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Essay Kurtz as Satan - 1663 Words

There was a reason that European colonizers were nick-named the white devils. They slithered their way in like serpents and turned the known world of the natives into a world of chaos. Every white settler was a Satan in his own way. Mr. Kurtz, a leading character in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness is the prime example of the white devils in Africa, following the pattern set out by John Milton for a perfect Prince of Darkness in Paradise Lost in his portrayal of Satan to a point. Their characteristics and motivations are paralleled in almost every sense, differing only in the backdrop and in the ends that these characters meet. Once the similarities between Satan and Mr. Kurtz start, they never seem to end. Its as though Conrad†¦show more content†¦Him the Almighty Power Hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky with hideous ruin and combustion down To bottomless perdition, there to dwell In adamantine chains and penal fire, Who durst defy the Omnipotent to arms. Satan f alls into Hell, where he festers with his hate and fallen angels. Kurtz is Africas Satan, whos forbidden fruit is ivory, drawing him away from the rules of civilization and creating a monster that feeds on fulfilling that one job, no matter the consequences. Kurtz has no restrain in his actions, having been consumed by the chaotic darkness that surrounds him and that he becomes a reflection of. His fall from grace comes in the form of the manager and all others on the rescue expedition despising him. They realize his flawed methods and his lost mind and are disgusted by him. Kurtz falls away from the rules of civilization into the darkness of the jungle and all of its chaos. He presents himself as a god to the natives, who are awed by Kurtzs magnificence and become his devoted followers, his own fallen angels. There, in the deepest pits of the jungle, those demonic and primitive people and their god partake in hellish rituals and orgies, taking all of the ivory they want without hes itation, living as they please. This is especially shown when we hear from the harlequin that Kurtz threatened to shoot him for his ivory, because he could do so, and had a fancy for it, and there was nothing on earth to prevent himShow MoreRelatedCapturing the Reality of the Vietnam War in The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now1615 Words   |  7 Pagesbreaking point†. Kurtz shows that he has almost reached his breaking point by going to live in the jungle with the primitive tribes. From this and from a voice recording of Kurtz, we can see that he is living in insanity. Kurtz goes against the ‘rules’ and decides to separate himself from the Americans as if he is questioning their power because he has his own beliefs about the war. Just like Satan questioned God’s rule, Kurtz has questioned America’s. When Satan chose to challengeRead More Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Carl Jungs Principle of Opposites2119 Words   |  9 Pagesits inner workings. In Heart of Darkness, both Marlow and Kurtz are representations of strong reoccurring archetypes within human myth, religion, and folklore. They work together to epitomize one of Jung’s Cores of Personality: the Principle of Opposites. The Principle of Opposites states that both sides of opposite pairs—good and bad, light and dark, joy and despair, et cetera—are present to complete the other. In this way, Marlow and Kurtz are opposite replications of each other in Conrad’s HeartRead More moralhod Morality in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay2832 Words   |  12 Pagesout of good still to find means of evil (Milton I: 162-165).   The word his refers to God and relates the word good with him, and relates Satan to the word evil.   The justifications for these labels are more implied t han anything else, based in the relationship of the Christian God, and thus the Bible and the actions and motivations displayed by Satan.   He becomes tied to ... deep malice to conceal, couched with revenge (Milton IV: 123) and ... ire envy and despair (Milton IV: 115).   ThusRead More A Freudian Perspective of Marlow in Conrads Heart of Darkness1975 Words   |  8 Pagesbelieve. As mentioned before, the journey is not only into the heart of Africa but a journey into the psyche also. Robert Ryf, a modern critic, describes the novel as, Marlow’s journey up the river to find and bring back the mysterious ivory trader Kurtz is also Marlow’s journey into himself, is also man’s archetypal quest for enlightenment (Ryf 17). Conrad illustrates Freud’s unconscious in Marlow’s journey into the darkness. As always, we need to start at the beginning of the story. Right awayRead MoreEssay on Jungian Psychology and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness6193 Words   |  25 Pagesindividuation, a modern odyssey toward the center of the Self and the center of the Earth. Ego dissolves into soul as, in the interior, Marlow encounters his double in the powerful image of ivory-obsessed Kurtz, the dark shadow of European imperialism. The dark meditation is graced by personifications of anima in Kurtz’ black goddess, the savagely magnificent consort of the underworld, and in his porcelain -skinned Persephone, innocent intended of the upperworld. Though â€Å"Dr. Jung’s discoveries were not knownRead More Colonization and Wealth in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness and Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart1627 Words   |  7 Pagesby using the term â€Å"light.† Supporting the Manichean allegorical view, the term â€Å"sons of darkness† implies that the majority of bl ack people where not Christians. Also, since a term in the Christian religion for Satan is â€Å"Prince of Darkness,† this statement also equates the Africans with Satan and thus, evil. From these ideas one sees that the colonists want the Africans to convert to their religion and value the spread of Christianity as wealth. It has been established how the Europeans in AfricaRead More The Impact Sociological Theories Have on Religion Essay2086 Words   |  9 Pageswith experience and age. Thinking back to the era of the Salem witch trials, the colonial Massachusetts â€Å"society† relied heavily on the Christianity religion. They used Christianity to govern the laws of their society. They strongly believed that Satan could bless certain people with a powerful ability to do harm unto others. If it were not for the group on young adolescent female behaving weirdly for that era in time, it is possible that the belief in the devil may not have cause hysteria on aRead MoreChristianity and Secular Humanism 3648 Words   |  15 Pagessupernatural.† — Webster’s Dictionary A world view is set of ideas and beliefs through which an individual interpret and interacts with the world. Secular means Secular humanists â€Å"wish to encourage wherever possible the growth of moral awareness.† (Paul Kurtz - A Secular Humanist Declaration). They believe in human values without religion or a God, and that human values should be committed to the well being of humans and should be based on ethical reasoning rather than supernatural sources. They believe

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION Free Essays

string(151) " each market as unique and implements a different approach in order to leverage on customer intelligence on its clubcard \(Datamonitor Europe, 2004\)\." ABSTRACT The ultimate objective of most business to customer (B2C) organizations today is to increase on their productivity and revenues through system simplification, organizational potential and incremental improvements. Customer satisfaction is key to achieving this objective. With the continuously tighter global market competition, it has become a necessity for most organizations to focus on their operations in order to increase on their profitability and gain market leadership (Nice group, 2006). We will write a custom essay sample on OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION or any similar topic only for you Order Now Customer service has thus become the main priority for these organizations to retain their market share and increase on their profitability. Operational management plays a key role in ensuring this customer satisfaction. This analysis thus seeks to examine the effectiveness of operational management in ensuring customer satisfaction within a customer facing B2C organization. An in depth case study of Tesco will be used to obtain the relevant data for this analysis. A multi-method strategy will thus be employed involving a quantitative survey through mailed questionnaires to the subordinate employees and semi-structured interviewing of senior managers within Tesco PLC. The interview scripts and survey questionnaires will then be analysed using thematic coding. Finally, conclusion will be drawn based on the findings obtained. INTRODUCTION In the recent years, globalization, information technology, super highway communication and international trade have posed numerous challenges and opportunities to business to customer (B2C) organizations which have resulted in the enhancement of the manufacturing capabilities through the introduction of new facilities, materials, procedures and techniques (Krajewski Ritzman, 2002). Hence managing the production/service system has become a major challenge in the global competitive environment. In order for business organizations to keep abreast with rapid technological changes and globalization impact, these leading edge organizations, both public and private, must have the ability to deal with the dynamic changes. Operational management leads the way for these business organizations to achieve their goals with minimum efforts. Operation management is that aspect of business the handles the production and service systems (Johnston et al, 2003). It is concerned with activities producing goods or involved in the delivery of services required by customers (Johnston et al, 2003). These activities are at the core of any organization and involve management of a vast majority of the organization’s assets, expenditure and its employees (Krajewski Ritzman, 2002). A commonly held misconception is that operation management involves only the manufacturing activities. It should however be noted that services are increasingly important and their contribution to the national economy far outstrips that of the manufacturing. Additionally, the overwhelming employment majority is provided by the service industry (Krajewski Ritzman, 2002). Operations management can therefore be defined as the effective planning, organizing and controlling of an organization’s resources and activities necessary to provide the market with tangible goods and services (Johnston et al, 2003). It thus applies to manufacturing industries, nonprofit organizations and service industries. Often, the main activities of operations management are production, product development and distribution. Related activities include inventory control, managing purchases, logistics, supply chain management, quality control, storage and evaluation processes (Johnston et al, 2003). The focus is mainly on maximizing resources, increasing efficiency and most importantly, ensuring customer satisfaction. Therefore, OM often includes substantial measurement and analysis of the internal processes. With the continuously tighter global market competition, it has become a necessity for most organizations to focus on their operations in order to increase on their profitability and gain market leadership (Nice group, 2006). Customer service has thus become the main priority for these organizations to retain their market share and increase on their profitability. Ultimately, successful operations management is the key to ensuring customer satisfaction by creating more value than the competition. This proposal thus seeks to examine the effectiveness of operational management in achieving better customer satisfaction within a customer facing B2C organisation. PROBLEM STATEMENT The ultimate objective of most business to customer (B2C) organizations today is to increase on their productivity and revenues through system simplification, organizational potential and incremental improvements (Nice group, 2006). Customer satisfaction is thus key to achieving this objectivity. However, most B2C organizations are currently encountering a necessity to respond to the rapidly changing customer preference, needs, tastes and desires (Nice group, 2006). Stiff competition coupled with increasingly changing customer needs has proven to be the endless driver of organizational performance improvement (Nice group, 2006). For these organizations to remain competitive and retain a larger market share in the global market, efficient management of the operating systems, including both the human resources and material management, must be made a priority. RATIONALE FOR SELECTING TESCO AS CASE STUDY The main purpose of this analysis is to examine the efficiency of operational management in ensuring customer satisfaction within a customer facing a B2C organisation. For this purpose, we selected a case study of Tesco PLC to obtain the relevant data for this analysis. Tesco PLC belongs to the retail industry and their principal products mainly include groceries, Consumer goods, telecoms and financial services (Datamonitor Europe, 2004). Tesco is one of the largest British retailers in terms of the global sales and domestic market share. It has over 923 stores and employs more than 240, 000 people (Datamonitor Europe, 2004). Operational management plays a key role to attaining the primary objectives of Tesco. Whether the current operation objective is to increase on profitability or to improve on customer service, the way in which Tesco utilises its resources have significant impact. As a consequence, there have been an increasing number of innovative developments in operations management in Tesco. Tesco recognizes the human elements as a value adding factor; hence the company has heavily invested in continuous professional development of its workforce (Austin, 2004). The plausibility of its operation strategies is also evident through its localizing and multi-formatting efforts to reach the global market (Austin, 2004). The discounter approach has also been useful in establishing strong customer relationships (Nice group, 2006). For its inbound logistics, Tesco has maintained a healthy relationships with its suppliers by importing own and unique systems (Nice group, 2006). Also, for the outbound logistics, the company treats its each market as unique and implements a different approach in order to leverage on customer intelligence on its clubcard (Datamonitor Europe, 2004). You read "OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION" in category "Essay examples" The procurement and distribution of produce are closely monitored and deliveries made through truck fleets (Nice group, 2006). Further, the company keeps track on goods purchased and products likely to be bought in future hence making Tesco as one of the largest databases worldwide. For its supply chain management, Tesco introduced lean management solutions. The company adopted path breaking techniques and systems like point of sales data, continuous replenishment, primary distribution and the RFID technology in order to increase on the efficiency of its supply chain (Austin, 2004). Through its effective supply chain management, Tesco has emerged as a market leader in the retailing industry in UK (Austin, 2004). Clearly, Tesco represents a successful organisation with efficient operational management. It should however be noted that the current expansion of its retail market into Europe and Asian markets have direct implications on operational management (Nice group, 2006). Nonetheless, employing an in depth case study of Tesco, in examining the effectiveness of operational management in ensuring customer satisfaction, meets the objectives of this analysis. RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The primary goal of this analysis is to examine the effectiveness of operational management in achieving better customer satisfaction within a customer facing B2C organization. Specifically, the research would like to accomplish the following objectives: To examine and analyze the operational management of Tesco PLC Understand the role of operational management in the retail industry To infer the correlation between operational management and better customer satisfaction LITERATURE REVIEW INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE Over the past decade the focus of most prior research has shifted significantly but has concentrated predominantly on operations management within B2C organizations. A number of key studies are cited repeatedly in extant literature. Reference to these studies shall be made in this section as most of their contributions still apply to organizational practices today. Also supporting literature review, information for this research will be drawn from various publications and academic journals such as Academy of Management Review and Journal of Operations Management. A REVIEW OF EXTANT LITERATURE Research into operational management has long been a subject of debate in the public discourse (Flynn et al, 1990). Scholars and practitioners have in the past decades complained about the inconsistencies between applications and research into operations management and stressed the need for a field based research (McCutcheon Meredith, 1993). While Cox Ledbetter (1977) found a vast majority of firms in the UK utilizing operations research in operation management, Robey Smith (1973) observed that application of the research findings to real world situations was constrained by the lack of an integrative research. Bufa (1980) noted that we had become experts at defining problems of narrow scope, evaluating the results using a single criterion and building models to represent them. He noted that attention was rarely given to the problems facing practitioners; hence Bufa (1980) called for an operation management research agenda related to the real world. He suggested that results from research into operations management be made understandable and acceptable to practitioners. Buffa further called for continued research in strategic issues such as planning and control, technology, and location analysis among others. Subsequently, Buffa identified capacity planning, positioning and quality control as critical issues that must be addressed by service systems. While surveying four periodicals namely: Management Science, Decision Sciences, International Journal of Production Research and AIIE Transactions; Chase (1980) developed a framework with two dimensions, research orientation and research emphasis, to classify operation management research. He observed that most research in operational management (OM) was not integrative and focused on micro problems. His survey of published articles on OM showed that among the most popular areas for research were work measurement and inventory control. Research in service systems dealt exclusively with micro issues of staff scheduling. Graham Miller (1981), proposed a comprehensive agenda for OM research. Unlike Buffa (1980), this agenda was based on opinions drawn from a panel of practitioners and researchers. Graham and Miller called for OM research in four main areas: service systems, operations control, operations policy and productivity and technology. Graham and Miller recommended the use of case studies and empirical methods to augment traditional methodologies of simulation and modeling. More recently, there has been an increased interest in process design, quality and strategy (Meredith Samson, 2001). The increase is due to improved frequency among journal articles. The current research in quality has taken a more organizational focus unlike the statistical focus noted by Chase (1980). Further, the concept of operational management has revolutionized beyond just the internal production and manufacturing. It now encompasses activities such as product and process design, purchasing, and distribution (Prasad Babbar, 2000). According to Nernesian (2000), operations management is a process that deals with the transformation of raw inputs- materials, labour or capital- into useful goods and services. While this may be true, there is a whole lot dimensions to the operation management arena. However, the main objective of operational management in any organization remains to maximize on resources and improve on customer satisfaction. Customer service is therefore, key to operational management. Slack et al (2004) defines operation strategy as the total pattern of decisions which shape the long term capabilities of any operation and their contribution to the overall strategy. Slack et al (2004) asserts that the objectives of operation management relate to stakeholders interest. In this regard, customer satisfaction is of particular importance to Tesco PLC. In order to ensure customer satisfaction through operational management, Tesco’s operation performance objectives mainly reflect on five aspects namely: quality, speed, cost, dependability and flexibility. As Slack et al (2004) points out, quality is vital for every operation within a B2C organization since it is an important aspect of customer satisfaction. Hence for a grocery retailer like Tesco, quality could mean that stores are clean and tidy, stores are in good condition, staff is friendly, courteous and helpful, and decor is appropriate and attractive. In this regard, Tesco hired staff to be placed into the stores and distribution centers so as to improve on availability and services hence increasing customer satisfaction (Austin, 2004). Additionally, Tesco launched a clubcard which contains customer information hence enabling it to better understand its customers (Austin, 2004). LITERATURE REVIEW SUMMARY There has been a proliferation of empirical research in the area of operations management. Renowned operation management scholars have attempted to focus and direct OM research towards areas of importance and relevance to industry (Wacker, 1998). Clearly, this review has identified that whilst there is an extensive body of publications into operational management, relatively few rigorous and systematic studies have examined the effect of operational management in customer satisfaction. RESEARCH QUESTIONS To develop an efficient operation management, emphasis should be placed on systems approach which stresses on the techniques, concepts and policies essential for effective and economical design, control of manpower, materials, facilities, capital and informational inputs of an organization (Johnston et al, 2003). To guide our research on operational management we will develop the following preposition: To identify the effectiveness of operational management, one should focus on productivity tools such as Manufacturing Resource Planning, Total Quality Control, Simulation and Animation of Production Operations, Just in Time Techniques, Optimized Production Techniques and Decision Support Systems (Johnston et al, 2003). Based on this proposition we develop three research questions: How do these productivity tools increase the efficiency of operational management in Tesco How can operational management be assessed with regard individual performance and productivity of Tesco PLC What is the potential effect of efficient operational management on customer satisfaction METHODOLOGY RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY The study will adapt an intepretivist research philosophy which is characterized by high degree of subjectivity. Intepretivism takes an ideographic approach to the study and requires a more detailed and rigorous analysis (Swamidass, 1991). This particular philosophical approach has been chosen as it allows the researcher to not only observe and learn, but to also actively engage in the discussion on the effectiveness of operational management in ensuring customer satisfaction. Hence the researcher’s knowledge will be closely aligned to that of the participants. Through this particular philosophical approach, the researcher will be able to explore on the subjective meanings that motivate people’s actions and how effective operational management can improve on customer satisfaction. RESEARCH APPROACHES There are generally two major research paradigms often employed in data collection and analysis namely: qualitative and quantitative approaches. Quantitative methods are formal and objective and they involve systematic processes that generate numerical data (Scudder Hill, 1998). Quantitative research is â€Å"used to answer questions about the complex nature of phenomena, often with the purpose of describing and understanding the phenomena from the participants’ point of view† (Scudder Hill, 1998). With quantitative methods the researcher is able to infer the conclusion through assessing participants’ perceptions and views. On the contrary, qualitative approaches are non-numerical and focus on gathering mainly verbal data (Stuart et al, 2002). The qualitative paradigm is based on a constructivist principle: the belief that reality is socially and subjectively constructed (Stuart et al, 2002). When looking at qualitative versus quantitative methods of data collection, it is obvious that there are advantages and disadvantages associated with each methodology. RESEARCH STRATEGY In order to capitalize on the strengths of both approaches and offset on their limitations, a multi method strategy will be employed by the researcher in collecting primary data. A multi-method strategy uses different data collection methods within a single research paradigm (Tashakkori Teddlie, 2003). It involves using more than one method but restricted to the methods selected from one world view. According to Tashakkori Teddlie (2003), a multi-method approach is important as it allows for the triangulation on an issue by employing different data sources in order to approach the research problem from the different viewpoints. A multi-method strategy will thus be employed involving a quantitative survey through mailed questionnaires to the subordinate employees and semi-structured interviewing of senior managers within Tesco PLC. DATA COLLECTION There is need for an integration of the original individual study through primary research with an existing knowledge and previous research. Therefore both primary and secondary data will be employed in data collection. Primary data will be based on questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviewing of retail managers at Tesco. Secondary research will be used alongside with primary research. Secondary data will be drawn from independent sources such as academic journals, published articles, textbooks, and internet sources. A review of the secondary publications will help in defining the agenda for subsequent primary research by suggesting the relevant questions to be asked. Secondary data will be useful in ascertaining, comparing and integrating with primary data for the purpose of comprehensive and logical analysis. DATA ANALYSIS Thematic analysis (Saunders et al, 2009) would be adopted in the analysis of data obtained through primary and secondary sources. The interview scripts and questionnaires will be analyzed using thematic coding. Contemporary research themes in operation management (such as the operation strategy, supply chain management, service operations, performance management and lean methods), which are based on the research objectives, will be adopted in analyzing the results obtained from the interview and questionnaires as well as the relevant data obtained from secondary publications. RELIABILITY, VALIDITY AND GENERALIZABILITY Due to the fact that semi structured interviews with one or several individuals would be involved in the data gathering process, the study may be prone to interview bias or error and respondent bias or error (Saunders et al, 2009). Moreover, Questionnaires are less likely to be valid as some respondents may answer superficially while others may not be willing to answer certain questions. Furthermore, survey as an instrument has been criticized with some researchers citing potential difficulties of survey administration. According to Meredith et al (1989), the efficient and effective implementation and administration of survey significantly influences the achievement of satisfactory responses and the overall success of data generation. In order to improve reliability, validity and generalizability, this study will adopt the following standards To increase the validity of the research findings and evaluation of responses the researcher will triangulate the responses with articles from independent sources such as published articles, academic journals, textbooks, and the internet and operation management reports. In order to improve on the response rate and content validity, the survey will be designed, formulated and implemented in a manner that follows recommendations from various authors. In particular, the recommendations on survey piloting, layout and questionnaire design by Churchill (1991), Dillman (1978) and Conant et al (1990) will be adopted. Questionnaires will also be issued on two separate occasions, and the two sets of responses compared statistically using spearman’s rank correlation for continuous data hence ensuring consistency of the responses. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS Some of the limitations that might be encountered by the researcher are discussed in this section and these include: Time constraints in conducting the research, analysis and interpreting results. Lack of enough resources for completing the research. CONCLUSION With the above taken into account, it can be concluded that this research proposal is of paramount importance. This research will contribute to the profound analysis on the effectiveness of operational management in achieving better customer satisfaction within a customer facing B2C organization. Conclusion will be drawn based on the findings obtained from the study. REFERENCE Amundson, S. D. (1998). Relationships between theory-driven empirical research in operations management and other disciplines. Journal of Operations Management, 16(4), 341-359. Austin.N. (2004), Exceeding expectations global retailer Tesco known for IT vision, http://epsfiles,internec.com/eps_files/eps_articles/Tesco_article_web_pdf, Updated 2005, accessed 25th July 2011 Buffa, E.S., (1980). Research in operations management. Journal of Operations Management 1, 1–8. Chase, R. B. (1980). A classification and evaluation of research in operations management. Journal of Operations Management, 1(1), 9-14. Churchill.G.A (1991), Marketing research: Methodological foundations, London, The Dryden press Conant.J.S, Mokwa.M.P, Varadarajan.P.R Cooke.R.A (1990), strategic types, distinctive marketing competencies and organizational performance: A multiple measures study, Strategic management journal, vol 11, pp.365-383 Cox Ledbetter (1977), The operations management agenda: an update. Journal of Operations Management, 8, 250–262 Datamonitor Europe (2004), Tesco PLC profile 2004, www.datamonitor.com, updated 2006, accessed 25th July 2011 Dillman (1978), Mail and telephone surveys: The total design method, New York, Wiley publishers Flynn, B. B., Sakakibara, S., Schroeder, R. G., Bates, K. A., Flynn, E. J. (1990). Empirical research methods in operations management. Journal of Operations Management, 9(2), 250-284. Johnston.R, Chamber.S, Harisson.A Slack.N (2003), Cases in operational management, London, Prentice hall Krajewski.L.J Ritzman.L.P (2002), operations management, New Jersey, Pearson education Inc. McCutcheon, D. M., Meredith, J. R. (1993). Conducting case study research in operations management. Journal of Operations Management, 11(3), 239-356. Meredith, J. R., Raturi, A., Amoako-Gyampah, K., Kaplan, B. (1989). Alternative research paradigms in operations. Journal of Operations Management, 8(4), 297-326. Meredith.J.R., Samson, D. (2001). Call for papers: Special issue of Journal of Operations Management on case study and field research. Journal of Operations Management, 19(1), 117-118. Miller, J.G., Graham, M.B.W., (1981). Production operations management: agenda for the ’80s. Decision Sciences 12, 547–571. Nice group (2006), Tesco and business systems UK Ltd work together to ensure a consistent approach to quality management, http://www.nice.com/about/success-story.php.id=27, updated 2005, accessed 25th July 2011 Prasad, S., Babbar, S. (2000). International operations management research. Journal of Operations Management, 18(3), 209-247. Robey Smith (1973), An empirical assessment of the perceived relevance and quality of POM-related journals by academicians. Journal of Operations Management, 10, 194–212. Saunders M., Thornhill.A, Mark Lewis.P (2009), Research methods for Business students, 5th edition Scudder, G. D., Hill, C. A. (1998). A review and classification of empirical research in operations management. Journal of Operations Management, 16(1), 91-101. Stuart, F. I., McCutcheon, D. M., Handfield, R. B., McLachlin, R., Samson, D. (2002). Effective case research in operations management: a process perspective. Journal of Operations Management, 20(5), 419-433. Swamidass, P. M. (1991). Empirical science: new frontier in operations management research. Academy of Management Review, 16(4), 793-814. Tashakkori Teddlie (2003), Quantity and Quality in Social Research, London, Routledge Publishers Wacker, J. G. (1998). A definition of theory: research guidelines for different theory-building research methods in operations management. Journal of Operations Management, 16(4), 361-385. How to cite OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, Essay examples

NAFTA Essay Thesis Example For Students

NAFTA Essay Thesis InJanuary 1994, the United States, Mexico, and Canada implemented the NorthAmerican Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The goal of NAFTA is to create bettertrading conditions through tariff reduction, removal of investment barriers, andimprovement of intellectual property protection. NAFTA continues to graduallyreduce tariffs on set dates and aims to eliminate all tariffs by the year 2004. Before NAFTA was established, investing in Mexico was a difficult process. Investors needed the Mexican Governments approval and were also required tomeet specific investment guidelines. These requirements necessitated investorsto export a set level of goods and services, utilize domestic goods andservices, and transfer technology to competitors. Under NAFTA, investors nolonger need government approval to invest and are treated as domestic investors. NAFTA has also increased intellectual property rights and allowed companies toobtain patents in Mexico and Canada. In the past, companies were hesitant toexport research and development intensive goods; with increased intellectualproperty protection, however, exports of these goods has shown a definiteincrease. As a result of better trading conditions, exports and imports of mostother goods have increased along with the research and development intensivegoods. In Mexico, the elimination of investment barriers has allowed investmentto expand. Increased trading and investment has then created many jobs, raisedthe Gross Domestic Product, and lowered consumer prices. The macroeconomicprinciples defined in Economics 103 relate to NAFTAs impact on aggregate supplyand demand, employment, investment, and their effects on national income. Thefree trade established by MERCOSUR also involves countries within South America. MERCOSUR, the Southern Common Market ( Mercado Common del Sur) was establishedin 1991 after a series of other free trade treaties failed to meet the standardsof the countries involved. It is set up on the basis of free trade zones andeventually to lead to a common market. Before MERCOSUR there was ALALC, theLatin American Free Trade Association. It was formed in 1960 and set up freetrade zones through the periodic negotiations between the members of theassociation. ALALC ended in the 1970s due to these negotiations because theywere left to the discretion of the countries involved and unfair practicesstarted to occur. After ALAC, came ALADI, the Latin American IntegrationAssociation. Founded in 1980, it established economic preference zones insteadof free trade. This encouraged economic growth and increased actions andagreements between countries that previously had no connections. In 1986Argentina and Brazil signed a Treaty for Integration, Cooperation, andDevelopment which was origi nally set up to remove tariff barriers and tietogether the macroeconomic policies of the two countries. This Treaty is whatled to MERCOSUR. MERCOSUR is a process of integration to form a common market onthe foundations of open regionalism. In March of 1991 Paraguay and Uruguayjoined MERCOSUR and most recently Chile became a part of the market in 1996. Thegoals set by the agreement are to create free transit of production goods andlifting of non-tariff restrictions on transit goods. It was set up to adopt acommon trade policy with nations that are not a part of the market and to set upa fixed common external tariff for all to follow. There are quite a few othergoals that was set by MERCOSUR including a clause that states that the countriesinvolved will be able to adjust their laws for the purpose of strengthening theagreement. The main point of MERCOSUR is to set up free trade among SouthAmerican countries and to encourage new countries to join (americasnet.com). Another related trade agreement conveying the benefits of international trade isthe General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT). A trade agreement thatconveys the positive outcomes of international trade is the General Agreement onTrade and Tariffs (GATT). It was created in 1947 and like NAFTA promotesinternational trade through the reduction of tariffs. Today, GATT encompassesover one hundred countries and 90% of the worlds trade goods (Sabir 1). Therehave been eight different versions of GATT, each resulting in a new tradeagreement. The most recent is referred to as the Uruguay Round and is one of thelargest and most comprehensive trade pacts in history (Deng 1). The UruguayRound Agreement cuts tariffs by one-third, increases coverage for textiles,clothing and agriculture and creates a new World Trade Organization(Congressional Digest 258). The WTO settles dispute settlements, regulates thepolicies agreed upon and reviews countries trade practices and policies. Inaddition, the Ur uguay round proposes reductions in nontariff protective barriersto trade (Gottheil 350). The Uruguay Round and WTO make up an important part ofGATT. GATT as a whole is based on principles that ensure all participatingcountries receive benefits. These principles include nondiscrimination,protection of domestic industries and provision of stable basis for trade(Congressional Digest 258). With such a solid foundation, the policies of GATThave taken force. Much like NAFTA, GATT proposes to increase trade through thereduction of tariffs. However, GATT is more inclusive of the internationaleconomy. As NAFTA, MERCOSUR, and GATT establish free trade throughout theAmericas and other parts of the world, the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA)represents countries throughout Western Europe. It was initially formed in 1960by Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. Theoverall objective of the EFTA and of these founding states was to remove tradebarriers throughout We stern Europe, such as import tariffs and quotas, and touphold open practices in world trade (EFTA Page). The framework of the EFTA haschanged significantly since its initial founding as many member states have comeand gone along the way. In 1972, the existing EFTA countries signed free tradeagreements with the European Union, thus eliminating import tariffs onindustrial products. Since then the EFTA has worked to strengthen itsrelationship with the European Community. The current constituents of the everchanging EFTA include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland (EFTAPage). The free trade agreements established by the EFTA cover intra-EFTA trade,trade with the European Union, and free trade outside of the EFTA or EU. TheEFTA is currently in the midst of procuring free trade agreements with countriesin Central and Eastern Europe and even with other countries around the world(EFTA Page). These free trade agreements serve to promote unified movementwithin the EFTAs economic r elationships and to strengthen Europesinternational trade alliances. According to EFTA web page, free tradeestablished by the EFTA is an, essential process in the continuousbuilding of economic, social, and political ties between the countries of Europeand thus enhancing our common objective of closer European integration(EFTA Page). Agreements with the EFTA reduce tariffs between countries, enhanceand allow for more stable foreign investment, and support the removal of tradebarriers. In establishing all of these rights, the EFTA hopes to create anenvironment that is supportive of entrepreneurship, competition, and economicactivity within its various market structures (EFTA Page). Analysis Free Tradeagreements are prevalent throughout the world, each representing trade within aparticular region. The success of free trade is unique to each individual tradeorganization. NAFTA, MERCOSUR, GATT, and the EFTA, overall, have created foundedmany positive aspects in international trade. The free trade that NAFTA hasestablished among the United States, Mexico, and Canada has greatly benefitedthe U.S. economy. During the years from 1994 to 1997, U.S. trade with Mexico andCanada rose 44 percent. This extensive growth is accredited primarily to thereduction of tariffs. As tariffs were lowered, U.S. goods became cheaper andmore competitive in Mexican and Canadian markets, and at this lower price levelthe quantity demanded of U.S. goods increased. On the attached graph, as theprice level drops from A to B, the quantity demanded increases from C to D; itbecomes less expensive for U.S. firms to supply goods to Canada and Mexico asthe supply curve shifts from AS to AS. In order to meet the new demand, thefirms must hire new workers and increase investment. Between 1994 and 1997, 90to 160 thousand jobs were created in the U.S. due to the increase of trade withMexico, and 2.4 million jobs were dependent upon trade with Mexico and Canada. Animal Cruelty leads to Human EssayThis is seen in graph 2, where the aggregate expenditure curve (AE) shifts tothe right (AE). As shown by the graph, the level of national income increasesfrom 250 billion to 300 billion. Therefore, increasing net exports will increasethe level of national income. By eliminating import taxes, world incomewill increase as much as $5 trillion in the next 10 years. Higher world incomesmean more demand for our commodities (Kleckner 1). With an increase innational income, the standard of living in the United States and otherparticipating economies should increase. More jobs will be created for theunemployed, helping the economy reach the full employment level. At this level,all resources would be in use. Similar to other free trade agreements, thepurpose of those formed through the EFTA is to strengthen European as well asinternational economies. In establishing a strong foundation for free trade, itseems that the EFTA has done much good for economies w ithin Europe. According tothe EFTA web page, Ministers emphasize EFTAs strong credentials as a freetrade organization and underline that free trade and economic integration playan increasingly important role in securing work, welfare, peace, and democracyin Europe (EFTA Page). Its visible effects on international trade provideonly a nominal indication of the many accomplishments of the EFTA; its work canalso be observed in terms of its underlying affect on the economy. Inestablishing strong international relationships, it has expanded the level ofexporting and importing, increased employment, raised consumption, and ineffect, also enhanced the average GDP for countries active in the EFTA(Fortune). Each part of this integration serves a beneficial purpose, andpositive aspects of the EFTAs work are evident in economies throughout Europe. As the EFTA has worked to strengthen relationships not only within its membercountries, but all over Europe and the rest of the world, it has establishedmany alliances, thus creating a solid base for foreign trade. The level ofexporting and importing, particularly among European countries has shown adefinite increase. The expansion of foreign trade creates potential for moreemployment opportunities; it can also be directly related to its aggregatesupply, and in effect, its level of GDP. The increase in exporting, being asignificant expenditure included in the calculation of GDP, is shown in itseffect on GDP growth. Within the free trade of the EFTA, the level of employmentin member countries also has been affected. As the degree of economic activityincreases due to free trade alliances, many areas, including that of employmentalso begin to change direction. The expansion of exporting mentioned beforeplays a role in the variable level of employment. Increased employment will addto the level of human capital as rising imports and exports expand capitalresources, thus contributing to an outward shift in the aggregate supply curve. Any increase in resource availability for land, labor, capital, orentrepreneurship will allow for an outward shift in the production possibilitiescurve, followed by a similar shift in the aggregate supply curve, eventuallyincreasing real GDP. Rising employment can also effectively create a rise inconsumption and in average national income, ultimately adding to real GDP. Consumption can be affected not only by a rise in the employment level, but alsoby the reduction in tariffs provided by the EFTA. When consumers have to payless for their goods, their level of real wealth has the effect of increasing. Lower prices enable them to buy more goods with the same level of income; thereis the illusion of greater income. This feeling of increased wealth, along witha rise in the actual level of employment, contributes to increased consumption. The increasing degree of consumption will, again, lead to greater nationalincome, and to a higher level of real GDP. A rise in trade combined withincreasing levels of employment and consumption allows for potential growth inthe level of GDP. According to Fortune magazine, the average GDP of thosecountries belonging to the EFTA rose an average of 2.1% each year (Fortune 7). As trade, employment, and consumption increase together, GDP has a tendency todo so as well. EFTA countries approaching a level of full employment due tochanges in trade, tariffs, and consumption will eventually experience itsbeneficial effect on the economy. Conclusion In general, it seems that each ofthe researched trade agreements has been successful in promoting overalleconomic growth throughout the regions of the world. NAFTA MERCOSUR The positiveeffects of GATT are numerous and widespread. GATT has proved to be highlysuccessful in removing barriers to trade in goods. In eight consecutive rounds,GATT has lowered tariffs on manufactured products from more than 40% to below 4%among developed nations. In part as a result, world merchandise trade,measured in the tens of billions of dollars at the inception of GATT, now standsat $5 trillion (Break down the barriers). This growth has broughtprosperity to developed countries as well as developing countries. Some of thesebenefits are re sult of the larger scope of world trade rules and the largeproportion of the economy that is covered under GATT. The EFTA has been fairlyeffective in following through with its one underlying goal, the removal oftrade barriers within and outside of the EFTA. It has also been proficient incultivating its relationships with third world countries. Its success in theseareas has allowed for the growth of its member countries in areas of trade,employment, consumption, and eventually also national income and real GDP. Itseems, however, that it needs to do more in order to have a more influentialpresence. Since its initial founding, the number of member-countries in the EFTAhas dwindled from seven to only four. The EFTA is clearly not the most prominentfree trade organization in Europe; it is apparent that the European Union holdsthe position of dominance, as many EFTA countries have defected to the EU overthe years. The EFTAs minority power in Europe and the simple reality of itssize may c ause many countries to brush it aside. While it has united with theEuropean to Union to accomplish many things such as the European Economic Area,it might be more effective if it could handle more significant matters on itsown. Bibliography EFTA Page. EFTA Secretariat EFTA Surveillance Authority EFTA Court. 23 March1999 *http://www.efta.int/structure/main/index.html*. How They AddUp. Fortune 126.13 (14 Dec. 1992): 152 153. http://www.americasnet.com/mauritz/mercosur/english; MERCOSUR Sabkar, Maysoon; http://bmb.net/our_views/Reports/Country/paraguay_1.htm, 1998 http://www.embassy.org/uruguay/econ/mercosur/merc-002.htm ; Embassy ofUruguay, Washington D.C. 1996 http://www.heinlein.com.ar/eco.htm ; ArgentinaBriefGovernment