The Business Operation of Sweetie Upcycled Dolls - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2800 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Describe the business operation, including the role of the website and the role of the third parties with: Making contact Sweetie Upcycled Dolls would search for potential buyers through two ways, there are (1) meeting the unmet or under-served buyers, and (2) approaches to market segmentation. Firstly Sweetie Upcycled Dolls may reach the unmet or under-served buyers through create more efficient markets in Malaysian, create more efficient value system and enable ease of access. Ecommerce create more efficient markets by provide lower searching cost and transaction cost compare to traditional form of business. Sweetie Upcycled Dolls would reduce the product searching cost such as time spent on products searching, travelling cost and price discovery cost. Through the website service provided by Sweetie Upcycled Dolls, customers can easily access to product feature information, user instruction and make price comparison with others sellers through online servi ce, thus it is convenience and time saving compare to offline dolls business. Therefore, Sweetie Upcycled Dolls would minimize the business transaction cost by standardize the transaction across the board, compared to the traditional type business method that calculate transaction cost subject to business expenditures and the actual number of transaction. At the same time, Sweetie Upcycled Dolls Ecommerce would reduce labor and other costs by replacing traditional business methods of document preparation, telephone calling, data entry and overtime expenses with email and electronic invoicing which create more efficient internet-based value chain. Sweetie Upcycled Doll would also employ the marketing communication strategy that must integrate with other marketing tools, such as mobile social apps Line and Sweetie Upcycled Dollsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ mobile app in order to add convenience with the online offerings. Sweetie Upcycled Dolls also create value proposition to customer throug h greater access on information about pricing. Sweetie Upcycled Dolls also make segmentation approach through stage of behavioral and benefits. Sweetie Upcycled Dolls would target and approach the market through behavioral segmentation which divides market based on how customers actually buy and use the products. Example, Sweetie Upcycled Dolls would target parents, teenagers or doll collectors, because this group of people are the person who willing spend and buy for the products offering by Sweetie Upcycled Dolls. On the other hand, Sweetie Upcycled Dolls also would approach the target the benefits segmentation market which divided market based on the benefits or qualities sought from products. Example, the target market that looks at the true benefit that sought by Sweetie Upcycled Dolls. Marketing communication strategies that employ by Sweetie Upcycled Dolls would via web service, thus online marketing tools play a crucial role in making contact between sellers and buyers, s uch as banners and text ads would employ by Sweetie Upcyled Dolls in promote and market the product offering by the ecommerce. Sweetie Upcycled Dolls would tie together its own site with online social media marketing such as Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, Google + and YouTube, at the same time Sweetie Upcycled Dolls would also maximize the benefit of partnering with online intermediaries such as blog. In order to create brand awareness and loyalty, Sweetie Upcycled Dolls would continuously advertising the products and company name through different type of contact channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Youtube, Blog and others Price discovery Modem form of economy, electronic business has put buyers in a better bargaining position compare to traditional type of brick and mortal business. Through ecommerce, buyers always can quickly and easily compare products and prices under the assistance of Internet, wireless network and corporate network. Thus, Sweetie Upc ycled Dolls would customize the product and price based on the customersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ buying habits, spending limit and preferences detail through customers collected data online, in order to offer right price to the right person at the right time. Price customization has become an integral part of electronic commerce (Narahari, Raju, Ravikumar Sourabh Shah, 2005). According to xxx indicate that in the financial markets the price discovery is one of the essential functions. Price discovery is described as the search for an equilibrium price and gathering and interpreting news and the incorporation of the information implicit in investor trading into market prices. (Schreiber and Schwarts, 1986 Baillie, et.al, 2002 and Lehman, 2002). Since Sweetie Barbie dolls is first mover in Malaysia so we are able to enjoy market share in markets. Sweetie Barbie dolls decide the price depend on the economic in the Malaysia market. The pricing approach that Sweetie upcycled doll use is d ecrease prices predictable. The price is transparency which have provided on the site. Based on the customer knowledge increase about the product, the sellers will adjust the reduction of price and standardized to fulfill the customers. The Sweetie will provide the price tag for each product in the website for customers to know the price quickly. Next, Cost plus pricing is to add profit margin to operational costs. This means products is adding regular mark-up prices for pricing decision such as direct labor costs, and materials costs (Accounting tools, n.d.). The materials costs such as the dolls still in unfinished products, dress for the dolls, shoes and others. Hence, the direct labour costs mean that the workers help to transfer the dolls into finished products. Besides this, if the customer purchase unfinished dolls or DIY series product will be cheaper than finished products. This means DIY series products already exclude the labor costs. The website provide DIY series pro duct or finished product for customer to choose because the customer might want to try to do their own dolls. On the other hands, the customer can buy finished product to make as a sample for their DIY series. Besides, the Sweetie Dolls will come out with many series or seasoning dolls for customers to purchase. Therefore, cost plus pricing can help Sweetie upcycled dolls to gain the profits in future. 3. Generating product experience Sweetie Barbie doll is a web based business. Web based business is a low startup cost for a new business and easily to get a website to sell the products. Sweetie is an online store that design consist an ease of use and purchase, functionally, simple graphics with information about products and legible text. This is to make customer feel more relax by using Sweetieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s site to purchase the product. Moreover, customers are easily to look for products due to this site have provided good information of each product. On this websit e, the customer can have convincing experiences which provide interactively, entertainment and human interest to use. For interactively example, customers have a forum to share information or chatting between the customers or sellers. In our online store, customer can easily to discover more about our productsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ information such as operation side and history of these products. Besides this, consumer can easily to surf our website due to simple graphic which avoids distracting and obnoxious graphical. Hence, the simple design look of website is easy for customer to use and search information they want about the products. Then, customer can enjoy few clicks to purchase service to quicker to purchase a product. Sweetie upcycled doll online store use a simple and ease of use website to attract the customers. Therefore, Sweetie upcycled online store will also organize competition activities to create the awareness of brand name. For example, Sweetie can organize com petition activities in online social website such as Facebook to encourage the readers the click à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“likeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  before join the competition and share to their friends to click like for the page. Hence, this can increase and expose the brand name of Sweetie to public. Additionally, these activities can create awareness of green environment to public to draw their attention. Consequently, customers can give any feedback and comments to the site and it will be responded quickly to let the customers have better experience for purchasing products in the site. 4. Commitment In Sweetie upcycled doll website has user agreement for users who already acceptance through the registration of a Sweetie upcycled account. The user agreement and all policies have posted in our website. Then, the users have to agree to confirm the agreement before using our sites services. After make agreement, buyer will receive an email for confirmation and acceptances become the user of Sweetie upcycled doll. The contract between sellers and buyer will be done after the company has sent the productsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ information to customer and customers make sure to read and go through all the information before making any transaction. For become Sweetie members, the users can refers to the personal profile to check the status ad record of online transaction. Besides, the websites also provide customer services for customers to answer their questions. For example, customer can track their package, the rate of shipping, and others. Hence, customers can easily settle their question by provided answers. Besides, our website also provides online chat for buyers and seller can communicate while surfing online. Then, customers can direct ask their problem with on duty workers online. Sweetie upcycled online store will try to solve the buyersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ problem. 5. Payment The flourish of e-commerce was encourages the demand for the product purchase d via the Internet for the service of payments. In e-commerce the payment systems of suppliers can be divided into two groups which are, (1) banks and acquires and (2) non- bank intermediaries which offering payment based on different type of innovative solutions. Online payment defined as customer or buyer use internet to make certain payment transactions when purchased for the goods and services. Online payment for businesses can lower the costs of transaction when more payment was made and will spend less for paper and postage. Hence, online payment also helps to increase the customer retention because the detail and information of the customers was entered and stored in the same e-commerce site. Moreover, online payment is convenience for customer to make payment in any places just a click of a mouse and not necessary for the customers to be in a long queue as payment. Electronic payment systems allow customer to pay online for the goods and services by using hardware and sof tware systems. Electronic payment systems are most focus on improve security and customer convenience and to increase efficiency and ease of use to make payment. There are some methods and tools that can allow electronic payment system to implementation. Online payment methods included cards payment, alternative payment and digital wallet payment. The cards payment include credit cards, debit cards, or stored value cards. Hence, alternative payment such as online bank transfer or direct debit. Digital wallet payments such as Paypals or Google wallet are use as online payment merchants. According to Laudon and Traver (2002) defined that credit cards is functionality use for online shopping payment tools. Hence, the credit cards also are the famous payment method in global online payment (OECD, 2006). Therefore, customers was generally accepted this payment system and merchants throughout the world. There have several advantage of this cards payment system such as privacy, good tra nsaction efficiency, acceptability, convenience, mobility, low financial risk and compatibility (Singh Sumanjeet, 2009). These advantages were never available in traditional payment system. Since 1996, debit card transactions have been growing at over twenty percent per year at the point of sale and now surpass credit card transactions. According to Jonker and Nicole (2005) stated that debit card are most frequently used by younger, better-educated individuals. This is because debit cards are draw from liquidity hence credit cards are draw from debt. Debit cards are most favorite way of customer to choose for payments. Debit cards are linked to customersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ account in banks which have two types included signature-based and PIN-based. Both functions usually exist in one card. As conclude, debit cards are becoming the leading form of payment in electronic payment systems. A stored value card is like a universal gift card which issued in a given amount of money use d to make purchase in any time. The individual holds the store valued card can deposits money into an account before to make payment. The stored value card is an independent card from any bank account which has brings unique benefits and risks for users. A store value cards can used to make payment for buying goods and services. Additionally store value card was store customersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ information electronically on a magnetic stripe or computer chip. Normally, store value cards have held all the needed information to identify the card and its value. For example, customer can check the balance recorded when make a purchase at a merchantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s point of sale terminal. When business used this payment tool, the people will become more loyal and spend more money on certain online shopping websites. As a result, Sweetie upcycle Barbie has provide payment methods included credit cards, debit cards, store value cards, online transaction and paypals for customers to choose for their convenience payments methods. 6. Fulfillment or deliveries Order fulfillment is a main procedure in managing the supply chain in an organization (Keely, 2002). Next, order fulfillment included filling, generating, delivering and servicing customer orders. Therefore, management must propose a network and a fulfillment process to meet the customer need in order to maximize profitability before accomplish these tasks. The orders received from customers and ends with the finished good deliveries. The main objectives of the order fulfillment performance can be separate into two propositions: (1) fulfill the customer order by delivering the qualified product at the right time and right place, and (2) to handle uncertainties from external or internal environment quickly (Chirstopher, 1992 Goldman, Nagal and Preiss, 1995). Companies must adapt quickly to market as order fulfillment performance has become more important. Sweetie online store have a good logistic sy stem for delivering the product to customers. Therefore, Sweetie online store will cooperate with Gdex transportation to send out the product to buyersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ house after receives the order from buyer. Buyers can put the products into shopping cart before make an order. Hence, buyers can review the ordered goods for accumulate productsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ price list that have added into cart. After buyers have make payment, Sweetie will quickly make invoice for operation side to process. The operational side wills quickly packing the products, shipping and delivery within the time. Sweetie online store is trying to fulfillment the buyersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ wants which is quickly delivery product with good condition. The buyer can return the product within 3-5 days if notice the product was damaged or wrong order. Sweetie online store will check back the order and solve the problem for mistake. On the other hand, Sweetie Upcycled store will sent to the customer al the deli very information for customer can track their product after purchase from site. Hence, these make customers feel happier and gain more confidence with the services. 7. Issues- culture, managing infrastructure and business risks. Sweetie upcycled dolls is a new business then would be lack of knowledge to plan the business become fluent. Business risk such as financial risks will occurs in this business. For example, when the order is inability to take, issues wrong invoice and customer defection. These will affect the profit of business dropped. This make the customer feel loss confidence with the online company. Hence, the business risks are marketing risks. For example, supplier increase the price of doll cause price risks occurs. Owner forces to rise up the price to recover the costs. Hence, Sweetie online store have to take action to prevent this risks happen in future. Next issues in this new business will be the managing infrastructure. The infrastructures that Swee tie will be cooperate with the Gdex Company to send the product for customers. But, the unexpected condition will happened due to delay arrive to customer. This will influence the online reputation of business. Therefore, the Sweetie online stores try to prevent these issues in the future. Jonker, Nicole, Payment Instruments as Perceived by Consumers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" a Public Survey,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  September 2005. Working paper, De Nederlandsche Bank. Laudon, C. K. Traver, C. (2002). E-Commerce. New Delhi: Pearson Education. Narahari, Y., Raju, C. V. L., Ravikumar, K., Sourabh Sah. (2005). Dynamic pricing models fo electronic business. Sadhana, 30 (12), 231-256. OECD, (2006). Online Payment Systems for E-commerce. OECD Digital Economy Papers, 117, OECD publishing. Porter, M. E. (1998). Competitive strategy:Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors, free press NY. Rahbar, E., Nabsiah, A. W. (2010). The Malaysian consumer and the environment: purchase behavior. Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal, 2(4), 323-336. Singh Sumanjeet. (2009). Emergence of payment systems in the age of electronic commerce: the state of art. Asia Pacific Journal of Finance and Banking Research, 3(3). Wilson, D. T. (1995). An Integrated Model of Buyer-Seller Relationships. Institute for the Study of Business Markets The Pennsylvania State University. ISBM Report lo-1995. Keely L. Croxton, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Order Fulfillment Process,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 14, No. 1 (2002), pp. 19-32. https://scm-institute.org/booksamples/PageOneOfChapter06.pdf https://faculty.fuqua.duke.edu/~jssong/bio/Publications/atoqueue.pdf https://www.pearsoned.ca/highered/divisions/text/cyr/readings/Ricker_KalakotaT3P1R2.pdf Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Business Operation of Sweetie Upcycled Dolls" essay for you Create order

Analysis For The Picture Example

Essays on Analysis For The Picture Coursework Analysis for the picture Speaking of formal visual elements of the painting, one might point out that it features soft lines with no sharp angles, dark colors dominate the canvas, the texture is perceived as elastic; the shapes of the objects depicted are primarily round. As for the way each of the elements is connected to another, one might argue that the painting is certainly balanced. On the one hand, there is an easily observed symmetry: face, eyes, nose, mouth and torso can be easily divided in two by a vertical line. On the other hand, there are objects which are placed chaotically; however, they are aligned and balance each other.I believe that the most essential component of the painting is the goggles that are worn by the main character. The reason why it is so important is that it contributes to the formation of a particular meaning of the painting and can be interpreted more or less in one way while any other element is quite ambiguous. There is no doubt that one can obser ve a working visual system in general: the colors are dark, a character is shown wearing protective elements such as goggles or a suit. All this results in a particular meaning: this person lives in a hostile environment. In addition to that, some parts of the meaning are conveyed through formal language. For example, his nose is painted red which is a bright color that reflect danger or pain; the background is dark which makes is dangerous as well.

Tqm Final Project Free Essays

string(32) " as pleased as they used to be\." ASSIGNMENT OF Total Quality Management Submitted To: Prof. Sajid Javaid Akbar Submitted By: M. Farhan Akhtar [Group Leader] Section: â€Å"D† Roll No: 835 B. We will write a custom essay sample on Tqm Final Project or any similar topic only for you Order Now Com (HONS), Semester: VI Topic: â€Å"Employee Involvement† HAILEY COLLEGE OF COMMERCE UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB |Sr # |Group members |Roll No. |1 |Muhammad Salman nisar |818 | |2 |Muhammad Uzair Bin Nasir |822 | |3 |Adnan Javed |830 | |4 |Muhammad Farhan Akhtar |835 | | |[Group Leader] | | |5 |Khizer Ali |875 | To Whom It May Concern: We allowed the group, lead by Mr. Muhammad Farhan Akhtar, of Hailey College of Commerce, to conduct the research for their course, Total Quality Management, on the topic of Employee Involvement. Nasir Mahmood Director, Madina Builders. |Sr # |Table of Contents |Page No. |1 |Executive Sumary |09 | |2 |Research Proposal Overview |11 | |3 |Research project Overview |15 | |4 |Observation and Preliminary Data Gathering |18 | |5 |Problem Definition |19 | |6 |Theoretical Framework |20 | |7 |Relationship Between Variables |25 | |8 |Hypothesis |27 | |9 |Questionnaire Sample |29 | |10 |Analysis And Interpretation |30 | |11 |Deduction |33 | |12 |Re ference |34 | Acknowledgement First I bow my head before Almighty Allah who has enable me to write on this assignment.. I am also indebted to my respected Instructor Prof. Sajid Javaid Akbar whose guidance encouraged me in writing this Project. I am also thankful to my friends who provided me the help and suggestions when and where needed. Dedication We dedicated our project To our respected Teacher â€Å"Prof. Sajid Javaid Akbar† Proposal For EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT while working at MADINA TRADERS (a Construction Company). Executive Summary The purpose of the research report is to ascertain the level of EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT while working at MADINA TRADERS (a Construction Company). That the company realizes that their employees are not as involved as they should be , so being a researcher we conduct some research on it. We design a questionnaire related to their problem to the target Employees and distribute this questionnaire to the Employees to get their feedback to solve the problem. If you want to retain your Employees, learn what their expectations are and do what you can to increase their motivation level, their commitment and making work a positive experience. Managers are worried about the increasing hesitation and changing attitude of Employees so, in order to know the Employees Involvement level and want to identify the factors which cause the changing commitment motivation level. The purpose of our study is to know how to improve the Employees Involvement level and its commitment at MADINA TRADERS. So that the management makes good efforts to ensure availability of good services to the customer. So, the research team of 5 members having research educational background will be assigned to study the factors. The scientific research design and methodology will be adopted for designing, collecting and analyzing the data and the results will be proposed to managers helping them get their reputation back. Before starting the research the appropriate time and budget is projected and allocated to the research. The non-probability sampling technique is used to construct the sample from at MADINA TRADERS. The data is collected through a structured questionnaire and some of the unstructured questions. [pic] Problem Statement: The management’s concern about Employees Involvement while working at Madina Builders. Research Objective: The purpose of our study is to know how to improve the Employees Involvement level and its commitment while working at Madina Builders. So that the management makes good efforts to ensure availability of good services to the customer. Literature Review: There’s a lot of research had already been done on while working at Madina Builders. But not as such in Pakistan. Importance of study: We are concern to while working at Madina Builders, regarding working at Madina Builders. Research Design: ? Purpose of study: `Descriptive Study ? Unit of Analysis: Individuals ? Time Dimension: Cross sectional study ? Mode of investigation: Casual ? Sampling Design: Non-Probability ? Extent of researcher interface: Full control ? Data collection method: Primary Ethical Requirements: A good Ethical conduct will be adopted while conducting research. So that no body either respondent, sponsor or the research team suffer adverse consequences from research activities. Nature and form of result: Result is given in the following forms: ? Graphs ? Charts ? Description ? Tables etc†¦ Qualification of researcher: B. Com (HONS) 6th Semester†¦ Engage in class study project. Budget: The following are the cost which spent on this project. Cost summary Travel cost500 Questionnaire development250 Printing cost200 Data entry150 Refreshment during Interviews400 Telephone200 Total cost1700/- Schedule of project: ? Meeting among research team members. ? Meeting between Research team and management. ? Interaction with subject/respondent. ? Filling of questionnaire ? Making Project Report Facilities and Special resources: We are expecting Coordination and corporation from the management of the Departmental Store. [pic][pic] Project Report On â€Å"EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT† Phases and task steps in Project Study Phase I: Determination of the information research problem. Task Step 1: Determine and clarify management’s information needs. Task Step 2: Redefine the management problem as a research problem. Task Step 3: Establish research objectives and determine the value of the information. Phase II: Development of the appropriate research design. Task Step 4: Determine and evaluate the research design and data sources. Task Step 5: Determine the sample plan and sample size. Task Step 6: Determine the measurement issues and scales. Phase III: Execution of the research design. Task Step 7: Collect and process data. Task Step 8: Analyze data. Task Step 9: Transform data structures into information. Phase IV: Communication of the results. Task Step 10: Prepare and present final report to management. Background Here we give the history and information of the company. The firm was established about Three years ago with a motive of flourishing and providing better emplacement opportunities to the people concerning this business and also to earn livelihood for us and for our employees. Principal of the company 1. Mr. Mahhmood Ghaznavi (DAE Civil) 2. Mr. Nasir Mahmood (CA finalist) Company Profile Name of Company Madina Builders Engineers, contractors General order suppliers Address Office No # 4, Forth floor, Zuhra Heights, Main Market, Gulberg, Lahore. List of Employees 1. B. Sc Civil Engineer2 2. B. Sc Mechanical Engineer1 3. Sub Engineer2 4. Quality Surveyor1 5. Work Supervisor3 6. Operator Cum Mechanic1 7. Skilled Labor6 8. Labor9 9. Plumber1 10. Electrician1 11. Peon2 12. Driver 2 13. Chokidar3 Step 1: Observation The manager of the departmental store observes that customers are perhaps not as pleased as they used to be. You read "Tqm Final Project" in category "Essay examples" The manager may not be certain that this is really the problem but may experience anxiety and some uneasiness that customer satisfaction is on the decline. Step 2: Preliminary data gathering As we study the manager’s observation we discover the undisguised structured, direct and non-participant observation. ? Employees qualify to be the participant of data collection. ? The management’s concern about Employees Involvement while working at Madina Builders (a Construction Company). ? We get Employees response at the work days because of the availability of majority of the Employees. ? Direct interaction with Employees through Questionnaires and interviews. ? The place of study is a Construction site. Purpose of preliminary data collection. Our purpose to collect preliminary to identify and solve the management problem. And to convert management problem into research problem. Sources of Data Collection: ? Questionnaire ? Interviews ? Observation ? Survey ? Internet ? Books ? Publications ? Journals Primary data collecting will help us to develop a theoretical framework and a testable hypothesis and to solve the problem with precision and clarity and ensure us that important variable is not left out from the study. So our efforts are not wasted on the already known things to the management. Step 3: Problem Definition â€Å"Decrease in Motivation and Employee Involvement level† Step 4: Theoretical Framework Introduction to EMPLOYEES INVOLVEMENT: Getting employees’ ideas and getting their involvement is critical in our rapidly changing world. If your company is going to be competitive, it’s mandatory to involve not just hands, but the ideas from everyone in your organization. by Gregory P. Smith Why is it important to capture ideas and suggestions? For starters, the process improves individual motivation and morale. Involvement programs help capture the creativity, energy, and ideas many people have. They also allow departments and individuals to work cross-functionally, and create an environment of learning and constant renewal. They improve work methods and processes continually, reduce the costs of doing business, improve safety, and reduce accidents. Exchanging ideas always improves communication and the knowledge that top management is open and willing to act on the ideas improves trust. Instead of passing untested ideas up the chain of command, the employee who originates an idea has responsibility for its achievement. They follow a three-step work process: ? Study it ? Pilot it ? Adopt it Idea Campaigns. Most suggestion programs fail. Suggestion boxes sit and collect dust and approved suggestions are few and far between. An effective variation to the suggestion program is the Idea Campaign. Over and done with in three weeks, this steroid-enriched campaign generates hundreds of ideas. The goal is to get at least one idea from everyone in the organization. For the first idea, each person receives a small token of appreciation such as a coffee cup. A second idea is acknowledged with another form of appreciation. At the end of each week, a special award ceremony recognizes everyone who turned in ideas or suggestions Suggestion System: ? An employee (associate) idea process openly invites ideas from individuals or groups in an organization. ? Each idea is treated with respect, fairly evaluated and every effort is made to work toward its timely closure, striving to implement every idea possible. ? Feedback and mentoring is invested with the participants so they can clearly define their ideas and the future ideas they develop. ? All people involved in the process are appropriately recognized and acknowledged for their efforts. A result of the process improves all aspects of the organization and is a rewarding experience for participants. Employee involvement in Total Quality Management Total Quality Management is one of the major â€Å"workplace change† programmes used in Britain, but few studies have addressed the effects o n employees. New research evidence questions optimistic and pessimistic accounts, finding that TQM is widely welcomed but that it does not lead to â€Å"empowerment†, and that success depends on certain conditions, notably job security. Employee Involvement Analysis falls into two main types: ? optimistic texts, which often prescribe ways of implementing TQM and assume a welcome from employees; and ? ritical studies, which either (a) equate TQM with intensified managerial control under the pretence of â€Å"empowerment† or (b) accept that TQM can be effective, but argue that in practice poor implementation has undermined this promise. The critical studies often argue that TQM undermines the representative role of trade unions by strengthening direct links between employer and employee. (a) Employee views More than four-fifths of the sample of employees saw quality as the crucial issue for their organisations or as very important. Almost two-thirds felt that employees h ad a â€Å"great deal† or a â€Å"fair amount† of influence over quality, and over 70 per cent felt that their own involvement in problem-solving had increased. Five employees in six identified the presence of meetings designed for problem-solving. Of the sample, 72% felt that there had been an increase in communication activity recently. The most favourably evaluated method was team briefing, followed by informal communication with individual managers. It was direct, face-to-face, communication which employees most valued. Workers also reported more stress and higher levels of work effort. A key result was that reported levels of trust between management and worker were no higher than in organisations without TQM initiatives. (b) Management and worker expectations Many proponents of TQM claim that it â€Å"empowers† workers. Critics equate it with work intensification and stress. The study finds that neither picture is accurate. Managements in the organisations studied did not use the language of empowerment and had more pragmatic goals. One manager summed this up: â€Å"empowerment is not a word used at local level; we can and do involve people more but we need to have constraints†. Workers reported higher effort levels, but most liked the pace at which they worked. Those who were working harder and who were most subject to the measurement of their performance were also the most likely to favour quality programmes. These programmes seem to promote a narrowly focused but real sense of discipline and purpose, rather than being a means to make workers work harder, the report concludes. c) Conditions for success Acceptance of TQM was greatest where several conditions prevailed. ? A strong sense of job security was a key element in encouraging acceptance of quality initiatives. ? Training was important; it was not the overall amount which mattered, but the extent to which programmes were specifically link ed to quality or teamwork. ? Cooperative relationships with employee representatives were an important element in easing the acceptance of TQM. All the case study firms were unionised, and it was found that firms which maintained working relationships with their unions were also the most likely to maintain their quality programmes effectively. Short-term pressures tended to undermine TQM initiatives. They were of two kinds: production pressures, which made it hard for quality activities to be maintained; and financial pressures, which could reduce the resources for and commitment to TQM. Do employee involvement and TQM programs work? The employee involvement literature emphasizes design of the work and business units for fuller business involvement and employee motivation. In addition, employee involvement emphasizes making the employee a stakeholder in business performance There is a strong correlation between the adoption of employee involvement approaches and the use of TQM pract ices†¦ The extent to which companies employ the core TQM practices, the production-oriented practices, collaboration with customers, and cost-of-quality monitoring all have a highly significant relationship to our measure of overall employee involvement use. The relationship to the development of knowledge and skills is particularly strong, demonstrating the strong emphasis in TQM programs on the development of skills. TQM’s relationship to power sharing is also very strong, reflecting the focus in TQM on problem solving and decision making groups in general and on work cells and teams. The findings with respect to the combined impact of TQM and El are not unexpected: most TQM proponents advocate high levels of employee involvement as part of their TQM efforts. However, the findings do make a very important point: the impact of TQM programs that do not also include El practices will be less positive both for employee outcomes and for performance outcomes. TQM Defined TQM is a management philosophy that seeks to integrate all organizational functions (marketing, finance, design, engineering, and production, customer service, etc. ) to focus on meeting customer needs and organizational objectives. TQM is the foundation for activities, which include: ? Commitment by senior management and all employees ? Meeting customer requirements ? Reducing development cycle times ? Just In Time/Demand Flow Manufacturing ? Improvement teams ? Reducing product and service costs ? Systems to facilitate improvement ? Line Management ownership ? Employee involvement and empowerment ? Recognition and celebration Challenging quantified goals and benchmarking ? Focus on processes / improvement plans ? Specific incorporation in strategic planning There are three ma jor mechanisms of prevention: 1. Preventing mistakes (defects) from occurring 2. Where mistakes can’t be absolutely prevented, detecting them early to prevent them being passed down the value added chain (Inspection at source or by the next operation). 3. Where mistakes recur, stopping production until the process can be corrected, to prevent the production of more defects. (Stop in time). Identify Variables At this step we identify the possible variables and elaborate the relationship among them. Then we describe the nature and direction of these variables. Identify variables: ? Wages ? Working place ? Working hours ? Management behavior ? employees participation Labeling: INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES Relation between Variables INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES Step 5: Generation of Hypothesis ? If wages are good than the Employee involvement will increase. ? If working place is good than the Employee involvement will increase. ? If working hours are suitable than the Employee involvement will increase. ? If management behavior is good than the Employee involvement will increase. If employees are allowed to express their view than the Employee involvement will increase. Possible Outcomes: Possibility 1. ? If wages than the Employee involvement ? If working place than the Employee involvement ? If working hours than the Employee involvement ? If management behavior than the Employee involvement ? If employee participation than the Employee involv ement Possibility 2: ? If wages than the Employee involvement ? If working place than the Employee involvement ? If working hours than the Employee involvement ? If management behavior than the Employee involvement If employee participation than the Employee involvement Step 6: Research Design As we know that decrease in Employee Involvement level is our current problem, so that’s why we design research in such a way that after conducting research we will able to identify, what the main causes of that particular problem. In this section we follow the following steps: Sample Selection In this we select the sample (to whom we are going to research). i-e number of person. Data collection We did test the questionnaire with a small sample of Employees using Construction site. The instruments submitted for design an effective questionnaire and then distributed as we can. Questionnaire We are conducting a research to know Employee’s Satisfaction level while working at Madina Builders. Q-1 Are You Happy With Behavior Of: Good Average Poor 1. Top Management 2. Colleagues Q-2 Facilities Provided By Company: Yes No Transport Medical Other Q-3 Are You happy With The Working Environment: YesNoNo opinion Q-4 Are Wages Salaries Paid On Time : YesNoNo opinion Q-5 Working Hours Are In Accordance With The Labor Law: YesNoNo opinion Q-6 You Are Provided The Necessary Tools Machinery For Work: Yes NO No opinion Q-7 Your Experience Of Working At Madina Builders : ExcellentGoodBad Q-8 Any improvement you want in Madina Builders? (Suggestions) | Survey collected by: Step 7: Analysis and Interpretation DATA ANALYSES: We reviewed the questionnaire which return and make a weekly report listing Employees who were dissatisfied or who submit negative comments. We improved timeline in resolving Employees complaints each month we make a report consisting of frequencies and categ ory percentages for each question. We proposed to include at least one question dealing with overall satisfaction. A performance grid will identify items need improvement with an evaluation of priority. Interpretation of data with the help of graphs: [pic] Employees are satisfied with the behavior of: [pic] Facilities Provided By Company: [pic] Employees are happy with the environment: [pic] Working Hours Are In Accordance With The Labor Law: |Variables: |% of | | |Persons | |Yes |71 | |No |20 | |No Opinion |9 | Figures in %age* Step 8: Deduction We all the group members worked with devotion to identify the variables that affect the sale. We worked in a team and experienced the quality of team building in us. Every member of us has done her work on the given time, which the team leader assigns to every member. In this time span in which we complete our project, there is a management in our whole session. For example, time management, self management, financial management etc. So from all above study there is a reason to believe that there are certain factors responsible for the specific problem upon which we are focused our research. We identified all factors and give suggestions in form of Hypothesis which contribute to bring back the desired Consumers Satisfaction level. Conclusions: TQM encoureges participation amongst shop floor workers and managers. There is no single theoretical formalization of total quality, but Deming, Juran and Ishikawa provide the core assumptions, as a â€Å"†¦ discipline and philosophy of management which institutionalizes planned and continuous†¦ improvement †¦ and assumes that quality is the outcome of all activities that take place within an organization; that all functions and all employees have to participate in the improvement process; that organizations need both quality systems and a quality culture. â€Å". â€Å"Quality programmes can†, the study says, â€Å"be seen as catalysts†, bringing out workers’ willingness to take responsibility and providing a focus and rationale for efforts at involvement. But involvement remained within tight limits and there were several factors, notably insecurity and financial constraints, which could undercut the promise of quality programmes. â€Å"The challenge†, the study concludes, â€Å"is to maintain TQM in the face of external pressures†. References Websites: Employee Involvement (www. employeeinvolvement. com) Search Engine (www. google. com) Appendices ? Questionnaire ? Charts ? Graphs ? Tables [pic][pic] ———————– Participation Behavior Hours Employee Involvement Place ice Wages Participation Behavior Hours Employee Involvement Place Wages Determination of information research problem Execution of the research design Development of research design Communication of the results Phase II Phase I Phase III Phase IV How to cite Tqm Final Project, Essay examples

Corporate Social Responsibility Multinational Conglomerate Corporati

Question: Describe about the Corporate Social Responsibility for Multinational Conglomerate Corporation. Answer: IKEA Sustainability Report IKEA is a multinational conglomerate that was incorporated almost seventy years ago that specializes in designing and selling of ready to assemble household furnishing like beds, sofas, desks and chairs, home appliances and accessories. It is the leading furniture retailer in the world as on 2008. The company was founded almost seventy years ago by Ingvar Kamprad in Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd, Sweden. The company is recognized for its innovative designs for different types of furniture and home appliances. The company also specializes in interior design that emphasizes more on environment-friendly simplicity (ikea.com 2016). IKEA is actively involved in social welfare activities through its foundation IKEA Social Initiative which was established in 2005 with an objective to serve social issues on a global scale. Some of its key partners are "Save the Children" and UNICEF. Through this foundation, the company contributes 1 euro for each of its soft toys sold. It provided soft toys to the children during Cyclone Nargis, in Burma (UNICEF 2016). IKEA has taken proactive measures towards environmental issues by reducing the usage of formaldehyde in the products. In 2000, the company introduced set of regulations for the suppliers, named IWAY which covers safety, social and ecological issues. Stores run by the company emphasize on recycling of waste and several stores run on sustainable energy by using power saving bulbs. The company also worked for the well-being of refugees in Africa, Asia and the Middle East (ikeafoundation.org. (2016). Following SWOT analysis will demonstrate some of the internal and external factors that have an effect on the decision making of IKEA and contribute towards its process of strategic planning. SWOT Analysis Strengths It is a leading global brand that attracts important consumer groups. It ensures maintenance of its quality and standard of its products throughout the world. IKEA has established a concept of autonomous design that entails accomplishing an appealing form, function, quality, and sustainability at an economical price. The company aims to incorporate this concept throughout its entire product portfolio. Steadily growing proceeds of the company is the sign of the success of such endeavors (Chen Yang and Zhang 2013). The present leadership spot of the company offers considerable barriers to entry for new competitors and gains in terms of economies of scale. Due to its strong financial position, the corporation has been able to invest considerable amount into research and development in reinforcing its presence globally. Weaknesses The company has a weak market presence in the Asian markets like India and China which could adversely affect the financial performance of the company. Due to its huge size of operations of its global business, it becomes difficult for the company to maintain the standard and quality of its products. The company primarily emphasizes on price leadership due to which, sometimes the product quality is compromised owing to the increasing cost of raw materials which directly impacts the turnover of the business. The company confronts challenges in communicating and expressing its environmental guidelines to its investors, stakeholders, and customers (Tiwari 2015). Opportunities With growing awareness of consumers towards greener products, the company has ample opportunities of attracting consumers through its implementation of the green model. The company has an immense opportunity for growth in the developing economies like India and China where there is a huge demand for high-quality products at low cost. This would help the company in expanding its business and tap the unexploited customer base. Due to the growing concern over global warming, the company has the opportunity of reducing its carbon footprint through reducing the use of hazardous chemicals throughout all its processes (Wenzel and Frster 2013). Threats IKEA faces stiff competition from bigger portfolio dealers like Wal-Mart and Tesco. For example, Tesco sells not just groceries but mobile phones and television sets as well. So its just matter of time before it diversifies its business into the furniture segment as well. Like any multinational conglomerate, the company suffers setbacks due to the global economic conditions as well the prevailing economic conditions of the countries in which they operate (Harapiak 2013). The economical pricing model and the designs of the products are often imitated by the small scale and local competitors that possess a serious threat to the profitability of the company as the consumers are getting attractive products at a far more reasonable price. Advantages and Disadvantages of Plan Integration The incorporation of a sustainability plan generates numerous benefits to an organization. By incorporating ecological strategies, the company can boost its brand image on a global level. Further, the implementation of sustainable business strategies may lead to improved productivity and reduction in costs. Switching to renewable energy resources will reduce the overall electrical cost of the company in the long run ((Sebhatu and Enquist 2014) Sustainable and eco-friendly business practices make an organization more profitable since the consumers have become more conscious towards the environment, and thus making requisite progress will help the company in strengthening its goodwill and reputation. Implementing sustainable strategies may help the company enjoy various tax rebates and subsidies from the government. Sustainable development is a collaborative endeavor. When an organization works towards educating its employees the significance of sustainable initiatives, it initiates a culture of constant improvement and teamwork which can further stir up innovation. Apart from reduction of cost and increasing the profitability of the organization, sustainable initiatives help in reducing its carbon imprints and usage of hazardous chemical and its release into the atmosphere which ultimately benefits the society on a whole (Campus and Jha 2014) Despite the fact that the incorporation of such plan offers several benefits to the organization, it also creates lots of drawbacks as the execution of such plans leads to growth in the complexity. Execution of a number of irrelevant plans forces to change various functions and process and re-engineer them, which hamper the growth rate of the organization and can further affect the financial performance of the business. The proposed plans demand extensive planning and investigation which involves additional cost and requires precise time management. Sustainable incorporation comprises definite focus and reallocation of activities and executing all of them simultaneously can be burdensome for the organization (Balassa 2013). Corporate Social Responsibility Plan Corporate Social Responsibility focuses on establishing business values in the process of promoting affirmative social change is grasping a lot of consideration these days due to good reason. It should be practiced not just because it's a right thing to do, but due to the fact that it has a key impact on the end results of the business. Sustainable corporations intend to create a balance between the needs of the current generation and the needs of the forthcoming generations with a primary focus on the utilization of all the resources that are naturally available for sustaining of business and society as a whole (Chandler and Werther 2013). According to Department of the Environment, Government of Australia, sustainability relates to the reduction of environmental imprints while concurrently developing the condition of life that all values. Development of knowledge with respect to sustainability is current as well as future-oriented (environment.gov.au 2016). In order to create a sustainable plan for the organization, the activities need to be identified, the primary objective for the sustainable plan needs to be determined to generate some exceptional results. Firstly, the organization needs to evaluate the ecological impacts and the legal constraints to establish appropriate aims and objectives. Furthermore, the specific plan should be implemented and the methods to achieve the objectives need to be determined. Moreover, organizations are required to take into consideration the key result areas and monitor the performance of each area and identify the areas of improvement and lastly, the plan should be modified consistently to identify the progress of the plan (MacDonald 2016). Environmental Strategies Investment in Research and Development on Orthopedic Solutions Objective: Caring, Promoting, and Recondition Individual Health The employees who work on a daily basis are engaged in picking up and carrying furniture that are too heavy, which may lead to many severe health issues like a backache, problems with ligament and tendons, soft tissues or nerves, muscle pull and many life threatening risks. Many times, customers often complain about the excessive weight of the furniture and inappropriate designs of certain furniture like desks or chairs. Therefore, the company aims to bring some advanced orthopedic solutions that would help both the employees as well as the customers on a whole by partnering with some major orthopedic solution providers to develop their product ergonomics which would help in improving the promoting and reconditioning the health of people and overall improvement of their quality of life. Further, this would help the company is improving the company's brand image (Marchi Maria and Micelli 2013). Strategy: Concentrating on identification of key areas of improvement Tactics: The company aims to reduce the workload by the risk assessment of the material handling techniques used by employees that cause severe back ache and sometimes devastating injuries and thereby introduce automated material handling system that would reduce the physical stress on employees. Advanced products design strategies that would fit the ergonomic needs of the consumers as well as employees, thereby conveying a message to a greater mass that the company always makes a constant effort towards caring, promoting and reconditioning health of everyone in the society. Costing: Human capital is the most critical resource that enhances the performance of the organization on a whole; the company should invest more in well-being of its employees and its consumers as well and therefore it should allocate roughly 30 per cent of its environmental budget for the betterment of its employees and advanced research and development of orthopedic solutions. Recycling Reward Program Objective: Solid Waste Recycling Strategy: Drawing the attention of customers towards the importance of recycling and associated benefits and encourage them to be a part of the change in helping reduce carbon footprints. Tactics: By introducing Recycling Reward Program, the company aims to encourage its customers and suppliers to give away its old furniture and woods to IKEA, instead of disposing them on the roads. Through this reward program, the company is taking a step further in helping people to buy new furniture by giving discount vouchers for their next purchase in return of their old furniture, or they may receive reimbursement for the cost of transporting their old furniture to the nearest IKEA store. This would help the company to take their initiative of recycling further to create benefit for the society on a whole and improve companys brand image (Fragouli 2016). Costing: IKEA should invest nearly 20 per cent of its environment budget towards the recycling process as it would involve reimbursement of transportation cost to the customers and discount vouchers for next purchase. It would further require funds for the disintegration of furniture and reprocess it. Investment in Ocean Force Energy Generation Objective: The main objective towards investment in creating energy using ocean force is to create sustainable and renewable energy source to become fully independent and focus towards the greener environment. Strategy: IKEA is looking multiple opportunities of investment the ocean wave energy generation segment. Tactics: By setting up windmills placed in-stream to generate the flow of ocean water. Ideal locations would be islands and peninsulas where there are greater chances of generating tidal energy. It is also aiming to set up barrages near the bays and estuaries which use the ascent and descent of oceanic tides to generate electricity. The company can also invest in salinity gradient techniques which derive energy from osmosis when a natural stream is formed linking fresh water and sea water to pass through a turbine. Such technologies are quite popular in European countries (Jungo 2016). Costing: The company should invest nearly 30 percent of its environmental budget in setting up projects for ocean force energy generation. Invest More in Relief Program Objective: To conceive an enhanced everyday life for the less deserving people Strategies: Through IKEA Foundation and IKEA Social Initiative, it aims to encourage several developed nations, business leaders and inter-government organizations to come forward in support of the company towards rehabilitation of the people who are affected by natural disaster in Haiti, Japan, China or stuck in war zones like Syria, Iraq, Somalia, and Afghanistan. Tactics: To increase their funding towards the relief efforts by the concerned government authorities in Syria and Iraq. To work with multi-government bodies like European Union, UNICEF, WHO, BRICS in assisting the concerned government authorities with monetary and technical support for rehabilitation of the people affected in Syria and Somalia due to civil unrest and terrorist activities and offer the better education to the children and better accommodation to the people. Partner with United Nation Development Program for training the local groups and government agencies in disaster relief activities in earthquake-prone countries like Japan, Haiti, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, and Nepal (unhcr.org 2016). Partnering with government bodies in flood-prone countries like India, Bangladesh, India and China in speeding up the evacuation efforts by the particular countries. Costing: The company should invest 30 percent of its total environment budget in its efforts towards rehabilitation and relief programs around the world for childrens education, medical supplies, food and accommodation, training and education in the affected areas. In order to achieve such strategies and make those strategies practical, the company may consider the possibility of going public by the way of initial public offerings in order to raise funds to increase their funding towards environmental efforts. In this manner, the company would be able to continue its ethical practices and improve its reputation. Further, it will help the company to create awareness among the people towards the social and environmental issues the world is facing at present and thus the plan would benefit the communities with exceptional needs, the planet, and society, in general, will get a benefit. IKEAs Current Approaches As per the 2015 Sustainability Report of IKEA which is termed as People and Planet Positive Strategy, following are some of its strategies currently followed by the company. Sustainable Living at Home: The company has both opportunity and responsibility towards its loyal set of customers. The company aims to take the command in building and marketing of its products and solutions which would inspire and allow people to live more feasible living at home and accomplish more than four times increase in its sales (com 2016). Resource and Energy Independence Responsible Sourcing: By the end, August 2015, the cotton consumed in the products of IKEA are being sourced from more feasible sources and the company consistently engages in inspecting alternative fiber with greater feasibility performance when to compare with cotton. Sustainable Functions: By the end of August 2015, the company has recycled more than 80 percent of their wastes, recycled their materials at stores by almost 70 percent and more than 80 percent at their distribution centers (com 2016). Improved Life for People and Community Better Lives of Employees: The company believes in treating everyone impartially and provide equal opportunities to all its employees irrespective of gender, age, culture, race, ethnicity, country of origin or any other aspect and that is why the company created IKEA LGBT Project to coin a plan for supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (com 2016). Supporting Human Rights: In 2015, the company began a project in collaboration with International Organization for Migration to gain knowledge about the procedures and risks involved in employing migrant workers in South East Asia with an objective to develop action strategies and targets for supporting fair employment all through the supply chain process (com 2016). Conclusion The following sustainability report recommends certain projects which can be undertaken by IKEA for reducing its carbon footprint and environmental impacts. Each milestone emphasizes on the diverse range of environmental issues wherein the company is involved. Implementing such strategies in their day to day process would help in improving their end results. Every project undertaken by the company is exceptional and different in terms of focus. This sustainability report would help the company in enhancing their brand image and brand awareness and will help the company in gaining a competitive advantage over its competitors. References Balassa, B., 2013.The Theory of Economic Integration (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. Campus, P. and Jha, P., 2014. Sustainable competitive advantages through strategic integration of HRM with Business strategies. Chandler, D., and Werther Jr, W.B., 2013.Strategic corporate social responsibility: Stakeholders, globalization, and sustainable value creation. Sage Publications. Chen, X., Yang, L. and Zhang, J., 2013. The Future of IKEA: watch your expansion steps. environment.gov.au. (2016).system/files/resources/9b2e74ca-c909-4d57-bae3-c515c20957de/files/curriculum-framework.pdf. [online] Available at: https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/9b2e74ca-c909-4d57-bae3-c515c20957de/files/curriculum-framework.pdf [Accessed 6 Oct. 2016]. Fragouli, E. (2016). 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[online] Available at: https://www.ikeafoundation.org/pressrelease/ikea-foundation-gives-grants-worth-e9-4-million-medecins-sans-frontieres-msf-save-children-help-children-families-caught-syria-conflict/ [Accessed 6 Oct. 2016]. innovation.unhcr.org/. (2016).ikea-foundation/. [online] Available at: https://innovation.unhcr.org/ikea-foundation/ [Accessed 6 Oct. 2016]. Jungo, M., 2016. Utopia or reality? Part 2.MHD Supply Chain Solutions,46(2), p.54. MacDonald, A., 2016. Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for Community Sustainability Plan Implementation: Understanding Structures and Outcomes at the Partner and Partnership Levels. Marchi, V.D., Maria, E.D. and Micelli, S., 2013. Environmental strategies, upgrading and competitive advantage in global value chains.Business strategy and the environment,22(1), pp.62-72. Sebhatu, S.P., and Enquist, B., 2014. Are Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility having a role for sustainable Service Business?: An explorative study of IKEA, Starbucks, and Hamp; M. InThe 17th QMOD conference, September 3-5, Prague Tjeckien. Tiwari, S., 2015. Standardized marketing strategies: a solution to the global competition? A case study of IKEA in Norway, Sweden, France and China. UNICEF. (2016).IKEA social initiative adds $48 million to UNICEF's child health program. [online] Available at: https://www.unicef.org/media/media_48176.html [Accessed 6 Oct. 2016]. Wenzel, H. and Frster, A., 2013. Blue Ocean Strategy. How IKEA created a new market.