VISTA Builders Enterprise System Struggle

Problems faced by VISTA Builders before introducing the new system Initially, the company operated under different lines, with each line taken as a single entity. There was no consolidation of operations. These lines include the fiberglass insulations, external siding and roofing materials.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on VISTA Builders Enterprise System Struggle specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Each of these lines had its own set of information systems. The company had more than two hundred rigid, old fashioned and isolated systems. Truck carriages, pricing schedules and product lines were also separate and different for each plant. Customers – due to the disintegrated system – had to make separate telephone calls when ordering each item. A customer had to make up to three different calls – one for the external sidings, another for fiberglass insulations and another for roofing ma terials. The company appeared as a collection of autonomous or rather independent fiefdoms. For example, before centralizing purchase, the sourcing manager, Mr. Vik Mike said that they were buying widgets from all over the world without enough knowledge of whom they were going to buy from and did not know how much they cost. This is before the company began using the SAP’s R/3 software. The management, technological and organizational issues faced by VISTA Builders face The whole process proved very expensive, estimated at about  £100 million and it was also time consuming. This means that it took several years to be fully implemented. The company faced a drop in overall production and there was a deterioration in customer service during the first six months. Installing something like a new SAP means a lot since it entails changing how people have been operating in the last two decades, like in the case of the VISTA builders. The first problem that the organization faced wa s technical problems. The response time changed from seconds to minutes with the introduction of the new system. VISTA Builders director of global development, David Johns affirmed that the functionality was not as it was supposed to be and this, according to him, was due to inadequate testing.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another set of problems that arose with the introduction of the new system were business problems. People were assigned new roles. There were changes in communication, business processing and even in management. The new SAP system, for example, required the entire co-operation to come up with a single product and price list. The staff resented this since they were incapable as a result of lack of enough knowledge. The staff had not been trained and the workload was overwhelming. This made them very erratic in their operations. In any business or organization, configuration is a great challenge. It requires a motivated team that is selected with a lot of keenness. It requires a team that is motivated and empowered to perform. To come up with such a team, it requires a serious employee education through vigorous training (Daniel, Jeane, Marie, 2000) John admits that they had under-estimated the impact that an overhaul of an old system would have had on their operations. ERP systems are quite complicated and errors are the order of the day. In the old system, VISTA builders could afford to easily work their way out of errors without being noticed or without being caught and this only affected the local functions. In the R/3 system, there was no time to correct errors since databases were updated immediately the data was entered. Data flows instantaneously. It moves from purchasing to logistic systems. These errors could be as serious as a customer failing to receive an invoice as a result of the person at the warehouse fa iling to tell the system that a truck is leaving. The accounts department would never find out since the transaction details would not spread. The staff also had to be kept away from the system until they were qualified. This was after doing a test and getting certification. Those who failed had to redo the training and testing. A substantial number of workers did not pass the test. Those who failed looked for employment elsewhere.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on VISTA Builders Enterprise System Struggle specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since this involved a great number of personnel shifting, it became time consuming. This disrupted the organization’s normal running. The training process that was anticipated and budgeted to cost 7% of overall cost ended up consuming 13% of budget. The advent of the new system also posed some problems to the customers. Once the new system went live, the custome rs were shocked and some even opted for other suppliers for their goods and in effect to this, the company lost customers. The way business was influenced as the system of the enterprise changed ERP changes come with many business philosophy changes. The implementation brings great changes into an organization’s business structure and daily practice (Aleksey, 2009). Because of this fact, VISTA Builders had to undergo great transformation in its operations. Johns remarked that the new setup was a great success. However, there were various volatile situations, which greatly affected the life and existence of the organization. The entire systems were enabled to act and perform as a single unit. Customers were afforded a single point of contact for all their orders. With the old system, the organization could never tell what inventory they had in stock. However, with the new system, the company could now not only see what inventory was in stock but also tell when it will be produ ced and whoever the lowest-cost carrier will be. With the ERP system, it became easier to make a commitment to a customer before hanging up the phone. With the ERP system rollout in 2000, the company acquired and in-cooperated 17 companies, thus succeeding in expanding their product offerings. The company’s sales hit a whooping  £5 billion annually. Inventory was cut significantly and the co-ordination of various functions and divisions centralized. The organization had the ability of controlling and planning its activities while making use of the network of routes. The system was used in identifying the greatest suppliers.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Centralization of the company’s system was not only applied in the states but also in foreign countries. This transformed the company into a truly globalized enterprise. Was installing the system the right solution for company? Installing a new system was a great idea and a great vision for the company. In complete disregard of the challenges that VISTA Builders faced while setting up the new system, the SAP helped the organization to make big development strides in their operations. Be it the managerial, organizational, operational and technical squares, the new system brought great positive changes in the end. The old system – as noted – was non-flexible, archaic and isolated. This is a status that would undermine the operation of any organization or company. The new system brought an air of efficiency to the entire organization and its operation. It usually takes organizations years or even decades to realize some IT-enabled transformations – chances a re that an organization may still fail along the way (Lynne Cornelius, 2001). For the case of VISTA Builders, the transformation was never occasioned with failure but a bright looking future in terms of business and organization. References Aleksey, O 2009, ‘The 5 Biggest Challenges When Implementing ERP for the First Time’, Information Systems Research, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 167-185. Daniel, R, Jeane, WR Marie, B 2000, ‘Learning To implement Enterprise systems: An explanatory Study of The Dialectics of change’, Organization Science, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 213-219. Lynne, M Cornelius, T 2001, ‘The Enterprise System Experience-From Adoption to Success’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 510-540. This critical writing on VISTA Builders Enterprise System Struggle was written and submitted by user D'KenNeraman1 to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Producing Marisol essays

Producing Marisol essays Marisol, a play written by Jose Rivera, is the play I enjoyed reading the most this semester. Rivera, one of the leading contemporary Latin American playwrights, writes with an image. After reading Marisol, I came away with a very specific picture of what Rivera had in mind. He easily combines the realistic moments of life, the dangers of the Bronx, dealing with an emotionally unstable young man, Lenny, and the friendships developed with those we work with, with his world on the verge of apocalypse where the mundanities of life we take for granted have changed. Marisol has elements of pure theology where Rivera's own possible musings are written in to his characters. These elements include the appearance of Marisol's guardian angel in Marisol's dreams, the threat to Marisol's life in the form of a woman turned to a pile of salt and the smoke from a fire in Ohio blocking the sun in New York City. These all occur in the first act before the War of the Heavens begins. This play was written in the early nineties, copyright 1992, 1994, and revised and copyrighted 1999. Rivera was very specific in his stage directions and overall views of the design and production of the play in order to facilitate his image. These stage directions and other designs should be followed by the people producing his play in order to produce the image the play means to impart to the audience. He poises a gold crown, suspended in the air over the set, over the actors, over all of his creation, signifying God. But this crown, this God, remains motionless, remains detached from all the proceedings. To support his unnervingly imminently apocalyptic world, the mundanities that we would take for granted that are missing from Marisol's world, like the moon and the extinction of coffee, are dropped to the audience in a conversation between June, a co-worker and Marisol's best friend, and Marisol at work(Rivera 22-23). To accomplish the subtlety of unnerv...

Using both examples of theory and practical cases (both company and Essay

Using both examples of theory and practical cases (both company and country examples) assess the relative importance of political and cultural factors in influencing global investment decisions - Essay Example Before establishing investments in a foreign country, it is important to assess the status of its politics as well as its cultural orientation. This is because politics and culture of the host country are major determinants of the success of foreign investment in it. Ignoring political threats in global investment decisions puts the company at a high risk of failure. (Cateora, Philip R. and John L. Graham, 1998 pp.23-25). In recent years, politics and the threats they pose to foreign investors determine the success of a company. They are the ones that actually determine the winner or looser. Investment policies of a country are normally formulated nationally through local policy plans. This could lead to uncalled for negative impacts on the global market. Political intervention on the market systems of many countries is rampant. This is happening in the developed and developing countries, necessitating caution while companies consider investing in foreign countries. The regulations of the global market are being changed time and again by politicians and can be disadvantageous to foreign companies especially those that invest heavily on fixed assets such as in the tourism industry where companies make huge capital outlay for assets such as buildings and infrastructure. The major threat caused by political interference is over-regulation thereby bringing in impediments to open capital flow which may ad versely affect the global market (Mooij Marieke. 1998 pp. 38-41). Political risks are the possibilities that may occur in the host country due to political decisions or actions that may have a negative impact on the business. In such cases, companies may end up loosing their money or fail to perform according to the expectations. They include confiscation of property due to local misunderstanding, changes in currency value, restrictions of business activities, politically instigated violence such as the one that was experienced in Rwanda in 1992,

My narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My narrative - Essay Example It is crucially important for educators to encourage inclusive education, in which the classroom is converted into such a learning environment where students with special needs are encouraged to learn and develop self-confidence, without having to face ridicule. For example, autism, dyslexia, hearing and visual impairments, and ADHD are such disorders that involve specially designed teaching strategies. For me, it will be important to understand the problems of such children in my classroom, in order to plan my lessons accordingly. Children with special needs require special support with their learning styles (James, 2008, p.54). A multisensory approach is the best which supports the child in all the three ways: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. ICT offers many solutions for children with disabilities (McKeon, 2000). Teachers must understand that children with special needs need extra time and effort in understanding the lesson, and hence they should be treated quite differently in l esson, but not in a way that makes them stand out. Hence, teachers must implement such learning strategies that help dyslexic children retain information in their memory for longer time, while helping them maintain their self-esteem at the same

Implications of Outsourcing to China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Implications of Outsourcing to China - Essay Example 2005). The business culture of china is totally different from that of the western countries. However due to the recent developments the business culture is coming in terms with the traditional practices. Most of the Chinese business contacts are referrals. Normally a business relationship develops on the basis of recommendations. Best prices and deals come from strong recommendations. However due to the advancement of technology, now internet, cold calls and direct contacts also influence the business culture of China. All business relationships in china which has an individual nature gradually develop into a social one very shortly unlike in the case of western culture where the relationship is truly professional. The concept of seniority is of very much importance in China especially when it comes to dealing with state run enterprises. High respect and rank is given to seniority (Understanding Chinese business culture and etiquette.2011). In the organizational culture front, there is fierce competition that is prevailing in China particularly in the technology industry like outsourcing. Constant innovations are a book mark for sustainability. Leveraging of intellectual capital and strong linkage between human resource management practices and knowledge related outcomes are other features (Chow.& Liu.2007). China is rapidly moving towards a fully established market economy. It is slowly emerging as a leader in outsourcing business. But still the state is responsible for monitoring this transition. For outsiders, the economic decision making looks confusing because of the related patchwork of competing geographical and sectarian authorities operate in the country. There is imposition of taxes, rents as well as regulations all done by the authorities before the project is undertaken and during its lifetime. The economic decision making is made at the central level as well as the state level. Now there is a growing willingness from the part of the authorities to devolve the executive powers to local authorities for the smooth decision making (Political environment. 1986). The economic environment of china with regard to outsourcing in particular is some what encouraging now. With deflationary pressures not in the anvil since 2003, the only worrying factor is the inflationary rate which the Chinese government claims to keep within three percent this year. Moreover entering the WTO as well as economic development coupled with rich economic resources provide bright future for the country (The economic environment in China. 2004). Overall the monetary environment in China looks favorable. China has taken giant leaps to improve the environmental and labor conditions in the outsourcing business area. This has made to bring down costs to a considerable extent. But since 2008, the outsourcing in china is not that cheap when compared with previous years. There was an increase of around 20% in costs in the outsourcing industry over the years. The co ncept of low cost manufacturing is fast disappearing in China. It is becoming an expensive place to do business. This is because of the strict environmental and labor laws enacted by the Chinese government (Maltby.E. 2008). The legal environment in China is strictly regulated. All business entering Chinese market is required to establish a legal entity under the Chinese law. In some areas

Sonoco Products Company

Sonoco Products Company According to (Chidambaram VijayabanuS and Ramachandran, 2012) success of a company is based on the human assets. This case study report is on Sonoco Products Company and its HR activities under the leadership of Cindy Hartley. It provides an overview of Sonoco Products Company, change requirements in the package industry and their influence on Sonocos strategy in tune with the objectives of the vice president of the company, analysis of the changes and judging their effectiveness, identifying the problems in Sonocos strategy with respect to HR management besides identifying ways and means to improve the HRM operations in Sonoco. According to ( Gibb, Stephen, 2003), HRM is essential. Finally suitable recommendations are given to Sonoco for the betterment of its strategies as world class HR organization under the leadership of its vice president Cindy Hartley. With leadership qualities senior management can take higher responsibilities (Jean-Francois Coget, 2011). About Sonoco Products Company In consumer and industrial packaging Sonoco is a global company with around 100 years of experience. In its chosen business, right from the inception from 1980s till initial part of 1990s, Sonoco enjoyed success and tremendous growth financially (Sonoco Products Case Study p1). However, due to its fixed pricing of plants, economic crisis in US markets such as manufacturing exports severely impacted Sonoco. For instance, due to such reasons, sales of Sonoco fell 6% down between the years 1995-1999. Nevertheless, the company, with its strategies to reduce expenses, managed to gain increase in profits by 14% in the period. Afterwards, sales of the company declined and that caused its stock values coming down and pressure was built on the company to maintain credibility with shareholders. At this juncture, new CEO by name Harris DeLoach was appointed by Sonoco. The main challenges before DeLoach were to reduce operational costs; to ensure top-line business growth; restructuring the consu mer packaging division; bring about cooperation across the divisions; considering human resources as corporate resources rather than a talent managed under general manager; revamping and restructuring divisions including HR (Sonoco Products Case Study p1). Since the beginning of Cindy Hartley in the capacity of senior VP of HR division, she was working totally towards the throats of the companys CEO DeLoach. In her tenure she introduced many changes and new policies in order to improve the business performance of the company, succession planning, development, compensation etc. Earlier when the company was in full swing of profits, the managers did not take the inefficient employees seriously as business growth was evidenced. Now it is changed and Cindy Hartley as per the DeLoachs challenge responded quickly and pondered over the problem and improve efficiency in HRM wing. Towards all these things, and reduce the cost Cindy Hartley set forth three important objectives as outlined in other section of this report (Sonoco Products Case Study p1). Packaging Industry and Sonoco Sonoco has been into the packaging industry. In 19900 packaging industry was making good revenues. The revenue generated by around 100, 000 companies worldwide was worth $400 billion. Consumer packaging paper and board reported very good increase in its growth. Paper and board recorded 34% revenues while consumer packaging recorded 70% and industrial packaging at 30%. In the later part of 1990s, due to globalization, businesses encountered competitive challenges and also growth opportunities (Sonoco Products Case Study p2). Manufacturing became decentralized as many companies from USA moved to other countries such as India and China where human resources were not costly. Later years i.e. between 1998-2000 there was dramatic increase in the share of five big companies reported at 40% to 60% increase in revenues. Consumer preferences were changed and domestic consumer markets recorded the segmentation of products were changed as per the preferences. When it comes to food industry more evidence is observed. In the retail markets products are even altered as per the customer requirements. Due to customer preferences instead of one version of product seven or eight becomes a common place. Packaging also was playing an important role while branding and thus it attracts more people. In those days in retail business packaging was more influential than advertising for getting new customers and retaining the existing one (Sonoco Products Case Study p2). As there are many changes in global economy and market conditions in USA, the effect of globalization, it was the responsibility of packaging companies to be more innovative and implement changes in the business as required. As said by an observer to win in the race one has to use emerging technologies as that gives winning edge to organizations. Companies who were into packaging invested a huge amount for making timely changes to their product designs. Afterwards the concept that appeared was one-stop-shop which attracted manufacturing firms, and other related businesses. The issues in the packaging industry include globalization of businesses, fixed price concept of Sonoco, USA firms started investing overseas, adapting to technology innovations, abrupt changes in the product design, decline in sales and revenues etc. The changes in the business arena, especially in the packaging industry influenced Sonoco to change its strategies and focus on more customers and solutions oriented and understood the words of Proctor Gamble. It also started looking at markets with focused coordination (Sonoco Products Case Study p3). What were Cindy Hartleys objectives for changes at Sonoco? Cindy Hartley, after becoming VP or HR department of Sonoco, she set forth three objectives to be achieved which were in tune with the thoughts of the new CEO of the company who wanted to cut short expenses of the organization more than 20% (Sonoco Products Case Study p1). The objectives are as given below. Making GMs accountable for managing talent and ensure that inefficient employees are not entertained. Considering HR talent as corporate resource rather than GMs talent and utilizing the human resources evenly across divisions. Developing consistent practices towards HRM. Optimizing HR to support business objectives of GM. Before she took office, employees were given salaries even when they are not performing. It does mean that as the company was in good profits, it ignored the HR best practices towards people who do not perform well. Cindy Hartley in the capacity of VP under the guidance of CEO wanted to make this organizational change to see that human resources are optimally utilized. GMs were made responsible for optimal usage of human resources and considered HR talent as corporate resource instead of just looking at it GMs manpower (Sonoco Products Case Study p1). HR Changes at Sonoco When Cindy Hartley was hired as new VP of HR window of Sonoco, she identified many problems with HR function as it was ruined and not consistent. The organizational structure in 1995 has some inherent problems. The focus on HR was different in those days. They thought it as something like back-room operation (Sonoco Products Case Study p4). The organizational structure was tactical in nature rather than strategic. In 1990s large divisions in the company have their own HR functions which are individual and not aligned to the overall corporate HR function properly. There were inconstancies in payroll related activities and also confidentiality was not maintained in such matters. The main problem was that corporate HR was seen in different perspective. It was seen as an entity that simply takes care of recruitments and relationships between employees and organization. Strategic planning was not possible due to staff structure which was complex. GMs of divisions exercised discretion and make mistakes in the process of providing compensation to staff members (Sonoco Products Case Study p4). The reporting structure of the company has less useful things and HR people were taking things for granted. The process of compensations was considered entitlements rather than looking them at in practical cost related perspective. Sonocos employee appraisal strategy was also not perfect. The timing of it and the encouraging merit employees was not flawless. There were cases of manipulation of performance reports. The performance evaluation was not actually reflecting the efficiency of employees. At the same time experienced employees are an asset (Barbara A. Anderson, 2005). Worst case is that the best performed employees were fired due to reasons other than performance. There were not action plans, and there were complaints from the employees with respect to their career (Sonoco Products Case Study p4). When Hartley took office in 1995, she was determined to build HR group with much focus on business orientation and professionalism. Priority was given for making leaders in the organization. It does mean that leadership traits were taught to HR people. The companys growth strategy, cash flow, working capital management was given focus. Favourable work conditions also play a role (ISIK U. ZEYTINOGLU GORDON B. COOKE KARLENE HARRY JAMES CHOWHAN1, 2008). The priorities set by Hartley to set the things right are as shown below (Sonoco Products Case Study p4). The compensation strategies and measuring performance of individualos is given top priority as this ensures that the best performers are given right compensation. Planning for making good number of leaders for the ensuing generation. A robust employee development process that ensured that employees skills are improved constantly. Organizational performance results in financial growth (Brain becker and barry garhat, 1966). From the perspective of changes in the organization she was regarded as a change maker. She was well known among her colleagues as a good manager. A counsel was built to help in HR management. When she stared change management, many in the organization did not allow it. For instance HR heads of the divisions resisted her actions towards making changes in HR strategies (Sonoco Products Case Study p4). The first problem tackled was compensation and performance management as they are fundamental issues of HR. In 1996, HR management was revised again to make it more effective. Its main focus was on alignment and consistency. For change management all stake holders are convinced. For each plant manager specific set of metrics are given. For Instance the metrics are safety, customer returns, quality, machine downtime, plat profit etc. The metrics of individual units are aligned with overall busine ss objectives of the company. In 1997, the Sonoco Products Company adopted a shared vision with respect to performance management. In other words Sonoco discussed the performance management strategies with employees as well (Sonoco Products Case Study p4). The compensation management and salary system are combined. The mangers were encouraged to follow guidelines and educate employees so as to make them to give best services and also measures value addition of individuals. With respect to succession planning and leadership development the strategies are to be agreed up on by divisional senior management. And advisory team was built by Hartley for improving the system (Sonoco Products Case Study p4). The six leadership traits are recorded. They include coaching and monitoring, knowledge management, teamwork, strategic integration, communication and customer satisfaction through excellence. Sonoco followed three sources for assessing the capabilities of managers. They include successi on planning, performance management system and 360-degree feedback. HR function is improved every year. By 2000, almost all fundamental changes were made to the organizational HR function. Hartley revamped aspects like IT systems, performance management, compensation, diversity and succession planning. However, it has must to do to make strides in business growth. Intensive and basic compensation plans were subjected to major changes (Sonoco Products Case Study p1). HR Structure Recommendation for Sonoco HRM efficiency is possible through right personnel (Y. Paul Huo, Heh Jason Huang, and Nancy K. Napier, 2002). Hartley wanted to restructure HR function. There are two models for structural organization of HR division. They include centralization model and hybrid model. In the centralization model many HR activities are handled by four centers of expertise. These divisions are managed by field experts who have wealth of knowledge. It helps in the reduction of administrative and other costs pertaining to process improvement. However, it faces fewer opportunities when it has to be aligned with individual businesses (Sonoco Products Case Study p7). Centralization requires clever way of handling HRM (Asma Zaineb, 2011). The second option is named as hybrid structure. In this approach the divisions have provisions in the involvement of compensation, personnel programs, succession planning and staffing. It leaves the individual HR manager on which GMs rely. The both structures meant for imp lementing HR strategy that is common in both. The HR changes done by Hartley are sustainable as they are meant for reducing expenses and improve large scale business opportunities (Sonoco Products Case Study p7). For HR structure of Sonoco I recommend centralized model as it has many advantages over hybrid structure (Heidi Cardenas, 2012). The advantages include reduction in operational costs, concentration of HR skills, sharing of knowledge, optimization processes and organizational support. Centralized human resources model can save operational costs for various activities of HR such as recruiting, benefits and compensation management, and recruiting. Sharing of knowledge among the divisions is possible through centralized computing. Technology should be used in recruitments (Derek S.Chapman and Jane Webster, 2003) Centralized HR managers are easily accessible and one can get faster service (Heidi Cardenas, 2012). It promotes HR skills improvements. Business processes can be optimized effectively using centralized HR model. It facilitates easy and consistent development of processes for various activities like performance management, recognition, recruiting, and payroll. Its easy to develop companywide aspects such as resource processes, easy to develop communication with all places in the organization. Another advantage of centralized computing is better organizational support for company. Centralized approach well suites organizations where staff members are trained as to how to communicate effectively. The approach provides (Heidi Cardenas, 2012). SHRM also gained popularity (Patrick M. Wright, Benjamin B. Dunford, Scott A. Snell, 2001). Nevertheless, centralized model of HR has its limitations such as administration causing inequalities, strict conformity of official norms etc. and dictatorship which does not take employees into confidence while making policies (Asma Zaineb, 2011). Size of the organization also has consideration for HRM strategy (GEORGE CALLAGHAN AND PAUL THOMPSON, 2002). Fig. 1 Centralized Model for HR Structure As can be seen in fig. 1, the HR structure of Sonoco has VP at the top of the hierarchy. The single rooted hierarchy with administrative, experts and field staff services. The study of Sonocos business scenario and HR function closely from the views of Hartley and CEO of the company, there was lot of improvement in its functioning due to the efforts of Hartley. However, it can be said that it needs further improvement. The following are the recommendations for Sonoco. First and foremost importance has to be given to a centralized mode of HR structure as it has many advantages. It reduces costs of process improvement activiti4es and also administrative costs. As Sonoco VP of HR and CEO of the company want to reduce the operational costs, the centralized model is best suited. The existing practice of linking HR operations and processes with business objectives of Sonoco, culture and values has to be continued with further changes if required. HR influences many key systems (Coro Strandberg, 2009). The best practices are pertaining to it such as organizational core competencies, performance management, 360 degree reviews, building tomorrow leader through career development and training, organizational reviews, learning by doing, online performance and learning, training for sales and marketing people, team skill development, reward and recognition including broad banding, and centennial shares. There is relationship between training and organizational performance (Salem Shiryan, Dr. Himanshu Shee and Deborah Stewart, 2012). And training makes organization stronger (Rebecca Grossman and Eduardo Salas, 2011). Reflection The HRM module has given me adequate insights into the HRM activities that help me in putting in into use in my future endeavors. Understanding certain concepts of HRM has led me to know the fundamentals of HRM. From the study it is understood that human resource department is not meant for acting as back-room while it has tremendous utility when harnessed properly. The study also let me know the important structure for HRM such as centralized hybrid models. Moreover Sonoco case study has given me in depth understanding possibilities in realizing the case with respect to HR management. From this experience I came to know certain facts related to HR structures known as centralized and hybrid. No changes can be implemented without people involving in the process. This is the reason continuous education and training is required to staff members in order to improve quality in service and also produce leaders for future generation.

Tissue Engineering Muscle by Micropatterning for Therapeutic Transplant

Tissue Engineering Muscle by Micropatterning for Therapeutic Transplantation There is growing interest to treat patients with inherited or acquired muscular disorders by transplantation of cells to the site of dysfunction to restore normal function. One candidate cell source is skeletal muscle, which can be harvested from surrounding tissues for cell culture before injecting into the site of dysfunction. However, this treatment may not be practical because harvesting skeletal muscle may lead to significant muscle loss and increased susceptibility to infection. One effective way to develop the needed tissue is through tissue engineering. Tissue engineering is the development of molecules, cells, tissues, or organs to replace or support dysfunctional body parts. Myoblasts, which are muscle precursor cells, a form on stem cells found in muscle, are a promising cell source for tissue engineering because they play an active role in regenerating muscle due to injury. Normally quiescent, myoblasts respond to muscle injury by rapidly proliferating and then differentiating, which results in the fusion of neighboring myoblasts into myofibers. Myoblasts can be easily cultured in vitro and are capable of forming muscle. Since myoblasts have the potential to differentiate into muscle fibers, they show tremendous promise for developing muscle tissue that can be used to for cell transplantation and tissue engineering. By creating an effective means of engineering muscle tissue, clinici...

A group II metal hydroxide Essay

To find the identity of X(OH)2 (a group II metal hydroxide) by determining it’s solubility from a titration with 0.05 mol dm-3 HCL Theory:1. Titrations are the reaction between an acid solution with an alkali. In this reaction (called neutralization), the acid donates a proton (H+) to the alkali (base). When the two solutions are combined, the products made are salt and water. For example: 2HCl(aq) + X(OH)2 (aq) XCl2 (aq) + 2H2O (l) This shows the one of the products i.e. salt being XCl2 and water. So titration therefore helps to find the concentration for a solution of unknown concentration. This involves the controlled addition of a standard solution of known. Indicators are used to determine, at what stage has the solution reached the ‘equivalence point'(inflextion point). This means at which, does the number of moles base added equals the number of moles of acid present. i.e. pH 7 Titration of a strong Acid with a Strong Base: As shown in the graph, the pH goes up slowly from the start of the tiration to near the equivalence point. i.e (the beginning of the graph). At the equivalence point moles of acid equal mole of base, and the solution contains only water and salt from the cation of the base and the anion of the acid. i.e. the vertical part of the curve in the graph. At that point, a tiny amount of alkali casuses a sudden, big change in pH. i.e. neutralised. Also shown in the graph are methyl orange and phenolpthalein. These two are both indicators that are often used for acid-base titrations. They each change colour at different pH ranges. For a strong acid to strong alkali titration, either one of those indicators can be used. However for a strong acid/weak alkali only methyl orange will be used due to pH changing rapidly across the range for methyl orange. That is from low to high pH i.e. red to yellow respectively pH (3.3 to 4.4), but not for phenolpthalein. Weak acid/strong alkali, phenolpthalein is used, the pH changes rapidly in an alkali range. From high to low pH, that is from pink to colourless pH(10-8.3) respectively but not for methyl orange. However for a weak acid/ weak alkali titrations there’s no sharp pH change, so neither can work. Therefore in this investigation, the titration will be between a 0.05 mol dm-3 of HCl with X(OH)2, using phenolphthalein. Dependant Variable: Is the volume of HCl to achieve a colour change that is from pink to colourless. The Controlled variables : 1. the same source of HCl 2. same concentration of HCl 3. Same source of X(OH)2 4. Same volume of X(OH)2 5. Same equipment, method, room temperature Controlled Variables How to control How to monitor 1. Same source of HCl Using the same batch of HCl or from the same brand will control this. If the concentration was not to be same throughout, then this will cause different ratios of the components of the solution, that might cause different volume of HCl to be obtained for the neutralization to occur. 2. Same concentration of HCl This will be controlled by using the same batch of HCl and from the same source i.e. the same brand. By using the same batch ensures that the reactant concentration is the same. If another batch were to be used causes the concentration to differ. This causes the HCl obtained to be different. 3.Same source of X(OH)2 Using the same batch of X(OH)2 or from the same brand will control this. If the concentration was not to be same throughout, then this will cause different ratios of the components of the solution that might cause different volume of HCl to be obtained for the neutralization to occur. 4. Same volume of X(OH)2 This will be controlled by using the same batch of X(OH)2 and from the same source i.e. the same brand. By using the same batch ensures that the reactant concentration is the same. If another batch were to be used causes the concentration to differ. This causes the HCl obtained to be different. 5. Same equipment, method, room temperature The method would be kept the same and the same set of equipment and brand will need to be used throughout. The room temperature will be kept throughout at 180C by using a water bath. If different equipment or brands were used then there would be a lot of anomalies in the experiment causing a huge amount of inaccuracy of measurement particularly. Results: Raw data results were collected by using 25.00 cm3 of X(OH)2 with phenolphthalein and the volume of HCl was obtained by the solution going from pink to colourless. The volume of HCl found in 50.0cm3 burette à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.05 cm3 Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Average 19.600 19.800 19.600 19.700 19.675 Qualitative results that occurred during the experiment: * Conical flask swirling not even between the trials * Difficult to judge ‘colourless’ solution change – subjective end point * Ability to measure 25cm3 * Filling of burette accurately with HCl – 0 point in right spot * Residual distilled water or solutions remain in conical flask i.e. diluted/interfered with subsequent solutions of X(OH)2 Average = trials (1+2+3+4)/4 Therefore: (19.6 + 19.8 + 19.6 + 19.7)/4 = 98.5/4 = 19.675 Due to the equation being 2HCl(aq) + X(OH)2 (aq) XCl2 (aq) + 2H2O (l) Therefore the ratio is 2:1 of 2 HCl : 1 X(OH)2 So using the equations mentioned above: Moles of acid is the number of moles= concentration X volume i.e. the volume will be used from the average Therefore: =0.05mol/dm3 x 19.675 cm3 =19.6 cm3 / 1000 = 0.0196 dm3 =0.05mol/dm3x0.0196 dm3 = 0.00098 moles So Moles of alkali in 25.000 cm3 Moles of HCl / 25.000 cm3 due to the ratio being 2:1, therefore 0.00098/2= 0.00049 moles of HCl So now the ratio is 1:1 so 0.00049 moles of X(OH)2 Moles of alkali in 100 cm3 It is assumed that there are four lots of 25 cm3 = 4 x 0.00049 = 0.00196 moles The next series of results will be used to calculate solubility of each compound by their mass in 100 cm3 The total Mr has been calculated in the table below for each compound. This was done by : Mr of X + ((O + H) X 2). Each element Mr for the following elements (OH)2 Total Mr Be 9.010 (16.00 +1.01) X 2 = 34.020 43.030 Mg 24.310 (16.00 +1.01) X 2 = 34.020 58.330 Ca 40.080 (16.00 +1.01) X 2 = 34.020 74.100 Sr 87.620 (16.00 +1.01) X 2 = 34.020 121.640 Ba 137.340 (16.00 +1.01) X 2 = 34.020 171.360 To obtain the solubility’s of metal II hydroxides is moles X Mr of the compound Therefore this table shows the calculation for the solubility’s for each of the different compounds Each element Total Mr Moles of X(OH)2 Solubiltity given as g/100 cm3 Literature values of the compounds given as g/100 cm3 Be(OH)2 43.03 0.00196 0.0843 0.000 Mg(OH)2 58.33 0.00196 0.114 0.001 Ca(OH)2 74.10 0.00196 0.0145 0.170 Sr(OH)2 121.64 0.00196 0.0238 0.770 Ba(OH)2 171.36 0.00196 0.335 3.700 Uncertainties: The uncertainty in measurement: Uncertainty due to pipette of 25.000 cm3 : Volume of X(OH)2 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.100 cm3 Percentage uncertainty = (0.1/25) X 100 = 0.400% Uncertainty due to Burrette of 50.000 cm3: Assumed due to measured volume of 19.675 cm3 and the uncertainty due to the smallest unit of measurement being 0.1 cm3 Therefore 0.1/2= à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.050 cm3 Percentage uncertainty = (0.05 /19.675) X 100 = 0.254% Therefore total uncertainty = 0.400% + 0.254% = 0.654% Conclusion and Evaluation: X(OH)2 is most likely to be Ca(OH)2 as the calculated solubility is closest to the literature value given of Ca(OH)2. The solubility for Ca(OH)2 0.145 g/100 cm3 and the literature value is 0.170 g/100 cm3. This shows that the difference is only 0.025 cm3. However the comparison between Be(OH)2 of the calculated solubility is 0.0843 g/100 cm3 and of it’s literature value 0.000 g/100 cm3 . Shows that there is a greater difference. Showing that it cannot be X(OH)2 solution. This is also shown for Mg(OH)2 as the difference between the calculated solubility and the literature value is 0.113 g/100 cm3, showing that it still has a greater difference than Calcium hydroxide does. The difference between Sr(OH)2 and it’s literature value is 0.532g/100 cm3. However the difference between the calculated solubility of Barium hydroxide and the literature value is 3.365 g/100 cm3 showing there is a great difference so it cannot be Barium hydroxide. The percentage error of Ca(OH)2 = [(0.170 – 0.145)/0.170] X 100 = (0.025/0.170) X 100 = 14.705% Throughout the experiment there were systematic errors and random errors that were met. Uncertainties/limitations Error Type of error Quantity of error Explanation for error Improvements Measurement in burette Systematic error +/- 0.05cm3 Equipment limitation, this is because the line where each of the reading might not be precise. Different manufacturer should be used with multiple trials in order to increase the accuracy of the calculated value to the literature value. Measurement in pipette Systematic error +/-0.1cm3 Equipment limitation, this is because due to the pipette only holding 25 cm3 of volume. The line could have been where the actual reading might not be Causing the result to not be precise. Different manufacturer should be used with multiple trials in order to increase the accuracy of the calculated value to the literature value. Point of colour change Random error Not quantifiable Human observation – subjective measurement. This is because even though a white tile is used, it is unclear as to what point has the solution gone colourless. Use alternative indicator for several different trials, use pH meter to assess neutralization point. Therefore there will be a more precise point as to when the solution becomes green. Temperature fluctuations Random error Not quantifiable There can be a change of measurements of equipment due to variation in expansion and contraction of materials. Due to the temperatures not being constant from the fan, windows or from the air conditioner. Controlled lab environment of the temperature by using a water bath at 180C with no air conditioner, fans working. To ensure no fluctuations occur. Fluctuations in humidity of room Random error Not quantifiable Change solution concentrations due to differences in evaporation rate in the surrounding air. Controlled lab environment Calibration error in burette Systematic error Not quantifiable 0 line incorrectly marked Divisions on burette inaccurate Use different manufacturer’s equipment for other trials Calibration error in pipette Systematic error Not quantifiable 25cm3 line incorrectly marked. Because it is unclear as to where the true meniscus lies. Causing the values measured out to be not precise. Also due to there being only one line causes a further decrease in the precision of the results. Use different manufacturer’s equipment for other trials to ensure that the accuracy increases. Another improvement that will be done, if the experiment were to be repeated is that due to the inaccuracy of the conical flask being swirled. If the conical flask is being swirled unevenly there is a chance of inaccurate results of when the colourless solution occurs. Therefore a stirring rod should be used to increase the accuracy of the swirls of the reaction in the conical flask. Another limitation that arouse in this experiment that would be improved if the experiment were to be done again is that after the neutralization reaction had occurred, there would still be some residue of the distilled water used to rinse out the equipment. This can be improved by increase the number of repeats of rinse. This would ensure that more of the diluted solution would have been removed. Also the trials can also increase, to 10 repeats so that there is more variance so that the accuracy increases. Another improvement might be, to use different indicator, for example methyl orange. Due to the colour change would be from red to yellow would make it easier for the pH 7 to be more easily recognized against a white tile then it was with phenolphthalein. Cited Sources: 1. http://www.vigoschools.org/~mmc3/c1%20lecture/Chemistry%201-2/Lecture%20Notes/Unit%205%20-%20Acids%20and%20Titration/L3%20-%20Acid-Base%20Reactions%20and%20Titration.pdf

Free Essays on Slavery in the United States

Slavery in the United States In the history of the United States nothing has brought more shame to the face of America than the cold, premeditated method of keeping black people in captivity. People from England who migrated to America used many different methods to enslave black people and passed them down through the children. These methods were quite effective, so effective that these â€Å"slaves† were kept in captivity for over two hundred years in this country. It was the rain of terror that kept black people in fear of their lives for so long. The invention of the gun back in the fifth-teenth century was the main reason that these people were able to go to another continent and enslave so many people. These people from Africa were mistreated very badly right from the start both mentally and physically. They were packed very tightly on ships for months at a time chained to each other with no place to go to the bathroom, little water to drink, and hardly anything to eat. As the population constantly increased in the colonies during the 1600’s, so did the demand for slavery especially in the southern colonies where the big plantations were. These plantations were very lucrative since the owners had free manual labor and they could keep all the profit from the crops for themselves. They also had to justify what they were doing to themselves so what they did was tell themselves that these slaves were barbaric and not smart enough to be civilized. These slave owners also owned huge houses in the middle of their plantations and thought of themselves as noblemen. In acuality, it was the slaves who were living nobly while the Europeans were living barbaricly. The Europeans who owned slaves also thought that the slaves were not smart enough because they could not speak English and they did not have a written language. This was proven not to be true either because the second generation of slaves learned the English language with no tr... Free Essays on Slavery in the United States Free Essays on Slavery in the United States Slavery in the United States In the history of the United States nothing has brought more shame to the face of America than the cold, premeditated method of keeping black people in captivity. People from England who migrated to America used many different methods to enslave black people and passed them down through the children. These methods were quite effective, so effective that these â€Å"slaves† were kept in captivity for over two hundred years in this country. It was the rain of terror that kept black people in fear of their lives for so long. The invention of the gun back in the fifth-teenth century was the main reason that these people were able to go to another continent and enslave so many people. These people from Africa were mistreated very badly right from the start both mentally and physically. They were packed very tightly on ships for months at a time chained to each other with no place to go to the bathroom, little water to drink, and hardly anything to eat. As the population constantly increased in the colonies during the 1600’s, so did the demand for slavery especially in the southern colonies where the big plantations were. These plantations were very lucrative since the owners had free manual labor and they could keep all the profit from the crops for themselves. They also had to justify what they were doing to themselves so what they did was tell themselves that these slaves were barbaric and not smart enough to be civilized. These slave owners also owned huge houses in the middle of their plantations and thought of themselves as noblemen. In acuality, it was the slaves who were living nobly while the Europeans were living barbaricly. The Europeans who owned slaves also thought that the slaves were not smart enough because they could not speak English and they did not have a written language. This was proven not to be true either because the second generation of slaves learned the English language with no tr...

Examples of Physical Changes

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Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

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