Diversity and Multiculturalism in Team Settings

Diversity is the state of being composed in different elements and variety, and also different people from different cultural setting, different counties, race, and gender.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Diversity and Multiculturalism in Team Settings specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It can be uncomplicated or difficult depending on how it is viewed. Multiculturalism on the other hand, means acceptance, appreciation and consideration of multiple cultures and differences. This paper seeks to assess the tradeoffs of diversity and multiculturalism in team settings with regards to health care management. In health care management, it is very important to have diverse and multicultural employees. We cannot set aside multiculturalism because we all need health care. Unfairness while selecting the workforce is not good because it leads to discrimination. Multiculturalism is important because work teams from difference cultures might have a unique outlook to the problem which will be of much help to the health care system. According to Griffin (2010), patients will feel much appreciated when their treatment is viewed from their cultural and traditional settings. This attracts the target market because they will view the company as non-discriminative. When diversity is involved, it is much cheaper compared to others because costs go down as the target market becomes bigger and it becomes affordable to the poor. The more the health care becomes multicultural, the more they are able to reach a large number of people in different states. In order to provide better health services to patients outside the dominant culture, health practitioners must focus on these three approaches: awareness, knowledge, and skills (Parvis, 2003). Awareness can be achieved by putting into place staff training that gives a chance for self- reflection, which necessarily includes looking at one’s own culture, biases a nd reactions to diverse health values and cultures. Understanding of the outlook, value, beliefs, and behaviors of different cultural groups, with the huge group of cultural, ethnic, national and religious groups such as the Unites States is relevant in health care management. With pressures such as socioeconomic status and groups differences, it is difficult to learn a set of uniting facts or cultural norms. Thus, educational information is extremely useful in directing the health care provider to ask relevant questions within each personal cultural background.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The third approach is skills which are put into place in order to cater for customers’ needs. These approaches help the patient’s knowledge of their illness or state and allow health care providers to change their style and meet patient’s particular needs. Each health care provider should take into consideration these three approaches in order to meet each patient’s demand. Failure to meet these demands might lead to misunderstanding and reduced quality of health care because of miscommunication. However, there are several reasons as to why it might be irrelevant to have diverse work team in the health care management. The health care givers may develop cultural bias and hence discriminate others thus leading to poor services. Communication barrier is another factor which is mainly due to the difference in native language of the health care givers. This hinders communication especially in decision making process and thus less productivity. Furthermore, it might be difficult for team members to understand each other and thus leading to slow implementation of health care plans. In conclusion, having a multinational team is about increasing awareness, tolerance, skills, knowledge, and hence reducing conflict. Santana (2003) expounds that team building roles like supporting, summarizing, participation, communication and problem solving should be put into place in order to have a strong diverse team who will meet customer’s needs irrespective of cultural differences. This will benefit the team, the customer and the entire organization because having a work team that reflects company values and customer needs is a good in business, hence hiring and supporting diverse and multicultural workforce is good for the health care organization. References Griffin, W.R. (2010). Management. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Diversity and Multiculturalism in Team Settings specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Parvis, L. (2003). Diversity and Effective Leadership in Multicultural Work Places†. Journal of Environmental Health, 65: 37-38. Santana J. (2003, August 18). Learn to Harness the Full Potential of Diverse Work Force. TechRe public. Retrieved from https://www.techrepublic.com/ This essay on Diversity and Multiculturalism in Team Settings was written and submitted by user Darian Walls to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How to Study With Flashcards

How to Study With Flashcards Flashcards are a tried-and-true study tool. Whether youre preparing for a chemistry quiz or studying for a French exam, flashcards can help you memorize information, reinforce understanding, and retain details. However, not all flashcards are created equal. Learn how to maximize your study time by creating the ideal set of flashcards. Materials Theres nothing worse than starting a project without everything you need. Gather these supplies to get started: 3 x 5 index cardsHighlighters in multiple colorsKeyring, ribbon, or rubber bandVocabulary list or study guideHole puncherPencil Creating the Flashcards On the front of the card, write one vocabulary word or key term. Center the word horizontally and vertically, and be sure to keep the front of the card free of any extra markings, smudges, or doodles.Flip the card over. You wont be doing anything else with the front of the card.On the back of the card, write the definition of the vocabulary word in the upper left-hand corner. Be sure to compose the definition in your own words.Write the words part of speech in the upper right-hand corner. If part of speech isnt relevant (say, if youre studying for a history exam), categorize the word in some other way, e.g. by time period or school of thought.On the lower left-hand side, write a sentence that uses the vocabulary word. Make the sentence creative, funny, or memorable in some way. (If you write a bland sentence, youre much less likely to remember it!On the lower right-hand side, draw a small picture or graphic to go with the vocabulary word. It doesnt have to be artistic, just something that reminds you of the definition. Once youve created a flashcard for every term on your list, punch a hole in the middle of the right side of each card and hook them together for safekeeping with a keyring, ribbon, or rubber band. Studying With Flashcards Keep blank index cards on hand as you  take class notes. When you hear an important term, write the term on a card right away and add the answers later or during your study session. This process encourages you to reinforce the information you hear in class. Study the flashcards on a regular basis, preferably once a day for 1 to 2 weeks, before a test or exam. Explore different techniques, such as reviewing out loud versus silently and working alone versus with a study group. When studying with flashcards, make a small checkmark in the corner of the cards you answer correctly. When you have made two or three marks on a card, you know you can put it in a separate pile. Keep going through your main pile until all cards have two or three marks. Then, shuffle them and put them away for your next review session (or keep practicing!). Flashcard Games for Study Groups For classes that require you to memorize many  definitions, like social studies and history, work with your study group to create a master list of terms to study using the glossary in the back of your textbook. If possible, color code the terms according to the chapter. Create a matching game with your  study group. Make separate cards for the questions and the answers, leaving the backsides of all cards blank. Place the cards face down and turn them over, one by one, looking for matches. For extra excitement, turn it into a competition by forming teams and keeping score. Play charades. Split up into teams and place all the flashcards in a hat or a basket. During each round, a representative from one team steps up, pulls out a flashcard, and attempts to get his or her team to guess what was on the flashcard by giving silent cues (miming and body language). The first team that gets to 5 points wins.

Housing; Recreational Areas and Bathing Facilities; disaster santation Essay

Housing; Recreational Areas and Bathing Facilities; disaster santation Moduule 4 (Case) - Essay Example Discuss two methods that have been used to treat swimming pool water, ozonation and chlorination. Then, identify the method or combination of methods that would provide the best protection to swimmers and the public health. This paper discusses the hazards that low-income people living under conditions of poor sanitation face due to exposure to mold and lead painting. It gives possible solutions to these problems while taking into account the income level of the population. This paper also discusses treatment of swimming pools by chlorination and ozonation as methods of treating swimming pool water. Studies show that mold growth and dankness are related with respiratory wellbeing. However, health threats in relation to exact levels of molds are not yet known (Jacob, Ritz, Gehring, Koch, Bischof, Wichmann, & Heinrich, 2002). The people living in the low-income apartment complexes are at risk of allergies and fungal diseases among a myriad of other health complications (Ocean monitoring program: FAQ, 2007). Jacob et al. examined the consequences of enclosed mold and allergic sensitization in children. They realized â€Å"mold spore count for Cladosporium and Aspergillus were associated with increased risk of allergic sensitization† (2002). Therefore, living in proximity to mold leads to extremely high chances of conducting respiratory ailments. It also leads to displaying signs of conjunctivitis because of breathing in air contaminated with mold spores from interior surfaces. Continued exposure to air contaminants also puts these people at peril of acquiring atopic indicat ions of all other widespread, inhaled allergens apart from molds. Jacob et al. cite that kids who inhabit the same abode from their time of birth depict most symptoms of sensitization to allergens (2002). Lead-based paints contain lead, which is a potential carcinogen. The peeling paint poses a significant hazard to the people as it releases

Head Loss Fluid Mechanics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Head Loss Fluid Mechanics - Essay Example Fluid flowing through a pipe encounters resistance because of resistance offered by the pipeline, viscosity of the fluid, and the roughness present in the pipeline’s interior surface. The main energy loss in a pipeline is because of friction as the pipeline has usually long length (Sawhney 2011, p629). The pipeline’s total energy decreases based on the direction of the flow. Fluid flowing through a pipe encounters resistance because of the resistance offered by the pipefittings, fluid viscosity, and the roughness present in the pipeline’s interior surface. Turbulence is generated in fluid flow because of resistance leading to loss of pressure and energy head (Sawhney 2011, p630). The decline in fluid flow energy (generally expressed as units of feet) as the fluid flows through the system is referred to as head loss (Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation 2004, p2). Head loss in pipeline can be variable head loss due to changing cross-section and constant veloci ty head loss. The constant velocity head loss occurs because of the kinetic energy loss as the fluid flows out of the pipeline having some velocity at the exit and due to the friction in the pipe. The head loss because of friction occurs because of the resistance given by the pipe’s surface roughness when the fluid layer glides over the pipeline’s wall. It also occurs because of the resistance given by the fluid layers to one another (Sawhney 2011, p630). When the length of the pipe is 500 times larger than its diameter, the pipeline is referred to as a long pipeline. Such a pipeline experiences head loss because of friction as the major loss. Fluid flowing at the exit of the pipeline has a particular velocity, which is the head loss because of the kinetic energy flowing out of the fluid. This is considered a minor loss. Variable velocity head loss occurs because of the variable velocity leading into a pipeline each time a change happens inside the pipeline’s cr oss-section. For instance, changes in cross-section can occur due to sudden enlargements, many pipe fitments, sudden contractions, and pipe entrance (Sawhney 2011, p630-631). Flow in Pipes (Darcy’s Formula) Henry Philibert Gaspard Darcy (1803-1858), a French scientists made significant contributions to hydraulics. One of his significant contributions was the experimental development of pipes’ pressure-loss formula. Using the equation below (equation 1) one can arrive at the formulation Darcy had. The formula is from friction coefficient formula substituted with shear stress from the definition of Cf. This form of relationship suggests that if the friction coefficient is identified, then the calculation of the pressure drop is possible. Assuming that one is using long circular pipes, can be used instead of where L is the pipe’s length: The above formula can be rearranged to a form that was used several years ago: Generally, the formula is close to that of Darcyâ €™s; however, he made use of the pipe diameter (D) rather than 2R, and a friction factor f as an alternative to the friction coefficient (which is 4 times larger) Using the equation for laminar flow one gets The Darcy’s pressure-drop formula can be written if the average velocity in the pipeline is known: Following the original formula, g was added to both sides of equation. This is generally a one-dimensional model since the average

Capital and unskilled labor are substitutes Essay

Capital and unskilled labor are substitutes - Essay Example These are the factors that facilitate the growth development and expansion of a business. One would therefore have to understand the importance of labor in maintaining the production of more capital for a business. There is an immense similarity between the capital invested in a project and the type of labor it can afford to hire. This is also determined by the materials used by the business as it grows and ensuring that it rises. Production takes place when all the integral parts of an organization or business work together to attain a goal that will contribute to the whole company as well. It is particularly through these social relations to each other that that each part influences the other (Krusell 2000). These interactions between the manufacturers and the atmosphere within which they trade tasks and contribute to the complete construction usually differ depending on the nature of the method of production. Capital also involves the exchange values. It is hence a computation of property, trade ethics and social extent. It maintains its value regardless of the form in which it is invested in. Basically; capital always has a constant value of exchange. For instance, if the capital is in the form of land the exchange value will still remain the same. The commodity may appreciate or depreciate in value but during transformation its exchange value will not be altered. This shows that all factors are interrelated in one way or another so as to produce an end result that favors each integral part of the system (Johnson 1997). A laborer will receive a mode of survival in return for his services. Substitution of capital with unskilled labor would depend on how much initial capital was invested. Low capital investment would not enable employment of skilled labor as this would reflect unrealistic allocation of finances. Therefore, low capital investments will lead to employment of unskilled labor. A workforce that does not have adequate skills would

The Fast Moving Consumer Goods Information Technology Essay

The Fast Moving Consumer Goods Information Technology Essay FMCG industry, on the other hand called as CPG Consumer packaged goods industry primarily deals with the production, distribution and marketing of consumer packaged goods. The Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) is those consumables which are normally consumed by the consumers at a regular interval. Some of the prime activities of FMCG industry are selling, marketing, financing, purchasing, etc. The industry also betrothed in operations, supply chain, production and general management. FMCG industry provides a wide range of consumables and accordingly the amount of money circulated against FMCG products is also very high. The competition among FMCG manufacturers is also growing and as a result of this, investment in FMCG industry is also increasing, specifically in India, where FMCG industry is regarded as the fourth largest sector with total market size of US$13.1 billion. FMCG Sector in India is estimated to grow 60% by 2010. FMCG industry is regarded as the largest sector in New Zealand which accounts for 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Some common FMCG product categories include food and dairy products, glassware, paper products, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, packaged food products, plastic goods, printing and stationery, household products, photography, drinks etc. and some of the examples of FMCG products are coffee, tea, dry cells, greeting cards, gifts, detergents, tobacco and cigarettes, watches, soaps etc. Some of the well known FMCG companies are Sara Lee, Nestlà ©, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Procter Gamble, LOreal, Coca-Cola, Carlsberg, Kleenex, General Mills, Pepsi and Mars etc. The purpose of this topic is to investigate the relationship between the factors that affect the outsourcing decisions in FMCG industry of Pakistan. There are higher trends seen in the market for outsourcing in many FMCG companies but still it is reflecting as there are a number of factors which inhibit the FMCG companies to make outsourcing decisions. Outsourcing occurs as a result of intimate acquaintance between subcontractors and managing departments. Outsourcers want to decrease the cost of production and the cost of management by distributing work to avoid other costs such as wages and compensation. However, outsourcing helps society by decreasing unemployment, making the economy grow and decreasing social problems. Outsourcing is also a way to boost the economy and it helps producing industries to survive in the market. However, it is not a guarantee that the producing industries will survive. It is just one of the devices that FMCGs should use in management, but it depends on managerial efficiency in the industries. If FMCGs want to survive in the age of globalization, they have to adopt management techniques suitable for each situation in order to survive in the current industrial climate. Nowadays, macroeconomics and microeconomics have been changing very rapidly, in every region. This situation is forcing all countries in the world to adapt to competition resulting from globalization, including modifying government policies, international relations, free trade area agreements, etc. Changes are also occurring in industrial management, especially organizational management, production management and technology, delivery, and marketing management, in response to both local and international competition. In the competitive environment of manufacturing concerns and evolving technological era, to enhance efficiency and productivity, cost remains a challenge to overall manufacturing industry to compete with rivals in providing the best total lower cost to end customers and to secure the market share in order to add value to the shareholders. To invest heavily in capital investment such as machineries, buildings and land to expand space in supporting the production operation is a burden to most companies if the return of investment is not valuably. Organizations that outsource are seeking to realize benefits or address the following issues: Cost savings The lowering of the overall cost of the service to the business. This will involve reducing the scope, defining quality levels, re-pricing, re-negotiation, and cost re-structuring. Access to lower cost economies through off shoring called labor arbitrage generated by the wage gap between industrialized and developing nations. Focus on Core Business Resources (for example investment, people, and infrastructure) are focused on developing the core business. For example often organizations outsource their IT support to specialized IT services companies. Cost restructuring   Operating leverage  is a measure that compares fixed costs to variable costs. Outsourcing changes the balance of this ratio by offering a move from fixed to variable cost and also by making variable costs more predictable. Improve quality Achieve a steep change in quality through contracting out the service with a new service level agreement. Knowledge Access to intellectual property and wider experience and knowledge. Contract Services will be provided to a legally binding contract with financial penalties and legal redress. This is not the case with internal services. Operational expertise Access to operational best practice that would be too difficult or time consuming to develop in-house. Access to talent Access to a larger talent pool and a sustainable source of skills, in particular in science and engineering. Capacity management An improved method of capacity management of services and technology where the risk in providing the excess capacity is borne by the supplier. Catalyst for change An organization can use an outsourcing agreement as a catalyst for major step change that cannot be achieved alone. The outsourcer becomes a  Change agent  in the process. Enhance capacity for innovation Companies increasingly use external knowledge service providers to supplement limited in-house capacity for product innovation. Reduce time to market The acceleration of the development or production of a product through the additional capability brought by the supplier. Co modification The trend of standardizing business processes, IT Services, and application services which enable to buy at the right price, allows businesses access to services which were only available to large corporations. Risk management An approach to  risk management  for some types of risks is to partner with an outsourcer who is better able to provide the mitigation. Venture Capital Some countries match government funds venture capital with private  venture capital  for start-ups that start businesses in their country. Tax Benefit Countries offer tax incentives to move manufacturing operations to counter high corporate taxes within another country. Scalability The outsourced company will usually be prepared to manage a temporary or permanent increase or decrease in production. Creating leisure time Individuals may wish to outsource their work in order to optimize their work-leisure balance. FMCG Industry and Outsourcing Companies that were struggling to increase the capacity to support the ramp up demand at times were upset when there was a drastic downturn of demand cut. As a result, the sudden downturn would affect the resources and investment that were put into supporting the end customers demand. Team of human resources and machineries that consumed production space and being idled would increase the overhead and fixed cost, thus affecting the companies badly in their financial statements. In addition, training and development to up skill internal resource skills set in terms of running the operation effectively, bringing up technical content expert, specialist ability to perform research and development to add value, effective management and maintaining the operation would require significant investment in human resources. Thus, most of the companies started to explore opportunities to reduce cost and to improve profit margin in order to maintain competitive edge in the market. One of the identified opportunities was to outsource non-core business functions to external service providers at a lower operating cost. Outsourcing decisions are those strategic decisions that change the operating strategy of an organization both in manufacturing and services. The most important step in any outsourcing decision is to clearly define the scope of the activities that are being considered for outsourcing versus previously in sourced. Outsourcing becomes a basic strategy of the FMCG industry and is essential for FMCG firms to stay competitive in the global environment. From firms perspective, outsourcing offers several advantages, such as reducing or stabilizing overhead costs, gaining cost advantage over the competition, concentrating on core activities and organizational specializations, providing flexibility in response to changing market conditions, and reducing investment in high technology based manufacturing organizations. Through 2004 onward business growth strategy changes and business growth was restored as the first priority for most worldwide businesses, making cost reduction the second or third priority. Ensuring business growth as well as business process speed, agility and cost reduction requires a unique mix of internal and external capabilities, skills, services and processes. Only a business-driven sourcing strategy supported by good-enough sourcing execution capabilities will guarantee successful business outcomes as well as improved performance and competitiveness. Lack of an outsourcing strategy or relevant skills and processes to manage outsourcing relationships is the most important reason for the failure of service and manufacturing industry. Global competition, increasing regulation and inspection, the development of specific standards and the industrialization of services will raise the competitive bar for the FMCGs services and business processes, making it compulsory for the FMCGs to work on their core business in source let the others do their job for you. By competing on core competencies and outsourcing non-core areas, FMCG companies achieve consistently higher performance over the globe in all fields especially manufacturing and supply chains through consistent focusing and tracking their Key performance indicators. For any of the company to make decision for in source or outsource, its the company strategic decision which will make the basis for the whole in source or outsource process. For making any decision, decision maker will consider the following perspective in their mind or they must have good answers for these questions. Determine what your company needs to or should do best strategy driven long-term positioning Determine how best to do things profit driven short to intermediate term competitiveness INSOURCING/ OUTSOURCING STRATEGIC DECISION KEY STEPS IN SERVICE BASE INDUSTRY An executive level cross-functional decision-making process identifies core competencies and areas for internal investment. The level of internal control required by the companies and prospective direction for operational insource/ outsource decisions are identified and analyzed based on strategic value and relative competitiveness of the company in the market. Document complete strategic decision making process and the implementation process for the strategic decision being made as it provides closed-loop assessment for continuous improvement of the decision in the long run. Align the implementation strategies, processes and Key performance indicators with criteria and assumptions used in strategy formulation or development and in sourcing /outsourcing decision process. STANDARDIZED OUTSOURCING PROCESS FLOW IN FMCG INDUSTRY Stage Key Activities Rough Timeline BU Role COE Role Opportunity Consideration Align on business need gain mgmt commitment to evaluate options Identify options to consider (e.g., internal cost savings, consolidation, off-shoring, outsourcing) Perform Options Analysis / Size of Prize (not detailed financial analysis) If potential for outsourcing, contact outsourcing COE for support NA PR PR PR PR C C Evaluation Team Kick-Off Establish small team to perform preliminary evaluation of outsourcing (Project Mgr/Business Mgr, Deal Mgr, Purchases Mgr, FA Mgr, HR Mgr, External Rel.) 1-2 wks PR C Initiate Evaluation Project Agree on top-line preferred deal parameters with OS COE (e.g., general scope boundaries, sell all vs. partial assets) Develop Keep Price Analysis using the CBA model (COE website) Develop preliminary project success criteria Develop preliminary project process, timing and critical path Consider advisory needs (e.g. external consultants, legal support) Consider need for employee communication pre-market evaluation activity Confirm business management alignment support to evaluate the option 1-4 wks SR SR SR SR C SR PR SR SR SR SR PR SR C Market Evaluation/Discovery Analyze market and identify potential suppliers (e.g., market position, capabilities, potential for savings monetization) Develop supplier materials (cold call message operation review presentation) Meet with suppliers (generally worth meeting w/up to 10 or so if available) Evaluate findings of visits and determine potential for outsourcing RFI may go out as part of typical assessment activity 4-8 wks PR PR C SR C C PR SR Decision to Pursue Outsourcing Refine project objectives, scope, etc. (w/knowledge of market evaluation) Prepare recommendation to pursue outsourcing Gain management approval per Decision Authority PRIOR to RFP Determine the small group of suppliers to be engaged in an RFP (3-4 ideally) Execute CDAs with these suppliers Expand project team (RFP leader, Legal, Administrative support, etc) Develop communication plan communicate to employees if not yet been done Base Case Financials 2-3 wks PR PR PR SR PR PR C C C SR PR C C RFP Development Draft and gain approval to RFP Develop RFP timeline (release date, supplier engagements, site visits, submittal date) Release RFP and instructions to suppliers 4-6 wks PR C PR TPO PR TPO RFP Process Execution Perform step-by-step RFP completion process w/suppliers (e.g., RFP review session, electronic QA cycle, preliminary solution review) Receive review bids, and execute formal solution walk-thru process Get revised bids and perform evaluation (operational, HR, financial) 4-8 wks SR SR SR SR SR SR Downs elect Process Develop recommendation to down select to 1 or 2 suppliers (keep 2 suppliers ideally to maintain competitive environment) Get management agreement 1-2 wks PR PR C C Due Diligence Conduct due diligence as required (us on suppliers; suppliers on us) 1-2 wks PR TPO Final Bids Provides suppliers with draft contract Request Best Final Offers (if appropriate) 1-2 wks C C PR PR Negotiations and Contract Signing Negotiate detailed price and contract terms (w/2 suppliers as long as possible) Align on final down select Get management approval Finalize internal and external communication plans (with External Relations) Sign contract and execute related communications 4-6 wks C PR PR PR PR PR C TPO C C Transition and Closing Put full transition team in place Execute required transition steps (including road shows, job offers, etc) Develop and execute companion agreements in other countries Execute closing Prepare deal files 4-12 wks PR PR SR PR SR PR PR Primarily Responsible Total Time Required* SR Shared Responsibility 5 10 months (ex Transition) C Contributor 6 12 months (w/Transition) TPO Technical Process Oversight * will vary based on project scope Problem Statement The rapidly changing global industrial environment, cost of working capital, research and innovation, releasing key internal resources, concentrating on Core business functions, obtaining better organizational form has significant impact on outsourcing decision making in FMCG industry of Pakistan. Hypothesis H1: Outsourcing activities are increasing day by day in FMCG Industry of Pakistan. H2: FMCG industries are Outsourcing in all areas of their business not only manufacturing operation. H3: FMCG industries are Outsourcing to reduce Operating cost. H4: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to increase concentration on their core business. H5: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to Improve Quality of Services. H6: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to Acquire Specialized expertise and knowledge H7: FMCG industries are focusing on Selective Outsourcing. H8: FMCG industries have midterm Outsourcing contracts. H9: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with good reputable companies. H10: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with companies that produce at lower cost. H11: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with companies that have advance technology and management experience. H12: Losing control of the certain business is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H13: Increasing dependence with outsourcers is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H14: Difficult to bring in source after conflicts is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H15: Disclosure of commercial secrets is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H16: Conflict of Interest with outsourcing partner is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. Outline of the Study The research structure based on five chapters as follows: Introduction about the Outsourcing and FMCG industry. The literature review had provided theoretical background of the research and cites author had previously researched on the topic of factors affecting outsourcing decision The research methods chapter included method of data collection, statistical technique and hypothesis development. The results chapter had included findings and interpretation of the results. The conclusion, discussions, implications and recommendation section provided the final logical analysis. Definitions Outsourcing Outsourcing is an agreement in which any task; operation, job or process that could be performed by employees within an organization, but is instead contracted to a third party for a significant period of time-one Company provides services for another company that could also be or usually have been provided in-house. FMCGs   It is an acronym for  Fast Moving Consumer Goods. It is defined as fast selling, low unit value  consumer products  normally in universal  demand. It includes categories like foods, soft  drinks, toiletries, cosmetics and other non-durables. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Most of the companies that were struggling to increase the capacity to support the ramp up demand at times were upset when there was a drastic downturn of demand cut. As a result, the sudden downturn would affect the resources and investment that were put into supporting the end customers demand. Team of human resources and machineries that consumed production space and being idled would increase the overhead and fixed cost, thus affecting the companies badly in their financial statements. In addition, training and development to up skill internal resource skills set in terms of running the operation effectively, bringing up technical content expert, specialist ability to perform research and development to add value, effective management and maintaining the operation would require significant investment in human resources (David Mackey and Kaye Thorne, 2003). Thus, most of the companies started to explore opportunities to reduce cost and to improve profit margin in order to maintain competitive edge in the market. One of the identified opportunities was to outsource non-core business functions to external service providers at a lower operating cost. Outsourcing decisions are those strategic decisions that change the operations strategy of an organization both in manufacturing and services. The most important step in any outsourcing decision is to clearly define the scope of the operations that are being considered for outsourcing (Cook, Mary, F. and Gildner, Scoot B. 2008). Human resource professionals throughout the world are being asked to do more or less, to enhance productivity while controlling costs and to find out new ways to increase profitability. (Uddin, Gazi, M. 2005). Outsourcing is not a new notion. For decades, jobs have been migrated from other part of the countries namely American and European countries as well as other overseas countries to global service providers primarily India, China, Singapore and Malaysia due to lower operating cost. According to Cynthia A. Kroll (2004), a regional economist from University of California Berkeley, the recent wave of outsourcing affected a different mix of jobs, at different wage levels. It was not confined only to a small set of industries but cut across all industrial sectors in new geographic area rapidly (Cynthia A. Kroll, 2004). William P. DiMartini (2005), Senior Vice President at SunGard Availability Services said businesses in all industry segments found that limited internal resources would make outsourcing an attractive, cost-effective and prudent option that would allow them to focus on their core competencies (AccountingWEB.com, 2005). Demand for outsourcing is a result of demand for organizational products by the target audience. On the basis of organizational estimate of total turnover, practicing managers can attempt to establish the nature and type of outsourcing required to that esteemed goal (Uddin, Gazi M. 2005). Outsourcing advantages to name a few include lower operating cost, improve competitiveness, low in capital investment, shift resources to focus on core functions, generate demand for new growth and market segment, access to world class capability, sharing risks and make capital funds available for core business investment. Bangladesh is a least developed country, basically an agrarian economy, having around 24 million acres of cultivated land, employing about 14.5 million cultivators. Manufacturing industries have grown around Dhaka and Chittagong based on agriculture input of jute, cotton, chemical and gas based industries. Industrial production growth has averaged more than 6% over the last 5 years. The export sector has been the engine of industrial growth, with ready-made garments leading the way, having grown at an average of 30% over the last 5 years. Primary products constitute less than 10 percent of the countrys exports; the bulk of exports are manufactured/processed products, ready-made garments and knit wears in particular. (www.euroitx.com) There are many manufacturing concerns in Bangladesh that are looking into outsourcing opportunity to reduce cost and to overcome the internal limitations and achieve lower cost of operation. The country is now moving towards industry based economy from the agro-based one. Hence, this study was an attempt to access determinants influencing the outsourcing decision and to research the manufacturing concern in Bangladesh on how well the factors would influence the manufacturing industry in Bangladesh to outsource certain function of their business areas to external service providers. The study also aimed at finding out the influencing factors that influenced the companies in outsourcing decision and helped the companies to overcome the internal limitation barriers. In the early 1980s, outsourcing typically referred to the situation while organizations expanded their purchases of manufactured physical inputs, like car companies that purchased window cranks and seat fabrics from outside the firm rather than making them inside. Nowadays, outsourcing took on a different meaning. Presently it refers to a specific segment of the growing international trade. This segment consists of arms-length, or what Bhagvati (1984) called long-distance purchase of services abroad, principally, but not necessarily, via electronic mediums such as the telephone, fax and the Internet. Outsourcing can happen both though transactions by firms, like phone call centers staffed in Bangalore to sen7e customers in New York and X-rays transmitted digitally from Boston to be read in Bombay, or with direct consumption purchases by individuals, like when someone hires an offshore firm to provide plans for redesigning or redecorating a living room (Bhagwati, J. et al. 2004) In an era of rapid technological change and short product life cycles, companies were trying to reduce cost and maintain quality at the same time which implied that companies would need to specialize in what they did best and de-emphasize management attention from business processes that did not directly impact the business. Outsourcing was a means to partner with service providers so they could handle specific business processes better, faster and at a lower operating cost (V. Krishna Polineni, 2001). It was defined as the transferring one or more internal functions of an organization to an external service providers. According to the analyst Dean Davison, the outsourcing was growing about 20 percent to 25 percent per annum (Dean Davison, 2006). Outsourcing has become an alternative, which all major corporations must consider in order to remain competitive. It helped to increase efficiency, improve service quality, accountability, values, decreased headcounts and cash infusion and gain access to world class capability and sharing risk (The Outsourcing Institute, 2006). One of the primary advantages of outsourcing arises quickly from the reduction of overheads. This might give rise to an immediate, and possibly one-off, advantage in terms of the avoidance of future or recurrent capital outlay, and the savings in office space and equipment provisions if these could be released during the outsourcing decision. There was clearly a staff cost reduction possible here, and this could be the predominant element in directly-attributable, ongoing cost savings. The spin-off from this might benefit the business support services department where the outsourcing was partial, and could be especially useful where the capital cost was high and recurrent, particularly if there was uncertainty about the future costs of maintaining effective and competitive business support. It was an investment risk transfer, in other words. Where outsourcing is total, the benefit was accrued directly by the core business it translated to a capital injection to the customers busines s. This was one of the major driving reasons of the outsourcing of IT provision in the early 1990s generally agreed as having been led in 1989 by Kodak, which outsourced all of its IT operations to IBM (Jonathan Reuvid and John Hinks, 2001). This could also confer a great deal of flexibility on the company. For a centralized organization which was providing a range of its support services from its own personnel and offices, the move to outsourcing could allow a downsizing of the property commitments. Consider the impact on the organizational infrastructure requirements of a change to outsourcing IT provision, payroll and credit processing, pensions, catering, recruitment, training, Human Resource Management (HRM), cleaning, security, lettings, software development, estates and building management. It could also confer direct scope for downsizing or increased options for organizational re-structuring through property and HRM flexibility. The transfer of a non-core service provision to a variable cost would allow economies of scale to be passed on from the supplier, and also would mean that incremental changes in the process capacity of the customer (upwards or downwards) could be covered at proportional rather than quantum cost changes. Where scope to vary the scale of the contracted supply was agreed, this has allowed the business organization to make maximum use of its marginal capital for core process change rather than non-core process support change. This could allow decreased time to market for new products or processes, and also increased scope for changes. Outsourcing solutions can provide an excellent chance to get the company service provision out of a rut and, if properly managed, to stimulate new solutions to problems from the mixing of different approaches. A noticeable feature of the global economy is the enhancing international products. Robert Feenstra (1998) describes the remarkable international specialization in the manufacturing products. For example, the raw materials of manufacturing products like Barbie dolls (plastic and hair) are obtained from Taiwan and Japan. Assembly used to be done in those countries as well as to lower cost locations like Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China. The growth in international specialization can also be observed in aggregate statistics. William Zeile and Gorden Hanson et al (2003) document the importance of trade within multinational firms. David Hummels et al. (2003) show that trade in intermediate inputs has grown faster than trade in finished products. While the globalization of production may yield important productivity benefits, there is a widespread view that it has also adversely affected low skilled workers. There are frequent media reports on how low-skilled labors in the firs t world countries are hurt when manufacturing jobs are relocated in the US and in many other countries have picked up on this theme to push for greater restrictions on trade with developing countries. Yet, despite its prominence in the public debate, there is little systematic evidence of the extent to which low-skilled workers are harmed by outsourcing to poor countries (Hsieh, Chang T. and Woo, Keong T., 2005). Outsourcing has existed in the USA for over 30 years particularly the business pr

Are Mental Images Real? :: Reality Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Are Mental Images Real? This essay was my first stab at defining and discussing reality for my freshman seminar, What is Reality?. Using a questionable topic of reality (in this case -- are mental images 'real'?), we were to attempt a working definition and method for determing that which is real. Pretty lousy, I'm not gonna lie, but an interesting assignment. In the middle of the night, a boy awakes from the most horrifying chase scene he’s ever witnessed, terrified in a cold sweat. His heart is pounding, he’s lost his breath. And yet he wakes to the comfortable knowledge that it was â€Å"all just a dream.† The mind is a strange entity, in that it is essentially our guide to that which we experience - it perceives, processes, interprets, analyzes, and utterly convinces. We respond physiologically to our minds’ wills, be it with elevated heart rates, elation, or a deep-rooted sense of confusion in the inability to distinguish between what our mind says and what we know to be true. Herein we see the quandary of existence as human beings in society : are the images and experiences of our mind truly real? To a schizophrenic, a hallucination in which he is attacked by a big black dog is as real to him as a true assault by a New York mugger. Where, then, is the line drawn between a pure mental image and reality, and what does this say about the nature of reality? Enlightened philosopher Rene Descartes said, â€Å"I think, therefore I am,† claiming the reality and validity of his existence based on the inner workings of his mind. The mental images and experiences he had were, to him, the fundamental proof that, as an entity, he was truly functional and definite. Yet how many of us have, at one point or another, asked ourselves, â€Å"Is this really happening?† and, despite the knowledge that we must be conscious to be questioning thusly, still couldn’t verify or discredit the reality of the situation? To quote a classmate in a discussion about the nature of existence, â€Å"All that individual existentialism stuff sounds pretty funky, but you’ve got to believe in it for it to work.† Indeed, the idea that reality is created or destroyed by one’s own willingness to exist is a terrifying and thought-provoking concept, riddled with metaphysical questions of procedure and mechanics of life. Do peopleâ€℠¢s minds allow them to know of their own horrifying and grotesque deaths, or is there perhaps an â€Å"I-am-dying-peacefully-in-my-sleep† hormone released when the body becomes aware of its infinite peril?