BUS599 MoD 1 SLP Assign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BUS599 MoD 1 SLP Assign - Essay Example ents are quite sensitive to its prices, but do not mind on issues ascribed to its performance; clients do not mind any variation caused on its performance, but mind its prices and clients prices as well as the performance of X7 is given equal priorities by its clients. This research will focus on an analysis of the financial years of the three products, basically taking into consideration; pricing, marketing strategies and allocation of resources thus creating an effective platform for development of appropriate operational strategies for the financial year 2016. Financial Year 2012: The respective prices of tablets X5, 6 and 7 during this financial year was; 285, 430 and 190 dollars. The products also experienced variations in cost allocation at rate of 34% for X5 and 33% each for X6 and X7. In summation, the company made sales amounting to 1,055,294,574 dollars after selling 3,102,177 units. The R&D, fixed and variable costs exhibited a sum of 784, 720, 740 dollars. The profit margins during this year was at 270, 573, 835 dollars, indicating a 26% increase of the total yearly revenue. Taking into consideration the profits accrued in 2011, the 2012 profit margin indicated a 10% increase. In relation to individual product market performance, product X5 sold more units as compared to product X6 and X7 by registering sales amounting to 1,647,592 units: This generated annual revenue of 469,563, 809 dollars with a product profit of $139, 504, 962, generating 30% of the overall annual revenue of the product. The product X7 indicated the lowest sa les during this year, after exhibiting sales amounting to 165, 586 units leading to reduced profit of 27% less as compared to the previous year, which was at 0%. Generally, the annual revenue generated from the three products during this year indicated an upward trend, despite the fact that product X 7 indicated decreased profit margins. Financial Year 2013: The Clipboard Tablet Company designated prices of the three products

Film Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Film - Assignment Example Its presence or absence does not affect the main story’s message. b. Dugan’s murder is part of the plot because it gives additional reason or motivation as to why Terry would start doubting and turning his back on Johnny near the movie’s ending. It can also be a part of the story to show the ruthlessness of Johnny in dealing with those that stand in his way. c. Dugan’s testimony is part of the plot because it gives is part of a series of events that would lead up to Terry’s testimonial against Johnny later in the movie. The presence or the absence of the testimony would not affect the main theme of the movie d. Terry’s dive in the ring can both be a part of the story and the plot. It is a part of the story because it shows why Terry ended up in the docks instead of a career in boxing. It can also be a part of the plot because it would lead up to Terry becoming part of Johnny’s gang ruling the docks. 4. During the opening sequence of the movie, Munny’s balance can be seen as rather distorted, due to the loss of his wife. His crises were precipitated by the death of his wife, his inability to tend to his pigs that were getting sick with some fever, and a young man showing up in his farm to enlist his help in killing two thugs, criminal acts which he had left behind after marrying his wife (Eastwood). The fact that he is being enlisted to kill hoodlums added to Munny’s internal conflict of choosing to be a person of peace. After the young man showed up in his doorstep he started having doubts as to whether staying as the mild-mannered man his wife hoped him to be was a better option than getting back on the road and taking another person’s life in exchange for a lot of money. Since he wasn’t going to kill innocent men anyway, he chose the latter and left his children alone in the

The Corinthia Palace Hotel Company Ltd Company Tourism Essay

The Corinthia Palace Hotel Company Ltd Company Tourism Essay With 380 million international arrivals annually and market share of more than 40% of global tourism Europe commands the position as the number one tourist destination European Commission Vice-president Antonio Tajani- Journal of the Institute of Tourism Studies Dec 2010 pg 30. Company History Corinthia Palace Hotel Company Ltd is a Maltese registered company that owns The Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa. The hotel enjoys a central location in the San Anton area. This Boutique style hotel neighbours both the Official Residence of the President of the Republic of Malta and the San Anton Botanical Gardens. Initially in 1920s, the site was a private residence called Villa Refalo, which was later sold to the Pisani family in 1959. (IL-Haddiem, 1968). The villa was transformed into the Corinthia Restaurant in the 1962. The company name Corinthia stems from the trademark columns that remain a prominent feature in the Villa Corinthia Restaurant. The restaurant prospered and was particularly popular with both locals and expatriates on field breaks from Libya. The success of this fine dining restaurant led the Pisani family to engage the services of architect Dom Mintoff, who designed and supervised the building of one of the finest hotels of its time. The hotel was amongst one of the first five star hotels in Malta to have full conference facilities in addition to 141 rooms, 11 suites, Garden Spa and 5 food and beverage outlets. The official opening of the hotel in the June of 1968, was conducted in the presence of then Minister of Education, Culture and Tourism, Doctor George Borg Olivier, His Excellency Duke of Edinburgh and renowned actor Roger Moore. The success of this enterprise has set the foundation for Corinthia Group of Companies, as we know it today. The group is organised into four business units, each of which plan and implement well-defined strategies driven by single objective of continued growth. The unanimity of purpose, to achieve our founders vision, towards expanding the Corinthia Portfolio Internationally, is driven by Mr Alfred Pisani himself. To date the company owns or operates sixteen hotels in nine countries. Mission Our Mission is to provide our guests with the craftsmanship of care Company Philosophies The company philosophy is primarily based on the core values, mainly integrity, honesty, trust and respect, which form the foundation of relationships within the Corinthia Group as well as with our customers and business partners. Definition of an Industry. There are numerous sources that provide a definition of an Industry, however, the succinct description in The Oxford English Dictionary of an industry is as follows :- a particular form or branch of economic or commercial activity Snapshot of the Tourism Industry in Malta Economic Performance According to its 2010 report  [1]  , Travel and Tourism contributes towards 19.4% of the GDP (EUR1,151.4 million) with a forecasted increase of a further 3.6 % by 2020. Export earnings from International Visitors is expected to reap in the region of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 777 million with a forecasted growth to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 1443.4 million in 2020. Currently, 23.7% of the labour market are employed in industry related occupations and it is anticipated that this will rise to 28.9 % by 2020. These statistics substantiate that Travel and Tourism is perceived to remain one of the key engines for growth for the Maltese Economy. Tourist Performance Although the National Statistics Office has not issued the official statistics for 2010 Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism estimated that the total number of Tourists to the island was in the region of 1.3 million  [2]  . This is an .1 million increase on 2009 figures  [3]   Capacity : The National Statistics Office December news release Collective accommodation establishments :Oct 2010 reported that there are a total of 158 accommodation establishments on the Maltese Islands which equates to a total bedstock of 17,966 . During the month of October statistic report that the total amount of non resident arrivals in109,581 visitors who stayed an average stay of 6.3 nights. 5 Star Hotels on the Island Currently , there are a total of fifteen accommodation establishments that are classified with a 5 star rating. During the month of October, this accommodation tier enjoyed an occupancy of 73 %. Having an information at hand is invaluable when assessing the viability of an industry. The World Travel and Tourism Council uses set Indices which can be valuable to ascertaining an Industrys attractiveness and future economic potential. The use of PESTLE to scan the Broad Environment for drivers of change There are numerous characteristics or strategic elements that can influence the life cycle of the local tourism industry. One organisation, acting independently, may have very little influence on the broad environment: however, the forces in this environment can have a tremendous impact on the organisation (Enz, C.A, 2010).p16  [4]  . Consequentially, if one was to consider this statement in todays local business scenario, it consolidates the school of thought that theres a limited likelihood that organisations have opportunities to influence the broad environment. However, according to The principle of Enactment organisations do not have to submit to the existing forces in the environment. (St.John, Harrison ,2010)  [5]  . One example of how this is validated in the local context, is through management agreements that hoteliers have formed with Internationally renowned Brands. In contrast, the Corinthia Palace Hotel, has established its own brand called Corinthia Hotels International Ltd (CHI Ltd). The strategic choice to create a Maltese Brand is a means to differentiate between the International brand names such as Hilton, Inter Continental, Marriot and Starwood Hotels that currently operate on the Island. Through a concept of backward integration the Corinthia Brand has eliminated having to pay substantial contributions to third party Management Companies by forming its own unique Brand. Additionally, it has been able to penetrate the International Tourism Industry by offering Management Contracts to overseas operators in the Industry. The task of measuring competitiveness is full of complexities as there are numerous forces at play. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to have a thorough understanding of both the potential threats and opportunities available. This will then provide the basis for which a company responds to trends and influences by integrating its resources to achieve a strategic advantage on its competitors. Local firms competing within the Tourism Industry invariably have similar resources available to them. Additionally, each will be challenged by similar forces. Therefore, it is safe to assume that most will pursue similar strategies. However, the company that best acclimatises itself through capitalising on its strengths, its unique resources and capabilities is more likely to be successful. All organisations formulate business plans that will enable the firm to use its core competencies to achieve its mission, goals and strategies. PESTLE Analysis Therefore, in order for any business enterprise to adapt to the broad environmental forces it is common practice to analyse key indicators in the macro environment by situational analysis. The four areas that are believed to influence and form the context in which the firm operates are as follows :- Political Forces Economical Forces Socio cultural Forces Technological Forces The Political Environment can significantly influence an industry and organisations. Economic Performance Political Scenario in Malta The tou The Maltese Government recognises that Tourism is a key contributor to the Maltese Economy. The government has collaborated with Public Employment Services, Educational Institutions and Social partners to invest and improve on the current skills set of the current labour market. The broad environment. Forces within both the Broad and Task environment are critical determinants for strategy formulation for any organisation. However, the core of a firms business environment is formed by its interaction and between three key stakeholders and their impact on the market place :- Customers, Suppliers, Competitors. This is more commonly known as the Task Environment. All contemporary organisations within all Industries face forces that can significantly affect profitability. If a firm understands these forces, then it can develop a business level strategy that allows the business to either take advantage or protect itself from these forces, which in turn allows the firm to be consistently profitable.'(Ahlstrom.D,2009)  [6]  . Although many business models exist, most companies use the framework of environmental understanding established by Economist Michael Porter to measure potential of an in Industry. Porters Five Forces Model In the March- April 1979, one of the most cited authors in Business and Economics, Professor Micheal. E. Porter, published an article in the Harvard Business Review, titled How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy.  [7]  . In this article he wrote : Competition in an industry is rooted in its underlying economics, and competitive forces exist that go well beyond the established combatants in a particular industry. Customers, suppliers, potential entrants, and substitute products are all competitors that may be more or less prominent or active depending on the industry. The state of competition in an industry depends on five basic forces. The collective strength of these forces determines the ultimate profit potential of an industry. This article formed the basis of Porters Five Forces Model. This user friendly model is now widely applied by many organisations to formulate the firms business level strategy. Corinthia Palace Hotel is no exception. Key strategic decision makers within the company use this model in their business plan to represent their analysis of the dynamics of the competitive structure and each forces influences the Maltese Tourist Industry . Bargaining Power of Customers Bargaining Power of Suppliers Threat of New Entrants The Threat of Substitute Products or Services Function The hotel has two primary functions which are to provide accommodation and catering services to travellers. Market Although perceived as a business hotel, the main market is leisure travellers. The tour operator and Leisure Segments constitute approximately 64% of the hotels market share. The company enjoys amongst the highest customer retention rate within the Corinthia group, averaging in the region of 20%. Suppliers

Educational Goals and Philosophy :: Education Teaching Careers Essays

Educational Goals and Philosophy In this day in age, opposing views and philosophies are emerging in the public school systems quicker that we can really develop a thorough understand and sound, sturdy opinion of them. As an educator, I believe it is important to be supportive and open-minded for the students. My concern is not only for the students’ education, but also their personal well being and emotions. Every student is raised differently, with beliefs and morals that may oppose the beliefs of their fellow students and teachers, as well as other members of their community. These students should not feel segregated or suffer from the harsh words and acts of others that may disagree with their views. My job is to secure the feelings of each student and to help them realize that this is one of life’s lessons and that they should face the world with an open mind and warm heart. These ideas represent my own personal beliefs. After reviewing the several different philosophies discussed in my education class, I have come to realize that I do not believe in one particular philosophy. I agree with several aspects of each of the different philosophies that are prominent in our nation’s schools. My classroom is going to be a positive learning environment and a comfortable, welcoming setting for all of my students. To be a great teacher, I need to be able to understand where my students are coming from when they express their concerns or show signs of confusion, pain, or any other behaviors that do not correspond with their personality. I want to know my students on an individual basis where I can have a loving, caring, understanding and open relationship with them and still gain their respect for me as an educator. The teachers that remain in my memory the most where the ones that thoroughly taught their lessons and strived to help each individual student understand the material and work to their fullest potential. These teachers were also the ones who expressed the most care and love for their students. They worked to develop a strong bond with each individual student so that they may feel secure and comfortable in their classroom, knowing that if they ever needed any help or support, their teacher was always the one they could turn to for guidance.

Gladstone’s liberalism

This question focuses on Gladstone's liberalism and to what extent he applied it during his first ministry, 1868-74. Liberalism is a political philosophy that stresses individual liberty, equal opportunity and rights, Victorian liberalism was a mixture of ideology, morality and self-interest, and it advocated civil and religious liberty. Gladstone was the embodiment of Victorian liberalism, he tried to put forward his liberalism but he often found that he fought a lone battle in the cabinet. To assess the extent of how much Gladstone's liberalism was applied during his first ministry, I will be looking at the acts that were passed during this period and looking at how liberal in nature they were. His attention was mainly focused on Ireland as he said in his own words â€Å"It is my mission to pacify Ireland†. He put forward 3 acts and bills concerning Ireland, at the time these were fairly controversial, as he was one of the first Prime Ministers to address the Irish question. The first act that Gladstone passed as Prime Minister was The Disestablishment of the Irish Church Act. This broke the connection between church and state and ended the Anglican church's status as the established church of Ireland, this aimed to reduce endowments and redistributing a third of its annual reserve to non-religious ends, e. g. improving hospitals. This was quite a liberal act as it allowed people to freely attend whichever church they wanted. This however showed Gladstone's willingness to solve a problem without appreciating its background and not understanding its immediate practical requirements. Th Irish Church Act was Gladstone's first liberal move and gave an indication of the path his future acts would take. His second act in 1870 was The Irish Land Act. This was initially one of his most liberal measures as it gave a lot of the protection to the tenant, the individual, but it was diluted so its effectiveness was reduced. It said that tenants should have greater protection from eviction and should be compensated if their rent was deemed excessive, be given compensation for improvements and repairs they had made and that new tenants should compensate the old tenants for their share in the property. The most important part of this at was the compensation if the rent was deemed excessive; Lord Salisbury objected to this clause as he said that no court had the right to adjudicate on the fairness of rent. This omission made the bill limited and unremarkable, this caused anger as it did not live up to its expectations and it failed to realise the aim of the land-lord. At first this bill promised to be a very important bill as it finally gave protection to the tenants but in the end it just made the tenants position less secure as land-lords could now freely increase rent as there was no-one to stop them. This should have been another success for Gladstone but after it had passed through parliament it became just another ordinary act. The Education Act of 1870 put forward by William Forster allowed for the continuation of denominational schools, but in districts where schooling was deficient a locally elected board would be set up. This had the power to organize schools and enforce the attendance of children aged between 5 and 12 who were not being educated in any other way, the boards could also decide whether religious teaching was to be given in their schools. This mainly benefited the working class who before had been unable to send their children to school because it was too expensive so the children went to work instead. The two main organizations involved in this act were the National Education League and Union. The League was non-conformist and wanted gratuitous secular education, the Union was Anglican and wanted religious teaching. The pressure resulting from the conflict between the two groups produced the Cowper Temple Clause; this meant that only non-denominational religious education was to be provided in schools receiving state aid. This was an important liberal act as it gave educational opportunities to the working class who had never before had the chance of free schooling. Other important acts included The 1870 Civil Service Act. This meant that all positions within the civil service were open to public competition, this was obviously a liberal act as it gave the opportunity to people to hold positions which had never been open to them as before a system of patronage was used. Army reforms were also introduced these were the 1871 Army regulation Act. The aim of this was â€Å"To combine in one harmonious whole all the branches of our military forces†, this abolished the system of purchase, an officer bought his commission and could sell it for whatever he could get, and also flogging in peacetime was abolished. The 1871 University Test Act made positions of teaching at Oxford and Cambridge open to non-Anglicans. The Ballot Act introduced the secret ballot, this meant that people could express their opinions without being persecuted. The Trade Union Act of 1871 legalized trade unions. Workers were now protected and had their interests looked after so if they felt that they were being treated unfairly they could do something about it. All of these acts cohered with the liberal philosophy, they gave long overdue equal rights and opportunities to everyone. One of the final acts by Gladstone was the Licensing Act of 1872. This tightened the control on licensing and fixed public houses opening and closing times, with this Gladstone did his party immense harm by alienating brewers and distillers who naturally turned to the conservatives. Gladstone had no doubt in his mind what had caused his election defeat in 1974, in a letter to his brother he commented † We have been borne down in a torrent of gin and beer†, this act did more harm than good and ended Gladstone's first ministry. Gladstone's serious view of life, his devotion to progress and his insistence on justice and right made him a leader who was idolized or hated. His was the figurehead of liberalism and his many liberal acts showed how passionate he was about it. He was not a great Prime minister but during his first ministry he tried very hard to spread liberalism that appealed rather to a particular mentality that might be found in all classes, so in fact it was above class. In conclusion Gladstone's liberalism was his belief in equal opportunities, in an era when this was not available to everyone it was a very brave belief as many of the population could not afford schooling, but thanks to Gladstone this problem was now fixed. He applied his liberalism to a great extent as he introduced some very important changes, these being the Education and Irish Church acts. The way his ministry ended showed that he had not finished and more was to come, mainly his pursuit of Irish Home Rule. He was probably more important for what he was than what he did.

Delamere Vineyard Essay

â€Å"Delamere Vineyard is a small, integrated winemaking business in Tasmania, specializing in pinot noir (red) and chardonnay (white) wines. Richard Richardson, Delamere’s owner and winemaker, manages and operates the vineyard and winery largely alone. His products have won praise and awards in the past, but Richardson strives continuously to improve. Delamere competes in the high-priced segment, in which quality is paramount. Richardson is well equipped as a winemaker–with a Ph.D. in agricultural chemistry and 15 years’ experience.† (Harvard Business School, 2000) Winemaking is a very exclusive, yet competitive business that requires great care and understanding of customer demands. Problem Richard Richardson, winemaker at Delamere Vineyard, is facing a change in his production of wine with uncertainty because of his ongoing desire to improve quality and sales. He has relied on his scientific knowledge to steer his company and now would like to move forward and improve his quality of wine and increase profit. Richardson is in the process of upgrading his production process to produce a better quality product based on customer satisfaction and wine critics, and needs to make a decision on how he will implement this. Objectives/Goals Richard Richardson is facing challenges for the new direction of his company. He needs to make some decisions as to his innovative way of wine production to enhance the quality and increase his profit and sales. Richardson needs to improve customer satisfaction for his pinot noir and chardonnay wines. Richardson has to improve his marketing and advertising for the vineyard to increase sales and profit. Richardson needs to find a niche in the wine industry and set his wine apart from the other vineyards. Richardson has been making mediocre wine for the past 15 years and desires to set his company apart by increasing the quality and production of his wine to boost profit and sales. â€Å"At the establishment of his vineyard, Richardson had drawn inspiration from his scientific training and the advice and example of others who preceded him† (Harvard Business School, 2000). Richardson needs to focus on the process of developing quality wine with the purpose of meeting a large percentage of customer satisfaction without sacrificing capital or increase costs in production over a long period of time. Since Richardson is fixated on two types of winemaking, he needs to focus on the ways to improve quality and control outcome to maintain consistency throughout the years. Customers are quick to notice subtle changes in wine quality and are apt to err on the side of caution when deciding on future purchases. Wholesalers are the wineries main source of sales and they â€Å"sought consistent quality at a moderate price, and favored wines that would have wide appeal by being made in a recognizable and popular style† (Harvard Business School, 2000). Richardson is very emotionally attached to his business and takes the entire role of decision making upon himself. Richardson needs to consider insight into new trends in winemaking and procedures that have worke d in the past with other vineyards. Delamere Vineyards should be a family business built on the constant goal of improving production, distribution, sales and quality. Analysis Delamere Vineyard is currently producing pinot noir and chardonnay wines at varying qualities to satisfy the demands of the consumers. Richardson has been working on his wine selection and vineyard for 15 years and is now in search of improvement of for quality of wine. Scientific knowledge has allowed him to start and continue his business of wine making with little knowledge of the process most winemakers go through to produce a quality and enjoyable wine selections. Richardson, while his process so far has yielded positive results, is in need of reevaluating his production process and possibly the distribution process to increase his business. Richardson bears the entire responsibility of decision making for the company. â€Å"While instinct coupled with analysis may make a powerful decision-making combination, beware intuition’s pitfalls. Often, your gut is just plain wrong – because it’s subject to biases† (HBR, 2001). Decisions that involve where a company’s future is headed and changes in operations must be made with a clear head, and the long time notion of three heads are better than one should come into play. Richardson admits that sales is dependent on the quality of the wine. The process of winemaking is difficult to specifically characterize and replicate for consistency. Richardson has pinpointed some areas in his business where improvement can be made to set his wine apart from the competition while increasing productivity and sales. His first option involves â€Å"consideration to amend winemaking procedures to eliminate the possibility of oxidation as the wine matured. Excessive contact with oxygen, along with other chemicals, induced compounds called aldehydes, which could create a distinct and unpleasant flaw in the wine’s taste, unforgettable bitter aroma somewhat akin to stale oil, along with an unattractive browning of the color† (Delamere Vineyard, 2000). This option leads to a constant output of good quality wine. This process will allow Richardson to attract a large amount of customers through both mail order and wholesalers due to the fact that this process can produce the same type of wine product every year. Customers tend to feel at ease purchasing wine from distributors who have produced the same product on a constant b asis and feel comfortable with the level of quality. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) is the â€Å"wonder drug† to combat oxidation in the winemaking process. Considering the fact that most winemakers tend to agree that the introduction of sulfur dioxide (SO2) is the failsafe solution to preventing oxidation, the decision to incorporate some level of sulfur dioxide should be definitely considered and implemented. Richardson claims that he presently includes a small amount of sulfur dioxide into his winemaking process and it debating his new approach; continue his current process, increase his SO2 or spend time and money and waste some of his product to develop the correct scientific method for the incorporation of sulfur dioxide. Logic and reasoning would conclude that Richardson should stick with industry standards when it comes to the level of sulfur dioxide to add to the winemaking process since it has been proven time and again with success. He is dissatisfied with his current wine production, and therefore, he should not even consider the approach of â€Å"doing nothing† when it comes to preventing oxidation in his wine. The long term benefits of spending time perfecting the process of how much sulfur dioxide to add to the mix could be beneficial to Delamere Vineyard. Richardson has the ultimate goal of setting his wine apart from other manufacturers while keeping the small family business image. He is already well versed and educated in science and would not need to enlist in outside help to spend time perfecting his process. Sticking with the status quo on the mixture will likely ensure consistency in the short run, but prove to be a common type of wine in the industry. â€Å"Over the years, various management studies have found that executives routinely rely on their intuitions to solve complex problems when logical methods (such as a cost-benefit analysis) simply won’t do. In fact, the consensus is that they higher up on the corporate ladder people climb, the more they’ll need well-honed business instincts. In other words, intuition is one of the X factors separating the men from t he boys† (HBR, 2001). Richardson is more likely to trust his scientific knowledge and experiment with possible scenarios to advance his understanding of the winemaking process to guide him towards perfection. Richardson’s second possible project involves finding a way to deepen the color of his red wine. Richardson is convinced that his main market Australians would be more likely to purchase his wine if it had a fuller red hue. Richardson identified that other manufacturers succeeded in darkening their wine by providing a longer maceration before and following fermentation and introducing higher temperatures during fermentation. The dilemma was that Richardson was already performing these tasks with his current wine, which meant his only option would be to transition from his currently fermentation process to a more sophisticated one. This process would cost the vineyard $30,000 to purchase and at least 10% of product with no real assurance that it will be successful. The cost-benefit of this approach will lead to Richardson risks capital that he doesn’t have available to waste to hopefully produce a product that has a hue preferred by his customers. Managers â€Å"apply factual research to historical precedent that’s so widely accepted in an organization that it’s no longer challenged. Things deemed to be common knowledge are often the result of inferences made by the ‘primal’ mind – they’re a product of evolution, and so tend to be governed by emotions and instinct† (Harvard Management Update, 2002). Richardson has conflicting views on his long-term goals for his vineyard. On one spectrum he is focused and passionate about improving the quality and consistency of his wine and winemaking process to increase sales and profit. Richardson would also like to accomplish this in his small family owned business with almost the entire operating burden placed solely on himself. On the other hand, Richardson has mentioned the potential long-term growth benefits of quality improvements to his vineyard. Richardson has not made note to how his family owned vineyard would continue to operate should they increase production and sales of their product. Investing time and money into growing the company would require increased staff and land to store the wine barrels before sales and distribution. Richardson needs to weigh his options and focus on his own long term personal goals in addition to the organization. Does he want to be working for the next 30 years? Employing in outside sources of help will bring a fresh perspective to Richardson’s winemaking approach. Richardson’s third possible improvement is to determine the best mix of whole bunches, stalks, and de-stemmed grapes to include in his crush to speed up and automate production. When Richardson was evaluating this option, red flags were popping up at every point. Initially, he specified that is option did not solve any foreseeable problem with his winemaking process; therefore if there is no problem a solution cannot be developed. Second, this type of fermentation would require more space in his winery and limit his ability to control the entire winemaking process. Since most of his potential projects focused on more control in the development of wine, this idea actually contradicts Richardson’s problem with his vineyard. â€Å"The ability of managers to solve problems and make decisions rationally has long been assumed to be one of the valuable products of experience on the job. But close observation of their actually practices has shown that even veteran managers are likely to be very unsystematic when dealing with problems and decisions. And their hit-or-miss methods often produce decisions based on erroneous conclusions, which means that the decisions must also be wrong† (HBR, 1965). Any option that would increase his cost while not ensuring a definite increase in profit would be making a decision which would hinder the ability to prosper in the future. The small chance that altering the mix of grapes would result in a more complex and aromatic wine does not outweigh the potential result that the wine could rapidly turn to vinegar spoiling his entire vintage. Recommendations â€Å"Winemaking is capital intensive, in terms of both investment and working capital. Startup costs for even a small vineyard and winery were heavy, relative to anticipated cash flow† (Harvard Business School, 2000). Richardson needs to consider enlisting outside help experienced in the business of winemaking who can lend some insight into new trends in winemaking and procedures that have worked in the past with other vineyards. The ability to bounce ideas off other people who have knowledge in winemaking will allow Richardson to make future decisions without bias. He currently relies on intuition, past experience in his vineyard, and his scientific background to produce his wine. Richardson needs to incorporate a full-time staff that can use his ideas and industry standards to not only improve the quality of wine, but improve the manufacturing process which can develop his company as well. Richardson will not be able to run his family business as a one man shop when his sales double. Richardson would also benefit from removing his cognitive blinders in his company and investigate other vineyards that have been experiencing the same type of situations. Usually businesses experience the same types of problems in manufacturing and distribution, and learning from other companies mistakes will allow managers to make reasonable decisions with minimal risk. Richardson should prioritize his projects and develop a time line for completion based on the risk assessment. The idea of eliminating the oxidation in the mine is an option that will provide the least amount of financial loss. Richardson would be smart to start his project with industry standards for the introduction of sulfur dioxide while also taking time to use his scientific knowledge to find the perfect mixture for future vineyard growth and quality development of the pinot noir. Richardson would be foolish to entertain the idea of spending $30,000 which is almost half of his net income on a rotofermenter. The outcome would only generate a 10% increase in price and the cost-benefit/long-term benefit is nonexistent. In decision making, managers can take on the six thinking hats to solve the problem. The â€Å"black hat† in decision making allows â€Å"participants to identity hazards, risks, and other negative connotations. This is critical thinking, looking for problems and mismatches† (Six Thinking Hats, 2010). His â€Å"black hat† decision making skills should see that a 10% increase over a period of 1 year would only yield $25,000 if it succeeds. Richardson’s third project idea of switching to whole bunch fermentation will cost him too much in wine product spoilage, take away valuable winery space that could be used for extra wine barrels and produce no guaranteed profit if successful. This idea would be beneficial if Richardson would commit to long-term goals of increased staff, especially in the managerial capacity. This would also allow him to focus on perfecting his winemaking process while someone else could focus on day-to-day operations. Works Cited (2010, Aug. 6 ). In Six Thinking Hats. Retrieved Aug. 17, 2010, from http:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Thinking_Hats Hayashi, A. (2001). When to Trust Your Gut. Harvard Business Review, pp. 3-11. Stauffer, D. (2002). How Good Data Leads to Bad Decisions. Harvard Management Update, pp. 1-5. Stryker, P. (1965). Can You Analyze This Problem?. Harvard Business Review, pp. 73-78. West, J. (2000). Delamere Vineyard. Harvard Business School, pp. 1-21.

Immigration Camps or Hell Professor Ramos Blog

Immigration Camps or Hell Immigrants in the United States have been going through a very tough time, especially the ones that spend their days crowded in a cage like area with other immigrants. Videos have come out to the media showing the way that little children sleep with thin aluminum blankets and men gathered telling the reporters that they have not had enough food to eat and water to drink. It’s very heartbreaking to see parents being separated and sent back to their country and have to leave their children in the United States. A way to resolve this problem would be to reunite families back together. In this essay, I will be arguing that immigration camps should be fully shut down due to the terrible living conditions that the immigrants are put in and the high suicide rates and isolation that occur inside the camp. The first reason that immigrants should be reunited with their children and families is because of the terrible living conditions that they go through. Adam Serwer, a staff writer of The Atlantic, said, â€Å" It was difficult to move in any direction without jostling and being jostled.† They are given thin blankets but not enough hygiene products in order to keep clean. The children also together in a cement floor without their mothers. He also mentions that the ICE Officers don’t do anything to clean up the filth inside the camps. Serwer also compares the conditions of the current camp to the camp that used to hold Confederate prisoners. He quotes James McPherson, a historian who said, â€Å"13,000 of the 45,000 men imprisoned â€Å"died of disease, exposure, or malnutrition.† (McPherson par. 2). Henry Wirz, the warden of the prison during the Confederate War was arrested in 1865 and was accused of intending to â€Å"impair and injure the health and to destr oy the lives [of the prisoners], by subjecting [them] to torture and great suffering by confining in unhealthy and unwholesome quarters.† (McPherson par.3).   This should be able to show people why keeping immigrants insides camps in unethical and dangerous. Another situation that immigrants are put through is the food given to the men, women, and children. The food that is given to them is said to be inedible. Serwer got an actual confession from a person inside the camp saying that â€Å"The water provided them was foul,† of a dark color.† He also states â€Å" Our ration was in a quality a starving one, it being either too foul to be touched or too raw to be digested† (Serwer par.1).   Hamed Aleaziz, a BuzzFeed news reporter, states, â€Å" There was little access to hot showers or hot food for families and children in some facilities.† He also said that, â€Å"At two facilities, children and families did not have hot meals until the week the inspectors arrived† (Aleaziz par.1). Jonathan M. Katz, a journalist for The Los Angeles Times, explains that, â€Å"In the last year, at least seven migrant children have died in the federal custody.† And if no changes are made anytime soon by reuniting and closing the camps, more innocent men, women and children will continue to die under federal custody. The second reason for the closing would be that camps are also having a problem with the high suicide count that they have in their hands. Renuka Rayasam, a POLITICO based health care reporter states that, â€Å" One estimate puts the number of detainees with mental illnesses between 3,000 and 6,000.† Another statement that she has was that, â€Å"Detainees had made nouses from bed sheets in 15 of 20 cells in the facility they visited† (Rayasam par.1). Katz also says, â€Å" Memos surfaced by journalist Ken Klippenstein revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s failure to provide medical care was responsible for suicides and other deaths of detainees† (Katz par. 15). Due to all the suicides that have occured, Rayasam also states that, â€Å"Many of the migrants with mental illness are not stable enough to participate in their own legal proceedings, so they languish in detention.† Suicide isn’t the only problem that immigrants go th rough. Immigrants who are transgender or who have a mental illness are also kept isolated from all the other immigrants. Another difficulty that the migrant children is that â€Å"The Trump administration cut funding for classes, recreation and legal aid at detention centers holding minors†(Katz par. 3). He also says that â€Å"Months after being torn from their parent’s arms, 37 children were locked in vans for up to 39 hours in the parking lot of a detention center†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Katz. par.3) This is proof that shows the maltreatment that innocent children go through when they get separated from their parents and while they wait inside the camps. A solution that could help keep families together while still keeping an eye on the immigrants would be to keep them under community supervision. Alexia Fernandez Campbell, a politics and policy reporter for VOX explains that community supervision is a â€Å"Nonprofit group or government contractor provides families with social workers who help them find housing and transportation.† Another idea that is suggested by Campbell would be to â€Å"release immigrants with electronic monitoring, which generally involves placing GPS ankle monitors on adults and assigning them caseworkers† (Campbell par. 8). This would allow them to be reunited with their family members and their children wouldn’t have to live with other family members or be sent to foster care with unknown people. Social workers that would be assigned to each immigrant that was in the camp would also be able to supervise them outside of the jail. The mothers with children would also be able to get the c are that they needed from the asylum while being checked on with no problem. The article also says that, â€Å"The contractor that ran the program said that 99 percent of participants â€Å"successfully attended their court appearances and ICE check ins† (Campbell par. 15). This goes to show that the immigrants would want to follow the rules in order to try to stay in the United States.   In conclusion, the camps should be shut down due to terrible conditions that they’re going through daily. Even while being held, they should still be able to get the necessities that they need before they are sent back to their country or while they stay inside for asylum. Social workers could also make sure that they follow the rules in order to go through the immigration process. Innocent children shouldn’t have to die alone where they have access to medical care that could easily help them. They shouldn’t have to get so many terrible maltreatments while they wait for their fate in this country. Aleaziz, Hamed. â€Å"Investigators Found Immigrant Kids And Families Locked In Disgusting Conditions In Border Camps.† BuzzFeed News, BuzzFeed News, 26 June 2019, buzzfeednews.com/article/hamedaleaziz/inspector-disgusting-conditions-border-migrants-children. Campbell, Alexia Fernndez. â€Å"Reminder: Trump Doesnt Need to Keep Migrants in Detention Camps.† Vox, Vox, 4 July 2019, vox.com/2019/7/4/20681298/trump-migrant-detention-camps-alternatives. Katz, Jonathan M. â€Å"Op-Ed: Call Immigrant Detention Centers What They Really Are: Concentration Camps.† Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2019, latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-katz-immigrant-concentration-camps-20190609-story.html. Rayasam, Renuka. â€Å"Migrant Mental Health Crisis Spirals in ICE Detention Facilities.† POLITICO, 21 July 2019, politico.com/story/2019/07/21/migrant-health-detention-border-camps-1424114. Serwer, Adam. â€Å"A Crime by Any Name.† The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 5 July 2019, theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/border-facilities/593239/.