Laundry service Industry Essay Example for Free

Laundry service Industry Essay India has a huge market for laundry business which is yet to be tapped to its potential. However, with the coming up of a number of hospitals hotels and even the Indian Railways turning to outsourcing of laundry activities, the industrial laundry sector in India is attracting foreign players. The hotel industry is witnessing a growing trend towards outsourcing its laundry. India is expected to add another 90,000 hotel rooms over the next five years, all of which are in the private sector, especially to meet the tourism demand. In 2010, 10 million people are expected to visit India. The Indian Railways run approximately 12,000 trains every day. The capacity is to carry 1. 4 Crore passengers/day. It employs around 17 lakh employees (10 lakh in Group C), including 10,000 officers. This presents a huge benefit to global players to quickly set up their laundries in India, and cater to the ever growing market. The healthcare industry, the upcoming and the existing, has started outsourcing laundry services. This sector which has been registering a growth of 9. 3% per annum between 2000 and 2009 is projected to grow by 15% per annum by 2013. Laundry services in India are classified into Industrial Laundry and Retail Laundry. Industrial laundry is in its infant stage with major demand coming from hospitals and hotels which have their in-house laundry. Retail laundry is a much organised market with some professionally managed companies catering to the retail needs. Overall, the laundry market in India is still untapped and unorganised. Industrial laundries generally require heavy capital investment in machinery and equipment for washing, spinning, ironing drying besides land and property to set-up a laundry. Since laundry market in India is dominated by the small local laundry stores and local dhobis, they are not equipped to handle the huge capital requirement. Equipment for industrial laundry An industrial laundry would require equipment for: Washing Drying Ironing * The type of equipment to be purchased would be depend on the volumes that the laundry expects from potential clientele on a daily basis. Equipment for industrial laundries are available in different sizes with varying capacities. Equipment are available in the market for small, medium as well as large industrial laundries. Equipment for industrial laundries should optimise the washing system considering criteria such as: * Usage of appropriate washing machinery which would guarantee maximum efficiency with appropriate wash cycles, high spin capacity and minimum energy consumption * Drier equipment should assure proper drying in the least amount of time with minimum energy consumption * Flatwork ironers capable of absorbing the production of the driers to assure a high quality press * Automation of the laundry handling processes in order to save personnel costs and increase productivity Stages in industrial laundry An industrial laundry generally involves five stages namely: * Soiled Retrieval The linen collected usually is dropped down a laundry chute. Laundry workers collect the soiled linen, in reserved carts and transport it to the laundry facility. * Soil Sorting The retrieved linen is unloaded and sorted. Different items often require different washing formulas. Heavy or bio hazardous stains such as blood and faeces may require longer wash times and stronger formulas. Large institutions often use a production-line method for soil sorting, with several full-time employees assigned to the task. Since soiled linen may be contaminated with biohazards or sharp objects, employees involved in the sorting process are required to use personal protective equipment and standard safety precautions. * Washing The sorted linen is weighed according to the washing machine’s load limit. Certified washer operator loads and unloads the large washing machines, decides what is to be washed according to the laundry’s schedule and monitors the chemical levels in the water. Since modern tunnel washers monitor their own chemical levels and unload linen directly into the laundry’s clean area, the operator is required only to load the linen. Over the past 20 years, many industrial laundries have switched from conventional washers to tunnel washers, also called continuous-batch washers. Since tunnel washers don’t have to be stopped for loading and unloading of linen, they provide a more continuous flow of clean laundry. Higher-volume facilities which may process over 15,000kg of linen per day often rely heavily on tunnel washers * Processing The clean linen is dried, ironed and folded. Some items, such as towels and blankets, are put through a dryer until they are no longer damp, then sent to mechanical folders. Wet work items, such as sheets, are sent through steam-powered ironers which dry, press and fold them. Ironers use heavy steam-heated rollers to dry the linen while pressing out wrinkles. Some items, such as wash cloths, may be too small to be handled mechanically. These items must be packaged by hand. * Packaging Distribution The processed linen is prepared for delivery. Individual orders are filled, based on the needs and requests of the laundry’s customers and sent to the laundry’s main distribution points and storage areas. Linen not used for orders is placed in storage areas, giving the facility a reserve of clean laundry. Trained delivery people transport the clean linen back to the customers. This is a skilled position, since the delivery person must have a thorough knowledge of both laundry operation and the principles of good customer service. In hospitals, delivery people must be familiar with patient relations, confidentiality policies. Large institutions will usually employ several full-time delivery people. Eco-friendly Chemicals Halide Chemicals has launched a new range of eco-friendly laundry chemicals. The complete professional range consists of 10 products in powder and liquid formulations. The Laundro Det and Boost-E is a powder detergent and booster; Laundro Mulse-E is a liquid emulsifier for FB laundry; Laundro Bleach-O s a powder oxygen bleach for coloured and whites; Laundro Rinse is a liquid organic neutralising rinse; Laundro Complete is a powder all-in-one detergent and oxygen bleach for coloured and whites; Laundrokleen is a liquid all-in-one detergent for guest and domestic laundry; Laundro Soft is a liquid softener for towels and linen; Laundro Soft-N is a liquid 2-in-1 neutraliser and softener for towels and linen; Laundro Chlor-10 is a liquid chlorine bleach 10% for white linen and Laundro Rinse-C is a liquid neutralizing rinse after chlorine bleaching. The range is phosphate free. The base detergent is free from slurry based detergents and made from biodegradable surfactants. Haylide has used organic biodegradable acids in rinses softeners in place of harmful, inorganic and traditional laundry rinses. The oxygen bleaches and all-in-one single shot formulations reduce cycles of bleach and rinse. The softener range with combination of cationic water soluble silicones provide softest results. The emulsifier for FB stains is biodegradable and utilises denatured ethanol in place of IPA as a natural solvent.

Web 2.0 †Simplifying the Complicated Essay Example for Free

Web 2.0 – Simplifying the Complicated Essay Ever since its birth, Web 2. 0 has become a tempting topic of small talk everywhere technology is discussed. In most cases, those small talks can lead to lengthy discussions, and even debates. The word, to begin with, took time before settling with a definitive description. The processes and characteristics are also repeatedly debated about. If there is anything more intriguing with Web 2. 0, it is the power that it gives website visitors. It empowers web users to become part of the creation of a site, to associate themselves with a specific brand or service, or even with mere ideas. It creates a pool of knowledge which fosters collective intelligence, which becomes useful for all users. It also creates new uses for old applications, enabling them to be recreated and popularized. Introduction Except with enough interest on technology, Web 2. 0 is more of a jargon than a utility for many. What majority of internet users do not realize is that they are already using it even without them knowing. Web 2. 0 has suddenly taken over the whole computing industry. The takeover was so sudden that even experts agree that this has become the way computing today should be—or will be. The confusion is forgivable. For many, Web 2. 0 is a complicated thing. The more experts try to simplify it, the more complicated it becomes. To begin with, it is extremely difficult to at least define the term. There is also a lot of confusion as to where the Web 2. 0 begins; and where Web 1. 0 ends. Moreover, there is the question if the latter ends where the former begins. To better understand the word, it takes an analysis of the bits and pieces that make it up. We begin with the internet. (MacManus, 2005; Ding, 2007) The internet is designed to share and give out information. It began as an avenue for data creators and owners to send their information to others, often specific recipients. In review, it has become effective to what it is aimed at. The internet has become a way to make information available for others. The whole point of this information process is the need for knowledge. 55% of richness all over the world comes from knowledge. Peter Druker even said that the most production increase happens with the increase of knowledge. Today, communication has become more than just a one-on-one process. With information coming from sources of all directions, intelligence has become collective. The internet is one viable process of communication that cannot be underestimated. Without any initial help from bigger companies, the internet reaches one billion users. It should be noted that information is different from knowledge—and knowledge is different from intelligence. Information only becomes knowledge when a user processes it. In the same way, intelligence is a collection of knowledge. Thus, a single piece of information is not knowledge until used, while a single piece of knowledge cannot be called intelligence unless other knowledge is grouped with it. (Idehen, 2004; Bates, 2005) Communication enabled a big shift for knowledge. Where before knowledge is from one point to another (1 to 1), with communication it has become one point to several receiving points (1 to n). Thus, it can be said that there is an increase in the efficiency of knowledge sharing through communication. Yet, the web age has also contributed more to this. Thus, the Web 1. 0 and Web 2. 0. In Web 1. 0, everybody is creating information (n to n). In response, everybody can access information too (n to n). Instead of a linear process, there is a cycle of information sharing happening to all involved—the senders and receivers of information who are also receivers and senders in their respective rights. Web 1. 0 became an alternative way to communicate because of this efficiency that it offered everybody. (Barefoot, 2006) It does not only get information, it also gives information in return. Web 2. 0 – Simplifying the Complicated aims to present how Web 2. 0 works. It creates a bird’s eye view of the definitions. It also consults the processes of how Web 2. 0 is taking the web and its users. Effects, both good and bad, will also be analyzed. In the end, there is an attempt to conclude: is Web 2. 0 hype or a formation that is here to stay? Literature Review The word Web 2. 0 was coined by Dale Dougherty in 2004. (Anderson, 2007) Since then, it has become a widely-used word. Experts are talking about Web 2. 0 as if it is a new revolution. Indeed, it is. The word Web 2. 0 has been used and abused by many. Singel (2005) quoted Tim O’Reilly who defined the term as the framework of participation for the purpose of information. Schindler (2007) agreed to this statement, defining Web 2. 0 as the collaborative internet. However, Boutin (2006) claimed that definitions to the word may change, depending on who is using the term. Thus, no single definition can be associated with it. Almost every netizen is already using the Web 2. 0 in one way or another. Anderson (2007) identified that the Web 2. 0 is the use of collective information, where data is the chief element, among others. Thus, blogging, forums, tagging, and all other forms of publishing over the internet for public use may be regarded as Web 2. 0. Without one knowing it, Web 2. 0 is right before their very eyes. There have been questions, thus, if Web 2. 0 is hype, or a fad that will soon pass. Singel (2005) stated that the first conference held for Web 2. 0 was sold out despite the steep price tag. Schonfeld (2006) dismissed the idea of it being a publicity spin off. In fact, he claimed that the Web 2. 0 is the current name of the internet game. Despite the arguments, Web 2. 0 definitely has its positive effects. Companies view it as a way to save on marketing costs and improve customer relations. Businesses agree that the Web 2. 0 will impact their operations positively. These benefits, however, have corresponding detriments. (Serious business: Web 2. 0 goes corporate 2007) Keen (2006) stated that the Web 2. 0 setup enables users to publish just about anything within the limits, and so it can give way to anyone who wants to be a writer or performer. Thus, the entertainment industry may be threatened. Singel (2005) dismissed this. He quoted John Batelle who affirmed that despite the openness of Web 2. 0 for a new breed of entertainers, talent is one question that separates the real from the web-based. On the other hand, Harris (2006) expressed concerns to the loss of privacy because of the limitless sharing through Web 2. 0. Even mere personal files that get inside the Web 2. 0 is shared in a way, and he activities of users included, proving that privacy may in fact be sacrificed. Kantor (2006), however, stressed that copyright and limits will still be enforced, so that there is no need to worry about privacy. Despite the different views on Web 2. 0, it has become a fact that it is the way computing is currently being done. Internet users are getting the benefits, and are more than willing to participate. Internet companies are making waves for new Web 2. 0 applications and services. Businesses are turning their keys to include Web 2. 0 in their online presence. All these show that Web 2. 0 is definitely an issue worth discussing.

Hester Prynne, of Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, and Margare

Hester Prynne, of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and Margaret Fuller, Themid-nineteenth-century Campaigner for the Rights of Women "Endowed in certain respects with the sensibility of Margaret Fuller, the great campaigner for the rights of women, Hester Prynne is as much a woman of mid-nineteenth-century American culture as she is of seventeenth-century Puritan New England." Is this an accurate assessment of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter? Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) was an author, critic, editor and teacher who "possessed more influence on the thought of American women than any woman previous to her time" [1]. She contributed significantly to the American Renaissance in literature and to mid-nineteenth century reform movements. A brilliant and highly educated member of the Transcendentalist group, she challenged Ralph Waldo Emerson both intellectually and emotionally. Women who attended her "conversations" and many men of her time found Fuller's influence life-changing. Her major work, Woman in the Nineteenth Century published in 1845, profoundly affected the women's rights movement which had its formal beginning at Seneca Falls, New York, three years later. Hester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter, which is set in seventeenth-century Puritan New England. As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Roger Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live but never followed. While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth to Pearl. Found guilty of adultery (through the absence of her husband and the birth of Pearl), Hester is punished by being forced to wear a scarlet lette... ...on, 1996 4 The Scarlet Letter, p.263 5 Puritanism in Early America, edited by George M. Waller, p.6 6 The Scarlet Letter, p.53 7 Ibid. p.144-5 8 Ibid. p.195 9 Ibid. p.165 10 Ibid. p.86 11 Ibid. p.263 12 Charles Capper, in An American Romantic Life. p.ix. 13 The Scarlet Letter, p.165. 14 Ibid. p.263 15 Ibid. p.263 16 An American Romantic Life, p. xi 17 The Scarlet Letter, p.94 18 Ibid. p.263 19 Ibid. p.263 20 Margaret Fuller, Julia Ward Howe, 1889 21 The Scarlet Letter, p.113 22 Ibid. p.117 Bibliography Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. History of Woman Suffrage, 1881 Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter, Oxford World's Classics, 1990 The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Ninth Edition, 1996 George M. Waller, (Ed). Puritanism in Early America Charles Capper. An American Romantic Life Julia Ward Howe. Margaret Fuller. 1889

NAFTA - A Crime Against Humanity Essay -- Globalization Free Trade

NAFTA - A Crime Against Humanity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Generally, when most think of a crime against humanity, the most common synonym is genocide. Kosovo, Cambodia, Sudan, and Poland are all instances when genocide occurred and the public rightly labeled these instances as crimes against humanity. Within our modern world there are means other than the preconceived notion of genocide to systematically remove a specific group from their rights as humans. Using the relations between Mexico and the United States as an example, the need for a broadened interpretation of human rights violations will be established.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On January 1st 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect. The purpose of NAFTA is to reduce and eventually erase trade barriers, allowing the importing and exporting of goods and services to occur with ease. NAFTA began life as an agreement between the United States and Canada, and then in 1992, Mexico joined the venture. The union of these countries made sense, mainly because of their proximity to each other, and the benefits that each would soon come to realize. Some of the key contents in the NAFTA agreement include a removal of tariffs on goods, protection of intellectual property, and easier access to invest in foreign industries. These new trade agreements would increase the flow of cheap goods from Mexico to the U.S., thus lowering cost of living, and create higher paying jobs for the indigenous Mexican workers (Chomsky).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The generally con...

Alibaba Organizational Structure Essay

Introduction and Historical Overview Over recent years the external environment and the marketplace have become increasingly dynamic and competitive, with progressive consolidation of the market leaders and continuing need of companies to adapt their structure towards our demanding society. This trend has led Alibaba Group Holding ltd. to conduct some organizational considerations before being listed on the New York Stock Exchange last September. Alibaba is a Chinese e-commerce company founded in 1999 by Jack Ma, who successfully created a B2B website and portal connecting Chinese manufacturers with thousands of overseas buyers. Ma eventually managed to attract foreigners to run the company since, during that time, people in China had very little management expertise. This decision, together with the significant Internet penetration in China, resulted in a vast growth of total export volume. Alibaba’s peculiar organizational design Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s partnership governance structure completely differs from the dual-stock-class governance design some public companies prefer. Dual-class stock structures enable companies to keep control even after they become public with their IPO. Companies with this approach (including Facebook, Groupon and Zynga) issue shares to founders enabling them to have multiple votes per share. Alibaba isn’t doing a dual-class structure and the company is actually implementing a rather different concept. The Alibaba governance structure is probably inspired by the Chinese political structure. It is a 27-person partnership where partners have the right to nominate a majority of directors effectively controlling Alibaba’s board, even though they only own a minority stake in the company. David Webb said â€Å"The shareholders are equivalent to the People in China, who have no say in how their country is run† (www.webb-site.com) in his website about government and corporate affairs. The Company justified this organizational design arguing that it wants to create a collegial leadership group that can make long-term decisions. Apparently this is not the only  reason the Chinese e-commerce giant had in deciding how to shape its structure, a great deal of relevance was given to corporate culture. As a matter of fact Alibaba relies on this structure as the only solution for preserving the culture shaped by company’s founders. Corporate culture as Alibaba’s extra engine A substantial part its corporate culture is entrenched in Alibaba’s vision statement, â€Å"aiming to build the future infrastructure of commerce and allowing customers to meet, work and live at Alibaba, at least for 102 years† (http://www.alibabagroup.com/en/about/overview). This sense of commitment is well rooted in each employee, starting from Jack Ma himself. He always believed that Alibaba’s corporate culture has been critical to the success of the company. Transparency and critical approach are part of this cultural mindset, strongly contributing to create a flattened hierarchy. Moreover, as a result of this horizontally integrated environment, one of the first things that new Alibaba employees are asked to do is to come up with nicknames for themselves. To reduce the sense of structure and superiority even those at the top of the pyramid are called by their nicknames. This sense of â€Å"family unity† has been shared within one of the biggest corporate events ever: the Alibaba’s mass marriage hosted on May 9, 2014. During the event 102 married couple had to recall the 102 years that Alibaba shall survive, as stated in the company vision statement. â€Å"The length of our marriage is 102 years, and we have 87 years left. After 87 years you can marry some else. But within these 87 years, you cannot change your mind† said Jack Ma during his blessing. Alibaba’s corporate perception of unity perfectly aligns with the decision of not reshaping its organizational structure, which allows Chairman Ma and top management to maintain control over Alibaba’s board members. Conclusion Undoubtedly, Jack Ma’s philosophy did not change to meet the IPO’s requirements. The company will continue to adhere to its principles, putting customers and employees before shareholders. Almost one year ago, Alibaba’s insistence on its partnership structure contributed to ruin plans for a possible stock market listing in Hong Kong. For this reason Alibaba chose to list in the New York Stock Exchange, where the so-called â€Å"Alibaba  Partnership† will eventually survive together with its corporate values. The company turned to the U.S. mainly because American regulators allow different types of shares, and other similar strategies to give some shareholders more voting power. On the other hand, Hong Kong regulators insisted all shareholders receive a voice in corporate decisions equal to the number of share they held, somehow interfering with Alibaba’s partner needs. Choosing to be listed in a foreign country is actually the best example of how corporate values and founders’ interest are worth such a big risk. Apparently, Jack Ma and his partners were right and Alibaba has become World’s largest IPO raising $25 billion, a result without historical precedents ( Related article: http://www.ibtimes.com/what-alibaba-chinas-e-commerce-giant-explained-1690996 )

Human resource Essay

1. In which ways does trader joe’s demonstrate the importance of each responsibility in the management process- planning, organizing, leading, and controlling? Traders joe’s outlet mangers are highly compensated, because they are trained on the traders joe’s system inside and out. The managers are hired from within the company’s already employed employees. Trader joe’s also writes job descriptions by desired soft skills. There employees are friendly and customer oriented. Trader joes have been using competitive advantages because trader joe’s has been doing extremely well and have been giving some advantages over there competitors in the marketplace. 2. Traders joe’s is owned by a German company operating in American. What are the biggest risks that international ownership and global events pose for trader joe’s performance effectiveness and performance efficiency? Trader joe’s would have to become a global management. This means that they would have to attract and hire a truly global manager who has a strong global perspective, are culturally aware, and always stay informed with the international developments. Trader joe’s would have to also become more in touch with global economy in which supplies, product markets, and business competition are worldwide and not local or national. 3. Given trader joe’s casual and nontraditional work environment, what should she do and what should she avoid doing in the first few days of work to establish herself as a skillful manager of this team? She should enroll in the traders joe’s training program so that she could learn the ends and outs of the company and there polices. She tries to make sure that she keeps a friendly crew. She should also make sure that her employee’s under her are well trained and knows the company polices and their expectations. 4. Are there any internal weaknesses or external competitors or industry forces that might cause future problems? Trader Joe is a perfect example of a Niche market store that has a very successful product differentiation strategy by focusing on their customer needs, taking care of their employees and continuing to provide great quality products. Today world whole and organic foods are in high demand, but it can be very expensive. Trader Joe has made this possible by bringing together healthy choices that does not hurt the customer’s pocket. If Trader Joe should continue to operate with this strategy they certainly have brighter horizon to see.

Early history of Islam Essay

Islam is a religion base upon the surrender to God who is one. The very name of the religion, al-islam in Arabic, means at once submission and peace, for it is in submitting to God’s Will that human beings achieve peace in their lives in this world and in the hereafter. The message of Islam concerns God, who in Arabic is called Allah, and it addresses itself to humanity’s most deep nature. It concerns men and women as they were created by God–not as fallen beings. Islam for that reason considers itself to be not an innovation but a reassertion of the universal truth of all revelation which is God’s Oneness. Moreover, beginning as the faith of a small community of believers in Arabia in the seventh century, Islam quickly becomes one of the main world religions. The core of this faith is the faith that Muhammad (c. 570-632), a respected businessman in Mecca, a commercial and religious center in western Arabia, received revelations from God that have been conserved in the Koran. The heart of this revealed message is the confirmation that â€Å"there is no god but Allah (The God), and Muhammad is the messenger of God. † The term Islam comes from the Arabic word-root s-l-m, which has a common reference to peace and submission. Particularly, Islam means submission to the will of God, and a Muslim is one who makes that submission. This submission or act of Islam means living a life of devotion and practice as defined in the Koran and participating in the life of the community of believers. The core of this Islamic life is typically said to be the Five Pillars of Islam: openly bearing witness to the basic affirmation of faith; saying prescribed prayers five times a day; fasting during the month of Ramadan; giving a tithe or alms for support of the poor; and making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once throughout the believer’s lifetime, if this is possible. In addition, Muslims believe that Islam is the essential monotheistic faith proclaimed by prophets throughout history. The Koran is not seen as presenting a new revelation but rather as providing a complete, precise, and therefore final record of the message that had previously been given to Abraham, Jesus, and other earlier prophets. As the basis for a historical community and tradition of faith, nevertheless, Islam begins in Mecca with the life and work of Muhammad in the early seventh century. Islam possesses a religious law called al-Shari’ah in Arabic which govern the life of Muslims and which Muslims regard as to be the incarnation of the Will of God. The Shari’ah is contained in principle in the Koran as elaborated and complemented by the Sunnah. On the basis of these principles the schools of law which are followed by all Muslims to this day were developed early in Islamic history. This Law, while being rooted in the sources of the Islamic revelation, is a living body of law which caters to the desires of Islamic society. Islamic laws are fundamentally preventive and are not based on unkind punishment except as a last measure. The faith of the Muslim causes him to have respect for the rights of others and Islamic Law is such that it prevents misbehavior from taking place in most instances. That is why what people consider to be unforgiving punishments are so seldom in need of being applied. Furthermore, the spread of Islam was not restricted to its amazing early expansion outside of Arabia. During later centuries the Turks embraced Islam serenely as did a large number of the people of the Indian subcontinent and the Malay-speaking world. In Africa as well, Islam has spread during the past two centuries even under the strong power of European colonial rulers. Nowadays Islam continues to grow not only in Africa but as well in Europe and America where Muslims now comprise a prominent minority. References: Exploring the Ancient world Cultures, Retrieved on November 29, 2006 at http://eawc. evansville. edu/ispage. htm Historiography of early Islam, Retrieved on November 29, 2006 at http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Historiography_of_early_Islam