Disaster Management Essay -- Business Management Studies

Disaster Management Introduction All disaster managers must make decisions. Their decision involves a comparison between several alternatives and an evaluation of the outcome. The quality of the decisions managers make is the true measure of their performance. Each operational decision influences future actions, which in turn, require further decisions. Errors in decision-making, therefore, tend to be cumulative. Decision-making is the major responsibility of a disaster manager, regardless of his or her functional area or level in the organization. Some of these decisions may have a strong impact on the organization, while others will be important, but less crucial. The important point, however, is that all decisions will have some sort of effect. Variables in Decision-making In some cases, decisions are made where there are few alternatives and all the parameters of the decision can be clearly identified. However, many decisions require that a choice be made between different courses of action that may be affected by variables or events beyond a manager's control. For example, the field director of a refugee relief operation knows that the accuracy of new arrival forecasts will depend in large measure, upon political events in another country. Similarly, a supply officer of a relief agency is faced with the problem of how much and what types of supplies should be ordered in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake, without knowing the full extent of the disaster. Decision-making is carried out under three different conditions or sets of variables: 1) certainty; 2) risk; and 3) uncertainty. 1) Decision-making Under Conditions of Certainty à ¦ When a manager knows or is certain of all the effec... ...e. Clarify the problem and try to eliminate irrelevant or unnecessary issues. Step 2. Gather and organize all the information about the problem. Put all the information in a logical form and sequence. Step 3. Extract the relevant information. Step 4. Evaluate the information. Assess the quality and accuracy of the information and estimate the unknowns and variables that may influence the outcome of the decision. Step 5. Identify alternatives. Determine the alternatives and identify as many of the pros and cons and the possible outcomes of each. Step 6. Make the decision. Pick the best (most positive) alternative. Once a decision has been made, it should be adhered to. Hesitation or wavering fosters uncertainty and lack of confidence in the decision-maker, and can reduce the effectiveness of the decision.

Strategic Position Review of Michael Hill Jewelers in New Zealand

Michael Hill Jewellers (MHJ) is one of the most recognizable names in the New Zealand retail jewellery industry. In 1979, Michael Hill opened his first store in Whangerei. Until then, jewellery stores had been run primarily by craftsmen jewellers. Michael Hill changed this with the philosophy â€Å"to make jewellery buying less intimidating and more accessible to the public.† In order for any company to succeed, it has to take a look at the environment in which it operates. This is why an external environmental analysis is so important. This involves a continuous process of scanning, monitoring, forecasting, and assessing the external environment. Doing so will illuminate any opportunities to be exploited or threats to minimize. The first step in the analysis is environmental scanning which is identifies any trends or changes which are occurring or have recently occurred in the environment. Once identified, the company can then strategise and react in order to exploit the phen omenon. Three useful tools in an environmental analysis are a PESTEL analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, and Strategic Grouping. Utilising these tools, an environmental scan of the jewellery industry will be performed. PESTEL AnalysisPoliticalMany of the raw materials for the jewellery industry can originate in countries that have political instability. Of the top five diamond producing countries, Canada is the most politically stable, with minimal probability of any mining disruption due to war. The other four are a different situation. Russia is still in a state of internal turmoil regarding Chechnya and other breakaway nations, while Botswana, Angola and Congo are all in a constant risk of war both from within and from neighbouring war-torn countries. A war in any of the above countries would cause a considerable loss in production and have a significant impact on the jewellery industry worldwide.EconomicThe entire jewellery industry relies on commodities such as gold, platinu m and silver in order to manufacture their product. This can create a problem as the prices of commodities can fluctuate drastically. For example, from 1982 to 2005 gold prices remained relatively stable. From 2005 to 2011 it nearly quadrupled in value. This price increase for the raw material will  be passed on to the consumer causing a price increase in the end product. Conversely, if the price of the commodity drops it would be expected that the price of the finished product would reflect this.SocialIn recent years, it has become more important to consumers to purchase products that have been produced ethically. In the jewellery industry, one of the most prominent ethical issues is the use of blood or conflict diamonds. These diamonds are mined and sold by African rebel forces in order to finance their wars in Angola and Sierra Leone. There has been a certification system instituted that lets the consumer know the origin of the diamond that they are looking at purchasing. Consu mers can now ask the jeweller to see the certificate of origin for their diamond. Jewellers must now be aware of this and ensure that they buy only ethically obtained diamonds in order to fulfil this request.TechnologicalThe internet allows consumers to select and purchase any piece of jewellery they desire online. A large number of jewellers have online stores or use websites such as amazon.com and ebay.com to reach their customers. It is important for the jewellers to recognise that their clientele are no longer limited geographically and can easily find and in some cases import items that may not be readily available in that region.EnvironmentalBusinesses are starting to become more aware of the impact that their own production processes have on the environment and are looking for ways to reduce this. The gold mined to produce jewellery is not always extracted with the most environmentally sound methods. Up to 15% of the world’s gold is produced using artisanal and small s cale gold mining, the single largest demand sector for mercury. Virtually all of this mercury is dumped directly back into the environment causing havoc on the surrounding ecosystems. The jewellery industry needs to ensure that they purchase raw materials from only environmentally sustainable mining companies.Legal Due to the size of some of the companies in the jewellery industry along with the large sums of money and power that accompanies it, there are strict  antitrust laws in place. The Responsible Jewellery Council is an international organisation set up to oversee and protect the jewellery industry from various practices. This council has set up antitrust policies in order to protect its members. Industry Environment Analysis – Porter’s Five ForcesPorter’s Five Forces model is used to evaluate the degree of rivalry between competitors in a given industry through assessing the four forces that lead to this outcome. These forces are the threat of new entr ants, the bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers, and the threat of substitute products.Threat of New EntrantsIs the ease in which a new company can start into the retail jewellery industry. It is not difficult to start a jewellery store as the only requirements are start up capital and a premises. There are many small sole trader jewellery shops in New Zealand to attest to this. Therefore, the threat of new entrants is: HIGH Bargaining Power of SuppliersIs the control that suppliers have over the pricing and distribution of their products across the jewellery industry. Once the wholesalers have sold their products to the retailers, the retailers can sell for any price they deem appropriate. There are many wholesalers in the industry, many based in Asia, giving the retailer alternative suppliers if the price is not right. Therefore the bargaining power of suppliers is: LOW Bargaining Power of BuyersIs the power belonging to the customer to choose to shop at a store. As there are many jewellery stores to choose from, many of which seem to have sales on every week, the customer can decide not only to shop elsewhere, but even try to haggle for a discount. Therefore the bargaining power of buyers is: HIGHThreat of SubstitutesIs the probability that a consumer will purchase something else. Since jewellery is a luxury item and not a necessity, consumers will choose to spend their income on many thing before jewellery even makes the list. Not only do necessities come first, but other luxury items may be higher on the list of things to purchase like golf clubs or bicycles. Therefore the threat of substitutes is: HIGH Degree of RivalryIs the level of competition within the industry. Even though only three out of the four forces were identified as high, the retail jewellery industry is still extremely competitive. The one anomaly was the power of suppliers and the only reason that was low is because the suppliers operate in such a competitive stat e as well, giving more bargaining power to their customers, the retailers. Therefore the degree of rivalry is: HIGH Strategic GroupingA competitor analysis compares a company against each direct competitor. It relies on four key areas for comparison. These are future objectives, current strategy, assumptions, and capabilities. By looking at these concepts a response can be formulated and the company can create a strategy. The closest competitor of Michael Hill is Pascoes. They have similar strategy with pricing and target market. Walker and Hall aims at a higher level with more designer items and craftsmen in store. Partridge Jewellers is a contrast to Michael Hill with only the best brands and handmade jewellery in their stores in only four select high end shopping districts in New Zealand.ConclusionThrough a PESTEL analysis, an industry environmental analysis and a strategic grouping map, the retail jewellery industry can be evaluated. The PESTEL analysis showed various trends tha t may have an effect on the industry while the industry environmental analysis showed that the competitive rivalry in the industry is quite high. The strategic grouping map illustrated that the company itself shares a target market with few other large companies but does not display the hundreds of other smaller independent firms that offer similar services.What has been learned in this assessment is that Michael Hill has cornered the jewellery retailing industry in New Zealand and has bucked the financial trend by being one of the companies on the NZX to make large gains during the recession. Through low prices, Friedman Group staff training, and a good understanding of their industry environment, they have  become one of the leading retailers in New Zealand.

Successful Public Relations Campaigns

Successful public relations campaigns no longer have to stop at billboards, store greeters and newspapers. In this age of social networking, media and technology, there are numerous opportunities to explore various methods of implementing effective public relations campaigns and a variety of companies have been capitalizing on these different methods. Following, you will see examples of employing the Internet, nature and a host of other methods in order to catch the eye and attention of consumers.In this day, the options are so vast that marketing, advertising and PR professionals have their work cut out for them. In February 2011, Rayovac initiated a Rapid-Response Twitter campaign to engage consumers who likely had spare time on their hands due to the snowstorm that a big part of the country was experiencing. The campaign was essentially a virtual snowball fight that included consumer changing their profile picture to a Rayovac-branded avatar and each related tweet utilized the has htag #snowball.The virtual snowball fight lasted for roughly 48 hours and thereafter Rayovac hosted a two hour snow day tweet-up where Rayovac followers could tweet about the weather in their area, activities they partook in and weather related trivia complete with prizes. This particular campaign was seemingly successful, generating 1188 click-throughs to retrieve the branded avatar, becoming a worldwide trending topic (#TT) and a 30% increase in Twitter followers. With the popularity of Twitter, this was a genius marketing/public relations plan.It gave consumers something to do while home on their snow days and one could assume that some participants were introduced and others may have become more familiar with the brand Rayovac. There’s not much that I would have done differently. I think that the only component that was missing was something to target the non-Twitter users. Since this was solely an online public relations effort, this same campaign could have been tweaked a bit to have also been done on Facebook, Google Plus or another site for those who do not use Twitter. Converse has taken one of their current PR stunts to the streets of Australia.Strategically placed in all of Australia’s major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are fire emergency type boxes that contain a pair of sneakers behind a glass window. The slogan of the campaign is, â€Å"Let’s Take This Outside† and written across the top of each fire box is, â€Å"IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, BREAK GLASS. † Upon breaking the glass, one can actually retrieve a pair of free, brand new, Converse tennis shoes. The sneakers being spotlighted are from the 2012 Chuck Taylor All Star collection. This feat has been constructed to bring awareness to the brand as well as fully engage the citizens of Australia via a few different means.There are clues on the company’s website as well as their Facebook page in a picture album leading consumers to the locations of these fire boxes. Converse has similar PR stunts going on in other countries as well. This campaign fully encompasses every facet of consumerism. From the scavenger hunt-type clues to encouraging giving to one another if they find shoes that are the wrong size to capitalizing on the public’s love of free goods, this is a fun, genius public relations task that will run through June 10, 2012.I can’t think of a single thing that could be done differently. Converse utilized every form of media. No stone was left unturned. Print media, online social networks, in-store advertisements and television commercials were all incorporated. Even the â€Å"prizes† themselves are outside and available to those who are off the grid. There is no discriminating demographic either, because the target audience is anyone who wears sneakers. This was well planned, very well executed and done in such a way that is preventing mass hysteria.I think that would be the only apprehension that I would have as a company is public reaction since everyone would be interested in a free pair of sneakers. I’m certain there were many precautions that had to be taken in order for this to come to fruition. Zoning, permits, and backing from law enforcement departments had to be among the kinks that needed to be worked out, but they dealt with them in a way that is seemingly flawless. Converse has managed to concoct the perfect formula to keep the campaign enjoyable and safe.

Discuss The Rationale Of The Payment Method And Risk Sharing Under

Discuss The Rationale Of The Payment Method And Risk Sharing Under Discuss The Rationale Of The Payment Method And Risk Sharing Under Capitation – Article Example Rationale of Payment Method and Risk Sharing Under Capitation Affiliation: Insurance companies such as MCOs, Blue Cross/BlueShield, and the government are classified as third party payers with the patient and the providers being the other two parties. The payment extended to the latter parties by the third-party payers is referred as reimbursement. However, while providers traditionally preferred the fee-for-service method, this method has been dismissed due to fee escalation. Hence fore, various other methods bearing varying merits have been devised to cater for the reimbursement needs. The rationale for the payment methods and risk sharing are highlighted below (Shi, 2013).a. Free for service – this method has been dismissed due to charge escalation. However, the method required insurers to pay charges passively set by the providers. These charges were developed under the assumption that services were provided within a set of identifiable and individually unique circumstance s involving service delivery.b. Package Pricing – this payment method is also referred as bundled charges as it covers related services in one price. For example, vag9inal delivery can have one set fee that includes pre- and post-delivery care.c. Resource-Based Relative Value Scale – this method is more based on the risks involves and therefore reimburses physicians regarding the skills, time taken, and the intensity of providing services. This method involves adjustment for reimbursement regarding with respect to the geographical factor to the practice location – hence, involving a complex formula.d. Reimbursement Under Managed Care – This is a set of reimbursement approaches. Firstly, the PPO is a variant of the fee-for-service method and institutes fee schedules relative to discounts conveyed with providers within the grid. Secondly, the HMO puts physicians on payroll. However, the HMO has a branch classified as the third method, capitation. Capitation is a mechanism which reimburses providers monthly. This method has no merit of compensating a provider with regards to enrollee frequency in search of services. It also down plays the role of providers in inducing demand – providers are encouraged to provide only needed services. Package Pricing and Resource-Based Relative Value Scale has the same effect as the capitation method – risk sharing is economically managed (Shi, 2013).ReferenceShi, L. et al. (2013). Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System: Financing and Reimbursement Methods. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Free sample - Anthropology. translation missing

Anthropology. AnthropologyAnthropology   refers   to   the   study of   human   beings   and   their   cultures.   This   study   cuts   across   the   natural   sciences,   humanities   as   well   as   the   social   sciences.   The main   focus   of   the   study   is   to   investigate   the   origin   of   man (Willigen, 1993).   It   deals   with   the   origins   of   homo   sapiens,   homo   sapiens   characteristics,   behavior,   how   evolutionary   past  Ã‚  Ã‚   of   homo   sapiens  Ã‚   affects   its   social   organization   as   well   as   culture   and   the   reason   for   differences   among   different   groups   of   people.   Anthropology   basically   has   four   subfields:   archaeology,   cultural/ social   anthropology,   linguistic   anthropology   and   physical/ biological   anthropology   (Strauss, 1963). Archaeology   is   a   subfield   that   is   concerned   with   the   study   of  Ã‚   the   material   remains   of   various   artifacts  Ã‚   such   as   buildings,   tools, and   pottery   of   different   communities.   This   study   aims   at   establishing   the   cultures   as well   as   the   cultural   evolution   of these   societies (Willigen, 1993).   The   professionals   involved   in   this   study   are   referred to   as   anthropological   archaeologists.   They   mostly   focus   on   the   prehistoric   cultures   since   they   have   not   been   documented   as   well   as   early   animal   domestication   and   metal   use (Willigen, 1993).  Ã‚   Anthropological   archaeologists  Ã‚   mainly   attempt   to   establish   several   things   from   the   artifacts   they   collect. They   at tempt   to   establish   the social   dispensation   of   the   culture,   the   relationship   of   this   culture   with   others   in   the   area,   the   nature   of   the   physical   environment   of   that particular   area   as   well   as   the   animal   and   plant   resources   of   the   area,   if   the   culture   under study   engaged   in   domestication   of   animals   and   plants,   the   people’s  Ã‚   religion,   population   size,   health,   and   technology ,  Ã‚   causes   for   cultural collapse   and   finally   the   reasons   for   cultural   evolution/change(Willigen, 1993) .   Biological/   physical   evolution   on   the   other   hand   is   concerned   with   the   biological   aspect   of   people.  Ã‚   It   further   attempts   to   establish   how   the   biological   nature   of   human   beings   relates   to their   cultural   practices,   evolution   as   well   as   their   environment (Willigen, 1993).   This   subfield   is   further   divided   into   three   main   branches   which   are:  Ã‚   paleoanthropology,  Ã‚   primatology,   and   the   study   of   modern   variation   as   well as   adaptation of   human   beings (Strauss, 1963).   Paleoanthropology  Ã‚   is   basically   concerned   with   the   study   of   human   fossils   as   well   as   their   close   relatives   while   primatology   focuses   on the   study   of   primates   such   as   humans,   ap es,   monkeys   and prosimians (Willigen, 1993).   References Strauss, C. (1963). Structural   Anthropology.   London: Oxford   University   Press Willigen, J. (1993)   Applied   Anthropology.   London:   Oxford   University   Press

Analysis impact of firm-specific information on a company's stock Essay

Analysis impact of firm-specific information on a company's stock returns - Essay Example Accordingly, a brief literature review will be shown which helps to underscore and elaborate upon many of the specific theoretical interpretations of the methods utilized within this report. Additionally, a demonstration of development of event study is included and defined. Furthermore, the third part of the piece will include a methodology review. The explanations of approaches which have been utilized to conduct this report will be given as well as some assumptions and critical common factors that are associated with this methodology. Likewise, a research design and results section will comprise the fourth part of this analysis. Ultimately, the issues which will be explored will be analyzed based upon an event study method. This part will begin with defining the date of events and then choose the estimated period and test period. Following this, marker models will be chosen as the benchmark for abnormal returns. Similarly, a linear regression for the market will be chosen. At this time, ordinary least square assumptions will be necessary to estimate the stability. Based on the results of linear regression, the abnormal return will be calculated. Next, the Cumulative abnormal return, or CAR will be utilized as a means of indicating the effect of events. A T-tests by CAR will be presented to show the significant of these events. A final part will necessarily be the conclusion of this report. It will show the basic information of this report and summarize it according to the inference which has been drawn. Background information InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is global hotel group which operate nine hotel brands (which in turn comprise a total of 4,600 hotels in more than 100 countries and regions, more than 676,000Â  rooms). IHG was established in 1946 and is the world's largest and most widely distributed network of professionally managed hotels. IHG operates in three different ways. First, IHG operates as a franchisor, second as a management accessory, and thirdly it operates as a rental basis. In addition, the franchise has been recognized as an effective business philosophy by many leaders within the industry. This report chose four specific events to explore the relationship with the IHG stock price volatility for a period time. These four events are shown below: (1) 18th April 2012: IHG shows its support for small business owners, entrepreneurs and Road Warriors. (2) 7th August 2012: IHG reported interim results from the 30th June 2012 and announced $1bn return of capital. (3) 8th October 2012: IHG reported the results of general meeting about Special Dividend and Share Consolidation. (4) 12th November 2012: IHG announces new Vice President of Development in Europe. Literature review Efficient Markets Hypothesis(EMH) The Efficient Markets Hypothesis(EMH)arose in 1970 by Eugene Fama. "Efficient market hypothesis" was developed by Louis Bachelier (1900) who was from the perspective of the stochastic process. Bachelier studied t he movement of Brownian motion, stock price changes, and recognized that the effectiveness of the market information, present events, and even the discounted value of the future events, are reflected in market prices. The efficient market theory is that the market price already contains all the available information. Based on the past information and

Interview with the Lieutenant Detective Ricky Rivera Assignment

Interview with the Lieutenant Detective Ricky Rivera - Assignment Example The interview that has been conducted focuses on his professional as well as personal life so as to draw a conclusion in terms of the factors that have affected the career and goal of Rivera. The assignment even reveals his bravery in handling juveniles and his various other success stories that have made him what he is in the present scenario. On the other hand, the assignment would even comprise of certain other interview questions in terms of preferred role and responsibilities of Rivera in the future. The interview would even outline the current role of the individual and the ways in which this role would help him in the long run. The assignment is a thorough analysis of the interview conducted with Ricky Rivera and details of which would be mentioned in the below-given sections. The interview has been conducted with Ricky Rivera who is presently part of the Passaic police department. He is working in this department for many years and is currently posted as a lieutenant detective. He has handled many complex cases and even has been rewarded with appraisals or promotion. The address of the police department in which Rivera is working is 330 Passaic Street New Jersey 07055. When interviewed Ricky Rivera stated that he still does not possess any college degree and he said that this degree did not matter much for him in the career path. He said that he was only focused towards entering into a profession that would help him to utilize his skills and would also enable him to serve the country in some way or another. Rivera was always dedicated towards his job with more of attention towards reducing crime from the region which was under his control. Rivera in the interview said that individuals who want to set their career as a detective need to only hold a high sc hool diploma or GED. He even stated that all that is required in this career path is to be dedicated towards the job role and to be passionate towards the work.  Ã‚