Key Performance Indicators Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Key Performance Indicators - Essay Example According to the research findings, efficiency is about deploying the most optimal number of staff and serving the most number of customers at the least amount of time. while customer service is about being able to deliver on important customer service metrics like the order to fulfillment lead times, waiting times between customers, maximizing the size of the queue for both cars and dine-in customers, payment queues, the number of people served per table. Â  These twin concerns are of course of paramount concern for the firm, given that both impact profitability. Customer service affects the top-line revenues, in that the greatest number of people served results in the greatest amount of revenues for the firm, while efficiency metrics relating to the most efficient use of staff to serve the greatest amount of customers impact costs. When both costs and revenues are optimized, this results in the greatest possible bottom line results for the firm. In the case at hand, the KPIs are a rguably those that capture best the kind of efficiency and customer service gains that are optimal for the restaurant, and for these chosen KPIs the different shifts are measured. The simulation results detail many different KPIs that can potentially capture the most important data that serve the purpose of optimizing both revenues and costs as discussed above, and given the kinds of data collected for the different shifts, the choices were made based on what kind of metrics will yield the most in terms of optimizing both customer service levels and staffing levels. In the ideal case, the best shift to be chosen is one that employs the least amount of staff while at the same time maximizing customer service metrics that relate to the five KPIs chosen for this analysis. Without the KPIs, one would be inclined to choose that shift that employs the least amount of staff. Going the other extreme, the best shift would be the one that achieves the greatest customer service levels in terms of queue sizes and waiting times. Obviously, the latter impacts costs, while the former impacts customer service and therefore revenues. It is, therefore, a balance, and that balance is a function of the five KPIs chosen on the one hand and the staffing levels on the other.

The Slave Trade in Africa Essay Example for Free

The Slave Trade in Africa Essay Eric Williams thesis entitled Capitalism and slavery is not a study on the nature of the slave trade, but rather a study of the role of slavery in the English economy. In his thesis Williams proposes the idea that capitalism is a result of the Atlantic slave trade. Williams defines capitalism as when someone can use their resources to make a profit without that person actually being present. The Atlantic Slave Trade was then an example of capitalism. English investors gave funds to stock companies, such as the Dutch East Indian Company, who wound use those funds to purchase ships and trading goods. The stock companies would then hire a crew and send the ships to Africa where they would trade their goods for African Slaves. The ships would then transport the slaves to the Americas where they would sell their human cargo and purchase American goods. The ships could then return to England and sell their American goods for capital, then splitting the profit amongst the investors. In his thesis Williams asserts that these stock companies were the first examples of capitalism and that the capitalists systems which are present in the modern world are direct results of the Atlantic Slave Trade. It appears that Williams is correct in his thesis. While elements of capitalism, such as buying and selling of goods, were present prior to the slave trade, this was the first point in history when private investors combined their capital in the form of a company whose sole purpose was to increase that capital. At no point did the stock companies manufacture any new product instead these companies served only to buy and sell commodities in such a way as to increase the capital of their investors. Ancient Africa was characterized by strong states. Unlike Europe African states were well organized before the birth of Christ. However as European states became stronger African states weakened. These strong ancient African states such as, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kush and Benin, believed that the purpose of the state was to serve the people. This ideology made it possible for African states to become strong because since the state served the people the people were willing to participate in defending the state and submit to taxation in order to pro vide for the needs of the state which then benefited the individual. However African states began to weaken when the Arab came into Africa. In a quest to seek the destruction of Christianity in Europe the Arabs tore through the Maghreb (five north African countries). The Arabs not only took over the state, but also the culture, as a new Arab population settled, and pushed the original African population below the Sahara. The Arab presence in Africa soon led to a weakening of the African State. In 1350 the strong African state of Songhai began to have border disputes with the Arab led state Morroco. Songhai stated that the purpose of the African state was to serve the people to which Morroco replied that the purpose of the state was to serve Islam. Since the ruler of Morroco was a descendant of Mohammed that meant that it was Songhais responsibility to support the Morrocan state rather than the interests of its own people. Songhai was destroyed by Morroco in 1591, and after Songhais destruction any new states that emerged in this area put the interests of outsiders above the welfare of their own people. The area that had once been the strong empire of Songhai became the core of the slave trade in Africa. When Europeans came into Africa to trade they dealt with these weakened African states. They provided the states arms and the states allowed Europeans to enslave their citizens. African states allied with European nations at the expense of their own people; showing that the purpose of the African state had changed from serving its citizens to serving the interests of outsiders because the same sort of brutality used by Morroco in its destruction of Songhai was used by the Europeans in gunboat diplomacy. The African state would submit to foreign interests because it was no longer strong enough to fight back. African states could not compete against European technology so the rulers of these states signed agreements that allowed their people to be captured, enslaved and taken across the Atlantic. The weakening of the African state caused a change in the purpose of the State. The purpose of the state became providing for the needs and wants of foreigners; this is why the slave trade was possible in Africa. Not only did the African states allow its people to be enslaved, but the states participated in the enslavement of its own people in order to receive the benefits of trade with the Europeans.

Objectives of the Personnel Manager. :: Business and Management Studies

Objectives of the Personnel Manager. When the Personnel Manager is involved in recruiting new employees for the store he/she has to first has to look into the Internal and External Constraints. Whilst looking at this the Personnel Manager will have to decide weather the new recruit will stick to the terms of the job. As well as this the Personnel Manager will have to think if the new Member of the team will be able to fit in with the team at present or will he/she be subject to bullying or discrimination of any sort. As well as this aspect it could all be the other way round and the new employee may start to manipulate the other members of the team and start to bully and discriminate against them. Lastly the Personnel Manager will have to consult with the Finance Department and with the new employee on terms of - How much money he/she will get, How many sick days, How many days holiday etc. etc. The Objectives Of The Personnel Manager is to find ==================================================  · The right people at  · The right place at  · The right time with  · The right training. The Personnel manager has to find :- The Right people. This means that the Personnel Manager needs to find the right people for the job, this could mean that they need to have the right Qualities or Qualifications. Also these new people have to fit in with the way the business is currently run and the right attitude for this particular post of this job. The Right Place. This means that the chosen person must have the right post within the organisation. If the person is young and has never had a job, they will have to start off with a low post job and not in charge of anyone. Also you will have to know if the person is able to control over people. The right time. The new people have to have a job that will allow them to keep up with whatever commitments they have outside of work. i.e. if these people have young children they will have to be home early and come to work late so that they can meet their children. The Right Training. If these people are in a computer department they may need training to help them use particular software and programs as well as how to type efficiently. People may also need training if they are getting a promotion so they will need to know how to do things to a better standard, and they will probably be in control of more people

Contract and United Airlines

Cardillo Travel Systems, Inc. ACT 1 Russell Smith knew why he had been summoned to the office of A. Walter Rognlien, the 74-year-old chairman of the board and chief executive officer (CEO) of Smith’s employer, Cardillo Travel Systems, Inc. Just two days earlier, Cardillo’s in-house attorney, Raymond Riley, had requested that Smith, the company’s controller, sign an affidavit regarding the nature of a transaction Rognlien had negotiated with the United Airlines.The affidavit stated that the transaction involves $203,000 payment by United Airlines to Cardillo but failed to disclose why the payment was being made or for what specific purpose the funds would be used. The affidavit included a statement indicating that Cardillo’s stockholders’ equity exceeded $3 million, a statement that Smith knew to be incorrect. Smith also knew that Cardillo was involved in a lawsuit and that court injunction issued in the case required the company to maintain stockhol ders’ equity of at least $3 million.Because of the blatant misrepresentation in the affidavit concerning Cardillo’s stockholders’ equity and a sense of uneasiness regarding United Airlines’ payment to Cardillo, Smith had refused to sign the affidavit. When Smith stepped into Rognlien’s office on that day in May 1985, he found not only Rognlien but also Riley and two other Cardillo executives. One of the other executives was Esther Lawrence, the firm’s energetic 44-year-old persistent and chief operating officer (COO) and Rognlien’s wife and confidante. Lawrence, a long-time employee, had assumed control of Cardillo’s day-to-day operations in 1948.Rognlien’s two sons by a previous marriage had left the company in the early 1980s following a power struggle with Lawrence and their father. As Smith sat waiting for the meeting to begin, his apprehension mounted. Although Cardillo had a long and proud history, in recent years the company had begun experiencing serious financial problems. Founded in 1935 and purchased in 1956 by Rognlien, Cardillo ranked as the fourth-largest company in the travel agency industry and was the first to be listed on a national stock exchange. Cardillo’s annual revenues had steadily increased after Rognlien acquired the company, approaching $100 million by 1984.Unfortunately, the company’s operating expenses had increased more rapidly. Between 1982 and 1984, Cardillo posted collective losses of nearly $1. 5 million. These poor operating results were largely due to an aggressive franchising strategy implemented by Rognlien. In 1984 alone that strategy more than doubled the number of travel agency franchises operated by Cardillo. Shortly after the meeting began, the overbearing and volatile Rognlien demanded that Smith sign the affidavit. When Smith steadfastly refused, Rognlien showed him the first page of an unsigned agreement between United Airlines and Cardill o.Rognlien then explained that the $203,000 payment was intended to cover expenses incurred by Cardillo in changing from American Airlines’ Apollo system. Although the payment was intended to reimburse Cardillo for those expenses and was refundable to United Airlines if not spent, Rognlien wanted Smith to record the payment immediately as revenue. Not surprisingly, Roglien’s suggested treatment of the United Airlines payment would allow Cardillo to meet the $3 million minimum stockholders’ equity threshold established by the court order outstanding against the company.Without hesitation, Smith informed Rognlien that recognizing the United Airlines payment as revenue would be improper. At that point, â€Å"Rognlien told Smith that he was incompetent and unprofessional because he refused to book the united payment as income. Rognlien further told Smith that Cardillo did not need a controller like Smith who would not do what was expected of him†. ACT 2 In No vember 1985, Helen Shepherd, the audit partner supervising the 1985 audit of Cardillo by Touche Ross, stumbled across information in the client’s files regarding the agreement Rognlien had negotiated with United Airlines earlier that year.When Shepherd asked her subordinates about this agreement, one of them told her of a $ 203,000 adjusting entry Cardillo had recorded in late June. That entry, which follows, had been approved by Lawrence and was apparently linked to the United Airlines-Cardillo transaction: Dr ReceivablesUnited Airlines$203,210 Cr Travel Commissions and Fees203,210 Shepherd’s subordinates had discovered the adjusting entry during their second-quarter review of Cardillo’s form 10-Q statement. When asked, Lawrence explanation without attempting to corroborate it with other audit evidence.After discussing the adjusting entry with her subordinates, Shepherd questioned Lawrence. Lawrence insisted that the adjusting entry had been properly recorded. Shepherd than requested that Lawrence asks United Airlines to provide Touch Ross with a confirmation verifying the key stipulations of the agreement with Cardillo. Shepherd’s concern regarding the adjusting entry stemmed from information she had reviewed in the client’s files that the United Airlines payment to Cardillo was refundable under certain conditions and thus not recognizable immediately as revenue.Shortly after the meeting between Shepherd and Lawrence, Walter Rognlien contacted the audit partner. Like Lawrence, Rognlien maintained that the $203,000 amount had been properly recorded as commission revenue during the second quarter. Rognlien also told Shepherd that the disputed amount, which United Airlines paid to Cardillo during the third quarter of 1985, was not refundable to United Airlines under any circumstances. After some prodding by Shepherd, Rognlien agreed to allow her to request a confirmation from United Airlines concerning certain features of the agreement.Shepherd received the requested confirmation from United Airlines on December 17, 1986. The confirmation stated that the disputed amount was refundable through 1990 if certain stipulations of the contractual agreement between the two parties were not fulfilled. After receiving the confirmation, Shepherd called Rognlien and asked him to explain the obvious difference of opinion between United Airlines and Cardillo regarding the terms of their agreement with the chairman of the board of United Airlines. â€Å"Rognlien claimed that pursuant to this confidential business arrangement, the $203,210 would never have to repaid the United.Shepherd’s conversation with Rognlien refused. In fact, as Rognlien knew, no such agreement existed. † A few days following Shepherd’s conversation with Rognlien, she advised William Kaye, Cardillo’s vice president of finance, that the $203,000 amount could not be recognized as revenue until the contractual agreement wi th United Airlines expired in 1990. Kaye refused to make the appropriate adjusting entry, explaining that Lawrence had insisted that the payment from United Airlines be credited to a revenue account. On December 30, 1958, Rognlien called Shepherd and told her that he was terminating Cardillo’s relationship with Touche Ross.In early February 1986, Cardillo filled a form 8-K statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) notifying that agency of the company’s change in auditors. SEC regulations required Cardillo to disclose in the 8-K statement any disagreements involving accounting, auditing, or financial reporting issues with its former auditor. The 8-K, signed by Lawrence, indicated that no such disagreements preceded Cardillo’s decision to dismiss Touche Ross. SEC regulations also required Touche Ross to draft a letter commenting on the existence of any disagreements with Cardillo.This letter had to be filed as an exhibit to the 8-K statement. In touche Ross’s exhibit letter, Shepherd discussed that the improper accounting treatment given that transaction resulted in misrepresented financial statements for Cardillo for the six months ended June 30, 1985, and the nine months ended September 30, 1985. In late February 1986, Raymond Riley, Cardillo’s legal counsel, wrote Shepherd and insisted that she had misinterpreted the United Airlines-Cardillo transaction in the Touch Ross exhibit letter filed with the company’s 8-K.Riley also informed Shepherd that Cardillo would not pay the $17,500 invoice that Touche Ross had submitted to his company. This invoice was for professional services Touche Ross had rendered prior to being dismissed by Rognlien. ACT 3 On January 21, 1986, Cardillo retained KMG Main Hurdman (KMG) to replace Touche Ross as its independent audit firm. KMG soon addressed the accounting treatment Cardillo had applied to the United Airlines payment. When KMG personnel discussed the payment with Rognlien, he informed them to the alleged secret arrangement with United Airlines that superseded the written contractual agreement.According to Rognlien, the secret arrangement precluded United Airlines from demanding a refund of the $203,000 payment under any circumstances. KMG refused to accept this explanation. Roger Shlonsky, the KMG audit partner responsible for Cardillo engagement, told Rognlien that the payment would have to be recognized as revenue on a pro rata basis over the five-year period of the written contractual agreement with United Airlines. Cardillo began experiencing severe liquidity problems in early 1986. These problems worsened a few months later when a judge imposed a $685,000 judgment on Cardillo to resolve a civil suit filed against the company.Following the judge? s ruling Raymond Riley alerted Rognlien and Lawrence that the adverse judgment qualified as a â€Å"material event† and thus has to be reported to the SEC in a Form 8-K filling. In the me morandum he sent to his superiors, Riley discussed the serious implications of not disclosing the settlement to the SEC: â€Å"My primary concern by not releasing such report and information is that the officers and directors of Cardillo may be subject to violation of rule 10b-5 of the SEC rules by failing to disclose information that may be material to a potential investor. Within 10 days of receiving Riley’s memorandum, Rognlien sold 100,000 shares of Cardillo stock in the open market. Two weeks later, Lawrence issued a press release disclosing for the first time the adverse legal settlement or that Cardillo remained viable only because Rognlien had invested in the company the proceeds from the sale of the 100,000 shares of stock. Additionally, Lawrence’s press release, Roger Shlonsky met with Rognlien and Lawrence. Shlonsky informed them that the press released grossly understated Cardillo’s estimated loss for fiscal 1985. Shortly after that meeting, KMG res igned as Cardillo’s independent audit firm.EPILOGUE In May 1987, the creditors of Cardillo Travel Systems, Inc. forced the company into involuntary bankruptcy proceedings. Later that same year, the SEC concluded a lengthy investigation of the firm. The SEC found that Rognlien, Lawrence, and Kaye had violated several provisions of the federal securities laws. These violations included making false representations to outside auditors, failing to maintain accurate financial records, and failing to file prompt financial reports with the SEC, In addition, the federal agency charged Rognlien with violating the insider trading provisions of the federal securities laws.As a result of these findings, the SEC imposed permanent injunctions on each of the three individuals that prohibit them from engaging in future violations of federal securities laws. The SEC also attempted to recover from Rognlien the $237,000 he received from selling the 100,000 shares of Cardillo stock in April 1986 . In January 1989, the two parties resolved this matter when Rognlien agreed to pay the Sec $60,000

Immigration to the United States and Dream Act

Immigration Immigration policies and immigrants was a major issue in the American Society. The Immigration Act of 1990 raised the amount of immigrants that were allowed in the United States. Each year the number of immigrants that come to the United States were known to be very skillful and talented workers. They could have improved the American Society. Immigrants often traveled with their families. Many of the Immigrants that came to the United States came for a better life and to have more opportunities.The Immigration Act of 1990 also allowed no limit on the amount of visas that a family could have. Because of this 71 percent of immigration visas were going to residents. A law was also formed on how immigrants could get deported. The amout of deportations also increased as the years went on. People were concerned that the laws being passed gave immigration to much power. They get o make to much decisions. In 2012, the DREAM Act was created. It was created based upon immigrants, e ducators, and business leaders.Many people were against the DREAM Act, many people were for it, and their were those who were between it. The DREAM Act was able legalize the undocumented minors that entered the country. The meaning of the DREAM Act is Development Relief and Education of Alien Minors. Their are several requirements that the DREAM Act has in order for a person to eligible for it. To be eligible for the DREAM Act a person must have been 15 years of age or younger when they entered the country. Proof must being given to show that they have been in the country for at least 5 years.Some form of education either a GED or a high school diploma must be shown. They must also be under the age of 30. All of this information can be shown in Document 1. Not many states allow undocumented immigrants to enter the country and receive an education, but New York is one of the few states that allow immigrants to receive an education. I am in favor of the DREAM Act because it has many o pen opportunities for undocumented immigrants. The main goal of the DREAM Act is to makesure that undocumented immigrants can vote, be sucessful, and be apart of the Union.The DREAM Act supports immigrants and wants them to make it somewhere in life and be able to adapt to the American culture. Immigration Policies and Immigrant Policies are discussed in Document 4. Document 4 is stating that the U. S immigration policy wants to keep the United States as a union, which means making undocumented immigrants apart of the United States. Document 4 also shows that the United States also wants to have different cultural mixes involving a variety of different people from different places.Having morals and values are important to immigrants and also the people who are apart of the United States. The current policy for undocumented immigrants is that they still have to go through an interrogation and other processes. Another goal of the DREAM Act is to make sure that everyone is covered with health insurance. As immigrants entered the country, it was possible for them to bring different diseases with them. In 2009, immigrants had more health insurance than the native-borns. About 87. 6 percent of the United States population had health insurance, and the other 14. 1% didn’t.Compared to immigrants the native-borns were no where near having that many people on health insurance, as shown in Document 12. As the years continued, the percentages of immigrants coming to America increased. Most of the undocumented immigrants settled more in the west. The foreign born population was taking over. This is shown in document 9a. Immigrants also took jobs from the Americans because they were more hard-working. Majority of the countries that immigrants came from involved hard labor, so they already knew what it was like to work. Eventually immigrants began to pay taxes.The immigrants who were paying taxes were the ones who were head of their households. Document 9b shows ten d ifferent states that had immigrants paying taxes. The immigrants who were paying taxes were the ones who were the head of their households. Document 9b shows ten different states that had immigrants who were paying taxes. California had the highest amount of taxes being paid. While Washington and North Carolina had the lowest. Georgia, New Jersey, and Arizona are all at the same amount when it comes down to the taxes that are paid by undocumented immigrants who are the head of their households.Undocumented immigrants continue to come to the United states. The number of immigrants who are entering the country continues to increase. Immigrants are settling in the other states also. The DREAM Act applies to and affects immigrants who are entering the United States without any full understanding of how they are going to survive. Since the DREAM Act has been passed for mainly minor immigrants, it affects their level of learning. The DREAM Act requires having some learning experience and stable proof to show that. But depending on what country a inor is coming from the learning curriculum in the United States would be different from how it was to them in their home country. The DREAM Act also says that parents should start teaching their children from home so that when it’s time for them to attend public school they aren’t far behind, and maybe they will be able to pick up quickly. Overall, I still believe that the DREAM Act should be passed, but not in full because it does have a positive impact on our society and it also takes away some of the power that immigration has.

modlife essays

modlife essays Modern Day Lifestyle Road to Development or Detriment? Today mans kitty has almost everything that he could think about only a few years ago. He is the lord and master of all things and beings by way of his immense measure of control. His intellect and ingenuity have resulted in the creation of many wonders which one would only have regarded fantasy in those times. It is true that there is enough for man to feel proud about. He has conquered the forces of nature or alternatively has created a shield against them. He has fashioned artificial beings to come at his beck and call, easing out the labour that he had to put in initially. He has gadgets and gizmos to expedite all processes. Man has even figured out drugs and remedies for curing the ailments that would claim large number of lives earlier. In all this, the life seems to be moving at an extremely fast pace that has in fact become too fast for him to match up with also. All things come at a price, literally and figuratively. First his aspirations make him strive hard to get the possessions of comfort. There are long hours at work, tired mind and bodies. Later on acquisition, the lifestyle becomes unhealthy with a dependence pattern setting in. Are all the modern day comforts adding to our problems? Is the purpose of convenience defeating the end of healthy living? Miss. A I do not think that the kind of life that we are leading today is causing any harm. It is in a persons own hands to be healthy or unhealthy. He can easily crumble in the face of pressure and give in to unhealthy habits or be conscious about it. It is easy to criticize the harmful facets of anything. But we must not forget to be grateful for the number of comforts that we have at our disposal today. We do not face any of the hardships that the generations before us used to face. The advancements in the field of science and technology have enabled us to tackle life more easily. Fo...

Organ Donation is a means of showing love Essays

Organ Donation is a means of showing love Essays Organ Donation is a means of showing love Paper Organ Donation is a means of showing love Paper Nowadays, healthcare practitioner’s especially in nursing faces lots of ethical issues and they will still be facing in the future and the more when the technology is getting more developed. One of which is the Organ Transplantations. Organ Transplantation is very rampant especially in countries with rising technologies in health care. If a certain family needs the organ but does not win in the bidding being done, then they would not get the organ We can not deny that Organ Donation is a means of showing love and concern to others. It gives a good reputation to the individual, especially when he dies because he has helped someone or has supported someone else’s life. But sometimes, the real meaning of giving motivated by love is already out of the context. For people, because of lack of finances gambles to donate a part or an organ. Nurses in this case, have a lot of moral issues to face with.   As a healthcare practitioner they have the duty to take care and preserve human life and dignity. That is, the body we have, is entrusted to us by God and therefore we should not let it be sold. To treat human body parts as commodities violates the Human Dignity. Even if the motive is to help others, the end still just not justifies the means of doing it. Human life is sacred and must be taken care of. As health workers they are face with different changes in the delivery of health care services to the society. In this situation, the nurses are in between the Philosophy which God has established in His word and the uprising technology in their fields. They are much affected with it because as nurses, it is their vows and promise to preserve the human life but organ transplantations as understand by some is just totally deviating from God’s perspective and in His view in giving. Some individuals would make it just a business. Yes, their reason might be is to help but underneath it is the idea of making large amounts of money. Nurses, on the other hand do their part in talking to families who have just lost someone about transplantation. A health care giver also needs to be educated in a proper way about what organ donation is really all about. It is the nurses’ job to talk and approach donors and their families regarding the organ transplantation. They should show the love and support that the family needs. Whatever reasoning is being done still it violates God’s laws. It does not respect the human lives. Nurses are compromising the Sanctity of Human Life. Nurses are sandwiched in the perspective of the rising technology of this world and Heavenly laws. Many ethicists find it so immoral to sell an organ because for them, God gave it to you and He entrusted it to you and for you. Therefore, as stewards we should do anything that could break the real purpose of God in us. Hence, as nurses they have a great responsibility. So they should do things to educate the individuals in the society about the process. They should explain that organ transplantation is not merely harvesting a person’s organs but it has a deeper purpose, a deeper meaning. They should show respect in the patient’s body so as not to deviate from the norms and prevent ethicists from arising and in throwing issues that health care providers are much affected of. Reference: Transplantation. New Standard Encyclopedia.   Page 363. Volume 17.