Costco Wholesale In 2012 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Costco Wholesale In 2012 - Essay Example The philosophy of the Costco is to be concerned with customers and employees and meeting their needs which in the long-run results to rewarding of their shareholders. Stakeholders have invested a lot of their money in the company. They have faith that Costco will invest wisely and despite the ups and downs, the business has operated in profitable ways. Costco has inventories traded publicly on the NASDAQ stock exchange market. The stakeholders therefore get good returns from the company. Porters Five Forces Model has five forces which include: The threat of substitute products. This can be a strong threat especially considering there is e- retailing and websites like costo.com in Canada. It therefore limits the profits that a company could actualize and the amount of sales. The bargaining power of suppliers is moderate to low competitive force. Costco has many warehouses and therefore it requires many suppliers. However there is no supplier who can singly influence the pricing of raw materials or even striking due to financial instability. Instead, the suppliers compete for the supply orders despite the poor terms and conditions of trade. This reduces their bargaining power. Bargaining power of customers is a weak threat because Costco is a large retailer which even sells its products in bulk. Most of the members purchase products in small amounts as compared to the whole stock. One member has very little or even none influence on the quality and prices of products sold by the company. Even if the member results to quit the company and go to the competitor of Costco will have no effect on the sales volume of the company. Threats of new entrants are low considering that Costco has already established itself and it offers low prices of its products. This discourages any new entrant because it cannot reduce prices below the ones existing in the market.

Performance Management and Job Evaluation Essay

Performance Management and Job Evaluation - Essay Example (Ivancevich, 2006) There are a number of methods of job evaluation; such as Job Ranking, Job Classification, Point Method and Factor Comparison method. In this paper, the point method would be employed for the comparison of the given jobs. The said method is chosen because, this is a quantitative measure, and thus the elements of subjectivity are removed. This can be applied to a wide range of jobs. Moreover, this can be applied for the newly created jobs equally well. However, there are certain limitations in this method too, thus it is assumed that the pays are accurately assigned for each job and there were no biases while assigning the pay for each factor. (Armstrong and Barron, 2004) Following are the steps followed to determine the relative worth of the product, followed by respective rationales. In this method, a set of the factor are identified that should be compensated. These factors are broadly classified into following categories. There are some jobs where the experience is essential, such as those involving some unstructured or semi structured decision making. Higher the requirement of asset, high the productivity and thus there should be higher compensation for it. If the mental effort is required, it should be paid higher than the requirement f physical effort. ... The more non-routine abilities required, the grater should be the compensation. Responsibilities If the responsibilities are broader, such as the responsibility to supervise as well, it should be paid higher. Dominant Effort If the mental effort is required, it should be paid higher than the requirement f physical effort. It is so because; the mental effort requires more education and experience so as to be able to take semi-structured and unstructured decisions. Working Conditions If the working conditions are not conducive, the employee should be paid higher. The next step is to determine the various levels for each of the factors determined previously. The levels identified were A. Experience 1. no experience 2. less than 1 year 3. 1-2 years 4. more than 2 years B. Education 1. Graduate 2. Undergraduate 3. High School Pass 4. No education C. Ability required 1. expert 2. average 3. routine work D. Responsibilities 1. Individual 2. Supervisory E. Dominant Effort 1. Mental 2. Physical F. Working Conditions 1. Extreme 2. Mild 3. Conducive After this, the next step is to assign the rating to each factor on the basis of its worth, the rate assigned are as follows Factor Name Level: 1 2 3 4 Maximum Experience 1.2 2.5 3.8 5.0 5 Education 1.8 3.5 5.2 7.0 7 Ability Required 2.7 5.3 8.0 8 Responsibility 5.0 10.0 10 Efforts 3.5 7.0 7 Working Conditions 2.7 5.3 8.0 8 The above mentioned maximum rating to each factor is based on its perceived worth on the scale of 1 to 10. This may however be subjective, but that subjectivity would be effective on all jobs to be evaluated, rather than being biased to only one. The rating to all levels of a factor is determined by equally dividing the maximum rate for the factor among all the

Fine Art - Social Class as Seen Through Art from the Renaissance and Research Paper

Fine Art - Social Class as Seen Through Art from the Renaissance and the Great Depression - Research Paper Example But as both these periods introduced sea changes in the existing social patterns, the works of art of both these peiods were also a balancing act between hope and despair. Morover, they were a balancing act between the tastes of the dominant and the oppressed classes- more so the art of the great depression era. This is evident when the works of art of thes periods, as against the socio-economic backgrounds, are examined. During the renaissance art period, a fuedal social system was just about to transform into a capitalist society. But during the great depression, capitalism was already the norm though people were realizing for the first time in history, that all the hopes ensued by capitalism were after all not that real. The audience-Renaissance Art It has been observed that, â€Å"the art public of the Renaissance consists of the urban middle class and the court society of the residences† (Hauser, 6). This was because these groups in the society were the ones who had a say in matters of power. The working class consisted mainly of agricultural laborers and craftsmen who had no role in the political processes of the society. Art was unaffordable luxury for them. And the consequence of this situation has been that the renaissance art mostly catered to the elite and urban middle class tastes. ... evolving into middle class representations, the art of this period also developed itself into a preamble to capitalist views on life and creative expression. Renaissance art mainly decorated the mansions of kings and elites and also the wealthy churches (Woods, Richardson and Lymberopoulou). For example, Jean Hey was entrusted with the task of decorating the Bourbon Court of France (Woods, Richardson and Lymberopoulou, 14). The other side of this social phenomenon was that there was always a â€Å"level of material wealth that might afford one work of art but not another† (Woods, Richardson and Lymberopoulou, 14). And what naturally followed was that artists were prompted to create an elite class art under the aegis of their patrons. The audience-Great Depression Art When it comes to the art of the great depression period, the situation was totally opposite to what has been said above. It can be seen that â€Å"many artists became disillusioned with capitalism- the U.S. econo mic system- and turned to left-wing politics† (Damon, 14). And above all, many artists even used their art to support the proletariat class (Damon, 14). For example, Guglielmi, who was a renowned painter, was very much vocal in his support of the working class and his painting, ‘The Relief Blues’, showed a an urban family signing up to get relief funds from the government (Guglielmi). By following the path of realism, art could thus win a big audience including the working class and art became more appealing to the masses in this period. Murals, photographs and posters became popular and they created an interface between art and craftsmanship (Doss). The Artist- Renaissance Period In renaissance art, artists showed a tendency to revive the feudal values through rejuvenating classical art from

Key Insights into Organizational Behavior Essay

Key Insights into Organizational Behavior - Essay Example The fundamental catalysts for why these situations occur are attributed to poor management philosophy, inferior cultural development and awareness principles, badly-implemented change processes, and a perceived lack of procedural justice. At the same time, psycho-social characteristics among a diverse group of employees and managers are considerably different and, therefore, each employee or manager at the organization responds differently according to their emotions or political objectives. The end result with all of these issues is conflict that must be mitigated in order for the organization to have a well-developed and unified culture where trust is found throughout the entire organization. Organizational Trust Organizational trust is characterized by the level of confidence and reliance that individuals within the organization maintain for their coworkers, managers or the organization itself. Several theorists offer the concept of authentic trust, in which employees start with s mall steps to gain trust, generally progressing upwards based on experience. â€Å"Building such a relationship in the workplace is a reciprocal process with both the employee and the employer voluntarily assume responsibility for its initiation, development, and maintenance through high levels of affection and respect† (Starnes, Truhon & McCarthy, 2010, p. 5). Breakdowns of trust-building in the organization can include individuals with highly self- motivated political objectives or those who illustrate poor integrity, essentially promising one action and then delivering opposite action or behavioral outcomes. Social learning theory provides the concept of role modeling in which individual in an organization will be attracted to those who are perceived to be credible and thus attempt to adopt their role model’s characteristics. This is akin to transformational leadership, where the manager or employee maintains very high morals, sets the example for others, and uses v ision and mission statements in communications to foster organizational support (Ackoff, 2008). If, at any time during interpersonal discussion or through social negotiations, the individual illustrates unreliable or conflicting action versus pledges, organizational trust is reduced between the two parties or groups. Ultimately, breakdowns in trust lead to long-term suspicion and perceived threats to social security and thus conflict positive teamworking and organizational culture unity. In general, employees in the organization have a very dark view of the term â€Å"politics.† Leaders and managers within the organization need to, oftentimes, abandon their own ambitions in favor of the organizational constituents. This is a form of emotional intelligence that is required to be an effective leader and also satisfy diverse employee needs at the psychological level. This often means rejecting self-motivated political objectives to illustrate a transformational philosophy that i s people-centered and focused on human development and honesty through both communications and actions. Kacmar, Bozeman, Carlson, and Anthony (1999) describe the true definition of

8_Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for a Qualitative Research Plan Paper

8_Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for a Qualitative Plan - Research Paper Example s are both the librarians and the library users, meaning that the study does not seek to obtain a sample from an unknown general population, which would in turn require that the sample is generalized to represent the entire population (McCabe, 2005). While the challenges facing funding and sustainability of library service is a common challenge for different libraries in different states, each library has its own unique challenges, which may not be generalized. Therefore, the aim of the study is not to obtain a representative sample of the population, but a sample that is unique to the Clayton County Library System (CCLS), in terms of exposure, usage and experiences. This is because; it is only such a sample that would be in a position to give both comprehensive and reliable information regarding the library. Thus, instead of seeking to have a sample population that can be inferred to represent the general population, the main target of the study is to delve into the intricacies of the experiences of the librarians and the library users, as a means of reaching an informed conclusion regarding the sustainability of Clayton County Library, so that a diversified structure of funding can then be recommended, based on this informatio n. Therefore, since the study is neither seeking a representative sample nor targeting generalization, the application of the purposive sampling strategy under non-probability sampling method is recommended for the study. The selection of a representative sample for this study is important, to ensure that the information gathered through the interviewing process is not biased. However, this is a secondary requirement as far as this study is concerned, considering that the main objective of the case study is to obtain as detailed information as possible, regarding the experiences of both the librarians and the library users. Obtaining experiences does not pose any major risk of biases, considering that sensitive information regarding the

Wk4 Discussions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wk4 Discussions - Assignment Example Some of them might not be conscious of the dynamics involved in the investment of securities. Others might be conscious of the securities investment but do not understand which security will give a better return than the other. If Mr. Lynch answers this question, more investors from other industries will be interest on security investment. Mr. Lynch can let us know how to minimize market risks since avoiding it by diversification is impossible. He will suggest other avenues investors can use to minimize the risks associated with the type of security they have invested. Expectations of investors are high return, but market risk being included in the equation then the possibility of high return becomes slim. If investors have been armed with that kind of information regarding securities investment, we can be rest assured the number of investors in securities will increase. This will be a boost to our nation’s economy. To calculate the cost of equity division of cost of structure will need the use of Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) or by Dividend Growth Model (DGM). The cost of debt can be calculated by use of historical (coupon) interest rate or market based interest rate The techniques used to calculate the estimate of divisional cost of capital are referred to as pure play approach. This technique is used to calculate riskier division is the security market line (SML) while for conservation division subjective approach technique would be used to estimate the cost of capital. The main challenge experienced during the estimation of the cost of capital for a division is that it hardly has securities for to trade in the market, so it is a problem to notice the risk of division in the markets’

Statement Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Statement Analysis - Assignment Example Taking reference of this concept, the present topic will focus towards the evaluation of the statements and answered questioners that have been provided by the two individuals who are charged with the allegation of stealing jewelry during their work hours. The details regarding this analysis have been provided below in an elaborated manner. As per general understanding, it can be stated that in the primitive section of the written statement the first convict elaborates a minute description about his identity and the organization for which he works. Subsequently, the convict also mentioned about the time he reached the Condominium building, which was pointed out to be 9:00AM. Till this part of his statement, no such evidence can be attained regarding him hiding any sort of information that finds alignment with the crime. Despite the refusal projected by the security guard in terms of opening more than one door at a time, the convict still went along in conversation with the other worker in order to convince the manager to permit the security guards to open more doors at a time so that the first worker can get the job done before. From a logical perspective, a doubt can be raised regarding the intention of the first convict in finishing the work before time irrespective of the fact that he could have worked in a steady p ace even if the security guard opened only one door at a time. This instance can be taken as a reference where the convict might have tried to conceive crucial information about the incident (Peterson et al., 2010). The later parts of the statements as provided by the convict appeared to be highly confusing. Within this section, the convict mentioned a chain of events that he did after his work such as having a meal, changing of clothes, going out to a mall for receiving a new ordered phone. In addition, he also stated that he was picked up by one of his friends who served in the army. At that very instance, he