The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Chapters 8

â€Å"I think we should fol ow Riley. Find out what he's doing.† I stared. â€Å"But he'l know we tracked him. He'l catch our scents.† â€Å"I know. This is how I figure it. I fol ow his scent. You keep clear by a few hundred yards and fol ow my sound. Then Riley only knows I fol owed him, and I can tel him it's because I had something important to share. That's when I do the big reveal with the disco bal effect. And I'l see what he says.† His eyes narrowed as he examined me. â€Å"But you†¦ you just play it close to the chest for now, okay? I'l tel you if he's cool about it.† â€Å"What if he comes back early from wherever he's going? Don't you want it to be close to dawn so you can glitter?† â€Å"Yes†¦ that's definitely a possible problem. And it might affect the way the conversation goes. But I think we should risk it. He seemed like he was in a hurry tonight, didn't he? Like maybe he needs al night for whatever he's doing?† â€Å"Maybe. Or maybe he was just in a big hurry to see her. You know, we might not want to surprise him if she's nearby.† We both winced. â€Å"True. Stil †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned. â€Å"Doesn't it feel like whatever's coming is getting close? Like we might not have forever to figure this out?† I nodded unhappily. â€Å"Yeah, it does.† â€Å"So let's take our chances. Riley trusts me, and I have a good reason for wanting to talk to him.† I thought about this strategy. Though I'd only known him for a day, real y, I was stil aware that this level of paranoia was out of character for Diego. â€Å"This elaborate plan of yours†¦,† I said. â€Å"What about it?† he asked. â€Å"It sounds kind of like a solo plan. Not so much a club adventure. At least, not when it comes to the dangerous part.† He made a face that told me I'd caught him. â€Å"This is my idea. I'm the one who†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated, having trouble with the next word. â€Å"†¦ trusts Riley. I'm the only one who's going to risk getting on his bad side if I'm wrong.† Chicken as I was, this didn't fly with me. â€Å"Clubs don't work that way.† He nodded, his expression unclear. â€Å"Okay, we'l think about it as we go.† I didn't think he real y meant it. â€Å"Stay in the trees, track me from above, ‘kay?† he said. â€Å"Okay.† He headed back toward the log cabin, moving fast. I fol owed through the branches, most of them so close-packed that I only rarely had to real y leap from one tree to another. I kept my movements as smal as possible, hoping that the bending of the boughs under my weight would just look like wind. It was a breezy night, which would help. It was cold for summer, not that the temperature bothered me. Diego caught Riley's scent outside the house without trouble and then loped after it quickly while I trailed several yards back and about a hundred yards north, higher on the slope than he was. When the trees were real y thick, he'd rustle a trunk now and again so I wouldn't lose him. We kept on, with him running and me impersonating a flying squirrel, for only fifteen minutes or so before I saw Diego slow down. We must have been getting close. I moved higher in the branches, looking for a tree with a good view. I scaled one that towered over its neighbors, and scanned the scene. Less than half a mile away was a large gap in the trees, an open field that covered several acres. Near the center of the space, closer to the trees on its east side, was what looked like an oversized gingerbread house. Painted bright pink, green, and white, it was elaborate to the point of ridiculousness, with fancy trim and finials on every conceivable edge. It was the kind of thing I would have laughed at in a more relaxed situation. Riley was nowhere in sight, but Diego had come to a complete stop below, so I assumed this was the end point of our pursuit. Maybe this was the replacement house Riley was preparing for when the big log cabin crumbled. Except that it was smal er than any o f the other houses we'd stayed in, and it didn't look like it had a basement. And it was even farther away from Seattle than the last one. Diego looked up at me, and I signaled for him to join me. He nodded and retraced his trail a little ways. Then he made an enormous leap – I wondered if I could have jumped that high, even as young and strong as I was – and caught a branch about halfway up the closest tree. Unless someone was being extraordinarily vigilant, no one ever would have noticed that Diego'd made a side trip off his path. Even stil, he jumped around in the treetops, making sure his trail did not lead directly to mine. When he final y decided it was safe to join me, he took my hand right away. Silently, I nodded toward the gingerbread house. One corner of his mouth twitched. Simultaneously we started edging toward the east side of the house, keeping high up in the trees. We got as close as we dared – leaving a few trees as cover between the house and ourselves – and then sat silently, listening. The breeze turned helpful y gentle, and we could hear something. Strange little brushing, ticking sounds. At first I didn't recognize what I was hearing, but then Diego twitched another little smile, puckered his lips, and silently kissed the air in my direction. Kissing didn't sound the same with vampires as it did with humans. No soft, fleshy, liquid-fil ed cel s to squish against each other. Just stone lips, no give. I had heard one kiss between vampires before – Diego's touch to my lips last night – but I never would have made the connection. It was so far from what I'd expected to find here. This knowledge spun everything around in my head. I had assumed Riley was going to see her, whether to receive instructions or bring her new recruits, I didn't know. But I had never imagined stumbling across some kind of†¦ love nest. How could Riley kiss her? I shuddered and glanced at Diego. He looked faintly horrified, too, but he shrugged. I thought back to that last night of humanity, flinching as I remembered the vivid burning. I tried to recal the moments just before that, through al the fuzziness†¦. First there was the creeping fear that had built as Riley pul ed up to the dark house, the feeling of safety I'd had in the bright burger joint dissolving entirely. I was holding back, edging away, and then he'd grabbed my arm with a steel grip and yanked me out of the car like I was a dol, weightless. Terror and disbelief as he'd leaped the ten yards to the door. Terror and then pain leaving no room for disbelief as he broke my arm dragging me through the door into the b lack house. And then the voice. As I focused on the memory, I could hear it again. High and singsong, like a little girl's, but grouchy. A child throwing a tantrum. I remembered what she'd said. â€Å"Why did you even bring this one? It's too smal .† Something close to that, I thought. The words might not be exactly right, but that was the meaning. I was sure Riley had sounded eager to please when he answered, afraid of disappointing. â€Å"But she's another body. Another distraction, at least.† I think I'd whimpered then, and he'd shaken me painful y, but he hadn't spoken to me again. It was like I was a dog, not a person. â€Å"This whole night has been a waste,† the child's voice had complained. â€Å"I've kil ed them al . Ugh!† I remembered that the house had shuddered then, as if a car had col ided with the frame. I realized now that she'd probably just kicked something in frustration. â€Å"Fine. I guess even a little one is better than nothing, if this is the best you can do. And I'm so ful now I should be able to stop.† Riley's hard fingers had disappeared then and left me alone with the voice. I'd been too panicked at that point to make a sound. I'd just closed my eyes, though I was already total y blind in the darkness. I didn't scream until something cut into my neck, burning like a blade coated in acid. I cringed back from the memory, trying to push the next part from my mind. Instead I concentrated on that short conversation. She hadn't sounded like she was talking to her lover or even her friend. More like she was talking to an employee. One she didn't like much and might fire soon. But the strange vampire kissing sounds continued. Someone sighed in contentment. I frowned at Diego. This exchange didn't tel us much. How long did we need to stay? He just held his head on the side, listening careful y. And after a few more minutes of patience, the low, romantic sounds were suddenly interrupted. â€Å"How many?† The voice was muted by distance, but stil distinct. And recognizable. High, almost a tril . Like a spoiled young girl. â€Å"Twenty-two,† Riley answered, sounding proud. Diego and I exchanged a sharp glance. There were twenty-two of us, at last count, anyway. They must be talking about us. â€Å"I thought I'd lost two more to the sun, but one of my older kids is†¦ obedient,† Riley continued. There was almost an affectionate sound to his voice when he spoke of Diego as one of his kids. â€Å"He has an underground place – he hid himself with the younger one.† â€Å"Are you sure?† There was a long pause, this time with no sounds of romance. Even from this distance, I thought I could feel some tension. â€Å"Yeah. He's a good kid, I'm sure.† Another strained pause. I didn't understand her question. What did she mean, are you sure? Did she think he'd heard the story from someone else rather than seeing Diego for himself? â€Å"Twenty-two is good,† she mused, and the tension seemed to dissolve. â€Å"How is their behavior developing? Some of them are almost a year old. Do they stil fol ow the normal patterns?† â€Å"Yes,† Riley said. â€Å"Everything you told me to do worked flawlessly. They don't think – they just do what they've always done. I can always distract them with thirst. It keeps them under control.† I frowned at Diego. Riley didn't want us to think. Why? â€Å"You've done so wel ,† our creator cooed, and there was another kiss. â€Å"Twenty-two!† â€Å"Is it time?† Riley asked eagerly. Her answer came back fast, like a slap. â€Å"No! I haven't decided when.† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"You don't need to. It's enough for you to know that our enemies have great powers. We cannot be too careful.† Her voice softened, turned sugary again. â€Å"But al twenty-two stil alive. Even with what they are capable of†¦ what good wil it be against twenty-two?† She let out a tinkling little laugh. Diego and I had not looked away from each other throughout al this, and I could see in his eyes now that his thoughts were the same as mine. Yes, we'd been created for a purpose, as we'd guessed. We had an enemy. Or, our creator had an enemy. Did the distinction matter? â€Å"Decisions, decisions,† she muttered. â€Å"Not yet. Maybe one more handful, just to be sure.† â€Å"Adding more might actual y decrease our numbers,† Riley cautioned hesitantly, as if being careful not to upset her. â€Å"It's always unstable when a new group is introduced.† â€Å"True,† she agreed, and I imagined Riley sighing in relief that she was not upset. Abruptly Diego looked away from me, staring out across the meadow. I hadn't heard any movement from the house, but maybe she had come out. My head whipped around at the same time the rest of me turned to a statue, and I saw what had startled Diego. Four figures were crossing the open field to the house. They had entered the clearing from the west, the point farthest from where we hid. They al wore long, dark cloaks with deep hoods, so at first I thought they were people. Weird people, but just humans al the same, because none of the vampires I knew had matching Goth clothes. And none moved in a way that was so smooth and control ed and†¦ elegant. But then I realized that none of the humans I'd ever seen could move that way, either, and what's more, they couldn't do it so quietly. The dark-cloaks skimmed across the long grass in absolute silence. So either these were vampires, or they were something else supernatural. Ghosts, maybe. But if they were vampires, they were vampires I didn't know, and that meant they might very wel be these enemies she was talking about. If so, we should get the hel out of Dodge right now, because we didn't have twenty other vampires on our side at the moment. I almost took off then, but I was too afraid to draw the attention of the cloaked figures. So I watched them move smoothly forward, noticing other things about them. How they stayed in a perfect diamond formation that never was the slightest bit out of line no matter how the terrain changed under their feet. How the one at the point of the diamond was much smal er than the others, and its cloak was darker, too. How they didn't seem to be tracking their way in – not trying to fol ow the path of any scent. They simply knew their way. Maybe they were invited. They moved directly toward the house, and I felt like it might be safe to breathe again when they started silently up the steps toward the front door. They weren't coming straight for Diego and me, at least. When they were out of sight, we could disappear into the sound of the next breeze through the trees, and they would never know we'd been here. I looked at Diego and twitched my head slightly toward the way we'd come. He narrowed his eyes and held up one finger. Oh great, he wanted to stay. I rol ed my eyes at him, though I was so afraid, I was surprised I was capable of sarcasm. We both looked back to the house. The cloaked things had let themselves in silently, but I realized that neither she nor Riley had spoken since we'd caught sight of the visitors. They must have heard something or known in some other way that they were in danger. â€Å"Don't bother,† a very clear, monotone voice commanded lazily. It was not as high-pitched as our creator's, but it stil sounded girlish to me. â€Å"I think you know who we are, so you must know that there is no point in trying to surprise us. Or hide from us. Or fight us. Or run.† A deep, masculine chuckle that did not belong to Riley echoed menacingly through the house. â€Å"Relax,† instructed the first inflectionless voice – the cloaked girl. Her voice had that distinctive ring that made me certain she was a vampire, not a ghost or any other kind of nightmare. â€Å"We're not here to destroy you. Yet.† There was a moment of silence, and then some barely audible movements. A shifting of positions. â€Å"If you are not here to kil us, then†¦ what?† our creator asked, strained and shril . â€Å"We seek to know your intentions here. Specifical y, if they involve†¦ a certain local clan,† the cloaked girl explained. â€Å"We wonder if they have anything to do with the mayhem you've created here. Illegally created.† Diego and I frowned simultaneously. None of this made sense, but the last part was the weirdest. What could be il egal for vampires? What cop, what judge, what prison could have power over us? â€Å"Yes,† our creator hissed. â€Å"My plans are all about them. But we can't move yet. It's tricky.† A petulant note crept into her voice at the end.

Low-cost Leadership Program Essay

The best way for an organization to implement a low cost leadership-training program is to use a variety of approaches; this will maximize organizations efforts to have well trained employees with a focus on long-term development. In the case of a non-profit organization, the best way to set up a low-cost-leadership-training program would be to set-up a training committee. The committee would be composed of entry-level managers, upper management, and executives. This would allow for entry-level managers to have an input regarding what the employees need training and developing on. Also, with t upper-management and executives being involved and spearheading the committee, it lets employees realize that the organization cares about its employees. Once the training committee has been set up, it can then look into the variety of options they have available to them. It can send committee members to seminars, conferences, and trainings, which in turn would allow them to gather information and then train the organizations employees on the matter at hand. For example, a non-profit that works in family and youth development can send 3 site managers and 1 area director to a BOOST conference, a three-day conference that assists non-profits with ways to fundraise, market, build relationships with school faculty, connecting with members, redirecting negative behavior, etc. The employees that were chosen would then bring back the information they learned and recreate the training for the employees in the organization. Financially, this would be a great way for the organization to save money, while still managing to train employees. The training committee would also set up site visits to other highly productive companies and organizations. By doing so, the committee can send non-committee members as well as committee officials to do site visits to observe the work culture and environment of such company. The committee would have to brief the employees on what the purpose of the visit will be; therefore, allowing the employees to prepare questions that can be tailored to extract information pertinent to their needs. For example, the Boys and Girls Club doing a site visit to the YMCA. Finally, managers can find themselves overwhelmed by the amount of people they oversee and allotting enough time to each employee. Employees have a myriad  of concerns and issues that they might want to address with their supervisors. However, many times these issues are minimal but time consuming. Therefore, in order to minimize distractions and optimize productivity from lone employees and managers, setting up a mentor program within the organization would be a highly effective addition to training and developing program. Long-standing company employees would be mentors to new employees. This would allow for new employees to have a person to resort to in case they have any doubts or questions. The pros of setting up a training committee are low financial costs. It also allows for employees from all categories to interact and join efforts in the overall improvement of the organization. Also, if the organizations overall production increases and the organization sees sufficient growth, this committee can become its own department in the long run. It is important to keep in mind that regardless of the benefits this may provide a company, it undoubtedly will also come its consequences. In order for the company to ensure that the committee is successful, it will have to ensure that the committee members are effective communicators, great planners, and have plenty of public speaking skills. Otherwise, this will be detrimental to the committee but more importantly to the employees who will be receiving training from them. Also, trainings must be composed of material that will be useful to employees, and has to incorporate active learning techniques, case analysis, and hands on interaction in order to involve and stimulate the employees. The mentor program might also face its problems, so when pairing up employees, upper management must ensure that personalities are compatible and that the mentor is qualified to be one.

“Hello Ladies (And Gentlemen)”, Ever Wonder What Other

â€Å"Hello ladies (and gentlemen)†, ever wonder what other meanings commercial ads bring to the table? Generally often used to attract buyers and consumers, some popular ads were created to have an appeal to the topic of a certain gender in order to endorse that product advertised. Commercial ads can give a very positive appeal, or even a negative one, being a widespread topic that could be considered as controversial to many today. Gender in advertisements can create an influence upon those who are currently viewing it, and may even convince the viewer to buy that specific product. Gender can also be used to advertise certain products that pull in the interest of men or women. Seen often during commercial breaks during your favorite show, the†¦show more content†¦With strong physique and appeal to women, Mustafa is seen as that â€Å"ladies’ man†, often that dream image that all men want to be seen as. There is that â€Å"manly air of toughness, confi dence, and self-reliance† (Devor 393) that is viewed among the image of a real man through this advertisement. The Old Spice ads create that male gender characteristic with the low voice, muscular body, and appearance of wealth. This is not exactly what men are, but it is almost what men are expected to be. The masculine appeal seen by both Crews and Mustafa, almost make men consider â€Å"If I use this product, I’ll become like them.†, leading to more men buying the product to become just like the men they watch in the ad. Rather than putting actual work into achieving the body or the success, the situation is set by the product to achieve that with just Old Spice. The masculine body is created as that stereotype of all men and in order to be a man you must have that type of body in order to get the woman. With Old Spice, men, or even boys are convinced that using this product will make them to gain more masculinity. What Mustafa and Crews are demonstrating, are that of â€Å"movements that are abrupt and stiff, communicating force and threat rather than flexibility and cooperation, make(ing) an actor look more masculine† (Devor 394). A majority of the time throughout the ad, Mustafa is mainly just standing there, justifying to the â€Å"abrupt andShow MoreRelated Humorous Best Man Speech Essay examples1972 Words   |  8 Pageswill come and say hello at the bar later, but I do insist you use my full name. At this point I would like to thank the groom for his kind words. I would also like to add my own appreciation. I think youll all agree the bridesmaids both look lovely today in their dresses and I know the bride wants me to thank them for the help they have provided, not only today but in the weeks and months leading up to the wedding. I would like to propose a toast. Ladies and gentlemen, the bridesmaids. 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Application Virtualization For A Virtual Machine Monitor (...

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Frederick Douglass is Recognized as an Implausible...

When slavery had become societal, Christianity was the preeminent religion in America. Frederick Douglass is recognized as an implausible abolitionist. He has worked incredibly hard to abolish slavery and everything it stood for. He portrays the ways religion and its literature had a repugnant effect on slavery and the slave owners. Christianity had more of a jaundiced effect on the slave owners than it did unmitigated. Throughout the novel we find that Frederick’s friends were all religious and swayed Douglass toward Christianity. He often references religion in the novel to explain that the slave owners who are Christian, are more vicious than the ones who aren’t, nevertheless, Douglass is on the edge to find out if there really is a God; if there is, Frederick wants an answer as to why He lets slavery go on. Some slaves were religious fanatics who would not let anyone sway their beliefs. No matter how valuable the reason or how hard a person tries, they will always stick to their ways. Almost all of Douglass’s friends were a part of the abolitionist movement. The proposition of the movement was to try to get emancipation, or equality, of all slaves throughout the United States. Frederick is recognized as being a preposterous abolitionist. He used his personal life experiences to protest against slavery. By being a part of this movement, Frederick was exposed to Christianity. From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that

Assessing Strategic Sport Event Management - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Assessing Strategic Sport Event Management. Answer: Introduction An event can be understood as a public assembly for the purpose of celebration, education, reunion, marketing creating awareness (Masterman, 2014). Events are further classified on the basis of type, size and content, events can be social, business, education, career event, sports event, entertainment, fundraiser, cultural, corporate, political, cause related and so on(Jones, 2014). The success of any event is based on the pillars of Production, marketing communication, revenue plan, sales operations execution; if any of the above mentioned pillars falls weak the entire event collapses (Testa Metter, 2017) The Event which will be discussed in the report is Moore Park Foodies and Farmers Market; it is one of its kind weekly events starting from 6th January 2018. The event starts at morning 9 and goes up till 2 PM in the afternoon. The USP of the event lies in its offering of top quality famers produce at a great price in an absolutely convenient location. The purpose if the study is to identify the purpose, goals objectives of the event, event location, duration and frequency. Understand the nature of the event, community and corporate stakeholder relationship along with event governance. At the end, event impact assessment will be done in order to analyse the impact the event will have on the community or the society(Sydney.com Destination NSW, 2017). Purpose, Objective Goal of the Event It is high priority to define the objective goal and purpose of any event, the reason behind defining the goal is to measure the result and the effectiveness of the event. In absence of goal and purpose the relevancy of the event gets lost and it becomes extremely impossible to measure and compare the results of the event with the historical ones. Moore Park Foodies and farmers market is a weekly event which will make its way until the last day of December 2018. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the contribution of the friendly farmers celebrate their achievement in their habitat. The event is organized at Moores park which is located at a very convenient location, which is, 10 minutes journey from the Sydney Central Business District. Event showcases some of the amazing produce of the farmers in terms of vegetable, food, flowers, live food counters and a never to be seen price. The event embarks on the achievements of the farmers and is a way of saying thank you for their services in feeding the nation. Hence, the goal of the Event is to create a fun filled happy environment for the visitor s including family households, kids, newly wed and working professionals and provide them with an opportunity to buy products at a very reasonable price. Another USP of the event is its timing and the day; the event commences in the morning around 9 and goes up till 2 PM on a Saturday, which is equally comfortable and relaxing for the people attending the event(Sydney.com Destination NSW, 2017) Event Location, duration frequency of the event Event Description Moore Park Foodies and Farmers Market Event Duration 5 Hours duration, 0900 Hours till 1400 Hours, Saturday Frequency of the event It is a weekly event Event Program An event program can be understood as a comprehensive guide in depth which will provide overlay of the event according to the timelines (Murphy, 2017). Event program lays down in detail the attractions of the event along with the timeline. In the case of Moore Park foodies and market there is no specific program or an agenda. The market which was curated by Famous Chef Matt Kemp few years back has quickly become one of the famous events of Australia. The market is committed to provide quality product, integrity and provenance. The market is located at a very convenient location which is extremely friendly for kids and families. Another USP of the Moore Park Foodies and market is that people can get free parking and can also enjoy extended stay at lesser parking cost. The event happening next to the EQ (The entertainment quarter) makes it more appealing to the general public, as the venue promises a fun filled morning, afternoon and evening. The event is greatly facilitated by the venues at the Entertainment quarter. Community and corporate stakeholder relationship Community and corporate stakeholder relationship is what organizers have to take care of at every step of the event formation and planning. In the case of Moore park produce market the stakeholders is the local community, the local government, the population, farmers and artisans. Hence the organizers have to ensure that they have to maintain a steady relationship and balance between the community stakeholders. Another important aspect of community stakeholder relationship is taking care of the environment and ensuring the environmental sustainability at every cost. Australia is extremely poignant about its environment and has imposed hefty penalties on corporates, industries, organization damaging the environment, and hence at Moore park special attention is given to not cause any harm to the nature and stop people from throwing away the waste and littering. EQ, another prominent venue located near the Moore Park has additional responsibility towards the community, preserving the nature and ensuring the sustainability of the nature is the primary concern of the organizers. It is often seen that the venue is often very crowded and gets a lot of rush during Saturday, thus keeping the law and order and traffic in place is another responsibility while ensuring the community stakeholder relationship. Hence it is clear that stakeholders who form an important part of stakeholders are to be treated with utmost care and respect, the surrounding properties and the environment sustainability have to be ensured while maintaining the relationship with the stakeholders. Like every business organization has to take care of its stakeholders, the same goes with the event. Event Governance Establishing appropriate and effective governance framework is the responsibility of every event organizer before designing an operating model for the event and the execution. Event governance helps in conducting a risk assessment of the event and hence proper measures can be taken to tone down the risk the risks can be related to financial, health, safety and hence a special care has to be taken with event governance (Parent, 2016) some of the points which fall under the purview of Event governance are: Health Safety: According to the health and safety act 2015 all the arrangements have to be made. Hence, ambulances, wheelchairs and necessary facilities will be provided at appropriate intervals. Crowd management also forms a part of it. Leverage Legacy planning: It is linked to the engagement the event drives and the eye balls it attracts leading to amazing memories for the participants Marketing Communications: IMC campaign falls under the event governance, without a proper marketing and communication the effectiveness and the purpose of the event is sure to get lost Security and accreditation: Measures for safety falls a big part of event governance. Significant number of security personnel is required to keep the crowd in control and prevent any damages, fights or any adverse situation. Sponsorship Management: Sponsors are the ones who get maximum attraction from the event and also spend in a lot of money for the run, hence it is extremely important to take care of the sponsors and have a collaboration with sponsors relevant to the run Workforce and volunteers: Volunteers are required to guide the participants, distribute medals, t-shirts, drinks, first aid kits etc., and the workforce to organize such a huge event. This also falls under the event governance Transport and logistics: Logistics is one of the most important parts of an event and hence have to be ably managed by the event organizers. Any less of efforts to ensure proper transport and logistics can cause mayhem and ruckus in the event. Risk Management: After conceptualizing the event, risk assessment has to be done by the event authority and the organizers. Risk assessment helps in doing a proactive risk management(Haimes, 2015) Parking: As mentioned earlier in the report, the nature of the event makes the location very crowded and hence it is the duty of the event organizers to stop the traffic from blocking other peoples way and ensure a smooth flow of the traffic. As mentioned earlier, the parking is free for two hours hence a lot of people park the vehicles just for free parking and wander around. Thus the governance has to take care of this aspect as well. Expected event impact and impact assessment Every event is conducted with a purpose of making a difference and creating a stir in the existing system. On the similar lines Moore Park foodies and farm market is organized (Christianson, 2016). Since the inception the event had SMART goals identified for itself, which it achieved and set new goals in comparison to the milestone achieved last year. Some pointers of Event impact identified are: Increase the number of farmers participating at the event, at least by 10% Increase the popularity of the event by conducting a year round exercise of marketing and communications. The organizers are in process of creating an independent website for the event, and hence the same has to be completed at the earliest. It is also being thought of how to make the event more engaging and increasing the conversation around the event. The Facebook page of the Moore Farm produce market has to be revamped to grab the attention of more people. One of the major impact that Moore Farm produce Market wants to bring is empowering the farmers and giving them a wonderful platform to celebrate their success and give the population a medium to appreciate their efforts in producing rich quality food products. Increase the variety of vegetable, food products, flowers and live counters at the venue. Conclusion Moore farm produce and farmers market is a weekly event which has been happening in Sydney from last couple of years. It is Australias one of the finest famers produce market which has gained immense popularity since its inception. The people attending the event get to enjoy the spectacular view of the Moore Park and spend an eventful Saturday morning. The farmers produce is available at a very reasonable price and hence it is one of the most popular choices for the people staying in Sydney. It has often been seen that people from nearby areas come to attend the event and enjoy the produce of the farmers. Lively atmosphere infused with plethora of products from farmers is the USP of the event. The weekly nature of the event allows the visitors to not miss an opportunity to have a fun filled Saturday while enjoying food at amazing prices along with buying organic vegetables directly from the farmland of Australia. References Masterman, G., 2014.Strategic sports event management. Routledge. Jones, M., 2014.Sustainable event management: A practical guide. Routledge. Testa, M.R. and Metter, M., 2017. Assessing Economic Impact as a Means for Event Efficacy: A Proposed Model and Case Study.Event Management,21(1), pp.61-70. Murphy, T., 2017. Campus Author 2016 Event Program. Parent, M.M., 2016. The governance of the Olympic Games in Canada.Sport in Society,19(6), pp.796-816. Haimes, Y.Y., 2015.Risk modeling, assessment, and management. John Wiley Sons. Christianson, S.A., 2014.The handbook of emotion and memory: Research and theory. Psychology Press. Sydney.com Destination NSW. , 2017. Moore park foodies and farmers market [Online]. Available at https://in.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-east/moore-park/events/moore-park-foodies-and-farmers-market [ accessed on 5th January 2018]

Mini Company and Kaizen Essay Example

Mini Company and Kaizen Paper The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www. emerald-library. com IJOPM 19,11 Continuous improvement and the mini-company concept Jan de Leede and Jan Kees Looise University of Twente, The Netherlands Keywords Continuous improvement, Teamwork, Organizational design, Case studies, Kaizen Abstract The key issue of continuous improvement (CI) seems to be the problem of combining extensive employee involvement with market orientation and continuation of CI. In this article we review some existing organisational designs for CI on these three essential characteristics of CI. As an alternative to the shortcomings of current organisational designs for CI we present the mini-company concept, related to the sociotechnical concept of the self-managing team. The minicompany concept incorporates the three key issues: it has a self-propelling capacity for CI, involving everyone on the shop floor. A constant and market-oriented source for improvement is found in the clients and suppliers of the mini-company. Results of an in-depth case-study are presented, showing some strong effects of the mini-company concept. 1188 International Journal of Operations Production Management, Vol. 19 No. 1, 1999, pp. 1188-1202. # MCB University Press, 0144-3577 Introduction Continuous improvement (CI) is viewed as vital in todays business environments. CI is one of the core strategies towards manufacturing excellence, as it appears, for example, within the context of world-class manufacturing (Schonberger, 1986; Schonberger, 1996) or total quality management (Hackman and Wageman, 1995). Furthermore, CI as a concept is nothing difficult to understand or new. Bessant and Caffyn (1997) define the concept as an organisation-wide process of focused and sustained incremental innovation Many tools and . echniques are developed to support these processes of incremental innovation. However, the difficulty lies within the consistent application of the CI-philosophy and the CI-tools and -techniques. As an organisation-wide process, CI requires the efforts of employees on all levels. Here, the CI-approach can be linked with long established traditions of employee involvement and employee participation. This line of research showed that the involvement of employees is not just a matter of the application of tools and techniques alone (among many others: Cotton (1993)). We will write a custom essay sample on Mini Company and Kaizen specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mini Company and Kaizen specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mini Company and Kaizen specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Other organisational elements such as organisational frameworks, leadership and management styles, culture, employee needs, values and norms are needed as well. Only an integrated approach will lead to lasting results. The key problem of CI seems to be the issue of employee involvement (Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Berger, 1997). How to involve the employees of all levels in the process of market-oriented continuous improvement? What motivational aspects have to be taken into account in making CI a lasting routine? It is our statement that existing organisational frameworks do not address this issue to a satisfying extent. In spite of the recognition of the people orientation of kaizen (Imai, 1986) and the broad participation and high involvement of CI (Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Berger, 1997), CI still needs thorough elaboration on organisational designs in which these aspects are realised. Especially, the problem is how to direct the CI activities to customer requirements and business strategy, while maintaining true employee involvement. In this article we want to contribute to this issue. We focus on the organisational aspects of employee involvement in CI. Therefore, the focus of this article is the shop floor. We present a concept that is derived from sociotechnical systems theory but is enriched by principles from Shop Floor Management (Suzaki, 1993). This concept is called the mini-company. The most important characteristic of the mini-company concept is the integration of the customer in operations. An interesting example of the mini-company concept is presented in the case of a manufacturing plant. We show its organisational aspects and its effects on the contribution of the operators in improvement activities. This article is structured as follows. First, we present a framework in order to identify the links of the core principles of CI with market orientation and employee involvement. Second, a brief review is presented of organisational designs of CI. We present another organisational design in the next section: the mini-company concept. This concept entails some strong points in which the reviewed organisational designs are weaker. The case of Philips CMA is an illustration of the mini-company concept and shows some good results with respect to the contribution of operators in product and process improvement. Finally, some conclusions are drawn from the case discussion. CI, market orientation and employee involvement We view organisations as configurations of at least three domains. Every domain is related to the outside world. Products are related to the market place, processes are related to technology and human capital is related to labour. The three domains are interrelated. Innovation occurs in each of these domains when we look at product innovation, process innovation and social innovation, but are interrelated as well (Looise, 1996). In Figure 1 this framework is presented in a schematic way. Based on this general framework, one can analyse the strengths and weaknesses of various new production concepts. Some concepts start from the interaction of market and technology, while others are rooted in the interaction between market and labour or technology and labour. For instance classical sociotechnical systems design talked about the joint optimisation of the social and the technical system (Trist, 1981). This is exactly the interaction of technology and labour. The modern sociotechnical approach is aimed at reduction of complexity, and tries to create efficient product flows (De Sitter et al. 1997). The concept of the autonomous group is still very important in modern sociotechnical theory. The main contribution of sociotechnical thinking is to design a structural basis for enhancing the quality of the organisation in line with an increase in the quality of working life and the quality of the industrial relations. However, this approach too is one-sided. It is too much of a design approach stressing the technological and the structural aspects of organising, but to some extent neglecting the market perspective and the social-dynamical aspects of organising. On company level a sociotechnical Mini-company concept 1189 IJOPM 19,11 1190 Figure 1. Organizations as configurations of product, process and personnel (after Looise, 1996) structure intends to enhance the companys responsiveness to the market, but a closer look at the design principles reveals that on the shop floor level the market or even the customer focus is far away. Let us return to CI and characterise CI using this framework. Following Berger (1997), we distinguish some core principles of CI by using the ideal characteristics of Imais kaizen (Imai, 1996). The first principle is processorientation. Before results can be improved, it is the central tenet of CI that processes must be improved. Good results will follow automatically when processes are both understood and controlled. The orientation is towards the activities and work methods and not towards the outcomes. The second principle is small step improvement of work standards. Imai states it very decisively: There can be no improvement where there are no standards (Imai, 1986, p. 74). For all major operations Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formulated and improved in an ongoing process of small improvements. One requirement of these SOPs is discipline. All employees have to comply with the established standard operating procedures. Adherence to standards is also stressed in a tool for CI called CEDAC (Fukuda, 1989). Another aspect of this principle is the never-ending process of kaizen. It is an ongoing process. This is symbolised in the PDCA problem-solving format for improvement: a wheel. The PDCA-loop itself is a standardisation of the improvement process. The third principle is people-orientation. CI needs the involvement of everyone in the organisation from shop floor workers to top management. Managementoriented, group-oriented and individual-oriented kaizen have their specific focus within the overall improvement process. In terms of our framework, one can see the primary focus of CI in the interaction of technology and labour. The first and second principle both refer to the process, while the third principle is people oriented. CI has an internal focus and looks for the policy, tools and techniques to integrate processes and personnel in order to improve operational and management processes. So, the market is not in the picture. However, CI is often integrated in broader management philosophies like total quality management (Hackman and Wageman, 1995). Then, of course the market orientation is included in CI. Organizational designs of CI: a brief review In this article we focus on organisational designs for CI. Which organisational mechanisms exist in literature to enable such an organisation-wide process of focused and sustained incremental innovation? We reviewed some specific CIliterature (Imai, 1986; Fukuda, 1989; Bailey, 1997; Berger, 1997; Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Lindberg and Berger, 1997), and analysed their descriptions of organisational designs. Here are the results. The prime source for CI is still the Japanese kaizen approach (Imai, 1986). According to Imai (1986) there are at least three types of kaizen: managementoriented, group-oriented and individual oriented kaizen. The managementoriented type is focused on the improvement of organisational systems, organisational procedures and machinery and equipment. The group-oriented type has its primary focus on the improvement of work methods, routines and procedures. Organisational vehicles to perform these improvements are quality circles and other small-group-activities using various statistical tools to solve problems. The individual-oriented type of kaizen is focused on improvements in ones own work area and resources. Most often, this is organised by traditional individual suggestion systems. Improvement in every type is aimed at cost reduction and the elimination of waste. Although CI and elimination of waste is something like second nature in the Japanese work system, CI takes place in parallel structures and is not integrated in normal work. Group-oriented kaizen occurs in small groups that are established to improve work methods or to solve specific problems. When management approves a solution, it must be implemented and all employees must adhere to the new standard. In sum, employees are performing their routine tasks and at regular times they participate in off-line small groups to improve their daily routines. Berger (1997) presents a typology of organisational designs for CI. The typology is based on two dimensions: basic task design (individual vs group tasks) and improvement task (parallel vs integrated). His typology (see Figure 2) presents five organisational designs: Mini-company concept 191 Figure 2. Bergers typology of organizational designs for CI IJOPM 19,11 1192 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Quality control circles. Wide-focus CI. Organic CI. Expert task-force CI. Individual CI. The two extremes of this typology are Organic CI and Expert task-force. Organic CI means that improvement activities are integrated in the operational multi-functional work groups. Improvements are not left to experts or staff for design and planning and they do not presuppose decision making by other authorities outside the group. On the other hand, expert task-force CI means that staff from outside the operational working group perform the improvement in a temporary parallel team. On the basis of their expertise, it is possible for worker representatives to participate in the parallel team. Widefocus CI is partly a combination of organic CI and expert task-force CI. It combines parallel process improvement teams and CI in (self-managed) permanent work groups. However, it is not experts from higher levels or other functions who are participating in the parallel teams but members of adjacent work groups at the same level. The parallel CI-teams are covering a complete process. To be complete, individual CI is organised in some form of an individual suggestion scheme. Quality Control Circles are similar to the Japanese group-oriented kaizen approach: a parallel structure where ideas are generated and tested and where senior management approves good solutions. Another typology of CI organisational designs could be found in Bailey (1997). She found three types of manufacturing team improvement programs in the semi-conductor industry: (1) Continuous improvement team programs. (2) Quality circle programs. 3) Self-directed work team programs. The first two programs are parallel structures with off-line teams. Operators participate on a voluntary basis to solve small problems (1) or on a mandatory basis together with direct supervisors to solve problems within a specific work area adopted by the operational work group (2). Within the third program (SDWT program) the work teams are held responsible for CI. The y create temporary teams with other staff or work group members for problems beyond their capacities. We see significant overlaps in these three sources on organisational designs for CI. The CI team programs and the QC programs of Bailey are similar to the QCC of Berger and group-oriented kaizen of Imai. In addition, individual CI of Berger is similar to the individual-oriented type of Imai. There is one major difference: both Berger and Bailey mention one type of CI (wide-focus CI, organic CI and SDWT programs) in which CI is integrated in normal day-today operations of the shop floor. Imai does not mention this kind of integrated group-oriented CI. The provisional conclusion must be that western literature on CI is providing more alternatives to organisational design for CI than Japanese literature does. What do we learn from this short review of organisational designs for CI? . Parallel versus integrated. We see a fundamental distinction of CIactivities parallel or integrated with routine tasks. Traditional kaizen activities are performed within parallel structures, like small-group activities, quality control circles, process improvement teams and so on. In Scandinavian countries (Berger, 1997; Lindberg and Berger, 1997) and in North America (Bailey, 1997) on-line CI activities are also in use. Here it seems that CI is seen as a normal, daily activity performed by work groups. On-line CI is made possible because basic task design  ± inspired by sociotechnical systems theory  ± is an enabling mechanism for such activities. That means that tasks are broadly defined, members of work groups are more functional and highly educated, work groups are responsible for a complete part of the process and last but not least work groups do have a lot of authorities. . Fragmented work versus team-based work. A second fundamental distinction is between fragmented and individual work design and teambased work design. Again, traditional kaizen activities are performed within highly standardised, fragmented work environments. Employees have to improve their own small task and related procedures. Unlike in team-based structures it is the team that is responsible for both operations and improvement of the team tasks. A good example of this basic distinction is the discussion on fragmented versus holistic learning in Volvo Uddevalla and NUMMI Fremont (Adler and Cole, 1993; Berggren, 1994). This can be traced exactly to the difference in basic task design. . Many options. Within these two fundamental dichotomies, we encounter in the reviewed literature and in practice (De Leede, 1997) many options and combinations. Combinations of parallel CI-structures and CI integrated in normal daily activities are possible, for instance for CIactivities with different focus. That is, integrated CI for problems within the scope of the work group, and parallel CI for problems beyond the groups scope. Individual CI can be used in combination with grouporiented parallel or integrated CI. In short, every context requires its own CI design. In addition, it is also a matter of management choice: how do we want to involve our employees in CI? . Source of improvement: management, staff or workers. Three sources of improvement are derived from literature. Problems are generated either by management, by staff or by workers themselves. These problem generators have to be constantly active to generate new problems or goals. We did not find a problem generator built into the organisational design to ensure a constant flow of issues to improve. This is a serious weakness in these organisational designs. Mini-company concept 1193 IJOPM 19,11 1194 In the remainder of this article we present a relatively new organisational design for CI: the mini-company concept (Suzaki, 1993; De Leede, 1997; Verkerk et al. , 1997). The mini-company concept builds upon several elements of the reviewed organisational designs. It is developed to address the major shortcoming of the existing designs in generating a continuous source for improvement. That is the special feature of this concept: its self-propelling capacity. A dynamic and constant source for improvement is found in the clients and suppliers of the work groups. The mini-company concept It was Suzaki (1993) who coined the term mini-company for work groups who are responsible for their supplier-client relationships. Each work group within the company has its own process. The next process is viewed as the customer and the previous process is viewed as the supplier of every unit. Involving the chain of processes is potentially powerful in cases where improvement and innovation is needed, since it is known that diverse contacts outside ones own group enhance innovation ideas generation (Pelz and Andrews, 1966). In fact, it is an external criterion that stimulates improvement and innovation. For our purposes, here we adapt this insight from Suzaki and transform it into a European concept of team-based work: sociotechnical systems design (Trist, 1981; De Sitter et al. 1997; De Leede, 1997). We use the term minicompany as a metaphor in thinking on the organisation of the factory (Verkerk et al. , 1997). The word mini-company provides us with ideas like ownership, commitment, entrepreneurship, client-supplier relationships. The structural basis of the mini-company is similar to the sociotechnical view on the semi-autonomous group, albeit complemented by the concept of client and supplier relationships. The mini-company has four characteristics, distinct from sociotechnical semi-autonomous groups: (1) The mini-company has a name and a mission statement. Both are formulated by the mini-company itself. (2) The mini-company identifies its clients and suppliers and is responsible for managing its relationships. While external clients and suppliers are not always appropriate for having direct contacts with the mini-company, the internal client-supplier relationships are in most cases suitable. (3) The mini-company is responsible for its own improvement programme. Based on its contacts with clients, suppliers and management, the minicompany is able to identify its weak points, which are due for improvement. 4) The mini-company presents its name, mission, members, customers, suppliers, improvement programme and results on display walls. This has been called glass wall management (Suzaki, 1993). Everyone, including a stranger, must be able to see and understand the process and the actual state. The mini-company process is the dynamic side of the mini-company concept. It represents a cycle in which in every period the name and mission are un der discussion, and in which in every period the relevant clients and suppliers are identified and visited. These visits are oriented at overall assessments of the mini-company. In realising the cycle of the mini-company process every time the requirements of (internal or external) customers and suppliers are made visible for the mini-company by itself. These requirements are the inputs for the improvement programme. At the end of each cycle, the results are reported to management. Since every cycle in the end is restarted in fact this is a regular evaluation of the functioning of the mini-company on the basis of market requirements. Case study design The question now remains how this concept performs in practice. What is the contribution of mini-companies to improvement? Therefore, we next present a case-study of the application of the mini-company concept in a Philips business unit. The case-study design consisted of the following methods: document analysis (notes and company reports), observation techniques (one of the authors took part in the action team program and did a two-week internship on the shop floor) and interviews (a total of 30 interviews with all-level managers and operators). In addition, two surveys have been carried out on some socialdynamic aspects on teamwork and on the effects of the mini-companies. The first survey (N=102) was answered by 80 per cent of the (first) operators. The second survey was answered (N=23) by 50 per cent of indirect staff. The time span of the case-study was from early 1995 until mid 1996. Case Philips CMA Market and product In 1992 Philips Components decided to start a new business unit. The new business unit was to be held responsible for the development, production and marketing of Ceramic Multilayer Actuators. It was located at Roermond, The Netherlands, because there was available both an industrial infrastructure and a development laboratory for ceramic and multilayer technology. The market perspectives were promising from the start. The demand for the main product (CMA) was rapidly increasing. However, the market for ceramic multilayer actuators is very dynamic. The product is an important device for ink-jet printers. In fact, Philips CMA is a sub-contractor for a company operating in the turbulent market for ink-jet printers. Short time-to-market, high flexibility and very tough competition are typical for this market, and these are part of the market situation of Philips CMA. The dynamic situation caused by the market is even increased by the complexity of the product. CMA is a new product, applied in a new technology. The product itself was not completely ready for production. Further development was needed in co-operation with the (Japanese) customer. Co-development  ± both in co-operation with the customer Mini-company concept 1195 IJOPM 19,11 1196 and some suppliers  ± was needed. Only then could some technological problems be tackled. These characteristics of the market and the product do imply high demands on the organisation. At Philips the solution has been sought in concurrent engineering  ± that is, development and production at overlapping stages. The product is in production, though not fully developed. Test series are made in the shop floor, not in the laboratory. This implies a very strict co-operation between production and development. In addition to the concept of concurrent engineering, continuous improvement is needed to ensure higher yields, better quality and timely delivery. To cope with the growing demand for the product, it is necessary to enhance the production capacity. Design and implementation of mini-companies at CMA The mini-company concept was introduced in 1994, after two years of operation. In fact it was no more than an intensive continuation and formalisation of former management policies. In the years 1992 ±1994 the business unit was growing from 25 to 125 people. The quality and the yield of the production had to be enhanced dramatically. The general approach was characterised by a focus on process control and step by step improvement. No breakthrough by one big innovation, only many small improvements were attained by an interdisciplinary approach: many joint efforts of development, factory engineering, repair and maintenance, quality department and purchasing. In addition to this, operator involvement was arranged by teamwork. Many so-called Process Inventory Teams dealt with problems for one specific part of the process. Members of the teams were one developer, one factory engineer, at least one first-operator and, depending on the problem, other indirect people. The results of these teams were very promising. Quality and yield increased, and products could be delivered to the customers. In 1994 the specifications of the customers were set even more tightly. Again, the organisation faced a challenge. Then, factory management introduced the minicompany concept. The structural basis of the mini-company is the unit structure, already designed on sociotechnical principles. The units are responsible for a complete part of the process, which is well identified. The boundaries of the units are carefully chosen, based on the principle that the number of internal relationships exceeds the number of external relationships. The mini-company is designed to be the unit. It is not their own shift, it is not the entire factory, but it is the unit with which they should identify themselves. In five shifts the operators make one discernible product, which is a distinct phase in the process. The production structure consists of five units: foil casting, screen printing and pressing, furnace processes, dicing, visual inspection and packing. The hierarchy within Philips CMA includes four layers: general manager, factory manager, unit leader and operator. Every shift has one first operator and several other operators. Operators are working in a five-shift schedule. There are three unit leaders, who have a span-of-control varying from 16 to 55. See Figure 3 for the organisation chart. The units, i. e. all operators including the unit leader, form a mini-company. They have followed a training programme. In this programme, the minicompany philosophy and the mini-company process was explained. Also the improvement techniques were trained. The mini-company process The mini-company process incorporates two separate cycles, a nine-step-cycle and a seven-step-cycle. The nine-step-cycle is a long-term cycle lasting one year. This cycle is a modification of the cycle mentioned in Suzaki (1993). The most important activities of every cycle are the formulation of the mission statement, the identification and interviewing of suppliers and customers, and the design and implementation of an improvement programme. Based on the interview results with suppliers, customers and management, the minicompany itself sets the priorities of the needed improvement activities. Management has to affirm the improvement programme, and demands thorough arguments; however, it never happened that the programme of the mini-company was changed by management. In this way, management values the contribution of the mini-companies on the basis of solid arguments. The improvement programme is realised by improvement teams, so-called action teams. These teams carry out the seven-step cycle, a short-term cycle, which is in fact an extended version of the plan-do-check-action circle. The planning stage consists of four phases. The action teams consist of one operator of every shift in the mini-company and  ± depending on the problem  ± several indirect people from quality, factory engineering, development, etc. The chairman of this action team is in most cases the unit leader. Some examples of improvements realised by the mini-companies are the following. Several mini-companies improved their shift change procedures. One mini-company changed the layout of their process. Another mini-company tried successfully to reduce the frequency of some maintenance activities. Also Mini-company concept 1197 Figure 3. Organization chart Philips CMA IJOPM 19,11 the registration procedures to the computer-aided-manufacturing system were reduced. Another action team focused on a specific quality problem and identified the hidden process parameter causing the problem. Effects What are the results of this application of the mini-company concept? We only resent four effects: (1) the contribution of the mini-companies to improvement; (2) the number of contacts with internal and external clients, suppliers and experts; (3) the power relations within the business unit CMA; (4) the trust relations within the business unit CMA. The results presented in this section are based on the two surveys, respectively among the (first) operators (N=102) and the indirect employees (N=23). The results are supported by the interviews and documents. First, we give an indication of the kind of contribution the mini-companies deliver  ± three different types of innovation. We distinguish between small improvements, rather big improvements and big innovations. Improvements are changes within the existing process, while innovations are changes resulting in radical new processes. In Figure 4 the results are presented, based on the survey among the (first) operators. A similar picture arose from the survey among the indirect employees, with one exception. The indirect employees indicated that the operators usually delivered valuable observations and experiences also in the case of big innovations. According to them, this is a prerequisite for a smooth innovation process. They view the operators as the eyes, ears and hands of the developers on the shop floor. The conclusion is that the mini-companies in most cases deliver a contribution towards improvements, and they play a relatively small, though valuable, role in innovations. Their role is in the co-operation with developers in Failure Mode and Effect Analyses in the assessment of ergonomic aspects of new equipment, in the design of the lay-out of new workplaces, in the support of new tests and samples, and so on. Another effect in this area is that the number of improvement actions increased so much, that the department of 198 Figure 4. Contribution of minicompanies to improvements/ innovations (percentage of (first)operators (N=102); 0=no contribution, 1=contribution) technical maintenance was not able to respond to all requests for assistance. This seems to be an indication of the self-propelling characteristic of CI in a mini-company process. A second effect of working in mini-companies is the number of contacts with internal and external customers and suppliers. Figure 5 shows the results of the survey, indicating the percentages of (first) operators who have regular direct contacts with the relevant outside world. Included are also the contacts with internal and external experts. It is obvious that most operators have regular contact with internal clients and suppliers and internal experts (developers, factory engineers, technicians). External contacts are not usual. The third effect of the mini-company concept is the change in the power relations. We have measured the power relations with the control graph, an instrument developed by Tannenbaum (1968). In Figure 6 the control graph of this case is presented. This control graph is based on the survey among the (first) operators (N=102). This control graph shows high levels of influence among all hierarchical levels, as perceived by (first) operators. In the words of Tannenbaum (1968), this indicates a large total amount of control, which is an indicator of effectiveness. The fourth effect is on trust relations. When we view the relationships between hierarchical levels, it is not only power that comes in. It is also a matter of trust. In this case 85 per cent of the (first) that they had operators stated to have trust in the management, which is quite high. Both observation and Mini-company concept 1199 Figure 5. Internal and external contacts of the minicompanies (N=102) Figure 6. Control graph (N=102; 1=very little influence, 6=very much influence) IJOPM 19,11 interviews confirmed this result. These high trust relations are in line with the successful implementation of the mini-company concept and in the real changes in management style the operators report. Discussion and conclusion We interpret these case results as a good illustration of the mini-company concept. In the case, this concept proved to be implemented carefully, with a balanced attention to both structural and social-dynamic matters. This appears to be crucial: it is not only the structural features of the mini-company concept that are important, but also the social-dynamic factors like power and trust of the mini-company process. The control graph of the Philips case illustrated this. Some authors (Van Haren, 1984; Van Oostrum, 1989) have elaborated on the reasons for the relation between total amount of control and effectiveness. They view the relationships between the hierarchical levels as exchange relations in which power plays an important role. The higher the total amount of control, the higher the intensity of the exchange relationships between the levels. It is necessary to have information exchange and joint decision making to increase this intensity. This joint decision making, and at least the information exchange, is a prerequisite for effectiveness in many situations. They specify also some situations in which it is not effective to have a high amount of control. In short, in standard situations this is not appropriate, but where uncertainty plays a role, it is wise to incorporate in decision making processes as much knowledge and as many stakeholders as possible. In cases of improvement and innovation, uncertainty by definition plays a role. Therefore it is important to create a structure fostering intense exchange relationships between the different hierarchical levels and between the different groups in production, development and support. The mini-company concept is an attempt to provide such a structure. How can we characterise the mini-company concept in the light of our theoretical review of organisational designs for CI? First, the mini-company concept embodies parallel CI-activities as well as integrated CI-activities. Integrated activities include the job consultation mechanisms with all minicompany members and the awareness of all employees in the need for improvement and client orientation. The parallel CI-activities strengthened this awareness by circulating the progress of the action teams by shift representatives. In addition, the glass wall is the medium for information sharing. Second, the mini-company concept is based on a team-based work design. The sociotechnical analysis created the boundaries of the minicompanies, indicating a natural group-orientation of the involved employees. The combination of these two characteristics implies the hybrid nature of the mini-company concept in terms of Berger: the most dominant type is widefocus CI, but for some activities this is combined with expert task-force CI and organic CI. Third, the factory management of this case strongly advocates a true involvement of employees in improvement activities. This is illustrated in the positive power and trust relations. Also, the co-operative 1200 working styles of operators, factory engineers and developers are illustrations of this consistent approach of operator involvement. Fourth, the mini-company concept incorporates the self-propelling capacity for improvement: from clients, suppliers and management a constant stream of ideas for improvement is regenerated in every cycle. Particularly at this point, the mini-company concept seems to be powerful, compared to other organisational designs for CI. This is in line with old findings like Pelz and Andrews (1966). Our final question is this one: Is the mini-company concept as an organisational design for CI the promising bridge between day-to-day operations and improvement activities, with a strong market orientation and with true and sufficient employee involvement? The answer is yes and no. On the one hand, the concept offers promising elements in the integration of market and client relations. The mini-company process ensures a constant connection with clients and suppliers, which starts a continuous source of improvement possibilities. 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