Organizational Evaluation of Zara Cloth Company Essay

Organizational Evaluation of Zara Cloth Company - Essay Example The Company is an active member of the Inditex group (Tungate, 2008). The chain store was founded and is currently owned by Amancio Ortega and Rosalia Mera. Zara produces quality cloths that have attracted customers in the entire globe. This paper evaluates certain organization functions of the organization. Physical Assets, Products, Manufacturing and Distribution Success of Zara Chain Store has been attributed to extensive utilization of its opportunities through online services (Badia, 2009). To enhance sale of its products, Zara uses both offline and online shops, which increases its customer-serving capacity and physical market coverage. The company has not only used online communication to contact its clients, but also to advertize its products. The chain store has successfully opened several online shops and plans to launch several services in all its outlets. According to Badia (2009), branches of Zara are vertically integrated retailers. That is, though the branches use diff erent production processes, they are united by a common goal (Harrigan, 2003). Different products produced are, consequently, integrated to satisfy a common need. The Clothing Store produces large quantities of clothes of different fashions, styles, or designs and covers all groups of people. Sale of the products is done either locally or exported to foreign market. Zara products are manufactured in various stores in Spain, Europe, Asia, and Africa (Tungate, 2005). As another vital asset of the organization, recent success of Zara is attributed to the launching online boutique by the Inditex in September 2010. The online shopping provision was first initiated in Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and France markets. Launching of the boutique website was preceded by creation of a cyberspace due to high demand for online shopping (Tungate, 2008). The two sites function like physical shopping stores in, which a wide range of products are provided at fair prices. The onlin e service also provides different payment methods from which a customer can select a method that best suits him/her. In addition, the website provides a variety of delivery methods a customer can use after ordering a shipment. A customer can either pay for a postal delivery or be free to pick his/her purchase from the store (Badia, 2009; Tungate, 2008). Human Resource Management in Zara In Zara Chain Store, existence and functionality of Human Resource Management (HRM) depends diversity within a workforce, employee relations, and training and skills development (Tungate, 2008). Expansion of the organization has triggered the need to design appropriate ways of obtaining and maintaining quality performing employees. Resource managers in various Zara stores, therefore, concentrate on maintaining good relationship between employers and employees and among employees. Resource management in Zara, in effect, focuses on satisfactory productivity, improved motivation, and high morale upkeep of workers. In Zara Stores, diversity in HRM reflects variations present in its workforce. Workforce diversity in Zara is attributed to differences in various demographic factors. Such factors include age, gender and social class. With the increasing need for employees due to advances in technology, management teams in Zara constantly strategize on ways of

Final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Final paper - Essay Example A market is said to be in perfect competition when there are a large number of buyers and sellers perfectly aware of the market prices, and no firm is large enough to have any economic power over the industry (Amacher & Pate, 2013). The two main characteristics of a perfect market are low barriers to entry and exit, i.e. any new firm can enter the market because of no restrictions such as high setup cost, legal barriers or any other. All the firms are earning normal profit as there is strong competition within the industry. Secondly, homogenous products are produced, i.e. all products are identical or standardized and are substitutes of each other, thus sharing the same price as well (Amacher & Pate, 2013). An imperfect competition is where there are not many producers in the market and there is less competition as buyers and sellers are not fully aware of the prices so different prices exist for same product in the market (Amacher & Pate, 2013). There are three forms of an imperfect market: Under this structure, there are few sellers as compared with perfect competition and the products produced are differentiated due to branding, which gives the producer a way to have his own pricing policy and thus can earn more than normal profits (Amacher & Pate, 2013). There are a few suppliers in the market in this structure, and every supplier has a substantial control over the prices, and output produced because few suppliers control the entire supply in the market. There is strong rival consciousness because of the interdependence of suppliers. There is a possibility of product differentiation as well as substitute products, and the price-output policy of each supplier depends upon the degree of homogeneity or heterogeneity (Amacher& Pate, 2013). There is a single seller or producer who controls the entire market. As he

Business Plans Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Plans - Assignment Example Moreover, others think that there is a need to buy a business plan software. Another reason why people shun the idea of creating a business plan is that they think that it is too complex to do (Superbcoaching .com, n.d.). These people assume that the business plan should be perfect before they can start the business. Some companies think that it is a waste of time. Instead of focusing on the start-up of the business right away, they will be bogged down with writing the plan. Creating a business plan has several benefits. The first benefit that a company can gain from a business plan is that it gives direction to the firm. Similar to a road map, the business plan will show where the company is going and what options it can take to reach its destination or objective. Another benefit that can be gained from a business plan is that it is a valuable source of information for potential investors in the business. It makes it easier for an organization to obtain funding or possible loans from banks and private investors. A business plan also prepares the company for future problems that it may encounter. As one goes through the process of writing the plan, he is made aware of the critical aspects of the business and the various scenarios that will affect its operations. Superbcoaching .com. (n.d.). The top 10 reasons people dont have a business plan. Retrieved January 13, 2012, from superbcoaching.com.au:

Fast Food Nation Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Nation Essay The main characters in the novel Fast Food Nation are Richard and Maurice â€Å"Mac† McDonald, Ray Kroc, Walt Disney, Carl N. Karcher, and Dave Thomas. The McDonald’s brothers are from New Hampshire. They opened up the first McDonald’s restaurant in 1937 in southern California. They revolutionized the fast food industry in 1948 by ridding their business of carhops, and using disposable plates and cups to serve finger food. Ray Kroc was a high school drop-out from Illinois. He sold milkshake makers until he met the McDonald brothers in 1954. He sold milkshake makers to them, and bought the right to franchise their company. He is known as a pioneer in the fast-food industry for creating characters that rivaled others such as Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney became Ray Kroc’s biggest rival after refusing to put a McDonald’s in Disneyland, which was model marketing to children. Carl is also one of the American fast-food industry’s pioneers. At twenty-years-old, Carl moved to Anaheim, California where he began his first hotdog stand. Carl eventually turned his hotdog stands into drive-in restaurants. After observing the first McDonald’s restaurants success, Carl started expanding and developed the Carl’s Jr’s restaurants. In 1997, the corporation expanded dramatically with the new possession of the Hardees Restaurant chain. In 2004, CKE Restaurants, Inc. had revenues in excess of 1. 4 billion dollars. Dave Thomas dropped out of school at fifteen-years-old. After working as a bus boy and a cook, he eventually founded Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant in Columbus, Ohio in 1969. Today, there are thousands of Wendy’s restaurants and they remain popular throughout the world. Dave is probably best known as the guy on the Wendys TV commercials. From 1989 to 2002, Dave appeared in over 800 commercials for the restaurant chain. He died after a long battle with liver cancer in 2002. The setting of this novel is in any fast-food restaurant on an international level. The theme of this novel is that we as Americans can no longer ignore the many health hazards of a fast-food diet. Years of consuming fast food has resulted in diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and obesity. There are several conflicts in this novel. One type is man vs. man. An example of this is when former employees return to the restaurants and kill innocent people. Another example of man vs. man is when companies pay doctors and nurses to minimize reportable injuries. This is not fair towards the injured employee. Plot: * This book opens with discussing Carl Karcher and Ray Kroc’s roles as fast-food pioneers. * Next we examine Kroc’s complicated relationship with Walt Disney, and each man’s rise to fame. * Then, we go to Colorado Springs, CO to observe and investigate the working conditions of a typical fast-food employee. * After that, we discuss the chemical components that make up fast-food. * We then observe the lives of ranchers and meat packing industries that supply for fast-food chains. * The book ends by discussing how America has matured as a cultural export. There has been a mass spread of American goods and services, especially fast-food. As a result, the rest of the world is catching up to America’s rising obesity rates.

The pathophysiology of a disease: COPD

The pathophysiology of a disease: COPD This assignment will discuss the pathophysiology of a disease process of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It will also show how biological, psychological and the social aspects of the disease that can have an affect on an individuals day to day life. COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is a term used for a number of conditions; including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD leads to damaged airways in the lungs, causing them to become narrower and making it harder for air to get in and out of the lungs. The word chronic means that the problem is long-term. COPD is a condition which mainly affects people over the age of 40, and COPD has a higher prevalence occurring among women than men (NHS-Choices, 2008). COPD is also a condition that is long term and incurable that can have a serious affects on health and quality of life, its not fully understood why COPD develops. (Marieb, 2003). The student will also incorporate local and national health and social policies, including frameworks that are in place in relation to the patients illness. The student identified a patient named Mrs J. She was admitted to hospital due to exacerbation of COPD. Her primary diagnosis is Osteoarthritis of the Hip but also had symptoms of emphysema. Mrs J is a 55 year old women and is married, Mrs J also has an older child whom she has become quite dependant on and felt lik e she had impacted on her childs life and had become a hindrances. Mrs J has become more breathless as her condition develops over time and more so while she was lying in bed unable to carry out her daily activities such as doing the housework, leisure activities, also looking after her appearance as she normally would have done at home. COPD is becoming one of the fastest leading causes of disability (NHS choices, 2008). According to British Lung Foundation, (2010) a recent survey, 83% of COPD patients said their COPD slows them down, 79% said they had to cut down their activities and 56% said their condition has a great affect on their families. COPD is the most common respiratory conditions in adults in the developed world and poses an enormous burden to society both in terms of direct cost to the healthcare services and indirect costs to society through loss of productivity. Recent analysis estimated that National Health Service (NHS) spends  £818 million annually in the Unite d Kingdom (UK). (British Thoracic Society, 2006). However 50% of the cost is accounted for by poorly managed exacerbations resulting in frequent re-admissions to hospital (Coakley Ruston, 2001). Mrs J condition would of been triggered by her heavy smoking, the toxins from her cigarettes has made her bronchioles (airway and lungs) become inflamed and narrowing the airway, this will lead to irreversible damage to the respiratory system by obstructing the bronchial airflow and hindering gaseous exchange within the alveoli (Munden, J, 2007). Mrs J suffers from many symptoms due to her smoking these include shortness of breath, a persistent cough, yellowish green sputum, signs of cyanosis to her lips, also Mrs J has continued to smoke as she thinks the damage has already been done so her condition. The vast majority of COPD patients are smokers. By stopping smoking patients can slow the rate of decline in lung function and thus improve the patients prospects in terms of symptoms and survival. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance on COPD states that All patients still smoking, regardless of age, should be encouraged to stop, and offered help to do so, at every opportunity. These deliver a small dose of medicine to the lungs, causing the airway muscles to open up. Bronchodilators are also effective in preventing over-expansion of the lungs. Short-acting beta2-agonists are the most commonly used short acting bronchodilaors for COPD. Their effects last for about 4 hours. Short-acting antichloinergics are also used as bronchodilators. Long-acting beta2-agonists are similar to the short-acting agonists described above but their effect lasts for 12 hours. Lomg-acting anti-cholinergics need only be taken once a day. The NICE guidance recommends that short-acting bronchodilators should be used for the initial treatment for breathlessness and exercise limitation and goes on to say that, if this isnt having an effect then the treatment should be intensified using eith er a long-acting bronchodilator or a combined therapy with a short acting beta2-agonist and a short-acting anticholinergic The respiratory system is the major part for gases exchange to take place, it allows takes the air that enters are bodies when we inhale and travels through the respiratory system, exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide and expels carbon dioxide when we exhale (munden, J, 2007). In the NHS there is a tool to calculate the smoking load and the packs in a year this tool is called smoking pack tool, this was used to see the damage that Mrs J had caused by smoking for so many years. This is because the seriousness of the disease depends on how much and how long the individual has smoked for. Mrs J has been smoking now for 45 years and on a average day having up to 40 cigarettes a day and is not prepared to quit as she feels the damage is already done. Mrs J smokes for comfort and feels that its all for her pleasure, she has become very isolated, her chronic bronchitis makes her breathless when doing actives and is not able to do her daily activities therefore is becoming depressed. Do this having a huge impact on her mental and social parts of her life. Patients with COPD have traditionally been divided into pink puffers and blue bloaters based on their physiological response to abnormal blood gases. The former work hard to maintain a normal pO2 which is why they puff away. They tend to have a barrel-shaped, hyperinflated chest and breath through pursed lips. The latter are blue because of hypoxia and polycythaemia. They are often obese and have water retention. This is why they are bloated. The blue bloaters are dependent upon hypoxia for their respiratory drive and to give oxygen and deprive them of this will lead to signficant hypercapnia and acid base imbalance. Although this concept is widely taught and acknowledged academically, in clinical practice patients tend not to be clearly in one or the other of these two categories (NICE Clinical Guideline (2004) Patients like Mrs J with airflow limitation clinically they have become known as pink puffers and blue bloaters (Kleinschmidt, 2008). Mrs J falls under the term blue bloaters as she linked to chronic bronchitis due to cyanosis which is a blue tinge to the lips, which occurs from poor gas exchange. pink puffers has been linked to emphysema as the patients may be showing signs of weight loss, using their accessory muscles with pursed lips giving them a reddish complexion, they may also adopt the tripod sitting position (Kleinschmidt, 2008). Although these conditions separate the patient may present with slight variations of them both, however they do differentiate through their underlying process, signs and symptoms (Bellamy Booker, 2004). Airways and air sacs within the lungs are manly elastic, with the air we breath the lungs change shape with inhalation they expand and return to the normal shape after they have been stretched with air. Mucociliary clearance is an important primary innate defense mechanism that protects the lungs from deleterious effects of inhaled pollutants, allergens, and pathogens. Mucociliary dysfunction is a common feature of chronic airway diseases in humans. The mucociliary apparatus consists of three functional compartments, that is, the cilia, a protective mucus layer, and an airway surface liquid (ASL) layer, which work in concert to remove inhaled particles from the lung. The nose and nasal cavity are composed of ciliated columnar epithelium cells which contain goblet cells and cilia, the goblet cells are responsible for secreting mucus which is able to trap the finer particles from inspired air and the cilia which are fine hairs that can trap larger particles. The cilia carrys the particles by a sweeping motion this is swept to the mouth or nose where it can then be swallowed, coughed or sneezed out of the body in order to prevent these particles from entering the lungs (Munden, J, 2007). The two major sources of mucus secretion in the respiratory tract are the surface epithelial goblet cells and mucous cells. In lungs, goblet cells are present in the large bronchi, becoming increasingly thin toward the bronchioles. The submucosal glands are restricted to the large airways with their density decreasing with airway calibre. In chronic respiratory diseases, such as COPD and asthma, submucosal glands increase in size (hypertrophy), and the number of goblet cells is increased (hyperplasia), becoming more dense in the peripheral airways, via a phenotypic conversion of nongoblet epithelial cells (metaplasia) (Rogers, 1994;Jackson, 2001). The increased of goblet cells density to ciliated cells in the bronchioles, under the conditions of hypersecretion, this impairs clearance of mucus. Lung histology from patients affected by COPD and asthma also shows the presence of edema, which can further reduce airway caliber and compromise lung function. A marked airway infiltration of macrophages and granulocytes is also present, principally neutrophils in COPD and eosinophils in asthma (Postma and Kerstjens, 1998). In clinical studies, these inflammatory parameters have been shown to correlate with a reduction in lung function (FEV1) and an exaggerated bronchoconstriction [airway hyperreactivity (AHR)] to nonspecific stimuli (Postma and Kerstjens, 1998). Smoking has many effects on the airways. Inhaled smoke destroys the cilia that are important for moving mucus to the throat for swallowing. As a result, mucus accumulates in the bronchioles and irritates the sensitive tissues there, causing a cough. Coughing is vital as it is the only way smokers can remove mucus from their lungs and keep the airways clean (Rubin, 2002). This is characterised by the smokers cough. Constant coughing to clear the sputum has an effect on the smooth muscle of the bronchioles which becomes hypertrophied (enlarged or overgrown). This in turn causes more mucus glands to develop. The goblet cells are replaced within the small airways (bronchi) with Clara cells they are another form of secreting cell these are important they form ciliated cells and to help regenerate the bronchiolar epithelium, they produce hypophase component and a protease inhibitor these help protect the lungs by mopping up debris (Stokley et al, 2006).To accomplish gas exchange the lung has two components; airways and the alveoli. The airways are two branching tubular passages that allow air to move in and out of the lungs, the wider segments of the airways are called the trachea and the two bronchi going to the right and left lung. The smaller segments are called the bronchioles and at the end of the bronchioles are the alveoli which are thin walled sacs like a bunch of grapes; small blood vessels (capillaries) run in the walls of the alveoli this is where gas exchange between air and blood takes place. (Matterporth Matfin, 2009). Rogers, 1994;Jackson, 2001 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NICE Clinical Guideline (2004); Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults in primary and secondary care COPD. BMJ Clinical Evidence. www.clinicalevidence.com, accessed 10 June 2009 Textbook of Medical Physiology (10th edition) Guyton, A.C. and Hall, J.E. (2000) W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia; London. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; September 2005. Britton M; The burden of COPD in the U.K.: results from the Confronting COPD survey.; Respir Med.2003 Mar;97 Suppl C:S71-9. [abstract] Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NICE Clinical Guideline (2004); Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults in primary and secondary care Lacasse Y, Goldstein R, Lasserson TJ, et al; Pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Oct 18;(4):CD003793. [abstract] Barr RG, Bourbeau J, Camargo CA, et al; Inhaled tiotropium for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005 Apr 18;(2):CD002876

Camera Phones and Invasion of Privacy Essay -- Exploratory Essays Rese

Camera Phones and Invasion of Privacy    â€Å"New technology has†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.placed all of us in an electronic fishbowl in which our habits, tastes and activities are watched and recorded.† as told by Simson Garfinkel (Ojeda). In the 21st century it is easy to awe people with new technology. Take two popular gadgets, merge them into a single point-and-click device, and then watch the world go nuts over it. This is a fact that will never change. Technology in this world is growing every day and there are products being discovered every moment to satisfy the needs of the consumer or make their living more luxurious. Camera mobile phones are only a recent invention but they sure have the world going gaga over them already. Technology threatens privacy, but who doesn’t like technology? The teenagers of this generation are crazy behind new technologies of any kind such as a good music system for their rooms or good mobile phones with many features. Any such products within their reach will be in their hands in no time. All of these things are good, but in a way they are dangerous and threaten privacy. For instance if we do have a music system with a lot of wattage pumping out of it, the neighbor will surely come running after you because it threatens his or her privacy. In the same way, the mobile phones also have so many features; that some or the other feature might not be safe to use for the privacy of the public like a phone with an integrated digital camera. Although concept of introducing a digital camera in a mobile phone is a recent discovery, people today enjoy the luxury of this concept day in and day out all over the world. It may seem that a camera phone would be no different than having a cell phone and a camera, but in truth, ... ... crackdown on camera phones.† BBC News. 20 July 2004. 16 November 2004 . * Batista, Elisa.   â€Å"New Privacy Menace: Cell Phones?† Wired News. 17 February 2003.   16 November 2004 .   * Belson, Ken. â€Å"When Etiquette Isn't Enough, a Cell phone Cone of Silence.† New York Times. 7 November 2004:page 2. Week In Review Desk.   * Hamilton, Anita. â€Å"CAMERA PHONES.† Time. 2003. 16 November 2004 .   * Harvey, Fiona. â€Å"Camera Phones, Privacy Concerns Not Clicking.† Los Angeles Times. 3 November 2003:A19. Business. * Napolitano, Jo. â€Å" Hold It Right There, And Drop That Camera.† New York Times. 11 December 2003:Circuits.   * Ojeda, Auriana. Civil Liberties Text. Green heaven Press, 2004.

Approaches to Film

Auteur theory is the belief that the director is the sole artist of any film, especially if that film is capable of reflecting a style unique to the director. Many directors have a sort of signature that they instill into their films, whether it be based on casting, the soundtrack, camera angles and shots, a continuous prop or character that keeps arising, or any combination of the aforementioned. Part of the auteur theory is that when people see a certain film, they are able to pick out the director of the film based on the aspects of the film itself.However, there is controversy regarding this theory, as many people believe that the film is the creation of the film crew as a whole, that each individual adds their own special touch. A well-known auteur director is Quentin Tarantino, and one of the films that he is most known for is Pulp Fiction, which was released in 1994. Pulp Fiction contains actors and talent that Tarantino tends to use in his films, preferring to work with peopl e he is familiar with rather than with fresh-blooded actors.The film also contains references to old cult songs, which is perhaps one of Tarantino's most obvious signatures within his films. Shots and camera angles are other ways that Tarantino left his mark on Pulp Fiction. One of his signature camera angles involves a person being locked in a trunk, with the camera in the same position as the person in the trunk. When the trunk would open, the camera would be looking up at the two men that put the people into the trunk. This shot has been informally dubbed the trunk shot, thanks to Tarantino.Another memorable shot was the continuous shot of the two men walking down the hallway. Even though they went through doors and turned corners, the entire scene was done in one shot, one camera movement. Though Tarantino's mark and signature shine through everything he does, it is most obvious in Pulp Fiction. It is because of this movie that many people have begun to identify other films of T arantino's, as his style is one that is hard to replicate. Though many people are against the auteur theory, Tarantino, and Pulp Fiction, are what makes the theory plausible for some directors.