Research Topics: CampNet Network

Development of the CampNet Network

Goals :   1 – Design a Network Model for CampNet (3 pages max.)              [25%]   Design a network topology to satisfy the outline specifications. Provide details of your design, that is, the bandwidths and protocols selected and the reasons behind any additional features. Estimate the cost of implementing your design using current component prices.   2 – Simulate the CampNet Model (3 pages max.)                                         [25%]   Simulate the performance of your design.  Describe the test scheme adopted for your design and illustrate it using suitable screenshots.   3 – Analyse the performance of the CampNet Model  (3 pages max.)        [25%]   Explore the network parameter settings necessary to ensure that no packets are lost during the video transmission.  Report on the best settings required for your design and investigate how those results can be displayed using graph plotting routines.   4 –  Written Report Quality                                                                          [25%]   This will primarily assess the use of References/Reference Material throughout the report as well as the use of graphics.    Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Development of the CampNet Network

Goals : 1 – Design a Network Model for CampNet (3 pages max.) [25%] Design a network topology to satisfy the outline s...

The Implications of this Concept

Task A   What are “attributions”? Discuss the implications of this concept for work situations.               People are innately curious. They tend to seek the explanation for almost everything around. They are satisfied and appeased when they get the answers to the ever-persistent question – why. They hunger to satisfy their hunger for understand the world they live in as well as the events that occur in it.  Given the space that the need to determine the cause occupies in human existence, it should not come as a surprise that theory on how people explain things has been formulated.                According to  (1967), humans are driven by their need to achieve a cognitive mastery of the structure of causes (p. 193).  This suggests that humans are eager to find out why an event occurred, the source of the event, the motive behind the event as well as the state that may be ascribed to the event.  This drive allows humans to set forth and discover the causal structures of the things around them.   Based on the attribution theory by (1958), people explain the world using two types of attribution.  The   first type is the external attribution where people would point a finger to an outside force as the cause an event.  The use of outside force pertains to factors other than the person in question.  One such example of an external attribution is the possible reaction of a manager when a decision being implemented did not result to the expected outcome; if the manager states that, his/her subordinates did not follow the directions causing the failure then that is an external attribution. The second type is internal attribution.  This type of attribution assigns the cause of the event as the factors within the person (Booth-Butterfield 1996). This suggests that the person involved in the event directly claims that the event was caused by his/her own actions.   Today, the scope of the attribution theory goes beyond the psychological analysis that aims to explain how people explain things. The findings of various attribution studies are being used in other fields in order to provide an understanding of the players within the given field. One such field that uses the attribution theory to encourage improvement is organizational behaviour. More specifically, business organizations use the attribution theory to provide insights on decision-making situations such as employee appraisals and giving pay raises (Green and Mitchell 1980; Feldman 1981).  In another aspect, the use of attribution to influence people is also being studied (Booth-Butterfield 1996).    In the workplace, both internal and external attribution can be seen at work.  From the smallest to the biggest of organizational events that takes place are being explained by different people using different attribution types. It is mostly the case that internal attributions take place when the event resulted to preferred outcome, while external attribution happens when the outcome of the event jeopardizes the organizational in any degree.   For example, an employee was given a poor rating during the annual employee appraisal to determine the rate of increase to be given to every employee.  The employee has two ways of looking or explaining the event that just happened. First, the employee can say the supervisor is biased and rated him/her unfairly. The employee can go on ranting that it is not his/her fault that his performance was not meeting the expectations of the company since the training provided in the beginning of his/her employment was inadequate to perform the expected tasks.    Second, the employee can acknowledge that the poor rating was brought about by his/her lack of competence in the workplace. The employee can admit to his/her own shortcomings. This kind of reaction belongs to the internal attribution type where the person takes the responsibility over the results of his/her actions. This is also the first step towards changing the behaviour of the employee towards his/her work environment and process.   Admitting to any shortcomings, means that employees hold themselves accountable for their actions.  Accountability is one trait that should be developed by all employees in any company.  If employees are accountable for their actions, it means that they are aware of the consequences of their decisions. This also suggests that they will become more aware of the organizations status once they implement their decisions.   In addition, accountability means that the employees treat the company as if it was their own.  Therefore, employees will choose to make decisions that will be for the benefit of the whole organization and just for the individual. If employees regard the company in such as way that they recognize that its downfall will ultimately affect them, they will take into consideration that in order for them to advance the organization will have to advance as well.   This change in attitude can take place by enforcing internal attribution. This is the case since internal attribution means that the individual recognizes internal forces as the decisive factor. This means that the change will be implemented and accepted wilfully and not forcibly.  In addition, internal attribution of the actions taken can result to the change of the attitudes and beliefs about themselves (Booth-Butterfield 1996). This could result to becoming the kind of person that would act to achieve expected results.   In conclusion, internal attribution will aid organizations in ensuring that the behaviour of their employees is in line with the objectives that they need to achieve. The culture of the organization and the employees must be on the plane if a harmonious workplace is to be established.     Task B   What are “hygiene factors” and what role do they play in employee motivation?                 It has often been said that prevention is always better than cure. Medical doctors have advised their patients repeatedly that the best way to stay healthy is to avoid getting sick. They also advised that maintaining good hygiene is one way to ensure that viruses and bacteria will not find their way into the human system and disrupts its normal operations. One such manifestation of good hygiene is constant hand washing. This is recommended to kill bacteria that pose potential life threatening outcomes.               In the business world, maintaining good hygiene is also important. However, the definition of hygiene factors within the business world is different from its medical counterpart. Nevertheless, the premise behind the usage of the term is relatively based on a common notion of prevention rather than cure.   In the same way that the medical profession recognizes the presence of bacteria and viruses, the business community recognizes the presence of factors that can result to poor work attitudes of employees (1993). These factors are known as hygiene factors and include supervision, working conditions, security, peer relationships, salary and company policies (Herzberg 1966).               According to (1993), factors that result to positive attitudes are able to do so because they satisfy man’s need for self-actualization or self-realization. According to many personality theorists, mans have the innate yearning to experience the feeling of fulfilment in various aspects of life. One of the most important aspects of life is job fulfilment.  This fulfilment can prove that man is unique based on his/her own personality in relation to the boundaries of reality.               The statements abovementioned suggests that the factors help man realize his/her life goals. It gives them the drive to excel in various aspects of life. In the workplace setting, these factors function in the same way. Hygiene factors, for example, prevent the proliferation of dissatisfaction among employees. This means that the absence of low levels of hygiene factors will result to the dissatisfaction of the employees and thus affecting their job performance.                However, studies have shown that the increase of hygiene factors do not translate in the increase of job satisfaction. This means that another set of factors affect the increase of job satisfaction and that hygiene factors are present just to control the levels of dissatisfaction. Factors that help increase job motivation are known as motivators. Motivators include recognition, advancement and growth to name a few (Internet Centre for Management and Business Administration, Inc 2005).               Let us take some of the presented hygiene factors and analyze their absence result to dissatisfaction.  First, there is salary.  People work to gain financial independence or stability. This means that they expect companies to compensate the work that they do with financial incentives. If employees feel that the financial gain does not compensate the work output that they give the company, chances are they will feel that the company does not recognize their efforts to help the business succeed. This attitude towards work and the company itself can result to a decrease in job performance.               Another hygiene factor mentioned is peer relationships.  Humans are social beings; they need to constantly see themselves on others to assure them that their experiences are not isolated and that others feel the same way they do. They need constant affirmation of the actions that they do.  This means that people develop interpersonal relationships. In turn, these relationships help them get by obstacles. In the workplace, employees need to develop harmonious relationships with their co-workers if they want to perform well in their jobs.                In conclusion, the presence of motivators and hygiene factors means that management must ensure that both factors are present in order to ensure the quality of performance that their employees provide.  This means that it is not enough that the level of employee dissatisfaction is low; employee satisfaction rating must also be high in order to maximize the potential of each employee. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Implications of this Concept

Task A What are “attributions”? Discuss the implications of this concept for work situations. People are innately cur...

Operating industries are aiming for competitive advantage and sustainable development

Managing the Global Supply Chain to Sustain Business Strategy: the case of Marks & Spencer (M&S)     This paper aims to answer the question: what are M&S’s main organisational challenges of managing the global supply chain necessary to sustain their business strategy?   Introduction As various operating industries are aiming for competitive advantage and sustainable development among its management and operations, there are numerous actions that are being implemented and directed to the eventual success and growth of the company’s assets. Similarly, globalization issues increases the pressure among the industries and intensifies market competition. In competition, there is motivation in every business to improve and develop their objectives. For an enterprise to succeed in local or global competition, hence, there is a continuous plan to develop management and marketing techniques such as change and innovation of new products with higher quality than its competitors, efficient management of critical success factors, and others.   Company Background According to the company website, it was in 1894 when Michael Marks created a joint venture with Tom Spencer to enter the retailing business. The first shop opened in 1904 at Cross Arcade in Leeds, West Yorkshire. In 2004, the organization celebrates their 120th anniversary, appoints  as the Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer (M&S) and the head office staff started to move into their new registered office at Waterside House, Paddington, originally headquartered in Baker Street, London for many years. At present, they have over 600 stores worldwide, 450 of which are located in UK and the remaining 150 outlets operating in 30 countries around the globe, with sales amounting to U.S.$ 14.6 billion and a market value of U.S.$ 11.6 billion and profits posted at U.S.$ 1.1 billion and assets totaling to U.S.$ 8.1 billion ( 2005).   Main Organisational Challenges in Managing Global Supply Chain             The acquirement of customer loyalty is a corporate challenge that every organisation today is facing. As this increasingly competitive and crowded marketplace expand, the profitability that customers will provide works towards the advantage of the host organisation. Meanwhile, the varying business conditions allowed customers to change too. To address the changing demands and behaviours of consumers, organisational administration had shifted their attention on their customers for the purposes of being successful in business. The need to entirely reformulate their predictable business outlook and purposes from process-focused to customer-centred is s significant leap towards service efficiency and competitive edge. With the advent of technological innovations, logistical decisions about delivery operations, stockholding, warehousing and economies of scale get more complex solutions in today’s business environment. The following are considered as main organisational challenges in managing the global supply chain.             Product Innovations and Development. To sequentially sustain the growing market of the business, the efforts exerted in searching for potential opportunities and creation of new products for the target market is valuable. Generally, before a profit-oriented company start to operate, there should be product/s that is being offered. The various changes in the lifestyle and preferences of the consumers prompted every company worldwide to improve and to innovate their traditional product offerings. The term innovation means the development of something new from its beginning to its completion and from its initial idea until it becomes a viable business (1992). Innovation plays a great role in creation and development of new products of M&S. This is evident as shown in the launching new products and expanding the traditional product line. However, it must be considered that proper culture throughout the business setting is maintained as it will support the product and business development processes ( 1995;1995). Thus, innovation and development in the product line must be a product of knowledge and culture (Zangwill 1993) within the immediate jurisdiction of the company’s operations. With M&S, the management should exhaust R&D programmes and consumer feedback system in order to identify the existing culture of the target market. Effective Implementation of Marketing Mix. Marketing mix, according to  (1990, pp. 43-44), is the standardised set of fitting marketing variables that every business and any other profit-motivated industry implements, in order to come up with a desirable outcome or answer on the target market they choose to penetrate. The marketing mix is composed of product, price, place, and promotion, or popularly known as 4Ps. M&S and its management perfected the application of the marketing mix. It is notable to restate that with the constant research and development in their product, pricing, placement and distribution, as well as promotion, their products remain as the leader in the UK retailing market. In their product, high quality is maintained. The fact that their products exceed the customers’ requirement, the price is also fair and reasonable. In terms of distribution, their strategic placement of the products contributes to the increase numbers of production and sales. Their products are highly prominent due to the different marketing communication tools used in promoting to the target market. M&S’s continuous integration of all the elements of the marketing mix and the appropriate marketing and management of the internal organization also serves as a powerful weapon in combating the rapid and stiff competition in the global marketplace.             Competition. Adverse competition in every business environment is the most if not the first problem encountered. Companies have always taken a competitive product and dismantled it to examine each part to compare with their own. If a part made by a competitor has some advantage, then the advantage is copied or adapted. Benchmarking extends this concept to every business process. Competitive benchmarking is comparing performance between competitors, whereas process benchmarking is comparing performance of a business or production process, not necessarily among competitors ( 1994). If another company has a better operation or process, then a benchmarking company either copies or adapts it to its own needs.             Benchmarking includes the tasks of comparing and assessing the capabilities of any similar business that operates in a given line of industry. It allows business leaders to accumulate significant facts and other useful and related information that will work to their own benefit particularly in the operations of the business. Information may come from global sources and these are utilised in the improvement of business productivity and overall organisational performance ( 1994). For example, M&S has complemented its rapid response to customer orders with rapid replenishment of small quantities of components from suppliers. Being in retailing for over a hundred years, one of M&S’s competitive advantages over their counterparts in the business is the reputation that they have established with their customers, employees and suppliers. M&S customers have long associated the business with optimum dependability and high value for money; the internal architecture of the company was focused around stable employment relations, well-built and supported organizational routines, as well as a collective idea that there was an M&S own way of doing things, which the employees benefit from. The suppliers’ relationship with the firm or the external planning of M&S was built around a harmonious relationship with various international suppliers. Complete influence on product requirement and design was present and maintained as an essential component of relationships that is sustained over the period of several years (Kay 1999). They also have strong environmental and community responsibilities, (as cited in 1994) part of their corporate responsibility. As stated by (1985), ‘Marks and Spencer have pioneered and excelled themselves in a whole range of ‘modern’ management methods, notably strategic marketing, consumer research, product innovation and development, personnel management, staff training and management development, quality assurance and technological-oriented purchasing’  Overall, the strong and identifiable corporate culture of M&S that operates to get the best out of relatively ordinary employees have continued to produce exceptional corporate results over many years and through many changes in the economic environment ( 1995). Their financial performances from the previous years are shown below: Marks & Spencer Financial Performance   Year ended Turnover (£ M) Profit before tax (£ M) Net profit (£ M) Basic eps (p) 1 April 2006 7,797.70 745.7 520.6 31.4 2 April 2005 7,490.50 505.1 355 29.1 3 April 2004 8,301.50 781.6 552.3 24.2 29 March 2003 8,019.10 677.5 480.5 20.7 30 March 2002 8,135.40 335.9 153 5.4 31 March 2001 8,075.70 145.5 2.8 0 1 April 2000 8,195.50 417.5 258.7 9 31 March 1999 8,224.00 546.1 372.1 13 31 March 1998 8,243.30 1,155.00 815.9 28.6 31 March 1997 7,841.90 1,102.10 746.6 26.7 31March 1996 7,233.70 965.8 652.6 455.8 Source: /Marks_and_spencer#Financial performance Although there have been downfalls for the hardy retailing perennial over the years largely due to economic crises, they have managed to surmount all the stumbling blocks through an resilience that their competitors view as unnerving. With  taking over the M&S helm, he is unveiling sales figures for the quarter to 1 April of more than double analysts’ expectations, predicting full-year profits ahead of City projections and paying a bonus to shop floor staff, on top of an incentive already announced, in lless than two years when he first took charge ( 2006). Apparently, the summary of financial performance of the company for 2005 and 2006 are also illustrated: Source:   From the figures, there are distinctive differences to the 2006 productivity and performance of the company in contrast to the 2005 performance. This result was verified by ANOVA analysis presented below: The significance level of less than 0.05 indicates that at least one of the regions varies from the others. It means to say that the performance of M&S from year 2005 with respect to financial variables is statically different to year 2006 business performance. Technology. Today, various technologies are utilized and serve competitive advantage to the organisation. Rethinking and reformulating the organization’s use of innovative technologies entail the consideration of several factors such as various processes, type of technology, the environment as well as the success factors of people ( 2000). In the traditional supply chain management used by businesses that import materials for production, a lot of people, time and money are invested upon to guarantee that the demands of the manufacturers will be handled in the specified date and time required. According to  and colleagues (2001), supply chain management is considered as another determinant of organizational success and among the most important premeditated aspects of any commercial venture where decisions about coordinating of production of goods and services, store inventory, list of suppliers, and cost-effective and timely distribution are made. Supply chain management functions in order to design and manage the processes, assets and flows of material and information to answer the needs and demands of the customers and clients ( 2002; 1995). Before being able to place an order of shipment of raw materials, several transactions are consulted between the supplier and the manufacturer that eats up their valued time. The supply flow normally includes the intention of order, quotation, confirmation, delivery, payment and handling of receipts as great amount of time is consumed in the mere planning of the purchase orders of a manufacturing company (2001;  1996). And since most of the time the transactions involve not only a single supplier, especially in the case of huge international producers, manufacturers deal with sub-suppliers with several forwarders from which a number of consolidations are exchanged. The workload and time that the inventory managers handle defines the proceeding business processes that will follow that predicts and maintains the success and profit of the whole business organization. Technology improvement is linked with the environmental-friendliness of the brand. Innovations are also designed in the manufacturing, distribution and research mobile. The improved integration combines the expertise of local associates into global spectrum that will hasten improvement of technology.              In this regard, Supply Chain Management (SCM) has become a key strategic initiative for companies, like M&S, particularly in improving service and reducing costs in order to remain competitive in today’s global economy ( 1998). SCM is business strategy focusing on the quick response to ever-changing market needs and shortened purchasing lead time, also adding value to increasingly demanding customers at the least cost and time ( 2002). Today, we cannot rely on a single party to fulfil the sophisticated needs of customers; we need a total commitment and full collaboration, integration and synchronization among all business partners (Bowman 1999).             Marks & Spencer, as a profit-oriented organisation is dedicated to providing products in ways that help protect the environment, their employees and the people who use them. The competitive advantages, the external and internal environment in which they operate show evidence that the firm is striving to maintain their dedication. In building and sustaining supplier relationships, M&S and its management can easily refer to the existing culture of supply chain management being utilized by their company throughout the long years of operations. Integration and acquisition are potential methods to retain good supplier relationship. Also, increase awareness to the conditions of affiliates and subsidiaries will somewhat determine the potency of the company. With this, training and retention are deemed crucial to international success of subsidiaries (2003,). Granted that there are critics to the company, as there is always the presence of groups who are not very satisfied with the business’ performance, available figures and statements from business experts give evidence to M&S’s continuing commitment in making sure that they are will be the better if not best and works above the standards of its major competitors. Every managerial decisions made will work towards the company’s stated vision. M&S’s distinctive competence in terms of technical expertise, applications, and managerial aptitude are vital foundations of heterogeneity that will eventually become an element of sustainable competitive advantage. According to  (1995), “corporate success is based on the distinctive capabilities of the firm – those things, often the product of its particular history, which competitors cannot reproduce even after others realize the benefits these capabilities bring to the company that enjoys them” Therefore, with the effective implementation of the mentioned concepts, competitive advantage in an organisation is not beyond reach.               Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Operating industries are aiming for competitive advantage and sustainable development

Managing the Global Supply Chain to Sustain Business Strategy: the case of Marks & Spencer (M&S) This paper aims to answer ...

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