Operations Management in Daimond Manufacturing Essay

Definition Operation Management is the activity of managing the resources which produce and deliver goods and services (Slack et al, 2010). These activities commences from the very initial production stage of information gathering right up to the final stage of consumer consumption of the product. Every organization does operation management even if they do not notice it. All organizations produce goods and/or services and to create goods and/or services, the organization must perform a number of operations which must be effectively and efficiently managed. 1. 2 Role of Operations Management Operations Management is of prime importance in all sectors, cells, functions, units and groups within the organization. An organization is a system and according to the business dictionary, (http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/system. html) a system is ‘An organized, purposeful structure that consists of interrelated and interdependent elements (components, entities, factors, members, parts etc. ). These elements continually influence one another (directly or indirectly) to maintain their activity and the existence of the system, in order to achieve the goal of the system’. Read more: http://www. usinessdictionary. com/definition/system. html#ixzz2QSyXAP1f . All employees are part of this system and have a common interest in making the consumer to receive goods and/or services in the best way possible. So I will say every manager in every part of the organization is to some extent an operational manager. According to James (2011), the role of operations manag ement is to manage the transformation of an organization’s inputs into finished goods and services using processes. Processes are actually present in all areas of the organization from Human Resource to Finance to Marketing to Procurement etc. 1. The ‘Input – Transformation – Output’ process Resources can either be transforming resources or transformed resources. After the transformation process is complete, transforming resources give rise to transformed resources. According to James (2011), there are 2 main types of transforming resources: * Facility which comprises of land, building, plant and equipment. * Staff which comprises of everyone involved in the operation process. There are 3 main types of transformed resources: * Material. Transformation can be physical (manufacturing), by location (transportation), by storage (warehousing), or by ownership (retail). Information. Transformation can be by property (accountant’s information), by p ossession (market research), by storage (libraries) or by location (telecommunication). * Customer. Transformation can either be physical (plastic surgery), by storage (hotel accommodation), by location (airline transport), by physiological state (hospital), or by psychological state (entertainment). Input Output Input that will be transformed * Material * Information * Customer Input that will transform * People * Facility * Goods * Services Transformation Input Output Input that will be transformed * Material * Information * Customer Input that will transform * People * Facility * Goods * Services Transformation Figure 1: The ‘Input-Transformation-Output’ process 2 Operations Strategy 2. 1 Definition Strategy is defined by Johnson et al, (2008) as ‘the direction and scope of an organization over the long term: ideally, which matches its resources to its changing environment and in particular its markets, customers or clients so as to meet stakeholder expectations. ’ 3. 2 Levels of Strategy Strategy can be viewed from 3 levels which are: The Corporate level: This level looks at the long term position of the company. It answers questions like ‘where will the organization be in 10 years? Or are we going to launch a new product in a new market? ’ The Business level: This level looks at the market and is concerned with the goods and services which the organization has to offer. It answers questions like ‘how do we compete? ’ The Functional level: This level deals with the functional aspect of the organization like finance, marketing, human resource etc. It answers questions like ‘how do we manage our financial resources’. . 3 Operations Strategy Operations strategy is the total pattern of decisions which shape the long-term capabilities of any operation and their contribution to overall strategy, through the reconciliation of market requirements with operations resources (Slack and Lewis, 2011). A 5 step structure has been designed by Hill (2005) so as to design and understand a goo d operation strategy. The steps are as follows: 1. Define Corporate Objectives Here, long term objectives are set-up so as to give the company balance and a good direction. At this stage, Sparkle does environmental scanning and the company also looks at its core competences, core processes and its global objectives. Performance Indicators (KPIs) are also established here so as monitor the accomplishment of these objectives. Top management uses a number of models which includes PESTEL, SWOT and Porter’s 5 forces. See appendix A. 2. Set Marketing Strategies Here Sparkle identifies the market it wants to compete in and then it looks on how to compete in these markets. Ansoff’s matrix is used. | New Product| Existing Product| NewMarket| Diversification| Market Development| Existing Market| Product Development| Market Penetration/ Market Growth| Figure 5: Ansoff Matrix. Source: Kaplan Financial Ltd, 2008. Sparkle uses the market penetration/market growth pathway for now. With time, they will start manufacturing out of the UK thus implementing the market development strategy. It is yet not known if they are thinking of one day starting up the production of a new product. 3. How do we gain competitive advantage? At this stage of Hill’s structure, the organization is to find ways to make its product win other products in the market. For this to happen, the organization must have a base to make its competition and this base is usually one or more of the following performance objectives: speed, quality, cost, dependability and flexibility. See chapter 3. Sparkle uses the above performance objectives to gain competitive advantage but it must be noted that, competitive advantage must: * Be real * Add value (to the consumer) and * Be difficult to imitate. 4. Choose a delivery system Here, the organization has to choose an appropriate delivery system so as to meet up with speed and maybe dependability. In Sparkle, most orders are icked up by the customer but if not, Sparkle uses their vans which have a high level of security for close distances or they post the jewelry for faraway distances. 5. Choose your Infrastructure The company at this phase has to choose all necessary infrastructures that it has to obtain so as to gain an edge over its competitors in the market. Different organizations in different industries wi ll need different types of infrastructures. But in the diamond manufacture industry, the infrastructures are almost the same and can hardly give competitive advantage. 3 Performance Objectives In the present congested and very competitive business environment, companies must do something extra so as to stand out of the crowd. For them to do this, they must react to what customers value and these fall into the following category. They are called performance objectives. 1. Cost 2. Quality 3. Dependability 4. Reliability 5. Speed Sparkle is aware of the tight competition in the diamond market and it takes its performance objectives very seriously so as to gain competitive advantage. Before achieving the above performance objectives, they must achieve the 4 Cs (see appendix B). * Cost. The principle of cost is doing things cheaply. Sparkle changes its processes, its materials and its suppliers every now and then so as to operate on a lower cost scale. They buy rough diamonds directly from the companies who buy them from the mine and sometimes the make orders directly from the mine so as to reduce cost because the more intermediaries there are, the higher the final price. They sometimes buy more rough diamonds than what the actually need so as to gain discount for bulk buying. They automate most of their processes to reduce the number of hours worked by human beings thus reducing total wages. Quality. This involves producing durable high standard error-free goods that consumers perceived to the good. In the fashion business, quality is king because consumers are becoming more conscious of what they wear. One can say that everything in the diamond industry is of good quality so in this kind of high standard industry, quality is not the issue but superb quality. Spark le buys the best of the rough stones which are hand-picked one after the other so that their final product will be of the best quality and they will have very little waste during production. * Dependability. This is doing everything on time so as to keep commitments and promises made to customers. Sparkle has a track record and reputation of never keeping its customers waiting. Customers’ diamonds are always fully processed before the pick-up date. Customers love coming to this organization because they know they can rely on them when it comes to delivery. There was a scandal in March 2008 in Real Diamonds where a couple arrange for their wedding rings costing thousands of pounds to be manufactured but the company was unable to meet up with the due date so the couple had to use different rings for the wedding. Flexibility. This is being able to change what you produce or how you produce it. Sparkle is very flexible in regards to their products because they produce apparently anything requested by the customer. We pride ourselves on being different, you won’t find our jewelry just anywhere, we appreciate that you want something special to you (Source: sparlediamonds. com/abo ut). They manufacture dressing rings, marriage rings, engagement rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, bangles and designers jewelry out of diamond. Over the years, they have come up with different diamond designs thought by others as impossible and have now gained a name as being the company that uses diamond to manufacture anything and everything. On the other hand, their production process is flexible too but not very flexible. They change little bits of their production process all the time to cut down cost and to increase the quality of the diamonds but this change is never a big change (process improvement). Figure 5: Different items made out of diamond. Source: * Speed. This can be described as how responsive an organization is to the customers’ demands and complain. It is a measure of the time between a customer’s order or complain to the time when that customer’s order or complain is sorted out fully. Sparkle is very fast in dealing with complains. Any customer who comes to the company with a complaint is not allowed to leave when the matter concerned has not been resolved. Complains made online take a maximum of 2 working days to be dealt with and those by post takes a little more time. Figure 5: Different colors of diamond. Source: 4 Product Design . 1 Definition Product/service design is the process of defining the specification of products and/or services in order for them to fulfill a specific market need (Slack et al, 2009). According to Russell and Taylor (2009), new product designs can provide a competitive edge by bringing new ideas to the market quickly, doing a better job of satisfying customers’ needs, or be ing easier to manufacture, use and repair. Product design is of great importance in any organization because consumers are becoming more and more conscious of the products they consume and their contents. Almost everybody in the organization is involved in product design because bringing in a new product design is not just about the market requirement but it is also about anticipating future demand and this needs imagination and creativity. In coming out with a good product design, market requirements, technical issues, cost, quality, investment information and the target market must be considered and dealt with appropriately. Diamond design ‘step by step’ Various steps are followed when coming out with a good diamond design. 1. Generating Ideas Ideas to bring up a new diamond designs can come from anywhere and comes from everywhere. Some organizations look only within the organization and come up with a diamond design but this approach is very dangerous because it can easily back fire leading to a poor design. Ideas in Sparkle usually come from: * The customers who will use the product. Most at times, the customer comes to the organization with a design in mind. The design team in the organization then sits with the customer and adds ideas to perfect the customer’s request. * The employees who serve the customers. These groups of persons know exactly what customers wants because they are the people who take customers specifications, demands and complaints. They play an important role in the creation of a new design. * Competitors and any new technology. Sparkle sometimes looks at the designs of its competitors like Avi Paz and tries to modify it so as to create something better than theirs. * Research and Development (R&D) Department. One of their major roles in the organization is to look for new possible designs which will entice customers. It is at this stage that the diamond color, size, weight, cut grade, clarity grade, carat weight, laser inscription and shape is decided. Figure 4: Computer simulated diamond designing in progress. Source: www. sparklediamonds. com 2. Product Screening According to Slack et al (2009), not all concepts and ideas generated will be capable of being developed into products and/or services. Each idea generated is taken and examined to see whether or not they are acceptable, feasible and vulnerable. Fig 5 illustrates. Figure 5| Some typical evaluation questions for marketing, operations and finance. | Evaluation Criteria| Marketing| Operations| Finance| Feasibility| Is the market likely to be big enough? | Do we have capabilities to produce it? Do we have access to sufficient finance to develop and launch it? | Acceptability| How much market share could it gain? | How much will we have to reorganize our activities to produce it? | How much financial return will there be on our investment? | Vulnerability| What is the risk of it failing in the market place? | What is the risk of us being able to produce it acceptable? | How much money could we lose if things do not go as planned? | Fi g 5: Slack et al (2009) Some typical evaluation questions for marketing, operations and finance [e-book] p. 89 3. Preliminary Design At this stage, the design is reviewed by the cutters and polishers to see if the can really produce the diamond and any unnecessary complexity in the diamond’s design is eliminated because such complexities can build cost. For example; there are some unnecessary and unnoticed cuts in a diamond’s design but these cuts could split the whole diamond if not done carefully. Because customers will not even notice the additional cuts and even if they do, they will not be willing to pay an addition for it so the cuts are eliminated. Figure 4: Different diamond designs (drawing). Source: Figure 4: Different diamond designs. Source: 4. Final Design After all the above has been done, a prototype is then created out of glass and tested to see if it meets market requirements, technical requirements and the financial limit. Tangible prototypes are created and virtual (computer simulations) model too to properly assess the diamond before production goes any further. Sometimes, customers are called in to see the prototype and give their feedback from which some adjustments may be made on the product’s design. An after acceptance, diamond cutting commences. Figure 5: Prototype diamond made out of fine glass. Source: 5 Process Design 5. 1 Definition Process design is Sequence of interdependent and linked procedures which, at every stage, consume one or more resources (employee time, energy, machines, money) to convert inputs (data, material, parts, etc. ) into outputs. These outputs then serve as inputs for the next stage until a known goal or end result is reached (www. businessdictionary. com). Read more: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/process. tml#ixzz2QTQAtoBi When deciding a product design, it is advisable to simultaneously come up with a matching process design. This will entail the flow of the process and Barnes (2008) said that the design of processes is different in all organizations and these designs will be based on the volume and variety of the demand for the product in the market. He further categorized the processes under project, jobbing, batch, line and conti nuous. Types of Processes There are different production processes namely project, jobbing, batch, line and continuous. See Appendix C. Sparkle is in a business of very expensive products which are very small in size so they do jobbing. Customers usually give orders which are produced by the company (make to order). They usually hold little or no fully-processed inventory. The Production Process Diamond ore is sorted by density using X-rays. Before that technology became available, grease belts were used to separate diamonds from the rest of the ore, due to the diamonds’ greater tendency than other minerals to stick to grease. Rough diamonds are then set to be cut as gemstones in the cutting laboratory. A diamond has different cuts and different professional specialize on different cuts. This is the most daunting task of diamond production because a bad cut will cost the company a fortune. Figure 5: Diamond plan before cutting. Source Cutting produces the facets associated with a diamond. The angles of the facets maximize light, giving the diamond its greatest possible luster (dispersion of white light). The cutting process can take as much as 50% of a rough diamond’s weight. Figure 5: Illustration of diamond facets. Source: A number of factors come into play when deciding how a diamond should be cut. X-rays are employed to analyze the stone’s crystallographic structure, its hardness and ability to cleave. The diamond’s flaws are considered, and the cutter decides which to remove and which can remain. Either a hammer or a diamond saw can be used to split the diamond – the hammer is quicker, but the saw is surer. Figure 5: Diamond cutting. Source: A number of institutes in the diamond industry offer courses for diamond cutters, but the bulk and most crucial part of the training for this delicate trade take place during the cutter’s apprenticeship. A diamond may get its final cut from many skilled hands: the diamond marker or designer; the diamond sawyer; the diamond cutter or brute; the cross-worker; and the brillianteer. After the initial cutting, diamonds undergo the polishing stages, usually performed by a technician as the process is a standard one. Polished diamonds are reexamined for flaws, which can be addressed through enhancement techniques or disguised when set in jewelry. Figure 5: Diamond Polishing. Source: Finally, the polished diamonds are sold to individuals, retailers, wholesalers and jewelry shops. Figure 5: Diamond quality check. Source 6 Planning, Control ;amp; Innovation In any good type of project or manufacture to be successful, it must be planned at the very beginning and at the end, it has to be controlled to make sure that the planned processes and cost is not very different from the actual. Businesses must also continuously innovate so as to move line to line with the changing tastes of consumers and to beat numerous designs from competitors. 6. 1 Planning Eur says this about planning â€Å"It lists the phases and encapsulates all the main parameters, standards and requirements of the project in terms of time, cost and quality/performance by setting out the ‘Why’, ‘What’, ‘When’, ‘Who’, ‘Where’, and ‘How’, of the project. † Planning therefore looks at the entire process, product and project but in an imaginary form which has not yet happened but it is wished that it should happen that way. 6. 1. 1 Advantages of Planning 1. It gives direction of what has to be done and how it has to be done. 2. It assigns responsibilities on every person thus answering â€Å"Who does what? 3. A good plan will see problems a project, product or process will encounter before the problem strikes. 4. A plan helps us to manage cost, quality and design side by side with the profit we will want to make on the product. 5. Plans are used to assess how well a product, process, p roject or person has done. 6. 1. 2 Disadvantages of Planning 1. It is usually made up by top management and given to the employees down the management ladder who just follow it. 2. Plans are usually followed to the latter. Even when some changes have to done, it is not because a plan is being followed. 3. Plans are usually just estimates and it has no use in turbulent economic environments as the plan and the actual are usually very different. 6. 2 Control Control involves measuring the actual results against the plan and then taking action to adjust actual performance so that it moves in line with the plan. So in other words, control is only possible when we have a plan. Control has a feedback phase and this involves adjusting the actual to move in line with the plan or reporting differences between actual and budget so that there may be no such discrepancies in the future. 6. 3 Innovation Innovation is defined by the oxford dictionary as â€Å"changing something established by introducing new methods, ideas or products. † Just like there is no control where there is no plan, there is no innovation where there is no control. They all rely on one another. After control has been done, feedback is sent back and improvement or innovation is made. But in the complex business environment operating now, innovation just not just come from within the company but from outside the company like from competitors and especially from the consumers due to the rapid change in customers taste, design and fashion. In the diamond manufacture industry, there are many different innovative ways manufacturing diamonds and Sparkle has had the following innovations: 1. The Supercut design Sparkle has introduced the innovative supercut design into the industry: a patented ideal emerald cut, with more than twice the facets of a traditional Emerald – providing unparalleled brilliance and fire. The culmination of three years of research, the supercut gives extraordinary brilliance and reflection and this innovation gives Sparkle competitive advantage in terms of having good designs with extraordinary glittering. 2. Precision cutting Since 2010, Sparkle has brought in a technology of cutting the diamonds using computer software and this cut is so exact that less than 0. 000002% waste is created from diamond cutting. Waste use to be about 0. 5% during diamond cutting and this innovation has caused drastic cost saving making Sparkle to be more competitive in terms of cost. 3. Sparkle offers a wide range of jewelry manufacturing processes, including design, modeling, prototyping, grooving, setting, finishing and meticulous quality control; all featuring our own fine diamonds, and designed for clients’ to sell under their private labels. . 4 The ‘Planning – Control – Innovation’ Cycle. From the above notes, it can be seen that planning, control and innovation work together. Sparkle’s cycle looks like this. Plan Procurement of unrefined stones. Process the stones into fine diamond. Sell and make a reasonable gain. Actual Procurement of unrefined stones. Process the stones into fine diamond. Sell and make a reasonable gain. Control Looks at the difference between what was planned and what actually happened. External Information Customer specific design New tastes and fashion Design from competitors Market Research (R&D) Feedback and Innovation Plan Procurement of unrefined stones. Process the stones into fine diamond. Sell and make a reasonable gain. Actual Procurement of unrefined stones. Process the stones into fine diamond. Sell and make a reasonable gain. Control Looks at the difference between what was planned and what actually happened. External Information Customer specific design New tastes and fashion Design from competitors Market Research (R&D) Feedback and Innovation Figure 7. The ‘planning-control-innovation’ cycle. 6. Changes happening in the diamond industry. * Researchers are on the verge of bringing in new materials which reflect light better than diamond and these materials are stronger and more durable than diamond. But, they will be far cheaper than diamonds and this is going to be a big problem to diamond manufacturers as the demand for diamond will surely drop. An example is synthetic stones. * In response to growing concern over illic it trade in conflict or â€Å"blood† diamonds, the United Nations General Assembly established the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in 2003. This scheme is going to make sure of the source of every single diamond so as to ensure that they are from a genuine source. This happening will increase the price of diamond because more than 55% of diamonds are from Africa and the mines there are operated by very cheap labor and sometimes by slaves, women and children. The UN will come in and stop this practice thus increasing the cost of labor, working conditions and ultimately the price for diamonds. 7 Quality Management Quality is one of the performance objectives and it is taken very seriously by all organizations because if achieved, may give them competitive advantage. Some organizations rely on quality more than others and the fashion and health industry takes quality as primary considering the fact that people want to look good and in good health. Quality is a matter of perception so what can be called quality for A might not necessarily be called quality for B. According to Garvin (1984), the attributes in quality for a product are: * Performance * Features * Reliability * Conformance * Durability * Serviceability * Aesthetics * Other perceptions Parasuraman et al. (1985), on the other hand listed 5 attributes in defining what is quality of a service? nd they are: * Reliability – Are we always going to get on time delivery? * Responsiveness – Are the always going to respond quickly to our demands and complaints? * Assurance – Are we assured of their competence? * Empathy – Does the organization feel and understand customers’ needs and concerns? * Tangibles – Is the physical surrounding conducive? 7. 1 Qu ality in the Organization But in relation to Sparkle, the best definition of quality is that as per Slack et al. (2009) â€Å"quality is consistent conformance to customers’ expectation† and I will say and even surpassing those expectations. Sparkle uses total quality management as their quality management technique. They look for means and ways to maintain and continuously improve quality at each stage of the production process. All employees meet once a month to discuss on how to improve the organization’s present performance. Books by Deming, Crosby, Juran, Hill and other total quality management gurus are in the company’s library and research department for employees to read and be motivated to contribute into the organization’s performance. All employees are made to know that quality and customer’s requirements being met comes before any other thing. The organization has a suggestion box where employees can write any inspiring idea that comes in mind and this box is emptied every day and read by the research staff and it is summarized and sent to the manager examine. 7. 2 The Cost of Quality Quality has a cost which is like a double-edged sword meaning that good quality will have a cost and bad quality will also have a cost. 7. 2. 1 The Cost of Good Quality This is also known as the cost of quality assurance. Sparkle has a lot of this cost because they are continuously always trying to get better in quality all over the organization so as to better serve customers’ needs. The cost of quality assurance is further divided into prevention cost and appraisal cost. * Prevention cost is the cost of trying to make everything right on first attempt and some of this cost are: * Sparkle does not give a command for precious stones and wait for the stones to come. They go to the supplier’s premises and pick the stones one after the other and not in groups to ensure the best stones are taken. The supplier charges more for this. * The cost of designing the jewelry in a computer automated system and running several checks with other very expensive bespoke software before the design is confirmed. Sparkle trains its employees every 6 months and buys books to update them on new technologies and to keep their skills up and awake. * All employees are taught a wide variety of skills so that if a certain employee is not available to do a specific thing, there will always be another to do it. * Appraisal cost is concerned with controlling quality and this is achieved by testing the process before the product is manufactured and testing the product before it gets to the customer. Some of these costs are: * The cost incurred in testing all equipment, machines and ensuring staffs are fit and able before any diamond is processed. The cost of checking the diamond after manufacture by employees and with the use of a computer aided personalized software which is very expensive to make sure that the diamonds are flawless. * The time spent in testing the diamonds ensuring the pass all the set of test before and after manufacture. 7. 2. 2 The Cost of Bad Quality All organizations including Sparkle wants to evade this cost because it is very dangerous and it can even bring down the entire organization in a blink of an eye. The cost of bad quality is divied into internal failure cost and external failure cost. Internal failure cost is cost incurred before the product reaches the customer. Some of this cost are: * The cost of scrap. Diamonds are very expens ive so any little scrap of badly shaped diamond is worth a whole lot. So Sparkle makes sure the best quality diamond is procured and diamond cutting should be not less than perfect. * The cost of reshaping ill-shaped diamonds and gluing broken once. * The resources lost in repairing diamonds. Labor, machine time, and electricity are used which should have if the diamonds were made right the first time. External failure cost arises after the product has been received by the customer and some of this cost include: * The cost listening to customer complaints and responding to them. * The cost of replacing a defective diamond which a customer has rejected. This can cause the organization a fortune. * The customer might have to take the company to court and the organization will pay a huge sum if the lost the lawsuit. Some compensation may run to millions of pounds and could bring the organization to its end. * One of the most dangerous costs is that which we don’t see. An example is the lost sale and contribution. When a customer is dissatisfied, he will most at times not want to come back and he will discourage a potential customer who will discourage another customer to come to us. Saying all this, quality should be treated like an egg in the midst of rocks. 8 Supply Chain Management 8. 1 Definition Supply Chain is the management of the interconnection of organizations that relate to each other through upstream and downstream linkages between the processes that produce value to the ultimate consumer in the form of products and services (Slack et al. 2010). A supply chain is a holistic network starting from the sourcing of material, through its transportation to the organization’s premises, to manufacturing, to storage and warehousing and finally to consumers. So it is a whole system and it works as one therefore is one part of the chain is broken, the whole system will fall apart and consumers’ will not be satisfied. 8. 2 Sparkleâ⠂¬â„¢s Supple Chain Stage 1 Sparkle’s supply chain starts from the diamond mines in Africa which produce more than 50% of total diamonds to mines in India, Russia, Canada and Australia. The mines usually dug very deep but the deepest diamond mine runs for about 160km passing through sand, rocks, and gravel to be blasted drilled, crushed and processed. It should be noted that only 20% of diamonds from mines can be polised and used for jewelry; the rest is used for industrial use. The stones picked here are very rough still with no beauty (see figure 10). Stage 2 Companies and independent buyers go to these mines and buy the rough stones from the mine owners and take them to their premises for processing. These stones are then processed to make them a little bit more presentable so that diamond manufacturers can then buy them and further process them into diamonds. Diamonds at this stage looks like that in figure 11. Figure 8: Trapping stones to look for diamonds in an African mine. Source: Figure 9: A typical unprocessed diamond. Source: Figure 10: Unprocessed diamonds directly from the mine. Source Figure 11: Diamonds which have been slightly processed. Source: Stage 3 Sparkle buys the diamonds in fig. 11 and examines them with the use of a computer aided personalized software. After a series of checks, rejected diamonds will be sent back to the suppliers and the good ones will be cut into different shapes so as to give the greatest value. After cutting, the diamond goes through computer aided software to confirm its perfection and after this, it is polished and cleaned. Sparkle will also buy what the diamonds are going to be fitted on because people will scarcely buy a chunk of diamond. Diamonds are usually fitted on rings, pens, earrings, belts and many more (see figure 14). These things are usually bought from top manufacturers with good design and quality and they are usually very expensive. Figure12: Diamond cutting in Sparkle. Source: Figure 13: Diamond polishing in Sparkle Source: Stage 4 After polishing and the diamond have an unblemished shine, shape and color, it is then taken by the customers. Some of the customers ordered just a few and sometimes even just one special diamond while other big customers like jewelry shops order bigger quantities at ones. It is either Sparkle delivers the diamond to the place agreed by the customer or the customer comes to the organization’s site on an agreed date and after a phone call to pick up the diamond. The supply chain ends after the diamond has reached the customer. Figure 14: Finished diamond ready for the customer. Source: Figure 15: Diamonds bought by jewelry shops. Source: The Mine The Cutting Company Polishing Customers Jewelry Shops Manufacturing The Mine The Cutting Company Polishing Customers Jewelry Shops Manufacturing The supply chain of Sparkle is a good and effective. Its success can sometimes be attributed to the information technology they use. They use the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system which brings in data from all sources and this is used to know when suppliers have diamonds and the variouse categories, to know when jewelry shops are running short of iamonds, and many more (all discussed in chapter 9). Figure 16: Sparkle’s Supply Chain 9 Information Systems As seen in chapter 1, â€Å"Operation Management is the activity of managing the resources which produce and deliver goods and services† (Slack et al, 2010). For these activities to be properly managed, it needs the help of automated process and compu ter aided techniques. Information systems are found throughout an organization and if used well reduce costs and can be a source of gaining competitive advantage. 9. 1 Computer Aided Techniques Sparkle uses information systems in many ways in its business. Listed below are some specialized computer aided programs used. 1. They use Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP) which gives an optimum layout of the cutting steps and their sequence (this is different for different diamonds). There are many diamond cutting machines and they all have different cutting styles and they are operated by specialist in the different cutting sectors. So the CAPP examines a diamond and gives different possible steps on which machine to use first and which not to use so as to minimize waste and give the diamond the best possible cuts so as reflect light in an optimal way. 2. They use Computer Aided Designs (CAD) to design the shape of diamonds on a computer and finished diamonds can actually be seen even before processing starts. If an error is made in the design, it can be corrected but this could have been impossible without CAD. 3. The also use Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) which takes the drawings and designs from the CAD and test them for perfection. Different test are administered and the flawlessness of a diamond can be confirmed even before manufacture. 4. Automated Material Handling (AMH) system is also used. Diamonds are very expensive and so care must be taken at each step. The AMH system improves efficiency in diamond movement, storage and retrieval. 5. The Laser Security System (LSS) is used where diamonds are kept be it rough stones, semi-processed diamonds and fully processed diamonds. Invisible laser rays crisscross the diamonds and it needs a password to be deactivated. Only top managers have the password and the password of each of them is different making it easy to know who accessed the diamond safe. If someone tries to pass through the laser rays, it can kill or paralyze them and the security alarm is automatically triggered and an automated call goes to the nearest police station. . Security Camera Systems (SCS) make use of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) at all times to monitor the whole building especially where inventory is held. 7. The Inventory Control System (ICS) gives detail information about each diamond rough, semi-processed or fully processed held in inventory at any point in time. Management must no go into the safe to see what t hey have in stock because the ICS does it all. This system is also used online to make customers see the diamonds, its specification and all other relevant information. Figure 16: The CAD system used to design a blue diamond. Source: Figure 17: The virtual version of the diamond in fig 16. Source: 9. 2 Pros and Cons of Information Technology (IT) IT is a very necessary tool in any organization be it a big or a small one. IT has advantages and disadvantages. They are listed in Appendix D including ‘Why IT cannot replace Human Beings’. 9. 3 Information Systems ‘Information system can be defined as a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organization’ (Laundon & Laundon, 2006). Most organizations use some form of computer-based technology to accumulate, organize and distribute information’ (Ted, 2011) and Sparkle is not an exception. They use a set of interrelated information systems. 9. 3. 1 Transaction Processing System (TPS) This system is used to account for day by day transactions of Sparkle. It records all sales, purchases, expenses, income, tax, bills paid, equipment bough t and all other transactions performed by organization. This system is also used to account for employee’s attendance, absences, pay, overtime, bonuses, remuneration, and all other things concerning the employees. . 3. 2 Supply Chain System (SCS) This system deals with customers and suppliers. It monitors the stock in the jewelry shops so as to know when to give the shops an offer. It monitors the stocks which are demanded more and those demanded less so as to know when to produce. It tracks frequent and valuable customers and grades them into groups so as know how to give discounts. This system also monitors the stock in the cutting companies. It looks at the new stocks and compares price side by side quality so as to know which supplier to order rough diamonds from. 9. 3. 3 Knowledge Management System (KMS) In Sparkle, all manufacturing processes are recorded and stored in the KMS. Any ideas gotten either by inspiration, customer’s requirement, employees’ suggestions or business intelligence are stored in the KMS for future use. Sparkle is said to be very innovative and has this edge over its rivals because of its mastery of the KMS. When a new employees is recruited, he has 2 weeks probation where he is taught how to operate in the organization and how processes function. Before the implementation and use of the KMS, probation was 3 months so this system has greatly reduces learning time. 9. 3. Management Information System (MIS) This system takes all the information from the above systems and summarizes them into financial statements and reports. It is used by management to make decisions on how to run and control the business. 9. 3. 5 Decision Support System (DSS) This system looks like an advance of the MIS. It takes data from all sources (internal and external) and su mmarizes them for top management to make decisions on the long term plans of the organization. Information from this system appears as statements, reports, charts, graphs, ratios, statistics and trend analysis. . 3. 6 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) This can be called the overall system. It takes information from all sources of the organization and brings them together in one large database. From there, required information is taken out and implemented or used to make decisions in Sparkle. It should be noted that all other systems deposit their information in ERP. Figure 18: Example of ERP. Source: LSBF MBA Intake 14, SOM Lecture 3, Session 9, Slide 34. 9. 6 Intranet and Extranet Sparkle uses intranets to deal with its employees and management. Staffs all have a particular passcode which the use and your code depends on your position within the company. Some passcodes can access some areas which other codes can’t. They also use extranets to communicate and share information with customers, suppliers, some competitors and the government. This system is more secured and less vulnerable to attacks as compared to the internet. 10 Job Design It is said that the blood stream of any organization is money and I will say the skeleton holding an organization and making it stand up straight is its workforce. An organization manages resources so as to be able to deliver acceptable goods and services to its customers and one of these resources is its workforce. An organization’s workforce is its most valuable and the most complicated of all its resources because unlike other resources, humans have a mind of their own. To be able to deal with human beings, you must know what they like and this is different for different people but these needs though different are similar. In providing this, it motivates the employees and when motivated, they produce better output eventually yielding higher profits, quality and flexibility. 0. 1 Motivation Motivation is the urge to take action to achieve something or to avoid something (BPP, 2010). Motivation can either be intrinsic (wanting to satisfy an internal urge like being happy to be able to help others) or extrinsic (reliant on tangible rewards like money, fame and power). Continues in Appendix E. 10. 2 Empowerment This is the act of delegati ng work to employees making them feel more superior because of the added responsibility and new accountability. This is good motivation for many employees. ‘Job design is about how people carry out their tasks within a process. It defines the way they go about their working lives. It positions the expectations of what is required of them, and it influences their perceptions of how they contribute to the organization. It also defines their activities in relation to their work colleagues and it channels the flows of communication between different parts of the operation. But, of most importance, it helps to develop the culture of the organization – its shared values, beliefs and assumptions’ (Slack, 2009). In designing any job, the following have to be put into consideration. * Safety. Jobs should be design in a way that it will bring no harm to the employee be it physical, psychological, mental or emotional harm. Workers in the mines especially those in Africa are exposed to a lot of risk and still earn less than the minimum wage. The mine owners wanting to make more profits cut down on cost by reducing expenditure on employees’ safety. The employees of Sparkle all have safety equipment like hats and new ideas are being implemented to make the process safer. The organization has also fully insured its entire staff. * Legal and Ethical Issues. Jobs should be design in such a manner that those doing the job will not go against the law or their code of ethics. * Own time. Job design should create time for the employees to catch up on something other than work. For example visiting new places, being with their families or performing other social activities. Employees working in the mines have little of this, but Sparkle’s employees all have right to a paid holiday and taking permission to be out of work if the need arises. * Employee’s Ability. An employee’s ability to do the job or a range of task should be considered before designing the job. For example; only heavy built men carry cargo from the trucks into the warehouse because of their physical ability to carry heavy weight unlike their colleagues. * Wage and Benefits: In designing any job, the wage and benefits to be paid for the job should be considered if not the employee can be over-paid or under-paid for the job. 10. 3 Division of Labor Unlike traditional production approaches that stipulated that one person should know everything in the company so that he can serve any function, Henry Ford came in with the idea that one man should only know one thing and should be an expert in that thing. He suggested that with specializing in a particular function, the whole organization will be specialized and will give the best quality goods and services. So jobs should be broken down into smaller portions and given to different individuals who will specialize and bring forth quality cost-effective products. 10. 3. 1 Advantages of Division of Labor (Slack, 2009) * It is easier to learn. Short and simple tasks are easier to learn compared with long and complex tasks. This will be very advantageous when training new recruits because training will take a shorter time and it will be better mastered. Automating. Short and simple task are easily automated as compared to long and complex task. * Time. More time is spent on one long task compare to time if that task was broken down. This extra time is as a result of picking different tools up and putting them down, looking for equipment, thinking of what to do next etc. 10. 3. 2 Disadvantages of Division of Labor (Slack, 2009) * Monotony. The same small task will be repeated every hour, week, month and year. This will make the job boring and less fulfilling thus resulting to absenteeism, staff turnover and errors. Over-reliance. If one employee is absent, no other will be able to perform his duty and this may bring the whole production process to a halt. * No flexibility. Employees let to do one particular thing over the years turn to lose the skill of being able to learn another thing. So if the production process was to change, many employees will not be able to cope with learning how to perform a new task. * Physical Injury. The repetitive use of one part of your body let’s say arm or wrist will in the long run cause pain to that part. This is known as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Sparkle teaches their employees a wide range of task during their probation but the employees are assigned to do just one thing when they fully start work. Teaching them a wide range of task is to expose them to the processes of the whole organization so that they can contribute ideas in the development of a department or process which does not involve them. Another reason for giving employees holistic training is to make an employee being able to do an absent employee’s work. This tactic was also implemented because the organization did not want an employee to feel indispensable. 0. 4 Job Design Approaches In coming out with a good job designing, the following approaches should be implemented:- 1. Job Simplification: The organization tries to the range of task and their complexities. Polishing diamond use to be a very complex task at Sparkle but with the introduction of DiamondShines TM a specialized software where diamond polishing is programmed with exact details. 2. Job Ro tation: This is periodically interchanging employees performing different task to do the task of the other. Sparkle does a lot of job rotation and this makes the employees’ job more exciting. Job rotation is successful in this organization because they train their employees to perform a number of task but if division of labor was strictly implemented, this approach could have been impossible because employee A will not have a clue of employees B’s task. 3. Job Enlargement: This involves integrating same level tasks to the ones already performed by the employees to make the job more exciting. This is not practiced in Sparkle. 4. Job Enrichment: This involves integrating different level tasks to the ones performed by the employees. The new tasks are usually higher level tasks giving employees more responsibility and decision making power. Sparkle once a week picks an employee randomly and gives him the power of a supervisory manager so as to see the changes and innovations he is going to bring to the organization. Sparkle also makes employees work in small teams and the organization creates a competitive strain amongst the teams. The competition amongst the teams brings a lot of hard work, efficiency and effectiveness.

Assignment on Motivation and Appreach to Learning

  In this essay I would like to discuss the factors that motivated me to do my masters in marketing and also why I choose Bangor University. Since childhood, various aspects of the business world intrigued me but the most intriguing of them all is marketing. Here, the primary reason for which I wanted to pursue MBA in marketing from Bangor University; I firmly believe that I will be benefiting in my professional as well as my personal life. I am keenly interested in enhancing my knowledge further beyond my home country, thus I found Bangor Business School is an excellent place to hone my professional skills and thereby have a bright future.I firmly believe in motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy Theory motivated me a lot to take my masters. My approach to learning is same as that of the Sensor Stimulation Theory (Laird, 1985). Larid suggested that majority of the learning is done by observing, which is almost 75% and I agree with him. The issues that anticipate in a group work can be of many reasons; I personally faced many group work problems for the last two years when I was working at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), India.The problems which I faced while working at BPCL in group work are lack of discussion about the project work and personal ego problems with the team members. Rectification could be done when all the group members meet often and discuss their respective problems or a strong decision from the management side will also works for the problems faced in groups. What motivated me to study my Master’s degree at Bangor According to Meahr & Mwyer (1997) â€Å"Motivation is a theoretical construct used to explain the initiation, direction, intensity, persistence, and quality of behaviour, especially goal-directed behaviour†.The theory that motivated me to study my masters is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory (Abraham Maslow, 1943). The theory is basically a classical definition about the human motivation. M aslow Theory is explained on the basis of five needs of a human being. The basic five needs are as follows, 1. Physiological needs. 2. Safety needs. 3. Social needs. 4. Esteem needs. 5. Self-actualization needs. Physiological needs can be defined as the basic needs such as air, food, water, clothing and shelter or it can be defined as the basic requirements of a human being, without the basic needs none can survive in the universe.Emotional, physical and environmental safety comes under the safety needs. In detail the safety needs can be of security from jobs, family, health etc. Being a mortal soul the support from the life partner, parents, peers etc. is pertinent and this known as social need for a human being. It may also include the care and affection also. One can achieve his/her goals in life only with the support from family and friends. Internal and external esteem needs are the principal needs for any human being. Internal esteem needs means the need that is developed insi de the person, which could be self-respect, confidence, freedom etc.Some people are highly confident about the path where they are traveling and they will be certainly achieving their goals without any obstacles. External esteem needs comprises of power, status etc. People in the society are highly conscious about the status and the power that they are holding in the society and this motivates them to achieve their goals. Finally comes the self-actualization needs, self-actualization can be defined as the desire for self-fulfilment. Self-actualization means the strong desire to achieve our goals by measuring our capabilities.It also helps to gain more knowledge and make the life more creative. When we grow psychologically the opportunities also grow continuously. The last factor of Maslow’s theory that is self-actualization influenced me a lot, from my school level itself I was very much interested in the business sector and I came to this field. After reading this theory dur ing my graduation days my intention to take the masters increased. I can hopefully say that this theory motivated me a lot to take my masters. After my graduation in Mechanical Engineering I had been working in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, India.At that time my mind always thinking about the masters and I started checking for good universities and I found Bangor would be the best choice for me to take the masters and to achieve my goal. When I was going through the university website many things attracted and it found to be interesting as well. The main thing is it is one of the oldest and famous institutions in UK. It had an overall experience of more than 120 years in teaching with the international students and when I looked the ranking chart I found Bangor University is having a good rank. Many of my friends told me Bangor Business School is the best choice to take your masters.The other important thing about this place is the cost of living; it is very low when we are comparing with other universities and cities. The university is having a wide range of library and IT resources. Bangor is also having a strong research wing and I like to do my research in marketing sector here itself. Bangor is also having a good job zone which will help the students to get their part time job easily. Many career workshops are conducted by the university, by this we will be getting assistance in making a curriculum vitae, how to attend an aptitude test and competency about interviews.More over Bangor is having a beautiful geographical structure and the city is quiet and free from the noise pollution. All these factors made me to take my masters in marketing from Bangor. MY APPROACH TO LEARNING. Learning can be defined as the permanent change in one’s behaviour or potential from a direct or indirect experience. My approach to learning is almost like the Traditional sensory stimulation theory (Larid, 1985) which explains that the learning comes to the maximum level when the senses are stimulated.Larid’s theory mainly focus on the five basic sensory motion of a human being, which tells us that in majority of the adults which is about 75% learning is through seeing. Hearing comes next with only 13%, and the rest three senses such as touch smell and taste comprises only 12%. If a person is having a good multiple senses, he can be a good learner. According to Burn’s â€Å"The concepts of individuals have different needs and concerns at different times, and that they have subjective interpretations in different contexts†. From my personal experience I can site out that Larid’s theory is a very good approach to learning.I had done my graduation in mechanical engineering and at that time we had to study a lot about the working of big machineries like lathe, grinding machine, universal testing machine etc. At the time of lecture in class about the working principle of machines I was not fully digested about the worki ng, but when I go to the lab and see the working of these machines I was fully convinced about the working. This is the same case when we are studying about the working principle of automobile engines. From my childhood I prefer to see objects rather than hearing about it.I had some other approaches also towards my learning which is known as approach for accelerated learning. It consists of four main objectives, they are 1. Target 2. Plan. 3. Track progress. 4. Do it for life. (Source: – accelerated learning et. al) The first thing that should be in one’s mind when he/she starts their learning is goal and objectives which can be called as target. Making the target is the first step towards our goal, from this moment one can set their direction towards their goal. Target can be divided into three factors. The first factor is one should find and analyse the reason why he/she set this goal.The second element is one had to explore their goal, which means one must have a go od idea about the goal and also about the life after achieving the goal. The third factor is one must have clear cut knowledge about the objectives which he/she had to complete on the way to goal. Planning has a great importance in learning. After setting the goal one must prepare a course map, in this they had to plan their study time, time for doing their assignment, reading articles also time for entertainment. If there is no entertainment a person can be narrow minded. For all this a good planning must be there.Usually from my childhood itself I had a good planning about my studies and this helped me a lot to reach my goal and that helped me more when I was working in construction field. In construction field planning has a great value and there we had to plan the work for the coming two or three weeks in advance. If one’s planning fails company had to suffer a lot. After planning about the studies he/she should fall in line with the studies. During this procedure one can pause occasionally and check whether they are moving in right track or not. If he/she is going in the wrong direction of their target they had to recheck heir planning and the correct it. I usually follow this way on my studies because by this I can calculate how far my target is and how much distance I had cover on my way to the target. The final factor is ‘Do it for life’, means after reaching the goal one must make some time to enjoy what they had achieved. So when one is using their knowledge, then they can reinforce their self-image which will give them a great sense of satisfaction. ISSUES IN A GROUP WORK. While working with an individual or a group of people, one’s attitudes and behaviour changes which is termed as social influence.When we are working in a group many problems can come into play. It will affect the smooth working of an organisation. So when we are starting a group work we must be aware of the issues that can arise in a group and we must be ready to solve the issues. The issues in a group work can be as follows 1. Problems due to poor planning. 2. Less control on the process. 3. No new ideas or information on discussion. 4. Lack of discussion about the ideas. 5. Unable to complete the task on time. 6. Poor participation by the group members. 7. Frustration between the members in the group. 8. Playing a domination role by a team member. 9.Being of the target. 10. Communication problem. (Source: – Berk and Lintem et. al) Planning plays a pivotal role in a group work while doing a project. If one is not having a proper planning then he/she will not able to run the project smoothly. When I was working in a mechanical firm we gave more importance to planning department because there we are using heavy cranes for the erection of equipment for a high fare and if the planning fails everything is gone. So when we are starting anything we must plan it very well. Not at all for job, when one is doing a group assignment du ring their studies also a good planning must be there.When one is doing a group assignment a person must be there to principal the team and lead the group members in the right direction. Otherwise every group members will be in confusion about the proceedings and this may cause many problems. If the group members are having no new ideas or information about the work they are doing, then they will not be able to complete the task in time in a good manner. One should be well aware about the topic that he/she is doing. The important factor in a group work is the discussion. The team leader must call a group meeting and discuss about present position of the work, how they can proceed, new ideas etc.If there is no discussion going on about the strategies, then the team members will be performing accordingly to their wish and later it becomes very difficult to complete the task in a good fashion. Only from a balanced discussion new ideas will be emerged. Time management is one of the crit ical factors in a group work. There must be a time table and the group should monitor it. If there is no prioritized time schedule for a task and at the last moment the group had to scramble to finish the task and eventually fails to meet the expectations.In some cases some of the group members did not participate in discussion and they will remain quiet and just hear the discussion only. As a result the other the team members had to work a lot to compensate for this and it effects the smooth functioning of the group. Frustration among team members is a quite normal problem occurring in a group work. In a group, if he/she thinks that their ideas are not giving any importance or preference by the other group members and as a result they will be getting frustrated and because of this a lot of problems may arise.At the time of discussion when one or two dominates the session other team members may think that their ideas are not giving any priority and it may affect the team outcomes. B eing of the task means, after getting the task the team members will not take it seriously and they waste time on playing or gossiping. At the last moment only they will be aware about the task and fails to finish it before the deadline. This is usually seen in many of the group works. Proper communication among group members is a very important factor in a group work. If there is no communication between the team members they can’t produce a good output.This is one of the main problems that I had faced when I was working in BPCL, India. How one can overcome the above sited problems in a group is discussed below. STRATEGIES FOR SOLVING GROUP PROBLEMS. For solving the problems in a group work there are many approaches, it mainly depends on the problems nature and the person who had involved in that problem. Usually rational approach is use to solve the problems. Rational approach means analyse the problem, check for alternatives, evaluate every alternative, select one, apply i t and check whether the problem is rectified or not.Enough time must be given to the group members to introduce themselves such as their name, identity etc. A brainstorming section should be conducted to develop an idea about the group project. In that section select one person as a team leader and decide the date and time for the next meeting and start to work on the task. This will help to complete the task in a better manner. This will help to rectify the problem which causes due to slow start and poor planning. In the brainstorming section every team members must be there and each one had to contribute their own ideas.After generating the few ideas evaluate it and try for further. If these approaches are not working they can approach the tutor for guidance. List out the ideas which are proposed in the discussion and they must be sure that all the ideas had been tested. Encourage the team members to get some offensive suggestions sometimes it may help to create new ideas. For res olving the problems related to the time management, timelines must be established in which all the group members must agree on that. For every meeting the team member must come with a progress report on what they had been doing after the last meeting.The team members must help each other for the completion of task, for example a person is not able to do his work due to some illness or some other reason. One of the other problems in a group will be lack of participation by members. For this the team had to found out why he /she is quiet and not active. Make a chat with that person in the presence of a non-participating member to recognize the reason for the absence of involvement and the one who had talked must try to solve it. I had a similar experience when I was working in BPCL, India. We handled the situation in the same manner and the reason for that guy was some family problem.Next we can check out how one can solve the frustration between members. Every member must respect the ideas of others and this doesn’t mean that one had support the other people’s idea blindly. They can evaluate and provide productive comments about the idea. When one had to disagree with one’s idea do it graciously and the team members must bear in mind that they had to go for negotiation and comprise while working in a group. In some group work issues may anticipate when one or two members dominate in the discussion and to resolve this, team leader must take care of it. Every team member must be given chance to explicate their ideas.So when a person is exceeding the time limit one can tell politely that your time limit is over and let us now hear what others had had to say and it will be useful for you also. For solving the communication problem first of all one had find out what are the issues that effect a group work because of poor communication. Then check out for which task it is mainly effecting. For example, if there is a misunderstanding between the t eam members one had to take steps to solve this by giving a clear idea about the task and clarify their doubts. CONCLUSION. No can survive in today’s world without learning.I can hopefully say that self-actualization need in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory motivated me a lot to take my masters in marketing. Why I choose Bangor University for my masters is that Bangor is maintaining a good rank in the top universities rank list in UK and the cost of living is also very cheap when compared with other cities in United Kingdom. My approach to learning is almost comparable to Larid’s Traditional sensory stimulation theory and the four factors that bear on mind while studying is target, plan, track progress and do it for life. Group work will help an individual to hone their capabilities.

Lit review on'Small Business growth is solely dependent on the skills Essay

Lit review on'Small Business growth is solely dependent on the skills of the entrepreneur and their attitude towards risk.' - Essay Example According to Schumpeter, an entrepreneur identifies and seizes business opportunities then converts these opportunities into viable and marketable ideas. Being one of the factors of production, an entrepreneur combines the other factors of production, that is, land, labour and capital. He or she then assumes the risks involved in order to realize a profit. Small businesses have developed into economy drivers over the last two decades. This is the period when most governments have been liberalizing their previously closed market. Before then, the government corporations were the economic growth agents but since the markets are now freer, many small businesses have spruced up. Their massive number has however, stunted their growth because of stiff competition (Hubbard, 2009). This necessitates possession of an array of special skills and characteristics that are possessed by an entrepreneur. Any person can start a business, but the successful ones persevere to see the business navigate tough times and eventually succeed and grow. Some of these skills are tackled in this paper. It is, however, imperative to note that even though the entrepreneurs are painted as the more successful people when it comes to small business growth, they still experience a high failure rates. The studies conducted by Business Growth Index showed that the failure rate stood at 75% (Shiu et al, 2007). A business failure can be defined as the inability of the business to get the required return on investment. Since the business is small, and most of the time funded through personal savings or through debt financing after leveraging individual’s property, starting a small business with such a high failure rate becomes too risky. However, this is one of the major characteristics separating a business person and an entrepreneur; an entrepreneur is alert for opportunities that an ordinary business person ignores or does not see; most importantly, an entrepreneur assumes risks that an or dinary business person is reluctant to assume (Minniti, 2013). Risk according to many people has a negative connotation, and rightly so because many start up businesses have ended up declaring bankruptcy after assuming unnecessary risks. But to entrepreneurs, a risk is a positive force; it is an opportunity in disguise and a challenge that needs to be tackled. Beneath the risk the entrepreneur sees the rewards which are the profits (Lowe and Marriott, 2006). Being a risk taker rather than risk averse like most business persons does not mean being reckless, it only implies taking calculated risks to realize profits. This requires some expertise in combining factors of production, utilizing innovation and creativity wells of the business, entrepreneurial skills and patience. There are millions of small businesses started every year, but their mortality rate is just as high. Most of those that weather the storms are those that were started by entrepreneurs (Gabardi and Tichy, 2013). Th ese businesses do not just seek to be operational but also, as a main objective, to grow. Entrepreneurs, through their skills, are the agent of small business growth (Minniti, 2013). The following are some of the skills possessed by successful entrepreneurs that have helped in growing of their small businesses. The first skill possessed by

Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Islam - Essay Example The three children dedicate most of their early years to memorize every word of Quran even though they do not understand or speak Arabic the language used in writing the holy book (Koran by Heart n.d). The Quran recitations are practiced throughout the in the Muslim word because they have a special auspicious during the Ramadan. By conducting this event, the Muslims believe that this is holy the month when the Quran was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Koran By Heart n.d). The Muslim understands that the each individual recitation is an act of divine revelation. The Muslims believes that this divine revelation is almost similar to the initial revelation by angle Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad (Koran by Heart n.d). Since the religious text is judged on the memory and the intonation, therefore, this is just like singing a song. The concert is attended by young contestants and then their families offer a glimpse into the daily life to the broader Muslim world. Since the kids are young as seven years old, they might not understand the issues about the world that surround them (Koran By Heart

Colorado Department of Education Website Search and Critique Research Paper - 1

Colorado Department of Education Website Search and Critique - Research Paper Example All questions concerning the organization’s aims, mission, activities, structure are answered in this section. All contact information can be easily accessed. Any visitor can read about the history of organization and even view schedule of every meeting held. In fact, the page contains thorough information about all offices of the organization. There is no doubt in organization’s transparency. There is nothing to be changed in this section because it provides thorough information which can be easily accessed. As far as the second page â€Å"SchoolVIEW† is concerned it is necessary to note that it is a bit confusing and it needs to be improved. The major problem with this page is that it is too informative. There are too many data which are not easy to comprehend. It is necessary to take one’s time to understand what all those data mean. It is a good idea to include section â€Å"learning center† which instructs how to comprehend the data. However, t his section should be in the first place, so that the website viewer step by step learned to use data available and then looked through information presented. It is also a good idea to include â€Å"community connections† section: the organization gets the necessary feedback and can improve the website. The next page â€Å"For Educators† is designed for those who teach and even only thinks about starting their teaching careers. The page is not so easy to navigate.

Successful implementation & methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Successful implementation & methodology - Essay Example When implemented with these elements in mind, BPR can be successful and may be absolutely vital to the health of an organisation. The factors that impact a successful Business Process Reengineering (BPR) fall into the categories of implementation and environmental. The first factor to consider in the implementation is the design of the project. The project should be visionary and realistic. The design of the BPR needs to take into account the strategic goals of the business and consider the direction of the organisation. Timeframes must be adequate to allow for the team to accomplish its goals. There are key questions to be asked during project design phase. Will it provide any competitive advantage Will it remain competitive in the long term These questions require knowledge of the business environment. Grover et al. (1995 p. 112) asserts that " A major finding of the planned change approach indicates that implementation success occurs when commitment to change exists; commitment to the project exists; and the project is well defined and plans are clearly specified". The design team will need to know the product, the market, and the customers to complete a successful design. The redesign phase is one of the most important factors in any methodology. To be of any value, the redesign needs to be accompanied by a cost/benefit analysis. Is the redesign worth the cost of reengineering What are the risks involved with the redesign Radical change involves cost cutting measures that may impact vendors, suppliers, and employees. Stoddard & Jarvenpaa (1995 p.105) warns that, "... revolutionary change process might not be feasible given the risk and cost of revolutionary tactics". Companies need to assess the risk and evaluate the degree of change tolerance that they may be subjected to. Communication is another key factor to aid in the success of BPR. Management needs to communicate with the staff the scope and the motivation of the project. Communication is also essential to get employees to think about the new way of doing business. If the project involves downsizing, the workforce needs to be aware of the plans and the alternatives that will be provided. The design phase should include a Human Resources strategy. The major threads that run throughout the successful implementation of BPR are, "...communication, empowerment, people involvement, training and education, creating a culture for change, and stimulating receptivity of the organisation to change are the most important factors related to change management and culture" (Al-Mashari & Zairi, 1999 p.88). These issues revolve around the human resource issue. It is imperative that communication with the employees be

Political Science Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Political Science - Research Paper Example Leaders use it to prove to the world that they are doing the right thing for their citizenry or nations. Do today’s governments embody the dictums that define democracy? This piece of work is written to explain the meaning of politics and democracy, as well as the roles they play in the present day society. The author has examined how the two, politics and democracy, present themselves in the U.S, and how they have shaped the country from as far as 200 years ago. The word politics comes from two Greek words; ‘polis,’ and ‘politikos.’ Polis means a self-governing city or state, while politikos means relating to people. Cities of ancient Greece are believed to be the origin of present day politics. They are the first points where noticeable governance structures can be established. For these reason, ideologies of most governments today borrow heavily from the cultural practices of the old Greek people. The Greek civilization dates back to over 4000 years (Marshall, 2011). According to one English philosopher; Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), in one of his works, the Leviathan (1651), life before civilization is believed to have been harsh, brutal and selfish. This is attributed to lack of laws to govern the code of conduct of people. As a result, people were only driven by their own selfish desires. Various individuals have strived to come up with definitions for politics. Due to its broad nature and ambiguity, it is hard to capture all that it entails in just one definition. Some of the most visible philosophers who endeavoured into defining politics include; Aristotle, Plato, Machiavelli, and Harold Lasswell. Politics is the ‘philosophy of human affairs.’ This is the view held by Aristotle (384-322 BCE) in his Nicomachean Ethics (350 BCE). Aristotle claims that man is naturally a political animal, because politics is what brings happiness to man and to the community. In his definition, he draws the

The person who has touched and molded your life and made the author Essay

The person who has touched and molded your life and made the author the person you are today - Essay Example The author describes his mother. She uses gestures naturally and her face displays hundreds of emotions. Language then stops being a barrier to her. She can enter into a conversation with anybody, and get across her messages more effectively than many native speakers of English. The author’s Mother is my role model in life. To the author, his Mother is associated with the fragrance of lavender: her favorite soap. This fragrance has always filled our home, and little sachets of dried lavender would be kept in the drawers and shelves of the wardrobes. Even when the author is in a public place, the smell of lavender always brings with it a feeling of comfort and warmth to him, and fills him with the confidence to face all the trials of life. It is this feeling of security and courage which is the greatest gift the author’s Mother has given him, making her the most memorable person in his life. The researcher was born when she was thirty-eight years old. It is a tribute to her determination and strength that the author was delivered naturally, without any surgical intervention, although Mother was past her prime in child-bearing terms. The conditions of the author's birth are typical of the attitude his Mother shows in every aspect of her life. She is always determined to do things in her own way and stands by her decisions. She does not believe in making a fuss over things. When the author was a little girl, cuts and bruises would be treated with disinfectant, a kiss and a strip of Band-Aid, and the author would be matter-of-factly sent on his way. There was no encouragement to self-pity: only a steadfast resolve to bear pain stoically. She inculcated in the author the belief that any suffering is only temporary and will pass. This early molding now anchors me when the storms of life threaten to overturn the author’s boat. Although it may sound old-fashioned in these days of feminism and emphasis on equal opportunity, the author’s Mothe r taught him the importance of cooking, cleaning the house and helping with every household chore. The researcher may have resented this when he was in school and his classmates were not compelled to do the dishes, sew missing buttons on shirts, or taught to make simple dishes and cups of coffee. But now that the author has his own family, he realizes that his Mother laid the foundation of a happy home by bringing the author up to appreciate the values that bind a close-knit family. Taking care of his family, cooking their favorite dishes, and keeping a home comfortable and warm enough for them to look forward to at the end of the day, gives the author great happiness. Mother prepared him for marriage and motherhood as nobody else ever could. The researcher now makes sure that he passes on to his daughters the little joys of homemaking: although the author doubt he can match his Mother in this! Without his Mother’s encouragement, the author would never have considered going o n to college after completing High School. The researcher was not a brilliant student, and did not think that he had it in him to excel at academics. It was Mother who inculcated in the author the belief that it is education which can lift a person’s life to higher planes of success and fulfillment. Every ‘A’ the author secured in school was celebrated at home with a special cake. Mother would keep emphasizing that hundreds of options waited for the author in the world of academics, and he only had to spend time and thought on what he wanted to choose.

Essay 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 14

1 - Essay Example More importantly, immigration had a significant impact on cultural identity for the Chinese family struggling to make a living in an American culture. Therefore, since this engaging story was systematically written by an immigrant, Tan, who uses her experiences and that of her mother to explain real life situations, makes this story a magnificent piece of writing. Globalization has merged the world into one small global village eliciting the need for accommodating cultural diversity. The case of Tan moving from a Chinese cultural background to an American culture provides a good example of cultural integration. Cultural background determines the language we speak, how we speak it as well as expectations from others. More importantly, cultural beliefs are best reflected through language as people communicate. For instance, whereas Tan may shake hands and bow down as a show of respect, an American might not understand the meaning. Moving into a new cultural territory, like Tan’s family did when they moved to America, presents a myriad of challenges not only cultural difference but in communication as well. In this story, Tan places an emphasis on the theme of alienation and discrimination, through focusing on the various prejudices that she and her mother went through as a result of language imperfection. For instance, Tan shows how her mother has for long been looked down due to the fact that she spoke â€Å"limited† or â€Å"simple† English, most of which quite ironically could be understood by most people (Tan 59). Moreover, Tan also shows how her mother is a victim of prejudice by explaining how doctors had presumably said that her CAT scan results could not be found. But later, when Tan arrives and talks in perfect English, the doctors admit that the scan results would be found and offers apologies for any sufferings that her mother had

Leadership Essay Example for Free

Leadership Essay Values of great leaders can be found in various types of people. People who are of different ethnicities and are from different points of the world have shown to have unusual characteristics of leadership. There were many different approaches developed in studying leadership, one being the trait approach. The trait approach is based on the presumption that leaders are not developed into the leadership role but born with the characteristics of leadership that permits them to be great leaders. It has been discovered that there are strengths and also weaknesses within the trait approach relating to studying leadership. Strengths From a trait approach, there are many strong characteristics in leadership. A big role of a leader’s success is their personality. Their personality allows them to be effective when interacting with other people. Sometimes it takes a leader’s personality to set or change the tone in a work place, helping to create a positive mood and encouraging an environment of motivation to succeed and goal achievement. High energy, optimistic, a strong motivator, the ability to communicate and constancy are signature abilities that are believed to be recognized in the trait approach which aids a leader to be successful driven and adaptable (American Library Association , 1997-2013) Although this trait has been known to be very valuable in a successful leader it is has also been said that, â€Å"this massive research effort failed to find any traits that would guarantee leadership success. (Gary Yukl, page 13, 2010)† Weaknesses Although a personality has the ability to be effective it also has the ability to be  ineffective as well. A leader’s personality can be felt as being too strong and overwhelming at times causing some resistance and rebelling to take place with the followers. Many employees function on different learning levels in the workplace. If a supervisor leads with a sense of expectancy, his expectations may be seen as little high by the employees which in turn may damage the positive work environment. Also a supervisor’s personality can be taken as negative one if they do not take the employees’ feelings into consideration. To believe that a great supervisor is born with the leadership traits means that, as a company, the employees cannot be developed or effective in the workplace. When a company refrains from filling management positions from the inside of the company, employees can began to believe that they are in a glass ceiling environment. Creating future leaders within the company has been proven to build the morale of the employees. Conclusion Many abilities that identify great leaders have been found through the trait approach. Although these abilities are good, leadership is not limited by them. It has been exemplified through President Obama that in life, being a leader can be learned. President Obama was not born a leader, but through education and leadership experiences, he now has the ultimate leadership position in this country. Knowing this to be true, other approaches to studying leadership were developed such as the situational approach, the integrative approach, the behavior approach, and the power-influence approach.

Television And Cartoons On Children Media Essay

Television And Cartoons On Children Media Essay After all commited researches, we saw that mass communications tools was investigating effects of delivered messages on upon the targets from the beginnings to date. For that reason, receivers of messages in other words audiance or listeners situations were carried an important weight and it was aroused more attention than other components of communication. The audience understand the message of the acceptance of active or passive, the research found likely to be correct, however, dubious, questionable, problematic parts formed. (Ã…Å ¾ahinde Yavuz, 2005, Medya ve Ä °zleyici, Bitmeyen TartÄ ±Ãƒâ€¦Ã… ¸ma, Vadi YayÄ ±nlarÄ ±, Ankara) Researchers, the event continues today, according to the liberal pluralist approach, especially the visual media presentation and a principled understanding of the task falls on the way up was needed. To give a presentation of the message by the principles of ethical norms on the one hand, and how the presentation of the message transmitted limits on the other hand, also sets the line between social media and are defending the thesis. (AyÃ…Å ¸e Ä °nal, 2003, Medya ve Toplum, Ips Ä °letiÃ…Å ¸im VakfÄ ± YayÄ ±nlarÄ ±, Ä °stanbul) CHILDHOOD AND CHARASTERICTIC FEATURES In a study showed that the most enjoyable period of childhood, developmental psychologist and expert pedagogues by Before Transaction between the ages of 4-7 is called the period. Increases childrens imagination at this stage, games and toys become the most important part of life. Children are very much is egocentric. On the basis of the world as they experience the feeling that the world spins around them and they are the only human beings. One of the most characteristic feature of this universe of inanimate objects human characteristics is they believe that lifeless objects can be alive. In kids world, any change in terms of cognitive development may be having full faith. For example; Gadgets like the fairy tale Puss in Boots camel can turn into cats or mice. At times like this kind of thinking goes, is sometimes startling. In fact, these kind of fantastic games, movies, stories and fun stuff are tools to enhance creativity of our children, us and that enrich our relationship. To a chieve this positive goal, what we need to do is have some mandatory approaches. And this approach results in what direction the research is going to be a case and that will be examined in accordance with references of the researches. A study of violence in television programs and cartoons to the elements and their activities were examined and children were observed to behave differently after watching violent content on television cartoons. The pre-school children used in this study and 100 children were observed before and after watching TV. One group was watching violent cartoons, while the other group, no aggression, non-line of the content of movies are provided. Children who were watching violent movies were observed to fight with other children more and go against to their parents and be more impatient of their behaviours examined by the researchers. Educators and pedagogues are also identified by the new generation that childrens programs and cartoons are no different than an adult programmes and shows on television. That shows feels a little girl like a teenage girl and boys who feels like the cartoon heroes subjects unsuitable topics according to childrens age and subjects do not conform to the developmental characteristics of children. That puts at risk of these young children mental health. (Sevil Gà ¼mà ¼Ãƒâ€¦Ã… ¸, Pedagogue, Istanbul, 2010) When we consider all these things and we get these results that creativity and thinking system of a child is effecting when watching cartoons on the line up of films including the development of systems that are affected by some negative elements. To prevent these adverse effects from the world of cartoons for children with different solutions, rather than depriving them much easier to navigate and that will be effective results obtained by experts and research results are positive according to the data that we have. TELEVISION AND CHILDREN Television has an important role in an adults life as well as a childs. Today, as a major entertainment and recreational vehicle of television programs adopted, watched and consumed by the children as much as adults. Programme-makers are aware of the diversity of the audience, and according to different age groups and educational programs are designed in order to their targets. Cartoons are among these programmes and fundamentally children are the main target for these productions. Primary school age children in the period preceding its relationship with television are identical for the purposes of discovery. Television programs, especially the bright, vibrant and fast-changing elements, moving characters, strongly the sound or light gets childrens attention and affects them. Pre-school children meet with violence watching TV cartoons and that makes them become ready for violence watching these unreal but lively and brighter images. Especially share of cartoons has a big responsibility in that. School-age is a very important period for children as they tend to be more violence and shows aggressive behaviours in terms of their impacts of behaviours because their age. During this period, a child develops increased attention. They have an ability to understand and follow the continuity in the stories. The described events as implicit in their conclusions and approves the actions or movements of the characters and its mimics. The trend in this period and violence in children varies and changes if they watch violent programs. Especially those who follow such programs which reflects the real world of violence and those children who believed himself a hero shows aggressive behavior in real life is seen to increase. During the adolescent period, affected by television charactersor identity formation is less than younger ages. But this young teenage children are more convinient to copy violence the in the television or criminal behavior by mimicking, shows us a rebel behaviour of traditional authority challenged behavior can be exposed. (Josephson, W.L.,1995, Television violence: A review of the effects on chÄ ±ldren of dÄ ±fferent ages. Canadian Heritage.) Cartoons colorful, exaggerated and full of fun world, impresses kids big time and at the same time entertains their world. Because of the level of creativity and thinking system of the children are very different from adults as children watchs cartoons and feels themselves part of what the watch and that develops their creativity. The cartoons and events they watch and follow in a way thats much easier to adopt and internalize for them. Therefore, cartoons has important activity during childrens internalization period and that learning and observing creates different worlds in childs thinking system. But the cartoons can be adversely affected in many elements on children especially discernment wise submits and shows us that the ones who did not reach the level of understanding and judging could be way more affected. Because watching the cartoons, childrens world slowly begins to become a part of it. If the necessary intervention is not made a child makes himself part of that fantasy world and cuts the reality between that world and real life. That affects negatively childrens development. They start losing adaptation of the real world and ignore what happening around them. They start becoming some other character which does not exist in real world. (Ä °dil Seda AK, 2010, Çocuk GeliÃ…Å ¸imi UzmanÄ ±, Istanbul) The most affected social groups of the television broadcasts are today, children. The broadcasts influences their personality development and socialization who are at the stage of development also well known by the community. To protect children from negative effects of television broadcasts for both national and international levels, the various arrangements being made every day and joint operations are conducted. Those programs particularly interested by the children and can cause series of physical, mental and moral development damages. The world authorities are working on them not to be too violent and kind of measures taken in the direction of interest is still being investigated as we are not sure if we are on the right direction. (Dr. A.Zahid Akman, RTÃÅ"K, 2006, Ä °lkà ¶Ãƒâ€žÃ… ¸retim ÇaÄÅ ¸Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±ndaki ÇocuklarÄ ±n Televizyon Ä °zleme AlÄ ±Ãƒâ€¦Ã… ¸kanlÄ ±klarÄ ± Kamuoyu AraÃ…Å ¸tÄ ±rmasÄ ±, Istanbul) THE IMPACT CARTOON VIOLENCE HAS ON CHILDREN Cartoon violence is an issue which recently has been growing in importance. Now a days it is extremely difficult to find a TV channel that is 100% children friendly. Most channels have children programming mixed with commercials or movies previews that are completely inappropriate for children. Cartoon programmes should not be aired whole day long as this would have a negative impact on the kids demeanor. Parents cannot watch their children every minute of the day and it only takes a second for them to change channels. Children will try to mimic anything they see or hear and cartoon violence is no exception.    Children should be given an option to watch only child friendly cartoons . EFFECTS OF CARTOONS ON CHILDREN Todays children have become much more interested in television programmes and cartoons over many years and it has become a major action to some lives. Distinctively, children begin watching cartoons on television at an early age of one, and by the age two or three children become most enthusiastic viewers. This has become a problem because too many children are watching too much television channels and the shows that they are watching (even if they are cartoons) have become violent and addictive. Marketing of cartoons has become overpowering in all around the world and so has the subliminal messaging. The main strategy is targeted toward the children to cause them to want to view the cartoons on a regular basis, but the subliminal messaging is for the adults to target them into enjoying the cartoons. This is unfortunate because children watch the cartoons on the television and they see material that is not appropriate for their age group. The children who watch too much cartoons on television are more likely to have mental and emotional problems, along with brain and eye injuries and unexpectedly the risk of a physical problem incr eases. Mental and Psychological Effects of Childrens Cartoons: From the time children start school to the time that they graduate they are averaged to spend around 13,000 hours in school. This may seem like an awful lot of hours to attend school unless it is compared to the hours a child watches television, which is nearly 18,000 hours (from the time school is started to the time of graduation). This comparison is an outrage because of the amount of television that is watched by a child will have an effect on their brain, emotions and their sense to feel pain. In a 2000 report on adolescent violence it was stated that more aggressive behavior in a young childs life is caused by frequently watched entertainment that incorporates violence in it. This has become a public health issue and because of the research findings; the American Psychological Association passed a resolution in February of 1985, informing broadcasters and the public about the dangers violence on the television has on children. Three major effects have been proven by psychologic al research caused by children seeing violence on television. These are child may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others children who watch violence do not fear violence nor are they bothered by violence in general and the children are more likely to become aggressive or use harmful actions towards others. When we are born we have the capacity for motivation, experience, and training, and because of this our minds are very impressionable. Therefore, our brains development is a dynamic mix of nature and nurture, so it is important to choose a healthy environment for all children. This means cartoons with violence will be unhealthy for a child because in general, being interactive with any environment enhances the development of a successful brain. As a result, a tremendous amount of childhood involvement with electronic media can limit social interaction and may obstruct the development of a brains social systems. IMPACT ON THE BRAIN AND EYES: An episode of the Japanese cartoon Pocket Monster which was later renamed Pokà ©mon for international distribution drew worldwide attention after multiple cases of children suffering seizures after watching the episode were reported .Parents began to wonder how the cartoons which their children watched affected their mental development. While no former study specifically relating to cartoons has taken place, multiple studies over the years have charted the impact of television on the minds and eyes of developing children. Most eye specialists agree that watching television is not a danger to the eyes, as long as children watch in the right conditions. However the room should not be pitch black, and children should not sit closer than five feet away from the screen. Sitting in a dark room or closer than five feet will not damage the eyes, but will result in eye fatigue. As for the brain, there is scientific evidence that too much cartoon viewing can be detrimental to children. According to a study it was revealed that children who watched on an average three to four hours of television daily had a greater risk of developing attention deficit disorder than children who did not watch television. While no specific program is directly responsible, it is speculated that the speed of the images displayed could affect childrens brains. A question arises whether watching television give young children seizures. According to a study it was found most children who suffered seizures from the December 1997 episode of Pocket Monsters had epilepsy, or some other underlying condition that would have caused development of seizures, regardless of whether or not they saw that program. INCREASED RISK IN CHILD SAFETY Today in many childrens cartoons you see cartoon characters jumping, diving, and falling from very high heights, then landing without being harmed. Parents seem to be happy with this as along as the cartoon doesnt promote sex or any kind of violence. On every episode of Loony Tunes    a short clip of Wile E. Coyote trying to catch the Road Runner is mostly shown. And in every clip Wile E. Coyote in some shape or form seems to fall off a cliff or simple have one of his inventions back fire and cause a mass explosion. Yet, he manages to collect his teeth, dust him self off and get up for another attempt to catch the Road Runner. Another example of this sort of cartoon would have to be Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. In these cartoons it always seems to be rabbit hunting season and Elmer Fudd can never seem to shoot that dang ol rabbit. When he tries, Bugs usually finds a way to either bend the gun to aim at Elmer or to plug it up with some kind of object. But, either way the guns always fire into Elmers face. These sorts of cartoons are displaying false sense of reality upon children. Being able to fall off a tall cliff or being shot with a gun in the face and walking from these incidents with barely a scratch. At a young age, this false sense of reality can really affect them. It has been proving that children on average watch 4 hours or television a day. This false sense of reality for every hour of TV viewed per day, the risk of injury rises proportionally.    A child growing looks up to and would want to be like the super heroes in the cartoons. Thats why the false sense of reality that cartoons show encourage children to try things that they see their favorite super hero do. In some cases TV has also been linked to causing seizures. The cartoons children are watching dont show sex or violence doesnt mean that they are innocent. Because of this false sense of reality children at a young age cant tell the difference between cartoons and realism. TVS EFFECT ON CHILDRENS BEHAVIOR : Children who view cartoon shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. This speaks to the impressionable mindsets of young children, who are still learning control of their minds and bodies, and are likely to mimic what they see, as it seems quite normal to them. A need arises for parents to keep a close eye on what their children watch. They must be there to explain that the cartoon character or actor that was shot has not been harmed, but would actually be seriously injured, or die in real life. They should also work to tell their children that violent behavior is not the best course of action to resolve a conflict. Young children are very impressionable. Higher levels of television viewing correlate with lowered academic performance, especially reading scores. This may be because television substitutes for reading practice, partially because the compellingly visual nature of the stimulus blocks development of left-hemisphere language circuitry. A young brain manipulated by jazzy visual effects cannot divide attention to listen carefully to language. TV is a very quick medium. Messages are shot at the viewer as if by an automatic rifle. Their minds must be equally as quick to interpret the messages, and with such a two-minute mind, many messages are misinterpreted, or confused. When the child becomes used to receiving information at so fast a rate, they lose interest in information that is more detailed and methodical, such as the information received in day-to-day schooling. Television certainly does affect the kids, who find themselves mesmerized by the bright flashing objects, and rapid assault of messages. Auditory Subliminal Messaging in Childrens Cartoons The lessons that the media conveys to those parts of the mind without conscious perception through the cartoons that people watch, are referred to as subliminal messages. When children watch cartoons, they always pay attention to what is being said.    In a childs subconscious mind, he or she is exposed to auditory subliminal messages that they may never discover, but they will eventually become a part of their lives.    Not all auditory subliminal messaging is negative.    However, most of these messages have a negative effect on children.    The interesting thing about the situation is that these messages are most common in popular cartoons. SpongeBob Squarepants has been on the air since 1999 on Nickelodeon.    Today, it still remains popular and new episodes are still being created.    It is now 2004 and people are speaking out against the messages that they found hidden in a number of episodes.    The main allegation against SpongeBob Squarepants is its use of metaphors in place of profanity.    When he is disappointed, SpongeBob will often yell out Tartar Sauce.    To an adult ear, that phrase may sound like it is intended to represent a curse word. When parents choose what cartoons to let their children watch, they want to make sure that these cartoons are appropriate for general audiences People who create popular cartoons are careful to not allow any vulgar content to be incorporated into their cartoons.    However, every cartoon cant be made perfectly safe for viewing by children and some of the verbal content may be mistaken for auditory subliminal messages. Marketing Practices of Companies that produce Childrens Cartoons: Children are no longer viewed as vulnerable human beings that need to be nurtured. Nowadays, companies are increasingly viewing kids through an economic lens.    This is because children are easy to take advantage of. A child will see an item that they want and will throw a complete tantrum until their parents give up and purchase it. This is a marketing companys dream come true.    Marketing Companies can open up emotional vulnerabilities, and its very easy to do with kids because they are emotionally vulnerable. Cartoon companies are the most common companies that are tapping into this new trend. It is literally impossible to walk into any store today and not see any licensed cartoon merchandise. From playing cards to toothpaste, these companies have covered every angle possible. By doing this it makes it impossible for a child to walk into a store and not want a specific item. Cartoon companies are also known to advertise their object in between television shows. The commercials are designed to have the child infatuated with the object and wanting it as soon as possible. With such devises these companies are using today, it is quite understandable why these companies bring in billions of dollars a year. To conclude with animated cartoon pictures are targeted mainly towards children. They can have a positive as well as negative influence on children depending upon the theme and the content. The animated pictures contain a wide array of content matter and messages that may influence children in many different ways. There are some cartoons that are neutral and purely meant for entertainment, some are educational but some are violent to the core.          Looking    at the good side of cartoon pictures, they are fun, entertaining and a good way to rewind oneself. Moreover, some of them even have a positive influence on kids. In the year 2005, Sesame Street, the educational puppet cartoon series, launched its Healthy Habits for Life series. This was televised with an aim to encourage young kids to lead more dynamic and nutritious lifestyles. Healthy Habits For Life featured Wyclef Jean, the rapper, singing and applauding the benefits of fruits and veggies. The puppets and animated pictures in Sesame Street were an instant hit amongst children since the time it was first televised in 1969. Many parents insisted that their kids remembered each and every word that was taught on Sesame Street.             There are many other animated cartoon pictures that inspire kids to adopt healthy habits. Popeye, the sailor man, who gobbles on spinach every time he faces a difficulty. This cartoon character actually inspired many toddlers to eat spinach. Keeping in view the positive influence that cartoons have, teachers started teaching kids through cartoons. They used cartoon character drawings to teach several subjects.Cartoon characters inspired them to study the subjects with       a deeper insight Children also have a tendency to consider some or the other cartoon character as their super hero. It is alright till the time the animated cartoon super hero they adore are cute and cuddly like baby looney tunes, sharp and funny like Tom an Jerry or cute and wacky like The Powerpuff girls However, they may become aggressive and snappy if they imagine picturing a violent cartoon character as their idol. The drawings of cartoon as stated earlier may have a positive as well as a negative influence. The images and storyline can have a enormous negative affect on kids because the violence and fury is honored without aftermaths, is extolled and idealized. Such violent cartoons should be avoided at all costs. The good news is that there are many cartoons that are simply made for pure entertainment, like Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear, Mickey Mouse or even SpongeBob SquarePants, to name a few. Animated cartoon pictures are meant to entertain. It is more than acceptable if the kids learn a worthwhile lesson from them and are positively influenced.