The Perils of Business Process Outsourcing Essay

The Perils of Business Process Outsourcing - Essay Example Business organizations are often attracted by the prospects of lowering operation and administrative costs by looking for low-wage workforce to take in their processes. Managers also argue that BPO is a "management tool" which "frees companies to build upon their core competencies by leaving the non-core stuff to providers" (Banham 1). However, the above presumptions about BPO are myopic as they fail to recognize the costs associated with leaving the companies' processes to lower paid third world workers. First, as companies try to find less costly resources, the labor market in the home country usually suffers because of massive lay-off. It is also irrefutable that BPOs, like call centers, does more harm than advantage. Take Dell for instance which have always been regarded for its excellent customer service. This recognition for the company has been eroded due to the fact that India's customer agents often lack the knowledge and skill necessary to service customers (Dell Admits Indian Mistake). For these reasons, I believe that business process outsourcing is more detrimental than beneficial. Companies planning to outsource should rethink and weigh both quantitative and qualitative aspects of BPO. Banham, Russ. "Cut to the Core-Business Process Outsourcing-Statistical Data Included." CFO:Magazine for Senior Financial Executives. Oct. 2001.

Project Management in a Changing Environment Coursework

Project Management in a Changing Environment - Coursework Example A new body of knowledge was evolved, which came to be known as Project Management. Over the years, the science of Project Management has developed enormously and many scholars and practitioners have introduced various tools and techniques to enrich it. Â  Internet, computers, project management software etc have enhanced the pace of development of project management.Successful completion of a project on time with the use of limited resources and minimum cost is the main objective of project management. But, project management in modern times is no longer possible by paying attention to resources, cost and time alone. The project managers are forced to look beyond time, cost and resources. The traditional tools and techniques such as Gantt chart, PERT/CPM networks became powerless and attainment of project objective remained a dream for the competent project managers. A careful analysis has been made in various areas of project management and finally reached a way-out that project ma nagers need to have a check on the rapidly changing environment in which the project needs to be materialized.Every project is carried out in a set of complex factors. The totality of all such factors is known as the project environment. Time, organizational factors, a legal system, political system, technology structure, economic system, socio-cultural system are some of the factors in the project environment. All these factors are likely to affect projects and the success depends upon how the project manager and his team respond and adapt to the changes. The basic principles of project management still remain effective in any contexts regardless of size and time. But the resources, budgets, methods, and tools of the project depend upon the environment. If today’s projects are managed by the tools of the past, the probability of failing the project is very high. That does not mean that traditional tools are ineffective in modern times. Thus, before implementing the tools, th ey must be made adaptable to the changed resources, budgets.

Lean Principles and Applications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Lean Principles and Applications - Essay Example Principles of lean evolved in the above context. â€Å"LEAN IS†¦ A mindset, or way of thinking, with a commitment to achieve a totally waste-free operation that’s focused on your customer’s success†¦.† (Principles of Lean Thinking, 2004, p.2). Lean principles can be illustrated as follows: (Principles Of Lean, 2009) Wrap-it Company manufactures and distributes plastic wrapping machines for industrial use, selling them within the UK and the near continent. Automatic stretch wrappers, shrink wrap tunnels and straddle wrappers are some of the wrapping materials produced by Wrap-it Company. Value identification is the first step of implementing lean principles in an organization. Value identification process should â€Å"Specify value from the standpoint to the end customer by product family† (Principles Of Lean, 2009). There is no point in packing certain materials in good condition at the packing units if the packing fails during transit or while r eaching the customer. The risks involved during transit should be reduced as much as possible which is the duty of an effective plastic wrapping system. If stretch wrapping fails to contain a load during transit, sustainability gains in primary packaging are instantly wiped out. Loads get to their destination with less risk – looking better than ever – with less tweaking and hassle – with up to 30% less film – and at an overall lower net cost (lantech.com, 2012 ) It should be noted that accumulation of plastic is causing huge problems to the environment. Under such circumstances, it is the duty of Wrap-it Company to produce only environmental friendly or biodegradable plastic wrapping materials as part of value creation in the market. Current consumers are giving more importance to socially committed companies and hence environmental friendly plastic wrapping material production may definitely increase the reputation of the company in the market. In short wrap it management should think in terms of restructuring the whole operations inside the company to increase the value of the company in domestic and international market. Mapping of the value stream is the second step in implementing lean principles. Plenty of unnecessary processes and operations are going on in most of the organizations like Wrap-it Company. Processes which brought enormous value in the past would be useless at present because of the advancements in technology and changes in the business world. For example, the entry of computers brought huge changes in the organizational world. There are plenty of organizations which keep typewriters even now. Same way, many organizations have the habit of relying on less efficient manual work when more efficient machineries are available for certain jobs. It is necessary for Warp it Company to â€Å"Identify all the steps in the value stream for each product family, eliminating whenever possible those steps that do not create value† (Principles Of Lean, 2009). Creating flow is the third step in implementing lean principles. Value creation should be done in all departments simultaneously so that the end product will flow smoothly towards the customer or destination. It should be noted that plenty of departments were involved in the production and delivery of certain goods. If any of the departments involved in the production and delivery system fails to operate properly, value created at the top level may not flow properly towards the bottom level. Imagine a company is producing high quality goods. If these products

How was and is the cold war reflected culturally Essay

How was and is the cold war reflected culturally - Essay Example The commonalities (Cold War order) began from the re-formation of the century long olden times of imperialism and nationalism. The Cold War enmity provided the edge of orientation in which a narrative rapport between imperialism and nationalism wanted to lodge developments such as decolonization and the universal rights uprising; in turn, this adjustment generated developmentalism, multiculturalism, militarism, and new ideologies and modes of individuality configuration, thus producing a novel gathering. The evolving pattern changed and was exaggerated by other chronological factors together with race, femininity, division, and creed among others.1 Era fashioned by structures rising from axis of supremacy that lean to control historical existence. Like other hegemonic configurations, such organizations have a tendency to guide and confine the thoughts of the communal, the biased and selfhood, but these organizations also have violently jagged things and there are countless zones of existence that are relatively unhurt by them. Thus in some places, such as the Japanese territory, exacting aspects, such as developmental imperialism, began prior to the Cold War. One might also argue that in East Asia, the Cold War arrangements began to untie a decade before 1989. The cold war dominated influence on several aspects of people in United States society for almost second half of the twentieth century. It rose as a result of adversary values linking America, representing democracy and capitalism, and Soviet Union, advocating socialism and dictatorship. As the superpowers after the World War II, disputation among the Soviets and Americans rose to be a universal conflict. 2 Cold war was different from several other wars as it was mostly based on propaganda war and much of military activities. Vietnam wars and the Korean wars are crucial instances of military intrusion by the United

JetBlue Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

JetBlue - Case Study Example The interest payments would not show on the balance sheet while the increased assets would, making JetBlue look like a viable investment opportunity. Thus a decision needs to be made on the mode of financing that will lend strength to JetBlue's capital structure. However before analyzing the options of financing and recommending the most suitable alternative, it is imperative hat the current situation of the company be analyzed so that the structure can be evaluated for the option most suitable to it. To evaluate the current financial position based on the published data, the company will be evalaluated based on its profitability, its financial strength, the adequacy of its cash flows and its leverage and relationship between the fixed and variable costs of operating the airline. On the basis of profitability, assuming that salaries and related costs along with fuel are variable costs, JetBlue's contribution margin ratio indicates that the contribution of revenue to variable costs was 52% in 2000, 61% in 2001, and 62% in 2002 and by 64% in the first half of 2003. However, a more detailed look at the profitability indicates that the operating margin, which considers the contribution of revenue to total operating costs, is much lower. In fact, operating costs were higher than revenue in 2000. But this is because the revenue earnings of the airline were much lower in 2000, than in consequent years. The shortfall in revenue and its failure to cover operating costs can be attributed to the fact that the airline had just started and customers, wary of trying out a new airline might have preferred travelling on the older airlines. Moreover the airline might not have had the proper connections and incentives in place for travel agents, which it covered for in later periods, leading to an increase in sales revenues. Comparing operating and contribution margin, an analysis of the two indicates that fixed costs account for a large portion of the airlines costs. The operating margins for the years 2000, 2001, 2002 and half year ended June 2003 were -20%, 8%, 17% and 18% respectively, indicating that fixed costs pulled down the profit amounts. The graph below illustrates the Net Profit Margin, before and after taxes and shows the impact that tax has on the net profit margin. As it can be observed, taxes pull down the net profit margin in periods where there is revenue growth but in periods where there is a loss the tax waivers do not further the losses. However the taxes when carried forward in the next year increase the difference in before and after tax margins, the consequent year remedies this. Upon further scrutiny we can observe that the return on assets (ROA) for JetBlue has been positive from 2001 onwards, with a -6% return in the starting year. For the rest of the periods return on assets was 6%, 7% and 3% (till June 2003). The returns on investment (ROI) were much higher than the returns on assets, being 24%, 23% and 10% in 2001, 2002 and half year ended June 2003 while negative returns were posted in the initial year of

Florida Emergency Response Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Florida Emergency Response Plan - Essay Example However, the question is now to judge whether what is on paper is as good when it is tested by nature. Based on the experience of Hurricane Andrew, the federal government and its local counterparts have implemented the need to formulize specific plans and operating procedures to cope with these calamities but the Andrew experience has now been overshadowed by another Hurricane. Katrina hit the Bahamas, South Florida, Cuba, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida Panhandle, and most of eastern North America on August of 2005 costing the US almost 82 billion in damages and the lives of 1836 people ("Hurricane Katrina", 2006). This happened after the requirement of each state to have its own emergency response systems and the institution by the federal governing bodies solely focused on did after preparation and mitigation. The devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina most recently has further emphasized the need to have these disaster plans carefully examined, updated and monitored . The Florida Fire Chiefs' Association has created the FFCA Statewide Emergency Plan (SERP) is an effort to coordinate and mitigate response during emergencies. It is not limited to situations brought on by hurricanes that frequent the state but also provides standard operating procedures for various types of emergencies either brought by natural or contrived circumstances. It is based on a collective of experience from emergency services and the methods that have been established during the ordinary course of their service. The FFCA SERP covers local, county, state and federal level of intervention that delegates primary accountability with the lowest level of government and assistance can be requested following the same hierarchy the apex being Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM)Assessment of damages or calamity costs is evaluated by the Rapid Impact Assessment Teams(RIAT) which will also be the basis of declarations of state of emergency by the Governor which will in turn initiate the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) that will serve as the coordinating body of county-based emergency operations centers. In the event that local and state resources prove to be inadequate, the Governor may seek the assistance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). At the same time, existing government agencies may be asked to extend their functions as may be required by the situation. The other key elements that have been established through FFCA-SERP are deployment time frames, pre-identified strike teams, and pre-staged resources. Another key element to the plan is the considerable focus on the pre and post event concerns. As preparation for any event it is a requirement that a proper assessment of anticipated needs, both supplies and services, is done and that each level shall consider these as current requirements. However, even if emergency response primary follows a hierarchy, counties are encouraged to support and coordinate with each other closely at all times. Consequently, the manner of dealing with reimbursements, service rates of personnel, equipment rates and other expenses, has already been established. Disasters and Realities It has been claimed that Hurricane Andrew laid bare the

Music Study Guide Essay Example for Free

Music Study Guide Essay Music is an art based on the organization of sounds in time. Also the universal language of man or something who knows Pitch is the relative highness or lowness that we hear in a sound Tone is a sound that has a definite pitch Interval is the distance in a pitch between any two tones Tones are separated by an interval called the octave Tones have a specific frequency in music Pitch range is the distance between the lowest and highest tones that a voice or instrument can produce Range of an untrained voice is between 1 and 2 octaves Dynamics are degrees of loudness or softness in music Loudness is related to the amplitude of the vibration that produces the sound Accent is an emphasis of a note Instrument may be defined as any mechanism that produces musical sound Register is the part of the tonal range of an instrument or voice Pizzicato- plucked string Double stop- two notes at once Vibrato- rocking the left hand while pressing down with the other. Throbbing expressive tone that causes small pitch fluctuations that make the tone warmer Mute- a clamp that veils or muffles that tone Tremolo- rapidly repeats tones by quick up-and-down strokes of the bow Harmonics- Very high pitched tones are produced when the musician lightly touches certain points on a string Woodwinds have little holes along their length that are opened and closed by the fingers or pads controlled by a key mechanism Flutes and piccolos are played by blowing across the edge of a mouth hole Recorders are played by blowing through a whistle mouthpiece Single-reed woodwinds are played by fastening a reed over a hole in the mouthpiece that vibrates when the player blows over it (ex- clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone) Double-reed woodwinds use two narrow pieces of cane that are held between the musician’s lips (ex- English horn, contrabassoon, bassoon) Bass instruments are played by the musician blowing into a cup- or funnel-shaped mouthpiece (vibrations of bass instruments come from their lips) Pitch of brass instrument is regulated by varying lip tension and by using slides and valves Mutes alter the tone color of bass instruments When a pianist’s finger strikes a key, a felt-covered hammer swings up against a string (greater the force on the key, more powerful the hammer’s blow, louder the tone produced) Damper comes down on the string to stop the vibrations when the pianist lets go of the key Damper pedal is the most important pedal, allows a pianist to sustain tones Una corda pedal, on the left, veils the sound Sostenuto pedal, in the middle, allows the pianist to sustain some tones without sustaining others Harpsichord has strings that are plucked. Controlled by one or two keyboards. Pipe organ has many sets of pipes controlled by several keyboards, including a pedal keyboard played the organist’s feet Tape studio was the main tool of composers of electronic music during the 1950s Synthesizers are systems of electronic components that generate, modify, and control sound Analog Synthesis is based on representing data in terms of measurable physical quantities Digital frequency modulation synthesis is based on representing physical quantities as numbers Sampling involves placing brief digital recordings of live sounds under the control of a synthesizer keyboard Instrument Digital interface (MIDI) is a standard adopted by manufacturers for interfacing synthesizer equipment Consonance is a tone combination that is stable. They are points of arrival, rest, and resolution. Dissonance is a tone combination that is unstable. Its tension demands an onward motion to a stable chord Dissonance has its resolution when it moves to a consonance The Middle Ages The Middle Ages spanned from 450-1450 Most important musicians were priests Church officials required monks to sing with proper pronunciation, concentration, and tone quality Church frowned upon instruments because of their earlier role in pagan rites Gregorian chant is a melody set to sacred Latin texts and sung w/o accompaniment Gregorian chant is monophonic in texture, its rhythm is flexible, w/o met.er, and has little sense of beat. The melodies tended to move by step within a narrow range of pitches. Used church modes as a scale. The Renaissance The Renaissance spanned from 1450-1600 The Renaissance mass is a polyphonic choral composition made up of the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei Baroque Baroque era spanned from 1600-1750 Baroque era used violins a lot. Organ and harpsichord where the main keyboard instruments Baroque suite is a set of dance-inspired movements. It is made up of movements that are all written in the same key but differ in tempo, meter, and character. Usually in A A B B French overture is a common Baroque suite opening. Short Answer Middle Ages (450-1450) Renaissance (1450-1600) Baroque (1600-1750) Classical (1750-1820) Romantic (1820-1900) Contemporary (1900-now) 3 Composers per period: Middle Ages- Hildegard of Bingen, Perotin, Francesco Landini Renaissance- Josquin Desprez, Thomas Morley, Giovanni Gabrieli Baroque- Johann Sebastian Bach, George Fredric Handel, Henry Purcell Italian dynamic markings: Pianissimoppvery soft Piano psoft Mezzo Pianompmoderately soft Mezzo fortemfmoderately loud Fortefloud Fortissimoffvery loud Orchestras contain string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Symphonic bands contain brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Duple Meter- measure has two beats Triple Meter- measure has 3 beats Quadruple Meter- measure has 4 beats Gregorian chant is monophonic in texture, its rhythm is flexible, w/o met.er, and has little sense of beat. The melodies tended to move by step within a narrow range of pitches. Used church modes as a scale. Polychoral Motet- motet for two or more choirs, often including groups of instruments Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D Major (1721), by Johann Sebastian Bach. Ritornello form, duple meter. Used a string orchestra and a group of soloists consisting of a flute, violin, and a harpsichord. Essays Compare and contrast two periods of music that we’ve learned Middle Ages and Renaissance Compare: Musicians worked in churches. The church remained an important patron of music. Vocal music was more important the instrumental music. Both had sacred music(Gregorian chant, Renaissance mass). Both used church modes as their basic scale of music. The cantus firmus (Melody used as the basis of a polyphonic choral) was used in both periods. Contrast: Musical activity gradually shifted to the courts in the Ren. Musicians had higher statuses in the Ren. Ren music sounds fuller than MA music. Bass register was used for the first time in the Ren, expanding the pitch range to more than 4 octaves. Invention of the printing press widened the circulation of music, and the number of composers and performers increased in the Ren. Ren music was more about men rather than God. Instruments were used more often in the Ren. Composers were no longer content to remain unknown; in the Ren they wanted fame and recognition for their works. Bach’s contributions to the Baroque period Bach was the mack daddy of Baroque music. His works show an astounding mastery of harmony and counterpoint, and they are used as models by music students today. With his set of six Brandenburg Concerto’s, Bach brought immortality to a German aristocrat, the margrave of Brandenburg. In Concerto No.5, Bach uses a string orchestra and a group of soloists consisting of a flute, violin, and harpsichord. This was the first time a harpsichord was given a solo in a concerto grosso. The harpsichord’s solo at the end of the first movement is spectacular. His audience marveled at this brilliant harpsichord solo within a concerto grosso, and audiences today are still blown away by it. Bach wrote fugues that were the peak among works in the form. In his collections of preludes and fugues, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Back explored with unprecedented thoroughness systems of tuning instruments that enabled a composer to write in all 24 keys, even keys with many sharps and flats. Bach also composed what is probably the most monumental setting of the Roman Catholic mass (Mass in B Minor). It was too long to be performed in a mass, so Bach was just probably being a show-off. Bach wrote about 295 church cantatas. Cantata No. 140 is his most famous.