Designing An ERP For Municipal Corporation -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Designing An ERP For Municipal Corporation? Answer: Introducation Current information in AWC does not support new IS (Information System) requirements, as the existing systems are out of date. Financial accounting system DataAction that is used in Adelaide cannot support the marketing and sales. Peartree module is used for tracking the inventory for glass bottling plant and the values are converted to DataAction; however, for handling the vendor payments through the accounting system. Proprietary SCM (Supply Chain Management) is run through procurement branch and it was not integrated to other systems. Sales and marketing office at Sidney has separate system for running proprietary logistics department with shipping helps for wine. Wineries in AWC store the data into individual network and PC connected grid within a server; production data is stored to databases for individual wineries. The data is passed to headquarters in Adelaide and companys main database is consolidated. Production planning is performed for each winery and inventory control is put into place into excel based datasheets and no automation exists for production and billing operations. DataAction is utilized only for internal accounting activities, billing and invoicing for customers; DataAction can estimate the payrolls for workers and can handle international sales merely. Based on the above-mentioned system operation descriptions, the weaknesses and limitations are realized in terms of operational costs, reliability, efficiency, security, and data integrity aspects. Following table depicts the weaknesses; System Elements Weakness Aspects Improvement Areas Production Process Operational cost, efficiency, and security The production process lacks in faster delivery of products; yields more operational cost, and provides lesser automation Accounting System Reliability, security, and efficiency Lacks in automation; considers different departmental modules for overall billing activities, and lacks in convenient procedures Supply Chain Management Operational cost Proprietary and consumes more cost for excel based operations Logistics department Reliability and efficiency Logistics operation is run in another distant department causing time lack as all the system software is out of date Manufacturing and business process Operational cost Manufacturing process cannot be followed with innovative business ideas and packaging procedures Billing and payment module Efficiency Payments are handled from different terms such as vendor payments, internal accounting, and payrolls Table 1: Weaknesses exist for Current AWC Business Process (Source: Created by author) Available Facilities in SAP HANA Solution In this part, the available tools and parts under SAP HANA are discussed and how the tools can be better implementation aspect for considered case study of AWC. The tools are depicted with additional images and detailed operations aspects; For case scenario of AWC, remote support tools will be effective for handling all distant departments for integrated processes. The headquarter is at Adelaide for finance/accounting, HRM, and procurement departments; glass bottle plant in Adelaide; warehouse in Adelaide; sales and marketing department in Sidney; wineries at Barossa Valley, in Renmark and in Clare (within 200 KM of Adelaide); and restaurant in Barossa Valley. The useful tools and consoles are mentioned as following: Business Objects Enterprise / BI Platform 4.0 can be connected to Solution Manager 7.1 Business Objects Central Management Console (CMC) SAP Backend System and SLT system can be connected to Solution Manager 2.1 Solution Manager 7.1 can be used for proactive monitoring of the system based on availability monitoring, and Solution Manager can provide alerts on host agent. The alerts can be received from HANA database pre-rated and it can be obtained through DBA cockpit framework. Moreover, the SLT can be monitored based on queues and from SolMan 7.1 Host (Kale 2014). However, new release of Solution Manager versions in SAP HANA can provide monitoring based on availability, alert results, and alert metrics. Furthermore, SAP HANA can provide business intelligence monitoring based on central system, overview, system, and detail monitoring. The central system status overview shoes SAP BI solution; it is capable of monitor cross-system BW process and single processes. In an overall, SAP HANA does not only act as standalone data mart; however, it can be integerated with other third-party business applications. For instance, SAP ERP system may call SAP HANA accelerators for increase performance of core business processes. The applications such as SAP BW can reside in SAP HANA; SAP HANA is not only administrated as primary database (Otto et al. 2013). The management team can ensure integration with existing IT Solution; the applications can be deployed in SAP HANA with managed procedures. The SAP Solution manager supports SAP HANA; and therefore, the personnel can manage in-memory database along with capabilities of SAP Solution Manager (Dulabh 2014). The management team can easily leverage the IT skills accordingly with learning process; the holistic approach can be used for building and running solution as an entire package. Detailed Implementation Process: Transition, Strategy, and Timeline In this section, SAP HANA implementation is described with all detailed steps, strategy, and associated timeline for completion of the project. The implementation project is segmented under different activities, milestones, and specific steps as well. Project Initiation The phase includes incorporation of initial planning about all activities and preparation of planning document for realistic implementation approach (Barenfanger, Otto and Gizanis 2015). The phase is conducted with relevant activities such as; Determination of project scope; Phase determination and time scheduling; Team and stakeholder planning; Definition of standards; and Environment setup for project Second phase: Preparation of Business Blueprint The second phase includes realization of business process map, blueprint, and operational details. The phase considered business processes and requirements that should be met within the implementation process (Necas 2016). The phase purpose is determined as following: Understanding the entire business procedures, methods, blueprints, process mapping, and SAP integration process Detailed documentation preparation along with gathered requirements (Keskinen 2017) Business blueprint document preparation for meeting business requirements of AWC; the agreement statement is kept for approval from the organization AWC Definition of organizational structure and provide planning about change management; Fit GAP analysis can be conducted for identification of process maps accordingly (Kumar 2014). The Fit GAP analysis; four steps can be followed as brainstorming, simulation, questionnaire-based, and hybrid-type. Realization of business process reengineering This phase states to match the business requirements with SAP HANA Business Process Re-engineering (BPR); so that primary development module and components can be tested in detailed manner (Marin-Ortega et al. 2014). The User Assistance Training (UAT) should be provided from the developer team for separate departments. Final Implementation Steps This phase is concentrated on executing all plans and conducting all related activities regarding implementation SAP HANA in AWC systems. The steps include detailed processes such as testing, end-user training, system management, and cross-platform checking. The implementation stage is stated to be final; as it should reach readiness of go live in next stage (Ivan 2014). This phase should consider all critical issues and problems that can occur during implementation process. The implementation process includes transition stages from legacy to newly developed system. This transition stage incorporates proper date for migration to SAP, inventory process update, delivery process re-engineering, and invoicing (Hawking and Sellitto 2015). All items in SAP can start work on SAP workflow bench; this administrating tool helps in findings out potential flaws and integration gaps for modifications. This phase planning considered migration of master data from legacy system to new SAP system; on successful completion of this phase; AWC will be ready to run business processes in live SAP HANA system. Go Live and Support Process In this phase, the maintenance and support process, planning is prepared. Before go live stage, the legacy systems are run until the systems get stable with newly implemented SAP HANA System (Plattner and Leukert 2015). This phase is necessary to conduct short-time pilot project considering stakeholder reviews, feedbacks, and proper maintenance approaches. Big Bang Approach and Phased Approach are used mainly for ERP implementation; the strategies are used for introducing new systems into organization. In this project, Big Bang Approach for ERP implementation is used as legacy system is migrated to newly developed SAP HANA system (Horakova and Skalska 2013). On the other hand, phased approach is used when proper sequencing of activities are required to be followed to introduce ERP along with replacing legacy system in gradual way (Morgen 2014). Based on the mentioned milestones and activities; the realistic timeline is prepared as in the following table: Activities and Milestones Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 First phase: Project Initiation Determination of project scope Phase determination and time scheduling Team and stakeholder planning Definition of standards Environment setup Second phase: Preparation of Business Blueprint Mapping business procedures, methods, blueprints with SAP integration process Detailed documentation Business blueprint document preparation Fit GAP analysis Brainstorming, simulation, questionnaire-based, and hybrid-type Third phase: Realization of business process reengineering Process redesigning BPR and associated activities User assistance training Fourth phase: Final Implementation Steps Transition process Detailed testing Resolving critical issues SAP workflow bench Migration of master data Fifth phase: Go Live and Support Process Pilot project and maintenance Go Live and feedback based modifications Table 4: Detailed Timeline for Implementation Activities (Source: Created by author) Four SAP Business Suites, Third-party Applications and AWC requirements Based on SAP business suites; four applications are considered for AWC requirements meeting and achieving high-level deliverables of the project. The applications are discussed as following: Supply Chain Management: The Supply Chain Management (SCM) application is appropriate for reducing cost and increasing innovation so that customer service can be improved (Fleig 2017). SAP Supply Chain Management includes coordination, planning, execution, and collaboration of stakeholders to reach entire SCM empowerment to adapt the business goals into ever-changing activities in competitive environment. Customer Relationship Management: The Customer Relationship Management application from SAP being a part of SAP HANA business suites, provides helpful addressing to short-term initiatives (Plattner and Leukert 2015). The CRM provides necessary opinions about decision-making and most importantly, it provides company to achieve differentiated abilities for continuous innovation and development. Enterprise Resource Planning: The SAP ERP provides essential functionalities related to business processes and management of all processes under efficient and tailored way. SAP ERP financial, human capital management, SAP ERP operations, and corporate services offer the administration for meeting business goals and specific needs as well. Supplier Life Cycle Management: The Supplier Life Cycle Management provides holistic approach for managing supplier and customer relationships. The supplier life cycle management deals with supply base and it can determine the proper mix of suppliers into SCM practice along with customer relationship (Christensen 2015). The Life Cycle Management includes individual suppliers so that on-board continuous development can be improved with supplier life cycles. Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) Functional Areas Business process re-engineering functional areas for SAP HANA are mentioned to include rethinking and redesigning approach so that appropriate support can be provided to organizational goals and initiatives to reach cost reduction. BPR starts with high-level assessment of organizational mission, vision, and strategic goals along with customer requirements (Harrison et al. 2014). The implementation process should incorporate SAP for the organization in order to follow the concept of business processes in terms of re-engineering over second phase. The SAP implementation activity is followed with associated process re-engineering to all departments along with GAP analysis. The GAP analysis can improve the entire process such as incorporation of automation and instant evaluation of activities in terms of flawless execution. Training Requirements and Change Management Issues Training and change management processes are necessary for administering the new system incorporation into practice. The training schedule and entire plan should be prepared for the associated stakeholders as in how they can improve their learning and entire work process (Spiri 2015). The training requirements suggest proper follow-up with communication, stakeholder analysis, end-user training, and user assistance training processes. The training management should be performed with all the depicted terms and proper appreciation of activities. The training drills are mentioned as following: Stakeholder analysis: The stakeholder analysis is required to analyze the activities of the stakeholders so that each stakeholder can be addressed with their work process to adhere all responsibilities identified. End-user training: The end-user such as support team, associates, and management personnel should be included into the pilot project so that before go live program, all the end-users can be properly trained to work in new system. User Assistance Training (UAT): The User Assistance Training (UAT) should be performed to the associated personnel who are in direct interaction with the SAP system. They should provide proper assistance to the customers and users in appropriate way. ERP Adoption for Competitive Advantages ERP implementation and adoption is major part of having competitive advantage to the organization; in this case AWC conducting. The competitive advantages are mentioned as in terms of having all relevant activities into practice. Listed advantages are: Efficiency: The efficiency in terms of ERP solution eliminates the process repetition and it minimizes the requirement for manual crossover activities (Plattner and Leukert 2015). The personnel do not need to follow all activities; they should follow the streamlined activities and in easier way, the process can be accomplished. The efficiency aspect required to collect data regardless of the working department. Integrated information: The data and information sharing is uniform in all departments without causing any disturbance into entire work activities. The information can be easily shared among the stakeholders without hampering the data update, modifications, and other related analysis activities (Hawking and Sellitto 2015). The administration team can keep consistent data, accurate storage, and can integrate instant access to database information as well. Scalability: The structured ERP system follows scalable functions for additional user and functional growth into the initial implementation of solution over the timeline. The ERP should be able to facilitate the future business growth aligned with current business goals and initiatives (Debortoli, Muller and vom Brocke 2014). The future plan can be prepared as per scalable ERP implementation for SAP system integration with suppliers. The customers in ERP can be served with more improved workflow. Reduction of cost: Accurate and real-time information source, SAP HANA package can reduce cost in terms of operational means and it can allow the manufactures to manage operations. The ERP system can prevent the delays, disruptions, with segmenting the information so that proper decision-making can be performed. Mobility: The advantage of ERP serves as providing access to a centralized database from different access points at the workplace and work network (Lee et al. 2013). The workers from home, office premises, other branch; can easily access the centralized database without any disruption. ERP provide mobile-friendly solution for helping sales and marketing department to apply excel-based data into real-time information. Productivity: The productivity of SAP system can easily help the overall productivity of the team and the management personnel so that processes could be automated (Dulabh 2014). The users can follow more time to work over followed projects and tasks so that the stakeholders can easily work for ease-of-use solution design. Cost Estimation The cost estimation is performed for considering all aspects that are important for AWC ERP implementation. The cost estimation is shown as following: Costing elements 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Implementation Team $ 4,789.00 $ 22,435.00 $ 34,157.00 $ 23,854.00 $ 22,954.00 Hardware $ - $ 1,245.00 $ 1,457.00 $ 2,487.00 $ 24.00 Software $ 14,257.00 $ 2,457.00 $ 7,563.00 $ 2,145.00 $ 2,589.00 IVV $ 1,023.00 $ 2,457.00 $ 2,457.00 $ 2,457.00 $ 2,457.00 Facility $ 117.00 $ 258.00 $ 235.00 $ 314.00 $ 354.00 Network $ 214.00 $ 352.00 $ - $ - $ - PC $ 178.00 $ 201.00 $ - $ - $ - Security $ 298.00 $ 736.00 $ 736.00 $ 736.00 $ 736.00 OM $ - $ 48.00 $ 5,896.00 $ 9,014.00 $ 11,457.00 Contingency $ 1,842.00 $ 2,365.00 $ 4,256.00 $ 2,789.00 $ 2,457.00 Total $ 22,718.00 $ 32,554.00 $ 56,757.00 $ 43,796.00 $ 43,028.00 Table 5: Complete Cost Estimation for SAP ERP Implementation (Source: Created by author) References Barenfanger, R., Otto, B. and Gizanis, D., 2015. Business and Data Management Capabilities for the Digital Economy: White Paper. Christensen, J., 2015.Digital Business: in The Digital Age. BoDBooks on Demand. Debortoli, S., Muller, O. and vom Brocke, J., 2014. Comparing business intelligence and big data skills.Business Information Systems Engineering,6(5), pp.289-300. Dulabh, H.R., 2014.In-memory business intelligence: a Wits context(Doctoral dissertation). Fleig, C., 2017. Towards the Design of a Process Mining-Enabled Decision Support System for Business Process Transformation. Harrison, R., McLeod, C.S., Tavola, G., Taisch, M., Colombo, A.W., Karnouskos, S., Tilly, M., Stluka, P., Jammes, F., Camp, R. and Delsing, J., 2014. Next generation of engineering methods and tools for SOA-based large-scale and distributed process applications. InIndustrial Cloud-Based Cyber-Physical Systems(pp. 137-165). Springer International Publishing. Hawking, P. and Sellitto, C., 2015. Business intelligence strategy: a utilities company case study.Business Intelligence: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, pp.305-315. Horakova, M. and Skalska, H., 2013. Business Intelligence and Implementation in a Small Enterprise.Journal of systems integration,4(2), p.50. Ivan, M.L., 2014. Characteristics of In-Memory Business Intelligence.Informatica Economica,18(3), p.17. Kale, V., 2014.Implementing SAP CRM: The Guide for Business and Technology Managers. CRC Press. Keskinen, J., 2017. Enablers for Agile Business IntelligenceCase SAP. Kumar, V., 2014. Designing an ERP model for municipal corporation of Delhi MCD. Lee, J., Kwon, Y.S., Frber, F., Muehle, M., Lee, C., Bensberg, C., Lee, J.Y., Lee, A.H. and Lehner, W., 2013, April. SAP HANA distributed in-memory database system: Transaction, session, and metadata management. InData Engineering (ICDE), 2013 IEEE 29th International Conference on(pp. 1165-1173). IEEE. Marin-Ortega, P.M., Dmitriyev, V., Abilov, M. and Gmez, J.M., 2014. ELTA: New approach in designing business intelligence solutions in era of big data.Procedia Technology,16, pp.667-674. Morgen, C., 2014. Empowering SAS Users on the SAP HANA Platform. InProceedings of the SAS Global Forum 2014 Conference(pp. 2445-2014). Necas, J., 2016. Project Management of SAP ERP Implementation Process. Otto, B., Gizanis, D., sterle, H. and Danner, G., 2013. Turning information and data quality into sustainable business value. Plattner, H. and Leukert, B., 2015. The Impact of HANA on the Design of Enterprise Applications. InThe In-Memory Revolution(pp. 42-60). Springer International Publishing. Plattner, H. and Leukert, B., 2015.The in-memory revolution: how SAP HANA enables business of the future. Springer. Spiri, N.S., 2015.Structuring the Research on the Interplay of Technological Innovation and Business Model Innovation in the Context of Big Data and SAP HANA-Developing a Conceptual Framework(Master's thesis, University of Twente).

Mum Changed The Locks Essays - , Term Papers

Mum Changed The Locks Mum changed the locks Returning home, I look forward to the thrill Of another lecture or another pointless drill. Ascend the front steps dreading further war Why the *censored* is my key not fitting in the door? I guess I'm not wanted, I wonder what I'll do I've already been banned from my friends houses too. I wonder what I did to make my mum so mad No perfect homelife but the only one I had. Oh my god, mum changed the locks. Now I've got my freedom but no place to go No prospects or money to go to a show. I haven't got on well with my mum all year Can't use the phone to call my friends for a beer Psychology

How to Make an Edible Water Bottle

How to Make an Edible Water Bottle You dont need to wash any dishes if you put your water in an edible water bottle! This is an easy spherification recipe that involves making a gel coating around liquid water. Once you master this simple molecular gastronomy technique, you can apply it to other liquids. Edible Water Bottle Materials The key ingredient for this project is sodium alginate, a natural gelling powder derived from algae. The sodium alginate gels or polymerizes when reacted with calcium. Its a common alternative to gelatin, used in candies and other foods. We have suggested calcium lactate as the calcium source, but you could also use calcium gluconate or food-grade calcium chloride. These ingredients are readily available online. You can also find them in grocery stores that carry ingredients for molecular gastronomy. Materials and equipment: Water1 gram sodium alginate5 grams of calcium lactateLarge bowlSmaller bowlHand mixerSpoon with a rounded bottom (soup spoon or round measuring spoon works great) The size of the spoon determines the size of your water bottle. Use a large spoon for big water blobs. Use a tiny spoon if you want little caviar-sized bubbles. Make an Edible Water Bottle In a small bowl, add 1 gram of sodium alginate to 1 cup of water.Use the hand mixer to make sure the sodium alginate is combined with the water. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes to remove any air bubbles. The mixture will turn from a white liquid to a clear mixture.In a large bowl, stir 5 grams of calcium lactate into 4 cups of water. Mix well to dissolve the calcium lactate.Use your rounded spoon to scoop up the sodium alginate solution.Gently drop the sodium alginate solution into the bowl containing the calcium lactate solution. It will immediately form a ball of water in the bowl. You can drop more spoonfuls of sodium alginate solution into the calcium lactate bath. Just be careful the water balls dont touch each other because they would stick together. Let the water balls sit in the calcium lactate solution for 3 minutes. You can gently stir around the calcium lactate solution if you like. (Note: the time determines the thickness of the polymer coating. Use less time for a thinner coating and more time for a thicker coating.) Use a slotted spoon to gently remove each water ball. Place each ball in a bowl of water to stop any further reaction. Now you can remove the edible water bottles and drink them. The inside of each ball is water. The bottle is edible too its an algae-based polymer. Using Flavors and Liquids Other Than Water As you might imagine, its possible to color and flavor both the edible coating and the liquid inside the bottle. Its okay to add food coloring to the liquid. You can use flavored beverages rather than water, but its best to avoid acidic drinks because they affect the polymerization reaction. There are special procedures for dealing with acidic beverages.

Plumpy not controversy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plumpy not controversy - Assignment Example Ethics guides the human beings on the right thing to pursue with regard to the welfare in society. It encompasses the rights and obligations have in society, and the gradual development of an individual’s moral standards. This takes the form of corporate social responsibility of the corporate and artificial persons in a societal setting. The issues surrounding the case of the plumby nut production by Nutriset facility are crucial. According to Lawson, C, and Jay (2013), it is factual that the patent rights of the Nutriset facility must be protected by all means because of the business ethics code. The local companies of the developing countries experiencing malnutrition also bear the responsibility of producing the plumby nut product locally in order to alleviate malnutrition instead of depending on foreign powers like the US and France. The US is also entitled to produce the plumby nut product, which will suffice the huge population of suffering children I the developing countries of Kenya , Malawi and Niger. This is because it has sophisticated facilities and resources, which can produce the product in large scale within a short period unlike the local companies. The vulnerable children also have the right to good health and prompt treatment of malnutrition. The global population also needs to be protected against the consumption of ready to use foo, which is commonly used in the United States. This is because the move will result in the reduction of locally produced food material among the nationals of most for the developing countries (Michelini, 2012). The monopolistic production of the product by Nutriset facility of France has catapulted the cost of the product per child for three months to sixty dollars. The developing countries are financially challenged hence it is the corporate social responsibility of the developed nation, France, to reduce the price charged on the product

UN and Internal conflicts of the 1990s Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UN and Internal conflicts of the 1990s - Essay Example Mostly those that have undergone civil strife within the warring factions in the local communities were given humanitarian relief instead of striving towards the achievement of peace through peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions, especially due to ethnic and cultural conflicts. Brahm (2005) mentions that the lack of central authority in nations that experienced tragic deaths due to ethnic and cultural conflicts makes it difficult for the UN to act, when it is in fact the UN that should already serve as the main central authority. Brahm also cites that the UN is known to act towards existing crises, not preventing them. He continues to note that although the UN Secretary-General at the time of post by Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan was effective in extending a diplomatic hand in negotiations and interventions without the requirement of the Security Council's go-signal, it is still the Security Council who is main executor of resolutions and actions that will pursue missions. The commitment value of the Member States in assuring thorough relief and support in aiding the nations involved with civil strife based on political and cultural differences, according to Brahm, is way low, and primarily the difficulties lie in the finger-pointing of who will pro vide continuous advocacy that will eventually help these said afflicted nations towards their own deliverance. In this we agree. Most of the times the UN has been seen to act based on the individual interests of the Member States, and if it is something that does not involve their nation's benefiting from such a situation, it is most likely that they are not as keen to offer sincere assistance. Still, there have been resolutions that the UN has successfully produced and achieved. Mostly these resolutions are where all parties involved have reached an agreement and has finally acknowledged the need for a peace accord. Peacekeeping missions therefore were widely supported by Member States, as they are assigned to protect diplomatic relations by safeguarding civilians and state officials, restoration of order, helping refuges, enforcing human rights, even monitoring political environment. The opinion that "peacebuilding is a Western concept" and therefore is not applicable in most of the cases where peacebuilding was targeted to be achieved as Brahm (2005) has stated in his essay may sound questionable in itself, but is legitimate in the sense that it should be taken into context within that particular situation. The Security Council must always take into consideration the need for understanding the historical root cause of an event such as political and civil strife in non-We stern countries and use this understanding in its decision making process to reach a solid and firm resolution towards the nature of peacebuilding mission they are to send to that afflicted country. Majority of the main issues that the UN must accept and acknowledge belong to its 'inabilities' category, where the UN's failure to respond the soonest possible time to internal conflicts is due to its delay in identifying a threat to the peace as based on

Aer Lingus Products and Target Market Segments Essay

Aer Lingus Products and Target Market Segments - Essay Example Aer Lingus is one of the reputable fleet carrier companies in Ireland. With the low cost model and one way fares, Aer Lingus brand has become most talked about brand in fleet services. On October 22, 2006, Aer Lingus entered into a new phage of business as it realized nearly 400 million Euros through Irish and London Stock Exchange. Most of the Aer Lingus passenger revenue will be generated from its website www.aerlingue.com. As per the latest records, nearly 81 percent of total passenger revenue was generated from the website. The effective marketing strategies for products as well as services help company to achieve great heights. With the low cost air fleet charges, Aer Lingus has become a competitor for Ryan air. Aer Lingus has celebrated its 75th birthday in May 2001. With 1,215 million revenues in 2010, Aer Lingus is planning to push forward with wide range of products and services in the market. 2009 was a difficult year for Aer Lingus as it witnessed nearly 93 million Euros loss. To turnaround the company, Aer Lingus has come up with several strategies such as better matching of capacity to demand, connectivity improvements with in the network as well as partner’s network and partnerships.... 2009 was a difficult year for Aer Lingus as it witnessed nearly 93 million Euros loss. To turnaround the company, Aer Lingus has come up with several strategies such as better matching of capacity to demand, connectivity improvements with in the network as well as partner’s network and partnerships. Aer Lingus products are considered to be the cheaper products when compared to its competitor’s products. Though, companies like Ryanair offer much cheaper products than Aer Lingus, the customers would love to travel by Aer Lingus because of great service. Aer Lingus offers both Cabin Services as well as Auxiliary services. Cabin Services include a two class business and economy service on long-haul routes and a single class economy service for all short-haul routes. Auxiliary Services include In-flight sales merchandise, car rental sales, hotel accommodations and commission from online currency conversion. Literature Review According to Philip Kotler, Marketing is the proce ss of offering suitable product to customer. Everything comes to one equation; right product at right place at right price to the right customer (Philip Kotler). Marketing has become one of the most focused areas for any company in the world. Be it is a small scale internet based company or a large scale manufacturing company; without proper marketing, the survival would be a big question mark. According to Neil Borden, marketing department of any company should primarily focus on 4Ps. They are Price, Product, Promotion and Place. The 4Ps are also called as Marketing Mix (Neil Borden 1953). 4P mix is majorly used when you are trying to market a product, which customers can touch and feel. When focusing on the services, the marketing mix would be changed slightly. It

Impact of the Ageing Workforce

Impact of the Ageing Workforce Prior to the passage of the Social Security Act in 1935 work did not typically end with a planned retirement. Average retirement (meaning the age at which 1/2 of workers from an initial age cohort remain in the workplace) was age 70 or more for men. After World War II there was a need to open the workplace to growing numbers of unemployed younger workers, particularly veterans. Also retirement leisure was becoming a symbol of success. Social security and private pension policies were designed to encourage earlier departures from work. In 1961, for example, Congress lowered the age men were eligible for unreduced Social Security benefits from 65 to 62. Average retirement dropped from age 70 in 1950 to age 65 in 1970 with age 62 becoming the norm by 1985 [Quinn, 2002; Cahill et al., 2005]. Despite this long trend toward earlier retirement since the 1940s, the 78 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 comprise such a large group that there are more workers in their fifties and sixties on the job than ever before. As they leave the workforce, whether at age 55, 62, 65 or later, there will also be more retirees than ever before. To complete the picture, as these baby boomers age at work and then leave for retirement, they are followed by a substantially smaller younger generation, the baby bust of 1965–1976. The enormous economic and labor market consequences of this demographic transformation are becoming clear. In the State of Washington, for example, 29% of employed workers were 45 or older in 1995. This had grown to 39% by 2005 [Kaglic, 2005]. This growth is not being matched by younger workers. By 2015 there will be 115,000 more 60- to 64-year olds and 30,000 fewer 40- to 44-year olds in the Washington State labor force (those who are either employed or seeking employment) than there were in 2005 [Bailey,2006]. As these older workers move into retirement the direct impact will be a tighter labor market and a shortage of various skills. According to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers by 2010 as many as 60% of today’s experienced utility workers will retire. Similarly, the average age of hospital caregivers today is about 45, with 70% of the hospital workforce eligible to retire over the next 20–25 years [Briley and Hutson, 2002]. The indirect, but equally profound, impact of the demographic changes will be economic. The integrity of our federal social security system has depended upon the labor and income of large numbers of young workers supporting the retirement needs of smaller numbers of disabled and retired workers and their dependents. In 2005 for every person 65 and older there were five people aged 20– 64 (i.e., an old age dependency ratio of 20%). The Social Security Administration e stimates that by 2080 this ratio will more than double, to more than 40%, with only 2.5 younger people for every older one. Not only will the number of retirees grow, but their life expectancy and associated duration of retirement is increasing as well. While private pension systems are theoretically fully funded at the time the commitment is made to provide the future benefit, in fact this is often not fully realized. Underfunded pension programs in both the private and public sectors are now common, the federal assurance program for these pensions is not robust, and these pensions may also be jeopardized by these changing demographics. Although the impact of the growing dependent older population will be somewhat mitigated by lower fertility rates which reduce the numbers of the very young who are also dependent on the working age population [Burtless, 2005], this will not offset the profound economic consequences of the demographic trends. As these trends progress—more old er workers moving toward retirement with fewer younger replacements— substantial pressure on our social security and pension funds will accompany the anticipated shortages of labor and skills. Public and private employment policies will almost certainly evolve to encourage workers to stay on the job longer. Other factors creating incentives to stay at work longer include the need for private health insurance until at least the age of 65 in the face of relentlessly rising health care costs and the increasing uncertainty about pension benefits that comes with the trend from defined benefit private pension plans shift toward defined contribution programs. Some of the expected policy changes are already evident, including the 1978 and 1986 amendments to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 [ADEA, 1967] which have largely eliminated mandatory retirement ages, the gradual increase in the age for full social security benefits from 65 to 67, and a relaxation of the social security retirement earnings test so that workers can stay on the job longer without a loss of benefits. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 has made it easier for senior employees to phase their retirement plans by starting to draw pension income without penalty while they continue to work full or part time past age 62 [PPA, 2006]. These changes are probably not enough. Business Week magazine, for example, predicts that social security’s normal retirement age will incrementally rise to 70 [Coy and Brady,2005]. This, however, is not certain since along with predictable political opposition many actuaries assume that raising the retirement age would result in an increasing number of older people applying for Social Security disability benefits, thus offsetting the possible savings from the raised retirement age. The impact of these developments is already apparent. While the labor force participation rate among 65-year-old men dropped from 70% in 1940 to only 32% in 1985 [National Research Council, 2004] this trend shows signs of reversing as the incentives for early retirement are beginning to soften. From 1985 to 2004 the labor force participation rate of 25- to 54-year olds stayed essentially stable (à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uctuating between 82% and 84%) while the rate among 55- to 64-year olds increased consist ently from 54% to 62% [Toossi, 2005]. This trend is likely to continue, as signaled by a May, 2005 Gallup survey showing that the percent of people planning to put off retirement until after age 62 had risen from 35% in 1998 to 55% in 2004. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the percent of older workers staying on the job will continue to rise at least through 2014, even without major changes in social policy such as further increases in full social security retirement age. The impacts of age on cognitive function are more complicated. Some mental processes such as those requiring spatial abilities, problem solving, and processing of complex stimuli are especially age sensitive. Cross sectional data sets suggest declines in these domains beginning as early as 20–30 years old, while the onset is a bit later for longitudinal studies. Performing multiple simultaneous tasks or holding multiple items in working memory are examples of these age dependent processes. Psy chologists distinguish these ‘‘fluid’’ functions which involve processing input at the time of performance from other ‘‘crystallized’’ cognitive functions which are the cumulative results of earlier processing and are better preserved with age. The ‘‘crystallized’’ knowledge of word meaning or the ability to retrieve familiar information, for example, is relatively age stable. In addition to these crystallized semantic skills, memory for procedural skills such as typing, which relies on early learning, is also relatively well maintained with age [National Research Council, 2004]. The ability to work successfully with increasing age is thus the integrated result of many factors. For example, older typists have been shown to have slower tapping rates and reaction times, but are able to compensate for declining motor speed by using experience to scan characters further in advance than younger, less experience d typists [Salthouse, 1984; Bosman, 1993, 1994]. Similarly, despite significant age-related declines in the cognitive ability to recall short musical melodies, at every age those with musical experience and skills tend to maintain their advantage in musical memory over those with less experience and skill [Meinz and Salthouse, 1998; Meinz, 2000]. Based on a comprehensive review Salthouse [2006] has concluded that while many types of cognitive and physical performance are improved at all ages with training and practice, this does not appear to change the rate at which capability declines with age. In other words training, practice and experience can enhance performance at older ages and can often result in older workers outperforming younger ones, despite the fact that age-related declines continue at the same rate as they do in workers with less experience and practice. Laà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡amme and Menckel [1995] have summarized these relationships in a study of work injuries by noting that skills and experience can compensate for age-related physical and cognitive declines only when the job demands remain lower than overall work capacity and that this compensation is not feasible when work organization and working methods are rigid. Several recommendations have been made for the implementation of practical programs consistent with the evidence summarized above. Four strategic dimensions have been suggested, including interventions that focus on the work environment, the way work and retirement are arranged and organized, the health and fitness of the individual worker, and the social context of work [Moyers and Coleman, 2004; National Research Council, 2004]. We are beginning to experience profound work place changes related to the demographic changes of an aging population. Those who do encourage older employees to remain at work but fail to take steps to support their productive capacities and minimize their vulnerabilities may experience adverse impacts on qu ality, productivity, workers’ compensation and other insurance costs. On the other hand employers who promote and support the work ability of employees as they age may gain in safety, productivity, competitiveness, and sustainable business practices. There are several possible reasons why employers have been slow to anticipate and meet the needs of an aging workforce. First, some of the actions that that have been suggested— such as phased retirement programs—might require complex changes in pension law, benefits agreements and personnel policies. Second, many employers still harbor false beliefs that older workers are less reliable, less productive, less safe and more expensive than younger ones [Wegman, 1999]. Third, some employers are insuffiently informed about laws governing workplace bias and equal opportunity and are fearful that measures perceived to favor older workers might open them to charges of discrimination. Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions should mitigate these fears, but knowledge of them is not widespread [General Dynamics, 2004; Smith, 2005]. In combination these decisions make it clear that while age sometimes does affect an individual’s capacity to do certain types of work, employers may attend to the special needs of older workers without providing equivalent assistance to relatively younger workers. Thus, it is permissible to treat older workers preferentially in comparison to younger workers, but it is not permissible to deny them advantages or privileges extended to younger workers. It is important to note, however, that programs and policies which most effectively meet the needs of an aging workforce are not just programs for older workers but are those starting when workers are young in order to prevent or slow the effects of aging at work. Fourth, while there is strong evidence to support the implementation of some of the interventions discussed in this paper (e.g., ergonomic measures to prevent mu sculoskeletal disorders and clinical preventive services to reduce disability from cancer and cardiovascular disease), the evidentiary is limited and unknown to most employers. Research is needed to determine the effectiveness of the various program designs together with a substantial effort to disseminate results and recommendations to employers and employee organizations References Quinn J. 2002. Changing retirement trends and their impact on elderly entitlement programs. In: Altman SH, Shactman DI, editors. Policies for an aging society. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, p 293-315. Kaglic R. 2005. 2005 Washington State Labor Market and Economic Report. Olympia, Washington: Washington State Employment Security Department. Bailey S. 2006. 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