Developing Management Skills Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Developing Management Skills - Article Example The two components can be integrated in numerous ways that are structures, policies, values and Training and development practices that are being followed in the organization. Phase 2 that is the DO phase is all about selecting and implementing specific training programs and their content. The method of extracting the content for a training program is done from company's strategic objectives, culture, values and their decided skill needs. The most important training and development area is leadership training that is conducted by organizations through short courses. Mostly training and development resources are derived from inside of the organization and a minor amount is extracted from the outside environment. Phase 3 is the Check phase, unfortunately this is the most ignored phase in most organizations but organizations that give importance to this phase have developed successful Training and development programs. This relates to evaluation of the training and development program that is currently running. The aspects evaluated are whether or not the desired results of the training program are being achieved.

The Great Athena Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Great Athena - Essay Example LeQuire found out that the original sculptor, Pheidias, built the Athena on with curved ivory on a wooden framework. The ivory acted as the gold wardrobe and skin for the original Athena. After sufficient research, LeQuire began to reconstruct the Athena. LeQuire began by first creating small clay models of the statue. From these models as starting points, the sculptor spent more than three years in enlarging the statue. This also involved the casting process which led to the building of the full Athena of Parthenon. The artist assembled the Great Athena by casting gymnasium cement in the Parthenon. The assembly involved casting of many moulds that enlarged the statue while giving it its beautiful look. In order to ensure that the statue had sufficient support, LeQuire attached each of the sections of the Athena into an armature made of steel. There are several different materials which were used in the surface materials of the statues. The most obvious of these is gold, which can be seen on Athena’s tunic, helmet, shield, and spear. However, the other elements used in the statue were ivory and silver. The sculptor put a Sphinx likeness in the center of the statue’s helmet to make it more appealing. The statue was const ructed and made upright with griffins on both sides of its helmet. The head of the status is one of the pieces of the work which is made of ivory, with a long, golden tunic that goes down to the Athena’s feet. Most of the elements of the statue, in addition to supplying it with physical beauty and attractiveness, were designed in order to have symbolic references to Athena’s role as a goddess. For example, the spear is held on the hand of the Athena which is symbolic of war. In the other hand, the Athena holds the statue of victory to signify successful engagement in a war. The shield in the feet of the Athena is symbolic of protection from the serpent which is near the shield. It is argued that the serpent was meant to

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Operations Management - Essay Example In opposite accord, British Airways is a full service airline model able to provide higher cost ticketing to consumers due to the strength of its brand under a premiumisation model in marketing. British Airways is able to maintain its competitive edge through operational structuring with emphasis on technology support, dependability, and high quality especially as it pertains to employee engagement with revenue-building consumers. Both airlines have significantly different operational strategies, giving each a unique competitive advantage stemming from operational strategy development and implementation. This report illustrates the unique strategic operational return on investments for both companies that continue to sustain these airline models. The operational strategies of Ryanair and BA For companies that maintain a broad and diverse supply chain network in order to provide products and services, such as British Airways, holding costs for warehousing and inventory management are significant. These costs include space, labour support, utilities, and even taxation (Heizer and Render 2004). For diverse procurement models, these costs are unavoidable as facility management requires expenditures for support labour and technology support on receivables and deliverables (Heizer and Render 2004). ... -fluctuating consumer demand in this industry that affect strategic planning and operational procurement (British Airways 2010; Anderson and Day 2009). Coupled with vendor-supplied materials needed to carry out its full-service model, it was no longer efficient for British Airways to maintain decentralised procurement strategies with products deliverable from over 80 different countries. The costs of procurement and warehousing were adding unavoidable, variable costs into the business model that continued to seize competitive cost advantages from British Airways. Low-cost, no-frills carriers were emerging in multiple consumer sectors that were able to negate high inventory holding costs and distribution costs associated with a diverse supply chain network. As it pertains to the costs of procurement, British Airways faced a trade-off situation: Continue to absorb costs by operating under a decentralised supply chain strategy to avoid change or to sustain and allocate capital resources to centralise supply chain strategies and eliminate redundancies. There were multitudes of opportunity costs associated with the existing supply network, therefore the business determined that implementation of appropriate procurement planning software (in this case SAP) were necessary to radically alter the supply network. The business changed its procurement strategy to include development of more strategic alliances with vendors, including involving suppliers during the early stages of product and service development, taking advantage of supplier expertise to assist in creating a mutually-rewarding procurement network. These are significantly important operational strategies for cost controls in supply chain strategies (Copacino 1996; Ragatz 1997). British Airways began to benchmark

The Calling of Saul of Tarsus

The Calling of Saul of Tarsus A leading persecutor of Christians, Saul of Tarsus sought to destroy the Church (1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13, 23). Except for Jesus, no one influenced the early church more than Saul, also known as the apostle Paul. This paper will examine the circumstances and events prompting a zealous persecutor of the church to become the most influential leader for the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles. It will be shown that the calling of Saul was a true conversion even though he was not moving from one religion to another. His calling emphasized change but emphasized the conviction that the final expression and intent of Judaism had been born. Paul was born a Jew, and was a citizen of Tarsus where he was a tentmaker by trade. He received his rabbinic training in Jerusalem, under the teaching of Gamaliel. According to Pauls own account, he was a strict adherent among Pharisees (Gal. 1:14, Phil. 3:5-6). Paul inherited Roman citizenship (Acts 22:2528), which was widely granted during the latter part of the Roman republic. Paul claims in Acts 22:28, that he had been born a Roman citizen. This would mean that he had inherited Roman citizenship from his father. Little is known of Pauls life prior to the events discussed in Acts. He is first mentioned in chapter 7 in connection with the execution of Stephen. According to Acts 7:58, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Paul was a Pharisee, a prominent young member of that sect. Steeped in the monotheism of the Old Testament Scriptures, he could only count as blasphemy the claims of Jesus disciples that their Master was the Son of God. He could only ridicule the issue of a life that terminated, as he thought, on a despised cross and in a gloomy sepulcher, rather than on a throne of glory. With regard to Pauls pre-Christian attitude to the gospel, one thing is certain; he was opposed to it with his whole heart. In his apostolic letters he speaks of his previous hatred for the church (Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6). His persecution of Christians was to him a holy war. The only explanation that can be given of his sudden reversal is that the risen Christ actually appeared to him and by the sheer persuasion of His deity, claimed the faith and allegiance of the persecutor. Pauls conversion/calling to the Way took place near the city of Damascus. Four characteristics stand out in the accounts of this event. First, Paul was actively engaged in persecuting Christians and did not anticipate his conversion (Acts 9:19; 22:416; 26:917). Second, the event that initiated the unexpected change of course was a revelation of Jesus Christ made to Paul alone. Third, Soon after this revelation Paul had contact with a certain Christian (Ananias) in Damascus who recognized Paul as a believer in Christ by baptizing him. Fourth, Paul was immediately called by Jesus to take the Gospel to the Gentiles (1 Cor. 9:1; 15:89; Gal. 1:1516; cf. Eph. 3:16). Pauls Damascus experience becomes the most famous conversion/calling in history. Suddenly he is blinded by a light from heaven the light of the glory of Christ. His surrender to Jesus was instantaneous and complete: What shall I do, Lord? (Acts 22:10). He could not see because of the glory of that light (Acts 22:11), but he had already seen the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). The god of this world could blind him no longer. At his conversion/calling, Paul was commanded to open the eyes and turn them from darkness to light (Acts 26:18). Although Paul was blinded after his encounter with the Lord, Ananias laid hands on Paul, something like scales fell from his eyes (Acts 9:18), and he was able to see. He had first-hand knowledge and experience of turning from darkness to light, and his command from the Lord was as clear as his newly regained sight. Content to allude to Pauls blindness and recovery as historical events, Luke wishes by a sober narration of carefully selected facts to make it clear that Pauls meeting with Christ is not to be classed with other visions, however supernatural, but is to be accepted on a par with the other appearances of the Risen Lord. So Paul goes from opposing God and persecuting Jesus to joining the persecuted side. After spending several days with the disciples at Damascus, Saul went into the synagogues and boldly proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God (Acts 9:20). Krister Stendahl argues that a proper interpretation of Romans 7 shows that Paul, as a loyal Jew, had experienced no struggle or guilt feelings that would have led him, through dissatisfaction with the law, to turn to Christ.Neither did he suffer from an introspective conscience..Stendahl prefers to regard him as someone who did not abandon his Jewishness for a new religion but, rather, as a Jew who was given a new vocation in service of the Gentiles. The description, in Acts, of Pauls sudden conversion on the road to Damascus is primarily the creation of Luke; Pauls biographer. Lukes description of Paul is not impartial biography either, for it was intended to dramatize the early churchs journey from Judea into the gentile world. In some ways Luke downplays Pauls claims, but he uses Pauls life and mission to illustrate the destiny of Christianity. Many of the details of Pauls life come from Luke since most biographical details are missing from Pauls own letters. Lukes description of Pauls conversion draws on the Hebrew Bible for themes of prophetic calling, paralleling the commissioning of Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5-11) and Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-9). Pauls calling, and ultimate conversion to Christianity, depicts the decisive change Paul experienced. Not only was Pauls conversion/calling remarkable with respect to his view of Jesus, but in his attitude toward Gentiles. Judaism is well known for its exclusivist attitude. It was unlawful for a Jew to have fellowship with one who is uncircumcised. Along with his conversion he received a prophetic commission to convert the gentiles. It is inadequate to speak only in terms of Pauls conversionas if he were moving from one religion to another; and likewise only in terms of his callas if he were continuing in an unaltered faith. The conversion-call combination emphasizes both continuity and change. Stendahl challenges the appropriateness of conversion language because Paul has not changed religions, that is, he never turns from loyalties to the God with which he began. While the answer might seem clear enough, working with Stendahls assumptions complicates the task; and furthermore, Luke nowhere explicitly defines conversion, nor provides a consistent pattern of entry into the church. When he does specify the means by which one joins the group, he is generally rounding out narrative portions which demonstrate the overarching effects of preaching. He does, however, offer sufficient material for us at least to consider the nature of a changed relationship with God, and ask whether the change constitutes conversion. Although we customarily label this experience Pauls conversion, this can be done only in retrospect, for at that time Judaism and Christianity were not yet separate religions. In reality, Paul changed brands of Judaism, switching from Pharisaic to Christian Judaism. On e of the main ways that Luke demonstrates Sauls changed relationship with God is to show this change in group affiliations. That is, while not an end in itself, his new corporate identity points to the ultimate reality underpinning his change. What is evident is the fact that the gospel message is beginning to extend beyond Jerusalem and Judea. Paul inhabits that world of Christianity which he formerly tried to exterminate through the killing of Stephen. However, it was Stephen and his circle, not Paul, who launched a mission to Gentiles. Pauls missionary enterprise is not framed in generalities, as it is in Acts 1:8 (to be my witnesses) and Acts 9:15 (to carry my name). In Acts 22 and 26, Paul is directed to testify specifically about what he has seen and heard on the road to Damascus. The missionary charge to preach before kings in Acts 9:15 is Lukes anticipation of the way he closed Pauls public ministry by having Paul preach before King Agrippa (Acts 26:1-32), and it is suggestive of a Pauline appearance before Caesar (cf. Acts 23:11, 25:10-12 and 27:23-24.) Since Paul is the great missionary to the Gentiles, it is appropriate that his conversion/call immediately precede the worldwide spread of the gospel. Hence, Luke introduces it immediately before the movement of the gospel into the Gentile world, as the conclusion to the Palestinian mission. What were the consequences of this event for Pauls theology? The most difficult question to solve was, What impact does the Christian Gospel have on the concept and observance of the Law (Torah)? This question is still disputed today. The basic problem is that Paul seems to be vacillating between two concepts of law, a Jewish concept and his own Christian concept. Paul called his new concept the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). The law summarized the Scriptures in another way, by regarding the love command as the common denominator. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: you shall love your neighbor as yourself (Gal. 5:14). As Paul attempted to make sense of Christian theology, the Damascus event provided an unexpected answer to an old Jewish question: Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of gentiles also? Because Christ ordered Paul to preach the gospel to the gentiles, Paul could now answer boldly: Yes, of Gentiles also Conclusion When reading Acts, one is struck by the immediacy of Pauls activity as an apologist and theologian for the Christian community after his conversion (Acts 9:20-22, 28-29). His theological views were already so profound as to be irrefutable by his first-century Jewish opponents (9:22). Neither the brevity of the Damascus event nor the three short days of blindness following it allowed for a new theological education. Therefore the encounter with Jesus must not have required the abandonment of his former learning, but informed and reoriented it toward a new understanding of salvation-history around some key theological point revealed to him in the event. It was Pauls conviction that if one read the Torah story, emphasizing it as a story of Gods works of salvation and righteousness for ancient Israel, then one could not escape seeing that God had wrought another salvation, and committed another righteousness, in Christ just like the ones of old but an even greater one ! Paul was so excited by his belief that God had committed a new, mighty act in Christ, that he just could not understand why everybody did not see it the way he did. For Paul, as for Jeremiah, it was a question of how you think. The New Testament contains six summaries of Pauls conversion experience (Acts 9:1-30; 22:1-21; 26:1-23; Gal. 1:13-17; 1 Cor. 15:8-10; Phil. 3:4-11). Paul also alludes to the event on the road to Damascus several times (Rom. 10:2-4; 1 Cor. 9:1, 16-17; 2 Cor. 3:4-4:6; 5:16; Eph. 3:1-13; Col. l:23-29). Those references emphasis the significance Paul placed on his conversion experience and for determining his ministry.

Julius Caesar Essay: The Character of Brutus -- Julius Caesar Essays

The Character of Brutus in Julius Caesar      Ã‚   â€Å"Et tu Brute?† Caesar’s simple statement sums up Brutus’ round character in the development of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Brutus was thought to represent no threat due to his nobility and his loyalty; however, these qualities are precisely why the story is such a catastrophe.   What stemmed from these traits is the last expected outcome.   Caesar’s surprise was so immense, he could only mutter these last few words.   Brutus’ honorable nobility, his loyal patriotism, and his naà ¯ve and idealistic manner define Shakespeare’s tragic hero.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Honor is an underlying foundation of Brutus and can be clearly seen during the play’s dramatic speeches.   Brutus himself makes his honor apparent in his orations.   After the assassination of Caesar and during the funeral speech, Brutus asks the people of Rome, â€Å"Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman?   If any, speak; for him I have offended†(act III, sc ii, ln 29-32).   This in Brutus proves he is noble as he cares and protects the welfare of the people and Rome as a whole.   He is torn between his sense of duty with Rome and his friendship with Caesar.   In the end; however, he must rationalize his actions to save face and conform to both sides of his conflict.   Furthermore, Brutus tries to prove his nobility to virtually everyone. When Brutus utters his last words, he tells Caesar his intentions, â€Å"I killed thee with half so good a will†(act V, sc v, ln 50-51).   His honor is always persistent and never fails to prevail at even the most taxing and awkward situation.   Brutus considers his honor in every aspect and choice in his life and often rules over his own accord.   Accordingly, many people, including his enemies, were very m... ...t categorized with his honor, his loyalty to Rome, and his naive and idealistic disposition.      Works Cited Bloom, Harold. William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Chelsea House Publisher; Connecticut, New York, & Pennsylvania. 1988, Pg. #33 - 36 Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare A to Z. Roundtable Press, Inc.; New York. 1990, Pg. #78 - 80 Durband, Alan. Shakespeare Made Easy: Julius Caesar. Barron's Educational Series, Inc.; New York. 1985. Ludowyk, E.F.C. Understanding Shakespeare. Cambridge University Press; New York. 1962, Pg. #184 - 187 Morner, Kathleen & Rausch, Ralph. NTC's Dictionary of Literary Terms. National Textbook Company; Illinois. 1991, Pg. #225 - 227 Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Dover Publications, Inc.; New York. 1991. http://student.cscc.edu/ENGL/Engl264/traglex.htm. Shakespearean Tragedy. 11-29-01. Yahoo.   

Marks and Spencer’s accounting choices Essay

Question 1 Exhibits 1 and 2 report the income statements and excerpts from the notes to Marks and Spencer’s financial statement for the fiscal years ending between March 31, 2005 and March 31, 2009. Critically analyze M&S’s accounting choices. What choices may have helped the company to overstate its net profits between 2005 and 2009? * M&S recognize many software development costs as intangible assets. In fact they recognize all costs related to software costs. This includes direct cost of material and services, payroll related costs for employees who are directly associated with the project. This may help M&S overstate its profits because normally only the direct costs associated with the software are recognized as an asset. The payroll costs for employees should not be considered to be an asset but as direct costs and should immediately reduce profits of M&S. Because this isn’t done, profits can be overstated. This is reflected by the large increase in computer software under development which was 5.6 million in 2005/2004 and was 178.8 million in 2009/2008. This is a stunning increase of 3192%. Besides there isn’t any amortization of the computer under software development and is only subjected to impairment. * Another thing which should be considered when reading the report is that there is a large amount of goodwill which may lead to overstatement of assets. In those five years there isn’t any impairment loss recognized or depreciation on that goodwill. Goodwill should be every year be subjected to impairment and it’s unlikely to remain constant over five years. This may lead to overstatement of assets. Warning signs of delayed write-downs on non-current assets can be a declining non-asset turnover or a declining return on assets below weighted average cost of capital. * Another point of discussion about the accounting methods M&S use, is the large depreciation rates they use on fixtures, fittings and equipment which can vary from three years to 25 years depending on the estimates life of the asset. This should be done on basis of useful economic life instead of the estimated life of the asset. This way they can spread the costs over a larger amount of time which overstates profits. * In 2005-2009, every year there are a large amount of additions, other than acquisitions. This is the case with land and buildings, fixtures, fittings & equipment, goodwill, computer software and computer software and development. Our opinion is that this comes from an increase in value of the asset. This is strange because there is an addition in goodwill which suggests that the value increased with no particular acquisition in 2007/2006 and 2008/2007. Also land and buildings and fixtures fittings & equipment increase because of additions while there is economic downturn in 2008/2007 and 2009/2008. * They also requalify their pension liability as equity because they sold it to a joint venture with its pension fund. This liability was then leased back from the joint venture so because they fully control this operational liability, they can qualify this as equity. This seems to be an accounting trick to state liabilities as equity. M&S also receives exceptional pension credit from this transaction in 2009/2008 and 2008/2007. Question 2 Exhibit 3 provides information about the liability that Marks and Spencer reclassified as equity. Do you agree with the decision to reclassify? What will be the effect of this decision on future financial statements? The reclassification of the liability of Marks and Spencer’s as equity seems to be an accounting trick. Marks & Spencer’s group had a liability of 496.9 million to M&S UK pension scheme. Because they did not want that the liability influenced their financial reports in 2007, they sold it to a joint venture of M&S group with M&S UK Pension scheme. The partnership then leased the properties of the partnership to the M&S plc. This reclassifies the liability because of the operational lease as equity while M&S group still has to pay the money to the pension scheme. When the pension fund has not got the money to pay their employees, the group still has to bring up the money. The effect of this decision on future financial statements is that a large amount of liabilities is classified as equity which distorts the equity/liability ratio and is not an actual reflection of the financial health of the organization. The future financial statements will give off a wrong impression of the liabilities owed to the pension scheme.

Organizing Function of Management: Sephora Essay

The organizing function of management is one of the key pieces of running a successful business. Sephora, a leading makeup company founded in France in 1970, has become an international presence; its success has, without question, been affected by its organizational abilities. Two of Sephora’s core competencies are extensive knowledge of beauty products and customer needs and their ability to adapt to ever-changing technology. These two areas have greatly affected the organizing function of management within the company and have helped them excel in the international market. Knowledge  To say that Sephora has excelled in the cosmetics industry due to knowledge is very vague; one would ask â€Å"Knowledge of what? † Their success can be attributed to their knowledge in many areas, two of which include their employees’ knowledge of products and services offered and knowledge of their customers’ needs and how to satisfy those needs. Knowledge of Products and Services Every employee of Sephora is expected to have an extensive knowledge of beauty products and practices: To build the most knowledgeable and professional team of product consultants in the beauty industry, Sephora developed â€Å"Science of Sephora. This program ensures that our team is skilled to identify skin types, have knowledge of skin physiology, the history of makeup, application techniques, the science of creating fragrances, and most importantly, how to interact with Sephora’s diverse clientele. (Sephora, 2012) Knowing such a great deal of information about cosmetics may seem unnecessary to some, but it ensures that customers can enter the store with a sense of security – knowing that the employees there are best suited to help them fulfill their beauty needs. Customers don’t have to worry about wasting their time trying to find a product that works or their skin tone and type; the employees are trained to know what works for different people and can steer them in the right direction. This knowledge of products and services provided by Sephora directly impacts customer service. Knowledge of Customer Needs Another factor that has contributed to the success of Sephora is their knowledge of their customers’ needs. They use the Customer Relationship Management process to determine the wants and needs of customers and develop programs that will satisfy those wants and needs (Bateman & Snell, 2009). Sephora recognizes that their customers expect certain things from the company, and they meet not only those needs but go above and beyond to provide the best experience possible for each customer. They do this in many ways, such as using promotional offers and customer loyalty programs. One of the promotions the company always offers free shipping for any online order over $50. They know customers like free shipping, but they are also encouraging customers to spend more money. Recently, they have improved this offer to free 3-day shipping on every order, whereas before they only offered 5-7 day shipping for free. Another promotion offered at Sephora is three free samples of beauty products with every order. Customers are given the option to select three of a number of samples at checkout at no added cost. This allows customers to try out new products that they might want to use in the future. There are two parts to the customer loyalty program at Sephora. Everyone is eligible to become a Beauty Insider, and select customers are eligible to become V.  I. B. s (Very Important Beauty Insiders). Beauty Insiders gain points for every purchase they make that can be used to get deluxe beauty samples either in store or online. Customers that spend a minimum of $350 at Sephora in a calendar year are elevated to the status of V. I. B. This status gives them access to private events, exclusive rewards, special privileges, and a dedicated beauty consultant at a hotline exclusively for V. I. B. members (Sephora, 2012). Of course, none of these needs would be met so efficiently if it were not for the integration of technology. Technology Sephora has been very successful in adapting to ever-changing technological advances and using them to the advantage of the company. The Sephora website was launched in 1999 in the United States, and it is the largest North American store in terms of sales and the available selection of products (Sephora, 2012). In addition to that, â€Å"Sephora has also been recognized as a leading digital brand and continues to advance this arena through mobile and social media initiatives including an active Facebook page, BeautyTalk (its online beauty community), its mobile site, and iPhone App† (Sephora, 2012). These kinds of technological advances allow Sephora to be a very strong Time Based Competitor – as all of these factors allow them to reduce the time it takes to provide products and services to their customers (Bateman & Snell, 2009). In addition to all the formerly mentioned technological capabilities Sephora avails itself of, the company has recently begun to go above and beyond even that by further integrating social media sites such as Instagram and Pinterest into their marketing in April of 2012. Every product on the Sephora website now has a â€Å"Pin It† button that consumers can use to share favorite products with their followers on Pinterest. Their Instagram feed gives customers behind-the-scenes looks at Sephora and the latest beauty trends (Novellino, 2012). As far as in-store technological advances go, a new program has been launched that provides iPads and iPod Touches to sales associates. Customers will also be able to use their own iPhones to scan products on the floor to get more information and read product reviews right in the store. All of this will improve the overall customer experience, proving that Sephora really does pay attention to the needs of their customers and does whatever they can to make the shopping experience more convenient and enjoyable. Conclusion Through their use of knowledge and technology, Sephora has developed a responsive organization that strives to meet the needs of their customers at a fast pace. These factors are crucial to running a successful business that can not only survive, but strive in a global economy. Sephora knows what their customers want, and they deliver through their constant advances in technology and customer service.