Tesla (electric car company) Marketing Analysis Essay

Tesla (electric car company) Marketing Analysis - Essay Example The company has its headquarters based in California, U.S.A, and it has principles aimed at facilitating development of Models in order to attain its objective of first customer delivery (Tesla Motors, 2010, p. 4). This will facilitate the efforts of pursuing new electric power train opportunities and automobile manufactures. In fact, the paper will focus on conducting SWOT, PESTEL, porter’s five forces, marketing mix and marketing action plan analysis on Tesla Company. SWOT ANALYSIS Strength Tesla signed a licensing deal with lotus cars in order to convert one of their sport models in to an electric car, which was lightweight, small car with all the external body panels made of plastic. On the other hand, the Tesla Roadster has become the first mainstream electric vehicle enquired by celebrities, thus bringing a more desirable model S to the market. The company has managed to develop their first electric sport car â€Å"The Roadster†, and supplied to other manufactures like Toyota with more technological expertise in the field of electric transmission and train drive (GlobalData, 2012, p. 1). The company has also developed a vehicle, which is entirely in house, whereby sub-assemblies are required. The platform developed for Model S has facilitates the application of the crossover model and any other model. In fact, Tesla was the first company to produce electric vehicle and they have stood by the business model to collaborate zero emissions with quality performance design. Weakness The development of the vehicles and sub-assemblies has resulted to an increment of production cost, hence they do not achieve economic of scale. Products have a higher price than their competitors who sell combustion engine powered vehicles. The Roadster has phased out and the sales have reduced, and this is an indication that revenues will come from the Model S. The models have low brand recognition; hence, there will be difficulties in convincing the customers concer ning the superiority of their preferred options of the brand. The other weakness of Model S is that it may not be available until 2012, hence giving a chance to competitors to produce and market their electric vehicles before the release of Model S by Tesla, thus they will take up the market share (Binkiewicz, Chen & Czubakowski, 2008, p. 5). Opportunity The company has been benefiting from support by the government across the globe, since their products are environmentally friendly, thus they have been exempted from duties. The company has also been offered support by the Mercedes Smart car, which has results to leaning the way they can launch in near future. Tesla has a chance to improve the quality control process in order to reduce their cost, hence increasing enthusiasm. The other opportunity relates to the rise of gas prices, whereby people are seeking alternative ways of travelling. In this case, the company acquires a prime opportunity to depict the benefits associated to th eir products and the cost friendliness to customers. Threats There are difficulties involved in production, distribution and selling of the

Critique of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Essay Example for Free

Critique of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Essay The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, came as a reaction to the dreadful damages of the Second World War. This declaration was built according to the fundamentals of equality. It lists us all of our rights, all of our freedoms and how we can express them freely. It was constructed on the basic fact of it being just, equal to all, and right. However, are all articles applicable on all of mankind? Or can some of these be questioned? Generally, all of these articles should be applicable for the majority of humans, but not all of them. There is always an exception to the rule. There is always an outlier that doesn’t follow the rules. Many countries have rejected or not signed this declaration, therefore this declaration isn’t pertinent everywhere. One can find a lot of exceptions for many articles. Article 1 states that all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights, that they are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Nonetheless, not all human beings are reasonable and conscious of everything they do. Take serial killers for example. Their acts prove of inhumanity. A man with reason and/or conscience would never do such a thing. Also, should we give unreasonable people the same rights as the ones reasonable people have? Should they have the same privilege as others even if they have no sense of reason or conscience? The United Nations General Assembly also mentioned the fact that people should act in a spirit of brotherhood. Look around you, what brotherhood? Is killing each other brotherhood? Is fighting and starting wars brotherhood? Is forgetting every moral and correct way of acting just to get to power brotherhood? A definite no is the correct answer to these questions. There are no signs of brotherhood around us. On the contrary, if one takes a close look to our surroundings and everything around us, humans, one will only notice nothing but signs of rivalry and opposition. Article 2 raises the issue of the fact that we’re all equal in terms of rights and freedoms without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Despite that, distinctions according to race, color, sex, religion, etc still exist in our modern society. Movements of racism, sexism, and religions distinctions still exist, but of course, lesser than before. People are still fighting and battling to erase these distinctions completely. This is a process every person looking for an equal and just world should follow. Article 5 states that no one shall be subjected to torture or to be cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. What about those who commit inhuman acts, those who torture other humans for the fun of it, don’t they deserve to have a taste of their own medicine? One should be treated the way one treats others. So if one tortures one another, that one shall be tortured or punished. Part 2 of article 15 articulates the fact that no one shall be deprived of his nationality. Well, what if that individual was involved in acts of high treason? What if that person turned his back on his country and denied his own nationality. That person definitely does not deserve to hold his nationality and shall be deprived from it immediately. Articles 18 and 19 talk about the fact that everyone is free to express their thoughts, opinions, religions. Some thoughts and opinions might actually harm others. Physically or mentally. In that way, it will refrain article 1. An example of such opinions/thoughts/religion would be Satanism and the Ku Klux Klan. These associations actions can damage others and hurt them. Therefore, these associations do not have the right to fully express themselves, but partially. They can only express the opinions/thoughts that do no harm to others. To sum things up, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is inconsistent; its articles are not always suitable. This declaration is not functional in all countries as some countries did not sign it. This declaration fails in its goal of it being universal; Exceptions can be found to some articles. Pieces of this declaration can be questioned for some precise individuals. It is not always applicable and it is not always a reliable document.

Alliance Boots Future Strategic Directions Organisation Business Essay

Alliance Boots Future Strategic Directions Organisation Business Essay It is a multinational company with strong recognition and reputation as one of the leading pharmaceutical and beauty companies in the world. Alliance Boots revenue is more than  £22.5 billion in excess; it also has various outlets in more than 20 countries. Alliance Boots core areas of business are pharmaceutical and beauty, formed in 2006 as a merger Boots Group and Alliance UniChem and recently a global merger with Walgreens. The company main purpose is to help its customers to look and feel better than ever, by providing exceptional customer and patient care with great value for its customer. Product brands Alliance Boots Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division is experiencing a rapid growth and global sales; the company believes that its product innovation and development competencies are some of the resourceful factors, which enable the company to develop new and existing products for global consumption. Some of these products are, No7, Soltan and Botanics, 17, Almus and Alvita that were successfully launched recently. Organisation Structures Alliance Boots have over 185,000 employees and numerous pharmaceutical outlets. The aim of the company is to work closely with manufacturer of pharmaceutical, beauty and health products and use experienced pharmacists to provide services to their customers. Alliance Boots headquarters is in Zug Switzerland. Alliance Boots Strategy Options It is important that when a global business organisation wants to adopt a sustainable development strategy for its products and brands, such strategy needs to be applicable across a wide range of different product types, also has to be flexible to cope with the rapid turnover of products. Alliance Boots also believe that: The company strategy is capable to cope with three main routes by which products are introduced at Alliance Boots (own manufacture, third party supply of Alliance Boots brands and proprietary brand). The company strategy is providing leadership on where and how to improve its products and such improvement must be commercially successful. Marketing strategy Alliance Boots believe that by putting its customers first for all its pharmaceutical and beauty products with outstanding quality and service at a competitive cost will help the company to achieve excellent profitable margins in the global competitive market. Ansoffs Matrix Ansoffs Matrix is a unique marketing tool, which provides strategic choices to business organisations in order to achieve the objective for growth. Ansoffs Matrix has four main categories namely: Market penetration: Market penetration creates a good avenue for a company like Alliance Boots to sell existing products in existing markets. It is important for Alliance Boots to continue promoting its product with the new features and good quality .This is helping Alliance Boots to invest heavily and focus more on research and development in new market research creating more distribution channel. Market development: Alliance Boots use Market development as a growth strategy to sell its existing products into new markets, including new geographical markets, for example product exportation to a new country. It also includes new product packaging new distribution channels (e.g. Boots Pharmacy stores across UK and selling via e-commerce and mail order). Its ability to target new market makes Market development a unique strategy. Product development: Alliance Boots use Product development as a growth strategy creating a unique avenue for its business to introduce new products into existing pharmaceutical markets with great expectation that they will gain more customers and market share. Such strategy may involve the development of new capabilities and requires Alliance Boots to develop improved products to existing markets. Market Diversification: Alliance Boots Diversification strategy allows the company to diversify easily to another geographical market. In 2012, Alliance Boot acquired Nanjing Pharmaceutical; a company with a strong market position in China. Such diversification into China Pharmaceutical market now makes Alliance Boots, as the largest shareholder is Nanjing Pharmaceutical, continuing to create new products and opportunities in the Chinese market. Alliance Boots SWOT Analysis Alliance Boots Swot analyses are: Strength: Alliance Boots have an excellent and long-standing relationship with all its customers. The company also has a strong historical reputation for all its quality, using a nectar card to gather customer intelligence. Availability of Boots Pharmacy stores everywhere in the UK and Europe. Weaknesses: Due to strong competition with other pharmaceutical companies in the global market, Alliance Boots is struggling to cope with the increased competition in the market. Opportunities: Alliance Boots continue to use the internet opportunity to keep increasing its presence by using online shopping to transact with its domestic and global customers. Alliance Boots are also using its retail store presence across the global market such as Boots Pharmacy to create the right products with the right combination of price and promotion to achieve its long-term goals for growth. Threats: The major threat to pharmaceutical industries including Alliance Boots is the government higher tax on the price of medicine that Alliance Boots and other retailers must deal with. Porters Five Forces: Business organisations use five forces of Porter to make an analysis and attraction of its structure. Supplier Power: It plays an important role in competitive force, more suppliers one can greatly increase y bargaining power with these suppliers. For example, Alliance Boots successfully bargained with over 80 suppliers to lower prices of some of the drugs they sell over the counter in 2007. Buyer Power: Increasing customer loyalty is a way of reducing the power of the buyer, the introduction of nectar card by Alliance Boots is a way to reward its customers. Because of this, it allows the buyers to save considerably. It also allows Alliance Boots to capture useful information and monitor consumer-purchasing habits. Threats of New entrants: There has been a huge increase in the number of new entrants in the pharmaceutical market making it difficult for Alliance Boots to expand in the way the company wants. For example, Tesco is planning various new supermarkets across Britain that would restrict Alliance Boots ability to expand. This poses a real threat, which means that Alliance Boots need to change its marketing strategy with the possibility of reducing prices through advertising. Threat if substitute: In order to save money many businesses may decide to outsource their products and services to another company at a cheaper cost. Alliance Boots did not outsource its products and services; instead, the company IT department was able to make changes in the way customers pay for their products by replacing its traditional till machines to touch screen capability giving customers a faster way to shop on their own. Competitive Rivalry: This affects many businesses in terms of price competition and product identification. For example, other rivals in the business like Lloyds Pharmacy, Superdrug are expanding rapidly. Because of this, Alliance Boots are constantly improving its store marketing strategy making its products more affordable and available everywhere in the UK and continue to provide outstanding customer service. Alliance Boots PESTEL Analysis Political Factors: Various political decisions can have a huge impact in the business operate and its performance. For example the impact of government UK policies on the business allowing some major supermarkets to open numerous pharmaceutical stores within their stores. The government believes that such policy will increase NHS services and improved health care. Such move will not help Alliance Boots, instead, it will create a huge competition, which will eventually make Alliance Boots to lower its product prices and operate for longer hours. Economic Factors: The global economic recession has a huge impact on healthcare, with a huge increase in the prices of global healthcare affecting the way customers spend on their healthcare products especially Beauty products. The rising fuel costs also have a huge impact in the supply chain channel of Alliance Boots leading to price increase. Social Factors: The social factors are creating more awareness about how everyone should take care of himself or herself through, exercise, eating habits, type of food that is good for the body and many more. For example, government campaign that is promoting healthy eating (eatwell.gov.uk 2012 online) as a result in the rapid increasing level of obesity within the UK (Department of health 2012 online).Such information is boosting Alliance Boots sales by encouraging its customers to try its healthier products at a cheaper price than other companies. Technological Factors: The evolution of the internet is helping online retail sales, Alliance Boots are making use of the internet technology to its advantage with the internet is now generating more than a third of all revenue for Alliance Boots products and services. Alliance Boots Centre for Innovation is investing hugely in the development of inventive products and technologies that focus on: Ways to detect treat and monitor customers well-being issues. Environmental Factors: Many countries are now committed to green energy ever than before due to the risk of global warming is becoming a reality, Many companies like Alliance Boots have been told to play key role in reducing carbon footprint and increasing energy efficiency (Bream 2008). Because of this, Alliance Boots will have to invest more in greener products (selling of organic health product) and reducing their impact of carbon footprint on the environment. Legal Factors: There are various legal issues that are facing the way companies operate globally, for example, Alliance Boot Cases include application to the European Court of Justice in sex discrimination case of Neath versus Hugh Steeper Limited. New laws keep emerging everyday especially on healthy product and drinks, which mean Alliance Boots will have to be more cautious about its packaging and labelling policies, which will be an extra financial liability on the Alliance Boots. Globalisation Drivers This can be classified into: Market: Growth of global and regional channels Establishment of world brands 2. Cost: Fast-tracking technological innovation Transportation and distribution channel 3. Government: Reduction of tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers 4. Competitive: Huge rise in global strategic alliances with other companies. Future Strategic Partnership Walgreen Co., US largest drugstore chain is the latest future strategic partnership and direction that Alliance Boots are taking. Under this new strategy, Alliance Boots and Walgreen Co are bringing together the strengths and proficiency of both companies to create unique global pharmaceutical companies with a strong focus on health and well-being. Recommendations In order for Alliance Boots to continue maintaining its global presence as one of the dominant forces in the Pharmaceutical companies, the following are the vibrant future strategic directions that Alliance Boots must take for its business. Delivering of new innovative medical research using the next generation technology. A new global approach to marketing by sponsoring various events related to the well-being of Alliance Boots customers. Expansion of general merchandise ranges which in return will create sales with greater growth potential and effectiveness. Conclusion In conclusion, strategic management with a dedicated market focus is a driver to build a successful future globalisation and a successful merger process of the pharmaceutical industry. Alliance Boots continue to internationalise its key product brands, selling them to distributors, independent pharmacies and retail partners including online shopping sites globally.

The Food of the Gods Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

The Food of the Gods For over 2000 years, chocolate in its many forms has been enjoyed and its effects have been exalted. It was believed that the Mexican god Quetzalcoatl left the cocoa tree for the people. The Aztec emperor Montezuma is reported to have consumed 50 goblets of chocolate a day. It is called "the food of the gods," literally, as a translation of Theobroma Cacao, the cacao bean. (1). Such a title must imply that chocolate has some naturally occurring superior quality. Why else would we crave it so much more than other foods? For many people, nothing can take the place of chocolate when a craving hits. Chocolate and cocoa have very complex chemical properties and many components. Among the most researched components of chocolate which are thought to have an effect on craving and addiction are fat, theobromine, caffeine, and salsolinol. (2). Fat and sugar are substances naturally craved by the body, and thus although they may play a role in the allure of chocolate, they cannot be responsible for its appeal over other sweets. The caffeine in chocolate is sometimes implicated as part of its addictive properties. However, the amount of caffeine contained in one ounce of chocolate is about 5-35 milligrams, compared to the 140 milligrams found in a cup of brewed coffee. This does not discount the idea that caffeine plays a role in the appeal of chocolate, more likely it compounds the effect of other components. (3). Theobromine, similar to caffeine but present in larger amounts in chocolate, is less potent than caffeine yet still may retain stimulatory effects in large amounts of chocolate. Concentrations of theobromine vary in different chocolate products, and its effect on humans through chocolate has not... ...e.com/chocolate.htm 3) Does cocoa have caffeine in it?, International Cocoa Organization. http://www.icco.org/questions/caffeine.htm 4) Theobromine: Chocolate's Caffeine Cousin . http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/?once=true& 5) In vitro pharmacological activity of the tetrahydroisoquinoline salsolinol present in products from Theobroma cacao like cocoa and chocolate.. http://hub.elsevier.com/pii/S0378874100002919 6) Naloxone, an opiate blocker, reduces the consumption of sweet high-fat foods in obese and lean female binge eaters . http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/61/6/1206?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=drewnowski&searchid=QID_NOT_SET&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX= 7) Psychological and Physiological Characteristics of Sweet Food "Addiction". http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/40004278/ABSTRACT

Assessment and Development Essay

1. What is a competency? What are its characteristics? How is it different from Job Description? Competency: Competencies refer to skills or knowledge that leads to superior performance. These are formed through an individual/organization’s knowledge, skills and abilities and provide a framework for distinguishing between poor performances through to exceptional performance. Competencies can apply at organizational, individual, team, and occupational and functional levels. Competencies are individual abilities or characteristics that are key to effectiveness in work. Some examples of competencies required by the employees are: 1. Adaptability 2. Commitment 3. Creativity 4. Motivation 5. Foresight 6. Leadership 7. Independence 8. Emotional Stability 9. Analytical Reasoning and 10. Communication Skills Characteristics of Competencies ? ? ? ? ? ? Competencies are the characteristics of a manager that lead to the demonstration of skills and abilities, which result in effective performance within an organizational area. The best way to understand performance is to observe what people actually do to be successful rather than relying on assumptions pertaining to trait and intelligence. The best way to measure and predict performance is to assess whether people have key competencies. Competencies can be learnt and developed. They should be made visible/accessible. They should be linked to meaningful life outcomes that describe how people should perform in the real world 3|P a ge Common difference Competencies & Job Description. Competencies †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Underlying characteristic of a person’s inputs. Clusters of knowledge, attitudes and skills. Generic knowledge motive, trait, social role or a skill. Personal characteristics. Set of skills, related knowledge and attributes. On the other hand, Job Description †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Superior performance in a given job, role or a situation. Individual’s ability to perform. Linked to superior performance on the job. Contribute to effective managerial performance. Successfully perform a task or an activity within a specific function or job. 4|P a ge 2. What are the different types of competencies? What is their relevance? 1. Behavioral Competency: Behaviors, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that contribute to individual success in the organization ? ? ? Can apply to all (or most) jobs in an organization or be specific to a job family, career level or position For example:- teamwork and cooperation, communication Focus on the person 2. Technical or functional Competency: Specific knowledge and skills needed to be able to perform one’s job effectively ? ? ? Job specific and relate to success in a given job or job family For example:- knowledge of accounting principles, knowledge of human resource law and practice Focus on the job A trainer requires a different set of competencies than an accountant, and a teller requires a different set than a maintenance worker. If there are different levels within the same position, then each job level might also have its own set of vertically derived competencies 3. Core Competency: ? ? A core competency is defined as an internal capability that is critical to the success of business. These are organizational competencies that all individuals are expected to possess. These competencies define what the organization values the most in people. For example:- an organization might want each individual to possess teamwork, flexibility and communication skills. 5|P a ge 4. Threshold competency: ? ? The characteristics required by a jobholder to perform a job effectively are called threshold competencies. For the position of a typist it is necessary to have primary knowledge about typing, which is a threshold competency. 5. Differentiating competency: ? ? The characteristics, which differentiate superior performers from average performers, come under this category; such characteristics are not found in average performers. Knowledge of formatting is a competency that makes a typist to superior to others in performance, which is a differentiating competency. 6|P a ge 3. What is the difference between Assessment Centre and Development Centre? Differences between Assessment and Development centers Assessment centers usually ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Have a pass/fail criteria are geared towards filing a job vacancy address an immediate organizational need have fewer assessors and more participants involve line managers as assessors have less emphasis placed on self-assessment focus on what the candidate can do now are geared to meet the needs of the organization assign the role of judge to assessors place emphasis on selection with little or no developmental feedback and follow up give feedback at a later date involve the organization having control over the information obtained have very little pre-centre briefing tend to be used with external candidates. Development centers usually ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? do not have a pass/fail criteria are geared towards developing the individual address a longer term need have a 1:1 ratio of assessor to participant do not have line managers as assessors have a greater emphasis placed on self-assessment focus on potential are geared to meet needs of the individual as well as the organization assign the role of facilitator to assessors place emphasis on developmental feedback and follow up with little or no selection function 7|P a ge ? ? ? ? give feedback immediately involve the individual having control over the information obtained have a substantial pre-centre briefing tend to be used with internal candidates 8|P a ge 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Assessment Centre and Development Centre? Assessment Centers: Assessment centers consist of a number of exercises designed to assess the full range of skills and personal attributes required for the job. Advantages: ? Assessment centers map the next level challenges and simulate them in exercises. This raises the validity of the assessment tool. The old way of evaluating the person based on past performance does not work many times, as the challenges of the next level are different from the challenges in the existing position. Assessment centers not only help the organization in placing the right candidate for the right job/assignment but also help in developing the participants. When participants see others handling the same exercise differently, it gives them an insight into their own performance thereby raises the credibility of the selection procedure. It appeals to the lay person’s logic and therefore is regarded as a fair means of assessment by the participants. Assessment Centers can be customized for different kinds of jobs, competencies and organizational requirements. They are far more accurate than a standard recruitment process as they allow a broader range of selection methods to be used during the process. They enable interviewers to assess existing performance as well as predict future job performance. They give the opportunity to assess and differentiate between candidates who seem very similar – in terms of quality – on paper. They give the candidates a better insight into the role as they are tested on exercises, which are typical for the role they have applied for. They help employers build an employer brand. Candidates who attend assessment centers which genuinely reflect the job and the organization are often impressed by that company, even if they are rejected. The cost of an assessment centre is usually cheaper compared with the potential cost of many recruitment phases and the cost of recruitment errors. 9|P a ge ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? They are a fair process – they complement an organization’s diversity agenda and ensure that people are selected on the basis of merit alone. Disadvantages: ? ? ? ? ? Assessment Centers are very costly and time consuming. Assessment Centers requires highly skilled observers as the observers may bring in their own perceptions and biases while evaluating. Those who receive poor assessment might become de-motivated and might lose confidence in their abilities. New recruits with high expectations can feel disappointed if the assessment centre has encouraged them to believe the job or organization fits their values if, in fact, it does not. If you haven’t defined the key competencies prior to the event – and a way to measure these competencies – you will only be able to compare candidates on anecdotal details.

Thorn Queen Chapter Four

We left as soon as etiquette said we could. I tried using Shaya's argument about eccentric queens doing whatever they wanted, but it didn't work on her. She said if we didn't stay a certain amount of time, I'd appear intimidated by Maiwenn. So, we stuck around a bit longer than I liked before finally making formal farewells to the others. Kiyo was preoccupied with a group of well-wishers, but he looked up at my departure and smiled. He mouthed the word soon. My group rode back in a subdued mood. The urgency was gone, and I think my glum attitude threw a cloud over everyone. Seeing Maiwenn and Kiyo had bothered me more than I liked to admit, and Dorian†¦well, that was another story. For now, I wanted nothing more than to cross over to my own world, throw on pajamas, and watch mindless TV. Possibly while eating ice cream. And as our journey continued, ice cream sounded more and more appealing once we crossed back into the Thorn Land. The sun was sinking, but heat still radiated off the sand and rocks. It wouldn't dissipate for another couple hours, and even at midnight, the temperature probably wouldn't drop below seventy. I'd changed back to my shorts and sunglasses before leaving Maiwenn's, so again, the heat didn't bother me as much as it did the others. Dorian had claimed my sundress would catch on as a fashion trend; I wondered if shorts would as well. â€Å"There's a village ahead,† murmured Rurik. I snapped out of my daydreams and followed his gesture. Sure enough, a small cluster of buildings darkened the horizon. Like my castle, it was something more suited to a medieval British landscape than the desert. Considering how infrequently I visited my kingdom, this was the first settlement I'd seen outside of the castle. It unnerved me a little, my discomfort growing when I saw that our road went straight through the town. Damned twisting Otherworld. This village hadn't been here on our earlier trip. And for that reason, I knew better than to suggest we go around it. With the way this world worked, a slight deviation could toss us into the Rowan Land or add hours onto our trip. Steeling myself, I tightened my grip on the reins, deciding that this place looked small and wouldn't take long to clear. When we entered its outskirts, though, I discovered something that made me lose my resolve. The road was lined with people. It was like everyone in the town had come out to see us pass through. They stood along the sides, staring at my party and again looking like extras from some medieval movie. Except, it must have been a low-budget movie. The people's clothes were ragged and dirty, their faces gaunt. Everyone seemed too skinny, even the children and babies held in parental arms. My unease grew as we rode deeper into the heart of the village. I hated crowds and having eyes upon me. There was something discomfiting about this particular group. Their expressions were either completely blank or†¦well, terrified. Everything was dead silent. â€Å"What are they scared of?† I whispered to Rurik. He gave me an amused glance. â€Å"You, of course.† â€Å"Me?† I squeaked. Glancing at my attire, I tried to imagine how out of place I looked here. Was my foreignness that frightening? â€Å"You're their queen. Everyone knows how you slaughtered Aeson-and that isn't a particularly heartwarming tale. Likewise, Storm King's legacy of terror lives on after all these years. You've inherited it.† â€Å"So, what, they see me as some kind of tyrant?† He shrugged. â€Å"You're their queen,† he repeated, as though that explained everything. I'd never wanted to be queen. I certainly didn't want to be seen as some kind of despot queen either. I didn't want these eyes upon me, these eyes that all seemed to be filled with apathy, judgment, and a kind of weary defeat. I breathed a sigh of relief when we reached what looked to be the halfway point. All of a sudden, a man stepped in front of us, bringing us to a halt. He was an older gentry, tall and gray-haired. He was skinny and clothed only a little better than the rest, though there was an air of dignity and authority that made him stand out. When he saw he had our attention, he swept me a bow so low, his face nearly touched the dusty road. â€Å"To Eugenie, great queen of the Thorn Land, I offer the most humble greetings of your servant, Davros.† At least, that's what I think he said. He was bent so low that his words came out muffled. I glanced uneasily at the others in my group, unsure what to do. They all remained silent and looked at me expectantly. Oh, sure. They were full of advice back at Maiwenn's, but when it came to peasants groveling in the road? That was apparently all me. â€Å"Please, um, stand up,† I managed at last. â€Å"Um, Davros.† He rose, clasping his hands in front of him, looking totally overwhelmed that I'd used his name. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty. I am the mayor of this village. Words cannot express what an honor it is to have you among us.† Considering what Rurik had just told me about my reputation here, I wasn't entirely sure I believed Davros' words. I forced a smile. â€Å"Thanks. We're just passing through on our way back to the castle.† Davros spread his hands wide. â€Å"I hope, then, that you'll consider resting and taking a brief refreshment in my home.† â€Å"Oh, well, that's really nice, but-â€Å" Shaya cleared her throat loudly. I glanced over at her. She gave me a pointed look that gave no question to what she wanted me to do. Grimacing, I glanced back down at poor, groveling Davros. Damn. I wanted nothing more than to get out of the Otherworld right now. I didn't want to stop for teatime. My expression must have looked scary because Davros blanched and lowered his head meekly. I sighed. â€Å"We'd love to.† Mayor or not, Davros didn't have a very big house. Only Shaya, Rurik, and I joined him inside, while the rest of my party milled around outdoors. From the village, Davros had invited a few other important officials, as well as his wife and two grown sons. We sat at a round oak table while his wife served us red wine and something that reminded me of baklava. I sipped only a little of the wine, not wanting to risk dehydration in this weather. I wasn't much better at making conversation here than at Maiwenn's, but fortunately, there was no need for me to do anything. Davros and his associates kept the talking going, most of the conversation centering on how glad they were that I had come by, what an honor it was to meet me, how they hoped I'd call on them if I needed anything, et cetera, et cetera. Which was why it was a bit shocking when Davros' wife suddenly asked, â€Å"But if you would, your majesty, please tell us what it is we've done to displease you. We'll do anything at all to make amends and gain your favor once more. Anything.† I almost choked on the honey cake. â€Å"What do you mean†¦displease me?† The villagers exchanged glances. â€Å"Well†¦,† said Davros at last. â€Å"There must be something. You've placed a blight on the land, stripping us of our water and food. Surely we've done something to warrant your most righteous displeasure.† â€Å"You need only let us know what it is,† piped in someone else. â€Å"We will do anything you require to lift this curse from us.† This was the most astonishing thing to happen to me all day-which was saying something. I looked at Shaya and Rurik for help, having no clue how to respond to this. For a moment, I thought they would once again make me fend for myself, until Shaya finally spoke. â€Å"The residents had built their lives around the shape of the land when Aeson ruled it, when it was the Alder Land. When it transformed itself to you, their old ways no longer worked. Their crops don't grow in this weather. The wells have run dry.† I stared at her in shock. Never, never had this occurred to me-but then, it wasn't like I'd spent a whole lot of time thinking about the Thorn Land. Most of my energy had been spent on figuring out how to avoid it. Studying Shaya, I wondered how long she'd known about this. I somehow doubted there was much that went on around here that she didn't know about. From the looks of Rurik's averted gaze, it appeared as though he'd known about this problem as well. Both knew how upset I got when forced to deal with any sort of queenly issues. So both had spared me the details while these people suffered. I turned back to Davros. â€Å"It's not a curse†¦it's, I don't know, it's just the way the land is. The way I wanted it to be.† Astonished looks met me, and I could only imagine what a freak I sounded like. When Aeson had ruled, this land had been green and lush, filled with forests and fertile farmland. Who in their right mind would turn it into a desert? Davros confirmed as much. â€Å"But this land†¦this land is impossible to survive in,† he said. â€Å"Not where I come from,† I told him. â€Å"This is like the land I grew up in. People live and flourish there.† People also had modern ways of bringing in water and shopping for whatever other stuff they might need. And that wasn't even taking air-conditioning into account. â€Å"How?† he asked. I didn't know how to readily answer. I didn't really understand the intimate details of my world's infrastructure. I turned a faucet and water came out. I went to the grocery store and bought milk and Pop-Tarts. Desperately, I racked my brain and tried to pull out elementary school lessons about Arizona's history. â€Å"Irrigation,† I said lamely. â€Å"Squash, I think. And, um, corn.† Had the natives grown corn? Or was I getting confused by stereotypes? Shit. I was so ignorant. The only thing I felt confident of was that Pop-Tarts were not cultivated natively in Arizona. The looks the others gave me told me I wasn't helping this situation any. I glanced at Shaya and Rurik, but this time, no help came. The full weight of what I'd done started to sink in. Maybe I hadn't wanted this land. Maybe I hadn't intentionally turned it into a mirror of wild Tucson. The point was: it was done. The Thorn Land was as it was, and taking in these ragged and starving people, I realized it was all my fault. Only, I had no clue how to fix it. I was too much a product of modern innovation. There was nothing I could do. Scratch that. There was one thing I could do. I abruptly stood from the table, catching everyone by surprise. As custom dictated, they all hastily scrambled and rose as well. Without explaining myself, I headed outside, back out into the village. Behind me, I could hear Davros babbling something, apparently thinking they'd again caused offense. They probably thought I was about to send lightning bolts from the sky. As it was, that might not have been a bad idea-if I actually had that power. These people could certainly use rain. But one rainstorm wouldn't fix things, and I could hardly do it day after day. Instead, I walked out to the middle of the street and came to a halt. My guards straightened up, awaiting my orders, and other residents stopped to see what was happening. Those from Davros' gathering soon poured out of the house and joined everyone else. I closed my eyes, opening myself to the world around me. I smelled the clean, fresh scent of the desert and the faint, faint breeze blowing through it. The setting sun warmed my skin. Then, I pushed deeper, reaching out to that which the magic within me instinctively bonded to. I felt the minuscule water vapor in the air, but that wasn't what I wanted. I had to go further. I sent my magical senses into the ground, seeking water throughout the village. None. I remembered what Shaya had said about wells drying up, which meant the surface wasn't going to yield anything. That meant I'd have to go deeper still. There. Back in the direction we'd entered town, I felt a hit. I opened my eyes and strode toward it, the water calling to me. I was vaguely aware of a crowd following me, but I paid them no attention. Only the water was my goal. When I reached the spot, I found that it was just on the town's outer edge. A mesquite tree grew nearby, which should have been a tip-off. They had deep feelers that penetrated the earth in search of moisture. I too sent my power into the ground, trying to summon the water up. There was a lot of dirt between me and it, and I realized it wouldn't do these people any good in the long term to just suck it to the surface right now. I turned around and found Davros right behind me, face anxious. I pointed to the ground. â€Å"You guys need to dig here. Right now. There's water here.† He stared at me, mouth agape. A moment later, he snapped out of it and turned to those nearest him. â€Å"You heard the queen! Fetch shovels immediately. And find anyone who can work with the earth.† Earth magic. A smart idea. Gentry didn't have bulldozers or drills, but they did have people who could throw around huge piles of dirt, which was pretty sweet for this kind of thing. Dorian-who was probably the strongest earth user in the Otherworld-could cause earthquakes and level buildings. In minutes, a group had assembled. I tried to take a shovel and help, but that nearly caused Shaya and Davros to have a heart attack. Queens didn't do that kind of work. Instead, I stepped back, watching as the other villagers used magic and manual labor to dig where I'd indicated. When the hole grew too deep for shovels, the village's two earth-magic users took over. Even combined, they were nowhere near Dorian in strength, but they definitely sped the process along, kicking up towers of dirt along the sides. Finally, I heard a great cheer. Everyone else and I crowded to the hole's sides, peering down. It was deep in the ground, but muddy water was slowly filling up the bottom. I looked at Davros. â€Å"Can you guys turn this into a well?† I certainly hoped so because I sure as hell had no idea how to do it. I imagined it involved stones and a bucket, but maybe that was just my naà ¯ve fairy-tale images. His head bobbed eagerly. â€Å"Yes, yes, your majesty. Thank you, your majesty.† After that, it was nearly impossible to leave. I was regarded as a miracle worker. I was no longer the tyrant queen. I was their savior, the generous and wonderful monarch who had brought life to their land. I declined their pleas to stay and celebrate but told them I'd be back with other ways to save their town. Admittedly, I had no idea what that would entail, but mentioning such a minor detail would have seriously brought down everyone's mood. When we were finally mounted up and able to head out, I suddenly felt a tug on my shoe. Surprised, I looked down and saw a middle-aged man gazing up at me. A similarly aged woman stood close beside him. â€Å"How dare you touch the queen!† gasped Davros. From his face, it looked like he was seriously afraid I might level the town. I waved him off. â€Å"It's okay.† The man who'd pulled my leg regarded me pleadingly. â€Å"Please, your majesty. My wife and I have a boon to ask of you!† â€Å"That's a favor or a request,† said Rurik helpfully. â€Å"I know what a boon is,† I snapped. I looked back down at the couple, unwilling to make any promises yet. â€Å"What is it?† The man put his arm around the woman. â€Å"We've heard that you're both a great warrior and a great magic user.† â€Å"And clearly kind and compassionate,† added his wife. â€Å"And?† I asked. â€Å"And very beautiful and-â€Å" â€Å"No,† I exclaimed. â€Å"I mean, what's your boon?† â€Å"Our daughter has been taken,† the woman said, eyes filling with tears. â€Å"We beg you to help us get her back.† â€Å"Whoa. That might be a little beyond my reach,† I told them. â€Å"When you say taken, do you mean, like, kidnapped?† They both nodded, and I was swept by a strange sense of deja vu. I'd first stumbled into this Otherworldly mess when I'd been hired in the human world to also find a missing girl. The girl had turned out to be Jasmine, though I'd had no clue at the time that she was half-gentry, let alone my sister. Was my life destined to be filled with missing girls? Davros stepped forward, looking upset and embarrassed. â€Å"Your majesty, please ignore them for troubling you with something so meaningless. Their daughter was not taken by anyone. She ran off to Highmore with her lover from a neighboring village.† I glanced at Shaya and Rurik. â€Å"What's Highmore?† â€Å"Really?† asked Rurik dryly. â€Å"I thought you already knew everything.† I glared at him. â€Å"It's a city,† said Shaya. â€Å"The largest in this kingdom.† â€Å"Wait, what? I have cities?† I asked, feeling my eyes go wide. The distraught couple interrupted my new revelation. â€Å"Davros is wrong,† the woman said. â€Å"Our daughter did not run off. She was taken by the bandits who live in the passes.† â€Å"Everyone knows they're there,† added the man. He eyed Davros. â€Å"Them and their beasts. Even you won't deny their existence. They've been there for years, and she isn't the first girl to disappear.† I turned to Davros. â€Å"Is that true?† He shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. â€Å"Well, yes, your majesty, but such brigands are nothing you need to concern yourself about, just as King Aeson did not.† â€Å"Wait. Aeson knew there were bandits going after you guys and didn't do anything?† â€Å"Such petty concerns were beneath him,† said Davros. To my astonishment, he seemed to believe that. â€Å"I don't know,† I said slowly. â€Å"If a monarch doesn't take care of that kind of thing, I'm not really sure what they're supposed to do.† Truthfully, I didn't want to deal with this any more than I wanted any other Thorn Land responsibilities. But the mention of Aeson had stirred my blood. Aeson had been a self-serving asshole, and it pissed me off that he would have left these people to fend for themselves. The only thing I wanted less than to be a ruler was to be a ruler like him. Furthermore, the same fury that Jasmine's abduction had stirred in me flared up. Maybe it was my own experience with always being chased down by aggressive men, but I hated the thought of any girl facing rape or abduction. It didn't matter that these were gentry girls and not humans. The principle was the same. Brigands and thieves taking advantage of young girls, of preying on those weaker, had to be stopped. â€Å"I'll send people to take care of these bandits,† I said finally. Behind me, Rurik made a strange sound. â€Å"But I can't make any guarantees about your daughter.† The couple's faces lit up, and they fell to the ground in gratitude. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty!† the woman cried. Her husband chimed in. â€Å"Truly you are generous and magnanimous and-â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, okay, there's no need for that,† I said hastily. â€Å"Or to kneel. You're going to get all dirty.† We had just started to ride away when Shaya leaned toward me. â€Å"You've made a lot of promises today.† I thought about it. She was right. I'd promised to help them get food, rebuild their infrastructure, and rid themselves of those who preyed upon them. â€Å"Yeah. I guess I did.† She gave me a bemused look. â€Å"And how are you going to accomplish all of this?† I glanced around us, noting that the faces watching us leave town were no longer blank and afraid. They were grateful and adoring. I sighed. â€Å"That,† I told her, â€Å"is an excellent question.†

Covert intervention as a moral problem Essays

Covert intervention as a moral problem Essays Covert intervention as a moral problem Essay Covert intervention as a moral problem Essay The CIA has been greatly involved in the aggregation of intelligence every bit good as being engaged in covert action for the benefit of the United States. Harmonizing to the 1991 Intelligence Authorization Act covert action is merely described as a peculiar activity of the authorities of the United provinces that is meant to act upon. economical. political. or military state of affairss in the universe. in that the function of the United States will non be acknowledged by many or publically. Under covert action. the exact purposes or the grounds behind the actions are non known by the foreign states therefore secretiveness is the chief constituent of covert actions. Covert actions and the function of the CIA Covert actions merely involves activities that include back uping political parties. covert propaganda. private groups. economic operations and even persons through advice or subsidisation with an purpose of back uping or subverting the bing government in a foreign state. There is a difference between covert actions and cloak-and-dagger aggregation attempts whereby the covert actions are chiefly designed for act uponing conditions in foreign states while the clandestine attempts are aimed at supplying the intelligence community of the United States with information that can be used in planing the covert actions. The CIA is the organic structure that is responsible for the intent of obtaining intelligence and supplying policymakers with relevant information for the intent of planing covert actions on foreign states. Apart from being the supplier of the intelligence information to policymakers. the CIA is besides the same organic structure that is engaged in transporting out the covert actions every bit good as reding policymakers with respect to the intelligence they have gathered. The CIA as an intelligence organic structure that is besides involved in transporting out the covert action in foreign states ever strives to construct and keep its repute both in the eyes of the United States citizens and foreign states. To be able to keep its repute and set itself as an bureau that is committed to functioning the state and its citizens while at the same clip advancing international dealingss. the CIA has to make a via media. The protecting the American citizens and the state at big every bit good as supplying information for other foreign states requires transparence. Under the covert actions and operations. there is a batch of secretiveness and the lone clip information gets to make the populace is when operations have gone rancid. This means that the CIA has an involvement of protecting itself from critics within the populace and avoids incrimination by the populace while at the same clip transporting out its operations. The CIA is besides closely involved with disposal functionaries and policymakers whereby the intelligence from the CIA is questioned and analyzed by the policymakers when doing determinations. However. over the old ages. the CIA has been faced with the challenge of deficiency of committedness on the portion of the policymakers to take clip and read the intelligence provided by the bureau. Alternatively. most policymakers have been keen on intelligence that is related to current hazards. The involuntariness or the inability of policymakers to pass a batch of clip in analysing longer-range issues has been a beginning of defeat. The CIA have the responsibility to supply intelligence as they receive it and besides take portion in covert actions as they are assigned therefore the demand to hold a balance between the two. The CIA has to guarantee that it provides relevant information to policymakers because in the long tally. it is the bureau that is ever blamed when covert actions to non travel as planned. Therefore. the CIA has great involvement in the intelligence and the covert actions that they take portion in since the bureau has to turn out its worth and demonstrate that it performs its responsibilities. Bing the supplier of intelligence and at the same clip the user of the intelligence requires a batch of unity to guarantee that there is no biasness whereby the CIA provide information that it is cognizant will work in its favour. As a manner of guaranting that the covert actions that the carry out and acquire involved in are successful to construct their image in the eyes of the populace. the CIA may be given to pull strings the information and intelligence they provide to policymakers. It is rather hard to be certain with the sort of intelligence that the CIA provides to the policymakers as non being biased due to the ground that they are the same users of the information that they have gathered. The CIA as an intelligence bureau and one that is held in high repute would non desire the public image that they have built get ruined by the sort of intelligence and covert actions they undertake. Therefore. based on the ground that the CIA is the supplier and user of the intelligence they gather every bit good as the purpose of protecting the bureau from bad public image and repute. it can be said that there is a struggle of involvement. Furthermore. based on the issue that the intelligence the CIA gathers is provided to policy shapers and in most occasions the policymakers do non take their clip in reading and analysing intelligence that is set for longer-use. the CIA has to guarantee that the information they provide to the policymakers would non compromise the bureau. Therefore. it can besides be said that there is struggle of involvement whereby the CIA. the supplier and user of intelligence. has to guarantee that policymakers to non do incorrect determinations that will compromise the bureau. The CIA besides has the authorization of advancing democracy both locally and internationally but this is non the instance with the intelligence gathered every bit good as the covert actions they undertake. There is a batch of secretiveness whereby the populace is left out on covert actions issues and intelligence hence it can be said that the CIA is practising dual criterions. Democracy requires people to be good informed. something that is non the instance with respect to the covert actions and intelligence gathered by CIA. Decision The CIA has greater responsibility of protecting the populace. the United States authorities and its involvement while at the same clip keeping a reputable public image both locally and internationally. There are times when the CIA has to supply some intelligence in certain state of affairss while at times it has to avoid allowing the populace know of what is traveling on based on the ground that the image of the bureau may be destroyed in instance the covert actions do non travel as planned and no positive consequences achieved. Therefore. the CIA. apart from being an intelligence bureau that provides intelligence and gets involved in covert actions. has the responsibility of protecting itself from the populace. both locally and internationally. This could ensue in biasness in the sort of intelligence that it provides to policymakers every bit good as how it carries out the covert actions. hence struggle of involvement. Mentions Beitz. Charles R. Covert intercession as a moral job. Ethics A ; International Affairs 3. no. 1 ( 1989 ) : 45-60. Berger III. Joseph B. Covert Action: Title 10. Entitle 50. and the Chain of Command. JFQ: Joint Force Quarterly no. 67 ( 2012 4th Quarter 2012 ) : 32-39. By Bill Gertz. The Washington Times. Military. CIA shun 9/11 panel on covert operations. Washington Times. The ( DC ) ( September 9. 2011 ) : 1. Regional Business News Jeffreys-Jones. Rhodri. Covert Action in the Cold War: United states Policy. Intelligence. and CIA Operations. Journal of American History 97. no. 4 ( 2011 ) : 1173-1174. Little. Douglas. Mission Impossible: The CIA and the Cult of Covert Action in the Middle East. Diplomatic History 28. no. 5 ( November 2004 ) : 663-701 Meyer. Joel T. Supervising The Pentagon: Covert Action And Traditional Military Activities In The War On Terror. Administrative Law Review 59. no. 2 ( Spring2007 2007 ) : 463-478. Prouty. L. Fletcher. The secret squad: the CIA and its Alliess in control of the United States and the universe. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. . 2011. Beginning papers

Homosexual Adoptions essays

Homosexual Adoptions essays Should homosexual couples be allowed to adopt children? The question concerning gay couples adopting children has become major problem in our society. This has become more of a political issue than a moral issue. If the question is looked at morally instead of politically then there would be no question at all. Gay couples should be in no way allowed to adopt children. There are several reasons why gay couples should not be able to adopt children. People look at this question from the wrong standpoint, instead of looking at what is better for the child they try to accommodate those who live an alternative life style. The child should be the most important factor in the adoption process. If God intended for homosexual couples to have and raise children he would have made it possible naturally. There are some cases that heterosexual couples adopt because they are unable to have children, but the difference here is that most heterosexual couples can naturally have children, while on the other hand no homosexual couples can naturally produce children. Homosexuality is morally degrading to a society, and for our society to condone homosexual relationships by allowing them to adopt children would hurt our societies morals, and be unfair to the child. A child growing up with homosexual parents would not have all the advantages that a child growing up with heterosexual parents would. A child is better off having a mother and a father, and it would be confusing to a child if he had two mothers or two fathers. The childs parents would influence the childs perception of normal and natural relationships. A child tends to imitate its parents this means a child that is raised by homosexual parents is more likely to be homosexual than those who are raised by heterosexual parents. It is not natural to be homosexual because instincts that come natural are to help us survive and homosexuality would not help survive....

Assignment of roles for reporting and responsibility Research Proposal

Assignment of roles for reporting and responsibility - Research Proposal Example The roles mentioned in the table apply for the various stakeholders irrespective of their personal causes. Their contribution is likely to be accounted for in case of default. The project manager would ensure the direct coordination of the stakeholders for this project to consult and recommend strategies beneficial for the micro-credit programme (Meredith, 2005). The project manager also takes care of the swift flow of the funds to the borrowers and their timely recovery for investment purpose. The innovative strategies on their part would be to ensure that all such plans reach the government level to the ministers with the coordination of the health ministry. Such plans would take a swift pass for quickening the process of better availability of the funds to the borrowers with better and affordable types of repayment schemes. The information is prepared for the overall management and governance of the project. The various authorities are enrolled for this project to describe their position of influence and membership for the project. This analysis and information is targeted at all the stakeholders who would like to review the strategies for the project at any point of time. The analysis would serve as a stage to determine betterment of policies for the project. It would not only serve as reports but also gain borrowers confidence in the long run. References/Bibliography Hannelen (2007). "Stakeholder Management

Critical Thinking and the Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Thus, supply network necessitates several levels of integration with the first being the integration of separate components in organizational structures to create individual networks and secondly, integrating the networks. The first level integration results in manufacturing and distribution networks, because individual networks link to a central warehouse that receives stocks from plants when products are manufactured and distributes them to customers through field warehouses. Thus, two networks with the possible routes for manufacturing and distribution form the supply chain network that involve planning, execution and control of components. Managing flow time is crucial in providing effective customer service in the supply chain; therefore, integration is the basis of supply chain management strategy  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Development of efficient MPC system is crucial to the success of all companies that produce goods; since it coordi nates supply chain efforts across company boundaries (Jacobs 1). Inventory is a valuable asset in companies; however, benchmark results indicate that most organizations fail to manage inventory efficiently. Many manufacturers and distributors depend on overly localized inventory policies; thus, companies tie working capital which can result in hurting shareholders. Properly managed inventory acts as a lifeline for supply chain since it propels revenue and competence in companies. In IBM, supply chain inventory practices involve managing flow and positioning of inventory across different stages within the supply chain even in suppliers and downstream partners. The company adopts the opportunity of combining proven supply chain inventory practices, which reduce inventory levels across the organization while improving service levels as well as productivity. The company is does not push back inventory to its suppliers; however, IBM helps its suppliers to reduce their inventory.  Ã‚  Ã ‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rather than monitor and manage inventory at local level, IBM is increasingly adopting supply chain-wide inventory practices. Companies attempt to decrease amount of inventory in their supply chain management, which in turn reduces inventory carrying costs. The company aims at being responsive and reliable to customers, since it is crucial for the company to increase service levels without increasing inventory investment. Since inventory necessary to attain service levels relates to lead time, reducing lead time as well as supply chain unpredictability is crucial to the company. Moreover, IBM aims at improving financial performance, because it is crucial for the company inventory management success to maximize profit contribution and net margin; thus, reducing distribution and manufacturing costs is essential. In some cases the company institutes lean processes for low inventory; however, it is not too low to drain fina ncial performance of the company, which increases manufacturing re-scheduling and lost sales from uncompetitive flow times. Best companies attain high improvement rate from better inventory management practices, which are augmented when they apply technology to practices like supplier collaboration technology. IBM

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

Illegal immigration - Essay Example legal immigration is a deep rooted issue in the United States which affects it in many ways including it economy; thus it is important that employment regulations and penalizing policies should be maintained for these illegal immigrants. Many laws have been formulated to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country but it cannot be denied that they have a very great impact on the economy of the United States. This is because they form a major portion of the working class in the country (Fuqua 217). The illegal workers form an integral part of many businesses. According to the Department of Labour, greater than fifty percent of the workers who pick crops are illegal immigrants. Despite of the benefit of an increased labour class provided by the illegal immigrants, they lay a negative impact on the economy as well. This is because people coming from the poor countries agree to a lower pay scale and the result is unemployment of the locals. Thus, this creates issues for the local as well as the federal government (Finnegan). The economical impact of the illegal immigrants is undeniable but their employment raises many issues for the employers who hire them. This is because the employers have to face the legal issues pressed against them for hiring the illegal people and at the same time, the illegal workers also demand compensation legally for the accidents in the workplace or for any act that they feel discriminates against them. â€Å"The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986† is an ct which clearly states the fact that illegal people residing in the United States should not be employed and it is the duty of the employers to check the legal documents of their employees to be sure that they reside legally in the country. Furthermore, if illegal immigrants are found to be working with forged documents used for employment, their jobs should be ended with immediate effect and they should also not be provided with any claims or benefits. These measures have

Petroleum Energy in CHINA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Petroleum Energy in CHINA - Assignment Example This paper will concentrate on the price and the income elasticity for gasoline in the state of China. It is appropriate to understand the connections among the gasoline price, the gasoline demand and the non-refundable income as this knowledge will help in the evaluation and examination of the effectiveness of China’s tax transformation. The tax transformation focuses on decreasing the gasoline consumption due to its hazardous impacts such as pollution and global warming and it has various useful implications for the energy statue in consideration (Jiang & Zemin, 103). Even though the domestic fuel prices in China undergo regulation by the government through the responsible department, the prices are always revised quite often in accordance with the world oil prices and due to that, the diesel prices and the gasoline prices tend to follow or rather comply with the world oil prices. The price of gasoline was first moderated in the year 1993, and then in 1994, 1998, 2003 and in 2009 with the implementation of many transformations. In general, the administration or the government usually erects a foundation of price of the crude oil on a non-uniform basis according to the weighted accumulative price change of various international exchanges such as the Minas, the New York, and the Brent. There are two main oil companies in the State of China namely the China Petrochemical Corporation and the China National Petroleum Corporation are given the mandate to set the ex-plant prices that are the wholesale and retail prices. The two corporations sell to the provincial petroleum companies who in turn forecast the retail service joints. The prices charged at the joints or rather stations are set to mitigate between a rate of 8% band and above and below the set standard prices. Given the price mechanism, the nominal retail gasoline prices increased at a steady rate making the annual growth rate to be approximately 3.50 percent (Jiang

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

Illegal immigration - Essay Example legal immigration is a deep rooted issue in the United States which affects it in many ways including it economy; thus it is important that employment regulations and penalizing policies should be maintained for these illegal immigrants. Many laws have been formulated to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country but it cannot be denied that they have a very great impact on the economy of the United States. This is because they form a major portion of the working class in the country (Fuqua 217). The illegal workers form an integral part of many businesses. According to the Department of Labour, greater than fifty percent of the workers who pick crops are illegal immigrants. Despite of the benefit of an increased labour class provided by the illegal immigrants, they lay a negative impact on the economy as well. This is because people coming from the poor countries agree to a lower pay scale and the result is unemployment of the locals. Thus, this creates issues for the local as well as the federal government (Finnegan). The economical impact of the illegal immigrants is undeniable but their employment raises many issues for the employers who hire them. This is because the employers have to face the legal issues pressed against them for hiring the illegal people and at the same time, the illegal workers also demand compensation legally for the accidents in the workplace or for any act that they feel discriminates against them. â€Å"The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986† is an ct which clearly states the fact that illegal people residing in the United States should not be employed and it is the duty of the employers to check the legal documents of their employees to be sure that they reside legally in the country. Furthermore, if illegal immigrants are found to be working with forged documents used for employment, their jobs should be ended with immediate effect and they should also not be provided with any claims or benefits. These measures have

A Case Study Of Agriquip Agencies Essay Example for Free

A Case Study Of Agriquip Agencies Essay 1.0 INTRODUCTION The report reviews my three months work of attachment at Agriquip Agencies (EA) Ltd which is part of compulsory course work prior to the compliment of a diploma in business management. The report is an overview of experience gained, activities carried out at Agriquip Agencies (EA) Ltd, challenges faced during my attachment period and how I overcame them. In My attachment I was rotated in all the departments of the organization. 1.1 AGRIQUIP AGENCIES (EA) LTD See more: The stages of consumer buying decision process essay Agriquip Agencies (EA) Ltd is an organization specialized in Importation, distribution, Wholesale and retailing of a wide variety of Agricultural and industrial machineries and their accessories. The company was established in 1968 and it is based in Nairobi Industrial area along Lusaka road. It has branches in major towns, in Kisumu city, Mombasa city and Eldoret town. It has a number of appointed distribution agents in other towns in order to assist in distribution of their products. The organization draws its major customers in the Sugar factories by providing them with industrial spare parts, in agricultural sector it supplies the tea firms and plantations with various machines and their accessories for ease of their farm work. In industrial sector the firm provides the manufacturing companies with spare parts for their machinery to ensure the production does not halt due to lack of spares. The firm also targets the automobile industry by ensuring that they have spares in hardy in order to continue with their business without interruptions due to lack of spare parts. The firm obtains its products from different parts of the world and ensures they maintain good relationsh ip with their suppliers and maintains the necessary stock levels in order to cope and satisfy the demands of their customers. 1.1.1 Vision of the Organization To be the leading firm to transform Africa into a prime trade and investment destination 1.1.2 Mission Statement To turn Africa risk into opportunity by providing high quality, cost effective Agricultural industrial equipments. 1.1.3 Core values Strive to carry out their business with customer focus approach combined with integrity, creativity, unity of purpose and an attitude of getting it right the first time. 1.1.4 Corporate Objectives To consistently focus on our customer needs and provide them with products of the highest quality and standards that ensure they enjoy value for their money. To transform Africa into a prime trade and investment destination by ensuring steady supply of quality products to our business partners in other sectors To ensure safety of environment and users of our products by providing products which are environmental friendly To invest in research and development in order to design products which are cost effective and satisfy the emerging needs of our customers 1.1.5 SWOT Analysis An analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) was carried out to identify the firm’s internal strengths and weaknesses (internal analysis) in relation to external opportunities and threats (external analysis). This was undertaken with a view to identify and take action to leverage the strengths and opportunities and transform the weaknesses into strengths and threats to be turned into opportunities. This goes a long way in enabling the organization to achieve its objectives 1.1.6 STRENGTHS The main strengths of Agriquip includes the following;- i.Committed and experienced staff. The staff members are committed and have good skills and experience in their respective units. ii.Proper communication channels: the communication channels are well defined and the management created room for creativity and innovation as well as expressing their opinions freely without fear or intimidation. 1.1.6 WEAKNESSES The firm was noted to have a number of weaknesses which includes:- Little room for growth- The firm does not have well structured policies which provides for promotion and staff growth path. Lacks clear recruitment policies Unequal distribution of work Do not have proper allocation of resources. 1.1.7 OPPORTUNITIES Technological Development These are opportunities which the firm can exploit to reduce cost of its operations Research and development – The firm can invest in RD in order to understand the needs of their customers in order to come up with products that are capable of satisfying their customers and remain competitive. 1.1.8 THREATS Competition Due to the technological change the firm is faced with competition from other suppliers Counterfeit goods flocking the market The firm should invest in campaign against use of counterfeit products. 1.2 DURATION OF ATTACHMENT I was attached at Agriquip Agencies (EA) Ltd for eight weeks from 17th December 2013 to 8th February 2014. During this period I was rotated in all the departments of the firm starting with administration, purchasing, imports, accounts, sales and stores. I was taken through the various operations of the above departments and was able to practice what I learned in class. The attachment was very interesting as I had an opportunity to practice and utilize my technical skills and equipped me with understanding of the various management functions. 1.3 DEPARTMENT ATTACHED 1.3.1 ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT I was attached in this department for one week from 17.12.2013 to 21.12.2013, working for 5 days from Tuesday to Saturday. This department deals with the following activities; -Receiving recording and distributing mail to the  relevant departments for action. -Maintaining staff attendance records -Assigning duties to office assistants, clerks and delivery staff -Allocating resources for use by all the units within the organizations -Issuing local purchase orders for office stationeries -Maintaining fuel consumption records for all the company vehicles -Attending to customer queries and directing them -Filing and maintaining safe custody of the company files -Recording out going mails and dispatching them -Processing leave application forms for the staff members 1.3.2 IMPORTS DEPARTMENT I worked in this department for two weeks starting from 23.12.2013 to 04.01.2014. I was working from Monday to Saturday except during the holidays i.e. 25th, 26th December 2013 and 01st January 2014. The duration that I was attached in this department I was assigned to do the following jobs -Application for import license (IDF) -Filing of all the importation documents -Opening the costing sheets files -Application of marine cover notes -Receiving the shipping documents from the overseas suppliers and coordinating clearance with the clearing agents -Processing customs bonds with KRA -Computation of import duties and customs taxes -Arranging for payments for customs taxes and other levies 1.3.3 PURCHASING DEPARTMENT I was attached in this department for duration of one week from 06.01.2014 to 11.01.2014, working for six days from Monday to Saturday. During this period my duties were:- -Receiving and recording requisition from the stores -Filing requisition and other purchasing documents -Updating order records -Preparing and sending enquiries to the overseas suppliers -Sending purchase orders to the suppliers -Recording purchase orders in the order book -Receiving quotations from the potential suppliers -Follow up with the suppliers to expedite our supplies 1.3.4 STORES I worked in this department for duration of one week during which I was tasked with the following responsibilities. -Issuing requisition for purchase to the purchasing department. -Receiving and verification of goods to ascertain they are in conformance with our order confirmation. -Issuing goods received notes -Filing of documents -Supervising stock taking -Binning of the incoming stock in their respective bins -Retrieving stock from the bins to be sold -Updating the stock issuance forms -Raising stock adjustment slips 1.3.5 SALES I was attached in this department for two weeks from 20.10.2014 to 01.10.2014, working for 6 days per week. During this period my duties were:- -Taking orders from customers and raising sales invoices -Recording daily sales in the sales day book -Assisting the purchasing department to raise enquiries to the suppliers -Keeping track of daily sales documents and ensuring they are properly distributed to the various department for appropriate actions -Assigning enquiries received to the counter salesmen to action -Issuing ETR receipts for the sales made -Receiving customers complaints on the company products and directing them to the responsible persons for appropriate action5 1.3.6 ACCOUNTS I was in this department for one week from 03.02.2014 to 08.02.2014. My assignments were:- -Receiving sales documents for the previous day and checking the calculations -Entering sales in the sales day book -Entering purchases in the purchase day book -Writing receipts for the payments received from the debtors -Writing cash book and petty cash books -Preparing remittance advice notes -Preparing PAYE, VAT returns online -Preparing bank reconciliations -Preparing debtors analysis schedules SECTION TWO 2.0 ATTACHMENT EXPERIENCES 2.1 GENERAL ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN. The general activities undertaken on daily basis were to ensure that all the documents to be used for the day are available as required, depending on the department attached. 2.1.1 Filing of various documents Filing was also classified as an important general activity undertaken in the Organization. I sorted and classified the various documents depending on the required classification methods adopted by the different departments within the organization and putting them in their respective files. 2.1.2 Classification and handling information in the office set up. I classified and handled office information in a confidential and secret manner as files were not to be exposed or left unattended as they contain confidential information which should not be disclosed to everyone. 2.1.3 Planning of daily activities As a general rule and practice of the organization, every employee was expected to prepare a daily work plan for the activities that he was expected to perform in the course of the day. I had to start my days with a plan which entailed arranging my work in the order of priorities as directed by my supervisor 2.1.3 General office administration – I ensured that the duties allocated to me by my manager were promptly executed and maintained conducive environment for daily operations. 2.1.4 Customer Relationship Management I ensured customer’s requests were promptly handled and the responsible managers were informed of the enquiries through the daily reports. I responded to the enquiries through emails, telephone calls and any other appropriate channels of communication. I also directed the enquiries to the right person for assistance. 7 2.1.5 Office tidiness After the office had been cleaned, I ensured that my desk was neatly arranged to facilitate smooth flow of work 2.2 SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN I undertook the following activities in the various departments attached 2.2.1 Records management – this involved receiving incoming documents, recording, classifying, arranging, opening respective files, updating of records, capturing data relevant to the various departments, storing and retrieving files , locking the documents in the cabinets and restricting unauthorized persons from accessing any records under my custody. I performed this work in all the departments attached. 2.2.2 Filing of tax returns – in the accounts department I was tasked with preparing VAT returns, PAYE returns, advance tax returns, Withholding tax returns, NSSF returns, NHIF tax returns 2.2.3 Computation of Customs taxes In the imports department I performed the duties of preparing imports declaration forms using KRA Orbus system, lodging customs entries using TRADEX- SIMBA system and arranging payments for the taxes through the bank. 2.2.4 Processing Customs Clearance documents I was also tasked with processing clearance documents and clearing the import consignments at JKIA. Preparing marine cover notes and ensured all our imports are duly are insured against damages, pilferage or loss in transit. Updating the imports register and ensured that all the imported is up to date 2.2.5 Customer relations – I was tasked with receiving customers’ complaints on the company products and directing them to the responsible persons for appropriate action. I took note of the issues raised and forwarded them to the relevant heads of department and made a follow up to ensure the necessary action has been taken and feedback has been communicated concerned person. I also ensured there was a working co-ordination between the various departments within the organization and the right information was communicated to right person on time. 2.2.6 Stock management – I assisted the stores department to improve on their stock management procedures. This was through improvement of their systems of stock recording, issuance and documentations. Other tasks included Issuance of purchase for requisition forms to the purchasing department, issuing goods received notes, supervising stock taking, binning of the incoming stock in their respective bins, retrieving stock from the bins to be sold, Updating the stock issuance forms Raising stock adjustment slips among others Receiving and verification of goods to ascertain they are in conformance with our order confirmation. 2.2.7 Administrative Duties – I was assigned to perform administrative duties which includes. Maintaining staff attendance records, Assigning duties to office assistants, clerks and delivery staff, Allocating resources for use by all the units within the organizations, Issuing local purchase orders for office stationeries, Maintaining fuel consumption records for all the company vehicles Filing and maintaining safe custody of the company files, Processing leave application forms for the staff members as well as tracing of different types of files and taking them to the required departments. 2.2.8 Purchasing functions – This involves the tasks of receiving and recording requisition from the stores, Preparing and sending enquiries to the overseas supplier, Sending purchase orders to the suppliers, Recording purchase orders in the order book, Receiving quotations from the potential supplier, Follow up with the suppliers to expedite our supplies, Issuing requisition for pur chase to the purchasing department. Receiving and verification of goods to ascertain they are in conformance with our order confirmation. Assisting the purchasing department to raise enquiries to the suppliers 2.2.9 Sales of Company Products – This involves taking orders from customers and raising sales invoices, Raising cash sales in case of cash transactions, Recording daily sales in the sales day book, Keeping track of daily sales documents and ensuring they are properly distributed to the various department for appropriate actions, Assigning enquiries received to the counter salesmen to action, Issuing ETR receipts for the sales made 2.3 AN ANALYSIS OF LEARNT KNOWLEDGE AND APPLIED SKILLS 2.3.1 COMMUNICATION The communication channel in the AGRIQUIP AGENCIES (EA) LTD is vertical. Communication channeled from top management down to the middle level and subsequent to the lower level. Junior officers give feedback through the same channel until the information reaches the senior management for action. I learnt that for smooth and efficient operation in any organization there must be an effective communication system which facilitates the flow of information. 2.3.2 TO EMBRACE TEAM WORK I learnt that it is crucial to have good co-operation between the workers which enables department  activities to be coordinated smoothly and efficiently. Any organization must encourage Team work and coordination within all its departments in order to achieve the overall objectives of the business. I learnt to build team work and to cooperate with both the internal and external customers of the organization. 2.3.3 SOCIAL RELATIONS The staff members are friendly and this in turn creates unity. The senior officers are free and social with the junior staffs thus making them feel recognized, this enable me to adapt to the environment very quickly. I learnt that through creation of social relation there is room to learn and perform work easily as this encourages breaks barriers and leads to efficient communication and accomplishment of tasks. 2.3.4 RECOGNITION/RESPECT Respect is highly observed, Staff members respect each other, their seniors and also the public in general. Staff members who perform their duties well are motivated verbally, through recommendation letters, incentives and sometimes promotion. Staffs are also encouraged to upgrade their education. I learnt that when workers feel appreciated they are able to perform their work with minimum supervision and willingly. 2.3.5 EMPLOYEE FOCUS I learnt that when organization recognizes the contribution of their employees, they see them as important assets and to be invested in and not a cost to be avoided. Employees with personal needs are to be assisted which boosts their morale and increase their out-put. The organization has set clear and explicit standards of service that clients (employees) reasonably expect. They always uphold transparency and accountability in service delivery. They always take corrective action on errors and deficiencies that occur I learned the way the organization should undertake the core mandate. This was by working closely with various departments during my attachment. And i also found out that practical part of management is very interesting. I was allowed to learn the way an organization is supposed to function and  what is expected of every employee with regard to terms and condition of service. I was trained on how to develop work/duty schedules which enhances performing tasks efficientl y; achieving results and solving problems effectively through consultation of other working mates. 10 During my attachment period I ensured that decisions which I made were in line with the organizations policy and in consultation with my superiors. I applied the knowledge learnt in class in addressing issues like complaints from employees and managed the situations effectively. Through interpersonal skills that I acquired both in training and during the attachment period I was able to interact well with the employees of the organization. I also acquired knowledge on how to communicate with senior management staff and how to address the general population with respect and decorum where one subordinate is entitled to one superior type of management. 2.4 A PROFILE OF SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES GAINED/ACQUIRED These eight weeks of my internship at Agriquip Agencies (EA) Ltd enabled me to gain skills, competence and experience in various managerial functions. I interacted with many suppliers both local and international suppliers, Consumers of our products, Government Agencies and other cl ients who required to be attended to. This equipped me with communication skills, negotiation skills and more importantly managerial skills in all sections within the organization as I rotated in all the departments. 2.4.1 COMMUNICATION SKILLS ACQUIRED I acquired communication skills using various communication channels, I learnt how to write official letters, send and receive emails, communicate well with the managers, others employees and the clients who came to seek for our services. I also learned how to communicate with different kinds of people like the clients of the organizations, customers and management staff using the appropriate approaches. I learned how to communicate through memoranda and ensuring that it is addressed specifically to the right group having simple language to be easily understood generally. 2.4.2 SOCIAL SKILLS ACQUIRED.I learned how to interact well with the employees of the organization. This was beneficial because i was able to work with them well due to the social skills applied. I also worked hand in hand with the management team and was also able to interact well with the other trainees. 2.4.3 MULTI-TASKING Exposure to working in different departments and handling clients with different needs enabled me to gain experience in multi-tasking and therefore was equipped with capability of handling different tasks performed in different departments effectively 2.4.4 CONFIDENTIALITY AND BUSINESS ETHICS I gained skills of desertion and business ethics which is vital because most of managerial functions must be kept confidential and I was trained on the need to observe ethics and never to divulge information to any unauthorized person and to keep confidential information about any function in the organization at all times. 2.4.5 ORGANIZING I also learned that managerial role requires high level of organization of the resources, functions and time. Through the attachment I was able to gain this skills as the organization has a very strong focus on how the employees organizes their daily activities and utilizes resources allocated to them. 2.4.6 CORDINATION During my internship, I gained skills on how the employees should coordinate in order to accomplish their assigned tasks. I also learnt that all the functions within the organization in order to achieve the mission and overall objective of the organization. 2.4.7 MANAGEMENT OF RECORDS I learnt the skills on how to properly manage company records during my attachment in all the departments of the organization. How to store files safely and protect them against access by unauthorized persons, arrange the properly in the cabinets Employees are handled in a professional manner embracing dignity and respect. 2.4.8 WORK SKILLS ACQUIRED I learned to prioritize work by organizing my working time table. This enabled me to apply management by objective principal. 2.5 OBSERVATIONS AND CRITIQUE For the duration that I have been attached at Agriquip Agencies (EA) Ltd I was able to make several observations for which I liked some and other I did not like 2.5.1 OBSERVATIONS Open communication The organization has adopted an open communication policy.  During my attachment, I observed that the management encouraged open communication between the managers and their juniors as well as the trainees. This created room for the trainees and junior staff members to express their ideas freely without fear hence created room for creativity and innovation. Good relationship between employer and employee The firm maintains a good employer /employee relationship. All the employees of the organization are given fair treatment irrespective of the positions they hold. The managers were willing to interpret the policies and guide their juniors and trainees in the implementation of the strategies set to achieve the desired results. Management commitment to motivate employees The management had a commitment for motivating their staff members. I observed that all the workers in the organization were very committed to their work and needed minimum supervision. The level of motivation was high and therefore created room for innovation, trust and cohesiveness which leads to efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. Embraced change On the other hand I observed that both management and employees were very accommodative to change this was due to high level of trust and open communication the management was able to communicate to their employees of any planned change before implementing which translated to less resistance. Employee willingness to teach the new trainees – as a result of high commitment by the employees to their tasks and trust between the employees and the employer, the interns were not viewed as threat to the already existing employees and therefore they were willing to train and 13 guide them in their internship. The work I was assigned truly allowed creativity and innovation in that I was expected to come up with new ideas and ways of effectively managing the resources of the organization in order to meet the targets and increase the efficiency of the organization. I liked the way the organization cared for the social needs of their employees. 2.5.2 CRITIQUES/DISLIKES ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION Some departments operations are not computerized and therefore it takes long time to acquire information that is necessary for quality decision making. The organization lacks proper progression path which discourages the employees from furthering their training since there is no rewards expected  after undergoing the training. The other deficient area that I found wanting is that of recruitment and employment. The organization does not have employment policies and therefore their employees does not fully understand the criteria used. I observed that organizations do not give much emphasis on the course a student is taking, but they prefer students who have basic education and they proceed to nurture them based on their judgment on how one is performing. There is delay in replenishing some products/stocks which have high demands which causes the organization to lose their customers to their competitors. Some suppliers take too long to supply the products. Lack of co-ordination betwe en the purchasing, imports and stores departments hinders the organization from achieving their objectives. The organization has not fully embraced new technological advancement in several departments. This in itself is a setback as technology is known to improving efficiency and less paper work. As an organization that imports products from many parts of the world, I found that their ICT systems are wanting. The organization has not invested in research and development which is a powerful tool for enhancing their productivity and competitiveness. 2.6 STRATEGY FOR UTILIZING OF CONTACTS ESTABLISHED DURING ATTACHMENT During my attachment period at Agriquip Agencies (EA) Ltd I established good contacts, and still keep in touch with them and any time I require information pertaining to particular field am assured that I will have someone whom I can consult. I intend to seek employment opportunities for myself and also my fellow students. In today’s market economy job is only allocated and accessed by those who are networked well or known well. These contacts will also be of great help in securing employment opportunities in future in the field of management. I will also use the established contacts as referees to recommend me in getting employment in the future. SECTION THREE 3.1 SUMMARY The industrial attachment was conducted at Agriquip agencies (EA) LTD from 17th December, 2013 to 08th February, 2014. During the attachment I rotated  in all the departments within the organization i.e. Administration, imports, purchasing, sale and stores departments as an imports clerk/ supervisor. I learnt various functions of all the above departments and equipped me with knowledge and skills on how to effectively perform duties of these functions. The theoretical knowledge I learnt in class helped me to have a better understand on how to carry out the relevant functions. Some specific activities undertaken needs to be taken seriously by any person assigned to perform them because they can heavily impact on the performance of the organization. These functions includes, Purchasing of products, these should be done by competent personnel who have thorough knowledge of procurement procedures as well as good negotiation skills. Sales, This function should be done carefully as the p ersonnel assigned should have good marketing skills and able to do proper marketing mix in order to satisfy the needs of the Customers failure to which the organization can be affected negatively by becoming the target for competition. Imports, the personnel allocated this function must be having good analysis skill, should have capabilities to analyze the external environment in order to determine the economic situation , understand the inflation rates, rates of exchange as well as effects of the economies of scale. Accounts, The personnel allocated to this department should be able to produce reports in time and accurately to enable the management to determine the profitability position as well as decide on the course for action. 3.2 CONCLUSION I sincerely wish to appreciate the management of Agriquip Agencies(EA) LTD for the opportunity they gave to me to pursue my industrial attachment in their organization and also for assistance they accorded to me and being always ready to let me learn from them . The experience gained in the course of my attachment is very important in securing me an opportunity in the job market. I highly encourage the idea of industrial attachment and recommend that the students be supported and given maximum guidance to ensure that they are able to exercise their practical skills that are fundamental in building their career. My eight weeks in Agriquip Agencies (EA) LTD have had a great impact to my career development. I thank the management of The  Kenya Institute of Management for creating an opportunity for their students to undergo an industrial attachment that enables them to acquire practical skills in their field of training. The attachment has also enabled me as a management trainee to id entify the areas of weaknesses within the organization and recommended to the management on the best course of actions to improve on their performance. 3.3 RECOMMENDATIONS Agriquip Agencies (EA) Ltd should improve its technological infrastructure by providing more computerized systems enabled with internet to the various departments to facilitate e-commerce. Departments whose operations are not computerized to be computerized in order to improve on the service delivery and enhance their satisfaction to their customers. To find alternative suppliers for their products in order to ensure products are always available for their customers. Since some of the current suppliers take long periods to supply the ordered products they should seek alternative sources of supplies and create good relationships with suppliers to ensure steady supply of goods. Formulate employment policies. The organization to formulate employment policies that will govern their recruitment procedures, staff appraisal, reward systems, growth and development of the employees among others Investing on research and development. The organization should consider investing on research in order to be able to understand the market treads, the customer needs, the level of competition. The need to develop new products that are suitable for satisfaction of their customer desires. The management of the Kenya institute of management to explore ways of partnering with the private sector investors and the Government to ensure that their students are able to secure attachments opportunities and employment placements on completion of their training.