Risk Assessment and Contingency Plans

There are several risks that such company as Target can be exposed. First of all, it is possible to speak about the changes in labor legislation. The government of the United States or Canada can introduce new laws requiring Target and other large retailers to raise minimum wages for the employees.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Risk Assessment and Contingency Plans specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This change can strongly affect the financial performance of this organization. Currently, the company faces various lawsuits related to their alleged failure to compensate their employees properly and offer them adequate medical insurance (EOWLD1 unpaged). Thus, it is possible that these legal conflicts can eventually give rise to new laws. Canadian citizens do not receive healthcare coverage directly from the employer, it is provided by the government (Greenberg, 63). However, the cost of the coverage is re flected in the taxes that private companies pay. Therefore, rapid increase in these health coverage costs can result in extra expense for Target. The company has to be ready for these changes in legislations; otherwise they can lose their positions in the market. Secondly, this management of this company should remember that economic recession forces people in Canada to choose less expensive products, and as a result, retailing companies have to lower the prices and enter price competition. This competition will be very difficult for Target, especially if we consider its rivalry competition with Wall-Mart (Rowley, 175). Finally, one should also take into account that some Canadian customers may give preference to local retailers rather than foreign ones. Therefore, by opening new stores in Canada Target may not achieve the expected profits. The contingency plan can include several important steps. For example, the company should develop new compensation plan which reflect the possib le changes in labor laws in Canada. Admittedly, this change can affect the profitability of this corporation at the beginning but without it they will not be able to operate in this country. The second important step is to expand the range of their products. Currently, this company offers high quality products to middle-income people (Rowley, 175). They should also sell the merchandise that will affordable to people of lower income. Additionally, this corporation should establish close partnership with a variety of Canadian suppliers in order to make their supply chain more cost-effective.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Finally, this organization has to make sure that it is viewed by Canadian customers as a responsible corporate citizen. In part, Target can do it by retaining the employees of Zellers Inc, the retailing company that they acquired. Overall, these str ategies can avert possible risks or at least minimize their impacts. Strategy Map and Balanced Scorecard At this point, it is necessary for us to illustrate the future goals of Target Corporation by means of this strategy map. They are closely connected to the company’s intention to open new stores in Canada. They are as follows: Financial Perspective To increase the profitability of the Canadian department stores acquired by Target by 10 percent at the end of 2012. To increase the sales volumes of these stores by 5 percent at the end of 2012 To reduce the operational expenses by 5 percent at the end of 2012. Measurement Overall, the management of this company should take measurements on a quarterly basis. They need to focus on three criteria sales rates, net income, and operational expenses of those Canadian stores that merged with the company. Such approach will enable them to track their progress. Customer Perspective To make sure that the company is viewed by Canadian customers as company that values corporate social responsibility. To develop methods of attracting new customers, for example, by improving the quality of services. Measurement The company can adopt several research methods to evaluate and measure Canadian clients’ perceptions. For example, they can conduct online surveys prompting the customers to assess Target in terms of their prices or service quality. The results of these customer surveys will be the milestones showing where these customers have a favorable opinion about the company. Internal perspective To reduce the stock out rate to a minimum To establish more close alliances with a variety of Canadian supplier. Measurement The management can evaluate this aspect of performance by counting the number of stork-out within a month. These measurements must be taken each month, and they will serve as the key milestones for the management. The second objective can be measured by the number of business partners that Targe t has in Canada. Learning Perspective and growth To make sure that the best practices are quickly dissimilated and adopted across the company To improve the skills of every employee by offering training programs to the personnel. Measurement The management can evaluate learning and growth in Canadian stores by measuring the amount of time it takes different department stores to assimilate the best practices of the Company. These measurements must be taken each month, and they will serve as the key milestones for the management. Furthermore, the management should conduct assessment of employee’s performance every month. The first aspect that has been identified in the strategy map is financial perspective. At this point, the main objective is to reduce the operations costs and increase sales by five percent in Canadian stores. This goal can be achieved by offering products to people of various incomes. Secondly, the management can achieve this goal by optimizing the supply c hain.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Risk Assessment and Contingency Plans specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The second aspect, which can be equally important to Target Corporation is the customer perspective. As it has been said, the company must demonstrate that they really act as a responsible corporate citizen that will benefit Canadian customers. They can attain this objective in several ways. First, the management must eliminate labor law violations in the workplace. Such controversial incidents can really damage the reputation of this organization and prevent it from expanding in the United States or Canada. Secondly, they can do it by retaining the employees of former companies such as Zellers Inc. Thirdly, one should not overlook internal process perspective. The main objectives are to minimize stock out rates and establish partnerships with Canadian suppliers. The stock out time can be minimiz ed by using more accurate demand-forecasting methods. Finally, the management should foster learning and growth in the organization. This perspective is probably also vital for the success of Target Corporation. The key task is to make sure that ideas and best practices are quickly disseminated across the company. They need to work on the improvement of worker’s skills. This is why they should offer training programs to the members of the staff. Finally, the company needs to offer stimulus to well-performing and talented employees. For example, they can give monthly awards the best employees. Later, the management should track their performance on a monthly basis. This assessment will show whether these bonuses and training programs contribute to better performance. These are the strategies that Target should pursue in order to achieve success in Canada. Works Cited Greenberg, Warren. The Health Care Marketplace. London: Beard Books, 2002. Print. Rowley, Laura. On Target: How the World’s Hottest Retailer Hit a Bull’s-Eye. NY: John Wiley Sons, 2004. Print.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. â€Å"Ricardo Vazquez v. Target Corporation†. 2009. Web. Retrieved from https://www.mass.gov/decision/ricardo-vazquez-v-target-corporation Footnotes 1 the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. This research paper on Risk Assessment and Contingency Plans was written and submitted by user Phasma to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Essential Element Facts in Chemistry

Essential Element Facts in Chemistry What Is an Element? A chemical element is  the simplest form of matter that cannot be broken down using any chemical means. Any substance made up of one type of atom is an example of that element. All atoms of an element contain the same number of protons. For example, helium is an element all helium atoms have 2 protons. Other examples of elements include hydrogen, oxygen, iron, and uranium. Here are some essential facts to know about elements: Essential Element Facts While every atom of an element has the same number of protons, the number of electrons and neutrons can vary. Changing the number of electrons forms ions, while changing the number of neutrons forms isotopes of an element.The same elements occur everywhere in the universe. Matter on Mars or in the Andromeda Galaxy consists of the same elements found on Earth.The elements were formed by nuclear reactions inside stars. Initially, scientists thought only 92 elements occurred in nature, but now we know many of the shorts of allotropes of carbon include diamond, graphite, buckminsterfullerene, and amorphous carbon. Although they all consists of carbon atoms, these allotropes have different properties from each other.Elements are listed in order of increasing atomic number (number of protons) on the periodic table. The periodic table arranged elements according to periodic properties or recurring trends in the characteristics of the elements. The only two liquid elements at room temperature and pressure are mercury and bromine.The periodic table lists 118 elements, but when this article was written (August 2015), the existence of only 114 of these elements had been verified. There are new elements yet to be discovered.Many elements occur naturally, but some are man-made or synthetic. The first man-made element was technetium.Over three-quarters of the known elements are metals. There are also a small number of nonmetals and elements with properties in between those of metals and nonmetals, known as metalloids or semimetals.The most common element in the universe is hydrogen. The second most abundant element is helium. Although helium is found throughout the universe, it is very rare on Earth because it does not form chemical compounds and its atoms are light enough to escape Earths gravity and bleed out into space. Your body contains more hydrogen atoms than atoms of any other element, but the most common element, by mass , is oxygen. Ancient man was exposed to several pure elements that occur in nature, including carbon, gold, and copper, but people did not recognize these substances as elements. The earliest elements were considered to be earth, air, fire, and water substances we now know consist of multiple elements.While some elements exist in pure form, most bond together with other elements to form compounds. In a chemical bond, atoms of one element share electrons with atoms of another element. If its a relatively equal sharing, the atoms have a covalent bond. If one atom basically donates electrons to an atom of another element, the atoms have an ionic bond. Organization of Elements in the Periodic Table The modern periodic table is similar to the periodic table developed by Mendeleev, but his table ordered elements by increasing atomic weight. The modern table lists the elements in order by increasing atomic number (not Mendeleevs fault, since he did not know about protons back then). Like Mendeleevs table, the modern table groups elements according to common properties. Element groups are the columns in the periodic table. They include alkali metals, alkaline earths, transition metals, basic metals, metalloids, halogens, and noble gases. The two rows of elements located below the main body of the periodic table are a special group of transition metals called the rare earth elements. The lanthanides are the elements in the top row of the rare earths. The actinides are elements in the bottom row.

International Developments That Have Critical Implication for Essay

International Developments That Have Critical Implication for International HRM - Essay Example A number of important international developments are presently taking place that has critical implication for international HRM. They include; (a) the growth of multinationals in the emerging markets, (b) constant increment levels of foreign direct investments, (c) the growing power of cross-border alliances (M&As) that involve companies from the emerging markets, (d) a growing trend in business process outsourcing, and (e) the challenges posed by the current financial crisis and the way to manage effectively in difficult times. The emerging international economic scenario characterized by the rise of economically stronger emerging markets is creating serious challenges for the IHRM policymakers; however, the same scenario lays immense opportunities for the IHRM researchers. The model of strategic international HRM (SIHRM) is based on the earliest and most famous article by Schuler, Dowling and De Cieri. The model describes endogenous and exogenous factors and strategic components th at have an effect on SIHRM policies, issues, functions, and practices. They, in turn, affect the MNC goals such as efficiency, learning, flexibility, effectiveness, responsiveness, and transfer. According to the model, the external factors (industry characteristics, country-regional characteristics and inter-organizational networks) have an effect on the internal organizational factors, strategic HRM and MNE (multinational enterprise) concerns and goals. The internal organizational factors, strategic HRM and MNE concerns and goals affect each other. The internal organizational factors include; (a) MNE structure – structure of the international operations, intra-organizational networks, mechanisms of coordination, and modes of operations, (b) MNE strategy – corporative level strategy and business level strategy, (c) experience in the management of international operations, and (d) headquarters international orientation. Strategic HRM entails HR function strategy and HR practices. MNE concerns and goals entail competitiveness, efficiency, the balance of local responsiveness and international integration, and flexibility.

Movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Movies - Essay Example Considered in this movie are three movies upon which two are internet based movies while the third one is an artificial intelligence movie whose rationale is to showcase the timeline trends of computers and how various changes have occurred within the sectors that use computers and how realistic and relevant the movie themes hold to reality. Wargames, HAL 9000, and Catfish are the three movies in which modes of communication are observed through and how they differ from one movie to another with respect to time – HAL 9000 is the artificial intelligence movie in this list. SYNOPSIS OF THE MOVIES Wargames Wargames is a movie that is set in the 1980s upon which the capabilities of a computer program are viewed from a gamer’s point of view. In this case, the movie focuses on the computer program the WORP, also known as Joshua. Joshua in this case is an online game that engages users to lay out protocols and follow the gaming principles. In its design and structure, WORP has no malfunctions and therefore takes commands normally from anyone that can access login details. WORP is hacked by David and Jennifer using a backdoor entry in to the program’s code and triggers the program to come to live – killing and causing mayhem in real life. The movie also presents two aspects of governance and computer gimmickry upon which the government is unable to shut down the program while the hackers have an idea of how to rectify their created problem (Badham, 1983). While focusing on a program that transmits data and receives commands from a variety of gamers around the grind, it is observed that the means of communication in this case are rather represented by slow machines, dial up connections, and the use of 8† floppy discs to enable processing of traffic when playing the game. The mode of communication in this case is that the mainframe machine installed with the WORP communicates with other workstations through a virtual interconnectivity (B adham, 1983). The characteristics of communication in this 1983 movie are central to the tactics used to initiate a communication or initializing a connection with the mainframe machine. David and Jennifer hack into the program by using David’s home computer. This means that David, although he did not have as much resources in his disposal to hack the program, did not face complex processes of hacking into the program – this points to a major security problem with the manner at which online resources could be accessed and altered during this period (Badham, 1983). HAL 9000 HAL 9000 is a movie set in 2001 in which a mainframe super computer named HAL is entrusted with the duty to observe and sustain communications in a Jupiter bound spacecraft. The relevance of HAL within the spacecraft is to monitor and control various tasks of the spacecraft such as air conditioning, closing and opening of doors, and decoding and processing of instructions. In this case, the spacecraf t and its crew do not have much influence as to how HAL is designed. However, HAL is observed learning various natural language capabilities. This leads to the deaths of crew members such as Frank Poole and David Bowman as a conflict in instructional commands force HAL to make own decisions

Analysis essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis - Essay Example Under the stealth of night, the sniper found himself playing mind games with the enemy, and had to calculate his every move to make sure his opponent would not receive any clues that could cost him his life. Throughout the short story, the sniper takes extra precautions and devises deceiving schemes in order to outsmart his enemy. This is why his last actions in the story are inconsistent with his meticulous attention to strategy and precautions prior to the story’s conclusion − yet keeping in mind the context of the war helps the reader to understand his motivations. From the very beginning, the sniper portrays himself as a very cunning young soldier, taking every measure to ensure that he does not give the enemy a foothold that could cost him his life – with the exception of foolishly lighting a cigarette at night to quench his intense nicotine addiction. He skillfully lays low in stealth from the rooftop and picks off a woman informant on the street below, as well as the enemy soldier emerging from the turret of the vehicle that he was attentively keeping under surveillance. Soon afterward, enemy fire from the rooftop of a building across the street caught him in the arm, and through trickery, the Republican sniper fooled his shooter into believing that he was fatally wounded. Causing his opponent to let his guard down, the sniper was able to get a clean shot at him with his revolver, killing him with a round that plummeted his lifeless body to the street below. As the average reader would come to believe that this would be just another mundane casualty of war in the sniper’s mind, readers with a knowledge of the Irish civil war of the 1920s − as being an up-close-and-personal warfare that often divided families and friends to war against each other – come to understand soldiers’ uncanny curiosity to know exactly who their opposition is. Also, the author

My socio autobiography

My socio autobiography   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The world outside Korea has a lot to offer. Travel, entertainment, enjoyment, work and income privileges, friends and so much that a blissful life could offer! Childhood dreams have never remained in limbo of my dreams! Experiences in Korea during my younger years are worth remembering particularly to an international student like me the virtues my parents have told me, the culture I am exposed to and the discipline that I have learned during my younger years. A Korean enthusiast as I am, I have ventured in Vancouver, Canada to pursue my degree in Association Arts. I am Sean Woong Bi, Doo. I am born to Hyun Eun, Kim and Hong Jick, Doo. I have first seen light on earth on 1988 Jan 1st, and was born in Korea. I am older than my sister, in a family of two kids to our parents. I would have wanted to remain in Korea but the demands for education and career opportunity bring me to Canada. For purely education reasons, I decided to move here. It is personally observed that my need for education and my quest for knowledge have been greatly influenced by the growing economic condition of the country. For quite sometime now, Korea has become one of the progressive countries not only in Asia but in the world as well. The growing economic condition of Korea has brought forth higher demands of production of goods and services and in return, greater number of career opportunities. Consequently, competition for the best and top positions is becoming stif fer. Many students of my age and of the younger generation are seeking for international education to obtain better and well paying jobs back home. In particular, learning English has been highly encouraged among students. In fact most Koreans I know travel to different countries to enroll and learn English. This may pose the question, â€Å"why English?† Competition in the global economy and in reaching out to the global community, the English language has been recognized. This has been the trend that I have grown to competition in terms of educational attainment and career opportunities. In response, most parents including my parents encourage their children to have as a priority education. Hence, presently I am now a resident here being an international student; I first set foot in my town in 2001, eight years ago! Living away from home has been adventurous. It is more of an exciting experience than a tedious one! Korean culture has taught me to live an independent life; in particular, males are required to render military service at an early age that is why I have inculcated in my mind since I was young to learn to live by myself and not to depend on others. I knew then that it means living away from home to learn to defend our country. In the camp, we are taught to survive with the least supply of food, restricted communication even from families and most of all personal discipline. The rigid military training and the personal discipline which I have learned have greatly helped me adopt to my new place and to mingle well with foreign students. I have gotten along well with my friends in school and in my neighborhood. First few weeks here was not as bad as I thought it was. The things that I usually neglect doing in my own home are now my primary concerns. I have to feed myself, do the laundry and do some groceries. Learning these basic things was a lot of fun. Besides, my family has trained me to be independent in some ways. The most important learning in being an international student in my school is the discipline. Being independent and away from ones family is a challenge in itself a challenge in terms of attitude, discipline, virtues and principles in life. By being alone at an early age, I have proved to myself that the virtues I have learned while I was growing up have been very useful in my day to day living, that I could say that my parents have raised me well that I am now able to take care of myself and be a good member of society, and that people appreciate me for what I have done and what I have become. I could hardly imagine the days when I used to worry about being away from home. But I realized that the values of hard work and perseverance which may parents have taught me have helped a lot in coping with the challenges I am facing while away from them. Aside from school, I enjoy the work I have gotten into. I used to work as a promoter in a night club. Being a promoter was never a bread and butter for me, it was more of a diversion from school while earning at the same time and enjoying most of it. Getting a job myself has never been a hindrance to academic success. Koreans are exposed to this kind of arrangement school and work at the same time. I grew up in an environment where students are exposed to different experiences, not just school. Students are allowed to explore their own world, and thus are allowed to taste a bit of how it is going to be when employed. This has been part of societys way of training students to becoming more responsible citizens. This kind of arrangement is both common in Korea and Canada the reason why I immediately got myself a job. Students are sometimes given the priority in terms of employment in certain positions. It is more of living a practical reality of life. I study, I enjoy and earn at the same time. Moreover, doing both school and work at the same time is an evolution of my life, from being totally dependent from my parents particularly for financial support. It is my one way of growing up, to live up to what society expects me to do as a grown up. Slowly I realized the value of education and career. One can not do without the other. We obtain good education to land to a good career, otherwise, life would be stuck to little earnings which could hardly support the leisure of a teenager. The way I see things now may have been influenced by my childhood experiences. Childhood years were a lot fun that I thought it was. I used to be part of the horse back riding team then. In fact, I earned the horse back riding youth championship award when I was fifteen (15). At first, horse back riding was nothing but part of being a child. Then I realized that not all kids come to experience that. One important lesson I learned from it is the attitude of being competitive. From the time I got the award, I learned to exert extra effort in what I do to always give the best shot; and this does not only apply in my horse back riding competitions but in my day to day living as well. Personal outlook in life is shaped by personal experiences. Dispositions in life are also influenced with how we see life. I am lucky to have experienced what I have gone through during my younger years. At times, we take for granted the beautiful things that we do. But behind the stories they share and I share, there can be seen the real person that we are, the real person that I am shaped by the virtues I have learned all throughout my life as a kid, teenager and as an adult.

The Devil And Daniel Webster Essay -- essays research papers

The play "The Devil and Daniel Webster" was written by Stephen Vincent Benà ©t in 1938. Stephen Vincent Benà ©t was born in 1898 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. His education came from Yale University and the Sorbonne in Paris, France. "The Devil and Daniel Webster" has a wide array of characters, each with a distinguished personality, yet an overall temperment that would be fitting of a New England community. The main character is Jabez Stone, a wealthy New England statesman whose possition was the state senator of New Hampshire. He had started out as a farmer though, but moved up in life and, when he was about thirty years of age, married the fair woman, Mary Stone- who was in her early twenties. The fiddler, though not incredibly important, was a key character in that he provided foreshadowing.When he said, "But the very devil's got into that fiddle of mine.", he was forshadowing the coming of the devil to disturb the merriments. A very key character in this play is the devil himself, which took the name of Scratch (for that was what he was called in New England communities). He had come to steal the soul of Jabez Stone, claiming that he had a right to Jabez because of a legal contract. Last- but most certainly not least in this story- is the great Governor of New Hampshire, loved by all, Daniel Webster. Daniel Webster was not only the governor, but an excelent orator. He had a way of using words to pursued the opinion of others, sometimes by conve...