Dimensions of win win habit

Only by having a foundation of trust and a strong emotional bank account can I come o the table with honesty and openness. When both partners bring a strong emotional bank account to the table, we are ready to deal honestly and fairly. The third dimension is agreements. From relationships flow the agreements that give definition and direction to win/win. In a win/win agreement, both parties agree on desired results, guidelines, resources, accountability, and consequences. Trust and mutual responsibility is the key to a win/win agreement.Proper management training is key to establishing the mindset needed to effectively carry out win/win agreements. The focus in a win/vain agreement is on results rather than methods, and people in a win/win agreement evaluate themselves. As such, a performance agreement that both sides agree to is key to an effective win/win agreement. Finally, a win/win agreement can only survive in an organization when the systems support it. I know that I get what reward. Thus, I must make sure that the systems surrounding any win/win agreement support a win/win mentality.To achieve the goals in my mission statement, the reward system must reflect my principles. Competition has its place in the marketplace, but cooperation is the key to interdependent relationships. There is a four step process to seeking a win/win solution. First, I see the problem from the other person's point of view. Then, I identify the key issues and concerns involved. Third, I determine what results would constitute a fully acceptable solution. Finally, identify new options to achieve those results. Want to take advantage of the potential for mutual benefit that win/win solutions offer.I am ready to see any conflict that arises from a win/win perspective and seek the solution that ill be mutually satisfactory to all parties. There are five dimensions to the habit of thinking Win/Win; 1 . Character – Thinking win/win requires integrity (the value we place on our own principles) on the part of both parties. It also requires maturity – the balance between courage and consideration. Expressing feelings with courage tempered by consideration for the feelings of others is the mark of a mature person.Finally, to think win/win, we need an abundance mentality, meaning we realize there is plenty out there for everyone. People with a scarcity mentality think there is only one pie and they are fighting to get as large a slice as possible. People with an abundance mentality realize there are lots of opportunities, more than a person can take advantage of. 2. Relationships – The Emotional Bank Account is a key to structuring a Win/Win. If enough deposits have been made over a period of time, you have a degree of credibility enabling you to focus on the issues, not on personality conflicts.If both parties have high emotional bank balances combined with a ointment to Win/Win, a tremendous amount of synergy is possible. If the other person is not thinking Win/Win, you have to take the lead and be proactive enough to keep hammering until they realize you genuinely want a Win/Win deal. The relationship can be the key to the success of the entire process. 3. Agreements -? These give definition and direction to Win/Win. TO be effective, agreements should focus on desired results rather than the methods to be followed.Guidelines specifying the parameters for the results and the resources available to achieve the results should be included. Also a method of accountability for evaluation and an outline of what will happen as a result of the evaluation. 4. Systems -? Win/Win can only survive in an organization when the systems support it. If you talk Win/Win but reward Win/Lose, then don't be surprised when everyone goes for Win/Lose scenarios. The training, planning, budgeting, communication, information and compensation systems all have to be geared towards Win/Win. 5.Processes – The essence of structuring Wining is to separate the person from the problem, to focus on interests ND not on positions, to invent options for positive mutual gain and to insist on objective criteria – some external standard or principle that both parties can accept. These processes are more fully examined in Habits 5 and 6. The five dimensions of the Win/Win model s described by the author are: Character is the foundation Of Win/Win. There Ernst be integrity in order to establish trust in the relationship and to define a win in terms of personal values.A key trait is the abundance mentality that there is plenty for everybody (v. The Scarcity Mentality). The abundance mentality flows from a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. Relationships are the focus on Win/Win. When there is a relationship of trust and emotional bank account balances are high, there is a much greater probability of a successful, productive interaction. Negative energy focused on differences in personality or position is eliminated ; positive, cooperative energy focused on understanding and resolving issues is built. Performance agreements or partnership agreements give definition and direction to Win/Win.

Jimmy Choo a Celebrity Brand

A Celebrity Brand Strategic Fashion Management A report by Psyche Kuo 2010-11-15 Contents 1. Introduction3 2. Shoes fit for a Princess3 3. Tamara Mellon Part co-owner, Part celebrity4 4. Power of Media6 5. Potential crises 8 * Fast fashion use the celebrities power * Celebrity brands * Celebrities’ scandals 6. Conclusion 9 7. Reference 10Introduction The following report will look at the influence of celebrities and the culture of celebrity lifestyle upon the success and the strategies adopted by Jimmy Choo. From the beginning of Jimmy Choo as a bespoke shoemaker to the takeover of Tamara Mellon, celebrities and red carpet media events which have always been associated with its name. The report will look at the past, present and possible future strategies influenced by celebrities and its culture. Shoes fit for a princess â€Å"The late Princess Diana who was a Choo shoes devotee, made him rise to further fame in 1990.Choo has made a mark on the fashion designing industry and in time was accepted as an iconic image of a classic and refined fashion designer in shoes and later in accessories. † Naomi Silveira (2010) The late Princess Diana would be the first significant figure that helped propel Jimmy Choo shoes from great, to extraordinary. Through history we can always identify luxury brands with a celebrity face, dating back to Chanel with Marilyn Monroe and Givenchy with Audrey Hepburn. It’s a key strategy that helps educate and promote the brand to the public, making the brand more desirable and more exclusive.However, Jimmy Choo did not endorse any celebrities at that time, Princess Diana was a customer of Jimmy Choo simply because she liked the design and comfort of the Shoe. Without Princess Diana, Jimmy Choo may have not achieved the success it has today, with such a public figure photographed wearing a pair of Jimmy Choo. Tamara Mellon – Part co owner, Part Celebrity â€Å"†¦, understood the importance of linking celebr ities to brands and was recognized as an important marketing communications tool. † Uche Okonkwo (2006)Tamara Mellon, former UK Vogue accessories editor, was looking out for out-of-the-ordinary designs that were both chic and attention grabbing. That’s when she approached Jimmy Choo and bought 50% of his company. With her relationship with the media and her strong networking skills, Tamara Mellon managed to help the company grow to worth ? 500 million. Tamara Mellon’s relationship with the media is a very important aspect to why Jimmy Choo succeeded in such a short time span. â€Å"Celebrities are extremely important and valuable to brands, especially in the luxury fashion sector. There is no argument about it.They wield enormous power in fashion circles and can contribute to making and breaking brands. † Uche Okonkwo (2006) If Tamara Mellon was not a public figure as she was, it would have been difficult for Jimmy Choo to achieve the level of â€Å" adve rtisement â€Å" and public awareness without having to invest a large number of capital and resources into this key area. It was hugely beneficial that the new co-owner Tamara Mellon was already a public figure and was able to use this to her advantage. Tamara Mellon realised that celebrity are the brand icon of this generation, an icon which conjures as a mental image or an opinion.This acts as an indirect metaphor to both corporate worlds. Just as brands and brands owners don’t necessarily coincide. Similarly, Jimmy Choo shoes aren’t made by Jimmy Choo. Jimmy Choo is no longer associated with its own brand design with Tamara Mellon whereas Jimmy Choo now focuses on Jimmy Choo Couture footwear. There are not many companies left that follow this tradition of shoes being designed by the company’s founder who brings Jimmy Choo to a few competitors which are Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik.Regarding Tamara Mellon’s marketing strategy of penetration, celebrity endorsement which determines the wealth and success to the brand has lead to a factor where luxury brands appear lesser extent than consumer brands as luxury brands already have well-defined personalities. Power of Media â€Å"The rise of the cult of celebrity, in which everyone can be famous for 15 minutes, can be directly related to the rise of reality television and social networking sites. † PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (2007) The number of celebrity advertisements has doubled from 1996 to 2006. It was uring 1996 that Choo established his brand name Jimmy Choo in London with the assistance of Tamara Mellon. It is no coincidence that Jimmy Choo benefitted from the boom in celebrity endorsement during these ten years. Programmes such as â€Å"Sex and The City â€Å"are just an example of how strong an influence TV have on consumers. â€Å"But the real growth story of Jimmy Choo over the past 14 years has been the riding of a tidal wave of celebrity endorsements, as well as those gushing recommendations in Sex and the City. † Anonymous (2010) Without TV, Media and even Sex and the City, Jimmy Choo would not have become an instant household name.With millions of viewers, Sex and The City was the ideal catapult to make the name public to an even wider audience, even with the programme also â€Å" mentioning â€Å" rival brand Manolo Blahnik in the programme, this did not affect the sales or brand equity of Jimmy Choo. â€Å"Jimmy Choo is attractive to celebrities but they must have pushed it to celebrities as well because that is how you keep the brand in the public's mind – most designers now want to get their shoes on the red carpet because you get so much media coverage from that. † Maureen Hinton (2010)Disregarding that fact however, the lead analyst at the retail consultancy Veridct added that Jimmy Choo’s are attractive enough to stand on its own for it fashionable design. It was also commented that the medi a only acts as a reminder to the public’s mind about the brand’s image. This strengthens the foundations of Jimmy Choo’s defined image. Potential crises Celebrity endorsement is as easy as it sounds as it upholds several risks that are associated with brand communication strategy. If a luxury brand decided to use celebrity endorsement as a strategy, brands should meticulously evaluate their interconnections elements.Fast fashion use the celebrities power The current Jimmy Choo’s strategy that uses celebrity endorsement has a potential risk as the current fast market (mass production market) also uses celebrity power as a major marketing strategy. In examples to that are Gap which Sarah Jessica Parker promoting its brand and Top Shop which Kate Moss is anointed to design their clothing and accessories. Celebrity brands Celebrities’ brands indulge in brand extension and brand architectures. They now understand the importance and influence of personal branding and are exploiting it and also extending it to commercial branding.As a result, several celebrities have ventured into the fashion and accessories businesses and more are on the way. A few examples are such as Jennifer Lopez, Sean Combs and Jessica Simpsons. Celebrities’ scandals The biggest harmful factor that Jimmy Choo can come across as a brand image is from celebrity scandals as celebrities are easily exposed to the public and may get into controversies. An image of a celebrity holds a very important role to the brand it’s promoting. A scandal may lead to a negative connotation. Conclusion The media, TV and Public figures have always been synergetic with Jimmy Choo from the very Beginning.From the late Princess Diana, to Tamara Mellon, Sex and The City and countless of other celebrities photographed with a pair of â€Å" Jimmys†, Jimmy Choo’s main strategy was to use this â€Å" tidal wave of celebrity endorsement â€Å" to its full advan tage. For a new brand in a very competitive market, it was important to utilise this strength to compete with rival brands with a deeper heritage and history. Even though Jimmy Choo has always used celebrities and the media as its main source of advertisement, there are indications that t Jimmy Choo is diversifying its strategies by collaborating with other brands, such as H;amp;M and UGG.With so much reliance with its celebrity exposure, it is potential dangerous to solely rely its company’s future in such an unstable trend. With Collaborations with H;amp;M is a more stable and long-term strategy to appeal to a â€Å" different â€Å" target consumer. Jimmy Choo may be a shoe for the stars, but will eventually grow and establish themselves through other mediums. 1082 words (Excluding title page, direct quotations and references)Reference1. Anonymous, 2010. Jimmy Choo: The world's most valuable shoemaker, The Independent, [Online], Available at: http://www. independent. co. k/news/business/analysis-and-features/jimmy-choo-the-worlds-most-valuable-shoemaker-2076499. html [10 Oct 2010].

Advantages and the disadvantages of magistrates and jurors

In this essay I intend to evaluate the effectiveness of lay personnel and the advantages and the disadvantages of magistrates and jurors. Lay members (Magistrates) have legal advisers within points of law and live locally as they have to live close so that they know the area well. Also it is cheaper to send cases to lay magistrates than using professional judges because they are cheaper and do their work voluntarily. Many magistrates are from a good gender balance; this can benefit them because they are able to understand males and females. Lay magistrates are not legally qualified which doesn’t aid them as they could give an incorrect sentence when someone is actually innocent. They are not as good as cross section, as most magistrates are often perceived as being middle-aged and middle-class. Also they prosecute biased, as they believe the police too soon; there fore they could be sentencing someone innocent. Moreover there is an inconsistency in sentencing, so offenders in different areas are sentenced for different lengths of times for the same offence. Magistrates come from a ride range of backgrounds than professional judges and are much older then district judges. Lay magistrates get paid a ‘stipe’ which is called a â€Å"stipend† thus the term stipendiary comes from. District judges sit in the county and magistrate’s court; an additional name for district judges is stipendiary judges. Lay magistrates are not legally qualified and do not get paid, where as stipendiary magistrates are legally qualified and get paid for there job. The advantages of having jury service are that the legal system becomes more open and justice is seen to be done as members of the public aim to get fair results and they are made without bias. It also helps to keep the law clearer as points have to be explained to the jury, enabling the defendant to understand the case more easily. For the jury service there is public confidence and it is an open system of justice they are also considered to be a fundamental part of a democratic society. The jury services are free from pressure during discussions and are protected from outside influences when deciding on the verdict. Although there is a lot of media influence and reporting information, which can mean that, the decision can be manipulated. Other disadvantages of having the jury service can be that they may be a case of racial bias. In conclusion there are many advantages and disadvantages of both magistrates and juries, which are that there is public confidence, fair results without being bias and juries represent the public as a whole, this means that they are a fundamental part of a democratic society. On the other hand the disadvantage of magistrates is that there is a lot of media influence and there is also racial bias.

Compare Jane Austen's work ( themes, plots, characteristics, style, Essay

Compare Jane Austen's work ( themes, plots, characteristics, style, politics) to some aspects of her life - Essay Example Jane was 5th born in the family of Rev. George Austen at the Hampshire and lived in the area for most of her life. She never married. She was briefly educated by her relative in Southampton, currently Oxford in 1783 and later at Reading Ladies boarding school. Generally, her education was only based on superior education given to girls of the time. In addition, she started writing her first tale as early as 1789. Jane Austen’s life was not happy especially in love and tranquil because she was simply uneventful. The movement of her family to Bath gave her scene to many episodes used in her different writings. There was a time she received a marriage proposal from a wealthy young man but turned it down the next day, reasonably that she did not love him. In her work, Austen anonymously published her tales in order to contemporary adhere the convention of the female authors. Fortunately, her publications continued to achieve the popularity and esteem although she could not lead the literally circles due to her anonymity. Her choice of writing the stories of love in the career, which coincided with the movement of romance contrasted with her life since she personally unromantic. The emotion of passion created in her novels moderates’ rational exercise in finding the real happiness than eloping with a lover. Austen became famous for her mature works in socializing the manners of the comedies. For example Emma, was cited to be perfected in the form, which the critics continue to approach in a perspective of the predicament of English women who were not married (Scott, 58-69). During this period (1800s), the customs and the laws of inheritance determined the fortunes of the families to the male partners. The literary styles of the Jane Austen relied on the combination of the irony, parody, free indirect speech, realism and the burlesque. The usage of burlesque and parody

The Use of Music in Sports Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Use of Music in Sports - Article Example Lately, however, music has found its way into sports, and things haven’t been the same. The concepts of fitness and diet gained a lot of followers in the last decade. What was previously regarded as just a fad has become a way of life for the majority. Consequently, more people have become aware of the importance of engaging in physical activities, and thus, the interest in sports – in general – has correspondingly increased. In this light, music has made otherwise tedious activities like aerobics, jogging, ballroom dancing a lot more enjoyable, fun and exciting. Thus far, the topic has been more on music and sports for the beginners. On the more professional level of sports, however, studies show that music can positively affect an athlete’s performance in his respective activity. In one study, music has been found to ‘be a facilitator to athletic performance’ and ‘allows athletes to disassociate from feelings of fatigue and perceived exertion rates’ (Sorenson et.al.). In this manner, the athletes are pushed to go beyond their normal performance capacity and are always in their peak form as they go about playing their game. Music may not entirely guarantee that the athlete will do well but studies have shown that music does enhance the athlete’s achievement. Music is also widely used these days in psyching up sports figures before, during and after the competition: that is, slow music to relax and reduce anxiety before and after, and fast ones shortly before the actual games. Most athletes utilize upbeat music – usually hip hop, rap or rock -- before a competition because it gets them pumped up, aggressive and energetic on the field (Sorenson et.al.), hence, the increasing demand for these types of music in the sports arena. Who wouldn’t remember the songs â€Å"We will Rock You† or â€Å"We are the Champions† by the rock band Queen? Or Sirius by the Alan Parsons Project? Eye of the Tiger by Survivor?

Group Level Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group Level - Assignment Example In the course of its operations, it came up with a tactical group comprising of top level managers to form a unit that solved critical problems that affected the organization. The specific problem solving task force comprised of the respective plant manager and the other five respective departmental or unit heads (Cummings, Thomas, and Worley 110). All these unit heads were answerable to the plant manager since they spearheaded the operations in the Quality Control, administration, maintenance / engineering, production and human resource departments. The departmental heads were chosen through a rigorous process which comprised of the assessment of the leadership qualities of the individuals vise a vise their qualifications that suit to effectively manage the operations of the unit. There were various routines that were established by the Top level management since it was their first time working together. The team would schedule for meetings which were held twice a week for consultative discussions and assessment of challenging scenarios which the departments faced. The problem that was faced as a result of these meetings was decision making (Cummings, Thomas, and Worley 110). It was smooth for the other topics but it changed its tone when it was time to make various major decisions. It was difficult by the members to come up with one decision that was absolute. The emerging issues were not solved at the present moment and the meetings tended to make references to future dates when the issue would be finally solved. The relationships between the various top level managers remained strained although they tried to maintain a cordial composure while they interacted with each other. The plant manager always found it difficult to get the view of the coin from all sides when the suggestions were interrupted by different forms of disagreements. These was often

Reading summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Reading summaries - Essay Example It is noteworthy in this context that Fannin (2013) supposes such invention to empower C’elle and increase its monopolistic power within the global periphery to an extent, which might in future fuel ethical issues. From a general perspective, as Fannin (2013) argued, embryonic stem cells are the most â€Å"pluripotent† of human stem cells, which can develop specialized smaller range of cells for human body. Stem cells thus help to developed fat cells, muscle cells, cartilages and bone cells, skin cells and tendon cells, helping the human body to cure. As per Fannin (2013), owing to its immense medical significance, the industrial importance of stem cells is also not ignorable. With its high applicability in the medical field, the demand for the same is quite likely to increase in manifold in the near future. Under such circumstances, commercial enterprises, such as C’elle, may find it quite worthy of investment wherein a degree of monopolistic control on the pric e of the product shall offer greater financial as well as competitive returns (Fannin, 2013). Conclusively, Fannin (2013) reveals the dual effects of industrialising stem cell wherein ethical issues might erupt as a major

The existing logistics supply chain of the Land Rover Essay

The existing logistics supply chain of the Land Rover - Essay Example This case study of land rover and UPF-Thompson implicates the risks that the company possess if the indulge themselves in one supply management chain. The emphasis is usually put on the management of the workflows of individuals and the information that accompany it. The supply chain of the organization usually carries one or more of these value streams. When The Land Rover company had decided that UPF-Thompson would be its main supplier of chassis, the land rover did not know that when UPF-Thompson, the manufacturer of chassis, would become insolvent the impact would be severe. KPMG, which was the receivers of the chassis, threatened the land rover that they would stop the supply unless the land rover company decided to make the up-front payment that was demanded immediately of between  £35 and  £45m. The reason as to why KPMG had decided to do this is that they claimed that they were entitled to recover on behalf of their creditors. The sole supplier agreement, which was signed , deemed to provide a valuable asset. A court ruling that was made recently justified this action as they stated that for the benefits of the creditors, the receivers were legally permitted to exploit the vulnerability of a customer. Until a temporary injunction could be secured which entitled Land Rover a short-term reprieve, then the land rover company was forced to halt the production of the discovery temporarily. The consequences of the injunction were that land Rovers supplier of network and around 1500 workers who worked at the Solihull plant were laid off. Process stream The land rover was using an end-to-end supply management perspective. The vulnerability of the

Employment Law for Human Resource Practice Essay

Employment Law for Human Resource Practice - Essay Example Employment Law for Human Resource Practice James Franklin’s attributes of attendance problems to a cavalier attitude of employees of Millennial Generation is discriminatory based on age. Any action directed to this group of staff will, therefore, be viewed to carry a discriminatory intent tailored to punish a particular group of personnel. Every employee has a contract with the employer whether written or not. Employers are legally obliged to furnish their employees with statements of terms and conditions of engagement. Changing the terms of engagement without the employee’s agreement as did Happy Valley Incorporation is an outright breach of contract (Walsh, 2016). After the enactment of the new attendance policy, it was not communicated to all employees but one, Mr. Allen who did not share with the rest beside being directed only to a faction group of employees. Second, they did not seek the employees on the best ways to deal with the attendance problem. Large forms such as Happy Valley Incorporation must inform and consult employees or their representatives, in this case, P.O.O before making significant changes or redundancies. Even in the absence of this requirement, it is a prudent and ethical business practice to keep employees informed and involved in major decisions affecting them. P.O.O has two alternatives of justice to pursue, Consultation with the Happy Valley Management and seeking a legal redress.

Mad Cow Disease Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mad Cow Disease - Case Study Example (see figure below). Preliminary information indicates that this most recent BSE case occurred in a13 year old beef cow from Alberta. Thus, this animal was born before the implementation of Canada's 1997 feed ban," Further elaborating that, "Through 2007, BSE surveillance has identified 15 cases in North America: three BSE cases in the United States and 12 in Canada. Of the three cases identified in the United States, one was born in Canada; of the 12 cases identified in Canada, one was imported from the United Kingdom (see figure above). Assuming that the proportions of animals sampled that were found to have BSE similarly reflect each country's BSE prevalence, the surveillance data indicate that the prevalence of BSE in Canada is well over 20-fold higher than that in the United States (see BSE Prevalence below). (CDC p.1). The following is a graph obtained from the CDC's webpage of those impacted within North America. The first known case of BSE in the United States was identified in December 2003. On December 23, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a presumptive diagnosis of BSE in an adult Holstein cow from Washington State. This diagnosis was confirmed by an international reference laboratory in Weybridge, England, on December 25. Preliminary trace-back based on an ear-tag identification number suggested that the BSE-infected cow was imported into the United States from Canada in August 2001. The preliminary trace-back identification of the animal was later confirmed by genetic testing. On June 24, 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced receipt of final results from The Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, England, confirming BSE in a cow that had conflicting test results in 2004. This cow was from Texas and represented the first endemic case of BSE in the United States. On March 13, 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the confirmation of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a cow in Alabama. The newly confirmed case was identified in a non-ambulatory (downer) cow on a farm in Alabama. The animal was euthanized by a local veterinarian and buried on the farm. The age of the cow was estimated by examination of the dentition as 10-years-old. It had no ear tags or distinctive marks; the herd of origin could not be identified despite an intense investigation (see Alabama BSE Investigation, Final Epidemiology Report, May 2006 [PDF - 105 KB]). (CDC p.1). History (B) "Mad cow disease spread widely among the cattle herds of England in the 1990's because cows were fed bone meal prepared from cattle carcasses to increase the protein content of their diet. Like the Fore, the British cattle were literally eating the tissue of cattle that had died of the disease," (Johnson p.677). Even earlier than that, "Research indicates that the first probable infections of BSE in cows occurred during the 1970's with two cases of BSE being identified in 1986. BSE possibly originated as a result of feeding cattle meat-and-bone meal that contained scrapie-infected sheep products. Scrapie is a prion disease of sheep. There is strong evidence and general agreement

Women in the Early Republic Essay Example for Free

Women in the Early Republic Essay Women played a big part in their husband’s roles in government, although they were not allowed to vote at this time. Women like Dolley Madison made their husband’s presidency more successful. Women also became more involved with the churches, and education. They believed that it was important for women to be as educated as men. Women made up most of the church congregants, as they had for a while. In New England colonies, they started to let women work alongside men on church committees, deciding on the admission of new members, debating doctrinal points, and hiring ministers. Quakers especially liked this; they had always found much talent in women ministers. Unlike the men, the women did not prepare their speeches ahead of time; instead however, they spoke from the heart. One woman, after having a near death experience, became known as â€Å"the Publick Universal Friend†. Jemima Wilkinson claimed that she was no longer a woman, nor a man. She dressed in men’s clothes, wore her hair in a mannish style, and preached openly in Philadelphia and Rhode Island. She ended up in New York with two hundred and fifty followers. This was only part of the change that women had in the early republic. Girls had started attending school also; this started in the North and eventually moved down to the Southern states. They usually went to public schools called district schools, and they offered very basic education. Often girls attended summer sessions and were separated from the boys. By the 1830s, many private academies had opened for teenage girls. These schools had the basics they would need such as drawing, needlework, music, dancing, and talking in French; however, they also had Latin, theology, algebra, geometry, chemistry, and physics the same as most teenage boys would learn. Emma Willard founded Troy Female Seminary in New York, and Catharine Beecher founded Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, and they turned out to be the most prestigious seminaries. Both schools taught teaching, because they believed women made better teachers than men. This was especially important for the students attending Hartford Seminary because most of them did not have a father. That meant that they needed extra practice for employment. There were many men who did not like the idea of omen having an education, because they did not want the women to outsmart them. However, there were men that appreciated their wife’s help. James Madison’s, for example, helped him a lot with the presidency. She threw many parties, which they called â€Å"squeeze†. These â€Å"squeezes† were a big deal, and many people were invited to them. At these parties many people made new friends and were able to make deals, trade information, acquire information, or gain political information, and many people took advantage of them. Many people referred to Dolley Madison as ‘presidentress’. Mrs. Madison also threw many gatherings with her close circle of friends, who would talk about their husband’s roles in the government. This was never even thought of by women before, and men definitely would have never allowed it. As time passed from the start of the colonies to the 1900s women were able to do many more things. They were finally allowed to get an education, teach in churches, and also they could have more meetings about their thoughts on the government.

Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute Essay Example for Free

Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute Essay Rooted in the history of common law in England was the immunity of the sovereign from the processes of the law (Christie and Meeks, 1990). However, this idea of some man or body of men above the law was said to be objectionable to the English concept of justice (Christie and Meeks, 1990). â€Å"The King can do no wrong† was often the explanation for the said immunity but denoted more the lack of adequate redress at law than absence of capacity to violate the law (Christie and Meeks, 1990). Thus, the agitation for the availability of tort remedy against the sovereign, or the state to any considerable degree led to the mature development of the law (Christie and Meeks 1990, page 1202). Because of the increase in the scope of governmental activities and the expanding activities of the Federal Government which touch upon the life of every citizen in such an intimate manner, pressures to either abolish the state’s immunity from suit or to have a waiver of the sovereign immunity in limited situations, increased (Christie and Meeks, 1990). The Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute has been one of those which hoped to address the increasing dissatisfaction with the concept of sovereign immunity from suit (Christie and Meeks, 1990). This paper hopes to explain the Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute and the exceptions provided for under the said statute. The paper would also present the particular Constitutional provision which provides support for the exception to the Sovereign Immunity. Finally, the paper hopes to present case laws, the venue, process and limitations, in order to explain further the exception to the said immunity statute. Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute Over three-fourths of the states in the United States of America have either totally abolished the doctrine of sovereign immunity or substantially modified it (Christie and Meeks, 1990). One such example is Pennsylvania which provides for exceptions to the doctrine of sovereign immunity. 42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8521-8528 provides for the Sovereign Immunity in general, the exceptions and the limitations on damages. 42 Pa. C. S.  § 8522 (b) provide for acts which may impose liability which include: Vehicle Liability or the operation of any motor vehicle in the possession or control of a Commonwealth party; Medical-professional liability or acts of health care employees of Commonwealth agency medical facilities or institutions or by a Commonwealth party who is a doctor, dentist, nurse or related health care personnel; Care, custody or control of personal property in the possession or control of Commonwealth parties, including Commonwealth-owned personal property and property of persons held by a Commonwealth agency; A dangerous condition of Commonwealth agency real estate and sidewalks, including Commonwealth-owned real property, leaseholds in the possession of a Commonwealth agency and Commonwealth-owned real property leased by a Commonwealth agency to private persons, and highways under the jurisdiction of a Commonwealth agency; Potholes and other dangerous conditions of highways under the jurisdiction of a Commonwealth agency created by potholes or sinkholes or other similar conditions created by natural elements; The care, custody or control of animals in the possession or control of a Commonwealth party, including but not limited to police dogs and horses and animals incarcerated in Commonwealth agency laboratories; the sale of liquor at Pennsylvania liquor stores by employees of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board created by and operating under the Liquor Code, if such sale is made to any minor, or to any person visibly intoxicated, or to any insane person, or to any person known as an habitual drunkard, or of known intemperate habit; National Guard activities or acts of a member of the Pennsylvania military forces; and finally, the administration, manufacture and use of a toxoid or vaccine not manufactured in the Commonwealth under conditions specified by the statute (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). Under the Pennsylvania Constitution, all courts shall be open and every man for an injury done him in his lands, goods, person or reputation shall have remedy by due course of law, without sale, denial or delay, and suits may be brought against the Commonwealth in such manner, in such courts and in such cases as the Legislature may by law direct (Pa. Const. Art. I,  § 11). Hence, under this provision the general assembly waives sovereign immunity which is a bar to an action against commonwealth parties where damages would be recoverable under the common law or statute creating a cause of action if the injury were caused by a person to whom the defense of sovereign immunity is not available (Westlaw, n. d. ). Exceptions to the Sovereign Immunity The first exception to sovereign immunity is the vehicle liability or the operation of any motor vehicle liability in the possession or control of a Commonwealth party (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). Motor vehicle means any vehicle which is self-propelled and any attachment thereto, including vehicles operated by rail, through water or in the air (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8522 (b)). In Harding v. City of Philadelphia, 777 A. 2d 1249 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2001), the Court held that bicycles are not motor vehicles (Governor’s Center for Local Government Services, 2003). In determining whether the vehicle is in operation, the Supreme Court held that the dispatcher’s directions do not constitute operation under the vehicle exception (Regester v. Longwood Ambulance Company, Inc. , 797 A. 2d 898 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2002)). In another case, the Court held that citys negligent maintenance and repair of fire departments rescue van was â€Å"operation of motor vehicle† within meaning of motor vehicle exception to governmental immunity (Mickle v.  City of Philadelphia 550 Pa. 539, 707 A. 2d 1124 (1998)). The Court further explains in the case of Vogel v. Langer, 569 A. 2d 1047 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1990), that â€Å"operation necessarily entails momentary stops due to traffic and communication with other drivers, or such acts which are an integral part of the operation itself (Vogel v. Langer, 569 A. 2d 1047 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1990)). The second exception provides for the medical-professional liability or acts of health care employees of Commonwealth agency medical facilities or institutions or by a Commonwealth party who is a doctor, dentist, nurse or related health care personnel (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). In Williams v. Syed, No. 431 C. D. 2001, the Court held that Dr. Syed has no privilege to claim sovereign immunity as a defense because as Chief Medical Director of State Correctional Institute at Pittsburgh, he falls within the medical professional liability (Williams v. Syed, No. 431 C. D. 2001). In the case of Stack v. Wapner, 368 A. 2d 292 (Pa. Super. 1976), patients successfully sued physicians for their negligent failure to monitor the patients after administering certain drugs (Stack v. Wapner, 368 A. 2d 292 (Pa. Super. 1976)). The third provides for the personal property exception, which is under the possession or control of the Commonwealth. The Court held that personal property must directly cause plaintiff’s injury not just facilitate it (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa. Cmwlth. (1990)). In this case, a helicopter pilot brought an action for injuries incurred when, under contract with the Department of Environmental Resources (DER), his helicopter ran into power lines while spraying for gypsy moths (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa. Cmwlth. (1990)). The pilot alleged that DER negligently placed the balloons marking the boundaries of the area to be sprayed as well as negligently providing him with a typographical map that failed to show the power lines (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa.  Cmwlth. (1990)). Because of the negligent placement of the balloons and the incorrectly marked map, the pilot contended those items of the Commonwealths personal property directly caused his injuries (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa. Cmwlth. (1990)). Rejecting that argument, the Court held that the placement of the balloons did not cause the injury, but merely facilitated another kind of negligence which is professional incompetence (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa. Cmwlth. (1990)). The fourth provides for the real property exception which is under the care, custody or control of the agency. The Court in a case held that the scroll saw was realty, taking into account the nature of the saw, the status of it with respect to the realty, the manner of annexation, and the use for which the scroll saw was installed (Cureton ex. rel. Cannon v. Philadelphia School District, 798 A. 2d 279 Pa. Cmwlth. 2002). In Collins v. City of Philadelphia 227 Pa. 121, 75 A. 1028, Pa. 1910, the Court held that the hole, six inches square, near the middle of a narrow sidewalk and in the direct line of ordinary travel, was more or less dangerous to all persons passing, whether walking or on skates (Collins v. City of Philadelphia 227 Pa. 121, 75 A. 1028, Pa. 1910). Thus, the girl whose foot went into the opening which resulted in permanent injuries, is within the exception provided by the statute (Collins v. City of Philadelphia 227 Pa. 121, 75 A. 1028, Pa. 910). The fifth exception provides that a dangerous condition of highways under the jurisdiction of a Commonwealth agency created by potholes or sinkholes or other similar conditions created by natural elements, shall be an exception to the sovereign immunity but the claimant must establish that the dangerous condition created a reasonably foreseeable risk of the kind of injury and that the Commonwealth agency had actual written notice of the dangerous condition of the highway a sufficient time prior to the event to have taken measures to protect against the dangerous condition (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). In Litchfield, 22 D. C. 4th 123 (C. P.  Clinton 1994) in that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has the responsibility to make a highway under its jurisdiction safe before it can transfer that jurisdiction, and that whether the highway was safe at the time of transfer is a factual issue for the jury (Litchfield, 22 D. C. 4th 123 (C. P. Clinton 1994)). The sixth exception provides for the care, custody or control of animals in the possession or control of animals in the possession or control of a Commonwealth party to which the Commonwealth may be held liable (condition (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). In a case, the Court held that the City of Philadelphia was not in control of a stray dog that attacked the plaintiff under the exception because a stray dog was not within the possession and control of the City (Jenkins v. Kelly, 498 A. 2d 487 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1985). Furthermore, the Court also held in another case that the fact that a township had investigated prior attacks by a dog, owned by a private citizen, and had even temporarily quarantined the dog on one of the occasions, did not create â€Å"possession or control† of the dog, when, at its owner’s premises, the dog attacked her guests (Lerro ex rel. Lerro v. Upper Darby Tp. , 798 A. 2d 817 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2002). The seventh exception provides that liquor store sales at Pennsylvania liquor stores by employees of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board if such sale is made to any minor, or to any person visibly intoxicated or to any insane person, or to any person known to any person known as a habitual drunkard or of a known intemperate habit then, Commonwealth cannot use as a defense, sovereign immunity (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). Acts of members of the military forces are also included in the exception from the sovereign immunity statute (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). In a case, the Court held that the proposition that the Supreme Court held that the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution prevents a state from immunizing state acts from liability imposed under federal holding that because the Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Act does not immunize the unnamed defendants from a cause of action created under federal law, the action cannot be foreclosed merely because the conduct of the defendants does not fall within any of the exceptions to immunity (Heinly v. Commonwealth, 153 Pa. Cmwlth. 599, 621 A. 2d 1212, 1215, 1216 (1993)). Finally, the last exception provides that the liability may be imposed on the Commonwealth for a toxoid or vaccine not manufactured in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania must take responsibility for it (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). The statute provides for the following additional guidelines, that the toxoid or vaccine is manufactured in, and available only from, an agency of another state; the agency of the other state will not make the toxoid or vaccine available to private persons or corporations, but will only permit its sale to another state or state agency; the agency of the other state will make the toxoid or vaccine available to the Commonwealth only if the Commonwealth agrees to indemnify, defend and save harmless that agency from any and all claims and losses which may arise against it from the administration, manufacture or use of the toxoid or vaccine; a determination has been made by the appropriate Commonwealth agency, approved by the Governor and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, that the toxoid or vaccine is necessary to safeguard and protect the health of the citizens or animals of this Commonwealth; the toxoid or vaccine is distributed by a Commonwealth agency to qualified persons for ul timate use. Hence, the Court held that to apply this exception, there must be a strict interpretation based on the legislature’s intent (Jones v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority 565 Pa. 211, 772 A. 2d 435 (2001)). Venue, Process and Limitations As provided in 42 Pa. C. S.  § 8523, actions for claims against a Commonwealth party may be brought in and only in a county in which the principal or local office of the Commonwealth party is located or in which the cause of action arose or where a transaction or occurrence took place out of which the cause of action arose (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8523). The statute adds that if venue is obtained in the Twelfth Judicial District (Dauphin County) solely because the principal office of the Commonwealth party is located within it, any judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County shall have the power to transfer the action to any appropriate county where venue would otherwise lie (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8523). The service of process in the case of an action against the Commonwealth shall be made at the principal or local office of the Commonwealth agency that is being sued and at the office of the Attorney General lie (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8523). Limitations on damages is also stated in 42 Pa. C. S.  § 8528 wherein damages arising from the same cause of action or transaction or occurrence or series of causes of action or transactions or occurrences shall not exceed $250,000, in favor of any plaintiff or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8528). Furthermore the types of damages recoverable are those damages recoverable only for: Past and future loss of earnings and earning capacity; Pain and suffering; Medical and dental expenses including the reasonable value of reasonable and necessary medical and dental services, prosthetic devices and necessary ambulance, hospital, professional nursing, and physical therapy expenses accrued and anticipated in the diagnosis, care and recovery of the claimant; Loss of consortium; Property losses, except that property losses shall not be recoverable in claims brought pursuant to section 8522(b)(5) which relates to potholes and other dangerous conditions (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8528). In all these, suits against an agency of Pennsylvania may prosper once the plaintiff provides that his claim is under one of the exceptions provided for under the statute. The sovereign immunity therefore under the Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute is not at all absolute and persons may file suits if their cla ims fall under one of the exceptions provided.

Staples: PESTEL Analysis and Five Forces Model

Staples: PESTEL Analysis and Five Forces Model Staples Inc., a US based office products company, has been chosen for this report which carries out an analysis of the company and its subordinate offering a range of office supplies, business machines, technology products, office furniture, and business services with about 91,000 employees. Founded by Tom Stemberg, Staples opened the worlds first office supply superstore in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston in 1986. In 1989, Staples made an initial public offering (IPO) of $36 million and launched its catalog delivery service, Staples Direct. In three years time, Staples went for diversifying its portfolio and acquired 42% ownership in Business Depot, a Canadian company, in 1993 and the next year the company took over Business Depot with 100% stake. Later, Staples purchased its European partner Kingfisher and Maxi-Papier in 1996. In the same year, the company became a Fortune 500 company (Datamonitor, 2010). The strong growth in revenue is attributed to the attachment of Corporate Express, whose revenues are included in the companys Financial Year. On its successful venture, Staples signed a marketing agreement with Yahoo! and became an office supply merchant on Yahoo! small business portal in 2000. In the consecutive year, the company entered into an agreement with an online legal resource for consumers and small businesses, MyCounsel.com, and with ePolicy.com Insurance Services. Staples has been very successful in expanding its worldwide operations even in the Asian markets. In this continuation, the company entered the $10 billion office products market in India through a joint venture with Pantaloon Retail in 2007, and its new office products business unit, Future Office. The very next year, Staples opened its Copy Print Shop, a new store format in New York City, designed to meet customers copy and print needs. During the same year, the company opened its first store in Houston, Texas. Very recently, Staples Advantage launched the Staples Technology Solutions in February 2010 which offers business customers from small and medium-sized businesses to Fortune 1000 corporations, access to a full range of offerings from data center solutions and printer fleet management services to network services and everyday desktop technology products (Datamonitor, 2010). Task 1: Review and determine the organizational strategic aims and objectives 1.1 strategic aims and objectives The strategic aim of a company is a broad statement of the strategic outcomes which it plans to achieve. At times the strategic aim of a company is also called company goals. The strategic aim is what the organization wants to accomplish (Chartered Management Institute, 2009). Accordingly, the aim of Staples is to be an employer and neighbor of choice, to differentiate its brand, to grow profitably and responsibly, carry out its business activities ethically, work in a sustainable manner, give job skills and education opportunities to its employees, leverage diversity, create sustainable change in its local communities. The aim of Staples is be a committed company that shows its obligation to the environment, practices diversity and be an ethical company. It wants to be a global in its operations and grow financially. It wants to be a great employer, corporate citizen and neighbor (Staples, 2007). According to Chartered Management Institute (2009), the strategic objectives of a company are the specific outcomes and are most often quantified. Objectives are the aims of the company which are broken down and are more concrete. Particularly, the strategic objectives of Staples are (a) to make it easy for customers to recycle eWaste, (b) to build greener buildings, (c) to donate $15 million to community related projects, (d) to deepen commitment to environmentally responsible products, (e) to Qualify 500 U.S. retail stores to the ENERGY STARÂÂ ® standard for retail store standard for energy efficient performance by the end of 2011, (f) to save $10 million in costs through energy conservation programs in the U.S. by the end of 2011 (Staples, 2007). Staples objectives follow the SMART criteria as they are clearly written. They are measurable as the Compensation Committee assesses the extent to which Staples achieves these objectives. They are achievable as Staples analyses the resources it has before setting them. They are realistic as the company has analyzed the skills it posses before setting them. Staples has also aligned these objectives with its long-term vision. Staples objectives are time-bound as the company sets the timescales by which it has to achieve these objectives (Staples, 2007). 1.2 Components of strategic plan The components of the strategic plan include a companys mission, vision, values, its objectives, its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT), its action planning, implementation process and how it measures and evaluates the achievement of its objectives (Friel, 2009). Mission statement: The mission statement of Staples is very clear and states their motive in following few lines: Staples Soul reflects commitment to corporate responsibility what moves us to embrace diversity, sustain the environment, give back to our communities, and practice sound ethics. Linking these values with our global business strategy and operations contributes to our financial success and helps us become a great employer, corporate citizen, and neighbor (Staples, 2007). Vision statement: Staples vision statement elaborates responsible aspects of company in this way: Staples corporate soul is centered on a rock solid belief in social responsibility and the desire to make a positive impact on our associates, customers, and the world. We act responsibly and with integrity, conducting our global business as a great employer, corporate citizen and neighbor. Staples soul thrives in the fair treatment of our diverse and talented associates, in our environmental conscience, in giving back to our communities and in our sound business ethics(Staples, 2010). Value Statement: Staples aims at greater value to its customers therefore its productivity, revenues are as high as customer satisfaction and goodwill. Staples gets higher quality consumer data from its electronic procurement system, lower costs due to lower maintenance/customer service/and ordering costs, ability to lock in customers through dependency on their ordering system (switching costs), larger product offering of 80k items, and differentiation of services from its competitors. (Staples 2010a). Considering New York, Staples is celebrating its 20th anniversary with $16 billion in revenue, 11 percent compounded growth and 1,780 stores in 21 countries. According to the CEO of Staples, consumer electronics is a big part of our business and has been one of the most rapidly growing categories, therefore main forces lies upon these goods. (Staples, 2010). Staples is taking growth in its business and maintains its position in the market. In particular, office supplies and ink cartridges, signify 40 percent of the retail mix, along with notebook computers leading the sector in enhanced growth rate. Miles recognize that better attachment selling of more profitable products like cables and ink is much better corporate strategy rather then selling individual items. Complete Care Plans, Attachments which include variety of discounts according to nature of product is major present strategy of Staples to maximize profits, on other hand the corporate looks forward to target maximum markets along with wide range of brands and generating staples compatible versions of these brands (Staples, 2010). Finally, Staples measures and evaluates the achievement of its aims and objectives through the Compensation Committee. Some 90 days after the beginning of the fiscal year, the Compensation Committee establishes goals and objectives for that fiscal year. The responsibility for the achievement of these goals and objectives rests with the Compensation Committee (Staples, 2009). 1.3 Factors affecting the strategic plan The strategy of Staples is affected by the external environment. Staples external environment includes political, economic, social and technological factors that can impacts on its strategy. Staples strategic plan is affected by its internal environment. Staples internal environment includes its competitors, customers, suppliers, its Board of Directors (BoD), its corporate culture and its employees. Staples capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats also affect its strategic plan. Staples strategic plan is affected by the nature and kind of products and service it provides to its customers, its target customers, the market it serves, the degree of innovation it practices and how it faces the challenges that affect its operations (Bracken, 2006). The factors highlighted in the SWOT analysis affect Staples strategic plan. Staples Inc SWOT (S)trengths Staples Inc is a office product company which operates in three segments: delivery, retail and international segment. While the operations of delivery and retail segments are concentrated in the US and Canada, the international segment has its operations worldwide covering 23 other countries. The company has its strength in its international segment, which contributes to almost 22% of the companys revenue. Staples recorded higher comparable store sales growth (comp growth), for more than a year, than its close competitors as Office Depot and OfficeMax. Operating margin, which represents income as a percentage of sales, of Staples has witnessed an increase for the first time in Q1 of 2010 since Q3 of 2007. The acquisition of Corporate Express enhanced Stapless position in several fronts. The addition of Corporate Express expanded the companys offerings into new areas and enhanced the offerings in existing areas (Datamonitor, 2010). (W)eaknesses The capital structure of Staples consists of debt which has increased by close to 27% in FY2010 compared to FY2009. The company has long-term debt and debt service requirements with $500 million 7.75% notes due in April 2011, $325 million 7.375% notes due in October 2012 and $1.5 billion 9.75% notes due in January 2014 (Datamonitor, 2010). (O)pportunities Staples is successfully getting the average order size up in the Corporate Express delivery business, despite the economic backdrop and it is now around $180, up from $160 at the time of the acquisition. In addition to direct selling and retail stores, Staples generates revenues through the internet on its web portal. The performance of Staples Business Delivery and North American Retail stores is dependent on the performance of the small business segment in the US (Datamonitor, 2010). (T)hreats Strong relationship exists between macro trends and office sales. Office product companies are late cycle plays. For most corporations, office products fall under General Administration expenses. Other than small and large businesses, Staples also serves white-collar workers. The level of employment among white-collar workers, the end-users for Staples, has an impact on the demand for office products. The economic situation in China and Europe continue to be a cause of concern as it would have direct impact on the profitability of Staples.The unemployment rate in China has been on a sequential rise. From, 4% in Q32008, the unemployment rate rose to 4.3% in Q22009 and continued at that level till January 2010 (Datamonitor, 2010). In addition to SWOT analysis, the factors highlighted in the PESTEL and Porters Five Forces model are used as analytical tools to achieve a more complete understanding of the strategic aims and objectives. PESTEL Analysis for Staples Inc Political Factors: Considering the political aspect of Staples Inc, the most prominent areas are stated below. As Staples manufactures goods in china, the rising fuel costs due to political factors effects supply chain of Staples forcing to increase its product prices and therefore, effecting customers and profitability. However, on the other side, the ongoing practice of price fixing amongst the big four retailers within the UK can have some negative impact to the industry in general and Staples in particular. Staples monopolistic nature in office supplies has created deep concerns among its customers. Staples is the most popular among the students who buy laptops, printers and other student accessories, but due to political influence and cutting down student inflow in England, staples is expected to see decrease in profits. Beside that, in the UK, the Government is to decrease the rate of corporation tax from 30% to 28%, which will save big companies like Staples significant sums o f money (Staples, 2011). Economic Factors: Considering the economic factors of the staples, the following areas are identified. Recession lead higher numbers of unemployment.ÂÂ   As one of the largest and fastest growing retailers, Staples can provide more jobs therefore helping to reduce the levels of unemployment. Recession may also effect the profit margins of the company, as it decrease the purchasing power of consumers and though they will still buy the essentials they may be more cautious. They might avoid buying the luxury items, something that has a greater profit margin for Staples. Online buying competition within every segment of the retail sector has lead to retailers giving a lot of incentives to the consumers. Which ultimately affects Staples profit levels as the prices have to be brought down to meet competition. Increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) from 15% to 17.5% has created negative impact on profits as Staples was unable to increase prices to cover the profits (Staples, 2007). Social Factors: Staples appears to be committed to environmental factors as the below mentioned lines states positive about the company behavior. Environmental stewardship and maintainable business practices continue to be important aspect at Staples. The company is offering products and services to help customers preserve natural resources and reduce their environmental footprint. The major commitment to the environment is in the purchase and promotion of products having post-consumer recycled materials; recycling initiatives; energy conservation and renewable power procurement; and environmental education initiatives for customers and associates. Staples Inc has implemented a variety of programs to make it easy for customers to recycle. The recycling facilities by Staples regarding ink and toner cartridges in the US, UK and Canada, helps to benefit the local schools through Staples Recycle for Education, a program that donates $1 to public education charities and schools for every eligible used cartridge that is recycled at more than 1,200 Staples stores. The company is considering the new ways to recycle the products to utilize the minimum energy and maximize the safety of environment, which helps to preserve the economys need of power generating resources. Staples keeping in consideration Humanity, Donated huge sum of money to Haiti victims in collaboration of Red cress society and any one who desires to donate can easily donate in any Staples store (Staples, 2011). Technological Factors: For the convenience of consumer, Staples also introduces the self checkout machines, employed by Staples in USA, which can help solve queue up problem. Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) technology is used in Staples which significantly benefits to the supply chain of Staples. This technology leads more efficient inventory handling. Staples uses advance machines to manufacture its brands and compatible ones which assure quality satisfaction (Staples, 2011). Environmental Factors: A lot of emphasis of Staples has been on the role of reducing carbon footprint and increasing energy efficiency. Staples are a multicultural organization where proper career planning of all associates is carried out without any racism or cultural issues. Staples Foundation for Learning sponsored a grant in 2004 to Earth Force, an organization which provides teachers an innovative multi-disciplinary curriculum focused on environmental education for middle school students (Staples, 2011). Legal Factors: Staples strictly follow all environmental regulations and promotes environmental education. Staples strictly follows police regulations regarding selling of knives, scissors, glues which must not be sold to children under 21 years of age (Staples, 2011). Porters Five Forces Analysis Porters (1985) Five Force Analysis deals with factors outside an industry that influence the nature of competition within it, the forces that influence the way in which firms compete, therefore industrys possible profitability is conducted in Porters Five Forces model. Every business must understand the activities of its industries and markets in order to compete effectively in the marketplace. (peerpapers.com) Staples Inc Five Forces Analysis The business of Staples Inc can be suited into the Five Forces analysis as follows: Competitive Rivalry Office-max, Office-Depot, Currys, are major Competitors in market. Online buying facility and online stores. Small shops in Universities. Switching Cost for Staples is very high. Staples manufactures and sells variety of office accessories, which many rivals dont. Threat of New Entry Small shops are opening in universities Staples manufactures and sell its own brands, with minimum cost. Staples Recycles material in its manufacturing premises with less cost. Threat of Substitution Staples Specializes in unique and multiple brands with wide range of products. Staples manufacture many compatibles of brands such as Epson, Lexmark and cannon Cartages. Brand loyalty of customers due to low price Buyer Power Staples Manufactures its own products at cheap rates. Facilities such as in-store NUS discount and special offers Less Switching power to buyer Customer Doesnt know production cost of products. Products are of strategic importance to customers Supplier Power Staples Manufactures and supplies to its stores on its own. Less supplier power available in hands of supplier. Switching cost from one to another supplier is low Source: Staples (2011, 2007, 2010) Task 2: Identify and analyze progress towards organizational strategic aims and objectives 2.1 Application of strategic analysis tools Staples can monitor progress towards achievement of its strategic aims and objectives by using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) approach. BSC was first proposed by Norton and Kaplan (1996) who claim that it helps the company translate its strategy into measurable actions. Therefore, McCarthy and Chapman (2009) describe BSC as a strategic planning and management system used to align business activities to the vision statement of an organization. It can measure a teams performance on four perspectives such as financial perspective, customer perspective, internal business process perspective and learning and growth perspective. 2.2 Review and assess the expectations of all stakeholders and their influence upon the organizational strategy Stakeholder analysis is used to review and assess the expectations of all stakeholders and their influence on organizational strategy. Stakeholder analysis is a methodology used to facilitate policy and reform processes by keeping in consideration the needs of those who have a stake or an interest in the reforms. With information on Stakeholders, their interests, and their capacity to oppose reform, reform advocates can choose how to best adjust them, thus making sure that policies adopted are politically realistic and sustainable (Johnson et al, 2008). Stakeholder Impact Analysis for Staples Inc Staples stakeholders are its shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, investors and the government. Each Stake holder show sincere relationship with staples. This is further elaborated as follows: Shareholders: There sincere relationship even during recession kept the company standing while many other superstores couldnt bear it. Employees: All company employees are dedicated to there work and it is due to there friendly environment which keeps them motivated to generate profits for company rather then making unions and creating problems. Customer: Customers are dedicated to staples brand due to cheep product and reliability, therefore company generates huge revenues each year. Investors: All brands rely upon staples. From Technology to office supplies variety of brands can be seen. All investors trust upon staples policies and future growth. Environmentalist: Staples promotes environmental consciousness among people, therefore it is never objected by environmentalists. Government: Staples generates huge revenue therefore provides huge tax amounts, which gives government shelter to Staples. 2.3 Analyze, interpret and produce a structured evaluation of the organizational strategic position Strategic capability analysis is used to analyze, interpret and produce a structured evaluation of Staples strategic position. Staples Resource and Competence Analysis It is the analysis of competencies, knowledge, and skills that Staples Inc can apply to achieve success in a competitive environment. This concept is derived from the core competencies approach to corporate strategy. This will encompass the need to adjust and change in order to fit the changing environment and the need to stretch to exploit organizational resources in ways that are innovative, or that other organizations will find it hard to compete. Strategic Capability Ways to Build on the Competency/Resource Competences Core Competencies Manufacturing capability. Branding and Expansion. World wide Stores and access. Transforming its Supply Chain. Cheap production Threshold Competencies Customer satisfaction and value Customer service, online and offline. Resources Unique Resources Cheep production I.T. use for inventory management. Research and development. Wide range of brands. Threshold Resources IT outsourcing Production in china at low cost Staples Inc recognizes that it has to find new ways to drive sustainable growth and profitability. The area of major attention is that Staples has been improving its supply chain management activities. Staples goal was to widen its lead over competitors in all key industry areas, by improving supply chain execution, and thereby decreasing costs while increasing productivity and reliability and ensuring that customers could always find products they wanted on store shelves. Manufacturing products and differentiated product are the key core competencies of Staples. Task 3: Determination and Evaluate of Strategic Options 3.1 Identification and development of strategic options Internal Environmental Analysis Based on the internal environmental analysis (SWOT analysis) of Staples, it appears that the company has unique competencies in office supplies business. Staples manufacturing competency, multiple retail channels and strong distribution network target different customer segments efficiently. Whereas threat of new entrants in shape of small stores at key areas and online buying trend from cheep online stores are major threat to staples. External Environmental Analysis Furthermore the external environmental analysis (PESTEL analysis) for Staples shows that increase in VAT, reducing inflow of international students and credit crunch; and Porter`s Five Force analysis showing increasing threat of new entrants in shape of small shops in universities and local areas and increase in online buying trend with cheaper price; along with stakeholder`s analysis reflecting total dependence upon employees and customers are weak aspects of Staples. Suggested Corporate Strategy for Staples Beside that the above analyses, since Staples produces goods at competitively low-cost and has operations worldwide, propose that Staples should adopt Cost Leadership strategy of Porter`s Generic Strategies. Rationalization of Cost-Leadership as the Corporate Strategy: Cost-leadership strategy emphasizes efficiency which is based on avoiding unnecessary or non-value adding activities that consume organizational resources but cannot add any value for which customers are willing to pay. Along with this philosophy, economies of scale is the guiding policy for implementing cost-leadership strategy as it requires the company to produce items at the lowest possible cost among all competitors of the similar products. By producing high volumes of standardized products, the firm will take advantage of economies of scale and experience learning curve effects. Since products are produced at a relatively low cost and made available to a very large customer base, along with access to raw materials, components, labor, and other important inputs, cost leadership approach is most suitable for Staples. Successful implementation of this approach is expected because of Staples following capabilities: Good process engineering skill system of Staples. Office Supplies products designed for ease of manufacture Sustained access to cost-effective capital Good and close supervision of labor Staples tight cost control Incentives based on quantitative targets Always ensuring that the costs are kept at the minimum possible level. 3.2 Determine and justify the strategic option The above new corporate strategy for Staples can be implemented by carrying out the functional strategies discussed below. Functional Strategy: Since there are other rivals in the market, however, their concentration is focused upon food, clothes, and other products rather then office supplies, therefore Staples has acquired major position in market. Consequently, the corporate strategy of cost- leadership must be remained focused and maintained. Staples should adopt following functional strategies for its relevant departments in order to implement this corporate strategy of cost leadership: Research and Development for minimizing costs. (RD Department) Online Selling, Marketing, maintaining goodwill and customer service (Marketing Department). Branding and expansion (Purchase Department) Functional Strategy: Research and Development for minimizing costs Staples manufactures in China where cost of production isrelatively low due to availability of cheaper raw materials and labor, while on the other hand, Staples needs to concentrate on research and development facility to minimize cost at such a level where rivalry influence can be easily coped, if required. Action Plans Performance Indicators 1) Exploring more countries for much cheaper production. (During one year period) Number of countries found, comparing production costs with current product costs. 2) Opening production facility to produce raw material for finished goods. (During Two Year Period) Number of Factories established. Functional Strategy:Online Selling, Mraketing, maintaining goodwill and customer service. Staples should advertiseits online buying facility to students and offices. In addition, maintaining good customer service is essential to keep Staples goodwill intact and even stronger. This will eliminate rivalry influence and help maintain cost leadership and monopolistic influence. Action Plans Performance Indicators 1) Awareness Campaigns in universities, offices and exhibitions that Staples provide cheep and quality products. (During 6month period) Number of Campaigns launched, customer feed back and sales figures. 2) Participation in Community and social projects. (During Two Year Period). Number of Projects undertaken. Functional Strategy:Branding and expansion Staples must open stores all over the world to maintain its influence, adding more brands will satisfy customers as they can find everything under one roof. This will ultimately make Staples a popular brand and its cost leadership influence will be enhanced. Action Plans Performance Indicators 1) Expanding brands and producing its compatible ones. (During 6month period) Numbers of brands added in Staples and its compatibles. 2) Opening Stores in major parts of world. (During 2 years Period) Number of Stores opened worldwide. 3) Opening Small shops and stores in universities and offices will remove small rivals from market. (During 1 year Period) Number of small shops and stores opened in these places. Staples Inc, for its manufacturing capability and unique products, can easily integrate in various cities of the world. With expansion and branding it can obtain huge amount of market share thus eliminating rivalry influence. With its skilled RD Department, Staples can manufacture compatible goods for various brands at cheap rates. They have got a great management team with motivated team work and great leadership style. This differentiates Staples as a unique store which not only provides eco-friendly products but possess a good reputation among its customers. It must focus upon its vision, mission and values in order to maintain such reputation. Conclusion The strategic analysis of Staples Inc., reveals that it has been enjoying a very well is a well established company which is known for providing quality products to its customers. By careful consideration of its external and internal environment and keeping in mind the interests of its stakeholders, it has been able to establish itself as a leader in the office supplies business. Staples is competent in carrying out its business activities. It is recommended that it applies the new corporate strategy highlighted in this report to gain competitive advantage in the marketplace for a long sustainable period.

Tsunami :: physics tsunami

Tsunamis, commonly called tidal waves by the general public, are large sea waves or surges. These waves can carry a lot of energy from one side of the globe to the other, reeking havoc where ever they make landfall, and as shown by the December 26, 2004 SE Asian event, tsunami's can claim thousands of lives and cause millions of dollars worth of damage to property. * Many people picture large, breaking waves when they hear the word tsunami. This is usually not the case, however. * Most tsunamis make landfall as little more than a gigantic surge, as if the tide just moved in way too far way too fast. * This surging nature of tsunamis is mostly due to the extremely long wavelength, generally on the order of 100-200km. * A tsunami can turn into a locally, large and breaking wave if the wave energy is concentrated, shortening the wavelength and increasing the amplitude. * This often happens if the wave enters a bay, fjord or similar feature. * Tsunamis can be regional, like the recent tsunami in SE Asia, or localized, like the megatsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958. * Regional scale tsunamis are general caused by crustal rebound after a large earthquake, usually associated with a subduction zone * Localized tsunamis are also generally associated with earthquakes, but the physical cause of the wave is usually due to a landslide or pyroclastic flow. There are several geologic events that can trigger the propagation of a tsunami * Earthquakes: generally tectonic rebound at or near a subduction zone, when there is a vertical component to crustal movement that displaces a large volume of the overlying water * Landslides: often earthquake or volcanically triggered, can be purely submarine or the slide could begin on land and slide into the water (i.e. a collapsing volcano) * Volcanic activity: usually subaerial, could be pyroclastic flows, lahars, nuees ardants, or collapse of the mountain side * Impact of a large meteor or asteroid * A tsunami behaves as a shallow water wave. * Tsunami's travel in much the same way as your garden variety, wind-propagated water waves: with some combination of transverse and longitudinal movement.

The Brownfield Problem Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Brownfield Problem Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial sites where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real, or perceived environmental contamination that can add cost, time, and uncertainty to the redevelopment process. Throughout the country there are an estimated 450,000 brownfields. These vacant properties exist mostly in cities, serving no practical purpose, and act as both eyesores and environmental as well as economic pitfalls. The inner cities, where most brownfields exist, were once the only choice developers had in deciding where to build industry. However, since the birth of environmental laws and regulation, the redevelopment of these properties has become a complicated and often very costly procedure. This procedure causes many businesses and corporations to look outside of the inner cities and urban areas for locations to grow and develop. This trend not only leaves the inner cities vacant and economically useless, but also leads to urba n sprawl, a phenomenon that leads to the development of greenfields, or the pristine, undeveloped land outside the confines of massive urban areas. Many sites across the country that were once used for industrial, and/or, commercial use have been abandoned by the companies who used them. Some of these sites are contaminated; however, some of them are merely perceived as being contaminated. In those cases, the sites have been linked to big industry, or nearby sites. In the past, any such site has been avoided or ignored as a possibility for redevelopment. This situation is caused largely by federal and state environmental laws and court decisions that impose or imply potentially serious liability. The circumstances surrounding this uncertain liability has encouraged businesses to build in previously undeveloped and non-urban areas, that are referred to as greenfields, where they are confident that no previous industry has been active. A report from the General Accounting Office finds that: "As states and localities attempt to redevelop their abandoned industrial sites, they have faced a number of obstacles, including th e possibility of contamination and the associated liability for cleanup." This situation has lead to a number of far-reaching problems including social, economic, and enviro... ...ization to determine the extent of environmental contamination and the cost of removal or remediation. Then, funds should be set aside either from the Superfund Trust Fund or general revenues to provide resources to local governments to develop brownfield site inventories, site assessments, and brownfield redevelopment strategies, the main goal of which would be to attract private investment. EPA should expand their Brownfields Initiative to include funds for preparation and implementation of brownfield redevelopment strategies. Federal funds should be made available for the creation and capitalization of local revolving loan funds for local governments or the private sector to perform activities such as removal, remediation, and small business development at brownfield sites. HUD should provide resources to accelerate actual development, through leveraging private sector investment and other means, to move beyond cleanup and remediation. All agencies need to find ways to assist by providing resources that will aid in the redevelopment of brownfield sites. Bibliography: EPA Homepage Brownfields Inc. Homepage Chicago Tribune; 3,1:2, May 30, 1996. Urban Land; Vol. 55, #6, pg 43.

Of Mice And Men :: essays research papers

Of Mice and Men is one of Steinbeck’s best novels. John Steinbeck, born in Salinas, CA he goes back to that setting for this novel. There are five to six characters that Steinbeck develops and opens up to the reader through the novel. Although George, Lennie, Crooks, Candy, and Curly’s wife all seek a place to belong and someone to love as a cure to there loneliness, all their dreams for a better future are destroyed in the novel. George and Lennie are an unlikely pair of friends who are introduced in the beginning. George is â€Å"small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features.†(2) Lennie contradicts George because he is a â€Å"huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders, and he walked heavily.†(2) George is the more dominant of the two because Lennie is slow in the head. George and Lennie are different from the rest of the people in the same occupation because as Lennie said to George, â€Å"because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.†(14) They are also different because as George said, â€Å"We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.†(14) They also share a common goal for their future together. They want to be able to live on there own and have a couple of acres so they can plant things and have animals. They are going to â€Å"live off the fatta the lan’.†(14) This single dream makes George and Lennie different from everyone else. Candy is a nice, old, handicapped man on the ranch. He lost his hand four years earlier in a farm machine while working. Candy overheard George and Lennie discussing about a small piece of land they would like to buy. Candy was compensated $250 for the lost of his hand and has a total of $350 he is willing to invest into the place with George and Lennie. Candy wants to get the place soon because he knows they are going to fire him sometime in the near future. When they fire him he will not have anyone or anything at all. Candy says, â€Å"When they can me here I just wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go.†(60) So, Candy just wants to be needed and to always have a place to work at and George and Lennie are his way to achieve that goal.

National Home Builders Quality Award

It is recognized as an established source for reliable, objective information and research on housing construction and development issues, while it continues to promote innovation in housing technology to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and environmental performance of omes and home building products. Through its various testing and certification programs, the Research Center seal is recognized internationally as a mark of product quality and an assurance of product performance (nahbrc. com).In an effort to cultivate quality within the home building industry and promote the industrys best practices the National Housing Quality Award (NHQA) was established in 1992. This award represents the housing industrys highest recognition for achievements in the area of quality management and operational excellence in the residential construction industry (nahbrc. com). The NHQ Award is modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which was established in 1987, by C ongress to raise awareness of quality management and recognize U.S. companies that have implemented successful quality-management systems (Baldrige. com). The Award promotes awareness of performance excellence as an increasingly important element in competitiveness and information sharing of successful performance strategies and the benefits derived from using these strategies (Wikipedia). Recipients are selected based on achievement and improvement in seven areas, known as the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, which the NHQA hasPerformance Excellence which has eight categories upon which entrants are Judged. The National Housing Quality Award (NHQA) is open to all US homebuilders, remodelers and trade contractors and is administered by the NAHBRC in conjunction with Reed Business Information, publishers of Professional Builder Magazine. NHQ Award applications are reviewed by a panel of Judges who are experts in both the housing industry and quality management, many of t hem being past NHQ awards winners.These Judges then evaluate the importance of quality in the companys construction, strategic planning, leadership and performance management, trade elationships, customer satisfaction, human resources and business results, which are the NHQA Criteria for Performance Excellence (nahbrc . com). The NHQ Award is presented annually at the Professional Builders Benchmark Conference. Award winners go on to be featured in Professional Builder Magazine articles that highlight the quality management practices as models for the housing industry. The award title is held for one year.AWARD CRITERIA Patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the NHQ Award was designed to recognize residential construction companies for excellence in quality chievement and promote awareness of customer focused quality as an increasingly vital element of competitiveness and productivity for building professionals. The NHQA has two divisions with one open to all U S companies that build or remodel residential homes using light construction methods. The other is open to all independent trade contractors that provide construction services to builders or remodeling companies.The NHQA consists of a set of eight criteria as outlined in their Criteria for Performance Excellence: Category I Description I Points I Leadership I How does the company's senior leaders, guide the organization towards common purposed based on shared values and priorities? | 10 | Strategic Quality Planning I How does the organization create and implement a strategic plan to achieve a vision for the future, enhance their competitive position and improve overall performance? | 10 | Performance Management I How are the companys business processes developed, managed, measured and improved to achieve performance excellence? 10 | Customer Satisfaction I How does the company manage the design and delivery of products and services that promise a high level of customer satisfaction? | 10 | Human Resources I How does the organizations mployee selection and development practices, as well as staff performance management, well being, motivation, satisfaction and compensation contribute to the growth of the organization? | 10 | Construction Quality I What methods does the company use to drive quality in the home construction process and ensure high performing, trouble free products and services? 10 | Supplier Partnerships Examines how the organization designs, manages and improves processes for implementation to deliver customer value and reach organizational success | 10 Business Results I What are the tangible measurements of the business benefits esulting from the organizations high performance practices in the financial, operational, customer satisfaction and product and service quality areas? | 30 | Despite the fact that the NHQA award is modeled after the MBNQA award there are focuses on quality assurance approaches that ensure high performing, trouble free p roducts and services.In addition the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award is awarded to a sole winner whereas the National Housing Quality Award has several award categories. The NHQA has three recognition levels: honorable mention, silver and gold. Gold is awarded to those that have attained a national benchmark level within ach area of evaluation; they have mature, fully integrated quality management principles and consistently demonstrate high level sustained results. Silver is awarded to those that are industry leaders in most evaluation areas; they have many refined business practices, key measures for continual improvement and good business results.Honorable mention is awarded in special circumstances for those that demonstrate an understanding of quality principles and show a sound, fact based improvement process. Key measures are in place and good business results are achieved in most areas (Denis 2009). To be considered for the NHQ Award applicants must complete a rigorous applic ation process which includes a 15 page application which is considered an important step in every applicant's road to quality.This is so as participants benefit from the insightful process of preparing the application, which is a long and grueling process, which takes hundreds of man- hours to complete. Judges evaluate each applicant to determine to what extent the entrant embraced a customer focus and systematically embraced it within their business practices. Those that passed the initial selection were scheduled for a site isit. On the site visit, each finalist spent at a minimum a day with a team of Judges. At the end of the visit, the Judges had a clear understanding of the company culture, management practices and the quality results.The final award is given to the organization that is deemed befitting on the overall Judge's findings. BENEFITS OF THE AWARD The NHQ Award is more than recognition of quality achievement. It sets a benchmark to strive for and a model for improveme nt. By preparing an NHQA application organizations get an opportunity to assess their business from a Total Quality perspective. This rigorous process allows organizations to really take a look at their processes and make significant improvements in order to be competitive.The organizations that submit an NHQA application receive detailed feedback on strengths and opportunities for improvement from the expert Judging panel. According to Tom Gillespie, President Kennedy Community Development, a multi-year applicant and 1997 NHQ Award winner, â€Å"no other programs has provided our company with more rewards, both financial and operational, than the NHQ application process provides† (Toolbase. org). This shows the depth of the application rocess and the benefits that can be yielded from its undertaking. Tom Gillespie is not the only one that praises the benefit of the NHQ way.David Simon, president of operations at Veridian Homes, a 2005 Silver award winner, says that, â€Å"t he in-depth review of our application and the detailed site visits provide valuable feedback not only for our strategic planning but also for driving quality improvement throughout the organizations† (Builderonline, 2005). The benefits of the NHQ award are far reaching, applicants benefit Just by undertaking the award application process and y implementing changes based on the feedback that they are provided by the gross profit margins which can be significant.Mercedes Homes, a 1996 NHQ Award winner used the NHQ criteria as a model to â€Å"tune-up† their management practices. As a result of this improvement process they had higher profits in 1996 than the previous five years combined! Scott Buescher, V. P Operations, COO, attributes reports that using the NHQ model was a major factor in their success (Toobase. org, NHQ Agenda). The bottom line is that there are really no losers with the NHQ award as the enefits far outweigh the time and effort that are invested into th e application process.According to Paul Deffenbaugh, editorial director of Professional Builder, as a result of going through the process, NHQ Award winners, â€Å"significantly improve the performance of their companies, making them more consistent and more reliable. Home buyers have found these companies execute the best quality homes and deliver the highest quality satisfaction† (National Building News, 2007). PAST WINNERS Since the inception of the NHQA in 1993 through 2009, 67 builders have received recognition, of which eight builders have earned multiple awards.These organizations range in size from small family owned to large national builders, building a variety of homes in a wide price range. In addition six remodelers and five trade partners have been awarded recognition (Leonard, 2009). NHQ Award winners represent the best of the best in the home building industry. In 1993 Town and Country Homes was named the first National Housing Quality Award winner. This win w as attributed to customer satisfaction and sales as the leading Chicago area home builder (Hauser, 1993). Since then many other organizations have gone on to win what is considered the hardest award to win in home building.In 2009, Tempe, Arizona based builder, T. W Lewis become the sole recipient of the 2009 NHQ Gold Award, having won in 1998 the NHQ Silver Award. â€Å"This award is a significant accomplishment in the homebuilding industry and one that our company and associates are very honored to received,† said T. W Lewis president and COO Kevin Egan. â€Å"The NHQ Award reaffirms the path we have chosen as a company-a path that is focused on productive quality, customer satisfaction and operational excellence† (East Valley Living, 2009).In 2002 only one U. S builder was recognized as a Gold Award winner and that was History Maker Homes of Forth Worth, Texas. History maker attributed their success to the relationships that they have been able to foster. Nelson Mit chell, president of history maker a family owned company said, â€Å"we strive for valued relationships with our customers and with each of our team members, as well. Our company works diligently to maintain the family culture we have enjoyed for many decades† (History Maker Homes, 2002). 002 was a historic year for the NHQ Awards as it was the first year since its inception in 1993 that Silver Awards were gained by two trade contractors as the award was expanded to include ot only builders, but remodelers and trade contractors as well. The inaugural winners in the contractor category were All-tech, Inc. of Monroe, N. J and Tappe Construction of Eagan, Minn. When the NHQ Awards were introduced almost two decades ago, many builders had a hard time figuring out how quality management could help their companies.The longevity of the Awards and the achievements of the winning builders have set this award as the most prestigious award in the industry. Housing Quality Award examines the builder's business and quality management practices. We are concerned with the builder's ability to deliver a quality product onsistently, have satisfied home buyers, and achieve high productivity,† says Liza Bowles, President of the NAHB Research Center, (Professional Builder, 1997). Following is a list of other past winners of The NHQ Awards.For the home building industry the epitome of quality is seen in the National Housing Quality Award, an award modeled after the infamous Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and represents the highest recognition to be gained in the housing industry. The NHQA Criteria for Performance Excellence has been an important tool for hundreds of home builders and trade contractors to assess and improve performance on critical business success factors which has enabled them to grow as n organization.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GigE_Visionhttp://www.builderonline.com/design/awards/the-winning-homes-from-the-2016-gold-nugget-awards_oHome http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/technology/internet/23worm.htmlhttp://www.historymaker.com/dfw/aubrey/arrowbrooke-50s/http://www.nbnnews.com.au/tag/t4/https://www.nahb.org/en/research/safety/~/media/EC307DD0CB534384A60E0E089E7C5831.ashxhttps://uxplanet.org/best-practices-for-microinteractions-9456211aeed0https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:HighBeamhttps://www.tceq.texas.gov/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAHBGreenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Baldrige_National_Quality_Award