ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Operations management is about efficiency in every operational activity in an organization. The operational activities of organizations include, purchasing of inputs, raw materials, and capital goods, hiring of labor, processing of the goods and final distribution to customers. Operations management is involved in all the above processes in different ways but with one mission, ensuring efficiency. The scope of operations management is thus very wide. From the point of starting an organization or firm, to its days of glory, operations management is involved. During the purchasing of raw materials and capital goods, operations professionals ensure efficiency and cost minimization by comparing prices and quality from different suppliers before signing of a supply contract. When allocating resources, operations management professionals consider several factors such as importance of the project to be funded, its viability, whether it is in line with business objectives, the return on investment and availability of funds. This helps the organization to make wise decisions. Operations management function in distribution services is vital. Product distribution function ensures that the product reaches the final consumer. Since the profitability of any organization depends on how much of its products are sold, distribution function becomes the backbone of every organization. The operations management professionals help here by determining the cheapest and most convenient channel of distribution to use. Finally, the operations management’s role in quality assurance is equally helpful in determining the sales and therefore success of the organization. By initiating research aimed at improving the quality of products, operations management increases the consumption of products to the advantage of the firm. Operations management strategy involves the development of customer needs to help in developing products that satisfy them, developing corporate strategy to help in positioning the firm, operations strategy to help reduce cost while ensuring the production of goods of high quality, and continuous market scanning to react appropriately to environmental changes.
Introduction In today’s business environment, advertisements are a part of our everyday lives as business aim to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. Advertisements appear in any conceivable legally acceptable place as organizations aim to capture the attention of their prospective clients. TV programs are punctuated by commercial breaks which increase in intensity at the time of day when advertisers concede that there is maximum viewership and towering billboards continue to litter our highways. Advertising as a marketing medium for business promotion is here to stay owing to the huge successes it yields to the organizations which employ the means. Advertisements have evolved in complexity and creativity throughout the years as a result of numerous research efforts undertaken in advertisements. In the recent past there has been the prevalence in the use of celebrities by organizations in advertisements. The fashion industry in particular has been notorious for its usage of celebrities to endorse its products. This begs the question as to whether employing celebrities to front fashion marketing campaigns results to greater gains for a particular organization. To answer this question, this paper shall set out to discuss the significant advantages and disadvantages that may come about as a result of using celebrities in marketing campaigns. An analysis of the merits and demerits of celebrity advertisement in the fashion industry shall enable the paper to authoritatively state if these means of advertisement is worthwhile for the industry. Advertisement and Celebrities There is no universally accepted definition of the term “advertising” but the legal and statutory definition puts it as “a paid form of message disseminated by businesses… specifically and systematically designed to influence the attitudes and decisions of individuals in relation to their consumption of goods and their use of services” (AGCM 2010). As such, advertising is always aimed at biasing the attitudes of the market to be favourably disposed to the company’s product. Despite the lack of a universal definition, the core function of advertising remains the say: to sell a good, service or product to a targeted audience (MacRury 2009, p.1). One can therefore infer that good advertisement is that which results in the increase in sales of goods or services to the targeted audience. The fashion industry stands out for its use of celebrity endorsement as a major marketing communications strategy. A celebrity is a well-known personality who is famous to the public for his or her accomplishments in some area e.g. acting, entertainment or athletes. Celebrity endorsement is generally defined as “any individual who enjoys public recognition and who uses this recognition on behalf of a consumer good by appearing with it in an advertisement” (McCracken 1989, p.310, cited in Wong 2009, p.1). A report by Cooper (2010) indicates that the reason that celebrities are so prevalent in fashion m
Introduction The Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) is one of the players in the oil and gas industries that have spurred the unprecedented economic growth in Dubai. ENOC, headquartered in Dubai, conducts multiple business ventures in Dubai and Northern Emirates. The company’s primary objective is to facilitate the development of both the downstream and upstream oil and gas functions (ENOC n.d.). These activities include the production and distribution of lubricants, aviation fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), LPG containers and chemicals. Nonetheless, ENOC has a diversified portfolio that ranges from real estate to shipping and aviation (Bloomberg 2011). The current business environment has increasingly become volatile and competitive. As such, the majority of companies and organizations are centralising some of their critical operations into Shared Services arrangements. The Shared Services concept is a novel management model that entails the development of a market efficient unit to deliver corporate support from a central place (Borman 2012). The elemental purpose of this approach is to enhance efficiency and productivity by streamlining the delivery of business functions and services (Wang & Wang 2015). According to Borman, human resources, finance and information systems constitute the largest proportion of the Shared Services framework. Ramphal (2011) has underscored the need for the Shared Services function to compete actively with outside suppliers. The effectual implementation of the Shared Services approach necessitates the combination of the benefits of centralisation and decentralisation (Borman 2012). Herbert and Fitzgerald (2013a) have asserted that the standardisation of processes is critical in tailoring service levels to the actual demands of business entities. Although the upstream and downstream energy corporations face different challenges, they both share similar situations. For example, cost pressures, inadequate talent and technological demands confront the two segments. Companies in this industry are now adopting the Shared Services model to navigate the changing landscape (Chima 2007). The Emirates National Oil Company provides diverse services and products. The company delivers its core functions through the Supply, Trading and Processing (STP) segment. The provision of services under this function requires ENOC to identify and tap marketing outlets both locally and internationally (ENOC n.d.). In essence, ENOC capitalises on the global growth opportunities by collaborating with international oil companies and traders. The introduction of the Shared Services Unit in 2011 was essential to obtain the economies of scale (SSON 2014). Conversely, Herbert and Fi
Introduction One of the most critical resources in a firm is human due to the responsibility of making decisions in support of involved tasks and analysis of results for better output. There is need for firms to ensure they manage employees appropriately. One strategy of good employees’ management involves provision of motivational packages such as standardized remunerations that are consistent with the industrial criterions plus philanthropic extra compensations for any additional efforts such as working beyond limits. Lucrative compensation also serves the purpose of attracting and retaining an effective workforce. Compensation management is thus a response to employees’ good deed in form of remuneration, with respect to their contribution to the firm. The act balances the employees-work in relation through provision of monetary or non-monetary gains. Goals of Compensation Departments Describe the three main goals of compensation departments The expectancy theory of motivation focuses on the outcomes of a situation as opposed to giving attention to individual or specific needs (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). The compensation department focuses on relationship between internal needs and the resulting efforts. Their responsibility presents a separation between efforts due to motivation, performance and those due to anticipated outcome such as the remuneration packages. According to the expectancy theory, in order to motivate a person, there is need to link the efforts, performance and motivation of employees. The variables accounting for the theory include, “valence, expectancy and instrumentality” (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). The other goal of compensation department is to nullify presumptions by giving the management substantiating information over performance in belief that increased efforts forms the foundation for amplified performance. They also have to carry out a performance analysis based on the execution of tasks. Performance depends on the availability of resources, such as raw materials, time, required skills, availability of performance information and other external support such as the supervisory sustenance. Excellent performance enforces believe of gaining some anticipated outcome value referred to as instrumentality (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). Clarity regarding understanding of the instrumentality affects outcome, trust accorded to the decision makers regarding outcomes and the transparency of the procedures for deciding the outcome affects. Contextual Influences Describe th
This paper presents an assessment of Kylie Cosmetics’ rapid growth that happened within three years. It features a detailed analysis of the possible reasons for it and compares the history of the enterprise to the Estée Lauder Companies, a large business that was established in the middle of the 20th century. The report shows that the celebrity effect and the price advantage may be significant factors for quick development compared to the brand effect and customer loyalty. Kylie Cosmetics The small business that was chosen for analysis is Kylie Cosmetics, the eponymous brand of Kylie Jenner. Its story is notable as the young woman built one of the most popular makeup companies in the world within three years. Since its launch, the organization has sold more than $630 million worth of products (Robehmed, 2018). The estimated dividends excluding taxes reach $60 million, and the market value of the company is around $800 million. The young woman owns 100% of the organization (Robehmed, 2018). Notably, Jenner’s company can allow her to become a billionaire in her early 20s. The primary reason for such a rapid growth of Jenner’s business is the celebrity effect. The young woman has an extensive fan base; her social media following is more than 110 million followers on Instagram and more than 25,5 million on Twitter (Robehmed, 2018). In addition, being a member of the famous Kardashian family, Jenner has a significant advantage compared to little-known brand owners. As Jenner is a highly influential person in the media, it is evident that customers are likely to buy products featured in her posts. The young woman often wears the lipsticks in her pictures, which raises public interest in them. She also interacts with her followers online, which increases their loyalty to her brand. Moreover, it is necessary to mention that the celebrity has chosen one of the most profitable industries that have always been driven by role models (Robehmed, 2018). Thus, Jenner’s online and TV presence has contributed to the rapid development of her brand significantly. Another reason for the rapid growth of Jenner’s enterprise is the price advantage. The average price for lip kits by Kylie Cosmetics is $29, which is reasonable compared to the costs of other high-end makeup products (Robehmed, 2018). Moreover, for less than $30 customers receive a set of two high-quality items; there is a broad variety of products available. It is possible to say that although Jenner’s lipsticks may not be as affordable as some of the regular ones, the young woman developed the strategy that would make them attractive to the customers. Estee Lauder Estée Lauder Companies Inc is the organization that manufactures and sells cosmetics, as well as fragrance, skincare, and hair products. It was established in 1946 in the United States (“#137 The Estée Lauder Companies,” 2018). The company presents more than 150 brands, and each of them has distinct features and history (“The Estee Lauder Companies,” 2019). Estée
Introduction Most of the world economy is build around the consumption of fossil fuel and over time; it has come to the attention of the world that overreliance on these energy sources is not sustainable. The overuse of fossil fuels has led to environmental repercussions such as the global warming phenomena which the world currently faces. The UAE boasts of huge reserves of oil which are expected to last for many decades to come. Even so, the government is keen to diversify on its energy sources so as to ease its dependency on fossil fuels 1 . Power needs are experiencing strong growth in the UAE with research indicating that the energy demands of Dubai are going to double by the year 2015. Solar energy which is a renewable natural resource has been earmarked as a feasible energy source to combat the problem of overreliance on fossil fuels. This report will discuss solar energy in the UAE with focus being given to the manner in which solar energy has been harnessed and used in the UAE. Solar Energy in the UAE The governments of the UAE have been devoted to looking for strategies to diversify their energy sources. Solar energy has emerged as a feasible solution since the United Arab Emirates has an abundance of solar radiation which makes solar power plants practical especially during summer time when the temperature levels are especially high. Construction costs for solar generation plants remain significantly higher than those of thermal generation which makes solar plants unattractive for many investors. The government of Abu Dhabi has addressed this issue by offering incentives to solar energy produces so as to make solar plants commercially viable. The success of the solar power initiatives in the UAE is largely attributed to the wide range of financial incentives that the UAE government has offered to the companies that are prepared to advance the growth and operation of solar energy plants 2 . Implementation of Solar Energy A number of technologies have been developed to assist in the harnessing of solar power form the sun. The UAE makes use of the two most popular technologies which are; thermal and photonic solar technologies.   * Concentrating Solar Power The prevalent thermal solar technology used all over the world is the concentrating solar power technology and for large scale production of electricity, the UAE makes use of CSP power technology. This technology is developed on the basis that the sun’s raw radiation, while sufficient enough to heat surfaces, lacks the density required for the production of electricity 3 . The density of the sun’s raw radiation therefore has to be significantly increased if solar energy is to be utilized for electricity production. The density is increased through concentrating which makes use of lenses or mirrors. The concentrated solar energy is then used to provide electricity by using the high temperature heat to heat water into vapor which then turns turbines therefore generating electric
Introduction Proper nutrition is always an important factor towards healthy living. Good choices regarding nutrition care enables one lead a long healthy life. This brings out the reason why proper and healthy feeding during childhood helps in reinforcing lifelong eating habits that contribute to the overall well being of the child. This also enables them fulfill their potential. Parents can help their children in eating right by practicing healthy eating habits since the early stage of their life. Most children in the United States of America are suffering from obesity due to bad eating habits (Carmona, 2003). Although in some situations obesity may be attributed to children’s bad eating habits, most of the time less parental concern on what children feed on during their early stages is a major contributor to obesity cases. While proper childhood nutrition leads to a better physical and cognitive development, studies show that under-nutrition affects the health of the growing child negatively and this may be translated to weak adulthood and poor economic impacts in future. Thus, it is better to understand what the parents attitude are towards childhood nutrition and what role they play in ensuring their children take a balanced diet since the early part of their lives. Background and Significance Studies show that prevalence of obesity in the United States of America is on the rise thus a better understanding on the parental attitudes towards childhood nutrition need to be investigated and understood. This makes it important, during childhood, that a parent teaches children about good eating habits. Parental attitude towards childhood nutrition is influenced by many factors, which range from the parents income to the parent’s level of education. No matter how positive or concerned a parent sometimes may be towards what their childre
Introduction The IT industry is among the fastest growing avenues of business and investment. It also bears an equal measure of risk and volatility and therefore requires informed and competent decision-making. The objective of any business is to make profit and this depends on the strategy adopted in managing and hedging against costs while keeping a reasonable margin of quality. It therefore falls upon the cio officer to make appropriate choices in as far as making or buying a product or service or constituent factor of production. Literature review Companies and industrial scientists have developed and recommended various schemes and approaches to the build or buy decisions. These have been all based on the situational analysis of each proponent hence making their strategies limited to a specific situation. Therefore, there is no foolproof method or formula to the issue. However, it is common ground among all these proposals as to the factors that a manager should consider before making a build or buy decision. In line with the profit-making objective of the firm, the manager should evaluate the economic benefit of the existing or proposed outsourcing option. Clearly, the economic aspect lies heavily to influence the manager’s decision in as far as buying or making. The manager should obviously consider the cheaper of the options for implementation. This factor is however to be considered alongside other factors. If he chooses to go fro an out sourcing option, he should also consider if the outsourcing option can be r negotiated in future. If the manager decides to go for an in sourcing option he needs to consider the costs involved in transitioning from the buy to the build option. If tit is the first time, the manager needs to evaluate the decommissioning costs of the building option. A build option also means that there will be an interruption in the IT resources within the organization and therefore a need for a re-evaluation of the department. Undeniably, both options have their own benefits besides the cost. The outsourcing option for instance guarantees variety and quality since the outsourcing firms invest a lot of talent and expertise in the creation and provision of the product or service. A build option on the other hand is a cheaper option in the long run since it reduces the dependency of the business to external factors. It therefore gives the business a competitive advantage by allowing it to alter the product to suit emerging trends at little or no cost. The manager should also evaluate the growth prospects of the build option in as far as talent expansion and growth. Keeping all these in mind
Abstract About 125 countries are converting salt water from the oceans and seas into fresh water through desalination procedures. Many studies have focused on bringing down the cost of desalination methods so that they could be embraced by many countries worldwide. This study will review the different distillation methods for production of fresh water from salt water that have been adopted by various countries worldwide. Introduction Rapid population growth and pollution caused by industrial activities have led nations to utilize thermal energy to convert salt water into fresh water for use by domestic, industrial and agricultural applications (Saidur, Elcevvadi, Mekhilef, Safari & Mohammed, 2011). Seawater, fresh water and glaciers take 97%, 0.5% and 2% respectively of total water found on the earth, while other sources take the remaining 0.5%. Approximately 75 million people worldwide use desalinated water for domestic and industrial purposes. There was a rapid increase in the number of units of desalination plants from 10,350 units in 2002 to 17,348 units 2004. The current global desalination plants could handle a total of 40 million m 3 of water per day. The top five countries that have succeeded in desalination efforts are Saudi Arabia, USA, United Arab Emirates, Spain, and Kuwait. The Jabal Ali multi-stage flash desalination plant has the highest capacity in the world and could handle a total of 300 million m 3 of water annually. Distillation methods Distillation procedures involve boiling salt water at high temperatures to obtain water and dissolved atmospheric gases as the vapor which is condensed to form clean water (Saidur et al., 2011). Simple traditional distillation is the most elementary and most expensive distillation method of desalination. Single stage distillation method is more complex than the traditional distillation method, and it is more economical in energy consumption. It is generally used in marine environments and chemical laboratories. The multiple effect distillation method attempts to save energy to vaporize a larger amount of salt water using the same amount of energy. Larger plants have more effects and better performance ratios. Multiple stage flash method has high efficiency enhanced by use of increased operating temperatures. Vapor compression distillation uses internal energy derived from the vapor in the plant to heat the salt water (Saidur et al., 2011). Solar distillation This is a relatively cheap method that uses solar energy to heat salt water in distillation plants (Saidur et al., 2011). The energy from the sun is trapped by the solar plate which is then transferred to the salt water in the vessel to cause vaporization. The water vapor is cooled to obtain fresh water droplets safe for human and industrial applications. Refro-distiller-a new method The main disadvantage of the simple traditional distillation method is the large amount of energy needed to heat and boil the salt water in the distillation plant. The Refro-distillation method is an efficient method of isolating salts from pure water