Today In Hip-Hop - Free Essay Example

On November 28th, 2018, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to take a trip to Astroworld. In 2016, during my freshman year, one of my good friends turned me onto an up-and-coming Houston rapper, Travis Scott. At the time, the genre of rap/hip-hop was entering a transitional phase where tracks were becoming less lyric focused, and more melody driven. Some would argue that this shift was a long time coming with artists such as Kayne West and Kid Cudi pushing the boundaries of the genre, but many would pinpoint 2016 as the year that we saw a real transition of the genre. Leading the movement were artists such as Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, the Migos, and of course, Travis Scott. My first exposure to Scott came in the form of his 2015 single Antidote off his debut studio album, Rodeo. When I first heard the track, I noticed that lyrics took a backseat to the tracks incredible production that paired booming 808s together with Lee Fields sample that synergized perfectly. At the time, I had not listened to much rap, but I was happy to hear the genre move past the brassy Atlanta-styled trap beats that had oversaturated the industry in the previous years. As a listener who had grown tired of the Atlanta trend, it was refreshing to hear a soul sample be paired with the classic, driving trap drums and synergize incredibly with Travis free an d effortless flow overtop to tie the track together perfectly. With the release of his 2016 second studio album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, I had become hooked and once again Travis continued to push the genre forward with songs like pick up the phone, the ends, and goosebumps, the Kendrick Lamar assisted song that captivated me with the traditional melody that Travis brought to his tracks and Kendricks incredible lyricism, flow, and word-play over the experimental trap/psychedelic beat. This album reassured me that Travis was not finished, and that he would continue to push the genre further. Fast forward to Madison Square Garden, November 28th. Astroworld, his long awaited third studio album, was released three months prior and was immediately received with rave reviews. When I entered the historic venue I immediately was drawn to the over-the-top set production that included a giant circular screen and a long runway into the crowd that was altering the camera projected onto it with very psychedelic and trippy filtering, as well as a rollercoaster hanging above us that would be put into use later in the night. Before the concert even started you could feel the electricity that filled the crowd, and everyone seemed ecstatic to be there and were more than ready for the night. Travis came out donning his familiar draped clothes, diamond chains, and opened the night with Stargazing as the Garden instantly recited every lyric at the top of our lungs. The setlist was constructed perfectly with a fantastic blend balance of old greats and new classics off of Astroworld. As the f inal songs were on the brink, the intro of the previously mentioned Antidote rang through the speakers and it had come full circle. Here I was, in the historic Madison Square Garden, singing along with thousands of others, a song that breathed fresh air into a genre that I had lost interest in due to the constant repetitiveness that plagued it for years. After Antidote, goosebumps began to fill the arena and as well all sang along, little did we were in for a surprise. Kendrick Lamar made an appearance for his verse in the song and the crowd exploded. The level on energy was at an all-time high, just in time for the closing song, the chart topping, Sicko Mode. Its incredible to see the evolution that we have witnessed the genre of hip-hop/rap go through since its conception in the 1970s, to where we are today. I think Trey Songz said it best. Barriers have been broken: rappers are singing, and singers are rapping. You might catch a rapper on a rock song, a pop artist on a hip-hop song there are so many different things that are going on today. That is the same way in which we live our lives; were all over the place. I like to try different things. (On Music, Class 39) The origins of hip-hop come from an artistic background with factors like breakdancing, graffiti, rapping, and DJing all playing a massive roll and this artistic background has continued to follow the genre many years later. Instead of DJs and graffiti, producers and fashion have now entered the picture as primary sources of inspiration for many rappers. Many would argue that producers are the real stars of the genre today. A perfect example of a producer becoming a star is Metro Boomin. Through a simple signature tagline put in songs that he produced, Metro Boomin was able to reach a level of stardom and recognition that producers of the past were not able to achieve. Early hip-hop beats were usually funk and soul instrumentals with MCs telling a story through rapping on top. With the help of tools such as the AKAI MPC2000, producers were able to cut up loops into samples and begin to construct their own beats. The same techniques are used today but instead basic kick drums have been swapped out for booming 808s thanks to Ikutaro Kakehashi, who created the Roland TR-808 drum machine. Tools like the MPC and TR-808 revolutionized the genre allowing for more artistry and allowed creativity to thrive. The visuals that the stage production bring to the table is similar to the artistic value of the graffiti during the conception of the ge nre and are both used as visual aids to express the art that drives the music. While the genre has come a long way during the years, the framework has remained the same and the blueprint has remained intact with main concept still being about expressing yourself and telling a story through the music. We are in an interesting but progressive time where artists are becoming overnight sensations due to factors like social media, while continuing to push the envelope, blurring the lines between genres. There is no doubt that there will be much more progression and mold breaking in the years to come because in the words of Young Thug, Everyone wants to be a star.

Study On The Return On Capital Employed Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Return on capital Employed  (ROCE) is a financial measure that measures the performance of a company as to how it generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. It is defined as  net operating profit less adjusted taxes  divided by  invested capital  and is usually expressed as a  percentage. When the return on capital is greater than the  cost of capital  (usually measured as the  WACC), the company can create or destroy on its value terms. The ROCE for Iggle Plc is 35% and while for Piggle is 20% which means that the return on the capital employed is over 15% more for Iggle Inc and it is a healthy company to invest when compared for long term investment. Return on Equity : It is one of the most crucial profit indicator to the shareholders of the firm. It is the relation between Net Income / Average Equity, Net Income is the income after the Profit after Tax. Return on Equity for Iggle Plc is 20% and for Piggle Plc is 10% which says that iggle plc gives more return to the shareholder on the money employed by them when compared to piggle Plc. Iggle Plc is a better option for investment considering long term investment. Average Settlement period for debtors : The average settlement period or average time taken for debtors to pay the amount outstanding. For Iggle Plc the Average settlement period is 78 days and for Piggle it is 45 days. It means that the debtors take longer time to repay to Iggle than to Piggle. Means they have longer credit period and it also shows the soundness of Iggle Plc. Average Settlement period for creditors : The average settlement period or average time taken by the business to pay its creditors. Iggle Plc is 85 days and for Piggle Plc it is 45 days, which means the money lenders of Iggle Plc have provided more number of days for them to pay of their credit. It may be because of their goodwill or strong relationship with buyer. It shows a positive relationship of Iggle Plc with it suppliers. Gross Profit Margin : Gross Profit Margin ratio shows the profits relative to sales after deduction of direct production costs. It is the relation between Gross Profit / Net Sales, where Net Sales = Sales- Excise Duty. Gross Profit margin for Iggle Plc is 44% and for Piggle Plc is 27% which means that Iggle Plc is more efficient for production operation and the relation between production costs and selling price. Since calculation of Gross Profit shows the efficiency of Iggle Plc in production related activities making it more efficient. Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio : It is also known as Sales to Fixed Asset Ratio and it measure the efficiency and the profit earning capacity of the firm. Fixed Asset Ratio is relation between Cost of Sales / Net Fixed Assets. Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio for Iggle Plc is 15 times which means ratio is high. Higher the ratio, greater is the intensive utilization of fixed assets. While for Piggle it is just 3 times which means lower is the intensive utilisation of the fixed assets. Capital Gearing Ratio : It is related with the solvency ratio and is usually used to analyze the capital structure of the firm. It refers to the proportion of relationship between equity share capital and other funds bearing funds and loans. Capital Gearing Ratio sets relation between Equity Share Capital / Fixed Interest Bearing Funds. Capital Gearing Ratio for Iggle is 65% while for Piggle Plc is 15% which means that the capital structure of Iggle Plc is stronger when compared to Piggle. And Equity Share Capital holds much stronger than the other funds and loans. Current Ratio : It is the ability of the enterprise to meet its current obligations. It involves the relationship between current assets and current liabilities. In case of Iggle Plc, Current Ratio is 1.8 : 1 which means that the firm has current assets which are 1.8 times the current liabilities. While in case of Piggle Plc, current ratio is 2.9:1, which means that the firm has current assets which is 2.9 times its current liabilities . Since the Ideal Current .Ratio being 2.1, Piggle Plc has a better ability to meet its short term debts and is more healthy. Acid Test Ratio : It is also known as Quick Test Ratio. It also shows the relationship between the current assets and current liabilities deducting the inventories out of current assets. It is named as Quick test as it gives the abilities of the firm to pay its liabilities with relying on the sale and recovery of inventories. Iggle Plc, Acid Test Ratio 0.6 :1, after deducting the inventory out of the lot the firm has current assets just 0.6 times when compared to liabilities. Piggle Plce, Acid Test Ratio 2.9:1 which shows that piggle plc is more prominent in meeting out the current liabilities. Price Earning Ratio : It is calculated by taking the market price of the stock by dividing it by earning per share. If we consider that Iggle P/E ratio when compared with one share is 6/1 (60%) and while for Piggle Plc P/E Ratio is 10/1(100%), then we can conclude that the price earning capacity of Piggle Plc is more than Iggle. The P/E ratio method is useful as long as the firm is a viable business entity and its real value is reflected in its profits. Net Profit margin (PBT) It shows the earnings left for shareholders as a percentage of net sales. It tells the over all efficiency of the firm. It is the relationship between Net Profit and Net Sales. Net Profit Margin for Iggle Plc is 15% as compared to Piggle Plc which is 9%. Profit for Iggle is more in terms of Net Sales than Piggle which shows the efficiency of Iggle in production, administration, selling, pricing and tax management. Stock Holding Period Stock holding period states that for how long the inventory was lying in the stock. It is the relation between 365 / average inventory turnover. For Iggle plc Stock Holding period is 88 days while for Piggle it is 21 days. It means there is lack of demand for Iggle goods in the market when compared to Piggle Plc. Inference : Based on the above data in relation with the ratio analysis, I would like to advice all potential investors that Iggle Plc is stronger when compared in relation to Gross Profit Margin Ratio, Net Profit Margin, Average Settlement Period for both debtors and creditors, Return of Capital Employed and ROE, Capital Gearing Ratio as all these ratios where related to the long term investment decisions and showed the positivity toward the stakeholders. While Piggle Plc is better off meeting with the short term requirement with its Current and Acid Test ratio. Since both the companies are software companies it is much prone to market innovation and technology up grad ation. These ratios being a source of information states a stable position for Iggle Plc when compared to Piggle Plc. Part 2 Piggle Plc is making investment appraisals of two potential long-term projects namely A and B. Since the initial investment for both the projects are  £2m, so both the projects would be considered in terms of the profitability and long term returns. Capital expenditure decisions occupy a very important place in corporate finance like, these decisions once taken has far reaching effects which proceeds over a long term period and influences the risk taking complexion of the company. Moreover, it involves huge amount of money are capital decisions once taken are irreversible and also involves opportunity cost of various equivalent or much fruitful viable investment opportunities. Piggle Plc before taken up any decision regarding Project A or Project B should scrutinize the opportunity in terms of initial investment and returns considering the time v alue of money, Cost-Benefit Analysis. Evaluation Criteria Non Discounting Discounting Criteria Criteria (doesnt include time value of money) (includes time value) Pay back period ARR Net Present Value Internal Rate of Return Decisions based on the Payback Period Initial Investment being  £2m Payback Project A= 4 years Project B =5 years The Payback period measures the duration of time which is required to recover the initial investment involved in the project. It doesnt include the time value of money and is based on simple calculations. Project A = 4 years Project B = 5 years According to the Pay Back Period Project A should be accepted since the money of  £2m invested initial in the project is recovered in the first 4 years, while in Project B it would be recovered in 5 years being Rs.4,00,000 as net annual cash Flow for 5 years. However, it may even approve and go for Project B because since the Pay Back Period doesnt consider time value of money so The decisions based on the Pay Back Period are not wise decisions, coz it doesnt consider the time value of money. The basic conclusion drawn of the payback method is as quickly the cost of an  investment  can be recovered, the project is considered as more desirable. I would suggest Piggle Plc should not base their decisions of rejecting or accepting the Projects Pay Back Period as it may become riskier for them to revert back once they go ahead with approving the Projects. Decisions based on Accounting Rate of Return : Accounting Rate of Return is the method of estimating the  returns rate from an investment using a simple straight-line approach (doesnt consider time value of money). The rate of return is determined when profit is divided by the number of years invested, then by the investment cost. This method is simple and is used by major decision makers for project approvals. Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) = Average Profit After Tax Average Book Value of the Investment Project A ARR = 15% Project B ARR = 20% Considering the average capital invested the average profit for Project B is more than Project A. Since the Accounting Rate of Returns also considers the depreciation amount after lessoning that the average profit after depreciation is involves, which in itself shows the viability of the decision. Piggle Plc must move ahead with the decision of accepting Project B for Capital Budgeting Decisions. Unlike, if Piggle Plc considers the concept of rate of return familiar and easy to work with rather than absolute quantities it should move ahead with accepting Project B. Decision based on Net Present Value : The Net Present Value is equal to the present value of future cash flows and any immediate cash outflow. In the case of Piggle Plc, the immediate cash flow will be investment (cash outflow in terms of annual cash flow for the number of year) and the net present value will be therefore equal to the present value of the all the future cash inflow subtracted by initial investment. Decisions based on the NPV considers factors like Discounting rate, no. Of years, inflations, interest rate. The general criterion based on the Net Present Value is that if the Net Present Value comes as Positive after deducting from Initial Investment is accepted or else if it is negative it is rejected. In case of Piggle Plc the Initial Investment is  £2m And the Net Present Value for Project A 145 Project B 120 Since the NPV after considering the time value of money and future cash inflow is positive for both the projects. The NPV is a conceptually sound criterion of investment appraisal since time value is considers. Piggle Plc can go with approving both Project A and Project B based on the above statistics but it should go ahead with accepting Project B because capital decisions and Net Present Value represents the contribution to the wealth of the shareholders and stakeholders, maximising NPV is viable and correct stating the objective of investment decision making which is maximising shareholders wealth. Decisions based on Internal Rate of Return : Internal rate of return considers the time value of money. Internal Rate of Return is that rate of interest at which the Net Present Value of a Project is equal to zero, or it is the rate which equates the present value of cash outflows to the present value of cash inflows. Under the Net Present Value method of discounting rate is known (the firms cost of capital) under IRR this rate which makes NPV as zero has to be traced out. In case of Piggle Plc Internal Rate of Return Project A = 16% Internal Rate of Return Project B = 13% Both Project A and B can be approved based on the IRR because at different rate of 16% and 13% which is the IRR the projects are capable of nearing to the Initial Investment all factors being the same. Only external facts like technical and market appraisal decision would make me approve Project A since the IRR is 16%. Both the Projects are viable and difficult to choose between mutually exclusive projects that doesnt differ significantly in ter ms of outlays. Conclusion : If i have to choose between the two Projects summarising all the Investment Methods I would go ahead with Project B since the ARR is more of Project B and also supporting the time value of money with Net Present Value is positive and more for Project B. Part 3 The Main Sources of finance that are available for Piggle Plc to finance the chosen Project will majorly include : Sources for the Initial Investment or Cash Outflow Firms needs finance mainly for two purpose : To fund the long term decisions For meeting the working capital requirement Since these are long term decisions for Piggle Plc may decide the future decisions and setting up of the firm, expansion, diversification, consolidation and other major capital expenditure decisions. By the nature of the Project of Piggle Plc, long term sources of funds become the best suited means of funding. Factor to be considered here for an investment decision will be proper asset-liability management. Sources of finance available with Piggle Plc are: RAISING CAPITAL : Piggle can issue three types of capital equity, debenture and preference capital and can be distinguished on the basis of the risk, return and ownership pattern. Equity Capital : Majority of the capital ca n be raised through equity capital and hence they will become the owners of the company. They will get residual profits after having paid the preferential shareholders and others creditors. One of the added benefit which Piggle Plc would have with raising up of Equity Capital is that the issuing firm doesnt have fixed obligation for dividend payment but offers permanent capital with limited liability for repayment. Preference Capital : Can also raise a part of Capital by Preference capital. However this is similar to equity capital except few differences like preference dividend is not tax deductible. They earn a fixed rate of return for their dividend payment. If Piggle Plc is not able to pay the dividend in a particular year, preference shareholders get arrears in dividend for the cumulative period Cumulative or Non Cumulative Preference Shares Redeemable or Perpetual preference shares Convertible or non Convertible Preference Shares Debenture Capital : Piggle Plc c an go raising debenture capital as a marketable legal contract whereby Piggle Plc promises to pay its owner, a specified rate of interest for a defined period of time and to repay the principle amount at the maturity of the period. There are other types of debenture capital Non Convertible : Wherein after the maturity period the same wont be converted in equity shares and will be redeemed back with principle amount Fully Convertible : At the end of the maturity period the same will be converted into Equity Share Capital at once or in instalments Partly Convertible Debentures : At the end of the maturity period some part of the debentures would be redeemed back with the principle amount and partial will be converted into equity capital. The same being previously decided. PUBLIC ISSUES Companies issue securities to the public in primary market through IPOs and get them listed on stock exchanges. Stocks and securities are then traded in secondary market. TERM LOANS It is one of the major sources of debt finance and repayable in more than one year but less than 10 years involves a rate of interest. For approving through the Term Loan Piggle Plc has to first mortgage or by way of depositing title deeds of immovable properties. Advantage of this source of finance is its post-tax cost, which is lower when compared to equity and preference capital. PRIVATE PLACEMENT Private placement method of financing involves direct selling of securities to a limited number of institutional investors of high net worth investors. It involves low cost, access to funds faster, few procedural formalities. EURO ISSUES Piggle can float their stocks in foreign capital markets. Companies are going global and can issue Global Depository Receipts , Euro Convertible bonds which are issued abroad and listed and traded on a foreign exchange. Once converted to equity can be traded on domestic exchange. Part 3 (ii) Major Budgeting techniques which Piggle Plc should incorporate to support the running of the chosen Project Successfully are should involve Budgeting techniques : Pay Back Period : It is the cumulative time which is used to recover or recoup the initial investment in terms of years without considering the time value of money. Since this method is easy the initial decision of Piggle could be based on Pay Back Period Internal Rate of Returns : IRR is the discount rate that equates the present value of the future net cash flows from an investment project with the projects initial cash outflow. It considers the time value of money and will provide an exact idea for Piggle and it is the most used capital decision technique. Net Present Value : It is based on the time value of money. It is the present value of all the cash inflows deducted by the initial investment. Profitability Index : It is also known as Cost Benefit Ratio. It considers the Present Value of the Future Cash Flows to the Initial Investment. Piggle Plc can directly approve or disapprove a Project based on the Benefit Cost Ratio. If the BCR 1, accept the project, if the B CR 1, reject the project. These are the four techniques on which Piggle Plc should choose the project running.

Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts Paper

Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts Paper The following essay will be described the organizational behavior terminology and concepts applied in the organization. The following topics will be presented: Organization culture as internal and external environment of control. Diversity as of individual differences based on gender, race and ethnicity, age, disabilities, and sexual orientation. As the last subject communication as the human skill that helps the organization to work well with other people, and resolves conflict. The point of view for experiences in my organization will be included in this paper and conclusion. Organization Culture The organizational culture is described as the internal environment of an†¦show more content†¦This promotes a win-win situation with employees and employers. Diversity With the internal environments of each organization, the workforce diversity refers to the presence of individual differences based on gender, ethnicity, race, disabilities, and sexual orientation. As the term multiculturalism means pluralism, and promotes the diversity of each individual difference Robbins, S. Judge, T. (2009). The demographic trends in my workforce (Real Estate) has a great diversity because women are working equals to the men, the increment of the Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asians have increased. The most important part to guarantee that the diversity will be fully valued and respected in the sense of multiculturalism is if embraces inclusivity. This term refers to the degree to which the culture respects and values diversity and is open to anyone who can perform a job, regardless of their diversity attributes Robbins, S. Judge, T. (2009). Communication The term communication refers to the ability to work well with talk with other people. The communication as a human skill has the ability to work with other people and provide leadership. These efforts of spirit trust, enthusiasm, and involvement in interpersonal relationships. A good communications skills ha a better degree of self-awareness this works to as understanding of feelings of others. In my organization the people with this type of communication skills are ableShow MoreRelatedOrganizational Behavior Essay1086 Words   |  5 Pagesdefines organizational behavior. Organizational behavior can help organizations expand, communicate, learn, and develop for better performance in the competitive, vibrant, and ever changing economy we all live in. It is important for organizations to learn the different behaviors, cultures, diversity, communications, effectiveness, and the learning styles that make up the organization and its environment. 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After giving a short summary of the theme, the author, Henry Mintzberg, describes the term â€Å"strategy† and shows how the definition leads to the choice of a research methodologyRead MoreQuestions On Epidemiology And Biostatistics846 Words   |  4 Pages of Health Education Programs, Health Service Systems, Disease Prevention and Control, Research Methods, Health Psychology and Human Behavior, Epidemiology, Ethnicity Culture Health, Environmental Health GPA: 3.7 out 4.0 Community College of Philadelphia Read MoreJapan, South Korean, And America Management Practices1194 Words   |  5 Pagesbusiness terms in America. Nonetheless, we don’t have much knowledge about international business terms. International business terms such as â€Å"wa†, â€Å"quanxi†, and â€Å" inhwa†, which are essential management terms in Japan, China, and South Korea. In this paper I will be analyzing my findings on the words culture, management terms, business culture, â€Å"wa†, â€Å"quanxi†, â€Å"inhwa†, what would be similar terms to describe American management practices, and if these terms sufficiently capture American management practicesRead MoreUnderstanding The Words Culture, Management Terms, And Business Culture1192 Words   |  5 Pageswe don’t have much knowledge about these terms definitions. On the other hand, some of us are not familiar with terms such as â€Å"wa†, â€Å"quanxi†, and â€Å" inhwa†, Which these terms are essential management terms in Japan, China, and South Korea. In this paper I will be analyzing my findings on the words culture, management terms, business culture, â€Å"wa†, â€Å"quanxi†, â€Å"inhwa†, what would be similar terms to describe American management practices, and if these terms sufficiently capture American management practices

Social Networking Industry Analysis - 7337 Words

1. Introduction 1.1 Background Ever since the so-called â€Å"eve† networks of Internet founded in 1969 (http://www.livinginternet.com accessed on 11.05.10), till now in the 21th century, the new era of Internet surfing, people‟s life has become not only material but cyber. The social networking sites, as a new online practice since late 1990s, has gained noticeable popularity among Netizens. The social networking sites have been penetrating into people‟s daily life. Create a profile on a social networking site, make friends, and tell the others what you are doing at the moment, all these have become a new lifestyle of people today, especially young people. Moreover, it has become a new multimedia platform for users sharing their own lives with†¦show more content†¦It provides similar function of profile creation and information sharing. As the application is associated with the user‟s Windows Live ID, it may owe its popularity to the widely used Win dows Live Messenger programme. MySpace.com MySpace is the earliest developed social networking site among the four. The brand has once been one of the most popular sites of this kind. However, its former popularity has been overtaken by Facebook in 2008 (http://en.wikipedia.org accessed on 20.4.10). 3. Industry Remote Environment Analysis Finlay (2000) sees the â€Å"remote environment† as crucial to business that it is â€Å"a model of those elements in the environment† that may affect the business‟s decision making but it is beyond the influence of the business. Those different elements‟ effects on different industry may also vary according to the nature of the individual industry. 3 As the industry has no control power of the remote forces, the analysis of those elements become of notable value for either existing players in the arena wishing to remain its domain or new entrants planning to overtake the crown. The social networking sites as a newborn industry is more limited by the remote environment. 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Essay on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Interpersonal...

For many of us while growing up school was a place to grow, to play, and to learn with those around us. When we were younger we spent time playing with all the different toys and spending time with our friends. As we grew older, we spent even more time expanding our social skills and finding ways to learn about ourselves through others. However, for the nearly one in every one hundred and fifty children (Mazurik-Charles, 2010) this is more easily said than done. Children with autism have difficulty reading social cues, initiating, sustaining, or terminating a conversation appropriately with peers (Boutot, 2007). Children with autism lack proper communication skills and other alternative devices and also may have limited activities or other†¦show more content†¦This may put pressure on a teacher to make sure he or she is doing their job properly in order to make sure that child is engaging and interacting with his or her peers while also introducing them to new objects or act ivities that the child with Autism may not be interested in partaking in at first. Social influence does not simply occur around objects, but through them (Williams, Costall Reddy. 1999). People play a huge role in helping shape how the child understands the proper use of things. So, a good way to begin interaction lightly and in a way that will not be overwhelming to a child with ASD is to slowly begin incorporating group games or other activities that the teacher knows the child would enjoy. It could be something as simple as coloring a sheet together in a group. 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Educating For Citizenship And Democracy - 2593 Words

Educating for citizenship and democracy In general, education has two purpose, one is for individual development, another is for social and nation needs. Development of individuals through education is well known, such as getting a high-paid job, being more intelligent, having a more successful life. But individual and social aims of education are complementary to one another. However, I believe educating for citizenship and democracy is one of the most important aims because education is not only about learning, but also how to use the knowledge, skills and values to actively participate in community and social development, to make our world a better place. Citizenship education is about enabling people to have a†¦show more content†¦Developing citizenship not only involves general knowledge studying such as reading and writing, but also requires the development of citizens capable of engaging in critical thinking, problem solving, knowing their rights and responsibilities , components of laws and institutions, etc. They need the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to plan and make the change, and education is the best and most efficient way to provide the knowledge, behaviours and skills for individuals. Education produce ideal citizens for the country, and make the country have competitive advantage as the same time that citizens living high quality lives. It is in my opinion that educating citizens is a win-win strategy for both individuals and the country, because on one hand it could bring individuals financial benefits, and on another hand it could develop those individuals to be great citizens. Since education is important to a nation, aims of education must be consistent with national goals and values. â€Å"Education itself does not have aims, it is parents, teachers, and society that hold aims for it† (Barantovich et al., 2004). This is how the nation is making sure education is working for them, by setting them. Though it may have its downsides when considering citizenship education as the aim. People in power make decisions and hand them down to

Process Improvement Strategically Important

Question: Discuss about the Process Improvement Strategically Important. Answer: Introduction With the change in market environment, managing operations has changed tremendously in both manufacturing and service organisations. After the economic downturn suffered by major economies of the world, the focus of business organisations have expanded from research, development and product development to their operations and process. To lure customers, organisations are not only focusing towards their unique market offerings, but also towards their operations and processes as a source of competitive advantage and give their customers the benefit of reduced costs (Power, 2010). Price wars are now common among organisations belonging to similar industry. Hence, operations and process management has gained strategic importance for managers in current business scenario. Amazon.com, Inc. founded in 1994 as Earths biggest bookstore has expanded to become Earths biggest everything store. With the annual revenue of $136 billion, the company is focusing on expanding its product, services and market reach with the help of its low-cost and high convenience logistics operations (Morning Star, 2017). The company offers an online purchasing platform for books, movies, home furnishings, apparels and other innumerable products on a global scale. It operates through International, North America, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) segments. In addition to providing a platform to manufacturers to sell their products, it also manufactures and sells electronic items (Vault, 2017). Strategic Role of Operations Management Operations management entrails managing activities aimed towards production and delivery of products and services to the organisations end consumers. It comprises of all those activities required to fulfil customer requirements right from sourcing the raw material or other products from suppliers to transporting the finished goods to the customers. While operations management is responsible to ensure that the support activities are carried out in a manner that they help in smooth functioning of organisation, it works in harmony with the other two core organisational functions viz. marketing and finance, for achievement of broader organisational needs (Slack et al., 2013). However, with advancement in technology, decentralization of operations, globalisation of markets and increased consciousness among organisations towards environmental issues, organisations are refining and redefining their production and quality strategies thereby brining operations management at the forefront (Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2012). The changing business environment like increase in cost-based competition, large number of choices, high quality expectations, ethical sensitivity, etc. is shaping new operational goals for organisations. As such, organisations are prompting operational responses to these changes through globalisation of their operations networks, supply chain management, adopting lean process designs and integrating information-based technologies in their operations (Slack et al., 2013). This has positioned operations and process management as an area of strategic importance for organisations to gain competitive edge. As a result, organisations are adopting techn iques like supply chain management, total quality management and others to successfully link their internal functions with operations of external suppliers and supply chain members so as to enhance their product and service quality along with business performance (Agus and Hajinoor, 2012). While operations and process management has gained strategic importance from the organisation perspective through use of different process frameworks that support cost minimization and resource optimization, it is also gaining similar importance from customer perspective. Operations are now supplemented with emotional intelligent and algorithms in the form of emotional process mapping, journey mapping and experience maps that allow organisations to carve customized experience for its users (Edelman and Singer, 2015). This furthers helps organisation to become customer centric thereby leading to high customer engagement, good experience and enhanced loyalty. Operations management at Amazon.com B2C online retail store and creating a value proposition that leads to unmatchable customer experience lies at the heart of Amazon.com. As such, the company has leveraged Toyotas lean management principles, Six sigma, robotics, data analytics combined with customer insights in its operations, to deliver unprecedented online shopping experience to its customers (Wohlsen, 2014). As an online retailer, the basic activities at Amazon include stocking the items at Amazons massive warehouses known as fulfilment centers. Once an order is received, the product is located, packed and transported for delivery. However, Amazon has combined technology and principle of operations management to do this task in a manner that not only ensure minimum error but also reduced lead time. The company uses scanners and trackers to track the product location in warehouse, computer programmes are used to generate shortest route to pick the product at minimum possible time. Conveyor belts are used to move ite ms across the floor, computer-aided packing area determines optimal box size, packaging material and tape to be used to pack the products. The boxes are again packed in a manner to maximize the space used inside the cargo area. Thus, the use of technology has helped Amazon to reduce the cycle time to 15 minutes (Bixby, 2015). Amazon has adopted both the principles of lean management and six-sigma to generate customer value and provide satisfactory experience to its customers. Lean management may be defined as an approach that maximizes customer value through minimizing waste. It shifts the focus of management to optimize the flow of products or services throughout the value stream thereby creating processes that require less human and capital resources (Bamford and Forrester, 2010). At Amazon, the implementation of lean management was undertaken at its fulfilment centers through automation. As a result, the complex tasks were reserved for humans and machines acted as a support system. This allowed the company to produce defect-free packaging of products only automating the repetitive steps of the process. It also implemented Kaizen to maximize productivity and quality of its services (Onetto, 2014). Amazon has embraced Six Sigma approach in its operations and processes to ensure the quality of its service s through reduction of errors. As a part of its Six sigma initiative, it uses process mapping that indicates different process of the company with the help of flow charts and helps to identify inefficiencies the operations and processes. This further helps in achieving enhanced customer satisfaction before and after the consumption of services (Crosson and Needles, 2011). Further, Amazon.com uses an enterprise resource planning system that not only supports its operations but also its financial and management activities. The ERP uses data from multiple resources that allows the company to gain knowledge of different activities and operations like inventory management, supply chain, and others carried out at the company for continuous improvement throughout the organisation (Crosson and Needles, 2011). Though these operational management principles are largely responsible for Amazons success, the company also faced challenges in their implementation and creation of highly complex sof twares to support the lean, six-sigma and kaizen processes. The companys engineers still face problems in integrating numerous performance indicators in their systems that consumes time, efforts and other resources. Nonetheless, the combination of technology, data analytics, operations management principles and ERP contributed in increasing the companys speed of service, cost reduction and vast market offering that led to creation of competitive advantage in terms of fast deliverables, low value pricing and vast range of offering. Good Process Design: Important Factors For smooth running of an organisation, the importance of good process design cannot be undermined. A good process design reflects process objectives and ensures the achievement of organisational objectives with the help of processes. It is characterised by attributes like quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost. A process possessing these attributes is highly optimized process as it entails low processing cost, low resource costs, low working capital costs, on-time services, short customer waiting, less disruptions and ability to cope with unexpected changes (Slack, 2008). At Amazon, the strong logistics and supply chain processes are the major determinants of customer experience. The mix of automation and human resources in its processes ensure error-free services. On the retail front, the site design, functionality, personalisation and purchase ecosystem offer leading-class speed and ease of purchasing. Further, the company generates user engagement by enabling them to track their delivery and allowing them to decide in the delivery date, time and payment option. All these processes add up to create customer experience and outcomes that are valuable. Emotional Process Mapping and Customer Experience Map An important aspect of designing good process is mapping the process that are required to be completed in the organisation to deliver the final good to the customer. It also helps to ensure that activities that make a particular process are properly understood and managed to deliver appropriate services to its customers (Accounts Commission, 2000). Amazons process map is given as follows: However, over the years, the concept of process mapping has evolved to include emotions thereby providing them with a customer perspective. As such, customer experience maps and emotional process mapping has emerged as key components of operations management. Customer experience mapping holds critical importance for Amazon as it is instrumental in determining the organisations success. Customer experience map represents an illustration defining the steps that a customer goes through while engaging with an organisation. With increase in touchpoints between the customer and the organisation, the importance and need to map customer experience increases (Richardson, 2010). Amazon uses its intimate knowledge of customer touchpoints to create a significant and long-lasting impact on its customers. It effectively utilizes its online retail stores to interact with its customers starting from selection of product to making the purchase transaction. Its foremost touchpoint, its website uses its layout, algorithms and text to communicate knowledgeably with its customers (KPMG nunwood, 2015). As a part of its customer experience mapping, Amazon uses proactive personalization that uses information gathered from past experiences and current database to customize shopping experiences (Edelman and Singer, 20). While, it is only the first step in the process, the next step is to use the data and analyse customer behaviour for next interaction. This allows Amazon to influence their experiences and lead them to the path of loyalty loop. The next touchpoint identified by Amazon is customers address. Any default in delivery process or product may cause anger and frustration while an error-free timely delivery may trigger satisfaction and loyalty. Thus, Amazon aims in making quick delivery with control over time and date (KPMG nunwood, 2015). This customization of shopping experience not only leaves their customers satisfied but also communicates their importance and acknowledges their other important engagements in personal life. The same is true for making returns and refunds of the products. Thus, Amazons ability to customize, humanize and meeting customer expectations through tools like process mapping and customer experience mapping is the key that is making the brand most valuable. Role of Performance Measurement and Improvement Once organisational process and objectives are set and products or services are delivered, it becomes necessary to measure the performance of those processes, objectives and offerings to ensure the quality. The continuously changing business environment and growing competition has mandated a need for measurement system to remain competitive in market (Epstein, 2004). Amazon, being online retailer lacks the ability to personally interact with its customers. However, the company has adopted numerous measures to measure their customer experiences. It allows customers to rate their experiences and instituted internal mechanism to monitor third-party merchants. For example, third-party has to use company provided e-mails to communicate with their customers, which allows them to monitor conversations and identify the issues. Further, Amazon uses metrics like frequency of customer complains, order cancellations by merchants, site traffic, repeated purchases, customer feedback and others (Gr een, 2009). This helps Amazon to improve its services and provide good customer experience even through outside merchants. However, with a choice of tools and performance measurement indicators, organisations may face many issues. Along with choice of appropriate indicators or tools, organisations may lack focus. Thus, companies need to tailor their measurement approach to suit their requirements and ensure that their measures are properly recorded, analysed and provide insights to both senior and middle level managers. Conclusion It is clear that Amazon.com is a highly customer-centric organisation that emphasizes on customer experiences as its critical success factors. As a result, it is continuously leveraging its operations through use of lean, six-sigma and other principles to create highest value for its customers. Further, it is also using its internally generated data base and performance measures to provide lowest price, high convenience and unique personalization thereby creating value experiences that lead to loyal customer base and high revenue growth. Reference Accounts Commission (2000) The map to success: using process mapping to improve performance. Scotland: Audit Scotland. Agus, A. and Shukri Hajinoor, M. (2012) Lean production supply chain management as driver towards enhancing product quality and business performance: Case study of manufacturing companies in Malaysia. International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, 29(1), pp.92-121. Bamford, D. And Forrester, P. (2010) Essential Guide to Operations Management Concepts and Case Notes. NY: John Wiley and Sons. Bixby, C. (2015) Amazon: Making History, Technology and Operations Management: Harvard Business School. [Online]. Available at: https://rctom.hbs.org/submission/amazon-making-history/ (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Crosson, S. and Needles, B. (2011) Managerial Accounting, 9th ed. OH: South-Western. Edelman, D. And Singer, M. (2015) Competing on Customer Journey, Harvard Business Review. [Online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/2015/11/competing-on-customer-journeys (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Epstein, M. (2004) Start to measure your E-commerce success, Working Knowledge: Harvard Business School. [Online]. Available at: https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/start-to-measure-your-e-commerce-success (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Green, H. (2009) How Amazon aims to keep you clicking, Bloomberg. [Online]. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2009-02-18/how-amazon-aims-to-keep-you-clicking (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Gunasekaran, A. And Ngai, E. (2012) The Future of operations management: an outlook and analysis, International Journal of Production Economics, 135(2), pp.687-701. KPMG nunwood (2015) How customer experience mapping keeps Amazon in the UK CEE top 10. [Online]. Available at: https://www.nunwood.com/customer-experience-mapping-keeps-amazon-uk-cee-top-10/ (Accessed: April 12, 2017). Morning Star (2017) Amazon.com, Inc. [Online]. Available at: https://financials.morningstar.com/company-profile/c.action?t=AMZN (Accessed: April 12, 2017). Onetto, M. (2014) When Toyota met e-commerce: Lean at Amazon, McKinsey Quarterly. [Online]. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/when-toyota-met-e-commerce-lean-at-amazon (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Power, B. (2010) When is Process Improvement Strategically Important?, Harvard Business Review. [Online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/2010/10/i-admit-im-a-process (Accessed: April 12, 2017). Richardson, A. (2010) Using customer journey maps to improve customer experience.Harvard Business Review,15(1). Slack, N. (2008) Operations and Process Management: principles and practices for strategic impact. London: Prentice Hall. Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. And Johnston, R. (2013) Operations Management, 7th ed. London: Pearson Education. Vault (2017) Amazon.com, Inc.: Overview. [Online]. Available at: https://www.vault.com/company-profiles/retail/amazoncom,-inc/company-overview.aspx (Accessed: April 12, 2017). Wohlsen, M. (2015) A Rare Peek Inside Amazons Massive Wish-Fulfilling Machine, Wired [Online]. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2014/06/inside-amazon-warehouse/ (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Zink, J. (2016) The Customer Journey in the Digital World Thank You Amazon, Apple, Uber and Zappos, Centric. [Online]. Available at: https://centricconsulting.com/the-customer-journey-in-the-digital-world-thank-you-amazon-apple-uber-and-zappos/ (Accessed: April 17, 2017).