Thursday, August 27, 2020

Accounting assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bookkeeping appraisal - Essay Example Accordingly, Direct Labor Hours Rate (DLHR) is favored for use in figuring the full expense of creation. Costs dependent on DLH exclusively relies upon how human work is dealt with thus to enhance such costs, the immediate human work must be concurred the government assistance it merits so they are proficient in their tasks. Costs dependent on machine hours then again can be overseen dependent on how proficient and powerful the machines are permitted to work thus decreasing the expenses or making them reasonable. In the event that these expenses are not improved, they may expand cutting into the profits of the tasks. a. It is preposterous to expect to group all expenses in either an association as fixed or variable expenses. This is on the grounds that relying upon the setting where the asset is utilized, there are numerous costs, which show a huge number of cost conduct (Bhimani 2012). Consequently, the order of an expense is reliant on the suspicions made by the examiner. b. Fixed expenses are costs, which stay steady regardless of the action level while variable costs will frequently change contingent upon the degree of action (Bhimani 2012). The arrangement of any of the above expenses wrongly will imply that the costs estimations by the association will be founded on wrong information. This may thusly prompt wrong choices being made by the administration, which is impeding to the tasks of the association. c. Commitment and benefits are significantly extraordinary most so when they are taken from the salary proclamation because of two significant reasons. One, cost of merchandise sold may incorporate both fixed and variable expenses while the estimation of commitment is just founded on deals income less factor costs. Besides, the count of commitment ought to incorporate both selling and organization costs which on account of the salary proclamation they come after gross edge

Saturday, August 22, 2020

We watched a videotape called Whale song Essay Example

We watched a tape called Whale melody Essay We watched a tape called Whale melody. It was about ocean warm blooded animals conduct, chasing and general data. While I watched I saw the dolphins making designs with their movements.The chasing and executing of the whales and dolphins was very realistic and mixed a considerable lot of our contemplations since it is such a dubious and awful thing. It caused me to feel profoundly sad.It was a decent upgrade since it gave me a lot of thoughts, all from various angles.Some of the class took a gander at a book called Whale Nation as another improvement. I didnt in light of the fact that I had seen enough to have the option to think about it.We then examined in an off-content exercise the material and our underlying musings and ideas.From viewing the well evolved creatures swim through the sea a great deal of the class got development as a major aspect of the last piece. We additionally spent the remainder of exercise on a kabuki meeting for data. We showed the individuals who didnt rea lize how to do kabuki how to do it.Id done it before in a dramatization workshop. We as a whole were 100% quiet and quiet. I discovered it truly unwinding and delighted in it a lot.I felt I was very acceptable at it too in light of the fact that I utilized assortment of levels and positions.I lay on my back and loosened up my feet. Our instructor said it appeared as though the whales tail and it did.I wish we could do kabuki each exercise to make us centered for work.RESPONSE PHASE 1:We had concluded it was a smart thought to come in for an entire day to accomplish the work on the Whale song.We started the exercise tuning in to various music so as to survey them and sort out the best pieces to utilize. I discovered a large portion of us needed to go for dismal, sad melodies. I felt a large portion of the class had the whaling and passing in mind.We picked:We then isolated into 4 gatherings of 3 to build up our underlying reactions to the research.GROUP 1 = DAVID, LAURA D AND LAURENG ROUP 2 = EMMA, DANIELLE AND LAURA B (ME)My commitment was the kabuki and kaleidoscope impacts which I got from watching the whales sluggish developments and the examples that the dolphins made, just as moving. I likewise saw the distressed hints of the whales.My bunch limited our thoughts down to: - GROUP 3 = JAMIE, HAYLEY AND DANIGROUP 4 = KATY, HAYLEY AND LISARESPONSE PHASE 2:I found an example of thoughts (whale items) ; (parting of whale). We chose bunch 4s thoughts werent functional, as they would include us going on the ocean and on the animals underneath it. (We wouldnt have the option to accomplish those levels in the studio.)The bunches joined and made 2 enormous gatherings of 6. My gathering united the kaleidoscope thought to show surface developments and the possibility of the whale being part. We additionally needed to do a melancholy move of other creatures.The other gathering needed to base theirs around development and various strategies of demonstrating movement.I wa s anticipating arranging and expanding the thoughts. It would have been intriguing as we were going to wind up with 2 last pieces for evaluation.We were likewise going to have a chance to coordinate our different colleagues as they got together with our piece. For their piece they would coordinate us.DEVELOPMENT STAGE PHASE 1:For 30 minutes my gathering constructed a fundamental structure of occasions and a succession, which we would later impart to the remainder of the class. I coordinated piece of this.We began by Emma and me going about as chiefs. We disclosed to the class the thought being the kaleidoscope. Emma and I needed to keep this in on the grounds that it fit the video of the dolphins moving through the water, similar to a reflected picture. We needed to accomplish this effect.One individual in the inside drove the developments, the middle 3 replicated (reflecting) and the 2 behind the inside individuals duplicated them.We made a perfect representation from focus outward s. I drove the reflecting. It was very confounding yet in the long run everybody got its hang and it worked well.We then went onto direct the class into 4 of us speaking to 2 whales.The tail individual lay on their backs and lifted their advantages and down. The head individual sat up and hammered their arms here and there as fins.I might suspect this worked very well. From a crowds perspective, it would have resembled a whales developments. I was a head and felt my job was very viable; I attempted to place everything into my arms and keep the remainder of my body still.4 individuals were whales and 4 were anglers. The 4 anglers made sense of a harpooning arrangement. It was very interesting.* David was the harpoonist* He swung back Katy and Lauren* They hit Lisa on the back* She bounced forward (as a spear) to execute the whale closest the ship.* We at that point chose the whale would roll in towards the pontoon to show it beingpulled on board. The 2 whales were representative of 1 whale however speaking to methods of biting the dust, so we see 2 sides of what could happen to the skewered whale.* The other whale gets upset (me and Dani indicated this by making our developments very violent).* 4 dolphins, emblematically, get the whale (me and Dani were picked up.)* Cushion whales death* Spun gradually around, set down to rest in peace.* Dolphins grieved demise by doing a moderate, effortless dance.This was my thought and I was extremely glad for it. It was extremely successful and really made a quiet, serene atmosphere.Lisa coordinated the other two gatherings piece. She set four individuals in the center (as whales) that at that point played out a moderate arranged kabuki. 1 individual spoke to blades, 1 as the tail, 1 as the body and 1 as the blowhole. At that point there was a gathering of 4 around them. I was one of that 4, a dolphin.We did quick developments in a counter mood to the whale. Me, Emma, Dani and Danielle made up the developments so they would appear as though dolphins leaping out of the outside of the water. We got our motivation from the Whale melody video.The other 4 remained at the edges of the gathering as the ocean encompassing the animals. They did wavy developments to look like undulating waves.I got confounded as a result of the counter-beat and thought that it was hard despite the fact that it was just a straightforward movement.Lisa then clarified the idea of the angling succession. 6 of us pretended the anglers on a pontoon. I was the post for the whales. We put me on a square to make me higher than the others (like in a crows home). We chose to sing ocean shanties, the particular one we pick was Hoorah and up she rises. We sang the tune tediously and enlivened the pace when I recognized the whale, played by the other 6 in the gathering, to develop pressure. The whale at that point moved to us to show marry caught it and we enclosed it accelerating the song.First we strolled then revived our walk about the wh ale just as we were falcons surrounding our prey. We arrived at an apex and in complicite we started to emulate the cutting up of the whale. We at that point solidified and, thus, every angler turned and strolled to the front to hold up a bit of card with a whale item on it and showcased an advertisement.I picked face cream, specifically LOreal, so I could state on the grounds that your justified, despite all the trouble in an American articulation. The articulation appeared to go down well with every other person as it made them chuckle. The whales at that point got up and became dissenters and constrained us once more into a frightened pile on the floor. I loved this piece in light of the fact that the starting developments looked extremely powerful. I likewise enjoyed the manner in which the whales became protestors and defeated the fishermen.DEVELOPMENT PHASE 2:We examined eliminate 1 and arranged any issues. We additionally included coordinated music. Miserable music for death scenes, sonar for anglers when theyre following the ocean for whales. We didnt have an excessive number of problems.DEVELOPMENT PHASE 3:We practiced the kabuki to music that helped keep cadence. We cleaned up the whale moving to the anglers and modified how Dani and I were to be gotten to make it progressively agreeable and more effective.We additionally built up the grieving move so it made a last scene of Dani and I lying close to one another, to seem as though one and the dolphins around us with heads bowed. We performed it for assessment. It went truly well and the demise scene was quiet and had a calm environment. I preferred this piece.In the other piece we re-sorted out the consummation of make it more arranged. Our melody was all the more together and we realized when to begin cutting the whale. We likewise included sonar for the anglers scanning for the whale.I, as post, recognized the whale and shouted out Thare she blows. This flagged us revolving around the whale. We add itionally made dissent/ad flags. We at that point performed it for assessment. This additionally worked out in a good way and I loved the developments at the beginning.EVALUTION:I truly delighted in the real conceiving of my gatherings piece. I loved the grieving scene in light of the serenity and dismal climate in the performance.I likewise loved different gatherings piece. Particularly the promotion area in light of the fact that Ive consistently needed to state in light of the fact that your justified, despite all the trouble in an American articulation. I thought the start with the developments looked truly good.I didnt like the finish of the subsequent piece however in light of the fact that it was somewhat exhausting. The first pieces finishing was emotional and you really realized it was the ending.I figure we could have taken a shot at the kaleidoscope area in the first piece since it was befuddling and somewhat untidy. I figure we ought to have made up a genuine arranged su ccession with the goal that everyone could have used to the developments and have the option to learn them as opposed to having to copy.I preferred my presentation in the first piece better than in the second piece since it included me being a center point so I felt increasingly significant in the piece. I believed I accomplished more in the first piece (going about as the whale). In my brain, when I was playing the whale, I saw an agile savvy animal being ruthlessly and barbarically killed.I kept the activities as basic as conceivable on the grounds that we needed to maintain the emphasis on the real slaughtering, as this was the significant thing. As I was the leader of the whale I kept my head up and slapped my arms on the floor in a cadence to speak to blades slapping the outside of the water.When the spear terminated and was intended to have hit the whale I started to somewhat flail uncontrollably and sped up the slaps on the water. I attempted to show how being harpoone

Friday, August 21, 2020

How Are Writing Fees Paid For Research Papers?

How Are Writing Fees Paid For Research Papers?Do you know the difference between the research paper price and the final pricing? One will be the fee of the writer and the other the fee of the publisher. The writer is a person hired to write the articles for the university. If they are offered a set number of articles that they have to write, then they are able to get this amount for the article.It is known as writing fees. The publisher is a company or a business that is associated with the university. They pay the university for all of the publishing rights that are associated with the university. If they wanted to sell all of the printed materials, they would have to go through the university to sell the rights.There are many different research papers that are offered for free by the universities, but then there are also companies that offer research papers for different research papers. They will offer different prices to different universities. It is very important that they matc h the price to the level of the job that the university needs done.There are many different parts that a research paper has to go through. If the research paper is going to be completely written, then it will likely have to undergo more than one submission. Then it will have to be edited.Some of the costs that will need to be included in the writing fees will include the research paper format that will be used. The formatting that will be needed to add the information to the paper. The formatting will be what makes the paper flow well and add a professional appearance to the paper. The fees that are associated with the stylesheet and the headings.You should find out the amount that they charge for each format. If they are looking for a couple of headings and one format, then they may want to consult with you about the costs involved with the style sheet and the headings. If they are looking for a multiple line edits, then the formatting may not be necessary, but it is going to be im portant to get them formatted properly for editing.Most of the writing fees that are charged by universities will have to do with the actual data that is being presented in the research paper. The information that is used to make the research paper make sense. A research paper that is presented in an untidy manner will probably not be accepted by the publishers.There are a lot of different types of writing fees, and these will depend on the type of university that is using the research paper. You should check out the specific paper and the rates that are associated with it. This will help you understand the differences in writing fees and publishing prices that are associated with the research paper.

Monday, May 25, 2020

Program Planning and Evaluation Paper - 840 Words

Assignment: Program Planning and Evaluation Paper Janice Minnis HSM/270: Programming Planning and Grant Proposal Writing in Human Services August 21, 2011 Terri Galindo Axia College of University of Phoenix I have chosen to work with Program Scenario Three, PEACE Domestic Violence Agency. Yuen/Terao (2003) states, â€Å"Program planning is an organized process through which a set of coordinated activities or interventions is developed to address and facilitate change in some or all of the identified problems.† â€Å"Program Evaluation is the application of different social research designs in assessing the needs and results of programs.† In short, Program Planning and Program Evaluation is the process of assessing needs, organizing an†¦show more content†¦The plan has added another targeted population and other agencies that will be used for particular services. The plan will outline how the relationship between this agency and other services providers would function, and the evaluation would outline whether or not the agencies meet the guidelines set forth by this agency and governmental guidelines. The objective that will provide young people who are or have been involved with the criminal justice system with a rehabilitation program targets another population. The plan must define the targeted age group or groups; the plan must define the sources targeted to work as a part of the rehabilitation program. The evaluation will determine through research, exploratory study and descriptive research, the most effective agencies and strategies to use for the success of this type of program. The grant programs for the funding of the agency needs a plan that will outline securing other funding that will meet the day-to-day operations of the program. Staffing, materials needed, and other fundamentals to run a program must be taken into consideration. The budgeted amount to run the agency can be determined by the evaluation of all that is a part of the objective and this will determine if the criteria has been met for the grants applied for. The Investor Program has a maximum number of organizations it will fund and is based upon the objectiv esShow MoreRelatedProgram Planning and Evaluation Paper815 Words   |  4 Pages Program Planning and Evaluation Paper Nicole Debski HSM/270 PROGRAM PLANNING amp; GRANT PROPOSAL WRITNG IN HUM SERV (AXIA) Janice Gilstorff, MPA Faculty University of Phoenix 8/1/2010 Program Planning and Evaluation Paper The first questions ask how program planning and program evaluation describe how the two components relate. In my opinion they relate because once you have a plan in order you have to evaluate it to see if the plan is working. You also need to know what area needRead MoreProgram Planning and Evaluation Paper Hsm/270747 Words   |  3 PagesProgram Planning and Evaluation Paper HSM/270 June 17th, 2012 Bonita Comer Program Planning and Evaluation Paper Program planning is a process to achieve a particular goal and/or mission. Program planning is an organized process through which a set of coordinated activities or interventions is developed to address and facilitate change in some or all of the identified problems. Program evaluation provides useful information for improving the programs and the service delivery systemsRead MoreProgram Planning Program Evaluation; Peace Domestic Violence Agency1087 Words   |  5 PagesProgram Planning amp; Program Evaluation; PEACE Domestic Violence Agency HSM 270 Abstract The overall purpose of this paper is to compare program planning with program evaluation in a human service organization by describing how the two components are related. There will be examples of how program planning and evaluation interrelate with the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency scenario from Appendix B. We will also look at the technical and political aspects of program planning and evaluationRead MoreEvaluation Of A Program Evaluation994 Words   |  4 PagesProgram Evaluation Time-Out is the title for the proposed program, providing prevention and solution-based services to African American high school student-athletes in Hampton, Virginia (Baskerville, 2015). To begin with, this paper will provide a comprehensive program evaluation model for the program. Secondly, it will outline the evaluation framework the program will use to evaluate the program. Next, the paper will provide a timeline detailing when critical evolution task for the program willRead MoreFinal Program Summary Hsm 2701701 Words   |  7 PagesProject Program Summary Jeerna Meador HSM/270 Program Planning and Grant Proposal Writing in Hum Serv (Axia) Instructor: Richard Perrone Week Nine The overall purpose of this paper is to compare program planning in a human service organization by describing how they are related.    There will be examples of how program planning and evaluation interrelate with the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency. We will also look at the technical and political aspects of program planning and evaluation that mightRead MoreThe Role Of Professional Training On The Community It Serves, It s Resources, And Activities1547 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The process of evaluating a program can be an arduous task requiring systematic and dedicated planning. It is describe as, the aspect of professional training aimed at helping to integrate research and best practices (Royce et al., 2015). The purpose of an evaluation is to assess a program’s value to the community it serves, it’s resources, and activities that enrich the learning of its members (Mondisa McComb, 2015). Proponents of STEM on the national and local levels have investedRead MoreAn Interview Via Email With An Adult Program Programmer1474 Words   |  6 PagesThe intent of this paper is to provide the details of an interview via email with an adult program programmer. The person selected was Ms. Desiree W. Dixon. Ms. Dixon duty position and the title are Subject Matter Expert, Contractor with the Army Lifelong Learning Center, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC), Army Training Support Center (ATSC), Fort Eustis, VA. The author came to know Ms. Dixon as the result of the author’s exposure to a Blackboard (Bb) online workshop that she programmed. TheRead MoreDesign The Program Planning, Timeline And Other Tools776 Words   |  4 Pages5. Design the program planning, timeline and other tools 6. Make the timeline and deadline to the program 7. Assess the resource availability 8. Visit the area and get into contact with local government bodies and other stakeholders 9. Rent and manage an office to handle program administrative and other activities 10. Make arrangements to execute the program 11. Educate the paddy farmers about causes and effects of chronic kidney disease, how to prevent and overcome the disease, usage of agrochemicalsRead MoreAlaska Team Support964 Words   |  4 Pagesinvolvement were in the Junior Achievement program, the Air Force Airman Financial Literacy program and in support of the Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson Wounded Warrior rodeo. In addition to this, I also participated in the local Fun Times activities with the rest of the Booz Allen team in Alaska. I volunteered as a mentor and presenter to a local high school with Junior Achievement. I combined my academic, military and business background in a program for high school to motivate and encourage excellenceRead MoreEssay on Hsm/270 Week 6 Checkpoint1205 Words   |  5 Pagesabout the programs it will offer they have to start thinking about the processes and outcomes they want to use and achieve through their program. They need to find the best ways to run their program that follows their mission and produces outcomes that help support that same mission. Process and outcome evaluations in a human service setting help the organization to better understand the outcomes of their programs and the processes in which the outcomes came. (Yuen, Terao, 2003) This paper will walk

Friday, May 15, 2020

Difference Between Kinetic And Kinetic Energy - 1033 Words

These things we use without even knowing we use them is things like our energy. Then when we use these energies we continue to use every day. Then we use triangles everyday to even when we create things to drive our car on and even to draw we use these things on a daily without even knowing. For my background knowledge I know that you have all different types of energy and there is many different types of colors. I also know that you can have triangles that can go along with angles and height. When doing this you find many different ways to do things.Also knowing that they use triangles for everything they can use all different types of triangles too. Then you have all the energies like kinetic, potential, gravitational potential.†¦show more content†¦Our statistical question was made we had to think about how much the object could weight and how hihet it would be so it would not break the board. With this experiment we are trying to find out how much we can fit into the object or how much the object could weight. Also asking ourselves if we had enough books to keep the boards stable and also asking our self if the object that is a can of small winnes. Which adds up to our statistical question which is ( How long will it take to get the object large/small amount of weight down the ramp.) My hypothesis is that we can have the can of winners roll perfectly down our ramp.this because it is a very small object and can build lots of speed. And it (the can of wines) they don t have lots of weight which can increase the possibilities. These are some energy s / material that you have to know to get also including that you need a ramp books and some sort of object.There are many different types of energy one energy that is most know is kinetic energy and that is ( energy do to movement). For example if there is a bowling ball hitting pins and knocking them over. The second energy that is most known about is potential energy which is (Stored energy due to the interactions of objects or particles). Also another energy to talk about is gravitational energy which is ( Stored energy between a object when close to earth-hight -weight.). For the procedures for

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Ethical Dilemmas Ethical Dilemma - 1285 Words

Every individual may have different perspectives on whether or not a decision is right or wrong. When it comes to ethical dilemma, there really are no correct answers but there are proper steps to take to reduce unethical behaviors. The ethical dilemmas that are presented in this case are: Hiding or Divulging Information, Balancing Ethical Dilemmas, Unfair Advantage, Violating Rules, Perpetrating Interpersonal Abuse, Condoning Unethical Actions. I, the executive of the drug company decided not to disclose information from a research scientist. By doing so, I am â€Å"Hiding or Divulging Information† I was told there is possible long-term effect that can lead to brain tumors. However, for my own job security, no further test were implemented and no words were to be told to the public I also engaged in â€Å"Balancing Ethical Dilemmas† On one hand the company is benefiting from producing the drug because it is expecting continuous high rate of return for the next several years. On the other hand,consumers are benefiting by continuing to produce the drug to help reduce the pain of migraine headaches, even though it can possibly cause brain tumor in the future. Another ethical dilemma is â€Å"Unfair Advantage† because I have a team of research scientist, I know more information about the drug than the customer. By not disclosing every bit of necessary information I have to the public, I have an advantage over them. Thus, I can manipulate the information so that the consumer will believe,Show MoreRelatedEthical Dilemmas Of The Workplace1538 Words   |  7 Pages1. Discuss an ethical dilemma that you have had to face in the workplace. Ethical dilemmas often occur when a manager or an employee is faced with two or more conflicting choices. Give as many facts and details as possible in describing your dilemma. The most difficult ethical dilemma I have dealt with was a summer job I had this past summer, while I was working for a bakery in my hometown. This past particular summer really tested what I believe is right and wrong and how to speak up. One of myRead MoreEthical Dilemmas Of The Workplace1291 Words   |  6 PagesEthical Dilemmas in the Workplace As a manager, you are the role model for staff. You set the standards, adhere to guidelines, and exemplify what you expect staff to model. By doing so, you are establishing and sustaining an organizational culture of ethics and integrity, which is the backbone of all successful endeavors. However, even the best structured organizations face ethical dilemmas in the workplace. It is how management recognizes and addresses these occurrences that will either set themRead MoreEthical Dilemma Assignment1766 Words   |  8 PagesCONSENT FORM Thank you for being willing to take part in this interview exploring ethical conflict or turbulence. I would like to transcribe the content of this interview to form a written document to be submitted to Sheffield Hallam University as a piece of assessed piece of coursework. It is important that you only take part in this interview if you want to. As such I would be delighted if you would complete and sign this confidentiality questionnaire prior to the interview taking place. (i)Read MoreCase Analysis : Ethical Dilemma1318 Words   |  6 PagesTitle of Paper: Ethical Dilemma One INTRODUCTION Mrs. Smith, is an 81-year-old widow. She has been widowed for over twenty years. She has been very independent with some assistance from neighbors due to her son living out of the area and unable to assist. Recently, she has had issues with her independence. She has set two accidental fires that caused damages to her apartment, as well as had a recent fall in the bathtub. These issues have gained her son’s attention which has led him to requestRead MoreEthical Dilemma at Workplace Essay1192 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Introduction – What is an ethical dilemma? Ethics is the term we give to our concern for good behavior.   It is human nature to not only be concerned with our own personal well being, but also that of others and of human society as a whole.   The difference between moral dilemmas and ethical ones, philosophers say, is that in moral issues the choice is between right and wrong.   In ethical ones, the choice is between two rights. Everyday Im faced with decisions of right and wrong, most of whichRead Moret Types of ethical dilemmas Mastery67Questions123Materials Essay2477 Words   |  10 PagesTypes of ethical dilemmas Mastery 67% Questions 1 2 3 Materials on the concept: Typical Moral Dilemmas Confronting Business Communicators Ethics and Law for Management Communication Top of Form 1. As part of an effort to hire younger workers, a multinational organization assures applicants that they will get to visit its offices in other countries and work with the employees there. However, only two out of every nine workers actually get selected for such projects. What moral dilemma best fitsRead MoreThe Ethical Dilemmas of Collecting Data and the Consequential Revision of Commodities, Culture and the Politics of Representations Definitions 1751 Words   |  7 Pagesinformation or data has become assets to companies, being regarded as property to be bought and sold to between companies. However, this has put forward the following primary ethical dilemmas surrounding human rights: the right to informed consent and the right to personal data. In addition to the creation of ethical dilemmas, the collection of human data has brought about a need for a revision of definitions. Commodities are known as a raw material or primary agricultural product that can be boughtRead More Will the Real Lupe Garza Please Stand Up? Essay1216 Words   |  5 PagesAn ethical dilemma is defined as a moral issue, where a situation has two equivalent undesirable alternatives and neither choice will resolve the ethical predicament. Lupe Garza, mother of two children, is a temporary employee at a plant. Garza is an excellent and talented worker, and supervisors have taken notice in her skills. A human resource specialist named Sara Jones, mislead Garza in thinking she would unquestionably obtain a permanent job position at the plant, causing Garza to turn downRead MoreThe Ethical Principles Of Respect For Autonomy984 Words   |  4 Pagesthe nurse to administer blood despite Mark’s refusal. This situation presents an ethical dilemma to the health professionals involved in Mark’s care. The ethical dilemma is whether to uphold his decision not to receive the blood and therefore risk his life or give him the blood to save his life despite knowing his religious status and beliefs. There are several ethical principles involved in this scenario. The ethical principles of respect for Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-maleficence, Veracity and FidelityRead MoreDuty to Warn Essays1522 Words   |  7 PagesDuty t o Warn Jessica Hall PSYCH/545 09/4/2011 Dr. P. Duty to Warn The ethical dilemma I wish to explore is The Duty to Warn. This refers to the duty of a counselor, therapist to breach one of the most important bonds between a client and a therapist; the law of confidentiality. The therapist has the right to break confidentiality without the fear of being brought up for legal action. If the therapist believes that the client poses a danger, or is a threat to himself, someone else, or society

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

International Human Resource Management Recruitment and Selection

Question: Discuss about the International Human Resource Management for Recruitment and Selection? Answer: Introduction As Globalization became integral to various countries around the world, one realized that it is the most important segment in the field of Human Resource Management. The role of International Human Resource Management is coming to the fore font as organizations continue to expand at a pace (Anon 2014). The advent of internet and e-commerce has enhanced the flow of goods and services, which in further boosted the pace at which internationalization had created an impact towards the role of IHR. Economic Globalization refers to the incorporation of national economy into international economy through effective trade of Foreign Direct Investment, capital flows, migration and spread of technology. It is evident that Foreign Direct Investment plays an integral role in various ways, which includes technology spillovers, human capital formation support, procurement of competitive business environment, contribution to international trade integration and improvement of enterprise development. Foreign Direct Investment takes active participation in enhancing the social and environmental scenario of the targeted country in an effective manner (Bjarkman and Welch 2014). International Human Resource Management takes active participation in making the host country socially responsible for implementation of corporate policies. In the contemporary scenario, the role of International Human Resource Management is identified as one of the most critical aspects for successful operation of Foreign Direct Investment in the competitive market, Discussion Foreign Direct Investment exhibits its excellence towards the targeted organization and reflects on the profit margin of the organization in a positive way. The process is akin to gold and for any nation to harvest the advantages of FDI, nations takes active participation in designing strategies which attracts the foreign investors in an effective manner. The rivalry is intense competition amongst the investors; however, the flow is more factual within the multinational companies in the developing country. Advantages The benefits of FDI contribute towards high economical expansion, which is the primary motivation for reducing poverty in the host country. However, the International Human Resource Managers recruit employees from both the host and targeted countries. It helps the business in maintaining a proper communication even after operating in many geographical locations (Blonigen and Piger 2014). Moreover, it assists the host company to gather adequate knowledge regarding cultural requirements of the targeted country. Most of the frequent flows have their root from the footsteps of enhanced economies to the developing countries. Most of the developed countries have accepted Foreign Direct Investment as a standpoint of attaining enhanced levels of financial development, economic growth and employment. In the contemporary era, developed countries probed for adapting principles of free market economy and enhanced their investment policies for maximising their benefits for the advent of FDI. In accordance to the successive development of firms in the competitive era, the HRM of an organization plays a significant role in attracting the foreign investors, thus enhancing the organizations profitability in a significant way (Hackett 2012). For a developing organization, the implosion of FDI not only acts as a catalyst for employment and economical acquisition, but also serves as the integral mechanism for presentation of skills, technology, transfer and gain in the managerial and operational purposes (Frank 2015). The Human Resource Managers makes their best effort to engage the employees in a diverse workforce. The incentives of FDI initiates market considerations, which includes the size and the host nation comparative advantages in the competitive market. Economical benefits play a vital in successful intervention of Foreign Direct Investment in the competitive market. The well known economical policies comprise of income tax, sales tax and stamp tax exemptions, an estab lishment of free zones where there is no constraints in trade linkage (Lin, Kim and Wu 2013). In accordance to the financial incentives, one includes direct government loans or loan guarantees, export financing or debt/equity conversion possibilities. These are exchange rate and economic growth, which is, dependable on various occurrences about the present scenario of the developing countries and that of the organization in the competitive market (Lucke and Eichler 2015). The HRM of the organization are the identical factors of success for any organization and in terms of FDI, it acts as a lubricant for organizational success Foreign Direct Investment makes effective contribution towards host economy by supplying capital, technology and resources, which would otherwise not be in necessity. . The human resource managers always promote a diverse work force, which is one of the most determinant factors for successful interpretation of Foreign Direct Investment in the competitive market (Guo and Al Ariss 2015). A diverse workforce allows employees to interact freely with each other and exercise their creative thoughts and innovative talents in a suitable manner. Furthermore, diverse workforce is ideal for global expansion of the organization in the competitive market. Foreign direct investment improves the overall economic prosperity of nation, but has some dependency over social and political scenario. Disadvantages - The economical inclination of FDI does not increase suddenly across countries, sectors and local communities (ONeill 2014). It is rather difficult to measure and segregate the economical impact of Foreign Direct Investment. Where FDI has higher non-marginal effects, the measurement becomes even more tough. In this scenario, the identity of International Human Resource Management is critical for successful progression of Multinational Organizations in the competitive market (Shen 2015). International Human Resource Management takes active participation is designing and developing policies based on inputs all around the globe. Confusions related to expatriation are one of the major concerns of international Human Resource Managers. Expatriates usually comprise of corporate missionaries that are sent by a parent company across the globe for various functions like; to initiate expertise in areas of technical and managerial improvement, controlling operations, improvement of branches and development of regional managers. In terms of International Human resource management and Foreign Direct Investment, the major issues underlying the expatriates are one of the primary areas of concern for the host country. As the impact of Globalization is enhancing at an alarming rate, International Human Resource Management is focusing more on expatriation and repatriation processes to enhance the profitability of the Foreign Direct Investment in the competitive market. Expatriation refers to a analytical tool which Internal Human Resource managers acquire and preserve resident base of knowledge about the complexions of internally operated decisions in Foreign Direct Investment (Kramar 2013). The enhancing internationalization of business through the establishment of Foreign Direct Investment has resulted in more employees working abroad as a part of their career plan. In contrast, the act of repatriation is a difficult case to handle for international Human Resource Management. Expatriate managers often gather a l ot of experience and information from foreign assignments, by the time they return to the parent country. However, inappropriate and meager repatriation process would engage underutilization of talents, loss of human capital and discouragement for the talented management from receiving the assignments of the overseas. In accordance to the fast movement of FDI in the competitive market, one of the major concerns is in the area of personal recruitment. Organizations getting involved in foreign direct investment are not well known in host country and therefore, needs to develop a good corporate image. It has huge competition with foreign countries as well as the organizations operating in the host country. The foreign firms had to invest heavily on personal development to reduce the qualification gaps and enhancing the vision of employee recruitment in the competitive market (Pudelko, Reiche and Carr 2014). The main challenge lies in recruiting not only quality candidates but retaining them in an organization for a longer duration. In case of FDI, the attrition rates of employees are relatively on the higher side because employees often struggle to adjust themselves with the diverse workforce of the organization. IHRM proposes several recruitment strategies for retaining the employees of the organiza tion in a successful manner. The law and political scenario of the host country for FDI is a critical factor for success of the organization in the competitive market. Several factors such as the consequences of the labor market, intense competition with the selected industry and national culture often influence the role of international human resource managers for initiating Foreign Direct Investment in the host nation. IHRM considers itself as an integral source of sustainable competitive advantage that contributes towards the success of the organization focusing on Foreign Direct Investment (Varmazyar and Nouri 2013). In fast developing countries, an organization does not rely much on internal recruitments. The international human resource managers need to make effective utilization of external labor market for selecting quality applicants (Resmini and Siedschlag 2013). In accordance to the limitations of literacy rate in the under developed countries, internal human resource managers often goes for alternatives through practice of personal marketing. Personal development is a critical factor for initiating a unique and a valuable workforce for the organization. Every employee looks forward to develop their skills for moving ahead in their professional career. In the underdeveloped countries, the education system tends to be on the weaker side. The talented individuals are unable to perform due to lack of opportunities; therefore, there is an essentiality for proper employee training in order to reflect on the profitability of the organization. The employees of the organization need to adjust with the rules and regulations of the foreign firm. Furthermore, the International Human Resource Managers takes active participation in allowing the employees of the organization express their creative thoughts and innovative ideas in an effective manner (Zhai 2014). Training sessions provided by the internal human resource managers helps the employees of the organization to interact with the foreign colleagues. The application of personal d evelopment and training sessions allows the newly recruited employees to solve any issues based on racism, linguistic, culture, background and orientation. Attrition rate or employee turnover in an organization is based on three factors such as calculative, alternative or contractual forces (DeVaro and Morita 2013). The internal Human resource managers provide high incentives to the employees of the organization influenced through the implementation of Foreign Direct Investment (Ziying 2014). Individual career plans often allows an employee to broaden their view and get them recruited in foreign firms. Career management plan often exhibits a unique approach for the firm approaching towards Foreign Direct Investment. However, foreign subsidiaries face double pressure for not only confronting to local environment and regulations in which they operate, but also to the expectations of the parent company to exhibit internal consistency. It is rather difficult for the internal human resource managers to create an effective work force for the organization in foreign soil. Selecting cheap labor is easy, but to maintain a strong labor relation i s relatively difficult. The employees keep on escalating the issues until it is very much difficult to ignore. The international human resource managers must retain the talented employees for gaining supremacy in the competitive market. HR disconnect is one of the primary areas of concern, as the human resource managers often fail to address the issues faced by the employees across the globe. Conclusion On the contrary, it concludes that the internal human resource management has positive and negative impacts for the advancement of foreign direct investment in host nations. The above sections focused on the skills and intensities of foreign and local firms to underpin the latent properties for IHR enhancement in host nations. It also attempted to identify the correlations between intensity of international human resource management and the explanatory variables of export intensity, skills, wages and foreign ownership for attaining sustainability in the competitive market. The challenges faced by international human resource managers for maintain fluent labor relationship has affected the effectiveness of foreign direct investment in a negative way. Personal development of the employees tends to a challenging factor for organizations. However, Foreign Direct Investment refers to economic prosperity and alleviates poverty in host nations by opening further scopes of employment. Recrui tment stands a major point of concern for the international managers, which may hinder the advancement of Foreign Direct Investment in Host nations. The advent of international human resource management still requires improvement in their execution and strategic decisions for influencing foreign direct investment in the host nations. Reference List Hackett, R. 2012Recruitment and Selection in Canada Nelson Education Limited Kramar, R. 2013. Beyond strategic human resource management: is sustainable human resource management the next approach? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(8), pp.1069-1089 Shen, J. 2015 Principles and Applications of Multilevel Modeling in Human Resource Management Research Human Resource Management DeVaro, J. and Morita, H., 2013. Internal Promotion and External Recruitment: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis Journal of Labor Economics, 31(2), pp.227-269 Varmazyar, M. and Nouri, B., 2013 A fuzzy AHP approach for employee recruitment 10.5267/j.dsl, pp.27-36 Anon, 2014 Threshold Effects in the Capital Account Liberalization and Foreign Direct Investment Relationship CBR, 13(09) Bjarkman, I. and Welch, D., 2014. Framing the field of international human resource management research The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(2), pp.136-150 Blonigen, B. and Piger, J., 2014. Determinants of foreign direct investment Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne dconomique, 47(3), pp.775-812 Frank, S., 2015 Stabilisation Clauses and Foreign Direct Investment: Presumptions versus Realities The Journal of World Investment Trade, 16(1), pp.88-121 Guo, C. and Al Ariss, A., 2015. Human resource management of international migrants: current theories and future research The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(10), pp.1287-1297 Lin, S., Kim, D. and Wu, Y., 2013 Foreign Direct Investment And Income Inequality: Human Capital Matters Journal of Regional Science, 53(5), pp.874-896 Lucke, N. and Eichler, S., 2015. Foreign direct investment: the role of institutional and cultural determinants Applied Economics, 48(11), pp.935-956 ONeill, D., 2014. Playing Risk: Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Cambodia CS, 36(2), p.173 Pudelko, M., Reiche, B. and Carr, C., 2014 Recent developments and emerging challenges in international human resource management The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(2), pp.127-135 Resmini, L. and Siedschlag, I., 2013. Is foreign direct investment to China crowding out the foreign direct investment to other countries?. China Economic Review, 25, pp.1-16 Zhai, W., 2014 Competing back for foreign direct investment Economic Modelling, 39, pp.146-150 Ziying, M., 2014 Inward Foreign Direct Investment, Entrepreneurial Behavior, and Outward Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from China IJBM, 9(9)

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Ethical Dimension of Religion Essay Example

Ethical Dimension of Religion Paper To many people, the term ethical strikes a powerful meaning of moral principals, which tie In deeply with the roots of many religions. Each religion holds a different view on what Is ethically right and depending on this, other dimensions of religion are shaped. The ethical dimension of religion encompasses moral conduct and living a good existence that lead toward the achievement of final liberation. Ionian Smart, a pioneer in the field of religious studies and the author of the book, Worldviews: Agricultural Exploration of Human Beliefs, breaks down the dimensions of the religions of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Islam, and many more. According to Smart, the depth to which morality plays a role in each religion depends on the distinctive beliefs in the ideal human being. Each religion defines their ideal self by a higher power; The Christian looks to Christ and to the saints and heroes of the tradition. The Buddhist looks to the Buddha, the Muslim to Muhammad, the Hindu to Ram and Krishna and others, the Taoist to Ala-TTS, and he Consultant to Confucius (Smart, 105). The Influential ethical belief of utilitarians has extremely Impacted the Western culture with the underlying meaning of whether something helps produce human happiness or reduce human suffering (Smart, 105). Utilitarianism defines the core values that an individual contains which is often related to the way that human beings interact with each other, believed by some to be the meaning of existence. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Dimension of Religion specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Dimension of Religion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Dimension of Religion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer There is a recent field of study in religion called comparative religious ethics which seeks to outline the extinctive ethical structures from all over the world with all different religions. The comparative action of this field of study works to correlate moral values with kinds of doctrines, myths, and experiences (Smart, 107). Generally speaking, all religions are similar in the sense that they follow basic rules of moral manner; Not to steal, not to lie, not to kill, not to have certain kinds of sexual relations (Smart 107). Despite these general saltcellars, the details behind them defer greatly between many popular religions. Comparing Christianity to the Islamic religion, they diverge when It comes to marriage partners. For Christianity, men typically have one wife and divorce is frowned upon while the Muslim can have as many as four wives with divorce being in the original legal system. The moral idea of do not kill varies within religions of Christianity and the Quakers because Christians believe that killing may be used for protection in the instance of war while the Quakers believe that killing is not an option altogether. These difference relay the message that although there is the moon belief of do not kill some religions believe that it is necessary for exceptions while others do not. Many religions believe that there is something to obtain after death, whether It Is life after death In the form of reincarnation or reaching the ultimate goal of a perfect human being, called nirvana. In Hinduism they follow the rules of morality within the eightfold path and believe the eventual objective of existence Is to reach nirvana. To do so, followers of this religion must abide by the law, which they believe is important aspect of this is the idea of karma, known to represent ones actions in their lives and what comes after those actions; Karma is the law of reward and penalty within the framework of rebirth, in which my status as human or animal or whatever results from my acts in previous lives (Smart, 107). The eightfold path is a perfect example of the ethical dimensions of Buddhism that leads to achieving deliverance. The major concept of ethics is the decision of what is right and wrong and who or what decides what is right and wrong. Based on the ideal human being that each religion idealizes, everlasting freedom after death is decided. Despite all the difference that each religion specifically has, they all contain a sense of the Beyond in order to see anew the sacredness of the person (Smart, 117). Moral conduct and living a good existence eventually leads to the attainment of the final release, or at least toward getting a better life next time around (Smart, 1 13), which ultimately summarizes the concept of the ethical dimension of religion.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Atomic Bomb....Was it neccessa essays

Atomic Bomb....Was it neccessa essays August 6th, 1945, 70,0000 lives were ended in a matter of seconds. The United States had dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Today many argue whether or not the U.S. should have taken such a drastic measure. Was it entirely necessary that we drop such a devastating weapon? To answer that first we must look at was going on in the world at the time of the conflict. The U.S. had been fighting a massive war since 1941. Moral was most likely low, and resources were at the same level as moral. Still both sides continued to fight and both were determined to win. Obviously the best thing that could have possibly happened would have been to bring the war to a quick end with a minimum of allied casualties. Harry Trumans decision to drop the atomic bomb was entirely warranted and was in the best interest of Americans and the world. Three factors should be considered to fully realize this. First, what would have happened should we have not dropped the bomb? Would WWII have ended s hortly afterwards without nuclear arms-not likely. Secondly we must consider the Japanese peoples extreme dedication to their country and emperor, willing to give up their own lives without thinking to stop the enemy. Lastly the morality of nuclear bombing must be explored. While many may argue against the use of such a seemingly cruel form of attack was unnecessary, it is obvious that the atomic bomb was the only means to an end of WWII. What would have happened had the A-bomb not been used? The most obvious answer is that he war would have continued. U.S. forces therefore would have had to invade the home island of Japan. It is hard to imagine the number of additional casualties we would have incurred had a Japanese land war been necessary. Also, our forces would not only have to fend off the Japanese military, but they would also be defending themselves against the civilian peoples of Japan as well. Like the Vietnamese that would come years...

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Is it5 a good argument critical thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Is it5 a good argument critical thinking - Essay Example Analyzing a shorter argument involves numbering their premises and the conclusion and lastly representing their relationship with arrows. On the other hand, an arrow is used to represent a statement that gives logical support for another statement. However, if there are multiple statements, which give relationship for one another, the relationship is represented by a plus and an arrow. Therefore, there are two types of support, the independent and dependent support. Independent support does not depend on another statement while dependent support depends on another statement. When it comes to longer arguments, there is a need to summarize than to diagram them. Diagramming longer arguments is tiresome than summarizing them. Diagramming an argument has several factors connected. In diagramming, a conclusion is first identified, and then attention is paid to the premise and the conclusion. Sentences are neither broken up nor numbered since sentences don’t represent a single statement (Barnet, 1999). Another aspect of critical thinking is evaluation of arguments and truth claims. When evaluating an argument, there are two questions to be asked. Is the argument a good argument? And secondly, are the premises acceptable? For an argument to be rated as a good argument, it must have several characteristics. For example, the argument must be precise and clear. This means that somebody must understand the argument for it to be a good argument. Additionally, the premises must be relevant with the topic. The argument must be consistency and additionally, it must be fair. On the general knowledge, a good argument highlights out all bodies that surrounds critical thinking (Ruggiero, 2004). It is obvious that arguments have premises and conclusions. But when is it necessary to accept premises. There is the use of the principle of rational acceptance. This means that a claim is accepted if the claim does not occur in a conflicting side with the personal

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Man as a Social Animal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Man as a Social Animal - Essay Example It is true that man is prone to accept the things at face value and based upon that, he often pronounces his judgment or impression of the person or things or his surroundings which may have considerable influence in his perception towards those things. Indeed, it is a human failing that governs their outlook in general and is one of the main reasons that fosters conflicts in interpersonal relationship and promotes unhappiness and frustration within him. But various works of literature are proof of the fact that the writers have the huge capacity to influence the readers and make the significant impact on their decision making prowess and ideological perspectives. Rodriguez, a Mexican-American writer of eminence, openly declares in his book ‘The Scholarship Boy’ that he was immensely impressed by the author Hoggart who has written ‘Uses of Literacy’. In the writings of Hoggart, he (Rodriguez) had not only found the solace to understand the wider perspectives of the multi-cultural society but it had also helped him to identify himself with the characters, thereby helping him to come to terms with the environment that was vastly different to that of his native culture. According to him, Hoggart, through the book, had literally become his guide during his years in the college where he had gone to study on his scholarship. His working-class ideals and cultural values had been jolted by a culture shock that he had faced at the college premises. His college represented a multi-cultural society where the so-called values had acquired unique meanings. Despite the differences in language, color, race, and culture, students were seen to struggle and then adapt to their new environment.  

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Rh Bill & Malthusian Theory Essay Example for Free

Rh Bill Malthusian Theory Essay In 2011, we have now seven billion people living in this planet. Unfortunately, Earth’s estimated carrying capacity is only about eleven to twelve billion people. With such a big problem we are facing today, it is important to analyze and examine what the scholars of the past have to say of our increasing population. One of the famous population theorists of that time is Thomas Malthus. In 1798, Malthus proposes his own theory about population. According to him, human populations grow exponentially while food production grows at an arithmetic rate. Thus, if the increase in our population is not controlled properly, then the number of the people would increase faster than the food supply. He stated that if this growth rate is allowed to continue, it would lead to a food shortage. To solve this problem, he proposed three solutions. The first one is positive check. This method increases death rates due to wars, famines, disease, and natural disasters. Preventive or negative check is the other one. It lowers the birth rate which is accomplished through abortion, birth control, and celibacy. The last one is moral restraint which is refraining from marriage until the time when a person is capable of supporting a family. This two hundred-year-old theory is now happening these days. It predicted the problems of food shortage that the world is experiencing today because of the uncontrolled increase in population. Still, I cannot fully agree with Malthus because there are things that he forgot to take into consideration when he formulated this theory. One is the ability of man to increase the food production as stated by Marx. He failed to recognize man’s ability to use science and technology to solve these population problems like the possible developments in agricultural technology which can increases the supply of food. Maybe during that time, science is making a slow progress that he assume we cannot remedy these problems. Another one is the use of birth control as a way of reducing population. He believed that having only few kids is the only way to stop or control the increasing growth rate. Moreover, he confused the desire for sexual relationships with the desire to have children. He didn’t realize that a person can still engage in a sexual relationship and still don’t have a child with the help of contraceptives. Although Malthus’ theory has some loopholes, the essentials of the theory have not yet been demolished. There are some assumptions that turned out to be true. RH bill The reproductive health bill which is now a law is the most controversial bill in the Philippines for decades which date back to 1967. The bill is composed of topics which deal with issues about family planning, maternal and child health, and reproductive and sexual conditions. Its main objective is to lift the reproductive standards of Filipinos by promoting respect for life, informed choice, birth spacing and responsible parenthood which is accordance with the human rights standards. It also guarantees access to medically-safe, legal and quality reproductive health care services and relevant information. Although it has promising merits, I do not support the bill because of some of its faulty assumptions. One is the assumption that overpopulation is the cause of poverty. In truth, there is really no relationship between overpopulation and poverty but RH bill still insists that it is the cause of the worsening poverty in our country. It is true that it is one of the factors but it is never the root cause of poverty. What is the primary cause of poverty are the corruption and the bad governance of the administration. In fact, we are one of the most corrupt countries in Southeast Asia. Another assumption is that Philippines is overpopulated. In reality, there is no overpopulation in our country. It is true that our cities are densely populated but in some parts of our country, there are small numbers of people and some are still uninhabited. One more problem in the bill is the belief that contraceptives will prevent abortion and sexually transmitted diseases. We should not entrust our safety to the use of these contraceptives in the prevention of STDs because according to some studies, there is no proof that condoms, for example, is effective in preventing STDs. In the case of abortions, it did not really lessen the incidents. According to a study in Spain, a 10-year period of an increasing use of contraceptive devises had been paralleled by a significantly increasing number of abortions. Though it is already a law, I hope that it can still be corrected so that it can truly uplift the standards of living of the Filipino people and be the solution to lessen the country’s underemployment and booming population.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Learning to Become Literate :: essays research papers fc

Learning to Become Literate   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"In any literate society, people constantly see the best way to teach children how to read and write so that the younger generation can become fully functioning members of that society.† (Savage 15) This is obviously an important goal of any society that wants their children to be well educated and succeed in the world. Learning to be literate is a very important developmental milestone that is recognized cross-culturally. Its social importance is shown in the fact that in school; literacy makes up 2/3 of the three â€Å"R’s†. (Savage 15)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When becoming literate the most important thing a child can learn is that they can in fact learn in the way their school wants them to. They can be part of the school society and feel like they fit in with their friends who use literacy to communicate and play. â€Å"The bond between the teacher and the taught is strengthened; exploration, discovery, ambition and achievement expand and flourish.† (Meek 1) Reading and writing opens up a new world of opportunities for children and therefore is continuous research being done in order to ensure that the best methods of teaching our children are implemented. However studies show that a large portion of this milestone occurs before formal education is ever begun. (McLane and McNamee 4) 2 The fact that we wait so long to start to teach our children literacy is absurd. Teaching reading and writing should be done to all children in day care facilities, child development centers as well as head start programs and preschools. We cannot however just take the programs currently used in first grade classes and apply them to children in day cares and preschools. These would be developmentally inappropriate. (Strickland and Morrow 5) The program used for these younger learners must be based around â€Å"meaningful activities that involve reading and writing in a wide variety of ways.† The children should want to participate in the literate society that they are surrounded by everyday in their classroom, home and community. If this is accomplished there will automatically be a connection between literacy and experience, which is very beneficial to the learning process. Most importantly in the early childhood literacy curriculum that we apply the focus should always be on the child’s learning and not on the teaching. (6) Since a large portion of learning to become literate occurs prior to formal education parents need to be aware of what they can do before their children reach school age.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Rmcf Srategic Audit

Strategic Audit of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Table of Contents Current Situation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Current Performance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Strategic Posture†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4,5 Corporate Governance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦. 5 Board of Directors †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦. 5,6,7 Top Management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7,8,9 External Environment: Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Natural Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Societal Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦9,10 Task Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦. 10,11 Summary of External Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦. 11 Exhibit 1- EFAS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 22 Internal Environment: Strengths & Weaknesses (SWOT)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 11 Corporate Structure†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11,12 Corporate Culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 12 Corporate Resources†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 Marketing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 Finance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12,13 Research & Development†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13,14 Operations & Logistics†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 Human Resources Management (HRM)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦14 Information Technology (IT)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦14,15 Summary of Internal Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 15 Exhibit 2- IFAS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 22 Analysis of Strategic Factors (SWOT)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 Situational Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5,16,17 Review of Mission and Objectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦17 Exhibit 3 – SFAS Matrix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦23 Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 18 Strategic Alternatives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦.. 18,19 Recommended Strategy/Implementation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 19,20 Implementation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20 Evaluation and Control†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20,21 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦21 Works Cited†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 24 I.Current Situation A. Current Performance Successful from the start * Currently there are five company-owned and 329 franchised RMCF stores operating in 38 states * Continuous revenue increases from year to year (around $16,678,472 in 2008) * During this time of economic decline that had arose, the sales began to slow up but Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory seems to be in great shape under all financial aspects to survive the recession. B. Strategic Posture Here is the original mission, objectives, and strategies of the company.RMCF is always looking to become more and more successful from what they already have and hope to continue doing well now and in the future. 1. Mission: The Company does its finest to stay fine-tuned and focus on franchising and manufacturing. * They guarantee goo d quality, taste, value, and variety of all their products * Their number one focus and factor is the quality of the product 2. Objectives: RMCF is always wanting to be known and therefore their customers and employees are huge for the company.They are always doing their best to stay in the seat they are in now by staying successful, continuing to gain customers, popularity, and even profits as a whole. * Continue to keep a good relationship with all employees and with the franchises as well * They are always sure to handle and manage their money in all the proper ways even during the time of the 2008 economic slump * Always had an eye open to slow factors down during this rough time (expansion and eliminate debt) 3.Strategies * Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is repurchasing stock here because they felt as if it was undervalued * Different kinds of candy, such as sugar free treats for individuals who choose to be more healthy or who cannot have the candies with all the sugar in th em * The company owns refrigerated trucks to make it simple to move products from the factory to stores * Putting stores in areas of tourist, entertainment, and street front locations to gain more and more attention. Stores are set up for customers to be able to not resist the smell and sights of all the goodies (will keep them coming back) 4. Policies: RMCF consists of many different polices as most places do. The company wants to always continue increasing accountability, revenue, customers, and all the positives that have been such a success for the company while also reducing bottlenecking. All franchisees are expected to hold a high level of excellence * Believe they should control the manufacturing of its own products in order to better maintain its high product quality standards * RMCF sends their trucks from factories to stores with products and then brings back more ingredients for the next product so they can save trips and be more cost effective * Stores must be placed fa r enough apart and in good locations so that the company has the best possibility for success * All stores have the policy of sample in the store so customers can see and try what they are going to purchaseThe current mission, objectives, strategies, and policies reflect the company under many aspects. It continues to be successful, expand the customer culture, and accessibility. RMCF created a leading business model that was truly effective. With all the company has accomplished it continues to keep an eye open and look to consider changes if needed. II. Corporate Governance A. Board of Directors Due to the type of company, it is restricted by law to have no fewer than three and no more than nine directors on the board.The company previously decided on having 6 directors with Crail and Merryman being the only two internal board members. 1. Franklin E. Crail- Founder of the first RMCF, Chief Executive Officer, President, and a director. Bryan J. Merryman- Vice President, Finance & c hief financial officer, chief operating officer, director and a treasurer. Others directors include: Gerald A. Kien – Former chief executive officer of Remote Technology. Lee N. Mortenson – Former managing director at Kensington Partners LLC. Clyde W.Engle – Chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Sunstates Corporation. Fred M. Trainor – Chief executive officer and president of AVCOR Health Care Products Inc. With the exception of Franklin E. Crail who was the co-founder of RMCF and Bryan J. Merryman, the Board of Directors of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is composed of all external-independent board members. The directors do not receive any kind of compensation for serving on the board.However, they do receive compensation for serving other things such as serving certain board committees, leading committees, and when getting involved in meetings. Directors who are not officers or employees of RMCF are entitled to receive s tock option awards. RMCF is publically traded and listed on NASDAQ Global Market. For each share of common stock held, a shareholder is entitled to one vote on all matters. There are different rights as all matters could be voted on except the election of directors. Shareholders on the board had cumulative voting rights in the election of directors.The Board of Directors has frequently paid out quarterly cash dividends usually to common share outstanding. The RMCF board of directors are equipped with a wide variety of skills, interest, knowledge and background. The board members contribute numerous experiences in different positions from multiple companies. It seems that none of the directors were ever in the food industry before. Franklin E. Crail co-founded the first Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store in May 1981. Since, Crail has served as its President, Director, Chairman of the Board, and CEO.Before finding the company, he was co-founder and President of CNI Data Processing Inc. Bryan J. Merryman has experience in leverage buyout firms, retail and manufacturing of aftermarket auto parts, consulting, financial advisory, and risk management. He has been with RMCF since 1997. Lee N. Mortenson has been with the company since 1987 and has been involved in consulting and investment activities since 2000. He was the managing director of a private investment firm and has been President and CEO of a company that provided management consulting and investment services.He has also been involved in real estate development and manufacturing. Gerald A. Kien became part of the company in 1995. He had just retired from his position as President and CEO of a company involved in the development of instrumentation for vehicle emissions testing. He also had previously been on the board of Sun Electric which is a company that deals with the oilfield, wind farms, and transmission construction industries. Clyde W. Engle became part of the company and had experience in profes sional property management as well as in a one-bank holding company.RMCF has a total of 41 franchise stores internationally. Based on what some of the directors use to do in the past, it is clear that they have the experience to work with international operations of the company and help benefit RMCF. When it comes to the environment, it can be said that RMCF board members are concerned with its environment. To start with a simple example, Crail had to scope out the perfect environment where to build his company. He moved from California to a smaller town where he started to survey the environment to make sure that it was a good place to open a chocolate shop.Crail had to make sure the environment was going to be a contribution to the success of the organization. RMCF was first located right on the main street for location and was right by the river which was a tourist attraction. The smells caught the noses of the tourists that came to town for the attractions. The company then cont inued to establish RMCF stores in five primary environments such as regional centers, tourist areas, outlet centers, street fronts, and airports and other entertainment oriented areas. The board members have been around for quite some time. Starting from 1982 to 1987, 1995, 1999, 2000, and 2009 basically.Even previously from 1987. The board seems to be deeply involved with strategic management of the company, controlling all from where stores are located to how training is conducted. When it comes to decision making on what to do with the company, the board of directors at RMCF tend to agree upon what to do as a team. They take care of all major aspects of the company. For example, they are in charge of resources and performance in the environment. With the co-founder being part of the board, strategic management works in a way that they all come to an agreement on, the board and no one is voted out.The board is able to run an evaluation on performance and many other aspects. All bo ard members participate and stick to a strategic plan to come to an agreement for the company. B. Top Management When it comes on to top management at RMCF it is up to the internal employees that are all part of the board. Listed below are some individuals that are part of RMCF top management: Frankiln E. Crail- Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director Bryan J. Merryman- Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Treasuer Edward L.Dudley- Senior Vice President- Sales and Marketing Gregory L. Pope- Senior Vice President- Franchise Development and Operations Jay B. Haws- Vice President- Creative Services William K. Jobson- Chief Information Officer Virgina M. Perez- Corporate Security Similar to the board of directors, top management of RMCF comes from a lot of different backgrounds. All of them are experienced in their field, but none of them before had ever had experience in the food industry. Some of the top management individuals consist of Crail , Merryman, Dudley, Pope, haws, and even a few more.Top management at RMCF are responsible for the different franchises and the growth of the company. They use top management as a form of recognition style so they can use it to expand and open more franchise stores. This will allow them to open more stores with no capital investment. Top Management also has international experience similar to the board of directors, because some of the individuals are both on the board of directors and top management. They have had to interact with others internationally and learn how to work with others from all over as well.That is why RMCF continues to stay towards the top and seems to most of the time be doing very well. There have been different ways and ratios looked into that determine if top management is effective and if they have an impact on the corporation’s performance over the past years. The ratios turned out looking rather well for RMCF in that the company is doing well and to p management has been responsible for these corporation performances over the past few years. This means that the management is aware of their resources and are using them to the company’s advantage.About half of the top management have been promoted internally. They started off as a store manager, franchise owner, or working their way up through the company. Some of these managers have been with the company since it first merged in the early 1980’s. Top management has established a systematic approach to strategic management. As mentioned above, the committee consults the board on making the right organizational decisions. By placing intense focus on Environmental Scanning of strategic management, RMCF has been smart and placed store locations in tourist areas, or high levels of foot traffic.Top management of RMCF is deeply involved in the strategic management process of the company. They are in charge of the mainstream controls that their franchise branches do. There fore, top management is truly involved. When it comes to deciding store locations, directing training, and providing ingredients, these are all decided upon in their original Durango, Colorado location. At RMCF top management is heavily involved in the interaction with lower level managers and the board of directors. Top management consults with the lower levels when deciding what to do and what strategies they can come upon that will best suit the company.Even though top management is higher up then the lower levels, they must come to agreements on certain strategies before making changes. Therefore, top management does play a very important role when it comes to interacting and communicating with lower level managers and board of directors at RMCF. By interacting and communicating helps the company rise above and stay ahead of competitors. RMCF is great with their interaction at all levels and that is what allows for it to be one of the leading chocolate factories worldwide. Decis ions at RMCF are made ethically in a socially responsible manner.If there is ever any concerns or anything that could be harmful to the company name, system, or reputation they are strictly prohibited. Along with the ethical manners of RMCF, environmentally sustainable manners come into play. From what RMCF can control, they want to always maintain an environmentally sustainable manner. With most things they are able to do so but with cocoa beans that are the main raw material used to make chocolate and grown in Africa and several other countries, RMCF cannot directly regulate if those countries are leading themselves in an environmentally sustainable manner.There are many different rules, regulations, and concerns that need to be kept under tight control with the company. From the case, one can see that RMCF’s top management is sufficiently skilled to cope with any future challenges. All of the top management team comes from truly experienced backgrounds and are prepared to withstand any recessionary forces that are knocking the U. S. economy. III. External Environment: Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) A. Natural Physical Environment: Sustainability Issues 1. Some natural climate issues that could affect the company would be heat, rain, and snow.Some weather related issues would be hurricanes and earthquakes that would affect traffic, tourism, and crop production (cocoa beans). 2. These forces would affect different regions of the world depending on the season and location. There might be different weather-related events, but different types would affect each region. B. Societal Environment Economic Economic is a current threat because the economy is dealing with a current recession. Spending is down and chocolate isn’t a necessity, which means there will be less chocolate being consumed. TechnologicalTechnology is an opportunity for RMCF. One example is that with online shopping increasing, consumers can buy as much of the product as they want right from their phones or computers. Also, technology can speed up the production process. Machines can do a lot more work as well, which will limit the amount of work that workers have to do by hand. This will increase the overall quality and consistency of the product. Political-Legal Political-Legal can be a threat to this corporation. Working in a factory can be somewhat unsafe. There are always health and safety issues in any workplace.There are also fair-trade regulations, import and export regulations, licensing agreements and child labor laws that have to be enforced. Sociocultural Sociocultural is an opportunity for this corporation. Based on research, dark chocolate has many health benefits. Some of these benefits include limiting the risk of diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes. Dark chocolate can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and increase sugar metabolism. This will increase consumer spending on dark chocolate if consumers believe that it is healthy for the m. These forces would be different in other countries.This is because every nation is not at the same developmental stage, in terms of Economic, Technological, Political-legal, & Sociocultural. Some countries are ahead of the U. S & others are behind. C. Task Environment 1. Forces that drive industry competition are prices, geographic locations, large corporations entering the market, and prime retail locations. a. Threats of new entrants: High: Nestle and mars are two of the top food manufacturers in the world. With low entry barriers and having to compete with these established corporations there is a high threat. b.Bargaining power of buyers: Medium: Consumers have other options to choose from besides RMCF. They can buy chocolate from whomever, but with their prices, consumers are still choosing RMCF. c. Threat of substitute products/services: High: There are many substitutes to gourmet chocolate and with the economy; consumers might fall for the lower prices and easy access to d ifferent products. d. Bargaining power of suppliers: Low: RMCF has an advantage over other suppliers because of their fixed pricing and alternative supplier options. e. Rivalry: High: There has been an increase of entrants into the industry.Chocolate can be an easier industry to buy into with the health benefits and low entry barriers. f. Relative power of union, governments, and special interest groups: Medium: Consumer demands, union demands, and government regulations present challenges for RMCF. 2. Key factors in the immediate environment are: * Consumers demand for quality and healthy products. * Big name competitors like Nestle and Mars entering the market. * Suppliers providing ingredients at a fixed cost. * Labor unions and employers working together to produce raw materials at a low cost D. Summary of External FactorsSee Exhibit 1: Find at end of paper Consumer demands and competition are the most important factors to the corporations and industries in which it competes at the present time. Without consumers buying the product, the company cannot survive. Even though there are other factors that weigh into consumer happiness, it all boils down to if they like the product, if they can afford it, and if they choose it over other competitors. In the future it will still be the same, there will still be other competitors that will be coming out with new and improved products. Consumers can change company preference at any time.RMCF has to keep fixed prices as good or better with the products that are similar to that of their competition in order to keep their consumers around. IV. Internal Environment: Strengths and Weaknesses (SWOT) A. Corporate Structure Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory prides itself on its history. It was built around location and lifestyle, which has helped shape its corporate structure that is used to this day. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory uses a divisional corporate structure that focuses in three areas; product, market, and geo graphic. Product is the first and foremost important element for the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.As said by one of the Co-founders Franklin Crail â€Å"The number one factor is the quality of the product, without that customers aren’t going to stay around long† (book p26-3). Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is known for its specialty chocolate treats such as; nut clusters, caramels, butter creams, mints, and truffles. RMCF also tries to stay innovative with its products, having recently introduced sugar free and no sugar added candies. Chocolate isn’t the only sweet treat that Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory offers, however, they also offer an array of fudges and caramel apples.Market structure is the next piece that fits into Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s divisional corporate structure. Market structure comes into play with the different groupings of employees that Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has as a whole. They can be divided up into ma nufacturing its own trucking operations, store employees, factory employees, and corporate management. Splitting up the employee force and grouping everyone with the same or similar groups together is the main purpose of the market structure as part of the divisional structure as a whole.The last piece of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s divisional corporate strategy is geographical structure. This groups employees come together on a basis of where they are located. This is important for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory because it an international company with stores all over the United States, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. The placement of the shops is also a key element to the success of the store. The main environments are; regional centers, tourist areas, outlet centers, street fronts, and airports. B. Corporate Culture â€Å"The Peak of Perfection in handmade Chocolates†Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has a very unique corporate culture. It truly tries to live up to its tagline of being â€Å"The Peak of Perfection in Handmade Chocolates†. As a company they accomplish this by making all the shops a blend of traditional and contemporary styles. They also sought to make each store a fun and inviting place to be for both its workers and the customers that stop in. In each store it is possible to see the chocolates being made by the workers, thus showing that the chocolates really are handmade, as promised by the tagline of the company.Another important aspect of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory corporate culture is its franchising philosophy. It is always looking to improve its franchise support systems and has a high level of service and commitment to its franchises. The company realizes the importance of supporting and monitoring all of its franchises, because they are a direct reflection of the company. C. Corporate Resources 1. Marketing Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory runs on low-cost, high-return publicity opportuni ties. This is through taking advantage of local and regional events, sponsorships, and charitable causes.A large national marketing plan was never something that Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was interested in. Instead the company preferred to use things like coupons, flyers, and mail-order catalogs generated in house using its Creative Services Department. This department also works directly with each franchise. 2. Finance RMCF is consistently making a profit, allowing operating expenses to increase, and it also has multiple income sources. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s financial situation can best be seen through the use of a graph. This graph breaks down the company’s financial situation for the past five years. | YEARS ENDED FEBRUARY 28 or 29,| | Selected Statement of Operations Data| | 2012| | | 2011| | | 2010| | | 2009| | | 2008| | Total revenues| | $| 34,627| | | $| 31,128| | | $| 28,437| | | $| 28,539| | | $| 31,878| | Operating income| | | 5,853| | | | 5,950| | | | 5,671| | | | 5,819| | | | 7,914| | Net income| | $| 3,876| | | $| 3,911| | | $| 3,580| | | $| 3,719| | | $| 4,961| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Basic Earnings per Common Share| | $| . 63| | | $| . 65| | | $| . 60| | | $| . 62| | | $| . 78| | Diluted Earnings per Common Share| | $| . 62| | | $| . 62| | | $| . 58| | | $| . 60| | | $| . 6| | Weighted average common shares outstanding| | | 6,111| | | | 6,051| | | | 6,013| | | | 5,985| | | | 6,341| | Weighted average common shares outstanding, assuming dilution| | | 6,295| | | | 6,290| | | | 6,210| | | | 6,157| | | | 6,501| | Selected Balance Sheet Data| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Working capital| | $| 10,573| | | $| 9,831| | | $| 8,930| | | $| 7,371| | | $| 5,152| | Total assets| | | 24,163| | | | 21,439| | | | 18,920| | | | 16,841| | | | 16,147| | Stockholders’ equity| | | 18,736| | | | 16,654| | | | 14,731| | | | 13,242| | | | 11,655| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cash Div idend Declared per Common Share| | $| . 400| | | $| . 400| | | $| . 400| | | $| . 400| | | $| . 390| | 3. Research and Development (R&D) Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory knows the importance of keeping up with consumers wants, needs, and most importantly tastes. With the recent health raze, doing research and development was necessary to find out what in fact the consumers actually wanted from their chocolate companies. Due to this health craze the demand for dark chocolate has seen a significant increase. Also due to the health conscious, there has been research on chocolates that have been enhanced with minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and probiotics. Another trend that has become apparent in the chocolate industry is the want for ethical and fair trade chocolate. Consumers were showing concern about supporting cocoa farms that used child labor. Due to this consumers were choosing to support companies that could prove they were using only â€Å"ethical† cocoa products. 4. Operations and LogisticsRocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s operation and distribution objectives are all about maintaining the quality and freshness of its products. As a company Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory encourages its franchise stores to only order what they can realistically sell in a two to four week time frame, this ensures freshness. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s manufacturing process primarily involved cooking or preparing the candy. This is done in a temperature controlled room with strict quality controls in place to ensure that only best candies make the cut. While most of the candy is still handmade, there has been some change to automated processes if it makes sense to do so from a financial aspect.A large part of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s operations deal with its distribution or truck shipments. When it appeared that there couldn’t be a suitable shipper found, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory created its own fleet of semi s. By doing this it enabled the company to deliver its products to the stores quickly and at an extremely cost efficient and effective price. Having its own fleet to haul and return products and supplies has become not only a convenience for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, but an extremely business savvy move. 5. Human Resources Management (HRM) Most of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s employees are employed and paid on an hourly basis. At times, the employment of temp or seasonal help was used.Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory prides itself on staying competitive in its industry with regard to pay, benefits, and working conditions. The company is big time on the emphasis of respect, commitment, and professionalism. As far as human resources and employee relations go, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory rates itself as very good! 6. Information Technology (IT) Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory uses social media as a main source of its information systems. Its main social media resource is Facebook. It allows for customers to â€Å"like† their page to receive special information and deals regarding the company. It also has a link to Facebook on its homepage on the corporate website. They also use Twitter and Instagram.Besides these information systems the company uses, the stores operate independently from main corporate structure and some other aspects of its operations the company uses information technology for shipping, sales performance, inventory control, and accounting. D. Summary of Internal Factors See Exhibit 2: Find at end of paper V. Analysis of Strategic Factors (SWOT) A. Situational Analysis See Exhibit 3: Find at end of paper Here we just laid out some of the important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that were important when it comes to RMCF. By looking at the SFAS Matrix: exhibit 3 at the end of the paper one can see of the external(EFAS) and internal(IFAS) factors and which of each are the most important that have a strong impact on the company’s present and future performance. Strengths * Strong Franchise Program Rated an outstanding franchise in 2008 by the Entrepreneur magazine * March 31st there were 329 franchised stores * Visibility of its stores and the high foot traffic generated strong name recognition High Quality Product (won the 3 heart rating in a blind taste test) Strong mix of different kind of ingredients * During holiday seasons, company made as many as 100 additional items * Developed a new line of sugar-free and no-sugar added candies * According to the company, â€Å"results have been ‘spectacular’, filling a need for those with a special dietary requirements† * Careful selection of store sites * Highly cohesive corporate culture * Trademarks * Big, chunky chocolate concoctions * The Bear Paw-sized concoction of chewy caramel, roasted nuts and heavy coating of chocolate * Caramel apples followed by the Bear was the best selling Weaknesses * Glob al presence * Sale of chocolate and confectionary products was affected by changes in consumer tastes and eating habits * Negative impacts * Equity market levels * Consumer confidence * Job growth * Consumer disposable income and spending levels * Unemployment rates * Recessionary and inflationary trends * Energy prices Opportunities * New environments for success * Automation increase the speed and efficiency of the manufacturing process * Significant opportunities existed to expand into tourist area * Airport locations Accelerate the opening of stores in high volume airport locations * Sport Arenas * Kiosks * Enhanced franchise opportunities by providing flexibility in support of existing franchisees’ * Incorporated the company’s trademark cooking areas * Low cost marketing * Focused primarily on local in-store marketing * Fixed price contracts Company owned trucks * In 2008, owned eight refrigerated trucks and shipped substantial portion of its products from its fac tory * Cost effective, and quick delivery * Human Resources * Provided working conditions, wages, and benefits that compared favorably with its competitors * High performance expectations, mutual respect and professionalism existed throughout the company Threats Weather * Crop farming * Tourist areas * Competitors * Mars Inc. * Fanny May * Godiva Chocolatier * Large annual sales, and was one of the leading chocolate businesses * Scharffen Berger and Joseph Schmidt * Ethel M Chocolates * See’s Candies * Hershey * These companies not only manufactured chocolate but also had their own retail outlets * Numerous businesses that offered confectionery products, from large to small privately owned local businesses * Influence of sales affected by * Traffic patterns * Economic conditions * Demographic conditions B. REVIEW OF MISSION AND OBJECTIVES Mission Built around a location and a lifestyle. The number one factor is the quality of the product, without that customers aren’t going to stay around long. † (Page26-2) The Company believed that its store atmosphere and ambiance, as well as its brand name recognition and its careful selection of sites for new store and kiosks, merchandising and marketing of chocolate and other candy products, expertise in the manufacture, and commitment to customer service are key to the accomplishment of its objective to build on its position as a leading international franchiser and manufacturer of high quality chocolate and other confectionary products. †¢ Quality, taste, value and variety of products †¢ Quality of the product is the number one factor Objectives Manage money carefully during economic downturn †¢ Slowed expansion and elimination of debt †¢ Maintain a good relationship with employees as well as franchisees Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has continued to maintain its mission and objectives appropriately during times of expansion as well as recession. VI. Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy A. Strategic Alternatives The current and revised objectives are met rather well in this case and in any situation there can be implementation and improvement of the company’s strategies to make it even better. The alternative strategies are the Growth strategy, stability strategy and the retrenchment strategy.Cost leadership and differentiation play a part under strategic alternatives as well. 1. Stability Strategy: Stability strategy is when corporate strategies need to make no changes to the company’s current direction of activities. Therefore, RMCF fits pretty well under this because from the case one can see that they were doing rather well and never seemed to dip down by much at all. RMCF does not need to change any major things they just need to be sure and remain on the same page all the time and fix any small things that may occur. PROS: Stability strategy is rather cheap and will take the least amount of time. It also allows for appropria te training of any new franchisees.CONS: With a stability strategy it may only be short term solve or could end up resulting in loss of market share. 2. Growth Strategy: The concentration can be either vertical growth or horizontal growth. Vertical growth consists of taking over another company and this strategy would somewhat be beneficial for RMCF at this time because they tend to be doing well and if they were to take another place over and run it as they run their own company things would continue to be well off. Horizontal growth is spreading into other geographical locations. Horizontal growth is also something that RMCF is looking to do at this point because expanding into different geographical areas will benefit them and let them continue to become known all over.The diversification strategies involve concentric and RMCF seems to have a pretty strong competitive position in the industry world. Conglomerate diversification comes into play here too and RMCF seems to be pretty well and in a good spot with their cash making company. With these two characteristics, diversification strategy should work. The horizontal growth is huge through franchising at RMCF. PROS- RMCF could continue reaching and expanding to different new markets as profits continue to move forward. CONS- The growth strategy may not allow enough time for all the planning that is needed. 3. Retrenchment Strategy: Retrenchment strategy is corporate strategies to minimize the company’s level of activities and to return it to profitability.This strategy can be considered a quick fix of financial problems and this has helped for RMCF to stay on their feet and never fall to low under most aspects. There were a few times they slipped but then managed to get back on their feet and fix problems. With retrenchment strategy, it is there if RMCF would need it but the company is doing fairly well and has never been in that much of a slump to be bought out by another company or to even claim b ankruptcy. PROS- Retrenchment strategy is here and handy if RMCF were to need it. CONS- If RMCF did ever get into such a terrible spot, this might not help. 4. Cost Leadership: Cost Leadership can be described as a low-cost competitive strategy that aims at the broad mass market.RMCF can tie in with cost leadership because it has been truly successful and has set prices that the company believes works as a competitive strategy because their consumers agree on them and continue to come back for more in that they are satisfied. PROS- Keep consumers around and gain more from the broad mass market with a low-cost competitive strategy. CONS- Other companies will begin to do the same and try to be even better while trying to gain RMCF’s consumers. 5. Differentiation: Differentiation is huge for RMCF because this is a competitive strategy that is targeted at the broad mass market and which involves the design of a product or service that is viewed throughout its industry as exceptio nal.RMCF fits perfectly under differentiation because from the start Crail wanted the industry to be different than any other and successful with the unique products it produced. PROS- Practical for above average earnings because of the exceptional products that consumers want more of and tend to not care about the price. CONS- There could be more losses during tough times because of the differentiation products being as a luxury. B. Recommended Strategy Here, growth is the recommended strategy for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. With doing very well most the time and being able to fix what the company needs to, their business and functional strategies that the company use seem to be working well. The U. S. candy market was doing extremely well around 2009, with chocolate generating billions of dollars in sales.As of March 31, 2008, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory consisted of five company-owned and 329 franchised stores operating in 38 states, Canada, and the United Arab Emirate s. All the Franchising, licensing, and exporting will help its ability to resolve both long and short-term goals of the company. There are not too many policies that should be developed or revised with RMCF to guide them with effective implementation. They seem to do rather well. If something does go wrong they find the best way to go about bettering it for present and future reference. The company has to always remain on its toes though because anything could change at any time. By following and sticking to good policies will benefit the company in many ways.The impact of knowing what is going on and being ready for anything to happen at any time will have positive impact on the company’s core and distinctive competencies. VII. Implementation In order for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to continue being a front runner in the gourmet chocolate industry they need to continue going on the path that they are on. They have a loyal consumer base and are keeping up with the wants and needs of their consumer base. By continuing to offer their homemade quality chocolates online, in stores, and in kiosk’s around the world they are providing their product to consumers in many ways. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has a solid structure set up as far as top management and board members are concerned. For assurance that RMCF ontinues to be one of the top leaders in the gourmet, homemade, chocolate industry it is important that they keep listening to their customers wants and needs. VIII. Evaluation and Control Is the current information system capable of providing sufficient feedback on implementation activities and performance? Can it measure strategic factors? The current information system is capable of providing sufficient feedback on implementation activities and performance because the external and internal elements determine the future of the corporation. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats help the company sort out the monitoring, evaluating, and disseminating of information.Using the SWOT analysis helps defining the corporate mission, specifying achievable objectives, developing strategies, and setting policy guidelines. The fact that this company is built around a location and lifestyle, and that the quality of the taste, value and variety of products are important to them as a whole is why they succeed. They realize that in order to keep profit coming, they need to manage money carefully during economic downturn as well with a slowed expansion to help eliminate debt. Customer satisfaction is important as well because if the customer is not satisfied with either the product or the service they are receiving they will not be returning.Rocky Mountain Chocolate employees pride themselves in making a good name for the company, which is why they are so successful with expansion. â€Å"The number one factor is the quality of the product, without that customers aren’t going to stay around long† (Page 26-2). Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has had a very strong franchise with the fact that they were rated an outstanding franchise in 2008 by the Entrepreneur magazine. Are adequate control measures in place to ensure conformance with the recommended strategic plan? Appropriate standards and measures are being used to enhance conformance with the recommended strategic plan because they are being rated on the quality f the products they are producing. They were able to overcome the hard times of the economy in the U. S over the recent years by managing their money effectively. The company has their own special features and products that make them stand out over their competitors. With special holidays, they make over 100 different products to help ensure business with different options. Conclusion In closing, we believe the Stability strategies of â€Å"make no changes† to the company’s current activities is the best recommendation we can give for Rocky Mountain Chocol ate Factory at this time. Exhibit 2- IFAS Table for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |Internal Factors|   |   | Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| Comments| Strengths|   |   |   |   |   |   | High quality products|   | 0. 2| 5. 0| 1. 00| Can have high prices with loyal customers| Uniformity throughout every store| 0. 1| 4. 0| 0. 40| Keeps customers happy and satisfied| Efficient cost structure| 0. 1| 2. 5| 0. 25| Promotes growth & increases profits| All stores are efficient and organized|   |   | 0. 1| 4. 0| 0. 40| Also promotes growth & increases profits| |   |   | | | | | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | Weaknesses|   |   |   | |   |   |   | A lot of competitors that are also strong|   |   |   | 0. 2| 2| 0. 40| Have to do best to always protect market share| Special items|   |   |   | 0. 1| 2| 0. 0|   With difficult economic times sales can change| Proper operation of franchises is key|   |   | 0. 1| 1. 5| 0. 15| Keep head up in case of store mismanagement| Growth of company can be risky|   |   | 0. 1| 2| 0. 20| Must always stay on top with growth & managing it| |   |   | | | | | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | Total Scores|   |   | 1. 00|   | 3. 00|   | Exhibit 1- EFAS Table for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | External Factors|   |   | Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| Comments| Opportunities|   |   |   |   |   |   | Natural- recession recovery|   | 0. 05| 2. 5| 0. 13| Economy going towards recovery stage| Economic- low cost marketing strategy| 0. 05| 4. 6| 0. 3| Higher profits because of low cost facilities| Technological- multiple manuf. & automated processes| 0. 21| 4. 9| 1. 03| No value added, reduces inventory| Consumers happy & will pay more for product|   |   | 0. 07| 3. 5| 0. 25| profit will increase if demand for product does| Trucks owned by the comp any|   |   | 0. 12| 4. 5| 0. 54| Low transportation & efficient delivery|   |   |   |   | |   |   |   | Threats|   |   |   | |   |   |   | Natural- other companies move into market|   |   |   | 0. 23| 3. 8| 0. 87| Competition increases and causes lower prices| Economic- trade regulations|   |   |   | 0. 08| 1. 4| 0. 11|   Upset consumers, increase in labor costs| Labor force strikes|   |   | 0. 04| 1. 4| 0. 6| There would be no production of ingredients  | Regulations with the trucks|   |   | 0. 07| 2. 5| 0. 18| Increase in operating cost if slow delivery| Picking where to purchase a franchise location|   |   | 0. 08| 2| 0. 16| There would be no service if not in a good area|   |   |   |   | |   |   |   | Total Scores|   |   | 1. 00|   | 3. 56|   | Exhibit 3 – SFAS Matrix for RMCF| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Strategic Factors| Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| Duration Comments| | | D uration| Comments| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | S1 High Quality Products (S)| 0. 13| 5. 0| 0. 5 | Long High prices, loyal customers| | | Long| Very important income stream| | | | S4 Stores efficient & Organized (S)| 0. 13| 4. 0| 0. 52| Long Promotes growth & increases profits| | | Long| Well known brand| | | | W1 A lot of strong Competitors (W)| 0. 11| 2. 0| 0. 22| Intermediate Do best to protect Market share| | | Long| Developing tech. may hurt advertising income| | | | W2 Special Items (W)| 0. 11| 2. 0| 0. 22| Intermediate Sales can change during hard times| | | Long| If internet packages change, income from partnerships may change| | | | W3 Proper operations of franchises (W)| 0. 13| 1. 5| 0. 95| Long Keep head up for store mismanagement| | | Intermediate| Focusing on too many market segments| | | | W4 Growth of Company (W)| 0. 11| 2. 0| 0. 22| Long Stay on top with managing growth| | | Intermediate| You don't Yahoo! it, you google it! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | O2 Economic (O)| 0. 07| 4. 6| 0. 322| Intermediate Higher profits: low cost facilities| | | Intermediate| Computers, cell phones, ipads, etc. | | | | O3 Technological (O)| 0. 07| 4. 9| 0. 343| Long No value added, reduces inventory| | | Long| Alliances with other countries. New laws, regulations, etc. enforced. | | | T1 Natural (T)| 0. 07| 3. 8| 0. 266| Intermediate Competition increase causes low prices| | | Intermediate| One media type having easier access than another| | | | T4 Regulations with trucks (T)| 0. 07| 2. 5| 0. 175| Short Increase in operation cost if slow delivery| | | Long| New laws and regulations internationally could put limits on Yahoo! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Total Scores| 1. 00| | 3. 13| | | | | | | | Work Cited Doheny, K. (2012, April 24). Choose dark chocolate for health benefits. Retrieved from http://www. ebmd. com/diet/news/20120424/pick-dark-chocolate-health-benefits Franchise Store News Room. (2011). Retrieved March 5, 2013, from http://www. rmcf. com/CA/Sa cramento50028/news. asp? Hunger, J. D. ; Wheelen, T. L. (2012). Strategic management and business policy (13th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. (2013). Retrieved March 5, 2013, from http://www. reuters. com/finance/stocks/companyOfficers? symbol=RMCF. O Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. – Form 10-K (2010). Retrieved February 26, 2013, from http://www. faqs. org/sec-filings/100518/ROCKY-MOUNTAIN-CHOCOLATE-FACTORY-INC_10-K/