Strategic Management-Walgreens Internal Analysis Essay

Strategic Management-Walgreens Internal Analysis - Essay Example target of operating 7,000 stores by year 2010, Walgreen needs to manage its internal processes effectively and efficiently to maintain competitiveness and profitability. Assessing its operations to identify key business processes and areas of value addition allows companies to manage costs strategically. The concept of Value Chain Analysis presents a powerful management tool for identifying key areas of value addition and cost incurring with a business operation and by analysing Walgreens Value Chain, the report aims to establish areas of organisational strengths and weaknesses which would facilitate the strategic decision making process. An internal analysis of an organisation entails the assessment of its key business processes, the core competencies, organisational strengths and capabilities as well as weaknesses in alignment of business opportunities, which the organisation is perusing for its long terms success. Analysis tools such as Organisational Capability Analysis or OCP analysis, Value Chain analysis and SWOT analysis are few common tools available in conducting an internal analysis for a business. Value Chain analysis presents a strategic view of all company functions and activities, which are performed in carrying out its business and facilitates a comprehensive internal assessment in terms of not only the activity or function itself but also the manner in which they are interlinked in pursuing company objectives. â€Å"The Value Chain Analysis identifies separate activities, function and business processes that are performed in designing, producing, marketing, delivering and supporting product or a service† ( Porter 1985). The chain of interlinked activities, which comes together to finally meet a customer need in the form of a product or a service includes raw material sourcing, logistics, production, sales & marketing as well as other support services. AT each stage, the business objective is to create and add value and generate a component of the

The basic process Essay Example for Free

The basic process Essay A very big part of the ICT section of the business is the website. The website is an open form of communication with internal and external factors. The performance of the business has rocketed since the introduction of the website www. boots. co. uk. It is used to communicate internally and externally. Internally staff can sign into the website and gain data that they may need from home. The external communication is a lot more effected by the website. The website communicates with customers about products, store information, special offers and online sales. The online shop that Boots operates increases the performance of the business financially as little money is needed in its upkeep compared to the amount the stores require. The website enables Boots to make more money with less input. Less staff is needed to operate the online store so money is saved there. There is no need for a physical shop it is all virtual so this saves money on rent, bills, and general upkeep. Nothing can be broken or damaged by customers like in a Boots store. The online store can be used 24 hours a day 7 days a week and while people shop they may notice new products and they will see advertising around the site that might be of interest. The advertising space is also a benefit to Boots as it is free and unlimited. All these aspects are elements that contribute to the economic and low cost high profit performance of the business. Email Email can be used to enhance the performance of the business internally and externally Internally messages can be typed and sent to many people very quickly. This saves money and time in photocopying and distribution of letters. Emails internally can be used in restricted and open format dependant on the content. They can be used to make staff aware of information about price changes and strategic alterations that may need to be put into place. The use of emails in Boots to make staff aware of extra shift work available and job opportunities that may become available add to the efficiency and economic performance of the business by reducing the time that is used up by alternative methods. Staff can get in hold of the business via email when they need as it is a quick and easy way to do so. Externally emails are used a lot in Boots for advertising. Customer databases are formed with information from the reward card scheme and the email addresses are put into a file. This is used to send customers information about special offers and general advertising. This is a lot cheaper than alternative methods such as the constructing printing and posting of leaflets and brochures. Links are used a lot to make it quick and appealing for customers to explore the online shop and be tempted to purchase goods. This increases the performance of the business by again making more money from as little input as possible. It saves Boots money, time, and manpower, which effectively frees more opportunity for the business to expand and develop. Without ICT Boots would by now have lost out to competition, wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds ineffectively and not bee the multi million pound empire they are today. Production process The production process is typically present within the operation of a manufacturing orientated business. This is the basic process of production INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT Boots is retail service not a manufacturing one. The production process is still however related around the business. Although Boots do not manufacture products the production process is vital in ensuring all elements of the business operation run smoothly. The production process as shown above consists of three sections which are the input the process and the output. Boots is in the tertiary section of the industry as it is an outlet that sells goods. This is the output and this is the main aspect that affects Boots. The inputs are the primary sector and the process is secondary. As Boots is in the tertiary sector and sells goods it must also use the secondary and primary industry also. An example of the process would be involving the secondary section of industry. This would be the purchasing of goods from suppliers to sell in the store. Boots do not directly have a contribution to this area of the production process. They do however contribute to the input section of the production process which represents the primary industry. Boots can investigate medicines and test treatments for sales in their stores. The manufacturing, mass production and distribution to stores are the process part of Boots production process representing secondary industry.

The Book Thief Review Essay Example for Free

The Book Thief Review Essay In,The Book Thief,we learn about the different types of human nature, from the kindness to the cruelty. Death is the narrator and struggles to come to terms with the difference between the evil plans of the Nazi government and the goodwill and courage of a few German people. His curiosity leads him to uncovering Liesel’s story and he becomes attached to certain features for characters such as; Liesel, Rudy, Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann. The Book Thief goes through some of the most evil things in history and it takes us through these various times. We witness the torture of the Jews in the book, from when Liesel and Rudy witness the streets with the destroyed houses and shops. The Nazi’s classify them as subhumans and make them march through Molching, while they are being tortured by the Nazi soldiers which is totally wrong. Hans Hubermann showed great compassion and pity even though there would be consequences, as he rushes to a crowd of Jews and gives and old man a piece of bread. â€Å"The Jew stood before him, expecting another handful of derision, but he watched with everyone else as Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread, like magic†. This quote says, that even though his punishment is being sent to the war, it is connected to his act of kindness and he provides a much needed role model for both Liesel and Rudy. Ilsa Hermann displays a great amount of warmth and goodwill by inviting Liesel into her library. Although this character may look lonely over the loss of her son, she manages to teach Liesel into her love of literature. She does not react angrily to the fact that Liesel had stolen books from her library, this in turns show compassion in human nature. Even though Liesel and Rudy stole books, death shows this as acts of courage, rather than a criminal offence. The Hubermann’s ( Rosa and Hans) consent to take care of Liesel as a foster child is wonderful and this is also further more explained as they promised to Max’s family, even though knowing being caught hiding a Jew leass to death. The Hubermann family don’t just take in Max, but they also make him feel loved and part of the family. Liesel defies Nazi rules and regulations, by taking education into her own hands, as Rudy puts it after their fathers were sent to war, â€Å"It feels good doesn’t it? To steal something back.† Liesel further more defies the Nazi model of hate of Jews as she grows closer to Max and help each other develop as individuals and also show a lot of affection towards one another. Rudy is a very loveable character and in the start, goes from stealing bread, to giving it to the marching Jews. This act is selfless because at the time he and his family were starving â€Å"Proof again of the contradictory nature of human beings† – Death. Furthermore, â€Å"From the toolbox the boy took out, of all things, a teddy bear. He reached in through the torn windshield and placed it on the pilot’s chest†. This shows a compassionate act of human nature even though the pilot was from an opposite side of the war. Even though, harsh punishments were experienced during the time of Nazi Germany, many examples of human spirit were exposed to overpower the evil and shows that we can have some sort of integrity to face evil times.

Scientific Management Approach by Frederick W. Taylor

Scientific Management Approach by Frederick W. Taylor Scientific management approach was developed by Frederick W. Taylor in the late 19th century. This management approach can be defined as a scientific study done on the work methods aimed at improving the efficiency of the workers in order to achieve simplification, specialization, standardization and the overall efficiency in the organization. The approach further aimed at increasing productivity through mutual trust between the workers and the management. Through this, Taylor aimed at improving the level of trust with level of productivity improvement going to the workers. He also aimed at eliminating at eliminating anxiety and physical stress through training the workers and getting rid of the traditional boss concept (Anderson, 1988). In report, principles of scientific management approach are discussed. The relevance of the approach in the modern business world is highlighted with specific examples of its appropriateness and influence given To achieve this, Taylor developed four principles of scientific management approach that uniquely identifies it. The first principle is that uses science and not the rule of the thumb old rules. The principle further argues that the old rules of the thumb be further supported by scientific approaches to ones work. Scientific selection of workers is the second principle. The principle states that members to the organization should be selected according to some analysis. The y should then be taught, trained and developed (Anderson, 1988). The third principle is the management and labor corporation. Rather than managing conflicts, the management should collaborate with the members of the organization. This corporation makes it possible for the work to be done in such a in accordance to the set scientific principles. Scientific training of workers is the fourth principle. The principle points out that worker should be trained by experts based on scientific methods. Relating this to the modern business world, it is evident how Taylors ideas have influenced and still shape the business environment. On the first principle, the laws and scientific principles have replaced the traditional methods that are old fashioned. This is seen in factory automation where tasks performed by workers are optimized using scientific methods and approaches with the aim of increasing productivity and being able to get optimal results. The most production lines are largely determined by the mechanical approaches chosen but have always been improved using emerging scientific methods (Albrecht, 1983). The quality of the product has been improved by uses of scientific methods like ISO quality standards. In New Zealand for instance the use of ISO 9001 is a relevant example of a situation where the quality of the product is assured by the set work tasks. This management tool has been used widely to improve the quality of the products by most organizations in New Zealand. The tool proves to reduce waste, customer returns and rework. In the long run the end result is that efficiency is achieved. The second principle of scientific selection of workers has widely been used in the modern business environment. The principle is deemed as the most relevant one today as most organizations endeavor to hire the right person for to various positions. One common example where this scientific principle is the use of psychologists to conduct interviews in order to determine the use the suitability of an applicant to take up certain position. Use of business training programme and training Curve in New Zealand is an example of how science has been used to perform in selecting the right persons to undertake various tasks. Bringing together the trained worker and the science in order to offer opportunities for expression of employees need and better treatment is illustrated by the third principle in scientific management. The concept is evident today in the form of human relations. Problems related to human relations have however not been seen as been advocated by scientific management but according to (Gilbreth, 1914) scientific management has been beneficial to productivity. Most managers try to maintain safe and healthy workforce in order to improve their productivity. This has lead to the coming up of legislations such as the safe and Healthy in Employment Act of 1992 in New Zealand. The legislation is aimed at ensuring employees are happy and work in safe environment. The last principle emphasizes the need for distinguishing the roles played by each group in an organization. This is done by dividing the work in the organization into two large components. These are the one for the management and workers. This division gives the management higher responsibility than the workers as the functions of the management is further by fostering the importance and need for the management to exercise the for management functions effectively. These functions include but not limited to planning, organizing, controlling and leading. This are the major functions of management that do are fundamental without which the textbooks on management would not exist. (Boone, Bowden, 1987) argues that, going beyond the four principles of scientific management, the approach has proven to be vital in the development of contemporary business. It also remained relevant. Businesses in the technology industry have had their quality and efficiency improves like in the case Group technologies in Australia where the quality of their products have been improved with the use of specification and standardization process as well as the using production control. This concept of group technologies was introduced by Taylor in 1919 and is used even in todays factory automation. The concept has worked well especially in situations where thousands of parts are designed and classified. Most manufacturing plants today use group technology which it small and more flexible plants. An example of such plants is the Vertex pacific. This a plastic manufacturing company in New Zealand that has factories all over the country. The machine forming the plastic in each plant is flexible hence able to change the product its manufacturing within a very short time. This has enabled the efficiencies of group technology to be realized as they reduce the number of tools required. The process is however standardized by having the machines together in close proximity and production control (Hough White, 2001). The scientific management is old relevant in the modern business has it has shaped the practices in the modern accounting. The management method is exceptionally derived from the classical management that was practiced in the early days. This is where only the derivations were reported to the management. This is a common phenomenon in the modern accounting system where if budgets are overrun the accountants can notice and be able to inform their relevant higher management. Continuous improvement in the performance of the workers and improved efficiency is always attributed to improved quality management. All this are valued as the goals of the scientific management. However it is argued that securing harder works by the workers is necessary. According to (Hough White, 2001), though history has always considered scientific management as being narrow minded, it has always failed to point out the human elements in an organization that have more often been the cause of the problem. Human element has been an important part of the scientific management. This is the work length. Taylor has always advocated shortening of the working hour in order improve efficiency and productivity. This is evident in the recent years where organizations are shifting away from the traditional working eight hours in the office to working from home, selection of working hour and the increasing the availability of communication systems hence changing the contemporary business environment. To further the idea of scientific management being relevant in the modern world of business, Parker Lewis (1995) state that business environment in the modern day is similar to the early days scientific management. Service and product diversification, corporate mergers, intense competition, technological changes, pre-occupation and national economic recessions are examples of how the system has remained the same. This reason as to why scientific management approach can still be used today. Streamlining of business systems existing in two or more merged companies can be done by use of scientific analysis. Increasing the productivity of an organization in times of recessions and compete well in a competitive business environment are some of the valuable thing that can only be achieved with use of the scientific management. An example of this is the application of management theories and practices in a global setting based on the scientific management in the rebuilding of many businesses after the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York which caused a major negative impact on the tourism sector in most parts of the world. Its world noting that this Taylors work has faced some criticism. Perroni Wrege (2001) argue that Taylor was inconsistent in his pig-iron handling experiments as has data was consistent .They therefore concluded that his pig-tale used to illustrate the scientific management approach was morally unacceptable. They suggested the message was more important than the accuracy that Taylor shown in has research. It would unjust however for managers to discredit scientific management approach on this basis ignoring the possibilities that scientific management can offer increased productivity and efficiency. Hough White (2001) showed how the current disciplines like operations management, systems reengineering and work designs use many aspects in Taylors work. In conclusion it is imperative to say that scientific management has contributed immensely to the successful management in the current business world worldwide. The ideas propagated by Frederick Taylor in the late 19th century and early 20th century still have a place in the modern day management thinking. Its therefore advisable every manager regardless of the position one hold to embrace scientific management and use it carefully bearing in mind it is limited to the mechanistic organization. It is also possible to make improvements by carefully learning the work processes, designing and implementing relevant changes. This is however possible when considered in a holistic of the organization (Albrecht, 1983).

Life Of The Settlers :: essays research papers

The Life of the Settlers ( Book Report ) Book : Tubman Harriet Ross Tubman was one of the youngest of the eleven children born to Benjamin Ross and Araminta Rittia Green Ross. Since her parents both were slaves, she was born a slave. Harriet was the fourth generation of her family to be enslaved in the United States. Harriet lived in Bucktown, Maryland as a slave. When she was five years old, Edward Brodas, her owner, hired her out to other people, who would pay him for her services. As a custom for slaves, she took another name when she was hired out, calling herself Araminta or "Minty." As a slave Harriet was treated brutally. She was beaten and whipped about her face, neck and back. She had the scars for the rest of her life. This all happened because her owners said it wasn’t good enough, without thinking that the work she did was to the best of her abilities because she was five years old. She received no education and so she couldn’t read or write. Yet in later life she gave speeches in support of women’s rights. Harriet was described as a wilful and moody child. She was determined to do outdoor work, and Brodas finally gave in when she was nine years old. She was hired out as a field hand. She did well in the fields. She enjoyed the outdoors, feeling of almost being free since she wasn’t being closely monitored. It also gave her strength and endurance, both of which later served her well. It also brought her in contact with slaves who travelled north with their owners. Harriet almost killed herself while trying to help Jim, another slave, escape. McCracken, Jim’s owner, had chased him and finally caught him. He demanded Harriet to tie Jim up, but she refused. Jim then bounded out the door and Harriet blocked the door. McCracken responded by throwing an iron which hit Harriet on the forehead. Since the head injuries she suffered sleeping seizures. Harriet, at the age of 24 got married to John Tubman, a freed black man. When Harriet learned from John how he gained freedom, she checked out from a lawyer and found out that her mother was supposed to be free but was tricked into thinking she was a slave. In 1849 Harriet over heard that her and two of her brother’s were to be sold far south. Life Of The Settlers :: essays research papers The Life of the Settlers ( Book Report ) Book : Tubman Harriet Ross Tubman was one of the youngest of the eleven children born to Benjamin Ross and Araminta Rittia Green Ross. Since her parents both were slaves, she was born a slave. Harriet was the fourth generation of her family to be enslaved in the United States. Harriet lived in Bucktown, Maryland as a slave. When she was five years old, Edward Brodas, her owner, hired her out to other people, who would pay him for her services. As a custom for slaves, she took another name when she was hired out, calling herself Araminta or "Minty." As a slave Harriet was treated brutally. She was beaten and whipped about her face, neck and back. She had the scars for the rest of her life. This all happened because her owners said it wasn’t good enough, without thinking that the work she did was to the best of her abilities because she was five years old. She received no education and so she couldn’t read or write. Yet in later life she gave speeches in support of women’s rights. Harriet was described as a wilful and moody child. She was determined to do outdoor work, and Brodas finally gave in when she was nine years old. She was hired out as a field hand. She did well in the fields. She enjoyed the outdoors, feeling of almost being free since she wasn’t being closely monitored. It also gave her strength and endurance, both of which later served her well. It also brought her in contact with slaves who travelled north with their owners. Harriet almost killed herself while trying to help Jim, another slave, escape. McCracken, Jim’s owner, had chased him and finally caught him. He demanded Harriet to tie Jim up, but she refused. Jim then bounded out the door and Harriet blocked the door. McCracken responded by throwing an iron which hit Harriet on the forehead. Since the head injuries she suffered sleeping seizures. Harriet, at the age of 24 got married to John Tubman, a freed black man. When Harriet learned from John how he gained freedom, she checked out from a lawyer and found out that her mother was supposed to be free but was tricked into thinking she was a slave. In 1849 Harriet over heard that her and two of her brother’s were to be sold far south.

moralant Essay on the Moral Dilemma in Sophocles Antigone

Antigone:   Barbaric King, Hopeful Princess and Moral Dilemma Antigone is a play that mainly deals with differences among characters that cause life long drawbacks and threatening resolutions. The drama is portrayed through Antigone and Creon's characters who undoubtedly resemble each other. Although they try to be masters of their own fate and eventually succumb to grieving outcomes, they both seem to have the values of a tragic hero. Although, they have their differences, their battle with one another illustrates them both as moral characters full of pride and arrogance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antigone was born full of superiority and courage, yet leaves the world as a conquered person. She respects her family despite what has happened in the past and always seems to be loyal towards her brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, as well as her sister, Ismene. Antigone feels that abiding by the laws of the gods, is a valuable merit to follow. This theory gradually affects her actions and behavior towards Creon. The tragic flaw of Antigone leads to many lamenting events in the play. The manner she poses her characteristics in such as being stubborn and her raggedness portrays her flaw in the play. Antigone attempts to challenge Creon's love for power and accepts the punishment given to her. She bows to death because she is aware that she has done a good deed and she will inhale her last breath in honor. Whether Creon thinks of her as a traitor or not, Antigone knew the gods would reserve their judgment in favor of her. She never once reg rets burying her brother, which makes her character all the more admirable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Alt... ...ys. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Be careful not to write sentence fragments. If your sentence does not have a subject and a verb, then tack it on to the end of the last sentence. . Who is the moral one of them? A barbaric king or a hopeful princess?   The last phrase is a sentence fragment because there is no verb.   Putting it onto the end of the last question would solve the problem.   Who is the moral one of them, a barbaric king or a hopeful princess? 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Proofread carefully, there are several misspelled words in the paper. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Use quotes to strengthen your argument.   Using a quote for each point that you make backs up what you are saying.   You are giving proof that your argument is valid by pointing out where in the play the characters act as you say they do.     

Image Processing :: essays research papers

Adaptive Shape Contour Tracing Algorithm ABSTRACT In this paper we are going to present a new shape contour tracing algorithm called  ¡Ã‚ §Adaptive Contour Tracing Algorithm ¡Ã‚ ¨. The algorithm can trace open and closed discontinuous digital shapes and return an ordered set of boundary points that represent the contour of the shape. Unlike other algorithms that return boundary points that are part of the traced shape, our algorithm returns background points that are adjacent to the shape ¡Ã‚ ¦s contour. Furthermore, the algorithm is not hindered by shapes that are noisy and ill-defined as it can adapt to interruptions in the shape ¡Ã‚ ¦s contour using a pre-set tolerance and is able to scan multiple neighbors of a given point. The algorithm has a low complexity and no restrictions on the type or size of the traced shape. The extracted ordered set of boundary points represents the contour of a given shape and is important for curvature-based shape descriptors. Categories and Subject Descriptors I.4.6 [Image Processing and Computer Vision]: Segmentation  ¡V Edge and feature detection, Pixel classification General Terms Algorithms. Keywords Image Processing; Contour Tracing; Shape Boundary Extraction. 1. INTRODUCTION Contour tracing is an important process in boundary-based shape matching. All shapes are represented by a pattern of pixels and the contour pixels are usually a small subset of that pattern. Curvature-based shape matching methods rely on the contour pixels to describe the irregularities in shapes and a reliable contour-tracing algorithm is needed to extract the boundary of shapes. If the shape has holes then another hole search algorithm need to be applied to extract the hole pattern and such an algorithm is not part of this article. We developed a sequential contour-tracing algorithm denoted the  ¡Ã‚ §Adaptive Contour Tracing Algorithm ¡Ã‚ ¨. The algorithm computes the surrounding contour of any shape and adapts to all types of closed curve representations whether they are filled or partially filled digital shapes. Any pixel, 1-pixel wide lines, and full shapes could be traced and represented by closed curves. The algorithm also accounts for discontinuities in the shape contour and can reach nearby pixels. The contour trace starts from the top left point or pixel closest to the shape and proceeds clockwise following the surrounding of the contour of the shape rather than the contour itself. The path around the contour is traced in a look-forward sweep pattern to find the next surrounding point that is closest to the contour. The path is then closed when the start point is found.