performance level is by utilizing a method known as steering control, which will research variables that will manipulate prospect profitability. Steering control is categorized into three subcategories, which are input controls, output controls, and behavior controls. Input controls oversee the company’s resources such as knowledge, skills, abilities, values, and motives of the employees. This will help assess of Riordan’s internal infrastructure. Behavior controls are company protocols based on the firm’s policies, rules, operating procedures, and orders from its management. Output controls focuses on areas of the business that are done in a specific way based on the effect of the behaviors through the use of objectives and performance targets (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). Shareholder value is a present-day application that most companies employ to evaluate its performance. To help asses Riordan’s operation, this will be a valuable tool in order to estimate economic value, likely profitability, and strategic management effectiveness. Shareholder value is the present value of the anticipated future stream of cash flows from the business plus the value of the company if liquidated (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). Cash flow is the element that is measured to determine the financial strength and stability of a company. In turn, to label a company financially sound, profits are weighed against the cost of capital. If Riordan’s profits outweigh the money invested as capital, the company will appear financially strong to its shareholders. There are two methods to measure shareholder value, which are, 1) economic value added (EVA), which assesses the dissimilarity between the pre-strategy and post-strategy values of a firm, and 2) market value added (MVA), which is the difference between the market value of a business and the capital provided by shareholders and lenders (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). In combination with the shareholder value method, Riordan will also employ a balanced scorecard. A balance scorecard is a combination of financial and operational measures that will entail data outlining the results of business actions that have occurred along with detailed information documenting customer satisfaction, internal processes, and the corporation’s innovation and improvement activities. These components are the drivers of future financial performance (Wheelen Hunger, 2010). There are four elements that make up a balanced scorecard, which are 1) Financial: How do we appear to shareholders 2) Customer: How do customers view us 3) Internal business perspective: What must we excel at, and 4) Innovation and learning: Can we continue to improve and create value (Wheelen Hunger, 2010)? Business Continuity Riordan struggles in the continuity of its finance and accounting systems in three locations, San Jose, Michigan, and Georgia, with the three locations running separate accounting systems. Although each system is effective separately running the core functions of general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, order entry, procurement, sales and purchasing history, invoicing and shipping, payroll, financial reporting, three other critical functions, EDI, bar code reading, and EDSS exist only in the San Jose office, where all data is summarized. This lack of continuity causes time-consuming internal audits and re-entry of data once received in the San Jose location. As San Jose is running a licensed ERP accounting and finance system, additional licenses need to be acquired for the Michigan and Georgia locations. This license purchase will eliminate the costly deciphering of data in San Jose and increase the value of the allotted budget allowance. Cost effectiveness is attained in a year three break-even point and cost savings from that point forward. Another area of continuity concern is the Riordan Human Resources (HR) function in two areas, job requirements and payroll. Numerous positions need a review in terms of job requirements to ensure qualified employees are in place to significantly reduce reporting errors. Additionally, performance appraisals (Riordan Employee Handbook, 2011) need to be moved to an employee’s anniversary date as opposed to the Riordan fiscal year, thereby staggering budget allocation along with increasing the pay period length to every two weeks to reduce time spent on payroll by 47%. Conclusion Riordan Manufacturing needs strategic plan implementation to strengthen competitive advantages which increase market and shareholder value. Implementation will reduce inventory cost by 30% in operational plants globally resulting in an addition 10% cost reduction in finance and accounting in the San Jose location. The long term goals of the strategy must be totally supported by Riordan’s executive management team and communicated strongly to the entire organization. It must be measured and controlled and adjustments must be made in light of any unforeseen occurrences. Installation and training in new systems and procedures must be timed to occur over two quarters with quarter three as a backup plan. Failure to implement a strategic as suggested places Riordan at risk for reduced profits, cost overruns, decreased market share, customer and employee dissatisfaction as well as that of shareholders. As a leader in the plastic injection molding industry, Riordan Manufacturing cannot afford anything less than full implementation of this strategic plan. References Wheelen, T. L. , Hunger, J. D. (2010). Concepts in strategic management and business policy (12th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Apollo Group, Inc. (2008). Virtual Organizations [Multimedia]. Retrieved from Apollo Group, Inc. , MGT498 website Morales, R. , Pulido, D. , Ticas, S. (2009,  April). The Brazilian Bioplastics Revolution. [emailprotected], (), 1-5. Apollo Group, Inc. (2008). Virtual Organizations [Multimedia]. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/business/Riordan/HR/Riordan%20Manufacturing%20Employee%20Handbook. pdf

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

Obesity - Essay Example On the other hand, some of the psychological problems include low level of confidence and inferiority complex. To comment on the proposal, which suggested that parents who have obese children should have their children taken away or have other rather severe consequences. The research was extremely necessary to be conducted because parents of obese children generally have little or no awareness of the consequences of childhood obesity. Some parents do not know what impact obesity can have on their children in future. There is a big need of an in-depth research on the issue of childhood obesity which should not only highlight the impact of obesity on the future of children but also should made parents aware of the ways that they can use to prevent or deal with this health problem. Childhood obesity creates many risks for the future of children. Obese children do not live a healthy life. Smith (1999) states, â€Å"Obese people do not live as long as other people† (p. 5). Parents of obese children should not take this problem light because it can affect the psychological and physical development of their children. Parents should not let obesity take away their children rather they should deal with this problem effectively to help their children come out of this serious medical condition. Some of the major health risks or consequences of childhood obesity revealed through research were high blood pressure, joint pains, high level of cholesterol, heart problems, and decrease in stamina. On the other hand, some of the major psychological problems found in obese children were lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem. Some of the main ways using which parents can help their obese children include making children do physical exercises, stopping children from taking sugary drinks, providing balanced diet to the children instead of junk foods, and making children adhere to the principles of good body

Bertrand Russell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bertrand Russell - Essay Example There are people around the world who might actually think this way. They have no concern regarding God, religion, and anything spiritual. They have no time for all this or they are simply not bothered to actually find out the evidence for Christianity. Thus, till someone has actually researched and looked into every aspect of the religion they cannot just say there is no evidence for God. Like Hitchens said regarding God that â€Å"there exists not a shred of respectable evidence† (Stokes, 2012, p. 11). Besides this, the â€Å"lack of evidence† is also an excuse for those not wanting to change their views. They just chose to believe something and therefore, they would not simply change because of some evidence they come across or are told of. They cannot be forced to believe. As Jesus said: â€Å"Seek and you will find, knock and the door shall be opened, ask and it will be given you.   For he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened, and to him who asks it shall be given† (Githaite, 2007, p. 211). It clearly means that God will be available to those who actually make an effort to seek him and look for him; who try to find evidence regarding his existence. God does not force Himself upon us. However, He has not even left us to our own devices for us to work out our ways. God follows us and draws us to Himself. Jesus is quoted to have said: â€Å"No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him† (Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 652). It is we who have to open up our minds and hearts to Him. God has given clues regarding his existence, he has given us a sound mind and heart and it is up to the human beings to look for them. God is visible to those who seek him while He hides away from the ones who do not. That is, â€Å"the evidence is there for those who have eyes to see† (Kreeft, 1988, p. 44). When it is said that enough evidence does not exist to prove that there is a God, it does not defini tely mean that existence of God becomes a scientific fact; rather, the present evidence just makes the Christian belief rational. Previously one major reason behind there being so many atheists was that the philosophers of those times were mostly atheists and they gave very solid arguments against God, gaining followers and making a huge impact. Now, however, the philosophers are theists and again their arguments are apparently very valid and intellectual, thus they being outspoken Christians and the belief in God. There is just too much information and evidence of the existence of God. To start with there is the Big Bang Theory according to which the universe was created out of nothing. Big Bang led to not just the formation of this universe, matter and energy but also time and space. It just does not make any sense that anything at all can be created out of nothing; it is just not possible either scientifically or philosophically. That only leaves one idea: that there is a very po werful Higher Being who formed the universe and now controls it. The Big Bang was caused by Him. In fact, the universe was not just formed but also maintained continuously and intelligently. There is scientific evidence to prove this fact. Stephen Hawking found that in case the universe had expanded less than even one part in a hundred thousand million million a second after the Big Bang, the universe would have re-collapsed into a hot fireball. It is very obvious that a great and powerful mind is