Lego Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lego - Assignment Example However, this decision turned sour and LEGO withdrew their production from Flextronics in 2009. There are two major reasons behind LEGO’s decision to have 80 percent of their products produced in Flextronics. The first one was the introduction of new toys in the market by its competitors. This influenced the company’s decision to partner because it was during the same period the company had lost confidence in its key product, LEGO brick (Larsen et al, 3). The second reason that triggered partnership was the changes in the global market, as well as, the currency exchange rates in the major importing countries. Through partnership, the company had aimed at increasing its market shares and producing new products. The partnership did not last long without challenges which with time led to the end of the relationship between the two companies. The fist challenge was ensuring that enough stock is constantly maintained. This was mostly contributed by the errors in forecasting and fluctuation of seasonal demand. In addition, the need to meet consumers’ expectations of large stock within a short period led to over production (Larsen et al, 5). The second challenge was the need for change in its retailers. This was a challenge, especially in supply chain management, considering the level of flexibility towards all retailers and smallest outlets. Although the partnership between the two companies did not turn as expected, LEGO can use this failure as its strike back in handling supply chain complexity as well as knowledge sharing, flexibility and coordination (Larsen et al, 10). However, the company has to consider several aspects to achieve these. The first aspect is being open and putting into consideration consumer views. This can be achieved by working closely with the retail shops which in turn reaches the consumer. The

Training and Development in Tesco Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Training and Development in Tesco - Assignment Example This is aimed at the analysis of instilling a sense of inclusiveness in the workers as well as their commitment. Since Leahy’s resignation announcement, drastic changes were witnessed in its stock market, which witnessed a sharp drop in the value of Tesco’s shares. From the above, it was evident that Tesco needed to instill confidence in its customers and the public hence there was a re-engineered customer service mechanism in operation for sustenance of Leahy’s transformational leadership style that saw Tesco’s unprecedented rise in the last one and a half decade (Bass,1990) . Tesco has further undertaken transformational change in its organization so as to become the carbon-zero company. This change has been through reducing energy usage and then getting the rest of the energy it uses from renewable sources. In the last few years, a Tesco has developed a supermarket that is zero carbon in its operation, but not its build. Tesco has extended its effort to both its supply chain and its customers’ carbon footprint. Tesco also wants to make it easy for staff to understand how they can change the way they work to promote carbon reduction. More so over the last three years Tesco has committed huge resource in its training and development programme. It has made progress toward achieving this by being the first supermarket to have its apprenticeship training programme accredited. This has been eating achievement for the company. This is in line with its strategy of improving its workforce and getting the best out of it. Tesco further introduced Tesco club card which is a kind of customer loyalty card.  

Harry Potter Essay Example for Free

Harry Potter Essay Harry Potter is a series of seven novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books is the chronicle adventures of awizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School. The main story concerns Harrys quest to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aims are to become immortal, conquer the wizarding world and destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry Potter. Since the release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone on 30 June 1997 and the last on July 2007, the books have gained immense popularity, commercial success worldwide As of June 2011, the book series has sold about 450 million copies, making it the best-selling book series in history, and has been translated into 67 languages. The last four books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history. Question 1: To what extent was the Harry Potter series simply a loss leader for the hypermarkets? Harry Potter simply a loss leader for the hypermarkets because it’s just a marketing strategy which was used to gain enormous market share of the Harry Potter books with the acceptance of millions dollars loss. Question 2: Should such price cutting be outlawed or regulated to protect smaller retailers? Price cutting should be regulated to not only protect smaller retailer but also prevent market from many consequences such as leading to loss profit and price war, cheapen a brand, etc when price cutting is not controlled. Question 3: Bookstores in Kuala Lumpur withdrew the book in protest. Was their reaction justified? The action of bookstore in Kuala Lumpur withdrawing seventh Harry Potter in protest is justified because it protects their own benefit from being loss and claiming their objection attitude toward the loss leader strategy of other giant retailer.

Cultural and Racial Inequality in Hemingways Indian Camp Essay

Cultural and Racial Inequality in Hemingway's Indian Camp Hemingway's "Indian Camp" concerns Nick Adams' journey into the unknown to ultimately experience and witness the full cycle of birth and death. Although Nick's experience is a major theme in the story, cultural inequality also is an issue that adds to the the story's narrative range. Throughout this short story, there are many examples of racial domination between Nick's family and the Indians. Dr. Adams' and Uncle George's racist behavior toward the Native Americans are based on the history of competition between Caucasians and America's indigenous peoples. "Indian Camp" begins at the shore where Nick, his father, and Uncle George are picked up by Indians in rowboats. When Nick and the men get into the rowboat, the Indians row them to the Indian Camp, with no help from the doctor or Uncle George. This evidence is the first example of cultural domination in the story. Once across the lake, Uncle George gives the Indians cigars. Uncle George's action could be a gift or a congratulatory gesture for the baby about to be b...

Pcr And Its Use :: essays research papers

PCR And Its Use Often times, scientists only have a small amount of DNA to deal with when doing genetic research or studies. In these situations, scientists can do one of several things. One is to just try to work with it anyway, but this is nearly impossible (depending on how much there is). Ther are a couple other processes they can use, or they can use PCR. PCR is one of the more complicated, but reliable ways to do tests on DNA when they only have a small amount to begin with. PCR, or Polymearse Chain Reaction, is the scientific process used by genetic scientists to clone DNA. "A 'rapid diagnostic' technique used in the clinical microbiology lab to detect pathogens. It relies upon amplification technology utilizingthe heat stable DNA polymerase from a thermophilic organism." (from http://www.genes.com/pcr/pcrinfo.html) Dr. K.Mullis recently received the Nobel prize for inventing the technique. This is how they go about doing this: They first get their small DNA sample. Then they mix all the chemicals (this includes the primer, etc). Then they have to run it through the PCR machine. Here is a (rather detailed) description of the process: "The cycling protocol consisted of 25-30 cycles of three- temperatures: strand denaturation at 95degC, primer annealing at 55degC, and primer extension at 72deg C, typically 30 seconds, 30 seconds, and 60 seconds for the DNA Thermal Cycler and 4 seconds, 10 seconds, and 60 seconds for the Thermal Cycler 9600, respectively." Basically, that means that they set it to certain temperatures, then put it in different cyles for different amounts of time. PCR machines can be compared with washing machines. There are the different temperatures (here for example, there is 72degC, where in the washing machine you would set it to cold/cold respectively. For it to properly replicate, we must know how to match each of the following: A T G A T A T G G C A G C A A C G A C C A T A the match would be T A C T A T A C C G T C C T T G C T G T A T The whole process is pretty much summed up like this: They heat up the DNA to let the enzymes break it down (or 'unzip' its bonds). Then add specific amounts of the primer (relative to the amount of DNA you have. Then you add the enzyme to sets of 4 nuclotides that will go through the genetic sequence of nucleotides and hook up the matching nucleotide (A goes to T and G to C etc).

Psoriasis

Yes, psoriasis can be treated This six-part KULIT article series by the Persatuan Dermatologi Malaysia aims to raise awareness of psoriasis. In this final article, PDM President Dr Allan K C Yee highlights an important message for people with psoriasis – there is no cure yet for psoriasis, but its symptoms can be effectively treated and managed. Be open-minded and willing to work with your doctor to find a treatment that will work for you. The object of treatment is to reduce the extent and severity of psoriasis – the red scaly stigmata, the tell-tale scaling on one’s clothes, the rough cracked palms that make handshakes awkward, painful joints that limit one’s activities. In short, the goal is to improve the quality of life which has been shown in studies to be as affected as much as other major diseases such as cancer, heart disease and depression. The good news is that with today’s medical armamentarium, much can be done to allow the sufferer a greatly improved quality of life. Treatments must be individualized Fortunately, only 20% of psoriatics suffer from severe psoriasis, and the site involved is so variable that the treatments must be individualized. Limited disease can be treated with topical agents but more extensive skin involvement will require oral systemic treatments, phototherapy with artificial UV light, or even injectable agents (biologics). Furthermore psoriasis can affect any part of the body, each meriting special measures. Site-specific treatments For instance, thick scalp psoriasis is often mistakenly treated with endless anti-dandruff shampoos with little results. Scalp psoriasis invariably responds dramatically to tar pomades under occlusion for one to two weeks, a tip that an experienced dermatologist would gladly share with sufferers. Similarly, thick and cracked scaly palms and soles that prevent working with the hands or sometimes even walking, can be significantly improved with special steroid-salicylic acid ointments used under occlusion. These soften and shed the thickened dead skin making the skin pliable and usable once more. Psoriasis affecting the face, body creases – groins, armpits and private areas can be improved with the udicious use of weaker topical steroids and the newer and safer nonsteroidal calcineurin-inhibitors. The problem is that these thinned skinned areas are often treated with strong steroid creams that are not meant to be used in these sensitive areas. The end-result is irreversible side-effects such as ugly pink stretch marks, easy bruising and skin infections. We see a lot of these unfortunate cases who are sold these strong steroids from errant pharmacies without a prescription, or are introduced to them by well-meaning friends and relatives. The Dermatological Society of Malaysia is working with the Ministry of Health to ensure that potent steroids are only available with a prescription. The treatment should not be worse than the disease! Hopefully with warnings such as in this article, the lay public will be better informed about the dangers of self-medicating with potent topical steroids. Topical Treatments Generally, when the extent of psoriasis is limited to less than 5 – 10% of the body surface area (BSA), it is best to use topical treatments in the form of creams, ointments, lotions. As a guide, 1% of the BSA is the area covered by one’s palm. The red, thickened skin in psoriasis is due to the increased multiplication of the skin, allowing the collection of the dead skin layer to be manifested as thick scales. Most effective treatments whether topical or systemic work by reducing the cell multiplication, and by removing the dead skin layers. Time tested agents are coal tar, and anthranols which are messy and brown-staining thus adding further to the stigmatization sufferers feel. More cosmetically acceptable topical agents are steroid creams, vitamin D analogues and calcineurin inhibitors. The latter two are more expensive than the ubiquitous steroid creams but with a superior safety profile. Most psoriatic lesions also tend to be dry and glycerin, urea-based or other humectant moisturizers help relieve soreness and improve recovery especially when used in conjunction with keratolytics – agents that soften and shed the abnormal dead skin layers. Systemic treatments When more than 10% of BSA is involved it becomes impractical to rely on topical measures alone. It may take more than half an hour just to apply creams on large areas of affected skin. Hence, oral or injectable medications are required. Many of these drugs are able to reduce the skin’s cell multiplication or maturation rate eg methotrexate, hydroxyurea, retinoids. However many others suppress the disease process at a more fundamental level by suppressing the activity of abnormal white cells (T-cells) or by neutralizing the T-cells inflammatory chemicals (eg TNF a) eg cyclosporine and the newer biologic agents licensed for use in Malaysia. With the proper use of these systemic agents singly or in combination, it is often possible to control even the most severe cases of psoriasis. However, these systemic agents should only be used by experienced physicians as many of them can have significant side effects. For example, persons with liver disease or gastric ulcers should not be treated with methotrexate; women of child-bearing age should not use retinoids as it can cause fetal abnormalities; persons with high blood pressure or kidney problems cannot use cyclosporine. If a person with severe psoriasis has liver disease, is a woman of childbearing age, or has kidney problems what options then are available for him/her? There are 3 options – oral salazopyrine which only works in 50% of Asians, the injectable biologic agents, or phototherapy (see below). Biologic agents are the new kids on the block. They have a much better safety profile than the above mentioned oral drugs and can be used in persons with liver, kidney disease and women but unfortunately their high cost means relatively few can afford them. Even in the west, where such expensive treatments are reimbursable, the psoriasis must be shown to be non-responsive to conventional oral drugs, or organ toxicities with these drugs are present. Some of them are very helpful in controlling psoriasis as well as the disabling arthritis that affects 10-30% of psoriatics. Phototherapy (PUVA, UVB, nUVB) This is an excellent form of treatment with artificial UV light which is relatively free from serious side effects apart from a small risk of developing non-melanoma skin cancers with prolonged use. This risk is probably not significant in the setting of Asian skin types especially with the newer types of phototherapy equipment such as narrow band UVB (nUVB), and the excimer laser or excimer light. Another advantage of phototherapy is that it is a clean form of treatment, nonmessy and can give a long remission period of up to one year. The main drawback is that it does require visits to the phototherapy centre 3 times a week for 2-3 months. The good news is that most states in Malaysia now have phototherapy units to treat not only psoriasis, but also vitiligo and severe atopic eczema. Alternative therapies In this day and age where the emphasis is on evidence-based medicine (EBM), alternative therapies must prove its worth with hard core scientific evidence from well-conducted clinical studies. Many people with psoriasis who have suffered from the condition for years are, not surprisingly, hopeful for answers, breakthroughs, and even a â€Å"cure† perhaps. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of charlatans offering â€Å"cures† for psoriasis, often in network marketing schemes. One has to acknowledge the fact that psoriasis has a genetic basis, and unless gene therapy becomes a reality, there cannot be a cure, even with accepted treatments such as climatotherapy in the Dead Sea. Diets for psoriasis are as yet unproven, although an FDA-approved healthy diet with at least 5-9 servings of fresh preferably organic produce may be of help in improving one’s general health. Stress reduction strategies may help insofar as stress precipitates and aggravates psoriasis. Prayer has been shown useful in several medical conditions, and a strong faith life can only help, if only to give one the equanimity to deal with the turbulence of modern life. The future of psoriasis treatments There is considerable optimism in the search for better and safer treatments for psoriasis in the near future. We now have a much better understanding of the genetics and underlying immune derangements in psoriasis. It is only a matter of time before the tremendous amount of ongoing research bears better fruit that is sweeter and without the bitter aftertaste of side-effects. Indeed here are promising smaller molecules in the offing that are cheaper to synthesize. Watch out for this space. Psoriasis affects 2-3 percent of Malaysians. This is the final article of a six-part series from PDM’s â€Å"KULIT – Living with Psoriasis† Campaign 2007. For more on psoriasis, treatment options and KULIT, visit www. dermatology. org. my or email [email  protected] com. This article is a guide to help you better understand psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Consult a suitably qualified medical practitioner before acting on any information contained above. KULIT is a community programme sponsored by Wyeth Malaysia.

Is It Possible for Organizations Operating in Dynamic Environments to Achieve Person-Organisational Fit to Improve Organizational Effectiveness?

Today we live in a world where change is inevitable. Organisations today face dynamic environments characterized by substantial and often unpredictable technological, political and economic changes. The key to survival and succeeding is adaptation, in dynamic environments often an organisations only option is to literally â€Å"do or die† with regard to change. Tyagi & Gupta (2005) indicates that the central point of personal and organisational effectiveness is a sense of being able to make contributions and make somewhat of a difference in any way possible. As individuals we feel content and fulfilled when we make positive contributions to our communities, families and organisations. Similarly organisations can only achieve their potential when they positively impact the lives of various stakeholders and related entities. However the opportunity to contribute only arises if there is a fit between what people want to achieve and what the organisation wants to achieve. Thus creating a fit between the person and organisation allow both to be effective. In the past few years the concept of Person-Organizational fit (P-O) has been in a state of flux, with many theorists putting forward conflicting views on the conceptualization of fit, its measurements and its boundaries. In the broad sense of the word it is defined as the compatibility between the person and the organisation (Li, 2006). As many organisations operate in dynamic environments; many changes take place and organizations have to cope with these changes by adapting their business and strategies to the turbulent environments. This essay goes on to explore the effects the changes mention have on the P-O fit and if dynamic environment allow organisations to achieve person-organisational fit in order to enhance and reach organisational effectiveness. According to evidence it can be seen that it is possible to achieve P-O fit in dynamic environments however it would not be the ideal tool to implement to improve effectiveness due to the evolving nature of the environment as it hinders growth and discourages innovation which would not lead to organizational effectiveness (Tyagi & Gupta, 2005). P-O fit refers to the extent to which and individual and the employing organization are compatible. There are however many definitions that have been put forward over the years such as value congruence (O’Reilly et al. , 1991), Goal congruence (Vancouver et al. , 1994), needs and supplies demand abilities (Edwards,1991) in addition a personality-climate fit (Ryan and Schmit, 1996). However the most commonly used definition is the value congruence perspective. Verquer et al (2003) value congruence as the extent to which individual and organizational values match. Rynes and Gerhart have gone a step further and pointed out that the P-O fit is more than a mere match, as it usually implies a sense of chemistry (Bellou, 2009). Another way of conceptualising the compatibility between the person and organisation uses the distinction between supplementary and complementary fit. Supplementary fit occurs when a person supplements or possesses characteristics that are similar to other individuals in an environment. This congruence can be differentiated between complementary fit, which occurs when a person’s characteristics make whole the environment or add to what is missing (Tyagi & Gupta, 2005). Further more Cable and Parsons (2001) states that P-O fit is a crucial factor in maintaining a flexible workforce and creating a high degree of organizational commitment in a tight labour market and a competitive business environment. Supporters of P-O fit state that the construct is crucial in the study of organizational effectiveness because it has made improvements to the traditional view of matching skills, knowledge and abilities in predicting if an individual will be successful in a particular organization (Chuang & Sackett, 2005). Ambrose et al, 2008 posit that individuals whose values will result in positive contributions to organizational effectiveness and lower turnover. These models may be under the assumption of static environments; one must apply the dynamic nature of the current environments organisations operate in today. Kammeyer-Mueller (2007) proclaims that even though static and dynamic perspectives are portrayed as mutually exclusive alternatives, they need not be opposed to one another. Research goes on to show that constant external shocks injected into the organisations may result in changes been implemented that affects the P-O fit. These changes may sometimes lead to negative results such as turnover and intention to leave as the employees feel they no longer â€Å"fit† with the organisation. In addition Chatman et al (2008, p. 64) notes that, because a lack of congruence is aversive, â€Å"misfits† are unlikely to remain with that organization. There are also instances when individuals no longer are compatible or unhappy with the fit between the organisations and themselves due to adaptations the company undergoes however choose to remain with the organisation solely because they have no other job options. In instances where â€Å"misfits† remain as they perceive that it is their only choice they bring about many negative aspects into the organisation such as demotivation, low commitment, this is mainly because they try to overcompensate and manipulate the work input output equation to fill the missing void. On the other hand the Social identity theory suggests that another mechanism by which individual dispositions might influence fit within a dynamic context. The social identity argues that the self-concept is a patchwork of various identities, such as demography, occupation, organization, department and workgroup which provide proscriptions for behaviour (Ashworth & Johnson, 2001). It also states that depending on the pressures applied the identity a person adopts will differ. This however does not change the fact that the individual still has within himself or herself, the same core set of identities. Interestingly at least in Oriental Chinese societies, leaders or managers may change their leader behaviours to create a better person-organisation value fit. This study shows that behaviours have positive effects on person-organisational fit. A crucial finding in this study was that even among employees who have been below average O-P fit can be influenced in terms of motivation commitment and trust in their leader by leader behaviours. For example employees working under high team oriented leaders had higher motivation and commitment and trust compared to those under low team oriented leaders. This goes on to show that even though the dynamic environment may affect and the person-organisation fit and sometimes lowers the P-O value fit , organisations can still effectively operate and manage those employees with the proper management and leadership methods (Li, 2006). However this method might not an appropriate universal method to implement as business environments vary across nations due to cultural, legal and other aspects that are followed. However the P-O fit may not be in the best interest of the organization at times and lead to negative results. For example, extremely high levels of person-organization value fit may lead to high levels of conformity and homogeneity. High levels of conformity and homogeneity will bring about a range of adverse effects which may hinder the success of the organisation, by making the organisation and its members far less adaptable to the changes surging in the dynamic environment as well as less innovative (Li, 2006). Some evidence even go to the extent of pointing out that organisations with slight internal variation in employees perspective lead to better performance in the short run but worse in the long run , presumably as a result of inferior adaptation (Li, 2006). Person-Organisation Fit in theory sounds like a tool that should be implemented by every organisation. Taking a closer look one can see that even though initially achieving a fit will lead to organisational effectiveness in the long run it will cause the organisation more harm than good. This is due to the fact that organisation operating in dynamic environments thrives on adaptability and innovation which is opposed by the negative by products of long term P-0 which include homogeneity and high levels of conformity. This does not mean that the concept of P-O should be completely ignored as evidence shows that it has a greater impact on individuals in an organisations resulting in positive results in comparison to organisations as a whole. In an ideal situation the individuals should adapt with the environment and perceive the changes as a learning experience to mould them to achieve the best, keeping in mind that sometime change is the key.