Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

Strategic management - Essay Example It does use all its operational activities in a very effective manner. The biggest positive advantage that the company has is that the way in which the company has understood the requirements of the customers in different locations. The way they have been able to achieve the customers satisfaction is an incredible achievement for the company. Tesco is passionate and also successful in building and developing the skills and talent among the employees from their own resources itself. The organizational culture followed in the company has allowed each employee to work in a very efficient manner and also as a single team. All the employees do work towards a common goal and objective. The company has also got a huge competitive advantage in the way it adapts itself to the changing market environment and thus the business process is very flexible in Tesco. The huge capital that the company has in its balance does provide Tesco with lot of stability and also take decisions which have lots o f risks involved but with their success the company gets lots of benefits. This model of resource-based view does puts lots of focus on the way the internal capabilities of the organization is been utilised by the company for achieving its goals and for getting competitive advantage in the global competitive market. The internal capabilities of the company shows the way the company can make its strategies that can provide the company with lot of competitive advantage over the competitors. These internal capabilities of the organization do help the company to create value chain for the stakeholders and also for the customers. In Tesco the internal resources are the employees, equipments, cash flow and other resources. The company does make sure that all the internal resources of the company are been utilised in the best possible way and in most efficiently and

Product Liability and Intentional Tort Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Product Liability and Intentional Tort - Essay Example The rationale for placing high liability on the sellers and manufacturers regardless of the nature of defect is that such parties are better placed to bear the cost implications of compensation. In this case, it is argued that product manufacturers and sellers can cushion themselves against losses resulting from product defects by increasing the product’s prices. Due to lack of a federal law governing product liability, the precedence for liability torts is derived from various state laws and court rulings on the general tort law. The admissibility of Chase’s case for product liability can be established by examining the threshold requirements for product liability cases and relevant court rulings. According to the Indiana Law Review, the following mandatory threshold requirements exist for a case to qualify for product liability; a product’s user/claimant who is subject to injury by the product, product’s manufacturer or seller/defendant, faulty product t hat is considered as unreasonably dangerous to the consumer or consumer’s property, a product reaching the consumer without alteration to its initial state and physical harm resulting from the product (Buttrick, Alberts and Thornburg, 2011:1378). Irrespective of the relevant product liability theories involved in the case, Chase’s case should meet the above criteria to qualify for admissibility (Buttrick, Alberts and Thornburg, 2011:1378). An examination of the theories upon which the product liability law is based provides insight to this hypothetical scenario. Under the theory of negligence, the manufacturer of the paper shredding machine is not liable for Chase’s injuries since there was no negligence on the manufacturer’s part or failure to remove foreseeable risk of injury to the machine’s user (Buttrick, Alberts and Thornburg, 2011:1382). In this case, the injuries incurred were as a result of negligence by the user arising from failure to re ad and adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions. However, the machine’s manufacturer can be held liable for Chase’s injury on the basis of the duty to warn the user against a foreseeable risk of injury by the machine (Buttrick, Alberts and Thornburg, 2011:1383). The manufacturer’s liability to provide warning to the user and whether the operation instructions were sufficient to protect Chase from injuries can be established by examining other factors like the value of the warning. In this case, the manufacturer of the paper shredding machine had the duty to provide adequate warning regarding the dangers of personal harm incase the machine is operated without lubricating oil. Under negligence rule, Chase should prove that the injuries sustained occurred despite having observed the necessary duty of care (Fischer, 2009:7). Product liability requires the injured party; Chase to demonstrate the harm-causation relationship and whether there was any breach of duty if there was any negligence by the manufacturer (Fischer, 2009:7). Though there was concrete harm on the part of Chase and the nature of causation passes the necessary â€Å"but-for† test which seeks to establish whether the harm would have otherwise occurred, the burden of proof for the manufacturer’s failure to observe the necessary duty of care lies with Chase. In this case, it is less likely for Chase to be compensated by the paper shreddi

Zara Is A Phenomenon In The Textile Industry Marketing Essay

Zara Is A Phenomenon In The Textile Industry Marketing Essay Because of its history and leadership long time in its industry, zara is one of the largest internal fashion companies, its belong to inditex one of largest distribution groups in the world. The company particular business model is customer-based and includes the design, manufacture, distribution and sale of it products through an extensive network of group owned shops. Its first store featured low-priced lookalike products of popular, higher-end clothing fashions. The store proved to be a success, and Ortega started opening more Zara stores in Spain. During the 1980s, Ortega started changing the design, manufacturing and distribution process to reduce lead times and react to new trends in a quicker way, in what he called instant fashions. The company based its improvements in the use of information technologies and using groups of designers instead of individuals. Zaras business model can be broken down into three basic components: concept, capabilities, and value drivers. Zaras fundamental concept is to maintain design, production, and distribution processes that will enable Zara to respond quickly to shifts in consumer demands. Josà © Marà ­a Castellano, CEO of Inditex stated that the fashion world is in constant flux and is driven not by supply but by customer demand. We need to give consumers what they want, and if I go to South America or Asia to make clothes, I simply cant move fast enough.    This highlights the importance of this quick response time to Zaras operations. Marketing is another key element in the production of fast fashion. Two approaches are currently being used by companies as market strategies; the difference is the amount of financial capital spent on advertisements. While some companies invest in advertising, fast fashion mega firm Primark operates with no advertising. Primark instead invests in store layout, shop fit and visual merchandising to create an instant hook. The instant hook creates an enjoyable shopping experience, resulting in the continuous return of customers. Research shows that seventy five percent of consumers decisions are made in front of the fixture within three seconds. The alternative spending of Primark also allows the retailer to pass the benefits of a cost saving back to the consumer and maintain the companys price structure of producing garments at a lower cost Production. Generally speaking we can say Zara`s competitors are all quite big competitors that have actually reached international markets, all starting from spain with huge local distribution, that makes the market quite inflexible, as they apparently are doing the same, and that customers are stable, may be because of the nature of the product.(Diana)p37 Zara produces of-the-moment fashion and has developed a very successful vertically integrated company which can design, manufacture, and distribute garments to retail stores in as little as three weeks. Zaras target market is comprised of urban, fashion-conscious consumers who shop frequently for the latest trends.    Currently under debate is a proposed upgrade to the POS system throughout the Zara chain.    With over 950 stores, this would be a huge undertaking for Inditex, Zaras parent company. The current DOS-based system meets the needs of the company, and despite some of the benefits of upgrading, it is best to continue with the current system in place. (Fortune magazine) Zara derives its competitive advantage from an astute use of information and technology. All of its stores are electronically linked to the companys headquarters near La Coruna, a midsized city on the northwest coast of Spain. Store managers monitor how merchandise is selling and transmit this information, as well as customer requests, to headquarters. The role of the store manager goes way beyond that of Gap and HM, says Wills of Goldman Sachs. Together with trend-spotters who travel the globe in search of new fashion, store managers make sure their designers have access to real-time information when deciding with the commercial team on the fabric, cut, and price points of a new garment. Sustain Competitive Advantage The concept of Quick Response (QR) is used to create new, fresh products while also drawing consumers back to the retail experience for consecutive visits. Quick response also makes it possible for new technologies to increase production and efficiency. The Spanish mega chain Zara has become the global model for how to decrease the time between design and production. This production short cut enables Zara to manufacture over 30,000 units of product every year to nearly 1,600 stores in 58 countries. New items are delivered twice a week to the stores, reducing the time between initial sale and replenishment. As a result, the shortened time period improves consumers garment choices and product availability. The SWOT analysis technique lends itself to napkin planning and snapshot insights. To conduct a SWOT analysis, draw a vertical line in the center of your napkin (or whiteboard or flipchart), intersected by a horizontal line. Now you have four quadrants where youll sketch your companys situation.(Dr. Ralph ) Web catalog sites are essentially wholesale or retail order-taking terminals. Zara is carrying products from dozens or thousands of it parent company inditex. But what is the product? Our own store is the product here. We are building an online brand that we hope will represent the kind of store where people can find and purchase just what they want. We market our product lines through HTML e-mail fliers (see http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt5/html-email-multi.htm), by pushing the customer to the web site saying, Come here, come to our store out of all the other choices on the Web. We have what youre looking for. One way to look at an online catalog site is as a shopping service that helps our customers find what they want among their carefully selected collection of best-of-class products. Custom services, too, can be viewed as products. One of the keys to success was to define the standard product carefully, clarifying what was included in the standard website, and what items were considered add-ons. but a 12-page website that included a single response form, custom graphic header, background, menu system, certain marketing elements, etc. When zara package its services into clearly-defined bundles, they become a product that is clear to the customer and therefore saleable. Companys service packages constitute the product line. Information products. One of the favourite sites is http://Britannica.com ; the website that includes the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica free to the visitor. What a wealth of material ; a great example of an information product (in this case, a free product). An online newspaper is another example of an information product, as well as our E-Commerce Research Room (http://www.wilsonweb.com/research/). Zara has done a good job by subscribing the encyclopaedia. place Place is supposed to signify the physical distribution channel, getting the goods to the customer. Yes, the Internet is either the point of contact or the point of sale, but the FAILURE to consider the distribution channel dooms many online businesses. In this issue well look at the problems and the marketing decisions that online business people are forced to make. Services are typically delivered digitally online, or with the Internet used to generate leads, and the service being delivered in person by a local vendor. The Eight Essential Types of Internet Promotion 1. Search engines Many people, perhaps even a majority of people, will use search engines and the Yahoo! directory to find what theyre looking for on the Web. So the place to start in promotion is to design web pages that will be indexed well by the search engines, using descriptive titles and accurate META tags. 2. Linking strategies Linking strategies are a second essential type of site promotion. The more links pointing to the site, the more traffic it will experience (and the greater perceived popularity will rank Zara higher in the search engines). Another popular method is to join a banner exchange. For every two banners displayed on the site promoting other businesses, one of Zaras banners will be shown an another member site. The biggest exchange is Microsoft bCentral LinkExchange. http://adnetwork.bcentral.com/. Another important form of linking promotion involves paying affiliates for sales resulting from links to Zara site. 3. Viral strategies An increasingly important process is to design a strategy that encourages others to carry Zara marketing message via e-mail, using their own network of relationships ; and preferably their own resources. This is called viral marketing after the way viruses multiply rapidly in a cell, commandeering the cells resources to do the viruss bidding. The classic example is HotMail.com, a free e-mail system. Each e-mail message (sent by definition to a persons own friends and associates) carries a message encouraging the recipient to sign up for a HotMail account, too. Another example is postcard or greeting cards, each of which carries a message encouraging the recipient to send a card to a friend carrying the siteowners marketing message. If zara can write quality articles, we can offer them to others to use on their websites or in their newsletters, each article carrying a link to Zara website. Public relations to get press coverage is a kind of viral strategy, if the company think about it. 4. Public relations Public relations, the task of getting press coverage, is still a vital type of site promotion. News release picked up by several print and/or Internet publications its will get a tremendous boost in traffic, all for free, letting the news periodicals network carry our marketing message. Of course, nothings really free. We will need to have a truly newsworthy event, contest, free service, chat room ; or something ; or no decent publication will consider it news. Coming up with free services and events isnt inexpensive, but the ensuing publicity can be excellent ; we may get an unbiased editorial recommendations that we couldnt purchase for any amount of money. 5. Traditional media Dont discount traditional media in promoting our website ; news releases, of course, as well as paid advertising. A very effective way to promote our site is to place a small display ad in a targeted trade publication, offering some teaser copy and pointing readers to our URL or an auto-responder e-mail address for more information. This way the site serves as an online brochure, providing full information to interested shoppers day and night. A no-brainer is to make sure that all our companys literature, cards, letterheads, and envelopes carry our website URL. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0395906253/wilsoninternetseIf were immersed in the Internet, we may have forgotten that most people still get the majority of their marketing messages through traditional channels. 6. E-mail Publishing The company has to be married to an e-mail publication. The website is the shy partner who passively waits for people to come to him. But the e-mail publication is the bold, active partner who goes out to where people are and invites them to come meet her groom. Together they make a great couple. E-mail : publishing is primarily a way to conserve the people who have shown some interest in the business by coming to zara website or responding to one of the offers. One of the highest priorities of the website MUST be to get the visitor to sign up for the free newsletter or discussion list or updates publication. Offer a variety of inducements ; entry into a contest, a free gift, a free coupon ; whatever it must do to insure a steady stream of subscribers to the newsletter. Once they are subscribers ; if we give them content they enjoy and learn from ; theyll stay with Zara for years, and we can gently build their trust month after month. When theyre ready to make a purchase, the site is at the top of their mind, and theyll probably buy from Zara. With so much SPAM (unsolicited e-mail) abounding, its too easy for recipients to mistake the promotion for just another ad, and unsubscribe forever. Though an occasional promotional e-mail may be okay, the marketing messages in the context of ne ws and helpful information is much more effective, and builds loyalty that can never gain by just bombarding the customers with ads. 7. Networking An extremely important way to promote the website is through networking. Networking isnt quick, but its the basis of relationships that will grow your business through word-of-mouth over the years. 8. Paid advertising It is notice that most of the first seven types of Internet Marketing can be done in-house relatively inexpensively (with the possible exception of search engine positioning). Of course, the company may be able to find a marketing firm to which it can outsource some of these functions, but it can probably do a fine job in-house ; after all, its our business, and staffs are the one who can promote it most effectively. But there comes a point that to get wider exposure, to break into the consciousness of the thousands of people who never haunt it end of the Web, the company may need to resort to paid advertising. Paying high traffic sites or Internet publications to include a graphic or link that will channel large numbers of people to the site. There are several popular forms of paid advertising, with new approaches cropping up all the time: Pricing Strategy as Part of Zara Internet Marketing Plan Pricing Approaches Of course, pricing isnt just scientific. It has a lot to do with your particular niche on the Internet, and how youve determined you can best succeed. Here are some demand-oriented approaches to pricing: Skimming pricing. When offering a new or innovative product it can initially charge a high price, since the early adopters arent very price sensitive. Then lower prices to skim off the next layer of buyers, etc. Eventually, the price will drop as the product matures and competitors offer lower prices. Penetration pricing. Zara have to set a low initial price in order to penetrate quickly into the mass market. A low initial price discourages competitors from entering the market, and is the best approach when many segments of the market are price sensitive. Prestige pricing. Cheap products are not taken seriously by some buyers unless they are priced at a particular level. Demand-backward pricing is sometimes used by manufacturers. First, they determine the price consumers are willing to pay for a product using an approach such as Make Your Price Sell! (http://sales.sitesell.com/myps ) automates. Then they work backward through the standard markups taken by retailers and wholesalers to come up with the price they can charge wholesalers for the product. Bundle pricing is offering two or more products together in a single package price. This can offer savings to both the buyer and to the seller, who saves the cost of marketing both products separately. And the customer is willing to pay more because he perceives that he is getting a lot more, even though the cost to the seller may not really be that much more. Here are some cost-oriented approaches to pricing: Standard mark-up pricing. Typically a manufacturer marks his price up 15% over his costs, a wholesaler 20% over his costs, and a retailer 40% over his costs. The retailer gets a larger markup based on the idea that, since he is closest to the end user, he is required to spend more services and individual attention meeting the buyers needs. Cost-plus pricing adds a small percentage to the retailers costs and cost plus 5% sounds so modest in ads for new cars! Ah! If only it were that simple. 🙂 Experience curve pricing assumes that it costs a company less to produce a product or provide a service over time, since learning will make them more efficient. Then there are competition-oriented approaches to pricing: Above-, at-, or below-market pricing. Certain stores advertise low cost or discount pricing. Others price at the market, while others deliberately price above-the-market at premium prices to attract prestige buyers. Loss-leader pricing works on the basis of losing money on certain very low priced advertised products to get customers in the door who will buy other products at the same time. Flexible-price policies offer the same product to customers at different negotiated prices. for example inditex, give out its product at negotiated prices. Many B2B sales depend on negotiated contracts. 8 Ways to Learn about the Site Visitors According to Dr. Ralph we can learn about our visitors in a number of ways. But before we look at any of them, our main concern has to be the issue of privacy. One of the visitors concerns is the steady erosion of his privacy. 1. Monitor E-Mail Inquiries and Complaints Its vital that the company find a way to monitor e-mail inquiries and complaints from the site visitors. Even if Zara have an employee handle this e-mail for the company, have them print out an extract of key questions and complaints so Zara can keep it finger on the pulse. Dont look at these e-mails as enemy fire; these are the friends wholl help Zara improve it site. When it spot a question occurring again and again, its a sign that it need to deal with it more fully or more visibly on the site. And, it tells Zara whats important to about visitors. 2. Provide Online Questionnaires Zara might want to create an online questionnaire with which it can gather information from the site visitors. After enough people have completed the survey, it will typically download the data file, import it into Microsoft Access or Excel, and conduct an analysis using queries or cross-tabs, and graphing. An increasing number of companies are offering survey services online. 3. Send Out E-Mail Questionnaires The strength of online forms is the ease with which the data can be collected for analysis. The downside is that online forms are essentially passive, they wait until someone comes to them. E-mail questionnaires, on the other hand, are active; the recipient can fill it out and reply without having to open a web browser. But e-mail questionnaires can be more difficult to analyze quickly. A special program must be developed to harvest information from fields delimited by brackets or some other symbol. If the recipient places an answer outside of the brackets, or gives the wrong kind of answer, the survey may have to be discarded or manually scored. E-mail questionnaires, however, may be the survey of choice because of their immediacy and ease in sending. 4. Use Cookies Strategically Another information gathering strategy is to use cookies. Cookies are tiny pieces of information that can be placed on the site visitors web browser for retrieval later. These are widely used to display banners, keep track of shopping carts, remember passwords, track affiliate referrals, etc. Lets say zara want to learn how many of the people who responded to a certain ad actually made a purchase. One way to do this is to create a special webpage URL for the ad. When someone clicks on the ad URL, they come to the special page where JavaScript code places a cookie on their web browser indicating that they came from a certain ad. When a purchase is made in the site ordering system the cookie (if any) is retrieved and a record is made of the source of the sale. 5. Examine Order Files Another way to learn about visitor shopping patterns is to analyze individual order files as well as summaries. Once a visitor places an order or provides an e-mail address, any information collected about that individual can be used to develop a personal profile. 6. Provide Site Personalization Larger company sites are employing database tools that harvest information about visitors by what products they look at or purchase, which banners they click on, etc. Then this data is merged with other databases providing demographic information by ZIP code, etc. to give a customer profile. 7. Study Your Traffic Logs Considerable data about the customers and their surfing habits can be gained from studying the traffic logs for the website. These can tell us how the visitor came to the site, browser used, route used to surf through the website, most popular pages, domain name of visitors, and much more. 8. Employ JavaScript on Your Site In addition to placing cookies, JavaScript can be programmed to harvest information contained in the visitors web browser, such as plug-ins available, the resolution of his computer monitor, operating system used, and version of browser. The information learn from each of these methods can help Zara gain a clearer picture of those visiting it site. Use the data with integrity; adhere to the privacy policy. But use what we learn about our visitors to fine-tune the website sales and revenues, and we will come out ahead. Careful attention to customer data is a major factor in distinguishing successful from unsuccessful sites. Conclusion As a conclusion, the key to successes of this strategy is the internet to see how best I can figure out a consistence marketing plan. The models are based only in empirical example, and this is likely to be a limit on the ability to generalize for such a complex environment. The plan has been able to analyze competition in the digital marketing plan which point out that Zara has been doing well despite some irregularities and little changes that need to be done. Zara has proved strong in the competitive arena of its business activity; due to it unique way of doing things which gave it a competitive advantage. Globalization challenged companies with the proposition of no national and organizational boundaries; some tools like internet were created in this time change and instability for companies, new technologies has been created in a desperate hurry to cover companies requirements. And Zar It comprises the study of different authors perspectives who have contribute in the digital marketing plan or have done a paper work on Zara clothing.

Exposure to Media Violence Essay -- Violence

The relationship between the viewing of violence in such forms as video games and television shows has been widely contested and thoroughly researched. Various conclusions can be drawn from multiply sources, though as of yet there has been no one final conclusion as to the nature of the relationship. Some research has studied how media violence can affect other aspects of behaviour, such as memory (Bushman 1988), or the long-term effects that it can have from early childhood, to adolescence (Huesmann, Eron, Klein, Brice & Fischer (1983). If it was proved that exposure to media violence increased the likelihood of aggressive behaviour, it may force a re-evaluation of what young children are exposed to during early childhood. Research done on the topic of media violence is widespread and variable, with many different approaches and theories. One example of such research focuses on the different effect violent video games have on aggressive behaviours in a controlled laboratory environment to those who are exposed to violence in video games in real life and the effect this has on aggressive traits, such as Ferguson et al. (2008). This experimental design focused on the direct link between viewing violent material in an animated game and then the aggressiveness of the response when told to deliver a loud noise to an opponent that has answered a question in a staged test incorrectly. The chosen participants were volunteers studying at an undergraduate level at university, this sample was 45.5% male and may not be representative of the population as the participants chose to participate and were not selected at random, thus possibly limiting the application of the findings. To prove the hypothesis that; â€Å"Exposure to video game vi... ...rough a search in Google Scholar of keywords â€Å"effect of media violence on aggression† and selected specifically because of the inclusion of other emotions such as fear, and anger, and the inclusion of the written word, rather than visually violent stimuli. 6. Corinne David-Ferdon, Marci Feldman Hertz, (2007) Electronic Media, Violence, and Adolescents: An Emerging Public Health Problem, Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 41, Issue 6, Pages S1-S5, ISSN 1054-139X, 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.08.020.) -This article was located through a Google Scholar search for keywords â€Å"media violence on aggression†. I chose this entry specifically because the research focused on adolescents and how the demographic is being effected not only by media violence, but the ease of which technology is aiding in the exposure of violence from the media, and from uploaded home videos.

Implications of Aging in Contemporary Society Essay

A Census is a study of individuals and families to supply necessary information from national to the neighbourhood level. The United Kingdom first took a census of its population in 1801 and every 10 years thereafter. Census is an important measure to impart a good number of remarkable information about the structure of the country. The results are often used to estimate resource distribution to regional and local service providers, by governments in the United Kingdom and European Union levels. A survey conducted by Kevin Kinsella and Victoria A. Velkoff (2001) showed that global population is aging at an unprecedented rate. This means that there are more elderly citizens across the globe, not just in the United Kingdom. Implications of Aging in Contemporary Society The 2001 UK census revealed that there are now more people in the United Kingdom over the age of 60 than people under the age of 16. This shows that there are more older people in the UK than younger people. Economically, this has implications in today’s contemporary society. The valuable history of a society is sustained, communicated and improved in grand showcase through the participation and contributions of older persons. These elder persons will likely to get low-wage jobs which mean less income from which to put aside for retirement and are less likely to be covered by private pension plans. Low paying employment form the least secure fraction of the labour market, leaving these workers jobs more susceptible to unemployment. The so-called age dependency ratios or the ratio of retirees to workers, will be higher than we look at it today. The implications of this development are simple. The collective effects of less workers, more retirees and longer retirement periods endanger not just the continuity of pension systems but also the larger fiscal prospects of countries such as the United Kingdom. A summary report conducted by Schwab, K and Samans (2004) stated that the most effective solution to this is quite complex. That is to have more workers, longer careers, higher productivity and more global exchange and cooperation. With a diminishing supply of young workers, the older workforce will have to put more years in the labour market. This is one of the many consequences of the growing financial problems of retirement systems. The ageing trend will also have to be attended by a modification of stance towards the older workforce and practical guidelines for boosting training, efficiency and integrity of work for the older workforce. Working longer and retiring later while paying higher pension payments for reduced pensions can be viewed as a venture from a reorganized regime, bringing portions of the fruits of progress to early retirement with occasionally high wage replacement rates. A phenomenon has come up with the aging of our societies through the advent of organized retirement programs. These programs basically owe their subsistence to the rising worker efficiency and principles of living and the idea that these developments or improvements should be shared among workers and older members of society. The older members of the society have become mostly dispensable in the fabrication of economic goods in developed economies. Conclusion Since the survey is aimed at coming up with figures to help in determining the distribution of resources, the United Kingdom governments will have to allocate its revenues to both the young and the old. What the 2001 survey showed is that the government will carry out programs that will help the elderly population of the Kingdom. The aging phenomenon goes past the composition and funding of government programs to bigger concerns about falling productivity and standards of living. Everyone is a consumer and all consumers jointly rely on people to produce the goods and services they consume. Retirement schemes let older people to continue to consume without openly giving to the useful ability of the economy. The survey by Kevin Kinsella and Victoria A. Velkoff (2001) further said that there are now about 420 million elderly citizens worldwide as of 2001. These individuals have actually paved a better way for this generation. Sources Kinsella, K. and Velkoff, V. An Aging International Population Reports International. U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2001. Living Happily Ever After: Schwab, K and Samans, R. The Economic Implications of Aging Societies. Executive Summary of a Report to the World Economic Forum Pension Readiness Initiative developed in partnership with Watson Wyatt Worldwide 2004

Tokyo essy

I will be talking about the city of Tokyo. Tokyo is well known and is very interesting with many great attractions and a huge economy. Tokyo is the capital of Japan and is the most densely populated cities of the country. Since ancient times, the city has been one of the most densely populated cities of the country. Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the world. The Tokyo metropolis was formed in 1943. Tokyo was originally a fishing village named Edo. Tokyo isn't Just a city, it is a megacity.Tokyo is great now but Just 400 years ago this global powerhouse was little ore than a backwater castle town on the shores of the muddy Sumida River. Over the past century it has been twice virtually annihilated. It almost first collapsed during the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake and subsequent firestorm, and again in 1945 after the devastation of the Allied bombings. Each time it has risen like a phoenix from the ashes, reborn in an ever-more-modern reflection of itself. Tokyo know shines an d is a great city to be a part of.The political economy of Tokyo is very immense and the city revolves around the people, environment and Jobs. Though it occupies only 0. 6% of the total area of Japan, the population density is nearly 5,655 persons per square kilometers, thereby making is one of the most populated cities of the world. As on October 1st, 2003 the population of the city stood at 12. 369 million. Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world. Tokyo has a total GDP of IJS$I . 479 trillion in. As of 2009, 51 of the companies listed on the Global 500 are based in Tokyo, almost twice that of the second-placed city (Paris).Tokyo is a major international finance center. It houses the headquarters of several of the world's largest investment banks and insurance ompanies, and serves as a hub for Japan's transportation, publishing, and broadcasting industries. During the centralized growth of Japan's economy following World War II, many large firms moved their headqua rters from cities such as Osaka, to Tokyo, in an attempt to take advantage of better access to the government. This trend has begun to slow due to ongoing population growth in Tokyo and the high cost of living there.It is the most expensive city in the world to live in for 14 years in a row until 2006. Another aspect that helped build Tokyo to what it is is The Tokyo Stock Exchange. It is Japan's largest stock exchange, and third largest in the world by market capitalization and fourth largest by share turnover. Tourism in Tokyo is also a huge contributor to the economy. In 2006, 4. 81 million foreigners and 420 million Japanese visits to Tokyo were made; the economic value of these visits totaled 9. 4 trillion yen according to the government of Tokyo.Many tourists visit the various downtowns, stores, and entertainment districts throughout the neighborhoods. Besides banking and stock aspect, Tokyo had 8,460 ha (20,900 acres) of agricultural land as of 2003. The farmland is concentra ted in Western Tokyo. Perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers can be conveniently shipped to the markets in the eastern part ot the pretecture. Komatsuna and spinach are the most important vegetables; as of 2000, Tokyo supplied 32. 5% of the komatsuna sold at its central produce market.With 36% of its area covered by forest, Tokyo has extensive growths of cryptomeria and Japanese cypress, especially in the mountainous western communities of Akiruno, –me, Okutama, Hachi ¶Ji, Hinode, and Hinohara. Tokyo Bay was once a major source of fish. Presently, most of Tokyo's fish production comes from the outer islands, such as Izu –shima and HachiJ ¶Jima. Skipjack tuna, nori, and ali are among the ocean products. (Wikipedia) Tokyo was built because of the people and because of the Jobs and opportunities.Throughout the years, Tokyo has expanded the companies and businesses and became one the most expensive cities in all aspects in the world. The culture and urban ecology of Tokyo is widespread and a big part of the community. Over the years, people from the other prefectures of Japan gradually moved into this city, thereby leading to a massive growth in its population. The population of the city is divided into Juveniles, working age population and the aged population. The Juvenile age groups range from 0-14 years, the working age ranges from 15-64 years while the aged population ranges from 65 years and above.As per the figures provided in January 2003, the three age groups constitute nearly 1 1. 9%, 70. 9% and 17. 1% respectively, of the total population of the city. The aged population of the country is particularly on the rise over here. Tokyds population is also higher due to the huge number of people who commute everyday to this city from the nearby prefectures for studying or for working. Because of this reason, the daytime population of Tokyo is higher than the nighttime population. Tokyo is home to a number of foreign nationals. As on January 2005, the number of foreign residents found in the country stood at 353,826.The five major nationalities of the foreign residents staying in this country consist of British, Chinese, American, Korea and Philippine. The natives to Tokyo are called Tokyoites. Tokyo is also a great landscape and has great scenery. Tokyo is one of few places in the world where a flower can bring an entire city to a state of near-sexual excitement. Cherry blossoms last for less than two weeks and are symbolic, of the impermanence of life, the sadness underlying its exquisite beauty. Cherry blossoms fall in their prime, as samurai warriors were meant to do.High-end kurabu bar hostesses compose themselves into human ikebana flower arrangements with the same eye for art and beauty as the geisha who once frequented the pleasure districts of old Edo, famous throughout Japan. Look out over Tokyo and you will see a 21st-century megalopolis, a city of glassy skyscrapers ringed by an elevated super tol l road, like a modern Great Wall of China. But Tokyo is far more than that. It's a place where the past is inextricably woven into the present; where pockets of ancient traditions don't Just survive, they hrive in the midst of an ultramodern consumer culture.Architecture in Tokyo has largely been shaped by Tokyo's history. The socio- psychological aspect of Tokyo is very interesting. Twice in recent history, the metropolis has been left in ruins: first in the 1923 Great Kant ¶ earthquake and later after extensive firebombing in World War II. Because of this, Tokyo's urban landscape consists mainly ot modern and contemporary architecture, and older buildings are scarce. Tokyo features many internationally famous forms of modern architecture including Tokyo International Forum, Asahi Beer Hall, Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building and Rainbow Bridge.Tokyo also features two distinctive towers: Tokyo Tower and the new Tokyo Skytree which is the tallest tower in Japan a nd the second tallest structure in the world. Tokyo also contains numerous parks and gardens. There are four national parks in Tokyo Prefecture, including the Fuji- Hakone-lzu National Park, which includes all of the Izu Islands. All the parks and fields are sights to see and enjoyed by many people and still making people enjoy that they live there. The fut

Analysis of Hidesign Company

Analysis of Hidesign Company Hidesign is an Indian company started in the year 1978 by Dilip Kapur (Kachru 2011, p. 131). The company has been manufacturing affordable luxury leather goods for the last 30 years. As such, the company produces extensive collections of leather products such as belts, bags, and other leather accessories.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Hidesign Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ways Hidesign should have explored further products Since the year 2010, the company has extended its brand through the production of other luxury products such as sunglasses, watches, and pens. Other than focusing on the productions of these products, there are other ways the company should have explored to increase its brand. The company should have considered entering into the cosmetic business. Currently, the company has opened a number of stores in several countries. This implies that the credibility of the companyâ₠¬â„¢s products cannot be doubted. Therefore, the company should have taken an advantage of their reputation and expand its business by diversifying into a cosmetic business. Over the last century, the cosmetic industry has been expanding rigorously. This does not imply that the company would have ready market once they expand their brand into this business. The company would have to develop good and quality cosmetic products before launching them. Equally, the company should have expanded its brand by diversifying into the service industry. In India, there is abundant human labour force (Hoffmann 2011, p. 25). Thus, emerging companies should find ways of tapping the cheap labour force to increase their returns. In the same way, Hidesign should have exploited this advantage by diversifying into the service industry.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Example of lifesty le-related portfolios targeting Indian youths The strong purchasing power of young Indians is forcing most companies to adopt new approaches in marketing their products. Companies focused on a wide range of products such as cosmetics, services, and social media advertising are insistently associating themselves with younger audience. In the recent past, these companies have launched online platforms for their brands. Through these platforms, the youths can be engaged. Equally, through these platforms the youths can view and order the products produced by these companies through the e-commerce business platforms. Another reputable company that sells luxury products in India is Genesis Colours (Hoffmann 2011, p. 45). Genesis Colours was established in the year 2001. By the year 2008, the company had expanded its operations to international market. Given the time the company took to break into the international market, Genesis Colours is considered one of the fastest growing companies in India. Unlike any other Indian company, Genesis Colours embraces British, Italian, and French taste in their products enabling them to compete with other international companies. Owing to their rapid success and growth, Hidesign should emulate the mode of operations and management in this company. Through this, the company would be equipped with relevant international business knowledge. How Hidesign should leverage its association with Louis Vuitton In the year 2007, a French company by the name Louis Vuitton bought a 26% stake in Hidesign.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Hidesign Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Given the fact that the operations of this French company are different from the operations in the Indian company, the association between the two companies attracted a lot of media attention. There were several speculations, which were pointed out on why the French company was inves ting in the company. Through this association, the two companies can enhance their brand equities by leveraging their associations. Unlike Hidesign, Louis Vuitton is an international company known all over the world. To enhance its presence and influence in the Indian market, Louis Vuitton should enhance its relationship with Hidesign Company. In return, Hidesign Company will benefit from the association through co-branding. Eventually, Hidesign will increase its sales internationally because of co-branding with a reputable international company. Equally, to leverage their association the two companies should link their products and market them together. By doing so, the two companies will increase their sales both locally and internationally. Through the above initiatives, the two companies will reduce the cost of positioning and introducing their products (Kumar 2009, p. 48). The only disadvantage associated with this association is that the two companies might lose control of the ir brands. The best method for Hidesign to take when going international Just like any other company, Hidesign aims at taking their products to the global market. Before a company breaks into the international market, they have to overcome several challenges. As such, taking a company into the global market is a costly task. It has taken Hisesign more than 30 years to be where there are currently positioned in the regional market. This proves that it takes several years before local companies accumulate enough resources to break into the international market (Mamoria 2003, p. 123).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When the time comes for Hisesign to enter into the international market, its international growth will be well worth the wait. As such, the company can follow certain steps to achieve this long awaited achievement. First, the company has to guard its ideas. This requires that the company patent its ideas in several countries it aims at selling its products (Heitzman 2006, p. 67). Thereafter, the company should hire attorneys in these countries. These attorneys will help the company in handling issues related to foreign currencies and legal challenges (Terpstra 2002, p. 23). After this, the company should recognize and adapt to cultural differences in these countries. Through this, the company can identify the hidden cost of doing business in these countries. Equally, through the above initiatives, the company can equip itself with labour laws in these specific countries. Lastly, the company should diversify its global network. This may require the company to do business with compani es with opposing ideas to increase their understanding of international business (Gisler 2012, p. 10). The risk and challenges of the company becoming a global lifestyle brand If the company manages to be a global lifestyle brand, it will be faced with several risks and challenges (Cateora 2004, p. 12). These problems are economic and financial challenges, foreign politics, and challenges in formulating an international approach. When a company breaks into the international market, it is usually faced with the challenge of formulating and implementing an international approach. After breaking into the international market, Hidesign’s executives will be forced to alter their thought patterns to be in line with international market. These changes are normally challenging for small companies such as Hidesign. Although there are several international companies, it should be noted that a few of them have formulated appropriate international approach. A major challenge that is face d by a company after entering into an international market is foreign politics. Political expertise is so crucial for companies working on the global stage (Bradley 2001, p. 32). Because of government changes, international companies are forced to review their plans more often. For Hidesign, they have to make appropriate political decisions in countries they operate. The company should note that any political disarray would have a negative impact on the financial systems affecting on their business. Another major risk that the company may face after entering into an international market is economic challenges (Belch 2001, p. 34). In the host nations, changes in exchange rates, oil rates, and tariff barriers might affect the cost of doing business. Therefore, Hidesign should be fully aware of these risks and come up with appropriate measures to tackle the challenges when they arise. References Belch, G. E 2001. Advertising and promotion: an integrated marketing communications perspec tive. Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Boston. Bradley, F 2001. International marketing strategy. Prentice Hall. New York. Cateora, P 2004. International marketing. R.D. Irwin. Homewood Gisler, R 2012. Best practices, limitations, and pitfalls for companies entering the Indian luxury goods market: the Mà ¶venpick Ice cream case study. University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. Olten. Heitzman, J 2006. India: a country study.The Division. Washington, D.C. Hoffmann, J 2011. Luxury strategy in action. Palgrave Macmillan. Basingstoke. Kachru, U 2011. India, land of a billion entrepreneurs. Dorling Kindersley. New Delhi. Kumar, N 2009. Indias global powerhouses: how they are taking on the world. Harvard Business Press. Boston, Mass. Mamoria, C 2003. The Luxury Market in India: Maharajas to Masses. Kitab Mahal. Allahabad. Terpstra, V 2002. International marketing. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. New York.

Free Essays on Jeffersonian Era

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was the third president of the United States, and author of the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the most brilliant individuals in history. His interests were boundless, and his accomplishments were great and varied. He was a philosopher, educator, naturalist, politician, scientists, architect, and inventor, pioneer in scientific farming, musician, and writer(Cunningham 57). He was also the foremost spokesman for democracy of his day. As president, Jefferson strengthened the powers of the executive branch of government. He was the first president to lead a political party, and through it he exercised control over the Congress of the United States of the United States (Cunningham 102). He had great faith in popular rule, and it is this optimism that is the essence of what came to be called Jeffersonian Democracy. Early Life â€Å"Thomas Jefferson’s father, Peter Jefferson, was a prosperous Virginia planter. His mother Jane Randolph Jefferson was a member of the old and distinguished Randolph family of Virginia. In 1743 the Jefferson’s moved to western Goochland County, where Peter Jefferson had acquired 162 hectares (400 acres) of undeveloped land. He named his estate Shadwell. At first the family lived in a single log cabin† (Chinard 254). Thomas Jefferson was born in this cabin in 1743 (earthlink.net). A year after his birth, Albemarle County was formed from the western portion of Goochland County. Peter Jefferson soon became a leader in the new county. He was a justice of the peace, a magistrate, and commander of the county militia. Although young Jefferson was accepted into the Virginia aristocracy through hi mother’s family, it was his father, a self-made man, whom he especially admired. â€Å"In 1745, a man by the name of William Randolph, a cousin of Mrs. Jefferson and a close friend of the family, died. His will requested that Peter Jefferson move to his estate, manage the hous... Free Essays on Jeffersonian Era Free Essays on Jeffersonian Era Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was the third president of the United States, and author of the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the most brilliant individuals in history. His interests were boundless, and his accomplishments were great and varied. He was a philosopher, educator, naturalist, politician, scientists, architect, and inventor, pioneer in scientific farming, musician, and writer(Cunningham 57). He was also the foremost spokesman for democracy of his day. As president, Jefferson strengthened the powers of the executive branch of government. He was the first president to lead a political party, and through it he exercised control over the Congress of the United States of the United States (Cunningham 102). He had great faith in popular rule, and it is this optimism that is the essence of what came to be called Jeffersonian Democracy. Early Life â€Å"Thomas Jefferson’s father, Peter Jefferson, was a prosperous Virginia planter. His mother Jane Randolph Jefferson was a member of the old and distinguished Randolph family of Virginia. In 1743 the Jefferson’s moved to western Goochland County, where Peter Jefferson had acquired 162 hectares (400 acres) of undeveloped land. He named his estate Shadwell. At first the family lived in a single log cabin† (Chinard 254). Thomas Jefferson was born in this cabin in 1743 (earthlink.net). A year after his birth, Albemarle County was formed from the western portion of Goochland County. Peter Jefferson soon became a leader in the new county. He was a justice of the peace, a magistrate, and commander of the county militia. Although young Jefferson was accepted into the Virginia aristocracy through hi mother’s family, it was his father, a self-made man, whom he especially admired. â€Å"In 1745, a man by the name of William Randolph, a cousin of Mrs. Jefferson and a close friend of the family, died. His will requested that Peter Jefferson move to his estate, manage the hous...

Essay on Language Variation

Essay on Language Variation Essay on Language Variation Introduction The following conversation is between Andy an American businessman doing business in London and Carter a British native based in London. The two men are based in the insurance industry. The conversation will be used to differentiate between the American and British language. The readers of the conversation will be in a position to understand various language components. The idea behind the conversation is to understand the importance of linguistic variations. Andy: what is the main factor affecting insurance business in the United Kingdom? Carter: The market viability determines the level of insurance penetration. This is manifested by the manner in which the market operates in the long run. A good example is a smaller and larger market size. A smaller market segment implies that the insurance business will not thrive to the maximum. Insurance is all about numbers and understanding how to make adjustments within the course of operations. It should be noted that other factors determine the penetration mechanism. This is an indication that a bigger market size would be better suited to encourage the growth of insurance. Andy: There is a lot of stuff going on within the insurance sector in the United Kingdom. From my point of view, I think the insurance industry in the United Kingdom is undergoing a different phase as compared to the American market. It is clear that the UK market is undergoing a series of changes aimed at making the industry viable. This is evidenced by the manner in which the industry is undergoing challenges. Unlike the American market, the British market is still on the phase of adapting to the changing environment. This means that the level of insurance penetration is minimal as compared to the situation in the United States. Carter: A rough analysis of the American market indicates that the American market is ahead of the British market. As mentioned in the previous section, the American market is stable and more developed as compared to the British market. The American market has undergone numerous developmental phases before the British market. This implies that the American market has integrated the ideals of a stable industry. The American market has consolidated important market components. This has consequently led to a situation where the market dimension of the American market is stable and comprehensive as compared to the British market. Andy: As an operator in the insurance industry, I must admit that the insurance industry in the United States operates on a different platform as compared to the situation in Britain. The American insurance industry is composed of regulatory frameworks and other market components which consolidate the sector. Time and again, the American market has been involved in turbulent times. This implies that the sector has developed after years of repair. The above explanation is an indication that the American market is miles ahead of the British market. The British market has to develop numerous tools required for operation before reaching the level attained by the American market. Carter: I support the assertion that the American market is consolidated as compared to the British market. The British market is less developed as compared to the American market. The American market has been developed after years of making changes. The changes made in the American insurance sector have been instrumental in terms of leveraging the market. This was a step in the right direction. Linguistic variables The linguistic variables used in the conversation have been instrumental in terms of differentiating between the British and American language. From the conversation, it is clear that variables are vital in terms of determining various components of a given language. The approach used in presenting the linguistic variables has gone a long way in terms of giving each language the required consolidation. The linguistic approach used in both approaches is manifested by the manner in which words have been interchanged. It should be noted that the American and British language differ in meaning and pronunciation. The pronunciation used in the British language is different as compared to pronunciation in the American accent. The extent of pronunciation is explained from the perspective of vowels used. For example, a word with the same meaning could be used in the American and British accent. In the paper, the pronunciation could be similar, but the difference is noted when it comes to pronunciation. The mode of pronunciation is evident between the conversation of Andy and Carter. Carter is fond of using British accent in words and explanation. The mode of using the English language is based on the environment in which the person lives. The conversation between Andy and Carter is an indication that the environment determines the language selection of a person. The environmental aspect has affected the linguistic tone used by Andy and Carter. From the conversation, it is crystal clear that vowels determine the language aptitude adopted by an individual. The vowel variation has played an important role in determining the language selection used by both speakers. It should be noted that vowels have played a major role in terms of differentiating between the American and English language. From an expertise point of view, vowel variation speaks volumes about the language tone used. In addition, the language tone is dependent on the manner in which vowels are arranged. Lexicons The lexical arrangement used in the British and American accent is another component that can be used for analysis. The lexicon approach used in the British accent is advanced as compared to the American accent. The American accent is composed of simple lexical arrangements as compared to the British accent. The British accent has more lexical arrangements. They are intertwined with vowels. The mixture of lexicons and vowels is the main distinguishing aspect between the American and English accent. Lexicons like vowels determine the extent of tone variation. The tone variation attained from lexicons is an important component of language selection. Vowels The vowel arrangement has a way with determining the language variation used. A good example is the American and British language. The vowel arrangement used in English is different as compared to vowel arrangement in the American accent. The American accent has a different vowel arrangement as compared to the British accent. For example, the British accent has a mixture of vowels within a sentence. The British accent has a mixture of vowels. The vowel mixture within the British language has been phenomenal. As mentioned in the previous section, the vowel variation in a sentence determines the overall meaning. This is to mean that vowel variation creates a difference in language selection. The language selection is determined by vowels. If you need a professional paper writing service to order custom essays online from, visit our company .

English - Cause and Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English - Cause and Effect - Essay Example The concepts of causes and effects have been applied in various disciplines such as philosophy and mathematics. The relationship between causes and effects can be of a reciprocating nature, where an event can lead to certain consequences, which can then lead to the previous event. On the other hand, same causes can lead to different effects, based on the environmental factors and the circumstances surrounding such occurrences. There are various rules that govern the relationships between causes and effects. For there to be a valid relationship between the two, causes must occur before the effects. This way, the effects must be a consequence of the occurrence of causes. The other rule governing this relationship is the fact that the causes must be bordering the effects, without any dividing factors in between them. Additionally, there must be a constant union existing in the causes and the effects, in a way that the causes can play to generate the effects (Gregory, 1992). Thus accordi ng to the rules of cause and effect relationship, any difference in the results must have been generated by a difference in the causative factors. This relationship can be based on what is the contributory factor to a certain problem. In this case, when an individual faces a serious problem, there is a need to seek what could be the real cause of that problem, just before embarking on seeking the solution to that problem. This is necessary because, if individuals do not seek the real cause of the problem they face, there is a likelihood of taking actions towards solving such problems, which in real sense might not help in eliminating the problems. Thus, in a life situation, the analysis of a cause effect relationship is necessary to help amicably solve the life challenges (David, 1975). The complete analysis of the causes of a problem ensures that an individual solves such a problem the first time. This is beneficial, other than tackling an issue when the actual relationship has not been well discovered, which may end up making an individual solve an issue halfway, only to revert to the same later, when the same problem re-occurs (Gregory, 1992). In understanding the relationship between cause and effect, then an individual needs to identify an issue at hand, consider all the factors that are involved or surrounding such an issue, which could have an impact on it, narrow down to the factors most related to that issue and finally pin point the actual factors involved. This way, the causative factors are indentified, which could have caused the situation at hand (Pearl, 2000). The cause-effect relationship has been widely applied in the religious front. This application has occurred in the form of religious doctrines upholding the viewpoint that for every action that, an individual commits, then there must be a corresponding effect. This way, in religion, any good deed will result to good results, while any bad one will give rise to bad implications on the part of the individual involved in the deeds (Pearl, 2000). Such doctrines upholds the viewpoint that the actions individuals do, either good or bad, will have an effect on such individuals, either in this life, or in the life after. More to this relationship, the religious doctrines provides for an explanation in the consideration of intent, rather than the actual act. Thus according to the religious doctrines, the intention of an individual, rather than the

Exploring Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Exploring Organisations - Essay Example Initially, the entity operated under the pretence of a mail and telephone entity enabling. Subsequently, William Hill has developed into the current dominant body. During the progress of the entity, the shareholding has changed enabling restructuring through new management. The entity made minimal returns since gambling was unlawful. Nonetheless, legislation of betting in 1960s transformed the entity fortune radically. Despite the legalisation of betting, this entity still had multiple hurdles to surmount as the government had instituted countless regulations relating to the operation of this industry. Consequently, entrepreneurs in the gaming sector opted to minimize their operation scale. Digital advancement has influenced this industry sizeably since it facilitated the development of betting culture. Betting expanded concurrently with the digital sector since it aired events that were subject to betting. Furthermore, economic expansion has resulted in the citizenry having surplus finances to expend on such frivolous activities. This write-up seeks to evaluate William Hill relative to its features, clientele, and future prospects. Additionally, it will appraise the entity status based on certain theories (Funding universe ND). William Hill is a public entity that has an assortment of feature, which make it suitably suited for this industry. First, the location of the entity in London allows it to attract clientele on a global level. Additionally, the listing in the London stock exchange (LSE) has facilitated the establishment of the entity as market leader. This entity operates in a trendy market, which is subject to countless alterations. Subsequently, the entity has to adjust its product persistently to sustain its market niche. Visibly, the entity operates in an industry that is exceedingly dependent on digital communication. Hence, investing in pertinent systems will provide the entity with a competitive edge. William Hill also faces competition from othe r entities that operate in the above industry. The gaming sector requires originality from the firms that partake in it. Subsequently, the reference firm, William Hill has endeavoured to create an excellent merchandise portfolio. Evidently, the entity commenced with few products. However, the pool of product, which the entity avails to the clientele, has stretched out exponentially. Creating such a commodity portfolio demands extensive creativity from the management. The managers have to perform far-reaching studies, which will guarantee product success. Not only do the administrators endeavour to create products but also institute appropriate promotional campaigns. Promotion represents a critical aspect since William Hills operations relate to events such as games requiring intensive advertising to attract bids. The above details provide basic information that is vital in organizational analysis of William Hill (Funding universe ND). SWOT analysis William has countless strengths th at have enabled the entity to dominate this industry in UK. First, the entity’s lengthy history has allowed the entity to assemble enormous volume of data. The enormous statistics coupled with the expertise of the exception workforce have been critical to the success of the body. These two constituents have enabled the entity model a unique culture that is central to attracting an extensive clientele base. The entity guarantees players countless opportunities to win. Moreover, the data assembled is

Q8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Q8 - Essay Example e effective in achieving the desired objectives of effectiveness; rather resolving a conflict at the organizational level where the knowledge to address the conflict is available, is likely to be more effective. In order to address the performance issues and large costs associated with reforming and refining systems development projects, a study carried out by Patnayakuni et al (2006) proposes a knowledge management system perspective in order to manage both tacit and explicit knowledge in the process of systems development. Supply chain management and inter-organisational system development techniques have also been used by large companies in order to develop their efficiency. Assessing the same techniques in the case of small and medium sized enterprises however, Morrell and Ezingeard (2002) have concluded that while such enterprises may gain significant benefits through the application of supply chain management and inter-organizational system development techniques, in practice they do not do so because there is a culturally rooted lack of vision and awareness, which are limiting the extent to which such techniques are applied and benefits realized. These methods may nevertheless offer excellent opportunities to develop efficient methods to improve inter organizational performance. The most important aspect however, would be to develop effective systems of knowledge management. The major objective would be to keep department leaders apprised of developments occurring within the organization. As Patnayukuni et al (2006) have highlighted, this would involve the effective use of both tacit and explicit knowledge, but more importantly, ensuring that department heads are able to gain access to and be aware of such knowledge through the development of an effective system to communicate information to all department heads. It is effective integration within an organization that is therefore likely to be beneficial in the adoption of a corporate wide system for

Constitutional Ethic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Constitutional Ethic - Essay Example ral competence involves the capacity of the public administrator to work for the government with demonstrated expertise and with precise intent principles unlike party or private loyalties and compulsions (Kennedy & Schultz, 2010). Neutral competence contributes positively towards democratic consolidation where novel democracies emerge and become established in ways that demonstrate no possibility of demanding political compliance unless with exterior forces. This way, the value of government performance is recognizable given the isolation of politics from administration, hence resulting in policies that endorse a well-served society. Neutrality in public administration in open fora permits participation by interested parties, including various stakeholders who then point out social values to be addressed facilitating formation of effective policies. Public administration dichotomy defines the contributions of administrators in policymaking and involves topologies that distinguish public administrators as trustees, interpreters, and delegates (Zhang, Lee, & Yang, 2012). Delegate administrators do not try to influence elected bodies to alter their policy focus and do not take any action until they are issued with policy guidance by the voted body. Additionally, delegates only offer policy recommendations when forced by serious issues. Conversely, trustee administrators advocate for novel policy focus of public interest, have strong and firm stance on the policy issues, and do not support council’s expressed desires. Interpreter trustees are neither trustees nor delegate administrators since they believe in their capacity to identify political failures, but only endorse what is acceptable to the ruling body. Anarchical and hierarchical organizations are prone to fragmentation resulting functionality incapacitation (Kennedy & Schultz, 2011). The key principle of bureaucracy facilitates functional specification and differentiation of tasks and competencies

Poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Poem - Essay Example The author of the poem (Merlin) applies the technique to point out that the contest was not fair, probably rigged and whichever decision Paris makes leads to the destruction of the city of Troy. Accordingly, Merwin’s point is to demonstrate the idea that human beings are naturally imperfect and avoidance of self-destructive conduct is not an easy task. The imperfection and self-destructive trait is an essential component of human behavior that makes their actions exciting and unpredictable. The self-destructive behavior is an essential factor that implores individuals to seek redemption after the consequences of their actions. The poem ends with a picture of Helen picking up a yellow flower with roots that relieves pain. The essence is that humans often bring pain and suffering on themselves but the grief prompts compassion that upholds unity. The yellow flower is an indication of human’s effort to relieve anguish and pain. According to Brunner (1991), the implicit metaphor in the heading â€Å"the Carrier of Ladders indicates a change in Merwin’s attitude and orientation. Apparently, only humans are capable of carrying ladders, and their aim to climb or rise to a new level, even if such people are not aware of what they will find the level of elevation. Accordingly, almost of the poems in the volume build from such premise. Similarly, there are those who regard reading the works of Merwin as being similar to reading a puzzle and it is normally beneficial to put an effort to grasp the bottom line of the author’s logic. The carriers of ladders reminds one of the old Icelanders’ Edda Kennings, who authored the objects in a roundabout, and playful manner. However, Merwin applies the approach to an individual’s spiritual and emotional life, with popular themes being loss, isolation, and death (Brunner 1991). The critically applauded

Medical Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Medical Language - Essay Example We put him on a trolley and shifted him to the nearby hospital by ambulance. We made him relax in semiprone position so that he could breathe well. We reached the hospital in 15 minutes. Enroute, his saturations were found to be 87 percent and hence he was started on oxygen. His lungs were filled with fluid. The fluid was more in lower lobes. Examination revealed crepitations on both the sides. His wife told us that he is known patient of congestive heart failure, diabetes and hypertension, on appropriate medication. We were thinking that his preexisting chronic cardiac failure predisposed to this acute exacerbation. The wife was very tensed and cried profusely. She asked me how the patient would do and I did not know much about the condition. On shifting into the emergency room, he was diagnosed to have pulmonary edema. Chest X-ray was ordered and several blood tests, including arterial blood gas analysis were sent. This I came to know from the nurse in the emergency room. I hope th e patient does well. I referred to this condition online and found that pulmonary edema does occur in those with preexisting cardiac failure due to failure of the life side of the heart.

Poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Poem - Essay Example The author of the poem (Merlin) applies the technique to point out that the contest was not fair, probably rigged and whichever decision Paris makes leads to the destruction of the city of Troy. Accordingly, Merwin’s point is to demonstrate the idea that human beings are naturally imperfect and avoidance of self-destructive conduct is not an easy task. The imperfection and self-destructive trait is an essential component of human behavior that makes their actions exciting and unpredictable. The self-destructive behavior is an essential factor that implores individuals to seek redemption after the consequences of their actions. The poem ends with a picture of Helen picking up a yellow flower with roots that relieves pain. The essence is that humans often bring pain and suffering on themselves but the grief prompts compassion that upholds unity. The yellow flower is an indication of human’s effort to relieve anguish and pain. According to Brunner (1991), the implicit metaphor in the heading â€Å"the Carrier of Ladders indicates a change in Merwin’s attitude and orientation. Apparently, only humans are capable of carrying ladders, and their aim to climb or rise to a new level, even if such people are not aware of what they will find the level of elevation. Accordingly, almost of the poems in the volume build from such premise. Similarly, there are those who regard reading the works of Merwin as being similar to reading a puzzle and it is normally beneficial to put an effort to grasp the bottom line of the author’s logic. The carriers of ladders reminds one of the old Icelanders’ Edda Kennings, who authored the objects in a roundabout, and playful manner. However, Merwin applies the approach to an individual’s spiritual and emotional life, with popular themes being loss, isolation, and death (Brunner 1991). The critically applauded

Six feet of the country by Nadine Gordimer and No witchcraft for sale by Doris Lessing Essay Example for Free

Six feet of the country by Nadine Gordimer and No witchcraft for sale by Doris Lessing Essay What do these stories tell us about being black in Southern Africa at this time? What techniques do the authors use to convey their ideas to us? Both of the stories studied, Six feet of the country by Nadine Gordimer and No witchcraft for sale by Doris Lessing, contain similar views about being black during this time, including the racial tension that existed between black and white people. This tension also caused difficulties in the relationships held between master and servant. The opinion of the inferiority of black servants and black people in general is also addressed in both of the stories. The inferiority of black people during this time is a big issue that is addressed in these stories. In No witchcraft for sale one of the first instances showing black inferiority was when Teddy, only six years old, showed disrespect towards Gideons youngest son shouting, piccanin, at him and racing around him on his scooter, intimidating him, then excusing his actions stating that; Hes only a black boy. Therefore implying that the boy was inferior and unimportant to him because he was black. This created a barrier in the normally trusting relationship that Teddy and Gideon shared, forcing Gideon to distance himself from the boy becoming for the first time in the story as black and white,. Teddy also changed and realised superiority over Gideon; If he came into the kitchen to ask for something, it was in the way a white man uses towards a servant, expecting to be obeyed. This concept of blacks being inferior was reinforced in Six feet of the country when Petrus and his father were sent the wrong body to be buried, none of the authorities were able to help even when the white master tried to gain information about where Petruss brothers body was. He had the impression that the authorities didnt care; It was as if at any moment they might conduct me into their mortuary and say, There! Lift up the sheets; look for him your poultry boys brother. There are so many black faces surely one will do? Also highlighted in this story is the existence of racial tension, this sentence describes it indisputably; Guns under the white mens pillows and the burglar bars on the white mens windows. They mean those strange moments on city pavements when a black man wont stand aside for a white man. The expectance of a black man to stand aside for a white man shows the accepted inferiority of black people at this time, although it also depicts the tension caused by the black people in the city refusing to be inferior any longer. Racial tension was also a factor in the difficulties that arose between Gideon the servant and Mr and Mrs Farquar when the white scientist came from the city with his preconceived notions that he wouldnt find anything, to ask for the root that saved Teddys eyesight when a poisonous snake spat in his face. The Farquars, who were normally very fond of Gideon even allowing him to live in the compound with his family instead of going home to his kraal like most black servants, still favoured the white scientist over Gideon. They didnt understand why he would not tell them of the cure, thinking that he was just being unreasonable; They went on persuading and arguing, with all the force of their exasperation. Gideon felt betrayed by the Farquars asserting their authority over him, showing their superiority over him because the scientist was there, and, because this was his knowledge, black knowledge; He could not believe his old friends could so betray him. Gideon appeared to give in to their persuading, however, instead of taking the Farquars and the scientist the short ten-minute journey to find the root, he took them a tortuous six miles from the house in the blistering heat Before passing a handful of flowers to the scientist; He walked them through the bush along unknown paths for two hours. In that melting destroying heat. Gideon was punishing them for betraying him, while they felt angry and the scientist thought that he was being proved right, that the medicines didnt exist, which was what he was supposed to think; The magical drug would remain where it was, unknown and useless except for the tiny scattering of Africans who had the knowledge. In Six feet of the country, Lerice and her husband, like the Farquars, display and informality with their servants that in the midst of Apartheid would have been extremely unusual. They often cared for them when they were ill, however when Petruss brother travelled the hundreds of miles from Rhodesia, without the relevant permit, to find work, the servants were afraid to inform Lerice and her husband, causing Lerice to feel offended and hurt. Differing values are another idea presented to us by these stories, including the significance of burying Petruss brother because the land that he was buried in would be the only thing that really belonged to him and couldnt be taken away. Gideons cures are also the only thing that truly belongs to the black medicine man and not the white doctors, therefore Gideon being stubborn and not revealing the medicine, is really just preserving a piece of the native culture. The authors use various techniques to convey their ideas to us; both use language to communicate the inferiority of the black servants calling them boy no matter what age they are, quite literally addressing them as junior to or lower than the whites and then in contrast to this the black servants call the white men baas, therefore enhancing the superiority of them. Descriptive language is also used to emphasize certain points in the stories. In Six feet of the country the funeral procession is depicted as being peculiarly suited to the two donkeys pulling the cart, describing them as having an air of submissiveness and as being downcast. This is particularly effective in communicating the mood of the servants not just at the time of the funeral but in general at the time of Apartheid. This also shows how dignified the servants were, although they were extremely poor they still managed to give their dead a formal funeral. Doris Lessing presented the themes of racial tension and difficulties in a normally pleasant relationship between master and servant. The tension was brought on by the Farquars themselves, describing the scientist as the Big doctor from the big city, adopting a racist attitude on account of the scientist. To be black in Southern Africa at this time would mean being a second class person to be inferior to white people and would spend their lives serving white people. According to the authorities in Six feet of the country a black person living in South Africa would have no identity. I believe that the tension illustrated in both of these stories was caused by a lack of understanding the white people had of the black culture and traditions, I also believe that Doris Lessing and Nadine Gordimer have effectively conveyed the themes that I have highlighted, racial tension, difficult relationships or relationship barriers and differing values with the use of language, the way they presented the characters and the presentation of the themes. The title No witchcraft for sale was used because the black witchcraft was something that Gideon possessed that the white man did not, this is very similar to Six feet of the country as the six feet represent the land that Petruss brother was buried in, it would be all that he owned that couldnt be taken from him.

Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework

Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter will begin with a presentation of the background of my research area. The presentation will thereafter be followed by a problem and Significance of the research that will result in the objective and research question of my study. Background Over the past years innovation has arguably become one of the most discussed and sought after organisation-capabilities. It is recognised as a major goal of economic activity and one of the most important instruments through which organisations can gain advantages over their competitors. In order to survive in highly competitive business environments, companies have to continuously change their business processes. New conditions in the marketplace have provided a special stimulus to modelling business processes: product expansion, competitive sales conditions, development of global distribution networks, better informed customers, and the orientation of businesses towards satisfying the individual needs of the customer. In the light of this, business process reengineering has often been employed, and information technology is a frequently utilised approach used to improve business processes. This study stressed the necessity for organisational restructuring in the context of global information connectivity. Business Process Reengineering is an organisational method demanding radical redesign of business processes in order to achieve greater efficiency, better quality and more competitive production (Hammer and Champy, 1993). It means analysing and altering the business processes of the organisation as a whole. A business process includes activities and tasks that cross functional and/or organisational boundaries. Information technology (IT) is the most important factor in enabling newly redesigned processes. Modern information technology is oriented towards business processes and communications between persons using these processes, and is therefore called process and information technology (Ould, 1995). In that way, Business Process Reengineering can be described as organisational process redesign, with the direct influence of IT. At the same time organisational expenditure on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has also grown significantly during the 1990s and beyond. ERP systems have been adopted by the majority of large private sector organisations and many public sector organisations in the UK, Europe and the industrialised world in general. We would not expect this growing trend to materialise unless significant advantages were to be expected from the introduction of ERP systems. It is because ERP systems have such a significant impact on the organisation, the working practices of individuals and on human interaction that we wish to explore their impact on innovation. Origin of the term ERP In the 1960s, no manufacturing company could afford to own a computer. Therefore, both manufacturing and inventories were handled on the basis that companies must hold enough stocks to satisfy customer demand, and that customers would order what they had ordered in the past, quantity and time wise. There after manufacturing management systems have evolved in stages over the past 30 years from a simple means of calculating materials requirements to the automation of an entire enterprise. In the 1970s and 1980s, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual readjustments in production, as well as inflexible fixed system parameters, led material requirement planning (MRP) and master production schedule (MPS) to evolve into a new concept called manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) in 1980 (Kakouris Polychronopoulos, 2005). Finally in the early 1990s the generic concept Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), incorporating all the MRPII functionality, in addition to Financ e, Supply Chain, Human Resources and Project Management functionality (Anderson, 1982; Wallace, 1986; Wilson et al., 1994). Figure1 illustrates the gradual evolution of the Enterprise Resource Planning with respect to time. Enterprise resource planning systems are commercial software packages that enable the integration of transaction-oriented data and business processes throughout an organisation (Markus and Tanis, 2000). The key elements of an Enterprise Resource Planning system according to Miller (2003) are: one large real-time database which reduces data redundancy and improves accuracy; integrated business process that cut across business functions such as supply chain management; and seamless transitions between business transactions. According to Newman (2003), Enterprise Resource Planning Systems are software modules for different business functions that are linked by a common database to produce an integrated enterprise-wide system. Enterprise Resource Planning packages, the enterprise system that makes company stick together, it is a nervous system of every corporation, large or small, when you check inside it tells whats going on, it helps you act as what nervous system do, how to react, to treat the information about competitors, about products, how do you get best out of it. It pays employees, makes billing, run accounts, interacts with customers, ships goods, basically it runs the process of any company and helps accelerate business innovation for your customers. They build process factories for enterprises, which are so flexible and configurable for the identical companies so that they can do different things with the same factories and Helping Companies Become Best-Run Businesses. ERP integrates key business and management functions and provides a view of the happenings in the company, in the areas of finance, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain, etc. (Davenport, 1998; James and Wolf, 2000). An ERP solution is valuable when it represents the characteristics demonstrated in Figure 2. Significance and objective of research In the 1990s, customers experienced more costly and complex ERP implementations then they expected (Eschinger et. al., 2003). One research group found that the average ERP implementation took 232 months, had a total cost of ownership of $15M, and rewarded the business with an average negative net present value of $1.5M (Wailgum, 2008). Because of their wide scope of application within a business, ERP software systems are typically complex and usually impose significant changes on staff work practices, Implementing ERP software system is typically not an in-house skill, so even smaller projects are more cost effective if specialist ERP implementation consultants are employed. The length of time to implement an ERP system depends on the size of the business, the scope of the change and willingness of the customer to take ownership for the project. A small project (e.g., a company of less than 100 staff) may be planned and delivered within 3-9 months; however, a large, multi-site or multi-country implementation may take years (for more details see table 1 and table 2). Although implementing an ERP system may be costly and time-consuming, its benefits are worthwhile. However, there are a number of examples where organisations have not been successful in reaping the potential benefits that motivated them to make large investments in ERP implementations (Davenport, 1998). The research is also predicting that ERP new license revenue will have fallen 24% in 2009, as companies severely rein back implementation and expansion projects. While the organisation expects ERP spending to rise slightly in 2010, vendors will be fighting hard for every available dollar, and that should translate into cost savings for customers (Kanaracus, 2010). Therefore year 2010 is predicted to be different and better in terms of ERP implementation. According to Langenwalter (2000), Enterprise Resource Planning implementation failure rate was from 40% to 60%, yet companies try to implement these systems because they are absolutely essential to responsive planning and communication (see Appendix 2 for ERP solution satisfaction). The competitive pressure unleashed by the process of globalisation is driving implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning projects in increasingly large numbers, so methodological framework for dealing with complex problem of evaluating Enterprise Resource Planning projects is required (Teltumbde, 2000). All ERP vendors came up with solution and build their implementation methodology which they recommend to all their clients to utilise the approach during their implementation and continuously looking for improvements in those methods. Therefore the Research in this subject will value the investment put in by the companies in these projects. The primary objective of this dissertation was to explore the application of ERP implementation methodology framework by different vendors when implementing ERP and to find commonalities or diversion in the ways of improvement by them. Therefore the key research questions that are the focus of this study are: To what extent different companies follow AcceleratedSAP as methodology when implementing SAP? Is different companies use different innovative ways to improve the process? Are there commonalities or diversion in this innovation? Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of this chapter is to present my theoretical framework. In this chapter first I will present different implementation framework models from some researchers and academician. Then select one model as my theoretical base. Information Systems Development Methodology Creation of an Information System is not a trivial matter, and must strive to fulfil four main goals; usefulness, usability, reliability and flexibility (Kruchten, 2000). To minimise risks of failure in any of these primary objectives there are a number of specialised development methodologies available, each with different strengths and weaknesses and suited to different project types: The Classic Model This model, often called the Waterfall model (figure 3), represents the traditional software lifecycle, and outlines an Information System project in clearly defined, partitioned phases that follow in sequential order (though the actual phases are not always the same) (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This approach has strengths when requirements are well known and unchanging, unfortunately problems with this approach are quickly identified. The main failings of this model stem from its linear nature, where each stage must be completed and the outputted deliverable passed to the next phase. This produces an inflexible model that is hard to step back to previous stages without changing everything (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). Due to this separated structure a gap of understanding can become present between users and developers, and as no deliverables are viewed until the end of the sequence unsatisfactory results can be delivered. It also typically suffers from long development times (wh ich are certainly not available in this project) and as such is not usually practised in the formal fashion (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This model alone is clearly unsuitable to the ERP implementation project as completion in a timely fashion is a key objective, and with this extra constraint risks will be extremely high. As such requirements capture/analysis will need to on-going throughout the entire process. With these points noted, a partially phased approach is attractive from a project management point of view, and an extensive initial requirements capture phase could greatly reduce project risks through understanding of the problem domain. Business Process Reengineering Implementing Methodologies One approach of information system development, which takes into account strategic aspects, is business process reengineering. It has presented organisation with the opportunity to rethink out dated procedures, rules, and assumptions underlying their business activities. This opportunity is usually enabled partly by the application of technology to outdated process (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). The initial research of the subject starts with Business Process Reengineering which is achieved by the adoption of ERP as it streamline the organisations processes by integrating the information flow into a single system. The term business process reengineering had its origin at MIT during 1984-1989 while MITs enumerating management techniques for the 1990s. Business process reengineering simply means transformation from function based to process based. The radical redesign of a process is easily achieved by involving information technology (IT) in business processes and hence the prominence of IT in business process reengineering. IT is accepted not only as just a business process reengineering enabler (Hammer and Champy, 1993) but also as an essential enabler of business process reengineering (Davenport and Short, 1998). There exists a recursive relationship between business process reengineering and IT which can be utilised for thorough process change. In the modern times and due to rapid proliferation of computers in the business arena, business process reengineering through IT is getting a big boost. Business process reengineering using IT emanated from gradual progression in the use of computers from routine clerical job processing to IT-based decision making. Many corporations reaped benefits by re-engineering their processes at various stages of IT development. At the same time, re-engineering cannot be planned and achieved in small cautious steps for any corporation (Hammer, 1990). Some of the commonly used IT tools for re-engineering are ERP systems. First we adopt the work of Kettinger al.s (1997) for a literature review on business process reengineering implementing methodologies also chosen by Pellerin and Hadaya (2008). This implementation methodology proposes a generic stage-activity framework for conducting business process reengineering projects, because The technology is derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting organisations and Unlike most business process reengineering studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation, Kettinger et al.s (1997) work is cantered on the business process reengineering project, which is more relevant to Information System professionals. Kettinger et al.s (1997) framework comprises six stages, each containing the following activities (See Figure 4). The first stage, envision (S1), typically involves the business process reengineering project champion engendering the support of the top management. A task force, including senior executives and individuals knowledgeable about an organisations processes, is authorised to target a business process for improvement based on a review of business strategy and IT opportunities in the hope of improving the organisations overall performance. The second stage, initiate (S2), encompasses the assignment of a reengineering project team, setting of the performance goals, project planning and shareholder/employee notification and buy-in. This is frequently achieved by developing a business case for reengineering via bench-marking, identifying external customer needs, and cost benefit analysis. The third stage, diagnose (S3), is classified as the documentation of the current process and sub processes in terms of process attributes such as activities, resources, communication, roles, IT, and cost. In identifying process requirements and assigning customers value, root causes for the problems are surfaced, and non-value-adding activities are identified. The fourth stage, redesign (S4), a new process design is developed. This is accomplished by devising process design alternatives through brainstorming and creativity techniques. The new design should meet strategic objective and fit with the human resource and IT architecture. Documentation and prototyping of the new process is typically conducted, and a design of new information system to support the new process is completed. The fifth stage, reconstruct (S5), heavily relies on change management techniques to ensure smooth migration to new process responsibilities and human resources roles. During this stage, the IT platform and systems are implemented, and the users go through the training and transition. The sixth and last stage, evaluate (S6), requires monitoring of the new process to determine if it met its goal and often involves linkage to an organisations total quality program. This methodology was empirically derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting firms which takes the management accounting perspective by attempting to reorganise business processes while using information as an enabler then it provides a set of tools and techniques to facilitate the reengineering effort and unlike most BPR studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation (Kettinger et al., 1997; Pellerin and Hadaya, 2008). This justifies the use of this methodology to build on the relation of further theories but just to compare and have further opinion let look at another business process reengineering implementation methodology. A seven-step methodology, as shown in Figure 5, that shows the various steps in IT driven business process reengineering implementation (Davenport and Short, 1998; Armistead and Rowland, 1996). These steps are prioritising processes based on the comparative importance of objectives, identifying the processes to be redesigned, understanding and measuring/benchmarking the existing processes, identifying the appropriate IT tool, designing/building a process prototype, testing the reengineered process, and implementing the changed process. The first step is to define the objectives of the process redesign which can be cost reduction, time reduction, improvement in output quality and/or improvement of quality of work life. Rarely, organisations become successful in meeting multiple objectives, concurrently. In the second step, selection of the processes to be redesigned is carried out. The two approaches, namely, exhaustive and high-impact approaches are available for the selection of the processes to be redesigned. Exhaustive approach ranks all processes to be redesigned based on the order of urgency prior to the identification of the process to be redesigned whereas the high-impact approach tries to identify only the most important processes which are in conflict with business vision and process objectives. The third step tries to measure the process before redesign in order to avoid repetition and to set a baseline for future improvements. In the fourth step, it is better to have a picture of all latest IT technologi es available for redesign prior to the redesign and freezing of the redesigned process under study. The fifth step can be easily dealt with by using IT as a design tool in creating a more generic design of the process under study in arriving at a suitable organisational prototype. After generating the redesigned process prototype, implement the same in one of the units of the organisation to study the actual benefits before launching it on an organisation wide basis and the same is done in the sixth step. If the pilot launch is found successful in meeting the process objectives, launch the redesigned process throughout the organisation which is the seventh and last step in IT-based implementation of the redesigned process. If both the implementation methodologies are compared there is not just the difference in number of steps between the two methodologies, there is also the difference in the approach in cut-overs where training of users are missing in second as well the pilots and rollouts are mentioned in the later methodology. This goes with Kettinger et als (1997) findings that, while business process reengineering implementing methodologies may vary based on philosophical differences, there is enough commonality among the practiced approaches to generally describe a prototypical business process reengineering efforts. Generic Enterprise Resource Planning Implementing Methodologies In the past, companies used to decide how they wanted to do business and then made a decision about a software package that best supported their business processes. This was changed with ERP systems that required the business processes to be modified to fit the system (Davenport, 1998). Business Process Reengineering implementation exists ranging from technology enabled re-engineering to clean slate re-engineering. If ERP system is chosen first, then the re-engineering is driven by the chosen ERP system or re-engineering is technology enabled. The reason why many companies chose to conduct ERP system development was to attempt to solve all their organisational problems without reengineering business processes first. Then the Costs involved with such re-engineering are very low as alteration done on the system is least or none. In clean slate re-engineering, design starts from scratch and ERP system software is highly customised to fit the processes of the enterprise in discussion. ERP implementation significantly impacts company culture, organisational structure, business processes, in addition to procedures and rules. Furthermore, ERP applications integrate many best business practices and much knowledge that could be worthwhile if included as a part of BPR projects. By taking the best practices inherent in ERP applications, companies can change their processes simultaneously with technological change. As a result, many companies changed their business processes to fit the ERP system requirements, and the possibilities of ERP systems have been used to underpin Business Process Reengineering (Kooch, 2001, Chenn, 2001). As ERP systems have traditionally taken too long to implement, a dynamic and incremental implementation of ERP components is recommended as opposed to massive reengineering. Also pointed by Ahmed (1999) the focus of ERP implementations has shifted from matching business processes with the ERP system to developing knowledge-workers that can quickly understand and work with redesigned processes and realise the ERP-enabled benefits. Boudreau and Robey (2005), suggest a vital importance to acceptance of ERP systems. They also note that if not successfully implemented, users may work around the system and otherwise doom the project to costly duplication of effort, or worse, system failure. A phased implementation approach is highlighted in Robey et al. (2002). It is important to have a structured approach, similar to systems development, for the implementation and maintenance of ERP systems. Systems development theory uses the concept of a lifecycle and stages in the lifecycle to indicate development of information systems. The waterfall model, incremental model, RAD (rapid application development) model and spiral model are some of the systems development methods prevalent in the literature. Newer approaches to systems development address component-based development using off-the-shelf packages, agile development and the unified process for object-oriented software development (Pressman, 2005). The newer approaches have fewer stages in the development of systems. For example, the unified process which draws upon the best practices of conventional software process models has inception, elaboration, construction and transition phases. A common aspect of all these models is that they focus little attention on implementation and the post implementation of the system. The literature review undertaken revealed a lack of research with regard to some critical factors of ERP implementation (eg client consultation, schedule and plans), and this could be due to the fact that these factors are related to any information system project, not particularly to ERP project implementation. However, and generally speaking, there has not yet been a common comprehensive or integrative approach to ERP implementation. Successful ERP project implementation is a complex and difficult task. Implementing an ERP system package causes vast change that needs to be managed carefully to get the full advantages (Bingi et al, 1999; Sor, 1999). More importantly, it has been stressed by many that it is really a mistake to view ERP project implementation as merely an IT project (Davenport, 2000; Milford Stewart, 2000; OLeary, 2000). A major difference between ERP systems and traditional information systems comes from the integrated nature of ERP applications. Implementing an ERP system causes dramatic changes that need to be carefully administrated to reap the advantages of an ERP solution. Holland and Light (1999) cite that the implementation of an ERP software package involves a mix of business process change and software configuration to align the software with the business processes. In that sense, it has become clear through the literature review, and studying the experiences of leading organisations, that the implementation of an ERP system is radically different from traditional systems development. In an ERP system implementation, the key focus has shifted from a heavy emphasis on technical analysis and programming towards business process design, business-focused software configuration (Kelly et al, 1999), and legacy data clean-up (Smethurst Kawalek, 1999). In essence, there are several critical and inter-related issues that must be carefully considered to ensure successful implementation of an ERP system project. The framework (Figure 6) presented in this report is the result a major research study undertaken to propose an integrative Critical Success Factors view of ERP. ERP system implementation has been subdivided into three levels: strategic, tactical, and operational. Each level contains a number of critical factors. These levels of implementation, however, are not independent of each other, and each level should be used to derive the next level. Moreover, each level requires differing inputs; for example, there is a direct relationship between the implementation level at which a decision is being taken and the characteristics of the information required supporting decision making (Bocij et al, 2008). Communication Communication is one of most challenging and difficult tasks in any ERP implementation project (Welti, 1999). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define communication as the provision of an appropriate network and necessary data to all key factors in the project implementation. Communication has to cover the scope, objectives, and tasks of an ERP implementation project (Sumner, 1999). Failure to establish and manage the communication process with stakeholders can lead to a lack of support from stakeholders, disapproval of the deliverables and dissatisfaction. ERP implementation levels Strategic level The decisions made at this level significantly change the manner in which business is being done (Bocij et al, 2008), and these decisions are the responsibility of top management (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Turban et al, 2000). This level can be considered as the process of establishing overall goals and of planning how to achieve those goals. Kelly et al (1999) suggested that the strategic level is the premeditated plan for transforming the organisation, enabling it to operate in the new style environment. Current legacy system evaluation: This includes the existing IT (hardware and software), business processes, organisation structure, and culture. Holland and Light (1999) argue that the nature and scale of problems that are likely to be encountered can be defined by evaluating the existing legacy system (by asking what the status of the enterprises legacy system is and how it will affect the transition to ERP and common business processes). It is clear that ERP implementation involves a complex transition from legacy information systems and business processes to an integrated IT infrastructure and common business process throughout the organisation (Gibson et al, 1999). Project vision and objective: It is very important that the organisation has a clear sense of whom and what it is before implementing an ERP project (Davenport, 2000). A global survey showed that an understanding of business objectives and clear vision are key success factors (Cooke Peterson, 1998). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define project vision as the initial clarity of goals and general direction. Welti (1999) advises on determining the project vision in the planning phase, particularly within the project scope, where the project scope includes the project definition, objectives, and strategy. He argues that all these components of the project scope are compulsory to create a clear project vision. At this stage in the ERP project, the vision should provide a direction and general objective, and no details are required. ERP implementation strategy: This will be reviewed in this level to determine the impact of ERP system implementation on the enterprise. Trepper (1999) argues that the organisations executive managers must understand how ERP system implementation will impact on the organisation to ensure a smooth transition. Holland and Light (1999) suggest that the propensity of an organisation for change should influence the choice of ERP implementation project strategy. There are two main technical options to implement an ERP system: modify the ERP system package to suit an organisations requirements or the implementation of a standard package with minimum deviation from the standard settings. Companies that do not select the second option are liable to face major difficulties (Bancroft et al, 1998; Martin, 1998; Gibson et al, 1999). Hiring consultants: Due to the complexities of implementing an ERP system, most companies choose to hire consultants to help them select, configure, and implement the system. Welti (1999) argues that the success of a project depends on the capabilities of the consultants, because they have in-depth knowledge of the software. Somers and Nelson (2001) point out those consultants may be involved in different stages of the ERP project implementation. There are hundreds of companies that provide such ERP services. Since it is a critical success factor, it has to be managed and monitored very carefully. Benchmarking: Al-Mashari and Zairi (2000) argue that benchmarking works essentially at capturing both external and internal best practices related to all aspects of ERP system implementation, and enabling the transfer of knowledge across all levels of project implementation. They argue that benchmarking can play a significant role in shaping the strategic direction to be taken for change introduction using an ERP package. Tactical level At the tactical level, also termed managerial level, the medium-term planning of ERP specific organisational issues is largely concerned, where decisions are made by middle managers (Turban et al, 2000). In order to make sure that the enterprise is meeting its targets, objectives of top management are accomplished, and it is not wasting its resources, the tactical level provides middle-level managers with the information they need to monitor the performance of the organisation, control operations, and allocate resources and set policies effectively (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Bocij et al, 2008). Client consultation: Slevin and Pinto (1987) define client consultation as the communication and consultation with, and active listening to all affected parties, mainly the client. It is essential for an organisation to keep its clients aware of its future project to avoid misconception. They also argued that the consultation with clients should occur early in the process; otherwise the chance of subsequent client acceptance will be lowered. In general, this factor has not been thoroughly discussed in the literature reviewed. Business process change (BPC): As mentioned before, there are two main options to implement ERP syst Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter will begin with a presentation of the background of my research area. The presentation will thereafter be followed by a problem and Significance of the research that will result in the objective and research question of my study. Background Over the past years innovation has arguably become one of the most discussed and sought after organisation-capabilities. It is recognised as a major goal of economic activity and one of the most important instruments through which organisations can gain advantages over their competitors. In order to survive in highly competitive business environments, companies have to continuously change their business processes. New conditions in the marketplace have provided a special stimulus to modelling business processes: product expansion, competitive sales conditions, development of global distribution networks, better informed customers, and the orientation of businesses towards satisfying the individual needs of the customer. In the light of this, business process reengineering has often been employed, and information technology is a frequently utilised approach used to improve business processes. This study stressed the necessity for organisational restructuring in the context of global information connectivity. Business Process Reengineering is an organisational method demanding radical redesign of business processes in order to achieve greater efficiency, better quality and more competitive production (Hammer and Champy, 1993). It means analysing and altering the business processes of the organisation as a whole. A business process includes activities and tasks that cross functional and/or organisational boundaries. Information technology (IT) is the most important factor in enabling newly redesigned processes. Modern information technology is oriented towards business processes and communications between persons using these processes, and is therefore called process and information technology (Ould, 1995). In that way, Business Process Reengineering can be described as organisational process redesign, with the direct influence of IT. At the same time organisational expenditure on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has also grown significantly during the 1990s and beyond. ERP systems have been adopted by the majority of large private sector organisations and many public sector organisations in the UK, Europe and the industrialised world in general. We would not expect this growing trend to materialise unless significant advantages were to be expected from the introduction of ERP systems. It is because ERP systems have such a significant impact on the organisation, the working practices of individuals and on human interaction that we wish to explore their impact on innovation. Origin of the term ERP In the 1960s, no manufacturing company could afford to own a computer. Therefore, both manufacturing and inventories were handled on the basis that companies must hold enough stocks to satisfy customer demand, and that customers would order what they had ordered in the past, quantity and time wise. There after manufacturing management systems have evolved in stages over the past 30 years from a simple means of calculating materials requirements to the automation of an entire enterprise. In the 1970s and 1980s, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual readjustments in production, as well as inflexible fixed system parameters, led material requirement planning (MRP) and master production schedule (MPS) to evolve into a new concept called manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) in 1980 (Kakouris Polychronopoulos, 2005). Finally in the early 1990s the generic concept Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), incorporating all the MRPII functionality, in addition to Financ e, Supply Chain, Human Resources and Project Management functionality (Anderson, 1982; Wallace, 1986; Wilson et al., 1994). Figure1 illustrates the gradual evolution of the Enterprise Resource Planning with respect to time. Enterprise resource planning systems are commercial software packages that enable the integration of transaction-oriented data and business processes throughout an organisation (Markus and Tanis, 2000). The key elements of an Enterprise Resource Planning system according to Miller (2003) are: one large real-time database which reduces data redundancy and improves accuracy; integrated business process that cut across business functions such as supply chain management; and seamless transitions between business transactions. According to Newman (2003), Enterprise Resource Planning Systems are software modules for different business functions that are linked by a common database to produce an integrated enterprise-wide system. Enterprise Resource Planning packages, the enterprise system that makes company stick together, it is a nervous system of every corporation, large or small, when you check inside it tells whats going on, it helps you act as what nervous system do, how to react, to treat the information about competitors, about products, how do you get best out of it. It pays employees, makes billing, run accounts, interacts with customers, ships goods, basically it runs the process of any company and helps accelerate business innovation for your customers. They build process factories for enterprises, which are so flexible and configurable for the identical companies so that they can do different things with the same factories and Helping Companies Become Best-Run Businesses. ERP integrates key business and management functions and provides a view of the happenings in the company, in the areas of finance, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain, etc. (Davenport, 1998; James and Wolf, 2000). An ERP solution is valuable when it represents the characteristics demonstrated in Figure 2. Significance and objective of research In the 1990s, customers experienced more costly and complex ERP implementations then they expected (Eschinger et. al., 2003). One research group found that the average ERP implementation took 232 months, had a total cost of ownership of $15M, and rewarded the business with an average negative net present value of $1.5M (Wailgum, 2008). Because of their wide scope of application within a business, ERP software systems are typically complex and usually impose significant changes on staff work practices, Implementing ERP software system is typically not an in-house skill, so even smaller projects are more cost effective if specialist ERP implementation consultants are employed. The length of time to implement an ERP system depends on the size of the business, the scope of the change and willingness of the customer to take ownership for the project. A small project (e.g., a company of less than 100 staff) may be planned and delivered within 3-9 months; however, a large, multi-site or multi-country implementation may take years (for more details see table 1 and table 2). Although implementing an ERP system may be costly and time-consuming, its benefits are worthwhile. However, there are a number of examples where organisations have not been successful in reaping the potential benefits that motivated them to make large investments in ERP implementations (Davenport, 1998). The research is also predicting that ERP new license revenue will have fallen 24% in 2009, as companies severely rein back implementation and expansion projects. While the organisation expects ERP spending to rise slightly in 2010, vendors will be fighting hard for every available dollar, and that should translate into cost savings for customers (Kanaracus, 2010). Therefore year 2010 is predicted to be different and better in terms of ERP implementation. According to Langenwalter (2000), Enterprise Resource Planning implementation failure rate was from 40% to 60%, yet companies try to implement these systems because they are absolutely essential to responsive planning and communication (see Appendix 2 for ERP solution satisfaction). The competitive pressure unleashed by the process of globalisation is driving implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning projects in increasingly large numbers, so methodological framework for dealing with complex problem of evaluating Enterprise Resource Planning projects is required (Teltumbde, 2000). All ERP vendors came up with solution and build their implementation methodology which they recommend to all their clients to utilise the approach during their implementation and continuously looking for improvements in those methods. Therefore the Research in this subject will value the investment put in by the companies in these projects. The primary objective of this dissertation was to explore the application of ERP implementation methodology framework by different vendors when implementing ERP and to find commonalities or diversion in the ways of improvement by them. Therefore the key research questions that are the focus of this study are: To what extent different companies follow AcceleratedSAP as methodology when implementing SAP? Is different companies use different innovative ways to improve the process? Are there commonalities or diversion in this innovation? Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of this chapter is to present my theoretical framework. In this chapter first I will present different implementation framework models from some researchers and academician. Then select one model as my theoretical base. Information Systems Development Methodology Creation of an Information System is not a trivial matter, and must strive to fulfil four main goals; usefulness, usability, reliability and flexibility (Kruchten, 2000). To minimise risks of failure in any of these primary objectives there are a number of specialised development methodologies available, each with different strengths and weaknesses and suited to different project types: The Classic Model This model, often called the Waterfall model (figure 3), represents the traditional software lifecycle, and outlines an Information System project in clearly defined, partitioned phases that follow in sequential order (though the actual phases are not always the same) (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This approach has strengths when requirements are well known and unchanging, unfortunately problems with this approach are quickly identified. The main failings of this model stem from its linear nature, where each stage must be completed and the outputted deliverable passed to the next phase. This produces an inflexible model that is hard to step back to previous stages without changing everything (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). Due to this separated structure a gap of understanding can become present between users and developers, and as no deliverables are viewed until the end of the sequence unsatisfactory results can be delivered. It also typically suffers from long development times (wh ich are certainly not available in this project) and as such is not usually practised in the formal fashion (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This model alone is clearly unsuitable to the ERP implementation project as completion in a timely fashion is a key objective, and with this extra constraint risks will be extremely high. As such requirements capture/analysis will need to on-going throughout the entire process. With these points noted, a partially phased approach is attractive from a project management point of view, and an extensive initial requirements capture phase could greatly reduce project risks through understanding of the problem domain. Business Process Reengineering Implementing Methodologies One approach of information system development, which takes into account strategic aspects, is business process reengineering. It has presented organisation with the opportunity to rethink out dated procedures, rules, and assumptions underlying their business activities. This opportunity is usually enabled partly by the application of technology to outdated process (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). The initial research of the subject starts with Business Process Reengineering which is achieved by the adoption of ERP as it streamline the organisations processes by integrating the information flow into a single system. The term business process reengineering had its origin at MIT during 1984-1989 while MITs enumerating management techniques for the 1990s. Business process reengineering simply means transformation from function based to process based. The radical redesign of a process is easily achieved by involving information technology (IT) in business processes and hence the prominence of IT in business process reengineering. IT is accepted not only as just a business process reengineering enabler (Hammer and Champy, 1993) but also as an essential enabler of business process reengineering (Davenport and Short, 1998). There exists a recursive relationship between business process reengineering and IT which can be utilised for thorough process change. In the modern times and due to rapid proliferation of computers in the business arena, business process reengineering through IT is getting a big boost. Business process reengineering using IT emanated from gradual progression in the use of computers from routine clerical job processing to IT-based decision making. Many corporations reaped benefits by re-engineering their processes at various stages of IT development. At the same time, re-engineering cannot be planned and achieved in small cautious steps for any corporation (Hammer, 1990). Some of the commonly used IT tools for re-engineering are ERP systems. First we adopt the work of Kettinger al.s (1997) for a literature review on business process reengineering implementing methodologies also chosen by Pellerin and Hadaya (2008). This implementation methodology proposes a generic stage-activity framework for conducting business process reengineering projects, because The technology is derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting organisations and Unlike most business process reengineering studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation, Kettinger et al.s (1997) work is cantered on the business process reengineering project, which is more relevant to Information System professionals. Kettinger et al.s (1997) framework comprises six stages, each containing the following activities (See Figure 4). The first stage, envision (S1), typically involves the business process reengineering project champion engendering the support of the top management. A task force, including senior executives and individuals knowledgeable about an organisations processes, is authorised to target a business process for improvement based on a review of business strategy and IT opportunities in the hope of improving the organisations overall performance. The second stage, initiate (S2), encompasses the assignment of a reengineering project team, setting of the performance goals, project planning and shareholder/employee notification and buy-in. This is frequently achieved by developing a business case for reengineering via bench-marking, identifying external customer needs, and cost benefit analysis. The third stage, diagnose (S3), is classified as the documentation of the current process and sub processes in terms of process attributes such as activities, resources, communication, roles, IT, and cost. In identifying process requirements and assigning customers value, root causes for the problems are surfaced, and non-value-adding activities are identified. The fourth stage, redesign (S4), a new process design is developed. This is accomplished by devising process design alternatives through brainstorming and creativity techniques. The new design should meet strategic objective and fit with the human resource and IT architecture. Documentation and prototyping of the new process is typically conducted, and a design of new information system to support the new process is completed. The fifth stage, reconstruct (S5), heavily relies on change management techniques to ensure smooth migration to new process responsibilities and human resources roles. During this stage, the IT platform and systems are implemented, and the users go through the training and transition. The sixth and last stage, evaluate (S6), requires monitoring of the new process to determine if it met its goal and often involves linkage to an organisations total quality program. This methodology was empirically derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting firms which takes the management accounting perspective by attempting to reorganise business processes while using information as an enabler then it provides a set of tools and techniques to facilitate the reengineering effort and unlike most BPR studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation (Kettinger et al., 1997; Pellerin and Hadaya, 2008). This justifies the use of this methodology to build on the relation of further theories but just to compare and have further opinion let look at another business process reengineering implementation methodology. A seven-step methodology, as shown in Figure 5, that shows the various steps in IT driven business process reengineering implementation (Davenport and Short, 1998; Armistead and Rowland, 1996). These steps are prioritising processes based on the comparative importance of objectives, identifying the processes to be redesigned, understanding and measuring/benchmarking the existing processes, identifying the appropriate IT tool, designing/building a process prototype, testing the reengineered process, and implementing the changed process. The first step is to define the objectives of the process redesign which can be cost reduction, time reduction, improvement in output quality and/or improvement of quality of work life. Rarely, organisations become successful in meeting multiple objectives, concurrently. In the second step, selection of the processes to be redesigned is carried out. The two approaches, namely, exhaustive and high-impact approaches are available for the selection of the processes to be redesigned. Exhaustive approach ranks all processes to be redesigned based on the order of urgency prior to the identification of the process to be redesigned whereas the high-impact approach tries to identify only the most important processes which are in conflict with business vision and process objectives. The third step tries to measure the process before redesign in order to avoid repetition and to set a baseline for future improvements. In the fourth step, it is better to have a picture of all latest IT technologi es available for redesign prior to the redesign and freezing of the redesigned process under study. The fifth step can be easily dealt with by using IT as a design tool in creating a more generic design of the process under study in arriving at a suitable organisational prototype. After generating the redesigned process prototype, implement the same in one of the units of the organisation to study the actual benefits before launching it on an organisation wide basis and the same is done in the sixth step. If the pilot launch is found successful in meeting the process objectives, launch the redesigned process throughout the organisation which is the seventh and last step in IT-based implementation of the redesigned process. If both the implementation methodologies are compared there is not just the difference in number of steps between the two methodologies, there is also the difference in the approach in cut-overs where training of users are missing in second as well the pilots and rollouts are mentioned in the later methodology. This goes with Kettinger et als (1997) findings that, while business process reengineering implementing methodologies may vary based on philosophical differences, there is enough commonality among the practiced approaches to generally describe a prototypical business process reengineering efforts. Generic Enterprise Resource Planning Implementing Methodologies In the past, companies used to decide how they wanted to do business and then made a decision about a software package that best supported their business processes. This was changed with ERP systems that required the business processes to be modified to fit the system (Davenport, 1998). Business Process Reengineering implementation exists ranging from technology enabled re-engineering to clean slate re-engineering. If ERP system is chosen first, then the re-engineering is driven by the chosen ERP system or re-engineering is technology enabled. The reason why many companies chose to conduct ERP system development was to attempt to solve all their organisational problems without reengineering business processes first. Then the Costs involved with such re-engineering are very low as alteration done on the system is least or none. In clean slate re-engineering, design starts from scratch and ERP system software is highly customised to fit the processes of the enterprise in discussion. ERP implementation significantly impacts company culture, organisational structure, business processes, in addition to procedures and rules. Furthermore, ERP applications integrate many best business practices and much knowledge that could be worthwhile if included as a part of BPR projects. By taking the best practices inherent in ERP applications, companies can change their processes simultaneously with technological change. As a result, many companies changed their business processes to fit the ERP system requirements, and the possibilities of ERP systems have been used to underpin Business Process Reengineering (Kooch, 2001, Chenn, 2001). As ERP systems have traditionally taken too long to implement, a dynamic and incremental implementation of ERP components is recommended as opposed to massive reengineering. Also pointed by Ahmed (1999) the focus of ERP implementations has shifted from matching business processes with the ERP system to developing knowledge-workers that can quickly understand and work with redesigned processes and realise the ERP-enabled benefits. Boudreau and Robey (2005), suggest a vital importance to acceptance of ERP systems. They also note that if not successfully implemented, users may work around the system and otherwise doom the project to costly duplication of effort, or worse, system failure. A phased implementation approach is highlighted in Robey et al. (2002). It is important to have a structured approach, similar to systems development, for the implementation and maintenance of ERP systems. Systems development theory uses the concept of a lifecycle and stages in the lifecycle to indicate development of information systems. The waterfall model, incremental model, RAD (rapid application development) model and spiral model are some of the systems development methods prevalent in the literature. Newer approaches to systems development address component-based development using off-the-shelf packages, agile development and the unified process for object-oriented software development (Pressman, 2005). The newer approaches have fewer stages in the development of systems. For example, the unified process which draws upon the best practices of conventional software process models has inception, elaboration, construction and transition phases. A common aspect of all these models is that they focus little attention on implementation and the post implementation of the system. The literature review undertaken revealed a lack of research with regard to some critical factors of ERP implementation (eg client consultation, schedule and plans), and this could be due to the fact that these factors are related to any information system project, not particularly to ERP project implementation. However, and generally speaking, there has not yet been a common comprehensive or integrative approach to ERP implementation. Successful ERP project implementation is a complex and difficult task. Implementing an ERP system package causes vast change that needs to be managed carefully to get the full advantages (Bingi et al, 1999; Sor, 1999). More importantly, it has been stressed by many that it is really a mistake to view ERP project implementation as merely an IT project (Davenport, 2000; Milford Stewart, 2000; OLeary, 2000). A major difference between ERP systems and traditional information systems comes from the integrated nature of ERP applications. Implementing an ERP system causes dramatic changes that need to be carefully administrated to reap the advantages of an ERP solution. Holland and Light (1999) cite that the implementation of an ERP software package involves a mix of business process change and software configuration to align the software with the business processes. In that sense, it has become clear through the literature review, and studying the experiences of leading organisations, that the implementation of an ERP system is radically different from traditional systems development. In an ERP system implementation, the key focus has shifted from a heavy emphasis on technical analysis and programming towards business process design, business-focused software configuration (Kelly et al, 1999), and legacy data clean-up (Smethurst Kawalek, 1999). In essence, there are several critical and inter-related issues that must be carefully considered to ensure successful implementation of an ERP system project. The framework (Figure 6) presented in this report is the result a major research study undertaken to propose an integrative Critical Success Factors view of ERP. ERP system implementation has been subdivided into three levels: strategic, tactical, and operational. Each level contains a number of critical factors. These levels of implementation, however, are not independent of each other, and each level should be used to derive the next level. Moreover, each level requires differing inputs; for example, there is a direct relationship between the implementation level at which a decision is being taken and the characteristics of the information required supporting decision making (Bocij et al, 2008). Communication Communication is one of most challenging and difficult tasks in any ERP implementation project (Welti, 1999). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define communication as the provision of an appropriate network and necessary data to all key factors in the project implementation. Communication has to cover the scope, objectives, and tasks of an ERP implementation project (Sumner, 1999). Failure to establish and manage the communication process with stakeholders can lead to a lack of support from stakeholders, disapproval of the deliverables and dissatisfaction. ERP implementation levels Strategic level The decisions made at this level significantly change the manner in which business is being done (Bocij et al, 2008), and these decisions are the responsibility of top management (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Turban et al, 2000). This level can be considered as the process of establishing overall goals and of planning how to achieve those goals. Kelly et al (1999) suggested that the strategic level is the premeditated plan for transforming the organisation, enabling it to operate in the new style environment. Current legacy system evaluation: This includes the existing IT (hardware and software), business processes, organisation structure, and culture. Holland and Light (1999) argue that the nature and scale of problems that are likely to be encountered can be defined by evaluating the existing legacy system (by asking what the status of the enterprises legacy system is and how it will affect the transition to ERP and common business processes). It is clear that ERP implementation involves a complex transition from legacy information systems and business processes to an integrated IT infrastructure and common business process throughout the organisation (Gibson et al, 1999). Project vision and objective: It is very important that the organisation has a clear sense of whom and what it is before implementing an ERP project (Davenport, 2000). A global survey showed that an understanding of business objectives and clear vision are key success factors (Cooke Peterson, 1998). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define project vision as the initial clarity of goals and general direction. Welti (1999) advises on determining the project vision in the planning phase, particularly within the project scope, where the project scope includes the project definition, objectives, and strategy. He argues that all these components of the project scope are compulsory to create a clear project vision. At this stage in the ERP project, the vision should provide a direction and general objective, and no details are required. ERP implementation strategy: This will be reviewed in this level to determine the impact of ERP system implementation on the enterprise. Trepper (1999) argues that the organisations executive managers must understand how ERP system implementation will impact on the organisation to ensure a smooth transition. Holland and Light (1999) suggest that the propensity of an organisation for change should influence the choice of ERP implementation project strategy. There are two main technical options to implement an ERP system: modify the ERP system package to suit an organisations requirements or the implementation of a standard package with minimum deviation from the standard settings. Companies that do not select the second option are liable to face major difficulties (Bancroft et al, 1998; Martin, 1998; Gibson et al, 1999). Hiring consultants: Due to the complexities of implementing an ERP system, most companies choose to hire consultants to help them select, configure, and implement the system. Welti (1999) argues that the success of a project depends on the capabilities of the consultants, because they have in-depth knowledge of the software. Somers and Nelson (2001) point out those consultants may be involved in different stages of the ERP project implementation. There are hundreds of companies that provide such ERP services. Since it is a critical success factor, it has to be managed and monitored very carefully. Benchmarking: Al-Mashari and Zairi (2000) argue that benchmarking works essentially at capturing both external and internal best practices related to all aspects of ERP system implementation, and enabling the transfer of knowledge across all levels of project implementation. They argue that benchmarking can play a significant role in shaping the strategic direction to be taken for change introduction using an ERP package. Tactical level At the tactical level, also termed managerial level, the medium-term planning of ERP specific organisational issues is largely concerned, where decisions are made by middle managers (Turban et al, 2000). In order to make sure that the enterprise is meeting its targets, objectives of top management are accomplished, and it is not wasting its resources, the tactical level provides middle-level managers with the information they need to monitor the performance of the organisation, control operations, and allocate resources and set policies effectively (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Bocij et al, 2008). Client consultation: Slevin and Pinto (1987) define client consultation as the communication and consultation with, and active listening to all affected parties, mainly the client. It is essential for an organisation to keep its clients aware of its future project to avoid misconception. They also argued that the consultation with clients should occur early in the process; otherwise the chance of subsequent client acceptance will be lowered. In general, this factor has not been thoroughly discussed in the literature reviewed. Business process change (BPC): As mentioned before, there are two main options to implement ERP syst