Monday, July 22, 2019
Continuum of Care University of Phoenix Essay Example for Free
Continuum of Care University of Phoenix Essay Long-term Care is only one piece of continuum care. Most Americans try to stay home as long as they can. People love to try and keep their independence as long as they can. Many elderly Americans are able to stay home as long as they can due to family members help and home health care aide. Most elderly people can no longer take care of themselves mentally and physically. This is when Long-term care continuum benefits the patient. The long-term care continuum consists of nursing home care and assisted living care. The first step in the continuum of care is Independent living. Elderly patients are placed in supportive housing or home based healthcare. If the patient is unsuccessful with supportive housing, we must move to the next step. The next step is providing in home care. In home care is less expensive than long term care. The cost of care for this service depends on the level of care and the hours of service the patient needs. The patient’s last choice should be long term care. Most elderly patients use Medicare or Medicaid for long term care payment. Medicare only applies to the patient’s long-term care if the patient is immediately following a hospital stay. Medicare only cover short term provider prescribed home health care for speech therapy, skilled nursing, occupational and medical social services. Medicare also covers up to 100 days of nursing home care. We are fighting today for a longer duration for long term care. The federal government should allow elderly patients more time in long term care facilities. I believe this would cut the cost of emergency room visits and hospital admittance in seniors.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Concepts of Operations Management to the Fast Food Industry
Concepts of Operations Management to the Fast Food Industry INTRODUCTION: The ability of every organisation to make profit and sustain in this competitive world revolves around its competency to perform its operations accurately. Hence although the term Operations Management seems to be recently evolved. It has oriented with the industrial revolution itsef. In a lay mans language, operations management is the effective and efficient running of the various resources within an organization. The work below looks at the various theoretical concepts of operations management and how these are applied in the practical from in the various industries. It looks the interrelation between operations management and strategic objectives of an organisation. It can be rightly said that if these two concepts have to merge appropriately for a company to survive and make profit. OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT: Operations management can be explained as providing the finest service at the lowest possible prices. This objective can only be achieved if each and every operation within the organisation is managed optimally. The various operations within an organisation that needs to be managed are financial operations, capital management and human resource management. The legitimate and accurate management of these valuable resources results in successful operations management according to Stevenson 1993, Operations Management can be described as follows management of systems and processes that create good sand/or provide services(  as cited in J.Bicheno and B.Elliot,1977,p9). A more detailed definition of operations management is given by J.Bicheno and B.Elliot 1997, a field study that focuses on the effective planning, scheduling, use and control of a manufacturing or service organisation through the study of concepts from design engineering, industrial engineering, management infor mation systems, quality management, production management, accounting and other functions as they affect the operations. (J.Bicheno and B.Elliot,1977,p9).According to Mahadevan, Operations Management is a systematic approach to address all the issues pertaining to the transformation process that converts some inputs  into output that are useful and could fetch revenue for the organisation.(B.Mahadevan,2007,p5).Thus a detailed study of both the definitions states that Operations management is concerned with the accurate management of the various operation within any kind of organisation so as to maximise results by minimum use of resources. Thus for any organisation to perform successfully, it is mandatory to strictly monitor the smooth functioning of the various operations within the organisation. Thus in brief the role of operations management is to transform the input into output in an efficiently manner.  Following are some of the benefits of effective operations management: Improves the productivity of the organization.  Minimizes the cost of the organizations.   Helps in forecasting the various trends within the market.   Avoids duplication of work.   Helps in intelligent use of resources.   Guides the company to provide excellent services and products.   Helps in developing solutions for the various problems faced by the organization. (B.Mahadevan,2007,p6,7) (C.Vidler, 2001, p7). INTRODUCTION TO MCDONALDS Every organisation that exists in the market has a goal set that has to be achieved by it within a given frame of time. These are goals can also be called as strategic objectives. Each organisation before entering the competitive market sets its strategic objectives and also develops a strategy to achieve the same. The organisation that is being studied is a famous chain of Fast Food Restaurants, McDonalds Corporation US. Its an organisation that started in 1940s by two brothers Dick and Mac McDonald. They stared a small restaurant in California in 1940s.Another personality that completely changed the fate of this organisation is Ray Krocs. A combined effort of all these three entrepreneurs resulted in an organisation which is one of the leading fast food restaurants. (web-1) .Some of the objectives of McDonalds Restaurant is To cater good quality food to the customers in an environment that is benevolent and    enjoyable. To keep their shareholders happy by providing good returns to them consistently. Their aim is to serve food at a faster pace which has value for money and impeccable taste and quality. They are also aim in perform their corporate social responsibilities in an effective manner. They are also doing their duties by being an eco friendly organization. A look at the various strategic objectives it can be concluded that McDonalds has set up a defined set of objectives. They also have developed various strategies to achieve these objectives. The three features that the organisation concentrates on are quality, speed and satisfying customers. The restaurant has carried out many training programmes for the crew members so as to achieve the best customer service. They also focus on the ambience of the restaurant and put a lot of effort to maintain it. They also have special kids section in some restaurants so that the children and parents can have a quality time at one place. Cleanliness is not only maintained within the restaurant areas around the restaurant also cleaned up on a regular basis. They also perform corporate social duties judiciously. They support a charity which helps the old people. McDonalds has also stopped using plastic bags and promotes the use of paper bags. They also propagate the idea of re cycling. There are many operations within the organisations. The main operations within McDonalds are  ·Ã‚         Procurement of raw materials and machinery  ·Ã‚         Production and Quality Maintenance  ·Ã‚         Pricing  ·Ã‚         Advertising and Marketing  ·Ã‚         Customer Service  ·Ã‚         Corporate Social Responsibilities Procurement of raw materials and machinery: The main strategies used by McDonald have to maintain the inventory is JIT, Just in Time. According to Modem, JIT can be defined as a production system to produce a kind of unit needed, at the time needed and in the quantities needed (W.Jedlicka, 2009). The idea behind this is to reduce the cost of inventory management. This also helps in providing fresh food to the customers. This stragey is successful since the mangers in the restaurants do a daily stock count at the end of the day to keep a track of the avaiable things and things that have to be ordered. This also helps to double check the sales that are performed by the restaurant. Another strategy that is used by the restaurant is the First in First out (FIFO). According to this startegy the make it a point to sell product that have arrived earlier first and then the latter ones. The whole stock management process is designed in such a manner that this principle of Just in Time and First in First Out is strictly followed. Production and Quality Maintenance: In this phase the raw materials used are converted into finished products that are presented to the customers. This is a very important step. The kitchen crew is trained to produce the products by following a standard protocol. Every product that is created in the McDonalds kitchen has to follow the protocol so as to maintain the standard and quality of the products. Handling the production bin is a very important task. Every item that is produced has a certain shelf life after which it is declared to be unfit for consumption. Hence the food items are produced sloley on the basis of demands. During the busy hours there is always a manger on the production bin who manages the bin. It is only during this period that food is created a little in excess based on the expected crowd of customers. This is a strategy used by the restaurant to avoid long ques and to provide fresh food at a faster pace. Another measure that is taken by the company is the use of labels. Every ingredient with the kitchen has a label on it. This label states the time by which this product should be used and when the product should be discarded. Such a system helps in maintain the quality of the food served. The company also has the program of Mystery Shopper. In this program a member from the companys head office visits the individual restaurants as a regular customer to check the various aspects. This visit not only checks the quality of the food, it also checks the service provided to the customers, cleanliness within the restaurant and the overall experience in the restaurant. Thus we can see that effort is done by the individual restaurant and the company as well to maintain high standards in terms of quality of food. Pricing: The fact that McDonalds was making a good profit even during the time of recession is a clear reflection of the fact that they have a well developed pricing strategy. They are one of the few restaurants that have a very well established 1 £ menu as well. This pound menu not only includes only one item it has a mix of all products that can be bought. Thus it is not only cheap but also provides variety for the customers to choose from. Even the regular meals are priced rightly. Hence the customers do not hesitate. Thus in short one can surely say that dining at McDonalds is not a good experience that is not too heavy on the pockets. Advertising and Marketing: McDonalds uses many channels of advertising like print media, bill boards, television advertisements and also sponsorship. Any new product that enters the menu is well advertised and marketed by the company. They create a great amount of awareness of the product that is being launched. Thus attracting the customers to their outlets.  Vouchers are also provided to the customers. It has been noticed that this startegy of providing vouchers is one of the major attraction for the customers. They also have promotional activities. Some of the promotional activities that are done by the restaurant are providing Coca-Coal glasses with every purchase of a large meal. They also play the game of monopoly in this every product that is sold to the customer has a sticker which may either be a part of the monopoly game or will be a coupon for a free product from their menu. Another marketing strategy that is used by the company is the use of loyalty cards. This helps in compelling their customers to come back to the same place. They also use the strategy of innovation. In this there will able a particular range of new products that will be available for stipulated period of time. Once this time period is over they will have a new product that takes it place. Hence there is something new every time a customer walks- in. This helps in retaining the customers. Customer Service: This operation forms the base of the organisation. The aim of the company is to make the experience at the restaurant a unique one. This is only possible by providing excellent customer service. The company trains the newly recruited employees for providing excellent customer service. The crew members are asked to be sensitive to the needs of the customers. Although they have a protocol to treat the customers the employees are given the liberty to act according to the need of the situation. Especially in the case of senior employees and mothers.  The company strongly believes that only if a customer is comfortable at the restaurant will they come back. Hence all measure is taken by the store employees to make sure that the customers are completely satisfied when they leave. They also have crew training programmes on a regular basis to upgrade the service and to develop new skills. Regular meetings are conducted to deal with any issues that are faced by the employees. T he company also promotes the crew members to take part in the various programmes that are conducted by the company. Thus motivating the employees. The company does annual appraisal in terms of salary as well as position based on the employees performance. Corporate Social Responsibilities: According to P.Kotler and N.Lee, Corporate social responsibility is a commitment to improve community well-being through discretionary business practices and contributions of corporate resources (P.Kotler and N.Lee, 2005). Thus it can be seen that CSR has to be a way of functioning of every business that exists. This function has to be implemented in every activity within the business. McDonalds officially absorbed this function into their operation in 2007; it was at this time that they developed a Sustainable Supply Steering Committee (SSSC).this committee was responsible to keep a check on the supply chain activities within the organisation. The company adopted the Three Es into their supply chain. These are Ethical Responsibility, Environmental Responsibility and Economic Responsibility. The idea behind adopting these were to make sure that all the operation carried out within the organisation follow a ethical pattern  (Web 2). The company has also developed a Global Advisory Council (GAC) in 2004 that provide advice as to how create a menu that provides healthy nutrition and a balanced-diet to the customers. (Web-3) Thus we see that every operation within the organisation from the procurement of raw materials to the disposition of corporate social responsibilities is performed diligently by the organisation. A smooth co -ordination between this function is the secret to the success of the organisation. This individual operation has to be controlled in an effective manner for the overall stable performance of the organisation. QUALITY, RESOURCE AND TOOLS MANGEMENT: The word quality has different meanings based on individual perceptions. For some quality of product or service means. The nutrition value or standard of the product or service for some others quality is that the product or service should meet their requirements satisfactorily. In some other cases quality means value for the money that has been spent. Hence there is no definite way in which quality can be described. However an official definition of Quality has been given by International Organization for Standardization ISO 2000, the extent to which a group of intrinsic features (physical, sensorial, behavioural, temporal, ergonomic, functional, etc) satisfies the requirements, where requirement means need or expectation which may be explicit, generally implicit or binding.  (A.Illy and R.Viani, 2005).Another pragmatic definition of quality is given by Harrington 1990, Meeting or exceeding customer expectations at a cost that represents value to them. (A.Illy and R.Vi ani, 2005). In any company quality of the product and service is based on resources, tools and systems used by the company. McDonalds serves beef patties, these patties are made from cows that are corn -feed in the U.S and some of these are also imported from Australia and New -Zealand. These patties are instantly frozen to maintain the freshness and quality. This process of freezing is known as Individual Quick Freezing developed by Herb Lotman. Herb Lotman is the founder of the Keystones Company, which is one of the major suppliers of McDonalds. The French fries are cooked in Canola Oil which provide 0 gram of Trans Fats. Salads that are served at the restaurant are freshly prepared in the restaurant as per the request of the customer. No preservatives are used in the salads that are served in the restaurant. Most of the fountain drinks that are served at the restaurant are regularly monitored to maintain optimum quality. All milk based drinks are well pasteurised and mainta in high standards and quality. McDonalds coffee which is very famous is obtained from Brazil, Gutaemala and Costa Rica. The equipment that is used in the McDonalds Kitchen is Grills, Microwave, Shake Machines and many more. The grills are standardised to cook a particular meat, so they automatically set the time for cooking the meat. These grills are cleaned on a regular basis at the end of the day with strong solvents to ensure its cleanliness. The shake machines and the fountain drinks machines are regularly cleaned to ensure quality of the drinks. The fries are cooked in the frying vat at high temperatures. The quality of the oil is checked regularly to maintain the quality of the food. TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AN ANSWER TO ALL QUALITY ISSUES: The perfect way to imbibe quality as a part of the organisational culture is by adopting the principles of Total Quality Management. According to A.Rawlins, Total Quality Management is a way of managing to improve effectiveness, flexibility and competitiveness of an organisation as a whole. (R.A.Rawlins, 2008 p19). This concept of TQM proposes that quality is not a term that should be confined to the end product or service. Quality has to become a part and parcel of every operation within the organisation, thus making it an obligatory to maintain the same at every step. According to G.K.Kanji and M.Asher TQM can become a part of the organisation if its principles and concepts are applied accurately. They have given four principles of TQM and eight core concepts for TQM.                  Principles                                        Core Concepts   I.        Delight the customer:          Customer Satisfaction, Internal Customers are real  II.       Management by Fact:          All work is process, Measurement  III.      People-based Management: Team work, People make quality  IV.      Continuous Improvement: Continuous improvement cycle, Prevention. If all the areas mentioned in the above diagram are well managed this will result excellent functioning of the organisation. In which quality is maintained at every step hence there will not be any quality related issue. (G.K.Kanji and M.Asher, 1996, p1). Advantages of Total Quality Management: 1)      Helps the organization to concentrate of the market trends. 2)      Inculcate a culture of quality in every aspect of the organization from top to bottom. 3)      Regularly assess all the process within the organization to eliminate outdated processes. 4)      To continuously develop new strategies for the company to achieve the changing strategic objectives of the organization. 5)      To work as a team and have problem solving attitude. 6)      To keep the goal and achievements of the organization well communicate d at every level. 7)      To always involve in a continues development programmed.  (R.A.Rawlins ,2008,p20,21). SCOPE OF IMPROVEMENT: No organisation a be sated as perfect because there is room for improvement. An organisation that always updates or modified itself according to the need of the market is always successful. Carrying out a SWOT analysis is the best possible way to identify the weak links within an organisation. There is a lot of speculation on the companys role in providing nutritional food. As obesity is one of the major health issues in the current scenario. The company will have to reinforce as to how they are contributing to the society by providing food of the top most quality. It has been noticed that McDonalds faces the problem of high rates of attrition. This is a serious threat for the company as it is based on customer service. The reason this becomes a major issue is because it become an additional cost. As well the can also affect the companys sales and overall image. An unpleasant experience in the restaurant can be a major disaster. This can result in bad or negative marketing for the or ganisation. Another issue that is faced by the company is the health issue. The effect of this high turnover ratio on the organisation is as follows: 1)      High financial cost in terms of training the employee every time. 2)      Lack of trained employees can result in downfall of the organization. 3)      Reduced productivity and interruptions in the workflow 4)      Loss of expert professionals. 5)      Loss of business opportunities as the company is overwhelmed by the internal issues. 6)      Administrative issues within the organization. 7)      Loss of job satisfaction of the other employees and insecurities among the employees. (P.P.Phillips, 2002) RECOMMENDATIONS: The major issue in McDonalds as mentioned earlier is the high rate of attrition. Below are some of the points that would help in retaining the employees. Another problem that is faced by the organisation is a health issue. Ø  Peers Reviews is one of the strongest methods that can be used for employee retention. Ø  Fostering trust and respect and reducing management employee conflicts by regular meetings.(J.A.Carsen, 2002). Ø  Doing timely performance appraisals. Ø  Continuous motivation to be done- by rewarding at achievements. Ø  Recognition given to good work. Ø  Regular meetings to solve any grievances. Ø  Training the employees accurately. Ø  Job rotation should be practiced avidly so as to increase employee knowledge and enrich his experience. Many a times there have been cases were the organisation has been blamed for being responsible for health issues like obesity. Although the organisation makes use of healthy food ingredients there are such speculations. The best way to deal with this is to market the right and more explicit information on their products. This not only allows the customers to have a clear picture but make healthy choices while ordering. They can also get their food certified by authorities in the health and food section. Such an attempt will only help to clarify these false allegations. Last but not the least a customer survey should be done to identify their opinion and bring about changes within the organisation in a manner which is helpful to the company and the customers. Such an effort on the part of the organisation will strengthen their relation with their customers. CONCLUSION: Quality can be defined as anything that has value for the money and energy spent on it. It is not a onetime attempt to set up a good system in action and then never bother about it. Every organisation should maintain its quality standards not for good sale and profit, but must develop quality as a culture within the organisation. This culture of quality has to be passed down into every process within the organisation. It is only then a company will never face failures in achieving its goals and objectives.  REFRENCES: 1)      Web 1: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_history.html 2)      Web2: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/csr/about/sustainable_supply.html 3)      Web3: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/csr/about/nutrition___wellbeing.html 4) J.Bicheno and B.Elliot (1997), Operations Management: an active learning approach, Blackwell Publishers Ltd, UK, p9 5)  B.Mahadevan(2007),Operations Management Theory and Practice,Dorling Kindersley(India) Pvt Ltd, India,p5 6)  C.Vidler(2001),Operations Management, Heinemann Educational Publishers, Oxford. 7)  W.Jedlicka(2009), Packaging Sustainability, John Wiley Sons Inc, USA,p303 8) P.Kotler and N.Lee(2005), Corporate Social Responsibility, John Wiley Sons Inc, USA,p3 9) A.Illy R.Viani(2005), Espresso Coffee: The Science Of Quality( 2nd edn), Elsevier Academic Press, UK,p2 10)Web4: http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/food_quality/see_what_we_are_made_of/your_questions_answered/fresh_produce.html 11)  P.P Philips(2002), Retaining Your Best Employees, American Society For Training and Development,USA,p2 12) J.A.Carsen(2002), HR How to Employee Retention, CCH Knowledge Point, USA. 13) G.K.Kanji and M.Asher(1998), 100 Methods For Total Quality Management,Sage Publication Ltd, London, p1-2
Saturday, July 20, 2019
What Christians Believe About The Death Of Jesus :: Papers
What Christians Believe About The Death Of Jesus Different denominations are all united in their belief of the death of Jesus. As a result of Jesus' death on the cross, he redeemed humanity. Through its sinful behaviour the human race had effectively sold itself to Satan, but Jesus had to pay the necessary price to buy it back. Christians believed that when God sent his only son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross, he saved us all from sin and reunited with God. Therefore, Jesus is seen to Christians as a ransom, which was paid in order for the world to be at atonement with God once again. Jesus was sinless, and was God incarnate as well as man, and so his death was able to redeem mankind. We are once again reminded of Jesus' sacrifice in order to be reconciled with God, when he is referred to as the second Adam, as he corrected the fall of mankind (Adam & Eve). Christians also argue that the death of Jesus was inevitable; he had to die, for humanity couldn't be redeemed without him being sacrificed. The bible teaches us this. It teaches us that God is merciful, but he is also just, so our sins have to be paid for. The Crucifix holds symbolism for Roman Catholics as well as Protestants. Roman Catholics see it as a symbol of Jesus death, therefore having a crucifix with Jesus on. Protestants however, see it as a symbol of Jesus' resurrection therefore having a plain crucifix. Jesus if often referred to as 'The lamb of God'. This can be compared with the Old Testament (Exodus) where an innocent lamb would be sacrificed each year at Passover. Jewish people did this, as they believed that by shedding the blood of an innocent lamb and painting it upon their doors, they would be spared by the angel of death. Jesus is like the lamb that is sacrificed in order to spare the Jews lives. An example of this today can be found at mass where the congregation
Friday, July 19, 2019
Glass Menagerie :: essays research papers
                         Laura and Her Ways      Laura is a woman who has reached the body of a full adult, but she has yet to gain the brain and thought process of an adult. Laura is a woman that lives in her own dream world, and is not motivated by what is going on in the real world. She is a woman that fails to grow mentally as she does physically.      Laura is very shy around people, especially around strangers or someone she likes such as Jim. Jim is a friend of Laura’s brother who is invited to dinner one night. Laura had a crush on him in high school, but she is still shy around him. When Jim talks to Laura during the night he is at dinner she does not fully respond to Jim’s friendly questions and his gentle talk, rather she replies slowly and does not fully respond. Laura says that â€Å"I know, but I did, and I-â€Å" (608), then Jim has to finish where Laura left off by saying, â€Å"you mean you were shy with people (609).†Laura said that wanted Jim’s autograph in High School because he was in a play called The Pirates of Penzance but didn’t get it because â€Å"you were always surrounded by your own friends so much that I never had a chance.†     Laura lives in her dream world all day and feels that what she does is important. Laura responds to Jim questioning about what she has done since High School by saying â€Å"My glass collection takes a good deal of time...(610)†Laura feels as if the glass animals that she has are real, â€Å"he stays on the shelf with some horses...and they all seem to get together (611).†     Laura is very concerned about others opinion about her. The reason that she drops out of High School is that she had a brace and felt that it was very loud and everyone heard it. Jim tells her that he didn’t â€Å"hear any clumping†and Laura responds by saying, â€Å"it sounded like thunder.
Casella wines ? Export success :: essays research papers
1.Identify its international markets      US and North America identified o     Distribution network – 44 states. o     Size – initially estimated 20-30 thousand cartons to 100 thousand cartons, reality was 20 to 200 thousand. o     Annual sales $3 million.      UK o     Some regional supermarkets hoping to expand to majors.      Mainland Europe o     Some beginning sales. 2.Describe and analyse the reason for its international expansion      Increase sales/find new markets – domestic market oversupplied      Minimise competitive risk      Economies of scale      Cushioning economic cycle      Comparative advantage o     High cost of labour and land in US. 3.Explaing the influences on this business in the global market Political Tensions between free trade and protection      Globalisation seeing removal of barriers      Eg. Quotas, tariffs, subsidies – statistics      Exports of wine have increased from 3% of sales to 52% of sales in 2002. this equals $2.3 billion dollars or 414 million litres      US greatest source of export growth      Australia’s export policy has led to major reforms in the Australian wine industry      ‘Rationalisation of wine production’ leading to overall efficiency giving them cost advantages over their competitors and reshaping of distribution lines.      4th largest wine exported in the world with 5% of global market International organisations and treaties      1994 Uruguay multilateral agreement (WTO)      Agreement to reduce protection on agricultural products (wines/grapes) by 36% by 2000      UK has the largest export market of wine Trade agreements      US and Australia have strong trade relations and trade agreements War in the Middle East Weak economic conditions Social Consumer tastes      Global markets have been increasingly integrated      Growing demand for mass market, high quality wines and a recognisable brand      Marketing of wines ‘other benefits’ has increased consumption globally      Strong economic growth period sees wine viewed as a luxury good, something consumers buy when they feel conditions are good as their incomes are increasing. Also at this particular price range fluctuations do not vary with economic conditions      Strong market for Australian markets taking off in the US Financial      Currency fluctuations      Weak Australian dollar has helped making Yellow Tail a better taste at $7 and a lower price than its Californian counterparts which are hobbled by high cost of land and labour      Currency fluctuations would have to get way about 70 cents for Casella to be unprofitable without a price change Legal      None mentioned 4.Explain the strategies used by the business to achieve its target markets
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Mergers and Acquisitions: American Airlines Merges With Rival US Airways Essay
Successful corporations in business are always seeking different ways to improve their position in their respective areas of operation. Mergers and acquisitions have been proven to be a way to do just that. A merger is simply defined as two companies joining to make a new company, whereas an acquisition occurs when one company outright purchases another company. Mergers and Acquisitions are considered as the important growth strategy for companies to satisfy the increasing demands of various stakeholders (Krishnamurti and Vishwanath, 2010). Why Merge? AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, announced plans to merge with US Airways Group in February, 2013. This came after the corporation had previously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2011. (Isidore, Chris) The resulting merger created the largest airliner in the world. The companies officially formed the new American Airlines Group Inc. on December 9, 2013. (Air Transport World, Jan 2014) Doug Parker, previously the CEO of US Airways, and now CEO of the new American, stated: â€Å"We are taking the best of both US Airways and American Airlines to create a formidable competitor, better positioned to deliver for all of our stake holders. We look forward to integrating our companies quickly and efficiently so the significant benefits of the merger can be realized.†(Air Transport World, Jan 2014) That statement proves that the merger was formed for two reasons: money, and power. Both companies were losing in the passenger air transportation field to other companies that had recently merged. Merging would allow both companies to expand their resources and add routes and terminals together that were previously reserved to each individually prior to the combination. US Airways brings access to smaller US cities, whereas American Airlines has a large presence internationally, particularly London and Latin America (What the American Airlines/US Airways Merger Will Mean for You, 2013). American Airlines showed the want and need for money after it almost collapsed in bankruptcy. The merger of the two corporations was an example of a horizontal integration. This is defined by Investopedia.com as a merger or acquisition of additional business activities on the same level of the value chain in similar or different industries, and can be achieved by internal or external expansion. The airline industry has changed drastically over the past decade with mergers of almost every major airline: Delta & Northwest; United & Continental; and Southwest & AirTran. These mergers created a new landscape in which the tables were tilted against both US Airways and American Airlines. It was a necessity that the two join forces in order to stay be competitive and stay afloat against the other recently formed mega-airlines. Those mergers also created an opportunity for revenue growth in the ticket pricing arena. The price of a domestic round-trip ticket prices has climbed nearly 15% since 2009 due to inflation. The merger will give American and US Airways the ability to increase fares with the addition of both companies pre-existing routes and terminals. What were the significant effects of the merger? In order to be a success, a merger must provide all parties involved some significant increase in benefit. This merger is not exempt from that statement. Dailyfinance.com (2013) states that a key reason for the merger between American and US Airways is to link both airlines’ networks, creating a system on par with Delta Air Lines and United. The combination of the two results in more than 6,700 daily flights to 336 destinations in 56 countries. This network will allow passengers to fly around the world without the need to make the often exhausting connections that they were subjected to pre-merger. The merger also created an instant increase in stock prices. Shares of the combined company rose 2.7%. This in itself is a good start for a company in the post-bankruptcy period. The restructuring and merging will repay AMR’s creditors with interest and give its unions and common holders a large share of equity in the new company. (Susan Carey & Jack Nicas, 2013) Resulting Organizational Structure of the Post-Merger Company By combining two previously fully operational companies, the organizational structure will be more complex, at the least, than it was before. As a result of the merger, American Airlines Group, Inc. now has combined workforce of 110,000 people along-side a fleet of 1,511 aircraft (Bohemer, 2013). Organizing such a large workforce creates a challenge that requires a leader capable of handling that task. The company is now lead by Chief Executive Officer W. Douglas Parker, the former CEO and chairman of US Airways. Parker has proven leadership ability, presiding over the merger of US Airways and America West Airlines in 2005. He also oversaw the company during a time of record revenue growth and increased profit margins. Outgoing CEO Tom Horton was in that position from 2011 through 2013, leading the company through the merger before handing the reins over to Parker. Parker appears to have an edge on leading and team building, having going through an airline merger previously. His ability to increase profit and company wealth makes him the obvious choice to lead the new corporation. Although the merger has become final, the two companies will still operate as separate entities for the foreseeable future. This will allow the companies more time to put together the large structure and make proper decisions to ensure for smooth operations in the future. They benefit from not being the first airlines of their sizes to make this transition, as the mergers of Delta and Northwest and United and Continental have sort of created a path of what needs to be done in order to be a successful merger. The structure combined employees from both airlines, which builds unity and shows that the company is committed to moving forward together, not just to come in and take over. This is a good technique that more companies should adopt. Along with the physical structure change of the new American Airlines Group, there will also be changes that affect the consumers. Frequent Flyer miles will be able to be used interchangeably with either American Airlines or US Airways flights. Customers will be allowed to accrue mileage from either airlines. AA.com (n.d.) lists several benefits that AAdvantage members will be afforded with US Airlines, and vice versa. There are also gate changes that affect customers and employees, as seen with the closing of US Airways Pittsburgh Terminal. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Spokesman Todd Lehmacher said â€Å"US Airways says most of the 600 employees at the Pittsburgh center will be given the option to relocate to Texas, though it acknowledged it doesn’t expect all of them to do so. Those who chose not to go will be given a severance package.†(Mutzabaugh, 2014) Having lived in the Pittsburgh area for years, actually within a few miles of the airport, I know that the pullback will greatly affect the local economy. Human Resources Management Practices Anytime you combine two separate companies into one, there will be differences to iron out. Corporate culture will undoubtedly be one of the many Human resource challenges that the merger will have to overcome. Organizational cultural differences have been negatively associated with various accounting measures and stock market value following domestic M&As. (Webber & Drori, 2011) Being that the companies have similar duties and responsibilities, it should not be too difficult to work through these issues. There may be past practices at each company that will have to be adjusted in order to make the transition smooth. Merging also presented the opportunity to increase employee pay and benefits packages, which would be in line with the other large airlines. With the expected increased revenue, there would be more funds to share amongst the employees and shareholders. In behind the scenes meetings, Parker secretly negotiated deals with American’s three main unions, creating †Å"provisional contracts†that would give American’s workers far better pay and work rules. (Tully, 2013) These negotiations gave the union’s reason to buy into and promote the merger. Conclusion While the merger between these two airline giants did not go without hiccup, they were in a better position to make the transition due to a need to by American Airlines and a want to by US Airways. American appears to be the winner of the merger by coming out of bankruptcy, maintaining their company, and expanding their routes and terminals. The merger was finalized on December 9, 2013 References Krishnamurti, C., & Vishwanath, S. R. (2010). Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate Restructuring. South Asian Journal of Management, 17(2), 169-171. American Airlines, US Airways close merger to create world’s largest airline. (2014). Air Transport World, 51(1), 8. Boehmer, J. (2013). Merger Planning Underway As American, US Airways Embark On Long Journey. Business Travel News, 30(7), 28. What the American Airlines/US Airways Merger Will Mean For You. (2013, November 12). Daily Finance. Retrieved from http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/12/12/us-airways-american-airlines-merger-consumer-impact American Airlines, US Airways Complete Merger (2013.). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/ W. Douglas Parker. (n.d.). US Airways. Retrieved from http://www.usairways.com/EN-US/ABOUTUS/PRESSROOM/BIOS/PARKER.HTML Weber, Y., & Drori, I. (2011). Integrating Organizational and Human Behavior Perspectives on Mergers and Acquisitions. International Studies of Management & Organization, 41(3), 76-95. Tully, S. (2013, March 18). Inside the World’s Biggest Airline Merger. Fortune, 167, 169.
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
A Tale of Two Cities Humor Essay
brain in A Tale of devil CitiesThis novel is fill up with humor only if one dead reckoning that catches attention as humorous is in Chapter one of the blink of an eye Book, Jerry Cruncher is the most crotchety character in the book and in this smashicular guesswork he yells at his married woman for praying against her. This is anomalous because it is so ridiculous especially the instruction monster depicts it. Mr.Cruncher wa kes up to perplex his wife praying and yells twice that she is at it agin (Dickens 56), so he continues to stroke a pulpy eruption at her.Mrs.Cruncher only responds subsequently he addresses her again, she explains that she was not praying against him moreover for him. This full diorama is abruptly ridiculous because she was just be a peaceful wife but her hubby assumes she is praying for him to be unsuccessful. He has no express to back up his kick insofar continues to believe it. This fit in any case queer terrible sexism on the part of Jerry Cruncher.Humor in A Tale of Two CitiesThis novel is alter with humor but one place setting that catches attention as humorous is in Chapter one of the Second Book, Jerry Cruncher is the most uncommon character in the book and in this particular scene he yells at his wife for praying against her. This is comical because it is so absurd especially the way Dickens depicts it. Mr.Cruncher wa kes up to find his wife praying and yells twice that she is at it agin (Dickens 56), so he continues to throw a muddy boot at her. Mrs.Cruncher only responds after he addresses her again, she explains that she was not praying against him but for him.This entire scene is utterly ridiculous because she was just being a peaceful wife but her husband assumes she is praying for him to be unsuccessful. He has no evidence to back up his accusation yet continues to believe it. This scene also display terrible sexism on the part of Jerry Cruncher.Humor in A Tale of Two CitiesThis novel is fi lled with humor but one scene that catches attention as humorous is in Chapter one of the Second Book, Jerry Cruncher is the most comical character in the book and in this particular scene he yells at hiswife for praying against her. This is comical because it is so absurd especially the way Dickens depicts it. Mr.Cruncher wa kes up to find his wife praying and yells twice that she is at it agin (Dickens 56), so he continues to throw a muddy boot at her. Mrs.Cruncher only responds after he addresses her again, she explains that she was not praying against him but for him. This entire scene is utterly ridiculous because she was just being a peaceful wife but her husband assumes she is praying for him to be unsuccessful. He has no evidence to back up his accusation yet continues to believe it. This scene also display terrible sexism on the part of Jerry Cruncher.
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