Saturday, March 14, 2020

Abrams Company Essay Essay Example

Abrams Company Essay Essay Example Abrams Company Essay Paper Abrams Company Essay Paper MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS Lecturer : Supriyadi, Ph. D. Nama : Handy nugroho - No: 1157021 Case : Abrams Company Abrams’Company manufactured a wide variety of parts for use in automobiles, trucks, buses, and farm equipment. Abrams sold their product both to the OEMs and the wholesalers. top management is satisfied with their management systems and performance measurement scheme but they are three areas of concern that need to be discussed. * First, the transfer prices disagreements of parts sold by the product divisions to the AM division. Second, is in the product divisions too often tended to treat the AM division as a captive customer and in the performance measurement system. * Third, the excessive yearly inventory carried by both the AM division and the three product divisions. Strength The company has a clear management structure. The company has employed a bonus plan for employees. The AM Marketing division will input products form the other three divisions, and sell it to domestic and foreign market, it helps the company save cost when it input internal. Weaknesses Abrams’ business model weakness is that its divisions operate as independent companies. Furthermore, all of these profit centers, participate in an incentive compensation plan that the higher the participant is in the organizational hierarchy, the more â€Å"incentive points† he or she will receive based on division profit variance. The Abrams Company has three totally independent divisions, and the three divisions are lack of connection. The transactions between the three divisions dispute the transfer pricing. Case Analysis and Recommendation The Abrams case is about using profitability measures to evaluate profit centers. In EU companies it is more common to evaluate PCs with Income measures like RI and EVA. It is very difficult to find a relevant and fair capital base for the ROI measure. Abrams use book value for fixed assets which inflate the ROI measure as the assets age. The age and mix of assets also differs among divisions which give unfair measures. It is also easy for the divisions to manipulate the capital base at the end of the year. ROI based bonus may rob the future, who want to invest in assets if that reduce the bonus. Recommendation to this company was to use RI or EVA instead of ROI and to control the investments separately using NPV and capital turnover measures. The bonus should be based on the budgeted income level, the RI target. The current transfer price system seems to work well with few disputes. Market prices are more used as a top-level for the TP. An advantage with cost base TP is that it will give all internal partners full information about the cost structure and you will avoid â€Å"upstream fixed costs† The problem with the inventory level cannot be controlled with ROI management. If the company change to RI/EVA it will be possible to to negotiate relevant inventory levels in the budget process. High inventory levels can also be managed with differentiated capital charges that will create high interest costs. The best way to control operational tasks is to use nonfinancial measures such as inventory turnover. Use nonfinancial measures to control the inventory levels. If it is an strategic issue you can connect this measure to the bonus system. In general, Abrams Company adopts the lowest cost, differentiation, market focus and ROI strategies to accomplish the organization’s goal. Furthermore, In order to implement the strategies the firm establishes its own management control systems. Suggestions  to  performance measurement  system: 1) ROI can be used combination with other performance measures to avoid the limitations of ROI. The company can establish a non-financial performance measurement system such as the balanced scorecard . With a good performance measurement system, the incentive compensation plan will be improved. 2) EVA ( Economic value added) can be used instead of ROI Suggestions to transfer pricing : a transfer price fixed by the top management in compliance with the AM division and the other divisions involved which could be revised when it is out of date. This fixed price could be adjusted due to inflation. There should be an internal policy on it. Therefore, top management should implement a c ost-based transfer prices because when competitive prices are not available, transfer prices may be set on the basis of cost plus a profit markup.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Fred Bailey Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fred Bailey Case - Essay Example This was not easy for Japanese since in Japanese culture, people first get to know each other and free conversation takes place only after a certain amount of familiarity is established. He made the same mistake when interacting with Japanese clients and instead of trying to know them batter, immediately launched into the project details. He also made no efforts to learn about the Japanese culture from the one American employee who had some knowledge of the Japanese culture. Fred’s lack of patience and his attempt to get results quickly rubbed the Japanese the wrong way and resulted in his feeling frustrated and unable to get any work done. 3. When selecting employees for oversees assignment, it would be a good idea to look for someone who is familiar with the local language. Also, person’s who have traveled widely are usually much more open to other cultures and adapt easily. People who have been brought up in households where they were exposed to more than one culture may also adapt better in foreign cultures. Besides a person’s cultural predisposition, it is also important to look the family. Usually, a person with well settled family may resist leaving everything and going to a foreign country. As a result, it is best to send employees who do not have many family obligations. If such a person is not available for a senior position, an organization may send junior employees and allow them to get to know the local culture, while a senior employee can make periodic visits and use the local experience of the younger employees to interact with the locals. 4. Fred’s organization could have given Fred and his family cultural adaptations classes to get them ready for their Japanese assignment. 5. As Dave Steiner, if I receive such a call from Fred, I would advice Fred to hang in while I explored the options. Next I would call other employees in Japan to understand what the problem was. I could also talk with the person who was at the position before Fred and ask him about his opinions. Once I understood what the problem was, I would ask Fred to go through a cultural acclimatization course and to hang in there for a few more months. If, after taking all these steps, Fred still insisted on returning, I would have no other option but to agree. But before that, I would advise Fred to better understand the Japanese culture and give it some more time. The case study presented here is related to the cultural problems faced while conducting international business. Hence, the two articles selected for this essay are both concerned with cultural issues in international business settings. Th e first article is titled â€Å"The Effects of Cultural Adaptation on Business Relations: Americans Selling to Japanese and Thais†

Monday, February 10, 2020

Importance of the Rifle in the American Culture Essay

Importance of the Rifle in the American Culture - Essay Example This essay demonstrates that the victory in the American Revolution further motivated the gun smiths of America to concentrate on new designs of guns and rifles. During the earlier years the supply of the guns was limited because a lot of time was to be spent on the creation of the gun and the guns smiths were few. Later however, as the areas rich in iron core were discovered the number of gun smiths grew. (Pike, 2007) The discovery of the basic natural resource needed for the creation attracted many people into this occupation. As a result there were many more advancements in the gun industry. For example some of the designs created at that time were so sophisticated that they still remain to be used for sports activities. (Pike, 2007) This phase was an important one for the Americans because the enhanced gun industry became an identity for the people of America at that time. Even to this day, the gun industry remains representative of the American tradition.To conclude, the rifle a nd the guns throughout history have proved to be an integral part of the American Culture. The American gunsmiths were the ones who transformed the bulky and heavy muskets that were initially introduced to America into weapons that were more useful and precise. Had the American gunsmiths not taken any interest in the developments of the guns, the gun industry would not have been as developed as it is today. The fire arms industry today owes a lot to the gunsmiths of America at the time of the American Revolution.

Friday, January 31, 2020

Marijuana Persuasive Essay Example for Free

Marijuana Persuasive Essay Do you believe the negative effects of marijuana are more damaging than alcohol and tobacco? Personally, I really don’t think the effects are any worse, and seeing as though alcohol and tobacco are legal; so should marijuana. Presently, it is illegal to consume, grow, and/or sell any amount of marijuana in the United States of America for any reason; with the exception of fourteen states, which uses it strictly for medicinal purposes. Yes, I said medicinal purpose. Crazy how an herb that is capable of helping to cure you can be illegal while another that kills over 3 million a year can be legal (Charltan, 2004). Marijuana is a hallucinogen that has been around for many years, initially used for recreational purposes. In recent years, doctors have come to realize that it can actually help with diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis (MS), glaucoma, and more (â€Å"Drug Free America Foundation, Inc.†). The active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, has been proven to prevent the increase of rate â€Å"Alzheimer plaques† in patients (â€Å"Marijuana may help stave off Alzheimer’s†). It has been known to work more efficiently than any other commercial drug presently being marketed, but many people still have qualms about the idea. They believe marijuana is just a drug that has bad side effects, when in reality; tobacco and alcohol have worse effects. In contrast to marijuana; alcohol and tobacco are legal. Although there is an age limit to consume both, 21 and 18 respectively, the use is not prohibited. When it comes down to lasting effects on the body and organ damage; tobacco does way more damage than marijuana. Tobacco causes emphysema, cavities, gum disease, and it is responsible for 9 out of 10 lung cancer deaths (â€Å"Cigarette Smoking, 2009†). People are warned of the negative effects of tobacco on a daily basis, but yet they smoke packs of cigarettes continuously, and you may wonder why this is so. I concluded that the reason why they smoke cigarettes is because they’re legal, point blank. If marijuana was legal I guarantee no one would ever smoke a cigarette again, and as a result, there would be less cases of lung cancer, emphysema, and oral cancer altogether. In the case of what drugs should and should not be legal, this argument is very astonishing. Just how tobacco; such a harmful herb, with barely any health benefits can be legal and available to everyone. The lasting effects are so harsh; I cannot understand how people do not see my point of view. While tobacco causes cancer, marijuana helps cure it. For one to say that legalizing marijuana is a ridiculous idea, it would be like saying using a band-aid on a cut is pointless. It should be legalized and officially recognized as a medicine. All states, not only fourteen, should sign off on this topic. Marijuana is treatment for many diseases and it is what a band-aid is to a cut. Many people need it and are afraid to obtain it because of possible repercussions. That should no longer be an issue in this country. Works Cited. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs United States, 19951999. 2002;51(14);300–303. MMWR Morb Mort Wkly Rep. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5114a2.htm on September 17, 2009. Charlton, Ann. (2004). Medicinal use of tobacco in history. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1079499/ Marijuana may help stave off Alzheimer’s. (2006, October 10). Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15145917/#storyContinued

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Earthquake Loads & Earthquake Resistant Design of Buildings :: essays research papers

Earthquake Loads & Earthquake Resistant Design of Buildings 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Summary  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Earthquake Design - A Conceptual Review  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Earthquake Resisting Performance Expectations  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Key Material Parameters for Effective Earthquake Resistant Design  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Earthquake Design Level Ground Motion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 6.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elastic Response Spectra  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 6.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Relative Seismicity  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 6.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Soil amplification  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Derivation of Ductile Design Response Spectra  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Analysis and Earthquake Resistant Design Principles  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  8 8.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Basic Principles of Earthquake Resistant Design  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  8 8.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Controls of the Analysis Procedure  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  8 8.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ‘Conventional’ Earthquake Design Procedure  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Capacity Design Philosophy for Earthquake Resistance  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11 9.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Approach  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11 9.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Implications of Capacity Design  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Earthquake Resistant Structural Systems  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12 10.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moment Resisting Frames:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12 10.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shear Walls  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13 10.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Braced Frames  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Importance & Implications of Structural Regularity  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13 11.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13 11.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vertical Regularity  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14 11.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Horizontal Regularity.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14 11.4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Floor Diaphragms  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14 12.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Methods of Analysis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  15 12.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Integrated Time History Analysis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  15 12.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Multi-modal Analysis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  15 12.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Equivalent Static Analysis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  15 13.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trends and Future Directions  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  16 14.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusions  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  16 15.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  17 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Summary The primary objective of earthquake resistant design is to prevent building collapse during earthquakes thus minimising the risk of death or injury to people in or around those buildings. Because damaging earthquakes are rare, economics dictate that damage to buildings is expected and acceptable provided collapse is avoided. Earthquake forces are generated by the inertia of buildings as they dynamically respond to ground motion. The dynamic nature of the response makes earthquake loadings markedly different from other building loads. Designer temptation to consider earthquakes as ‘a very strong wind’ is a trap that must be avoided since the dynamic characteristics of the building are fundamental to the structural response and thus the earthquake induced actions are able to be mitigated by design. The concept of dynamic considerations of buildings is one which sometimes generates unease and uncertainty within the designer. Although this is understandable, and a common characteristic of any new challenge, it is usually misplaced. Effective earthquake design methodologies can be, and usually are, easily simplified without detracting from the effectiveness of the design. Indeed the high level of uncertainty relating to the ground motion generated by earthquakes seldom justifies the often used complex analysis techniques nor the high level of design sophistication often employed. A good earthquake engineering design is one where the designer takes control of the building by dictating how the building is to respond. This can be achieved by selection of the preferred response mode, selecting zones where inelastic deformations are acceptable and suppressing the development of undesirable response modes which could lead to building collapse. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Earthquake Design - A Conceptual Review Modern earthquake design has its genesis in the 1920’s and 1930’s. At that time earthquake design typically involved the application of 10% of the building weight as a lateral force on the structure, applied uniformly up the height of the building.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Antisocial Behaviour Essay

In Britain antisocial behaviour between young people is a widely argued subject in the British media. More and more Brits at the age 13-18 are dropping out of school or work-based training and refuse to return. These young people are more than likely to face criminal action possibly leading to a fine or community sentence. But when we are talking about the term â€Å"Anti-social Behaviour†, then we need to know what it exactly means. The British â€Å"crime disorder act† of 1998 describes the term â€Å"†¦ n anti-social manner, that is to say, in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons †¦ † So to simplify, Antisocial behaviour is when a person is forced by his or hers environment to cause harassment to one-self or the persons surroundings, and as far as I understand the subject antisocial behaviour does not have to be of criminal nature, but it is more than likely to be so. In 2007 the percentage of 16 to 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training was 9 percent. It is exactly these young people who are the targets for becoming antisocial. So how do you make sure that these unfortunate teenagers don’t end in this so unfortunate situation and is it possible to force the teenagers to behave in a more civilised way? There are actually many suggestions for a solution to this nationwide problem. Some of them are quit controversial and are more likely to stop antisocial teenagers doing crime, than to prevent teenagers to not at all become antisocial. One of these alternative solutions is the â€Å"Mosquito† which is a sonic device that gives out a piercing noise audible only to teenagers and people in there early twenties. This device has been installed as a â€Å"yob† (slang for an antisocial person) deterrent at nearly 3,000 locations such as grocers and shopping malls across Great Britain. This Mosquito is a camouflaged speaker box not larger than shoebox and it sends out a pulse at 18 kilohertz which in the last end will give the young people acting antisocial in front of the store a terrible headache so they quickly leave the store. This method of fighting antisocial behaviour among teens has been shown very effective. In some stores in the UK crime outside the stores had dropped by 83 % since the device was installed. The device has actually earned so much respect among shopkeepers and government officials that some are considering that the Mosquito should be obligatory by law in most public places by night. So it is quite obvious to see all the positive aspects but not all are so enthusiastic. Chief constables in Britain say they are scared the Mosquito is going to infringe human rights. Authorities say that the device is indiscriminating and that people should consider the effects on the young people, because not all young people are antisocial yobs. So you can see that the meanings about the Mosquito vary quite a lot. The device is very effective against the teens that already are in the antisocial environment but the device is not at all preventive. So what could be done if you the British teenagers to not even think about becoming antisocial. The British former PM Tony Blair wants to force errant schoolchildren back to school by using dedicated truancy officers which will be deployed in the 200 schools with biggest yob and truancy problems. This plan spans over using more than ? 70m to stamp out antisocial behaviour, as well as 24,000 community support officers will also be conducting these truancy sweeps so they can force the teens back to school. The plan does also include tougher punishments to the yobs when they get caught. This is of course a very controversial method to tackle antisocial behaviour but it could be showing really effective because it is preventive and helps the teenagers in trouble before they become antisocial yobs. But of course as mentioned by opponents of the plan, the plan is so ambitious and expensive that it more looks like â€Å"a mish-mash of gimmick and spin† than an actual plan, which within realistic measures would be preventive without costing the country enormous amounts of money and labour. So here we have two very different plans which in two very different ways will deal with two very important parts of the subject antisocial behaviour among British teens. I do not think that there is any exactly solution to this very important problem in British cities, small towns and schools but of course the Mosquito has already proven its worth in more than 3,000 locations with success and has made it safer for those people being harassed by the yobs in the public. But unfortunately the Mosquito does not help educating the teens; it just makes the yobs find an other place for them to be at. The most important factor in this case is that you need to stop the antisocial behaviour in its process and not when it already has affected the young teenagers. So perhaps Tony Blair’s plan is the right way to do it, though I personally believe that the plan is way too focussed on hard punishment than in are pedagogical way. I don’t believe that tough punishment is the way of teaching youngsters today.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Bsbpmg522 - Undertake Project Work - 950 Words

PROJECT PLAN MAIL DISTRIBUTION CENTRE PROJECT MANAGER: Geoff Blackland START DATE: 01/12/2015 PURPOSE: Develop a new staff recruitment and selection process for mail distribution centre. TIMELINE: Three months REQUIRED STAFF FOR PROJECT: Henry Smith (Human Resources), Roger Tucker (Mail Distribution Manager) Janine Taylor (General Manager) Interview Panel (to be advised) Stage 1 of the Planning Process: 1) Select the Interview Panel and block out appropriate times to conduct the interviews. Ensure interviewees have had training and know their role and responsibility in the process. 2) Determine how many interviews you would like to conduct later in the process. Book interview rooms depending on availability. 3)†¦show more content†¦Arrange for a buddy, Roger Tucker you will assign a buddy for the new employee to work alongside to support and provide the new starter with guidance and information to assist their transition into their new role. This will be an ongoing role for the first 3 months of employment. Obtain formal feedback from the new employee, Roger Tucker as Mail Distribution Manager you Are required to obtain formal feedback from the new employee after the first month in the role and manage any job expectations or problems which arise.Show MoreRelatedA Brief Note On The Modern World Business1162 Words   |  5 PagesName of Assignment Undertake Project Work Unit code BSBPMG522 Assignment task 1 Student Name SUKHVIR SINGH Student ID MTT000010 Trainer Name NICOLLIS TIRRIS Date 22 Oct. 15 Introduction In the modern world business is a growing field. Restaurants are a business where we prepares and serves food and drinks to customers in exchange for money. Meals are generally served and eaten in Restaurants, but many restaurants also offer take away and food delivery services. Restaurants serve major