Outsourcing Policies On German Car Manufacturing Industry Research Paper

Outsourcing Policies On German Car Manufacturing Industry - Research Paper Example German car manufacturers achieve cost-cutting through sub-contracting and outsourcing. How the process of outsourcing affected the German car industry, how it is done specifically, the related laws on outsourcing and labor and the impact of the recent crisis on the process of outsourcing and sub-contracting are the questions that this paper wishes to answer. With the aid of information coming from company reports, datamonitor, newspapers, websites, and researches, we try to examine all these aspects of outsourcing in the German car manufacturing industry. Business Process Outsourcing is one of the latest trends in business. To outsource is defined in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary as "to procure (as some goods or services needed by a business or organization) under contract with an outside supplier" (Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 2010). This is applied in either the manufacturing stage, the marketing stage or after-sales stage. Germany, specifically the automobile industry is one of those that adopt business process outsourcing as part of the business. The paper will include a detailed study and description of the use of outsourcing practices (to include outsourcing in areas such as components manufacture, servicing and retail operations) in the automotive industry in Germany. Before going into details about different outsourcing practices, I will present a brief overview of supply chain of automotive industry which is crucial to understand in order to fully apprehend the benefits and limitations of outsourcing. Consequently, I will analyze major car manufacturers in Germany in terms of their outsourcing activities and processes. Specifically I intend to focus on three major car producers: BMW, Daimler and VW. Their websites contain detailed annual reports that include also information relevant to outsourcing. In addition, I found substantial amount of information in Datamonitor database about specific outsourcing practices of each car manufacturer as well as trends, competitive landscape and supply chain analysis for global autom otive industry, specific countries, particularly Germany. A necessary part of the paper is an investigation of the effect of outsourcing policies on German car manufacturing companies in the past and in the present. The comparison between the past and the present will be to ascertain the effect of financial crisis and how it has changed the policies and practices of the car manufacturing companies regarding their outsourcing policies. The Research Questions and Objectives Research Questions To formulate

Cmt Communications Essay Example for Free

Cmt Communications Essay The success of any organization is determined by managers being able to plan, set goals, and make decisions. Decision making is the primary function of management and this task should not be taken lightly. Decisions are made to achieve goals and tie them to company actions and outcomes. According to Peter Drucker, Whatever a manager does, he does through decision-making.† When making a decision, managers must take all alternatives into consideration and although one may not have all the answers, a manager must be able to move forward, sometimes immediately, in order to be successful and effective in their decision making process. According to Trewatha Newport, Decision-making involves the selection of a course of action from among two or more possible alternatives in order to arrive at a solution for a given problem. This is a continuous process that requires managers to have specific knowledge, skills and intellectual abilities. Some managers find this task challenging as seen in the case of CMT Telecommunications. In the case of CMT Telecommunications, Manager Dave has been selected to take charge temporarily while his boss is on vacation. His issue is that he has to make a decision to select and assign one of two key managers to take the lead of a new project which entails developing a new CD-ROM self-study course for new software. One manager has extensive experience on the technical side of the house and is in charge of the technical publications department. This manager is skilled in developing detailed manuals on how to use the company’s equipment and software. The other manager oversees the software training department. He is especially skilled in designing training courses that effectively communicate the technical information from the publications department’s manuals. He is known for his excellent presentation skills and for the information being customer friendly and easy to follow. This decision is difficult for Dave because he is friends with both managers but also knows that his decision will reflect his managerial competencies which in the long run can affect his opportunities for advancement. There are three models that decision making fall under: Classical, which is based on rational assumptions and managers beliefs; Administrative Model, which is based on human and environmental limitations and is known to be the most effective model; and the Political Model, which allows collaboration amongst and between managers to facilitate the decision making process when there is uncertainty (Daft, 2013). In this case, the political decision making model is evident in the uncertainty of his ability to make a quick decision. This can be due to his diverse interests in both of the manager’s abilities and past experiences. This is a non-programmed type of decision that Dave needs to make in that it is unique. This is a new project that no one has experienced in the company, let alone Dave as a new project manager having to take the lead and make a difficult decision. There are consequences will play an important role for him personally and professionally. Another aspect of the political model is that Dave realizes he has to get both managers to talk to one another and form a coalition however he fears that this may not be possible given that both managers declared openly that the other department lacked the skills needed to ensure project success. Because both managers are highly skilled and each have a powerful team of employees that can assist with the details and tasks required to ensure the success of the project, they need to be able to work together and form an alliance. By using the political decision making model a manager would engage his team to collaborate and share their diverse ideas, interests and skills, while understanding there are conflicting goals and inconsistent viewpoints. The team would work together towards strategically developing specific goals and in this case, each group could take a certain area of the project to work on then bring them together in hopes to acquire a successful cohesive project outcome. The work of Herbert A. Simon proposes that the two concepts: bounded rationality and satisficing are instruments that shape the administrative model of decision making. Satisficing is when managers choose the first alternative that satisfies the minimum criteria of the decision. Bounded rationality is the concept that managers have to be rational when making decisions based on the amount of time and ability to process all of the information needed to make the decision (Daft, 2013). In the case of David, he does have to make a quick decision mostly because the equipment that needs to be purchased for the project has to be placed immediately. Although Dave understands the differences in opinions from both managers, he has to consider his alternatives in a timely fashion for long-term benefits. He also does not come with much project management experience so his ability to make these types of decisions is limited. As Dave, my plan of action would include the following: * Follow the six steps in the Managerial Decision-Making Process * Discuss project plans with each manager, gather their ideas and perspectives * Brainstorm ideas and develop alternatives that meet both managers needs and that allows for collaboration but at the same time allow for some constructive debate * Use the analytical style of decision making first while considering all the alternatives however switch to the directive style when ready to make the decision * Use intuition and trust in my experience, background, and skills * Take a risk in making the best decision possible without being influenced by emotions or friendships built with the other managers, without thinking too much on past decisions and doubts of my decision making capabilities, have some self-efficacy, and think outside of the box to gather the best ideas and develop strategies to move the project planning phase forward. Every problem can be solved differently depending on the manager, their personality, past experience, education, upbringings, but most importantly their intuition and the risk taking abilities they bring. When making decisions, managers must consider the type of decision that needs to be made, their own managerial style when it comes to making decisions, as well as how rational one can be depending on the decision that needs to be made. One should always consider all the alternatives presented to them as well as the time needed to make a decision. As a manager, one should not be afraid to take risks however should understand the levels of risk depending on the alternatives presented. Being true to what one believes is also important and should always play a part of a manager’s decision making process. References: Kalyan City Life Blog. Decision Making Process in Management-Problem Solving. Retrieved from http://kalyan-city.blogspot.com/2010/06/decision-making-process-in-management.html

Ethical Impact of Knowledge

Ethical Impact of Knowledge â€Å"The possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility.† Evaluate this claim. Mahatma Gandhi, when asked by an adoring, adulating public, what he believed the greatest sins were, was prone to answer as simply and as quickly as possible. His answers varied, of course, depending on his audience, but in his last word to all of India, his autobiography, â€Å"The Story of My Experiments with Truth,† he characterized the greatest sin as â€Å"Knowledge without character.† Gandhi evidently believed that the possession of knowledge without the ability for action was perhaps the greatest sin man could commit. Of course, one must wonder a great number of things about the ethical responsibility that any wielder of knowledge is supposedly subject to. To begin with, the statement strongly implies the existence of an absolute ethical system, leaving no place for ethical relativism, a stance that leaves little room for debate on the varying ethical and moral standards that people of various different labels ascribe to themselves. Moreover, a rather interesting phenomenon that occurs in the academic world today is the existence of the foolish scholar; the man who harbors a veritable cornucopia of knowledge, but has little understanding of the practical aspects thereof, or of the use that other humans might put this knowledge to. The statement necessarily requires that this man be held responsible for any use or abuse of his research and knowledge, a thought that is not merely of obvious naivetà ©, but plainly unjust. What remains however, is the wilful and focused abuse and misuse of knowledge with the complete and total understanding of any ending that this misuse entails; this must, under any ethical system, be punished, but the question that remains is, which ethical system? How can one reconcile the idea of an ethically relativistic system and the demand of a universally absolutist system that the statement puts forth? Perhaps it is key to first reconcile the idea of an absolutist ethical system with the demands of the real world. W.T. Stace was a proponent of the same, arguing that only a single universal code of conduct could exist which was deemed morally correct. Kantian deontological ethics similarly stated that the only good action was the action that, when universalized, would have maximum moral effect, as demonstrated by the categorical imperative. Therefore, under Kantian ethical philosophy, we can state that as long as the principle of Universalizability is adhered to, an absolutist ethical system can exist, for it is then the non-adherents who are fundamentally flawed, and not the system itself, a position taken by Kant as well. Moral relativism cannot be well considered within the structure of the question, for to accept a morally relative system would cause, in itself, major issues within the foundations of ethicality. Moral relativism then leads towards existential nihilism, for to ac cept all ethical systems is akin to accepting none; No fundamental idea of right or wrong can exist, for right and wrong may well differ from individual to individual, and both are therefore abstract concepts with no real meaning or motive. Moral relativism within the scope of the question would render the question pointless, for no ethically relative system can assign ethical responsibility, the definition and nature of which will differ from system to system, person to person, and place to place. In the most idealistic and humanistic sense, perhaps ethical relativism is the only doctrine that can effectively promote universal acceptance, but in a practical, objective manner, ethical absolutism is the only possible form of moral systems which allows for the formation of laws, legal systems, and an ordered manner of living that does not give way to either Nihilism or Anarchy. Therefore, we establish the existence, at least in practicality, of an ethically absolutist system, and designate Kantian ideology, that of Deontological Ethics, as the ethical system to be considered within the scope of the question. Having established the kind of ethical system we are considering, we must now consider, in depth, the system of ethical responsibility itself. Knowledge has been argued to be akin to a tool. The common scythe is possibly the best analogy for the slightly less common tool of knowledge, for, like a scythe, knowledge can be used to either reap or sow crops or to kill and maim a person. The only difference, really, is the scale. Knowledge has long been considered a tool with no moral nature of itself. After all, one hardly blames the gun for going off, or, as in our comparison, commends the scythe for a bountiful harvest. The wielder of the gun and the farmer of the land; these are the men we attribute actions towards, and therefore, they are the ones deemed responsible for the use of their tools. However, with knowledge, and the possession thereof, things aren’t quite as straightforward. â€Å"I am become death, destroyer of worlds,† Robert Oppenheimer cried in anguish when he witnessed the Trinity Atom bomb test; a test he helped design and facilitate. The Natural Sciences are an area that is rife with ethical dilemmas. Consider the case of Oppenheimer himself, a man who helped design and invent the Atom bomb which was responsible for the death of thousands, the eradication of two who cities, and the disfigurement of millions of unborn children. Oppenheimer himself felt directly responsible for the chaos he had helped cause, but the question that arises is simple: Was he responsible for using his knowledge towards its inevitable end goal, and indeed, were any of the other scientists involved in the Manhattan project? Can blame for the Project itself be assigned so easily to the scientists commissioned? Under Kantian Deontological ethics, universalization of the subject leads one to question whether or not Knowledge needs to be shared at all. It is not a simpl e question of knowledge in Nuclear Physics, but of all knowledge, and the answer to this question is plainly positive. Knowledge needs to be shared so we, as humanity, can collectively move forward in a field that has implications around the world, a field which saves lives, improves living and, collectively, causes more good than ill. In the end, while there is a certain ethical responsibility involved with the possession of knowledge, hoarding knowledge and keeping it to oneself if plainly worse than the alternative: Sharing it and putting it to use. Consider, for example, Jonas Salke, the man who invented the Polio vaccine, and understanding the widepsread impact it would have, refused to patent it, essentially making the vaccine free. Under Kantian ethical systems, therefore, the sharing of knowledge is vital towards actual progress: The converse halts progress and forces every scientist to deal with the same bottlenecks and breakthroughs before any real research can take place. History is another AOK with a paramount ethical impact on the present and the future. Accepting, or alternatively, denying the past has consequences that shape the policies and attitudes of entire countries and races. Two comparative cases can be studied here: That of Germany and Turkey. Germany today is nation deeply repentant of its past sins and mistakes. Having accepted their deeds during the rule of the Nazi Party as being not only brutal, but downright horrific, Germany today has swung towards extreme sorrow and repentance, making it by and large illegal to deny the Holocaust and introducing an Amendment to their constitutional free speech which makes the Nazi party illegal. The Germans, a once nationalistic race, have disbanded their army, instead training a national police force. The knowledge of their sins has clearly had a deep and lasting impact on the Germany psyche. The Turks, on the other hand, vehemently deny the very existence of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Turkish history books not only fail to mention it, but Turkish historians, well respected in other fields, are curiously silent, and often in denial, about the crimes of Turkey’s past. The Turkish government itself refuses to recognize the brutality of its actions against 1.5 million Armenians. Modern day pundits, however, state that there may be good reason for this. An acceptance of Turkish guilt will indubitably lead to civil war due to the extreme denial of Turkish society on the matter, leading to a forced change in the government. While the acceptance of past mistakes may be crucial towards building a bridge towards a better relationship with the Armenians, the acceptance of this past mistake could very well destabilize the Turkish regime permanently, a turn of events with dire results for the Western World were an extremist party, of which there are plenty, to come to powe r. The Turkish government itself cannot make reference to the Genocide, for to do so is possibly akin to sparking off a civil war which could cause the entire region to erupt. The question to be asked, therefore, is whether it is possible to deny past actions and yet live morally, or whether it is absolutely necessary to accept one’s past guilt before once can be absolved of blame. The ethical impact of the genocide is plain to see, but the fact remains that the Turkish government has an ethical responsibility first towards its citizens and then to the rest of the world. To spark of a civil war due to events that took place a century ago may very well be considered unethical and immoral, but yet, to deny outright such egregious events is not a morally sound stance either. In conclusion, the ethical impact of knowledge is certainly vast. To measure this impact is, by and large, impossible, but one can certainly gauge the effect that knowledge once made public would have. While the possession of knowledge always carries with it an ethical responsibility, it is difficult to discern the scope and extent of this responsibility, even in a Kantian ethical system. While knowledge in the natural sciences must almost always be shared, in other AOK’s, such as history, civil and geopolitical issues come into play, which would lead to ethical catastrophes perhaps bigger than those that they try to repair. In the end, the only constant is that knowledge, for better or worse, is a powerful tool that must not be underestimated.

A View From The Bridge by Arthur Miller Essay example -- View From Bri

A View From The Bridge by Arthur Miller Alfieri is a lawyer who works for the Sicilian community in Brooklyn. He opens the play with a very exposing account of what life used to be like and is like in that particular community. The audience knows from that speech everything about Alfieri and about the community in Red Hook. He launches into graphic detail about past bandits and murders and about how justice is very important to the Italians. The community is the 'gullet of New York, ´ which is 'swallowing the tonnage of the world. ´ This sentence is quite ironic since Red Hook is a fishing town and tonnage is another word for cargo. Alfieri speaks as though Red Hook has swallowed up all the complications of the world and is now reduced to a slum. This creates a vivid mental picture and therefore invents the ideal environment for tragic goings on. Alfieri also utters an intriguing statement, 'now we settle for half. ´ This proclamation gives the impression that in this Italian community pride and justice is fierce and that no one will settle for half of what they believe is right. Alfieri makes this statement in the past tense leaving the question did the events that Alfieri witness determine whether people settle for half. He also wonders if there is another unfortunate lawyer sitting back, unable to do anything as the events, 'run their bloody course. ´ The indirect reference to blood creates another question about whether blood will be shed, considering the Italian community has a reputation to fight to the death. Alfieri is essential to the structure of the play as he opens and closes the play. I believe that he is Arthur Miller's mouthpiece and he moves the action that Miller has once witnessed. Edd... ... not. If Eddie had managed to get Catherine, it would have been unnatural and ridiculous. Beatrice notices the relationship but her unwillingness to speak out makes her part of the problem. The reason why Eddie betrayed his wife ´s cousins is that he loved Catherine so much. However, even Eddie Carbone could not stand in the way of fate. Rodolpho and Catherine were meant to be together and no amount of vigorous and passionate arguing could stop fate from running its natural course. The doom in this play starts at the very beginning with Eddie ´s outward and awkward feeling for Catherine, when he claims her as his own. The prospect of dooms mounts as the play goes on, but the main factor is that the play is about incestuous love, jealousy and betrayal. When these are combined with an underprivileged, passionate Italian way of life, the results are harsh.

Communicative Language Teaching

Q1) Write about your past formal or informal language learning experiences (any which is not your first language). Would you consider them to be effective or ineffective? Give reasons for your answer. A) I had just passed my 4th std and was on vacations to a remote village in Karnataka where my mother was posted as a headmistress for a government primary school. I had no plans of leaving my mother and returning with my father to belgaum and continue with my school . Nevertheless I was cajoled into coming back , that was in mid july , and by then it was a month and a half since my school had re-opened. I was in for a rude surprise as a language had been included into our curriculum. I came across a very terse looking gentleman who turned out to be our hindi teacher. My real troubles began when I was asked to give my introduction as I was a latecomer. My hindi teacher gave me an earful for not attending the previous classes and asked me to be very careful henceforth. The classes had begun quite early and I was way behind. My classmates had learnt the consonants and vowels by heart . I could not recognize a single alphabet, the script was alien to me, it was in devanagari . I was in tears and very miserable as I was punished for not being able to answer anything nor read from the text book. The next few days went by and then one fine morning my hindi teacher condescended to help me in grasping the new language. He sat by me on my bench and taught me the hindi alphabets one by one . I felt encouraged and started taking interest and slowly and gradually I learnt to read and write. We were given words with their English meaning which were to be memorized by us. This memorization turned out to be a building block in my endeavour of acquiring vocabulary and fluency in the language. I went on to score the highest in the class. I participated in debates, wrote essays ,memorized the dohas and their summaries, so on and so forth and went on scoring high for the rest of my school days. I became his favourite pupil and gained my self respect as well. And the person who made it all possible was my hindi teacher who was very sincere, dedicated and devoted towards his profession and his pupils . He was sensitive to every student’s needs and used very innovative methods. He was always at hand to clear any doubt, explain anything or answer any question. He made us feel very comfortable but was very strict about the home assignments . He made the lessons interesting by his way of teaching. And I think his methods were very effective in helping us all to learn a new language. Interaction, Motivation and encouragement are the key words ,which I think and believe benefit every student in the process of learning a new language. The old school method of drilling and memorizing also does help in acquiring a vocabulary and learning grammar helps us frame sentences accurately. Q2) Why do you think the CLT has gained popularity in the language classroom? A. The CLT is a more generally accepted approach today owing to a wide variety of interpretations and classroom applications. The approach highlights distinct communicatve traits and incorporates authentic, real world simulations and meaningful tasks. B. Communicative Language Teaching can be defined as a unified yet broadly based , theoretically well informed set of doctrines about nature of language learning and teaching. C. Communicative Language Teaching highlights the social, cultural and pragmatic features of languages. It uses authentic language to a great extent in an attempt to build fluency. D. The basic characteristics of the communicative mode of teaching feature distinct digression from the previous approaches. E. In Communicative Language Teaching, the grammatical, functional, socio-linguistic and strategic discourse components are at their best possible interplay. The techniques are utilitarian and driven towards fulfillment of individual purposes. F. Fluency and accuracy are complementary principles that alternatively acquire high degree of importance. G. Productive and contextualized communication is necessarily the goal and the students need to towards this goal through the development of appropriate strategies for autonomous learning. The teacher here is the facilitator who is supposed to facilitate authentic linguistic interaction and encourage meaningful construction of language. H. The functional aspects like fluency and spontaneity displace overt presentation and discussion of grammatical rules and concentrate on the learner’s initiative in CLT. Hence ,the communicative approach stresses the importance of language functions( such as, agreeing, inviting , suggesting etc)as opposed to reliance only on grammar vocabulary. This approach also suggests that if students have enough exposure to the language and the opportunity to use it then language learning would in effect , take care of itself. Activities in CLT typically require students to use the language in real life situations, so role-play and simulation have become popular with this method. CLT places far more emphasis on completion of the task then the accuracy of the language

Veterans Burial Locations Available Online

Veterans Burial Locations Available Online More than three million records showing where veterans have been buried in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries are available online. The innovation will make it easy for anyone with Internet access to search for the gravesite locations of deceased family members and friends. Veterans Burial Locations The VAs  nationwide grave locator contains more than three million records of veterans and dependents buried in the VA’s 120 cemeteries since the Civil War. It also has records of some burials in state veterans cemeteries and burials in Arlington National Cemetery from 1999 to the present. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi stated in a VA press release: This advance in service culminates years of effort by VA’s national cemetery staffs to put old paper records into this database. Making burial locations more accessible may bring more visitors to the honored resting places that we consider national shrines and historical treasures. The records date to the establishment of the first national cemeteries during the Civil War. The Web site will be updated nightly with information on burials the previous day. The site displays the same information that visitors to national cemeteries find on kiosks or in written ledgers to locate gravesites: name, dates of birth and death, period of military service, branch of service and rank if known, the cemetery’s location and phone number, plus the grave’s precise location in the cemetery. The home page, Burial and Memorial Benefits, allows the reader to select the Nationwide Gravesite Locator to begin a search. State cemetery burial records are from those cemeteries that use VA’s database to order government headstones and markers for veterans’ graves. Since 1999, Arlington National Cemetery, operated by the Department of Army, has used that database. The information in the database comes from records of interment, which before 1994 were paper records, kept at each cemetery. VA’s interment records contain more information than what is shown on the Internet and cemetery kiosks. Some information, such as identification of the next of kin, will not be shown to the public for privacy reasons. Immediate family members with a government-issued identification card may request to see the full record of a burial when they visit a national cemetery.