Filter Innovations Inc Case

2008 > John Dragasevich (president), small water filtration company based out of Toronto, Ontario, considering expansion, increasingly strict regulations on wastewater management implemented by government, invest in new technology (membrane biological reactors)? Industry: > increased demand for water and water treatment, trend expected to continue > market projections reaching $348 billion > demand growing for safe drinking water in developing countries > sustainability challenges and advancements in environmental regulation result in growth of demand for higher water treatment standards > 2008, 1. billion without drinking water, 2. 4 billion not connected to wastewater systems > 40% projected increase in water consumption by 2025, 1/3 of world population affected by water shortage > in Canada, more than $2 billion in sales > largest consumers – municipalities, both products and services > significant portion of market – industrial Competition: > dominated by 2 large mu tli-national companies ( Siemens water tech and Zenon membrane solutions) > competition targeted large users of filtration systems (corporation and municipalities) requiring over 1 million litres/day > Siemens – 2. million in revenue, 6000 employees (150 R&D), serve more than 90% of fortune 500 manufacturing companies, around 100,000 industrial consumers, parent company Siemens AG over 100 billion electronics and engineering company in over 190 countries with 428,000 people, leader in innovation > Zenon – owned by GE, provided a complete range of filtration processes, offered broadest product line in industry, over 100 years of experience, over 300,000 employees in over 100 countries, publically traded with 18 million in revenue > smaller competitors, specialize in niche market, offer sales and support on a specific type of filtration and treatment product Environment: have to meet provincial regulations based on standards set by federal legislation > some environmenta l legislation required wastewater treatment > discharge limits for sewer use, storm sewers, and groundwater seepage; limits vary regionally > wastewater dumped for use of a fertilizer must be treated > stricter legislation raising environmental standards required by companies > many companies require certificate of approval from ministry of environment and energy, validating compliance with all guidelines Filter Innovations Inc: > dragasevich studied marine biology, worked for major supplier of filter presses in NA > extensive experience in industrial process and environmental products, sales manager with GAF (industry leader for filter vessels and bag filters) > 1992, founded Filter Innovations Company: > small industrial water filtration company identifies and supplies treatment solutions for groundwater, wastewater, process water and air > evaluated client`s needs and design appropriate system to meet need, develop and build system, install it, monitor it regularly, offer product support > supplies wide range of environmental products to support filtration systems > goal – prioritize social and environmental responsibilities at all times to ensure that actions positively influence both the community and environment > ongoing R&D development of new technologies for new products and systems; important to be recognized as being at forefront of the leading technology > employs 14 people, sales representatives, technology engineers & technicians, administrative staff > alliance with firms acting as distributors of its products and systems across NA with few sales in Europe and SA > serves 500 clients, FII equipment operational in over 1500 business sites; 80% sales in Canada, 15% sales in US, 5% sales outside of NA > wants to be recognized as primary supplier of environmental equipment and products, offers simple, innovative solutions for air and water treatment; wants to be one-stop shop for all filtration needs, offering timely and cost-effective soluti ons Calco Group: > 2006, FII purchased by CEG (identifies and acquires environmental companies that were leading suppliers of its specific products) > membership with Calco allowed companies to share resources, networks, and knowledge > MLE (groundwater remediation) offers similar products as FII; MLE benefit from sales expertise; FII able to capitalize on MLE strong manufacturing focus Operations: high focus on sales/technical knowledge; high customer-centric outlook; flexibility in meeting needs of customer key to success; unique/comprehensive business structure (engineering, manufacturing, and distributing of various filtration products and systems > commodity products in inventory for quick sale (filter media, off-the-shelf filtration units), other products ordered from suppliers as needed (keep inventory investments and storage costs low) > advantageous membership with CEG and strong supplier networks > customized systems – engage in collaborative design efforts with cli ents and engineers; once designed, system built by manufacturing alliances then installed and supported by FII > offers rental and leasing option; three types interested in this – those who want to test a system before purchase, those who need it for a specific time period only, and those who want to finance system through regular instalment payments Sales: > about 65% of revenues from sale of individual products; customized products represent 35% of sales Consumers: 2 reason for demand – companies pollute above regulated level obligated to avoid environmental penalties; companies recognize opportunity to save money by cleaning/recycling wastewater by reducing disposal costs; demand ranges from short-term, quick-fix to long-term consultation/installation (ongoing monitoring and support) > tend to focus on projects requiring less that 1 million litres/day; able to provide personalized support; larger companies don’t find these projects profitable, less competitio n > customers in 2 equal groups – environmental consulting companies/distributors on behalf of their clients; end users (buy direct from FII) Environmental consultants: > analyse clients’ wastewater treatment needs, recommend solution and help implement it; after assessing need, issue request for RFP from each vendor, use industry expertise to recommend best option for client End user: > no internal capability, FII identify needs, build custom solution to fix problem (incorporating restrictions); if commodity products much more price sensitive choose vendor with lowest price, for custom products price less of a concern and willing to pay; learn through tradeshows, advertising, word-of-mouth, and industry reputation MBR: new, stricter government regulations meant that company’s existing wastewater treatment designs did not meet new guidelines; faced with decision of whether to expand into MBR market > MBR – new technology for wastewater treatment, allow fo r water re-use; different application than FII > MBR designed to treat biological wastewater, predict that MBR system will be used to add reverse osmosis to make water safe for portable water consumption > Europe leading in development > currently best environmental option; FII would benefit from MBR sales and advanced knowhow/expertise with respect to manufacturing, engineering, building, and supporting new systems Potential Customer base: MBR system would be important factor for FII’s profitability; treating wastewater under 10,000 litres/day means government approval to pass building code > testing costs (one time) $200,000; over that volume company only needs certificate of approval available at no cost as customer would pay fee based on percentage of system cost > FII fearful of competition, FII need to target and seek out contracts that would be profitable but not attractive to large competitors MBR competition: > Sanitherm (subsidiary of Peak energy services based in w estern Canada and direct competition with FII, provides turnkey solutions, built, installed and operate various products/systems, hold 3% of MBR market, sold water and wastewater treatment systems globally) > Enviroquip (division of Eimco Water Technologies, hold 30% of MBR market share in NA, operates in Texas, specializes in design and manufacturing, offers full range of equipment for water pollution control, advanced waste treatment, water treatment and sludge handling) Potential Expansion: reputation with MBR will take a while to build, expect sales to be minimal to start but will grow; sales could reach a high of $500,000 (before installation) in 1st year, reaching several million in following years > additional revenues (half of each system) for installation paid at beginning with allowance of 90 days COGS > MBR cost average of 35% f system sale (20% for membrane and 80% for fabrication) > membrane purchase from supplier (SGR AQUIRIS in Europe), minimum start-up membrane inven tory of $25,000 on hand and had to pay cash upon receipt > fabrication components bought from member of Calco, extended credit terms and alwys paid in 60 day, transportation paid for by FII and cost 5% of COGS Other Expenses: need to hire technology expert ($48,000), and support person ($38,000) > dragsevich and other managers have to co-ordinate with suppliers and customers to monitor new business in terms of R&D; 20% of time spent on MBRs ($30,000) > more space needed for inventory and personnel, operates in facility that allows for lease of additional adjacent units for expansion; $2,250/month/unit; utility $180/month > important to brand itself properly to gain recognition as reliable supplier of MBR business; planned an additional $6,400 annually MBR marketing > need to purchase software modelling program for $18,000, beneficial for 3 years and amortized using straight-line with zero salvage value > paid for advertising, attends tradeshows, provided articles; 25% of costs would directly relate to new MBR business; plan to subscribe to various publications, advertise and attend tradeshows that specialize in MBR; if sales reached 1 million would need to hire s MBR sales manager ($70,000) Conclusion: is it right time to get into MBR? Wise investment? Sales projection may be overly optimistic and it could vary highly depending on ability to brand itself

Green Thought By Jon Stallworthy Reading Response Essays

Green Thought By Jon Stallworthy Reading Response Essays Green Thought By Jon Stallworthy Reading Response Paper Green Thought By Jon Stallworthy Reading Response Paper Essay Topic: Poetry Green Thought by Jon Stallworthy is an interesting and valuable poem about love. During my essay I will justify why Green Thought is a worthy poem to be entered into a young students poem anthology. The poem is an excellent choice because of Stallworthys choice of characters, imagery and his skill in showing the power that love has to heal. Within the poem, Stallworthy tells a story of love and death. Written in first person narrative, the poet describes an old man as he reminisces about his wife during the good times, and bad. Ultimately, the young poet learns a valuable lesson about love through the experiences of this old man. The story within the poem is one of my reasons for choosing this poem as it is about a mature romance, so young adults would benefit and learn a lot about love from it. The poem also shows us that life is a very precious thing so we should live our life to the very best we can, as we cannot predict what will happen in the future. But most of all, teenagers would benefit from the hope the story conveys. It gives hope that in any bad situation we can anticipate and expect good events to follow. : Despite being a story of mature love, which may seem to be an unusual subject for younger readers to enjoy, the lesson learned about love in the poem is very relevant. It gives readers the hope and expectations that love can have the power to heal pain. Seen through the eyes of the young poet, it helps the young students to relate to the story through Stallworthys perceptions of events. Similar to the young readers, the poet admits to not know much about love, so the theme of the story could be very educational. I expect that Stallworthys perspective of the old man would also be similar to the readers. His observations are very reliable as he conveys that we learn from older and more experienced people, as that is where our perception of life comes from. The poet effectively creates a variety of different images during the course of the poem. From the opening lines I knew the comparison between love and grass was definitely effective. He has described love as common as grass. From this image, I imagined that what was meant by it, is love is everywhere. Even though it may sometimes refuse to take root on a lawn, which means that even when you cannot seem to receive or give love when and where you want, it will always appear very unexpectedly. Love is a constantly growing factor in life. Not only is love a positive and significant occurrence, it is also able to split asphalt. This image tells us that love is very destructive. Love also has the ability to bury a bombsite. This means that love is a very effective healer and can cover over hurt. Being able to grow in any ditch, niche or gutter, shows love is persistently surrounding us, even between the most unlikely of couples. The realistic portrayal of the characters throughout the story is another reason for choosing the poem. The old man in the story is conveyed as a well dressed and mannerly man with his scrupulous tweeds and courtesy, and someone who we would regard as a grandfather figure. I feel that we are able to look up to him and that many people will be able to relate to his personality and description as of that of someone they know. When he is dressed up he is described as part of the ritual tea while he remembers a girl, not yet his wife and how happy things used to be. The readers would be able to feel compassion for the old man at this point in the poem. The portrayal of his wife is two sided. In the good times, she is regarded as a happy character, who runs for more tea into the singing kitchen. The personification of the kitchen is an effective way of an example of how happy she was. However, the image of her is soon changed to that of a gaunt, tragedy queen. This is a very dramatic image of her as an unhappy person which is a very reliable description as the man only had selective memories of her as a princess not nineteen and he only remembered the good times. Tears and agonies, that even the doctors could not understand backs up my earlier view of a mental illness and shows her depressive moods. I imagine being around her at this point would be quite traumatic as the last tantrum ended by her hand. This childlike connotation and the repetitiveness of the word conveys some kind of mental illness and uncontrolled emotions that she had. It is shown how important this love is to the man by the ritual of the Sunday afternoons. This religious imagery is then continued with the woman; as he loved her so much he even worshipped her in a religious sense. The shrine this is continues the imagery as a shrine is seen as a religious and special place, and I think that as this ritual was so important to him, it actually became like a religion. The effective descriptions, images and lessons learned from the legend of the funeral in the poem are definitely very positive reasons for choosing this poem. He is described to be brought to the brink of her graveside. This makes me imagine he is physically brought face to face with what he refuses to accept, but also that he is mentally brought to the end of her life and the funeral makes it all final. Again, imagery is used to expose emotion. Healed with fine snow, is a perfect example, in that the snow is healing the pain of the mourners. The personification of every tree in sight bowing a moonlit head illustrates that even the trees were respecting her death by bowing in sympathy with him. In some way, the old man is protected by love. The snow falls by bandaging the bruised earth. This means that love acts like a bandage to a temporary scar. As the old mans love for his wife was so powerful, it was able to bandage the pain that she is gone. The snow has even more effect by being so peaceful and tranquil. It made the circumstances seem less harsh and eased the pain slightly. Due to Stallworthys excellent use of imagery, description and characters, I have learned a lot about love. I have learned that even in the most damaging, painful situations, love will always have the power to heal pain. In particular, the poets character analysis has given me very high expectations about love and marriage. The old man is a perfect example of how love should be. The vows made in marriage were certainly kept in his case. He loved his wife in sickness and in health, no matter how bad it seemed he did not leave her; this is true love. In conclusion, I definitely believe that this poem is suitable to be included in a poetry anthology for young students, simply because it gives hope, expectations and explanations of what love is and any young reader would benefit from the lessons learned about love in this poem.

Battle of New Orleans in the American Civil War

Battle of New Orleans in the American Civil War The capture of New Orleans by Union forces occurred during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and saw Flag Officer David G. Farragut run his fleet past Forts Jackson and St. Philip on April 24, 1862 before capturing New Orleans the following day. Early in the Civil War, Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott devised the Anaconda Plan for defeating the Confederacy. A hero of the Mexican-American War, Scott called for the blockade of the Southern coast as well as the capture of the Mississippi River. This latter move was designed to split the Confederacy in two and prevent supplies from moving east and west. To New Orleans The first step to securing the Mississippi was the capture of New Orleans. The Confederacys largest city and busiest port, New Orleans was defended by two large forts, Jackson and St. Philip, situated on the river below the city (Map). While forts had historically held an advantage over naval vessels, successes in 1861 at Hatteras Inlet and Port Royal led Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus V. Fox to believe that an attack up the Mississippi would be feasible. In his view, the forts could be reduced by naval gunfire and then assaulted by a relatively small landing force. Foxs plan was initially opposed by US Army general-in-chief George B. McClellan who believed that such an operation would require 30,000 to 50,000 men. Viewing a prospective expedition against New Orleans as a diversion, he was unwilling to release large numbers of troops as he was planning what would become the Peninsula Campaign. To obtain the needed landing force, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles approached  Major General Benjamin Butler. A political appointee, Butler was able to use his connections to secure 18,000 men and received command of the force on February 23, 1862. Fast Facts: Capture of New Orleans Conflict: American Civil War (1861-1865)Dates: April 24, 1862Armies Commanders:UnionFlag Officer David G. Farragut17 warships19 mortar boatsConfederateMajor General Mansfield LovellForts Jackson St. Philip2 ironclads, 10 gunboats Farragut The task of eliminating the forts and taking the city fell to Flag Officer David G. Farragut. A long-serving officer who had taken part in the War of 1812 and Mexican-American War, he had been raised by Commodore David Porter following the death of his mother. Given command of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron in January 1862, Farragut arrived at his new post the following month and established a base of operations on Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi. In addition to his squadron, he was provided with a fleet of mortar boats led by his foster brother, Commander David D. Porter, who had the ear of Fox. Assessing the Confederate defenses, Farragut initially planned to reduce the forts with mortar fire before advancing his fleet up the river. Rear Admiral David G. Farragut. US Naval History and Heritage Command   Preparations Moving to the Mississippi River in mid-March, Farragut began moving his ships over the bar at its mouth. Here complications were encountered as the water proved three feet shallower than expected.  As a result, the steam frigate USS Colorado (52 guns) had to be left behind. Rendezvousing at Head of Passes, Farraguts ships and Porters mortar boats moved up the river towards the forts. Arriving, Farragut was confronted by Forts Jackson and St. Philip, as well as a chain barricade and four smaller batteries. Sending forward a detachment from the US Coast Survey, Farragut made determinations on where to place the mortar fleet. Confederate Preparations From the outset of the war, plans for the defense of New Orleans were hampered by the fact that the Confederate leadership in Richmond believed that the greatest threats to the city would come from the north. As such, military equipment and manpower were shifted up the Mississippi to defensive points such as Island Number 10.  In southern Louisiana, the defenses were commanded by Major General Mansfield Lovell who had his headquarters in New Orleans. Immediate oversight of the forts fell to Brigadier General Johnson K. Duncan. Supporting the static defenses were the River Defense Fleet consisting of six gunboats, two gunboats from the Louisiana Provisional Navy, as well as two gunboats from the Confederate Navy and the ironclads CSS Louisiana (12) and CSS Manassas (1). The former, while a powerful ship, was not complete and was used as a floating battery during the battle. Though numerous, the Confederates forces on the water lacked a unified command structure. Reducing the Forts Though skeptical about their effectiveness in reducing the forts, Farragut advanced Porters mortar boats on April 18.  Firing non-stop for five days and nights, the mortars pounded the forts, but were unable to completely disable their batteries. As the shells rained down, sailors from USS Kineo (5), USS Itasca (5), and USS Pinola (5) rowed forward and opened a gap in the chain barricade on April 20. On April 23, Farragut, impatient with the bombardments results, began planning to run his fleet past the forts. Ordering his captains to drape their vessels in chain, iron plate, and other protective materials, Farragut divided the fleet into three sections for the coming action (Map). There were led by Farragut and Captains Theodorus Bailey and Henry H. Bell. Running the Gauntlet At 2:00 AM on April 24, the Union fleet began moving upstream, with the first division, led by Bailey, coming under fire an hour and fifteen minutes later. Racing ahead, the first division was soon clear of the forts, however Farraguts second division encountered more difficulty. As his flagship, USS Hartford (22) cleared the forts, it was forced to turn to avoid a Confederate fire raft and ran aground. Seeing the Union ship in trouble, the Confederates redirected the fire raft towards Hartford causing a fire to break out on the vessel. Moving quickly, the crew extinguished the flames and was able to back the ship out of the mud. USS Hartford (1858). US Naval History Heritage Command Above the forts, the Union ships encountered the River Defense Fleet and Manassas. While the gunboats were easily dealt with, Manassas attempted to ram USS Pensacola (17) but missed. Moving downstream, it was accidentally fired upon by the forts before moving to strike USS Brooklyn (21). Ramming the Union ship, Manassas failed to strike a fatal blow as it hit Brooklyns full coal bunkers. By the time the fighting ended, Manassas was downstream of the Union fleet and unable to make enough speed against the current to ram effectively. As a result, its captain ran it aground where it was destroyed by Union gun fire. The City Surrenders Having successfully cleared the forts with minimal losses, Farragut began steaming upstream to New Orleans. Arriving off the city on April 25, he immediately demanded its surrender. Sending a force ashore, Farragut was told by the mayor that only Major General Lovell could surrender the city. This was countered when Lovell informed the mayor that he was retreating and that the city was not his to surrender. After four days of this, Farragut ordered his men to hoist the US flag over the customs house and city hall. During this time, the garrisons of the Forts Jackson and St. Philip, now cut off from the city, surrendered. On May 1, Union troops under Butler arrived to take official custody of the city. Aftermath The battle to capture New Orleans cost Farragut a mere 37 killed and 149 wounded. Though he was initially unable to get all of his fleet past the forts, he succeeded in getting 13 ships upstream which enabled him to capture the Confederacys greatest port and center of trade. For Lovell, the fighting along the river cost him around 782 killed and wounded, as well as approximately 6,000 captured. The loss of the city effectively ended Lovells career. After the fall of New Orleans, Farragut was able to take control of much of the lower Mississippi and succeeded in capturing Baton Rouge and Natchez. Pressing upstream, his ships reached as far as Vicksburg, MS before being halted by Confederate batteries. After attempting a brief siege, Farragut withdrew back down the river to prevent being trapped by falling water levels.

Don't Leave Home Without an Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Don't Leave Home Without an Education - Essay Example These children have the freedom to study at their own pace, which usually outpaces their public educated counterparts. Moreover, the parents have the opportunity to teach material and coursework that is not offered in the local public school system. Though some may say that children develop more social skills in a classroom setting, this has not been born out by research and in fact has indicated the opposite to be true. The ability to teach your children at their own pace, in a wider array of interesting topics, and cultivate their unique socialization, makes homeschooling a welcome alternative to public schooling. In a classroom setting with 25 other children, the pace of instruction is usually set by the slowest learners. The brighter students are often ignored as they compete for the teacher's scarce time. However, home schooling offers individual instruction designed around the child's interests and abilities. Grade school children can be offered physics, astronomy, and geometry in a setting that makes the introduction to these subjects possible. Subjects usually reserved for middle school can be taught much sooner in a home setting where the student receives the individual instruction that is necessary to excel. Along with learning at a pace that is unhampered by limited teacher attention, the parent and student can decide what subjects to learn.

Organization, timing and personal accountability Statement

Organization, timing and accountability - Personal Statement Example Lack of prioritizing will affect my career in business since I will not know when and where to concentrate my efforts. As such, this will be an obstacle in my career. Lack of priorities may make it hard for me to balance different aspects of my life. Be it social life, work life and even family life. I will end up wasting a lot of time on things that are not important and neglect the important things (like in this case where I forgot to hand in my syllabus contract). This will affect my work schedule and as such, I may be late in submitting critical projects, which may end up making me lose my job or worse of all, make me spoil my professional career. In order to make sure I do not repeat the same mistake twice, I will use the following strategies. I will make a â€Å"things to do list† that will enable me prioritize my tasks from the most important to the least important. This will help me avoid procrastination since I will include in the â€Å"to do list† when the tasks are due. I also plan to set my own personal goals. These will guide me in time management as well as give me a clear vision that I will work towards. My personal goal for this course will be to work extra hard and submit my assignments on time. I also want to have a clear strategy on how will manage distractions. Distractions make me lose a lot of time when performing tasks and affect my ability to concentrate. I will also be dividing large tasks into smaller tasks and avoid many commitments. I will also create a clear timeline of how I will be scheduling my tasks. This will help me manage time as I will be scheduling to complete the most important tasks when am energized and a lot of bonus time. I will also avoid procrastination, multitasking and ensure that I take a break when performing large tasks. Organization, personal accountability and timeliness can make a business successful. These pillars are important for any business and are the pillars of a successful business.

DECA- Commissary Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

DECA- Commissary - Research Paper Example The particular organization operates in the context of the US Department of Defense. Since its first appearance, DECA Commissary had to face the following problem: ethics related to the organization’s activities were often not appropriately promoted. For addressing this issue effectively, the organization’s managers decided to establish an ethical environment for others and introduce a plan for developing Positive Ethos across the organization. These efforts are described below using relevant literature, where necessary, for evaluating the appropriateness of the measures taken. It is proved that the organizational initiatives for the incorporation of ethics in the organizational culture have been successful but minor improvements would be made so that the high performance of the organization in regard to ethics is standardized. DECA Commissary - investigation of practices Company Overview DECA Commissary is an organization aiming to promote a particular plan: the provis ion of grocery to American Military, not only to the active members of the Military but also the retirees, at cost prices (DECA Commissary Overview). In this way, the Commissary helps the members of the Military to make a plan of living and to be released from stress related to the costs related to the particular type of food. According to the organization’s website, ‘the authorized patrons purchase items at cost plus a 5 percent surcharge’ (DECA Commissary Overview). As a result, the members of American Military and their family can enjoy a life of high quality, as possible, a fact that helps them to increase their readiness towards the challenges that they have to face daily (DECA Commissary Overview). The organization’s success up today is highly based on its ethical environment, which is based on certain principles, such as ‘excellence in quality, sense of urgency, high standards and innovation’ (DECA Commissary Mission, Vision, Values). E stablishing an Ethical Environment For Others The promotion of ethics within organizations has a series of benefits for stakeholders; reference is made in particular to those individuals who support the organization’s plans, i.e. employees, suppliers and shareholders, but also to those affected by the organization’s activities, such as the state and the public in general (Brown 2005). In practice, it has been proved that establishing an ethical environment in organizations can result to a series of benefits, such as ‘the improvement of society, the increase of productivity and teamwork and the promotion of ethical education as part of the organization’s strategies’ (Fernando 393). For Collins (2009) the criterion for considering a behavior as ethical is the following one: the particular action needs to have ‘an ethical motive and ethical consequences’ (Collins 5). In the context of organizations the above view would be translated as fol lows: a business plan would be ethical if the motives of its designers are ethical and if the consequences of the plan are expected to be ethical. In business environment, ethics is a concept related not just to society, i.e. morals, but also to business, i.e. ethical conduct. DECA Commissary has managed to establish an ethical environment for others through the following practices: a) at a first level, the organization tries to ensure that the members of the

Managing Communication: Knowledge and Information

Managing Communication: Knowledge and Information In the background of twenty first century, the firms are competing with each other in this challenging and complex environment. It is transformed by numerous factors such as diffusion of technologies, technological development, and information technology along with the use of right knowledge (Hitt, Keats, DeMarie, 1998). This landscape requires every firm to act differently to flourish and survive. For that they have look for new resources of the competitive advantage and some new forms of competition. This it requires the proper understanding of information, knowledge and the proper communication process for gaining competitive advantage. Information is required and it acts as the back bone of the todays business and vital part of large business firms. The massive storage of data needs the purposes from the decision making processes to risk management process. Ernst Young have adopted the combination of information, knowledge and communication ties strategic themes on the basis of globalization such as operational excellence, clients, financial stability and people. This firm confines and takes action on the knowledge within their organization. Information, knowledge and communication process describes their strategies to ensure that they are acting upon to gaining competitive advantage. This large firm uses ERP for their work so that they have achieved higher operational excellence in their work. They use internet and intranet within their organization and its all offices are interconnected with each other. For carrying out the communication process, they held regular meetings for transferring information form one department to other departments. Thus makes it easy for them to gain competitive advantage by adding strategies to their business growth. The large scale business is globally distributed and having reliable as well as stable infrastructure along with the network administration. Its applications handle and run the fast processing. The information technology has enabled the business firm to offer services well. The business communication process has become very vital for managing business growth as well its success. The Ernst Young Company has achieved efficiency with network-based communications such as email and web presence. These tools have supported the customer support that has grown the companies to compete in the larger markets. Some communication applications have made it easier for the firm to communicate and collaborate efficiently with their clients and customers. Thus there is a strong need of the combination of information, knowledge and communication process in the organization. The firm has gained competitive advantage by establishing and providing professional services. This company has provided a broad collection of services for capturing growth and managing risk just by adopting proper communication process. The information, knowledge and communication plays an important role for gaining competitive advantage and it is a better meaning of providing competitive advantage. They all are required in the tangible form to meet the needs of the company. The companies fail due to its inability for managing these points to meet internal as well as external requirements (Hodgson, 1999). As it s discussed in the previous section, EY has adopted information system for communicating with their clients and customers. The company has achieved efficiency with network-based communications. These tools have supported the customer support that has grown the companies to compete in the larger markets. Thus it helps them to grow in the global market. The company has gained the competitive advantage by achieving excellence at the firms level. What managers are doing to improve decision making by using information and knowledge internally and externally to improve decision making and taking? Answer Generally managers make decision on the basis of their perception, understanding, events and people around them. They can experience some instances where their perception is taken as mistakes. The perception along with the right information and knowledge plays an important role in decision making. But it has suggested that managers may get into some problems that result from wrong perceptions, and are considered as rare and they are often negligible. For any decision to be effective, it should make use of relevant, timely and accurate use of information (Ajayi et al., 2007). Managers work on knowledge based activities while decision making. Broadly these activities are divided into two categories such as process and practice oriented practices. The managers use process oriented approach by getting the tactic knowledge. This knowledge can be taken from formal interviews and meetings. The requirements of knowledge and information are known as an outline of the decisions that are to be proved as effective in decision making. The importance of information has not only been at present, but had played quite an important role even in earlier days as Mudrick Rose (1971) suggested that for an organization to survive, information plays supreme role. Managers gather the knowledge and information from some internal and external sources. On the basis of the available data, they implement it for the decision making. The managers in Ernst Young firm play an important role in decision making and they are having good decision making capabilities. The managers take decision on the basis of collected information and gathered knowledge from internal and external sources. They conduct meeting with their peers, their juniors and with their other executives for better decision making process. By doing this, they can get the information at internal level. Also they collect information from the external sources. They communicate with their clients and customers for getting feedback and for knowing about the needs. In addition to these, the time in todays scenario makes use of various ERPs for information handling. Big giants like Ernst Young make use of these information handling techniques for better decision making process. Even the organizations today make use of software tools such as SAP, which has its own intelligence techniques to recommend for better performance and growth of an organization. Managers use these tools for their decision making and various strategic decisions too. Therefore, the time has changed and the approach of managing situations too has changed. Thus, MIS has been in use increasingly at present times. The technique helps in finding the disturbances that are there within the system to help the management take a step for getting against the problem (Obi, 2003). The first step of any decision making process involves the process to define the problem. Managers need to define the problem that exists within their organization. For this purpose, they arrange meetings with their colleagues to know about the exact situation. Based on the analysis made from the meetings, strategic level of management finds out the exact problem statement within an organization. This problem is then taken as the main factor to collect the information related to it there within the organization (and that existing outside the organization as well). From the information collected, various conclusions are drawn that help in exploration of ways to sort out the situation. The management then makes use of the information along with the problem statement to process the information. This processed information is further made use of to come to the final conclusion by making decisions. What are the strategies to increase personal networking to widen Employees Involvement in the decision-making process? Answer Involvement of employee in decision making process creates the basic need of todays marketplace. Managers make an effort to increase the involvement of employees in the organization. Therefore, the well integrated organization results in better outcomes. There are a number of ways by which an organization makes an effort to increase the employee involvement in decision making process using the personal networking approach. The increased rights given to employee to raise his voice and involve in decision making process helps him attain outcomes (Macleod Bradey, 2004). The strategic management department makes an effort to arrange regular get together there within the organization to raise the number of communication of employees. This raises the strength of relationship of members with each other. This also helps them feel comfortable in working with each other. The employees make an effort to communicate with each other at such instances and get rid of any personal distances. This helps in creation of better relations of employees, which raises the opportunity of better performance. The employees work with each other in a better manner using the personal network (Robinson et al., 2004). Therefore, the importance of personal network cannot be ignored. The personal networking helps in establishing better relations there within the organization. The employee feels comfortable working with the organization, thus acts in favour of the organization. Increased power provided to the employee is the root cause of this change in behaviour. The management shall increasingly favour creative and innovative ideas in the meetings and give the employees an opportunity to represent these ideas in meetings. This would help in better opportunities among employees to participate in organizational activities. Therefore, the decision making opportunities are increased. This would further result in motivation among individuals due to increased importance provided to them. Therefore, the operational activities are improved of individuals. The management enjoys benefits due to this act, as the innovation and creativity gives an opportunity of accomplishment and new insights among individuals. The very common cause of employee leaving an organization to join the other is due to lack of importance provided to the employee. Other factors besides this include promotion and rewards (CIPD, 2007). If an organization gives the individuals an opportunity to participate in decision making process, this helps them motivate to work for the organization. Therefore, the management shall incorporate such a kind of strategy at work place that there are improved personal relations of employees there within the organization, and therefore, results in improved performance for the success and growth. Employees shall give the employees an opportunity to discuss directly with the top management in case of any problem. The problems shall be duly heard by the managers. This would further help in improved personal relations of employees. This would act in favour of individuals as well as organization. The staff would be increasingly active to participate in decision making process. This would act as a strong motivating factor for individuals. In addition to this, the employees shall be given an opportunity to discuss their experience with others. There should not be stiff restrictions at place for the management process. This would ensure better flow of information transfer and communication process. Therefore, would help in betterment of the organizational objectives. One should remember that the retention of top performers is of supreme importance for an organization. Therefore, personal networking should retain the employees for long term success. Develop a communication process to improve the decision making and organizational knowledge for your chosen organization. Answer Decision is considered as the form of a communication which takes social prospects of the people in the organizations (Andersen, 2003). There are three groups of the communication process: temporal prospects to the future, accurate prospects at the organization and social prospects that are directed at the participants in the communication process. Communication process plays supreme role for the success of an organization. There should be thorough communication between the two or more entities to ensure the proper flow of information. For Ernest and Young, it is suggested that managers shall arrange regular meetings with their team to motivate them. The targets shall be clearly stated by the managers (As they are at present), along with the motivational meetings. At present there is a hierarchical process for communication between different staff members. However, it is recommended to make use of the shorter channel. There should be a separate software application at work place to communicate. The staff members shall make use of this application to communicate with each other. This should be more or less like Skype. Therefore, the staff would be able to communicate with each other in a faster manner. This communication shall not restrict to particular group of people, but the integration should be of such an extent that an operator can even communicate with the strategic level of management. Thus, the hierarchical structure would be able to communicate with each other without the limitation of any particular group of people. This would be of help in ensuring that there is faster communication within the organization and the prop er strategic decisions are made. The operational level of staff would be able to communicate with the strategic level, thus helping them getting rid of problem conditions, if any. This would ensure the right use of technology and healthy work flow of the staff operations. Decision is an organizational process and can be created when the decisions are interconnected with each other and that can cause the uncertainty in decision making. It is considered that first decision in the process is no longer evaluated further (Seidl and Becker, 2006). The organization would be able to make better decisions thereon. The management would be able to communicate with each other through a direct channel. Therefore, the chances of miscommunication would reduce greatly. This would help in reduction of problem conditions. The flow of information would take place smoothly through this approach within the organization. This would further result in reduced risks of wrong information transfer. The back- up of whole information transfer, whether audio or textual or video, would be recorded to the main server. Therefore, the details are completely saved to the main database. This would help in reviewing all the discussions done, as and when required. Furthermore, the access of previous discussion would also help in analysing the flaw areas that exist within the complete network of Ernst and Young. The business is expected to grow through this strategy. Increased pace of communication and decision making process would help in attaining better results. The decision makers would thus be able to utilize the previous communication details to know about the approach that had helped them gain in the past. Based on this analysis, they can formulate future strategies for growth. This would help them to minimize the risks and make optimal solution of resources. Thus, the strategy is expected to help them in gaining better results. The organizations revenues are also expected to increase through this strategy. What role Knowledge Management plays in managing organisation strategically? Knowledge enables the companies to compete with each other. Knowledge about the customers, competitors, their strategies is very required. Firms have adopted knowledge management in their organization as the strategic orientation. For an example, low cost strategies are required for cost cutting in the organizations. Lowering prices and shortening of cycle times are some differentiation strategies that add value to the organizations. Thus it differentiates firms from their competition. Organizational knowledge theory tells how the knowledge plays an important role for managing organizations strategically. Organizational knowledge is known as the implicit and explicit knowledge that every individual try to acquire about the products, process and systems. The tactic knowledge can be gained by using the forms of cultures, routines etc and explicit knowledge is gained by some databases and manuals (Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Grant, 1996; Nonaka Takeuchi, 1995). Knowledge management is very critical to achieve competitive advantage. External as well as internal sources are considered as important factors of the firms (Kogut Zander, 1992). Ernst young is an independent firm and it is renowned as most admired knowledge enterprises (MAKE). This organization is well known for its corporate knowledge driven firm and it works more on becoming strategically important. This firm creates and leverages the easy access to their knowledge to their clients as well as their practitioners and that has differentiated itself from other companies in the market. The main strategy of the company is that it emphasizes on both learning as well as sharing of knowledge. It connects the skill and ability of their people with the firm to be better that their competitors. EY have adopted client oriented approach or strategy that has been transmitted form the company to the teams for its applications. An applied knowledge management protocol has been implemented for making use of information in decision making, work and information alignment for optimizing performance levels, facilitating problem solving and distribution of knowledge for strategic purpose (CAPa, 1997). This application is effectively assisting the high and value added activities with the strategic context. It also broadcasts its business practices to meet differences. Generally there are two types of organizations that rely on codifying knowledge strategy to make total use of knowledge for individual stores it for easy access by using information and communication technology tools. There are the companies that rely on the personalization strategy for channeling of individual expertise to the right place for person to person interaction. Ernst Young is making explicit knowledge and inserting it in the store areas. It also promotes people network along with the technology based networks. It has also worked for knowledge management strategy but with the interpersonal relationship with their clients. This has emerged as a core concept for the firm. They create better balance between the internal as well as external part with the view of the globalised world (Ezingeard et al., 2002; Bartlett, 2000; Collins, 2002, 1998). The figure states the two dimensions in which one axis shows the degree for developing knowledge management on the technological frameworks from low degree to high. The other axis represents the personal networks on which the organization develops its knowledge sharing capabilities at personal level. The high degree shows the strong integration with the knowledge networks. It is high in the case of the EY firm. It has become a fact that new venture are growing rapidly, thus they have adopted the knowledge management in their organization to become strategically strong. It has been argued that knowledge management is not different issue. Xxxx company have some unique feature of the knowledge management how they are managing the knowledge strategically. This firm has emphasized different knowledge management activities. The adoption of organizational knowledge theory has become very important phenomenon for this firm. Effect of Caffeinated Sports Drink: Exercise and Heart Rate Effect of Caffeinated Sports Drink: Exercise and Heart Rate Manpreet Nijjar The Effect of a Sports Drink containing caffeine or Carbohydrates and the combination combined on Exercise and Heart Rate INVESTIGATION TASK This study investigated the effects of different energy drinks (a carbohydrate based sports drink, a caffeine based sports drink, a drink with the carbohydrates and caffeine combined), on resting heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), run time-to-exhaustion (RTTE), peak exercise HR, and return time to resting HR. RESEARCH QUESTION Would the consumption of particular energy drinks affect one’s heart rate and ability to exercise for longer? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Sports science which incorporates the effective use of nutrition and exercise science is now widely recognised in contributing factor optimising athlete performance. It follows that if an athlete wants to train for longer periods and minimise recovery period between exercises then he or she needs to be well nourished. Many of the body’s metabolic processes involved in exercise are dependent on the components of an athlete’s diet and therefore by adjusting these components, they may be able to change athletic capacity. Recently amongst many young people the use of energy drinks has become fashionable in addition to the more traditional use of multivitamins to improve athletic performance. Illicit taking of performance enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids, is also widely-recognised as a means of achieving rapidly improved athletic capabilities. [1, 2]. Despite these widely held beliefs, there is minimal evidence to underpin the claims of manufactures of these energy drinks that they have any significant effect on cardiovascular efficaciousness and overall performance, in particular that of short duration exercise. [3] There is no evidence to suggest that water alone is superior when compared to sports drinks in achieving increased exercise duration and capacity although the reverse has often been demonstrated. [1,5,8] [5-9 not used] A review of various research articles on the use of energy drinks and exercise performance reveals apparently inconsistent findings: Improved performance levels in exercises such as sprint cycling and cycling duration, weight lifting and sprinting. [10-15] No significant difference in exercise performance [11,14,15] Ingredients in the most popular sport drinks include caffeine, and the amino acid taurine, which both may impact on heart rate [18,19], Bichler and colleagues [20] investigated the combination of caffeine and taurine vs. a placebo and found it actually caused a significant decline in heart rate. Additional ingredients are carbohydrates, flavorings, herbs and B-vitamins. The amount and types of carbohydrate found in sports drinks was found to be variable. There were some ‘diet’ energy drinks that had zero carbohydrates compared to some with medium amounts (e.g. Powerade at 3.9g/100ml), and some very high amounts (KX drinks at 9g/100ml). The capacity of the drink to enhance performance is governed by its carbohydrate content. Simple carbohydrates (a combination of sucrose, glucose, and fructose) have been shown to be absorbed swiftly and oxidised easily to release energy; two factors vital to athletes to improve performance. [5,6]. The body uses carbohydrates to do ‘work’ – it is the preferred material for muscle contraction, the central nervous system and fat oxidisation. The body would prefer to use carbohydrates rather than have to break up proteins for energy. Ingested carbohydrates are digested into the bloodstream in the stomach and small intestines as smaller sugar components mainly of fructose, galactose and glucose. Fructose and galactose are then converted to glucose in the liver and released back into the bloodstream where it is used as required. The brain can only use glucose for its energy requirements. After ingestion of carbohydrates, the glucose levels increase in the bloodstream as per the above mechanism. If the body does not utilise this glucose, the excess glucose is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen which is initiated by the enzyme insulin released by the pancreas. The human body can only store about 20000 calories equivalent of glycogen. Excess glycogen above this level is stored as fat (adipose tissue). When the body is exercising, it will use up the glucose as first choice. When the glucose levels have been depleted, an enzyme called glucagon will reverse the above process –turning glycogen back to glucose- and thus glucose levels in the bloodstream will increase. As muscles can only use the glycogen in them – they cannot borrow from resting muscles – so once the glycogen levels have been used, muscle fatigue results. It is thus important for athletes to restore glycogen levels back to their original levels by consuming carbohydrates. The use of a carbohydrate drink should thus aid by increasing the glucose levels directly after absorption from the stomach – typically 20 minutes after ingestion – and keep glucose levels high so that exercise can be done for longer duration. It should also help recovery time as any used glycogen can be quickly replenished. Another benefit that energy drinks could give the athlete is the restoration of any depleted electrolytes. An action potential sent down a nerve causes the muscle to contract which requires certain electrolytes for it to happen. It the muscle is repeatedly contracted, the electrolytes will become spent. As sports drinks contain electrolytes in them, these spent electrolytes are replaced and thus muscle contraction could happen at peak level. From the above, it can be reasonably assumed that ingestion of a carbohydrate energy sports drink 20 minutes before the commencement of exercise should enhance the athlete’s performance and also aid post exercise recovery. Caffeine, a naturally occurring alkaloid also known as trimethylxanthine, is found in coffee and tea plants and acts as an agonist of the central nervous system. Caffeine is also found in chocolate (from cocoa bean) and used as an additive in fizzy drinks. The percentage found in fizzy drinks is relatively small (approx.12mg/100ml) whereas in sports drinks, it is generally a lot higher (approx. 40mg/1000ml). Caffeine, which has a half-life of between three to five hours, (i.e. the time taken to decrease its concentration by half), is absorbed in the small intestine, then broken down into its components in the liver cell and distributed to body tissues within 45 minutes of ingestion. Caffeine breaks down into the following components [22]: Caffeine Metabolites Of the three metabolites of caffeine, theophylline, which only accounts for 4%, has minimal effect on the body. Of the other two, theobromine, formerly known as xantheose, is a bitter alkaloid and causes vasodilation and decreased ADH hormone production in the kidneys and thus leads to increased urine volume. The final metabolite of caffeine is paraxantine, a competitive nonselective phosphodiesterase inhibitor and a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist. The effect of paraxantine on the human body is to: raise intracellular cAMP (a second messenger)which would lead to increased bloodstream glucose levels. A second messenger is a molecule that relays signals received at receptors on the cell surface to the target molecules in the cytosol and/or nucleus and will sometimes amplify this signal. raise free fatty acid concentration in serum by lipolysis (lipid breakdown) -raise plasma epinephrine (adrenaline) levels and increase diastolic blood pressure The overall mechanism and enzymes that caffeine interacts in order to be broken down are shown below, which is taken from PharmGKB website. [27]: [27] From the above information, it is reasonable to expect that following ingestion of a caffeine drink 20 minutes prior to exercise that the resting heart rate would increase due to the release of adrenaline by the caffeine metabolites. One would also expect the athlete to perform better and recover quicker after exercise as the caffeine increases lipolysis and increased glucose levels. Post exercise the resting heart rate will still be higher as the half-life of caffeine is between 3-5 hours. Composition of the drinks used in the experiment: Carbohydrate sports drink Carbonated water, Dextrose (87%), Maltodextrin, Magnesium Carbonate, Acidifier (Citric Acid), Anti-Caking Agent (Magnesium Salts of Fatty Acids), Flavouring, Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6 Caffeine content 0mg per 250ml serving Carbohydrate content 24.2g per 250ml serving KX sugar free stimulation drink Carbonated water, citric acid, taurine (0.4% ), acidity regulator (trisodium citrate), flavouring, guarana extract (0.12%), colour, sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K) caffeine , preservative (potassium sorbate), inositol, B vitamins. Caffeine content 80mg per 250ml serving Carbohydrate content 0mg per 250 ml serving KX simulation drink Citric Acid, Flavouring, Stabilisers (Acacia, Glycerol Esters of Wood Rosins), Caffeine, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Inositol, B Vitamins (Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12) Caffeine content 80mg per 250ml serving Carbohydrate content 25g per 250ml serving Placebo drink Carbonated water, flavouring Caffeine content 0mg Carbohydrate content 0g Hypothà ¨ses Hypothesis General Prediction: The consumption of the carbohydrate energy drink will result in no appreciable increase in resting heart rate as well as after any physical activity. I would expect the participants to be able to do physical activity for longer and at a higher intensity. The consumption of the high caffeine energy drink will result in an increase in the resting heart rate and pre and post physical activity. I would also expect the participants to be able to do physical activity for longer and at a higher intensity. The consumption of the combined high caffeine and high carbohydrate drink will I believe increase the resting heart rate due to the caffeine content and also after physical activity it will still remain high. The amount of and intensity of physical activity done by the participants should be higher than the carbohydrate or caffeine drink alone. Post exercise the resting heart rate will be higher although one would expect the recovery time to be quicker than the other drinks. The placebo drink should have no appreciable difference on any resting heart rate or physical activity. Hypothesis: Carbohydrate drink: Consumption of carbohydrates will increase the amount of glucose in the bloodstream after absorption from the GIT. This means a temporarily high amount of glucose in the bloodstream after approximately 20 minutes but if resting, this high glucose amount will induce the production of insulin which will convert the excess glucose to glycogen. This glycogen conversion will reduce the glucose levels in the bloodstream to levels prior to the consumption of the carbohydrate drink. Although there is a popular belief that consumption of sugar-containing food or beverages can lead to temporary hyperactivity, sometimes referred to as a ‘sugar rush’, this is in fact scientifically disproven. [28] Caffeine drink: ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is produced by almost all living things in their cells organelles called mitochondria, and it is one of the nucleotides that make up DNA. It also acts as a cellular signal and the triphosphate acts an energy source for enzymatic reactions. It is not energy itself, but rather temporarily stores energy in its phosphodiester bonds. When the third phosphate bond is created, it immediately is broken and energy is released that can fuel the metabolic chemical reactions required by living organisms, which otherwise would be inefficient. This creates ADP which has one less phosphate attached to the group. An analogy to use with ATP is to think of it as a battery that is getting charged and when it is fully charged, it lets off a spark. This spark initiates the chemical reaction to start to do work in the body. Caffeine acts as an agonist(stimulant) on adenosine receptors but in a very general sense. As caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant which increases metabolism and therefore, the cellular consumption of ATP will cause the heart rate to elevate. So, post consumption, caffeine increases ATP levels in the body, which causes heart rate to elevate. Post exercise the heart rate will stay elevated (higher resting rate) because the presence of caffeine causes increased levels of cAMP, and at the same time enables cAMP to stay active for longer. Increased levels of cAMP result in an increase in ATP; resulting in an elevated heart rate for a longer period. METHOD: To ascertain whether the energy drink affects the resting heart rate: I will be choosing one subject and will be observing the effects the energy drink has on the heart rate at rest as well as after physical activity . Subject must be of normal BMI and without any health ailments in order to make sure I do not have any other factors affecting Subject’s heart rate. First I will be monitoring and recording the subject’s heart rate at fixed intervals after consumption of caffeine. Through this I will be able to conclude the amount of increment in the heart rate caused by the consumption of the energy drink I will also be able to determine the amount time it takes for the heart rate to reach its highest level after the consumption of an energy drink. Further on I will test the effect the energy drink has on the heart rate after physical activity. First I will record the heart rate of subject after running on the treadmill for time of 2 minutes on set speed of 7 km/ph which will give me subject’s heart rate after physical activity without the effect on the energy drink. After which I will make the subject perform the same . I will be making the subject perform this physical activity only after subject reaches peak heart rate after consuming the energy drink (Red Bull).