Soft Versus Hard HRM

Soft Versus Hard HRM Established in 1964 under STO group, with its subsidiaries, JVs and associates, is a national leader in business. It has significant and focused interests in petroleum, cooking gas, construction materials (including cement and roofing material), medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, home appliances, electronic items, supermarket products and insurance. The company is geographically diverse with operations and developments throughout Maldives and operations in Singapore. The employees of the company should focus on the following aspects of the company; The company treats employees as valued assets and a source of competitive advantage through their commitment, adaptability, high quality skill and performance. If an employee gets late for the work, the employee will get a warning of not to repeat that, if the employee still does so, the company takes an action upon that employee, such as reducing salary or termination. The company has combination of both autocratic and democratic leadership styles. The company has a competitive pay structure, with appropriate performance related reward such as profit share. The company focuses on identifying the training and other employee development needs through appraisal systems. Practical application on Guests model of hard-Soft, Loose-Tight dimensions of HRM Soft versus hard HRM Storey (1989) labeled two approaches of hard HRM and soft HRM. The hard approach, rooted in manpower planning is concerned with aligning human resource strategy with business strategy, while the soft approach is rooted in the human relations school, has concern for workers outcomes and encourages commitment to the organisation by focusing on workers concerns. Soft HRM HRM and personnel/IR Practices with compares to 27 dimensions of Storys definitions Distinguishing between HRM and Personnel Management Personnel management is viewed as workforce centred and more operational in focus. Personnel managers recruit, select and carry out administrative procedures in accordance with managements requirements. They act as a bridge between the employer and the employee. As a result, personnel managers were seen as functional specialists rather than strategic managers and often had little power or status in the organisation. The personnel manager needed to understand the needs of the manager and the employee, and articulate those needs to both sides. HRM approach is in the management of people which can be seen as a radical new approach linked to strategy and viewing people as assets who need to be actively managed as part of the long-term interests of the organisation. HRM can be viewed as a radical integrated approach to the management of people in an organization and, as such, can be seen as a general management function. Where personnel managers can be viewed as specialists, HRM can be seen as the responsibility of all managers, particularly senior managers, and as such is proactive rather than reactive. Guest (1987) identifies the differences in his model The differences between personnel and human resource management Source: Guest (1987). Guest (1987) shows a model of HRM that is commitment based, which is distinct from compliance-based personnel management. According to Guest, HRM is: Linked to the strategic management of an organisation Seeks commitment to organisational goals Focuses on the individual needs rather than the collective workforce Enables organisations to devolve power and become more flexible Emphasizes people as an asset to be positively utilised by the organisation. Dimension Personnel and IR HRM Beliefs and assumptions 1 Contract Careful delineation of written contracts Aim to go beyond contract 2 Rules Importance of devising clear rules/ mutuality Can- do outlook; impatience with rule 3 Guide to management Action Procedures Business need 4 Behavior referent Norms/ custom and practice Values/mission 5 Managerial Task vis-à  -vis labor Monitoring Nurturing 6 Nature of relations Pluralist Unitarist 7 Conflict Institutionalized De-emphasized Strategic aspects 8 Key relations Labor management Customer 9 Initiatives Piecemeal Integrated 10 Corporate plan Marginal to Central to 11 Speed of decision Slow Fast Line Management 12 Management role Transactional Transformational leader 13 Key managers Personnel/ IR specialists General/business/line managers 14 Communication Indirect Direct 15 Standardization High (e.g. parity an issue) Low (e.g. parity not seen as relevant 16 Prized management skill Negotiation Facilitation Key levers 17 Selection Separate, marginal task Integrated, key-task 18 Pay Job evaluation (fixed grades) Performance-related 19 Conditions Separately negotiated Harmonization 20 Labor management Collective bargaining contracts Towards individual contracts Thrust of relations with stewards Regularized through facilities and training Marginalized (exception of some bargaining for change models) 22 Job categories and grade Many Few 23 Communication Restricted flow Increased flow 24 Job design Division of labor Teamwork 25 Conflict handling Reach temporary truces Manage climate and culture 26 Training development Controlled access to courses Learning companies Foci of attention for interventions Personnel procedures Wide ranging cultural structural and personnel strategies STO follows HRM process for their employees. The differences are as follows; The jobs were design according to the team work instead of Division of labour. Communication among employees was increased flow instead of restricted flow. Management role was transformational instead of transactional. So the decisions come from the top management. The speed of decision is fast because the decisions are done from the top management. Communications among line managers are direct, because of transformational hierarchy and the departments were connected through top management. Corporate plan of STO was centralize instead of Marginal. Training and development essential for the company, so it was based on learning companies. Role of Line Managers As a diversified company STO structure was made on 13 departmental managers. The main role of the departmental manager is to achieve companies goals. They should maintain all of things on behalf of an organisation. A line manager has become even a leader at their day to day behavior. Ensuring higher performance by the employees and finding ways to motivate the employees and make them efficient is also is a line managers duty now. Because of this the traditional tasks of line manages has been changed and now they have more important tasks on their hand such as, Create a friendly environment for the employees Advise the employees when needed Understanding the needs of employees Improving performance of employees and organization There are some roles of HR manager by which they run an organisation. Planning, resourcing and retention: A line manager should know the number of staffs is working in the department and who are busier, and which department need more people. For example pharmacists are very busy at Saturday and Sunday on the STO pharmacy. So managers of pharmacy need more staff for these weekend day. He will take decision for taking or recruiting people. This is the planning and resourcing role for line manager. Retention is a vital role for line manager. If there was a new recruited staff, the line manager have to monitor and know are they happy for their time being. Recruitment and selection: Recruiting a right people to the right place is a major duty of the line manager, especially the HR manager. He should follow the rules and policy of recruiting qualified people by checking their productivity and enthusiastic and good behaviour for achieving the companies goals. Training and development: In order to get the best from employees they need to be trained. Training is done to fill gap between the skills and knowledge they have at present and the skills and knowledge the organization wants them to have in order to fulfill set goals. Recruiting the right people for the STO, line manager should monitor the employees and have to check the performance in the department. According to the performance HR manager develop training programmes for the inefficient employees for achieving their goals. Reward remuneration: Employees work their organisation for mainly surviving their lives and interest. Manager has to pay adequate and equitable. Manger also has to manage reward system like pensions, healthcare, other financially. By introducing rewarding employee motivate and get more satisfaction to work. If employees are happier and motivated they will work hard for the company. The human resource functions of HRM Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/hrms-connection-to-strategic-management-of-an-organisation-business-essay.php#ixzz2BLkiMuxt Task1 (Section B) As a HR manager of State Trading Organization (STO) I would like to say that this statement was absolutely true. Performance Management is a key building block of the human resources reform programme. It is based upon International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) performance management principles for the Civil service commission of Maldives common system, namely work planning, agreed upon objectives, ongoing feedback, a mid-point review, and an end-of-cycle appraisal. It is linked to other human resources systems and processes including staff and career development, mobility, and recruitment. Effective performance management improves overall organizational performance by encouraging a high level of involvement and motivation, and increased staff participation in the planning and delivery of work by: Potential benefits by using a proper performance management system (see Appendix 1) STO was a huge public diversified company including many departments, as a HR manager I have to manage and apply different human resource practices in the workplace environment. STO have foreign staffs especially for the technical staffs, so the role of human resource manager also changes according to the technologies and growth in the global market consequently. There are some practices that can help managers changing and evolving in the workplace. STO follows the following practices to manage their workplace environment. The impact globalization and information technology have had on each other has made work more mobile, capable of being performed in different parts of the world without the need to actually set up physical facilities in other countries. Globalization plays an important role in human resource planning. Foe an example by recruiting and selection of employees in the organization with the latest technologies we can recruit people from other countries, so it reduces the cost and more effective and efficient. With the impact of globalization big firms apply online recruiting, online interviewing, online application for the vacant jobs and new posts. When looking for a Maldives the government provides a website called Gazzette.gov.mv which is based on all the government job vacancies, so everyone knows the vacant jobs within as second. Another website called Iulaan .mv provides advertisements and job vacancies in the private sector, it helps the organizations and individuals to access easy and know the vacancies in the country. Globalization has its positive side as well as its negative side. For online recruiting and selection organization recruits employees based on professional qualifications, because of that sometimes the company select the unsuitable employee for the selected jobs. Other changes in the nature of work and workers are being brought about partly by globalization, but not entirely because of it. For instance, it is arguable whether globalization is solely responsible for the growing service sector, and it does not account for the rapid influx of women into the workforce. Diversity is not a liberal ideological movement, to be supported or resisted. Rather, it is a reality in todays business environment. Managed well, diversity provides benefits that increase success. STO always keep an eye on these issues, because the employees from different countries. For an organization to get its arms around the complexity of diversity culture change, HR manager needs to focus on three areas: (1) Individual attitudes and behaviors, The individual attitudes and behaviors component asks employees to do some intrapersonal work that involves identifying their attitudes and beliefs on a wide range of topics such as how they feel about multiple languages spoken in the workplace; attitudes toward whether coworkers can be openly gay in the workplace; conflicting union and management positions on any number of policies. (2) Managerial skills and practices, and The essence of this change is the recognition that one style of management does not fit all. Managerial practices must be tailored to suit a wide range of employees. Depending on ones culture, for example, feedback about performance may be delivered very directly, or it may also be given in a much more indirect and subtle way, sometimes with the help of an intermediary or cultural interpreter. (3) Organizational values and policies. This area is the most complex in which to make progress, and we have seen the least success here. Adjusting the promotional system, for example, or how people are hired and recruited to create a broader talent pool and a more equitable organization, requires complex work that has many steps. For example, how do you begin the process of selecting recruiters who themselves are diverse? And if they are diverse by the internal dimensions, that does not necessarily mean they are open to differences and are themselves objective about others. Workplace example of Religious and Spiritual Diversity in the Workplace The Event Areas to Reconcile à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A newly hired Muslim receptionist in a Christian-sponsored healthcare facility was fired for refusing to remove her headscarf and sues her former employer for unlawful dismissal. (Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No, 88-352 (Title VII). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Dress and grooming accommodation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Corporate culture tolerance for diverse values and beliefs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Hiring protocols à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Catholic worker in a retail store sues after being refused time off to go on a pilgrimage to Yugoslavia during the Christmas shopping season. (Office of High Commissioner of Human Rights. (1981). Declaration of the elimination of all forms of Intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief. (Resolution 36/55 of 25). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Range of tolerance for exceptions based on personal religious practice à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cultural literacy for distinguishing core religious requirements from personal expression à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Flexible leave policy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Christian in a large communications firm, who wore an anti-abortion button to work, sued her company when dismissed since coworkers threaten to walk off due to the visual trauma of the pins graphic. (EEOC v. Presbyterian Ministries, Inc., 788 F. Supp. 1154 (W.D. Wash. 1992). Dress, grooming, and religious discrimination and accommodation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Religious expression standards à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Unreasonable and hostile imposition of religious belief à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ After multiple requests for accommodation were refused, a Jewish professor sues her institutions dean and department head since they consistently rearranged departmental meetings and functions on days that conflicted with her Sabbath preparation. (Arthur, J. S. (1998, June 5). Religious rights not violated, court says. Human Resource Executive, 22. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Parameters for reasonable accommodation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Equitable work assignment processes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Warning and dismissal policy and Procedures à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A manager in a municipal office frequently calls a subordinate a sinner, demanding that the person repent and attend prayer sessions in order not to go to hell. (Wilson v. U.S. West Communications, Inc., 860 F Supp. 665 (D. Neb. 1994), affd, 58F.3d 1337 (8th Cir. 1995). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Prescribed management strategies for escalating hostile work environment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Religious expression norms à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Unreasonable and hostile imposition of religious belief à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Parameters of freedom of speech and hate language à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Warning and dismissal policy and procedures Task 2 Section A (Case study) Audit firms model of flexibility The Audit Commission is an independent body that is accountable to the office of the deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). The work of the Audit Commission is varied. An audit has two main elements. It involves: A formal examination of a set of accounts to see if they are true and fair A checking of quality and efficiency The Audit Commission is often faced with changing employment needs. Different types of contracts help the Audit Commission to deal with all of its varying needs and help it to be flexible. The Audit firms having three major types of flexibility Numerical flexibility In Numerical flexibility, fluctuations in demand for staff members (seasonal, cyclical, task- related and so on). It may vary according to the cases handling, so the workload will be less during off peak hours. It used for non- permanent, non- career labor: temporary staff, part time staff, short- contract staff, consultants and sub- contractors. Functional flexibility In functional flexibility, fluctuations in demand for particular skills- not necessarily related to staff numbers (since one person can be multi skilled). Functional flexibility reflects an organizations ability to adapt to changing conditions and requirements, and is affected by issues such as training, management, and outsourcing. This flexibility helps to developing their employees skills to deal with the different types of works. Place -of -work flexibility This Often called as Locational flexibility, opportunities presented by information and communication technology (ICT) to reduce office costs and create virtual employees (dispersed but interconnected). Its used in home working, Tele- working; use of ICT to facilitate mobile working. Ex: for sales and service staff. The Audit Commission is challenged with changing employment needs. They have developed a number of different patterns for employment needs to meet these requirements. These include: Full time employees Part time employees Job sharing arrangements Permanent and fixed term posts The use of temps or contractors from agencies These different requirements help the Audit commission to deal with all of its changing needs. With the types of flexibilities like; numerical, functional and place- of- work flexibility helps the Audit Commission to be flexible. According to the given case study the firm is implementing the correct types of flexibility to their employees. The firms believes that its ability to deal effectively with the need for flexibility strengthens its position as an employer of choice and enables the group to deliver levels of service that differentiate from its competitors. The advantages and disadvantages of flexible working practices for the employer Advantages Disadvantages Speed of work and more effective Theres no peer influence on the employee. Building Good relationship with the employees employees may lose the office culture in the office environment Recurrent expense will be less Health and safety risks (on the work ) Efficiency rate will be high Dealing with confidential files at home. Frees up desk space and accommodation can be used more efficiency Power failure or any problems with the computers will affect the work and there is a possibility of doing double work Less absence and staff turnover in the firm Dependence on the technology the relationships of employer and the employee become impersonal. More effective in time management Communication Cost will increase for communicating with others. The advantages and disadvantages of flexible working practices for the employees Advantages Disadvantages Save time instead of travelling two hours each way on the train Concentration of the work is less if they follow homework flexibility They can improve their work-life balance Professionalism is less in homeworking They can express their ideas on the work Risk of work finishing on time Less stress from work while their children are young Health and safety while they were on other places (while investigating the firms) More effective in time management Job sharing arrangements with others Can do part time jobs in other places Meet New contacts and good experience Section B (Essay) Equal opportunities within the workplace Today, equal opportunities management and reporting has real significance in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and socially responsible investment criteria. Internationally, business, government and non-governmental organisations acknowledge that effective monitoring of equal opportunities and diversity in the workplace is an important part of improved human capital management and equality practice. The drive for transparency and accountability for such issues including equal opportunities for women has perhaps never been stronger. At the beginning I would like to highlight different forms of discrimination in employment regarding the equal opportunities within the workplace in the United Kingdom. Workplace relations legislation has seen significant changes, and the Fair Work Act 2009 has introduced further significant reforms, including to the institutional arrangements for oversight of workplace relations. The new Fair Work Act 2009 commenced on 1 July 2009 and provides a range of support and protections for women in the workplace. The Fair Work Act expands protections against workplace discrimination which were available under the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Protections against discrimination contained in the Workplace Relations Act applied only to existing employees and were limited to termination from employment for a prohibited reason (for example, on grounds such as sex, race or family responsibilities). The Fair Work Act provides enhanced prohibitions against discrimination by providing that an employer must not take adverse action against an employee or a prospective employee for a range of reasons including the persons sex, marital status, family or cares responsibilities, or pregnancy. The Fair Work Act also includes caring responsibilities as a new ground for unlawful termination claims. While the expanded anti-discrimination protections in the Fair Work Act are intended to provide comprehensive protection from discrimination in the workplace, they also preserve the operation of Commonwealth, state and territory anti-discrimination laws. The main types of discrimination legislation are as direct, indirect discriminations and the regulations regarding the discriminations are highlighted as bellows. Firstly Direct discrimination (Regulation 3) Where an employer treats an employee less favourably than other persons on the basis of his/her age or his/her apparent age, unless that treatment can be objectively justified. ( CMS Cameron McKenna LLP (03/06). Indirect discrimination (Regulation 3) Where an employer applies a provision, criterion or practice, which the employer applies equally to other persons and that provision, criterion or practice puts an employees age group (or apparent age group) at a particular disadvantage and that employee suffers that disadvantage, unless the employer can objectively justify the use of that provision, criterion or practice. ( CMS Cameron McKenna LLP (03/06). Victimisation (Regulation 4) An employer treats an employee less favourably than it treats or would treat other persons by virtue of something done by that employee Instructions to discriminate (Regulation 5) If an employer treats an employee less favourably than he treats or would treat other persons in the same circumstances. Harassment (Regulation 6) Having regard to the circumstances (including the employees perception), an employer engages in unwanted conduct which has the purpose or effect of violating the employees dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the employee. Vicarious liability, Other than direct acts by the employer, an employer can also be responsible for acts of its employees which contravene the Regulations unless the employer can demonstrate that the employer took such steps as were reasonably practicable to prevent the employee from doing the discriminatory act, or from doing in the course of his/her employment acts of that description. Equal opportunities policies are often used within workplaces to guard against discriminatory practices and formalise what is acceptable in terms of the treatment of members of minority groups, or other groups which have been historically associated with discriminatory practice. The named classes may reflect current equal opportunities legislation covering sex, race and disability, or move beyond this to include additional categories. Two-thirds (67 per cent) of all workplaces in Great Britain with 10 or more employees had some form of equal opportunities (EO) policy in 1998. In some organizations, policies are also passed down the organizational hierarchy. The overall incidence of EO policies among workplaces that form part of multi-site organizations is 86 per cent. EO policies are almost universal among the 75 percent of these workplaces which say that they must follow EO policies/procedures that are set at a higher level in the organisation (92 per cent have an EO policy). But among the 25 per cent that dont have to follow higher-level policies or procedures, the incidence is appreciably lower at 68 per cent. The factors considered when making a recruitment decision can be numerous and may be of varying importance. Employers may also be interested in age if it is believed to have some bearing, rightly or wrongly, on the ability of an individual to do a job. For many vacancies, placing importance on the age of an applicant can be unfairly discriminatory. One may expect that workplaces which show an awareness of equal opportunities and discrimination to be less likely to view age as a recruitment factor. Workforce concentration which includes ethnic minority concentration and concentration of younger workers are important factors in equal opportunities practices in the workplace. Concentrations of ethnic minority workers were much more common in larger than in smaller workplaces. In 12 per cent of the largest workplaces (500 or more employees) at least a fifth of employees were from ethnic minorities. There were no clear differences between private and public sector. Individual industries, however, did show clear differences. High concentrations of ethnic minority employees were particularly common in other business services and health, while they were notably absent in construction, in electricity, gas and water and in other community services. There was no association between ethnic minority concentration and the presence of recognised trade unions. Workplace well-being reflects the level of contentment of the workforce. The treatment of employees at work is a contributory factor and can affect employees desire to remain in their job, their workplace behaviours and their health. Consequently the relative levels of absenteeism, injury and illness and numbers of dismissals, resignations and employment tribunal cases may be used to examine workplace well-being. Reference http://workplace.ezinemark.com/best-practices-in-global-human-resource-management-7d2e759f61fc.html Prof R S S Mani (2006) impact of globalization allexperts [online] retrieved from http://en.allexperts.com/q/Human-Resources-2866/IMPACT-GLOBALISATION-HR.htm [accessed on 20-10-2012] State trading organization( 2012) about us Stomaldives [online] retrieved from http://www.stomaldives.com/about/overview.php [ accessed on 20-10-2012] All Answers Ltd ( 2012) management degree essays [online] retrieved from http://essaybank.degree-essays.com/management/equal-opportunities-and-diversity approaches.php [ accessed on 25-10-2012] http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/pubs/hrguidearticle/chapter-12-managing-diversity-in-the-workplace/ Appendix 1

Samsung: Building a Great Brand

Samsung: Building a Great Brand Presented By: Michael Baccus, Marcial De Castro, Judith Dupin, Monica O’Neil, and Jose Santillan Marketing Management- MAR 3023-P80 October 5, 2011 Samsung grew its brand equity by 186 percent in just five years from 2000 to 2005. â€Å"Brand equity is the value of the brand name, its worth as an asset to the company. † (Marketing Principles, 2011, Module 6 p. 1). When new management came into the South Korean based firm, it scraped the all the various brand names that the company was selling low end electronics under, and consolidated by branding all of the company’s products as Samsung. Ten years later,Samsung is a force to be reckoned with to its competitors and a global brand name. However, the decision to only use the brand name Samsung is not the critical key to its success. Samsung has focused on innovation and product design to build its brand equity and it is working. Samsung implemented different innovative ways to inspir e and deliver great designs. The former chairman hired hundreds of new designers, implemented usability laboratories, and opened design centers around the world. The investment in product design, the progressive culture, and Samsung’s ability to step outside the box has all been invaluable in uilding a great brand. The critical activity in the process of Samsung’s transformation into a world- beating developer of new cell phone handset designs and other product line designs was its innovation with investment in product design and quality. Samsung built its brand into a superior brand by thinking and acting outside of the box. Instead of focusing on textbook product development funnels, it focused on more cutting edge methods such as the implementation design centers staffed with highly trained, creative, and skilled young designers and no bureaucracy to get in the way of design and innovation.According to Roll (2011), â€Å"Samsung has created a strong brand around in novation, cutting edge technology and world class design. † (para. 1). Samsung Chairman Lee Kun Hee concluded that â€Å"great design and innovation would be the way to build Samsung into a great global brand,† and he was correct (Marketing Principles, Module 6, p. 1). Instead of forming panels and hiring managers or more marketers to come up with new gimmicks, he hired hundreds of designers. The designers were from prestigious colleges of design and had an average age of just 33. The design force at Samsung multiplied y over 400% to over 400 designers in 10 years. This out of the take on product development allowed Samsung to transform its product line into world class. Competitors such as Sony have also followed in Samsung’s footsteps. According to Kunkel: â€Å"With nearly 250 industrial designers; graphic, packaging, and logotype designers; user- interface specialists and Web designers working in offices from Tokyo to San Francisco to Cologne, the Sony Desig n Center is responsible for nearly 2,000 new products, concepts, packaging schemes and design strategies every year, driving sales of products nd services totaling nearly $50 billion per year† (Product Description, para. 2). Although Sony also employs a lot of designers, Samsung still leads the industry in allowing their designs to inspire innovation. Samsung’s progressive culture of effective, efficient, and fast implementation is part of its advantage over competitors. According to the dynamic theory of competition presented in Marketing Principles (2011): â€Å"Suppliers with an insatiable improvement drive are more competitive. † â€Å"Suppliers who implement effectively, efficiently, and faster are more competitive. † (Module 1 p. 6).Samsung changes its product line three times as fast as its competition such as Motorola. Samsung has shown agility, according to Marketing Principles (2011) â€Å"†¦ i. e. the ability to implement change to change processes to introduce new technologies, new skills into the organization very quickly and effectively† (Module 1 p. 7). Change is managed very well at Samsung and they have lower manufacturing cost on top of their time to market being faster than that of competitors. Samsung avoids bureaucracy at its 24/7 design centers. Designers can work through problems without being delayed by non-productive orporate presentations and politics. Samsung has a constant focus on improvement and being faster and implementing the next innovation before the completion. Fackler (2006) explained, â€Å"†Our TVs are better,† Nobuyuki Oneda, Sony's chief financial officer, said in an interview earlier this year. †But Samsung's cash flow is amazing. It is hard to invest in and develop products† at the same pace as Samsung. † (para. 23). Samsung’s use of usability laboratories have been key in its market orientation skills and understanding the user interface. Sa msung does not follow the textbook best-practice of product development, which is idely now considered â€Å"yesterday’s best practice† in product development. According to Marketing Principles, Samsung uses concurrent engineering and fast prototyping in an around the clock approach to problem solving (Module 6 Case 2 p. 1). The traditional best practice only produces a success rate of 50 percent in product development. This out dated way of thinking is burdened with â€Å"gates†. These gates are where bureaucracy in an organization can delay forward movement of the product design. Samsung has â€Å"decentralized† and broke away from this way of development.It is actually criticized in the case study with the example of the use of Samsung’s design centers. Product development is free to develop in a creative environment without lawyers or other hold ups. Samsung has taken its out of the box approach and its investment in design and turned it into p rofits. As Marketing Principles explains, according to the current CEO of Samsung â€Å"we still have a lot of things to do before we are a great company. † (Module 6 Case 2 p. 2) With that approach and its constant drive to beat itself, The Samsung brand equity is likely to continue to grow. References:Marketing Principles. (2011). Portsmouth, NH: Backbone Press Frackler, M. (2006). Electronics company aims to create break-out product. The New York Times, p. C. 1. Kunkel, P. (1999, September 4). Product Description [Review of the book Digital Dreams: The Work of the Sony Design Center]. Amaonz. com. Retrieved from http://www. amazon. com/Digital-Dreams-Work-Design-Center/dp/0789302624 Roll, M. (2011). Samsung: Building brand equity through brand community. Venture Republic. Retrieved from http://www. venturerepublic. com/resources/Samsung_Building_brand_equity_through_brand_community. asp

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The Impact Of Technology On The Future - 1049 Words

The evidence that Martin Ford provides for his thesis is all related to different industries, and how they will turn out to be in the future. First, he discusses information technology, in which he tells the audience about Moore’s Law (p. 58). He uses Moore’s Law to describe the effect that technology will have in the future on IT. Then, he goes on to discuss the risk that white-collar jobs face from automation. One aspect of his evidence is â€Å"Quill†, which is a technology that is used by media outlets to produce articles about various subjects including, sports, business and politics (pp. 72-73). This helps him explain the idea of advanced technology being able to replace jobs that require some amount of human intelligence. The next main†¦show more content†¦They allow the reader to be able to relate and connect to the content, which in return allows the reader to understand how technology and automation will take over jobs. In addition, the graphs and charts that are provided allow the reader to better understand the concepts through a visual aid. The weakness in the evidence that the author provides is related to the fact that a lot of the evidence is anecdotal and not factual. A book on technology should have many statistics and facts, as it will strengthen the thesis. This is true, as the technology industry is all about the numbers and facts. In addition, anecdotal evidence is a good buffer or introduction for people who don’t know about technology, as it allows for them to connect to the topic. However, more concrete statistics should have been provided to make the thesis even stronger. All in all, the author did a good job supporting his thesis. The anecdotal evidence was a little too much, however the facts, statistics, graphs and charts helped balance out the strength of the thesis. One error that I found within the book was the lack of primary sources used by the author. Even though it would be hard for the au thor to do primary research, some of the statistics that were not showing progress from many years ago, could have been researched through interviews, case studies, or other primary research methods. This would have allowed the reader to see that the author was determined to prove his point, so much so,Show MoreRelatedTechnology : The Impact Of Technology And Its Impact On The Future905 Words   |  4 Pagesan era of advanced technology, where every part of our daily lives is impacted by it. Recently we have found ourselves heavily dependent on the use technology and our needs and demands for more keep rising. The more advanced it becomes, the more it seems to have control over our lives. While it is impossible to explore how each new advanced technology has impacted our lives and how it will impact the future, it continues to affect our environment, people and society. Technology by its self is notRead MoreThe Technology And Its Impact On The Future1545 Words   |  7 Pages Peop le were excited about this innovative and creative product. Google promoted Google glasses as we are closed to the future . Advancement of ICT (information and communication technology) make us expecting something exciting and interesting. So many ITC related products such as cellphone, SNS, Ipad and etc, are already settled in our ordinarily life and new technologies continuously researched and developed for better human being. So that, the issues related to the ITC should not be avoidedRead MoreImpact Of Computer Technology On The Future Of Workforce1260 Words   |  6 Pages11IPT Term3 Essay: Impacts of Computer Technologies in the Future of Workforce Since the very first automatic computer has been invented in 1941 by Konrad Zuse (Lexikon Services, 1982), information technology has brought many benefits to our lives, and also altered the nature of work and enterprise to the extent that most jobs in the developed world to involve computers. In the future, with new information technology features that will be introduced, many jobs would be either reduced or turned intoRead MoreThe Impact of Information Technology on the Workforce of the Future3258 Words   |  14 PagesPreface The Impact of Information Technology on the Workforce of the Future To determine the impact of information technology on the workforce of the future, I conducted a study using an historical perspective on the use of information technology in the workplace and by the workforce. This study also considered recent trends in workforce management such as telecommuting, globalization, outsourcing, and off-shoring activities. The results of this study revealed that technological advances in officeRead MoreImpact Of Technology And Economy On Ehealth And Future Predictions1495 Words   |  6 PagesImpact of Technology and Economy on Ehealth and Future Predictions In-person visits to physicians in the future will decrease thanks to the growth of emerging technology, which helps patients review their health records electronically sometimes called Electronic Health or E-health (1). According to the study conducted by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, more than 70 percent physicians were making use of electronic records compare to 10 percent a decade ago (1). This is mainly becauseRead MoreHow Will Technology Impact On The Future Of Fashion Objects?1726 Words   |  7 PagesHow will technology impact on the future of fashion objects? Explore 2-3 examples.    Technology has become an important fashion accessory. One aspect of the impact of technology on fashion is that convenience of communication and nonstop information access has, to some extent, become a fashion statement.  People rely increasingly on computers and smartphones.   The recently released smart watches have further contributed to the fashion world and consequently to the world of technological convenienceRead MoreImpact Of Technology And Economy On Ehealth And Future Predictions1495 Words   |  6 PagesImpact of Technology and Economy on Ehealth and Future Predictions In-person visits to physicians in the future will decrease thanks to the growth of emerging technology, which helps patients review their health records electronically sometimes called Electronic Health or E-health (1). According to the study conducted by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, more than 70 percent physicians were making use of electronic records compare to 10 percent a decade ago (1). This is mainly becauseRead MoreDigital Technology And Its Impact On The Future Of A College Student1205 Words   |  5 Pages1.0 INTRODUCTION As digital technology becomes more prominent in every facet of life, one is required to own more devices to enjoy all of the different aspects of it. A task analysis of a device that could combine all of these different devices into one (the home media multitasking interface or HMMI) has been accepted, and is attached in Appendix A for reference. The report that follows is about prototyping, the next step in bringing the HMMI into existence. This will include two design proposalsRead MoreEssay on Information Technology and the Impact on the Future Work Culture4609 Words   |  19 PagesEssay on Information Technology and the Impact on the Future Work Culture Introduction: Advances in information technology will revolutionize human civilization. Never before has knowledge been so easily as instantly accessible as it is now. Information has the power to change culture customs and communities. Development of Thought: No other technology in the last 300 years has had the kind of impact that information technology will have on the social, political and economic fabric of society. InformationRead MoreThe Impact of Innovative Health Technologies in Nursing and Health Care997 Words   |  4 PagesTechnology in Nursing and Health Care: The continuous transformation of the health care field through the introduction of new technology tools has contributed to the need for nurses to stay current with new trends and keep track of what is on the horizon. However, these rapid technological changes and advancements in the health care field have seemingly precluded any probability of anticipating the future. As a result, nurses and other health care professionals can prepare for the future by remaining

Legalization of Marijuana Essays - 1831 Words

What could the United States do with an extra 7.7 billion dollars? What could the state of Michigan do with 5.3 billion dollars? How could the nation get this much money in one year? The legalization of marijuana would bring such revenue. Replacing â€Å"marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement -- $2.4 billion at the federal level and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels† (Miron, â€Å"Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibitions in the United States). The money generated from this could be used for so many needs of the nation. For example, one immediate use would be to help restore the infrastructure of bridges and roads. The United†¦show more content†¦Most of the testimony was disparaging towards marijuana, therefore the U.S. Congress made it an illegal drug. The brevity of this testimony shows that not enough effort was given in defense of marijuan a’s many benefits. This law started the stigma against marijuana, which continues to this day. The stigma that marijuana users are hardcore criminals is still practiced in law enforcement today. In the year 2000 alone, there were 734,500 arrests for marijuana possession (Rosenthal, Kubby, and Newhart 16). This over zealous policing of non-violent crimes is consuming too much state and federal money. If marijuana were made legal, police could focus on more serious criminal acts. â€Å"Nationwide, there were more arrests for marijuana than there were for arson, manslaughter, rape, stolen property, vandalism, and sex offenses combined†¦The sheer number or marijuana violators overwhelms some law-enforcement agencies† (Rosenthal, Kubby, and Newhart 20). All of this adds up to that 7.7 billion dollars that could have been used for more worthy causes. Marijuana is not innocuous. If it were to be made legal, it should be regulated. In order to be effective, marijuana shou ld be legal in manufacturing and consumption. This would mean that people or corporations would be able to manufacture and sell marijuana for consumption use. Since the UnitedShow MoreRelatedThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization1061 Words   |  5 PagesThe Legalization of Cannabis in Ohio Marijuana is a controversial topic all across the United States. Recently marijuana has been voted on, legalized, and denied legalization in multiple states. There are still more states trying to fight the green fight for marijuana. The fight for legalization hasn’t been an easy one for cannabis supporters; they have been fighting tooth and nail to make it happen. One of the main concerns in the marijuana debates are whether or not marijuana is a gateway drugRead MoreLegalization Of Marijuana And Marijuana1633 Words   |  7 PagesBalyuk March 8, 2016 Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana has a few different names that are commonly used in today’s society including weed and cannabis. Weed is smoked with joints, bongs, or pipes. Marijuana can also be mixed with foods usually brownies, cookies, and candy which are called edibles. The main chemical responsible for the high feeling is called THC but marijuana also contains over 500 chemicals. The chemical is found in resin produced by the leaves and buds. â€Å"Marijuana is the most commonlyRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization Essay2566 Words   |  11 Pagescurrent prohibition on marijuana reforms has put the United States in a similar situation. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, â€Å"95 million Americans age 12 and older have tried pot at least once, and three out of every four illicit-drug users reported using marijuana within the previous 30 days† (ONDCP). The decriminalization and eve ntually legalization for the recreational use of marijuana will bring forth benefitsRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization1282 Words   |  6 Pages On November 8th, 2016, the California Marijuana Legalization Initiative may be included on the ballot. The people of California will vote on whether to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults. The move targets at regulating the consumption of the drug and taxing it like other legalized drugs. California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 (National Institute of Drug Abuse). The state prohibited any legal actions from being taken on patients and recognized caregiversRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization1660 Words   |  7 PagesKyler Smith 9/15 â€Å"Marijuana Legalization† The legality of cannabis varies from country to country. Possession of cannabis is illegal in most countries and has been since the beginning of widespread cannabis prohibition in the late 1930s. However, possession of the drug in small quantities had been decriminalized in many countries and sub-national entities in several parts of the world. Furthermore, possession is legal or effectively legal in the Netherlands, Uruguay, and in the US states of ColoradoRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana And Marijuana Essay1314 Words   |  6 PagesMarijuana or Cannabis is one of the bused drugs in America and the rest of the world. Interesting accumulating evidence show that the significant negative impact of this drug outweighs the positive effects. However, the medical benefits of the drug seem on the process of chemical compounds as compared to the drug itself. Medical debates show that chemical compound in marijuana are the problem as compared to the plant. The said chemical compound af fects the mental and physical health of the personsRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization996 Words   |  4 Pages the monetary gain of its legalization for most has been productive to say the least. For example, Denver Colorado is on track to more than triple the marijuana tax revenue this year alone. $44 million was collected in 2014. In July 2015, 73.5 million was collected, while 19.6 million went to schools. A place such as Chicago could really use the legalization to help with the school system infrastructure issues they have. With a deficit of over 1.1 billion marijuana sales could alleviate bothRead MoreLegalization of Marijuana1550 Words   |  7 PagesLegalization of Marijuana: Benefits and Statistics The topic of legalizing marijuana has been a topic of controversy for quite some time now not only throughout our local streets, but throughout the local and into the state government. The legalization of marijuana is such a controversial topic because some are for it and some are against it. People are for the legalization because of the great uses it has towards medicine, the money that could come from the taxation of legalized marijuana, andRead MoreLegalization of Marijuana972 Words   |  4 PagesOn January 1st the states of Colorado and Washington officially began the regulation of legal marijuana sales. Thousands of people from all over the country including tourists from Wisconsin, Ohio, Chicago, and even Georgia lined up out front of dispensaries to make a purchase. Recreational marijuana is being regulated and monitored like alcohol; you must be at least 21 years old to make a purchase. The drug, which is controversial in many states’ legislations, is currently l egal for medical useRead MoreThe Legalization of Marijuana628 Words   |  2 PagesThe Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana, the plant of the cannabis, has been around since the early 1900’s. Throughout history, marijuana has been used illegally, for both recreational and medical uses. Recently, marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes, like aiding HIV/AIDs patients, healing migraines and controlling nausea caused by chemotherapy. Today, there are currently 21 American states that have legalized medicinal marijuana including two states that have legalized recreational marijuana

Etourism †“Global Distribution Systems †Going, Going, Gone” Free Essays

string(96) " transactions by providing the background link between electronic travel agencies and airlines\." Global Distribution Systems – Going, Going, Gone? | Table of Contents Introduction:2 Timeline3 Airline Reservation System3 Computer Reservation Systems (CRS)3 Global Distribution Systems (GDS)4 Who uses GDSs? 5 GDS – Through the years:5 The Future of GDS:6 What should they do? 6 What is the role of the global distribution system in today’s travel agencies? 6 The Internet7 Conclusion8 References9 Books:9 Articles:9 Websites:9 Introduction: GDS – Going, going, gone? Well, certainly Global Distribution Systems have been going for a while but are they yet gone? This paper is on the history, present time and the questionable future of Global Distribution System (GDS). Firstly I go through each stage of their timeline: – Airline Reservation Systems began in the 1960s and is a computerized system is designed to control flight inventory, maintain flight schedules, seat assignments and aircraft loading. It’s used to store and retrieve information and carry out transactions associated to any air travel. We will write a custom essay sample on Etourism – â€Å"Global Distribution Systems – Going, Going, Gone† or any similar topic only for you Order Now The modern airline reservation system is comprehensive suite of products to provide a system that assists with a variety of airline management tasks and ervice customer needs from the time of initial reservation through completion of the flight. – Computer Reservations Systems (CRS) began in the 1970s. These types of systems charge other travel suppliers for the right to market their products and services through these systems. ‘The computer reservation systems are completely keyboard driven and you must learn the formats in order to operate it efficiently. The web based booking engines are the point and click environment. ’ Travel Agent Training Centre, (2011). Global Distribution Systems (GDS) began in the 1980s and refer to the booking tool travel agents use when making an air, hotel, car or other travel service booking. They provide pricing, availability and reservation functionality to many online travel agencies. There are currently four major GDS systems: 1. Amadeus 2. Galileo 3. Sabre 4. Worldspan Hotel-ICT, (2011) – The Internet has become the main sales channel and customer interface for low-cost airlines because of its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Timeline The timeline stages of CRS/GDS according to Werthner amp; Klein (1999), is as follows: ———————————————— Time1965197519851995 SystemAirline ReservationCRSGDS Global Travel amp; FocusSystem Tourism Information Airline Reservation System Airline Reservation System was one of the earliest modifications to improve on efficiency. It’s a moderately simple standalone system that controls flight inventory, maintains flight schedules, seat assignments and aircraft loading. ‘It provides a system that assists with a variety of airline management tasks and service customer needs from the time of initial reservation through completion of the flight. Videco m, (2006). ARS contain airline schedules, fare tariffs, passenger reservations and ticket records. Airline Reservations Systems sooner or later evolved into Computer Reservation Systems (CRS). Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) ‘A Computer Reservation System (CRS) is a computerized system for saving and retrieving information when needed related to air travel. CRS were created and used by airlines and at a later point they were finally used in tourism intermediaries like travel agencies. ’ marcelvacek. logspot (2010)   An airline’s direct distribution works within their own reservation system, as well as pushing out information to the GDS. The second type of direct distribution channels are consumers who use the internet or mobile applications to make their own reservations. Travel agencies and other indirect distribution channels access the same GDS as those accessed by the airlines’ reservation systems Well known CRS operations that book and sell ticke ts for multiple airlines are known as global distribution systems (GDS). Airlines have separated most of their direct holdings to devoted GDS companies, who make their systems available to consumers through Internet gateways. Modern GDSs naturally allow consumers to book hotel rooms and rental cars as well as airline tickets. As well they provide access to railway reservations in some markets although these are not always integrated with the main system. CRS and GDS seem to have the same functions but the major difference between these two systems is that CRS only provide information about airlines whereas by using GDS you can reserve a ticket, a room in a hotel and also a rental car. This is why they are called Global Distribution Systems because you can use GDS to reserve basically everything. Global Distribution Systems (GDS) ‘The term GDS (Global Distribution System) describes a network of one or more CRS for distributing product offers and functionalities of the participating networks in different countries of the world. In addition to the airline product also other products such as accommodation, car rentals, cruises, or tour operator products are included. Werthner amp; Klein (1999) Today the travel marketplace is a global arena with hundreds of thousands of buyers (travel agents) and sellers (hotels, resorts, airlines, car rental companies) working together to reserve and deliver the services to the buyer – the traveller. Increasingly Global Distribution System is known for a Global Electronic System, which connects users and suppliers. GDS offer instant access to the supplier’s information (i. e. hotels) with immediate function. Many m ain web portals are also associated to  GDS, including Expedia. com, Orbitz. om, Travelocity. com and priceline. com to name a few. For many years the GDSs had a dominant position in the travel industry. To bypass the GDS and avoid high GDS fees, airlines have started to distribute flights directly from their websites. Another possibility to bypass the GDS is direct connections to the Travel Agencies. According to ITSA there are currently four main GDS companies in operation, these are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan. These are by far the most used systems, comprising the vast majority of the global bookings in the GDS industry. The Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), a development from the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs), were for a long time the most important distribution channel for airlines. They were effectively developed as travel supermarkets in the pre-Internet era and their primary objective was to connect travel agencies with airlines (Buhalis, 2004). GDSs are still a vital element in the light of the huge variety of tariffs to be administered. GDSs are the main link between airlines and intermediaries, such as tour operators and travel agents. They are also empowering Internet transactions by providing the background link between electronic travel agencies and airlines. You read "Etourism – â€Å"Global Distribution Systems – Going, Going, Gone†" in category "Papers" ’ (Egger ;amp; Buhalis, 2008) There is one downside of using GDS and it is the fact that it costs airlines money to go through a GDS process. Airlines complain that the prices are too high and therefore some poorer airlines have decided to post their best offers by using their own websites instead of the global distribution system so that they do not go bankrupt. CRSs (Computer Reservation Systems) and GDSs were the most important facilities of change in the tourism industry before the arrival of the Internet, as they were established as a comprehensive travel marketing and distribution system and were often called travel supermarkets. The need for GDSs arises from both the demand and supply sides as well as from the expansion of th e tourism industry in recent decades. ’ (Buhalis,2003. ) Who uses GDSs? A majority of travel agents (worldwide) and travel websites use the Global Distribution System (GDS) to book their air, hotel and car reservations. There are currently over 600,000 travel agents worldwide who have access to  GDS. On top of that, there are hundreds of thousands of web portals that use  GDS  to provide information on hotels, airlines, car rentals,  etc. ’ According to 1Hotelsolution, (2009). GDS – Through the years: There have been 3 stages of evolution the first reservation system was called an Airline Reservation system, the second a Computer Reservation System (CRS) and the third evolution is today’s Global Distribution System (GDS). The establishment of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs) in the 1970s and Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in the 1980s, followed by the development of the Internet in the late 1990s, have transformed the best operational a nd strategic practices in the industry dramatically. ’ Buhalis ;amp; Laws (2008) The big winners here are the airlines, followed by the GDSs. The carriers’ major concern was to overhaul their distribution economics and they did that – reducing the fees they pay the GDSs by about 33 per cent per segment. And the airlines, with assistance from the GDSs, did it on the backs of travel agencies. Travel agencies bear about 80 per cent of that reduced airline payment to GDSs through the incentive cuts the agencies agreed to, while the GDSs foot about 20 per cent of the lost revenue themselves. With travel agencies already under financial pressure, the 80-cents incentive cut they agreed to could mean the difference between profit and loss, survival and bankruptcy, according to the article Airlines the big winners in ‘the GDS wars’ Schaal (2006). For the amount of contestable market share is limited given high load factors. Worse this is not going to get any better due to the constraints on supply due to the high price of fuel. If  we look at the market share of the 3 major alliances they now occupy more than 50% of total traffic. When you then remove the Low Cost carriers out of the loop as they don’t participate in the GDSs the amount of neutral traffic unaligned fall s significantly. Perhaps for this reason we see traditional unaligned airlines like Virgin Atlantic starting to evaluate their options seriously.   4Hoteliers, (2011). The Future of GDS: Over the last 10 years, the Internet has proved to be a crucially successful platform for selling travel, appealing to a vast group of suppliers. According to Breaking Travel News (2004), the number of travellers booking airline tickets, hotel rooms and other travel services online continues to grow. The GDSs were actually among the first e-commerce companies in the world as early as mid 1970s. Earlier before the beginning of the GDS, travel agents spent huge amounts of time manually entering reservations. The airlines realised that at this point they could make travel agents more productive and essentially re-invent them as an extension of the airlines sales force. It is these original legacy GDSs that provide the strength to the Internet Travel distribution. While online commerce was growing at a fast pace, agents are more and more facing a new reality whereby customers are finding the cheapest fares for themselves on the Internet. The airlines can no longer afford to put fare content through GDSs and are complaining that the prices are too high. The low-cost airlines have added to this pressure, having found an alternative form of distribution that bypasses the GDSs, as stated by Breaking News Travel, (2004). In an attempt to cut their own costs, traditional airlines have started to make their best fares available on their own websites alone. Although GDSs are still a very useful distribution tool, at this stage it is crucial that they reduce their distribution costs in order to restore profitability and ensure the airlines survival (none of the GDSs are now owned by airlines). This is no doubt leading to the volume of the GDS transactions diminishing. What should they do? Moving into a de-regulatory environment will change the rules for GDSs, meaning a shift in focus creating new opportunities. They really need to concentrate on value, content and pricing as priorities in moving ahead. They should also re-evaluate their costs and agent incentives. British Airways (BA) has recently negotiated a deal with Amadeus, Sabre and Galileo, which gives them full access to BA’s fares as indicated by Breaking Travel News, (2004). What is the role of the global distribution system in today’s travel agencies? With the dramatic expansion of the Internet and the proliferation of new sources offering bookable travel content, GDSs are still the primary, most comprehensive and reliable platform for travel agencies and their corporate clients to access, shop and book travel. It is also through GDSs and their rich portfolios of travel planning and management tools those agencies and corporations reconcile and manage daily travel business. Due to their range, extent and supplier relationships, GDSs are also fundamental to the supply of travel products to retailers in the online channel according to Travelport, (2011). The Internet The Internet has become the main sales channel and customer interface for low-cost airlines because of its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The most recent stage of distribution system increase happened in the mid-1990s and counterparts the fast growth of the Internet and its widespread penetration into households by the end of the decade. The internet gave rise to alternative booking channels. ‘ Instead of going to the travel agent to pick up brochures, customers will request details of holidays over the Internet and watch video pictures of the accommodation before booking with the swipe of a credit card. Morgan, (1996). ‘Airlines have a number of options for Internet distribution including airline-owned websites, alliance sites, electronic intermediaries and other forms of sales including electronic auctioning of unsold seats. A major advantage of these types of services is the ability to offer 24-hour, 7-days-a-week service that in the near future will include bookin gs via cellular phones using Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology. ’ Buhalis amp; Laws, (2001). By combining the simple protocol of the Internet with a user-friendly interface it represents the main â€Å"vehicle† for creating a worldwide electronic community, integrating research institutes, private companies, public organizations and, most important, private households. ’ Werthner amp; Klein, (1999). Conclusion The questions are if there is a concentration of power in the hands of the airlines and the intermediaries, is there really a need for a neutral distribution system? What if there was no GDS? If this were the case – would the prices of the products go down or stay the same? From the research in this paper I believe that GDS today is costing us more. As 4Hoteliers stated previously in the paper, the market share of the 3 major alliances they now occupy more than 50% of total traffic. When the Low Cost carriers are removed out of the loop they don’t take part in the GDSs the amount of neutral traffic not united falls considerably. I would agree that the GDS has over time restrained competition and indeed cost the consumer more. GDS – Going, going, gone? They did indeed lasted many, many years but yes I believe they are on their way out. A new generation of people are coming in with more knowledge about technology than the last. They have more of a grasp about computers and the workings of the Internet therefore they will not need GDS, thus, will not need to use travel agencies who are the main users of GDS to book their air, hotel and car reservations. Once travel agencies are out, Global Distribution Systems will no longer be needed. They are soon to be gone. References Books: * Buhalis, D (2003). eTourism. Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited. P93-94. * Buhalis, D. amp; Laws, E. (2001). Tourism Distribution Channels-Practices, Issues amp; Transformations. Cornwall, UK: TJI Digital. P221 * Egger, R. amp; Buhalis, D. (2008). eTourism Case Studies. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann P264 * Morgan, M. (1996). Marketing for Leisure and Tourism. Hertforshire, UK: Prentice Hall. P263 * Werthner, H. amp; Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism – A Challenging Relationship. Austria: Springer-Verlag Wien. P79 * Werthner, H. amp; Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism – A Challenging Relationship. Austria: Springer-Verlag Wien. P185 * Werthner, H. amp; Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism – A Challenging Relationship. Austria: Springer-Verlag Wien. P188 Articles: * Breaking Travel News (2004) The Future of the GDS. Available from http://www. breakingtravelnews. com/news/article/btn20040216144254916/ [accessed 8th Oct 2011] * Buhalis, D. amp; Laws, E. (2008) Progress in Tourism Management: Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet—The state of eTourism research. Available from http://www. sciencedirect. om/science/article/pii/S0261517708000162 [accessed 7th Oct 2011] * Schaal, D. (2006) Airlines the big winners in ‘the GDS wars’ in International News. Available from http://0-web. ebscohost. com. ditlib. dit. ie/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? vid=5amp;hid=8amp;sid=562024d9-8116-4049-8ab3-6bb0295294dd%40sessionmgr13 [Accessed 7th Oct 2011] Websites: * Hotel-ITC, (2011). GDS (Global Distribution System) – Connect to the world. Available from http://hotel-ict. blogspot. com/2011/04/gds-global-distribution-system-connect. html [Accessed 8th Oct 2011] (Image) * ITSA – GDSs and LTDs http://www. nteractivetravel. org/IndustryBackground/Attachments/GDSs_and_LTDs_FAQs. pdf [accessed 8th Oct] * Marcelvacek. blogspot, (2010). Tourism amp; Hospitality Business Applications. Available from http://marcelvacek. blogspot. com/2010/10/what-is-crs-and-gds. html [accessed 7th Oct 2011] * Travel Agent Training Centre, (2011). Computer Reservation System Training Available from http://www. travelagenttrainingcenter. com/Computer%20Reservation%20System%20Training. htm [accessed 8 Oct] * Travelport, (2011). What do travel agents How to cite Etourism – â€Å"Global Distribution Systems – Going, Going, Gone†, Papers

Evaluating The Project Of Shopping Mall †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Evaluating The Project Of Shopping Mall. Answer: This particular memo is prepared for evaluating the project of opening new mall using financial tools such as ratio analysis. The project is undertaken for opening new mall on the north end of Calgary and the projected cost for new mall is $ 200 million. Viability of project has been done by the computation of financial ratios for ten years. Computed ratios for evaluation involves net profit margin, return on equity, return on assets, current ratio, debt ratio and debt to equity ratio (Winston, 2016). Net profit margin of project is increasing consistently from 11.14% in second year of operation to 28.98% and 31.2% in ninth and tenth year of operations. Return on equity of project is increasing continuously throughout the project life from 2.73% in first year of operation to 10.25% in tenth year of operation. Assets used in the projects are efficient for generating returns as the return generated is increasing continuously, although at lower pace than other ratios (Kraus, 2014). Curr ent ratio of project has kept on decreasing until eighth year of operation and thereafter it increased. It is indicating of the fact that efficiency of current assets for financing short-term obligations has been decreasing. Debt ratio of project has been decreasing since the initial year of project operation. It stood at 0.726 in first year of operation to 0.457 in tenth year of operation. Debt to equity ratio also witnessed decline from 2.65 in first year of operation to 0.840 in tenth year. Therefore, it can be inferred from the ratio analysis that it is feasible to undertake the project. References: Kraus, D. (2014). Consolidated data analysis and presentation using an open-source add-in for the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software.Medical Writing,23(1), 25-28. Winston, W. (2016).Microsoft Excel data analysis and business modeling. Microsoft press.