...Concert Report #2 My second concert I attended was located at the Fowler Center Thursday, November 4, 2010. The Arkansas State University Wind Ensemble played several works, which gave to the title “Folksongs and War Songs”. Timothy Oliver was the main conductor and there was a guest conductor also, Dan Patterson. A classmate and I arrived to the Fowler Center on time and got settled, but neither one of knew what to expect really since we didn’t have a very sturdy musical background. Everyone on stage were playing their instruments all the same time and didn’t sound very graceful, but we came to the conclusion all the performers were practicing before show time. The lights began to dim and show began. The first piece was Divertimento for Band by Vincent Persichetti. It was composed of several different movements including the prologue, song, dance, burlesque, soliloquy, and finally march. The song and dance movements I recognized from class and put two and two together and learned that the soliloquy began the soloist concert. I enjoyed the performance, but was probably not my favorite. Heroes, Lost and Fallen by David R. Gillingham was the second piece and the one I enjoyed the most. I took pleasure in this piece because before the performance started, Mr. Patterson explained a little bit how this concert was derived. Heroes, Lost and Fallen was dedicated as a Vietnam Memorial. This piece was very different and had many different sounds. He told the audience...
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...Exec Summary: W. W. Grainger, Inc. is recently thinking of redesigning the supply chain for shipments from China/Taiwan. The reason being as an obvious to reduce costs, lead times and to improve supply chain efficiency. The major issue identified was the lead time and a huge fixed overhead because of small shipments which then were consolidated by the company to make a full 40-feet container load. Through a thorough cost analysis and weightage of pros and cons of three alternatives, the team recommends to use an NVOCC (Non-Vessel operating common carrier) for small shipments which will lead to a lot lesser lead times and will help reduce costs as well. Along with this, the recommendation is also to increase packing efficiency for company’s already in use 20/40-feet containers. Currently the packing efficiency is 85%, and just by making it 95% the cost saving is $ 253,863.89 annually which will increase as total shipments are forecasted to grow by 15% for the next 5 years. Issues: The major issue identified in the case is to reduce the expenses on consolidated shipments from china overall increasing the supply chain efficiency. This issue is in fact more of an opportunity and the opportunity is to reduce the variable cost associated with the consolidated shipments as the estimated growth in shipments from China and Taiwan is 15% per year. This growth rate implies the cost reduction in consolidated shipments which is 11% of total will be contributed to profit margin. Inferred...
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...China and a state owned enterprise (Grainger, 2008). Failure to recognize cultural norms and the relationship between employees, customers, and contractors will result in dramatic failure of modernization and an effective business plan (Grainger, 2008). Introduction: Management Control Takeover The management control takeover of the Roaring Dragon Hotel (RDH), one of the original three-star hotels in southwest China had a direct impact on the hotel’s employees, its popularity among current customers, and generating profit. RDH is a state owned enterprise located in southwest China by Hotel International (HI), a global hotelier (Grainger, 2008). McNally (2011) observed, “Over the past thirty years China has witnessed a gradual transition towards a capitalist political economy with an emphasis on capital accumulation, market competition, and international economic integration” (p. 1). Background: Deployment of Corporate Governance and Global Marketing The provincial government was concerned that the hotel would not meet their potential and needed modernization. The current general manager, Tian Wen, focused more on the security of its employees and not the hotel’s profit margin. The state negotiated new management hoping to drive increased revenue (Grainger, 2008). Currently, the RDH had a great reputation. “Since the early 1095s it had enjoyed a long, colourful history and reputation as the region’s premium guesthouse” (Grainger, p. 1). Problem: Organizational...
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...China and a state owned enterprise (Grainger, 2008). Failure to recognize cultural norms and the relationship between employees, customers, and contractors will result in dramatic failure of modernization and an effective business plan (Grainger, 2008). Introduction: Management Control Takeover The management control takeover of the Roaring Dragon Hotel (RDH), one of the original three-star hotels in southwest China had a direct impact on the hotel’s employees, its popularity among current customers, and generating profit. RDH is a state owned enterprise located in southwest China by Hotel International (HI), a global hotelier (Grainger, 2008). McNally (2011) observed, “Over the past thirty years China has witnessed a gradual transition towards a capitalist political economy with an emphasis on capital accumulation, market competition, and international economic integration” (p. 1). Background: Deployment of Corporate Governance and Global Marketing The provincial government was concerned that the hotel would not meet their potential and needed modernization. The current general manager, Tian Wen, focused more on the security of its employees and not the hotel’s profit margin. The state negotiated new management hoping to drive increased revenue (Grainger, 2008). Currently, the RDH had a great reputation. “Since the early 1095s it had enjoyed a long, colourful history and reputation as the region’s premium guesthouse” (Grainger, p. 1). Problem: Organizational culture ...
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...Introduction : A three star hotel located in china , considered bringing foreign experts to upgrade it into a five star hotel. Did the strangers make any new friends ? however , they applied some effort. Background : The surrounding economy was on a slow incline, yet the RDH ignored any revenue or reputation decline along with avoiding new activities. They were aware but unconcerned about producing high profits (Grainger, 2008). Problem : Compromising in relationships, between people and between businesses forms a stronger Guanxi connection, which the new GM didn't value . Cui Fang , told the GM (As cited in Grainger,S.(2008) ) "if he refused the offer he would be effectively excluding HI from any future bookings..."(Para.18). Fang then left taking with him plenty of profitable friends of the business (Grainger, 2008). Opportunity : As one staff stated (As cited in Grainger,S.(2008) ) "once friendly and supportive atmosphere no longer existed"(Para.30).Employees and managers could've used their Guanxi to benefit the organization, if only they felt valued enough. Recommendation : A saying in china ( as cited in Dou & Li, (2013) ) " once stranger, twice acquaintance, while thrice friend " (P.904),which is crystal clear. It could've been the best combination of foreign international experts and local Guanxi relationships , to form a highly competitive market. Yet the HI believed their expertise is sufficient.Gunaxi allows a member to offer a favor to a business or...
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...E-Commerce and B2B Business One of the characteristics of a B2B product is that in many cases it is bought by a committee of buyers. It is important to understand what a brand means to these buyers. Buyers are usually well-versed with costing levels and specifications. Also, due to constant monitoring of the market, these buyers would have excellent knowledge of the products too. In many cases the purchases are specification driven. As a result of this, it is vital that brands are clearly defined and target the appropriate segment. As explained above, every one product can only be associated with one brand. Because of this, it is vital that companies find a white space for their brand, an uncontested category to occupy space in the minds of the buyer (Fitzgerald, M. (2001). In differentiating one’s brand, companies can use various strategies, often referring to the origin of the goods or the processes used to manufacture the product(s). Some have identified up to 13 such strategies. Depending on the company’s history, the competitive landscape, occupied spaces and white spaces, there could be one or many strategies that any company could use. Ultimately, a strong B-2-B brand will reduce the perceived risk for the buyer and help sell the brand. B2b, or business-to-business, is a sort of trade transaction that is focused around the trade of items and administrations from business to business, instead of business to purchaser (Friedman, M. (2001). A run of the mill inventory...
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...hotel management to that of the more market oriented, management company. Conclusions that are drawn highlight cultural characteristics and issues that companies taking over or approaching joint-ventures with SOEs, are advised to be aware of. In recent years, the hotel business environment in south-west China has undergone significant changes. China’s opening-up has encouraged an outbreak of new hotel construction and property speculation as companies and investors hope to cash in on the domestic and international exposure of the unique region. Prospects for growth in the number of tourists and investors visiting the region in the future were good. 1 Correspondence to: Stephen Grainger The University of Western Australia Perth, W.A., AUSTRALIA Email: sgranger@arts.uwa.edu.au Grainger, S., ‘Guanxi Neglect at the Roaring Dragon in South-west China: The Demise of an International Management Contract.' -1- Proceedings of the 15th Annual Conference of the Association for Chinese Economics Studies Australia (ACESA) The Roaring Dragon Hotel, was a famous 40 year old-Chinese SOE. In the second half of 1999 an international management...
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...Introduction: During 1952’s, the Roaring Dragon hotel (RDH), a state owned enterprise (SOE), was one of the three-star hotel in China. In 2001, looking at the decreasing potential of RDH, the provincial government decided to modernize it. For that, Hotel International (HI) organization was selected considering its international reputation, brand name and credentials (Grainger, 2008, p.1). Background: Paul Fortune, the GM appointed by HI had aimed to bring the quality services, professionalism and efficiency in the Chinese employees who could produce the HI standard of excellence at the hotel (Grainger, 2008, p.2). Problem: RDH management was not actively planning any strategy to overcome the economic crisis. There were no effective customer satisfaction policies. HI managers were lacking in building an effective relationship with the hotel employees. Opportunities: HI managers should have respected Chinese culture and should have been more focused on RDH history. They had a good opportunity to understand the culture and should have encouraged Chinese employees to participate in decision-making process in order to improve employee performance. They failed in utilizing the best use of customer relationship. Studies have shown that a good customer-oriented behavior, in an organization ensures a tremendously positive impact on its performance (Kim, 2008). Recommendations: Managers should have provided training to the hotel employees to meet the international standards and...
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...Introduction The Roaring Dragon Hotel has been the first four star hotel in the southwest part of china. Being a state owned enterprise (SOE) with a long and colorful history, it was the region’s premium guesthouse for visiting government officials, dignitaries and guests. (Grainger, 2008) Background The hotel was fairly successful in the planned economy era. However, the hotel started experiencing difficulties after a market economy begun to develop in the region in year 2000. The market economy brought about increased competition and thus requiring establishment to increase their efficiency in order to compete. This meant that change had to take place within the Roaring Dragon Hotel. The provincial government hired Hotel International (HI) to modernize the hotel ways of operation (Grainger, 2008). Problems HI team ignored the Guanxi practices that RDH has been maintaining for so long and which is also one of the main reason of their success. Consequently it resulted in loss of critical industrial contact. Rather than making a smooth transition, HI team changed the management into strict and demanding environment. Any employee who fails to meet the demand had to leave. Opportunities Involving employees in the change process enhances the chances of success. Employee involvement creates ownership of the process by employees, thus increasing support for the changes (Jones & Aguirre, 2004). Recommendations The establishment needs to prepare its employee for the change...
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...Routine Cleaning 1. Gather all necessary equipment and supplies prior to setting up at the fan coil, see below. 2. Prepare the fan coil for servicing by clearing a work space around the unit and proceed to cover the floor with a sheet of clean 4 or 6 mil polyethylene sheeting. 3. Set up at the fan coil unit being careful not to use the occupants’ furniture as a work station. 4. Turn both the thermostat and the circuit breaker to the OFF position which supplies electricity to the fan coil. Take note of the thermostat settings prior to turning the unit off. 5. Workers are required to wear eye protection, allergy free disposable gloves and a disposable respirator with a minimum NIOSH rating of 95 (see attached link). http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4VT69 6. Remove the return grill and filter cartridge. The power switch inside the unit must also be turned OFF before proceeding. 7. If either the return grill (lower) or discharge grill (upper) are dirty take them outside or to a maintenance area with a hose and thoroughly clean both sides using a mild detergent and warm water. Dry completely before re-installing. Inspect the air filter and replace as needed or at least every six month. 8. Visually assess the interior condition of the fan coil (i.e. coil surface condition and cleanliness, water level and cleanliness inside the bottom condensate pan, wiring connection for damage, rust or algae growth. If conditions warrant follow the cleaning instruction outlined below in steps 11...
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...Chris Hendricks Tom Fastenal/Ratios Managerial Finance Yale University Fastenal/Ratios Fastenal's mission statement is, “Growth through Customer Service.” According to company literature the vision at Fastenal is to supply customers with the most friendly, helpful service as possible by minimizing stock-outs, and creating a streamlined process to supply demand. Core values at Fastenal are “innovation, teamwork, ambition, and integrity. “ Fastenal’s belief is that there is, “growth through opportunity.”(Fastenal 2014) A Company History Fastenal began in 1967. The founder, Bob Kierlin and a few friends were first able to open businesses in Winona, Minnesota, the company’s original home base. With $30,000 invested among five friends the original focus was on dispensing nuts and bolts via custom vending machines, which was impractical at the time. Now they have developed vending machines that offer more than the original offered which was only fasteners, and now also sell all sorts of items via FAST solutions. The company struggled for many years, but finally was able to find a spot to serve its customers, “by going the extra mile for customers and providing the kind of service that kept them coming back”. This simple yet effective statement has grown into their culture as the statement, “growth through customer service.” Fastenal has grown from one single store to over 2,600 stores all around the world. They focus on customer service by offering many of their various services such...
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...The most important meal of the day for anyone is breakfast. Break-Fast, we go to sleep putting our body into a fasting state, once we awake our body looks for a food substance to break that fast; breakfast. “The federal child nutrition program feeds over 50 million children a day, 31.6 million of whom receive free lunches.” Fig. A USDA (2011) Mortazavi (2011). Millions of children across the United States depend on a well balanced breakfast and lunch. Not only do these meals fuel the body, but it also fuels the minds to enhance comprehension and retaining what they learn. “For many, especially students from lower-income families enrolled in federally subsidized free and reduced-price lunch programs, these are the main meals of the day.” Grainger, Senauer, and Runge (2007). Revamping the National School Lunch program will help meet economic goal, provide healthier choices for pre-school, elementary and high school children across the nation. In 1966 the Child Nutrition Act (CNA) was passed to create a milk program, breakfast program, government funding to start the program and a preschool program (Mortazavi, 2011). Apart of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, it had to be approved every five years, most recent being scheduled for 2009 but was passed for one year to introduce the current 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act and the Farm Bill which President Obama signed in December 2010 Fig. B. Somodevilla (2010) (Mortazavi, 2011). This act was introduce to do two things, provide kids...
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...the first half of 1998. Orders are delayed, inventory is miscounted. Snap-On’s operating costs soar 40%, mainly to cover costs of extra freight and temporary workers. Franchisees, frustrated because they can’t operate the new software, turn to Snap-On competitors. Company profits for the period sink 22% compared to 1997. FoxMeyer Corp. PROJECT: SAP ERP system WHAT HAPPENED? A bungled enterprise resource planning (ERP) installation in 1996 helped drive FoxMeyer into bankruptcy, the drug distributor claims in lawsuits still pending against SAP AG, SAP America Inc. and Andersen Consulting. FoxMeyer seeks a combined $1 billion in damages, but defendants deny doing anything wrong. Trials scheduled for next May. W. W. Grainger Inc. PROJECT: SAP ERP system WHAT HAPPENED? Grainger spent at least $9 million on SAP software and services in 1998 and last year, but the ERP system overcounted warehouse inventory and had routine crashes. During the worst six...
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...healthier eating habits at school can be an important part of the struggle against childhood obesity and ultimately help improve the health of students in elementary, middle, and high school. A relationship between childhood obesity and school feeding programs has been prevalent when the availability of snack foods and beverages in schools began to increase (Grainger, Senauer, & Runge, 2007). Children may not realize all of the benefits they are receiving from eating a healthy lunch, but their bodies will certainly respond to the healthy food. These days, many schools are taking shortcuts and serving unhealthy foods to save time and money, which is at the expense of the children. Instead, we need to focus on these benefits of the effects on kids of eating healthy cafeteria lunches (Salisbury, C. G. 2004). The involvement that promotes healthy eating can work if the schools are willing to enforce healthy eating habits during breakfast and lunch. School food service directors often must focus on ease of preparation rather than healthy options because they lack both the skilled staff and facilities necessary to do more (Grainger, Senauer, & Runge, 2007). Since there are many schools that depend on major food service vendors to supply highly processed foods that require little more than heating to prepare we are trying to change that. Faced with tight budgets, food service operations are driven by cost considerations and a need to serve what students will eat (Salisbury, C. G. 2004)...
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...Sullivan University | Roaring Dragon Hotel: Intercultural Communication | Bader Ali | | | 10/25/2015 | This is a proposal for the Roaring Dragon Hotel case study. It Includes an Executive Summary for the whole paper starting from introduction down to the conclusion. This will also include out-sourced researches to help clarify the dilemma of lack of communication along with the ignorance of Guanxi. | Executive Summary: In this proposal, you will read briefly about the history of the Roaring Dragon Hotel and where does it stand in its industry. There will be emphasis on how relationships, Guanxi, were a major source of income and interest. This proposal will focus on the setback of internal cultural communication in the hotel and how it affected the hotel’s evolution. The hotel decided to grow, from a 3 star to a 5 star hotel. A foreigner team of specialists were requested for the change procedure. The team was not made aware of the culture they are stepping foot in; add to that, they did not speak the language. The Management excused themselves from explaining to the foreigners what inner value does their employees hold; Guanxi. The employees were not told about the change and its phases. The employees did not understand the language of the outsiders nor their unfairly perceived actions. The evolution team should have invested some time in researching the culture of China, the culture of the hotel, and its business routine. The management members must...
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