Cherished Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cherished Love - Essay Example He was taking the information so deeply it seemed my decision was so abrupt. I always told him about it before, preparing him for such a time as this as I knew pretty well that my departure is inevitable. My mother is in the United States and she wanted me to join her because things are really tough for us in Poland. My boyfriend said he was afraid I would stop loving him. Of course this was foolish. I know deep in my heart that I would always cherish him, adore and regard him with deep love and fidelity. I understood how he felt. I feel the same way however, I kept it unspoken. The atmosphere was so tense between us especially when he got testy, finding how I might take things if some unexpected events happened. To all his questions I said I will always remain loving him. How would I forget such a wonderful man? He was always romantic, always ready with something new to spice up our relationship. Expecting a surprise from him would never stop me from being surprised. He was just so witty, bright and fantastic. There never seemed to be a boring moment spent with him. He was always thoughtful. One of the treasures I brought along with me is a couple of brown bunnies my boyfriend gave me. He knew how I love animals and he just thought I might want to have something that would last for years, something that would not die, â€Å"like our love†, he said. That was so sweet of him and I treasure such memories. I find my boyfriend a wonderful man who is just so full of equally wonderful ideas to express how he felt towards me. This made me always feel comfortable with him even in the presence of his parents or friends. I knew I was genuinely loved and I in return, gave my generous love that seemed to have known no bounds. My days would always be fantastic after spending time with him, sharing a lazy moment when we did nothing but talk, laugh and enjoy each other’s company. He is a true debonair, I must say. He sure is the sunshine in my life, bringing che er to my gloomy days and encouragement when I am down. He is always energetic I always wonder where he finds all the strength to be so active in school and at home and yet would find much time to nurture the relationship that we shared. He is also funny and sometimes, he would go to an extreme and could almost be hilarious. There are also days that he would just simply be silly but not the kind of silly that is laughable. He sometimes just expresses himself weirdly like for instance, we are walking and he suddenly kneels in front of me to sing a song of love. I find that stupid and silly especially when he does that in front of other people but I guess that is how love would drive a person to madly indulge in. I consider my boyfriend mature and reflective. When he talks, he makes a lot of sense one would think he is speaking to a philosopher. He is a dreamer and in his plans and objectives, he always considers me. We were still teenagers then, and I think for a man to have such clea r perceptions of his future at such age, there is a certain maturity that is almost unseen from most of our age mates. He was always sincere with his words, expressing his love when he is at the summit of his emotions and saying just how bad he felt when something bad hit him. This is one of the attributes that has attracted me to my boyfriend because I find that in our world today, men who show their manliness through muscles and good looks and probably a string of women they attach to their character. However for me, I am more interested in the attitude than the physical attributes. He is also kind-hearted and sensitive. Sensitivity might be more appropriate for women, thought of as a feminine attribute yet, I find it attractive to be on a man especially

Information technology management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Information technology management - Essay Example gement refers to the discipline that comprises of resources and approaches by which information and technology resources are managed in respect to the priorities and needs identified (Clark, 2003). The resources relied on this process include data, software programs, hardware facilities like computers, information centres and facilities as well as the staff needed to maintain and oversee these systems and processes. This paper examines the concept of information and technology in organisations and the process that go in the research and creation of products that become market leaders, creating competitive advantages for them, while consolidating their market position. In addition, it focuses on apple Inc., a company that has a technological and innovation culture in the process of creating different mobile technologies and other electronic products that it sells. Apple inc., one of the chief companies in the technological industry is a multinational American company that is headquartered in California, USA (Grady, 2009). The company’s main objectives involve designing, developing and selling various kinds of consumer electronics, online services, personal computers and softwares among others. Among the products the company is known for include the iTunes Store, Apple store, the Mac and associated line of computers and the famous iPhone smartphone. Apple Inc. was established by three people, who were Ronald Wayne, Steve Wozniak and Steve jobs in 1976 with the main objective of developing and selling personal computers (Dormehl, 2012). Later in 1977, the company was officially incorporated under the name, Apple Computer, Inc. as the company changed and shifted its focus on consumer electronics; it changed its name to Apple Inc. in 2007. Among the many technologies that Apple Inc. has developed, the iPhone was the mobile technology that gave it success in the mobile industry as at the time of its launch. Actually, the iPhone is one of the smartphones that were

Environmental Impacts On Pfizer Business Operation Commerce Essay

Environmental Impacts On Pfizer Business Operation Commerce Essay The operations management is involved in all types of organizations and it is considered as a core value of the organization. Business is a typical field where operations management fits in. However, several other fields require good understanding of operations management such as industry, Healthcare, education, and governmental sectors. The scientific background of these sectors is quite different from each other but the managers in these fields usually share same management qualification. The pharmaceutical companies always reflect the field of science and rarely been thought of their highly demand of operations management. Sales and researches are the main activities in pharmaceutical companies which require certain procedures to be carried out in a specific sequence. Despite its scientific background, pharmaceutical companies procedure would reflect the operations in this type of organization; thus, managing these operations are highly demanded to avoid errors. Pharmaceutical companies are one type that host scientific from several backgrounds. Despite its necessity for high sales achievement, pharmaceutical companies aim to keep their image as a trusted source of information and adding values to the health care culture. As a result, operations in Pharmaceutical companies require indeed a high level of operation management, and challenges that apply to organizations in the business field are applied here as well. Operations management consists of several aspects such strategy, process design, planning and control, supply chain management, and improvement which could be applied on the laboratory work. However, the current study will emphasis only on three aspects related to operations management, which are IT and decision making, performance measurements, and productivity, in the Pharmaceutical companies. Pharmaceutical companies now face a lot of challenges which need more agility to react properly with. Many of those problems are external and unpredicted as what is going to be discussed later. Literature review Information Technology (IT) and Decision Making The emergence of Information Technology (IT) as most efficient tool made the communication, monitoring operations and performance, and managing data easier than before. Sometimes it is used as a product delivery medium in software developing companies for example. As consequence, it becomes a powerful for tool that influences the decision makers for its accuracy and clarity. Numerous researches have been carried out that showed the significant influence of IT on the decision makers. This section will covered various aspects related to IT and decision making in different type of organizations. One obvious example of using IT is the internal communication within an organization. Anderson carried out hypothesis testing research to study the effect of enhanced telecommunication capability on performance while practicing improved strategic decision making and improved coordination of strategic actions. The study investigated the influence of internal communication by using computer networks (Intranet) and external communication through (Internet). The investigation was associated with two strategic decision making approaches (autonomous and participatory) alongside the strategic planning. In order to assess probable environmental contingencies, two different industrial settings that are characterized by low and high levels of dynamism and complexity were used to test the relationship. The use of intranet showed positive association with innovation in less dynamic and complex industries. Whereas internet use indicated positive association with profitability and innovation, but companies following participatory decision approach. On the other hand, the combination of intranet usage and autonomous decision approach was found positively associated with high profitability and sales growth in highly dynamic and complex industries. The combination of internet usage and participatory decision making was found positively associated with higher innovation. Finally, the study revealed that using both internet and participation are highly related to innovation in general. Also, use of Intranet and autonomy has a positive relation with the economic efficiency in dynamic and complex industries. The effect of IT in term of network speed was found to influence the decision making of medical personnel. Networking specialists execute an empirical investigation by constructing testbed to control the network impairment levels. A video obtained from a medical institution was used as well as physicians who evaluated the contribution of video quality to their diagnosis. Despite the utilization of one video and small number of physicians, investigators concluded that medical decision making capability are dependent on video frames instead of overall video quality. Internet . The study was able to show the significant effect of one small aspect of computer networking on the decision making of medical personnel. The effect of IT on strategic decisions in the industrial companies was studied. Executives from thirteen companies in The Netherlands and in Germany were interviewed. Information about decision process followed in thirty two recent decisions . Executives found to apply a rational approach while collecting and using ample information. The structured decision-making process undergoes number of distinct phases before decision is made. The necessary information gathered by IT increases confidence and reduces uncertainty. Authors stated clearly that circumstantial evidence was obtain about changes in the decision making process. The underlying causes of these changes were regarded to developments in new information acquisition and analysis methods, ex. Internet use became common practice. The study revealed that with more relevant information available, decision making process can be controlled efficiently in addition to facilitating rational decision making. The necessity of IT is not restricted to industrial or business firms, the role of information delivery enhances decision-making capabilities of Indian farmers within Indian Tobacoo Companys, e-Choupal initiative . E-Choupal implemented information communication technology (ICT) to increase information deliver among farmers in different areas. On various agricultural practices across the agricultural supply chain, users of e-Choupal significantly show better decision-making aptitudes compared to non e-Choupal users. The study emphasizes the importance of designing information communication technology (ICT) which enables information systems to suit different socio-demographic groups. It is obvious that implementing up-to-date applications in business firm become a priority in highly competitive market. Business environment remain changing every while and required modifiable and scalable IT application to adapt itself instantly when it is required. Often, a dramatic change in market environment requires essential system upgrade. However, decision for investing in system upgrade sometimes remains tough task for managers in term of cost and time to upgrade. Mukherji et.al. clarifies a decision support model able to determine the optimal time and choice of upgrades. Their analysis confirmed that feasible continuous upgrading is not always optimal strategy when the cost is significant. They suggest that necessary upgrade has to take place after measuring the gap between current technology and new technology. As the gap increases and reaches a critical threshold, system upgrade become essential and company priority. Performance Measurements In its general meaning, performance measurement is action of measuring and evaluating particular process of the entire operations performance. Therefore, organizations performance is most important concern for stockholders and company owners. This activity is a helpful tool to know how effective the current operations are as well as how much the organization meets the market demands. Performance measurements vary according to the organization field. Some measurements are very critical at particular organizations and useless in others. A literature review was performed on supply chain performance measurement recommended the adaptation of partnership development, collaboration, agility, flexibility, information productivity and business excellence metrics in performance measurement system. The study indicated further research is required as the environment of this business is changing . Along the same way, most of performance measurement systems practiced is proposed to improve the productivity only. As a result, managers utilize insufficient measures to increase performance, which in turn does not reflect the reason of using this tool. Developing a performance measurement remains challenge. The desired performance measurement system needs to serve both purposes, improved performance and accountability . The human factor was found to play a significant role in improving performance. In practice, performance measurements serve the higher level managers who monitor the overall organization and therefore draw the suitable strategy. Involving managers on the operation level showed a significant impact on performance. It is the consequent enhancing the employees beliefs in performance measurements system and the commitment of operation managers to performance improvement . Authors adopted a developmental approach for performance measurement based on five principles. Among these, building on employees professionalism, transparency and employee ownership, and outside facilitators were more toward employees and leadership rather than measurements themselves. (I advise to remove the below part as Pfizer RD is only in USA Europe and not relevant to the focus case of Pfizer Gulf States) Performance Measurements vs. RD In the field of research and development (RD), defining performance measurement system is very critical and was found to be challenging mission. It is still uncommon among RD organizations. Avoiding the under or over estimating performance is more important issue when it reaches decision making level and motivates people in RD companies. Designing effective performance measurement system properly found hard to achieve and was regarded to the lack of intensive studies in actual context, such as pharmaceutical research field in a biotech company . In healthcare organization, selecting an appropriate performance measurement system is still unresolved issue. One study suggested that performance measurement system has to be sensitive to both changes in the external and internal environment of such organization . Authors proposed a framework that measures performance from both multi and interrelated perspective, specifically effectiveness, flexibility, and efficiency. An early effort seeking a proper definition for performance measurement system for RD activities took place but it was very difficult. The most likely reason is the uncontrollable factors which influence the measurement elements used and hence delay the assessment. These studies was focused mainly on performance measurement such as dimensions of performance to be controlled and the metric measurement of such performance . The drawback of these studies is the ignorance of managerial and organizational meaning of each measure. Taking them into consideration would allow an appropriate use of each measure. This approach will lead to better RD performance analysis with respect to the organizations strategy. Later, Kerssens-van Drongelen and Bilderbeek applied the same idea using Balance Scorecard (BSC) to RD, a performance measurement method that link all four measurements to each other and was suggested by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton . In general, numerous attempts was found in the literature suggest that efficient performance measurements depend desperately on the type organization and should take its internal and external environment into account. Performance Productivity Measures In principle, productivity is a measurement that used to evaluate the performance. It is necessary to implement various processes in performance measurement but it is more important to include at least one process that has a significant influence on the productivity. They are quite linked to each other and derive confusion often. Performance measurement is highly demanded when goals achievement is under assessment in the top managerial level. It illustrates how efficient the resources are used so it has high impact on the company overall. Productivity Measuring productivity is a challenge and is a result of many factors contributing separately or together. A ratio of output to input is a basic measurement company performance. Thus, variety of ratios can be defined based on the measurements type such as physical or financial terms as well as type of resources implemented in performance assessment . A ratio of current output to current inputs will yield the production technical efficiency. A ratio of current outputs to the maximum possible outputs for a given set of inputs will yield the production cost efficiency. A ratio of current inputs to the minimum possible inputs for a given output level will yield the production capacity utilization efficiency. Therefore, the relationships of productivity propose that productivity ratios are interlinked with various internal processes. It is influenced by the mixture of input factors. Input resource is a combination of capital, labor, etc. and every type of resource has its own effect on productivity to a certain level. Likewise, non-production labor (e.g., product designer, engineers, administrators, and quality inspectors) was found to have a value in manufacturing plants productivity. However, a comparison of the effect of non-production labor with other input resources was not investigated deeply. As a result, lacking the understanding of individual input resources affect might lead to mismanage resource investment hinder the growth of productivity afterward. In this manner, a study was conducted to examine relative elasticity of three input resources on factory productivity (production workers, non-production workers, and capital equipment) away from comparing relative productivity levels . 508 samples from 16 countries were used in the study. Authors developed three hypotheses: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Non-production workers or capital equipment, have higher elasticity than production workers in most countries studied. This finding suggests factories studied are more automated and require non-production workers to support output. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In developed countries, concentrating the investment on capital equipment showed a significant impact on output, which means that improved productivity is a consequence of improved capital investment. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Some countries have higher levels of non-production employee elasticity than other countries. How do you measure the productivity or evaluate the total performance in an organization of professional functions such as purchasing, accounting, personnel, and data processing? Operations Challenges Pfizer Inc. Pfizer was founded by Cousins Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart in 1849. Since that time, it has remained dedicated to the discovery and development of disease treatment and healthcare improvement. The company focuses on meeting the worlds diverse health needs and continually evolves to keep pace with the needs and expectations of its stakeholders and society as a whole. The production of Penicillin, Pfizer Helpful Answers, and Medicine Safety website are strong evidence of Pfizers flexibility. Pfizers Executive Leadership Team is the companys senior-most leadership and decision-making body. It brings together top leaders to focus on major financial, strategic and operational decisions. A series of decisions has been made by this team which provides extra evidence of Pfizers high flexibility management. One example is the establishment of two distinct research bodies, Pharma Therapeutics Research Development Group and BioTherapeutics Research Development Group. The decision was made to maximize new opportunities in biomedical research, and bring more innovative medicines to more patients more quickly. Pharma Therapeutics Research Development focuses on the discovery of small molecules and related modalities where BioTherapeutics Research Development Group focuses on large-molecule research such as vaccines. Pfizer has also developed an enhanced commercial operating structure and has nine diverse health care businesses: Primary Care, Specialty Care, Oncology, Emerging Markets, Established Products, Consumer Healthcare, Nutrition, Animal Health and Capsugel. Each of these businesses is managed by an executive who has strong accountability through the entire processes that start at product development level to proof of concept followed by providing access to patients all the way to the end of product life cycle. The businesses are supported by resources to pursue attractive growth opportunities and to deliver benefits to everyone require certain medications around the world. The strategy was made to enable rapid investment on opportunities which would develop the business in turn. The strategy was focused on supporting new successful medicines, increasing partnerships with key customers, entering co-promotion and licensing agreements, investing in new technologies, and acquiring new products and services from outside the company. Environmental Challenges Pfizers Evolution Product uniqueness was the cornerstone of pharmaceutical product success but the whole environment has been changed. The high competition and patency expiration were the most underlying causes the recent dramatic changes in pharmaceutical market. For example, Lipitor Norvasc, the widely used medicines for cholesterol hypertension, is not restricted within Pfizer anymore. These changes placed a huge force on Pfizer to move from a Product Focused company to a Customer Focused company. This mind shift was clearly reflected on the strategies as well as plans operation, which will be discussed shortly in the following context: Information technology its effects on operation decisions Performance measurements which satisfy all stakeholders Performance productivity measures its framework Pfizers Operations and Current Challenges Information Technology and Decision Making It is very crucial for Operations Managers to have clear, consistent reliable data to be able to make right and precise decisions. The role of IT is to make these data manageable and usable rapidly and accurately. Accordingly, decisions are usually about budget setting, processes, performance improvement, and revenue analysis within the company. Many examples would illustrate the importance of IT in Pfizer: 1. Business Technology Department: The information technology solutions unit. 2. Weighting Matrix Project: Customer targeting -segmentation program. 3. e-SMART: Sales force comprehensive reporting system. 4. Gulf States Portal: A Portal where all the different aspects of the commercial activities (Sales, Marketing logistics) executed are analyzed together to measure our ROI. Performance Measurements: A set of performance measures was used by the company to monitor the daily and the short term and long term performance. It ensures how close the company operations are to the right track in terms of achieving the strategic objectives resources usage. These measurements consider all the stakeholders. Performance measurements are dubbed Key performance Indicators or KPIs. The KPIs is helpful signs for an operations manager in Pfizer Gulf States to judge the operation and pinpoint errors. Pfizers Performance Measures: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Financial achievements: Evaluate revenues and profits of short and medium term and monitor sales and overheads to ensuring they match the plans. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ On time commitments achievements: in terms of on time supply to the accounts and on time payments to the internal suppliers and on time payments of salaries and expenses of the employees à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consistency of performance in the operations: Observing fluctuation in the performance. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Budget restricting processes: The company operates within the budget or not? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Risk and change management: plan the company response to risks or changes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clear guidelines for the operations: clarity of the processes in each department i.e. criteria of hiring people and qualification of people recruited à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Discipline of the company employees: in terms of in and out timings, and their complying with the values and ethics of the company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Optimization of the company design: Evaluate the company structure to estimate the future needs i.e. establishment of key account management department à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Data reliability: evaluate data reliability and accuracy The need for a performance measurements framework: Performance measurements are all interrelated and interlinked with each other, so they are all encompassed together for achieving the goals. Analysis of the Operation Challenges Information Technology in the Operations Decision Areas Business Technology Department Offering innovative IT solutions improved the performance of several processes and helped in achieving the overall Pfizer Gulf States objectives. Developing an automated dash board where all the data (sales, consumption stocks, and market data) are encompassed on regular basis to enable both operations manager and senior managers make the right decision forecast. It allows a rapid response to any risk or change before it virtually harms the performance. Weighting Matrix Project It has an essential role in stating the concept of (customer focused) company. The system filters the costumers to different layers by weighting them according to coverage area and value of investment. The system then suggest particular layer to be focused on. e-SMART Reporting system enables all the operations processes of the field force (sales teams) to be reported. The system delivers and analyzes both field force activities performance and feedback. It enables senior managers make their decisions about operations reforms or changes. Gulf Portals The latest innovation of the company is the Gulf Portals that evaluate the performance of the operation processes. Gulf Portals is deep analysis achieved by comparing directly the input of the company to the output. Gulf Portals receives all the information about the number of visits, and number of activities investment per account, Then it compare those data to the revenue of each account. For example, if a sales person has 2 accounts A B, and he spent 2000 visits equally for those account annually. Account A achieved 30% of the total budget, while Account B achieved 70%, so was that the optimal exploitation of the time effort? The answer is no, hence we need to reallocate visits between these 2 account, and the same is true regarding any other resource. So, its a matter of reallocating the company resources for a better outcome. Performance Measurement to Satisfy Various Stakeholder Groups According to Pfizer operations manager, KPIs has to be a real measurement for the job description of operations manager as it is summarized below: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Participating with senior managers in plans setup, forecast and budgets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Aligning the resources of Enabling Functions (HR, Finance, Logistics and IT) with the opposite part (commercial parties) of the Core Functions(Sales, Marketing and medical) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Facilitating decision making related to employees, investments and strategies in all the departments à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continuing improvement of the process à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Re-engineering the company design when needed to cope with changes and risks. Performance objectives or KPIs has to satisfy all stakeholders, internally and externally, for reasons shown below: Financial objectives are vital to satisfy the senior managers and external audits because every business will end up with the level of profits. Moreover, on time commitments is a common interest for all stakeholders such as employees, senior managements, internal suppliers and customers which become priority according to customer focused strategy. Senior managers concern is performance long term consistency and prepared for market dynamics. Reducing the operation cost will increase the net profit directly and will satisfy the senior management and the audits. Having clear guidelines to follow and to minimize errors may occur within the operations. Discipline of the employees is a good indicator the people compliance inside the company to the rules and strategies applied. Company design is a crucial issue for reacting with the changes. For instance, new regulations in the market, based on new policies and cost cutting, gave Pfizer an indication of the necessity to establish new department called (Key Account Management) to focus on the key accounts and to secure the business. Reliable data is the basis of any successful plan and determining the achievements also needed by stakeholders. The Need for a Performance Measurements Framework Productivity is part of performance measurements as it is the ultimate goal of the company. The direct link between each performance measurement and represented productivity measurement can be noticed. Financial achievements: improvement in achieving financial goals is an indication of productivity increment, the more Pfizer achieves goals with cost effective the more its productive On time commitments achievements: on time commitment allows more product consumption and prescriptions loss. It increases the demand and the sales consequently. More Commitment with suppliers will force them to be restricted to time frame which enables smooth steadiness supply to maintain Pfizers productivity. Along the same way, employees will becaome more motivated to achieve their target, which is a very important element for improving productivity. Consistency of performance in the operations: Consistency ensures high productivity level and avoids backlog. For example, satisfying the customers demands and expedite their shipments by increasing performance of some products would help increasing sales. Budget restricting processes: complying with budget is certainly a synonym for doing the best cheaply. So, restricting with budget leads to optimum use of the resources and ends up with increasing the profit. Risk and change management: It reflects the reliability and the agility of the company to react properly to any change or risk to keep the company productive and profitable constantly. That is, fast reaction to the exclusion of one product from Health Authority Formulary will help the company to return it to the Formulary after two weeks only to secure the business. Clear guidelines for the operations: Understanding operations guidelines is critical to do the job correctly within time frame to reach high level of professionalism. Along the same way, it minimizes errors and failure in the operations, reduces the cost, and raises performance and productivity. For instance, setting up a criterion for marketing approvals prevents time and investment loss. Discipline of the company employees: According to Pfizer ethics and laws, employees discipline minimizes errors and reduces loss. if a product manager put an off-label indication for a medicine in a campaign, the company will be entitled to millions of dollars as a penalty. Also ensuring that employees effort will be reflected on the productivity. Optimization of the company design: A proper design maximizes the use of human resources. The recent restructure of business units in Pfizer to serve customer focused strategy showed better performance and productivity. Also creating new departments helped the company in maintaining business growth, such as the key account managers dept. which allowed the company to build relationships to the decision makers in the market. Data reliability: data can be used to show an adequate description of productivity and performance; however, it demands high level of accuracy and consistency to give the company a clear vision to current situation. Finally, we can say that performance measurements are closely related to the productivity so that to achieve the company goals. The need for clear framework that includes satisfaction of the internal and external stakeholders was achieved by Pfizers management (see figure 1). Figure 1. Performance Measurements used by Pfizer Conclusions Comparison of Case with Theory Information Technology and Decision Making Pfizer Gulf States has improved its business operations in the past two years through the utilization of tailored IT solutions to fit in pharmaceutical industry in the Gulf. Considering customer centricity, the operational decisions which was made to expose both resources and established projects to the right customer within precise program was successfully achieved. Managers utilized right applications that were fed with data about the market which interpreted significant information about the market demand and business opportunities. The holistic approach application analyzes sales, projects, and competition performance data to retrieve clear guidance for operations managers. The integration of this approach highlighted areas where alignment across different functions is required. Therefore, it ensures successful execution and customer satisfaction for service and value added programs Performance measurement to satisfy various stakeholder groups: The satisfaction of the various stakeholders has been always the prime objective of the executive team in any successful organisation, especially in pharmaceutical industry. Hence, the operations managers are always keen to have clear KPI to both internal team members and relevant stakeholders. These managers ensure successful execution of the different tactics corresponded to the relevant strategies to meet the companys objectives. At Pfizer Gulf States, as a part of the Pfizer Global company, various stakeholders within Pfizer Africa Middle East leadership team expect clear KPIs that ensure operational objectives along with the overall business objectives. These KPIs focus on measuring the level of employees engagement with clear metrics every year. Therefore, proper evaluation and continious improvement to employees performance. The Need for a Performance Measurement Framework In matrix structured organizations, ensuring alignment across all functions working together to create deliver the service or product is vital for business success. A framework of KPIs and productivity measures has proven to be with a synergic effect on business revenues in Pfizer Gulf States. Working on growth opportunities which was sought out from the market potential is linked with clear framework for the KPIs. This clarity enables operations manager to make adjustments and follow up easily. Recommendations With no doubt, IT showed positive impact in operations within Pfizer Gulf States. Nevertheless, it indicates the success of movement toward more innovative approaches in utilizing IT with more concentration on customer information. Basically, it analyzes costumers data for

Guys And Girls :: essays research papers

WELL here's a few reasons why guys like girls 1. They will always smell good even if its just shampoo 2. The way their heads always find the right spot on our shoulder 3. How cute they look when they sleep 4. the ease in which they fit into our arms 5. the way they kiss you and all of a sudden everything is right in the world 6. How cute they are when they eat 7. The way they take hours to get dressed but in the end makes it all worth while 8. because they are always warm even when its minus 30 out side 9. the way they look good no matter what they wear 10. the way they fish for compliments even though you both know that you think she's the most beautiful thing on this earth 11. How cute they are when they argue 12. the way her hand always finds yours 13. the way they smile 14. the way you feel when you see their name on the call ID after you just had a big fight 15. The way she says "lets not fight anymore" even though you know that an hour later you will be arguing about something 16. the way they kiss when you do something nice for them 17. The way they kiss you when you say "I love you' 18. Actually ... just the way they kiss you... 19. the way they fall into your arms when they cry 20. then the way they apologize for crying over something that silly 21. The way they hit you and expect it to hurt 22. Then the way apologize when it does hurt . (even though we don't admit it)! 23. the way they say "I miss you" 24. the way you miss them 25. the way their tears make you want to change the world so that it doesn't hurt her anymore.....Yet regardless if you love them, hate them, wish they would die or know that you would die without them ... it matters not. Because once in your life,

Eye Donation

EYE DONATION- A NOBLE ACT, WITH AN ADDED RESPONSIBILITY – S BALACHANDRAN, CGM, SBT I am just watching the 200th episode of the Surya TV’s popular programme â€Å"Deal or No Deal† featuring film star Mukhesh with Sri Kochouseph, promoter and CEO of V-Guard group and Rev. Father Chirammel. It seems more than a concidence that when I sat down to pen my thoughts on Organ donation, specially Eye-donation, this episode is playing on my Television set.More than his entrepreneurial skill and management acumen Sri Kochouseph has been a personality for whom I have immense admiration on account of his rare humanitarian act a few years back when he donated a kidney for a needy patient and thus gave a new meaning and dimension to the much sullied and murky field of organ donation. Rev Father Chirammel was the person who prompted Sri Kochouseph to do this noble act. I am sure, the act of Sri Kochouseph would have sent out a message that one can be a donor of an organ without a ny fear of one’s own health and as a pure act of philanthropy.I am sure more and more people , healthy people, would come forward to be donors without any monetary consideration. This reminds me of the supreme act of compassion shown by the doctor-couple fromTrichy a few years back. Their only son, was fatally involved in a motor accident on the Chennai highway. The parents rushed to the spot on hearing the news, only to see their only child, a son who they thiught would continue their noble profession, was in an almost critical state, with all symptoms ofan impending brain death.The couple were flooded with phone calls from friends who offered the best of treatment if the boy could be brought to Chennai. Fully equipped ambulance was ready to carry out the job. The couple with prayers on their lips and dwindling hope in their hearts, accompanied the injured son in the vehicle, on its one hour journey. But the boy couldnot complete the journey and his brain switched off enrout e. That was a moment when any parent would stop behaving rationally or with balance.Yet it was the mother who held her mind and suggested to her husband that they hurry with the body to the nearest best hospital, so that all the vital organs of the body could be salvaged and donated to needy persons. The husband did the rest by phoning up his friends anout their decision and requesting them to make arrangements for the extraction of the vital organs from their son’s body and arranging to locate needy recepients .Cutting the long story short, today, this doctor-parents live with the satisfaction of their son still living through the four lives whom he saved in his death. The celstial level of their magnanimity is fit to be lauded in golden words. It is special persons like Sri Kochouseph and the doctors who inspire me. Of the ever increasing throng of persons needing oirgan transplants, it is the persons with Corneal blindness, who toip the list.I rememebr having read that in India there are over 5 milion persons with this type of blindness, which can be cured if they can get suitable donors, in time. The easiest part of eye donation is that the donor can pledge to donate his eyes and the actual donation needs to be done only on the death of the donor. Having been a compulsive, voluntary blood donor ever since I reached the age of 19, I was much pained, when, in 2002 I was advised that I could no longer donate blood since I was hypertensive.I had to cry a halt to my unbroken saga of 62 blood donations for 31 years. It was then that I decided to donate my eyes on my death. The only prayer I have today is that my eyes should be worthy of use at that time. This adds a major responsibility on me to keep my self safe from ailments that would affect the usability of my eyes. If my daily prayers include a wish to protect me from debilitating ailments, it is more to protect my eyes for whoever the recepient could be†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.

Role of Nssf in Welfare Development

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) was established in 1965 by an Act of Parliament under cap 258 Laws of Kenya. The Fund was intended to serve as the 1st pillar of social security for Kenyan workers. The ILO defines Security as the protection which society provides for its members through a series of public measures against the economic and social distress that otherwise would be caused by stoppage, or substantial reduction of earnings resulting from sickness, maternity, employment injury, unemployment, invalidity, old age and death the provision of medical care and the provision of subsidies for families with children.Social security is important for the well being of workers, their families and the entire community. It is a means of creating social cohesion, thereby helping to ensure social peace and social inclusion. It is an indispensable part of the government social policy and important tool to alleviate poverty. It can through national solidarity and fair burden sharing, contribute to human dignity, equity and social justice. It is also important for political inclusion, empowerment and the development of democracy. 1 SOCIAL SECURITY STRUCTURE IN KENYAKenya has several types of schemes which offer social security which can be divided into three broad categories:- 1. Public Schemes †¢ The NSSF †¢ The NHIF †¢ The Civil Servants Pension Fund †¢ The local Authorities Pension Trust †¢ The Public Universities Superannuation Pension Fund †¢ The Workmen’s Compensation Fund †¢ The widows & Orphans Compensation Fund †¢ The Parliamentary Pensions Fund These are established by Acts of Parliament. 2. Occupational Scheme 1 ILO resolution on social security, Geneva 2001 1 The Occupational schemes are run by employers for their employees and are underwritten by private insurance companies. . Individual Schemes The individual schemes are private schemes designed for the employed, self-employed and/ or for those in non- personable employment. The public schemes, occupational and individual schemes cover workers mainly in the formal sector. They form the first pillar where membership is not optional but compulsory. The Occupational schemes form the second pillar where membership is either voluntary or mandatory and are privately managed. The voluntary schemes form the third pillar where membership is voluntary. REGULATION OF PENSION SCHEMES IN KENYAThe Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) is the regulator and supervisor of pension schemes in Kenya. Currently, 1350 pension schemes are registered with RBA and cover 15% of the Kenyan Labour force. Labour Force Statistics The total labour force is estimated at 8 million out of which 2. 5 million are employed in the formal sector. 2 NSSF has the largest share of the working labour force as illustrated in figure 2. Fig 2: Coverage Within the RBA 15% of Workforce67%22%11%0%1234 1- National Social security Fund 2- Civil service Pension Scheme – Occupa tional Retirements Benefit schemes 2 Central Bureau of statistics, 2007 2 4- Individual Retirements Benefits Scheme Source: Retirements Benefits Authority, 2004 MEMBERSHIP OF NSSF In 1966 membership of the Fund was 252,107. Over the years, membership has steadily grown and the Fund has a cumulative registered membership of 3,569,573. The Fund attributes this growth to an increase in the working urban population. The current active membership accounts are 887,421. NSSF currently draws its membership from workers in the formal sector of the economy.The Fund’s mandate is to register members, collect contributions, invest the contributions and pay specified benefits. The scheme is financed entirely by the employer/employee monthly contributions set at 5% of wages based on a ceiling of Kshs 4000 per month. Table 1: Membership and Contributions Received Year 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Members Registered 106,483 97,066 94,356 80,585 68,144 62,633 64, 301 110,413 117,508 139,100 Contributions (Kshs billions) 1. 538 1. 589 1. 539 1. 593 1. 650 1. 688 2. 562 3. 602 3. 847 4. 00 TYPES OF CONTRIBUTIONS PAYABLE TO NSSF There are three types of contributions payable to the Fund namely:- †¢ Standard contributions in respect of regular workers at kshs. 200 (employer) and Kshs. 200 (employee) †¢ Special contributions in respect of casual workers at 5% of the employer’s total wages bill †¢ Voluntary contributions payable in respect of self employed persons. Voluntary contributions range from a minimum of Kshs. 100 to a maximum of Kshs. 1000 The financial resource of NSSF is totally dependent on its members and not government funded.The types of contributions payable to NSSF have varied over time as follows:- 3 Table 2: Monetary ceiling on contributions Year Total (Kshs) Employer’s contribution (Kshs) Employee’s contribution (Kshs) 1966-1977 80 40 40 1977-2001 160 80 80 2001 400 200 200 There are differen t types of benefits paid by NSSF to its members. The Age Benefit or Retirement benefit is paid to a member who is 55 years and is no longer in employment. Payment is a single lump sum made up of total contributions and interest earned over the contribution period. Minimum interest according to law is 2. % per annum. The age benefit is paid to a member who has attained age 55 and has retired from regular employment. The withdrawal benefit is paid to a member who is at least 50 years and is unemployed. The invalidity benefit is paid to a member who is certified as being permanently incapable of working and there is no age barrier prescribed. The emigration grant is paid to a member who is permanently leaving the country and no age barrier is prescribed. The survivor’s benefit is paid to eligible dependants of a deceased member. The funeral grant which amounts to kshs. ,500 is paid to the family of the deceased member to help defray funeral expenses. In summary form the original mandate of the NSSF has been registration of eligible members, collection of monthly contributions, investment of the contributions mainly in Government Securities and payment of the contributions when due. Table 3: Contributions & Benefits paid since 1997 Financial statistics in billions of Kshs Year ended 30th June 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Contributions 1. 59 1. 54 1. 59 1. 65 1. 68 2. 50 3. 60 3. 85 4. 29 4. 6 Benefits paid 1. 53 1. 62 1. 79 1. 87 2. 21 2. 20 2. 09 2. 23 2. 3 2. 85THE ROLE OF NSSF IN THE WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE KENYAN SOCIETY The Fund plays the role of securing the future of its members. After several years of contribution members are assured of a lump sum payment that goes towards alleviating 4 poverty. Studies have shown that the payments by NSSF have assisted members in different ways. The Fund is an active participant at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE). Quantitatively the Fund's portfolio at the Stock Exchange is equivalent t o 8 °1o of the NSE value. In this regard the Fund helps to stabilize the operations of the NSE. The Fund has shareholdings in companies such as Bamburi Cement (17 °10).E. A Portland Cement (27 °10), KPLC (7 °10), Kenya Commercial Bank (9 °10), Kenya Breweries (60/0), British America Tobacco (160/0), National Bank of Kenya (480/0) among others. Should the Fund decide to dispose off its equity, this would drastically affect the stock exchange. The Fund has also developed several estates in Nairobi and Eldoret. The purchasers pay 100/0 deposit and are allowed to reside in the residential houses while paying the balance in monthly instalments for a period of 15 years. This enables Kenyans to own homes at a more affordable rate through a Tenant Purchase Scheme that is friendly. The interest rate is fixed.This goes on to assist the Government's goal of providing affordable housing to Kenyans. Besides, NSSF has several commercial buildings and plots around the country. The rents charged are fair and this stabilizes the costs of office space in the country. With regard to the plots, the Fund has sold over 2000 plots at Tassia to low income earners through the Fund's Tenant Purchase Scheme. Through collection of monthly contributions from the workers of this country, the Fund plays a role of mobilizing savings. This money is re-invested in the economy and conversely helps the government mop up excess liquidity.Part of the contributions is used to buy Government Treasury Bills and Bonds and this enables the government to carry out its financial obligations. The Fund has 39 branches spread across the Country and makes deposits in several banks where its branches are. These deposits improve liquidity of the banks enabling the banks to lend loans to the Society. It also plays the role of an Employer to Human Resource. Currently the Fund has employed 1,800 personnel who in turn support their nuclear and extended families. This can be construed to be a very positiv e role in the Kenyan Society.In its daily operations, the Fund is a consumer of goods and services. There are several service providers who benefit from them. Thus the NSSF creates employment indirectly to Kenyans by way of utilizing the services of Kenyan Companies. This includes supply of materials such as stationery, security, training, information technology and construction. 5 If the proposed conversion of the NSSF from a Provident Fund into a Pension Scheme is effected, it will be paying its members monthly pension as opposed to lump sum payment. This will greatly enhance poverty reduction in Kenya.CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY In the Fund's reforms and changes the Board of Trustees and Management have made a decision to participate in Corporate Social Responsibility and involve the society at the following various levels. †¢ Corporate Membership to the Kenya Society for the Blind The Fund is a Corporate Member of the Kenya Society for the Blind and donates Kshs. 50,000 /= annually. †¢ Target Women and Children When you invest in women you invest in communities. The Fund believes in supporting small and upcoming women's groups in an effort to eradicate poverty.The Fund gives donations, offers advice, helps with investments and recruits the women through Voluntary Membership. This enables them to save with the Fund for their future. With regard to children, the Fund is actively involved in health campaigning through ventures of Mater Hospital Heart Run. The Fund contributed Kshs. 100,000/= towards this cause in 2007. It plans to set up mechanisms to help educate children who are bright through scholarships and intends to target KCPE and KCSE. The initial plan is to look for a brilliant child in each province. Standing Donation to the Elderly Members of the Society Each year the Fund donates Kshs. 50,000/= to Helpage Kenya, an Organization dealing with the welfare of the Aged. Each year the NSSF also donates foodstuffs and blankets to the elderl y. †¢ Participation in National Disasters 6 The Fund participates in National Disasters. Last year the organization through its Trustees donated Kshs. 1. 5 million towards Famine Relief. Staff members also came together to donate foodstuffs and money for the famine relief. †¢ Participation in Freedom of Hunger Walk The Fund gives a donation of Kshs. 00,000/= annually for the Freedom from Hunger Walk and also participates in the walk. †¢ Sponsors Athletics Events The NSSF sponsors events carried out by the Kenya Athletics Association. It intends to recruit young athletes to be its members and educate them on saving and steer them from poverty. †¢ Environmental Clean-up Staff Members get involved in environmental clean-up exercises in hospitals. The Staff members in Kisumu help the Women Fish mongers in the market to clean up their stalls. CHALLENGES FACED BY THE FUND †¢ One lump sum payment is made to the retiree which is inadequate. The benefits offered to t he members are limited. †¢ Limited public knowledge on the need on social security. †¢ Organizing the informal sector into a unit which can access social security. †¢ Slow growth of the formal sector. †¢ Retrenchment of Workers. †¢ High prevalence of HIV and AIDS. †¢ Tendency for employers to artificially understate workers to avoid compliance †¢ The contributions are very modest MILESTONES †¢ The autonomy of the Board of Trustees. †¢ Remarkable growth in membership. †¢ The Funds large market share in the retirement benefits industry. 7 †¢ The ability to pay the retirees. The introduction of Voluntary Contribution. †¢ The introduction of Funeral Grant. RECENT REFORM INITIATIVES †¢ Drafting of a Bill to convert the NSSF into a Pension Trust. †¢ Improved Investments portfolio through adherence to guidelines of the REA; appointment of custodian etc. †¢ Incorporation of the Informal Sector into all the NSSF's str ategic planning for growth of coverage. †¢ Improvement of service delivery through the decentralization of all core activities of the Fund to 39 branches spread countrywide. †¢ The Board of Trustees and Management are on performance contract