...9-504-094 REV: SEPTEMBER 14, 2004 YOUNGME MOON IKEA Invades America In 2002, the IKEA Group was the world’s top furniture retailer. With sales approaching $12 billion, IKEA operated 154 stores in 22 countries and serviced 286 million customers a year. (See Exhibits 1 through 4.) In the United States, IKEA had 14 stores, with plans to open as many as nine more in 2003. There were a number of factors that distinguished IKEA from other furniture retailers—its stores were strictly self-service and featured such amenities as playrooms for children and Swedish cafés, and all of its furniture came unassembled (customers were expected to put together the furniture on their own)—yet there was no question about the company’s success; when a new store opened, it was not unusual for thousands of shoppers to line up on the first day. Company Background IKEA was founded in 1943 when 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad decided to start a local catalog company using some money his father had given him.1 Initially, the company sold basic household goods at discount prices; in 1947, however, Kamprad began selling home furnishings. Six years later, Kamprad opened his first furniture showroom, and two years after that, IKEA began designing its own low-priced furniture. In 1958, IKEA opened its inaugural store, in Almhult, Sweden; at 6,700 square meters, it was the largest furniture display in Scandinavia at the time. By the time IKEA opened its flagship store in Stockholm in 1965...
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....................Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. The idea of having a reunion came to me when tons of designs were piling up in my table at the office and I am getting tired of facing my computer 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. Naisip ko noong nag-aaral pa ako, gusto ko na magtrabaho. Ngayong eto na ang santambak na trabaho,parang gusto ko na bumalik sa pag-aaral. I missed the high school life, simple yet fun. No demanding boss, no stressful customers, no bills to pay. The only complex problem to solve is the problem -solving in Math class of _____(name of teacher)-_____. Then I realized that its been 25 years since we graduated from high school. 25 years, silver anniversary, an exact time to have a reunion. After all, we haven't had a single reunion since we graduated from high school. I was excited of the idea of having a reunion but something in my mind is pulling me back. Can we do it? Do we have enough resources? Can we get the total cooperation of everybody? After hours of contemplating, I decided to give it a try. I posted in my facebook status something like " Guys,may idea ako, what if mag reunion tayo?" I was surprised how social media works, the idea spread rapidly and the responses are mostly positive and so encouraging. It seemed that reunion is in the offing. I was so excited that day, old memories filled my mind and I felt like a teenager again. The idea of meeting some of my friends again after 25 years is simply overwhelming that I kept thinking about...
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...a loved one sitting in a doctor’s office, awaiting the results to see if cancer is the diagnosis. You’re sitting in silence holding each other’s hand, watching the clock tick slowly before hearing a faint knock on the door. As the doctor walks in, his face says it all and he does not need to say a single word. It’s hard to listen to what he is saying, because all you can think about is, “my life is over,” “this can’t be happening to me,” and “I’m dying”. Those were some of the exact same thoughts my dad was thinking when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer about thirteen years ago. Fortunately for himself and our family, he is now cancer free. At that time of the diagnosis, I was young and did not understand the depth of cancer, and that’s why I decided to write this paper. Cancer doesn’t care about your age, race, or religion, but when it strikes someone you know, it hits home. In the book, “ A World Without Cancer,” Dr. Margaret Cuomo (2012) describes cancer as, “Malignant tumors often look crablike, their irregular extensions resembling crustacean claws” (p.23). What exactly is cancer? There are over 100 different types of cancers such as: breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and kidney cancer, to just name a few. According to the American Cancer Society (2014),” although there are many kinds of cancer, all cancers start because abnormal cells grow out of control.” Understanding the basic premise of what cancer is, digging deeper shows how cancer starts to develop. Cancer is...
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...assignment, I always thought of peace in terms of war around the world and the lack of peace amongst countries fighting each other. I thought of it as the absence of fighting at home. I never knew how big the Peace Movement was. I did not realize it was a "movement", I just thought that people came to accept that we did not live in a world that could come to consensus as to what peace looks like. I recall a time where I called a co-worker oriental because it was what I was taught to call people of Asian descent. She got very insulted and called me all sorts of names. For me it was a common terminology used by everyone I knew, but on the contrary it was a stereotypical name and offensive to my Korean friend who stops speaking to me for months, as I did not feel I had to apologize because I did not know. One word caused high tensions in an office where we worked in every close quarter. One word caused such a huge disturbance of the peace we once knew. In his speech at the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's 7th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture, Colman MaCarthy talks about the importance of teaching peace within the schools. The first that that came to mind while listening to this talk was, how exactly would you go about teaching non-violence in a school that is racially and culturally diverse? I questioned, how exactly can we do this when all we learn in school from a young age is to defend our points of views? We are not taught...
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...necessary and that is something that the so called "workaholics" many times forget. A recent study shows that people who are stressed out in their jobs have a higher risk for dementia later in life. This is bad news for the American worker who often has long hours and can often loose work-life balance on their way to climbing to the top of the corporate ladder. Deadlines, conflicting demands, promised delivery, increased accessibility, mixed with a need for a life outside of work, does not easily tip the scales to personal well-being. We have to focus on prioritizing and setting goals for ourselves, and create an action plan that will help us organize our life at work and in the home. Follow this Work Life Balance guide to get ourselves focused, and to create a plan that will help us to reduce stress. Setting healthy boundaries is essential for a healthy work life balance. Be attuned to our patterns of working, as well as our high alert, medium concentration, and down times during a 24 hour cycle. This will help us allocate tasks to appropriate times in which to complete them. Three more GET'S to consider for a balanced life that will help us to sleep through out the night! These are Get Organized, Get Connected and Get Going....
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...The Ripple Effect Causes of the Ukrainian Famine 1932-1933 The Ripple Effect Causes of the Ukrainian Famine 1932-1933 TABLE OF CONTENTS: * Introduction * Five Year Plan * Collectivization * The Human Factor * Conclusion Introduction Investigation into the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33 should be closed due to a lack of evidence of criminal culpability. Every action and decision that a person or a government makes has a cause and effect. It is called the ripple effect. In any given society the ripple effect causes second and third order effects. Sacrifices were made in order to make Russia the superpower it is today. Unfortunately, in regards to the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933, people were the sacrifices. Investigating archives that have been made available since the collapse of the U.S.S.R in 1991, eyewitness accounts, and other sources evidence suggest that three main causes lead to the Ukrainian Famine. Joseph Stalins’ implementation of his proposed five year plan, beginning in 1927-1932, laid the foundation for what become known as the Ukrainian Famine. The implementation of the five year plan caused a ripple effect that was felt throughout Russia, especially in the Ukraine. The Ukrainian Famine took place prior to World War II happening. Another factor that led to the famine was the collectivization of farms and agriculture. Policies were implemented to ensure that Russia could produce and provide enough grain, crops, and meat to supply the...
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...IKEA 1. What factors account for the success of IKEA? IKEA was founded in 1943, with an initial purpose of only selling basic household goods and furnishing at discount prices. 60 years later, in fiscal year 2003, the “IKEA group was the worlds top furniture retailer, operating 154 stores in 22 countries and servicing 286 million customers a year”(Moon, 2004). Despite the fact that IKEA has acted upon several smart actions in the past, there are certain factors that can account for their success today. These include their unique Scandinavian design, their low cost products or mentality, their broad segmented market, and their product strategy. As IKEA was founded in Scandinavia, the inspiration for design comes from their heritage comes through among IKEAs products. The designs are simple, yet unique, which allows IKEA to keep their promise to bring forth low priced, yet functional furniture. “Many competitors try to copy one or two of these things”(Moon, 2004), but “the difficulty is when you try to create the totality of what we have”(Moon, 2004). Not being able to imitate IKEA, makes its unique design and economies of scale a core competency that puts their company at a competitive advantage, stealing market share from their competitors. Another factor that has contributed to IKEAS success is their low pricing strategy by being cost efficient. The two major players that help maintain expenses down for IKEA is the self-service component and “flat packaging”. Customers...
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...social boundaries. These boundaries can be represented by rules and legislation, laws and human nature. The expansion of technology has created a new era of office work. The majority of offices around the world are now filled with newly available technological advances; from personal computers to large network servers. Over the last decade there has been an increase among employers to monitor the actions and performance of their employees. This is due to worries about; quality of work, productivity employee theft or misuse of company property One of the main ethical issues of the workplace is employee privacy and surveillance. Argument raised is: is it ethical to monitor employees whilst they are in the workplace? Is there privacy for employees and should employees expect Privacy at workplace? Technology has offered various options to help people maintain privacy depending on their situation. At the same time, technology has made it almost impossible for anyone to have privacy. There are devices and programs that can help you get privacy but they can also be used to invade it. Modern society has too many incidences and events that include invasion of privacy, including on national and international levels. Is it possible to ever maintain a level of privacy when you are on the computer, your cellphone, or even in your own home due to technology advancements? In this writing the prominent examples of surveillance at work that I would like to discuss about are surveillance cameras...
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...Introduction to IT IT190-1402A-01 CDC and Information Systems Karissa Keller May 12, 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1: Information Systems Overview 3 The CDC 3 Selection of Information System 3-4 Management Information Systems Office 4 Evaluating Surveillance Systems 4-5 Section 2: Information Systems Concepts (TBA) 5 Network Basics 5 Local Area Network and Wide Area Network: Description and Uses 5-6 CDC Network LAN or WAN 6 WI-FI and Telecommuting: Description and Issues 6-7 CDC: To Telecommute or Not 7-8 Section 3: Business Information Systems (TBA) 8 Defining MIS, TPS, DSS, and A.I. 8-10 CDC Using MIS 10 CDC Implementing TPS 10-11 CDC’s Use of DSS 11-12 CDC Implements A.I. 12-13 Section 4: System Development 13 Software System and Software Process 13-14 Waterfall Method vs. Prototype 14-15 The Phases of the Waterfall Method 15-16 Section 5: Information Systems and Society 17 History of Hacking 17 Techniques and Approaches Hackers Use 17-19 Preventive Measures for Minimizing Hacker Disruption 19-20 References 21-24 Section 1: Information Systems Overview The CDC Organizations use information systems for a multitude of reasons. Some of these reasons can be to increase the quality of healthcare and improve the overall health care industry, such as does the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC is well known for collecting data on a vast spectrum...
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...Avoiding the Uninsured 1. Running head: AVOIDING THE UNINSURED Avoiding the Uninsured How City Hospitals are Giving Up on the Poor Gerard Molnar Keller Graduate School of Management Health Service Systems HS541 Dr. Nancy Borkowski February 21, 2010 Avoiding the Uninsured 2. How City Hospitals are Giving Up on the Poor On a sunny, unseasonably warm autumn day in September of 2008, twelve individuals, seven women, five men picked up a dozen shovels in a field in New Lenox, IL and drove them into the ground. Thus the $400 million 289-bed state-of-the-art Silver Cross replacement hospital at Route 6 and Clinton Road was born. Silver Cross Hospital has, in fact been around since 1892 in nearby Joliet just five miles north up Interstate 55. At the ceremony, Dr. Daniel Gutierrez, Chairman of the Silver Cross Board of Directors used the original shovel that broke ground for the current hospital back in 1892 and in doing so he mixed Joliet soil with that of New Lenox soil forever linking the hospital’s past with that of its future (Village of New Lenox, 2008). So why would you, after serving a community for 118 years, suddenly pack up and move only five miles down the road? All the officials at the groundbreaking ceremony that day said all the right things. Silver Cross President and CEO Paul Pawlak said, Not many hospitals have the opportunity to build a brand new facility, but Silver Cross is not like other hospitals. The culture of Silver Cross is the spirit of “can...
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...Understanding the Working College Student New research shows that students are working more and juggling a multitude of roles, creating anxiety and lowering graduation rates. By Laura W. Perna Related Charts Percentage of 16- to 24-Year-Old College Students Who Were Enrolled Full Time and Employed, 1970 to 2005 (.pdf) Percentage of 16- to 24-Year-Old College Students Who Were Enrolled Part Time and Employed, 1970 to 2005 (.pdf) "Ten to fifteen hours per week, on campus.” This is the typical response from faculty members and administrators who are asked how much undergraduate students should work at paying jobs while attending college. Available research supports this recommendation. Quantitative studies consistently show that retention rates are higher for students who work a modest number of hours per week (ten to fifteen) than they are for students who do not work at all or those who work more than fifteen hours per week. Research also shows increased academic success for students working on rather than off campus. Unfortunately, this simple recommendation is no longer feasible or realistic for the typical undergraduate. Most college students are now not only employed but also working a substantial number of hours, a fact not widely understood or discussed by faculty members and policy makers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2007 nearly half (45 percent) of “traditional” undergraduates—that is, students between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four...
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...Yeditepe University Sample Proficiency Test USE OF ENGLISH In questions 1 – 18, choose the correct word or phrase that best completes the sentence. 1. ________were not placed under the government’s protection disappointed many people. a. That some historic buildings in the city centre b. Some historic buildings in the city centre c. Being historic, some buildings in the city centre d. Some historic buildings that are in the city centre 2. France refused to admit into the country hundreds of illegal immigrants arriving from North Africa and _____. a. either did Germany c. neither did Germany b. so did Germany d. nor did Germany 3. The old man managed to tell his son ________ he kept all his money only a few minutes before he died. a. whether b. which c. when d. where 4. Robin Smith’s first novel enjoyed enormous success. It was first published in January and by the beginning of May it________ over three million copies. a. sold b. has sold c. was selling d. had sold 5. Jessica and her husband have been arguing a lot recently. She wants to move to Boston but ______ in New York. a. he’d rather live c. he’d rather lived b. he’d rather living d. he’d rather to live 6. This room is freezing cold. ____ you mind _____ the air-conditioner? a. Would / if I turn off c. Would / turning off b. Do / if I turned off d. Do / having turned off 7. The Prime Minister’s speech caused a lot of anger and dissatisfaction among immigrants...
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...Running head: Employee Safety & Health Course No: BUS 601 Course Name: Human Resource Management Course Teacher: M Khasro Miah (Ph.D) Submitted By: Muhammad Ashikujjaman-1211023090 Mohammed Makbul Hossain-1120524090 Md. Taslim Hossain-1130305090 Kawsar Jahan (1030657090) Abstract Considers the role of employee representation in improving health and safety performance within small enterprises. Focuses on an approach to employee participation through regional health and safety representatives and provides an analysis of the factors necessary to ensure their effectiveness, based on Bangladesh. Identifies and analyses the challenges presented by small enterprises in light of evidence from existing evaluation of regional representative schemes. Identifies and discusses supportive factors that might enhance representative participation in health and safety in small enterprises, including the role of regulation, and employer and trade union support. Considers the implications of the Health and Safety (Consultation of Employees) Regulations and concludes that in their present form they offer only very limited support for employee representation in health and safety in small enterprises. Keywords: [Click here to add keywords.] Table of Contents Why Safety is Important for organizational development in Bangladesh 8 Management’s Role in safety 9 1. Design safer systems of work: 9 2. Exhibit commitment: 9 3. Inspect the workplace: 10 4. Establish procedures and controls:...
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...How to Create a Marketing Plan Part 1 - Introduction Firms that are successful in marketing invariably start with a marketing plan. Large companies have plans with hundreds of pages; small companies can get by with a halfdozen sheets. Put your marketing plan in a three-ring binder. Refer to it at least quarterly, but better yet monthly. Leave a tab for putting in monthly reports on sales/manufacturing; this will allow you to track performance as you follow the plan. The plan should cover one year. For small companies, this is often the best way to think about marketing. Things change, people leave, markets evolve, and customers come and go. Later on we suggest creating a section of your plan that addresses the medium- term future—two to four years down the road. But the bulk of your plan should focus on the coming year. You should allow yourself a couple of months to write the plan, even if it's only a few pages long. Developing the plan is the "heavy lifting" of marketing. While executing the plan has its challenges, deciding what to do and how to do it is marketing's greatest challenge. Most marketing plans kick off with the first of the year or with the opening of your fiscal year if it's different. Who should see your plan? All the players in the company. Firms typically keep their marketing plans very, very private for one of two very different reasons: Either they're too skimpy and management would be embarrassed to have them see the light of day, or they're solid and...
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...Chapter Outline 2. Teaching Notes 3. In-Class Exercises 4. Homework Assignments 5. Additional Resources Chapter Outline I. Introduction A. Indentifying Your Values – and Voicing Them II. People Issues A. Discrimination B. Harassment, Sexual and Otherwise III. Conflicts of Interest A. What Is It? B. How Can We Think About This Issue? C. Why Is It an Ethical Problem? D. Costs IV. Customer Confidence Issues A. What Is It? B. How Can We Think About This Issue? C. Why Is It an Ethical Problem? D. Costs V. Use of Corporate Resources A. What Is It? B. How Can We Think About This Issue? C. Why Is It an Ethical Problem? D. Costs VI. When All Else Fails: Blowing the Whistle A. When to Blow the Whistle B. How to Blow the Whistle VII. Conclusion VIII. Discussion Questions IX. Short Cases Teaching Notes - Discussion Questions 1. What do you value? Can you make a list of the three or four values you would stand up for? How will you explain to others what your values are and why? This is the perfect place to begin linking the values exercises you (hopefully) did with your students in Chapter 2, with why it is important to identify their values. It is difficult, if not impossible, to voice values, if you have no idea what your values are! Go to the “Giving Voice to Values” website: (http://www3...
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