Thursday, April 16, 2020
Networking Essays (1661 words) - Server, Server Hardware
Networking For my independent study, I have created a network in my house. A network by definition are more than one computer that are linked together electronically via a protocol (common language) so the computers can communicate and share resources. This network improves the day-to-day life by adding value and usefulness to the computers. The processes and ideas that I have learned thru this experience can be applied directly into todays rich electronic business environment. Identifying the needs of the user is the first step for building a well-designed Network. A professional installation was needed to maintain the aesthetics of the rental house. Most of the wires are run in the attic and then down plastic conduit attached to the wall. The conduit is run all the way to the wall boxes where the Ethernet ports are located. Every wire is clearly labeled and included in an easy to read schematic of the house. This way future tenants will have the ability to utilize the network. Next, every room needed to have access to the network. In order to minimize the overall use of wires, hubs were placed in strategic locations. An 8-port 10/100-megabit auto-sensing hub is located in the computer room and a 5 port 10-megabit in the sound room. There, needed to be docking stations, so laptop users or visiting computers could easily plug into the network and utilize the pre-existing monitor, keyboard, and mouse. These are the basic needs that have been put into the des ign of the network. Each computer setup is unique with certain strengths and weaknesses. The network takes advantage of the strengths of each individual computer and makes them available to all users. A network essentially expands the capabilities of each computer by increasing functionality thru resource sharing. In the house, there are a total of four computers and two laptops. Processing speed and an abundance of ram is not essential for a server with such low traffic. Thus the most antiquated computer was elected for this function. Between all the computers, we have several extra pieces of hardware such as a zip drive, CDRW, DVD ROM, scanner, and multiple printers. Each piece of hardware is dispersed between the computers. There were several immediate efficiencies that occurred when the network went operational. The zip drive is located on the server while the CDRW is located on one of the individual workstations. Previously, if the need arose to burn some information stored on the zip disk to a CD, the individual computers were practically worthless for this task. However, with the network, one can map a network drive on the computer with the CDRW to the zip drive on the server. This allows information to be efficiently transferred from the zip drive to a CD. In addition, the server also has a scanner attached to it. The problem is that the server is too slow to handle sophisticated photo editing software. Now an image can be scanned on to the server and then a faster computer can be used to edit it. There are 3 different printers, each varies in quality, speed, and maintenance costs. The most expensive one is reserved for only making color photos, and the other two are used for everyday printing, one of which is much faster and has more reliable paper feeding. A user can easily choose a printer depending on their needs. This network takes full advantage of each computer through resource sharing which ads tremendous value for its users. In Business it is important in any network to be able to restrict access to individuals private files or directories. Security would demand that not all users would be allowed access to highly confidential information. There is other information that would be made available to other users on a read only basis. The same is true of the users in my network. Microsoft developed NT to be very secure. Most of this security is devoted to protecting network resources and the filing system (NTFS). The administrator decides who gets access to which resources by setting up users and user groups. Each person is asked to choose a user name and password. Then the administrator identifies the needs and privileges of each individual user.
Friday, March 13, 2020
Essay about Twelfth Night Character List
Essay about Twelfth Night Character List Essay about Twelfth Night Character List Viola - A young woman of aristocratic birth, and the playââ¬â¢s protagonist. Washed up on the shore of Illyria when her ship is wrecked in a storm, Viola decides to make her own way in the world. She disguises herself as a young man, calling herself "Cesario," and becomes a page to Duke Orsino. She ends up falling in love with Orsino- even as Olivia, the woman Orsino is courting, falls in love with Cesario. Orsino - A powerful nobleman in the country of Illyria. Orsino is lovesick for the beautiful Lady Olivia, but becomes more and more fond of his handsome new page boy, Cesario, who is actually a woman Viola. Orsino is a vehicle through which the play explores the absurdity of love: a supreme egotist, Orsino mopes around complaining how heartsick he is over Olivia, when it is clear that he is in love with the idea of being in love and enjoys making a spectacle of himself. Olivia - A wealthy, beautiful, and noble Illyrian lady, Olivia is courted by Orsino and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, but to each of them she insists that she is in mourning for her brother, who has recently died, and will not marry for seven years. She and Orsino are similar characters in that each seems to enjoy wallowing in his or her owns misery Sir Toby - Oliviaââ¬â¢s uncle. Olivia lets Sir Toby Belch live with her, but she does not approve of his rowdy behavior, practical jokes, heavy drinking, late-night carousing, or friends (specifically the idiotic Sir Andrew). Maria - Oliviaââ¬â¢s clever, daring young waiting-gentlewoman. Maria is remarkably similar to her antagonist, Malvolio, who harbors aspirations of rising in the world through marriage. But Maria succeeds where Malvolio fails Andrew - A friend of Sir Tobyââ¬â¢s. Sir Andrew Aguecheek attempts to court Olivia, but he doesnââ¬â¢t stand a chance. He thinks that he is witty, brave, young, and good at languages and dancing, but he is actually an idiot. Feste - The
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Ashoka and Emperor ashoka ( choose heading) Essay
Ashoka and Emperor ashoka ( choose heading) - Essay Example However, a look at some of the stone pillars in some part of the modern-day India proves that such an empire existed. For example in Bihar, India, there are stone pillars that are inscribed with the Emperorââ¬â¢s statues and edicts. Ancient Sanskirt literature also shows that there was a great Emperor called Ashoka. In Sarnath city which is also in India, there are statues of lions which are now part of Indiaââ¬â¢s National emblem (Rao 96). These are the Ashoka lions, of course named after the Emperor Ashoka. He Emperor ordered installation of these pillars (Joshi 60). A look at the statues and some of the stone pillars shows that the Emperor had them inscribed with merciful laws. Based on the evidence from Joshiââ¬â¢s book and a history professor called B.V. Rao, Emperor Ashoka waged a constant war for the first eight years when he was in power. It is also clear that the Emperor had inherited a large empire, which he expanded in his reign to include some of the other Indian subcontinent. He also expanded his empire to the modern-day borders of Burmese eastern border, western side of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Iran (Rao 94). It was only Sri Lanka and other southern parts of India which remained out of the Emperorââ¬â¢s reach. However, despite the ancient Kalinga kingdom, north of India, being out of his reach, he attacked the kingdom in year 265. He took advantage of the fact that it was his second wifeââ¬â¢s homeland, Kaurwaki. The Mauryan Emperor had sought refuge from his hostile half-brothers, in the Kalinga kingdom. He gathered the largest army in Indian history to attach Kalinga, which crumbled after losing most of its warriors. After going through the story about this Emperor and his dynasty I got surprised after discovering that he was one of the many ruthless rulers in human history to change into one of the most respected rulers. I expected to find a
Sunday, February 9, 2020
The importance of bees Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
The importance of bees - Research Paper Example Female bees have a stinger where venom s stored. In the collection of pollen and nectar, bees pollinate plant flowers. The research project seeks to find out the importance of bees to plants and the ecosystem at large. A discussion on how Human activities positively or negatively affect the life and functions of bees in the botanical world is of concern in this project. It will also highlight the significance of plants in the ecosystem and the need of bees in diversity of plants. The importance of plants in the ecosystem In any ecosystem, the sun is the main source of energy. Plant community forms the largest component of the ecosystem. They trap the energy from the sun using their chlorophyll and make their own food through photosynthesis. In addition, they constitute the primary producers of the ecosystem and pass the energy to primary consumers that feed on them. The energy continues to flow to secondary consumers, tertiary consumers and then the quaternary consumers. It is clear that directly or indirectly plants provide food to all organisms in the ecosystem including humans. They also provide shelter to a number of organisms in the ecosystem (Jorgensen, 2009). Flowering plants dominate the plant community and have flowers (the reproductive organ) as the distinguishing feature. Sexual reproduction in flowering plants involves the formation of gametes and the transfer of the male gamete to the female gamete. This transfer of male gametes or pollen grains (pollination) is by animals or wind. The survival of most flowering plant to another generation depends on the formation seeds from fertilization. The agents of pollination determine the propagation of a variety of plant species (Bailey, 2009). Bees as agents of pollination: research on horticultural plantations Flower pollinators are several. They include bees, birds, bat, other insects, and wind. However, bees play the most important and effective role in pollination. Honeybees are advantageous as pollina tors compared to other types of bees especially in crop production. They collect pollen and nectar from a vast area where plants are growing until the supply is exhausted. Their consistence makes them reliable pollinators unlike other bees and insects that just visit flowers occasionally. They move out in larger numbers making every flower occupied. Honeybees are adapted for pollination in various ways. Possession of certain structures on the hind appendages, allow them to carry pollen. As they move from one flower to another, the pollen falls on the stigmas of the flowers. Their forked body hairs enable them to pick pollen and carry it around while their antennae cleaner enable them to clean the antennae. During this cleaning, pollen grains fall on the stigmas of flowers. According to research, these bees have a way of communicating to other bees (Bailey, 2009). They transmit information about flowering crops to other bees thus making pollination effective and fast. Pollination is not important to some plants such as oranges and grapes. They reproduce without fertilization (parthenocarpy). Only few plants reproduce by these means and all the other fruit plants require fertilization. A few plants are wind and self-pollinated while the others need an animal pollinator. Self-pollinations is rare because plant posses structural mechanism to get rid of it (Lovett, 2011). Experiments on
Thursday, January 30, 2020
The significance of Garibaldis contribution Essay Example for Free
The significance of Garibaldis contribution Essay Giuseppe Garibaldi was born in Nice, and, although he was a born a French citizen, he regarded himself as Italian. Despite the pressure placed upon him to enter the Church, he joined the Merchant Navy where a chance meeting with Mazzini altered the entire course of his life. One of Mazzinis greatest disciples was Garibaldi, who was inspired with nationalist fervour and patriotic enthusiasm. He quickly converted to share Mazzinis aim of a united Italy, but only an Italy united as a republic. A revolutionary plot in 1833 in Piedmont was introduced to cause mutiny in the army but it failed and Garibaldi was sentenced to death. Execution could not be carried out as Garibaldi left the country prior to the trial. He moved to Brazil and then on to Uruguay where his military ability was first displayed. He fought, defending Uruguay in an Austrian take-over, however, news of the Italian revolutions of 1848 reached him and he decided to return to his homeland. He did this with some out of date weapons and some of his colleagues. Word of his military campaigns in South America had by now reached the Italian States and upon his return, recruits assembled to join Garibaldis legion. Garibaldis contribution in South America had a profound effect on events later on in the fight for unification, as it was due to his military involvement that he came back to Italy a prominent figure. It was only due to his reputation that he was able to recruit so many men. Although Garibaldi was originally drawn to the cause of unification as one of Mazzinis supporters, he saw the powerful Piedmontese state and monarchy as a more realistic way of achieving unification. It was at this point that Garibaldi and his mentor Mazzini parted ways. Mazzini was only interested in a unified Italy as a republic whereas Garibaldi wanted unification by any means possible. This is also where Garibaldi shows contrasts with Cavour who was above all else Piedmontese. February 1849 saw the establishment of the Roman Republic. The Republic itself was short-lived; only lasted four months. Garibaldi played a role in resisting the Catholic countries assisting the Pope however, the defendersà were greatly outnumbered by the powers helping the Pope and the fall of Rome was inevitable. After the fall of the Republic, Garibaldi made an appeal for new recruits to fight the war against the stranger. Although he offered no provisions or promises, almost 5000 men were recruited. Despite this, on their journey to Venetia, 3500 were lost. Garibaldi escaped to Genoa where he was arrested and released on the condition that he leave Italy at once. Upon his release, he travelled to North America where he stayed until 1854. When he returned, Garibaldis significance is clearly visible. A revolt which began in 1860 in Sicily came to the attention of Garibaldi and he set sail for Sicily almost immediately. His unexpected conquests in Sicily and Naples precipitated the unification of most of Italy. When he reached Sicily, Garibaldi was a welcome fighter. His weak army of 1200 now reaching 3000 took Palermo forcing the garrison to return to Naples making Sicily his. In September 1860 Naples fell leaving Garibaldi as Dictator over the Kingdom of Naples. Cavour feared that Garibaldi would not stop and would attempt to take Rome so he advised Victor Emmanuel to take Rome first. When the two forces met, Garibaldi proclaimed Victor Emmanuel the first King of Italy Plebiscites held in the newly acquired land showed immense support for annexation by Piedmont. In 1861, Garibaldis aim of a united Italy came into being; however, it did not include Rome or Venetia. By way of unification under control of Piedmont, the Piedmontese constitution and legal system were extended over the whole country. Though Rome remained to be occupied by France, continuing pressure from Italian liberals came for it to be freed and incorporated into the new Italian Kingdom as the historical capital. Apparently, with the implicit support of Victor Emmanuel, Garibaldi set off with 3000 volunteers to conquer Rome. When Garibaldi reached Palermo, he was greeted by calls of Rome or death and suddenly, Victor Emmanuel disowned the march. Garibaldi and his men were shot at by local troops in Calabria and only 500 remained. The whole operation was a disaster for Garibaldi and an embarrassment for the government. In 1864, the Italian government agreed to protect Rome form attack and to move the Italian capital from Turin to Florence and in returnà the French withdrew from Rome. Garibaldi saw this as a betrayal of the cause for unification and decided to make an attempt to recapture Rome. Garibaldi and his men began their march to Rome but he was arrested. Despite this his followers continued on their journey to Rome where they suffered defeat at the hands of the Papal army. Garibaldi attempted to re-join his army and did succeed; however, his planned revolution with the Roman people did not happen. This was the end of Garibaldis contribution to Italian history. Garibaldis contribution to the cause of Italian unity was considerable. He was a brilliant military leader and was determined to achieve unification. He inspired great enthusiasm in his men and made them feel compelled to devote their lives to the cause of unification. Although he encountered many failures such as his journey to Rome, his followers were loyal and determine to try to continue his efforts. His greatest achievement would be his success at conquering Naples and Sicily, as this made Unification inevitable however, he was distressed that Rome did not become part of the unified Italy in his lifetime as he believed Italy should be united with Rome as capital.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
The Perfect Plan :: Personal Narrative College Essays
The Perfect Plan I had the perfect plan when it came to college. All throughout my childhood I had dreamed about playing soccer at the college level, and rooming with someone I knew well. It was important to me, that I make sure whatever decision I made, I was the happiest I could possibly be. It was now all coming into place, or so I thought. The only thing that I had to wait for was the acceptance letter. Before I get too ahead of myself though, let me explain. I had just finished a weekend at a premier soccer college showcase. College coaches from everywhere came to see the best of the best play. I was there, showing off my skills for all to see. I only wanted one coach to recognize me, and sure enough he did. The Penn State Altoona soccer coach came up to me after I had scored the game-winning goal, and told me if I wanted to play for him, I could. To make matters even better, my best friend told me she wanted to attend Penn State Altoona too. It was perfect. All my worries about leaving home, my family, and my boyfriend seemed to be pushed to the back of my mind. I wouldnââ¬â¢t be alone in college, and thatââ¬Ës all that mattered. My biggest fear was being a long distance away from home, and I thought that by having my best friend there, I wouldnââ¬â¢t miss the things at home so much. I thought I would keep myself busy with sports and my college material, and I could go back to my dorm where my best friend would always be. I wouldnââ¬â¢t have time to worry about my home life, the life I wasnââ¬Ët convinced I was ready to leave behind. Perhaps I should explain to you why I was going to room with my best friend. She had been living at my house for six months because her house was being built, and she didnââ¬â¢t have anywhere to stay. So we spent six months of our lives together, sharing everything. We became inseparable, and truly acted like sisters. I thought I would be happy if we roomed together. This is why rooming with her became so exciting to me. We had already done that, and it didnââ¬â¢t seem like a problem at my house. We received our acceptance letters, and quickly replied stating we wanted to be roommates with each other.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
SWOT and Porterââ¬â¢s Five Forces for Sheng Siong Essay
Introduction Growing up in a pig farm, the CEO Mr. Lim Hock Chee and his brothers have brought Sheng Siong Group Ltd to an over 800million market capital, Singapore Exchange listed supermarket chain. The groupââ¬â¢s humble beginning in the year 1985, from its first store in Ang Mo Kio which surrounded by 5 other grocery stores, has now expanded to be the one of the largest supermarket chain in Singapore. Sheng Siong is publicly listed at the Singapore Exchange (SGX) on August 17, 2011. Since then, it grows to become a major supermarket chain in Singapore with a total retail area of 400,000sq ft over 33 outlets island-wide. Sheng Siongââ¬â¢s outlets are designed to provide customers with both ââ¬Å"wet and dryâ⬠shopping options ranging from a wide assortment of fresh, live and chilled products, such as meat, seafood and vegetables to processed, packaged and preserved food products as well as general groceries. Over the past few years, they have developed a selection of house brands to offer customers alternatives with at ample savings. Sheng Siong has now over 400 products under their 10 house brands. With the long history and reputation for quality products at competitive prices, the ââ¬Å"Sheng Siongâ⬠brand had become an established household name in Singapore. Widely recognized by consumers, Sheng Siong were awarded the ââ¬Å"Superbrandâ⬠status by Superbrands Singapore since 2008 (Superbrands, 1994). Mission: We strive to offer communities in which we operate quality products at reasonable prices together with good service in order to create value to our customers Vision: Our vision is to be the preferred retailer in the market, starting from Singapore and then further ashore. SWOT analysis Strengths Weaknesses 1. Strong brand recognition 2. Experienced management 1. Susceptible to rent hikes and labour cost hikes. 2. Lack of a formal succession plan Opportunity Threats 1. Overseas expansion 2. Untapped areas in Singapore 1. Losing market share 2. Supply disruption Strengths Strong brand recognition Sheng Siong is among the top 3 supermarket chain in Singapore. Sheng Siong launched a television show titled ââ¬Å"The Sheng Siong Showâ⬠since year 2007 to further raise its profile amongst national audiences, on top of the traditional marketing mediums. Strong recognition by Singapore residents as a value-for-money supermarket chain. Awarded ââ¬Å"Superbrandâ⬠status by Superbrands Singapore, a global organization that recognizes the most valued and exceptional brands, every year since year 2008. Experienced management Sheng Siong is founded since year 1985 and focus only in retail business in Singapore. Management of the group since then rests in the hands of the three founding Lim brothers: Mr. Lim Hock Eng (Executive Chairman), Mr. Lim Hock Chee (CEO) and Mr. Lim Hock Leng (Managing Director). They have almost 30 years of experience in grocery retailing, equipped with in-depth knowledge of the industry in Singapore. Weaknesses Susceptible to rent hikes and labour cost hikes The cost of rental and labour takes up 85% of Sheng Siongsââ¬â¢ operating expenses (Maybank KE, 2013) thus it is very vulnerable to hikes on operating cost in order to sustain their low-cost strategy. The Singapore Government had increase the restrictions for hiring foreign labour (Mom.gov.sg, 2013), which pressure Sheng Siong, in which one-third of its 2600 employees are non-Singaporeans, in their operating cost. (Michelle Teo, 2013) In Maybank KEââ¬â¢s research (2013), under the sensitivity analysis, an increase of 5% additional staff cost would incurred 9% of shortfall in Sheng Siongââ¬â¢s profit. According to Sheng Siongââ¬â¢s Annual Report in 2012 and 2013, rental expenses had been increased from 1.095million to 1.693million, representingà a more than 50% hike. In order to sustain the low-cost strategy, such rental hike issue had made Sheng Siong Group opened no new store in year 2013, whereby they cannot find suitable and affordable space to rent for expansion. La ck of a formal succession plan The founders, Lim brothers are holding more than 60% of the shares of Sheng Siong Group and also on the top managing positions. (Annual Report, 2013) The lack of a formal succession plan could prove to be a weakness in the long-run. The listing of Sheng Siong in the SGX had made incorporation of some outside talents including Mr. Tan Ling San (Executive Director) and Mr. Wong Soong Kit (Finance Director) into the management ranks, however if the Lim brothers decide to retire or step down before a formal succession plan is put into place, it may lead to a potential loss of strategic direction. Opportunities Overseas expansion Despite the foreign markets are also dominated by major players, Sheng Siong might able to seek chances in overseas expansion, especially in neighbor countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. The benefits of overseas expansion including increase brand value, find new customers, seek for tax incentives and reduce excessive domestic, single market reliance and furthermore enjoy the robust economic development of the region of South East Asia. Especially in Malaysia, Sheng Siong has had various suppliers which relationships had been established for decades, the expansion into the market is not impossible. Untapped areas in Singapore There are still many highly populated areas in Singapore where Sheng Siong has no presence such as Bishan, Tampines, Hougang, Sengkang and Bukit Merah. This means that Sheng Siong still has a lot of room to grow its store network. Furthermore, Sheng Siong had commenced an e-commerce pilot project in December 2013, in the Thomson vicinity to provide customers the convenience of shopping groceries online via the website ââ¬Å"allforyou.sgâ⬠. The possible success of this e-commerce project can reduce dependence on human labour, save cost on warehouse management and create new and better shopping experience of customers at their convenience. Threats Losing market share Sheng Siong operates in a highly competitive environment where it faces intense competition from other major super market chains as well as traditional grocery retailers, wet markets and even petrol kiosks. Its existing stores may face competition from new competitor outlets in their operating areas; it may lose market shares in the area where new competitorââ¬â¢s outlets are open where Sheng Siong is absent. Sheng Siong has suffer zero expansion in retail outlets in year 2013, making it a crucial threat of losing market shares due to expansions of its competitors. Supply disruption Supply disruptions arising from harsh weather conditions, force majeure events or natural disasters might hit Sheng Siong because about 30% of its revenue (Ocbc is from the sale of fresh produce. Porterââ¬â¢s 5 forces Competitive rivalry ââ¬â High Sheng Siong is in tough competition with major direct competitors such as NTUC FairPrice and Dairy Farmââ¬â¢s Cold Storage and Giant, yet there are many other smaller retailers in the market. The 4 major supermarket chain had a dominant market share of more than 85percent (Euromonitor, 2014) (Maybank KE, 2014), making the business to be in a semi-consolidated industry. Supermarkets are having very low level of product differentiation. The retail sectors is growing steadily but slow. (Singstat.gov.sg, 2014) For the full year, retail sales in Singapore contracted by 4.3%, a reversal from the 1.3% expansion in 2012, but supermarket sales grew by 4.3% at current prices and 2.4% at constant prices during the same period, compared with an increase of 7.5% and 5.3% respectively in 2012. (Economic Survey of Singapore, 2013) The increasingly intensive competition may result in lower sales and greater operating costs and have an adverse effect on Sheng Siong. Threat of new entrants ââ¬â Low The big 4 supermarket chains took up to more than 85percent of the totalà market shares in Singapore, thus becomes a huge barrier for new entrants to meet the excessive capital requirements into the harsh competition. A new entrant would have to achieve the economies of scale needed to compete on cost advantage with the major market players, therefore not an easy barrier to cross over. Branding is another barrier to entry. A new entrant would need to differentiate themselves with the big 4 and to attain identity through promotions and advertising which may incur extremely high expenses. The highly responsive to competition of the big 4 supermarket chains to sustain market share also makes the barrier higher for new entrants. New entrant also face disadvantage in lack of expertise and knowledge of consumer trends, as the big players had been in the business for decades. Difficulties in accessing to distribution channels and locations is also an entry barrier for new entrant as Singapore is a matured market. Threat of substitute ââ¬â High Chains of convenience stores such as 7-eleven and Cheers are emerging in the market. Convenience stores are selling some Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) like dairy products, soft drinks and packaged food which also sold by supermarkets, thus become a substitute of supermarkets. Restaurants, kopitiams (coffee shop) and food centers are also substitutes for supermarkets. People may want to dine outside rather than purchasing fresh meats, fishes and vegetable to cook at home. Pharmacies which are selling medicine, personal care, and baby care and toilet / pocket papers are also a substitute of supermarket. Traditional wet markets are considered another substitute for supermarket business. Newly emerged online groceries shopping brings threat of substitute to supermarket also. Bargaining power of customer ââ¬â High Sheng Siong is facing intense competition from traditional grocery retailers such as wet markets, supermarkets and hypermarkets, and from non-traditional competitors such as, petrol kiosk convenience stores, convenience stores and restaurants. Customers have various options when comes to buying groceries. While pricing is one of the keys, convenience also plays a significant role in groceries shopping. People might choose to buy daily groceries from neighborhood grocery store just on their doorstep or buy drinks from theà nearest convenience stores, rather than purposely go to supermarket. Bargaining power of supplier ââ¬â Low Due to the nature of grocery retailing business, Sheng Siong purchase goods from a large number of suppliers and contract manufacturers. A large network of over 1,000 suppliers and contract manufacturers had been established for Sheng Siongââ¬â¢s business. Some of the supplying relationships had established since the commencing year of 1985. The large and stable supplying relationships have enabled Sheng Siong to have a continuous supply of products without major disruptions and allow them to wield greater bargaining power in terms of the purchase prices of their products. No single supplier or contract manufacturer contributed more than 5.0% of Sheng Siongââ¬â¢s total purchases. (Prospectus, 2011) Summary Competitive rivalry: High Threat of new entrants: Low Threat of substitute: High Bargaining power of customer:High Bargaining power of supplier: Low The analysis above shows Sheng Siong is in a really intensive business environment. Therefore, the management team should act really cautious on their strategy planning for business operations as well expansions in order to stay competitive. Strategic planning As Sheng Siong is implementing low-cost strategy, it is very important for the management to plan their business tightly watch on their operational costs, as they are vulnerable to rental and labour hikes. On the other Hand, not having a succession plan may negatively impacts the operations of company in long run. Thus Sheng Siong should have plans with the goal to train and sustain the dynamic key management team for the companyââ¬â¢s future growth. Goals Plans Control operating costs, Sustaining low-cost strategy Reduce dependence of foreign labours. Computerized operations to reduce labour costs. Seek new property rental or purchases opportunity in new high populated resident areas such as Punggol and Hougang. Make optimum utilize of the centralized warehouse cum distribution center in Mandai Link, to achieve economies of scale. Train and sustain the upcoming management team Set up a management training for potential employees from internal or external. Succession plan as well as a contingency plan should be well established as soon as possible to enhance the stability of the long term operations of the company. Organizing Sheng Siong is applying the functional organization where by it divides into different divisions such as Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Purchasing and Retail Operations. It is also a centralized organization since it was originally a family business. Most decisions are made by high-level executives and pass down for implementation. In my opinion, a transition should be made in the organizing system in Sheng Siong if the company wants to sustain in a longer run. Talents from internal or external should be brought up to managerial level through systematic trainings and being delegated in decisions making to cultivate fresh thoughts and ideas for the operations and growth of the company. The company should gradually decentralized in their organization to promote creativity and innovations, as well as act as a pathway for establishing succession plans. Leadership Despite using power of authority, power of rewards has been used in Sheng Siongââ¬â¢s leadership over their employees. 20% of the groupsââ¬â¢ profit before tax was distributed in the form of various bonuses to its employees in the past 2 years. Relationship-motivated leadership Having policy such as provides one free meal per workday for every full-timeà worker that has become a tradition of the company for 25 years. (Sheng Siong, 2013) The CEO Lim Hock Chee is an authentic and transformational leader. Although featuring at position 35 in Forbesââ¬â¢ Singaporeââ¬â¢s 50 Richest list, Lim Hock Chee remains a humble man. He is known as the ââ¬Å"towkay (meaning ââ¬Ëbossââ¬â¢ in Chinese) who drives a lorryâ⬠due to that being his mode of transport for many years. He undertook a two-year car mechanic course and thus stood him in good stead as until recently he was known as ââ¬Å"Mr Fix itâ⬠at Sheng Siong, regularly welding trolleys and fixing power outages. (Hunt, 2014) These good traits of leadership styles should be kept on in Sheng Siong to distinguish themselves from major trends in capitalized world that applies less relationships concerned leadership. However, a family business cannot sustain and grow if it stays only at family style, standardization and formalization should progressively apply and leaders should apply a balanced portion of task performance behaviors in their lead. Control In spite of bureaucratic control, market control is always being well-utilized in Sheng Siong. The plans and strategies in marketing, property renting and purchasing, and invests and divests are set according to close studies of the market. Sheng Siong emerged as Runner-up in the Retail & Household Goods category of the 14th Securities Investors Association (Singapore) (SIAS) Investorsââ¬â¢ Choice Award ââ¬â Most Transparent Company Award (MTCA) 2013. (Annual Report, 2013) This indicates Sheng Siong is having good control of their accounts and audits with optimum information stated in their financial reports. Despite the financial parts, management audits are closely monitored. The evaluations of the the companyââ¬â¢s planning, organizing, leading and controlling is always printed in their annual report. It reviews what have been done and what the upcoming plans are, giving a clear picture to investors and business partners. Recommendations Sheng Siong should always prudent in its expansion and execution under theà harsh economic environment. Setting up a clear succession plan of short, medium, and long term to ensure the future operations of the company. Overseas expansion exposes to risks and opportunities, the company should well utilize the connections that it has to expand the business to another level, locally and regionally. Conclusion Sheng Siong had gradually emerged as one of the biggest groceries retailer in Singapore. Nevertheless, there are huge growth opportunity for the company. The company should stay dynamic and improve the weaknesses to keep explore the chances of growth in this competitive environment. Changing is not always a bad idea. From a family business to a listed company, from a small establishment to a corporate, Sheng Siong has gone this far, but be it just the beginning of the future great arms in supermarket operators in the region or even in the globe. Modern management studies will help Sheng Siong to embrace any possible threats in the future. The transition of Sheng Siong should not be stopped at this point but should keep improving, strive to achieve its mission and vision.
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