Guillermo Furniture Store Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Guillermo Furniture Store Concepts - Essay Example The labor component in furniture manufacturing, in case of Guillermo, is substantial because all its products are hand-crafted and the company has no way to control its labor cost. On the contrary, it is on increase due to influx of other businesses for the favorable conditions in the region. Financial Concepts Involved Guillermo has to view the whole business scenario from a different perspective. If the company decides to be high-tech just like its competitor to replace its costly labor, then the company needs to estimate the risk-return trade-offs as making the company automated will require huge capital investment. In this process, Guillermo will need to apply numerous financial concepts to arrive at the conclusion whether it is worth investing huge capital to thwart the challenge posed by the competitor. First of all, the company needs to undertake a detailed budgeting exercise to evaluate the viability of high-tech model of manufacturing in its case. The company would need to e stimate the total fund requirement for going high-tech in this business. The company will have option of financing this capital expenditure either through equity or through mix of debt and equity. In the case of later, important thing will be to find appropriate debt-equity ratio for financing the project. Guillermo being a running and profitable company can certainly attract banks and other financial institutions to lend them for this project but leveraging should be within the prevailing norms as applicable for these kinds of businesses. High leveraging (high debt) creates higher business risk and that must be avoided as often occurs during economic slowdown. In a bid to ascertain financial viability of the investment, the company will need to estimate the break-even point in terms of volume (no. of pieces of each product variety) and value both. Break-even volumes will mean all revenue earnings meet all expenses of the company including fixed and variable ones. The break-even cal culations (Break-even analysis, 2012) will also force them to chalk its marketing and sales strategy – the distribution channels, number of retail shops and the geographical reach necessary to achieve those sales. The financial budget formation, capital required, capital structure deciding about equity-debt ratio, break-even volume analysis, cost of capital including weighted average cost of capital (Weighted Average Cost of Capital – WACC, 2012) present value of all expected future streams of revenue (Present value, 2012) until the useful life of machines, internal rate of return (Internal Rate of Return, 2012) will finally decide whether it is worth investing in the automation process so as to compete with the overseas firm effectively. Conclusion It is certain that Guillermo has gone through above mentioned detailed financial viability analysis to ascertain whether the company should go for this new business model or not. Having found the return on investment not lu crative, the company thought of outsourcing entire supply from a second competitor who has similar business model of manufacturing process

Project Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Project Management - Assignment Example Department managers will directly report to the project manager. Hence, with reduced hierarchy the project will efficiently with no delays and increased cost due to extra reporting levels (Ingason and JÃ ³nasson, 59-69). The project manager directs all the activities and task for the overall project, acting as information central point for the subcontractors. After getting all the information of the project’s direction and tasks assistant manager divided the task and responsibilities among the functional managers. Assistant project manager works as chairman of steering committee and interacts with both functional managers and contractors. The functional managers receive the guidelines and task responsibilities from assistant manager. In actual the role of contract officer is to serve as a central point for all the cost and information of the contract. The military type manger has some special skills that differentiate its personality from other mangers. The military manager focuses on these factors: insist on clear communication and alignment, produce high performing teams, relaxed in continuously changing environments and hire the replacement and alternatives. If the hierarchy adapted military kind of approach then it would boost the competence of collaboration among the employees, it would give more effective and efficient tem work results and it would make the attitude of managers adjustable in the changing environment (Forbes). The division of work among many authorities increases the efficiency and accuracy of decision making. And with the involvement of two higher mangers makes the evaluation and monitoring activities better in results (Atkinson, 337-342). This hierarchy is difficult to implement in any industry because of its limitations regarding the delegation of authorities and responsibilities among the employees and

Perceptual Map Marketing Essay Example for Free

Perceptual Map Marketing Essay The purpose of this document is to illustrate the information contained within the Perceptual Map Marketing simulation and relate to its information as practical and important. Contained in the simulation were three phases, each of significant importance. We will include in this document the situation, the recommended solutions and the results. We will discuss the multiple marketing aspects that were revealed within the simulation and we will attempt to create satisfactory responses to the various questions which arise out of the relationships between differentiation and positioning of products or services and what the impact of the product life cycle on marketing is. It is the hope that after reading this document there will be a clear concept of what the results of this simulation were and how they are applicable to the papers mission. All good things have a story and Cruiser Thorr was no exception. We learned about the meaning behind the bike. The simulation showed how to create and use a perceptual map using the bike as a primary example. When using the Perceptual Map it then became clearly more evident which direction the marketing goals should take to carry on its back the heart and soul of the Morotcycle brand. In selling thousands of motorcycles a year the Thorr Motocycle company has created a client base capable of supporting their imense variety of choice that is given to the consumer. Everything from the type of engine to how many people can ride the bike. They sell accessories such as protective gear, clothing and even little models for children. The services they offer to their customers are that you would expect from a first rate bike shop. Our task is to set up a positioning strategy, a perceptual map and create the parameters that will become vital to the product as it will be the customers only information before making a major purchase. For decades now the industry of motorized bikes have been on the ries. Even with this evident truth backed by consumer research the top selling item that Thorr Motorcycles is creating seems to be dwindeling. The logical conclusion that we are coming to to is that their target customers are in the decades of their 30s till almost 60s and through the proccess of life seem to have lost interests in what Thorr stands for. No longer are these men rebels or out to â€Å"be wild† as Steppenwolf would say. Any consumers who are younger are simply not capable of affording the high price tag associated with a Thorr bike which ranges in the high 20 to low 30 thousand dollar range. Younger riders are more apt to buy less expensive, quicker riding bikes that are the exact opposite of the image that Thorr stands for. We are going to solidify Cruiser thorrs postion in the market by creating its Perceptual map. There are four basic parameters that are relevant to the entire scheme of biking industry which reflect the highest chances for Cruiser Thorrs survival. These are the four parameters: lifestyle image, product design and styling, service offerings, and price. The selection of lifestyle image is almost a no brainer as it is the backbone of the Cruiser Thorrs previous success. The entire bikes thriving record is built upon a reputation that having their bike is a status symbol. The same reason that people buy Starbucks instead of simply brewing their own coffee at home. Unlike other industries, transportation specfically speaks to the identity of the person who has the item. They will spend much of their time utilizing their vehicle. In no vehicle type is this more relevant than in bikes where people will see the bike and there will be no windows, walls, or doors hiding the rider from the world. Everyone will see who the rder is and that is why Product Design nd Styling are so vital to its success. The bike and the rider are one. Man and machine moving along the pavement together. The service offerings are probably the most second important aspect to a vehicle other than the price. Maintanence and such can get very expensive very quickly. Assuring that you are taking care of you customers and looking out for their well being is primary in the grand scheme of all things. At the end of the thought of course is always the most important aspect. Cost and price. The price is affected by many, many things. Among these things is engineering, construction, materials, labor, transport of the bike itself. The whole purpose for this bikes creation is ot make money. To make money you must have a clear marketing plan. Due to this obvious fact we have restructured Cruiser Thorr and decided to not create a new bike. It is imperative to keep the Cruiser Thorr in production if Thorr is going to keep making motorcycles. It is the bike that has built their empire. It would be as if Levis stopped selling 501 Jeans. We instead create a financing option that gives the consumers with less money an opportunity to own a Cruiser Thorr. With increased service options will be able to make rational sense of the high price that we will be able to keep at the same price. For advertising it would probably be a good idea to put some endorsements in race tracks, hook up with a popular drink brand like MONSTER and maybe make a â€Å"Monster Bike† that can ride around. We can also take a page out of the GM book and put our bikes into movies and on television for product placement. The current straegy is based on price, product, location, current pomotions and services offered. With the goal of repositioning the product in an attempt to remove the competions hold on the market because we will move the parameters into concurrent thought forms and proccesses making us and our strategies the same as the competition. We know that there are four key factors that are represented by stages in a products life cycle that are important for the marketing officer to know and understand. The four stages: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Once a product reaches the stage of its full maturity it is time to revisit it with the hope of making improvements. If this is not done the product will very quickly enter the declining stages of its life cycle. This is the reason that Cruiser Thorr started to drop its sales figure. Their product had reached its maturity. Their current customers were old and any knew ones had no idea what Cruiser Thorr, the brand, stood for. For this reason we had to reinven and improve their bikes. It was necessary to compete. It is the hope that we have together reached and addressed the various key points necessary to form a graps of the information that was provided. We have described the three major phases in the simulation. The situation and the recommended solutions have been addressed along with what our results were. We have talked about the different marketing aspects and answered the different question sthat were arisen between the relationships of differentiation and positioning for each of the products and services and its impact. It was the desire of I to create a solid understanding of the purpose and use of Perceptual Maps in Marketing. References All information was taken from the Perceptual Map Marketing Simulation provided on the University of Phoenix website.

Theodore Levitts Theory of Globalization

Theodore Levitts Theory of Globalization To most of us, globalization—as a political, economic, social, and technological force—appears all but unstoppable. The ever-faster flow of information across the globe has made people aware of the tastes, preferences, and lifestyles of citizens in other countries. Through this information flow, we are all becoming—at varying speeds and at least in economic terms—global citizens. This convergence is controversial, even offensive, to some who consider globalization a threat to their identity and way of life. It is not surprising, therefore, that globalization has evoked counter forces aimed at preserving differences and deepening a sense of local identity. Yet, at the same time, we increasingly take advantage of what a global economy has to offer—we drive BMWs and Toyotas, work with an Apple or IBM notebook, communicate with a Nokia phone or BlackBerry, wear Zara clothes or Nike sneakers, drink Coca-Cola, eat McDonald’s hamburgers, entertain t he kids with a Sony PlayStation, and travel with designer luggage. This is equally true for the buying habits of businesses. The market boundaries for IBM global services, Hewlett-Packard computers, General Electric (GE) aircraft engines, or PricewaterhouseCoopers consulting are no longer defined in political or geographic terms. Rather, it is the intrinsic value of the products and services that defines their appeal. Like it or not, we are living in a global economy. Levitt’s argument was about new technology has â€Å"proletarianized† communication, transport, and travel, a new commercial reality-the emergence of global markets for standardized consumer products, Converging Consumption Pattern: Almost everyone, everywhere wants global products, wish of modernity, Prefer low prices to supposed national characteristics and the Earth is flat. He also argued about Global Corporation vs Multinational Corporation and further more over Multinational corporations knows a lot about great many countries and adapts to supposed differences. Now while doing the critical evaluation of his arguments, he proposed strategies that companies should move from multinational to global corporation because in his view the market for multinationals was sinking. He found much more scope when it comes to operate over the Global market. He also proposed that not to adapt the superficial differences but force suitably standardized products globally. Which mean s that the market for standardized products should be kept global. He urged over making the standardized products global in order to maintain their market worth and image. Another concept given by Levitt was about offering everyone simultaneously high-quality, more or less standardized products at optimally low prices. This idea was basically approved to satisfy the needs of everyone as the products will be available at optimal prices. People tend to prefer more standardized products so this was the best deal for them. He also wanted few standardized markets instead of many customized markets. Because of this the customization of products was ended and with formulation of few standardized markets the Global corporations maintained a better worth instead of going through the customized markets form. The most important strategy proposed by Levitt was, there is no other appeal like price. People like money, and they want to spread it over as many goods as they can. So if the prices of commodities will be available at low and it will be standardized as well then people will definitely prefer to spend money and the most motivational factor for people to buy something is its good quality on low prices. Levitt quoted about the concept of Standardization that â€Å"If a company forces costs and prices down and pushed quality and reliability up while maintaining reasonable concern for suitability –customers will prefer world standardized products†. This statement has got clear linkage with the above strategies evaluated by Levitt’s views. Now if we put a light over the marketing concepts he proposed, in his opinion the company should know more about what customers wants than the customer himself or herself knows, or at least more than the customer can articulate. The successful global corporation does not abjure customization or differentiation for the requirements of markets that differ in product preferences, spending patterns, shopping preferences and institutional or legal arrangement. But global corporations accepts and adjusts to these differences only reluctantly, only after relentlessly testing their immutability, after trying in various ways to circumvent and reshape them. Global strategy and organization has been strong in the last two decades. Numerous perspectives have been proposed to examine the issue, and so have numerous prescriptions for businesses facing global competition. On the one hand, these perspectives have enriched our understanding of the complexity of competing globally. On the other hand, the diversity of perspectives creates a great deal of ambiguity and confusion about how to compete worldwide, about the definition of a global strategy, about why a business chooses a global strategy, and about the implications of that choice. Without a unified framework to integrate these diverse perspectives, ambiguity and confusion are likely to persist, leading to contradicting theories and discouraging practical application of knowledge. Levitt (1983) argues forcefully that advances in communication and transportation technologies and increased worldwide travel have homogenized world markets. Increasingly, consumers in different parts of the world tend to demand the same products and have the same preferences. In this new era, the strategic imperative for businesses competing globally is to achieve the economies of scale which the global market affords. Thus, multinational corporations which treat individual country markets separately are likely to disappear and be replaced by global corporations which sell standardized products the same way everywhere in the world. A major source of competitive advantage has become the ability to produce high-quality products at lowest cost, since global consumers will sacrifice their idiosyncratic preferences for the high-quality but low-priced products. Instead of a single standardized product, they recommend a broad product portfolio, with many product varieties, so that investments on technologies and distribution channels can be shared. Cross subsidization across products and markets, and the development of a strong world-wide distribution system, are the two moves that find the pride of place in these authors views on how to succeed in the game of global chess. When the global producer offers his lower costs internationally, his patronage expands exponentially. He not only reaches into distant markets, but also attracts customers who previously held to local preferences and now capitulate to the attractions of lower prices. The strategy of standardization not only responds to worldwide homogenized markets but also expands those markets with aggressive low pricing. According to Levitt (1983), the optimum global strategy is to produce a single standardized product and sell it through a standardized marketing program. The essays argument is that the emergence of global markets for standardized consumer products† of a hitherto undreamed-of magnitude. The era of the â€Å"multinational corporation† was drawing to a close, Levitt asserted. The future belonged to the â€Å"global corporation.† The global corporation did not cater to local differences in taste. Those differences were being overwhelmed by the ability of the global corporation to market standardized products of high quality at a cost lower than that of competitors due to â€Å"enormous economies of scale in production, distribution, marketing, and management.† The global corporation was being called forth by a new era of â€Å"homogenized demand.† A few years ago, globalization was the new paradigm in international business, however from a branding pers pective it has lost its initial efficiency giving the fact that consumers do not seem to feel a connection anymore with the standardized products of global corporations, catered to them in mass marketing communication programs. With their centralized decision making, most companies simply stopped having a connection with the new global marketplace and neglected its emergence. There are arguments for and against the idea of the globalization of markets. On the one hand, people are gradually seeking high quality/low cost products due to the advancement of technology and communication (Levitt, 1983). Levitt both overestimated and underestimated globalization. He did not anticipate that some markets would react against globalization, especially against Western globalization. He also underestimated the power of globalization to transform entire nations to actually embrace elements of global capitalism, as is happening in the former Soviet Union, China, and other parts of the world. He was right, however, about the importance of branding and its role in forging the convergence of consumer preferences on a global scale. Think of Coca-Cola, Starbucks, McDonald’s, or Google. A global product is an important element of a global marketing strategy. A product can be defined as global if it can be marketed in different markets, with minimal or virtually no modification or adaptation. The focus of an enterprise is on serving global markets with global products. A global product does not have to sell in every market. For some types of products, the U.S., Japan, and Europe can represen t 70% (or even 90%) of the world market demand. And within this increasingly homogeneous triad, many manufacturers can benefit from universal product designs. A global product brings benefits to the producer and the consumer. The advantages to the producer are lower costs and economies of scale in production and management. The consumer benefits through lower prices, better serviceability, increased quality and consistent reliability. However, not all products can become global products. Studies have found that the ability of a product to be global significantly depends on whether the product is regarded as being essential and without close substitutes. Globalization which essentially refers to growth of trade and investment, accompanied by the growth in international businesses, and the integration of economies around the world, advanced in 1990’s and in the twenty first century. The globalization of business is easy to recognize in the spread of many brands and services spr eads around the world. Forexample, Japanese electronics and automobiles are common in large part of the world. Moreover, companies have become transnational or multinational those are based in one country but have operations in others. For example, Japan/based automaker Honda operates the largest single factory in the United States, while U.S. based Coca-Cola operates plants in other countries including France and Belgium with about 80% percent ofthat company’s profits come from overseas sales. Nevertheless, the rapid growth of globalization that was considered as a success particularly due to the rapid economic growth and success of Asian Tigers and Taiwan in early 1990’s, was undermined by these countries major economic setbacks in the late 90’s. A number of rallies of anti-globalization forces attempted to portrait that globalization is not a panacea for the worlds problems. Their demonstration in all fronts during the Seattle meetings of the World Trade Orga nization that turned into a fiasco is an example. Thus, globalization continues through its agents, i.e. MNE by changing strategies to internationalize theirbusinesses. Prof Ghemawat, (2007) believed that the above definition of Levitt still reign the world, he however, challenges it and redefined globalization as it will be explained later. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are the key drivers of globalization, as they fosterincreased economic interdependence among national markets. The ultimate test to assess whether these MNEs are global themselves is their actual penetration level of markets across the globe, especially in the broad triad markets of NAFTA, the European Union andAsia. A powerful force drives the world toward a converging commonality, and that force is technology. It has proletarianized communication, transport, and travel. It has made isolated places and impoverished peoples eager for modernity’s allurements. Almost everyone everywhere wants all the things they have heard about, seen, or experienced via the new technologies. The result is a new commercial reality—the emergence of global markets for standardized consumer products on a previously unimagined scale of magnitude. Corporations geared to this new reality benefit from enormous economies of scale in production, distribution, marketing, and management. By translating these benefits into reduced world prices, they can decimate competitors that still live in the disabling grip of old assumptions about how the world works. Gone are accustomed differences in national or regional preference. Gone are the days when a company could sell last year’s models—or lesser versions of advanced products—in the less-developed world. And gone are the days when prices, margins, and profits abroad were generally higher than at home. The globalization of markets is at hand. With that, the multinational commercial world nears its end, and so does the multinational corporation. The multinational and the global corporation are not the same thing. The multinational corporation operates in a number of countries, and adjusts its products and practices in each—at high relative costs. The global corporation operates with resolute constancy—at low relative cost—as if the entire world (or major regions of it) were a single entity; it sells the same things in the same way everywhere. Which strategy is better is not a matter of opinion but of necessity. Worldwide communications carry everyw here the constant drumbeat of modern possibilities to lighten and enhance work, raise living standards, divert, and entertain. The same countries that ask the world to recognize and respect the individuality of their cultures insist on the wholesale transfer to them of modern goods, services, and technologies. Modernity is not just a wish but also a widespread practice among those who cling, with unyielding passion or religious fervor, to ancient attitudes and heritages. Companies may enter the global market through various kinds of international investments. Companies may choose to make foreign direct investments, (FDI) which allow them to control companies and assets in other countries. Indeed, the largest 500 MNEs account forover 90% of the world stock of foreign direct investment (FDI) and they, themselves, conduct about half the world’s trade, (Rugman, 2004). In addition, companies may elect to make portfolio investments, by acquiring the stock of companies in other countries in order to gain control of these companies. They may participate in the international market by eitherlicensing or franchising. Another way companies tap into the global market is by forming strategic alliances with companies in other countries. While strategic alliances come in many forms, some enable each company to access the home market of the other and there by market their products as being affiliated with the well-known host company. This method ofinternational business also enables a company to bypass some of the difficulties associated with inte rnationalization such as different political, regulatory, and social conditions. The home company can help the multinational company address and overcome these difficulties because it is accustomed to them. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) largely operate within their home region of the triad, or, at best, are bi-regional (competing only across two of the triads of the EU, NAFTA and Asia. Most of the largest 500 MNEs are interested in the deepening of regional trade and investment agreements in Europe, the Americas and Asia. This is a high end  ³niche ´ of the commonality viewpoint in which they argue that the world’s clearly becoming more unified and homogeneous ´. However, basically every aspect oftheir arguments wrong. Instead of one language, one thirst, one food, one car, etc. there are strong regional differences within each part of the triad. Despite their global nature, some argues that companies must customize their products orservices to meet the needs of vari ous international markets, and hence must use a multi-domestic strategy at least in part. For example, a US fast food companies such as KFC, McDonalds although have a standard approach globally, they adapted their strategy to the preference of regions or countries like in China, Japan, Middle-East. KFC introduced smallerpieces of foods to cater to a Japanese preference, and located restaurants in crowded are as along with other restaurants, moving away from independent sites. As a result of these changes, the fast-food restaurant experienced stronger demand in Japan. As Grant, 2008, indicated, for instance McDonald carefully blends of global standardization and local adaptation in most countries. Its menus feature an increasing number of locally developed items like McVeggie Burger in India, McArabia in Kofta in Saudi Arabia, Kosher food in Israel by still maintaining globally standardized items, i.e. the big Mac and potato fries. Carindustries like Toyota adapt their product also as per region. Product for the US market and other part of the world is different. As the rising tide of globalization, some companies may lost the way or make mistakes to set out to create a worldwide strategy. In fact, better results come from strong regional strategies, which is the bridge that connect the local and global initiatives, and can significantly boost a company’s performance. As indicated earlier, an increasing number ofcompanies regard regions as enabler o f cross-border integration because high level ofcross-border integration usually accompany with high level of regionalization. Besides the geographic proximity, the cultural, administrative and economic proximity also become an important competitive advantage in regionalization and contribute a significant weight ofsales. Embracing regional strategies requires flexibility and creativity. Managers must be conscious that markets, supplies, investors, locations, partners, and competitors can be anywhere in the world. Successful businesses will take advantage of opportunities wherever they are and will be prepared for downfalls. Successful managers, in this environment, need to understand the similarities and differences across national boundaries, in order to utilize the opportunities and deal with the potential downfalls. Once this analysis is complete, managers must establish strategic goals, which are the significant goals a company seeks to achieve through a particular pursuit such as entering a new regional market through considering the above five regional strategy model. International strategies refer to those that address competition in each country or region on an individual basis, whereas global strategy refers to addressing competition in an integrated and holistic manner across country and regional boundaries. Hence, multi-domestic international strategies attempt to appeal to the needs of customers in different countries or regions, while global strategies attempt to standardize products and marketing to work across boundaries. Levitt will be remembered by the world as the man who coined the word â€Å"globalization,† but for his former students, his colleagues, and his loved ones, he was above all a man who could bestow down-to-earth advice as well as ground-breaking theory.

Music and Murder :: essays research papers

Documentaries serve to draw a response through the use of literary techniques in order to present a particular point of view. Michael Cordell’s Music and Murder subscribes to this principle, the documentary focuses on three men serving prison sentences for taking a life and how music has changed and shaped their outlook on their own lives. Music, structure, verbal language and selection of detail all work on the viewers emotions which serve to draw a positive response towards rehabilitation in prisons. Music and Murder follows Vernon Kronk who killed an infant because it wet the bed, Geoffrey Websdale who shot dead two people and injured one and Daniel Miles who stabbed his girlfriend. All three prisoners are serving sentences in prison for their crimes and all three with the help of the prison teachers have found an interest in music. Music and Murder as a title for this documentary is very peculiar in that it hints that the two themes go together, many would see such a title as a paradox and that if rehabilitation was the only issue Music after Murder would be a more suitable title, however the emotional maturing through music is important in the documentary. Music recorded by the prisoners is played throughout the documentary, this attempts to give the viewer insight into the emotions felt by the musicians. The music is described by one of the prisons music teachers as â€Å"coming from the heart†, because we have not discovered the crimes that the prisoners have committed the music attempts to draw on feelings of sympathy from the viewer for the men. Much of the documentary is left to periods of the men’s music; these periods are an expression of emotion by which the notion of humanity and a second chance is put forward. The structure, the order parts of the documentary are presented determine how prisoners are constructed by the viewer. In Music and Murder Vernon, Geoffrey and Daniel are all constructed in the same way and overall the documentary works to construct the prisoners as people deserving of the viewers trust. In the beginning of the documentary the prison is described and shown as concrete and metal and there are close-ups of the metal bars, locks and razor-wire. This use of montage re-establishes the viewers previous idea of prison as punishment. After this the music is introduced by the respected teachers as not leisure but a constructive way to use their time in prison, having the punishment aspect of prison introduced before the music gives the viewer a positive on the idea as music as rehabilitation and not just as leisure.

Improving Our Ability to Make Decisions Essay -- Decision Making Proce

Decision-Making Process: Improving Our Ability to Make Decision Facing a situation, you have to decide. For example, the fire surrounds you: What do you do? Jump through the windows and risk to kill yourself or to wait the firemen and risk to be burned to death if they come to late? Every decision that we make or don’t make shapes our future. Everyone tries to make good decisions. However, it is easy to overlook an important factor, miss a desirable option, or base the decision on unreliable information. In addition, fear of making a wrong choice can cause someone to postpone decisions, leading to miss opportunities. A businessperson must have the ability to make decisions under the pressure of time and circumstances. This ability needs a good knowledge of the decision making process. From a practical point-of-view, of the most important human skills is decision-making. Both at a personal level and in context of organizations, decision-making skill strongly affects the quality of life and success. Decision-making is the process by which a person or group recognizes a choice, gathers information, analyzes the data, and determines the best option to choose. The decision-making process employs high levels of critical thinking skills and problem-solving techniques. Decisions are guided by several factors, primarily the significance of the issue, the impact the decision may have, and the person's or group's morals and cultural norms. For less significant decisions that have little impact, people might not invoke the higher thinking skills that theorists expect (Decision-Making 2015). Flipping a coin, hoping for a miraculous sign, following the crowd, or by passing the responsibility to someone else are all means of making decisions. For more important decisions with gr eater impact, people often employ more advanced thought processes like those demonstrated in decision-making models by social psychologists and behaviorists. Most theories accept the idea that decision-making consists of a number of steps or stages such as improving creativity, critical thinking skills, and problem solving techniques. It is well recognized that routine cognitive processes such as memory, reasoning, and concept formation play a primary role in decision-making (Decision-Making 2015). Leaders know in their gut that creativity and innovation are the life blood of their o... ...d are seldom subject to critical review. As a result, managers frequently have a difficult time improving their decision-making capacity. Good business decisions are the heart of a successful organization. Without a process decisions may be made by the most powerful or influential person in the group or not made at all. Good decision-making is a balance between getting the most of what we want with as little risk as possible. It means that we include the right people and use a process that encourages participation while keeping or focus clearly on the decision at hand. This allows people to make the decision with a high degree of confidence and efficiency. Works Cited:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Critical Thinking Skills. (2015). Web. March 7, 2015 http://www.everesttraining.com Decision-Making. (2015). Web. March 7, 2015 http://tip.psychology.org/decision Problem Solving and Decision Making. (2015). Web. March 8, 2015 http://www.cob.tamucc.edu/rallen/ Tubbs, S.L. (2004) A Systems Approach to Small Group Interaction. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Corporation. Welch, D. (2001). Decisions, Decisions: The Art of Effective Decision Making New York State. Prometheus Books.

Housing and Habitability Essay

Question 1: You are an environmental health inspector asked investigate problems at a local low-income and poorly main apartment complex. There is lead-based paint peeling from the walls, and mold growing on the walls. Living in a room that has lead-based paint peeling from the walls and mold growing on the walls has certain health complications. The two factors are considered to be the worst indoor air pollutants and its effect can be seen after repeated exposure or soon after exposure. Occupants of an apartment with such conditions are exposed to such risks whether children or old people. Lead-based paint peeling from the walls has a number of health complications to low income family members especially children (Stewart, 2001). Excessive exposure to lead can cause damage to nervous system and the brain making it hard for the victim to have good health. Other main health problems include high blood pressure, headaches, and muscle pain, difficulties during pregnancy and digestive problems. Control of lead-based paint from peeling off the walls is a major challenge for low income earning family living in a poorly maintained apartment. The following measures can be taken to control lead paint health problems;  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cleaning up paint chips once they peel off.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Washing children’s hands more frequently and items they play with such as toys.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Planting grass to cover soil with high levels of lead  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cleaning painted surfaces weekly and rinsing the cleaning tools thoroughly.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Keeping children from chewing painted surfaces Molds are other major health hazards as they are invisible organisms that grow on walls under suitable conditions such as light, water and air. Health problems associated with molds include breathing problems, asthma, and irritation of skin, eyes, sneezing, nausea, headache and fatigue. Control of molds requires the application of simple measures such as opening the windows to let fresh air flow inside the building (Strang, 2003). With enough sunlight and clean air, humidity inside the rooms is decreased hence eliminating growth of molds. Question 2: One of your goals is to protect the health of swimmers at a local recreational pool. Discuss two methods that have been used to treat swimming pool water, ozonation and chlorination. The health of swimmers is usually at risk as the water is in most cases contaminated. There are two commonly used methods to treat swimming pool water such as ozonation and chlorination. Any swimmer has high chances of contaminating swimming pool through sweat, urine, mucous, skin flaks or hair ointments. These contaminants can be treated through the use of ozonation which proves to be the most beneficial and advanced method of treating swimming pool water (Ball, 2006). Ozonation works by injecting ozone on the filter then coagulant is added. Once filtration is done chlorine product is added as a residual concentration. Once the chlorine mixes with ozone, the level of chlorine reduces making the process one of the best treatment method. The ozone reduces large molecules into small molecules which are easily decomposed by the filter. Ozonation has a number of benefits which include increase in the quality of swimming water as the level of chlorine is reduced. Another benefit is oxidization of organic and inorganic matter without formation of by-products and clearing away of chlorine scent which might have some health problems. Chlorination is another method used to treat swimming pool water whereby chlorine is used as a disinfectant.   Routine chlorination is used to kill harmful microorganisms which act as health threat. Chlorine reacts with organics and produces nitrogen trichloride and chloramines which are dangerous chemicals. As disinfectant, chlorine prevents the growth of bacteria or algae making the swimming pool water safe. Ozonation is the best method of treating swimming pool water compared to chlorination. Ozone is used as a purification agent while chlorine is used as a disinfectant (Goldstein, Martin, 2002). This means that there are no harmful by products produced through ozonation while chlorine produces dangerous chemicals which are harmful to swimmers.