Problems and recommendations for Merit Pay system at Konica Minolta Essay

Problems and recommendations for Merit Pay system at Konica Minolta Business Solutions - Essay Example The project provides examples of the compensation structures in other organisations providing the respective pros and cons of the same. Finally, it recommends a suitable compensation structure for Konica Minolta Business Solutions along with its probable impact on the organisation. Compensation structure in Wal-Mart The organisation chosen for the purpose of this research is Wal-Mart. The reason for choosing this company is that it would be a perfect example to show how a poor compensation structure could lead to serious damage for the organisations. It would also be possible to show how restructuring of the pay structure would benefit the employees and the organisation. The organisation is one of the retail giants in the world. However, the compensation structure is seen to be unfavorable for the employees. Research revealed that â€Å"Walmart CEO's hourly wage equals one year salary of new employees† (Brainz, 2010). It demonstrates a great extent of disparity among employees in the organization. It was seen that the CEO of the company earns an amount of $35 every year, which is an hourly earnings of $16,826.92. On the other hand, the newly employed worker earns only $8.75 in an hour. His gross income in a year amounts to $13,650 only. The figure is quite low for a newly recruited employee in comparison to the revenue that the company generates. It also reflects the lack of concern of the employer towards its employees. This is the cause of the high rate of attrition in the organisation. According to the reports published by the company, it was estimated that there were 74,300 workers occupying positions in Florida Wal-Mart in a quarter. The number of workers leaving the organisation in the next quarter amounted to 15,500. 2900 more number of workers was recruited. This represented that the quarterly rate of turnover was as high as 17.3%. It was estimated that if this figure remained unchanged then out of every six recruitment, one would leave the organ isation in every three months (WARN, 2005). Compensation in other organisations- Review of success and failure Proctor and Gamble was one company which was considered to be one of the most favorable companies to work for. The company demonstrates very low rate of attrition because of its favorable pay structure. The voluntary turnover rate in the company is only 2% per year. The popularity of the organisation gets depicted from the fact that it receives more than 125,432 US applicants every year (CNN Money, 2011). The company’s present human resource development structure is highly attractive which makes it one of the most employers of recent times. The average annual pay for the most common salaried job in the organisation is $87,000, while the average hourly payment for the most common hourly paid job is $48,673. For example, a person holding the managerial position in the production department gets an average annual salary of $87,000. On the other hand, a technician whose wage is calculated on an hourly basis gets an average annual payment of $48,673 (CNN Money, 2011). The figures demonstrate that the employees are adequately compensated which can be accounted for

Comparative analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Comparative analysis - Assignment Example Transcript analysis is a method that has the ability to overcome this problem. The method of analysis is important in that it also assists in identification of anticancer drugs. Cancer is a disease that has developed and spread among the human population over time. The problem has grown because with the advent of technology there has come various new activities and products that have a high cancer causing effect. The issue has spread so wide that the pharmaceutical world has also had problems. In the manufacture of various drugs that enable people to resist cancer-causing effects, some of them end up obtaining cancer. Transcript analysis is a method that is used to identify effective pills with well laid out formulas that ensure effective protection from these cancer-causing cells (Maslin, 2007). Rather than assisting in the identification and analysis of some of these chemicals, the ATP binding cassette is imperative in that it helps in the process of transportation. The major difference between ATP and transcript analysis is that point and despite the varying in responsibilities, the two are very important in the microbiology field. ATP is imperative in that it assists in the transport of some of the necessary products in a living thing from one section of its molecular structure to another where it is required to ensure optimum performance of the organism. It is imperative to understand that despite the varying responsibilities carried out by these two agents, there are points at which they become common. One of these points is with regard to metabolic engineering. Metabolic engineering is the aspect through which scientists use transcript analysis of the various plants to identify their genetic structure for the greater understanding of biology and for imperative research. It is critical to know that this method is also used in ATP. Initially, it was difficult for scientists to come

The European sovereign debt crisis during 2010-2011 Essay - 1

The European sovereign debt crisis during 2010-2011 - Essay Example Matters involving liability crisis have in the recent years being reported globally, as the level of the sovereign arrears of some of the financial scheme of the world have risen, giving them a threat of failure to pay. A Financial network is thought to be in an obligation crisis once its government has failed to pay its debt. However, not any of the nations that are at present in debt disaster has defaulted, but they involve extremely high government debt balances, and their bond output spreads in the securities of the government have gone up, as a result, there is relegation of their sovereign ratings for credit. When an area suffers this crisis, it might be able to undergo a sudden discontinue of inflows from the foreign capital because of major loss of capitalist confidence regarding the economy. The Eurozone had kept an overall acceptable short-term financial credit between 1999 to the year 2007. However, there existed large as well as continuing inequities in the region.  "Greece, Spain, Portugal, and to a lesser extent Ireland†, sustained massive current account shortfalls, and Germany, Netherlands, along with Luxembourg, had profits in the account (Braga & Vincelette 222). The providers of the large plus extended current account losses are dissimilar across these countries. As years went by, the deficits balances of the current financial standing have been increasing, also, a decrease to the surpluses in the other countries. The existing crisis on debt commenced with the demise of the banking corporation in Iceland in the year 2008, and spread to some of the countries in Europe like the Ireland, Portugal, as well as Greece in the year 2009. At the beginning of the second half of this year, reports concerning the debt crisis on the United Sates also blew up (Economic Review 1; Braga & Vincelette 222-225). The crisis originated from various factors and had tremendous implications to the economy of the European countries. GDP Growth in the Euroz one, Q4 2009–Q1 2011 (Belkin, & Mix, & Nelson, 14) Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook, April 2011 (Belkin, & Mix, & Nelson, 4). Reasons behind the Financial Crisis The debts predicaments are featured to pro-cyclical economic policy in the period preceding the economic crisis. The countries impinged on had being managing large and untenable fiscal deficits for several years, largely funded through borrowing. The Government of Greek used deficit spending to increase extraordinarily, the people’s standard of living as the debt funded the joblessness societal benefits, raised the remuneration of public workers along with pensioners’ income, and sustained a mutually respectful labor market. The evident cause of the â€Å"European Debt Crisis† is also the changing of the ‘European Monetary Union’ (EMU) from financial stimuli to fiscal consolidation in the year 2009. Until that year, the EMU together with the entire European Union (EU) and other main financial systems followed the IMF order in the upshot of Lehman Brother’s insolvency, to promote global demand by way of increasing government spending. The

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Essay Example for Free

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Essay Charles Dickens wrote this novel because he was keenly touched by the lot of poor children in the middle decades of the 19th century. This is the reason which motivated Dickens in doing this, before writing this novel. Before he decided to this he thought of publishing leaflets instead. On the other hand some critics have suggested that Scrooge’s redemption underscores what they see as the conservative individualistic and patriarchal of Dickens Carol Philosophy. Dickens own experiences influenced him a lot in why he wrote this novel and how he cares so much for the children, who were forced to hard labour in the workhouses from such young age as 12. Before the â€Å"New Poor Law† was introduced in 1834, a high percentage of young children were forced t work to make sure that them and their families did not die of starvation. There was a well known prison called the â€Å"The Marshelsea†, it became know in the 19th century around the world through the writing of the English novelist Charles Dickens. His father which was there in 1824 for a debt of ? 40 and 10 shillings however Dickens most traumatic experience was when he was forced to leave school at the young age of 12 to work in a factory instead. Dickens already had ideas of how to use these types of experiences in a novel. Some of the social conditions such as the new poor law have been shown in the â€Å"Christmas Carol† in this particular quote: â€Å"The Treadmill and the the poor law in full vigour then? † â€Å"Both very busy sir†` This quote proves to us that Dickens used his novel to express the social conditions through it. Dickens used Scrooge as the main character to show that wealthy people always have a responsibility to help those less fortunate. He clearly shows this view at the end of the novel where he gives a young boy money to buy a turkey for the Crachit family. The family isn’t the richest but has a really warm heart. Crachit tries showing Scrooge that life is not all about money and also that he should try to move on and forget about Bella. Scrooge had a really bad experience when Bella marries someone else because she told him that he cares about money more than her. Scrooge somehow had to overcome this tragic event in his life and since then he has not been able to celebrate a successful eve without thinking of her for even a moment. In much earlier in the novel 3 old men come up to Scrooge asking for money to donate to people for Christmas, however Scrooge is a cold hearted person so instead of donating a few shillings he says â€Å"Bah Humbug. † The main character of â€Å"A Christmas Carol† is Ebenezer Scrooge. He is an elderly man who lives in London, his sister died leaving a son whose name is Fred. In addition to this Ebenezer has no family. He is a very rich banker. Scrooges clerk Bob Crachit is a middle–aged man who has six children. Ebenezer is thin and has a slight hunchback, coal grey hair and a wrinkled old face, on which he has reddish eyes, a long pointed nose and thin blue lips as cold as ice. Like his employee Bob is very well dressed. Let’s take a look at Scrooge first, before he got visited by the spirits he was a very stingy person and only cared about his own interests. He couldn’t manage to share his money and was not sensitive to the suffering of others. Ebenezer was even harsh to his employee who never cheated, is reliable, hardworking and had to endure the bad behaviour on him. Bob is satisfied with not owning anything and having no money at all. Bob is satisfied with not owning anything and having no money at all, however the only things that matter for him and make him happy are the small but the most important things in life which is his family. After Scrooge got visited by the ghosts he changed positively and you could even say that was similar to Crachit. Just like he likes Christmas, is a good and open to others, joyous and happy. He even started to share money with the poor and expressed his feelings by helping others. In my opinion Scrooge turned into a better character and I admire his sudden transformation into a better human being. Bob Crachit’s characteristics are that he is poor, has a big family, young and takes care of his close ones, joyful and nice. The crachit family live in a small cosy home but they don’t have enough money to decorate it with luxuries because the most important thing for them is too have enough money for coal/fire so that they would be warm, however most importantly all they want to happen is for Tiny Tim to be a healthy again. The miraculous transformation that Scrooge has made makes us aware that good change is never too late. Also that money cannot buy happiness you just have to share it with other people to make something good of it.

Boys Girls Clubs Of America

Boys Girls Clubs Of America Socialization is generally thought of as being an essential part of human development in that its importance is often times disregarded. However, understanding socialization can be a complicated and enduring process. Sociologists use the term socialization to refer to the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture (Macionis, 2011, 68). Humans need social experience to acquire the skills needed to learn their culture and for survival. Social experience is also the basis of personality, a persons fairly consistent patterns of acting, thinking and feeling. We build a personality by internalizing taking in our surroundings (Macionis, 2011, 68). When an individual is lacking social experience, personality seldom develops. People usually rely on others for assistance when their children are growing physically and emotionally but most importantly as their personality is developing. Many theorists have focused on childhood as being the most c ritical time when personality is formed; however, Erik H. Eriksons eight stages of development have set apart that focus and places emphasis on socialization throughout the life course as being the most influential (Macionis, 2011). Erikson centralized that challenges are faced throughout the life course fluctuating from infancy, toddlerhood, preschool, preadolescence, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood to old age even though not everyone faces these challenges in the exact order (Macionis, 2011). In summary, Eriksons stages of development model calls attention to how several factors, including the family, school and peer groups, shape our personalities. Since socialization is a learning process that begins after birth and is learned throughout an individuals life span, a common question is how can people be socialized? Looking around the world, we see that different cultures used different techniques to socialize their children both formal and informally through school and peer groups. As we age, we enter new statuses and need to learn the appropriate roles for them. Across America, there are many national organizations that have been organized to provide programs for young people that help with maintaining socialization skills that have been embedded amongst our youth. The Boys Girls Clubs of America is a national organization of local chapters which provide after-school programs for young people (http://www.bgca.org). The first Boys Club was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 1860 after a group of women noticed how young boys from needy families would hang out on the streets after school because they didnt have anywhere else to go. The club was created to provide them with a safe place to play. By 1906, there were fifty-three independent Boys Clubs that came together in Boston for form a national organization known as the Federated Boys Clubs. After many years, the organization renamed itself Boys Clubs of America and in 1990 renamed itself to Boys Girls Clubs of America. There are currently over 4,000 autonomous local Clubs, which are affiliates of the national organization and serve over four million boys and girls. Clubs can be found in all fifty states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and on US Military Bases. In 2010, member percentages included: 65% are from minority families, 5% are 5 years old and under, 43% are 6-10 years old, 19% are 11-12 years old, 21% are 13-15 years old, 12% are 16-18 years old, 55% are male and 45% are female (http://www.bgca.org). The Boys Girls Clubs are a safe place to learn and grow. It is the place where great futures are started each and every day (http://www.bgca.org). The goals set forth by the Boys Girls Clubs of America basically includes their mission statement which reads to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens (http://www.bgca.org). The organization gives young people a safe and supervised environment, an especially important task as more and more families have needed to work multiple jobs and cannot be home for their children. They also encourage kids to get involved in activities, learn team skills, and associate with people they might not meet at school or in their neighborhood. Many clubs offer an after school program as well as an extended summer program, giving kids a real opportunity to make friends and be involved in the programs and services offered at the clubs (http://www.wisegeek.com). The ir core beliefs are for The Boys Girls Club to aspire to provide all young people with a safe place to learn and grow, and establish ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals by providing them with life enhancing programs and character development experiences (http://www.bgca.org). There are many strategies that have been implemented by The Boys Girls Clubs of America each help youth in distinctive ways. The Education Career Programs which help youth create aspirations for the future, providing opportunities for career exploration and educational enhancement. The Character Leadership Programs which help youth become responsible, caring citizens and acquire skills for participating in the democratic process. The Health Life Skills Programs in which those initiatives develop young peoples capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture their own well-being, set personal goals and live successfully as self-sufficient adults. The Arts Programs which are programs in this core area that enable youth to develop their creativity and cultural awareness through knowledge and appreciation of the visual arts, crafts, performing arts and creative writing. The Sports, Fitness and Recreation Programs which help develop fitness, a positive use of leisure time, reduct ion of stress, appreciation for the environment and social and interpersonal skills. The Specialized Programs in which these initiatives focus on meeting the significant and specific needs identified within the Boys Girls Clubs. This broad scope complements several or all of their core program areas within the organization. According to Kidzworld, the Boys Girls Clubs are community based and building centered. Since 3:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. is the time of day when children are usually unsupervised, The Boys Girls Clubs run their programs after school, and on weeknights and weekends (http://www.kidzworld.com). The Clubs provide a safe and affordable place for these programs to run; all the while, clubs do charge a monthly or seasonal fee and some assistance may be available to families in need (Ellis, 2003-2012). The Clubs are led by trained, paid youth-development professionals. Signing your child or young friend up for the club can make a positive impact in every area of their life. The Boys Girls Clubs of America provide young people with a safe learning environment and opportunities to build new skills that raise each childs belief that he or she can succeed and receive recognition for personal accomplishments. They also assist in building ongoing relationships with caring adults and connections to new friends in a positive environment, reinforcing a sense of belonging, personal accountability, civility and civic responsibility. Finally, they offer generation-changing programs that support a commitment to learning, positive values, healthy habits and high expectations for success as an adult. Many people credit The Boys Girls Clubs with changing their childrens direction in life or teaching them vital skills. The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked Boys Girls Clubs of America number one among youth organizations for the 13th consecutive year, and number 12 among all nonprofit organizations (http://www.bgca.org).

Hybridizing the Destruction of Nature and Pauline Melville’s Erzulie Es

â€Å"Erzulie†, a short story written by Pauline Melville, illustrates an important theme in Caribbean literature. The story is an example of literature that uses a strong theme of nature in the text and displays environmental symbolism throughout. The main theme in Caribbean literature is seen as the struggles of indigenous people and the consequences they face after the islands were colonized, however other themes such as post-colonial environmental harm can be seen in stories such as â€Å"Erzulie†. You can see a similarity between the natives and the island itself. The native’s suffer from social wrongs and suppression and the land of the Guyana country is also suppressed in a sense and destroyed as a consequence of colonialism. Melville’s use of nature and environmental symbolism can be seen prominently when reading the short story with ecocriticism awareness. While most symbolism and themes aren’t at the surface level of a story, some theme s can be even more hidden within the text. In this essay I will further illustrate how the goal of Melville’s work changes when you read it with an ecocritical mind. Reader’s can now realize the importance of Guyana, not only because of its relationship with the author, but also because of its environmental damage that was caused by colonialism. You can also see that the character Erzulie was not only used as the protagonist to create a frightening female murderess, but she is a representation of the land of Guyana. Lastly, Melville’s language is enlightening in the evolving theme of nature that is seen from beginning to end. Guyana is the former British Colony on the South American Coast that received its independence in 1966 from the United Kingdom [4]. It’s one of the only Caribbean countri... ...ndation, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. 5. Heise, Ursula K. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Ecocriticism." PMLA (2006): 503-516. 6. Kahn, Aliyah. "Nations of Eden: Race and Ecology in the Post-Pastoral Caribbean." Research Projects. Aliyah Kahn, 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. 7. McLeod, John. "Cultural Models of Creolization." The Routledge Companion to Postcolonial Studies. London: Routledge, 2007. 102-03. Print. 8. Melville, Pauline. â€Å"Erzulie†, in The Migration of Ghosts, pp. 140–41. 9. Pyne-Timothy, Helen. "Reading the Signs in Pauline Melville's" Erzulie"." Journal of Haitian Studies (2001): 136-147. 10. Ramraj, Robert. "The Omai Disaster in Guyana." Gamma Theta Upsilon. Gamma Theta Uppsilon, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. 11. Renk, Kathleen Williams. "â€Å"Magic that Battles Death†: Pauline Melville's Marvellous Realism." The Journal of Commonwealth Literature 44.1 (2009): 101-115.

Peerless Laser Processors Questions Essay

Question 1: Describe the business performance of Peerless before the purchase of the state-of-the –art punch presses in 1991 and after that? (2.5 points). Answer: In 1981, the company faced a do or die decision that forced them to use new technology. If the lasers failed, the company would have had nothing to fall back upon. There was no good economic justification available at the time upon which to base the decision. By contrast in 1984 the company had a track record with the technology, had a good feel for the market and its potential growth, and was in a much stronger position financially. Ted can be much more comfortable making this decision because of the reduction in uncertainty. The decision is harder on one way though. When the company had it’s back to the wall, it was clear that something different had to happen and quickly. When the company is in a more comfortable position, the pressure to make a decision is greatly reduced, making it easier to procrastinate. Question 2: What factors made Ted decide to purchase three punch presses in 1991? Were these factors also what Ted considered for buying the 1,200-watt laser cutter? (2.5 pts). Answer: The decision Ted faces now is purchase the 1200-watt laser cutter, with the decision he faced in 1991 when he was considering the three punch presses. There are some potential factors with the new laser: Peerless will be creating products that are unfamiliar to them. Peerless has no way of knowing if the new market will respond as well as the saw blade market did to the anticipated improvements in quality and cycle time coming from the laser. The new product line will require different distribution channels, different marketing techniques, and will draw new and different competition. Peerless may not be able to attract enough business to keep the system productive. The potential benefit is, of course, a new large market to successfully apply Peerless’s laser cutting experience. A significant  strategic variable that Peerless should consider is the long-term viability of the saw blade market. The success of laser cutting (as Peerless has experienced) and other technologies has the potential to reduce the overall market for mechanical cutting devices over the long term. Question 3: Of the three major types of control systems – cybernetic, go/no-go, and postcontrol – which would have been the most useful with the first laser and why? With this new laser and why? (2.5 pts). Answer: The laser itself would use cybernetic systems to control the cutting process. The first implementation project would have benefited most from cybernetic processes as well because of Peerless’s unique position. Since they were in a do or die position, they would not have wanted to kill the project for the conventional reasons. In fact, based on the typical parameters used for go/no-go controls, Peerless would have been justified in killing the first laser project. Instead, because of their dire circumstances, they stuck to their guns and eventually achieved success. The second implementation project would benefit from go/no-go controls because it is being conducted in a much more stable business environment in which where the company could back away from the project if necessary. Question 4: Calculate the variable cost per blade of laser cutting with this new system. Assume that the variable cost of the laser is $4/hour, that the laser custs at the rate of 40 inches per minute, that a typical blade of 14 inches diameter sells for $25, and the same computer and software will be used as currently. Material load time for a 10-blade sheet of steel is one minute. Use a 3-inch arbor hole size and assume that a cut tooth doubles the cut distance. (2.5 pts). Answer: The potential problems might be in purchasing the 1200-watt laser following steps are needed to estimate the payback: 1. Estimate the amount of laser cutting needed using a 14 inches saw blade as a typical product. The blade would have approximately a 44 inches circumference. 2. Based on the cutting speed of 40 inches/minute, the cutting would take 2.4 minutes. Adding time to handle the blade, and maintain the workstation, estimate the total time  at 3 min/blade. 3. Estimates the operating cost of a 1200 watt laser at $ 10/min, making the laser’s portion of the blade cost $ 30/blade, it is not a particularly significant amount for a $25 blade. 4. Estimates the cost of the laser to be about $200,000. Assume an additional $100,000 for computers and training bringing the total to $300,000. 5. If the laser can produce a blade every 3 minutes, than it could produce 160 in eight hours at $25 a unit. Based on Exhibit 1, the current profit margin is 12%, so it’s safe to assume that the single shift daily profit would equate to 160 X $25 X 12% or $480. 6. Given the $300,000 cost of the laser, the single shift payback period would be 625 days or half that amount for a two-shift operation. In addition to the brisk payback, the laser improves quality, cycle time and flexibility in responding to customer demand. The new laser system adds to the high tech image of the company and reinforces the employee’s pride. The original laser system was probably viewed as a threat to jobs when it was first implemented. Now that the company has experience with the benefits of laser cutting, they are in a better position to justify the investment both on non-economic and economic grounds.