The challenge of managing diverse teams Assignment

The challenge of managing diverse teams - Assignment Example ing a socially responsible and fair image for a brand, ensuring greater productivity and efficiency and creation of new business opportunities and encouraging higher flexibility and better creativity among the workforces (Loysk, 2001). Other ancillary benefits of embracing diversity in workplaces are the strengthening of the public diversity reputation of the company, improving the image of the company in the minds of the conscious customer groups and enhancing the team and departmental decision making processes by enabling the generation and accession of varied idea sources. The main challenges associated with building and maintaining a diverse workforce include high investments for ensuring efficient diversity management, reducing conflicts among the employees from different backgrounds, controlling and managing prejudices and negative attitudes towards co workers from different backgrounds, promoting effective communication and transparency within all levels of the organization and providing sufficient resources and assets towards the continuous development and management of the heterogeneous groups of employees (Clutterbuck and Ragins, 2002). The ability to develop and manage a diverse workforce groups is highly significant for the retail industry. This is because the retail industry is a multi layer industry with high levels of concentration, competition and inherent complexities associated with the way this industry functions. As such, the human resources of the company are the most valuable knowledge assets of companies operating in this industry. Since, there are many employment opportunities and options available to the employees working in retail companies, therefore, it is important for the comparison to take suitable steps to ensure that they are able to manage diversity, reduce discrimination and create a fair and just place of work for the employees. This helps to increase the competitiveness of the individual retail companies by retaining the

The Development of Marketing over the Last Century Research Paper

The Development of Marketing over the Last Century - Research Paper Example This marketing concept became applicable from the 1900s to the 1950s. Therefore, the current marketing concepts involving branding, communication, and intensive ads that characterize the modern business environment are merely a rebirth of the concepts used by marketers at the start of the 20th century up to the 1950s (Belz, 2006). At the turn of 1960, a new marketing concept known as marketing orientation emerged. This concept became common from 1960 onwards. This marketing concept emerged because of market saturation that triggered intense competition. Marketing also became a strategic thinking process for managers. Today marketing as a discipline has become an outward looking discipline where strategies and actions depend on the external environment of a company. As such, any change in the external environment affects the marketing strategy adopted by a company (Belz, 2006). The world has also experienced radical changes in technological, economic, and socio-cultural environments s ince the beginning of the 20th century. These changes have created new marketing opportunities and challenges. Globalization has transformed marketing concepts by bringing regional and global societies and economies together. Some of the opportunities that globalization has brought include increased number of market opportunities. For instance, globalization has made it possible for companies to set up businesses in other countries easily. In addition, globalization has transformed marketing by making it easier for companies to penetrate some markets with more ease than ever before. Further, it has provided companies with the opportunity to develop and implement cost-effective international marketing strategies (Johnson, 2007). Despite the benefits that globalization has brought in the... The Development of Marketing over the Last Century This discourse attempts to explore the developments of marketing throughout history and the implications of the developments to marketing organizations. The history of marketing dates back to early 1900 although some marketing practices can be traced back to 1700 B.C according to Dix et al. (2005). Segmentation, marketing developments, promotion, and branding are some of the marketing activities practiced today that have a long history. The origin of these marketing activities dates back to as early as the pre-colonial era. Dix et al. (2005) notes that the marketing concepts of relationship orientation and ‘domesticated markets’ began during the agricultural era. As such, the current popularity of relationship marketing is merely a rebirth of the marketing practices of the pre-industrial period when consumers and producers interacted directly with each other and built structural and emotional bonds in their economic market behaviors. History shows that marketing was init ially based on production orientation. This was the marketing concept that was applicable during the industrial revolution. According to this marketing concept, the focus of marketing was based on efficient production and distribution. Marketing has undergone many changes over the years. It has become apparent that as new technologies emerge, consumer behaviors also changes. As a result, marketing managers must be able to respond to the changes appropriately for the companies they manage to survive, otherwise they will be faced out.

Dominos Pizza Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Dominos Pizza - Essay Example Moreover, the company performance is seen in the light of industry comparison as well. Trend analysis and vertical analysis are done to compare company’s performance with its base year 2008 and calculating indexes based on it. Various trends are observed and interpreted in light of market’s performance. Moreover, vertical analysis sheds light on company’s key title accounts in relation to the base title. Positive and negative trends are identified and analyzed to provide critical insight. Ratio analysis is done in detail to provide insight about company’s profitability, liquidity, capital structure, market performance and asset efficiency to help investors, creditors and management make decisions about the company’s future. Background: Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (Domino’s) was founded by two siblings from Michigan in 1960, where they acquired a store name DomiNick’s. It started as a product and after five years transmitted into a brand named ‘Dominos’. . It operates as a pizza delivery company in the United States and internationally as well. Domino’s has always seen itself as a growing organization which was evident by the urge to become international. In 1983, it went global and took a ride to become the leading pizza maker in the world. Domino’s employs around 10,900 people in their 9,351 stores worldwide. Domino’s is recognized internationally and in order to provide a common man to be a shareholder in the value Domino’s provide, it got listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as DPZ in 2004. Domino’s operate in a highly competitive market and to maintain its brand equity, continuous innovation and promotional activities assist heavily in reachi ng its objectives in adequate time. Domino’

Why Studying in America Is the Best Decision Any Student Can Make Essay Example for Free

Why Studying in America Is the Best Decision Any Student Can Make Essay One of the most wonderful things about higher education in America is that it varies from institution to institution. There is no â€Å"one size fits all† college experience as each individual university has its own standards and traditions, making it easy for anyone pursuing a degree to find the college that is right for them. At nearly all American schools, there is a seemingly infinite list of degrees to choose from as well, many of which can be tailored to meet the students’ individual needs and interests. Perhaps this explains why so many international students choose to study at American institutions. Every year, the US Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs receives nearly 25 million inquiries from hopeful students around the world interested in studying in America (â€Å"Why International Students Come to Study at American Colleges and Universities†, Brain Track, 2011). Equally, statistics show that more international students study in America than in any other country in the world. While many similarities do exist between American and International universities, the American college system surpasses all others in quality, flexibility and diversity, as well as being far more culturally expansive, making it the best place to attend school at a college level. Higher education in other countries such as France, for instance, is offered at little or no cost to the students. Any American student accustomed to paying the sometimes very expensive tuition fees of US schools would most likely start packing their bags and dusting off their passports as soon as they heard this. What many people forget is that tuition pays for not only a general education, but the overall experience as well, including life on campus. The majority of American college campuses are kept very up-to-date, while still maintaining their individual charm and historic backgrounds. Class settings vary from small, intimate classrooms with a capacity to hold only twenty students to large auditorium-style classrooms that will seat two-hundred or more. Most classrooms provide students access to the best possible technology and resources to aid their learning. There are a great deal of wonderful student services available outside of the classroom, too, including abundant libraries, computer labs and tutoring centers which are generally available to all students at any time. For students living on campus full-time, the list of perks continues: Comfortable dorm rooms, plenty of on-campus cafeterias and restaurants, full-service fitness centers, student lounges, and more. This easygoing environment makes it easy for students to succeed. Now, compare that picture to what is most often found with free international schools: Ancient, structurally unsounds buildings holding cubicle-like classrooms, out-of-date (if any) technology and resources, incommodious dormitories and far less to do on campus. That doesn’t sound like an environment that would fortify students’ desire to obtain an education, especially when coupled with the almost impossible academic expectations that are usually found in classrooms outside of the US. The pressure to do well in school, especially college, is something that all students have or will face at least once throughout their academic careers. It is what pushes students to try their hardest to ensure their success. However, the pressure seems to be much worse for students in other countries even before they begin attending a university. For example, British high school students are required to take what is called â€Å"A-Level† Tests which quiz on four different subjects. Scores on these tests are used to separate the â€Å"serious† students from the ones who might not do so well in the university system. The scores are also used to narrow down students’ choices in majors, which must be decided before attending. For every degree plan, required classes are only those which apply to the student’s area of study meaning students may not take outside electives that don’t work towards their degree. Work in these classes is said to be extremely challenging in order to further separate the serious students from the not-so-serious ones. This strict academic regimen allows students to fulfill their requirements and earn a degree in only three years. Again, to an American student this would sound great: no useless classes and one less year spent in school. But those â€Å"useless† classes are actually incredibly valuable and give students in America a great advantage over their international peers. The Liberal Arts philosophy is a very unique feature of the American system. It requires all students to earn a general level of education in the arts, sciences and humanities alongside their chosen field of study which can be applied not only to the degree they are working towards but also to any career path they choose to follow later in life. As mentioned by David Crabtree in his essay Why A Great Books Education Is the Most Practical!, these classes are meant to teach students â€Å"more general, transferable skills which will provide the flexibility to adjust to whatever changes may occur†¦ These skills would make a person well-suited to most work environments and capable of learning quickly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (213). The Liberal Arts philosophy allows students to be well-rounded in their education and provides them with skills that could carry them into almost any career field, should the one they choose in college fail them. Other college systems, specifically that of greater Europe, don’t provide that. Instead, they train students only in one field, leaving them with no safety net or â€Å"Plan B† if the need for one should ever arise. The American college system also caters to students by providing a wide variety of both degree-specific and recreational classes, something many other countries’ college systems seem to lack. This gives every student the opportunity to explore their interests thoroughly and discover which field is truly the right fit for them individually, while also making college seem like less of a chore by giving students a break from the classes they find less interesting. One may argue that some of these classes are counterproductive, distracting students from their more important classes and having them spend more time than necessary earning their degree. However, even the most impractical seeming classes are teaching skills that could potentially come in very handy at unexpected times later in life. For example, consider Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios. During his time at Reed College, he attended a Calligraphy class where he learned various typefaces and how great typography was made. Jobs himself said, â€Å"None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life.† (Jobs, Stanford Report, 2005) However, ten years later he found the skills he learned in the Calligraphy class to be more useful than ever expected when he was designing the first Macintosh computer, the very first computer invented to have uniquely beautiful typography. Jobs made history and permanently changed the world of home computers, which could not have happened if he had studied in say, Finland, where such a trivial class would never be taught. The diverse array of classes also ensures that every student can find a field of study that suits them. Students are not restricted to simply education and medical fields, or even basic writing and art. American colleges allow students to study absolutely anything they wish, from Tourism to Dance Choreography. Furthermore, while they study university students are introduced to many wonderful opportunities such as internships, work-study jobs, and study-abroad programs which are designed to help them better develop their skills and expand their horizons of education and beyond. Most universities also take great interest in each of their students as individuals and wish to see them succeed. Students are often given great career opportunities and connections before even graduating, and many universities will do all that they can to help students find immediate job placement after graduation. Choosing which college or university to attend is one of the hardest and most important decisions a student will ever face. That decision alone holds the power to decide a person’s entire future. Every student is different, they have different dreams and desires and therefore they should have infinite options to choose from to find the place that will best suit them while they chase those dreams. That is why studying in America, where there are hundreds of institutions each with their own individual cultures and traditions and thousands of degree and career plans to choose from, is by far the best decision for any student. 1. â€Å"Why International Students Come to Study at US Colleges and Universities†. Brain Track. 2011. http://www.braintrack.com/ international-studies-in-us-colleges/articles/why-international-students-study-in-us. 2. David Crabtree. â€Å"Why A Great Books Education Is the Most Practical!†. The Composition of Every Day Life. John Mauk, John Metz. Published: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2010, 212-214. 3. Steve Jobs.

What Has Lead Avian Influenza to Affect Humans :: Bird Flu Influenza Disease H5N1

What Has Lead Avian Influenza to Affect Humans Avian Influenza is a negative stranded virus that has many different strands. The virus first jumped the species barrio in 1997 when a human was infected from poultry. Because of the variation in human and animal species and their genetic makeup, the H5N1 strand which was transferred to humans served no threat to the poultry but was deadly to humans. Although there are no vaccines present there are antiviral medications like Tami flu that are produced by Gilead Sciences. The H5N1 strand of Avian Influenza is transferred through Aerosols, if a patient is seen within forty eight hours of the first symptoms there is and antiviral medication which may help decrease the symptoms. The main question that is lingering in society is, â€Å"Today’s Epidemic or Tomorrows Pandemic?† At this monment it is not officially a pandemic but the outbreaks hint that it may soon become one. A Pandemic and Epidemic are very different things. An Epidemic is a variation of a disease or virus that is spread rapidly through a secluded area and affects its inhabitant; while on the other hand a Pandemic is a disease or virus that spreads rapidly through a large geographic area and affects much of its population. Both Pandemics and Epidemics affect people of all ages, ethnicities, cultures and religions. There is no one who is immune to any disease or virus and its effects. In the late 1900’s there has been a lingering concern of a pandemic outbreak of the virus that causes Avian Influenza. The virus is rumored to affect people like HIV/AIDS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and even serve as a Bioterrorism threat. The virus originated in the Eastern area and has many different forms and strands. At this moment there are vaccines which help prevent and control the spread of the virus, if the virus is not contained there may be many consequences and repercussions . AVIAN INFLUENZA 2 Avian influenza is a virus that first passed the species to barrier in 1997, it jumped from animals to humans. It was known to be in bird species hundreds of years ago; finally it crossed the species barrier in Hong Kong for the first time. There are many different strains of the virus; some of the strains affect humans while other strains of the virus don’t affect humans at all. There are three categories of the virus but every category contains negatively stranded DNA and RNA.

Macbook Air About Essay

MacBook Air is unbelievably thin and light. But it’s designed to be powerful, capable, durable, and enjoyable to use, with enough battery life to get you through the day. That’s the difference between a notebook that’s simply thin and light and one that’s so much more. Even at less than an inch thin, MacBook Air sets a pretty high standard — by making flash storage standard. Flash chips are very compact, allowing MacBook Air to be incredibly thin and light. Flash is also solid state, meaning there are no moving parts. Which makes it reliable, durable, and quiet. And it takes up much less space — about 90 percent less, in fact. That creates room for other important things, like a bigger battery. So you have a notebook that weighs almost nothing and runs for hours on a single charge. That’s mobility mastered. Multi-Touch technology is part of practically every Apple product. It’s the best and most personal way to interact with your devices. And the optimal way to experience Multi-Touch on a notebook is through a trackpad. That’s precisely the case with MacBook Air. The trackpad’s spacious, all-glass surface doesn’t have a button because the whole thing is the button. And with Multi-Touch gestures in OS X Mountain Lion, you can interact with MacBook Air in ways that feel more intuitive and responsive than ever before. Anyone can try to make a notebook that’s thin and light. Success comes in doing it without cutting corners. That’s why MacBook Air features a full-size keyboard, not a condensed version of what you’re used to. When you type on the MacBook Air, it’s just as comfortable as typing on a desktop keyboard. And the keyboard is backlit, so you can type comfortably even in low-light conditions. A built-in sensor detects changes in the ambient lighting and adjusts the keyboard and display brightness automatically, giving you the perfect illumination in any environment. If you looked inside MacBook Air, you’d see something remarkable: how much space we devoted to the battery. That’s thanks to smaller components such as flash storage. And when the goal is to design the perfect notebook for everyday use, giving priority to the battery just makes sense. With MacBook Air, you can get up to 5 hours of battery life on the 11-inch model and up to 7 hours on the 13-inch model. Put MacBook Air to sleep for more than an hour, and it enters what’s called standby mode. That means you can come back to MacBook Air a day, a week — even up to an entire month — later, and it wakes in an instant. Time is on your side, courtesy of MacBook Air. MacBook Air features a unibody design for both the main enclosure and the display. Unibody construction means a higher-precision, less complex design with fewer parts. And that translates to a notebook that’s exceptionally thin and light, yet durable enough to handle the rigors of everyday use.

Introduced to the children Essay

Nowadays, there are so many children television shows introduced to the children. Which are being interactive in a way and the children are enjoying and learning (without them knowing it). One of these shows is the â€Å"Dora the Explorer† of NickJr. , which is very popular nowadays. As it was described the show was created â€Å"†¦starring a 7-year-old Latina girl and her friends. The show is designed to actively engage preschoolers in a play-along, computer-style adventure. † [About Dora the Explorer (n. d. ),Retrieved November 10, 2007from www. nickjr. com/shows/dora/about_dora. jhtml. ] In this particular episode, when Dora received her backpack as a gift from her parents. It was her mother who informed her that she has a present from them. Like a common mother who is loving and caring to her child she was so proud in informing Dora of the gift. While the father is very proud to present the gift to her and telling her all about the backpack. Of how special it is, as her mother had mentioned. The father informed Dora that all she needs is inside the backpack. There are thirteen characters in this episode and mostly are males, only five characters are female including the main character Dora. Comparing with the other female characters, Dora is what you might say of the strong character. As earlier mentioned, he mother is the loving and caring person of her child. While her backpack which was represented by a female voice, represents exactly what is Dora’s character. Also the library’s door is being represented by a female voice, which only shows how friendly and approachable a library is. As for the librarian, we all know that the usual librarian is a female. It is well represented, as a librarian who is friendly, knows who regularly goes to the library. And knows how many books are to be returned by the borrower. While the male characters, are well represented. The father, who cares and loves her daughter, knows what’s best for her. Boots, a caring friend and assistant to Dora always follows her wherever she goes. Though there are times that he gets in trouble, Dora always helps him get out of it. While Drool who doesn’t like anyone to cross his bridge, is like Scrooge. He gives them riddle to solve and if they can’t answer correctly they can’t pass through. While, Swiper the Fox, Dora’s enemy