Collective Bargaining at West University Assignment

Collective Bargaining at West University - Assignment Example In today’s world, management has become well-aware of efforts such as employee engagement that increases employee’s productivity, lowers production cost and improves the quality of final products and services. Likewise, labor unions are realizing that they can assist their members by developing co-operative relations with management rather than fighting with them. Even in the corporate world, U.S. labor laws are created to reduce mistrust and opposition between management and labor. For instance, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was passed for encouraging collective bargaining and balancing the power of workers with that of the management; the legislation even assists in the elimination of the company’s practices of setting up unions with the purpose of discouraging outside unions to organize their employees. As a result of this law, companies were prohibited to provide support or allow the creation of labor organization. In this case of West University, the congregation of unionists is justified by labor law and they have the right of collective bargaining on matters related to their service terms. However, the labor law, in this case, does not bound employers in the effective expression of controversial issues with unionists; employers can choose to ignore unionists’ wants. Basically, the union is strong only for the rights that it can fight for and be crippling it on its instructions make certain that its relevance has no meaning. Hence, the labor law indirectly suppresses unionization. In every organization, determination of an individual who is providing service is considered either to be a contractor or an employee; it is largely dependent on that person’s involvement with service’s owner.

Tyco International Accounting Issues Research Paper

Tyco International Accounting Issues - Research Paper Example One of the most notable accounting malpractice employed by the company involved the low attrition rate, which were written off at a remarkably slow pace. The consequence of this accounting misnomer was a significant inflation of the profits as reported in the company’s financial records. A consistent pattern of this accounting practice had the effect of giving the shareholders the wrong kind of impression regarding the performance records of this company (Maremont, M and, Laurie Cohen 12 a). The markets were also deluded into believing in the falsified accounting records of the company. According to financial analysts, the amount of money involved in the slow attrition accounting practice was the major driving factor. For instance, it was reported that the company spent large sums of money in purchasing accounts from dealers. An estimate of 1.3 billion dollars has been given as the amount of money used by the company to purchase the accounts in 2001. Major discrepancies have a lso been seen in the mismatch between the posting of assets acquired and the selling prices that were attached to the same. This aspect has often been cited as a case of deliberate falsification of information intended to paint an artificially positive picture about the performance of the company (Bragg 23). One such case involved the purchase and sale of Anglo Seal division. Anglo Seal was bought for about 20 million dollars according to the information posted in the company’s accounting records. In the space of time of one year, the same asset was sold off at a price of 111 million dollars. Some analysts argue that the real losses incurred by Tyco could be even much higher given the fact the team of accountants and lawyers who worked through the companies records overlooked or could not access some sensitive omissions and commissions due to weaknesses of evidence (Maremont and Laurie 10 b). According to analysts, it is not practically conceivable how an asset could apprecia te to nearly eight times its purchase price within the short time of a year. The obvious intention was to bring down the value of expenses, while adjusting upwards the level of sales and revenues. As a result, the company presented itself as particularly robust in terms of growth. The danger of such accounting practices is that they are not sustainable in the long run. They tend to shield the company’s failings from the shareholders and the markets. According to some analysts, such practices have the capacity of bringing down companies because all safeguard measures are rendered useless in the face of irregular and cosmetic accounting practices. The irregular practices often shield the companies from the indicators of possible slump of a slackened performance. Defenders of Tyco’s book-keeping methods have argued that any alternative ways of accountancy could not significantly alter the state of accounts as reported by the company (Maremont and, Laurie 12 c ) . They rel y on the reports of internal auditors who argued that few things would change in terms of performance regarding the company’s overall growth strategy. It would be appropriate to consider the weaknesses of the irregular accounting practices in comparison to similar practices that often ended up in total failure. The collapse of Meryl Lynch and other famous firms were attributed, in part, on the reliance on cosmetic

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Case study - Essay Example a. Identify one short term business objective and one long term business objective from a case study. You are required to provide two case examples for a short term business objective and two case examples for a long term business objective. a. List and discuss two advantages and two disadvantages of packaged (a.k.a Off-the-shelf) software. You are required to use two case studies to derive the examples for the advantages and the disadvantages. Rolls-Royce’ ERP R/3 systems is packaged system. For the implementing this system we have to re-engineer the overall business processes. Main advantages of the ERP SAP R/3 as packaged software system for the Rolls-Royce are its reduced cost, high system quality and rapid implementation. Geneva has implemented SAP R/3 system that offers enhanced services and business handling. The main advantage/ benefit of this packaged software implementation is the utilization of the currently operation resources. These can be operating system, communications middleware, and technical infrastructure needed by the entire application modules. 2. IT Portfolio – â€Å"ES rarely meet the full business requirements in an organization. In general 80% of the requirements are met with an ES, while the rest (20%) of the requirements needs to be fulfilled with alternative methods†. a. Discuss the aforementioned statement in light of two case studies. You need to discuss why ES don’t provide all organizational requirements. You should also comment and provide specific examples from two case studies on the three things that organizations employ to increase the ‘fit’ between the system functionality and business requirements. The system implemented by the Geneva business has some of the areas those are not properly addressed. These areas can be intelligent business decision making. This aspect of this business remains unaddressed and business need to implement a decision making system. a.

Tesco's Strategic Real Estate Management Case Study

Tesco's Strategic Real Estate Management - Case Study Example The futuristic thrust of a company can be assessed by its assets. If the company carries forward its business prospects by accumulating assets on a recurring basis, this indicates towards the fact that the company is not there for short term gains. Policies of such companies, in general, always happen to be friendly to different sets of stakeholders. Acquiring real estate is one good indication towards the strategic focus of the company. Tesco's policies have been to acquire the real estate with an eye on long term perspective. Continuously monitoring the environment and following the leaders has become key to a successful business. Continuously studying the different aspects of environment (social, political, legal, technological etc.) and taking corrective and adaptive steps accordingly helps in growing of an organisation. Tesco started computerised checkout counters as early as 1982 and this stride continued with opening of www.tesco.com and its online operations. Today it is the largest store in UK with presence in many countries around the world. This study is an effort to find out how the management at Tesco has been able to make use of its strengths and adapted to external pulls and pressure while successfully managing the resources at its command. Of all the changes in distribution during the last century, those taking place in retailing have been the most dramatic. Totally new institutions have appeared in an industry that a hundred years ago consisted mostly of small general and specialty stores. Tesco is one such store which had a humble beginning early in the 20th century and today it is one of the leading company in the retail sector. Besides acquiring prime space in the major cities in UK, in the form of its stores, company has been able to take advantage of the opportunities in the overseas market. This study is an effort to figure out how the company is able to synchronise its marketing efforts while investing in real estate as well. The Evolution of Tesco Tesco has been a leading company in the retailing business. With its presence in many parts of the world, the company has been able to take good advantage of the liberalisation policies being adopted by nations around the world. While talking about the policies adopted by the management in order to take growth oriented approach, it is worth discussing how the company was able to effectively manage its assets like the real estate. It was in the year 1919 that Jack Cohen founded Tesco, when he began to sell surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London. His first day's profit1 was 1 and sales 4. The name comes from the initials of TE Stockwell, who was a partner in the firm of tea suppliers, and CO from Jack's surname. It was in year 1929 that Jack Cohen opens his first Tesco store in Burnt Oak, Edgware, North London. And there's no looking back since then. Tesco has a long term plan for growth, based on four key strategies2: i. Growth in the Core UK ii. Making corporate social responsibility an integral part of the business iii. To expand by growing internationally iv. To be as strong in non-food as in food v. To follow the customers into new retailing services The company has been steadily progressing with these strategies over the years and with over 2100 stores in UK and serving 12 markets 12 markets internationally, in Europe, Asia and North America. Over the years, the company has also widened its

Feedback for solutions for brewing company problems Essay

Feedback for solutions for brewing company problems - Essay Example Molson Coors have therefore decided to pull its international businesses out Asian markets so that they can focus on the local markets. The importation of beer in China holds only 1% share of the market share compared to the domestic and Coors only ranks second despite the China’s low domestic prizes. It is therefore important when the company withdraws its operations from china because there are no chances of succeeding in that market. Coors should first alert their customers in china market and sell their stake to Sihai Beer Company because of the company’s inability to sustain its assets and the need to cover losses as much as possible. Coors should sell its beers at a lower price as a way of getting rid of its excess reserves (Russel Web). The Company should focus on improving its big Canada share and the US market shares in order to improve their sales. This is only possible when the UK and China markets are closed due to their low markets that in turn lead to a higher cost of operation in both UK and China. The partnering between Coors and the SABMiller will also increase the market share to almost 30% in local market. The issue of new marketing material has got a large impact on the success of the firm especially within the local market. The sales have slightly increased after almost a year due to the increased marketing. The small board that was created to facilitate aggressive marketing in North America has not boosted the market share as expected but only increased the operating assets due to its overstatement as the income statement do not include the US (Russel Web). The decline of the consumption of Molson’s products in its major markets is such a big blow to the company and puts the company into a very challenging situation. With the voting rights of Coors remains at 50% hence making it difficult to account for the company’s benefit in the consolidation process. The product for both the companies

Introduction to Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Chapter 3 is about managing the flow of materials across the supply chain. At this point, the authors try to be more specific in order to understand supply chains. They also include specific discussion on reengineering supply chain logistics, and reengineering challenges and opportunities. Then they point out that information systems and technology are key enablers for supply chain engineering. They also included the importance of time in managing the flow of materials across the supply chain. With this, one of the highlights in this section is showing the opportunities for cycle-time reduction across the supply chain. Furthermore, Chapter 3 also includes performance measurement because the authors significantly include the thought that supply chain management is all about issue of control. Finally, Chapter 4 includes the general idea about developing and maintaining supply chain relationships. Regarding this, the authors include the discussion of a conceptual model of alliance devel opment, developing a trusting relationship with partners in the supply chain, and resolving conflicts in a supply chain relationship. ... In this concern, it is important for instance to understand the integration of information systems and technology in order to come up with effective supply chain management. Furthermore, in the onset of modern age technology and so deliberately advancing technological and information systems revolution, the authors make it a special priority to integrate this reality with the learners. In addition the authors try to be more elaborate in their thoughts concerning the flow of materials across the supply chain. In this section, they especially highlight techniques on how to ensure smooth-flowing flow of materials across the supply chain. So they integrate the concept of reengineering supply chain logistics, challenges and opportunities. For them, it is a matter of time to implement all these techniques so as to ensure productive output, so they integrate the importance of time in managing the flow of materials across the supply chain. Finally, in chapter 4, the authors significantly imp ly that supply chain management includes substantial issue about building relationship. In this regard, the authors include the idea on how to develop alliance, trust with partners and resolving conflicts that may potentially arise. As noticed, the idea of supply chain management that the authors present in Chapter 1 to 4 includes the point that it is basically part of strategic effort of the company or organization in order to create and deliver product or service offerings on time. Applying this idea in the context of marketing could prove that delivering product or service offerings on time results to probable achievement of high level customer satisfaction. However, in order to do this,

Arthur Miller’s, A View From The Bridge Essay Example for Free

Arthur Miller’s, A View From The Bridge Essay Arthur Miller’s ‘A View From The Bridge’ is a great play set in the run down area of Brooklyn, New York, a community in Red Hook, during the 1950s. It explores the themes of justice, unnatural love, codes of society and respect. The play focuses on the jealousy the protagonist, Eddie Carbone, exerts towards his wife’s illegally immigrated Italian cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, due to his passionate feelings for his own niece, Catherine, consequently ending with his life. The key events of the play are all very reasonable and typical in reflection to the time it was written. The disastrous aftermath of World War Two and the Great Depression left people with one dream; the American dream. To escape their less economically developed country and lead a better life many travelled to America. Italians suffered most excruciatingly hence it is they who went through mass migration, but lead it a better life they did not. Confrontation with suspicious Americans and intense hardship only crippled their self-esteem and lead them to be more independent. In ‘A View From The Bridge’ we witness how this period of time effected and shaped the behaviour of characters in the play. Arthur Miller uses Alfieri to make the play much easier to understand and enjoyable for us, the audience. In this essay I am going to analyse how exactly this has been done. Arthur Miller cleverly uses Alfieri in a number of ways. Alfieri is the narrator; Alfieri plays a character; and Alfieri is a good example of what some call a Greek Chorus. He is our narrator and plays the role of an Italian-American lawyer which makes us expect his words to be truthful. Alfieri also very effectively helps distinguish scenes, expand on characters and make the play more explicit, just as a Greek Chorus would do in old Greek tragedies. Doing this allows us to understand and follow up on the play, its themes and events. â€Å"†¦In Sicily, from where their fathers came, the law has not been a friendly idea since the Greeks were beaten†¦Justice is very important here†: Alfieri’s opening monologue, Act 1; he is the Greek Chorus. Alfieri gives us some background information on Red Hook and its neighbourhood, allowing the audience to form an impression on the characters and their morals. Having knowledge on the circumstances explored in the play, what with the illegal immigration, this line in the monologue can infer one of two things: the Italians in Red Hook cannot turn to the law because they are illegal immigrants, or the Italians will not turn to the law due their lack of trust as a result of their Italian customs. Either way, since turning to the law is never going to be the answer, the obvious way to gain justice is for the law to be taken into the people’s hands. Knowing this helps us, the audience, understand why certain events take place later on in the play. We understand Marco is an immigrant and therefore understand why he uses violence to enforce justice against Eddie for his actions. The theme of justice is introduced here. Eddie Carbone’s death at the end of the play came as no surprise to us all. Alfieri had already told us from the beginning that he sat there and â€Å"watched it run its bloody course†¦this one’s name was Eddie Carbone’’. Eddie Carbone will die, but in no ordinary way; he will be murdered which we can indicate from Alfieri mentioning â€Å"bloody course†. Alfieri put great emphasis on the fact that the people of Red Hook take justice into their own hands in his opening monologue which, if we put two and two together, must mean that Eddie’s blood will be spilt for one’s justice. This time Arthur Miller uses Alfieri to really hook, and keep us hooked, in the play. Us knowing that Eddie will be murdered before it actually happens means that we, the audience, know more than the characters. Throughout the play, no matter what turn of event takes place, we know that Eddie’s death is inevitable. This creates a very interesting and suspense atmosphere as we are eager to find out how exactly each character’s action leads up to the death; how Eddie’s own actions may have a huge impact on Marco feeling compelled to end his life. The theme of unnatural love is also first made clearer to us through the use of Alfieri and his unveiling of Eddie’s true inner feeling for Catherine, although Eddie himself denies such possibility which is typical of longshoremen, or men generally, of the time; expressing your emotions just wasn’t a masculine thing to do. Alfieri claims that Eddie has â€Å"too much love for the niece†, which makes Eddie’s resentment towards Rodolpho understandable to us. Why Eddie opposed Catherine’s relationship with Rodolpho was at first quite inexplicit, with many of us assuming it was just the possessiveness of an uncle, but Arthur Miller’s use of Alfieri’s, again as a Greek chorus, makes the play more understandable, and not only that, it also enhances the dramatic factor of the play; we know Eddie will die at the end of the play and are now interested to know how his feelings for Catherine will play a part in his tragic death. In Act 1 Alfieri and Eddie both highlight the codes of the society of Red Hook, made due to the mistrust in the law. Eddie outlines the consequences of snitching on the immigrants whilst Alfieri explains to us that the immigrants will take the law into their own hands. When Eddie is on the verge to call the immigration Bureau later in Act 2 Alfieri tells him he â€Å"won’t have a friend in the world†, reminding Eddie and us that the society will destroy him if he informs because he is going against their codes of society. Here Alfieri, in spite of being a lawyer who should support the law, is trying to prevent Eddie from making a huge mistake. Alfieri is an American lawyer from an Italian background which is why he is aware that if Eddie goes along with his actions then he will have the society to answer to. We trust Alfieri, a lawyer to be a good judge of character and rational, because he is professionally detached. However, with Eddie he has a slight connection which he mentions in his opening monologue: I had represented his father in an accident case some years before, and I was acquainted with the family in a casual way. When Eddie did call the Immigration Bureau, Alfieri and the audience know that Eddie’s actions were against the codes of society and citizens of the time would not abide by the law, no, they will enforce their justice though violence. However despite being aware of this, Alfieri offers a different opinion on the codes of society to Marco. â€Å"To promise not to kill is not dishonourable† and â€Å"Only God makes justice†. This makes the play very much more dramatic because on one hand Alfieri goes against the law advising Eddie not to snitch, and on the other hand Alfieri goes against the codes of society by telling Marco not to kill Eddie. This adds to the dramatics because we know that Alfieri’s attempts to prevent Eddie’s death will fail, he himself mentioned being â€Å"powerless†, so we continue to watch whether Marco listens to Alfieri or does go out to kill, sticking by his Italian customs. In addition, I think that Arthur Miller has decided to make one character go against the law and the other by the law to show that both the law and a person’s morale can be wrong – the law is not always correct and neither is a person’s judgement of what is right and wrong. This too makes it dramatic as the audience can now question themselves whether the steps taken by each character was right or wrong. The portrayal of Eddie Carbone in the play is, without a doubt, negative. His unnatural feeling for Catherine, his horrible behaviour towards Rodolpho and his betrayal to the cousins forces us to dislike his character. However, to conclude the play, Arthur Miller decides to express Alfieri’s sympathy for Eddie to shape our final impression of him, leaving us confused as to whether Eddie was a heroic character or a villain. †¦even as I know how wrong he was, and his death useless, I tremble†¦something perversely pure calls to me from his memory†¦for he allowed himself to be wholly known and for that I think I will love him more then all my sensible clients†. Alfieri does not stop liking Eddie because he understands what he was like. He is suggesting to us that although we recognise Eddie’s actions as immoral and wrong, perhaps we should delve deeper into what provoked Eddie to commit the crimes he did. His love for Catherine, while wrong, is pure, so should he have been punished by death? But maybe if he had listened to Alfieri and compromised with Catherine and Rodolpho’s relationship none of this would have happened. Alfieri had repeated many times, as well as in his closing monologue, that it is â€Å"better to settle for half†; making compromises is best. This is the very meaningful message Arthur Miller portrays to us through Alfieri throughout the play. To conclude, I believe Alfieri, despite not taking much part in the action, has a very vital part in the play. He is, metaphorically speaking, the bridge in the play, who has been distinctively used as a viewpoint of the story. Without him we would have been left clueless after watching the play as it is he who fills in all the gaps and answers all the unanswered questions lingering in our minds. He also raises suspense in the play like no other, enhancing our enjoyment. When Eddie is on the urge of calling the Immigration Bureau Alfieri, despite being a lawyer who should support the law, discourages Eddie from proceeding with the call. You won’t have a friend in the world, Eddie! Even those who understand will turn against you, even those who feel the same will despise you! † He reminds Eddie and the audience that the society will destroy him if he informs because he is going against the codes of society. Alfieri is knowledgeable on these codes of so opposes the law as he does not want Addie to make this mistake probably because he is becoming too attached to Eddie’s story as he offers a different opinion on the codes of society to Marco. To promise not to kill is not dishonourable† and â€Å"Only God makes justice†. Both Alfieri and the audience know that Eddie’s act was against the codes of society and in the society of the time Eddie will be punished though violence as this is the only way Marco, an Italian immigrant, will obtain his justice, based on the fact that the Italians did not trust the law. But yet Alfieri went against the codes of society by telling Marco not to kill Eddie, whilst on the other hand he goes against the law advising Eddie not to inform. This make the play more dramatic because the audience know that Alfieri’s attempts to try and prevent Eddie’s death will not have worked, reinforcing that he is powerless, so they continue to see how Eddie dies. Also I think that Arthur Miller has decided to make one character go against the law and the other by the law to show that both the law and a person’s morale can be wrong – the law is not always correct and neither is a person’s judgement of what is right and wrong. This too makes it dramatic as the audience can now question themselves whetehr the steps taken by each character was right or wrong. He doesn’t stop liking Eddie, because he understands what he was like. He mourns Eddie, but with alarm, because he knows it will happen again. Alfieri is the voice of reason amongst great chaos, but chaos wins, probably because of the tense situation. I confess that something perversely pure calls to me from his memory. To what extent is it possible to feel sympathy for Eddie? Consider in your answer the part played by the Italian community in his behaviour. When Alfieri concludes his feelings at the end of the play, he is suggesting to the audience that although we recognize Eddies actions as immoral and wrong, perhaps we may still be able to sympathise with him. In order to answer this, we have to delve deeper into what provoked Eddie to commit the crimes he did, which ended eventually in his own death. At the beginning of the play, Miller wants us to recognise just how good a man Eddie can be. With his Arthur Miller ends the play in a dramatic and thought provoking way. The audience question whether Eddie deserved to die or not. All Eddie had done is fallen in love, perhaps with the wrong person, but love is a pure emotion that cannot be controlled. Eddie’s feelings lead him to call the immigration Bureau but he was not in the right state of mind as he himself was confused about his feelings for Catherine co should he have been punished by death? Arthur Miller uses Alfieri to close the play portraying a meaningful message, a phrase which he repeats many times; â€Å"And yet it is better to settle for half†. Making compromises is best. Being greedy can be regretful so it is better to be happy with what you’ve got than risk your life for more. Although Alfiieri does not take much part in the action, he has a vital role in the play. He is the narrator, the lawyer and the mediator (he tries to keep the peace). He is, metaphorically speaking, the bridge in the title. He is separate from the main action so could be described as looking down on it. He also links the Italian American community with America itself in terms of its laws which do not necessarily reflect traditional Italian views on justice. Significantly by the title â€Å"A view from the bridge†, this is indeed exactly the role of Alfieri’s character. Miller uses distinctively the character of Alfieri as a viewpoint of the story , something he does in a very elegant and dynamic way. In conclusion, Alfieri’s role within this play makes it entertaining, enjoyable and easier to understand for the audience. I believe that without Alfieri the play would not have binded well therefore the audience would not have had a good understanding. It’s like having a building without its foundation. Arthur Miller’s use of Alfieri managed to draw in the audience’s attention, build up suspense at the beginning of the play, make it clear why certain events took place and why characters behave the way they do, so I think that without Alfieri, ‘A View From The Bridge’ will be meaningless and confusing to watch.