200 Powerful Marketing Interview Questions to Hire the Best Team

200 Powerful Marketing Interview Questions to Hire the Best Team Building a strong marketing team isn’t easy. There are tons of companies competing for top talent, and it’s tough to find (and retain) the best fits for your organization. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry is projected to experience 10% hiring growth by 2026  (which is faster than average). Plus, the cost of mis-hiring can be high; according to MP Squared, â€Å"a mis-hire costs more than 5 times the candidate’s salary.† Those kinds of stakes are not a joke. From recruiting to interviewing to onboarding, getting the right people onto the right spots in your marketing department  is a long process. A key part of sorting out marketing candidates starts with asking the right interview questions. In this post, you’ll find a total of 165 things to ask interviewees across all different types of roles, to help you figure out what makes a candidate tick and determine whether they’re right for your business. This is useful stuff for the following folks: Marketing Managers: Especially if you’re new to hiring and team-building. HR Professionals: If you’re not marketing savvy, use this guide to move past generic interview questions. Job Hunters: Consider this guide a cheat sheet to what you might encounter. It’s time to get started. Table of Contents: Keeping Organized With Bonus Questions + Interview Scorecard Interviewing Tips General Marketing Interview Questions Marketing Manager / Director Questions Marketing Intern Questions Entry Level Interview Questions Copywriter Interview Questions Product Marketing Interview Questions PR Interview Questions Graphic Designer Interview Questions Social Media Marketing Interview Questions Content Strategist Interview Questions Marketing Analyst Interview Questions SEO Interview Questions Assessing an Interviees Responses

The Inferno essays

The Inferno essays On Good Friday 1300 AD, in Dante's thirty-fifth year, he goes astray from the straight road into the Dark Wood of Error. Seeing the Sun (Divine Illumination) lighting the Mount of Joy in the Distance, he attempts to climb up the mountainside but is blocked by three beasts of worldliness: the Leopard of Malice and Fraud, the Lion of Violence and Ambition, and the She-Wolf of Incontinence. When his hope is nearly lost, the shade of the Roman poet Virgil (a symbol of Human Reason) appears to him. Virgil has been sent by Beatrice in Heaven to lead Dante from error; he explains that to defeat the beasts it is necessary to take the harder route through Hell (where sin is recognized), Purgatory (where sin is renounced), then to Heaven to revel in the light of God. Dante accepts and sets off with him. The Poets pass through the Gate of Hell (inscribed with the famous line, Abandon all hope ye who enter here) and step into the Vestibule, where they see the torments inflicted on the opportunists and those who took neither side in the Rebellion of the Angels. They are not officially in Hell nor Heaven because their actions in life were not good enough or bad enough to warrant a place in either. They must forever pursue a banner just out of their reach while being stung by wasps; the blood and pus flowing from their wounds is feasted upon by worms and maggots. (The punishments in Inferno always fit the crime. The wasps signify the sinners guilty consciences and the worms and maggots, their moral filth.) The Poets wish to be ferried across the river Acheron by the boatman Charon, but Charon realizes that Dante is still living and refuses them passage until Virgil makes a good argument for Dante's case. Charon reluctantly agrees, but Dante faints out of pure terror and only awakes whe n he is on the opposite bank. Upper Hell, for those who committed the least serious sins, is made of five circles, each containing fewer sinners and smaller tha...

Marketing strategy of Adidas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing strategy of Adidas - Essay Example The firm that is analyzed in the paper is Adidas, the largest sport manufacturer in Europe and has Puma and Nike as its major competitors. They have divided their whole range of products into two segments: Adidas Performance and Adidas Originals. Adidas performance aims to show the loyalty and devotion of the brand to athletes, while Adidas Originals are all about fashion and lifestyle. The definition stated by Philip Kotler is: â€Å"The science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit. Marketing identifies unfulfilled needs and desires. It defines, measures and quantifies the size of the identified market and profit potential. It pinpoints which segments the company is capable of serving best and it designs and promotes the appropriate products and services†. Adidas have been since its inception looking for opportunities in the market by constant market analysis. It has been seen that they have been the company of many firsts and therefore a company who has been creating a niche in many sectors. They introduced Adidas originals to target the market that did not wear the sportswear as they had no relation with sports but then Adidas cashed in on the opportunity by releasing a line of casual wears which would ultimately establish them in the non-sport sector as well. Main points from the definition: science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit.... The only new thing it has ventured into is the fashion and style apparel industry as well. It has done the promotion of its products by hiring clubs and sportsmen from different sports and countries to be their ambassadors.. As for their casuals line they have even hired sportsmen in this arena but used them to portray the use of Adidas besides the sports they play, in their routine lives. Task Two SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method that is used by companies to identify their internal and external conditions in one go. Strength and weakness are utilized as internal analysis tools while the opportunity and threats are used for external analysis. The SWOT analysis for ADIDAS is as follows (Smit, 2000): Strength: Adidas is a very established brand. It has been in the market since 1949 producing the sportswear for the world to wear. Deliverance of the promise. Adidas is a premium brand that promises to offer the best quality and delivers the same. Brand Ambassadors. Adidas has a very long and powerful list of brand ambassadors that includes people from nearly all the sporting arenas. It has sponsorship for huge sporting events like NASCAR and the IPL recently held in India. It has also had major sponsorship for some of the famous Football events. Diversity in the product range. Excellent supplier relationships. They have never had any lawsuits in relation with child labor or poor working. Adidas has a very established network of distribution; their goods are sold worldwide. Weaknesses: They are very heavily reliant on the sports industry alone. This may prove to be a disadvantage at a point as they have to diversify into other sectors as well to increase their own portfolio and reduce risks. They are

The theory of endogenous money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The theory of endogenous money - Essay Example endogenous money theory based its arguments on classical economics, it proved a constructive attempt for providing alternative theoretical framework for dealing with unsatisfactory IS/LM model. As of now, policy makers are receiving utterly contrasting advice from economists concerning how to surmount the prolonged financial sprawl in the USA and Europe: a number of them propose austerity while others advocate for deficit spending. With this regard, this paper will seek to assess the arguments and the probable impact of both policy extremes in the light of the theory of endogenous money. Fiscal austerity as well as fiscal stimulus brings about numerous impacts on the economy of a country, depending on the level or degree in which they carry out the redistribution of income to both the low and high earners. After the 2007/2008 economic slump, many nations continued to struggle with the view of reducing government debt levels. However, as time went by, it came to a point where the US and Europe’s governments accepted that they faced great level of government debts and as such, they ought to increase their revenue, cut their spending, default on their obligations, or thereof combine all of them. Some policy makers recommend austerity because it is an intriguing option and rarely takes place on government debt even at times when the available solution is painful (Keen and Grasselli, 2012:3). In spite of the measure that default increases the future borrowing cost sharply, austerity leaves tax increased and the level of government expenditure cut. Fiscal austerity, in a number of ways, seems to be the contrast for of fiscal stimulus policies. This is so because it leads to tax cuts and increase spending applied by government at times whose purpose is to expand the country’s economy. With reference to the endogenous theory, some policy makers seem to propose austerity due to its impacts. First, with austerity, low-income earners will be in a position to have

SABMiller's takeover of Fosters Implementation task Essay

SABMiller's takeover of Fosters Implementation task - Essay Example For instance, British business culture is more formal and there approach is more money oriented. British employees like to engage in work with people, besides the management and leadership put much high emphasis on organization structure. The Australian culture on the other hand is less formal and casual in job situations and above all organization rather than the workforce is the key motivator. Australian managers like to take direct part in the employee progress and have an environment similar to a coaching culture. Additionally, the Australians are more performance oriented rather than power oriented. This is a clear indication that unless SABMiller addresses these imminent cultural differences, the takeover bid may suffer a big blow. The Australian culture will certainly set leadership and management precedence to its organizations, which will be emulated by various managers and leaders. Marvin Weisbord six boxes model, which include purposes, structure, leadership, relationship, reward, and helpful mechanisms, can effectively be used to solve SABMiller takeover bid challenges. Purposes calls for the management to analyse the extent to which organization goals are clear, fits its vision and is upheld by everyone (Sharma , 2007; 72). Structure is the next element, it focuses on how work and communication flows in the organization. Relationships require management to assess the relationship between organization members, people and technology. Reward calls for management to identify what to recognize. Leadership calls for specific leadership style to be applied. Helpful mechanism calls for adequate coordination techniques (Shapiro, 2010). Kotters 8-Step Change Model is also the best solution to SABMiller takeover challenges. Step calls for the management to create urgency by publicizing the urgency around the need for change (Coutts, 2007). Forming a powerful coalition involves convincing everyone about the need for change while

Unethical issues of AIG

Unethical issues of AIG Company history   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   American International Group, Inc is a company whose operation began back in 1919. It was established back then by Cornelius Vander Starr as an insurance agency in Shanghai, China. AIG left china in 1949 after Starr had established himself as the westerner the sell insurance to the Chinese people. AIG headquarters then shifted from china to New York City, which is still the headquarters up to date. It is from here that AIG began its expansion tapping into other markets such as the Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Europe through use of its subsidiaries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was in 1962 when Starr transferred management of AIG United states holdings to Maurice R. Greenberg. Greenberg introduced policies that made the company shift from its original personal insurance background to anew high market corporate targeted cover. The new management under Greenberg went on to focus mainly on selling AIGs insurance packages through independent brokers. This deviated from the initial system which made use of company agents thus eliminating the agents salaries. This move aimed at reducing the expenses of the company but it led to decreased sales in some of the companys products. Greenberg was named the successor to Starr in the year 1968. In the following year 1969 AIG first went public.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The start of problems facing AIG began during the tenure of Greenberg as AIGs CEO. It was during tenure that the company expanded from its initial line of insurance into other many complex lines of business and insuring risks that only a few other companies would consider handling. This led to the involvement of the company in businesses that it did not fully comprehend. AIG started investing in many different types of securities which included mortgage backed securities and also credit derivatives trading. AIG then went ahead to become a leading player in these markets, insuring other companys debt obligations against losses due to its excellent credit rating at the time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was AIGs Financial Product Unit (AIGFP) that brought about the fall of the company, due to its disastrous credit swaps product. AIGFP was founded in the year 1987 by three Drexel Burnham Lambert Traders who were led by a Howard Sosin, a finance scholar. They convinced Greenberg based on the companys AAA credit rating to create a division which focused on complex derivatives trade. Greenberg and Sosin signed an agreement in which 38 percent of money earned went to AIGFP while the remainder 62 percent went to AIG. If things had to go bad down the line it was AIG and not AIGFP that would be on the hook. AIGFP continued its expansion program opening branches in other countries such as London, Tokyo and even Paris. Despite the fact that AIGFP had never made even a single credit swap by the year 1998 the unit had revenue of over $500 million (Tpmckraker, 2009)..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was in 1998 that AIG was approached by JP with a proposal to insure JP Morgans Complex corporate debt. It was stated by Gary Gorton, a Yale Business Professor that the chance of AIGFP not paying out these deals was almost 99.85 percent. This was based on the reasoning that for the unit to pay out these deals the economy would have to be in a full blown recession and that in this situation the counter parties would have already been wiped out. It was with this deal that AIGFP agreed for the first credit swap with Savage the then CEO signing the deal. Later in 1998 Cassano replaced Savage as CEO of the company. Although Cassano was not experienced in the complicated assessment of risks using computer models he was gifted in accounting and credit. It was through Cassanos strong desire to succeed that led to growth of the units revenue to 1 billion in a year and also led to a significant growth in the number of employees to 400 in 2005. AIG What went wrong? The start of problems facing AIG began during the tenure of Greenberg as AIGs CEO. It was during tenure that the company expanded from its initial line of insurance into other many complex lines of business and insuring risks that only a few other companies would consider handling. It was in the year 2002 that AIGFP was charged by the justice department for illegally helping PNC Financial Services to not correctly show their bad assts in their books. AIGFP did this by setting up a separate company special purpose entity to handle all the issues related to the assets of the PNC firm. By doing so AIGFP was alleged of breaking the securities law by setting up the company by the Feds that would invest in the firm making it appear real. It was until 2004 that AIG would fully settle the charges against it. It was asked to give back over $45 million in fees, a fine of $80 million and in addition give up all the interest it had earned on the deal. The unit was not formally sanctioned due to the incident but the justice department placed it on a short leash.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was in March of 2005 that Greenberg stepped down as the CEO amidst investigations on allegations of accounting malpractices at the firm by the New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The issue under investigation by then was not directly related to AIGFP, but the effects of the dealings eventually affected the operations of the unit negatively. Following the departure of Greenberg at the helm of the company and in addition the investigations ongoing within the organization the credit ratings agencies downgraded the companys credit worth from AAA to AA. This reduction in AIGS credit rating led to provisions in some of AIGFPs credit default swaps. This made AIG to pay in collateral for the deals over $1 billion. This was the mark of many dark days for the unit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was until later in the year that Eugene Park an executive at AIGFP was named to closely look at the portfolio containing the firms credit default swaps. The evidence was alarming in that the unit had insured many CDOs that had large proportions of it as sub prime mortgages. This meant that in any situation where the housing market had to collapse the risk of default was too high. This coming up after the downgrading of the units credit ratings indicated an increased chance that AIGFP had to come up with collateral to pay out all the bets it had made in the past. After Cassano was informed of the report he put up a group of investment bank researchers whose prime job was to assess the risks posed by the sub prime mortgages. The credit default swaps were stopped later in 2005 but this came as a case of too little to late owing to the fact that Cassano could not avoid obligations to his unit of over $80 billion worth that was in the form of collateral ized debts that were inform of already made swaps in the books of AIGFP.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the year 2007 with the collapse of the housing market and plummeting in value of sub prime assets AIG was supposed to pay a sum of $1.5 billion to Goldman Sachs based on the credit default swaps insured by AIG to cover the mortgage backed securities. During the same year AIG had to pay $2 billion to meet the demands of other firms that made collateral demands. It was during this year that the stock prices of AIG fell 25 percent and a reported loss of $1.1 billion in portfolio swaps in AIGFP. The problems facing AIG continued further with the company reporting a loss of $11.5 billion and in addition $5.3 billion posted as collateral in February of 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   AIG would get further shock as the credit rating agencies planned to further downgrade the companys credit ratings as at September of 2008. This would trigger needs for more collateral that the company would not handle. What was unethical about AIG?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What was unethical about AIG was that the company would hand out multi-million dollar a bonus to its over 450 employees operating in its six offices around the world. After handing out these bonuses AIG still had the guts to accept a government bail out plan, this was as the country underwent recession with most of its citizens unemployed and barely making ends meet. AIG also conducted some unethical behavior with its executives dealing in unethical financial reporting practices and illegal brokerage as uncovered during a recent investigation by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (Cooper, 2006). AIG Whistleblower   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Former AIG CEO Greenberg claimed that following his departure internal controls he had established during his 40 years at the helm of the company had been abandoned. This was made in comments written to the made House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In the comments Greenberg accused Robert Willumstad and Martin Sullivan who were both his successors as the CEO of AIG of being unable to execute enough oversight on AIGFPs division. And it was for this reason that the company faced a lot of troubles emanating from the divisions $500 billion portfolio. Greenberg claimed that the branch which was formed in 1987 was the company beginning to its downfall. Reports said that until this time AIG had lost $50 billion and made a $25.9 billion in mark to market losses. This was related to securities the company held in its investment portfolio and its CDS value.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Greenberg in his letter said that within the nine months a lot of credit collaterals default swaps had been made leading to increased obligations on the companys debt. This he said was different during his tenure and it was after he left office that most of the default swaps done by AIGFP were exposed to sub prime mortgages. . This led to the involvement of the company in businesses that it did not fully comprehend. AIG started investing in many different types of securities which included mortgage backed securities and also credit derivatives trading. AIG then went ahead to become a leading player in these markets, insuring other companys debt obligations against losses due to its excellent credit rating at the time. AIG today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   AIGs future is still not clear after facing years of problems. It is now a year since AIG was bailed out by the federal government and the company is still in a transition. The company is undergoing several transformations that include increased efforts to appoint a new chief executive officer, its initiative to sell most its non core assets tied to the firm and the increased anticipation take off of its new Chartis brand dealing with its commercial property operations. AIG is still faced with the responsibility of repaying federal loans handed to it by the government which amount to billions of dollars. This is further complicated by the fact that it is still unknown how much the governments patience will last. All the above reasons lead to the inability of experts to gauge the companys future (Time. The curious Capitalist, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The future of AIG is still dependent on the financial market stabilization. The companys policy holders are encouraged by the companys gradual rise from its problems. The process of redefining AIG i.e. prompted shifts in capacity has led to some of its clients having to reassess how they relate to the insurer. Most of the companys clients have chosen to remain loyal and appreciate the efforts made by the combine AIG and Chartis. Clients believe that the decision by the company to re brand its casualty operations was a step in the right direction. Although the Chartis spin off expected to be in the form of a public offering date has not been set, Chartis made a good start by explaining that it would take some time to its clients. AIG though slow in the process of disposing its noncore assts has made it clear that it would make sure that it gets the true value of its businesses through the process. The other looming question on AIGs future is its abilit y to repay the government bail out loans. References Top of Form Cooper, R. W. (2006) Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations Spitzers Allegations of Unethical/Illegal Behavior: Has the Insurance Industrys Ethical Environment Really Changed Dramatically? New York: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Mary, D. M., Irene, N. M. Victoria, S. (2006) AIG: Accounting and Ethical Lapses. New York: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Time. The curious Capitalist. (2009, Aug). AIG: Still a company. Retrieved October 5, 2009, from http://www.time.com/ AIG Still a company The Curious Capitalist TIME.com.htm

Appearance Vs. Reality Essay -- essays research papers

In Hamlet, one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, the young prince of Denmark must uncover the truth about his fathers death. Hamlet shows a play that tells the story of a young prince whose father recently died. Hamlets uncle Claudius marries his mother the queen and takes the throne. As the play is told Hamlet finds out his father was murdered by the recently crowned king. The theme that remains constant throughout the play is appearance versus reality. Things within the play appear to be true and honest but in reality are infested with evil. Many of the characters within the play hide behind a mask of falseness. Four of the main characters that hid behind this mask are Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and King Claudius. From behind this mask they give the impression of a person who is sincere and genuine, in reality they are plagued with lies and evil. Their appearance makes it very difficult for Hamlet to uncover the truth, because the characters hide behind their lies. Polonius, the king’s royal assistant, has a preoccupation with appearance. He always wants to keep up the appearance of a loving and caring person. Polonius appears like a man who loves and cares about his son, Laertes. Polonius speaks to his son with advice that sounds sincere but in reality it is rehearsed, hollow and without feeling. Poloniusgives his advice only to appear to be the loving, caring father. The reality is he only speaks to appear sincere as a politician, to look in front of the king good rather then actually be good: "And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou cans’t not then be false to any man. Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!" Act 1 Polonius gives his son Laertes his blessing to go away, and then he sends a spy to follow him and keep an eye on him. This shows his lack of trust for anyone. He gives the appearance of a confident father who trusts his son to go off on his own, when in reality he lies about his trust for his son. This is made obviuos by the fact that he sends a spy to watch him. Polonius further adds to the theme of appearance verses reality by ordering Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet. He lies to her telling her that Hamlet does not love her, he only lusts for her, in truth he has no idea whether or not Hamlet loves her. He says to her: â€Å"Ay,... ...is ,making Claudius a more deserving person to be king. As Claudius speaks in council he gives the appearance of someone who is a deserving person that should be king. Claudius is voted in as king meaning he is already approved by everyone. Claudius gives respect to his subjects giving the council the impression that he respects them. The king shows general concern for Hamlet, his nephew. These things make it very difficult to prove the truth about Claudius in the future for he has not only won the love and respect of council, But also possibly prevented a attack on Denmark (from Fortinbras) proving that he is good king that can protect the state from harm. Claudius makes it very difficult for Hamlet to prove the truth about the true nature of Claudius. Throughout the play, the characters all help to show the theme of appearance verses reality. Polonius, Rosencrantz (Guildenstern) and the king all appear to be good and honest. As Hamlet finds out, all contain lies and have hidden intentions within them. As each character is presented in the play all appear to be good and honest making it a difficult task for Hamlet to uncover the hidden truth about the nature of each character.

Waste Management individual coursework

Brief overview The modern day industrial societies are concerned with environmental protection and sustainable use of natural resources. A lot of waste is generated by businesses, households and the construction industry globally on daily basis. Engineering has a role in designing ways of effectively managing waste through various means like green technology and exploiting waste to produce alternative sources of energy (Worrell & Vesilind, 2012, p. 71). The management of waste through proper disposal or recycling is important in protecting the environment. Engineering has a great role in ensuring sustainable use of natural resources and environmental protection. Mechanical engineers are actively engaged with how the society uses natural resources. It discovers, designs, maintains, improves and repairs machineries like cars, airplanes and industrial equipment which human beings depend on for their daily lives (Wang & Koh 2010, p. 49). In the future, mechanical engineering will deliver solutions that will sustain and protect the existence of man on the planet. There are two major ways in which engineering can help in mitigating the problem of waste management which are preventing waste in engineering and management of waste. The next section will look at the two methods, their advantages, disadvantages and cases where they have been used successfully. Waste prevention (Designing out waste in mechanical engineering) Green manufacturing is an emerging concept in engineering that aims to achieve sustainable development in the manufacturing industry. Dornfeld (2010, p. 56) defines green manufacturing as the creation of manufactured products that use processes that conserve energy and natural resources, are non-polluting and are economically safe and sound for users. There is an increasing need for mechanical engineers and engineering in general to innovate new ways of creating products that minimise waste of resources. Rynn (2010, p. 87) asserts that for mechanical engineering to b e able to design products that are friendly to the environment, issues of sustainability should be part of all the decision making processes in engineering. This covers all the steps from product design to its end life and after that the needed efforts in regaining its value rather than disposal. The main objective for green manufacturing is to produce products that can be remanufactured, recycled or reused. As such green manufacturing process reduces the environmental impact of a manufacturing process than it was in the past. Green manufacturing systems include measures to reduce the volume of hazardous waste produced, change the energy mix to include the use of more renewable resources and cut down the volume of coolant consumed in the manufacturing process. The other measure that reduces waste of resources is lean manufacturing which has been successfully used by Toyota in its manufacturing plants. The lean manufacturing system as used by Toyota managed to reduce seven types of w astes in the company’s manufacturing process. Toyota reduced overproduction, inventory, transportation, motion, over processing, defects and waiting times (International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Green Manufacturing & Li 2010, p. 77). Most of these wastes are related to the desire to minimise the environmental impacts of the manufacturing process. For instance, a reduction in the waiting times saved company resources like lighting and air conditioning. Many machines used in the production process consume a lot of energy even when not processing any products. As such the idle time used for allowing the smooth flow of products wastes a lot of energy. The lean manufacturing processes, initiatives, strategies and techniques are advantageous in terms of reducing operational costs and also aim at boosting, restoring and significantly improving organisational competitiveness. Lean manufacturing reduces the manufacturing time by eliminating the wastes in the manufactur ing process. A reduction in manufacturing time leads to a subsequent reduction in operational costs in the form of labour, energy and other utilities. In so doing, it helps organisations in retaining, maintaining and significantly increasing their revenues, widening their margins and generation of savings from lowering costs. Lean manufacturing helps companies in saving space which raises the levels of efficiency and savings. According to Davim (2013, p.64), lean manufacturing has a potential of increasing the productivity of a company by approximately 75% to 125%. This is because the elimination of wastes and any other unnecessary practices at the workplace assists the employees to work without distractions and in so doing maximise output. The elimination and reduction of waste in the production process helps the companies in increasing earnings and profits by reducing wasteful use of resources. In addition to this, the elimination of unnecessary tasks and job positions helps compa nies in reducing labour expenses and in return increase their earnings (Skrabec 2013, p. 33). Despite the aforementioned benefits that come with lean manufacturing, there are various barriers that prevent organisations from fully implementing it in their manufacturing processes. The capital cost requirements of emission control and waste management are extremely high with long payback period (Worrell & Vesilind, 2012, p. 88). This makes it very difficult for most companies as this translates into higher product prices which would drive away potential customers. In other instances the capital input exceeds the direct economic gains thus frustrating the successful implementation of green manufacturing. The other barrier is that the manufacturing industry relies on certain technologies and processes that may cause undesirable effects but cannot be ignored like the volatile organic compound used in automotive manufacturing. Waste management (use of recycling and reuse) Waste management entails reducing the amount of waste that the manufacturing industry disposes on the environment (Ku?hnle 2010, p. 96). In reusing and recycling of waste products, the manufacturing industry reuses old or waste products to produce new products. Waste management reduces environmental pollution, energy usage, air pollution, water pollution and consumption of fresh raw materials by reducing the reliance on conventional waste disposal (Hesselbach & Herrmann 2011, p. 54). The manufacturing firms should therefore aim at reducing waste at each and every phase of the production process. The first step is to identify the areas where waste is high in the manufacturing process and then find out what needs to be recycled using cost benefit analysis. Nikon has successfully managed to do this and is recycling its wastes to produce new products. Recycling of old products is important because it helps in environmental conservation. Reusing of resources relaxes the strain placed on n atural resources which are increasingly getting depleted. The other advantage of recycling old products is that it reduces energy consumption (Shina 2008, p. 65). The manufacturing process uses large amounts of energy in processing the raw materials into finished products. Recycling helps the manufacturing companies in minimising energy consumption which is important for massive production like refining and mining. In addition to this, it also makes the production process effective in terms of cost which raises the margins for the manufacturers (Association for Manufacturing Excellence 2008, p. 162). Although product recycling is very beneficial to the manufacturers, there are some barriers that hamper the successful implementation of recycling old products in the manufacturing process. The first barrier is that the recycling process is not always cost effective because at times companies are forced to open up new factories thus raising their operational costs (Wang et al 2011, p. 2 2). A new factory by itself may even cause more pollution in terms of transportation, cleaning and storage. Other than operational challenges, the other major limitation of recycling is that the recycled products are not always as durable as the original products. Products made from trashed waste are cheap and less durable and may not generate sustainable revenue for organisations like other products. Key lessons learnt and how these can be used to improve the future Both lean manufacturing and waste reuse are important in reducing wastes that emanate from the manufacturing processes. Lean manufacturing should be used in eliminating wastages in the production process in order to ensure that organisations minimise operational costs. However, the findings reveal that both methods should be implemented in the manufacturing process in order to improve the waste management in mechanical engineering. Key conclusions and recommendations Waste management should be included in all the stages of the manufacturing process in order to ensure sustainability in engineering. Owing to the fact that the quality of recycled products is often lower than the other original products, it is recommendable to embrace lean manufacturing in order to ensure that wastages are eliminated in the production process. References Association for Manufacturing Excellence (U.S.) (2008). Green manufacturing: Case studies in lean and sustainability. New York: Productivity Press. Davim, J. P. (2013). Green manufacturing processes and systems. Heidelberg: Springer. Dornfeld, D. (2010). Green Manufacturing: Fundamentals and Applications. Berlin: Springer US. Hesselbach, J., & Herrmann, C. (2011). Glocalized Solutions for Sustainability in Manufacturing: Proceedings of the 18th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, Technische Universita?t Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, May 2nd – 4th, 2011. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Green Manufacturing, & Li, S. (2010). Mechanical engineering and green manufacturing: Selected, peer reviewed papers from the International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Green Manufacturing (MEGM) 2010, November 19-22, 2010, in Xiangtan, China. Stafa-Zurich: TTP, Trans Tech Publications. Ku?hnle, H. (2010). Distributed manufacturing: Paradigm, concepts, solutions and examples. London: Springer. Rynn, J. (2010). Manufacturing green prosperity: The power to rebuild the American middle class. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger. Shina, S. G. (2008). Green electronics design and manufacturing: Implementing lead-free and RoHS-compliant global products. New York: McGraw-Hill. Skrabec, Q. R. (2013). The green vision of Henry Ford and George Washington Carver: Two collaborators in the cause of clean industry. New York: Productivity Press. Wang, L., & Koh, S. C. L. (2010). Enterprise networks and logistics for agile manufacturing. London: Springer. Wang, L., Ng, A. H. C., Deb, K., & SpringerLink (2011). Multi-objective evolutionary optimisation for product design and manufacturing. London: Springer. Worrell, W. A., & Vesilind, P. A. (2012). Solid waste engineering. Australia: Cengage Learning.

Untouchables essays

Untouchables essays During the film The Untouchables, it is easy to see the violence of the gangs that were around in the time of Prohibition. The theme of gang violence is evident in the reading of Prohibition: The Lie of the Land, but not so much in Ardent Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Prohibition was put in to practice in the passing of the 18th Amendment in 1919. The Volstead act, which it was named, made it illegal to drink and make alcohol. It was thought that in making alcohol illegal it would make the country of America a better and safer place to live in. But the reaction was not what was expected. People found ways to get alcohol weather it be by smuggling it in form other countries or making their own. There was rise violence as especially within gangs that were at war with each other over bootlegging. The reading that have been set are Prohibition: The Lie of the Land, by Sean Dennis Cashman, and Ardent Spirits: the Rise and Fall of Prohibition, by John Kobler. These two readings inform the reader about what happen during the years of Prohibition from the 1920 to the early 1930s. The first, Law of the Land, is centred on prohibition in the city of Chicago. It concentrated mostly on the gangsters that made millions out of prohibition, like Al Capone and Johnny Torrio. The other, Ardent Spirits focus more on various cities in America and how everyday people were still able to get the hands on alcohol weather buying it from speakeasies or making their own. The readings give a more in depth look at the under world of crime and the gangsters that were also seen in the movie The Untouchables. In Cashmans reading he focuses mainly on the city of Chicago and the gangsters that were involved in the bootlegging business, such as Al Capone and Jim Colosimo. Cashman gives background information on Capone and the beer wars...

Information on the Computer-Based GED Test

Information on the Computer-Based GED Test In 2014, the GED Testing Service, the only official keeper of the GED test in the United States, a division of the American Council on Education, converted the official GED test to a computer-based version for the first time. However, its important to realize that computer-based is not the same thing as online. GED Testing Service states that the test is no longer an endpoint for adults, but rather a springboard for further education, training, and better-paying jobs. The latest version of the test has four assessments: Literacy (reading and writing)MathematicsScienceSocial Studies The scoring system provides a profile of scores that includes a students strengths and areas of needed improvement for each of the four assessments. This scoring system gives non-traditional students the opportunity to demonstrate job and college readiness through an endorsement that can be added to the GED credential. How the Change Came About For several years, the GED Testing Service worked closely with many different education and career experts while making the changes it sought. Some of the groups involved in the research and decisions: High schoolsTwo- and four-year colleges and universitiesEmployersNational Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)Adult educators from around the countryNational Center for Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc.Educational Policy Improvement Center at University of OregonEducation Division of ACTInstitute for Education Leadership and Policy Its easy to see that a high-level of research went into the changes in the 2014 GED test. The assessment targets are based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Texas and Virginia, as well as career-readiness and college-readiness standards. All of the changes are based on evidence of effectiveness. The bottom line, the GED Testing Service states, is that a GED test-passer must remain competitive with students who complete their high school credentials in the traditional manner. Computers Offer Variety in Testing Methods The switch to computer-based testing allowed the GED Testing Service to incorporate different testing methods not possible with paper and pencil. For example, the Literacy Test includes text ranging from 400 to 900 words, and 6 to 8 questions in a variety of formats, including: Multiple choice itemsBrief short answer itemsSeveral different types of technology-enhanced itemsCloze items embedded in passages (multiple response options that appear in a drop-down menu)One 45-minute extended response item Other opportunities provided by computer-based testing are the ability to include graphics with hot spots, or sensors, a test-taker can click on to provide answers to a question, drag-and-drop items, and split screens so the student can page through longer texts while keeping an essay on the screen. Resources and Study Help The GED Testing Service provides documents and webinars to educators across the country to prepare them for administering the GED test. Students have access to programs designed not only to prepare them for the test but to help them excel at it. There is also a transition network that supports and links adults with postsecondary education, training, and career opportunities, providing them a chance to earn a sustainable living wage. Whats On the Computer-Based GED Test? The computer-based GED test from GED Testing Service developed in 2014 had four parts: Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) (150 minutes)Mathematical Reasoning (90 minutes)Science (90 minutes)Social Studies (90 minutes) Its worth repeating that while students take the test on a computer, the test is not an online test. You must take the test at an official GED testing facility. You can find the testing centers for your location via state-by-state listing of adult education websites. There are seven types of test items on the exam: Drag-and-dropDrop-downFill-in-the-blankHot spotMultiple choice (4 options)Extended response (Found in RLA and Social Studies. Students read and analyze a document and write a response using evidence from the document.)Short answer (Found in RLA and Science. Students write a summary or conclusion after reading a text.) Sample questions are available on the GED Testing Service site. The test is available in English and Spanish, and you can take each part up to three times in a one-year period.

Service marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Service marketing - Essay Example But the storm had hit the hardest by the end of 2008 when the bank had lost both its CEO and Chairman on 19th December, 2008. Ireland was shocked by one of its greatest financial scandal which led Mr. Sean Fitzpatrick, Chairman-AIB and Mr. David Drumm, CEO-AIB to resign thereby leaving behind a scar of undisclosed loan to the tune of â‚ ¬87 million. Though it was apparent that these loans didn’t have any illegal intention as well as consequence, the Financial Regulator had observed that the actions that were taken in order to transfer them were inappropriate (Farrell, 2008). On 15th January, 2009, the Irish Government took the decision not to recapitalize AIB, but to nationalize it (Collins, 2009). On the next day AIB’s shares were shelved and the Government rejected its previous decision of injecting cash to revive the scandal stricken bank (O’Brien, 2009). At the wake of 2009 AIB had fallen from the status of Ireland’s pride to that of a tainted national scandal. Its woes have continued throughout last year and even in 2010 the bank is struggling with a multitude of wide ranging issues such as serious lack of transparency and legislative complications (Ihle, 2010). The undisputed strengths of AIB are its rich heritage and corporate experience. The bank should retrospect and continuously learn from itself. Though it has entered into an unfavorable phase, yet owing to its inherent strengths, AIB can reposition itself as the pride of Ireland. On account of being nationalized AIB has got an opportunity to appease its customers to some extent. It should make optimum use of this chance and implement strategies to reposition itself as a premier financial institution. The most significant threat that AIB faces in the current situation is that of uncertainty. The bank has lost its credibility and hence will be under constant public vigilance. AIB should adopt

How to Improve China's International Trade Essay

How to Improve China's International Trade - Essay Example International trade in China nowadays is the most developed form of international contacts. The Chinese international turnover during the years of reforms has grown from $10 billion in 1978 to $325 billion in 1997 (the positive balance equals to more than $40 billion). By the international trade volume China now takes the third place in the world, with its export and import in 2005 equaling to $1422.1 billion. (Lloyd 2006, p. 389) More than 220 countries have international trade relations with China, among which are USA, Japan, European Union, Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Australia and Canada. On July 1st, 2004 China adopted a new law 'About International Trade'. With the aim of stimulating the international trade, this law has replaced the regime of considering and registering the right for carrying out external economic operations for the simple system of registration, and there have been created strict regulations, relating to import and export of goods and technologies, international s ervice trade, international trade order, as well as the protection of copyright according to the abovementioned order. (Garnaut & Song 2005, p. 27) The dependence of Chinese economy on the international trade has grown significantly, which witnesses about its deep involvement into the world international ties and processes. Though China takes the third place in the world economy by the international trade volume, its weight in it can still become higher. The main obstacle for this is the low quality of the bigger portion of the goods, produced by the processing industry, which don't survive the rivalry of the similar products on the world market, and the absence of possibilities for increasing the raw materials export. The main task of the Chinese export policy is the providing of import financing, which is built with the account of the international conjuncture. The main efforts are directed at stimulating predominant growth of finished goods' export with the growing portion of science-heavy products; these processes are accompanied by achieving the quality of goods, which will correspond to the international quality standards . Considerable growth has been achieved in the total volume of finished goods' export, which by the beginning of 90s constituted already 2/3 of the Chinese export. The first place in export (50%) belongs to the consumer goods, among which clothes, shoes, toys, etc. An important place in the international trade of China is taken by the raw materials processing with the further export of the finished products - it constitutes about 50% of the total country's turnover. China is the leader in exporting textiles and silk. Textile industry is the main source of foreign income for China. (Kent 2002, p. 344) Less than 20% of export accounts for machine building and electro technical products. The growth of the specific gravity of these products in the world export is being restricted by the fact, that their quality is not competitive with that of other suppliers. The portion of Chinese machine building in the world export does not exceed 0.3%. (Manilla Bulletin 2005, p. 12) The structure of the international trade in China was described here to decide, what challenges are set in front of Chinese economy and foreign trade as the essential part in its development. The definition and determination of challenges will lead us to the definition of