How to Do Strategic Analysis of a Company Essay

This article is about how to do strategic analysis of a company. Students get several homework and assignments related to how to do strategic analysis. This would be a good reference for students with their assignment and homework regarding strategic management. Strategic analysis of a company starts with analysis internal and external environment factors having an impact on business. A strategic analysis is also effective to determine opportunities and threats for the business within the market and also their strengths and weaknesses. Company Analysis: The company analysis is the first step to start the strategic analysis. A company analysis contains information related to history, existing environment and present perspective of the company. This analysis explores profile, growth, profitability, and culture that a company has at present time. At the same time, it includes future objectives of a business that are decided in the mission, vision, goals and objectives of the company that a company wants to achieve for long-term growth and sustainability in the industry. This stage helps to determine the strategic perspective of the business and also the relevancy of current strategies. SWOT Analysis: A clear goal and objective inspires to get competitive advantages that a company could obtain by analyzing its internal and external environment. SWOT analysis is an important part of the strategic analysis that contains internal and external environment analysis of the company. Information for strengths and weaknesses of the company determines internal assessment and opportunities and threats external assessment. In this step, analysts should make a proper matrix for internal and external elements that helps to make effective strategic decisions. Industry Analysis: The next step for strategic analysis is to perform industry analysis to determine existing level of competition in the market. This analysis provides a clear description of the industry in which company is operating. Additionally, it also states trends and strategic opportunities for a company within the industry. In this analysis, a company can analyze bargaining power of suppliers and customers, threats from new entrants and substitute of the company and rivalry among the existing companies that helps to make better strategic decisions to achieve competitive advantage. BCG Matrix: BCG matrix is another important element of the strategic analysis that determines portfolio of a business unit. BCG matrix plays an important role to ensure long-term value creation through determining two dimensions namely market share and market growth of the company. BCG matrix helps to understand the strategic mistakes of company and in making strategic for their reduction. It helps to determine the strategic position of the business within the industry. PEST Analysis: PEST analysis is also a useful tool for strategic analysis that provides big picture to understand the external environment in which a company is functioning. It provides several factors that may affect the internal and external environment of the. It helps in determining the strategic factors that should be considered by a firm in its international business environment. Thus, through these tools an organization could do strategic analysis and may frame better strategies.

Enhancing traffic police performance in Egypt Essay

Vision My vision is that of a public service (traffic police) with a performance culture, client-focused (Public) and results oriented (more organized economy) and to decide and examine its current performance in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, and according to the current performance situation, we will try to determine the factors that leads to this situation and also the means to recover or maintain such situation. Where are we now? Many pubic servants are unclear about what the overall objectives are and just what is expected of them. Just to concentrate on traffic police performance, lets first explain the meaning of performance. Job performance ( ) is measured as the quantity and quality of tasks accomplished by an individual or group. This definition urges us to know what factors determine individual performance. In answering this question, the following individual performance equation is a good starting point:- Performance = Ability x Support x Effort We have to handle each of the above three elements, to identify the current points of weakness and strength in traffic police performance and determine whether there is a current inefficiency and/or effectiveness or not. First: Ability Ability establishes an individual’s capacity to perform at a high level of accomplishment. By examining this factor on traffic police soldiers and representatives, we may find that many of them lake the appropriate and effective ability to work in police. I believe that many of them are doing their work in a careless way, a way that no one feels responsible toward his work. You can say they are working under pressure and stress of their superior, where, fear and expectation of punishment and insulation is the only dominate on their behavior which in return affect their performance, so they pretend that they are doing their work by checking the car, driving licenses and other traffic regulations but actually there is no concentration and no sense of responsibility control their performance. You can find the way police officers treat their soldiers or subordinates, you will find it a very aggressive way, also you can conclude the reflection of this treatment on their behavior, for sure this treatment has a negative effect on their behavior and attitude toward their work and they will continuously try to do their work in a manner that prevent their officers not to repeat such treatment. Second: Support Every one needs support, even if his work is of high performance, support can be represented in motivation, no stress, encouragement and the most important thing is the person’s feeling that he will be rewarded for this work performance. I would like to give an example for this:- â€Å"Once when I was waiting in traffic sign and before it turned green to pass, at that time I remembered that I have forgotten to lock the seat belt and I found a police representative coming to me to check my driving license and to charge me with a penalty which was EGP 50, I told him that I forgot to lock the seat belt and this was the first time but he pretended that he did not hear to me and started to write a penalty, at that time I hint to him that I will give him EGP 10, actually he caught the money in a certain manner that I am sure that he tried it many times in order not to be seen by his officer or any one else, then I passed by the car without any penalties.† Examples for this kind of behavior are many and actually they are common in traffic police stations as I am Manager of Tax dept. and Car pool section , my subordinates in car pool section who are responsible for making car licenses and its renewal usually come and told me that they pay bribe for the employee who handle the car’s file, the Engineer who make the inspection of the car, the person who is assigned to choose the car number and the metal board, and even the person who hang the metal board on the car. So no one work for his salary that he is being paid at the end of the month. That is what I intend to mean when I said that every one should feel that he is rewarded for his performance so that every one will try to do his best in order to be paid additional income or incentive or bonus to be encouraged to improve his effectiveness in his work. Also there is lack of technology, new technology must be founded in order to assist and support police officers to improve their work performance efficiency. I am sure that you will agree with me when I remembered you with the computer system used in the traffic police station, is it effective? Many times when I go to the traffic police station to renew my car license, I found that the computer system is out of order and I have to stay for an hour or half an hour till its being repaired. Third: Effort Any person should only work in the place he loves, so as to give it the maximum effort he can, this means that traffic police officers, representatives and soldiers as well must believe in the job they do and should recognize that they work in a so critical area that no exception, no cautions can be applied in its regulations. Once the person believes in that, he will exert as much effort as he can in order to perform effectively and efficiently. Through the above, do you determine now where we are? Using an expired license for two years, during which the traffic police checked it 6 times and returned it back without taking any regulatory procedure, for sure there is lake of ability as the police working while they are not working indeed so they are not effective, also there was lake of support as they are not feel satisfaction that they should be provided and supported by their work so that they are performing ineffective. Finally there was lake of effort as they do not believe in the objective of the work they do to exert effort for it so their performance is inefficient. What is expected in the future? I think that the first step in the improvement process is the selection of right people, as any organization’s success is ultimately determined by the quality of its workforce, the right people not only can execute the tasks needed to achieve the organization’s objective, they also are a product of and are motivated by the supporting people who provide clear regulations and instruction and maintain gentle relation and communication with the whole workforce, in addition to compensation and reward according to the work performance. The most important change that I hope to be effected in the future is the launch of new technology in the traffic police system, which I think it will reflect remarkable advancements in the efficiency and increased productivity to provide more traffic law enforcement with the same staff and at less inconvenience to the public. Virtual Partner: A Mobile technology Solution A new technology used by Delray Beach Police Department, Virtual Partner is an efficient, timesaving, easy-to-use application that increases efficiency and productivity in several areas. The software was designed and developed by those who stood to benefit the most from the technology, the police officers themselves. These officers, in their quest, exceeded the boundaries  of ordinary operations by developing a technology that has incredible output in terms of efficiency, adaptability, productivity, and ease, at nominal cost. The Virtual Partner application consists of four program components. The automated response system provides quick responses to queries made by officers to the National Criminal information Center (NCIC) and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). Ever mindful of officer safety, the developers included a voice response function that verbally relays information in response to queries entered by the officers. In terms of officer safety, Delray Beach feels the voice response capability was a major breakthrough. Using voice response, an officer can remain focused on the offender and the offender’s vehicle without looking at a computer screen, thereby increasing the officer’s safety and eliminating distractions. The voice response provides the officer with specific information needed such as tag and driver’s license status as well as color, make and model of the vehicle. The officers also customized the program to their needs so that it would eliminate unnecessary information and only relay pertinent information requested by the officers. The program confirms warrant hits by signaling the officer with an audible alert tone. The program verbally relays back case numbers, dispatch time, and other requests made by the officer, as well as gate codes to any of the secured gated-communities. The system is also equipped with a two dimensional barcode capability that reads the driver’s license information on licenses from other states that have a magnetic strip for so-called swipe capability. The information generated from any of these inquires can be automatically entered onto forms commonly used by police officers. The capability of the program continued to develop after the officers determined the utility and performance they needed from technology. Through their efforts, several components to the system have been engineered that unequivocally changed Delray Beach’s technology from a hindrance to an asset. Also it’s a very important tool needed to enhance the performance effectiveness of traffic police, Traffic Police organization should develop a quality control system for traffic information dissemination to the public. Currently, there is no organized way of monitoring the accuracy of information disseminated to the public. Development of a quality control system will require the following:- 1. Identification of all types of information being disseminated, the source of each type of information, and the means of dissemination. 2. Establishment of procedures for checking the accuracy of each type of information. 3. Establishment of policies regarding the frequency with which information is to be verified. 4. Identification of personnel to monitor information quality. The way by which the information is delivered to the public is very important to think of, and give it the priority, as people needs to aware of what they usually forget as a result of occupation in their life needs.

Hrm Assessment

â€Å"(HRM is) a strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging people’s capabilities is critical to achieving sustained competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes and practices. † (John Bratton / Jeffrey Gold; Human Resource Management Theory And Practice, 2003) Although the terms Human Resource Management and Personnel Management are commonly used interchangeably, research has shown there are substantial differences between the two.Personnel Management focuses more on the management of employees and dealing with administrative tasks such as employment laws, contractual obligations and the payroll of the company, encompassing the range of activities to do with managing the workforce rather than resources. Human Resource Management takes a strategic approach to the overall management of not only workers, but their workplace and environment, focusing on aspects s uch as the safety, wellness, benefits, motivation, development and organization of employees.It can be said that Personnel Management is workforce centered; being largely about mediating between management and employees, while Human Resource Management is resource centered; concentrating on the planning, monitoring and control aspects of resources. There are four major stages in the evolution of Personnel and Human Resource Management as we know it today; social justice human bureaucracy consent by negotiation organization and integration Social justice Social justice was the budding stage in Human Resource Management, dating back to the 19th Century, when the work of social reformers such as LordShaftesbury and Robert Owen led to the appointment of the first personnel managers. Lord Shaftesbury was the leader of the Factory Reform Movement in the House of Commons and a key contributor to the Factory Act of 1847, which minimized the working hours of woman and children in factories t o 10 hours per day and made it illegal for kids under the age of 9 to be employed in textile factories. Robert Owen was a social reformer of the Industrial Revolution, who assisted the working class of England by helping ease labour hours and conditions, and the use of child labour. He also assisted in the employment standards of England.By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some large employers started appointing welfare officers to manage new initiatives designed to make life easier for their employees, leading to higher productivity, improved retention of the workforce, and more applicants for each job. Notable welfare initiatives promoted by employers today include employee assistance schemes, childcare facilities and health-screening programmes. Human bureaucracy The term â€Å"bureaucracy† means â€Å"rule by office†. Bureaucracy is an organizational form used by sociologists and organizational professionals.The Industrial Revolution contributed to the devel opment of bureaucracies, and modern bureaucracy emerged around 1850. In the 1930's, German sociologist, Max Weber, studied new forms of organization being developed to manage large numbers of people in complex activities, his studies and work led to the popularization of the term. He discussed topics such as uniform principles, structure and hierarchy, merit system and specialization of job-scope. Weber described many ideal types of public administration and government in his work and many aspects of modern public administration go back to him.His research showed that large scale organizations were similar in specific ways and shared many similar features, concluding that each was a bureaucracy. Webster described bureaucracy as being the ideal way of organizing government agencies, and key in the continuing rationalization of western society. Websters principles were used throughout public and private sectors. He noted seven major principles; specification of jobs with detailed righ ts, obligations, responsibilities and scope of authority, system of supervision and subordination, unity of command, xtensive use of written documents, training in job requirements and skills, application of consistent and complete rules, assign work and hire personnel based on experience Another concept found largely in Weber's theories is rationalization, a process into which a person enters and applies practical knowledge to achieve results. While Webster believed bureaucracies were well organized machines that could accomplish any goal, he also noted disadvantages, one being that power shifted to only those individuals at the top, and could result in monocracy.Weber also discussed authority and sought to learn what gave power to an individual to be able to claim authority over another, such as man over woman. The success that bureaucracy produced during the industrial revolution and up to the late twentieth century, makes it the most relevant type of organisation for such indust ries. Weber's thoughts on bureaucracy have influenced modern thinking and many still hold true. The main ideas of his seven principles are still relevant to many bureaucracies that exist, making Weber a truly innovative thinker, who continues to influence society and business today. Consent by negotiationNegotiation means bargaining between two or more parties, each with its own aims, needs and views, seeking to discover a common ground and reach an agreement to settle a matter of mutual concern or resolve a conflict. Consent by negotiation helped develop Human Resource Management between the years 1935 and 1950, when a large increase in union membership in the United States drew more emphasis on labour relations and collective bargaining within personnel management. The importance of aspects such as compensation and benefits also increase, as unions negotiate paid holidays, vacations, and insurance coverage.HRM practices in firms are still regularly influenced by Unions. Companies which are unionized have to follow contracts which have been negotiated between the company and its union. These contracts control many HRM practices, including promotion, grievances, discipline, and overtime. Firms which aren't unionized can also be influenced by the threat of unions. For example, some companies make their Human Resource Management practices more equitable, treating workers more fairly, to avoid the chance of union representation by employees.Organization and integration The integrated phase of human resource management dates to the early 1970's to 1980's. In this period, it was focused on changing environment, such as individual experts in organization, specific areas, recruitment and training. In the late 60's, there was a change in focus among personnel specialists, from dealing mainly with the rank-and-file worker on behalf of management, to dealing with management itself and the integration of managerial activities.The development of career ladders and opportu nities for personal growth within organizations characterised this phase. â€Å"As the 1960's and 1970's unfolded, a more personable group of managers emerged, and their interest in people and feelings influenced all facts of business, including the growth of market research, communications and public relations. This group of managers, emphasized the relationship between employers and employees, rather than scientific management. Programs to increase wages and fringe benefits continued to be developed.New studies linked greater productivity to management philosophies that encouraged worker ideas and initiatives† (Losey, 2010, online) Opportunities for personal growth is still a concern of personnel managers to this day, with time and resources being spent on the recruitment and development of people who obtain expertise which the future of the business. Workforce planning and manpower techniques have also been developed by Personnel managers, focusing on the conceivable need for employees with various skills in the future.

US monetary policy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

US monetary policy - Term Paper Example When the Fed wants to â€Å"expand the money supply† (create money), it steps in and buys bonds from these dealers with newly-issued dollars acquired by the Fed for the cost of writing them into an account on a computer screen. The Federal Reserve is overseen by board of governors based in Washington, which is a government body (Solomon 1996). This board of governors comprise of 7 members appointed by the president of the United States of America, each of them has the capacity to serve for 14 years. All this members must pass through senate for confirmation and are eligible for reappointment. The chairman is the head of the board being deputized by the vice chairman. Both the chairman and deputy are appointed by the president and must pass through senate for approval (Solomon 1996). Ben Bernanke is the current chairman; he took over from Alan Greenspan. The most common tool used by the Federal Reserve is the buying and selling of government securities in order to increase or r educe the amount of money in the banking system and this is done through an open market (Timberlake 1993). When they buy securities, they pump money into the banking system and accelerate growth  while sales of securities siphon money from the system. Federal Reserve's aim is to use this technique to  adjust the federal funds rate, that is, the rate at which banks borrow from each other (Timberlake 1993). ... the ones required by the law or rather set by the Federal Reserve board of governors can use the money to bring those changes back to stability (Timberlake 1993). The board of directors of each reserve bank sets the discount rate every 14 days. It's considered the last resort for banks, which usually borrow from each other. The Fed uses the discount rate to check the supply of available funds, which will in effect have impact on inflation and in extension interest rates (Degen 1987). If the available money is abundant, there is more likelihood of inflation occurring. It will become more expensive to borrow from Federal Reserve if interest rate is increased. Short term interest rate will, therefore, be increased by lower supply of money and the opposite is true. Quantitative Easing† (QE) is a kind of operations within markets that assist the Federal Reserve achieve its policy targets (Degen 1987). QE involves open market operations that are not different from the way the Federal Reserve often operates in its quest to attain certain policy objectives. When Federal Reserve changes their target interest rate, it is doing so in order to involve open market operations that alter reserves in the banking system so as to get to its preferred rate.    Open market operations often include moves such as adjusting the existing reserves in the banking system so as to assist reaching a target interest rate.  Many people believe that QE operates to achieve its objectives in ways that are different from standard monetary policy, e.g. influencing demand for loans, the wealth effect and interest rate channels (Wells 2004). Much of the misconception is also due to the untruth that QE helps to fund the US government or is equivalent to â€Å"money printing†.   This is not true. The main

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 21

Marketing - Essay Example In choosing a car, various decisions have been made as the customer progresses from one phase to the next. In pre-purchase for example, after the consumer has recognized a need in the form of a problem or an opportunity, the choice of where to look for information as regards the available alternatives to address the problem or opportunity is one of the decisions to be made. The choice of how much time and effort, i.e. her level of involvement in the decision, is also one of the decisions that she would make. She may look for information in the Internet, or she may decide to visit a car dealer to inquire about the product. After the consumer gathers enough information as regards her choices for the car models, the consumer will have to decide on what attributes she gives much emphasis, which will eventually constitute her criteria for the purchase decision. After she has determined her choice of brand,.she has to deal with smaller decisions such as the model of the car she would get, and the specifications. Sometimes, the choice of financing is part of the decision process, and could influence the purchase of one brand over the other. After she has made her choice based on her set of criteria, the next decision she has to make is how to place her order, i.e. the distribution channel. She can either choose to go to a nearby dealer, or place her order in the Internet if her chosen brands website has such an option available. The consumers last decision as regards the buying process would be an action that is prompted by her evaluation of the product. Her last decision will depend on the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction concerning her purchase, i.e. advocacy, positive feedback, no action, positive feedback, or lawsuit for extreme cases. C. What kinds of benefits marketing managers get from the study of consumer behavior? In other words, identify any kinds of managerial implications which will be helpful for designing marketing strategies or

Journal 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journal 2 - Essay Example Such privacy is protected by law and through electronic means. For example, electronic financial information can be protected through Personal Identification Numbers (PIN). It is a process through which a mortgage lender repossess the property used as collateral for a loan. The lender usually auctions that property or retains ownership rights due to a default by the loaned. The main objective of a foreclosure is to obtain the principle amount and also the accrued interest. The process of foreclosure is legal and sanctioned by court. The borrower is given a specific grace period in which he or she can make payment and avoid foreclosure. An example of a foreclosure is when a person uses a house as collateral for a loan and defaults in payments. The lender then seeks foreclosure by selling the house to obtain the balance and other payments. A franchise is a legal right or privilege that is officially accorded to an individual or entity to offer certain goods or services at a specific place and time. The franchise is strictly governed by guidelines that are defined under the agreement. An example to illustrate the terms can be sourced from the MacDonalds fast food franchise. The firm (franchisor) offers licenses or enters into trade agreements (franchises) with various entities (franchisees) around the world to offer products and services under its own name. The board of directors is a group of people who are elected to establish corporate management policies and practices in regard to the activities of the company. The board jointly runs the affairs of a company and is tasked with making decisions on major issues such as hiring terms, assessing the work of executives and shareholder dividends. The board of directors is formed by the organizations bylaws and regulated by a higher authority that has no interest in the firm to ensure the rationality of decisions. The activities of the board of directors are guided by the type,

What is information technology How is it changing our working lives Essay

What is information technology How is it changing our working lives - Essay Example sts that Information Technology is here and it will stay on for a very long period of time, until it gets replaced by some other advanced technology in the times to come (Wehn 1998). What is most important to decipher on the part of a world citizen is that Information Technology has played such a vital role in changing the lives of the people that it is almost impossible to negate the positives which have been brought about with the passage of time. Also what could be expected from Information Technology in the future remains a mystery because the marvels embedded within the domains of the same remain to be seen in the times to follow. Information Technology is an enabling force because it makes people think of the possibilities and eventualities that can arise from its incorporation within the systems and procedures of the present times. The manner in which Information Technology has come about as a facilitating agent has made even the staunchest critics realize that its due role is immense and Information Technology will be able to pave the way between the link that remains in a person’s needs and his desires. The gadgets, electrical appliances, cell phones, laptops, etc are all the marvels of Information Technology and many other things are also bracketed under the same heading (Wulf 1995). Information Technology makes use of the communication mechanisms that are there amongst the people and their desires so that their most potent needs could be fulfilled in the most feasible manner. If these needs are not properly addressed, there is enough room to make amends so that the ranks of Information Technology are taken care of in the most apt manner possible. Also what summarizes the debate of Information Technology stems from the fact what researchers have been able to devise with the passage of time and what they expect from the same in the times to come (Diwan 2002). These researchers and scientists believe that Information Technology is a force that will

Governments Balance Law and Order with Individual Freedom Essay

Governments Balance Law and Order with Individual Freedom - Essay Example The Government outlines the individual rights and freedoms in the constitution, which comprise a set of guidelines to govern the people. Thus, individual liberty needs a basis in law, but additionally, it must integrate the requirements of social order. This means that maintenance of law and order balances with individual freedom to guard and define the sphere of liberty of the individual and promote order in the society. Despite, democratic governments supporting the importance of freedom, they must put limits on individual freedoms. In this regard, provisions should forbid those deeds that would cause panic or harm for the general good. By this, the government ensure that it maintains law and order and at the same time offering individual freedom. In the United States, there is limitation of individual liberty to guard citizens from one another, to guarantee order in society and to uphold the common interests of the society. Therefore, the law must permit the sensible exercise of f reedoms.The Government can also strike this balance by supporting the social systems in the society that realize the goals of freedom and order. Fagin (2007) asserts that the society uses numerous strategies to attain these goals, including social standards imposed through the social forces of the family, government, religion and school. Through these social institutions, people learn the principles and requirements for good behavior and receive punishment when they infringe these social standards.

Chapter Problems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Chapter Problems - Assignment Example The fourth Amendment to the U.S.A, states that human rights should not be violated from acts pertaining to unreasonable search and seizures (Scheb, 2011). The supreme court of the United States describes the security personnel as uniformed and armed private actors. In addition, if the security personnel are to be included in the Fourth Amendment protection, then they should be ready to serve the citizens just like the normal government officials (Cunningham & Taylor, 1984). This will ensure that crime and violence is curbed in all the states that have been experiencing increased crime rates. 6. What is the rationale for excluding from trial evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment? Is this a compelling justification for the exclusion of criminal evidence from the trial of a defendant accused of a serious felony such as aggravated battery? The main reason that is behind the exclusion from trial evidence obtained in the fourth Amendment may be due to the security officers (Hougan, 1978). It has been noted that the security officers are under estimated in their services. This is due to the fact that they are excluded from the Fourth Amendment protection. ... Since most of these guards are employed by the city government then they are required by the court to comply with the constitutional requirements. The court also proposes that instead of the private police arresting people for crimes committed, they should equip them with the Miranda laws (Cunningham & Taylor, 1984). 8. The Supreme Court has created a â€Å"good-faith† exception to the exclusionary rule where police rely on a search warrant that is later held to be invalid because the magistrate erred in finding probable cause for a search. Should the good-faith exception be extended to cases where police acting in good faith conduct warrantless searches that are later held to be unlawful? In the Fourth Amendment law, the term â€Å"good faith† is used to refer to the reasonableness state of a police officer in the belief of the existence of a warrant that is in fact invalid (Hougan, 1978). In a criminal prosecution, there is no exception to the Fourth Amendment require ment that all seizures and searches are reasonable in line with the good faith exception. Moreover, when the police violate this Amendment, the evidence is inadmissible to the victim of the search or seizure. Therefore, the only instance where a good faith is necessary is when police rely on a warrant in case of a search or a seizure (Feinman, 2010). When an officer performs a search based on his/ her own facts, and not one the basis of a warrant, then it is hard to claim that the police officer committed an unreasonable mistake. However, if a warrant or any other official authorization of search is required, then the police officer can be reported to have violated an individual’s Fourth Amendment

Designing a training programme for supervisor skills at Primark Essay Example for Free

Designing a training programme for supervisor skills at Primark Essay Type of training and how long will the training take? (on the job or off the job) Shadowing/demonstration/coaching/external or internal course 1 hour/1/2 day/ 5 days? Provider of training and Location Sales floor/store training room/Primark head office/College/Distance course. Internal training. Who will carry out? HR manager/training manager Description of training content What will the you do /learn during the training Cost of the training Physical cost of external course/cost of paying salary to trainee whilst not doing their job role/providing cover whilst trainee is on course/travel expenses – train tickets to London if going on a head office course What will the training allow me to achieve? What skills will you have learnt? How will it assist you in being successful in your new role? Why is this skill important? Consequences Shadowing for 1 hour Sales floor watching experienced supervisor complete rota Organisation of staff rota, including breaks and lunches. Watch the supervisor complete her daily rota and then complete own rota and discuss with mentor to get feedback on how to improve it No direct costs however, Primark will still need to pay us both our  £8.50 an hour salary despite the fact that both the experienced Supervisor and I will be less productive during the training. This may impact on customer service as we won’t be available to help customers during the hours training . The training may disrupt other members of staff and reduce overall productivity of the department I will be able to complete the daily staff rota ensuring all staff get the breaks and lunches they are entitled to with minimal disruption to customer service Key feature in the job description of a supervisor. Failure to complete this correctly may mean that staff do not get the correct breaks and may become demotivated and lower their productivity as a result which will trigger a fall in customer satisfaction and potentially sales and profit Demonstration for 20 minutes Shown on the sales floor by an experienced supervisor . Whilst walking around look at the trends , most common sizes and the popular items . The ability to see when a specific product is in high demand and inform head office that more stock needs to be ordered. Listening to retail sales assistants when they tell you a product is in high demand . There are no direct costs. Although the experienced supervisor and I will need to be paid  £2.52 for the 20 minutes . I will be less productive during the training, this may impact customer service as I will be too busy to help out customers. The training may disrupt other members of staff and reduce overall productivity of the department The ability to spot trends , and items that are selling out. The ability to order in new stock . Failure in ordering a high demand products would mean Primark would miss out on an opportunity to make a profit . Failure is ordering any stock means that that Primark wouldn’t have any stock to sell and the customers would go else where. 1 day off job training completing the Impact Factory Customer service course Training by Impact Factory in London. I will be taught on how to give the best customer service and be more confident with employees. Dealing with customer complaints in the most appropriate way . Talking to unsatisfied customers and seeing what they can do to help and make sure this doesn’t happen next time.  £21.10 for the ticket to London. A whole day’s pay at  £7.57 an hour for 9 hours which is  £68.13. Although it’s more expensive than getting another supervisor to do the training , the training will be a lot more formal and I will take it more seriously . The course costs  £450. I will be trained by an expert in customer service . Although resentfulness amongst other members of staff who haven’t been chosen to attend the course and become demotivated and less efficient as a result. The overall cost will be  £539.23 . I will learn how to give good customer service , deal with rude/difficult customers , advance my listening/ responding skills, make the customers point of view work for me, gain confidence in giving customer service and handling complaints with empathy/ efficiency. A good retail supervisor needs to deal with customer complaints appropriately . This is because the supervisor will be the face of the branch and if they give a bad impression , there could be a drop in customers. The customers could go to competitors with better customer service. On the job training doing 20 minutes coaching and a 10 minutes session a week later. On the sales floor at a off-peak time with HR manager Learning how to use the supervisor function on the till to be able to give customers returns / change / cancel orders. No direct costs but both the HR manager and I will need to get paid . Although because this session is short, there will be a lot of time to do more productive things. The training may disrupt other members of staff and reduce overall productivity of the department. Customers may receive poor customer service such as long wait times at tills even though it is at off-peak time which would Lower sales. HR manager will need to be paid  £10 for the 30 minutes. I will need to be paid  £3.79 for the 30 minutes. The HR manager’s journey from London will cost  £21.10. The overall cost is  £34.89. I will learn how to use the supervisor function on the till , be able to give customer returns / change and cancel orders. As I have practiced at different times, I am now very clear on how to use the supervisor function on the till . This means in peak time if a customer needs a return I can quickly use the function on the till without holding up a long queue . This means the customers will be happier as they don’t have to wait a long time and I can go do more productive things. If I was unable to do this Primark would get a reputation for poor customer service and customers would go to competitors , which would lower sales. Off the job training for 30 minutes doing Job shadowing . 30 minutes observation On the sales floor with an experienced supervisor Ensuring that the sales floor is always kept clean, the shelves are fully stocked with products and there’s no clothes on the floor. In prime time the retail sales assistant are aware how to work in the peak times including the holidays and Saturdays . There are no direct costs but I will be paid  £7.57 for the hour and so will the experienced supervisor. I will not being my job during this training session meaning a loss of productivity . I may disrupt other employees and reduce the overall productivity of the department. Customers may have to wait longer on the tills / fitting rooms as I will be unable to help them, which would lower sales. The overall cost would be  £15.14 . I will be able to deal with the sales floor at its prime time. Through observation I can be told what my weaknesses are and how I can improve on them. If I wasn’t able to manage the store at prime the customers would be left waiting unreasonable times for the tills/ fitting rooms . They would eventually get annoyed and leave to go to a competitor, meaning a loss in sales. The employees would become demotivated as they are constantly having to work in a hectic unorganised environment and may leave. If an employee leaves Primark would have to pay for the recruitment costs for the next employee. Off the job training in London doing a leadership course – 1 day course In London being taught about leadership by CIPD Making sure all the retail sales assistants are working efficiently . Motivating all the retail sales assistants to do their work to the best of their ability . This means carrying out appraisals and dealing with any performance issues appropriately . The course costs  £545 . I will have to be paid for the full day at  £7.57 which is  £68.13 . I will have to pay for a peak return ticket to London for  £21.10 . The overall cost will be  £634.23. I will be unable to any of my tasks , therefore there will be a loss in productivity. There will be Resentfulness amongst other members of staff who haven’t been chosen to attend the course and become demotivated and less efficient as a result. I will learn which leadership characteristics I need to develop , be able to select motivational ideas with the most potential to motivate and engage the retail assistants . I will be able to motivate the retail sales assistants . Therefore they will be able to give good customer service which means happy customers , they will come more frequently . This will build a better image for Primark. If I was not able to motivate employees, they would eventually find a different job. Demotivated employees give bad customer service so the customers would get annoyed and go to competitors. Once the employee leaves , more will leave increasing the staff turnover which would make it less appealing to work for Primark . Recruitment costs are also very high and this would need to be paid for. Off the job training interview skills course In London with an interviewing expert . Working alongside Human resources manager to co interview potential candidates for the role of retail sales assistant. A ticket to London is  £21.10 . I would have to be paid for the full day at  £7.57 an hour , which is  £68.13 overall . The course costs  £30 . The overall cost is  £119.23. The setting will be more formal and I will take it more seriously . There will be a loss of productivity as I will not be there for the whole day to do my job. There may be resentfulness amongst other members of staff who haven’t been chosen to attend the course and become demotivated and less efficient as a result. I will learn: the equality act 2010 , the cost of recruitment and staff turnover, the causes of poor recruitment, strategies for effective recruitment practice, the stages of recruitment, how to design a job description and person profile, how to analyse application forms and cvs , and interview techniques . I will be able to make sure when I interview a candidate for the role of retail sales assistant I will do it in the best way possible . I will be able to choose the most suitable candidate . I will be able to make sure the candidate is not discriminated against and therefore save costs and the reputation of Primark. If I was unable to interview a candidate appropriately I could ask a question that breaks the equality 2010. This would give Primark a bad reputation and they would be fined. In house training for the 3 Hours The HR manager in a meeting room Providing induction training for new retail sales assistants and making them feel welcome and at ease. No direct costs but I and the HR manager will need to be paid for the 3 hours. The HR manager will get paid  £60 and I will get paid  £22.71. The train journey from London to this Primark branch will need to be paid for which is  £21.10. The overall cost would be  £108.31. Me and the HR manager will not be productive for those 3 hours . The training may disrupt other members of staff and decrease productivity over the whole department. Customers may receive poor customer service as I will be unable to help them. I will be able to provide suitable training for the new retail sales assistants . I will educate employees about the effective use of technology ,ensure that Primark has the competitive edge, promote health and safety, create opportunities for career development and personal growth, helps employees comply with laws and regulations and improve productivity. This is important because this means the employees will give good customer service . If I trained the employees incorrectly they could decide to leave or they could injure themselves because I didn’t mention a health and safety rule. This would mean an employee would be harmed and Primark would have broken the health and safety act and could face fines. If the employees are trained badly they could give poor customer service which would drive the customers away to the competitors , which would lower sales.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Franchising

Advantages and Disadvantages of Franchising Franchising Franchising is arrangement where one party (the franchiser) grants another party (the franchisee) the right to use trade-name as well as certain business systems and processes, to produce and market good or service according to certain specification. The franchisee usually pays a one-time franchise-fee plus a percentage of sales revenueas royalty, and gains immediate name cognition, tried and tested products, standard building and decor,detailed technique in running and promoting the business, training of employees, and ongoing help in promoting and upgrading of the products. The franchiser gains rapid expansion of business and earningsat minimum capital-outlay. Feature of the franchise is that each buyer undertakes to fulfill the various conditions and requirements of the seller (franchiser), related to the production and sale of goods and the provision of related services to consumers. Thus, in the world market there are groups of companies united in a single system under the auspices of a major international corporation. Its partners in the contract the franchisor provides advice on corporate location, selects equipment, helps in training, advice on management, and may also provide financial assistance. All this facilitates the standardization and unification of products and services of the companies included in the system of franchising provides unity on market events, style and design, the quality of goods and services sold the centralization of procurement related savings (and the additional benefit to the franchisor). Advantages of franchising mode are following (Kotler, 2002, p. 377): Rapid expansion of sales markets, the increase in sales volume and the territorial expansion of the business Absence of the cost of the vertically-integrated network management (reduction of personnel costs) A lower level of own capital investment Lift the prestige of the company and its trademark, recognition from the customers, increased confidence in the quality and range of products a single company Income from the sale of the license and renting real estate franchise and equipment Profit from lending opportunities franchisees and reducing the time of turnover. Disadvantages of franchising mode are following (Kotler, 2002, p. 377): The likelihood of a smaller part of the profits from the franchise business than on their own Low reputation of one of the franchises in the absence of proper quality control can affect the reputation of the firm; Difficulty in controlling the reliability of financial reporting franchisee The franchisor is preparing a possible competitor in the face of franchisee company Joint ventures Joint ventures are often created for access to foreign markets, company’s decision to team up with their foreign partner, sharing ownership and control over the activities of the company. In world practice, there are many examples of well-known association of firms and corporations to tap new markets and gain competitive advantage. Creation of a joint venture may be the preferred method of access to foreign markets for the following reasons: 1. If the company lacks the financial, technological, managerial and other resources for self-development in foreign markets 2. If the government does not admit to its market foreign companies or subsidiaries without the participation of local capital for some political or economic reasons; 3. When the company, for economic reasons, team up with a foreign company for the joint production, the sale of which will provide the company higher profits due to the low cost of use of local resources (labor, raw materials, etc.) However, with all advantages of the using joint venture as entry mode for entering and presenting on the international market there are a few problems, the main ones are (Kotler, 2002, p. 377): 1. Contradictions between the partners in the joint venture what may be related to different points of view on the use of the profits of the enterprise, management and implementation of marketing activities, areas of investment, and etc.; 2. The need for a strong partnership in the creation and funding of the joint venture may hamper the implementation of the transnational corporation its own, universal for all countries production and marketing policy. Foreign direct investment The most complete form of the involvement of a foreign market is the investment of capital in the creation own overseas assembly and production plants. The meaning of direct foreign investment is defined by the so-called concept of control. The main idea of this mode of entry is that a foreign investor investing in the purchase or construction companies abroad controls further management decisions in this venture. And he does not have to have a 100% ownership interest in it; even a small percentage of shares may be sufficient to establish control over decision-making (Kotler, 2002, p. 378): On the other side, even all shares do not provide absolute control: if the government dictates whom the company should hire, distribution of revenue, what should company sell and at what price. However, usage of this foreign market entry mode includes several advantages (Kotler, 2002, p. 378): 1. All the profit from investments belongs to the company and it can use it at its own discretion, carrying out their own long-term production and marketing strategies; 2. The firm can increase its profits thought gaining working experience in a large international market with the help of usages local cheap raw materials, labor, saving on transportation costs, etc., as well as expanding sales and conducting effective marketing activities; 3. Paying taxes to the budget of the foreign state and creating jobs, the company can secure a favorable image in government and among the population; 4. Due to establishing close favorable relations with suppliers, distributors, agents and customers the company can better adapt its products, services and marketing programs to the characteristics of the foreign market, thus constantly improving its competitiveness. Direct investment capital to the foreign market is carried out in two forms: the export of venture capital and loan capital. Venture capital imported into the international market in the form of direct and portfolio investment. Direct investment involves the purchase or acquisition of the total local company’s controlling stake. Portfolio investment means buying shares of local companies that are insufficient to establish control over them. Loan capital is loans provided by states, companies, banks, administrative regions, municipalities, etc. Loans divided on two groups: short-term (up to two years) and long term (over two years) (Kotler, 2002, p. 378).

Managerial Roles As Identified By Mintzberg

Managerial Roles As Identified By Mintzberg In this role the managers regularly seek out information related to the organisation and industry. They monitor relevant changes in the environment and also monitor their teams productivity and well-being. Examples of workplace experience include maintaining personal contact, attending seminars and training; and reading reports. Spokesperson Managers represent and speak on their organisations behalf. In this role they are responsible for transmitting information about their organisation and its goals to the people outside of the organisation. Examples are conferences and reports. Figurehead The manager performs social, ceremonial and legal responsibilities. The manager is expected to be a source of inspiration. Someone people can look up to, someone with authority. In this role the manager acts as a symbolic leader. An example is the signing of legal documents. Leader In this role, managers provide leadership for their team, department or organization as a whole; and manage subordinates performances and responsibilities. Examples of workplace experience include the training and interactions with employees. Liaison Managers establish and maintain communication with internal and external contacts. This entails the effective networking on behalf of the organisation. An example is the participation in meetings with representatives from other divisions inside the organisation or other businesses. Entrepreneur The manager must create and control changes within the organisation. This entails the solving of problems, generation of new ideas and the implementation thereof. An example is the housing shortlist and the provision of thereof. QUESTION 1 Continued†¦ Resource Allocator In this role the manager needs to determine where the organisational resources are best applied. This involves the allocation of funding, the assignment of staff and other organisational resources. This also involves the drafting and approval of plans, schedules, budgets and setting of priorities. Disturbance Handler Deals with the mediation of disputes and problems; and takes corrective actions. The manager settles conflicts between subordinates; choose strategic alternatives and overcome crisis situations. QUESTION 2 2.1 The role and importance of a mission statement is to describe the organisation in terms of the customers needs it aims to satisfy, the goods or services it aims to supply and the markets it intends to pursue. The mission statement describes the organisations purpose for existence and it details facts such as what the organisation is all about, who the organisation is and the type of business it is in. The role and importance of a vision statement is to describe where the organisation wants to be in the future. An example would be, a natural water bottling company who wants to expand into flavoured water bottling, and the marketing and selling thereof. 2.2 The mission and vision of an organisation must be enforced through tactical planning. This is the process of making detailed decisions about what has to be done; who will be doing it and how it will be done. The statements are best developed if input by all the members of the organisation is acquired and the people working in the organisation need to believe it, in order for the customers to believe in it. QUESTION 3 EXPLAINING THE BENEFITS THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED BY THE SOUND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FOUR MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS FOR THE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTIVITY MANAGERIAL FUNCTION 1: PLANNING The benefit that can be achieved by implementing planning is that you will know exactly how you will accomplish your goals for improving productivity. You will know exactly what has to be done, how it is to be done, when it needs to be done and by whom it is to be done. An overall direction will be established, you will identify and commit the correct resources and you will know which tasks have to be done. Planning provides structure and guidelines and the development of strategies will take place. MANAGERIAL FUNCTION 2: ORGANISING Through organising, the hierarchy of the production team will take shape. You will determine who is most qualified to perform the work and help you improve productivity. The benefit of organising is thus the establishment of a strong team who can be developed even further through training. MANAGERIAL FUNCTION 3: LEADING The benefit of leading is that you can influence and motivate your subordinates towards the improvement of productivity. MANAGERIAL FUNCTION 4: CONTROL By implementing control, you will guide the production team towards improving productivity. You will monitor and compare the teams actual activities against the production goals. The benefit of control is; if the actual doesnt compare with the plans, you can make the changes needed to match the productivity with the goals as set out. EVENTUAL BENEFITS The eventual benefits of improvement of productivity will mean employee satisfaction. Subordinates will take pride in their jobs, which in turn will mean that the quality of the products produced will be improved. The improvement of productivity will mean higher volumes of products will be produced, which will create customer satisfaction. This will increase turnovers, which will create profit generation for the organisation. Document Prepared By: Loriaan Isaacs QUESTION 4 4.1 A skill is the ability to accomplish specific tasks by demonstrating specific behaviours, while a competency is the aptitude to participate in non-routine intellectual activities. Skills and competencies can be strengthened through further studies, through hands-on experience and on the job training and also by taking on new responsibilities. 4.2 The six competencies that managers should possess are: Communication competency Planning and administration competency Teamwork competency Strategic action competency Global awareness competency Self-management competency Communication competency is the effective transfer and exchange of information that leads to the understanding between yourself and others. It includes informal communication, formal communication and negotiating. Informal communication is the building of strong interpersonal relationships via two-way communication, with a wide range of people, formal communication includes clear, concise and effective writing, and negotiating is the skill of exercising upward influence with superiors, laterally with peers, downward with subordinates as well as externally with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. Planning and administration competency involves deciding what tasks need to be done, determining how they can be done, allocating resources to enable them to be done and then monitoring progress to ensure that they are done. It includes information gathering, analysis and problem solving; planning and organizing projects; time management; and budgeting and financial management. This competency includes the taking of calculating risks and the anticipation of the consequences, the prioritizing of tasks, monitoring of schedules and the understanding of budgets, cash flows, financial reports, annual reports and the uses of such information. 4.3 Evaluation of Loriaan Isaacs by Duane Spandiel, LLB graduate Loriaans informal communication competency is very good, she communicates well with a wide range of people. Her formal communication competency is excellent, but I found that her negotiating competency requires further training and developing. QUESTION 4 Continued†¦ 4.3 Evaluation of Loriaan Isaacs by Duane Spandiel, LLB graduate continued†¦ I found her planning and administration competency lacking. She needs to grow in this department and I am sure that she will be capable to be excellent in risk taking and prioritizing tasks, after she had undergone further development and training. QUESTION 5 5.1 Delegation of authority is the downward transfer of formal authority from superior to subordinate. The employee is empowered to act for the manager, but the manager remains accountable for the outcome. 5.2 The six principles for improving delegation of authority are: Establish goals and standards Every manager before delegating the powers to the subordinates should be able to clearly define the goals as well as the results expected from them. The standards of performance should also be notified clearly. Define authority and responsibility The manager should maintain a balance between authority and responsibility. If a subordinate is given a responsibility to perform a task, he should be given enough authority to carry out the task effectively. Involve subordinates The manager should allow subordinates to participate in brainstorming ideas, the manager must be prepared to consider the ideas of their subordinates. Require completed work The manager must be clear with the results expected. The manager must determine the acceptable level of performance. Provide training The manager must provide employees with training to prepare them for greater responsibilities. Establish adequate controls The manager should measure the employees success against the goals set. The manager should stay on top of things and hold the employee accountable. The manager should establish feedback controls. QUESTION 6 6.1 The three levels of management in an organization are First-Line Managers, Middle Managers and Top Managers. 6.2 Three primary tasks of First-line managers include responsibility for the production of goods or delivery of services, supervision of employees in their everyday tasks and leading employees who do the actual work. Middle managers are responsible for directing and coordinating the activities of first-line managers, they transform top managements strategies into specific goals and plans for line management to implement, and they carry out top managers directives by delegating authority to their subordinates. Top management tasks include the provision of executive leadership and strategic vision, they are responsible for the overall direction of an organization and they manage the strategic planning process. QUESTION 7 Departmentalisation is the grouping of jobs that belong together in order to reach the organisations goals, example: National, Provincial and Local Government. The four basic types of departmentalization are: Functional departmentalization Place departmentalization Product departmentalization Customer departmentalization

The Subtle Art of Feminism Essay -- Film Analysis India

Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel, Water, realistically presents the circumstances of women and, in particular, widows in 1938 Colonial India. It exposes the gender inequality and double standards that govern that society for no other reason than that is what tradition dictates. Sidhwa presents complexities in her characters, which make them very human and very real, and the widows’ reactions to each other and to the world outside of the ashram create a feminist message. Water poses the problem of gender inequality in India by presenting a realistic and typical situation, and it allows the readers to draw their own conclusions while experiencing the intricacies of the Indian culture. The most obvious example of inequality or mistreatment of women is Chuyia’s situation of becoming a bride and soon after a widow at age eight. By becoming a widow she is forced into the ashram and into isolation from the rest of society. This is a situation that is common in India due to the fact that tradition dictates â€Å"a woman is recognized as a person only when she is one with her husband† (Sidhwa 14). It shows that society views women as worthless unless they are under the control and service of a man. Furthermore, this tradition means that women are married off as soon as possible as to secure their future and purpose in life, while men are able to wait longer to marry. In Indian culture, men are worth more than women, and the novel shows this fact by contrasting Chuyia’s marriage situation with Narayan’s situation. Chuyia has no say in who she must marry because she is female, and her marriage is entirely dependent on her father, who mar ries off six-year-old Chuyia to a forty year old man. Even though Chuyia’s mother tries to stop the marriage a... ...t â€Å"By drifting almost unnoticeably from the commonplace to the horrific, Water implicates the reader† (Jaiarjun). It does more than rant about a feminist agenda; it calls the readers to action by deeply involving them first-hand in the atrocities that are taking place against women. Works Cited Arora, Kamal, Saydia Kamal, and Usamah Ahmad. "Water: Drenched in colonial benevolence." Seven Oaks. 05 Oct 2005. Web. 13 Apr 2010. . Seton, Nora. "Honoring the abandoned." Houston Chronicle (2006). Web. 5 Apr 2010. . Sidhwa, Bapsi. Water. Toronto, Canada: Key Porter Books Limited, 2006. Print. Singh, Jaiarjun. "Whirlpools on the Ghats." Indian Express (2006). Web. 5 Apr 2010. .

Reservoir Dogs... :: Movie Film Reservoir Dogs Essays

Reservoir Dogs... The first time I saw Reservoir Dogs I knew it was something different (I didn?t see any Tarantino?s films before). It was the first time I payed more attention to the characters dialogue than to the visual appearance of the film itself The dialogues in Tarantino?s films are its more powerful resource. They both tells the story and sets the mood for it. I remember I was reading Stephen King?s ?The Dead Zone? when I got hold of Tarantino?s screenplay for Reservoir Dogs. I left Stephen King for a while and read the screenplay in one sitting (I didn?t get much sleep that night). I got so carried away I couldn?t stop until Mr White died ?blown out of frame, leaving it empty?. It was brilliant. For me there is always an overlap between comics and film. Before a film is shot, most of the time a storyboard is done to show the cameras? angles and perspectives of the shot. I just see a storyboard like a comicbook with equal sized panels and more (or less) depending on what you want to show in-between key panels for the story (that?s the reason why so many comic artists sometimes are hired for storyboarding). Telling a story is the main aim for films and comicbooks . In films, the director (in comics is the penciller) is in charge of how the story is told. I will analyse some of Tarantino?s influences in Reservoir Dogs and his trademarks (he?s got such a distinctive style in directing, that you can just tell a film is made by him by just watching a couple of scenes of any movie he has made). I thought it may be interesting to include a chapter in this essay paying special attention to comicbooks that influenced Tarantino?s films such as ?Fantastic Four?(in reservoir Dogs Mr Orange is influenced by the Thing) and ~?Si1ver Surfer? (Tarantino included this character in some of the dialogue in ?Crimson Tide). But then I thought ?Tarantino references the Bible in Jules dialogue in Pulp Fiction?. I did a comicbook about the Bible when I was doing my Foundation Course in MAD (Kent Institute of Art & Design). Violence, sex and betrayal are themes that appear in Tarantino?s films as well as in some of the comics I?ve done. I thought I?ll give a chapter to talk about it.

Disaster Preparedness Essay

A disaster is generally defined as an event in which illness or injuries surpass resource capabilities of a community or medical facility (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2010). Disaster preparedness is a process of ensuring that an organization has complied with the preventive measures and is in a state of readiness to contain the effects of a predicted disastrous event to minimize loss of life, injury, and damage to property. see more:essay on disaster management in english Disaster preparedness can also provide rescue, relief, rehabilitation, and other services in the aftermath of the disaster, as well as have the capability and resources to continue to sustain its essential functions without being overwhelmed by the demand placed on them. The American Nursing Association is helping to ensure that disaster preparedness and response is robust in this country to be personally and professionally prepared for a disaster. Being in a prepared profession can help cope and help the communities recover from disaster better, faster and stronger (Brewer, 2010). According to the Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) at Maricopa Medical Center, they have a specialized disaster preparedness plan to fit their current top three hazards. Maricopa Medical Center conducts a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (HVA) annually. The current top three hazards K. F. , Manager of Fire Safety and Disaster Preparedness, at Maricopa Medical Center has identified include: Mass Causality Incidents (trauma, burns, pandemic, etc. ), Small Casualty Hazardous Materials Response (less than five patients), and Severe Weather Incidents (monsoonal action, thunderstorms, and haboobs). This organization has a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan that addresses the top three current hazards in the organization’s region. Maricopa Medical Center is also further developing their business continuity and recovery plans into stand-alone plans (K. F. , personal interview, February 13, 2012). In order to evaluate and determine the effectiveness of the disaster preparedness plan, Maricopa Medical Center annually conducts a minimum of two operational exercises, in addition to various discussion based exercises. The organization’s exercises follow the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP), which includes an after action report process with an improvement plan and corrective action plan sections. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, many studies have showed that disaster drills have been an effective way to improve staffs knowledge of hospital disaster procedures (Catlett, 2004). Additionally, exercise objectives are developed in such a way to exercise pieces of the plan that have been identified as opportunities for continual improvement and/or grant deliverables. Once opportunities for improvement of the disaster plan are identified, these improvements are remedied by being given corrective actions with specific time frames and the status is reported to senior management. Some recent corrective actions that have occurred within recent years include the development of position-specific training to further build comfort for those that are activated in the Hospital Command Center, plan changes regarding Casualty Care Areas during a response to a Mass Casualty Incident, and Standard Operating Procedure enhancement for the Hospital Emergency Response Team (K. F. personal interview, February 13, 2012). The representation that is present on the disaster preparedness committee for Maricopa Medical Center does not include nursing management. The emergency management committee includes a cross-sectional representation from the entire health system. This includes Acute Care, Behavioral Health, Ancillary Services, and Outpatient Services. K. F. , stated, â€Å"Bedside nursing has been extremely instrumental within the various task groups that focus on plan changes. In fact, the task groups associated with Casualty Care, Fatality Management, and HERT development are chaired by bedside nursing staff. There is also a Steering Committee for guidance that includes the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and the Vice President of Hospital Operations (K. F. , personal interview, February 13, 2012). † The established relationships that are within the community to help implement the organization’s disaster preparedness plan are that K. F. is currently the Chair-Elect for the Az Coalition for Healthcare Emergency Response (AzCHER-Central), which brings hospitals, clinics, skilled nursing acilities, fire & Emergency Medical Services (EMS), public health, emergency management, and other community stakeholders together for planning. Maricopa Medical Center currently has three to four members on the general body of this group, including bedside nursing representatives. There are a number of governmental agencies that are involved in the organization’s disaster preparedness planning. K. F. is an active member with Coyote Crisis Collaborative, which includes some of those from AzCHER, but also universities and community colleges, utilities, private business, faith-based and other volunteer groups, etc. The Chief Information Officer is currently the Chairman of the Board for Coyote Crisis Collaborative. Additionally, they participate in the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Grant which is administered by Arizona Department of Health Services. All of these opportunities provide environments for collaboration, plan sharing, and developing solutions to issues that face all of those included (K. F. , personal interview, February 13, 2012). In order to implement this plan, staff has received adequate training. The National Incident Management System and Incident Command System training is required for all identified Hospital Command Center staff. They have a â€Å"3-Deep† list for all identified positions. Required training includes Incident System-100, Incident System-200, Incident System-700, and Incident System-800 as a minimum. Incident System-300 and Incident System-400 are required for section chiefs and incident commanders. An overview of the Hospital Incident Command System is shared with all employees at New Employee Orientation. The Hospital Emergency Response Team (HERT) members receive additional Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) training within the HERT course and must take Incident System-100, Incident System-200, and Incident System-800 as pre-requisites for HERT. At Maricopa Medical Center, HERT training is now the standard for the Emergency Department first-year residents during their orientation process. K. Fehr stated, â€Å"Additionally, position-specific training has been identified in a recent exercise as an opportunity for improvement. That training has been developed and is scheduled to be administered over the next 90 days (K. F. personal interview, February 13, 2012). † Maricopa Medical Center has an automated system for the Hospital Command Center that is based upon Hospital Incident Command System IV. This system allows for â€Å"virtual† command and has the ability to send status updates, as well as provide real-time status to the HCC Team. They have also just been given access to a Mass Notification program from Arizona Department of Health Services that can be used internally to ensure that communication during incidents is sent to every employee. HICS IV is the current model that is used, which is National Incident Management System compliant (K.  F. , personal interview, February 13, 2012). The standards that nurses are held to concerning their ethical obligations to their organization and community would be handled by the Incident Commander with guidance of wither a Legal Specialist or Medical Ethicist. Any issues that are specific to standards of care would be approved by the Incident Commander and forwarded to the staff during the event based upon available resources, etc. If the question is specific as to the nurses’ duty to respond to work during a disaster, they do not require them to respond. They hope that they would stay or be willing to come in. The planning includes the set-up of child/elder care areas and sleeping areas for the staff to remove barriers that would take them away from their station. Planning does include the idea that at least 40 % of the staff will not remain or come in during an incident. Maricopa Medical Center has a Memorandum of Understanding and a Memorandum of Agreement with other regional hospitals and formal request processes at the county and state levels for additional staff. When asked whether staff buy-in was a coveted aspect in Maricopa Medical Center’s disaster plan, K. F. tates, â€Å"Staff is absolutely buy-in coveted for this organization’s disaster preparedness plan. The best method that we have found for involvement includes the expansion of the HERT Program, covering the program during Health Fairs and Nursing Skills Fairs, and involving staff in exercises as mock patients (K. F. , personal interview, February 13, 2012). † After my interview with K. F. , I was really intrigued into what all goes on with a disaster preparedness plan. I knew that disaster plans were in effect for many organizations, but I did not realize the actual extent of what goes n with the planning of it. I learned a lot through the interview and was very pleased with the information that I received about Maricopa Medical Center and their disaster preparedness plan. I feel that what is involved in their plan is very relevant to the location of the organization, as well as how they every year they have two operational exercises, as well as discussion based exercises, to help test their plan and determine its effectiveness. I think this is a very important aspect to any organization because without testing the plan, it is unclear how effective it really it. After these annual exercises, I think it is great that the organization has an after report with ideas for improvement to help make their disaster plan stronger and more effective. All in all, I believe that Maricopa Medical Center has a very effective and sufficient disaster preparedness plan for their organization and that they are consistently looking for areas of where they can improve and better their plan to help the community recover from disaster as it occurs (K. F. , personal interview, February 13, 2012).

Mgr Assingment

Economic Future: Key points – assuming you are a UK based company, the potential uncertainty n the Euro zone e. G. Countries leaving the Euro Zone, fluctuation with exchange rates. Proposed managerial planning objectives – Similar to the political future, keep abreast of potential changes and have contingency plans in placer e. G. A supplier could be based in Europe so the company could look at secondary supplier in the UK or a different country that may not be affected or lesser impact from any changes.Socio-cultural Future: Key points – changes in consumer buyer patterns linked to the point identified. Proposed managerial planning objectives – Keep up to date With he latest marketing information, closely monitor what the competitors are taking to market and what they are planning to take to market. Technology is fast moving so if the company is not on the forefront of the latest gadget there is a potential the organization will be left behind. This needs to link to the corporate strategy of where the business is evolving to and this needs to driven by key market data.Technological Future: Key points – being aware or leading the latest technological developments, knowing when to start and stop producing a technology Proposed managerial landing objectives – this needs to dictated by the corporate strategy, does the business what to be at the forefront of the technology evolution or slightly lagging where the market is better known and stable. One strategy is to diversify so part of the business is pushing the technology boundaries and another is manufacture products in a mature market. The business in the mature market can be viewed as a cash cow for the cutting edge business.The key is diversification so there are a number Of income streams and these can be strictly monitored to know when to enter or leave a market. Part 3 Innovation Management Background Logistic are acquiring a small high technology firm to allow the m to move in the wearable technology market. The need for change is typically either: Environmental: competition, customer demands, etc. Internal forces: Meet company plans/goals, due to company problems, company needs etc. The reason/need for change with Logistic is the desire to move into the wearable technology market From the theory this will be regarded as a ‘Transformational Change†, I. . Involves the redesign and renewal of the total organization (Marcia, 2008) Considerations prior to acquisition: Need to determine whether the administration style and Corporate culture fit. Whether there are any major differences in values, beliefs or practices. If the above isn't addressed it can cause stress and anxiety. Organizational development has three stages – unfreezing the organization, changing the organization and then refreezing the organization after all of the changes have been implemented.

Business ethics Essay

The case regarding Fashion First is a very interesting case as it allows for a discussion to take place in relation to ethics. Ethics could be defined as moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior. In other words, ethics allow for individuals to distinguish between right and wrong, and to make decisions based on what is right or wrong for any particular situation. In this situation, Sandy, the part-time bookkeeper of Fashion First is approached with a situation where she noticed that $500 cash was missing from each deposit while she was looking through weekly deposit chats. After a more thorough inspection of the monthly tax documents that the owner of Fashion First, â€Å"Buzz† Thompson (her manager) filled out, she noticed that the monthly gross revenue was $2,000 less than what had actually been counted. After she approached â€Å"Buzz† Thompson about the scenario, â€Å"Buzz† asserted that she shouldn’t be concerned since she wasn’t the person who signed the forms. This brings up an ethical dilemma that allows for a discussion on what the â€Å"right† thing to do is, and how morals could affect the decision made by Sandy. This case is very interesting due to the fact that Sandy is only an intern who is an accounting student at a University. Heather Hunter, a Senior in the CPA firm, was one for Sandy to go to if in need of anyone to talk to or attain advice from for anything regarding the company. Sandy mentioned to Heather her knowledge of unlawful actions regarding Fashion First. Sandy’s concern related to the handling of sales revenues, as monies are counted and deposited on a weekly basis as a chart is filled out with categories carefully delineating the type of payment: cash, checks, American Express, or Visa/Mastercard. She would bring her chart to her employer (in this case Mr. Thompson) and her employer would bring his own written in total of the actual amount deposited on his own chart, basically comparing the two charts. The issue in this case of apparent fraudulent behavior completely disregards the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice and its principles. This IMA Statement follows the principles of honesty, fairness, objectivity, and responsibility, and if any member fails to comply with the following standards may result in disciplinary action. Mr. Thompson clearly fails to comply with the standards of the IMA Statement in many ways. In regards to competence, â€Å"Buzz† fails to â€Å"perform professional duties in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and technical standards† and fails to â€Å"provide decision support information and recommendations that are accurate, clear, concise, and timely. † The amounts in his chart are low in comparison to the chart calculated by Sandy; therefore the information is inaccurate, and not concise, as it is against the law. In regards to confidentiality, it is mentioned to â€Å"refrain from using confidential information for unethical or illegal advantage. † Mr. Thompson does the complete opposite as he illegally mistakenly counts $2,000 less than what had actually been counted in Sandy’s chart. This is â€Å"illegal advantage† as that $2,000 is in his pocked at the end of the day. In regards to Integrity, Mr. Thompson disregards the responsibilities which read: â€Å"refrain from engaging in any conduct that would prejudice carrying out duties ethically† and abstain from engaging in or supporting any activity that might discredit the profession. † It is obvious that what he is doing is illegal, and that it â€Å"discredits the profession. † In regards to credibility, Mr. Thompson does not â€Å"communicate information fairly and objectively,† as he tells Sandy that she shouldn’t be concerned since she isn’t the one who signed the forms. This is unethical behavior by â€Å"Buzz† Thompson, and Sandy did the right thing by approaching him in regards to the situation.

Liabilities of a Director Essay

A company is usually established by individuals or Directors (officers included) in this case so as to run it in appropriate manner in order to make maximum profits. For this to happen, it is for the company (Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd in our case) to enter or make contracts with outsiders like Kaplan Bank Ltd and Space Solutions Pty Ltd as far as our case is concerned. The contracts made by the company with other outsiders are usually done by Directors who are, most often than not, act as representatives of that mentioned company and be able to be liable by the acts of its Directors as stated in s126. Directors acting on behalf of the company during any contracts are usually in a crucial position of trust within that company, and therefore, the vast array of legal duties will stretch out on their shoulders for holding that position. Due to this hot position, it is easier than not, for their powers to be abused in different ways. Directors have been known to abuse their powers in office for their personal gain. For example, Directors have been held liable for inappropriately using company’s funds in making their personal secret profits. In such cases, the corporate law comes into play (the Common Law and the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)) and Directors or any other officer who recklessly breach specific duties and obligations should be prosecuted in the court of law. So for the purpose of liability, the common law and the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) have been laid down so as to minimize the risk of wrongful behaviors by company’s Directors. In this paper, I will discuss the responsibilities, liabilities and duties of a director(s) in a company and give examples how Directors of various companies have been accounted or held responsible for infringing Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) laws. Directors’ Duties Since companies are usually established and managed by directors and a number of officers, these directors have that ostensible authority, collectively, to represent that mentioned company and not as an individual Director. As I am going to talk about it below, some individual directors (Andrew and Brian in this case) have been known to enter in to some kind of contract with outsiders (other companies) and not collectively as board of directors, as allowed under s201J and s198D of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). Directors, in most cases, have contravened these sections of the Act because they have their own material personal interests outside the company and have disowned their â€Å"duty to act honestly and in good faith to the best interest of the company† as per Part 2D.1 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). Directors can only avoid the civil or criminal penalties for breaching the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) only if they fully understand their liabilities and duties (Sieve rs, 1997 and Cassidy, 2006). Some of Corporations Acts laws, which directors need to be watchful for, in order to avoid contravening Corporations Act laws, are and not limited to: 1. Act in good faith and honest for the best interest of the company. 2. By considering company’s interests ahead of their own. 3. Avoiding conflicts of duty and interest. 4. Duty to avoid insolvent trading by the company 1. Duty to act honestly and in good faith to the best interest of the company As far as s181 of Corporations Acts 2001 (Cth) is concerned, any director including Andrew and Brian in our case, have to act â€Å"in good faith and in the best interest of the company (Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd)† (see Darval v North Sydney Brick and Tile Co (1988) 6 ACLC 154) and not for their personal intentional purposes. In our case, before resigning, Brian set up his own jewellery business so that he can engage in a lucrative business of supplying jewellery to his new friend Victor after resigning from Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd. Brian, under Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) s.184, may have infringed the statutory duties that are found in ss.181-183, and therefore liable for civil or criminal penalties as per Corporations Act laws (Sievers, 1997 and Cassidy, 2006). 2. Duty not to improperly use the position of a director to gain any personal benefits As contained in s182 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), directors must demonstrate their powers for the required purposes so that companies like Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd for example can benefit and those directors who violate s180 of the Corporations Act law Sbe penalized or disqualified in the court of law as was illustrated in the case of Mills v. Mills (1938) 60 CLR 150 (Cassidy, 2006). In our case, the exercise of power by Brian to secure some personal advantage by starting his own jewellery business, is considered as an ‘improper purpose’ because it is not within the purpose of benefiting Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd, but to himself (see Mills v. Mills (1938) 60 CLR 150, Biala Pty Ltd v. Uallina Holdings (No 2) (1993) and ASIC v. Adler (2002)). Eventually, Brian will be responsible for any financial benefit he might have received as the head of Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd (see Queensland mine Ltd v Hudson (1978) 18 ALR 1) (Cassidy, 2006, p. 251). 3. Avoiding conflicts of duty and interest. The conflict of interest is a matter for all board of directors that does not only affect specific directors in the company. According to section 182 and 183 of the Corporations Act, any misuse of director’s position just for the disadvantage of the company and for the benefit of the director is generally forbidden by the law (see Aberdeen Railway Co. v. Blaikie Bros (1854). If some sections like s191 to s195 of the Corporation Act is analyzed further, it details some important rules on how Directors (Brian included) are supposed to disclose or declare to the board of directors, if there is any personal interest that is related to the affairs of the company. This is required so as to ensure that the honesty and integrity of directors are thoroughly observed (Cassidy, 2006). As far as our case is concerned, Brian may have violated s181 of the Corporations Act, for he did not declare or disclose to the board of directors that he has some interest of starting is own business as required under s191 (3) and he may be prosecuted in the court of law for not declaring his interest. 4. Duty to prevent insolvent trading by the company Corporate regulators have tried many means to make sure that there are no companies that can trade while insolvent by imposing higher level of liability on directors. As per s588G of the Corporations Act, civil penalties and personal liability on directors have been imposed on them if in case a company incur a debt and is declared insolvent. An example of a case where directors were liable for the company’s insolvency was that of Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Friedrich. Here, Maxwell Eise who was a director was fined millions of dollars for causing the company to undergo insolvency. The court argued that Maxwell Eise (Brian and Andrew in our case) had breached s588G of the Corporations Act and was liable for debts incurred by the company because his failure to prevent it. If in case directors of companies like Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd have acted criminally and believed to be dishonest, in which may harm the company because of their self personal advantage, ASIC with the assistance of Australian Federal Police, criminal investigation can be conducted and tough procedures has to be followed when collecting evidence that will be use to determined as to whether a prosecution should go a head. And if the case is found to be more serious, it will be handled with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecution; otherwise the lower courts will deal with these kinds of cases. All in all, directors should carefully study, understand and appreciate their duties and responsibilities that they are subject to as company bosses. Being a director of a company is not an easy task because there are several fiduciary duties that need to be adhered to.

Assignment 7 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 7 - Research Paper Example Additionally, the continued monitoring of care will aid the medical practitioner in understanding where to start and in checking whether the improvements are sustained. Along the course of the fall prevention program, the medical practitioner will need to evaluate the fall rates taking place at the hospital as well as the effectiveness of the fall prevention strategy. The quality improvement model should entail the regular monitoring of the medical outcomes of the hospital; the indicator is the number of falls per 1000 patient bed days. The second area to be monitored is the care processes implemented; the indicators to be captured include the factors fueling fall risks and the actions taken to reduce a patient’s risk of falling. The third area to be checked is the infrastructure needed to support the best practices being sought, and the indicators to be captured include the participation of the preventive team in an interdisciplinary fashion (Oldrich, Kalman & Nigolian, 2012). In developing the measures of tracking the variables of fall rates and the effectiveness of fall prevention strategies under implementation, the medical practitioner and the hospital, in general, will need to address two important questions. These questions include 1) which way can enable the parties to measure the rates of falls and fall-related injuries and 2) which way will enable the parties to measure the effectiveness of the fall-prevention strategies implemented? Throughout the process of implementing the fall prevention program, the hospital and the staffs overseeing the fall prevention program will need to check the following outcome areas: Whether incident reports were revised, in a manner that allowed the medical personnel to cover more specific areas in care delivery, particularly the areas that are considered to be factors increasing or

Ayuba Suleiman Diallo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ayuba Suleiman Diallo - Essay Example ebruary 1730, upon hearing that there was a ship docked at the Gambia River, Ayuba’s father sent him to sell two slaves to the captain of the ship, he was also to buy paper and other necessities.2 During the trade, Ayuba could agree on a price with the captain of the ship, Captain Pike. He instead decided to cross the river to the country of Mandingoes who were the enemy of the people of Futa and sold the slaves to another African trader who bought them for two cows.3 On his return home, a group of Mandingoes raider captured and enslaved him. The raiders shaved Ayuba’s head, a sign of indignity, so as to appear like the other slaves.4 After all this, they went ahead and sold him as a slave to the whites. Ironically, the buyer was Captain Pike, the same buyer that he had tried to negotiate a price with for the two slaves he had earlier been sent to sell by his father. After some period of trading at river Gambia, Captain Pike’s ship sailed, and in it was Ayuba Suleiman Diallo. According to Bluett’s memoir, the ship was heading to Maryland, a British colony on the North America. On board the ship, Ayuba found means to talk to the captain, he told him that he was the same man whom they had tried to negotiate a price for the two slaves some days back.5 Captain Pike, gave Ayuba a chance to send a message to his father explaining the situation and asking for help. This message could not reach his father before it was too late for they were close to docking at Maryland. Upon arrival, Ayuba and the other slaves were delivered to their new owner, Mr. Rachel Denton. During the journey to London, Ayuba was very devoted and consistent in prayers.6 He also learnt English. Upon arrival in England, he was offered a place to stay by Captain Hunt, who was his host. At this period, they had parted with Mr. Bluett, but when he, Ayuba, heard a rumor that Mr. Hunt was planning to sell him contacted Mr. Bluett and told him of the rumor. Mr. Bluett offered him refuge in