Zappos has received criticism for being too extreme in the honest of their recruiting approaches. Do you agree? Explain and motivate your answers including pros and cons.

OM in the News: Nurses, Ebola, and the Subject of Quality

OCTOBER 17, 2014

by Barry Render

With Ebola leading the news every day, I am reminded of the words of Dr. Edwards Deming: management needs to accept responsibility for quality in building systems. Deming believed an employee could not, on average, exceed the quality of a process’ capability. (His famous 14 points are summarized in Table 6.2 on page 212). Now with some nurses being blamed for the lax Ebola virus procedures in Texas, we are seeing a response from the leading nursing association.

Following news that the first U.S. nurse has now tested positive for the Ebola virus, National Nurses United (NNU, Oct.12, 2014) called for all hospitals to have in place the highest standard of optimal protections, including Hazmat suits, and hands-on training to protect all RNs, other hospital personnel to confront Ebola . NNU’s new survey of 2,000 nurses shows:

• 76% still say their hospital has not communicated to them any policy regarding potential admission of patients infected by Ebola
• 85% say their hospital has not provided education on Ebola with the ability for the nurses to interact and ask questions
• 37% say their hospital has insufficient current supplies of eye protection for daily use on their unit; 36% say there are insufficient supplies of fluid resistant/impermeable gowns in their hospital
• 39% say their hospital does not have plans to equip isolation rooms with plastic covered mattresses and pillows and discard all linens after use; only 8% said they were aware their hospital does have such a plan in place.

Not having supplies; not having equipment; not educating employees; not having a plan. All of these are systems problems, not employee problems, Deming would say.

Discussion questions:

1. Who in your opinion is responsible for setting quality standards and processes for the treatment and prevention of novel diseases such as Ebola at the time and COVID-19 at present?

2. Which of Dr. Deming’s 14 points particularly apply in this situation?

3. What do you understand by the term Total Quality Management (TQM)

4. List and describe 3 concepts of TQM

Thumbs Up Will Be Given For Answer.

Chapter Topic: Marketing Globally

Please find an INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS article to use. By doing so, YOU NEED to please visit websites such as  Reuters, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, etc, and put in the keywords "International Business" and the chapter topic "Marketing Globally" on the website. You NEED to choose a relevant and interesting article that was made within the PAST COUPLE MONTHS that has to do with "International Business" and the chapter topic "Marketing Globally". ***MUST INCLUDE LINK FOR ARTICLE USED PLEASE***  (2-3 paragraphs please)

Question:

A) Key international business dimension for the article?

B) How this article relates to the chapter topic "Marketing Globally"?

C) Why this article got your attention?

According to Small Business Administration research, only half of new businesses survive for the first five years and only one-third of new businesses are able to survive for 10 years. According to Kamo (2016), "Sometimes people start businesses with a dream of making money but don’t have the skill or interest to manage cash flow, taxes, expenses, and other financial issues. Poor accounting practice puts a business on a path straight to failure" (para. 14). For this week’s discussion, search the internet to find an article discussing the importance of fiscal planning in a small business. Include the type of software recommended (if mentioned), competencies leaders should have in the area of finances and any other recommendations. Does the article support the positions by the authors of our textbook? Support your recommendations with course concepts and other outside sources.

We had discussed the possibility of judging if a person is ethical even if it is not possible to agree on what is ethical in a situation. An argument was that if we find that a person has integrity to the ethics principles s/he espouses under all circumstances, consistently, then we could say that person is ethical. Do you think that this criterion of integrity is sufficient for being ethical? State your position on this and make your arguments for your position.

please help me with ideas to write a paper about this... I need around 1000 words :( thanks

1. Summarize the processes involved in project resource management.

2. Describe what Responsibility Assignment Matrices is.

COMPANY Case: Porsche: Guarding the Old While Bringing in the New

Porsche (pronounced Porsh-uh) is a unique company. It has always been a niche brand that makes cars for a small and distinctive segment of automobile buyers. In 2009, Porsche sold only 27,717 cars in the five models it sells in the United States. Honda sold about 10 times that many Accords alone. But Porsche owners are as rare as their vehicles. For that reason, top managers at Porsche spend a great deal of time thinking about customers. They want to know who their customers are, what they think, and how they feel. They want to know why they buy a Porsche rather then a Jaguar, a Ferrari, or a big Mercedes coupe. These are challenging questions to answer; even Porsche owners themselves don’t know exactly what motivates their buying. But given Porsche’s low volume and the increasingly fragmented auto market, it is imperative that management understands its customers and what gets their motors running.

Since its early days, Porsche has appealed to a very narrow segment of financially successful people. These are achievers who see themselves as entrepreneurial, even if they work for a corporation. They set very high goals for themselves and then work doggedly to meet them. And they expect no less from the clothes they wear, the restaurants they go to, or the cars they drive. These individuals see themselves not as a part of the regular world but as exceptions to it. They buy Porsches because the car mirrors their self-image; it stands for the things owners like to see in themselves and their lives.

Most of us buy what Porsche executives call utility vehicles. That is, we buy cars primarily to go to work, transport children, and run errands. Because we use our cars to accomplish these daily tasks, we base buying decisions on features such as price, size, fuel economy, and other practical considerations. But Porsche is more than a utility car. Its owners see it as a car to be enjoyed, not just used. Most Porsche buyers are not moved by information but by feelings. A Porsche is like a piece of clothing—something the owner “wears” and is seen in. They develop a personal relationship with their cars, one that has more to do with the way the car sounds, vibrates, and feels, rather than the how many cup holders it has or how much cargo it can hold in the trunk. They admire their Porsche because it is a competent performance machine without being flashy or phony.

People buy Porsches because they enjoy driving. If all they needed was something to get them from point A to point B, they could find something much less expensive. And while many Porsche owners are car enthusiasts, some of them are not. One successful businesswoman and owner of a high-end Porsche said, “When I drive this car to the high school to pick up my daughter, I end up with five youngsters in the car. If I drive any other car, I can’t even find her; she doesn’t want to come home.”

For its first few decades, Porsche AG lived by the philosophy of Ferry Porsche, Ferdinand’s son. Ferry created the Porsche 356 because no one else made a car like he wanted. But as the years rolled on, Porsche management became concerned with a significant issue: Were there enough Porsche buyers to keep the company afloat? Granted, the company never had illusions of churning out the numbers of a Chevrolet or a Toyota. But to fund innovation, even a niche manufacturer has to grow a little. And Porsche began to worry that the quirky nature of the people who buy Porsches might just run out on them.

This led Porsche to extend its brand outside the box. In the early 1970s, Porsche introduced the 914, a square-ish, mid-engine, two-seater that was much cheaper than the 911. This meant that a different class of people could afford a Porsche. It was no surprise that the 914 became Porsche’s top selling model. By the late 1970s, Porsche replaced the 914 with a hatchback coupe that had something no other regular Porsche model had ever had: an engine in the front. At less than $20,000, more than $10,000 less than the 911, the 924 and later 944 models were once again Porsche’s pitch to affordability. At one point, Porsche increased its sales goal by nearly 50 percent to 60,000 cars a year.

Although these cars were in many respects sales successes, the Porsche faithful cried foul. They considered these entry-level models to be cheap and underperforming. Most loyalists never really accepted these models as “real” Porsches. In fact, they were not at all happy that they had to share their brand with a customer who didn’t fit the Porsche owner profile. They were turned off by what they saw as a corporate strategy that had focused on mass over class marketing. This tarnished image was compounded by the fact that Nissan, Toyota, BMW, and other car manufacturers had ramped up high-end sports car offerings, creating some fierce competition. In fact, both the Datsun 280-ZX and the Toyota Supra were not only cheaper than Porsche’s 944 but also faster. A struggling economy threw more sand in Porsche’s tank. By 1990, Porsche sales had plummeted, and the company flirted with bankruptcy.

But Porsche wasn’t going down without a fight. It quickly recognized the error of its ways and halted production of the entry-level models. It rebuilt its damaged image by revamping its higher-end model lines with more race-bred technology. In an effort to regain rapport with customers, Porsche once again targeted the high end of the market in both price and performance. It set modest sales goals and decided that moderate growth with higher margins would be more profitable in the long term. Thus, the company set out to make one less Porsche than the public demanded. According to one executive, “We’re not looking for volume; we’re searching for exclusivity.”

Porsche’s efforts had the desired effect. By the late 1990s, the brand was once again favored by the same type of achiever who had so deeply loved the car for decades. The cars were once again exclusive. And the company was once again profitable. But by the early 2000s, Porsche management was again asking itself a familiar question: To have a sustainable future, could Porsche rely on only the Porsche faithful? According to then CEO Wendelin Wiedeking, “For Porsche to remain independent, it can’t be dependent on the most fickle segment in the market. We don’t want to become just a marketing department of some giant. We have to make sure we’re profitable enough to pay for future development ourselves.”

So in 2002, Porsche did the unthinkable. It became one of the last car companies to jump into the insatiable sport utility vehicle (SUV) market. At roughly 5,000 pounds, the new Porsche Cayenne was heavier than anything that Porsche had ever made, with the exception of some prototype tanks it made during WWII. Once again, the new model featured an engine up front. And it was the first Porsche to ever be equipped with seatbelts for five. As news spread about the car’s development, howls could be heard from Porsche’s customer base.

But this time, Porsche did not seem too concerned that the loyalists would be put off. Could it be that the company had already forgotten what happened the last time it deviated from the mold? After driving one of the first Cayenne’s off the assembly line, one journalist stated, “A day at the wheel of the 444 horsepower Cayenne Turbo leaves two overwhelming impressions. First, the Cayenne doesn’t behave or feel like an SUV, and second, it drives like a Porsche.” This was no entry-level car. Porsche had created a two-and-a-half ton beast that could accelerate to 60 miles per hour in just over five seconds, corner like it was on rails, and hit 165 miles per hour, all while coddling five adults in sumptuous leather seats with almost no wind noise from the outside world. On top of that, it could keep up with a Land Rover when the pavement ended. Indeed, Porsche had created the Porsche of SUVs.

Last year, Porsche upped the ante one more time. It unveiled another large vehicle. But this time, it was a low-slung, five-door luxury sedan. The Porsche faithful and the automotive press again gasped in disbelief. But by the time the Panamera hit the pavement, Porsche had proven once again that Porsche customers could have their cake and eat it to. The Panamera is almost as big as the Cayenne but can move four adults down the road at speeds of up to 188 miles per hour and accelerate from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in four seconds flat.

Although some Porsche traditionalists would never be caught dead driving a front engine Porsche that has more than two doors, Porsche insists that two trends will sustain these new models. First, a category of Porsche buyers has moved into life stages that have them facing inescapable needs; they need to haul more people and stuff. This not only applies to certain regular Porsche buyers, but Porsche is again seeing buyers enter its dealerships that otherwise wouldn’t have. Only this time, the price points of the new vehicles are drawing only the well heeled, allowing Porsche to maintain its exclusivity. These buyers also seem to fit the achiever profile of regular Porsche buyers.

The second trend is the growth of emerging economies. Whereas the United States has long been the world’s biggest consumer of Porsches, the company expects China to become its biggest customer before too long. Twenty years ago, the United States accounted for about 50 percent of Porsche’s worldwide sales. Now, it accounts for only about 26 percent. In China, many people who can afford to buy a car as expensive as a Porsche also hire a chauffeur. The Cayenne and the Panamera are perfect for those who want to be driven around in style but who may also want to make a quick getaway if necessary.

The most recent economic downturn has brought down the sales of just about every maker of premium automobiles. When times are tough, buying a car like a Porsche is the ultimate deferrable purchase. But as this downturn turns back up, Porsche is better poised than it has ever been to meet the needs of its customer base. It is also in better shape than ever to maintain its brand image with the Porsche faithful and with others as well. Sure, understanding Porsche buyers is still a difficult task. But a former CEO of Porsche summed it up this way: “If you really want to understand our customers, you have to understand the phrase, ‘If I were going to be a car, I’d be a Porsche.’

Required Questions –

Question 01: Critically analyze the relevant Porters generic strategies and the growth strategies Porsche is pursuing , justify your answer by referring to the case study

Pick a local brand (from your city, region, or country) that has been very successful competing against bigger global brands in its product category

Explore and determine if the local brand you picked has a well-defined and executed brand strategy?

What are the elements of the local brand strategy that enabled it to achieve this success?

Submit an initial quality post in which you discuss and defend your list of elements with your classmates.

Pick a local brand (from your city, region, or country) that has been very successful competing against bigger global brands in its product category

• Explore and determine if the local brand you picked has a well-defined and executed brand strategy?
• What are the elements of the local brand strategy that enabled it to achieve this success?

How can the company increases it's interest coverage ratio ? Explain

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States' federal executive departments. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, prescriptions, and other health-related products. The following are a few examples of the powers the FDA has:

• Most federal laws concerning the FDA are part of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Other significant laws enforced by the FDA include the Public Health Service Act, and parts of the Controlled Substances Act. One job of the FDA is to investigate potential violators of these acts and obtain information that will help the FDA determine whether they were in violation of the laws.

• The FDA also has the power to reach a settlement via a consent order from an administrative law judge with companies that may be in violation of some of the standards the FDA imposes on health. For example, the FDA recently reached a settlement with Bayer regarding a birth control product called Yaz. As a result of the settlement, Bayer is airing ads that clarify information on what the medication Yaz does and doesn't do. The company did not admit any wrongdoing, but agreed to run new ads.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule containing a broad set of federal requirements designed to significantly curb access to and the appeal of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to children and adolescents in the United States. Published in March 19, 2010, the new rule became effective June 22, 2010, and has the force and effect of law.

What judicial power does the FDA have in the example? If a settlement is not reached, what other judicial powers might an administrative agency have?

Do smart or flexible working practices improve employee relationships or create conflict? Give examples.

It all started on September 2, 1998 when smoke suddenly filled the cabin of the Swissair flight 111 as it was on route from New York to Geneva. The pilot swung the troubled aircraft to sea to dump excess of fuel before landing. Unfortunately, the plane plunged into the sea before it could reach safety and crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, killing all 229 on board. Investigations asked whether the pilot’s decision to circle and dump the fuel before landing was correct or not. Swissair officials defended their pilot, noting that the pilot followed the Swissair’s emergency procedures published by the carrier’s operating manual. The U.S pilots reported that “Rules are made to be broken” meaning that in such emergency cases, the pilots should exercise their independent judgment, regardless of what is contained in the company manual. However, the Swissair officials countered that the procedures detailed in the manual reflected the state-of-the-art understanding of what to do in an emergency, and thus its pilots did the right thing in adhering to the manual The “rules are there to be obeyed” reflects the viewpoint of Swissair’s officials.

1. Which one of Hofstede’s five dimensions is discussed in this case study? Define the dimension and explain its two extremes.

2. To which extreme is the Swissair pilot oriented? How is this dimension interrelated with the other four dimensions of Hofstede?

3. How does this dimension affect the aspects of managing international business in terms of hierarchies and risk-taking? Do you support the Swissair pilots’ decision? Why?

4. Social orientation plays an important role in determining the job mobility within a certain society. Do you think that there is an interrelation between this element and Hofstede’s dimension (Uncertainty Orientation)?

Once a company has decided to “do something different” (rather than “do nothing” or “do nothing differently”), what kinds of changes can they make?