Pro Clean Case Essay

Pro Clean’s owner has more than 15 years of experience, has good reputation in Knoxville and has established a sustainable customer base. The company offers good service at considerable price, and maintains good relation with its past customers. Weaknesses: The Company has many problems in its marketing, management and accounting systems. It tries to reach out to customers from every segment, and probably exceeding its capacity. The company’s staff has very limited skills in sales, can only approach certain group of customers, and has ambiguous responsibility in day-to-day functions. Lastly, the company is financially weak, due to poor financial management. This is likely to be the problem to their higher operating cost and cash flow problem. Opportunities: Given the current environment, Pro Clean has certain opportunities to survive in Knoxville. There is clear market segmentation, which to allows Pro Clean to avoid direct competition with competitors from other strategic group. Threats: Pro Clean faces other competitors who offer similar or service at the same price, threatening its customer base. Also, a change in financial policy, such as an increase in interest rates, can threaten the survival of the company, given its current financial situation. (See Appendix C for the SWOT analysis table) Building Core Competency From our analysis in the previous segments, we advise Pro Clean to build its core competency in two dimensions: Customer Relationship in combination with an excellent cleaning service and a high quality. Valuable: By focusing and creating an unique relationship with its customers, Pro Clean can definitely be considered as a valuable company * Rare: Pro Clean will offer a wide range of extra services and supporting tools which aren’t offered by other cleaning companies * In-imitate: By providing innovative services, Pro Clean will enjoy a competitive advantage over its competitors. * Non-substitutable: Once become a member of the custom er base, customers will be offered an excellent service and loyalty programs. The better the relationship between Pro Clean and its customers, the higher the switching costs will be for the customers. Value Chain Analysis The following is a value chain analysis on what activities Pro Clean can do based on their core competencies, and also some of the other activities that they can improve on to give them a strategic competitive advantage: Primary Services: Currently, the service quality of Pro Clean is good and we feel that they can leverage on it, by adding on the hardwood floor cleaning service and improving their scheduling to suit the customers’. Sales & Marketing: To grow the business, Pro Clean should focus on market penetration and increasing their revenue stream from its existing customer base. Increase penetration: * Referral programmes can be initiated by offering discounts to customers who refer their neighbours. * Wilson should also take advantage of the on-site estimate service by rewarding employees who bring in more of such jobs. Doing so should increase the closing rate, and increase sales. * Sales can also be improved by â€Å"advertising† the other services that Pro Clean has to offer. They can also get employees to ask customers if they need other services while they are on-site. * Pro Clean should also explore the possibility of expanding into the commercial business, as it is currently a greatly underserved market. Increase average customer spending: * As a large part of sales is derived from people seeing Pro Clean’s van being driven around the neighbourhood, Pro Clean can get technicians to drive the van around the neighbourhood more often to increase their visibility. They can also come up with a bigger range of packaged services to cross sell to customers. Support Infrastructure: It was identified earlier that Wilson is pretty weak in managing the finances of the company. Hence we recommend that he should outsource this part of the business to an accountant. In addition, we think that he should also move his operations back to his home office to cut costs. HR management: This is an area that also needs to be worked on in order to successfully implemen t the other plans. We think that a new staffing plan is needed. We propose that Turner should be re-hired as a technician for the skills that he already has and keep Scott as the sales/marketing manager. A detailed portrayal of the new organization structure can be found in appendix D. Vision Our aim is to become a household name, associated with high service quality, in the cleaning services industry with 100% customer satisfaction. Mission Statement Our mission is to provide the highest quality cleaning service to our customers, within the shortest response time possible at the convenience of our customers.

Hrm598 Case Study 2

HRM 598 Case Study: Getting and Using Compensation Information â€Å"Compensation is a systematic approach to providing monetary value to employees in exchange for work performed. Compensation may achieve several purposes assisting in recruitment, job performance, and job satisfaction. Compensation is a tool used by management for a variety of purposes to further the existence of the company. Compensation may be adjusted according to the business needs, goals, and available resources. The three careers I chose for this case study are Public Relations Specialist, High School Teacher, and Project Coordinator. The reason for me choosing these specific careers was that I’ve held each one at some point in time. In this case study we will examine why each job has different salary ranges and why. Question #1 Doing this research I’ve come to find that out of the three jobs that I selected, a project coordinator is paid the most on average. The project coordinator is paid $89,5 09 a year on average.I was shocked to find out that out of the three careers chosen, that a public relations specialist is paid the least of all three. The public relations specialist on average is paid $45,931 a year. I expected that the project coordinator position would be the highest paid out of the three, however I did not expect for the teacher to be paid more ($53,447 a year on average) than the public relations specialist. I expected the teacher to be paid the least of all three. Usually teachers are thought to be paid the least when comparison to other professions.Some factors that could play a part in the difference could be number of days worked (teachers usually have a 9 month work year), levels of responsibility the job carries (project coordinators are generally in charge of seeing an operation through from beginning to end) whether or not the company is private or state funded (teachers are usually employees of the state, less money is involved) are some factors that could possibly be the differences in pay just to name a few. Question 2 Different jobs come with different benefit packages, and that’s just how the cookie crumbles.Project coordinators on average make $7,217 on average a year in bonuses. The project coordinators have the highest bonuses out of three companies selected. Next out of the three is public relations specialist. The public relation specialists on average make $532 in bonuses a year. Lastly we have the teachers. Teachers make $0 in bonuses a year on average. Teachers may have the most important job in the public eye, but in terms of bonuses there is no merit to issue bonuses. Teachers are expected to show up and teach the students so that they will do well on the state test.The project coordinator on the other hand makes a nice little penny when it comes to bonuses. Project coordinators have a lot of tasks to accomplish with a short period of time to do so. When deadlines are met or beat certain bonuses may be award ed. Bonuses in this field are performance based. When dealing with public relations specialist it’s tricky to talk about bonuses. Some factors that effect bonuses in this field are, is the company private owned or are you working for a person, what field you are doing PR in just to name a few. Depending on what pay scale the company has in place could affect how bonuses are set up as well.Question#3 Stock options are benefits in the form of an option given by a company to an employee to buy stock in the company at a discount or at a stated fixed price. With the data that was present for these three careers, there was no stock option information available. To me the Teacher is the only professions out of the three that I think aren’t allowed stock options. There are no stocks in public schools, so you can’t earn something that doesn’t exist. Project coordinator and public relations specialist are entitled to stock options.The determining factors to whether or not stock options are made available lye solely with company. If the company offers stock options, the people who are in the public relations specialist and project coordinator positions are eligible, it just depends on the company. Teachers can’t get them, because they are not offered in that public sector. Question4 After reading the job descriptions for the three careers I chose, I found the program coordinator and the public relations specialist descriptions were pretty much right on the money, however the teaching description was acking and left a lot to be desired. The description for the program coordinator was right on the money. It gives you an accurate run down on what’s expected from the position, and what is required to fulfill the position at its maximum capacity. The description I read for the public relations specialist may have been the best one. The description given for this job painted a clear and accurate picture of the position. From my persona l experience the description I read for the teaching position was generic and lacking of substance. It didn’t quite detail what the job entails in detail.I think the descriptions were worded to give the job seeker an overall view of the job. Question #5 After researching these positions in my local area my findings were not that surprising. The area I did my study for was Chicago, IL, and Chicago wages are a lot higher than most other cities. The reason why I think Chicago wages are higher than most is due to the cost of living for one. Another is the Illinois state tax is higher than most cities as well. Location is one of the biggest reason I can say as to why the pay grades are higher here in Chicago.Some factors that play a part in location that effects pay could be, but not limited to; crime, taxes, cost of living, and environmental conditions. With the public relations specialist, and program coordinator positions, their pay is 7% higher in the city of Chicago. Teachers in Chicago on average make $14,670 more than the average stated on the websites. These findings really weren’t surprising at all, they were sort of expected. Question #6 The information on this site would be very beneficial to a graduate fresh out of college doing their contract negotiations.I would use the information in my negations by starting off with getting a clear understanding of my duties going off the description set forth by the website. The website gives good information to start a salary negotiation, because it gives you a median to start your negotiation off with. When doing these negotiations I would show the median numbers for the task set forth by the description giving. A few factors that might have a bearing on the salary could be but not limited too; location, the company’s’ revenue intake, years of experience, and education level just to name a few.Question #7 The labor markets for these particular jobs are large in the sense of the fact th at these careers have markets all over the world and in many different fields. When talking about labor markets you have to remember that labor markets may be local or national in their scope and are made up of smaller, interacting labor markets for different qualifications, skills, and geographical locations. They depend on the exchange of information between employers and job seekers about wage rates, conditions of employment, level of competition, and job location.People working in the three fields I’m covering in this case study are recruited all over the country to fill positions they are qualified for. The geographical location of these jobs plays a huge part in the salary wages paid out. After doing some research it seems like southern rural states have the lowest paying wages. Using the â€Å"teacher† position for example, a teacher starts of at $32,400 a year in Jackson, MS, but that same teacher would start of at 44,230 a year in the suburbs of Chicago. Geogr aphical location plays a major part in wages.In the States of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia all these positions are paid less than states such as Illinois, New York, Washington D. C, Florida, and Dallas. Question 8 The median teaching salary was $52,447 on average for the year. The minimal salary is $34,327, that’s an $18,120 difference. Geographical location plays a huge part in these wages and the differences. Like I stated before the rural and southern locations generally have the lowest wages. The highest pay on average for a teacher is $71,093 a year, that’s an $18,646 difference from the median salary.The median salary for a public relations specialist is $45,931 dollars a year. The minimal salary for this position is $34,121 a year, there’s an $11,810 difference in the pay. The highest level of pay for this position is $55,657, there’s a $9,726 difference. In this position, bigger cities have the best market for this career. A program coordinator income on average is $89,509 a year. This career is paid rather well. The lowest average salary is 68,779 a year, that’s a $20,730 difference. The highest pay on average for this position is $116,436 a year, that’s a $26,927 difference.The higher pay is usually located in major cities, with large populations. There is a large number in variations in these salaries. Some factors that can play a part in these variations are but not limited too; education, geographical location, years on jobs, the employers financial state just to name a few. Question #9 The information on www. salary. com is very sufficient. What makes me think this that they covered all bases? I feel they go above and beyond, especially the fact they have their compensation consultants create a composite view for each job using a proprietary mathematical model built by Salary. om. The model takes into account the statistical reliability of each data point, the robustness of the data within each data point, the effective date of the data reported, and the industry, geography, or company size biases within each survey. What else leads me to believe that the information is accurate is that they also have their compensation consultants have collected and reviewed data covering more than 29 million individuals working at more than 16,000 companies. The implications of using inaccurate data can be fatal to the potential employer and employee.Having the wrong salary information could have an employer paying an employee too much for the position, and or vice versa. The implications of wrong salary data could be very detrimental. It could affect the employer and or employee for a long amount of time. Question 10 Although salary. com is free and has tons of useful information, hiring a consultant could still be very beneficiary to the company. The information provided on salary is gathered from a wide range of data. Information gathered for the site may lean heavily toward a pa rticular geographical location.Hiring the outside consultant could give you the actual numbers in your geographical area. The consultant could possibly provide more realistic numbers for the company. The hiring of the consultant could also be done to double check or just verify the numbers for the company’s own edification. Question 11 As a manager you have many responsibilities, and one of those responsibilities is paying your employees. As a manager there are a few reasons I could think of to justify paying an employee more than what salary. com suggest. One reason is internal equity.A manager should review the experience of the employee in relation to his position on the salary scale when justifying his or her salary. Another factor is that of external equity. A manager should review the employee's prior salary history. Another factor is market forces. Managers can justify offering more money in a period of economic growth, particularly when numerous companies are competin g to attract the best employees. Another factor that may play a role in offering more than salary. com could be geographical location. If the cost of living is steady rising, a manager might offer more to compensate in that rise of the cost of living.These are a few factors that would heavily influence my decision as a manager. Completing this case study enlighten me on many things that I would have never thought of. I never imagined that the teacher would be making more than the public relations specialist. Another thing that this case study opened my mind up to was location. Geographical location can be the difference in thousands of dollars of pay. Geographical location embodies a lot of sub factors. Some factors are but not limited to taxes, cost of living, and weather and work conditions. This case study was very insightful and beneficial.Bibliography 1. ) www. salary. com 2. ) http://smallbusiness. chron. com/managers-justify-paying-employees-high-low-14526. html 3. ) http://s wz. salary. com/docs/salwizhtmls/methodology. html 4. ) http://smallbusiness. foxbusiness. com/legal-hr/2011/04/25/picking-best-pay-structure-business/ 5. ) http://www. mde. k12. ms. us/school-financial-services/school-financial-services-teacher-salary-schedule 6. ) http://money. usnews. com/careers/best-jobs/public-relations-specialist 7. ) http://www. indeed. com/salary/Program-Coordinator. html 8. ) http://www. wikipedia. org/

Poem Introductions- Stories of Ourselves Cie

Because I Could Not Stop for Death In â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death,† the author is taken on a metaphorical â€Å"ride† past her entire life and to her end by a personified death. Symbolism, personification and alliteration are used to highlight the fact that she has come to accept fate as natural and is even happy with her new, â€Å"eternal,† life. My Parents Kept Me from Children Who Were Rough â€Å"My Parents Kept Me from Children Who Were Rough† tells of an author looking back on his life as a sheltered, high class boy that is harassed by the town's â€Å"common kids.† He is abused both physically and emotionally while he, following higher class norms, ignores them. Similes, verbs in past tense, diction such as â€Å"kept† and symbolism help describe not only the situation but give insight on the boy's true desire: acceptance. Attack â€Å"Attack† is a poem about fear, anxiety, uncertainty and danger. The author uses imagery, personification and onomatopoeia to paint a picture of war, describe the dangers as â€Å"alive† and out to get you and reflect the quick and crude sound of bombs and bullets. Anthem For Doomed Youth â€Å"Anthem For Doomed Youth† is a tragic depiction of the meaningless and devastating ends young soldiers meet in battle. Their deaths, unhonored, are blended into the overall war landscape of â€Å"stuttering rifles† and â€Å"angered guns.† Alliteration, personification and metaphors are used to illustrate a landscape filled with gun and bomb sounds and dangers that parallel the human condition during the war. My Dreams Are Of A Field Afar â€Å"My Dreams are of a field afar† is a song of guilt in which a man remembers his fallen comrades and laments not having acted in a certain way. The author mentions the fact that he remains alive because, unlike his mates, he failed to react in an honorable and satisfactory manner; this conflict serves as the root of his remorse. One Art In â€Å"One Art,† the author tries to confront her emotions towards losing a loved one by comparing it to many trivial things. The authors hesitation to write at the end and the change in tone when she says â€Å"the art of losing's not too hard† (an obvious diversion from the confidence expressed in previous lines) show that no matter how much she wants to believe that the â€Å"art of losing,† might be perfected to the point of indifference, she will continue to be affected. Personification in the beginning parallels the nature of the more significant loss at the end of the poem. Tears, Idle Tears Tears, Idle Tears is a poem about the past: a past that although filled with happiness and love is remembered as dead with regret and sadness. Using metaphors, imagery and the repetition of the last line in each stanza, the author paints a picture of a beautiful â€Å"before† that has somehow been lost. Death is made a synonym of that love that once was, but is now a thing of the past. Because I liked You Better â€Å"Because I Like You Better† is a poem of unreciprocated love, a love so strong it was willing to deny itself for the other’s sake. Metaphors are used to see exemplify the effect actions and events have on the author, i.e pain and reluctant agreement. The author might, to a degree, be scornful of his situation since he decides to, without much trouble, accept rejection and describes his love as â€Å"†¦better than suits a man to say.†

I’m Bored- What your Child Is Really Telling You Essay

In the short essay, I’m Bored: What Your Child is Really Telling You, by Linda Morgan, children everywhere are having issues with saying what they really mean when they say they are bored. Whether at home or in school, when a child says those two words, â€Å"I’m bored†, he may be in need of parental attention, redirection of school work, and direction in completing projects and activities. In today’s world, technology takes over a child’s extra time. Instead of going outside to play with friends or having a specific hobby, adolescents find themselves caught in an Xbox or computer game. Yet after they have beaten the game or moved on to something else they still complain that they are â€Å"bored†. But what does that really mean? According to Dr. Danielle Kassow, when a child states that they are uninterested in whatever they are doing or working on, it could mean that they simply want their parents, teachers, and daycare provider’s attention. It’s common for a child to want the attentiveness of an adult. Being a kid in society today, direction is still needed by the parent; whether in school or not. Adolescents need that extra push in order to make up their own mind about what they want to do next or what they are interested in. In order to help a child make up their mind, it could help to ask them questions like â€Å"what’s your favorite hobby† or give the child educational projects to do. These questions and projects will stimulate their minds and allow them to actually pay attention to something. Unlike a project that is hands on, games on any kind of technological device will allow them the chance to put their attention on something. If a child comes home from school and starts their homework, says he is bored in the middle of the assignment, it could mean that he needs a redirection of school work. His assignments may not be as challenging as they need to be for him. He is not becoming engaged in his school work, therefore he gets bored while doing or listening to his lessons. Also, it could mean that he needs a clearer pathway as to what he should start on or how he should start the homework. Children need a coach, whether it’s the parent or the teacher. Help him become motivated and less confused as to how or where he should start. Make his understanding grow a little clearer when pushing him in the direction to where he needs to start. This â€Å"coach† persona will help to child pick up an understanding about how to layout or outline his projects or assignments. It will not only give him a head start it will help him with all the assignments he may have some trouble with in the future. At times, a child saying they are bored could mean that they are independent and wants to organize their own activities. When adolescents get caught up in the technological world, they lose sight of how to rely on themselves to create their next activity. This causes them to want the guidance from the parent or teacher. While there are still children that find themselves independent, they may get bored because they don’t know how to entertain themselves. Kids need to find activities that they are able to do on their own. Things like drawing, simple building, or going outside to socialize or play with friends. Children need the time to be allowed to decide what they want to do, something that they are able to do. Giving them this time will help them reconnect with physical activities and not so much mental activities. When kids are doing their homework, and they seem to rely on their parents or teachers too much, you could give them a little time to themselves. In order to get them to think on their own without their parent saying â€Å"you aren’t doing this right† or â€Å"this is wrong do it again, let them work the assignment without any interruptions and eventually they will understand why they didn’t get the right answer at first and how they got the correct answer in the end. After they are done the parent or teacher could check their work and then tell them what they got wrong or right. This is important for the child so they can be able to learn on their own without needing the help from the teacher or parent all the time. These little techniques will come to the guardian as an advantage. Not only is the child engaging in the activity, but he or she is enjoying the process. It’s important to know what a child means when they say they are bored so they can be helped. Whether it’s tough to figure out or there is a very easy solution, in the end there will be a drastic change in the child attention skills. Boredom is a concurring epidemic in today’s society because of all the technology we rely on. Kids do not need to be exposed to all these advantages we have at a young age. Being able to rely on themselves is important in the early stages of life. Although sometimes kids say those words some parents hate to hear â€Å"I’m Bored†, it could have a complex meaning to it. Children may need attention from the parent or teacher, redirection of their school work, and some direction in completing projects and assignments. There are many ways to help children fall away from spending too much times playing computer games, or PlayStation games and allowing them to have the responsibility of choosing their own activities. Helping them move in the right direction in school work, whether they are not getting the challenge they need or simply needing that extra help starting an assignment will ultimately have a positive effect on their progress. Independent children will need the time to figure out the correct answer on their own. The guardian will also get a positive result from giving them that time to correct their issues. Children are all different, when they say they are bored, it could be something drastic or something ve ry simple. It’s up to the parent or teacher to decide what the next move is for the child.

Culture and Gender

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia adheres to strict Koran laws. Among them is the veiling of women, structuring of their work and lives away from men, and driving (Wikipedia, 2007). Though education in the West is slowly changing this, it is not in any way translated to policy changes or reforms (Bradley, 2006). We aim to ink a deal with the Saudi government for the setting-up of a supermarket chain. To be successful, the negotiators must show respect to the country’s laws and norms. The Saudi government- through the religious police- is the primary proponent and advocate of strict laws and norms pertaining to women hence they should be dealt with sensitively. I choose the budding male executive over the veteran female to head the team. In the country, women are not expected to work in positions which allow them to interact with men. Sending a woman as head of the negotiating team would be an insult to the Saudis with their deeply-entrenched conservative values. Should the CEO insist on sending her, I will ensure that she will not be the front liner. She will still head the negotiations but the spokesman will be the male executive. She will still make the decision but through the latter. My decision will send a message to within and outside the company that we are serious in our business transactions.   It is by complying with the norms and laws of wherever you do business which wins deals. As a leader, it will show my flexibility in matters not wholly congruent to traditional norms of conducting business. Part II- Power Corruption Cycle Power Corruption Cycle is an organizational phenomena characterized by the use of rank to intimidate or bribe the lower-echelons to allow an illegitimate or corrupt practice to happen and/or continue. When the latter become managers or executives themselves, they apply the same corrupt practices which also influence those with lower positions. This cycle- if uninterrupted by new management- would go on and on. It poisons an organization in that the quality of service/s and/or products will be compromised which will eventually lead to its downfall. An example is on the awarding of contracts to bidders in government projects. The members of the bids and awards committee are all corrupt and have a mutual understanding of granting the contract not to the one which offers the premium bid but to the one who can offer the largest kickback. A young, newly-hired assistant to the committee intends to follow stated rules in bidding but soon finds out about the â€Å"unwritten rules†. He is co-opted and fits permanently into the organization. The people- recipients of developmental projects- suffer through sub-standard infrastructure and incoherent development projects and services. This leads to mistrust and enmity towards the government which will create a longing in society to reform, if not replace the government in power and/or the system. ReferenceBradley, J. (2006). Saudi Arabia exposed: Inside a kingdom in crisis. NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. 2007. Islam in Saudi Arabia. Retrieved Feb. 13, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Saudi_Arabia#Islamism_in_Saudi_Arabia.      

Show Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Show - Essay Example how is to isolate the contestants and then observe their behavior and interactions with all the other participants as they are completely cut off from the outside world. The eligibility criteria is simple, the individual must be 21 years of age and must be willing to travel at his or her own expense. US citizenship is mandatory and the individual should be fit mentally and physically. The layout of the show requires complete informed consent from the contestants that allows the producers to conduct a full background check. These are some of the eligibility requirements that are set by the CBS Entertainment Corporation. If the requirements are fulfilled then the individual needs to fill out an application form and send in an introductory video, upon receipt of these materials subsequent interviews decides whether or not they get to appear on the show. Their survival in the house under heavy scrutiny takes them a step closer to the cash prize and turns them into a celebrity

What is panopticism, and how is related to Google Glass Essay

What is panopticism, and how is related to Google Glass - Essay Example The first one was that there was strict spatial partitioning, then the inspection functions were carried out ceaselessly and that the surveillance was based on a system of permanent registration. He also constructs on Bentham’s conceptualization of the panopticon as he expounded upon the purpose of disciplinary mechanisms in such a prison and showed the work of discipline as a tool of power. This paper, therefore, is going to talk briefly about panopticism and how it is related to Google Glass. Panopticism is yet again further explained by Foucault as the power that is not known. The operator of the tower that as centrally placed and suggesting that they have come and observed that anyone can be able to come and exercise in the central tower the functions of surveillance holds it. That being the case Foucault can gain a clear idea of practicing surveillance. The architecture hinted that this panoptic design could be in use for any population under observation and control, for example; prisoners, schoolchildren, medical patients, or workers. To add to that, panopticism is related to Google Glass in a way, and that is what the paper wants to look at expound on. Google Glass has stirred many media attention ever since the parent company, which is Mountain View Company, announced the gadget in the start of the year 2013 that the device was available for developers to obtain. Google from then has been able to put promotions on ambitious media campaign with the main aim of convincing users of the benevolence of their new gadget. When this device can be made general amongst, the public people will be able to see how the relation with machines will be a closer one. It is since people have been able to use mobile applications like connectivity, geo-localization, and immediate access to information. All these people have already had a taste of thanks to the manufacture of the smart phones (Foucault, 1995, pp 197-