Operation Management at Costco

The management of the operations within an organization is extremely essential in bringing about its success. This is especially the case considering that for the most part, organizations in the business world are increasingly getting involved in competition with each other in order to remain competitive. Costco is one of the organizations that seek to bring about the best quality in their services through making sure that its employees are satisfied and this is achieved through the advancement of their interests both within and outside the company. In this way, Costco has been able to develop a good reputation based on its need to promote its image through its employees while at the same time providing the best services possible to its customers.

One of the most fundamental aspects of Costco’s operations is that is seeks to promote the efficiency of their employees. This is especially considering that it seeks to create an environment within which its employees are able to do their best for the sake of the company through the advancement of their interests within it. A good working environment where employees are provided with free reign on how to handle customers on a more personalized basis has made it possible for employees to feel empowered in their work. Taking competitive advantage into consideration is another aspect of management that can ensure Costco’s success (Heizer and Render 71). This has been achieved through the provision of benefits and higher wages to employees for the sake of advancing their quality of life which has in turn made them more loyal to the company. The result is that Costco has allowed for the advancement of its workforce in a manner that brings about the best in them for the sake of promoting its own interests in the market. Moreover, the empowerment of employees can also be considered to be a sound strategy especially considering that other companies tend to deny their employees the right to do what they think is best for the sake of promoting the products that they are selling. The result is that there is a loss of morale among employees who come to believe that they are not valued enough by management to independently bring in customers. This is not the case with Costco which has put employee empowerment at the forefront of its strategy because it has made employees the biggest promoters of its image.

Another aspect of Costco’s operations that can be considered to be important to its success is employment stability. This has been achieved through the promotion of benefits for its employees which include job security as well as benefits in case of disability as well as when suffering from any ailments (Heizer and Render 435). This is an extremely sound strategy because it ensures that employees are completely focused on their work instead of seeking more stable work elsewhere. Works schedules that put into consideration the need to take case of the welfare of employees have also been put in place. This, in addition to the higher wages that they receive when compared to rival companies, has allowed for an increase in motivation to work among employees to such an extent that they give their best to their work. The various constraints to its human resource strategy, such as the need to control the expenditure that it places on its employees when compared to other companies, have been smoothed over by Costco through its making sure that the potential financial problems it might face are outweighed by its excellent performance in the market. This has been to such an extent that a significant number of employees have ended up doing their best in their work in the comfort of knowledge that they will be compensated.

Healthcare benefits are some of the most important aspects of the success of any company because the more generous they are, the more likely that employees will be motivated to increase their performance. This is a lesson that Costco’s management seems to have taken to heart because it has provided extremely generous medical and dental benefits to its employees that have allowed for the advancement of the health of these individuals. Moreover, the extension of these benefits to dependents has made it possible for individuals that work at Costco to increase their output because of the motivation that they have based on the belief that the company cares for their welfare and that of their loved ones. The generous benefits that the Costco has advanced its employees are essential because it has become a major contributor to the success of its operations. The generous incentive system that has been put in place by the company is important because it allows employees to be self-directed in their work (Heizer and Render 438). This means that they are better able to make sure that they work with minimal supervision, which helps the company save both time and money when it comes to dealing with issues concerning employs. Thus, productivity remains high while at the same time making sure that the interests of employees are secured in a manner that advances the interests of the company.

By competing through the advancement of its employees’ interests, Costco has the potential of attracting some of the best individuals in the industry to work for it. The pro-employee policies that it has adopted can be considered to be essential for promoting not only its image as a viable employer, but also shows potential employees that unlike its rivals, it is a generous employer. In this way, it becomes possible to make sure that there is a large pool of potential employees to choose from when the time comes for recruitment. However, while it has the best possible number of potential recruits, there is need for the company to make sure that it only employs those individuals who display the highest ethical standards possible (Heizer and Render 455). This is because when companies in the contemporary world conduct their operations, it is essential for them to observe ethics at all fronts or risk ending up getting their reputations damaged and in turn ending up losing their market share. Therefore, in order to make sure that all operations run smoothly, it is important that Costco, when staffing its operations, is able to advance the highest ethical standards possible so that it can maintain and advance its market share. It is important for there to be an effort to observe ethical standards while at the same time promoting continuous improvement because it is one of the most fundamental ways through which employee commitment to the company can be ensured while at the same time promoting the competitiveness of the company in a way that allows for the creation of better market opportunities than it already possesses.

In conclusion, it is essential for Costco to make sure that it continues to promote the interests of its employees through providing them with incentive packages as well as better working conditions than its competitors. This is one of the most fundamental ways through which it will be able to continue performing well in the market while at the same time attracting the best talent possible to help run its operations. Making employees the center of its operations management is essential because it is these who are the driving force behind their success while at the same time advancing the good name of the company through their efforts to make it a success. It is, therefore, essential for the interests of employees to be protected as a means of making sure that there is a proper means through which operations can be advanced without any glitches as a result of lack of motivation.

Work Cited

Heizer, Jay and Render, Barry. Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management. 11th Edition. New York: Pearson, 2013.

Social Inequality

The increasing level of social inequality in the contemporary world is a source of concern within society. This is as a result of the widening gap between the rich and the poor in society to such an extent that the latter have ended up in situations where they cannot hope to improve their lives for the better. Also, the rich, in the process of seeking to attain even more wealth, have ended up forcing making use of those resources that could have been utilized for the purpose of alleviating poverty among individuals in society. Despite the presence of a welfare system, it is not robust enough to cater for the needs of the poor while at the same time helping them rise above poverty. This paper seeks to analyze the nature and causes of poverty as well as the theoretical frameworks that deal with the issue of inequality.

One of the biggest causes of social inequality is that the economy is controlled by the rich, who make use of the available natural resources to become richer. The rich few people in the world have taken over the most crucial means of production; essentially forcing the rest of society to work for them or buy products from them. The result has been that a significant number of those individuals who do not have any means of making a decent living have ended up in a situation where they have been reduced to poverty. The latter tend to have very few opportunities to advance themselves in society, meaning that they have to ensure that they do the best that they can to make ends meet with minimal support (Parish, 1988). The rich, on the other hand, often seek to increase their wealth, but this process often comes at a price because it encourages unequal development in society. There is little that the poor can do to protect their own interests because the rich have both the means and the power to ensure that they are able to attain considerable control over most of the wealth and resources within their own societies. As a result of the power that they derive from their wealth, the rich have the ability to ensure that they not only achieve dominance over the rest of society, but also advance their own interests in a way that is often against the interests of the poor.

The rich often seek to protect their interests through influencing government towards establishing favorable policies to them. The result is that a significant number of rich people in society end up being given access to numerous resources while at the same time not paying their fair share of taxes. This is a situation of concern because government ends up not having enough money that can be used in the establishment of a welfare program that is not only efficient, but also caters for the needs of the poor in diverse circumstances. Furthermore, as a result of the actions of the rich, it becomes extremely difficult for the poor to have the much needed opportunities to bring about their advancement in society. These individuals do not often have the educational qualifications to attain sustainable jobs in the current highly competitive economy; meaning that they have few opportunities to improve their lives. The unequal relationship between the rich and the poor in society can be explained through the Marxist theory, which proposes that society is divided into two distinct groups; the bourgeoisie, who control the means of production, and the proletariat, who provide the labor that the former need to ensure that they exploit the resources under their control. Thus, due to their need to not only maintain their power, but also increase their wealth, the bourgeoisie end up seeking to control even more resources; essentially ensuring that the proletariat remains subservient to them while still providing the labor that they need.

The Marxist perspective, therefore, proposes that social inequality comes about as a result of class struggle, or social conflict. The continuous struggle within the bourgeoisie, as well as the bourgeoisie against the proletariat and vice versa is essential in understanding social conflict because it promotes the idea that the different classes in society are often in conflict with each other. A consequence of this conflict is that a considerable number of individuals in society have ended up sinking into poverty while a very few have not only become rich, but have increased their wealth many times over. The resulting social inequality has created a potential for significant class conflict in the years to come, especially considering an increasing number of individuals have become poorer because of the social policies that have been established to protect the interests of the rich. The potential for conflict has become so great that it is possible that there will be an attempt, as Marx predicted, by the underprivileged classes in society to overthrow the rich in order to establish a just society. In most communities within the United States, specifically in large cities such as New York, the differences between the lifestyles of the rich and the poor can be seen through the manner that communities are separated. The rich live in exclusive neighborhoods that are not only secure, but also have all the amenities that they need. The poor, on the other hand, live in an insecure environment that is dominated by crime, low level of essential services, and high incidences of lack of basic needs; a sure sign of the inequality that has become dominant in society.

Additionally, the rise in inequality has led to a reduction in instances of social and economic justice. Social and economic justice is a situation where all individuals in society, no matter their class or status, are able to achieve a relatively high standard of living. Also, it involves individuals being able to ensure that they promote their own interests through having equal opportunities both within a social and economic context. Therefore, in the interest of advancing social and economic justice, the application of the Marxist theory is essential in creating equal opportunities. This perspective is one that promotes social equality where resources are owned by the entire community rather than by individuals. However, only essential property should remain in private hands, which individuals in society to have an equal share in the resources available while at the same time ensuring that individuals have equal opportunities for self development. The availability of equal opportunities would, however, involve taking away the significant power that capitalists hold over society. The nationalization of natural resources is an essential step in making sure that the state remains in the service of all people, without discrimination, rather than supporting the interests of a few people who form the elite. Moreover, in a society where all the people enjoy the available natural resources, social and economic justice can be achieved in a way that prevents the rise of class conflict.

In conclusion, the increase in the level of inequality in the contemporary world can be attributed to the way that a small number of individuals have come to gain control over a majority of the resources in society. Through this control, it has become possible to ensure that they continue further enriching themselves at the expense of both consumers and their workers. Therefore, in order to ensure that there is an end to inequality and the implementation of social and economic justice, it is essential for a Marxist-leaning type of society to be established.

Reference

Parish, R. (1988). Messages from a Welfare Mom. Newsweek.

Syrians horrified by 'crime of no honour' killing By Lina Shaikhouni and Chris Bell

A video documenting the brutal murder of a young woman in Syria has been met with outrage and horror online - and shone a renewed spotlight on so-called "honour killings" in the country.

The young woman, identified by Syrian news outlets and social media users as "Rasha Bseis", was shot repeatedly with an automatic rifle in the rebel-held town of Jarablus, near the Turkish border, by a man reported to be her brother. Some said the young woman was under 18 years of age.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify these reports.

In the video, a young woman cowers against a wall as a man stands over her with a gun. He opens fire, kicking dust up from the floor and wall. A voice in the background yells "wash away your shame".

The video has been widely viewed and shared online. A report on the Lebanese Al-Modon news website said police were investigating and an arrest warrant had been issued for the man.

'Crime of no honour'

Activists responded with a campaign to denounce so-called "honour" violence.

A graphic of the murdered woman looking fearfully into the camera, featuring the caption "crime of no honour", has been circulating online since Monday, BBC Monitoring reported.

Kish Malek (Check Mate), a civil society organisation based in southern Turkey, was among activist groups to publish the image on Facebook.

"A young man from the city of Jarablus has killed his sister after direct instigation by his friend allegedly to 'wash her of shame'," the organisation posted.

"The instigator filmed the crime and published it on social media networks," it added.

Sharing the image, Syrian NGO Women Now for Development issued a statement demanding justice for Rasha Bseis.

"Rasha is not only the victim of the spread of weapons and lapses in security, she is the victim of a dangerous social concept, under the pretext of 'shame washing' as an accepted - and sometimes encouraged - punishment," they wrote.

A copy of their statement would be sent to the local council governing Jarablus and all other concerned legal bodies, the organisation noted.

Syrian writer and women's rights activist Rima Flihan told the BBC there are no accurate statistics for honour killings in Syria but that "Syria and the Middle East had ranked highly in previous global statistics".

"I have worked in successive campaigns since 2005 in Syria to counter what is described as honour crimes," she said.

"The crime is encouraged by a law that is lenient on the murderer and a society which partly reduces a family's honour to a woman's body."

In 2009, Syria scrapped a law limiting or waiving punishment for men convicted of killing female relatives they regarded as having illicit sex.

At the time, Human Rights Watch said the measure did not go far enough. The law introduced a minimum two-year sentence for perpetrators of so-called "honour killings".

Since 2011, the conflict in Syria has claimed more than 350,000 lives. Ms Flihan says the chaos in Syria as a result of the war has made the problem of so-called "honour killings" worse.

"The presence of extremist groups in some areas encourages such crimes, and so does the law in others," she said.

"In both cases, the woman is the victim."

However, she told the BBC that the reaction to such crimes shows some positive change.

"I have noticed through monitoring people's comments on these crimes that there is a wider section of society that are rejecting and condemning them," she said.

Anna Dovgalyuk: Why do people think her 'manspreading' video is a Kremlin hoax?

Millions of people around the world have watched a viral video that appears to show a woman taking direct action against "manspreading". So why do some think it is actually Kremlin-backed disinformation?

A woman creeps up to unsuspecting men on the St Petersburg Metro. The men are taking up lots of space, with their legs wide open. Before they can react, the woman dumps a bottle of diluted bleach onto their trousers. It's enough to make a stain, although not strong enough to cause serious injury.

The video was made by Anna Dovgalyuk, a Russian activist, student and social media star. And it racked up millions of views before being removed from YouTube.

The story was picked up by numerous news websites and caused a huge online uproar. Comments heaped praise, scorn, and more extreme threats of violence on Anna and others involved with the video.

But along with the video's viral spread came questions. Was it staged? And also was it - as some believe - a crafted piece of propaganda, sponsored and spread by the Russian government? And if it was, what was the aim?

Anna Dovgalyuk is relatively new to YouTube activism. The video was only her second post on the platform. Her first also had a feminist theme, and was also shot on the St Petersburg Metro. It was a protest against upskirting - taking photos up women's skirts - and showed a model (not Anna) lifting her dress to show passengers her underwear.

That video also got a lot of coverage, and prompted Anna to turn her attention to a project attacking "manspreading" - the phenomenon of men on public transport who sit with their legs wide open or otherwise inconvenience fellow passengers by taking up too much space.

"I thought that it was one of those problems which should be highlighted, that people should be made aware of," she told BBC Trending.

The video went up in late September, and was clocking up views at a rate of a million a day. But almost immediately, questions were raised about its authenticity.

An online news outlet in St Petersburg called Bumaga quoted a man who supposedly appeared in her video, admitting that he was paid to sit on the train and get squirted. Bumaga reproduced a post by the man on the Russian social network Vkontakte. (His account was deleted and the BBC could not immediately reach the man for comment).

Additionally, in the video, Anna states that it was created "in assistance with friends who share my position."

Speaking to the BBC, she denied that it was staged or that anyone was paid to get diluted bleach thrown on them.

"This is some completely random guy," she says, "I don't know what kind of actor he considers himself to be... but there is no evidence, it's just somebody's claim."

'Staged Kremlin propaganda'

The story took another turn when a European Union project to combat Russian misinformation, EUvsDisinfo, called the video "staged Russian propaganda".

According to this theory, the stunt was part of the Kremlin's surreptitious online interventions into various culture wars around the world, and designed to provide evidence that Western-style feminism has gone too far.

The EUvsDisinfo report gave the video another burst of publicity - and several of the same outlets which credulously reported on the video when it went viral ran reports with the European Union's take.

EUvsDisinfo cited two main pieces of evidence: the Bumaga report, and also the fact that the video was picked up and repackaged by a Kremlin-funded social media venture called In The NOW, which has more than three million likes on Facebook. In The NOW also has accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

But In The NOW began as a TV programme on Russia Today - now known as RT.

RT and the news agency Sputnik, are directly funded by the Kremlin. Western governments as well as media critics have called them propaganda outlets.

And EUvsDisinfo sees the dark arts of the Kremlin at work in Anna's video and its treatment by In the NOW. "The video stages extreme feminist activism and manages to provoke extreme anti-feminist reactions," its post on the video concluded. EUvsDisinfo turned down a request for an interview about this story.

But is this a case of seeing Russian bogeymen where there are none? Wouldn't any social media company pick up on such clickable content?

In The NOW - which is based in Berlin - says that although it is financed by Russian government money, it has editorial independence.

"There's no top-down editorial memo that goes out, nothing like that," says J Ray Sparks, an American who is chief operating officer of Maffick, the German company that produces In The NOW. "It has never been some kind of propaganda outlet."

Although In The NOW doesn't deny that it receives money from the Russian government, this information isn't readily apparent on its Facebook page. When asked whether its mix of light-hearted stories and more serious news had ever included a video critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sparks replied: "We haven't done anything recently."

In the NOW's video about Anna's manspreading stunt has racked up more than six million views.

Khashoggi: Bots feed Saudi support after disappearance By Chris Bell and Alistair Coleman

Suspected bot accounts are attempting to shape the social media narrative following the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Arabic hashtags expressing support for de facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, condemning news organisation Al Jazeera and urging users to "unfollow enemies of the nation" were among those amplified by the involvement of bot networks alongside genuine users.

Twitter has suspended a number of bot accounts.

Mr Khashoggi is missing, presumed dead, after he was seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

Turkish officials allege the journalist, who had been critical of the Saudi regime, was killed there.

On 14 October, the Arabic hashtag translating as "we all have trust in Mohammed Bin Salman" was among the top global trends, featuring in 250,000 tweets. Additionally, "We have to stand by our leader" was used more than 60,000 times.

On Wednesday, a hashtag translating as "unfollow enemies of the nation" was also highly used, while in the past 24 hours the term "campaign to close Al Jazeera, the channel of deception" has gained traction, used close to 100,000 times on the social network.

Bot networks were used by both sides in an effort to control the conversation on social media during the crisis.

Ben Nimmo, Information Defence Fellow at the Atlantic Council, analysed one of the Arabic-language hashtags with bot involvement.

"Unfollow enemies of the nation" was used in excess of 100,000 times. The vast majority of that came through retweets, which can be a signal of bot activity.

Accounts which had been dormant for a long time were suddenly tweeting again, posting identical or near-identical material to other suspicious accounts.

Others were newly-created or exhibited other characteristics typical of bot accounts.

Attempts to control and manipulate social media conversations have become an increasingly prominent global issue.

On Wednesday, Twitter published more than 10 million tweets from suspected state-backed Russian and Iranian "troll farms".

While US national security chiefs have warned of "a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to weaken and divide the US".