Arauco Case study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Arauco Case study - Research Paper Example The overall contribution made by the new proposed pulp manufacturing facility will result into the expansion of the production capacity of the firm by more than 3 millions. This increase in capacity will therefore make the firm one of the leading manufacturers of pulp in the world in terms of overall production capacity. With an estimated investment of $1 Billion, the new project is estimated to produce sales of $350million per year. Since the overall estimated economic life of the plant would be 30 to 40 years therefore overall revenues will be equal to $14.00 Billions over the period of 40 years thus contributing significantly to the value of the firm. Though no specific discount rate is given however, given the sales generating capacity of the proposed project suggest that it will add significant value to the firm and firm’s shareholders will gain value from the proposed investment. Any organization willing to make its strategic move therefore has to look into its core comp etencies and must examine its core strengths. In past firms have made forward integration moves however, such moves proved fatal because of the integrated nature of the process. (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson). Suppressed demand for paper can seriously damage the profitability of the pulp business also because of the integrated nature of both the processes. It therefore becomes more critical to look into those aspects of the strategy where they can offer an insight into the ability of the firm to actually utilize its existing strengths in more effective manner rather than spending its energies on the development of new set of skills and competencies in order to compete in a market which has remained relatively untapped by the firm. Firm’s decision to move away from Pulp only could also be the direct result of its decision to diversify the business in other segments. Though the firm has expanded into related businesses however, diversifying from pulp business can be mostly a res ult of capitalizing on firm’s core competencies in manufacturing pulp at relatively low cost. It is also important to understand that the pulp sales of the firm have increased over the period of time suggesting that due to high demand and better cost efficiency, firm is able to sell its pulp products at relatively premium prices in the market. Such acceptability in the export markets therefore indicates that the firm has already established itself in international market in this segment of the business. Pulp is used for just 50% of the paper manufacturing therefore firm will have to acquire new set of skills and efficiency with which to use other remaining material and ingredients to produce better quality and low cost products. This would therefore invariably put the firm on a new learning curve thus slowing down its progress to become the market leader in the business. Recommendations Firm derives its competitive advantage from its low cost production and market reputation in the international market. Since firm is already backward integrated with access to high quality wood to manufacture pulp and other allied products therefore it is recommended that the firm should take the decision of horizontal expansion rather than engaging into forward integration. The proposed move will increase the production capacity of the firm by large

The Benefits of Social Media Essay Example for Free

The Benefits of Social Media Essay Computers have been around since the 1950’s, and now, they play an important role in what we do on a day to day basis. They help us connect to the internet, which enables us to see almost anything we can think of. Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, are growing trends on the internet that people cannot seem to get their hands off of. According to Statistic Brain (2014), 58% of people use at least one source of social media, and around 1. 4 billion people worldwide use Facebook. It was also calculated that the average amount of minutes spent on a social media site in one month is 700 billion minutes (Statistic Brain, 2014). Social media has been around since the 1970’s, and has increases substantially, and continues to do so as well (Golbe, 2012). Social media is a way for us to contact and stay in touch with old and new friends. Even though social media is mostly seen as just a communication factor, many do not realize that it also has many benefits that it provides to everyone that has the capability of using it. In Andrew Keen’s (2012) article, he talks about social media being a trap to us humans who are involved in taking part in it (p. 429). He talks about how we are able to share every single bit of information about ourselves to anyone at any time we are shown the opportunity too. He believes that we should not be able to have the ability to share almost everything about ourselves to other people. He mentioned that you will only be able to find pure happiness if you are being left alone, and not having the capability to share our life with other people (p. 429). In this case, that is not true. Pure happiness does not come from being alone, and not being able to share anything with anyone. PBS (2011) mentioned that Psychologist researches have come to a conclusion that â€Å"happiness is made up of pleasure, engagement, and  meaning†. Engagement involves other people that you surround yourself with or may come in contact with, and so can pleasure. Therefore being alone does not create pure happiness. Parent Further (2013) also proves this point wrong, by mentioning that â€Å"kids can gain social confidence from interacting with other people online,† which will help them with new situations that involve social interaction that they will face in their later on lives. Social media can also help with improving relationships and making new friends, and what are relationships and friendships without being able to share things with those people? Friendships and relationships are all about knowing the other persons you are surrounding yourself with. In order to do that, one has to be able to communicate and be capable to share things. So, as you can see, just because we share things with other people, does not mean we will not be happy. Sharing things can help us with many areas in our day to day lives. Schools, teachers and students also benefit from the use of social media as well. Social media helps teachers and students to be able to connect outside of school with academic questions, and help when they need it. Parent Further (2013) mentions how social media, such as Moodle, Digg, and other sights have become increasingly important in school for communication between the students and teachers. With the use of the social media that the teachers are using, to have outside of school conversations, it helps children build stronger school communities. They also mention how students are also able to explore their interests more through social media, by getting in contact with others and being able to exchange their knowledge, along with learning from the others knowledge as well (Parent Further, 2013). According to Ritu Pant (2013), 96% of students, that are allowed access to internet, use at least one social media piece. Out of that 96%, 59% of them talk about educational topics on their social media page, and 50% of those students talk specifically about schoolwork that they are participating in. ProCons (2014) talks about how social media helps students do better in school as well. They mention that â€Å"after George Middle School in Portland, Organ introduced a social media program to engage students, grades went up by 50%, chronic absenteeism went down by 33%, and 20% of students school-wide voluntarily completed extra-credit assignments†Ã‚  (ProCons, 2014). Therefore, social media helps teachers and students increase their involvement with the school and their education. Social media also has many other benefits. It can help companies in multiple ways. Madhur Chaturvedi (2014) mentions how â€Å"social media websites have become an important platform for businesses to engage with customers, prospects, employees, and candidates†. ProCons (2014) mentioned how large chain businesses use social media to quickly disperse new information with all their managers and employees. It also helps businesses create a faster and more efficient way of looking for new employees. Most business uses social media to target and reach out to employees through advertising the job openings to the community. According to ProCons (2014), â€Å"64% of companies are on two or more social networks for recruiting because of the wider pool of applicants and more efficient searching capabilities. 89% of job recruiters have hired employees through LinkedIn, 26% through Facebook, and 15% through Twitter. One in six job-seekers credit social media for helping find their current job. 52% of job-seekers use Facebook for the job search, 38% use LinkedIn, and 34% use Twitter†. Social Media also allows companies to reach out to and interact with their customers. Companies use social media to get immediate customer feedback on certain items or things dealing with the company, so if it is disliked, they can make quick changes to ensure that their customers will be satisfied (ProCons, 2014). Companies also include a tab on their social media content that is just for their customers, allowing customers to interact with the company and give feed as well (Chaturvedi, 2014). That last thing that it helps companies out with, is being able to advertise their products in a fast, easy and efficient way. According to Chaturvedi (2014), sale leads generate from social media, because of the capability that companies have to advertise through social media. Social media also helps protect our society in many ways. It can helps us to become more aware with our surroundings, by informing us of any situations that may put us through any harm. According MPA Degree (2006-2014), â€Å"government leaders and agencies are increasingly harnessing the powers of social media to both connect with the public and extract  information†. They use social media to help defuse riots, by following â€Å"rabble-rousers† on Twitter, and using hints and clues to pinpoint where the riots exact location and time will be. They are also using it to prepare for disasters as well. They share posts on social media that inform the society what to do in case of an emergency, and how to always be prepared. MPA Degree also mentions how the government uses social media to warn the society of weather tragedies, like earthquakes and hurricanes for example. They mentioned how the 5.9 earthquake that hit the Northwest in the 2011, was broadcasted on Twitter b efore the earthquake even happened, in order to get the word out to many people (MPADegree, 2006-2014). According to ProCons (2014), the US Military uses social media to help prevent suicides from occurring. Health clinics also use social media to tell patients when vaccines are in, and why they should get that certain vaccine. The Boston Health Commission used Twitter to help inform their followers of the vaccine available for the H1N1 breakout that occurred. The law enforcement also uses social media to catch and prosecute criminals. It was surveyed that 67% of â€Å"federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals . . . think ‘social media helps solve crimes more quickly’† (ProCons, 2014). They also mention how NYPD uses a tracking device that helps catch criminals who talk about the crimes they committed online (ProCons, 2014). ProCons also talks about how a nine-year old student, Martha Payne, shared a blog about her schools lunch, and how it was exposed everywhere. This blog led to the creating of the â€Å"Friends of Never Seconds† charity to he lp feed children globally. Social media helps protect us citizens from harm and discomfort that the world will see. Social media is used everywhere across the world. About 58% of the world uses social media is some sort of way, whether it is through Facebook, Twitter, Moodle, etc., people are always using it (Statistics Brain, 2014). Just by listening to stories and hearing about them, social media really does not have a good reputation. Social media is seen as useless or a hurtful factor that we should not give as much recognition too that we do. People find it hurtful to our society and children, but that is not the case. Social media is very beneficial in many positive ways. Instead of hurting us, like a lot of people think, it helps us in very important ways. It helps students and teachers become more engaged in their education, and it with helps raise grades and participation rates in the students themselves. It also helps our society in multiple ways. When businesses use social media, they are benefiting from it by excelling in their performance, and the community benefits as well by being able to give feedback on what is good and what isn’t. Lastly, it helps with protecting the communities. Weather it is through emergency warnings, or tracking devices, social media is a factor that plays a great role in protecting us. Overall, social media plays more of a beneficial factor than a harmful one, so therefore, we should continue to use it to our advantages. References Chaturvedu, M. (2014). Effective social media strategies – four tips, four benefits. Oracle. Retrieved from http://www.oracle.com Globe, G. (2012, September 6). The history of social networking. Digital Trends. Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com Keen, A. (2012). Sharing is a trap. In K. A. Ackley (Ed.), Perspectives on contemporary issues (pp. 425-429). Boston: Wadsworth MPA Degree (2006-2014). How social media is being used by the government. MPADegree.org. Retrieved from http://mpadegree.org Pant, R. (2013, July 18). The use of social media in schools. Socialmedia Today. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com ParentFurther (2013). Benefits of online social networking. ParentFurther. Retrieved from http://parentfurther.com PBS (2011). What is happiness?. This Emotional Life. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org ProCon (2014). Social networking. ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://socialnetworking.porcon.org Statistic Brain (2014). Social networking statistics. Statist ic Brain. Retrieved from http://statisticbrain.com

Approaches to Manpower Planning Process in Construction

Approaches to Manpower Planning Process in Construction Introduction Man power planning is concerned with coordinating, motivating and controlling of the various activities of the people within the organisation. An effective manpower planning requires a careful assessment of the future needs of the organisation and it is a procedure used in organisation to balance future requirements for all levels of employee with the availability of such employees. Manager has to reasonably predict future events and plan out the production. The plans need to be supported by all the members of the organisation. Managers are required to estimate the business needs of the organisation and plan for the resources needed to realise the business goals. Manpower Planning Process The process of man power planning is reviewing current resources, predicting future requirements and ensuring that the demand and supply of people and skills is balanced. With understaffing, the organisation loses projects, economies of specialisation and scale and profits. Overstaffing results in losses in terms of salaries and competence. Analyse existing manpower in the Organisation Personnel planning begin with a clear understanding of the current Personnel situation in the company. An analysis of current employment categories, the number of employee currently in post, knowledge and skills available of them are important steps in the manpower planning. An assessment of the training development potential of existing employees and analysis employee turnover rate in the organisation also include the process. Forecast future requirements of manpower Forecasting is typically anticipates future staffing requirements. Strategies are formulated to not only anticipate their needs over time, but to consider optimal solutions for the long term and under challenging economic conditions. Organisations with a plan in place, and a keen understanding of their long-range objectives, may instead decide to weather the economic changes and keep trained, talented, and dedicated staff in place for the inevitable business uptrend. Job Analysis Job analysis is the process of studying and collecting information relating to the operations and responsibilities of a specific job. The immediate products of this analysis are job description and job specification. Before the recruitment takes place it is essential to determine, the duties, responsibility and requirement of a particular job and relationship with other jobs and positions within the organisational hierarchy. 3.4.0 Job evaluation Job evaluation is an attempt to determine and compare demands, which the normal performance of a particular job makes on normal workers without taking into account the individual abilities or performance of the workers concerned. The aim of job evaluation is to determine systematically a jobà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s relative worth. It is a formal and systematic comparison of jobs to determine the worth of one job relative to another and eventually results in a wage or salary hierarchy. 3.5.0 Recruitment and Selection Employee recruitment forms a major part of an organisations overall resourcing strategies, which identify and secure people needed for the organisation to survive and succeed in the short to medium term. Recruitment and selection are usually considered as one process. Recruitment needs to be carefully planned in order to attract the right type of applicant. Ultimately, this increases the chances of making a suitable selection and appointment. Recruitment activities need to be responsive to the ever increasingly competitive market to secure suitably qualified and capable recruits at all levels. To be effective these initiatives need to include how and when to source the best recruits internally or externally. 3.6.0 Training and Development of Employee After the recruitment and selection of an employee, is to provide the employee training and development facilities. New employee usually, is not fully fit at the time of procurement some training is always essential. The organisation, along with the individual, is responsible for training for specific jobs or positions according to their level. Development can occur formally or informally, as people grow and learn to adapt by using their education and training. Training programmes will be based upon extent of diversification, expansion plans, development programmes etc. Training programmes depend upon the extent of improvement in technology and advancement to take place. It is also done to improve upon the skills, capabilities, knowledge of the workers. 4.0.0 Barriers of Manpower Planning and Practical solutions Manpower planning is a key to successful management practises, which is link to business strategies of the organisation. However, there are some problems with manpower planning both short term as well as long term. 4.1.0 Economy Downturn For example, according to various sources, in the past recent years there was a boom at UAE, more development projects, infrastructure projects and real estate project was stared. The sharp increase in construction, along with other key factors, has meant the industry was seeing a lack of skilled construction staff. The demand for certain categories of employees and skill is also influenced by changes in social structure in an economy. Firms employing in construction have greatly enhanced the worth of technicians, surveyors and engineers during the last couple of years. In contrast the present climate of economic and labour market in UAE is downturn therefore Companies operating in fields compel to reduce their workforce due to high competition and short of new construction and development projects. This type of economy changes is occurring confusion of proper manpower planning. Solution The huge boom of construction and development field in UAE now over, while the present it going to down little by little but various source of news says [TopNews Arab Emirates] it expect to recover in near future. The boom time there was shortage of skill workman like Engineers, surveyor and Technicians in the firms but now excess. In some situations even after implementing some of the above cost saving initiatives, redundancies can still become inevitable and this can pose significant challenges for an employer as many complex issues need to be addressed including legal, labour union, compensation, natural turnover of workers of the company and future economic changes of the region. The practical way to approach the current situation is to preparation of well designed profile of employees of organisation. It will help to identify employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s information not directly related to on the job skills and performance. The overall profile of the workforce generated is a vital aid to management decision making on things like redundancy. It can highlight impending problems, such as the retirement of employees, and the need for fresh recruitment training and developments. And it will help to analyse the sort of workforce envisaged at the end of the exercise, the utility of retraining, redeployment and transfers, what the appropriate recruitment levels might be. Such an analysis can be presented to senior managers so that the cost benefit of various methods of reduction can be assessed, and the time taken to meet targets established. 4.2.0 Changes in Technology Past years of time, the technology changes are more rapid and pervasive than ever before in the context of the organisation and its interface with the environment. Such changes in technology make manpower planning redundant or obsolete and ineffective. For example, Speed house group of companies [http://www.speedhouse.com/about-us.htm] well reputed House Construction Company in UAE recently utilisation of advance computer base systems to design such as current and future programme needs, home schedule and budget constructions to give facility for their customers. Utilisation of advanced technology is generally accompanied by less demand for low skilled workers and more demand for knowledgeable workers. Computerisation programs for office work and modern machinery in construction sites may reduce demand in some job categories (eg. clerks, book keepers and who had less knowledge to operate the computer prgrammes) while increasing it in another like workers with sound knowledge to opera ting modern high-tech tools and computer base programms. High technology with all its attendant benefits may compel organisations to go lean and downsize workforce suddenly. Employment planning under such situations becomes complicated. Solution Rapid changes in technology are cause serious mismatches between the jobs that are available and the number of people with the necessary skills to fill those jobs. In addition, rising levels of education have brought with them rising expectations among employees at all level. Some jobs are held by individuals who have more advanced skills or training than is needed. Sometimes the task can be done by a lower-level worker, rather than, an example is university educated employee. The manager should bring this situation to the attention that has the authority to make the necessary changes and thus relieve what seems to be a skills shortage. In addition, redesign job will help to reducing boredom and monotony, and increasing comfort, often increases productivity. As a result, positions for which skills are in short supply may not require more personnel, as more productive and skilled individuals produce more. 4.3.0 Workforce in and out fluxes within the Organisation Demands of workers are influence the internal in and out fluxes of the employee through retirement, termination, resignation, leaves and absence etc. This factors are effect how much workers will be required given work of different type of employee and the expected volume of business activity. Solution Economy downturn is occurring less demanding labour market in the region. The company might have excess workforce but still labour turnover creates unnecessary expense and reduces efficiency to the firms. When a manager identifies high turnover in a specific department, the quality of training and supervision in that department should be looked into. As a part of the human resources function, the manager would contribute to the decision on what steps should be taken to remedy the turnover situation, such as training, pay and incentive improvements, and the like. Perhaps company may have shortage of skill workers in some departments. The best practical way to approach this situation if present is to look within the organisation among its workers first. Until and unless the opening is not related to immensely diversified field of which the existing workforce might not posse requisite skills and the cost of training may be working out to be high. It is easier to go in for an internal source for recruitment. Becourse it is cost saving in many ways to utilize what is already available to the organisation and for instance are there imbalances where transferring people would avoid redundancy problems and solve recruitment one. In addition moving people between regions becomes nearly impossible when individuals canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get new mortgages or sell their existing homes. Alternatives to consider include focusing on accommodation or other essential facilities what they need or new recruiting area to a reasonable commuting distance. 4.4.0 Organisational Decision and Planning Process Organisational decision and planning processes seek to address the implications that a change in one input can have on the corresponding output. The evaluation and process evaluation that comprises part of the change management approach seeks to measure and anticipate the effect strategic decisions will have on company resources and labour. For example, ready-mix concrete Supply Company in UAE expects higher demand for their products in next couple of years. Likewise, if they try to venture into other lucrative fields such as supplying precast concrete product. For instance, the effect of the economy downturn in UAE, whereby product demand in the short term were low, downsizing staffs of organisation structures were the trend. The sudden changes in market conditions will obviously affect the demand for labour in general or for particular skills. Even proposed expansion, contraction or diversifications of the organisationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s activities are complicating the man power pr ocess. Solution Manpower plan need to account the rest of the organisational plan, sales and production forecast and new venture to be more accurate. Estimating changes in product or service demand is basic forecasting concern, as it anticipating changes in national or regional economics. Furthermore, where plans are changed, the effect of the changes must be estimated. This may be estimated by market research, competitive analysis, trends in technological advances and so on. 5.0.0 Why should know Manpower Planning? The human resources are the most valuable asset of any organisation as they contribute to the realization of its business objectives. It is the human resources who contribute their time and expertise to the welfare of their organisation. Thus, the process of manpower planning and staffing is crucial to the business development of an organisation. The future Managers should know and follow the Manpower planning and it techniques to take the proper decision for their organisation. So then, it will ensure optimum use of available human resources and creates healthy atmosphere of encouragement and motivation in the organisation. The good manpower planning generates facilities to educate people in the organisation and opens possibility for workers for future promotions, thus providing incentive. If Manpower Planning techniques are ignored, decisions will still be taken, but without the benefit of understanding their implications. For example graduate recruitment numbers will be set in ignorance of demand, or management succession problems will develop unnoticed. It is surely better if decision makers follow this maxim in the way they make and execute resourcing plans. 6.0.0 Conclusion Employee resourcing is a wider issue than recruitment and selection. In this report is discussed the approaches to manpower planning process in construction oriented business with consist of series of activities such as determining current manpower or situation of the organisation, forecasting future demand and supply, Job analysis, Job evaluation recruitment and selection, training and development of employees in the organisation. In addition this report is explored the barriers that exist the proper manpower planning in the organisation with discussion of essential practical solutions. Discussion includes redundancy, employee training and development, proper movements of employee within the organisation that determine the extent of organisation performance, competence and ability to cope with dynamic forces of completion in business environment.

The Hero Essay -- essays research papers

The Hero A hero is not just the title of an action-packed kung-fu flick with subtitles. A hero these days has many meanings; depending on the time and reason that person is called a hero. According to Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, the definition becomes very broad. It starts as being â€Å"a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability† and becomes â€Å"a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities.† The last definition listed is probably the most modern of the many, being â€Å"an object of extreme admiration and devotion.† These definitions are in the same order as listed in the dictionary, but also seem to be chronologically listed as well, because overtime the meaning of the word hero adjust it’s self to the people using it. Thus, the definition of a hero changes parallel to the evolution of society, religion, and politics, in order to placate the desires of the people involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If we look back, over a thousand years ago before Christianity became the omnipotent religion of the West, we hear of stories of heroes being passed down orally from generation to generation. In â€Å"Beowulf† we have this invincible brute tearing the limbs off of hideous friend Grendel, all in the name of fame and glory. A few hundred years later, when â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† was jotted down, we still have people being dismembered, but our character traits have changed a little. Sir Gawain is not the c...

Importance of Book of Romans to the History of the Church Essay

The Book of Romans is the one of the Letters in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.The Writing is   simply reffered as the Romans and is currently one of the undisputed work of Paul.The book has been described as a masterpiece which overwhelms the reader by the sublimity and the density of the topic which are discussed,the justification of the gospel and the revealing of the uprightness and the grace of God to all the people ,both Jews and the Gentiles. The book is a letter which is written in a Greek first century traditional letter writing style. During this time the writers started by identifying themselves and then names of the person they were sending the letter and then followed by the greetings. The letters usually closed with the final greeting and blessings. The book of Romans followed the same style (Barth, K 1968) There existed a group of believers in Rome who trusted in Jesus as Messiah long before Paul had planned to visit this town. There was a conflict between the Christian Jews and the new group up to the point that the Roman Emperor expelled them from Rome. More often there was a disagreement between the Jews and the gentiles concerning what made one an acceptable person to God and the way the followers of the Christ should conduct their lives. Having noticed the differences that characterized the church in Rome Paul decided to shed some light as far as the differences were concerned. There were people who were going from door to door teaching doctrines which were confusing and misleading to the faithful. There are some who were saying that for one to be accepted in the kingdom of God one has to refrain from eating particular kind of food and had to strictly follow the Law of Moses. These are issues that the book of Romans aimed at addressing so that this confusion that existed in the church can be cleared. Therefore to the church in Rome the book was basically a tool of reference as far as what was expected of them was concerned. One of the reasons for Paul writing this book was to answer some of the question that emerged between the two groups. He boldly put it out in the book that the word of God was for all whether Gentiles or Jews. (Moo, D1996) The book of Roman is basically a treatise which is addressed to the church in Rome where Paul was introducing himself before he made his visit. Justification of the faith was the central theme for his letter. He was delivering the message that it is only through salvation that a man can have a good relationship with God. Anything else did not matter. What was expected from every Christian whether Jews or Gentiles was the faith in God and through this salvation will be achieved. He explained that the Mosaic Law was not enough to make the Christian righteous. This works serves as an eye opener to the early church as some of the issues that were controversial at this time were clearly explained by Paul. The differences that threatened to tear apart the church were tackled in this writing. To the Jewish Christians Paul explained that God had not completely broken his promise with them but he was working towards redemption of all the people in the universe.   For a long time Paul was planning to visit Rome but he was hindered from making such a move. Now he was determined to do it, he wanted to greet them and introduce himself before he made that journey. This visit was very important to him and the church in Rome as both were anxious. Paul was not sure how he was going to be received in this city and the some people there had criticized him before as they did not think he can be the leader of the church which was led by the Gentiles. The book of Romans serves as the assurance to the church in Rome that they are accepted in the kingdom of God like any other group despite them being Gentiles. Therefore Paul was mainly writing this book to assure this group that they also had a right and a share in the kingdom of God. He assures them that Jesus died for all regardless of their status. The most important thing for any Christian was repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ and leading a holy life. (Moo, D1996) Paul believed that the culture of Romans was very important as far as the church was concerned. It was the most powerful empire in the world and was located in the middle of the world at the time of Paul evangelism. This fact made the Church of Rome very important to the world at large. He understood the great effect this church would have on the rest of the world especially the so called civilized world of that time. He clearly saw the need of systematic and full presentation of the good news in this city. The people in Rome were looking forward to Paul visit in Rome as it would serve a great role as far as their church was concerned. This visit was taken as a formal recognition that a church that was led by the Gentiles. They had for a long time wondered how he can be an apostle of the church yet he fail to visit their church in Rome. This gave the church leaders an opportunity to gauge and judge his courage and honesty as far as the church was concerned. The book of Romans clearly explains the doctrines of the Christian faith. Paul in this book defended the gospel from those people who were claiming that salvation was for a chosen group. The church in Rome was to serve as a pillar where the Christianity would be spread to other regions in the world. The book clearly assures that the Roman church was as legitimate as the other despite the fact that it was led by gentiles. This served as a boost to this church as Paul was taken as the messenger of God and he was presenting the God word to the people who had chosen to follow Christ yet the society was not keen to respect them. Paul addresses them as his brethrens a clear indication that he had accepted them as one of them and they were on the right track as far as faith was concerned. (Moo, D 2002) The book of Romans had a great impact on the early church and the western civilization at large.Scholars has argued that the book is the most influential in Christian history. It is in this book that Paul gives a detailed exposition of the word of God. It is the most fundamental and systematic discussion as far as the whole plan of salvation is concerned. To the Romans the book touched on what they were supposed to do so that they can be saved. This applies to all the Christians and was largely quoted by the protestant reformers as they assured the faithful that the kingdom of god was reserved for all those who had faith in Him and they did not need the blessing of any man on earth for them to be allowed access into this Kingdom. The book was universal in application despite the fact that it was directed to the Church in Rome. (Moo, D1996) The book of Romans had greatly influenced many people in the history of the church. The prominent theologians like Martin Luther had studied the book making them aware of what God expected from them. Martin Luther found the teaching of salvation by the grace clear and he used it to spearhead the reforms in the church where he assured the faithful that it was through faith and grace alone that they were to be saved not from paying indulgences and other kind of injustices that existed in the church during the middle ages. (Dillenberger, J 1961) The protestant reformation was basically a recovery of the right and pure gospel which resulted in the increased gospel spread to the different parts of the world. It was a revival of the Apostle’s Paul work where he made a journey to various parts of the world taking the good news. Through studying the book of Romans Martin Luther’s life was completely changed and so is the history of the church. The protestant reformation was as a result of this great theologian reading the book as the teaching was made available to the public. Lives were changed as the message of hope and righteousness was spread far and wide. The book clearly states that there is no Christianity without Jesus, he who comes to know him shall be saved. Martin preached the same message that Paul wrote to the people of Rome and the early church. Martin Luther described the book of Romans as the purest gospel which is worth and every Christian should understand it clearly. He advises the believers not to take the word law in human terms as through doing this they will be confused as the people in the early church and they will be serving the church rather than living according to the will of God. He teaches them that God judges his people according to the heart. His law can not be satisfied by the works but rather on the inner most heart. He got these ideas from reading the work of Paul to the Romans. A book that he describes as full of inspiration to him and his search for the truth .Paul says that all people are sinners in the eyes of God and for us to be saved we have to seek the kingdom of God through following his teachings rather than following the law or the traditions as was the custom with the Christian Jews. If believers accustom themselves to the language described by Paul in the book of Romans Martin Luther says that they will find that there exists a difference between what the traditions of the church prescribe and what God really expects. (Dillenberger, J 1961) Through the inspiration he received from the book of Romans Luther was able to challenge the church. The evils that characterized the church at this time has made him very disturbed and he set out on a mission to discover what can bring him close to God. The message he got was derived from the book of Romans where he realized that it was only through the grace of God that all will be brought close to God. The church was extremely corrupt where things that were going on were contrary to God’s expectation. Through the inspiration he was able to revolutionize the church and brought the light just as Paul shed the light to the people of Rome concerning what God expected from them. Martin Luther described Romans as the main book in the New Testament .His wish is for every Christian to use the book as a guide in our daily lives. As the systems are bound to confuse them as far as their faith is concerned just like it happened during his time when the Roman Catholic Church used the teachings to justify some of the evil things that were happening. The letter of Paul to the Romans would serve as the guide to the church and the believers if they are interested in the righteousness. Luther says that people should be ready to confess Jesus with their mouth and in such a deed they will lead a righteous life as they will always aspire to do what God expects from them. Good deeds alone do not make a man righteous rather he should have faith in God. The book of Romans has been described as the one that changed the course of the church history right from the early church to the protestant reformation. Therefore it is in order to say that this book contains message which are inspirational and can bring a complete change in ones life. It changed the life of the Augustine together with John Wesley people who had led a life that was not pleasant before the eyes of God. They had struggled with the evils ways up to a point when the word was revealed to them changing their lives completely. John Wesley had set out to preach without being converted, after some years of struggling and failing he heard the teaching of Martin Luther describing the book of Romans. Listening to the true words of Luther the man was inspired and he was converted. He went to preach in many corners and has been described in the history of the church to have played a great role in the evangelical work of awakening the believers. (Moo, D 2002) The kind of life that God expects from every person is what has touched many people in the course of the church history. From martin Luther to John Wesley there was realization that God expects us to be righteous before his eyes as Paul maintained in the book. On the same line God’s wrath does not discriminate, it is expressed impartially to all the sinners neither does He discriminate between the Christian Jews and the gentiles. Before Paul sent the letter to the church in Rome the Jews prided to be the privileged people in the eyes of God but this notion was clearly explained by the book that set out to put the facts straight. On the same line the book of Romans came to be used in the protestant Reformation showing clearly that no one was too holy before the eyes of God to help in pardoning of the sins. Only God had the power to forgive the sins. The book as described by Luther addressed the issue clearly stating that no amount of payment towards indulgences was enough to forgive ones sins. (Moo, D1996) The book of Romans influence to the church has been enormous right from the time Paul wrote the letter to clear the differences that existed in the Church of Rome. It is as a result of that explanation that the Gentiles faith was strengthened after understanding what God stood for as far as righteousness was concerned. The book deals with the issues of sin, progressive sanctification, practical service and the gracious salvation issues that could have divided the church in Rome as Christian Jews and the Gentiles had different views regarding these issues. The book addresses God great plan for saving mankind by his grace. It clearly states that it is only through the grace of God that all those who believe in Him shall acquire this salvation. The book has been described as the comprehensive statement of faith and Christianity as a whole. It has been used by many believers to show what is expected of us and the church in general. The basis of the Christian faith is based on this book and this explains why the book has in many cases changed the course of the church history especially when some people are out to mislead the believers in the matter of faith. Martin Luther used the book to show how the church had turned to be evil and led a revolution that came to bring openness in the church allowing people to read the word for themselves. (Hodge, C 1994) The book of Romans importance to the Christian faith can not be underestimated; it has been relied on several occasions to shed light where misunderstandings have existed. The book has shaped the church making more responsive to the needs of a believer, trying as much as possible to reconcile the two issues of law and righteousness. The strong foundation of the Christian faith is found in this letter of Saint Paul to the people of Rome. Reference Dillenberger, J (1961) Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings, New York, Doubleday and CO Moo, D(1996)The Epistle to the Romans. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Moo, D (2002) Encountering the Book of Romans: A Theological Exposition, Michigan, Baker Academic Barth, K (1968) The Epistle to the Romans. Oxford University Press, 1968. Hodge, C(1994) Commentary on Epistle to the Romans. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Operations Management Case Study Essays

Operations Management Case Study Essays Operations Management Case Study Essay Operations Management Case Study Essay Operations Management Case Study Questions Maria Yee, Inc. Read the case study and then spend time browsing mariayee. com. You will also need to research additional material related to Maria Yee, Inc. , as well as Ikea, the Forest Stewardship Council, etc. Answer the following questions: 1. Research and attempt to assess the corporate culture at Ikea. Does the culture at Maria Yee, Inc. appear to be different than the culture at Ikea, or are the two cultures similar? 1.Which aspects of Maria Yee’s personal background do you think instilled in her the passion that she has for environmental issues in general, and for building furniture in a way that is less impactful to the environment? 2. Research some ways in which other furniture companies have organized their supply chain operations. Provide some examples of companies that still produce furniture within the U. S. (including cutting, millwork, assembly, etc. ). Does it appear to be common for furniture companies to OWN offshore factories? Do you think that owning and running its own factories gives Maria Yee Inc. competitive advantage, or is this vertically-integrated approach inefficient? 3. Ikea’s business model relies heavily on assembly by consumers (i. e. , minimal case goods are carried by Ikea). Does Ikea promote any green products or processes? Are Ikea and Maria Yee Inc. targeting the same market segments? Explain. What other international companies specialize in producing furniture requiring assembly by the consumer? For example, most of the furniture sold in Wal-Mart comes in this manner, but who actually makes it? 4. How would you characterize the personal management style of Ms. Maria Yee?Is this management style beneficial or detrimental when it comes to running and improving operations at her two Chinese factories? 5. On page 7, in the second paragraph, the statement is made, The company used a made-to-order’ model in which nothing was pre-made and it essentially held no inventory. What are the pros and cons of this approach? Do you think Maria Yee Inc. still uses this practice today? See if you can get an estimate of the lead time for a typical Maria Yee product. For example, check the Crate Barrel website, etc. 6. Do any other furniture companies tout certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)?List a few, if any are found. 7. In the case, Maria Yee stated, We don’t think going green has to be premium-priced. Do you agree with this statement? How does Maria Yee Inc. manage to keep prices on its furniture within the upper-middle price point? Do you feel that green products generally cost more money? 8. Bamboo has steadily moved up the value chain (as stated on page 10), thanks in part to the efforts of Maria Yee Inc. Is there any supply chain risk associated with creating furniture using higher-quality bamboo and eco-friendly glue and finishes?