Development in the novel Essay Example for Free

Development in the novel Essay Great Expectations has been described as the story of a snobs progress. In the light of this comment, describe Pips development in the novel. Refer to the changes in the way he behaves and talks, the reactions of other characters in the novel and the reasons why he normally retains the readers sympathy.  In Great Expectations, Pips character goes through many changes. His morals and outlook on life are both greatly affected by his lifestyle, and his view of other characters is changed by his experiences and surroundings. At the beginning of Great Expectations, we see Pip as a very young child, living in fear of his sister, Mrs Joe Gargery. Joe is described in much the same way, which shows how he is childish at heart. We are told that Pip also sees this in chapter 2, when he tells us I always treated him as a larger species of child. Pip and Joe both live in fear of Mrs Joes regular Ram-pages, and her wax coated cane, Tickler. Although Pip and Joe obviously fear Tickler, Pip never really speaks of his fear in the book. It is seen more as a part of his life than a painful experience. For example, when Pip arrives home late after his encounter with Magwitch and learns of Mrs Joes Ram-page, he is told by Joe that Which is worse, shes got Tickler with her. Instead of showing fear, we are simply told that At this dismal intelligence, I twisted the only button on my waistcoat round and round, and looked in great depression at the fire Mrs Joes treatment of Pip is mimicked by Uncle Pumblechook, who seems to be fully supportive of her complaints against Pip mainly that he exists and that she has to look after him. At the start of the book, Pumblechook is very nasty to Pip, and is also fully supported by the Hubbles (at Christmas dinner) and Mr Wopsle. The main topic of conversation (apart from pork) is how ungrateful Pip is. This is brought up first by Pumblechook, who says be grateful, boy, to them which brought you up by hand.. This is then backed by Mrs Hubble, who adds Why is it that the young are never grateful?. This conversation continues for some time, which cause Pip to remain silent and sink into his chair. These two examples show that in the first section of the book, Pip is afraid of his surroundings. He keeps quiet and tries to stay away from company (except Joe) to avoid punishment. Joe is Pips only friend, and makes up for the absence of other children in his life. Pip is happy talking to Joe, unlike Mrs Joe and her circle of friends.  Pip meets two other main characters in the first part of the book, and they are Miss Havisham and Estella. These are two of the most important characters in Great Expectations, and Dickens develops their characters a lot. Upon Pips first meeting with Miss Havisham, he is afraid of her, but it is not the same kind of fear as he has for Mrs Joe. He fears Mrs Joe as he fears Tickler, and does not want to be punished. However, he is afraid of Miss Havisham because she is strange and twisted. Pip does not understand her, and does not know what she is capable of, or what she could do to him. He speaks of her as a ghost, and sees many disturbing sights inside Satis House, such as the infested wedding feast and the stopped clocks. Pip tells us of his terror at his first sight of Miss Havisham. She can see his fear, and asks him You are not afraid of a woman who has never seen the sun since you were born?. We are then told that I regret to state that I was not afraid of telling the enormous lie comprehended in the answer No. As the book progresses, Pip comes to realise that there is nothing to be afraid of in Miss Havisham. By the end of the book he is happy to confront, criticise and even insult her. Pip also misinterprets Estellas character. He falls in love with her the first time he sees her, even though he is only seven years old. This is obviously what Miss Havisham was trying to achieve, as she is continually quizzing Pip on his thoughts about Estella, and one of the first things she asks him is What do you think of her?. Pip, after some hesitation, replies that he thinks she is proud and rude but also pretty. Pip says little to Estella herself, but once he has left Satis House he is totally obsessed by Estella. This leads us onto a sudden change in Pips character.

Fedex Essay Example for Free

Fedex Essay If you were the HR Head of a major competitor of FedEx: a) List down the 3 HR practices which you would emulate of FedEx. Explain reasons for the same. Ans) * Leadership Evaluation And Awareness Process (LEAP) This policy gave FedEx’s Non-Managerial Employees an opportunity to seek Managerial Positions. LEAP created the chance for Non Management Employees to try out their Managerial Skills. LEAP helped Employees of FedEx check whether they were capable of managing Organizations or not. It also gave a chance to FedEx to check out the leadership and managerial skills of its internal Employees. * â€Å"Guaranteed Fair Employee Procedure† (GFTP ) Via â€Å"People –Service-Profit â€Å" (PSP) Philosophy – One of the major HR practices which made FedEx a success story was the Guaranteed Fair Employee Procedure where all type of Employee Grievances were taken care of. The philosophy of â€Å" People-Service-Profit† where Employees were kept before the company’s profit making motives lead to more motivated employees ,leading to more profits in the long run . It was believed that people before profits were would lead to more efficient work on behalf of the employees to the customers , thus strengthening the brand image of FedEx. * Succession Planning Executive Education (SPEED) – The SPEED program introduced at FedEx were done mainly to give feedback to the high level employees reporting directly to the CEO or to the top management of FedEx. Feedback was given periodically n order to rate the skills and promotability of the people who were likely to replace them in the near future. Such Employees were suggested which areas they needed to work on to improve their skills for their new positions some years down the line. b) If you had to attract top Talent from Fedex, what would be your strategy for this, assuming compensation and role were not the key factors for attracting talent from Fedex? Develop your response based on the case study (identifying areas where Fedex may not be as good) and state your assumptions, if any. Ans) To lure top Talent from FedEx, we can go in for the following strategies: * Fringe Benefits * Perks * Job Enlargement And Enrichment More Exciting Job Opportunities Q2. Based on the industry FedEx is in and on the nature of its business, list down 1 or 2 competencies which you think are core to the organization (across functions and levels) and which are essential for employees to possess in order for the organization to succeed. Justify your answer suitably Ans) * Recruitment Focusing on Entrepreneurship The recruitment style followed by FedEx is to hire people who have a mind for new Entrepreneurial ventures. They have to be creative in nature and have the ability to think out of the box. This Recruitment strategy has worked well for FedEx. * Employee Centricity and Retention – FedEx Core Competency lies in the fact that all the Employees are treated equally and every grievance are taken care of. No stone is left unturned to see to it that all problems faced by employees are always addressed to before the company objectives. Q3. What do you think would be the top 5 measures the CEO of FedEx would want his HR Head to measure and report on an ongoing basis.

Evaluate the Role of Leadership in Business

Evaluate the Role of Leadership in Business Introduction This paper strives to evaluate the role of leadership, group behavior, training and development and change management in the broader context of organizational behavior in todays environment. The new realities that businesses have to face are globalization, changing technology, employees from diverse demographic backgrounds, customers, investors and competition from both global and small innovators. Globalization brings in new opportunities and challenges in the form of new markets, exchange rate risks, trade and tariff barriers and distribution challenges. Companies have to compete increasingly with global competitors than local ones. Customers also have more options when selecting a product. The internet has made consumers savvier about the products available in the market. Improvements in the transportation and communication network meant that people were better informed and mobile. A classic example is the fall of the iron curtain where the people learned about the lifestyles of other countries which led to the collapse of the socialist countries. In this environment, Companies need the ability to adapt to the changes that are occurring at lightning speed or as coined by Bill Gates in his book business @ the speed of thought. Therefore organizations need to have the proper leaders who can drive the business towards their strategic goals. The other factors that companies need to address are intense competition, nontraditional management practices and societal consciousness of workers. he role of leadership in business In literature the influence a leader can exercise over followers in an organization is said to be the type of power he or she can exercise. There are five main sources of power; these are reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, referent and expert power. In addition to these five, finlay suggests that personal power and connection power are also factors that need to be considered. (Mullins, 2005). In addition to the above followers also look for trustworthyness, visionary, competancy and inspiring qualities in their leaders. In todays context although being a visionary leader is second only to being trustworthy it is the quality that leaders world over struggle with. In order to be a forward looking individual it is required to first pay attention to the here and now. A leader needs to know what is going on around him in order for him to focus on what needs to be done to get to the objective. It is not always about meeting deadlines it is looking at what comes after the deadline is met or the project is finished that define visionary leadership. Leadership Types A research study undertaken by a consulting firm and reported by Daniel Goleman has identified six types of leadership. Coercive leaders (do what I tell you) Authoritative leaders (Come with me) Affiliative leaders (People Come first) Democratic leaders (What do you think) Pacesetting leaders (Do as I do, Now) Coaching leaders (Try This) The study has also revealed that only four of these styles had a positive effect on employees. The authoritative style was found to be the most effective while the affiliative style. The democratic style and the coaching style were seen as positive. However it was also revealed that effective leaders often use more than one of these styles in various proportions in their dealings. (Mullins, 2005) leaders who have mastered the above four styles and are able to apply them in given situations have ben found to be more effective than others who do not. however it does not mean that the other styles of leadership are not effective when used in the correct situation and context. for example the coearcive style (demands immediate compliance) will work well in a crisis situation. When discussing leadership it is also important to explore the full range leadership model In the above model the bottom left hand quadrant describes avoidant behavior of leadership, which can be further described as non transacting these type of leaders avoid decisions or intervention relying on time to heal all ills. In the middle of the quadrant is transactional leadership, this is goal and result oriented leadership. And at the top right hand corner is the transformational leadership which broaden and elevate interests of followers. In todays organizations with the rapidly changing business environment the leaders we should develop are transformational leaders. The components of a transactional leader are individual consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized behavior. Delving deeper into these components we find that Individual Consideration; values individual needs, shows empathy and encourages continuous improvement. Intellectual stimulation; challenges existing practices, encourages imagination and values intelligence. There is no doubt therefore that all these traits are required from a leader of a organization in this day. Change management Change is often said is the only thing that remains constant in organizations, and change management is defined as the process of achieving the smooth implementation of change by planning and introducing it systematically, taking into account the likely hood of being resisted. (Armstrong, 2009) Most businesses founded during and before the last decade has been steeped in archaic practices that really do not work in the present. Therefore if organizations need to be able to compete in the current business atmosphere companies will need to change the fundamental approaches that they have practiced in the past and embrace new methods of management. Organizations need to first identify why they need to change, the need for change can manifest itself from two directions one is external factors such as economic, social, environmental, technological, legal and political the other is internal factors such as business processers, objectives, technology, finance and structure. In the current context businesses will more often than not be influenced by external factors than internal factors for change. Once this is identified then the organization needs to have a vision of the final destination and the gaps that need to be filled to reach the final objective. It is also important for organizations to plan for this change and most importantly make the stakeholders aware of the importance of this change to the organization in order to get their buy in. Herbert C Kelman explains in his paper on attitude change that there can be three processes of influence. Compliance Occurs when an individual accept influence because of a reward or punishment by conforming. Thus the satisfactions derived from compliance are due to a social effect of accepting influence. Identification This is said to occur when an individual accepts influence because he wants to establish or maintain a satisfying self defining relationship with another person or group. Internalization This occurs when an individual accepts influence because it is intrinsically rewarding, he adopts the behavior because it is congruent with his values. (Kelman, 1958) Therfore in an organisation which is going through change all the above three types may be encountered, there will be some who comply because of the rewards or punishment some who will comply with change due to their relaqtionship with other members of the organisation and others who find that the change conforms to their values. Resistance to change People resist changing whenever they feel that the change is a threat to them. Resistance can take many forms; it can be active, passive, covert, overt, aggressive, timid, individual or organized. The top ten reasons for resisting change as argued by A. J. Schuler, Psy. D (A. J. Schuler, 2003) The risk of change is seen as greater than the risk of standing still People feel connected to other people who are identified with the old way People have no role models for the new activity People fear they lack the competence to change People feel overloaded and overwhelmed People have a healthy skepticism and want to be sure new ideas are sound People fear hidden agendas among would-be reformers People feel the proposed change threatens their notions of themselves People anticipate a loss of status or quality of life People genuinely believe that the proposed change is a bad idea. Dealing with resistance In order to overcome resistance to change a few methods can be used, foremost is to guarantee the employees security, thereafter a good communication plan of the objectives of the change should be instituted. Concerns of employees should be discussed and understood by the management. Where possible the most vociferous resistors should be made participants of the change management team. Flexibility should be made a key word in the change process. Incentives such as rewards can also be used to change the mind set of employees. In implementing the change an incremental change model can be used where initially small changes are done and once the employees have been removed from their comfort zones a bigger and more radical change is made. There can be several iterations of this with small periods of inactivity to allow the changes to normalize. This approach will make the change more acceptable as employees will be able to experience the benefits of each change prior to proceeding to the next iteration. Group behavior In organizations you will find several individuals forming groups to achieve common objectives, these groups or teams can exist as formal or informal groups. When formed as a formal group they will be part of the structure of the organization. In order to appreciate how groups behave we need to consider the nature of the following. (Armstrong, 2009) formal groups; informal groups; the processes that take place within groups; group ideology; group cohesion; group dynamics; The concept of a reference group and its impact on group members; The factors that make for group effectiveness. Formal Groups Organizations set up formal groups in order to achieve a defined purpose. The composition, size and structure of the group will depend on the nature of the task; if the task is clearly defined the leader may exercise authoritative power which if the task is routine in nature then the leader will exercise a more supportive role in this case the team will operate in democratic manner. Informal groups Individuals who have likeness towards each other can set up Informal groups, these can be in the form of book clubs, social club etc. A study conducted by Roethlibeger and Dickson in 1939 has revealed that activities within groups could be regulated by their own conduct and output irrespective of what the administration wanted, however by understanding the processes that take place within groups can help them work for the organization rather that against it. The processes that take place within a group. The manner in which groups function are affected by the size of the group and the task at hand, although there can be a greater knowledge base in a large group, individuals in the group may find it difficult to contribute. The main processes that take place in groups are interaction, task and maintenance functions, group ideology, group cohesion, group development and identification. (Armstrong, 2009) Reference groups A reference group comprises of a group of people with whom an individual identifies with .Most individuals in an organizations belong to a reference group and this can considerably affect the ways in which they behave. Initially a group member may comply in order to be accepted as part of the group, however as time progresses the norm will get internalized and the individual will react in the same manner whether in the group or not. Influencing groups Vince Lombardi arguably the greatest NFL football coach once said true leadership involves not only the ability to direct people, but the ability to have them embrace your direction influencing or persuading people to embrace your direction is a multi step process. In order for you to be able to persuade the first thing you need is credibility or trust and be perceived to be a person who keeps his word. The second is to canvass, which is to have a series of exchanges with individuals and groups to obtain a clear view of the concerns, goals and aspirations. The third is to try your ideas on opinion leaders, discuss your ideas with small groups get their feedback and importantly try to get the opinion leaders acceptance of the ideas. Then use the information gathered and reframe the idea in a manner which they see it as their own. By adopting the approaches discussed in this chapter an organization can obtain the support it needs to change and overcome any resistance by employees to the proposed changes. Training and Development Donald Schon argues that the loss of stable state in our society and its institutions means that they are in a process of continuous transformation and that we cannot expect new stable states that will endure for our own lifetimes. Therefore we must become adept at learning. (Smith, 2009) In order for an organization to able to be competitive in its business space it first needs to understand the skills it needs. Thereafter a gap analysis should be carried out to identify what skills are required In order for the company to reach its goals. All employees want their services to be valuable to their employers and be able to be competitive in the employment market. And the only method of achieving these targets is training and development. It is also a motivating factor for the employee since by being trained on the skills he needs to perform his function he becomes more comfortable and adept at his task. Employers should strive to build in training into their evaluation of the employee so that the final measurement of his performance will be realistic and aligned towards to companies goals and objectives. Conclusion In conclusion, an organization of today need a multifaceted approach to shape its organizational behavior. Foremost among them is the need to be able to adapt quickly to change. To do this the organization needs to have visionary leaders who will be able to manage the changes happening around them in ways that keep the motivation of the employees at high levels while maintaining the momentum of the organization. They also need also to focus on other aspects such as environmental, cultural and political issues in order to survive in todays business environment. Donald Sull a professor of management practice at the London school of business has to say this companies that execute on their strategies quickly and effectively tend to construct solid organizational hardware: information systems, corporate priorities, incentives and so forth. But they also program in software That is the right culture, people and leadership for execution. The most agile organizations share a core set of va lues: achievement that recognizes and rewards employees for setting and achieving ambitious goals, ownership, team work, creativity and integrity. Most importantly agile organizations translate these principles into action. (Sull, 2010) A. J. Schuler, P. D. (2003). resistance to change. Retrieved 02 2, 2011, from www.SchulerSolutions.com: http://www.schulersolutions.com/resistance_to_change.html Armstrong, m. (2009). Hand Book of Human Resource Practice. london: Kogan Page. Kelman, H. C. (1958). Compliance identification and internalization. Retrieved 02 02, 2011, from scholar harvard edu: http://scholar.harvard.edu/hckelman/files/Compliance_identification_and_internalization.pdf leader to leader institute. (2009). The Organisation of the Future. San Francisco: jossey-bass. Mullins, L. J. (2005). Management and Organisational Behaviour. Essex: Pearson Education limited. Smith, M. K. (2009, 09 03). donald shon :Learning,reflection and change. Retrieved 02 04, 2011, from www.infed.org: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-shon.htm Sull, D. (2010, 05 23). Organisational Behaviour. Retrieved 02 04, 2011, from Management Quotes: http://www.mgmtquotes.com/subject/organisational+behavior/

Essay on The Holy Bible - The Cruel God of Genesis -- Holy Bible Genes

The Cruel God of Genesis This essay will propose and support the thesis that God carries the blame for the expulsion of man from the Garden of Eden and resulting downfall of mankind. Genesis has always been the cause of heated discussions. The work itself is not all that confusing, but rather the symbolism buried deep within the text is. The opinions of the reader often have a substantial influence on the reader's interpretation of the text. Because the scripture has played such an important role in the theological beliefs of so many Christians, extremely different interpretations of the text have the potential to create distance between even the closest of friends and even worse, families. To expect that all of mankind would agree on one interpretation is quite foolish. Human nature and our free will limit the possibility that any two people, let alone the entire population of the world, would agree completely with each other on even the simplest issues. When dealing with the most popular book in the world, these substantial arguments make an unbelievable difference on how people feel about the "good book." Some interpret the story of the fall as being Adam and Eve's fault. However, this is not the case. God, the almighty, knew of the events that would transpire leading up to man's expulsion from paradise. God is truly at fault for mankind's loss of eternal bliss. He is the one who first tempted us to sin by placing before Adam and Eve the forbidden tree, knowing full and well that human nature would tell them to find the loophole in his rules. The presence of the serpent in the garden is merely coincidental and offers God a scapegoat. Without a doubt, God is the unanimously evident reason for the ... ...loving, creator of the heavens and the earth, destroy one of his own creations? The answer to that question is, to the best of my knowledge, not printed in any book in existence today. It remains a mystery to this world and very well could remain a mystery throughout the existence of life on earth. With such overwhelming evidence how can one possibly blame anyone, but God for the expulsion of mankind from the Garden of Eden? Only he had the power to do so. The only way he could destroy a creation as divine as Paradise would be to relinquish it of its divinity. He made the mistake of giving man free will, he has sufficient motive for the banishment from Eden, and he is, without a shadow of a doubt, the one at fault for this world that we live in. Humankind is merely an innocent victim of the punishments that come from a cruel God. Essay on The Holy Bible - The Cruel God of Genesis -- Holy Bible Genes The Cruel God of Genesis This essay will propose and support the thesis that God carries the blame for the expulsion of man from the Garden of Eden and resulting downfall of mankind. Genesis has always been the cause of heated discussions. The work itself is not all that confusing, but rather the symbolism buried deep within the text is. The opinions of the reader often have a substantial influence on the reader's interpretation of the text. Because the scripture has played such an important role in the theological beliefs of so many Christians, extremely different interpretations of the text have the potential to create distance between even the closest of friends and even worse, families. To expect that all of mankind would agree on one interpretation is quite foolish. Human nature and our free will limit the possibility that any two people, let alone the entire population of the world, would agree completely with each other on even the simplest issues. When dealing with the most popular book in the world, these substantial arguments make an unbelievable difference on how people feel about the "good book." Some interpret the story of the fall as being Adam and Eve's fault. However, this is not the case. God, the almighty, knew of the events that would transpire leading up to man's expulsion from paradise. God is truly at fault for mankind's loss of eternal bliss. He is the one who first tempted us to sin by placing before Adam and Eve the forbidden tree, knowing full and well that human nature would tell them to find the loophole in his rules. The presence of the serpent in the garden is merely coincidental and offers God a scapegoat. Without a doubt, God is the unanimously evident reason for the ... ...loving, creator of the heavens and the earth, destroy one of his own creations? The answer to that question is, to the best of my knowledge, not printed in any book in existence today. It remains a mystery to this world and very well could remain a mystery throughout the existence of life on earth. With such overwhelming evidence how can one possibly blame anyone, but God for the expulsion of mankind from the Garden of Eden? Only he had the power to do so. The only way he could destroy a creation as divine as Paradise would be to relinquish it of its divinity. He made the mistake of giving man free will, he has sufficient motive for the banishment from Eden, and he is, without a shadow of a doubt, the one at fault for this world that we live in. Humankind is merely an innocent victim of the punishments that come from a cruel God.

Larry Ellisons Contributions to Computer Technology Essay -- Technolo

Abstract Larry Ellison is among the top names in the computer industry. He has been fiercely competitive with Bill Gates over the years. That competitive nature may very well be the driving force behind some of his contributions to the world of computer technology. Childhood and Education It is important to understand the background and education of Larry Ellison in order to understand what drives and motivates him in his adult life. Ellison was not a child of privilege. He did not grow up with parents who were scientists or pushed him to excel. According Wikipedia, Larry Ellison was born to a 19 year old unwed Jewish mother who felt compelled to give him up to her aunt and uncle to raise him. He grew up in a two bedroom apartment in a Jewish community in South Shore Chicago. Academy of Achievement website states in the biography about Ellison, he left the University of Illinois during second year final exams when his adoptive mother died. Later that fall he enrolled in the University of Chicago but dropped out after the first semester. Academy of Achievement goes on to say, â€Å"His adoptive father was now convinced that Larry would never make anything of himself, but the seemingly aimless young man had already learned the rudiments of computer programming in Chic ago.† CEO of Software Development Labs According to Academy of Achievement, Ellison moved to California where he worked with a few different companies. One of those companies was Amdahl Corporation where Ellison was able to participate in building the first IBM-compatible mainframe system. Ellison and two other co-workers pursued founding a new company named Software Development Labs. Ellison functioned as CEO of this newly founded company. It was at this company h... ...n Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Larry_Ellison&oldid=379100685. "Larry Ellison Biography -- Academy of Achievement." Academy of Achievement Main Menu. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2010. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ell0bio-1. "What are relational databases?†. (March 23, 2001). HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved August 15, 2010. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question599.htm. "Larry Ellison 1944 - Biography - Early life, Software development laboratories, Relational databases, Building oracle, Maturity, The internet revolution, Downturn." Reference For Business - Encyclopedia of Small Business, Business Biographies, Business Plans, and Encyclopedia of American Industries. N.p., n.d. Retrieved August 16, 2010. http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/A-E/Ellison-Larry-1944.html.

Breast Implants in Teenagers Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The trend for a number of young girls is to get breast augmentation. They think that by changing their bodies, they’re going to change their lives. They think they will be happy, and they will be completely satisfied with their implants. Their expectation is that their self-confidence will skyrocket, and they will be attractive girls. Many young girls get implants to make themselves stand out more and to have a great appearance, but there are many reasons that they should comprehend the long-term effect of surgery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all, teenagers expect that plastic surgery will improve their self-confidence, but does it? Teenagers think that their new appearance will be great, but they may get different looks from their friends. For example, when they’re talking, their friends may look at their chest instead of looking at their faces and their friends may feel uncomfortable and awkward about their new breasts. One study found that teenager’s body-image may occur in the late teens because their bodies were still changing. The average girl gains weight between the ages of 18 and 21, and that is likely to change her desire or need for breast augmentation. This indicates that many young girls who are very dissatisfied with their appearance will feel more satisfied a few years later, whether or not they undergo surgery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Second, will teenagers who want to have breast implants understand the risks of surgery? Some girls may be completely satisfied with their implants, but...

Inventory Control Essay

Read the case study below â€Å"Harvey Industries†. Provide reasoning for the current financial distress of the company and make recommendations for improvements to the new company president. Include at least one specific recommendation for both Supply Chain Management (chapter 15) and Inventory Management (chapter 13), as well as any other recommendations you deem necessary from your reading. Provide your recommendations in a 2-4 page APA style paper. Harvey Industries Background Harvey Industries, a Wisconsin company, specializes in the assembly of high-pressure washer systems and in the sale of repair parts for these systems. The products range from small portable high-pressure washers to large industrial installations for snow removal from vehicles stored outdoors during the winter months. Typical uses for high-pressure water cleaning include: AutomobilesAirplanes Building maintenanceBarns EnginesIce cream plants Lift trucksMachinery Swimming pools Industrial customers include General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Delta Airlines, United Parcel Service, and Shell Oil Company. Although the industrial applications are a significant part of its sale, Harvey Industries is primarily an assembler of equipment for coin operated self-service car wash systems. The typical car wash is of concrete block construction with an equipment room in the center, flanked on either side by a number of bays. The cars are driven into the bays where the owner can wash and wax the car, utilizing high-pressure hot water and liquid wax. A dollar bill changer is available to provide change for the use of the equipment and the purchase of various products from dispensers. The products include towels, tire cleaner, and upholstery cleaner. In recent years Harvey Industries has been in financial difficulty. The company has lost money for three of the last four years, with the last year’s loss being $17,174 on sales of $1,238,674.  Inventory levels have been steadily increasing to their present levels of $124,324. The company employs 23 people with the management team consisting of the following key employees: president, sales manager, manufacturing manager, controller, and purchasing manager. The abbreviated organization chart reflects the reporting relationship of the key employees and the three individuals who report directly to the manufacturing manager. Current Inventory Control System The current inventory control â€Å"system† consists of orders for stock replenishment being made by the stockroom foreman, the purchasing manager, or the manufacturing manager whenever one of them notices that the inventory is low. An order for replenishment of inventory is also placed whenever someone (either a customer or an employee in the assembly area) wants an item and it is not in stock. Some inventory is needed for the assembly of the high-pressure equipment for the car wash and industrial applications. There are current and accurate bills of material for these assemblies. The material needs to support the assembly schedule are generally known well in advance of the build schedule. The majority of inventory transactions are for repair parts and for supplies used by the car washes, such as paper towels, detergent, and wax concentrate. Because of the constant and rugged use of the car wash equipment, there is a steady demand for the various repair parts. The stockroom is well organized, with parts stored in locations according to each vendor. The number of vendors is relatively limited, with each vendor generally supplying many different parts. For example, the repair parts from Allen Bradley, a manufacturer of electrical motors, are stocked in the same location. These repair parts will be used to provide service for the many electrical motors that are part of the high-pressure pump and motor assembly used by all of the car washes. Because of the heavy sales volume of repair parts, there are generally two employees working in the stockroom- a stockroom foreman who reports to the manufacturing manager and an assistant to the foreman. One of these two employees will handle customer orders. Many customers stop by and order the parts and supplies they need. Telephone orders are also received and are shipped by United Parcel Service the same day. The assembly area has some inventory stored on the shop floor. This inventory consists of low-value  items that are used every day, such as nuts, bolts, screws, and washers. These purchased items do not amount to very much dollar volume throughout the year. Unfortunately, oftentimes the assembly area is out of one of these basic items and this causes a significant amount of downtime for the assembly lines. Paperwork is kept to a minimum. A sales slip listing the part numbers and quantities sold to a customer is generally made out for each sale. If the assembly department needs items that are not stocked on the assembly floor, someone from that department will enter the stockroom and withdraw the necessary material. There is no paperwork made out for the items needed on the assembly floor. There were 973 different part numbers purchased for stock last year and those purchases amounted to $314,673. An analysis of inventory records shows that $220,684 was spent on just 179 of the part numbers. Fortunately for Harvey Industries, most of the items they purchase are stocked by either the manufacturer or by a wholesaler. When it is discovered that the company is out of stock on an item, it generally takes only two or three days to replenish the stock. Due to the company’s recent losses, its auditing firm became concerned about the company’s ability to continue in business. Recently the company sold off excess vacant land adjoining its manufacturing facility to generate cash to meet its financial obligations. New President Because of the recent death of the owner, the trust department of a Milwaukee Bank (as trustee for the estate) has taken over the company’s affairs and has appointed a new company president. The new president has identified many problem areas- one of which is improper inventory control. He has retained you as a consultant to make specific recommendations concerning a revised inventory control system. What are your recommendations and rationale? Harvey Industries is a Wisconsin company that specializes in the assembly of high-pressure washer systems and in the sale of repair parts for these systems. With the recent death of the owner, the trust department of a Milwaukee Bank, the trusty for the estate, has taken over the company’s affairs and has appointed a new company president who has identified many problem areas such as improper inventory control and has asked me as a consultant to make specific recommendations concerning a revised inventory  control system. After reviewing the company’s current inventory control I would recommend that it would be very important for them to establish good communication with the supply chain because they need to know what the demand would be for each of the parts so that they can forecast the needs so that they can plan ahead and order the necessary materials and supplies do that they do not have to wait three days for the messing parts. Currently the inventory control â€Å"system† consists of orders for stock replenishment being made by the stockroom foreman, the purchasing manager, or the manufacturing manager whenever one of them notices that the inventory is low. An order for replenishment of inventory is also placed whenever someone (either a customer or an employee in the assembly area) wants an item and it is not in stock. I would recommend changing this system, they need to establish the number of parts that would be needed in a weekly basis and replenish as the item is used so that they do not run out of the necessary parts and supplies. The company currently employs 23 people with the management team consisting of the following key employees: president, sales manager, manufacturing manager, controller, and purchasing manager. The abbreviated organization chart reflects the reporting relationship of the key employees and the three individuals who report directly to the manufacturing manager. I would recommend having different departments manufacturing, sales department for repair parts and sales department for supplies. All three departments need to be in communication with the purchasing manager that will need to be informed in order to make all the necessary purchases to maintain an appropriate inventory for all three departments. This will help save the company some money on payroll. I would also recommend that the inventory for the manufacturing department be kept in the warehouse as well as the other items that way there can be more control on the parts that go out so that they can be promptly replenish. Currently the stockroom is well organized, with parts stored in locations according to each vendor. The number of vendors is relatively limited, with each vendor generally supplying many different parts. However they could also separate the parts and supplies per department so that it would be easier to find and less man power would be needed creating a saving in payroll and payroll taxes. References Stevenson, W.J. (2011). Operations management (11th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill/Irwin