Management

Dissertation Objectives The working title of the proposed study is ‘Management-Employee Misalignment Performance implications: An Empirical Study of the U.S. Steel Production Industry.’Advertising We will write a custom dissertation sample on Management-Employee Misalignment Performance Implications: An Empirical Study of the U.S. Steel Production Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The general aim of the proposed study will be to critically evaluate how the U.S. steel manufacturing industries can benefit, productively, by aligning their overall management and business strategies to the needs and expectations of employees working in the sector, hence maintain competitive advantage. The following will form the specific objectives: Critically evaluate the sources of management-employee misalignment within the industry; Critically evaluate the performance implications occasioned by management-employee misalignme nt within the industry; Critically evaluate the industry’s best practices in encouraging and maintaining management-employee alignment to boost performance and profitability; and Analyze and report on probable alternatives that could by used in the U.S. steel production industry to effectively link management strategies to employee needs and expectations from a human resource perspective. The proposed study will be guided by the following research questions: What organizational methodologies can stakeholders in the U.S. steel production industry use to effectively align management strategies to the current needs and expectations of employees? What are the broad implications of using organizational frameworks that contribute to management-employment misalignment in the U.S. steel production industry? What are the perceived and real benefits of introducing a framework that will enhance management-employee alignment in the U.S. steel production industry? Methodology The propo sed study will employ a quantitative research design to critically evaluate the performance implications of management-employee misalignment in the U.S. steel production industry. As Hopkins (2000) observes, most quantitative studies are principally concerned with evaluating the correlation between independent and dependent variables, and are either descriptive or experimental. In this regard, a quantitative study will best serve the interests of the proposed study by offering a workable framework through which management-employee misalignment can be correlated to performance implications. The proposed study will be descriptive in nature because subjects earmarked for the study will be measured once (Sekaran, 2006). Primary data will be collected using self-administered questionnaires in a survey approach since the researcher is primarily interested in descriptive assessment of the relationship between management-employee misalignments on the one hand and performance implications on the other. In this perspective, a pilot study will be carried out before the commencement of the research to validate the items included in the questionnaire schedule as well as ensure that they will effectively answer the key research questions. It is imperative to note that the questionnaires will be administered using online protocols.Advertising Looking for dissertation on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Secondary data for the proposed study will be gathered by means of undertaking a critical review of related literature on the underlying theories and concepts of organizational alignment, the role of human resource departments in ensuring employees needs and demands are positively aligned to management and organizational outcomes, and performance implications triggered by management-employee misalignment. The data collected will then be used to compare the research findings with other previous studies in the field with a view to developing plausible alternatives and recommendations that could be used in the 21st century to form a value-added linkage between management strategies and employee concerns. Patzer (2005) observes that secondary data by way of undertaking a review of current literature does not only avail to the researcher a re-established degree of validity and reliability to the issues under investigation, but it also provides a framework through which the gathered primary data can be objectively ascertained and recommendations made. The population for the proposed study will comprise employees and managers from five steel production companies that will be selected during the piloting stage. The sample, however, will comprise five management-level professionals and 20 employees in each of the five companies, implying that the total sample for the study will comprise 25 management-level professionals and 100 employees. It is imperative to note that management professi onals will be sampled using purposive sampling technique, while the researcher intends to use the human resource departments in each of the selected companies to sample employees using convenience sampling approach. According to Sekaran, participants in a purposive sample are selected based on their deeper understanding of the phenomena under study (in this case, management strategies and how the relate to employee concerns), while subjects in a convenient sample are included in the research framework by virtue of being in the right position at the right time. Quantitative data intended to answer the key research objectives and questions will be collected from the selected companies using two sets of online self-administered questionnaires – one for managers and the other for employees.Advertising We will write a custom dissertation sample on Management-Employee Misalignment Performance Implications: An Empirical Study of the U.S. Steel Production Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lewis-Beck Bryman (2004) observes that administering questionnaires online does not only ensure anonymity and respondent acceptability, but also saves costs and affords the researcher the opportunity to collect huge volumes of data using a flexible design. Questionnaires, on their part, are cost-effective and can be administered with ease, not mentioning that they are effective when the researcher wants to gather confidential data from the subjects (Sekaran, 2006). Feasibility To execute the proposed study, academic resources intended to complete the review of literature will be sourced from scholarly databases, including Academic Search Premier, MasterFILE Premier, and Business Source Premier Databases, among others. The subjects earmarked for this particular study are reasonably likely to be willing to take part in the process since the researcher will take ample time to explain to them the nature and purpose of the study, not mentioning that the researcher will discuss with them their rights, especially the right to informed consent, right to disengage from the research process, right to withhold confidential information, and the right to privacy. These disclosures will most definitely reinforce the subjects’ willingness to participate in the study. In addition, the proposed study will employ an expanded, all-inclusive time-scale (3 months after commencement) to ensure that all elements within the research framework are sufficiently covered. Relation with Existing Published Work The concept of alignment has in recent decades gained an important position in the broad field of strategic management. Venkatraman et al (1989) cited in Schniederjans Cao (2009) had implicitly underlined the significance of aligning business and management preferences with the broader strategies of the organization. Available strategic management literature denotes the importance of aligning business and management strategies with the strengths found within the organization as well as the opportunities and threats prevalent in the external environment (Dubrovski, 2009; Anisomova, 2010; Schniederjans Cao, 2009).Advertising Looking for dissertation on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Indeed, alignment of strategies from a holistic perspective is assumed to be a positive contributor to organizational and business performance, and many studies as demonstrated by Schniederjans Cao (2009) have been conducted to reveal the association between alignment and business performance. To offer a brief contextual background, the proposed study will limit itself to evaluating management-employee misalignment within the U.S. steel production industry. The steel production industry operates under the manufacturing sector, and employment opportunities within the industry continue to diminish despite expanding steel production, in part, due to widespread adoption of more efficient and cost-effective technologies (WorldSteel, 2008). However, the proposed study aims to go past the technical aspects attributed to the diminishing workforce within the industry to evaluate if management concerns, specifically management-employee misalignment, have a role to play and the performance im plications of such a possibility. The steel manufacturing industry, as is the case in other industries, is affected by a multiplicity of internal and external vagrancies, including management-employee misalignment (Tarigan, 2005). The proposed study will therefore seek to assess to what extent this particular variable affects performance within the U.S. steel production industry. According to Schniederjans Cao (2009), â€Å"†¦research on alignment in the operations strategy literature can be classified under two categories: internal fit and external fit† (p. 2536). While citing Skinner’s (1974) definition, the authors’ postulates that internal fit refers to the consistency among organizations tasks, strategies, policies and practices, while external fit focuses on the need for aligning organization-wide strategy with business and corporate stratagems. A manufacturing strategy, for instance, must be consistently aligned with an organization’s busines s strategy for such an organization to make headway in the ever competitive business environment witnessed in the 21st century. But while the study of alignment of business priorities and organizational strategy in the manufacturing sector and its relationship with performance has currently become the focus of much scholarly attention (Tarigan, 2005), few studies have attempted to look at the alignment between business priorities and other functional areas such as human resources, hence the need to undertake the proposed study. An ever increasing number of researchers and practitioners postulate that optimal benefit will accumulate if there is a fit between environmental factors and strategy in diverse contextual modes. Boyer McDermott (1999) cited in Tarigan (2005) found that lack of alignment within the various scopes of the organization has significant effects on performance. Indeed, Tarigan (2005) observes that â€Å"†¦strategy must not only be well-fitted to its competit ive priorities but it also must be communicated and widely understood throughout the manufacturing organization† (p. 586). His view is ingeniously shared by Christiansen Higgs (2008), who argues that the appropriateness of an organization’s strategy must be evaluated under the lens of its fit or congruence with both the environmental and contextual contingencies facing the organization. Boyer and McDermott (1999) cited in Tarigan (2005) posited that strategic consensus aimed at aligning critical organizational and business processes can only be achieved when diverse levels of employees within an organization reaches a well thought out agreement on what is most essential for the organization to succeed. This implies that employees form a critical component in the alignment debate and should be involved at all levels to trigger sustained performance. However, Kennedy (2004) argues that some management strategies found in many firms either ignore or half-heartedly embrace employee needs and broader HR initiatives, especially in training and development, compensation and benefits, performance and appraisal, staff planning, retention, and other challenges prevalent in today’s marketplace. The proposed study, therefore, will seek to come up with alternatives and best practices that can be used by organizations in general and steel production companies in particular to bring employees onboard while formulating critical management strategies and priorities. Such information will inarguably consolidate management-employee alignment. In his study on how ‘business strategy and HR strategy can impact performance’, Tarigan (2005) hypothesizes that the level of alignment of HR strategy and business strategy will obviously have a direct impact on organizational outcomes. Companies, especially those operating in the manufacturing sector, are consistently faced with a myriad of challenges, including overcapacity, low profit margins and intense competition (Nickerson Silverman, 2003). Khatri et al (n.d.) notes that to effectively compete in the face of such and many other challenges, organizations need to be more attuned to their employee relationships and discover options of creating employee satisfaction, motivation and loyalty. One of the ways that this can be achieved, according to Kennedy (2004), is by aligning management strategies and priorities to employee needs, expectations, demands and value prepositions. However, Dubrovski (2009) counteracts that many managers, instead of striving to find a common ground that is essential to involve employees in critical decision making processes especially in issues concerning their own interests, continue to make management mistakes that cause further misalignment of organizational goals and objectives. The proposed study will therefore also aim to extend on the current knowledge of how such management mistakes can be prevented to enhance management-employee alignment and b oost performance. According to Macaleer Jones (2003), organization development professionals and theorists have for a long time â€Å"†¦maintained that improvement in business performance is directly tied to good human resource planning and closely linking this plan to strategic objectives† (p. 15). Failure to align the two, as observed by Tumwesigye (2010), only leads to employee turnover, which unfortunately bears direct and indirect costs such as recruitment and selection costs, lost productivity, reduction in morale among remaining staff, costs associated with training and orienting new members of staff, and work overload, among others. Rand (1999) add to the discussion by suggesting that most organizations fail to perform because management does not have an effective capacity to run and control the business, including aligning human resource strategies to the overall business strategy. The above assertions adds propensity for the need to undertake the proposed stud y so as to come with viable ways which can be ingeniously used to align management practices to the needs and expectations of employees from a human resource perspective. Justification for Selecting the Topic This particular study, more than anything else, will seek to offer tenable alternatives that companies operating in the steel production industry can use to align management practices with the needs, demands and expectations of their employees. In addition, Tarigan (2005) observes that few studies have ever focussed on strategy alignment and reinforcement in a manufacturing setting. In this perspective, the proposed study will go a long way to extend on the current knowledge, especially on how management mistakes can be prevented with an aim to not only enhance management-employee alignment, but to also boost productivity. The current competitive business environment demands organizations to do everything within their reach so as to remain profitable while maintaining a competi tive advantage (Thompson Heron, 2005). Facilitating management-employee alignment is certainly one of the choices that organizations have in ensuring that they remain competitive. The reasons stated above informed the justification to select this particular topic. List of References Anisomova, T (2010). Corporate Brand: The Company-Customer Misalignment and its Performance Implications. Journal of Brand Management, Vol. 17, Issue 7, pp 488-503. Christiansen, L.C., Higgs, M (2008). How the Alignment of Business Strategy and HR Strategy can Impact Performance: A Practical Insight for Managers. Journal of General Management, Vol. 33, Issue 4, pp 13-33. Dubrovski, D (2009). Management Mistakes as Causes of Corporate Crises: Managerial Implications for Countries for Countries in Transition. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, Vol. 20, Issue 1, pp. 39-59. Hopkins, W.G (2000). Quantitative Research Design. Web. Kennedy, E (2004). Bridging the Gap between Company and Employees. Women in Business, Vol. 56, Issue 3, pp. 10-15. Khatri, N., Budwar, P., Fern, C.T (n.d.). Employee Turnover: Bad Attitude or Poor Management? Web. Lewis-Beck, M.S.., Bryman, A (2004). The Sage Encyclopedia of Social Sciences Research Methods, Volume 3. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Macaleer, B., Shannon, J (2003). Does HR Planning improve Business Performance? Industrial Management, Vol. 45, Issue 1, pp 15-29. Nickerson, J.A., Silverman, B.S (2003). Why Firms want to Organize Efficiently and what keeps them from doing so: Inappropriate Governance, Performance and Adaptation in a Deregulated Industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 48, Issue 3, pp 433-465. Patzer, G.L (1995). Using Secondary Data in Marketing Research: United Sates and Worldwide. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Rand, T (1999). Why Businesses Fail: An Organizational Perspective. Emergence, Vol. 1, Issue 4, pp 97- 114. Schniederjans, M., Cao, Q (2009). Alignment of Operations Strategy, Informatio n Strategic Orientation, and Performance: An Empirical Study. International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 47, Issue 10, pp. 2535-2563. Sekaran, U (2006). Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach. Bombay: Wiley-India. Tarigan, R (2005). An Evaluation of the Relationship between Alignment of Strategic Priorities and Manufacturing Performance. International Journal of Management, Vol. 22, Issue 4, pp 586-597. Thompson, M., Heron, P (2005). Management Capability and High Performance Work Organization. International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 16, Issue 6, pp 1029-1048. Tumwesigye, G (2010). The relationship between Perceived Organizational Support and Turnover Intentions in a Developing Country: The Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment. African Journal of Business Management, Vol. 4, Issue 6, pp 942-952. WorldSteel Association. (2008). Working in the Steel Industry. Web. This dissertation on Management-Employee Misalignment Performance Implications: An Empirical Study of the U.S. Steel Production Industry was written and submitted by user Kailyn Phillips 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.

Italian Diacritical Accent Marks

Italian Diacritical Accent Marks Segni diacritici. Punti diacritici. Segnaccento (or segno daccento, or accento scritto). However you refer to them in Italian, accent marks (also referred to as diacritical marks) are added or attached to a letter to distinguish it from another of similar form, to give it a particular phonetic value, or to indicate stress. Note that in this discussion, the term accent does not refer to the pronunciation characteristic of a given region or geographical location (for example, a Neapolitan accent or Venetian accent) but rather to orthographic marks. The Big Four in Accent Marks In Italian ortografia (spelling) there are four accent marks: accento acuto (acute accent) [ ´] accento grave (grave accent) [] accento circonflesso (circumflex accent) [ˆ] dieresi (diaresis) [ ¨] In contemporary Italian, the acute and grave accents are the most commonly encountered. The circumflex accent is rare and the diaresis (also referred to as an umlaut) is usually only found in poetic or literary texts. Italian accent marks can be divided into three categories: mandatory, optional, and incorrect. Required accent marks are those that, if not used, constitute a spelling error; facultative accent marks are those a writer uses to avoid ambiguity of meaning or reading; wrong accent marks are those that are written without any purpose and, even in the best of cases, only serve to weigh down the text. When Accent Marks Are Needed In Italian, the accent mark is obligatory: With all words of two or more syllables that end with a vowel that is stressed: libert, perchà ©, finà ¬, abbandonà ², laggià ¹ (the word ventitrà © also requires an accent);With monosyllables ending in two vowels, of which the second has a truncated sound: chià ¹, cià ², dià ¨, gi, già ¹, pià ¨, pià ¹, puà ², sci. One exception to this rule are the words qui and qua;With the following monosyllables in order to distinguish them from other monosyllables of identical spelling, which have a different meaning when unaccented: - chà ©, in the sense of poichà ©, perchà ©, causal conjunction (Andiamo chà © si fa tardi) to distinguish it from the conjunction or pronoun che (Sapevo che eri malato, Can che abbaia non morde); - d, the present indicative of dare (Non mi d retta) to distinguish it from the preposition da, and from da’, the imperative form of dare (Viene da Roma, Da’ retta, non partire); - dà ¬, when meaning day (Lavora tutto il dà ¬) to distinguish it from the preposition di (È l’ora di alzarsi) and di’, the imperative form of dire (Di’ che ti piace); - à ¨, verb (â€Å"Non à ¨ vero†) to distinguish it from the conjunction e (Io e lui); - l, adverb of place (È andato l) to distinguish it from the article, pronoun, or musical note la (Dammi la penna, La vidi, Dare il la all’orchestra); - là ¬, adverb of place (Guarda là ¬ dentro) to distinguish it from the pronoun li (Li ho visti); - nà ©, conjunction (Nà © io nà © Mario) to distinguish it from the pronoun or adverb ne (Ne ho visti parecchi, Me ne vado subito, Ne vengo proprio ora); - sà ©, stressed personal pronoun (Lo prese con sà ©) to distinguish it from the unstressed pronoun se or the conjunction se (Se ne prese la met, Se lo sapesse); - sà ¬, adverb of afirmation or to express the sentiment cosà ¬ (Sà ¬, vengo, Sà ¬ bello e sà ¬ caro) to distinguish it from the pronoun si (Si à ¨ ucciso); - tà ¨, plant and drink (Piantagione di tà ¨, Una tazza di tà ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ) to distinguish it from te (closed sound) pronoun (Vengo con te). When Accents Are Optional The accent mark is optional: With a, that is, stressed on the third-to-last syllable, so as not to be confused with the identically spelled word that is pronounced with the accent on the penultimate syllable. For example, nà ¨ttare and nettare, cà ³mpito and compito, sà ºbito and subito, cpitano and capitano, bitino and abitino, ltero and altero, mbito and ambito, uguri and auguri, bcino and bacino, circà ¹ito and circuito, frà ºstino and frustino, intà ºito and intuito, malà ¨dico and maledico, mà ¨ndico and mendico, nà ²cciolo and nocciolo, rà ¨tina and retina, rà ºbino and rubino, sà ©guito and seguito, và ­ola and viola, vità ¹peri and vituperi.When it signals the vocal stress on words ending in -io, -à ­a, -à ­i, -à ­e, such as fruscà ­o, tarsà ­a, fruscà ­i, tarsà ­e, as well as lavorà ­o, leccornà ­a, gridà ­o, albagà ­a, godà ­o, brillà ­o, codardà ­a, and many other instances. A more important reason is when the term, with a different pronunciation, would change meaning, for example: balà ­a and balia, bacà ­o and bacio, gorgheggà ­o and gorgheggio, regà ­a and regia. Then there are those optional accents that might be referred to as phonic because they signal the correct pronunciation of the vowels e and o within a word; an open e or o has one meaning while a closed e or o has another: fà ³ro (hole, opening), fà ²ro (piazza, square); tà ©ma (fear, dread), tà ¨ma (theme, topic); mà ¨ta (ending, conclusion), mà ©ta (dung, excrement); cà ²lto (from the verb cogliere), cà ³lto (educated, learned, cultured); rà ²cca (fortress), rà ³cca, (spinning tool). But beware: these phonetic accents are beneficial only if the speaker understands the difference between the acute and grave accent; otherwise disregard the accent mark, since it is not mandatory. When Accents Are Wrong The accent mark is wrong: First and foremost, when it is incorrect: there should be no accent on the words qui and qua, according to the exception noted;and when it is completely useless. It is a mistake to write dieci anni f, accenting the verbal form fa, which would never be confused with the musical note fa; as it would be a mistake to write non lo sà ² or cosà ¬ non v accenting without reason so and va.

Musical Texture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Musical Texture - Assignment Example In listening to the â€Å"Hallelujah Chorus† from YouTube, the texture seems very different than what is in the textbook. In the very beginning of the work the singers are singing in a homophonic way, During these lyrics â€Å"for Lord God omnipotent reigneth† it is done in strictly, monophonic texture the first time it is sung. This gives the strength and emphasizes this particular section. The texture in the version from within the textbook lists this as monophonic. The second time that this sung, it is very clearly done in monophonic texture which is visible on the score as much as heard in the music. The third time it is sung in the textbook, it is clearly in polyphonic as it is sung in contrast with the lyric â€Å"Hallelujah†. This is the same in the version on YouTube which occurs in a long section that almost sounds similar to canon. The YouTube version is the same as the text for â€Å"The Kingdom of this world becomes. The lyrics â€Å"King of Kings a nd Lord of Lords† is repeatedly monophonic until it begins to turn into a polyphonic section that includes other lyrics as well, which is similar to the textbook version. The monophonic portions of the score appear on one line, while the homophonic portions appear separated into multiple lines on the monophonic YouTube score. In this example, both methods are used in order to show the use of different instrumentation. In other words, when the chorus is in polyphonic mode, they get one line, but when multiple instruments are used to create this sound they are on different lines.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Black suffrage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Black suffrage - Essay Example Stanton served as the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Elizabeth worked closely with Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass (a former slave), her husband Henry Stanton and cousin Gerrit Smith. Lucretia Mott (1840) she was a great admirer of feminist, she was so angry when she couldn't see Mott speak because women were supposed to sit away from the view of men and for this reason Elizabeth Drafted a declaration of Sentiments Elizabeth Cady Stanton ones said, "The prejudice against color, of which we hear so much, is no stronger than that against sex. It is produced by the same cause, and manifested very much in the same way". Men have made women submit to law in which women have no voice, men have deprived women their rights as citizens, women rights to property have been deprived and that men have the monopoly to nearly all the profitable employments. Elizabeth can therefore be seen as a woman who has pioneered in the fight against women oppression. Although she fought for women rights to vote she died 20 years before women were granted this rights. She was an intelligent courageous and hardworking woman in that she dared give a speech in front of the committee of judiciary of the United States. Elizabeth died in October 26, 1902. Frederick Douglass served as a marshal of the District of Columbia and as consul general to the republic of Hai

PC Spec word project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PC Spec word project - Essay Example Having considered the requirements of the Director, it is proposed to buy high end computers that have separate graphics and memory cards from the motherboard. Standard office computer utilizes the embedded GPU and RAM which is not adequate to perform video and graphics editing. Also, softwares such as Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Premiere have system requirements that necessitate computers with high end specs. If the company have the budget to buy branded computers that meets the following requirement such as Dell Precision T3610 series, then it should go ahead and purchase those. If the company however is strapped on cash, it can assemble its own computer by buying the parts that can perform the tasks required by the Director. Manage and protect the system, data, and information while working on the Internet including scanning all incoming emails, email attachments, and files downloaded from Web-based sources; firewall, virus and spyware (security) protection; and checking websites for phishing and fraudulent activities. Audio Editing Software Review 2014 | Best Sound Editing Software | Audio Editor Software - TopTenREVIEWS. (n.d.).  TopTenREVIEWS. Retrieved June 21, 2014, from

The Information Systems In Manufacturing Industry Information Technology Essay

The Information Systems In Manufacturing Industry Information Technology Essay In our time like many organizations manufacturing industry is basically depended of their information systems. Industries which engage in producing and processing items using machines, tools and labors are referred as manufacturing industries. The overall procedure of industry can be divided into three phases namely design, procurement and produce. Information systems plays a major role to coordinate activities within manufacturing industry, between manufacturing industry along the production chain and between manufacturing industry and outside organizations such as financial organizations. Hence information systems can connect manufacturing industry, their customers, suppliers and service providers. In order to operate better in rapidly changing and competitive market information systems should be integrated. When considering the procedures of manufacturing industry they should be coordinated at many levels. Engineers should design products according to a standard in which the industry can sell and manufacture the product at competitive price. Marketing department should sell the products that are manufactured in the firm. The production staff builds reliable products using tools and skills. Material staff should make sure that the enough materials are on hand to ensure smooth production. Information systems coordinate these groups increase competitive advantages and workflow. The framework for information systems in manufacturing industry is shown below. This framework is applied to many levels of the manufacturing industry. The environment refers external factors such as the level of competition, technical innovation, labor market tightness and continuity of investment which can be affected on managers and technical staff in the selection of the technology. The organization is the manufacturing industry, including the variables of organization size, inter-unit conflict, scope and diversity etc. The technology includes the people, equipment, techniques and management practices that consists variables between organization and its environment. The outcomes are consequences from use of technology, including product delivery times, production delays, innovation frequency, the degree of managerial control over product design and production etc. Information systems in manufacturing industry Transactional Processing System (TPS) These systems are used to collect, store, modifies and retrieves data transactions of manufacturing industry. The success of industry depends on the reliable processing of transactions to ensure that customer orders are met on time, and that partners and suppliers are paid and can make payment. Executive Support System These systems help senior managers to make strategic decision by providing analyzed and summarized internal and external information of the industry. ESS typically involves lots of data analysis and modeling tools such as what-if analysis to help strategic decision-making. Material Resource Planning (MRP) This is an integrated information system used by businesses. Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II) evolved from early Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) systems by including the integration of additional data, such as employee and financial needs. The system is designed to centralize, integrate and process information for effective decision making in scheduling, design engineering, inventory management and cost control in manufacturing. Enterprise Resource Planning System ERP system refers a particular set of technologies which seep into the whole industry and outline the way business works at many levels. ERP are setting up majority of manufacturing operations. These systems consist of functions such as accounting, customer order fulfillment, manufacturing, materials management, human resources and financial systems and offer close integration among these functions. By using ERP systems industry can increase quality and efficiency, decrease costs, get decision support and get enterprise agility. Manufacturing Strategy The successfulness of manufacturing industry is depended on produce quality products than competitors by combining organizational skills and technological ability. Manufacturing strategy should be implemented to achieve competitive advantages. Manufacturing strategy consists of a pattern of decision relating to the structure and the infrastructure of the industry. Product scope, process technology, manufacturing alliance and production competence are related with the decision of structure. Product scope refers to the types and range of products such as end product complexity, variety of end products and individual products volume. Process technology consists of equipments and methods which are used for manufacturing. Manufacturing alliances refers to kind of services, materials and systems provide through internal operations. Production competence refers to the strength of the manufacturer which is based on the product scope, process technology and manufacturing alliance. Management polices and systems which determine how the structure is managed are referred by infrastructure. Manufacturing administration, process and skills specify infrastructure. Manufacturing administration including organizations roles, structure and reporting relationships including human resource polices, quality management system, production planning and inventory control systems, new product development process, organization structure and design etc. process refers to the articulation of workflows and related information flows to carry out the manufacturing activities. Information flows coordinate conversion steps, material flows and provide feedback to improve industry procedures, process technology and operating characteristics. Skills refer to the industrys and individuals capability to execute the key operations to support a manufacturing strategy. Industrys operation can be improved by coordinating manufacturing administration, process and skills. Information System Strategy Equivalent to manufacturing strategy, information system strategy can also be conceptualized in terms of structure and infrastructure. Structural decision consist of three dimensions namely system competencies, technology scope and information system alliance. System competencies are often emphasized by an industry in designing and operating its information technology by adding values to products and services. The main components are costs of information processing, flexibility to provide different kind of information and capability to provide specified information. The types and range of information systems and capabilities available in the industry such as expert systems, robots, and local area networks are known as technology scope. The choices of structural mechanisms available to industry to gain the required information technology capabilities are referred as information technology alliance. On the other hand similar to infrastructure of manufacturing strategy, information systems strategy includes information technology architecture which includes computing, communication, data and applications. Process includes system development process, maintenance process, and system monitoring and control process. Skills deal with knowledge and capabilities which require to effectively managing the information systems strategic infrastructure of the industry. Strategic alignment To achieve maximum benefits from information systems, manufacturing strategy should be aligned with Information system strategy. The strategic alignment model can be used to align these strategies. This model is based on strategic integration and functional integration. There are four domains including business strategy, organization infrastructure and process, information technology strategy and information system infrastructure and process. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/fig/0460020403006.png Manufacturing Information systems strategic role When considering manufacturing strategy alone, it can play at least four major roles in the industry competitive strategy including minimize manufacturing negative strategy, achieve parity with competitors, provide credible support to the business strategy and follow a manufacturing-based business strategy. Corresponded with these roles, there are also four roles to influence information technology for better manufacturing performance namely technology defense, technology implementation, strategy implementation and strategy sustenance. Technology defense involves information technology application to the manufacturing industry infrastructure. The purpose of implementing information technology is to reduce or avoid negative elements in industry process and managerial procedures. Information technology is relied upon to provide detailed measurements and ensure that manufacturing is does not get too off track. Technology implementation reflects the usage of information technology strategy structure to influence key dimensions of manufacturing strategy structure.

Taoism and Western Moral Philosophy Essay -- Kant, Mill, and Lao Tzu

Taoism presents a moral philosophy that at first seems very different from most western moral philosophies which, though very different, usually understand morality as a set of restraints on behavior or a common set of principles (common virtues). Western moral philosophy, in general, emphasizes constraining behavior that stems from desire. Taosim's emphasis is dealing directly with controlling ones desire by eliminating them. Taoism and western moral philosophy deal with desire but Taoism deals with it directly and western morality often only tries to stem the effect of desire. Both systems see in man that he does not naturally desire the good and true or the Way. Desire is the root of evil. Only when we desire something bad do we act bad. Thus, as in western moral philosophy, we can provide an incentive to not act on ones desire or, as in the case of Taoism, desire can be eliminated. The result of both moral systems is the same--moral behavior. Both systems of morality try to encou rage man to act better than he naturally is. Whether you call it the Way, the Ten Commandments, or the categorical imperative they deal with the same thing. Man's inherent state is fallen, whether he has fallen from grace or lost his Way, all great societies have realized that man is in need of help. This is true for Black Elk who was given a vision to help man and Socrates who felt that man needed to be saved from his own ignorance. Moral systems, by their very nature, have observed and concluded that when man is left to fulfill his individual desires, without respect to others and the greater good, nothing good can come from it. All societies have functioned around this principle from the beginning of civilization. Further, unlike many other moral ph... ...nctions about what need and want mean and are thereby able to relate it properly to the texts of the mentioned philosophers. These distinctions have allowed us to understand how need and want bear on Kant, Mill, and Lao Tzu's moral philosophy and how, under these moral guidelines, we should behave. References Kant, Immanuel. 1993. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, On a Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns, 3rd Edition. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Mill, John Stuart. 1979. Utilitarianism. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Lao Tzu. 1983. The Way of Life . New York, New York: Mentor, Penguin Group Confucius. 1989. The Analects of Confucius. New York: Vintage Books a Division of Random House, Inc. George Orwell. 1946. Politics and the English Language . Found on WWW. Taoism and Western Moral Philosophy Essay -- Kant, Mill, and Lao Tzu Taoism presents a moral philosophy that at first seems very different from most western moral philosophies which, though very different, usually understand morality as a set of restraints on behavior or a common set of principles (common virtues). Western moral philosophy, in general, emphasizes constraining behavior that stems from desire. Taosim's emphasis is dealing directly with controlling ones desire by eliminating them. Taoism and western moral philosophy deal with desire but Taoism deals with it directly and western morality often only tries to stem the effect of desire. Both systems see in man that he does not naturally desire the good and true or the Way. Desire is the root of evil. Only when we desire something bad do we act bad. Thus, as in western moral philosophy, we can provide an incentive to not act on ones desire or, as in the case of Taoism, desire can be eliminated. The result of both moral systems is the same--moral behavior. Both systems of morality try to encou rage man to act better than he naturally is. Whether you call it the Way, the Ten Commandments, or the categorical imperative they deal with the same thing. Man's inherent state is fallen, whether he has fallen from grace or lost his Way, all great societies have realized that man is in need of help. This is true for Black Elk who was given a vision to help man and Socrates who felt that man needed to be saved from his own ignorance. Moral systems, by their very nature, have observed and concluded that when man is left to fulfill his individual desires, without respect to others and the greater good, nothing good can come from it. All societies have functioned around this principle from the beginning of civilization. Further, unlike many other moral ph... ...nctions about what need and want mean and are thereby able to relate it properly to the texts of the mentioned philosophers. These distinctions have allowed us to understand how need and want bear on Kant, Mill, and Lao Tzu's moral philosophy and how, under these moral guidelines, we should behave. References Kant, Immanuel. 1993. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, On a Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns, 3rd Edition. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Mill, John Stuart. 1979. Utilitarianism. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Lao Tzu. 1983. The Way of Life . New York, New York: Mentor, Penguin Group Confucius. 1989. The Analects of Confucius. New York: Vintage Books a Division of Random House, Inc. George Orwell. 1946. Politics and the English Language . Found on WWW.