Apply Porter 5 forces to IBM

Apply Porter 5 forces to IBM With Porter five forces framework, we identify the sources of competition facing IBM:-1.Threat of new entrantsHigh capital requirement needed to fund RD and assets make the threat of new entrants relatively low. IBM spends large amount of funds annually for RD, in order to constantly introduce new high-technology and innovative products and solutions to market to maintain its' competitiveness,Tougher for new entrants to achieve economies of scale due to experience curve effect. In addition, Consumers' preference over established brands, long-term relationship and broad product portfolio make IBM the preferred brand.2.Threat of SubstitutesPropensity to substitute is low for buyers. Threat varies from low to medium with high switching cost and product differentiation such as technology, performance, functionality etc.3. Bargaining power of buyersBargaining power is high during sourcing stage. However, buyers' bargaining power decrease after the purchase stage as switching cost is high with compatibility concerns, migration issues and cost of hardware/software."HP"-Garage in Palo Alto4.Bargaining power of suppliersSuppliers' bargaining power is low for the industry, IBM maintains a diversity of suppliers.5.Intensity of rivalry among established firmsAfter several years of contraction, the global IT industry returns to growth. The competition in the industry is intense with big boys like Microsoft, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems with diversified capabilities.Gerry Johnson, Kevin Scholes and Richard Whittington (2005), Exploring Corporate Strategy - Text and Cases, 7th edition, Harlow : FT/Prentice Hall.IBM Corporation, available online from ibm.comIBM Annual report 2004, An IBM Prospectus, Understanding Our Company, available online from ibm.com/annualreport/2004/prospectus/IBM Public Affairs, available online from ibm.com/ibmIBM corporation, Government and Public Policy, available online : www.ibm.com

Poekilopleuron - Facts and Figures

Poekilopleuron - Facts and Figures Name: Poekilopleuron (Greek for varied ribs); pronounced POY-kill-oh-PLOOR-on Habitat: Woodlands of western Europe Historical Period: Middle Jurassic (170-165 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 23 feet long and one ton Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; bipedal posture; relatively long arms About Poekilopleuron Poekilopleuron had the misfortune to be discovered in the early 19th century, at a time when virtually every large theropod was being assigned as a species of Megalosaurus (the first dinosaur ever to be named). An amazing number of famous paleontologists were involved, in one way or another, with this dinosaur: the type species, Poekilopleuron bucklandii, was named after William Buckland; in 1869, Edward Drinker Cope reassigned a now-defunct genus (Laelaps) as Poekilopleuron gallicum; Richard Owen was responsible for Poekilopleuron pusillus, which Cope later changed to Poekilopleuron minor; and later still, Harry Seeley reassigned one of these species to an entirely different genus, Aristosuchus. Amidst this frenzy of Poekilopleuron activity, at least one species of this middle Jurassic dinosaur was assigned to Megalosaurus, though most paleontologists continued to refer to Poekilopleuron by its original genus name. Adding to the confusion, the original skeleton of Poekilopleuron (Greek for varied ribs)which stood out for its complete set of gastralia, or ribs, a rarely preserved feature of dinosaur fossilswas destroyed in France during World War II, so paleontologists have since had to make do with plaster replicas (a similar situation prevails with the much bigger meat-eating dinosaur Spinosaurus, whose type fossil was destroyed in Germany). Long story short: Poekilopleuron may or may not have been the same dinosaur as Megalosaurus, and if it wasnt, it was a very close relative!

Preserving land for wildlife Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Preserving land for wildlife - Essay Example Although wildlife is the greatest beneficiary of land preservation, it is imperative for everyone to involve him or herself in land preservation measures. Certainly, wildlife is a great heritage of every society due to the socio-economic benefits that it brings forth. It essentially means that both wildlife and humans ought to coexist peacefully without one interfering with the habitat of the other (Libresco, Balantic, & Kipling, 2011). Unfortunately, human activities have led to the degradation of land, which is the natural habitat of wild animals (Brewer, 2003). For example, such activities as human settlement, deforestation, and industrialization have greatly interfered with land thus posing a huge threat to the survival of most animal species. In this respect, there have been robust campaigns and sensitizations to preserve land and subsequently wildlife (Gustanski, & Squires, 2000). The campaign has been especially intense in the United States where deforestation has taken place on a massive scale. Indiana is one of the states that suffer the biggest damage because of deforestation. Various Land trusts and other environmental agen cies have spearheaded a campaign to rehabilitate derelict land (Benson et al., 2005). In as much as the government bear the greatest responsibility of preserving land that is found within its jurisdiction, it is important to note that individual citizens are also taxed with equal responsibility (Environmental Law Institute, 2003). It means that no one is immune when it comes to matters pertaining with environmental conservation. Perhaps it is instructive to highlight that any adverse impact on land rages equally on wildlife and man. Therefore, citizens ought to take up an active role in land conservation in order to preserve the endangered species and in the process, make the world a better place to

Emirates Airlines Cabin Crew Strategic Development System for Essay

Emirates Airlines Cabin Crew Strategic Development System for Effective Staff Motivational Management - Essay Example The industry took a long time to recover the lost trust and business momentum. Once the sector managed to engage more air travelers the worldwide financial crises again put hit and harnessed the growth momentum. This hit is still pressing airlines and entire industry setup is changing with increasing deregulation, privatization, and open skies policies etc; all intent to meet growing challenges and align with the pace of change. Hence the industry though has high barrier for competitors to enter but it has agility to respond to the happenings round the world is very high. Aviation industry as matter of research has taken place in the recent past and researcher asserts that attention to aviation industry has recently grown and still requires to be explored. However, attempt to explore the commercial airline has barrier of cooperation from managers who are very resilient in sharing the relevant information. Hence, the researcher following the strategy of many other researchers has cont ented on the available researches from secondary sources. This report has objective to explore the cabin crew component of the human resources of airline industry. Cabin crews are frontline representatives of airline and like every front line representative of the business or brand they carry entire brand within their on-flight behavior with passenger. Hence, this resource is equally important as other human resource such as pilot who is carrier the technical expertise while cabin crews are entire company and reflection of its strategy to passenger. As the cabin crew aspect is itself a completed domain to explore, the scope of this study has been defined or limited to explore the cabin crew resource management at Emirate Airline; among the leading airlines in world and the leader in Middle East. Emirate Airline has managed to gain the continuous improvement and hence growth while giving equal focus to the employee. The airline attributes its all success mainly to the efforts of its people. This report has been developed in three sections; first section focuses on the development through background regarding aviation industry its current position and expected future trend. Since the domain of the study is human resource the researcher has provided detailed discussion of the aspects of human resources including the importance of recruitment, training and motivation in context of the cabin crew. The study follows with shedding light on the importance of these understudy front line representatives. Role, challenges and the impact of other factors such as 9/11 incident and psychological factors have been developed. Followed is information related to recruitment and selection, productivity as well as the future prospects has been discussed. One developing the literature about the human resource management with respect to cabin crew in general, second section of the report has analyzed the Emirates airline conduct of operation in the understudy segment of the human r esource. The research has provided the initially provided detailed background of the airline. Later the study examines the recruitment and selection, performance measurement and motivational tools used by emirates to keep the crew member turnover controlled. In third and last section, the researcher on based on the knowledge developed on the basis of this research has provided some suggestion for improvement with concluding remark. 1.1- OVERVIEW OF AVIATION INDUSTRY

Financial and Strategic Planning M2C Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial and Strategic Planning M2C - Essay Example Since Franklin Healthcare is a non-profit making entity, Williams Foundations should not consider profit as the sole criteria of decision making. It should also consider the quality of services provided by the healthcare facility. Moreover it should also scrutinize that whether the money it is contributing for the welfare of the people is actually benefitting the deserving people. Or is the management of the Franklin Healthcare is merely making up the statements and in reality the health status of the people had not improved in the area. In view of this, Williams Foundation should set up an independent audit of the financial statements of the Franklin Healthcare in order to ensure that its financial statements are portraying a true picture of the entity. Once when the Williams Foundation is satisfied with the credibility of the financial statements it should base its decision on the meticulous analyses of the financial statements. Upon the analysis of the income statement it is evident that Franklin Healthcare is on the way of making profit. While its revenue remained steady, its expenses declined in 2011 as compared to 2010. Due to decrease in operating expenses the profit in 2011 rose by 0.02% as compared to the profit of 2010. The reasons cited for the decrease in operating expenses are the lay offs and subsequent reorganization of operating expenses. Another reason for this decline can be the decrease in the number of patients visiting Franklin Healthcare in 2011. As in 2010 almost 500 patients came to the healthcare facility and in 2011 the number plunged to 400. In 2011 the healthcare facility is earning profits and at the same time reorganization of the operating expenses is a sign that the healthcare facility is seriously concerned about the efficient running of the organization. If I base my analysis purely on the given information then I would recommend that Williams Foundation should continue giving

Identify Various Approaches To Workload Planning Management Essay

Identify Various Approaches To Workload Planning Management Essay Workload planning and work allocation is described within London University of Art Estate as a way to ensure an equitable and transparent approach to allocate work activities across estate staff. Approach to work planning and decision are solely on the senior management within the UAL which require a number of critical decisions in relation to the model design and parameters. These decisions include: Scenario planning- How unit of activities be achieved, recorded and measured. Demand forecasting- the type of future activities and level of detail skills required to achieve these unit within SLAs. Action planning activities to measure inputs and plans to achieve these activities such as training, promotion and recruitment. There are numerous benefits from the principles use in successful workload planning and allocation for any organization. Whether a senior manager, a planner or a member of the finance team, workload planning will help you to: understand what you want to achieve with workload planning identify the best approach for your institution get the most out of your workload planning data implement workload planning effectively across the organisation The success of any workload planning is essential for any organization. This can be done by considering certain factors during planning and allocating work for staff. These factors are: The availability of resources in terms of staff skills and if necessary recruit using head hunt, agency and advertisement. Also tools like spreadsheets, software and common sense. Understand the business priorities, goal and future development. Workload planning; using the resources available to achieve the business goals. Continual regular review to meet the changing environment On the other hand, any organization where workload planning is not a priority finds it business operation not meeting the business goals and even if it does, there are factors that slow the business operation. These factors may include: Staff not sure what they are working on day by day and may or may not succeed Wasting time on a single project hence missing dead lines Wasting resources on a single structure Organisation which becomes affected by such factor loses it business client and customer relationships and in a long run will be out of business. 1.2 Evaluate their effectiveness within the context of an organisations overall strategy London University of the Arts (UAL) Estates Departments mission is to deliver high quality facilities services which are fit for purpose and cost effective and fully meet the Universitys present and future needs. To achieve these goals, the estate has a set system in delivering, measuring and monitoring service delivery which meets stakeholders satisfaction. The IT platform is a system constantly in used for work planning, allocation and training and development. This system has a time limit for job to be completed. Measurement is by the time the job is responded; log off the system, monthly group meeting and debriefing. Where target are not met and our customers lodge complain (which is used in measuring performance and time wastage) the issues are assess and the reasons are corrected. Non-productive are the time we not working on projects that led us closer to our goals. Example time spent chatting with two friends, reading emails not related to work, and reading internet marketing news not crucial to the business. To calculate non-productivity in percentage form; is time not working divided by the total time available to complete the job. The training and development plays a key role in updating skills that are mandatory for services delivery, improve wasted time, job satisfaction and also personal development using both internal and external professional. The system has made job completion promptly and effectively within the facilities team across the UAL campuses in London. 2.1 Evaluate the extent to which an organisations process enables the Facilities Manager to recruit the right people with the right skills, experience and approach for the role in question Recruitment is the process of identifying and attracting a group of potential candidates from within and outside the organization to evaluate for employment. This means collecting, measuring, and evaluating information about candidates qualifications for specified positions. Organizations use these practices to increase the likelihood of hiring individuals who have the right skills and abilities to be successful in the target job. Recruitment in the UAL Estate department takes a longer time due to the involvement of professionals within the estate and agency consultants. Detail job creation specifications involve the site manager (AFM), senior manager (SFM), head of the estate (HFM) and the Human Resources (HR). The need for a staff is raise by the college FM then is discuss with SFM and HFM. Depending on the position and skills the college FM/SFM is/are looking for; staffs are normally source from outside. The key person needs to have hands on experience, be ready to learn, contribute to the team and able to understand the culture of both estate and the university. The Job is then advertised on the university website, Facilities Management worldwide, total jobs and the agency website. Potential candidates are short listed followed by sites visits then interviews. Although this system of advertisement maybe expensive, it attracts people with different experiences from the diverse and also serves as equal opportunity of employment for all. 2.2 Analyse and develop selection criteria to ensure the right people are recruited within facilities management Selection is the process of collecting and evaluating information about an individual in order to extend an offer of employment. Such employment could be either a first time position for employee or a different position for a current employee. The selection process is performed under legal and environmental constraints and addresses the future interests of the organization and the individual. Once candidates are identified the process of selecting appropriate employee(s) for employment begins. There is a choice to be made between the selection methods but the process used should be fair to all. Poor selection can lead to significant cost for the organisation in terms of financial cost of rehiring, indirect cost in poor performance, additional training, de-motivation and absenteeism and also legal cost if it goes to industrial tribunal for unfair treatment. It is therefore important to make sure that proper procedures are followed, the person specification meets both job and business requirement in terms of: Relevant qualifications: example BIFM, Degree, NEBOSH Relevant experience: years of experience and what they will bring to the position Skills: technology, innovation Attribute Essential role requirement: basic knowledge and understanding of the job Beneficial role requirement Required approach to work. Within the UAL facilities department, selections of the right candidate for job involve the following process; application forms, interviews and reference. After the consultant has advertised the job and has received enough candidates for the position and short listed. The short listed are invited for initial interview with the consultants in charge of that recruitment to select the best among the candidate. They are then pass on to the estate professional team including the site FM, SFM and HFM or director of estate management for final recruitment process and job offer for the right person(s). 2.3 Analyse the strengths and weaknesses in the recruitment process and make recommendations for change The strengths and weaknesses of the recruitment process can have a direct bearing on the employers ability to achieve its business goals. The analysis should cover the reputation of the organization, pay, employee benefits, working conditions, security of employment, training and development. (Micheal Amstrong, 2003). Although people will do anything to earn ends meats, they do have preference and do a lot of consideration during job application. Employers should therefore consider what will attract or prevent the right candidate in very cost effective way. The strength in the recruitment processes could include: The pay structure Employee benefits Working condition Security of the job Opportunity to develop Systems in place Style Skills Professionals within the UAL and consultants from agency are use when the best candidates are selected for staff. A larger interview panels are convene because  there are number of parties interested in the selection decision. The only advantage of selection board is that  they enable a number of different people to have a look at the applicants and compare notes  on the spot. The disadvantages are that the questions tend to be unplanned and delivered at  random, the prejudices of a dominating member of the board can overwhelm the judgements  of the other members, and the candidates are unable to do justice to them-selves because they  are seldom allowed to expand. It is always advisable to clearly define the terms and conditions of the jobs in terms of pay and benefit and think about the job, to attract good candidates so that the most can be made in the advertisement. Consider also what might put them off, example the location of the job, in other that objections can be anticipated. Analyse previous successes and failures to establish what does or does not work. Last but not the least ensure induction process is planned and appropriate and given enough attention. 3.1 Analyse appropriate theories, principles and practices for motivating and retaining staff. One of the most important factors affecting human behaviour and performance is motivation. Different writers have defined motivation in different ways these include: Rensis Likert- motivation is the core of management Stephen R. Covey motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly Dwight D. Eisenhower- Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. From the sample definitions above, the term Motivation is a broad concept used to explain the inner psychological forces and processes in an individual which arouse and give them the desire to act or not to act in a particular way. It is now generally accepted that, an increase in global competitiveness within different organisation no longer lies in the products and technology they use but the willingness of the employees to render their services to the organisation. It is only through the employees that creativity, diversity and energy that bring the company to it best. For all these to be done, the people need to be empowered, appreciated and acknowledge for their good work done. Arnold et al (1991) determined that there are three components of motivation namely: Direction Effort Persistence The theory of motivation involves the processes that describe why and how human behaviour is activated and directed. There are different categories of motivation theories but the question is; What motivates people in an organization most? Findings from different researchers argued that the theories are affected by country, time and circumstance. But all these theories base their attention on the basics of human needs, which differ considerably. Among major theories propose by writers includes: Taylor: Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1917) proposes a theory with an idea that employees are motivated mainly by pay. Taylor developed his theory of scientific management as he worked his way up from a labourer to a works manager in a US steelworks. From his observations, Taylor made three key assumptions about human behaviour at work: Man is a rational economic animal concerned with maximising his economic gain; People respond as individuals, not as groups People can be treated in a standardised fashion, like machines Mayo Elton Mayo (1880-1949) believes workers are not just concern about money but also their social needs met when at work place. Based on his well-known Hawthorne experiments conducted in Western Electric Company in Chicago, Mayos management theories grew from his observations of  employee productivity  levels under varying environmental conditions. Mayo management theory states that employees are motivated far more by relational factors such as attention and camaraderie than by monetary rewards or environmental factors such as lighting, humidity, better communication, team work and management involvement. Maslow Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) along with Frederick Herzberg (1923-) introduced the Neo-Human Relations School in the 1950s which focus on the psychology needs of employees. According to Maslow, various needs of human beings are put in hierarchy determine the most pressing needs. The hierarchy of needs means the order to satisfy the needs with the basic needs have to be attained before the others can be reached. In the pyramid hierarchy it can be seen that the lower four layers of the pyramid refers to deficiency need. The order of the pyramid from Maslow is as below: Physiological à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Safetyà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Socialà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Esteemà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Self actualization Principles of Motivation and Practices: Motivation can be put into two groups. These are the: 1. Pull- bonuses and sharing vision, 2 Push- threats and fear. Every one of us is motivated by different things and a majority of these factors are not money related but rather incentive that offer personal recognition and achievement. In this case management should determine what motivate individual at work place. Examples of motivation strategies that can be put in practice include: Pay Managing Induction Performance management process Family and friendly HR practice Job design Training and development Fundamental practices that can be use in motivating Staff include: Give incentive Regular feed backs Training and development Share company goal with staff and making sure they understand 3.2 Apply appropriate theories, principles and practice to motivating and retaining staff and review their effectiveness Every employee is unique in their own way hence what will motivate one worker will not be the same for the other. It is therefore the responsibility of the employer and manager to find out what works well with individual in the team and must be equitable and transparent. From 3.1 we can conclude the following are some examples that will motivate and keep staffs in employment. Pay: this should be structured, equitable, transparent and understandable. Induction: this should be put in place during recruitment to prevent lower retention or early exit. Training and development: although many employers see training and developing as equipping their staff to leave the organisation for more challenging roll elsewhere, it can also be a strong support for a worker to commit to the organisation as they self develop. Job design: this should be practical to motivate individual satisfaction and also the company perspectives, not an opportunity for individual to redesign a job but to vary skill and task. Performance management: regular appraisal is put in place to monitor performance management process between line manager and employee Management in the UAL use these methods to motivate employees for better job satisfaction. Job enlargement- this involves doing more work of a similar but difference in operations at the same time to what employee already does. Empowerment- give the employee the opportunity by delegating reasonable work to them to make their own decision in solving problem. Job Enrichment- giving responsibility of higher order this will lead to higher morale. The following can be use to review the effectiveness of management processes in a work place. Using job performance statistics Client feed back Improved morale Staff feedback Reduced turn over 3.3 Evaluate the application of the dynamics of reward and recognition within facilities management function Internal and external motivations are both important components in motivating employee in the workplace. Most often people get confuse with reward and recognition. Reward are mostly financial or physical benefit when behaviour has been demonstrated whiles Recognition is a psychological benefit after a specific behaviour has occurred. Programmes that reward employees for upholding the organisation values and goals within facilities department of Universities of the Arts, London are generally focus on recognition. The PACE Awards Good Performance exist in the UAL. However rewards and recognition may have some advantage and disadvantages which includes Benefit: Different people are motivated by different things, e.g a young health person will prefer gym membership than private medical hence blend of both should be considered. Pension: this tend to attract some employees at some stages of their career hence positive for others and not so for others. Education and training: this appeal to a lot of employee especially those beginning their career in facilities but unfortunately the university training are tailored to suit the job you are employed for. This has effect on good workers who also want personal development hence they turn living for where their personal development will be met. Genuine appreciation: human in general feel sense of belonging when they are appreciated for a good job done. The university do well in recognising good and extra-effort from employee saying thank you the magic word. Time/flexible time: this helps in time of family issues, studies With all the different forms of motivations in the organisation, the essential component is maintaining it to all staff both part time and full time. Motivation increases as people aim for and achieve recognition and for that matter incentive that focus on team work should be encourage, equitable and transparent. These factors will help staff work hard and will enjoy coming to work. 3.4 Evaluate the extent to which they are successful Many organizations have recognized the competitive edge achieved by more effective recognition and reward to employees. Recent studies by the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement, have found a direct link between engaged workers and satisfied customers, and between satisfied customers and profitability. Any one who shows the ability to self develop within UAL receives the support. An attempt to achieve knowledge and personal growth using the available resources example the internal training for managers like project management will be supported, example while this program is directed to managers, junior member that show interest are allowed to take part in the course. This helps staff by taking regular extra responsibility (e.g co-ordinating projects and managing contractors) aside main duties. While receiving tangible rewards for my commitment, the recognition received helps to perform duties and the extra responsibilities.   The success of reward and recognition in any organisation is the ability of the employer or organisation to willingly encourage the processes that will not only motivate the employees but also the employer. Frustration sets in when the employees realise they have no value even if they are trying harder in the company hence seek employment somewhere. Other incentives include addition holiday for all staff and free vouchers for team achievement. 3.5 Analyse ways to develop staff Development can be defined as the learning opportunities within organisation designed specifically to help the employee grow while Training is required to cover essential work-related skills, techniques and knowledge. Development is not necessarily skill oriented but rather it provides general knowledge and attitudes which will be helpful to employees in higher position. A survey carried out for Investors in People UK in 1996 showed that todays young generation appreciate training and development opportunities over pay and incentives. Efforts towards development often depend on personal drive and ambition. Some examples of development and it benefits include: Coaching: This is first step to  improve employee performance. Coaching is part of the day-to-day interaction between a supervisor and an employee daily operation. This often provides positive feedback for employee contributions but also, regular coaching brings performance issues to an employees attention when they are minor. Mentoring: This is a formal or informal relationship between experienced, knowledgeable employee and inexperienced or new employee either selected by the employee or appointed by the company. The purpose is to help the employee to quickly absorb the organization cultural and to personal develop. A possible limitation is that the individual depends on one person for support which will cause alienation from other source of expertise. Internal and external training: using external trainers to develop course specifically for the organisation or using the internal expertise to train in specific topics which is more cost effective than the external e.g BIFM and PM although they are costly. Self development groups: these are group of like mind people acting in their own interest. They may appoint a facilitator who will guild them till are well established. Topics of their interest work related issues. There is little or no financial cost but when the meeting are held during work time it indirectly the cost of the organisation. Project management and work experiences: employees should be giving a task to self manage and the opportunity to try new things in the organisation without altering their responsibilities. This will increase their sense of motivation and reduce boredom from the same job 3.6 Analyse ways to promote a learning culture within an organisation The objective is to see the value and encourage learning and understand its importance in developing individual, team and the whole organisation. Creating a learning culture environment in an organisation is a step ahead of obtaining the skills that you need to deliver product and services. Being a learning organisation is the sacrifice any employer has to make in accepting the attitude, values and practices that support continuous learning in the organisation. It empowers the staff to achieve results and targets as it helps them to: Easily adapt to changes Actually anticipate change Be more responsible Grow by innovation and inspiration Learning culture is not only considered to be great motivator for staff but also way a company can maintain increase advantage in the ever changing environment. This can not happen in a sudden way hence the following key point need to be considered. Commitment by senior management and Directors Learning should fit and be line with business goals and strategies Regular employee feed back to determine progress of the culture Clear objectives implementation should be set Learning should be in appropriate environment that can flourish and where self learning is encouraged and knowledge shared. Measurements that help develop and improve a learning culture in UAL estate include; Reward learning via promotion and acknowledgement through news letters Offer training and opportunity to transfer skills Encourage feedback from those opportunities Appraisals which include personal development plans Coaching and mentoring programme 4.1 Analyse the reasons why staff leave and review implications. In recent years there has been a mismatch about staff leaving and reality hence there is nothing like job for life. There has been a debate why staff leaves for other employment and some common reason include following: Poor management: uncaring and unprofessional managers; overworking staff; no respect, putting people in wrong jobs; poor manager selection processes. Lack of career growth and advancement  opportunities: no perceivable career paths; not posting job openings or filling from within; unfair promotions. Pay: paid under-market or less than contributions warrant, pay inequities, slow raises and favouritism for bonuses. Lack of recognition: that says it all. Poor leadership at strategic apex of the organisation: not listening, not  investing  in employees; unresponsiveness and mixed messages. Lack of training: superficial training, nothing for new staff to move up. Excessive workload: doing more with less; sacrificing quality and customer service for numbers. Since employees has eye on better opportunities it is important for any organisation to provide system to find out what really makes staff leave for other employer. In view of this, exit interview will be ideal for staff leaving. This can be formal or informal with standard questionnaire. Although there is no entire honesty from the employee, it will serve as a guide for future. The following can be included during exit interview could: What is the main reason for leaving? What are the other reasons for leaving? What do you feel about the organisation? What has been your difficult moment in time us? What can you say about our motivation, appraisal and your development with us? Are you happy to say where you are going? What particular about them that makes you want to join them? If possible could you be persuaded stay and possibility of staying? Although some employee departure is more welcome than others, employers should adopt methods to address employee turnover problem. Staff turnover rate varies from one organisation to the other but the following rules can help reduced the rate. These rules are: Employers should ensure equitable and transparent pay structure if possible use bands Job design should maximise variety of skills, opportunity to learn and develop Ensure selection and promoting procedures are appropriate for all Induction should be well planed and implemented during and after recruitment process Remove unpleasant working condition including bullying and harassment and monitor stress The above systems of approach can be enhancing further by developing a learning culture in the organisation. Hence the practices can assist to improve retention through: Regular performance review Personal development plans Open recruitment policy Mentoring Shadowing Development and training 4.2 Investigate the application of succession planning including its benefits. Succession planning is planning the future of the business or organisation in terms of finding someone within the organisation to replace the key people. Through succession planning process, you recruit superior employees, develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities and prepare them for ever more challenging roles. It is a long term thing that a company need to see into before action is taken. CIPD defined Succession planning as a process for identifying and developing potential future leaders or senior managers, as well as individuals to fill other business-critical positions either in short-term or long-term. Beside the training and development activities, succession planning should include the provision of practical tailored work experience that will be relevant for future key role. Having this process in place help in the success of the organization because the individuals identified in the plan will eventually be responsible for ensuring the company is able to tackle future challenges. These high potential candidates must be carefully selected and then provided training and development that gives them skills and competencies needed for tomorrows business environment. It is best practice to grow ones own that is developing internal staff for the position. It also important to consider certain fundament point before the person(s) is/are selected. A formal succession planning process is used together vital data regarding the potential candidates from different source. Point to be considered should include: Are there enough potential successors- individuals who are experience and that has shown potential leadership Are these people with sufficient quality in terms of must and desirable characteristics Do they have the right attitude, skills and competencies for the business future The benefits of a succession planning process include: Staff motivation- everyone can see there is a progress in their career as they are giving the chance to develop and also appreciated for their contribution. Work load planning- shadowing successors to assist their development which in turn give them more insight of the business or organisation goals and future plans Continuity- identified candidate can be part of the management team for the business future in the changing environments 4.3 Investigate skill transference within the working environment including its benefits Skill transference is the ability for an employee to use an acquire knowledge in another position. In other words it is where competencies in performing a specific job can be used in another job. It is a valuable asset particularly in a tight economy such as now. Example of skill transference: Interpersonal skills- e.g team work Planning-time management, being organised, able to research and think ahead Communication- it should be two way, giving and receiving instruction Self awareness- appreciate your strength and weakness Commitment and motivation Decision making In the current economy people with more transferable skills are luckier to be kept on job or hired than those with one or no skills. These multi-skills individual are able to carry out different jobs especially the small businesses. The benefits of skills transference include: Staff training and development- Gains new knowledge and skills by performing a different job that requires new skills and provides different responsibilities. Staff relations: learn and understand new group of co-workers and managers. Succession planning- the organisation will have a pool of potent

Bitter Sweet Symphony by Erin Flannery :: Music Creative Writing Flannery Essays

Bitter Sweet Symphony by Erin Flannery True, it was a hard decision when I was decided which of my classmatesà ­ papers to choose as à ¬the one.à ® I considered a question when trying to decide. I asked myself, à ¬What purpose this time capsule will serve?à ® My answer told me that the song inside this time capsule must be one that can still teach a message while telling the future generation something about our time. I believe the culmination to this answer was found in Erin Flanneryà ­s à ¬Bitter Sweet Symphony.à ® The title is fairly self-explanatory when it refers to the word bittersweet. That is what life is. We canà ­t expect only the good or the bad. Life is a heterogeneous mixture of both. Yet this mixture comes together in a harmonious conglomerate that is altogether something beautiful. We have the chance to give the future generation a gift. We can give them the answers before they encounter the questions. We can give the help theyà ­ll need before they need it. No oneà ­s perfect when dealing with life. Weà ­re only here for a short time, why not make it the best time you can? Life throws things at people and one has to be able to cope and learn to solve them as best as they can. As Rolling Stone eloquently put it, à ¬the lyrics address the need to cope (Wiederhorn).à ® In life, people are going to encounter problems no matter how hard they try to get around them. This song recognizes that fact and addresses it. The truth seems hard to come by these days. In my life, it is something I strive to give and receive. Thereà ­s no telling how many times one person has been lied to. Letà ­s just not mention that whole Lewinsky thing. à ¬Bittersweet Symphonyà ® donates the truth to the future. No sugarcoating or hiding of facts takes place. T he lyrics say, à ¬try to make ends meet youà ­re a slave to money then you die . . .à ® As life is, the song is inclusive of the good and the bad. Without the bad, how would we know of the good and vice versa? This common thread of truth connects us and the future.

Data Communications Essay

Repairs by Return is a successful company and offers a repair service for various electrical appliances including washing machines, dishwashers etc. The business is expanding, meaning taking on additional engineers who might need on-the-job training. The aim of our group is to advise the owner of Repairs by Return on the new technology and research on how well the technology can make the company more efficient and the communication between the staff and owner better. We will also recommend an appropriate solution. ` MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES Mobile tools and technologies have the capacity facilitate communication, keep employees informed in real-time and reduce hours once spent bound to a desk. However, along with the liberating aspects of an increasingly versatile workplace, mobility presents challenges for today’s workers. Below are short descriptions of mobile technologies currently available. SMS Short Message Service (SMS) is a service available on most digital mobile phones that allows the sending of short messages, also known as text messages, or more commonly as SMS, texts or even txts) between mobile phones, other handheld devices and even landline telephones. Messages must be no longer than 160 alpha-numeric characters and contain no images or graphics. Picture Messaging Picture Messaging is a service, which allows users to send and receive messages that combine pictures with text and sounds from their phones. WAP Wireless Application Protocol is an open international standard for applications that use wireless communication allowing users to access information instantly via handheld wireless device e.g. internet access from a mobile phone, smart phones, two way radios etc. MMS Multimedia Message Service is the evolution of SMS. With MMS, a mobile device is no longer restricted to text-only messages. It can send and receive multimedia messages such as graphics, sound files, video clips or any combination of the above, within certain size limits. GPRS General Packet Radio Service is a protocol for passing data over a mobile phone network. With GPRS connection, the phone is â€Å"always on† and can transfer data immediately, and at higher speeds. 3G 3G is the generic term for third generation mobile phone technologies. It offers high speed connections enabling video conference and other applications which require broadband connectivity to the Internet. PDA Personal Digital Assistants are handheld devices that combine computing, telephone/fax, Internet and networking features. Originally designed as personal organisers but have now become much more versatile over the years. FEASIBILITY STUDY The feasibility study is aimed at viewing the ideas given to us by the owner and assessing whether they will help the company communicate effectively. We will also look at the limitations of the ideas. * Apprentice engineers asking for help silently to senior engineers GPRS allows instant connectivity (as long as there is radio coverage), meaning information can be sent/received immediately. Engineers can take picture(s) of the problem they cannot fix, write a little note with it, send it as an MMS to senior engineers, and receive an immediate reply without the customers realising. The problem with this will be that the engineer on the other side might be with a client and therefore, will not be able to reply immediately. Another problem could be that the reply received from the engineer may be inaccurate and unclear. Drawback of GPRS is the limited bandwidth and is particularly suited for sending and receiving small bursts of data. So when engineers do send pictures, the size of the message and picture will be limited. * Web access to manuals and diagrams GPRS also aims to deliver remote access type applications via a mobile network for businesses including data uploads and synchronisation, document sharing and collaboration, email and web browsing. Ideally, a wide variety of information can be delivered via a mobile device, overcoming the 160 character limitations of SMS. It is usually impossible to directly port a desktop application to a wireless to a handheld device; therefore, directly access most websites using a handheld device is difficult. Another problem the engineers might face is that typing on a cell phone’s tiny keys can be difficult and time consuming and the size of the screen is limited too. This could be a problem when an engineer is trying to download diagrams, as there will be problems with its clarity. * FAQs facility stored on mobiles One of the drawbacks on using GPRS is that it has slow data transfer rates. Although rates of 115 kbs (or more) have been quoted, the realistic speeds are 20 to 30 kbs can be expected. Applications can be used in a shared environment, and data sharing is made easier – effectively like being connected to a Local Area Network (LAN). An important functionality of PDAs is the possibility of synchronising data with a contact database, such as MS Outlook hosted on corporate servers or a personal computer. The synchronised data ensures that the PDA has an accurate list of contacts, appointments and email. Critical to shared data access, synchronisation allows multiple clients to access, edit, and remove data records that a particular group of users may regularly use. As well as that, data input is a lot quicker on a personal computer. Therefore, transferring data to a PDA via the computer is a lot quicker than having to manually input it all on the handheld device. POTENTIAL USEFULNESS OF COMBINED MOBILE PHONES/PDAS, IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS BUSINESS We will now discuss the benefits of mobilisation to the business. * PDA from for capturing progress made A form can be created for the use on the PDA which will enable the engineers to capture progress while they are with clients, which could then be distributed over the network, noting the problems that they could not fix or if any additional parts are required. Each time the engineer collects heir PDA, it is pre-loaded with week’s progress form. Once the form is completed, the engineer can synchronise it when they get back to the office or using GPRS whilst out with the clients. The data can then be fed into a progress database, collecting the data from all the engineers. This will enable you to generate a project progress report automatically. The potential usefulness with mobile phones and PDA There are various other ways the business can use the technology to help their staff. As the workers are apprentices, they can use the technology by using i.e. the intranet to access the help guide. This is a good idea as the staff can learn while on duty and in their free time. It is also a good cost saver as they will not need to pay for a teacher and a class room, and it is also less time consuming. The PDA or some mobiles phones have a satellite navigation system built in to help the staff if they are travelling to any location which they have difficulty finding. It will give them clear directions and pinpoint the location to save time. RECOMMENDATIONS Having considered the ideas that have been brought forward by you, the technology would help to build a better relationship with the staff and also improved customer service. Before purchasing new technology, Repairs by Return will need to invest in training the staff to use the hand held device. We recommend using a mobile phone called the Treo 650 Smart phone; this is a combined technology of some of the features of a PDA and also most of the features of a mobile phone. Of the three ideas, we think that the best idea would be having a server or the intranet to access the manuals and diagrams from the mobile phone. This will give the staff the knowledge to solve any problems and also gives some secrecy as the customer will not realise that the engineer is asking for help. The idea of using the mobile phone to contact other experienced engineers is a good idea but may distract the other staff that may also be with a customer. The idea of having a FAQ database maybe a bad idea as the staff may not always find the most accurate answers to there questions. The database will have answers of the problems that have arose in the past but may not have new problems, this will mean that the information would have to be updated frequently so that it is up to date. The information will have to be stored so will take up the hard drive space which the staff may need to use for other information. This will mean that the business would need to purchase higher mega byte memory cards. This is an additional cost for the business. The intranet would be a good idea as the all the information is there; you do not need to store the information as it is on the intranet saving memory space. Although the information maybe hard to find as the staff would need to go through the manual to find what they are looking for. The technology of the smart phone will help the staff as the phone has the features of browser to search for any words or phrases on the web to located information much faster and have less time consumed looking through the whole manual. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS USED 1) Panko. R., Business Data Communications and Networking, Prentice Hall, 3rd Edition (2000) WEBSITES USED 1) http://www.voiceanddata.com.au/feature_article/item_022003a.asp 2) http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo650/web.epl 3) http://web.ukonline.co.uk/p.boughton/wap.htm 4) http://www.my-xda.com/xda2_closer.html 5) http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews90293.html GROUP LOG Group Names * 21 February 2006 ALLOCATION OF GROUPS 1) Manik Maih 2) Bijal Pandit 3) Ime Udoh All members exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses. We allocated tasks and said that we should research on mobile phones and PDA. Time allocated for research only Manik Miah 7 days Bijal Pandit 7 days Ime Udoh 7 days * 28 February 2006 All the group members conducted sufficient research needed to write the report, within the time given. There were plenty of books and internet print outs. All members looked and read through the research found and divided into files. We divided 3 ideas between us. Manik idea 1 Bijal idea 2 Ime idea 3 We then allocated the tasks of the report and the internet website. Bijal Part 1 and 2 Manik Part 3 and 4 Ime website, contents page, group log We met up every 3 days to check the progress of the report and to help any group members that are having difficulties. * 7 March 2006 All group members attended, and arrived on time. At this stage majority of the work was completed. Each member rotated the work around to ensure there were no more mistakes. We all contributed equally and suggested that the work was fine and additional work that needs to be done should. * 13 March 2006 The group had finished off all there tasks and got together to check over all the work. We then edited the website. Once the final touches were made, we printed out the work. GROUP AGREEMENT 4BIM504 Data Communications We, the undersigned members of this group, undertake to be bound by the following agreement: 1. to attend all group meetings on time, except when agreed by other group members in advance, or where a documented excuse is provided 2. to be well prepared for each meeting, ensuring that all relevant material is adequately researched and presented 3. to be actively involved in the work of the group, by contributing to the best of our abilities 4. to participate in the editing and preparation of the final report We agree that if a group member breaches these undertakings, then the group has the right to recommend a reduced mark for the individual concerned of up to 30% below the group grade. In this eventuality the group would submit reasons in writing to the seminar leader. We accept that the seminar tutor may require further information before making any penalty mark adjustments. We accept that the seminar tutor’s decision is final in these matters.

Joyce Osterweil Award forPoetry

Rowan Ricardo Phillips Wins the 2013 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award forPoetry Poet Rowan Ricardo Phillips had an enviable problem recently.   He won both the 2013 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry AND was also chosen as one of the winners of the Whiting Writers Award.   Ceremonies for both the awards were to take place on the same night.    Decisions, decisions. Using some powers not bestowed on mere mortals and non-poets, Phillips managed to attend both fetes (although he was a little late for the Whiting). The title of Phillips multiple-award winning work is  The Ground.    Here is one of the poems from that collection:   Mappa Mundi These factories, their pipes smoke, plume like skunks, Rise as one and few and many and all And forty fireflies bound for JFK. Forty more circle where here be dragons. Nature is a lapse in city life. Whether red birds sit and sing from rooftops Or rappers cypher deep into the night, The gun-in-your-mouth talk of a ransomed God, nature is a lapse in city life. The soft green ground that ends an avenue. The red rust-spew stifling a drain. Pigeon-dropped icicles. Nature is a lapse in city life. Those kids on a New Deal rooftop Staring at the wonders of Moses, Who with a wave split the Bronx asunder And dropped the Cross Bronx Down in his wake, May they know this map of the world As only a map of the world. One of many that will lead them To and from their doors.

Does Animal Farm fit the definition of a fable Essays

Does Animal Farm fit the definition of a fable Essays Does Animal Farm fit the definition of a fable Paper Does Animal Farm fit the definition of a fable Paper Essay Topic: Animal Farm Literature A fable is a story with animal characters which teaches a lesson or has a moral. The animals speak like humans and normally have a specific quality, such as the slow tortoise and the speedy hare. A famous fable writer was Aesop. Characters do not develop much in the story and humour is often used. Fables are made-up stories but often make important points about real life. The fable (In Greek language Muzos which you can literally translate as myth) has its own evolution over time, according to the development of the people expressing it and their culture. Animal Farm is written by George Orwell. The animals of Manor Farm overthrow their human master and look forward to a new way of living, one with peace and freedom, but when the pigs of the farm take control of Animal Farm, they create havoc and all animals are soon back to their old ways and conditions of starvation, overwork and intimidation. The animals have not succeeded in their desire to be equal. This is shown when Benjamin reads out on a wall, All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. This story fulfils many of the characteristics of a fable. The characters do show many human strong points and also display human weaknesses and faults such as greed, pride and vanity. This case can be seen in two pigs who personify greediness physically and mentally; particularly physically when Squealer promotes that they keep all the milk and apples because it is necessary for pigs to have foods like this in their diet in order to give them the strength to lead effectively. Sycophancy is shown by Boxer when he says If Comrade Napoleon says it, it is right and Napoleon is always right. When all the animals were learning to read they couldnt remember all seven commandments and Snowball narrowed it down to one commandment which was Four legs good, two legs bad. The sheep, especially, really believed this commandment and chanted it through the farm repeatedly. This illustrates another of the human faults often shown in a fable; that of gullibility. The weakness of vanity is also exposed in the second chapter when Molly the pony takes a piece of ribbon from Mrs Jones dressing table and was holding it against herself and admiring herself in the glass in a very foolish manner Animal Farm also relates to a fable for it does express a moral message and the story is trying to communicate a lesson. It suggests that war is not the answer and that having power can change everything, and can affect people in negative ways. At dark times of the story they use humour, which is often used in fables, such as when the assassination of a traitor ram is described. He is chased round a bonfire when he has a cough! The story is suitable for children as it has a fun, fairy tale element and uses understandable vocabulary. Most of the characters in the story we know very little about as individuals. Many are just grouped by their species, such as the pigs and hens but others have names and are more developed in the chapters. Napoleons motives are explored and he shows his evil side when Snowball is chased off the farm, and Boxer evokes the readers sympathy when he gets hurt, as we have come to appreciate his straight-forward and honest character which the author has developed through the story. Unlike most fables, Animal Farm does not quote a moral at the end of the story, which makes it hard for the reader to realise it is a fable and that there is a message behind it. After reading the story, which is also quite different from a traditional fable because of its length, the reader is left to figure out what the lesson is and what good human points and bad human points are being expressed. In conclusion, Animal Farm is a fable but has its own subtle elements. I think that making the story longer than any other fable creates drama and makes the reader think hard about whether it is a fable, has a moral or is trying to send a message about what happens in everyday life.

Gillette Company Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gillette Company Case Study - Essay Example Quick ratio-Inventories are the least liquid of assets and face significant risks like they may be damaged or lost among others. They are hence reduced in calculating quick ratio. A higher quick ratio is also preferred. Cash Ratio- shows the percentage of current liabilities covered by cash and cash equivalents. This ratio measures the company’s ability to repay current liabilities using cash. A higher ratio is also recommended. A ratio of 1 and above is recommended since it indicates the ease to pay current liabilities using cash and cash equivalents, companies, however, opt to use available cash for other profit generating activities and hence the ratio is ideally less than 1. Gillette’s cash ratio is 0.19 which falls far below the recommended rate. This may show that the firm does not keep its revenues in cash, and this may hinder its ability to repay its current liabilities in the short term. These liquidity measures indicate that Gillette is not able to meet its current obligations with ease. That means that the firm has to sell some of its fixed assets in order to reduce chances of insolvency. There is therefore need for improvement by the management. The debt ratio is less than one indicating that the firm has more assets than debt. The rate is, however, higher than 0.5 which is the recommended level. This is a good indication since it implies less leverage and hence fewer financial risks but management should work on increasing the level of assets and reducing liabilities. Return on equity- this is a ratio of net income to total shareholder’s equity. It indicates the amount of profit the company makes for its owners. A high ratio is preferred by investors since they are assured of high returns on their investments. Inventory turnover- this is the ratio, of the cost of goods sold to inventories, showing the number of times the company restocked its inventory. A higher ratio indicates high sales as a result of fast movement of the

Single-sex schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Single-sex schools - Essay Example A generation of coed schools and dorms and workplaces has produced more equality between men and women, not less. We are less likely to see each other as "other," less likely to separate our work and personal lives†¦to rewire the small society called school. This school world is, after all, a mirror image of the larger world. (Goodman) Single sex schools do have educational benefits. Without the constant distraction of the opposite sex, tests scores do improve (Cooper). Single sex schools have the advantage of teaching to a gender’s strengths. Boys and girls do learn differently. Some scholars suggest that higher test scores are the result, but others refute these findings (Goodman). The education benefits still do not address the social issues. Single sex schools can lead to gender and sexual confusion. Gender confusion can be caused by males and females having to pick up roles reserved for the opposite sex, like a boy having to sweep the floor or a girl having to move a heavy object in the class. Sexual confusion would occur in puberty. Teenagers become very sexual at that age. Without the opposite sex to experiment with, many teens will experiment with the same sex. Then the confusion of being hetro, homo, or bi- sexual becomes a problem. Gender and sexual confusion can happen in a coed school, but are more likely in a single sex school. The final social reason that single sex schools could be harmful is segregation usually means unequal. The Civil Rights Era proved the segregation is never equal. As a result, schools not only integrated different races, but the genders as well. One article explains â€Å"Fearing that separate meant unequal, and seeking to break down sexual stereotypes, they decided to mix the sexes together at the earliest possible age† (Gilbert). This is a norm in American society. Segregation is wrong, no matter if for race or gender. Single sex schools are not a beneficial alternative