Physical Fitness and Nutrition Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Physical Fitness and Nutrition Worksheet Essay In order to obtain optimal health, it is critical to be physically fit and eat a healthy and balanced diet. Becoming knowledgeable about what it means to be physically fit and learning how to evaluate the nutritional value of what you eat may greatly increase your ability to improve your health and wellness. In this three-part worksheet, you identify the five components of health related fitness, critique a recipe for nutritional value, and respond to two short answer questions about nutrition. Completing this assignment is a step towards gaining the knowledge needed to better manage your physical fitness and nutrition. Part 1: Five Components of Health Related Fitness Table Complete the table below. The first row has been filled in for you as an example. Components of Physical FitnessDescriptionHow to Incorporate in Your LifeBenefit(s) Cardiorespiratory FitnessBeing able to exercise at a moderate to high intensity for a long period of timeWalk 2 miles at a brisk pace every day.Reduced the risk of heart disease, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Muscular StrengthMaximum force able to be exerted by single contraction of a muscle or muscle groupStart out with crunches, lunges and squats.The ability to carry out tasks easier that like yard work. Muscular EnduranceAbility to perform high-intensity muscle contractions repeatedly without fatiguing Do push-ups to build up muscular endurance.Increased metabolism, Reduced fatigue, fewer injuries, and fewer back problems. Flexibility Ability to move joints freely through their full range of motion Start with stretching or yoga to help with flexibility. Being able to keep joints flexible and ability to reach or move. Body CompositionThe amount and relative proportions and distribution of fat mass and fat-free mass in the body By exercising, eating right and managing my time. Living longer and feeling good about one’s self. Part 2: Critique a Meal For this part of the assignment, you critique the nutritional value of a meal. You will select this meal from the USDA website. Follow the instructions below: †¢Access the USDA Recipe Finder search tool at http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/ o(either click on or paste the above link in your internet’s address bar) †¢Search for a recipe using one of the available criteria: oType in ingredients; oType in a recipe name, or; oChoose options from the available categories †¢Select a recipe to critique from the generated results. Review the nutritional information provided for the recipe you selected or added and answer the questions below. Each response should be 75 to 125 words. 1.What is the name of the recipe you are evaluating? The name of the recipe that I am evaluating is Baked Chicken with Vegetables. 2.Which essential nutrients—carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals—are included in the recipe? The essential nutrients that are included in this recipe are saturated fats, carbohydrates, Fiber and protein. Also included are Vitamin A that adds carotene and helps with the eyes; Vitamin C which is important for growth and development; Calcium needed for muscle, bones and nerves. Iron helps with distributing oxygen to the body. Vitamin E helps body tissue from damage. Vitamin K makes proteins for bones and tissue also helps with clotting to not bleed too much. 3.Which ingredients are providing each nutrient? Potatoes have vitamin C, potassium, and carbohydrates. Carrots have vitamin A, E, and K. Onions have potassium, Vitamin C and sodium. Chicken there is vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and iron. If the body is missing any vitamins the body will start to deteriorate. 4.Does this recipe include a good balance of essential nutrients? Explain your answer. I believe it does have a good balance but not to the full extent that it could be. Anything could be added to have the extra missing vitamins and minerals that a lot of people do not get on a regular basis. 5.How could the recipe be altered to include more essential nutrients? The recipe could be altered to include more essential nutrients by adding mushrooms, cheese, nuts or eggs. These items would add vitamin D and E. Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium and magnesium. Vitamin E is similar to vitamin C in helping protect the body from damage and helps with red blood cells. So adding the items in one way or another would add to the nutrients that one’s body. 6.Do you consider this a healthy meal? If not, what is a healthy alternative? Yes I do consider this a healthy meal in the fact that it does have quit a few vitamins and minerals that our bodies need on a regular  basis. It is low in fat and calories and will still fill someone up in one meal. With the chicken, carrots, onions, and potatoes there is not too much more that would be needed to supplement the body.

Proud to Be an Indian Essay Example for Free

Proud to Be an Indian Essay India, a country with a culture having more than ten thousand years has enriched the global scientific, educational, economic and cultural scenario significantly. That is the reason why mark Twain has stated â€Å"India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition.† Being born in such a great country, you have millions of reasons to feel proud as an Indian. Some of them are : 1 . Indian culture is the best in the world The very word culture started from the country India. When the people of today’s developed nations were wandering like nomadic, Indians built Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, the first ever planned city of the world. India is the home to four major religions of the world. The first epic of the world was written in India. Sanskrit, according to a major group of linguistics is considered as the mother of all European languages. Forbes magazine has rated Sanskrit as the most suitable language for software applications. 2. First university of the world was established in Takshila(in Modern Bihar) in the year 700BC. More than 60 subjects were taught here to near about 10,500 students who came from different parts of the world. 3. We have never invaded any country in the entire history of 5000 years. Rather, Buddha and Gandhi taught the world the power of non-violence and truth. Recently, American president Barak Obama has openly admitted that Gandhi is an ideal for him. 4. Till 1896, India was the only known source of diamond in the world. Tremendous wealth of India attracted several invaders and traders. Till the invasion of British East India Company, India was the richest country of the world. 5. Number system is the greatest contribution of India to science in general and mathematics in particular. Indian Mathematician Aryabhatta invented zero. Bhaskaracharya, in fifth century, calculated the time taken by earth to rotate around sun exactly. Budhayana calculated the value of pi. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus had their origin India during sixth century. 6. Ayurveda, the earliest school of medicine has its origin in India. Surgery was done for the first time India by Sushruta 2600 years back. 7. India taught the art of navigation to the world on River Sind 6000 years back. Proof to it is the derivation of the very word navigation from NAVGATIH (a Sanskrit word). 8. Just like Indian culture and lifestyle of India , Indian Food has also been influenced by various civilizations and Regional Cultures. Traditional Indian food is not only famous worldwide for its spicy and lip-smacking taste, but also popular for its importance in the direction of maintaining a healthy life style. Indian food is both delicious and good for health. It matches to the requirements and taste of both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Indians like hot, fresh and nutritious food in their daily diet. However, each part of India has its own unique cuisine and way of preparing recipes. In North India, Roti is proffered over rice. Use of cheese, curd, milk and vegetables in preparing different dishes is primarily marked in North-India. Tandoori is one of the most important dishes of North India which has a pan -Indian acceptance. Use of oil in preparing tandoori is minimal and only selected Indian spices are added while preparing any tandoori recipe. In south India, use of tamarind and pepper while preparing recipes is common. Here, people prefer to eat rice over Roti. Use of coconut oil in preparing dishes is marked in several south Indian states. Dosa is one of the most popular South Indian foods that have a pan-Indian appeal. In eastern part of India, people are generally fond of rice and fish. This is due to the availability of fish in abundance. Fish recipes of several types are vital aspects of East Indian food. In the western-part of India, spicy food is the first preference of people. Here also you can mark dominance of cheese while preparing dishes. Both rice and roti are popular in western India. 9. Family is the longest surviving institution of India irrespective of the ages, transformations, religious and political views compared to any other country and it shows how rich is our Indian culture. 10. I am proud to be Indian because of our country’s achievements in space and missile technology. India has launched a number of satellites in space for helping us in weather forecast, communications, medical research, and education. The missiles such as Agni, Prithvi strengthened our nation’s security and ensured a place in the elite group of the world’s powerful countries. Moreover, our scientists have lifted India’s pride by placing our Tri-colour on the moon and are now looking for landing in the planet Mars. 11. India is a country where people respect elders live in peace and harmony. India is the only country where there are people of different languages, religions and race, but all of them live together in harmony. There are 22 official languages a nd over 1600 dialects spoken. Nearly 650 different recognised tribes reside across the country. 12. India is the largest democracy in the world. It has a civilisation that is more than 5000 years old and boasts of multiple cultural origins. There is an emerging global, scientific and technological superpower. 13. It is a land of holy rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Cauvery,Mahanadi etc and beautiful mountains spread densely in north and eastern india and dense forests scattered all over india . We find many seas in the South of India. There is natural beauty in our country. 14. My country with its rich heritage and tradition I say is the most beautiful nation. We are also recognised for being the world’s second largest in population. But unity in diversity is the main reason for my pride in being an Indian. We have different languages, different cultures, food, clothes, and traditions and yet we stand united. Non violence, democracy, intelligence based on our high standards of education, our natural wealth, harmony, festivals, family, system, caring for the aged, service and sacrifice are some of the things that I am proud of our land. 15. Among the finest institutions this country has produced are the Indian Armed Forces. It is the world’s third largest standing army comprising over 1.1 million men in uniform. 16. I am proud also of the education provided by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Managements (IIMs) which can boast of standards equal to the best in the world at far less cost. Products of these institutions now head global organizations and play a major role in organizations like NASA. Indians are familiar as doctors and scientists in many developed countries. 17. We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America , even faring better than the whites and the natives. There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET, 38% of doctors in USA are Indians. 12% scientists in USA are Indians. 36% of NASA scientists are Indians. 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians. 28% of IBM employees are Indians. 17% of INTEL scientists are Indians. 13% of XEROX employees are! Indians. 18. Chess and Hockey was invented in India. I have got tons of reasons to love my country, but the most important thing is I love my country and I need no reason for it. Jai Hind! I am proud to be an Indian !

Analysing Case Studies Of Mercedes Benz Tesco Marketing Essay

Analysing Case Studies Of Mercedes Benz Tesco Marketing Essay INTRODUCTION Extremely fierce and highly competitive globalised work environment has intensified the apprehensions of business organisations pertaining to the development and implementation of prudently designed business strategies that can ensure their long-term survival and enduring success in the market. It has been observed, that despite of designing smart strategic plans, many business organisations fail to maintain their survival in the market and this is only because of their inability to operationally devise and enact these strategic decisions (Mills, Platts, Bourne and Richards 2002, p. 112). Operation management is strategically important for the business organisations as myriad day-to-day operational activities are responsible for determining the extent to which the key strategic objectives are executed and thereby, constituting long-term organisational success. It has been studied that operation management is all about defining, organising and directing organisational aims and objecti ves through strategically employed operational procedures concerning the organisation (Slack et al 2004, p.67). Several constituting factors including price, quality, service, flexibility and tradeoffs are meant to develop the operational strategy (Slack and Lewis 2002, p. 221) and in order to improve quality, enhanced organisational receptiveness and cost-effectiveness, a wide-ranging operational paradigms have been emerged in recent times (Anderson 2006, p. 56). Supply chain strategy is the crucial element of operation management through which the core operational processes including transportation, logistics and procurement activities are integrated by pulling materials in response to demand patterns and hence, demand uncertainty is avoided and supply chains, inventories and service levels are significantly improved (Slack and Lewis 2002, p. 226). Business organisations also utilise optimum resources and systemic managerial approaches to support quality and innovation in their products and services for which they integrate key operational, procedural and functional systems. Organisations can achieve total quality within their business operations when positive cultural shift is established by knitting strong relational bonds between human capitals and maintaining long-term partnerships with suppliers (Hayes, Pisano, Upton and Wheelwright 2005, p. 119). Operation management paradigm also encompasses the concept of capacity planning through wh ich the organisational management exhibits its competency to foresee the unprecedented events and strategise in advance to circumvent the chances of protracted fiscal damages (Ferguson 2000, p. 65) whereas, the evaluating the extent of orders and thereby, monitoring and determining the required inventory levels and stock replenishment is covered by inventory management model (Anderson 2006, p. 59). The study is designed to illustrate these concepts in a report format by evaluating the comprehensive operation management paradigm. 1.1 Aims Objectives Organisations can achieve enhanced fiscal benefits and customer satisfaction by triggering the process of transforming inputs into outputs with intent to add value to the organisational goals in terms of producing improved products and services (Giannakis and Croom 2004, p. 28). This not only enables in gaining control over systemic planning and management activities but also results in attaining sustainable competitive advantage by maximising organisational productivity. The main objective of this study is to investigate the key concepts and theories of operation management which is considered as the core contributor to the long-term organisational success. The study aims to analyse the corporate and marketing strategies of one service-based and one manufacturing organisation i.e. Tesco and Mercedes by critically discussing the theoretical principles and frameworks covered in operation management paradigm. Moreover, the study also intends to evaluate the blend of theoretical concept s based on the case studies of each organisation in order to assess the relative impacts on their long-term competitiveness, innovation and sustainability. 1.2 Rationale of the Study Operation management is a multidisciplinary approach encompassing the decision making process pertaining to the design, planning and management of all the factors influencing the operational capacity of an organisation (Ferguson 2000, p. 68). Globalisation has shrunk the geographical boundaries and the consumer world has now been exposed to generous information and alternatives to the products and services which have made it extremely intricate for the business organisations to stand-out (Giannakis and Croom 2004, p. 30). The role of operation management becomes crucial in terms of creating, transforming and controlling the productive resources to generate saleable products or services. The scope of this study is to contribute some value to the existing literature pertaining to operation management as the theoretical underpinnings of the subject and the evaluation of case studies are designed to facilitate in developing advance understanding of managing the deployment of operational resources within the incessantly changing globalised business environment to gain competitive advantage. The significance of studying operation management paradigm is equally beneficial to the academia, operations practitioners and contemporary business organisations. Structure of the Report This segment is designed to explicate the structure of the report that is primarily based on comparing and contrasting the theoretical approaches of operation management by prudently evaluating the corporate and marketing strategies based on case studies of two selected organisations. The report is creatively structured and divided into five distinct segments. Initial segment of the report is the introductory part that is meant to develop the foundational grounds of the study by explaining the key objectives and scope of conducting the research. Second segment of the report begins with presentation of company profiles of two selected organisations i.e. Tesco and Mercedes by critically evaluating core operational and transformational processes to assess the adequacy of their strategically devised corporate and marketing initiatives for gaining competitive advantage in the market. Theoretical concepts and frameworks of operation management including supply chain management, capacity pl anning, inventory management and total quality management are appraised in the third segment of the report which intends to justify the arguments by linking the theoretical underpinning with the information extracted from case studies. Fourth segment assesses the application of theoretical concepts on the case studies of selected organisations, in order to investigate relative impacts on the organisational competitiveness, innovation and sustainability in a longer run. The report is terminated in the fifth segment which is designed to logically conclude the overall arguments in a consistent manner. OPERATIONAL TRANSFORMATIONAL PRACTICES Contemporary organisations ought to adapt with the consistently changing trends of the trade world and globalised economies as consumers buying behaviours are gravely affected by the modern operational and transformational procedures. Today, the entrenchment of innovativeness, technology and advance quality of products and services have become crucially significant to the operation management process for gaining competitive advantage in the market (Anderson 2006, p. 57). 2.1 Case Study I: Mercedes Benz The strategic alliance of Daimler-Benz with Chrysler in 1998 lead to establish DaimlerChrysler AG, which is now recognised as one of the leading and most promising automobile companies across the globe. The luxury German car manufacturing company enjoys its humungous presence by operating in 104 countries whilst selling its products in approximately 200 countries through more than 13,000 sales outlets within the globalised economic arena (Mercedes 2011). Mercedes is primarily engaged in the manufacturing, distribution and sales activities related to its wide range of uniquely designed and technologically advanced automotive products including passenger cars and commercial vehicles and on the other hand, the company also offers financing solutions (Mercedes 2011). In accordance with the key statistics as illustrated in its Annual Report (2002), the company has generated revenues of  £130.80 billion and employs more than 365,600 employees worldwide (Mercedes 2011). The world renowned BMW, Lexus, Toyota, Volkswagen and General Motors are amongst its core competitors. 2.1.2 Analysing the Corporate Marketing Strategies The corporate strategy of Mercedes Benz is focussed on enhanced quality and reliability of its products and services by stressing on The best or nothing strategy (Mercedes 2011). Presently, the company has been observed to raise its profile in fleet car sales by 17% in 2010 and further 11% by 2011 with intent to prevail over every operational segment unlike its premium rivals that are focussed on tax-cutting low CO2 models within market that is tightly up just under 2% (Mercedes Annual Report 2008). Studies suggest that the operations tasks can be articulated by identifying five operations performance objectives as for instance, lowering the pricing strategy necessitates substantial reduction in operational costs or speedy customer services require swift operational procedures and; as improving product quality demands for advancement in the areas concerning innovation, design and technology (Slack et al 2004, p. 119). Mercedes have been experiencing quality control problems due to it s batteries, alternators and brakes integrated in its several models made since 2001, that were quiet obvious especially after the biggest product recalls in 2005, indicating that the company is exceedingly losing its loyal consumer base (BBC 2006). The company has introduced technologically sophisticated gadgetry in its S-class cars range in parallel to its pledge for being the market leader in terms of quality and reliability however; several business analysts have identified the electronic gremlins might further impair companys image by alienating its existing consumer base (Mercedes Annual Report 2007). With respect to its marketing strategy, Mercedes is focussed on Ambition to lead by particularly emphasising on 6Ps of marketing i.e. product, price, promotion, place, people and process. Massive improvements have been observed in its product designs and technologies especially in E and S class ranges by introducing higher-rate springs, stabiliser audio, navigation, trip computer and telephone consoled steering wheels (Bilich and Neto 2000, p. 9). Pricing has also been revised to attract people from middle class and the strategy is complimented by moving its manufacturing and operational units in Asian countries to reduce the production and distribution costs. Aggressive promotional strategy has been embraced by the company whilst targeting wide-ranging consumer base through effective marketing campaigns that are focussed on product features including CLS or Blue-Efficiency campaigns and on the other hand, marketing campaigns are exceedingly supported by comprehensive print, TV, online and media communications (Holweg, Disney, Hines, Naim 2005, p. 514). 2.2 Case Study II: Tesco Plc. Deeply penetrated within the competitive retailing sector in UK, Tesco celebrates its substantial existence by covering approximately 90% of UK market alone with an annual turnover of more than $1 billion which makes it the largest online grocer across the globe (Palmer 2005, p. 25). In accordance with the Nielsen/Netrating audience panel for September (2007), that investigated 25,000 demographically representative households in the UK for the top supermarkets, Tesco leads the online market share by holding 27.1% followed by Asda, Sainsbury and Waitrose holding 10.1%, 6.9% and 4.2% shares respectively (Nielsen/Netrating 2007). On the other hand, Tesco was again spotted at the top position with 30.9% offline market share followed by Asda and Sainsbury having 16.9% and 16.4% shares respectively (Nielsen/Netrating 2007). The company principally deals with food and grocery items and has also diversified into non-food ranges including clothing, books, electronics, dieting clubs, flights a nd holidays, music downloads, gas and electricity (Palmer 2005, p. 27). Asda, Sainsbury and Waitrose are the core competitors of the company. 2.1 Analysing the Corporate Marketing Strategies Unlike others in UK, Tesco is the only retailer that has successfully managed to survive and expand in the contemporary globalised economies by maintaining its corporate strategy closely knitted by a six dimensional approach for enhanced growth in worldwide market (Data monitor 2003). Tesco embraces the strategy of designing its products by carefully analysing the local market needs and remain increasingly adaptive to the environment of indigenous markets. Tesco believes in highly focussed and long-term strategies with multi-format approach and shared knowledge structure. The most crucial aspect of its corporate strategy is the deployment of time and patience to build the brand image without being distracted by its growth pattern in its primary market. Followed by its corporate strategy of aggressively expanding in the international market, Tesco became the first UK retailer to break through the  £2 billion profit barrier (Data monitor 2004). The marketing strategy of Tesco is high ly innovative in terms of introducing reward points to the customers during shopping which can be later exchanged by valued products. In addition to this, the company has significantly acknowledged the need for integrating e-technologies within its marketing campaigns and thereby, launched Tesco applications that has made its products instantly accessible to the targeted consumer base through mobile phones and also keep them updated with new deals and discounted offers (Data monitor 2004). Tesco diet is another interactive web page which is meant to educate the consumers about healthy eating and thereby, unconsciously persuading them to buy the food items offered by the company. Tesco also improved its out-bound logistics by hiring cheerful and highly cooperative staff for online delivery orders, which serve as the face of the company and are also trained to market their products and new offers in a cataleptic manner (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders and Wong 2001, p. 169). The company a lso employs print and electronic media for the marketing of its products and also utilises social networking websites and blogging as integral tools of promotions in the contemporary business world. The most significant aspect of Tescos marketing mix strategy is its personalisation strategy as the company has maintained a separate online marketing department that is meant to send personalised messages via emails and sms to ensure that their customers never miss their latest offers and new products (Palmer 2005, p. 33). THEORETICAL JUSTIFICATIONS BASED ON CASE STUDIES Operation management is all about interlinking a wide-range of processes and procedures including manufacturing, distribution, marketing and all other significant methods to maximise sales and achieve core organisational objectives. Size and nature of business operations are extremely significant in terms of determining the operational, functional and transformational capacity (Handfield and Bechtel 2002, p. 371). This segment of the report is aimed to critically analyse the theories and concepts pertaining to operation management paradigm whilst analysing the capacity planning, supply chains, inventory control and total quality management in each of the selected organisations. 3.1 Evaluating Supply Chains of Mercedes Tesco Closely knitted web of manufacturing, distribution and other production activities forms the supply chain of an organisation with intent to obtain the manufactured materials, modify them into finished products and distribute them in the targeted market in order to meet the consumers demand (Holweg, Disney, Hines and Naim 2005, p. 512). Literature suggests that business organisations can significantly benefit by creating four dimensional values in their supply chains including customers, planning and performances, processes and intangible resources (Kaplan and Norton 2004, p. 102). Whilst catering condense market segment, Mercedes has been focussed on creating value in its supply chain, primarily by embracing three main supply chain strategies including just-in-time, lean manufacturing and built-to-order strategy for a larger consumer base that is unwilling to wait for two to 3 weeks delivery time thereby, enhancing customer satisfaction (Holweg et al 2005, p. 512). On the other hand, the company has also adopted a plan for catering lower-income customers by producing affordable car ranges and espousing cost-effective manufacturing process. Tesco has also been vigilantly focussing on creating value in their supply chains by low-cost leadership, synchronisation and lean thinking, employee-empowerment initiatives and customer-centric approach (Griffith 2002). Capacity Planning by Mercedes Tesco The continuously evolving business trends of contemporary globalised economies have made it extremely significant for the business organisations to improve their aptitudes for capacity planning. Through capacity planning, organisations gather, maintain and analyse the optimum information regarding the utilisation of its tangible and intangible resources to meet and exceed their core organisational objectives (Anderson 2006, p. 93). However, it is crucially important to determine the investment required for capacity planning (Gox 2002, p. 62), as it has been studied that underinvestment in capacity can substantially reduce revenues whereas, an overinvestment might result in excess capacity which may produce serious consequential effects on the fixed costs (Henderson and Cool 2003, p. 397). Mercedes has successfully employed capacity planning initiatives by investigating North American region for the feasibility of producing luxury sports utility vehicle which significantly minimised c ombined labor, shipping, and components cost and further reduced the penalties associated with currency fluctuations (Holweg, Disney, Hines, Naim, 2005, p. 518). On the other hand, Tesco expanded its order-processing capacity by foreseeing its rapidly growing online sales and integrated BizTalk system that process 5,000 orders per hour which remarkably increased performance efficiency without the need to expand hardware configuration and also reduced system maintenance costs (Norris 2007). Mercedes Tescos TQM Strategies Quality has been recognised as the most critical element of the operation management and is considered to be a macro function of organisations that has to be entrenched within the decision making process, allocation of resources, definition of priorities and most importantly within service delivery (Bilich and Neto 2000, p. 5). It has also been studied, that survival of the organisations in the contemporary business world necessitates total quality management established at all levels (Djerdjour and Patel 2000, p. 26). Mercedes core organisational values heavily rely upon quality, safety and reliability however; the companys image was seriously threatened when its position dropped to 26th spot in quality segment of auto manufacturing (Business Week 2003). It has been observed that the Mercedes significantly deviated from its core strategies and was more inclined towards innovation and technology which has tremendously shaken its loyal consumer base indicating the unfavourable implica tions of undervaluing quality management approaches. The TQM strategy of Tesco is primarily focussed on two main areas including: (i) process improvement by systemic approach and; (ii) development and standardisation of management systems for functional activities throughout the organisation (Delaney-Klinger, Boyer and Frohlich 2003, p. 187). By analysing the TQM strategy of both the organisations it can be instituted that the benefits of TQM can be maximised by entrenching it within the internal and external organisational processes, resources and facilities (Djerdjour and Patel 2000, p. 34). Mercedes Tescos Approach towards Inventory Control The role of inventory management is extremely significant as lower inventory levels can increase the transportation outlays followed by smaller and irregular loads. Business organisations can effectively reduce the costs to logistics through supply chain optimisation by planning to meet the demands of consumer base. It has been studied that ineffective routing and scheduling of orders can adversely influence transport costs (Cooke 2000). In accordance with its inventory management approach, Mercedes identified approximately 100 sites in 35 state of US which is closer to its primary market and since major part of its products were intended to export therefore, the company chose the sites near seaports, rail lines, and major highways to control the costs for transportation (Holweg, Disney, Hines, Naim 2005, p. 523). Studies suggest that transportation is the single most prominent cost category in logistics which can dramatically facilitate in cost saving (Giblin 2001). On the other han d, Tesco being market leader of retail business in UK, necessitates embracing technological advancements in terms of maintaining its position within the extremely concentrate market. Therefore, Tesco has embraced smart shelf technology by adopting RFID system which enables the staff to locate the items in real-time and also improve the on-shelf availability by timely replenishments thereby, saving time and costs for additional staff (Thomas 2003). APPLICATION EVALUATION OF OM THEORIES ON STRATEGIC MIX This part of the report is aimed to highlight the strategic mix pertaining to the concepts and theoretical frameworks of operation management as applied on the competitiveness, innovation and sustainability of selected organisations. The effectiveness of operation management strategies is usually determined by evaluating the key factors like cost, quality, delivery and flexibility (Mills, Platts, Bourne and Richards 2002, p. 130) however, it is important to note that the contemporary business world that has now liberated from the limitations of geographical boundaries needs the integration of advanced technological solutions to stand-out in the global markets (Khamalah and Lingaraj 2007, p. 976). 4.1 Competitiveness Mercedes manufactures high-valued and technically advanced cars by particularly focussing on the development of car engines and producing wide-ranging transport facilities from cars to jeeps and other commercial vehicles which enables the company to cater almost every segment of the market. Merger of European and American companies makes Mercedes well acquainted by the consumer markets belonging to two different tastes and culture (Elvin, Hendricks and Singhal 2001, p. 274). The company continues its competitiveness by its remarkable supply change management as it maintains close ties with its key suppliers for instance, during the worldwide fiscal turmoil in early nineties when organisations were obligated to negotiate pricing strategy, it was quiet obvious that both the company and its suppliers shared equivalent dependability on each other (Hayes, Pisano, Upton and Wheelwright 2005, p. 133). Despite of operating in a highly concentrated market, Tesco has achieved a leading positio n as the company has radically improved its operation management strategies by adopting lower pricing and absolute quality control through compensating full costs of the product, if found damaged (Tesco 2010). The company also maintains its competitiveness by proffering secure transaction opportunities in case of online shopping, timely delivery of products at the door-step and efficient staff that is adequately trained to offer excellent customer services. 4.1 Innovation Mercedes allocates a humungous investment of more than $47billion on its research and development which substantiates its organisational objectives to meet and exceed the consumers expectations pertaining to advanced technology and innovative solutions. The company is also exhibiting keen interest in developing contemporary designs within competitive price whilst maintaining its assertive and risk-taking behaviour which indicates its thirst for improved quality in its products and services (Kaynak 2003, p. 426). The innovativeness of products characterised by radio frequency identification system of tagging its products or advanced data processing system; Tesco exhibits its commitment to enhance the consumer buying experience through innovation (Norris 2007). By introducing highly interactive and advantageous innovations like Tesco club cards, Tesco applications, talking Tesco and Tesco diet; the company has notably penetrated within diversified consumers market segments. 4.3 Sustainability The strong market presence characterised by more than 25-30 dealerships in each of its operational territories, Mercedes ensures that its within the consumers reach (Bilich and Neto 2000, p. 7). In addition to this, a luxurious brand image of Mercedes along with its quality standards, enhanced security and tremendous reliability for many years has established a loyal consumer base. The company principally operates in economies of scale and as the level of sales rises the unit cost decreases which substantially circumvent the threats of new entrants in the market thereby, accentuating its long-term sustainability (Bilich and Neto 2000, p. 13). On the other hand, Tesco has not refrained from diversifying into non-food categories and has expanded its operations into other market segments including clothing, electronics, financing and others which determines that the company has the aptitude to take risk and maintain its survival on long-term basis. Tesco maintains a strong brand value w hich has been indicated by its tremendous rise in profitability by 78% through successful operations in Europe, Asia and Ireland (Usunier 2000, p. 177). CONCLUDING REMARKS The report has critically appraised on the theoretical frameworks pertaining to operation management by explicating its key components including inventory control, supply chains, capacity planning and total quality management. Case studies of one manufacturing company i.e. Mercedes and one service-based company i.e. Tesco; have been profoundly investigated to evaluate the impacts of operation management theories and application; on the innovation, competitiveness and sustainability of these organisations. To conclude, it can be stated that both Mercedes and Tesco are market leaders within their territories and the analytical report suggests that their success lies within their strategic deployment of operational and functional processes.

Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit To Change Something Essay -- essays res

Americans are well renown for their utter dissatisfaction for the current social, political, and economic status of their nation. Of course, it comes as now surprise that Americans are so driven to produce changes. The feisty, perseverance has been with the American people since the Revolutionary War, even before then. However, no matter how much a certain aspect of life is altered, not everyone will be pleased. Even though reform was a trend all throughout America's history, the 1830's and 1840's seem to be a time where reform was a popular fad. The women's right movement was a very predominant reform during this time. After years of servitude, many women were not longer going to be idle and quiet as their rights continually were denied to them. Many women felt as if they were being held captive or held prisoner by invisible bonds. For those women who did work out of the home, they finally were struck with a hard blow. Pay for a woman was the half the pay of a man. The Seneca Falls Manifesto was a revolutionary document for the women's document. Modeled after the Declaration of Independence, the authors proclaimed the atrocities committed by the men around them. "He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men-both natives and foreigners....He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns." Despite their intelligence, perseverance, and peaceful way by which women conducted their movement, they still endured much criticism and mockery, but not only the press, but by Congress also. Feminists made an appearance around this time, the most famous being Lucy Stone. Stone and other feminists were particularly against the "traditional marriage." Some feminists were lucky to attain support from men in their crusade for rights. However, the majority of the male population felt women were to be docile, that "Her proper sphere is home, and her proper function is the care of the household, to manage a family, to take care of children, and attend to their early training." Religion, always a popular item chosen to be changed. People can never make up their minds. They choose one faith, and realize it is not for them, so they switch to another. Attitudes similar to these were the cause of the Second Great Awakening. One major religion, the Mormon belief, made a spectacular debut... ...n with rods, and lashed into obedience!" The Humanitarian Reform was begun by Dorthea Dix, however, many people, often relating religion to their actions, keep this movement going. For once in their lifetimes, the Indians were finally being seen as human beings, not barbarous creatures. Alexis de Tocqueville was a major campaigner in the better treatment of Indians. Tocqueville and another reformer, George Caitlin felt some land should be given back to the Native Americans, so their customs and ways of life might not fade away. "These are great evils, and it must be added that they appear to me to be irremediable. I believe that the Indian nations of North America are doomed to perish.....The Indians had only the alternative of war or civilization...the must either destroy the Europeans or become their equals..." A pattern seemed to have formed within the reforming of the 1830's and 1840's. All of a sudden, Americans wanted better treatment for everyone, well almost all Americans. Finally injustices were being recognized. They oppressed would endure bondage no longer. Revolutions started all over America, revolutions which paved the way for the present day America.

Exposing the Falseness of Truth in On the Nature of the Universe Essay

Exposing the Falseness of Truth in On the Nature of the Universe  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Truth is in the eye of the beholder. Or is it? Questions regarding the nature of truth have always been central to not only philosophers, but all men (and women, of course) who possess any desire for knowledge. For while truth itself is an elusive concept, it is also the underlying theme of all science -- which is the basis of knowledge -- and so the seeker of learning must first discover his own truth about the world; without a strong belief, the slippery nature of truth will only serve to confuse and mislead the student of life. A person who is lacking a basic understanding of truth can never fully grasp the fine distinction between appearance and reality, yet the ability to separate the two is essential to anyone interested in knowledge at a higher level, where appearances lead only to dead ends. Or do they? And who says appearance is not reality? At the heart of this matter is the conflict between truth as an absolute and the truth of the senses; while this may seem like a trivia l matter (truth is true, isn't it?), it is anything but. If there does indeed exist an absolute truth, as the Socratics claim, then all attempts to understand the universe are futile, since human senses can never adequately grasp a truth that is so far above everyday experience. On the other hand, the Epicurean view of truth is much more encouraging; after all, this explanation of truth as being of the senses offers the hope that individuals have the ability to create, and therefore understand, their own universe. The Epicureans, by advocating truth of the senses, basically claim that whatever appears to be something, really is, whereas followers of Socrates would disc... ...y that this debate over its relativity can ever be satisfactorily settled. Nevertheless, both philosophies have valid arguments, and each also has its merits from the common man's point of view; while Plato's truth appeals to the seekers of knowledge and idealists who dream of a perfect world, Lucretius' definition of truth brings comfort to those who need to believe that what they can see and feel is a reliable representation of reality. Both of these explanations could be valid, yet the question remains, and will continue to haunt philosophers as long as man continues to philosophize: what is truth, and if someone accidentally stumbles on its actual nature, how will he recognize it when all he has learned is the art of doubt? Bibliography   Lucretius. On the Nature of the Universe. Tr. R. E. Latham. Introduction by John Godwin. Penguin Books, London: 1994.

Cuzco :: essays research papers

The first place, on my exploration of time, I arrived was in Cuzco the center of the Incan civilization in the year 1505 A.D. Their was much to observe on arrival. The first thing one notices is that Cuzco is in the center of the â€Å"four quarters† of the Incan Empire, Tawantinsuyu. The surrounding four quarters or the four â€Å"suyus† were to the north Chincasuyu, to the west Cuntisuyu, to the east Anitsuyu, and to the south Chinasuyu the largest quarter. Cuzco sat at the center of these four quarters of the empire and served as the capital. This capital of the Incan Empire severed as a home to the political center of the Incas. The rich political and social system proved the most interesting to me as I stayed in Cuzco.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The political system of the Incans proved rather ridged and complex. At the top of their society is the emperor. The Incan emperor was thought to be the a direct descendant of the sun god, Inti. The entire power of the Incan Empire belonged to its emperor. His system of checks and balances were that of their rich culture and of course the possibility of his subjects revolting. The emperor had only one wife that was recognized; though he had many concubines and hundreds of illegitimate children. Many of these children held the positions of advisors to the Emperor. The other relatives of the Emperor and other Emperors before him held the other high posts in the government, religion, and military. The last few government officials were the high nobles of the lands conquered by the empire. The practice of nepotism obviously was embraced by this society#.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The division of power in this civilization was a remarkable system. The governors of each quarter, once again, were blood relatives of the Emperor. Each governor had ten district governors who oversaw approximately ten thousand subjects. The governors then had leaders of about one thousand people who reported to them. Each leader of these small villages then had a foreman who over saw one hundred Incans. This process of division then ends in a series of low officials who would look over at least ten subjects1. This division the will of the emperor to be passed swiftly to the lowest members of society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The emperor allocated his resources, through this rigid division of the society, to become more economically and politically sound.

Ethical considerations Essay

Deception; the participants were not aware that they were taking part in a psychological study about memory until after the study had taken place in order to reduce the risk of bias in the experiment. Afterwards they were informed and were given the opportunity to withdraw their responses without prejudice. They were told that no names would be recorded and that confidentiality was assured of their result. Another risk would be if people then realised the experiment tested memory they could think it was to do with intelligence and worry that they would be judged as stupid’ if they did not remember many words. This could cause psychological distress to that person and might confirm personal fears of insecurity causing further damage. This could be controlled by warning the participant what the study was going to be about before they did it so if they felt embarrassed or worried about their result they could make a more informed decision not to take part. Results This table shows how many words were recalled by each participant. It shows that the mean average number of words recalled in Condition A was 15.08; 1.59 less than condition B at 16.67. It also allows us to see that 2/3 of the participants recalled more words with classical music playing than they did in silence.  Summary table to show the number of words recalled by each participant in condition A and. Condition B This bar chart shows condition A results in red and condition B in green. From this we can see that both the highest and lowest numbers of words recalled were in condition B. This bar chart clearly demonstrates the difference between condition A and B to vary greatly throughout the experiment.  This pie chart shows the difference between the average scores to be quite insignificant as there is only a 5 % difference which means that although most of the numbers of words recalled did increase from condition a to condition b there was not a big difference when taking into account what their scores actually were and working out the average. I also deduced the range to be 12 for condition A, the lowest/ highest values being 8 and 20, and 17 for condition B, the lowest/ highest values being 7 and 24. The median, however, for both was the same at 16.5. This means there was a wider spread list of values for condition B therefore more variation in how many words people remembered than in condition A.  However the descriptive statistics used above only describe what has been found. In order to suggest the probability of achieving the scores that we did, an inferential sign test was used. A sign test was used as the experimental design was a repeated measures design and the data collected was nominal. When we applied our raw data to the sign test analysis a sign value of 4 was achieved. As this exceeds the critical value of 2, for 12 participants, we can suggest that the raw data achieved is more than 5% due to chance factors and less than 95% due to the manipulation of the independent variable which means our original hypothesis is only partially supported. Discussion From the results obtained in this experiment, we can suggest that our one tailed experimental hypothesis of ‘playing classical music during a memory test will increase the number of words remembered’, is only partially supported, in that only 2/3 (66.67%) of participants recall improved when tested with classical music. This was not found to achieve a significant level of probability < 0.05, which means that recall was not 95% or more due to the manipulation of the independent variable i.e. whether or not classical music was playing in the background. Therefore on this occasion we must accept our null hypothesis of ‘there will be no significant relationship between whether or not music is played in the background and how many words the participants remember’ as there was not a high enough probability to suggest that the variation in number of words recalled was a direct effect of the manipulation of the independent variable. In our experiment we found that classical music did improve performance of memory as 2/3 of the participants recall improved. This disagrees with the findings of Cohen whose study suggested that participants who were exposed to background noise were cognitively impaired. Our experiment was similar to Cohen’s in that it tested the effect of environmental stimulants on recall ability. Cohen, however, tested the participants under exposure to aircraft noise which is much louder and more distracting than a relaxing piece of music such as Mozart. Our findings, therefore, may be more appropriately compared to the findings of Dr. George Lozanov. Lozanov designed a way to teach foreign languages to children in a fraction of the learning time. He did this by teaching whilst using certain 60 beats per minute Baroque music and found that his students had a retention rate of 92% and an accuracy of 85- 100% after only thirty days. The findings of which reflect our own in that he used classical music, with the typical 60 beat per minute pattern, to improve performance of memory in the recollection of vocabulary in foreign languages. However, the percentage of improvement in his experiment was 92%, whereas ours was only 66.67% and therefore shows that his experiment was more accurate than our own However, as our participants were young adults and not children, as in the above, direct and reliable comparisons may not be fully appropriate. This could be due to wider social influences upon adults in relation to children for example a young adult would understand the instructions better and therefore might feel under more pressure to perform than a child. This could have adverse effects and make their performance worse or make them try harder than a child would. Due to this ignorance on the child’s behalf, an experiment involving children is often more natural. Also, differences in procedure and experimental design may have led to the difference in findings. For example Lozanov choose to teach foreign languages to children and it has been proven that children have a higher capacity than adults for learning language, as they are not as set in speaking their own language as an adult is. The differences found may have related to this factor and so had an effect upon the data that we achieved. If my experiment had been carried out on children instead I think I would have gotten more positive results due to the above reasons. Other limitations include our choice of method; an experiment is not a natural setting as participants would feel pressurised by the fact that their results were being analysed and might have not been able to concentrate on recalling the words. An improvement could have been a test administered by a normal teacher in a classroom environment, where students would be more used to getting a test and might be more relaxed. This would be unethical, however as it is deceptive. The repeated measures design used meant that the list of words in the second experiment had to be changed because the same participants had seen it in the first experiment and therefore might recall more words after looking at it for a second time. This would have meant the results were inaccurate therefore another list of words was devised. This could however have caused even more problems because, although care was taken not to use more confusing or longer words from one list to another, the experiment was not standardised and therefore direct comparisons could not be made. A matched pairs design would have allowed comparisons to be made between the lists, but not as accurately between the participants, as every participant will be different. The opportunity based sample that I used meant that there weren’t an equal number of males and females, therefore it wasn’t representative. A better sampling technique would be to use stratified sampling, in which equal numbers of the same sex can be selected. If the target population was larger, the sample would have been more representative but we needed to use similarly aged participants, as there would have been difference in recall ability between, for example, a four and an eighteen year old. Using people from our own class could have interfered with the result because the participants knew who they were doing the experiment for and could be biased to the experimenter. Also, I think that using younger participants would have given a more natural element to the experiment, as they would not ask too many questions, worry about the results or interfere as much with the experiment by not trying their best. The participants did not seem to be confused by the standardised instructions but they might not have been clear on why they were doing the experiment, which could have had an effect on their performance. The participants were also talked through the experiment as we carried it out and everything was plainly stated to them. A better way of presentation of the words however, might have been to present them on an over head projector, so that timing could be controlled better; in our experiment, participants were in control of turning over the sheet of paper with the list on and therefore could have turned it over before the test started. The paper was only one sheet thick as well so participants might have been able to see the words even when the sheet was face down. To expand the experiment further, there are many different variables and different aspects of memory which I could test. The serial position effect, mentioned in my introduction, would be an interesting aspect of memory to test as I noticed in the lists of words there were a significant number of words from the start and the end of the actual list, included in the words the participants remembered. We could test this by setting a quota at, say, the first five and last five words and seeing what percentage of the recalled words were within one of these quotas. We could have used a recording of background noise to repeat Cohen’s experiment or used music with words to test the participants. A really interesting experiment would be to use children against adults in a memory test with the classical music, as I believe children would give a more positive result in relation to my hypothesis. I don’t believe that there would be a significant difference between males and females, if any, but it would be worth considering. We could have tested different amounts of words see if there is a difference in capacity of recall between a list of one hundred words and thirty words; would the participants be put off by the amount of words and not remember as many for the long list as the short? There are clearly many different experiments relating to memory that could be tested.